Utah's Daily Policy Resource | Brought to you by Utah Policy

Message Center

Get UtahPolicy.com's great content through LinkedIn. Join our group here.

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning must reads for Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 143rd day of the year. There are 222 days remaining in 2017. Today is the 124th day of Donald Trump's presidency.

Utahns want an independent investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 election. Ryan Zinke reportedly will recommend rolling back Bears Ears. Michael Flynn allegedly lied about his contacts to Russia when applying for a security clearance.

The clock:

• 25 days until the Utah Democratic State Convention at Weber State University (6/17/2017)

• 84 days until the 2017 Utah primary election (8/15/2017)

• 168 days until the 2017 election (11/7/2017)

• 244 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)

• 289 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)

• 532 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)

• 1,260 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

• NEW POLL: 59% of Utahns say they want an independent investigation into Russia's involvement in the 2016 election. 12% say Congress should lead the probe while 23% said there's no need for an investigation [Utah Policy].
  
  
• House Speaker Greg Hughes says he does not expect the legislature to file a lawsuit against Gov. Gary Herbert over the rules for a special election to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz, but he does expect significant pushback during the 2018 session [Utah Policy].
  
  
• Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke reportedly told Utah officials he will recommend that President Trump rescind the Bears Ears National Monument [Utah Policy].
  
  
• LaVarr Webb offers a personal perspective on the immigration question [Utah Policy].
  
  
• The death toll from a suicide bombing following a concert in Manchester, England has risen to 22 with 59 injuries [BBC]. President Trump called the perpetrators of the attack "losers" and emphasized his commitment to push back against terrorism [CNN].
  
  
• Rep. Jason Chaffetz postpones a Wednesday hearing after speaking privately with fired FBI Director James Comey [Politico].
  
  
• Former national security adviser Mike Flynn reportedly lied about his ties to companies in Russia when he applied for a renewal of his top-secret security clearance last year [New York Times]. Flynn is also refusing to cooperate with a congressional subpoena, invoking his constitutional right against self-incrimination [Wall Street Journal].
  
  
• President Trump asked two top-ranking intelligence officials to help him push back against allegations of possible coordination between his campaign and Russia [Washington Post].
  
  
• President Trump is reportedly close to choosing outside counsel to handle the investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 election [Washington Post].
  
  
• President Donald Trump's "taxpayer first" budget includes $4.5 trillion in spending cuts, including big reductions in Medicaid, food stamps, and student loans [Washington Post, Axios, Wall Street Journal]. The budget plan also includes selling off half of the nation's strategic oil reserve to pay down the debt [Bloomberg].
  
  
• The Supreme Court ruled two North Carolina congressional districts were drawn unconstitutionally when lawmakers "packed" an inordinate number of minority voters into the two districts [Politico].
  
  
• Drain the swamp? The White House moves to block an ethics inquiry into former lobbyists who have been given waivers to work at the White House [New York Times].
  
  
• President Donald Trump's job approval rating has dropped to 45% in a new survey. His average job approval in all polls is a paltry 39.6% [The Hill].
  
  
• A group of disaffected Republicans and Democrats launch a new centrist political party in Utah [Deseret News, Tribune].
  
  
• Tanner Ainge, the son of former NBA star and current NBA executive Danny Ainge, jumps into the race to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz in Utah's 3rd District [Tribune].
  
  
• Here's a look at how President Donald Trump's proposed changes to NAFTA could affect Utah [Deseret News].
  
  
• The arrest rates for undocumented immigrants without a criminal history has jumped significantly in four western states, including Utah [Tribune].
  
  
• Salt Lake City Library officials vote to eliminate overdue fines, but they're also asking for a big property tax hike [Deseret News].

On this day in history:

• 1788 - South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
  
  
• 1934 - Bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were shot to death in a police ambush in Bienville Parish, La.
  
  
• 1949 - The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was established.
  
  
• 2013 - The Boy Scouts of America ended a century-old ban on openly gay scouts but still prohibited gay adult scout leaders.

Today At Utah Policy

Most Utahns want an independent investigation into Russian meddling 2016 election By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Most Utahns favor a special commission or investigator to look into Russia’s involvement in our 2016 presidential elections, a new UtahPolicy.com poll finds....

Hughes says no lawsuit over special election flap likely, but legislature will make changes in 2018 By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor House Speaker Greg Hughes says he doesn't expect lawmakers to sue Governor Gary Herbert over the special election to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz, but he does think the governor overstepped his bounds....

Report: Zinke will recommend full repeal of Bears Ears By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke reportedly told some Utah officials he'll recommend that President Donald Trump completely rescind the Bears Ears National Monument....

Would you sneak into a foreign country and stay illegally? By LaVarr Webb, Publisher The debate over illegal immigration continues to divide the country. ...

Guest opinion: Helping students with tax increase won't hurt economy By Doug Macdonald Recent arguments against raising income taxes to fund public education either indicate a misunderstanding of the measures or are an attempt to deflect the power of the proposal to help our children and grandchildren flourish in future years....

Policy News

Misbehavior or Misdemeanor? New research shows school disciplinary rates have dropped in Utah, but racial minorities still impacted disproportionately School disciplinary actions are decreasing in Utah’s public school system, but disparities in the amount of discipline administered along racial lines continues to exist and in some cases has worsened, according to a new joint report released today by the University of...

Three new GOED board members confirmed The Utah Senate confirmed the appointment of three new members to the Governor’s Office of Economic Development Board of Directors. They will be officially sworn in at the next board meeting on June 8....

Wise Words

Courage
"I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way." John Paul Jones

Lighter Side

Bargaining Chip
"A princess in Japan is giving up her royal status so she can marry a commoner. Which is something she'll definitely bring up in every single fight she has with her husband. "Your friends are coming over for dinner? I gave up being a princess for you." Jimmy Fallon