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Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing
Morning Must Reads for Friday, November 18, 2016
Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 323rd day of the year. There are 43 days left in 2016.
Mitt Romney under consideration to be Donald Trump's Secretary of State. Trump picks his National Security Advisor and Attorney General. Congress is eyeing a major overhaul of Medicare.
The clock:
- 31 days until the Electoral College meets to cast their votes for president and vice president (12/19/2016)
- 63 days until Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President (1/20/2017)
- 66 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (1/23/2017)
- 111 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (3/9/2017)
- 354 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)
- 718 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
Ten talking points for Friday:
- What happened this week in Utah politics and why? Watch our weekly video rundown. You won't be sorry, probably [Utah Policy].
- Some Republicans in the Utah Legislature are upset by some of the tactics employed by Democrats during this year's elections and may retaliate during the 2017 session [Utah Policy].
- Mitt Romney will meet with Donald Trump this weekend amid speculation the president-elect will offer him the Secretary of State job [Utah Policy, Tribune, Deseret News].
- Donald Trump has reportedly offered the Attorney General post to Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions [CBS News]. Before becoming a senator, Sessions was rejected in 1986 for a federal judgeship because he has a troubling history of making racist remarks [Huffington Post].
- Retired General Michael T. Flynn is Donald Trump's pick for National Security Advisor [Washington Post].
- Trump is considering Steven Mnuchin for Treasury Secretary. Mnuchin has some possible conflicts of interest in his background that could make his confirmation a thorny prospect [Washington Post].
- Donald Trump is planning a "victory tour" of the 30 states he carried during the 2016 election. Aides to Trump say the president-elect will hit the road sometime in the next couple of weeks [Politico].
- Anti-Trump protestors have posted online the personal information of dozens of electoral college voters. The information includes phone numbers and home addresses [BuzzFeed]. The Office of the Federal Register, which administers the Electoral College, has been inundated with angry phone calls and emails since Donald Trump won the presidency [Washington Post].
- Congressional Republicans say they are considering a major overhaul of Medicare during 2017 [The Hill]. Sen. Orrin Hatch says entitlement reform, including Medicare, will be a must to make sure Donald Trump's administration is fiscally responsible [Talking Points Memo].
- What climate change? The North Pole is 36 degrees warmer than normal right now, while sea ice covering the polar region is at a record low [Washington Post].
On this day in history:
- 1883 - The United States adopted Standard Time and set up four time zones.
- 1928 - Mickey Mouse appeared for the first time in "Steamboat Willie," the first fully synchronized sound cartoon.
- 1963 - Push-button telephones made their debut.
- 1978 - More than 900 people died in a mass suicide-murder led by the Rev. Jim Jones at the People's Temple commune in Guyana.
- 1987 - The congressional Iran-Contra committees issued their final report, saying President Ronald Reagan bore "ultimate responsibility" for wrongdoing by his aides.
- 2003 - The Massachusetts Supreme Court, in a 4-3 ruling, declares the state's ban on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional.
Today At Utah Policy
 | Bob Bernick's Notebook: Now We've Got Bad Blood There are always some hard feelings after a tough-fought election.... |
 | Will the 8th Time be the Charm? - Bernick and Schott on Politics Episode #307 2nd week of the Donald Trump era in Washington and things are reportedly not going well.... |
 | Shock of Trump's Election Gives Right and Left a Chance to Fix Themselves “Our job is only to hold up the mirror – to tell and show the public what has happened” -Walter Cronkite... |
 | Trump to Meet with Romney for Possible Cabinet Slot Remember when Mitt Romney called Donald Trump a "phony"? How about the time Trump called Romney a "choker"? Oh, how times have changed.... |
 | Weekly Survey: Do You Trust Public Opinion Polling? Pre-election polling predicted Hillary Clinton would easily defeat Donald Trump for the presidency. We all know how that worked out. In the wake of those polling errors, do you still trust public opinion polling to deliver accurate results? Vote now in our weekly survey... |
| Podcast: Bernick and Schott on Politics - Episode #307 Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott break down the who, what, when, where, why, how and if of the week that was in Utah politics.... |
 | Book: Lee Tried to Broker a Cruz/Rubio Presidential Ticket Oh, what could have been. A forthcoming book about the 2016 presidential election details how Utah Sen. Mike Lee tried to convince Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio to form a "unity ticket" to block Donald Trump.... |
Policy News
| Casual Friday: Weekend Events & Outdoors Report Outdoor Notes-- View wild turkeys in Utah over Thanksgiving holiday -- Visit National Parks free for 10 days in 2017 -- Warm weather delays Utah ski season Weekend EventsNew Films-- Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Tribune review -- Bleed for This: Tribune review -- The Edge... |
| Hatch, Wyden Introduce Bills to Strengthen, Increase Access to Retirement Savings Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today applauded the introduction of S. 3470, the Miners Protection Act of 2016, and S. 3471, the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act of 2016. Both bills were report... |
| Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill Would Delay Changes to Government Hacking Powers U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Al Franken (D-Minn.), together with Reps. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Ted Poe (R-Texas), introduced legislation to provide Congress the time necessary to seriously cons... |
| The Utah 1033 Foundation Creates New Scholarship in Honor of Officer Cody Brotherson The Utah 1033 Foundation announced the creation of a new Leadership Award and $2,500 scholarship in honor of fallen West Valley City Police Officer Cody Brotherson.... |
| Mayor Biskupski Joins Local Leaders in Washington, DC in Support of Mountain Accord Legislation Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski joined other local elected officials and environmental advocates in presenting testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources in support of the Central Wasatch National Conservation and Recreation Area Act (WNCRA). WNCRA is t... |
Local Headlines
Salt Lake Tribune
Op-ed: Clean energy has come a long way in Utah, and still has far to go
Editorial: If Hughes really supported justice reform, he would stop blocking Medicaid
Romney to meet with Trump this weekend, possibly talk Cabinet spot
Utah legislators don't have to look far to see results of storage tank bill
Utah lawmakers: Time to take 'training wheels' off booming solar industry, retire tax credit
Utah activist, author appeals BLM's rejection of oil and gas leases
Deseret News
Sen. Orrin Hatch says he's getting pressure to run for 8th term
Arizona death row exoneree urges Utah to repeal death penalty
Could Mitt Romney have role in Trump administration?
Utah on the move: Census figures show improving economy
Other
Three new people elected to Davis School Board (Standard-Examiner)
National Headlines
Trump planning 'victory tour' of states he won (The Hill)
Obama won't call off anti-Trump protesters (The Hill)
Trump calms the chaos (Politico)
Donald Trump's flirtation with Mitt Romney is big-league smart (Washington Post)
How Trump Can Reshape the Courts (Bloomberg)
Tim Kaine on a 2020 run: 'Nope' (CNN)
Pence tells House GOP to 'buckle up' for breakneck pace (CNN)
Japan's Abe in hastily arranged meeting with Trump in New York (Reuters)
Americans want Trump to focus on healthcare first: poll (Reuters)
Wise Words
Secret of Liberty
"Those who won our independence... valued liberty as an end and as a means. They believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty." Louis D. Brandeis
Lighter Side
VP Responsibilities
"Vice President Joe Biden got together with incoming Vice President Mike Pence. Biden went over the primary responsibilities of being vice president, which are: not falling asleep at the State of the Union address . . . and that's about it. So they covered that." Jimmy Kimmel
