Morning must reads for Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Daily Briefing

Morning must reads for Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 172nd day of the year. There are 193 days remaining in 2017. Today is the 152nd day of Donald Trump's presidency.

Nearly half of Utahns oppose the plan to replace Obamacare. Utah lawmakers push back against Gov. Gary Herbert's plan for November's special election. Republicans hang on to a Congressional seat in Georgia.

The clock:

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

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

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

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

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

• 1,232 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

• NEW POLL: Nearly half of Utahns say they oppose the Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, even though nobody really knows what's in the bill [Utah Policy].
   
• Utah lawmakers hold an unprecedented joint House Caucus meeting to slam Gov. Gary Herbert over the process he set up in the special election to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz. However, those same lawmakers say they probably won't use legal maneuvering to disrupt what they feel is an illegal process [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• Sen. Mike Lee says he hasn't seen the GOP health care proposal in the Senate, even though he's supposed to be helping to draft the bill [Tribune].
   
• Some Utah advocacy groups say they feel like Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee are ignoring them as the Senate continues work on their version of health care reform [Deseret News].
   
• Salt Lake City Councilman Derek Kitchen takes aim at Mayor Jackie Biskupski's failure to hire a new transportation director for the city. The post has remained vacant for almost a year [Tribune].
   
• Lawmakers say they will pay extra attention to special districts around the state after several audits found waste, fraud and abuse inside many of these agencies [Tribune].
   
• Sen. Mike Lee argues the U.S. should re-evaluate its membership in the Organization of American States because the group has strayed from its initial purpose [Utah Policy].
   
• Basketball considerations creep into the race in Utah's 3rd Congressional District. Tanner Ainge, whose father Danny runs the Boston Celtics, says he hopes Utah Jazz star Gordon Hayward stays in Utah instead of bolting for another city...like Boston [Deseret News].
   
• Democrat James Singer, a Navajo who was running for Sen. Orrin Hatch's Senate seat, is dropping his bid because he doesn't have the financial means to compete [Tribune].
   
• Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams wants the liquor store near the downtown homeless shelter to be relocated [Deseret News].
   
• An audit says the Utah Charter School Board improperly gave $124,000 to a Herriman charter school before its charter was approved [Utah Policy, Tribune].
   
• The State Charter School Board shut down Kairos Academy in West Valley City, which was geared toward teen mothers [Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• The new 10,000-seat arena at the Utah State Fairpark is nearing completion and will be ready for this year's Days of '47 Rodeo [Tribune].

National headlines:

• Republicans hold on to a Georgia Congressional seat after a stiff challenge from Democrats. It was the most expensive Congressional race in history [New York Times]. Democrats are now 0-5 in special elections since President Donald Trump took office [Associated Press].
   
• Senate Republicans could finally unveil their proposal for repealing and replacing Obamacare on Thursday of this week [Politico]. A fight over reducing Medicaid spending and finding funding for curbing the opioid epidemic is threatening to derail the legislation [New York Times].
   
• Arizona Sen. John McCain blisters the secrecy surrounding the Republican health care proposal saying he hasn't seen the bill, but "I'm sure the Russians have been able to hack in and gotten most of it" [Bloomberg].
   
• Alarming! Despite warnings that he may vulnerable to blackmail by the Russians, former national security adviser Michael Flynn was allowed to sit in on a number of highly classified intelligence briefings [New York Times].
   
• President Donald Trump admitted on Twitter that China had failed to keep the North Korean regime in check, which was part of his plan for reigning in the rogue country [New York Times].
   
• Former Vice President Joe Biden appears to be keeping his options open for a possible White House bid in 2020 [The Hill].
   
• Make America great again? Ford Motor Company plans to move its production to China in 2019 despite promising President Donald Trump they would stay in Michigan [Huffington Post].
   
• Boring but important. President Donald Trump's net worth has dropped below $3 billion as his real estate properties aren't performing as well as they used to [Bloomberg].

On this day in history:

• 1788 - The U.S. Constitution went into effect as New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it.
   
• 1964 - Three civil rights workers disappeared in Philadelphia, Miss. Their bodies were found buried in an earthen dam six weeks later.
   
• 1973 - The Supreme Court ruled that states may ban materials found to be obscene according to local standards.
   
• 1982 - John Hinckley Jr. was found innocent by reason of insanity in the shootings of President Ronald Reagan and three others.
   
• 1989 - The Supreme Court ruled that burning the American flag as a form of political protest is protected by the First Amendment. 

Today At Utah Policy

Poll: 49% of Utahns say they oppose Obamacare replacement
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Nearly half of Utahns say they are opposed to the American Health Care Act (ACHA), which is meant to replace Obamacare....

Lee to Trump: Reassess U.S. involvement in OAS
By Golden Webb
TheOrganization of American States once served the noble purpose of promoting the spread of democracy in the Western Hemisphere. But over the last eight years theObama administration used the OAStopressureLatin American nations to embraceleftist social innovations such as ab...

Lawmakers blast Herbert's secrecy surrounding special election process
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
So, Gov. Herbert, what are you trying to hide?...

Weekly survey: Who will win the GOP special election primary in August?
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Who will win the unprecedented three-way Republican primary election in Utah's 3rd Congressional District in August? Chris Herrod, John Curtis or Tanner Ainge? Vote now....

UtahPolicy contributor Jared Whitley wins local awards
By UtahPolicy.com staff
Long-standing Utah Policy contributor Jared Whitley was honored recently for his contributions to Utah journalism....

Policy News

Experts will discuss relationship between conservative ideology and development of affordable housing in Utah
Utah Chapter of the Congress for New Urbanism will host a discussion among leading conservative thinkers on the ideological and regulatory obstacles and opportunities associated with achieving greater housing choices – affordability, type and mix – in a red state...

Rep. Mia Love to play in the annual Congressional Women's Softball Game
On Wednesday June 21, Congresswoman Mia Love will take to the field for the annual bipartisan Congressional Women’s Softball Game to raise money for breast cancer awareness and the Young Survival Coalition....

Hatch calls for feedback on tax reform
As Congress and the administration continue to work to overhaul the nation’s broken tax code, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) called on tax stakeholders to provide ideas, proposals, and feedback on how to improve the American tax system. &nb...

Office of the State Auditor releases audit of State Charter School Board
The Office of the State Auditor released its Audit of the State Charter School Board (SCSB).  The Office identified that the State Charter School Board improperly disbursed start-up grant funds to a charter school.    ...

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Op-ed: Patients should not be stuck with 'fail first' medicine

Editorial: Charter schools should not have the right to take others' property

Fly to L.A. or Vegas for $35? Allegiant adds flights from Ogden.

Utah calls for crackdown on special districts at high risk for fraud and abuse

Audit dings Utah Charter School Board for improper use of state startup funds

Utah lawmakers say Gov. Herbert's special-election process won't withstand legal challenge; United Utah Party plans to sue

Gehrke: The lingering legacy of Sept. 11 hangs heavy over some Utah firefighters

Councilman 'troubled' by mayor's 'lack of attention' toward SLC transportation vacancy

4 seek to replace Winder as Salt Lake County sheriff, pledge to patch up strained ties with police chiefs

Utah's Mike Lee is in the group supposedly writing the GOP health bill, so why hasn't he seen it?

Navajo candidate drops bid for Hatch's seat, says his campaign lacks the money to challenge 'an established politician'

Deseret News

Jim Dabakis: Open letter to new Democratic state party chair

GOP candidate Tanner Ainge on Jazz star Gordon Hayward: 'I hope he stays'

Utah continues to monitor effects of massive Gold King Mine spill

Advocate coalition says groups feel ignored by Hatch, Lee in AHCA deliberations

County proposal to reconsider controversial transportation fund list fails

Is Utah an independent state?

Counties drawing maps on preferred monument boundaries

State audit: Charter board improperly disbursed $124K to school

Educators want state funding to increase enrollment capacity in Utah's nursing schools

County mayor asks DABC to relocate liquor store near Rio Grande homeless shelter

Lawmakers review legal position, consider options in special election dispute

Other

Utah County commission approves $300,000 settlement for 2012 'Dump Fire' (Daily Herald)

Op-ed: Given the harm it would cause, the Bear River Project shouldn't be an option (Standard-Examiner)

National Headlines

Republican Karen Handel defeats Democrat Jon Ossoff in Georgia's 6th Congressional District (Washington Post)

Former DHS head Jeh Johnson to testify Russia 'did not alter ballots' in 2016 election (Washington Examiner)

GOP hits the gas on ObamaCare repeal (The Hill)

State Department probes Clinton handling of government emails, could pull her security clearance (FOX News)

Dems Suddenly Worry Trump Impeachment Could Backfire (PoliZette)

US signals involvement in Syria could escalate (The Hill)

Armed Russian jet comes within 5 feet of US recon jet (FOX News)

Fresh terror in Brussels (Daily Mail)

Republican wins close victory in South Carolina (Washington Post)

Tech Titans Make Pilgrimage to White House to Discuss Government Systems (New York Times)

Amazon Has at Least One Fed Official Rethinking Inflation (Bloomberg)

Wise Words

Haste
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." Lao Tzu

Lighter Side

Presidential Tweets
"Kevin Durant says that President Obama sent him a text to congratulate him on winning his first championship this week. Meanwhile, LeBron got a text that said "loser." Jimmy Fallon