Morning must reads for Monday, May 22, 2017

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning must reads for Monday, May 22, 2017

Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 142nd day of the year. There are 223 days remaining in 2017. Today is the 123rd day of Donald Trump's presidency.

The Utah GOP picks Rob Anderson to chair the party. Utah Republicans may be moving toward the political middle. Trump's budget cuts $1.7 trillion from entitlement programs. 

The clock:

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

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

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

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

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

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

• 1,261 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

• Utah Republicans tap Rob Anderson to be the new chair of the party, voting out James Evans who was seeking a third term as their leader [Utah Policy].
   
• The Utah GOP took some steps toward the political middle by electing a more moderate leadership team on Saturday [Utah Policy].
   
• Sen. Orrin Hatch and Gov. Gary Herbert's teams worked hard to ensure that the two men avoided getting booed at the Utah GOP convention on Saturday [Utah Policy].
   
• Rep. Jason Chaffetz says government officials who leak information to the press should be jailed [Utah Policy].
   
• Gov. Gary Herbert's office sets the rules for the special election to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz when he leaves office on June 30 [Utah Policy].
   
• Legislative leaders push back against the governor, saying they should be the ones to set the rules for the special election to replace Chaffetz [Utah Policy].
   
• Our "Political Insiders" say President Trump made the wrong move when he dismissed FBI Director James Comey [Utah Policy].
   
• Check out the latest episode of "Beg to Differ" with Bryan Schott and Rep. Mike Winder. They chew over the latest news from Trumpland plus the race to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz [Utah Policy].
   
• Chaffetz says he expects to speak with fired FBI Director James Comey on Monday [Politico].
   
• President Donald Trump arrives in Israel after visiting Saudi Arabia. The direct flight between the two countries is the first direct flight by a U.S. President [Bloomberg].
   
• President Trump's budget proposal will slash entitlement programs like Medicaid and food stamps by $1.7 billion [Washington Post, Axios].
   
• Hillary Clinton's campaign manager John Podesta says President Donald Trump is "absolutely crazy" and "unfit for office" [Politico].
   
• Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates speaks publicly about what she told the White House about Michael Flynn and her eventual firing by President Donald Trump [New Yorker].
   
• Republicans are slowly coming around to the reality of human-caused climate change [Axios].
   
• Young men in America are falling to the bottom of the income scale [Boston Globe].
   
• The number of candidates for Jason Chaffetz's seat is exploding, with a half-dozen jumping into the race so far [Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• County officials decide to place the new homeless resource center for men in South Salt Lake. That decision is prompting fear and anger from residents near the new facility [Deseret News]. However, nobody knows who actually made the decision to place the men's facility there [Tribune].
   
• Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder is reportedly considering taking the top cop position in Moab [Deseret News].
   
• Draper will hire an outside counsel to investigate whether Councilwoman Michelle Weeks violated ethics rules or laws when she asked a city employee to proofread some emails that were not related to her position on the council [Tribune].
   
• Here's a great deep dive into Utah's booming economy. Even though Utah has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, many companies are having trouble finding qualified workers to fill open positions [New York Times]. 
   
• Huntsman Corp. agrees to merge with Switzerland's Clariant AG to create a company worth about $14 billion [Wall Street Journal].
   
• The wet winter and spring mean Utah's reservoirs are filling up fast after years of drought [Deseret News].

On this day in history:

• 1868 - The Great Train Robbery took place near Marshfield, Ind., as seven members of the Reno gang made off with $96,000 in cash, gold and bonds.
   
• 1939 - The foreign ministers of Germany and Italy signed a "Pact of Steel" committing the two countries to a military alliance.
   
• 1947 - The Truman Doctrine was enacted as Congress appropriated military and economic aid for Greece and Turkey.
   
• 1972 - Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit Moscow.
   
• 1992 - Johnny Carson hosted NBC's "Tonight Show" for the last time after nearly 30 years in the job.

Today At Utah Policy

Top GOP officials head off embarrassment at Saturday's Republican Convention
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Want to learn how to head off an embarrassment in the Utah Republican Convention when you really believe your man will be booed by upwards of 4,000 hard-core delegates?...

'Political Insiders' say Trump made the wrong move when he fired Comey
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Our "Political Insiders" mostly disapprove of President Donald Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey....

Chaffetz: Government leakers should be jailed
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Rep. Jason Chaffetz says those inside the government who leak information to the press should go to jail....

Analysis: The Utah GOP takes some baby steps toward the political middle
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Have the top echelons of the Utah Republican Party made a turn, more to the middle?Maybe....

Utah GOP picks Rob Anderson as new chair (with video)
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
There will not be a third term for Utah GOP Chairman James Evans as Republican delegates gave the current party leader the heave-ho on the first ballot Saturday....

Rules for special election to replace Chaffetz set, but lawsuits loom
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
And off we go!...

Op-ed: Separation of powers
By House Speaker Greg Hughes, Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, House Minority Leader Brian King, Senate Minority Leader Gene Davis
When a vacancy occurs in the U.S House of Representatives an election of the people must occur. The U.S. Constitution states that the times, places and manner of elections will be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof (Article 1, Section 4). Further, U.S. Code ...

Beg to Differ: 'Isn't that special?!'
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Another tumultuous week in Utah politics for both Republicans and Democrats....

Policy News

Senators applaud Pres. Trump's Executive Order on national monument review
Sen. Lee (R-UT) and 25 of his Senate colleagues sent a letter to President Trump supporting his April 26th Executive Order calling for a review of national monuments created under the 1906 Antiquities Act. The letter reads in part: ...

Hatch statement on NAFTA notification
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) issued the following statement after the Trump Administration notified Congress of its intent to initiate negotiations with Canada and Mexico regarding the modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreeme...

Bishop statement on appointment to chair Speaker's Task Force on Intergovernmental Affairs
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced the creation of the Speaker's Task Force on Intergovernmental Affairs....

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Op-ed: Health care reform must continue in Utah and across America

Editorial: Follow governor's path to a special election

Editorial: Beyond pay, teachers need flexibility to succeed

Gehrke: Herbert standing up for voters in Chaffetz replacement

Safer, cleaner, less chaotic - changes coming to the Rio Grande neighborhood

Candidates plunge into widening pool to replace Chaffetz

$1 billion windfall for Utah highways divided among projects

Utah sets condensed special election calendar - and it's already started

Gehrke: Guv v. Legislature about to turn into 'House of Cards' meets 'Game of Thrones'

New Utah GOP chairman vows to fix party's debt, win back disenfranchised conservatives

Decision made on site of homeless men's shelter - but who decided, and when?

Deseret News

Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb: Washington circus impacts public policy and Utah delegation

Op-ed: Navajo people have already been restricted enough

Hal Boyd: Mormon political royalty run in Colorado

Op-ed: Utah's caucus system is still the best option

Op-ed: Rep. Love works for those who need health care

Editorial: With education, the Beehive State can learn from the Finnish model

Gov. Herbert takes control of special election process to fill Rep. Chaffetz's seat

Candidates scrambling to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz in Utah's 3rd District

S.L. mayor, Utah senators jockey for Trump's ear on monuments

Utah Republicans choose new party chairman and more moderate direction

Fraying social fabric hurting nation's economy, Sen. Mike Lee says

Other

Editorial: Tough decisions ahead on infrastructure (Daily Herald)

Special election planned to replace Jason Chaffetz; Utah County legislators announce candidacies (Daily Herald)

Lawmaker hosts lands transfer town hall (Logan Herald Journal)

National Headlines

McConnell steps into Obamacare firing line (Politico)

Tillerson in Saudi Arabia: 'This is a fight of good against evil' (The Hill)

Trump urges Muslim world to 'drive out the extremists' (The Hill)

Mike Pence tells Notre Dame grads to rely on 'integrity and values' as dozens stage walk-out (South Bend Tribune)

Texas revives transgender 'bathroom bill' for public schools (Los Angeles Times)

Kimberly Ellis calls for an audit of the election for California Democratic Party leader (Los Angeles Times)

Sanders raises stakes in tight Montana race (Washington Post)

Trump tells advisers he wants to end key Obamacare subsidies (Politico)

Saudi Arabia's $20 billion wager with Blackstone is record-sized bet on U.S. infrastructure (MarketWatch)

Boeing inks Iran airline deal as Trump threatens to revisit sanctions (Washington Post)

US, Gulf countries form new group to stem flow of terror financing (CNBC)

Wise Words

Bold
"There! His Majesty can now read my name without glasses. And he can double the reward on my head!" John Hancock

Lighter Side

Payment
"A recording just came out from a closed-door meeting where Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy says he thinks Vladimir Putin actually pays Donald Trump. Trump said he never accepted any money from Putin, because he was paid entirely in KFC gift cards." Jimmy Fallon