Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing Morning must reads for Monday, May 8, 2017

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning must reads for Monday, May 8, 2017

Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 128th day of the year. There are 237 days remaining in 2017. Today is the 109th day of Donald Trump's presidency.

Utahns want more tax money for public schools. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke visits Utah. Utah's sales tax collections are rising following the deal with Amazon.

The clock:

• 12 days until the Utah Republican State Convention (5/20/2017)

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

• 183 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)

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

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

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

• 1,275 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

• NEW POLL: Most Utahns say more tax money is needed to fund public schools in the state. Of those who want more tax money, most say they would favor a mix of property, sales, and personal income tax increases to meet that need [Utah Policy].
   
• Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is in Utah today to visit Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments as part of a review ordered by President Donald Trump [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• House Speaker Greg Hughes takes himself out of the mix of potential candidates to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz when he leaves Congress [Utah Policy, Associated Press].
   
• Our "Political Insiders" say candidates to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz if he steps down early should be able to reach the primary ballot either by gathering signatures or being nominated by party delegates [Utah Policy].
   
• Rep. Brad Wilson wants to amend the Utah constitution to allow the Legislature to call themselves into a special session. Right now, only the governor has that power [Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• Sens. Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch will play a big part in writing the Senate version of the health care reform bill [Tribune].
   
• Former President Barack Obama says members of Congress need to show "political courage" by saving the Affordable Care Act [Politico].
   
• Yikes! There are already 43 people who could launch a bid against President Donald Trump in 2020 [The Hill].
   
• Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates will testify before Congress on Monday about her discussions with the Trump White House about former national security adviser Mike Flynn's connections to Russia [Washington Post].
   
• President Donald Trump is set to announce his first slate of federal court nominees, a move that could dramatically remake the federal judiciary [New York Times].
   
• Silicon Valley is becoming a popular destination for politicos who want a fresh start outside of Washington, D.C. [Los Angeles Times].
   
• Boring but important: The Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed five members of a major scientific review board [New York Times].
   
• Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, echoes President Trump's warning that a government shutdown might be the way to remove roadblocks to the president's agenda [Bloomberg].
   
• Emmanuel Macron wins the French presidency, putting a halt to the populist and nativist wave that has been taken hold in the west [Politico].
   
• House Majority Leader Brad Wilson and Senate Majority Whip Stuart Adams both could profit handsomely from the construction of the West Davis Corridor. Both men own undeveloped property near the proposed freeway [Utah Investigative Journalism Project].
   
• Yowza! Utah's sales tax collections are skyrocketing following the deal with Amazon to collect sales tax on purchases made through the internet retailer [Tribune].
   
• The Utah Transit Authority warns they will not be able to finish a number of proposed transportation projects without a big sales tax hike [Tribune].
   
• Media watch: The Sinclair Broadcast Group is close to a deal to purchase Tribune Media. The deal means Sinclair would control more than a third of local TV stations in the U.S. [New York Times].

On this day in history:

• 1541 - Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River.
   
• 1945 - President Harry S. Truman announced in a radio address that World War II had ended in Europe.
   
• 1958 - Vice President Richard Nixon was shoved, stoned, booed and spat upon by anti-American protesters in Lima, Peru.
   
• 1987 - Gary Hart, dogged by questions about his personal life, withdrew from the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Today At Utah Policy

Poll: Most Utahns say Utah's schools need more funding
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Two-thirds of Utahns believe more tax money is needed for public schools, a new UtahPolicy.com poll shows....

Noel welcomes Secretary Zinke's visit to Utah to review Bears Ears and Grand Staircase
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
U.S. Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke is in Utah, meeting Sunday with various state leaders and others before he goes Monday down to the Bears Ears Monument in southeastern Utah....

'Political Insiders' say there should be a signature-gathering route to the ballot in a special election
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Our "Political Insiders" say candidates who take the signature-gathering route to the ballot should be allowed to run in a special election to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz if he steps down from his seat early....

