Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing Morning Must Reads for Monday, November 21, 2016

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Monday, November 21, 2016 - 10:00am

Utah Policy

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning Must Reads for Monday, November 21, 2016

Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 326th day of the year. There are 40 days left in 2016.

Greg Hughes is under consideration for a top slot in Donald Trump's administration. Do Utahns think they pay enough in taxes to fund education? Trump's approval rating jumps following his election.

The clock:

28 days until the Electoral College meets to cast their votes for president and vice president (12/19/2016)
60 days until Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President (1/20/2017)
63 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (1/23/2017)
108 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (3/9/2017)
351 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)
715 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)

Ten talking points for Monday:

House Speaker Greg Hughes has been contacted by President-Elect Donald Trump's transition team about the Secretary of Transportation position, but Hughes calls the communication very preliminary [Utah Policy].
About a third of Utahns say they should be paying more taxes to make sure public education is funded adequately [Utah Policy].
Donald Trump's popularity among Americans has jumped nearly 10-points following his win on Election Day. That same poll found just 3 in 10 voters think Trump's children should be involved in his administration [Politico].
Cabinet watch. Mitt Romney remains under "active consideration" for the Secretary of State job following his weekend meeting with Donald Trump [Utah Policy]. However, Rudy Giuliani is still the odds-on favorite for Secretary of State [CBS News]. Sen. Orrin Hatch is pleased with some of the initial moves Trump has made to build his staff and cabinet [Tribune].
Barack Obama says he may forego the tradition of a president not commenting about their successor if Donald Trump if circumstances warrant [Politico].
Donald Trump settles his Trump University lawsuit for $25 million [Bloomberg].
Donald Trump met last week with some business partners from India, which is raising new questions about he will keep his administration and business dealings separate once he becomes president [New York Times].
Donald Trump's trillion-dollar plan to fix America's crumbling infrastructure could run into the reality of the nation's budget deficit [The Hill].
Rep. LaVar Christensen jumps into the lead in his race against Democrat Suzanne Harrison by just six votes in the latest tally [Tribune, Deseret News]. Democrat Catherine Kanter concedes her Salt Lake County Council race to Richard Snelgrove [Tribune].
This year's election shows Salt Lake County is an island of Democratic blue in a sea of Republican red [Tribune].

On this day in history:

1877 - Thomas Edison announced his invention of the phonograph.
1922 - Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia became the first female United States Senator. Her appointment was temporary, as she served just 24 hours.
1973 - President Richard Nixon's attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, revealed the existence of an 18 1/2-minute gap in one of the White House tape recordings related to Watergate.
1974 - Congress passed the Freedom of Information Act.

Today At Utah Policy

Hughes Being Considered for Secretary of Transportation Position
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
UtahPolicy.com has confirmed that Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes is under consideration for the Secretary of Transportation job in a Donald Trump administration....

Poll: A Third of Utahns Say They Should Pay More in Taxes to Fund Education
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
No doubt it is just the human condition, but while more than 80 percent of Utahns say it is important to move Utah out of last place nationally in per-student funding, and two-thirds say income taxes should be increased for public schools, about a third of Utahns say they pe...

Genius Panelists: Use Mandate for Education, Heath Care
By LaVarr Webb, Publisher
This week’s question: Gov. Gary Herbert won a strong mandate for what is expected to be his final term in office. What should be a few of his top priorities that would make a big difference in Utah?...

Can Public Polling be Trusted Anymore?
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Public opinion polling took one directly on the chin on Election Day 2016 after polls had shown Hillary Clinton heading toward a big win. We all know how that worked out....

Pence: Romney Under "Active Consideration" for Secretary of State
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Vice-President Elect Mike Pence says it's still possible Mitt Romney could become Secretary of State in a Donald Trump administration following his meeting with Trump's team on Saturday....

Bishop: Trump Could Roll Back Bears Ears Monument
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Rep. Rob Bishop suggested last week that President-Elect Trump could undo any national monument designation made by outgoing President Barack Obama....

Policy News

Press Release: New Methane Rules Will Help Protect National Parks
The Bureau of Land Management took a big step toward protecting national parks across the West with its finalization of new rules to curb methane emissions from oil and natural gas facilities on public and tribal lands....

Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation Awards 2016 Infrastructure and Youth Program Funding
The Office of Outdoor Recreation and Governor’s Office of Economic Development are pleased to announce the completion of the 2016 round of the Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant....

Tower Work on Salt Lake City and County Building Completed
Phase one of the stone repair work for the Salt Lake City and County Building has been successfully completed on the upper tower. This is part of a three-year program to restore building’s stone facade, repair windows, and perform a seismic upgrade of the historic buil...