Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 305th day of the year. There are 60 days remaining in 2017

Daily Briefing

Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 305th day of the year. There are 60 days remaining in 2017.

The clock:

• 6 days until the 2017 election (11/7/2017)
• 82 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)
• 127 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)
• 370 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
• 1,098 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

• A new nationwide poll shows both Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee's approval ratings have dipped in Utah. Hatch's disapproval rating is one of the highest in the Senate [Utah Policy].
   
• Gov. Gary Herbert has fallen out of the ranks of "most popular" governors in the nation after his approval rating took a slight hit in Utah [Utah Policy].
   
• Sen. Orrin Hatch says the views about gays and Muslims held by controversial Alabama Republican Roy Moore give him pause, but Hatch will support Moore if he wins the special election in Alabama [Utah Policy].
   
• Former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz says he's "disappointed" with comments made about him by former Speaker of the House John Boehner [Utah Policy].
   
• Police arrest the suspected gunman in the murder of a University of Utah student on Monday night. The shooting prompted a lockdown on the campus and a massive manhunt [Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• Gov. Gary Herbert nominates Paige Petersen to fill the spot on the Utah Supreme Court being vacated by the retirement of Justice Christine Durham [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• Rep. Rob Bishop recently visited Puerto Rico to take stock of the devastation following Hurricane Maria [Tribune].
   
• The University Hospital nurse who was arrested for refusing to draw blood from an unconscious patient has reached a financial settlement with Salt Lake City and the University of Utah over the incident [Tribune].
   
• Enrollment in Utah's charter schools is slowing down, while overall enrollment in public schools is now more than 650,000 students [Tribune].
   
• Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox picks Kirsten Rappleye as his new chief of staff and Justin Lee to head up the state elections office [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• A new report shows alcohol use by Utah high school seniors is on the rise [Deseret News].

National headlines:

• Terror in New York. A man plowed a pickup truck down a bike path in Manhattan, killing eight people and wounding 11. The driver, who came to the U.S. from Uzbekistan, shouted "Allahu akbar" after exiting the vehicle [New York Times].
   
• President Donald Trump says George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty this week to lying to federal agents investigating Russia's involvement in the 2016 election, was a "low-level volunteer" in the Trump campaign. However, documents show Papadopoulos was in regular contact with the most senior officials in the Trump campaign [Washington Post].
   
• Papadopoulos claimed in an email that top Trump campaign officials agreed to a pre-election meeting with representatives of Russian President Vladimir Putin [Bloomberg].
   
• Court documents show former Trump campaign head Paul Manafort holds three passports, each under a separate number, and has traveled to other countries using a phone and email account registered under a fake name [ABC News].
   
• President Donald Trump is getting increasing pressure from his political advisers to aggressively push back against special counsel Robert Muller's investigation [Washington Post].
   
• Top staffers from tech giants Google, Facebook, and Twitter testified before Congress on Tuesday. Here's what they said [Axios].
   
• Thousands of people attended a protest in New York City against President Donald Trump organized by Russian operatives on Facebook [The Hill].
   
• Employees of Fox News are reportedly embarrassed about how their network is covering the growing Russia scandal [CNN Money].
   
• Despite President Trump's assertion that diplomacy with North Korea is a waste of time, the U.S. is pursuing direct talks with Kim Jong Un's regime [Reuters].

• House Republicans are postponing the rollout of their tax reform proposal to iron out some last-minute disagreements [Politico].
   
• The GOP reportedly will propose keeping the tax rate for top earners at 39.6% instead of dropping it to 35% in a bid to get moderates to support the proposal [Washington Post].
   
• NPR's top editor has been placed on leave after two women allege he made unwanted physical contact with them when he was with another news organization [Washington Post].

On this day in history:

• 1512 - The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, is exhibited to the public for the first time.
   
• 1520 - The Strait of Magellan is first discovered and navigated by European explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
   
• 1604 - William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello is performed for the first time at Whitehall Palace in London.
   
• 1611 - William Shakespeare's play The Tempest is performed for the first time.
   
• 1765 - The British Parliament enacts the Stamp Act on the Thirteen Colonies to help pay for British military operations in North America.
   
• 1800 - John Adams becomes the first president to live in the White House.
   
• 1938 - Seabiscuit beat War Admiral in horse racing's "match of the century."
   
• 1950 - Two Puerto Rican nationalists tried to force their way into the Blair House in Washington in an attempt to assassinate President Harry Truman.

Today At Utah Policy

Lee and Hatch's approval ratings take a dip in new national poll
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Sen. Orrin Hatch currently gets some of the lowest approval ratings from his constituents in the country according to a new nationwide poll, but he's still not underwater....

