Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing Morning Must Reads for Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning Must Reads for Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 292nd day of the year. There are 74 days left in 2016.

Former Gov. Jon Huntsman may run for Senate in 2018 as an independent. Utah GOP Chairman James Evans says he's been on the receiving end of death threats. Another poll shows Utah could be a swing state this year.

The clock:

• Two days to the 3rd Congressional District debate at Utah Valley University (10/19/2016)
• Two days to the third presidential debate at UNLV (10/19/2016)
• 14 days to register to vote online in Utah (11/1/2016)
• 21 days until the 2016 presidential election - (11/8/2016)
• 97 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature - (1/23/2017)
• 142 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature - (3/9/2017)

Ten talking points for Tuesday:

1. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman could mount a campaign for Senate in 2018...as an independent candidate [Utah Policy].
    
2. Utah GOP Chairman James Evans says he's received death threats after he had suggested President Bill Clinton fathered an illegitimate child with a prostitute during a nationally televised interview. Staffers for the state GOP have been dispersed to different locations as a result [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
    
3. Another poll suggests Utah could be a swing state. The Rasmussen survey has Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Evan McMullin in a statistical three-way tie [Utah Policy, Deseret News].
    
4. Doug Owens has raised twice as much money for this year's congressional bid than he did during his 2014 campaign [Utah Policy].
    
5. Sen. John McCain suggests Senate Republicans would block any Supreme Court nominee put up by Hillary Clinton [Huffington Post].
    
6. State Department Undersecretary Patrick Kennedy repeatedly lobbied the FBI to declassify emails from Hillary Clinton's private email server [CNN].
    
7. Melania Trump defended her husband, Donald Trump, saying he was "egged on" in a tape that showed him bragging about sexually assaulting women. She also said allegations of sexual misconduct against her husband were "lies" [CNN]. She also says she hopes to address "negativity" on social media as First Lady [Politico].
    
8. Rep. Rob Bishop and his Democratic challenger Peter Clemens clash over public lands and Donald Trump during their debate at Weber State University [Deseret News, Tribune].
    
9. An internal poll from Doug Owens' camp suggests his race against Mia Love may be tightening ahead of election day [Tribune].
    
10. South Salt Lake Mayor Cherie Wood vetoes an attempt by the city council to strengthen nepotism ordinances. Five relatives of Mayor Wood are currently employed by the city [Deseret News].

On this day in history:

• 1776 - The border between Maryland and Pennsylvania was established. Dubbed the "Mason-Dixon" line, it became the unofficial boundary between North and South.
• 1867 - The United States completed its purchase of Alaska for $7.2 million, taking possession of the territory from Russia.
• 1962 - Dr. James D. Watson of the United States and Dr. Francis Crick and Dr. Maurice Wilkins of Britain were named winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work in determining the double-helix molecular structure of DNA.
• 1972 - Congress passed the Clean Water Act, overriding President Richard M. Nixon's veto.

Today At Utah Policy

Hatch, Huntsman Could Make 2018 Senate Race Very Interesting
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Forget the 2016 election mess. The 2018 race for U.S. Senate could get very crowded, and supremely interesting before it's all said and done....

Poll: Utahns Have Confidence in Small Businesses, Low Confidence in Larger Firms
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Utah is an entrepreneurial place, with many residents involved in some kind of small business....

Utah Voters Want Government Close to Home
By LaVarr Webb, Publisher
The mood of the electorate is always a big factor in any election. And the mood of the electorate in 2016 election is easy to observe – voters are agitated, unhappy, suspicious and anti-establishment....

Why the Supreme Court does not Justify a Vote for Trump
By Jordan Garn
In a country where some of the best and brightest minds in the world claim domicile, our unfortunate choices for president have come down to a Democrat who seemingly developed temporary cerebral palsy with her finger over the delete button; a Libertarian that couldn’t ...

3 Lessons for Leaders from the Presidential Election
By Wesley Smith
The 2016 presidential race has been a train wreck. For most of us, it has proven nearly impossible to look away....

GOP Chair James Evans says He's Received Death Threats for Floating Clinton Love Child Story
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Utah GOP Chairman James Evans tells UtahPolicy that since he “was cut off” by CNN anchor Carol Costello on a live broadcast last Thursday he has received a considerable amount of hate mail, even a death threat....

Owens' Fundraising More than Doubles from 2014
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Democrat Doug Owens pulled in a little more than $450,000 during the last fundraising quarter. An impressive number for sure, but it's slightly more than a third of what Republican Mia Love raised during the same period....

Rasmussen Poll Shows Three-Way Presidential Tie in Utah
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
A new survey from Rasmussen Reports shows Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Evan McMullin are in a statistical dead-heat in Utah....

Policy News

DATC and Composites One Partnership Will Help Grow Utah's Composites Industry
Utah's efforts to grow the advanced composites industry in the state took a leap forward in September with the announcement that Composites One has entered into a partnership with the Davis Applied Technology College (DATC) in Kaysville to roll out a series of technical summ...

Utah State Indigent Defense Commission Announces the Hiring of an Executive Director
The Utah Indigent Defense Commission announces that Joanna E. Landau has been hired as its Executive Director....

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: Good cops (West Valley City) and bad cops (Layton)

Threatening calls follow Utah GOP leader's Clinton love-child claim

Presidential update: new poll cements Utah as a swing state

EDCUtah head steps down ahead of legislative audit

New internal poll shows Love-Owens race tightening

County GOP attacks McAdams again on Mountain Accord

Democrat Peter Clemens jabs at Rep. Rob Bishop in Utah's 1st Congressional District debate

Deseret News

Op-ed: Utah's political leaders should endorse McMullin

State GOP staff dispersed following 'specific death threat' against chairman

New poll shows McMullin ahead of Clinton in Utah, trailing Trump by 1 point

South Salt Lake mayor vetoes attempt to strengthen nepotism law

Salt Lake County GOP continues attacks against McAdams, Mountain Accord

Hatch still backs Trump but focused on campaigning, raising money for GOP senators

Sen. Hatch seeking more resources to help relatives raising kin's children

Bishop, Clemens spar over Trump, Bears Ears, public lands in debate

Other

Provo Municipal Council to rescind solar fee vote, asks mayor not to veto (Daily Herald)

Sparks fly during Monday's debate between Bishop and Clemens (Standard-Examiner)

National Headlines

Ecuador cuts Julian Assange's internet access: WikiLeaks (Reuters)

Trump proposes new lobbying ban: 'Time to drain the swamp' in DC (The Hill)

Republicans warm up to Assange (The Hill)

Retired four-star general admits leaking top-secret info to media (CNN)

State Department official sought FBI declassification of Clinton email (CNN)

Sen. McCain Says Republicans Will Block All Court Nominations If Clinton Wins (NPR)

Illegal border crossings by Central American families spike again (Los Angeles Times)

Rubio, Murphy trade barbs in first Senate debate (Miami Herald)

WikiLeaks show Michael Bloomberg could be interested in being secretary of state under Clinton (AOL)

New survey shows a lot of millennials like socialism, think Bush killed more people than Stalin (The Blaze)

Butchered Livestock Found Near Dakota Access Pipeline Protest Camp (Daily Caller)

Wise Words

A Little Thing
"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." Winston Churchill

Lighter Side

Recount
"Al Gore campaigned for Hillary Clinton at a Florida rally attended by 1,600 people. Unfortunately for Gore, a recount showed that it was only 1,300 people." Jimmy Fallon