Utah's Daily Policy Resource, Brought to you by Utah Policy
Message Center
We're podcasting!
You can listen to our interviews with Utah politicians and newsmakers, plus catch "Bernick and Schott on Politics" every week by subscribing to our podcast on iTunes.
Daily Briefing
Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 346th day of the year. There are 19 days remaining in 2017.
The clock:
21 days until candidates can declare their intent to gather signatures for the 2018 election (1/2/2018)41 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)86 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)87 days until the filing period for candidates in the 2018 election opens (3/9/2018)93 days until the filing deadline for the 2018 elections (3/15/2018)98 days until the statewide caucus meetings for Utah Republicans and Democrats (3/20/2018)130 days until the GOP State Convention (4/21/2018)196 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)329 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)1,057 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
Today's political TL; DR -
A late surge pushed Republican
John Curtis's total spending past Democrat
Kathie Allen in November's special Congressional election. The total expenditures from all candidates in that election were just under $2.5 million [
Utah Policy].
Sen.
Brian Shiozawa suddenly resigns from the Utah Senate after accepting a job with the Trump administration [
Utah Policy].
Shiozawa's resignation puts SD8 in play for a possible Democratic pickup in the 2018 election [
Utah Policy].
A Utah judge rules a plan to switch to partisan elections for state school board members violates Utah's Constitution [
Tribune].
Advocates deliver 20,000 chocolate chips to Sen.
Orrin Hatch's office to urge him to prioritize finding funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program [
Deseret News].
UDOT Director
Carlos Braceras is working to modernize transportation in Utah [
Utah Policy].
Salt Lake City's master transit plan aims to make public transit use more widespread by 2040 [
Tribune].
Utah's high school graduation rate increases to 86 percent [
Daily Herald,
Deseret News,
Tribune].
The Salt Lake City Council is urging other cities in Utah to follow their lead and focus on building more affordable housing [
Deseret News].
The number of payday loan stores in Utah drops after lawmakers approve changes that give people in a financial pinch more options [
Associated Press].
Utah wins an international road safety award for dropping the legal blood alcohol level to the lowest in the nation [
Deseret News].
The nasty inversion hanging over the Wasatch Front is expected to stick around for a couple of weeks [
Deseret News].
National headlines:
It's game day in Alabama. Nobody seems to know what is going to happen in Tuesday's special Senate election because polls are all over the place [
New York Times].
President
Donald Trump's legal team plans to push for the FBI to appoint a second special counsel to investigate special counsel Robert Muller's investigation [
Axios].
GOP lawmakers are racing to hammer out a final tax agreement by the end of the week [
Politico].
The GOP tax proposal could make anonymous "dark money" political contributions tax deductible [
CNN].
56 female members of Congress want the Oversight Committee to probe allegations of sexual misconduct by President Donald Trump [
The Hill].
New York Democratic Senator
Kirsten Gillibrand calls on President
Donald Trump to resign following allegations he sexually assaulted several women [
CNN].
A federal judge rules that the Trump administration cannot block transgender Americans from enlisting in the armed forces. The Pentagon is scrambling to get an emergency order to halt those enlistments on January 1 [
Politico].
Democrats are warning that some pension plans are facing insolvency, and could lead to a government shutdown if Congress doesn't move to fix the problem [
Politico].
The bomber who detonated a pipe bomb in New York City on Monday morning says he was retaliating for U.S.-led airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria [
New York Times].
The New Yorker Magazine fires star reporter
Ryan Lizza over allegations of "improper sexual conduct" [
CNN].
President
Donald Trump signed a directive to send U.S. astronauts back to the moon [
New York Times].
Merriam-Webster picks "feminism," as 2017's "Word of the Year" [
Merriam-Webster].
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway's use of the term "alternative facts" was named Yale Law School's "Most Notable Quote of 2017" [
Associated Press].
On this day in history:
1787 - Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1870 - Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the first black member of the House of Representatives.
1901 - Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" in Morse Code) in Newfoundland.
1913 - Two years after it was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was recovered in a Florence, Italy hotel room.
1917 - Father Edward Flanagan founds Boys Town in Nebraska.
1941 - Adolf Hitler declares the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery.
2000 - The U.S. Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore.
Today At Utah Policy
| Carlos Braceras leads Utah into new mobility era By Muriel Xochimitl, UtahPolicy.com Contributor & President of X-Factor Strategic Communications Whether we drive on the roads, take a bus, or ride a bike, transportation is front and center in our daily lives. When it's working well, we don't notice it. When it's not, we do.... |
Policy News
Local Headlines
Salt Lake Tribune
Op-ed: Drug discount program helps Utah hospitals
Editorial: Utah should not tell other states what their gun laws are
Minority students drive improvement in Utah's high school graduation rate
Utah judge rules against partisan elections for state school board
One of every 6 Utah payday loan stores closed last year
Will you breathe easier and ditch your car? What Salt Lake City's new transit master plan means to you
Moderate Utah GOP Sen. Brian Shiozawa resigns to take federal health post; Dem Kathie Allen says she'll run for his seat
Rolly: Utah Republican delegates are best at picking nominees? They sure missed on embattled Commissioner Greg Graves
Utah designates a new scenic byway; move may drive up tourism in Morgan
A chocolate chip delivery for Utah's Sen. Orrin Hatch - in the name of restoring CHIP health insurance for up to 20,000 kids
Deseret News
Op-ed: A strong NAFTA agreement secures jobs for Utah agriculture
Editorial: Utah can do more to help students find solid STEM footing
Salt Lake can't be the only city building affordable housing, council says
Utah's high school graduation rate up 5 years running
Advocates petition Hatch to prioritize CHIP, offer chocolate chips to 'sweeten deal'
Utah court rules against partisan State School Board elections
State Sen. Brian Shiozawa resigns for Trump administration post
Passing .05 percent DUI law helps Utah earn international road safety award
National Headlines
Former CIA Director Regrets How Intel Agencies Treated Trump (Daily Caller)
A nation watches on eve of toxic Alabama Senate election (AFP)
CNN Walks Back Jeff Sessions-Russia Bombshell (Daily Caller)
Wife of demoted DOJ official worked for firm behind anti-Trump dossier (FOX News)
Suspect in New York bomb attack said to have been inspired by Islamic State's call for Christmas attacks (Los Angeles Times)
Jeff Sessions blames 'failed immigration policies' for NYC subway terror attack (New York Daily News)
Ryan Lizza of the New Yorker fired for alleged 'improper sexual conduct' (Washington Post)
Veteran NPR host Tom Ashbrook suspended for alleged sexual misconduct (USA Today)
Louisiana man admits misusing Trump's Social Security number (FOX News)
Expect Fed to Raise Interest Rate and FCC to Repeal Net Neutrality (New York Times)
There's a medical 'land grab' underway as hospitals try to get larger (Washington Post)
Virtue and Vice
"Virtue is more to be feared than vice, because its excesses are not subject to the regulation of conscience." Adam Smith
Slogan
"Vladimir Putin announced he's running for reelection as president of Russia. Putin's campaign slogan is "I Made America Great Again." Conan O'Brien
Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers.