Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 342nd day of the year. There are 23 days remaining in 2017.

Daily Briefing

Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 342nd day of the year. There are 23 days remaining in 2017.

The clock:

• 25 days until candidates can declare their intent to gather signatures for the 2018 election (1/2/2018)
• 45 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)
• 90 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)
• 91 days until the filing period for candidates in the 2018 election opens (3/9/2018)
• 97 days until the filing deadline for the 2018 elections (3/15/2018)
• 102 days until the statewide caucus meetings for Utah Republicans and Democrats (3/20/2018)
• 134 days until the GOP State Convention (4/21/2018)
• 200 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)
• 333 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
• 1,061 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

• Sen. Orrin Hatch is holding a fundraiser for his re-election committee in January, fueling speculation that he is readying to run for an eighth term next year [Utah Policy].
   
• It was a week chock full of political news for Utah. Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick break down what happened and why for you [Utah Policy]. Here's a podcast version if you prefer [Utah Policy].
   
• Reps. Brad Last and Mike Schultz get promotions in House leadership following the resignation of Rep. Dean Sanpei [Utah Policy].
   
• Utah drops from the top spot in the rankings for "Best states for business" [Utah Policy].
   
• National Republicans launch an attack website to go after Mayor Ben McAdams in next year's Congressional race against Rep. Mia Love [Fox 13].
   
• Two more lawsuits are filed over President Donald Trump's decision to slash Bears Ears National Monument [Deseret News].
   
• Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Mia Love said it was the right decision for Minnesota Sen. Al Franken to resign following allegations of sexual misconduct [Deseret News].
   
• Rep. Mia Love says Texas Republican Blake Farenthold should resign from Congress following news that more than $80,000 in taxpayer money was used to settle a sexual harassment claim against him [CNN].
   
• The investigation into Utah County Commissioner Greg Graves found that Graves displayed threatening behavior in the workplace but could not confirm allegations of sexual misconduct [Daily Herald, Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• Sen. Daniel Thatcher wants LDS Church leaders to take a stand on his proposed hate crimes legislation [Tribune].
   
• Gov. Gary Herbert's office gives the State Board of Education a sneak preview at their "Utah Education Roadmap," which will be released next year [Deseret News].

National headlines:

• Congress avoids a shutdown...for two weeks. Congressional leaders send a stopgap spending bill to fund the government until just before Christmas to President Trump's desk [New York Times].
   
• Sen. Al Franken announces he will resign from Congress amid multiple women accusing him of sexual misconduct [New York Times].
   
• Arizona Rep. Trent Franks says he will resign from Congress after two female staffers alleged he sexually harassed them. Franks bizarrely claims he discussed "fertility issues and surrogacy" with the staffers, but denies any harassment [CNN].
   
• The House is launching an ethics investigation into Texas Republican Blake Farenthold who paid more than $80,000 in taxpayer funds to settle a sexual harassment claim against him [Politico].
   
• Former WSJ reporter Neil King says the number of sexual harassment claims against members of Congress could be between 20 and 30 [Twitter].
   
• A British publicist who arranged the June 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer sent multiple follow-up emails to one of the Russians involved in the meeting. Trump Jr. previously claimed there was no follow-up following the meeting [CNN].
   
• An executive with a Russian social media company made several overtures to Donald Trump's presidential campaign [Washington Post].
   
• Conservatives are ramping up their attacks on special counsel Robert Muller as his investigation into Russian election meddling seems to be intensifying [The Hill].
   
• The House ethics committee clears California Republican Devin Nunes of allegations he disclosed classified information related to the Russia investigation [Politico].
   
• Former Congressman and current MSNBC contributor Harold Ford Jr. was fired by Morgan Stanley after a woman claimed he sexually harassed her [Huffington Post].
   
• President Trump's approval rating drops to 32%, which is a new low [CNN].
   
• Drain the swamp? Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke spent more than $14,000 on helicopters to ferry himself and his staff to events around Washington, D.C. [Politico].
   
• Controversial former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio says he's considering running for the U.S. Senate [Daily Beast].
   
• The UK and the European Union reach an agreement on the Brexit talks [New York Times].
   
• Bitcoin prices are skyrocketing, and investors on Wall Street cannot wait to short the cryptocurrency [Axios].

On this day in history:

•  1941 - The U.S. declares war on Japan following the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
   
• 1980 - Former Beatle John Lennon is murdered in front of The Dakota in New York City.
   
• 1987 - President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the first treaty between the two superpowers to reduce their massive nuclear arsenals.
   
• 1993 - President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),

Today At Utah Policy

Hatch hosting re-election fundraiser in January
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Sen. Orrin Hatch seemingly is intent on running for another term in 2018, despite promising that his current term would be his last....

"Twisting in the wind" - Bernick and Schott on politics Ep. 352
By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick
President Donald Trump visited Utah on Monday where he slashed 2 million acres from two National Monuments. Several groups are threatening to sue, so this will be tied up in the courts for years. ...

Speaker Hughes announces changes to House majority leadership
By Press Release
With the pending resignation of Rep. Dean Sanpei, Speaker Greg Hughes has appointed Rep. Brad Last, to serve as the House chair of the Executive Appropriations Committee and Rep. Mike Schultz to serve as House vice-chair of the Executive Appropriations Committee, effective i...

Utah falls to #3 in 'Best States for Business' rankings
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
The good news is that Utah is still in the top three of Forbes' annual ranking of the "Best States for Business."...

Weekly survey: Trump's national monument changes
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
On Monday, President Donald Trump pulled federal protection from millions of acres of public lands in Utah and altered the borders of two national monuments. In response, environmental and other groups are prepping lawsuits against the move. What do you think will be the ult...

Podcast: Bernick and Schott on politics #352
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott discuss the news from a big week in Utah politics....

Policy News

Casual Friday: Weekend Events & Outdoors Report
Outdoor Notes--Tribune: Get outdoors with these 15 gift ideas for everyone in the family--Tribune: Arches National Park celebrates end of massive road project with free entry this weekend--Tribune: "The President Stole Your Land": Outdoor gear merchants push back against Tru...

Bishop launches new congressional website
U.S. Representative Rob Bishop (R-UT) has launched his newly redesigned Congressional website....

Now track Utah legislation on Apple Watch
Utah.Gov announced a new Apple Watch update to the Utah Bill Watch mobile app. The award-winning app helps concerned residents easily track bills and receive instant updates as bills move through the Utah Legislature....

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Richard Davis: Mitt Romney has a party to run for U.S. Senate. It just isn't the Republican Party

Editorial: Rep. Love is right to push for legislative DACA fix

South Salt Lake changes its liquor laws to attract breweries, distilleries

State legislator calls on Mormon church leaders to take a stance. Are they for or against his hate crimes bill?

Utah House GOP makes leadership changes

Investigator couldn't confirm sexual harassment claim against Utah County Commissioner Greg Graves but concluded Graves retaliated against employee

Deseret News

Op-ed: Time to free America from the Antiquities Act

Rob Bishop: Trump rights a wrong in Utah

Jay Evensen: As I was saying, publicly funded stadiums are money losers

Op-ed: Think twice before eliminating the SALT deduction

Editorial: 'Dignity of Work' phase could lift up Utah's homeless

Salt Lake City named the second most hipster city in the U.S.

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, Rep. Mia Love say Franken right to step down

Jurors deliberating whether Salt Lake Comic Con name violates trademark

Two more lawsuits filed over Trump order breaking up Bears Ears National Monument

State School Board gets sneak peek at 'Utah Education Roadmap'

Investigator: Utah County commissioner 'widely viewed as workplace bully'

Other

Editorial: Utah County Commissioner Greg Graves' behavior necessitates his resignation (Daily Herald)

Investigation into Greg Graves details habitual threatening behavior, but cannot confirm sexual misconduct (Daily Herald)

Editorial: We paid $456,000 and all we got was this PR video (Standard-Examiner)

National Headlines

Al Franken's swift fall: A timeline (The Hill)

In year of chaos, Trump's boost to economy can't be denied (New York Post)

Juanita Broaddrick rips Time's 'silence breakers' snub: 'I didn't fit in their liberal victim mold' (Washington Times)

Climate alarmists caught faking sea level rise (Breitbart)

The richest 1 percent now owns more of the country's wealth than at any time in the past 50 years (Washington Post)

Census Bureau: 5 Richest Counties Are D.C. Suburbs (CNS News)

The Weird Campaign to Get Taylor Swift to Denounce Donald Trump (Politico)

Democrats Want to Change the Democratic Party. They Just Disagree on How. (Politico)

Top DOJ official demoted amid probe of contacts with Trump dossier firm (FOX News)

Congress temporarily averts shutdown, sends Trump stopgap spending bill (NBC News)

Former Congressman Harold Ford Jr. Fired For Misconduct By Morgan Stanley (HuffPost)

Wise Words

Goodness

"Goodness is about character - integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people." Dennis Prager
 

Lighter Side

Christmas Miracle

"The New York Times is reporting that Donald Trump is expected to fire his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in the coming weeks. Or as Rex Tillerson is calling it, a Christmas miracle." James Corden