Hughes won't run for Chaffetz's seat
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
House Speaker Greg Hughes said Friday he won't run to fill Rep. Jason Chaffetz's seat in Congress....

Policy News

Hatch, Wyden, Murkowski, and Cantwell introduce bill to reauthorize secure rural schools program
Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA)  introduced legislation reauthorizing the Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Program (SRS)....

Hatch urges support for rollback of harmful Obama rule
In a speech on the Senate floor, Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) called on his Senate colleagues to support H.J. Res. 66, a resolution that would rescind an Obama-mandated regulation that encourages states to impose conflicting and burdensome mandates on...

Hatch statement on House passage of bill to repeal and replace Obamacare
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today issued the following statement after the House passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA):...

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Op-ed: Proposed Medicaid cuts threaten children and require more analysis

Op-ed: Utah Farm Bureau applauds review of national monuments

Op-ed: What's a disillusioned Democrat to do now?

Editorial: ICE should stick to the criminals and leave our families alone

Amazon sales tax from Utah customers will bolster state, local coffers

With House version DOA in the Senate, it's now up to Hatch and Lee to write new health care bill

Without big tax hike, UTA warns planned expansion, projects not feasible

Zinke kicks off monuments review this weekend. Up first: Utah's Bears Ears and Staircase

Two Salt Lake City employees charged with misusing taxpayer money

U. disputes Huntsman, says school doesn't owe money to cancer institute

Supporters of Bears Ears, Grand Staircase rally in advance of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's visit

Police can request ID, run background check on car passengers, Utah Supreme Court says

Driving Development: Legislative leaders stand to profit from developments along West Davis Corridor road they've championed

Zinke says monument designations have been an 'effective tool,' though 'very few ... are to the scale of the recent actions'

Deseret News

Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb: A few political rumors to chew on

Ralph Hancock: LDS progressivism is not grounded in LDS belief: A response to Dr. Fluhman

Hal Boyd: Barack Obama's $400,000 forbidden fruit and the need for American morality

Op-ed: Business leadership key to solving Utah's water challenges

Editorial: Reviewing the Antiquities Act is an important course of action

Editorial: Utah must continue to incubate innovation

Legislative leader looks at limiting governor's power to call special session

New task force to address Utah's 'opi-demic'

Hatch pushes bill to speed up clinical trials for experimental medical treatments

Lawsuit claims retaliation against U. employees who exposed wasteful spending

Sen. Mike Lee calls for review of land-use law for national monuments

Much at stake as Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke visits Bears Ears

Rallies over Bears Ears act as prelude to Zinke's visit

For teachers, advancing often means leaving the classroom

Zinke met by protest as he arrives to consider Utah voices on national monuments

State appropriated nearly $70M to Huntsman Cancer Institute over past 5 years

Other

Editorial: New GOP leadership a golden opportunity in Utah County (Daily Herald)

National Headlines

Five senators to watch in healthcare fight (The Hill)

Columnist who defended NRA quits after being suspended (New York Post)

North Korea detains another American citizen, KCNA reports (Reuters)

Obama calls on Congress to have political courage in health care debate (FOX News)

Obama's HHS chief admits some people will be better off under Republican health bill (MarketWatch)

Texas Governor Signs a Ban on Sanctuary Cities (New York Times)

Democrats, don't get too giddy about 2018 (CNN)

EPA dismisses half of its scientific advisers on key board, citing 'clean break' with Obama administration (Washington Post)

Tensions rise as New Orleans prepares to topple Confederate monuments (Washington Post)

Trump: Bedminster stay saves money (CNN)

US Commerce chief says Canadian trade threats 'inappropriate' (Reuters)

Wise Words

Federalism

"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite." James Madison

Lighter Side

Trumpcare
"Democrats are calling for the new Republican healthcare bill to be called "Trumpcare." Experts say that's the first time the words "Trump" and "care" have ever been said together." Jimmy Fallon