Salt Lake City Weekly highlighted UtahPolicy.com Managing Editor Bryan Schott in their annual "Best of Utah" edition as "Best Political Schott in the Dark." The editors said "If you have even one iota of interest in how this state and its cities are run,

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Thursday, December 8, 2016 - 10:15am

Utah Policy

Salt Lake City Weekly highlighted UtahPolicy.com Managing Editor Bryan Schott in their annual "Best of Utah" edition as "Best Political Schott in the Dark."

The editors said "If you have even one iota of interest in how this state and its cities are run, you should subscribe to or at least visit Utah Policy's site, where Schott curates local news and headlines five days a week in the Morning Must Reads. He also weighs in on the issues of the day with longtime political reporter Bob Bernick in more than 300 "Bernick and Schott on Politics" videos."

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning Must Reads for Thursday, December 8, 2016

Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 343rd day of the year. There are 23 days remaining in 2016.

Gary Herbert takes the wraps off his $16.1 billion budget proposal. Utah has struck a deal with Amazon to start collecting online sales taxes. Joe Biden backtracks and says he's not running for president in 2020.

The clock:

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

Ten talking points for Thursday:

Gov. Gary Herbert unveils his $16.1 billion budget proposal, which is a 6.2% increase over last year [Utah Policy, Tribune].
House speaker Greg Hughes says he's not likely to take a job in a Donald Trump administration, but it's still possible [Utah Policy].
Gov. Gary Herbert says he's struck a deal with Amazon.com to start collecting state and local sales taxes for online purchases [Deseret News].
Donald Trump lashed out on Twitter against Chuck Jones, an Indiana labor union leader, who criticized his deal with Carrier for keeping jobs from going to Mexico. After the president-elect's tweets, Jones started getting death threats. Said Jones, "He (Trump) needs to worry about getting his Cabinet filled and leave me the hell alone" [Washington Post].
Joe Biden makes it clear he's not planning on running for president in 2020 [Wall Street Journal].
Mitt Romney is thought to be the front-runner for Donald Trump's secretary of state according to sources close to the incoming administration [CBS News].
Donald Trump names Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a leading critic of the Environmental Protection Agency, to head the EPA [Bloomberg]. Trump also taps professional wrestling executive Linda McMahon to head the Small Business Administration [Wall Street Journal].
Donald Trump has tapped three former generals for key positions in his Cabinet, leading some to worry about an undue military influence on his administration [Wall Street Journal, Washington Post].
Donald Trump says he will personally negotiate with Boeing over the price of a new Air Force One [Wall Street Journal].
The Utah Transit Authority spent 59% more for a consultant on "union busting" than they originally disclosed, bringing the total price tag to $74,000 [Tribune].

On this day in history:

1776 - George Washington's retreating army crossed the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War.
1941 - United States entered World War II as Congress declared war against Japan one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
1980 - John Lennon was shot to death outside his apartment building in New York City. He was 40.
1991 - The Soviet Union ceased to exist when the republics of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine signed an agreement creating the Commonwealth of Independent States.
1993 - Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Today At Utah Policy

Hughes Not Taking a Trump Administration Job...For Now
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
While saying he’s not taking anything off the table, Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes saidWednesday he’s not looking toward Washington, D.C., for a new job....

Weekly Survey: Should Trump Dump Twitter?
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
President-Elect Donald Trump has been using Twitter to make some very controversial statements. Do you think he should quit the social media platform once he takes office in Janaury? Vote now in our weekly survey....

Herbert's 2018 Budget Proposal is 6.2% Larger than Last Year (Updated)
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
GOP Gov. Gary Herbert wants to spend $16.1 billion next year, his newly-released budget shows, with a 4 percent increase in basic public school spending and an overall budget increase of 6.2 percent – an analysis by UtahPolicy shows....

What Were the Top Utah Political Stories from 2016
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Donald Trump? Evan McMullin? What do you think were the top Utah political news stories from 2016? Give us your nominations now....

Trump: Romney Still in Running for Secretary of State
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
In a Wednesday morning interview, President-Elect Donald Trump said Mitt Romney is still in the mix to be named Secretary of State....

Policy News

Rep. Stewart Reflects on the Attack of Pearl Harbor in Speech on the House Floor
Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), a former Air Force Bomber pilot, reflects on the 75th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor in a speech on the House Floor....

Preserving Utah's Excellent Business Climate
A terrific business climate is one of the best holiday gifts that Utah’s businesses could receive....

Salt Lake City to Commemorate Human Rights Day with a Free Public Celebration
For the first time, the 2016 Human Rights Day Celebration will be free of charge and open to the public, hosted by the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office of Diversity & Human Rights (ODHR) and the Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission....

Hatch, Wyden Issue Bipartisan Report on Concurrent and Overlapping Surgeries
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued a Committee staff report detailing the practices of concurrent and overlapping surgeries where lead doctors at teaching hospitals perform multiple surgeries at the same time. ...