Herbert drops from list of 'most popular' governors
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Gov. Gary Herbert's approval rating in Utah has slipped a bit according to a new national poll....

Hatch says he's troubled by Moore's views on gays, Muslims, but will support him if he's elected
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch said he doesn't agree with some of Alabama Republican Roy Moore's views on homosexuals and Muslims, but that wouldn't stop him from supporting Moore....

Chaffetz says he's 'disappointed' with Boehner's comments
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Earlier this week, former House Speaker John Boehner had some choice words about former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz. Chaffetz says he was surprised by Boehner's criticism....

Weekly survey: Who will win the CD3 special election?
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Time to call your shot! Who will win next week's special election in CD3? Let us know your prediction in our weekly survey....

Lt. Gov. Cox announces new chief of staff and director of elections
By Press Release
Lt. Gov. Spencer J. Cox has announced the appointments of Kirsten Rappleye as chief of staff of the Office of the Lt. Governor and Justin Lee as director of elections for the Utah Elections Office....

CYBER24 Episode 5: Keeping Utah elections secure
By Marty Carpenter
Municipal elections don't get the same amount of love from the general public as a presidential election or even an off-year election with a big Senate race. But for the team that oversees and executes the election process across Utah's 29 counties, it's still a very big day...

Gov. Herbert appoints Paige Petersen to the Utah Supreme Court
By Press Release
Gov. Gary R. Herbert has appointed Judge Paige Petersen to serve as a justice on the Utah Supreme Court. If confirmed Judge Petersen will fill the vacancy created by Justice Christine Durham, who will retire on Nov. 15, 2017....

Info wars: Inside the left's online efforts to out white supremacists
By Decca Muldowney, ProPublica
"Fallon" is not her real name. It's a pseudonym she's using because she wants to remain anonymous. She knows that can be an elusive goal, chiefly because of people not unlike her....

Policy News

Consumer confidence at record high, fueled by positive expectations for future business conditions
The Zions Bank Utah Consumer Attitude Index (CAI) increased 8.9 points in October to 125.4, the highest level ever recorded in Utah....

BioInnovations Gateway graduates four companies
BioInnovations Gateway, a partnership between USTAR and Granite School District, is excited to announce the graduation of four of its companies. ...

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: Jail standards should be public to protect inmates

Utahns expect higher incomes, more jobs and have never been more optimistic about the state's economy, latest index shows

Utah's three largest coal mines have been sold to a group led by Murray Energy

Growth in Utah's charter school enrollment slows again as public school students top 650K

'Dismally slow' mail-in and early voting raises fears of long lines for Tuesday election in Utah

After visit to Puerto Rico, Utah's Rob Bishop says U.S. must improve conditions for good, not just repair them for now

Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox appoints new chief of staff, elections director

President Trump dominates discussion in the final debate for Utah's 3rd congressional race

Deseret News

Jay Evensen: Do protests hurt a democracy?

Op-ed: Don't negotiate away the family business, Sen. Hatch

Editorial: Maintaining free trade is vital to Utah's economic state

Ex-Carbon County official headed to prison for stealing federal grant money

At BYU, Obama strategist David Axelrod praises Mitt Romney, urges students to 'help heal our democracy'

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert picks Paige Petersen for Utah Supreme Court

Utah consumer attitudes reach record high level

Mail-in ballots trickling in, causing concern among county clerks

Other

Summit County Clerk anticipates high voter turnout (Park Record)

National Headlines

Facebook, Twitter: Russian actors sought to undermine Trump after election (Politico)

How Trump has influenced the new boom in political-genre movies in Hollywood (MarketWatch)

NPR's top editor placed on leave after accusations of sexual harassment (Washington Post)

Mueller is running amok (The Week)

Poll: 71% of Americans Say Political Correctness Has Silenced Discussions Society Needs to Have (Cato)

8 dead in rampage, 'cowardly' truck attack on NYC bike path in Manhattan (ABC)

Suspect Claimed He Committed NYC Truck Attack for ISIS (NBC New York)

Nasdaq Closes at a Record as Wall Street Seals October Gains (TheStreet)

Consumer confidence hits highest level since December 2000 (CNBC)

High taxes on legal pot in California could mean black market will thrive (Los Angeles Times)

Trump to sign legislation overturning arbitration rule (Politico)

Wise Words

Independence

"The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence." Denis Waitley
 

Lighter Side

Woody Allen

"Woody Allen's newest movie features a middle-aged man who is sleeping with a 15-year-old girl. The movie will premiere at Cannes in May, and be entered into evidence in June." Conan O'Brien