Morning must reads for Thursday, April 20, 2017

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning must reads for Thursday, April 20, 2017

Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 110th day of the year. There are 255 days remaining in 2017.

Chaffetz shocks the political world. Congress is racing to avoid a government shutdown. Fox News fires Bill O'Reilly.

The clock:

• 30 days until the Utah Republican State Convention (5/20/2017)
• 58 days until the Utah Democratic State Convention at Weber State University (6/17/2017)
• 201 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)
• 277 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)
• 322 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)
• 565 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
• 1,293 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR - 

• As you probably know by now, Rep. Jason Chaffetz shocked the political world by announcing he would not run for re-election to Congress in 2018 [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• Why is Chaffetz leaving Washington? There is lots of speculation:
  • The easiest answer is he's readying a run for Utah Governor in 2020 or even a U.S. Senate bid next year [Utah Policy].
     
  • There's a crazy rumor circulating that Chaffetz might be headed to Fox News Channel in the wake of the Bill O'Reilly ouster [Utah Policy].
     
  • There's one curious tidbit. Just two weeks before Chaffetz announced he would not be returning to Congress, his campaign arm purchased two domain names that suggest he may be eyeing a run for president in 2028 [Utah Policy].
     
• Utah Republicans were obviously shocked by Chaffetz's decision, while Democrats see an opportunity [Deseret News].
   
• Now that Chaffetz is out, potential replacements are scrambling to position themselves to run for the suddenly vacant seat [Tribune].
   
• Chaffetz's decision not to run in 2018 effectively kneecaps Democrat Kathryn Allen, who was raising big money primarily because of Chaffetz's gaffes. With him out of the race, attention will shift away from her [Utah Policy].
   
• Utah's Democrats may move further to the left as candidates to lead the party are aligning themselves with progressive hero Bernie Sanders [Deseret News].
   
• A new report says Trump administration policies are unlikely to bring coal mining jobs back to Utah [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• A new report says Salt Lake City and Logan are two of the most polluted cities in America [Deseret News].
   
• The government will shut down in 8 days unless Congressional leaders can find a compromise on a spending bill. There are a few roadblocks on the path to avoid a shutdown [Politico].
   
• The White House is signaling they may take a harder line on talks to prevent a government shutdown to secure some legislative victories [Politico].
   
• Trump campaign adviser Carter Page's visit to Moscow during the summer of 2016 is one of the main reasons the FBI decided to start probing connections between the Trump campaign and Russia [New York Times].
   
• A Russian government think tank controlled by Vladimir Putin was behind a plan to influence the 2016 U.S. election for Donald Trump [Reuters].
   
• Tax reform, the next target for Republicans in Congress, is starting to slip away. Some prominent conservatives want President Donald Trump to go for a simple tax cut instead of a complete overhaul [The Hill].
   
• Fox News parts ways with Bill O'Reilly after a string of sexual harassment claims [Politico].
  • Here's a timeline of how Fox News came to the decision to fire their most popular host [Axios].
     
  • Fox News executives are fearful more women will come forward with accusations about the ousted television star [Vanity Fair].
     
• The Trump White House is defending their misstatement that an American aircraft carrier was steaming toward North Korea last week when, in reality, it was thousands of miles away [Washington Post].

On this day in history:

• 1902 - Scientists Marie and Pierre Curie isolated the radioactive element radium.
   
• 1971 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of busing to achieve racial desegregation in schools.
   
• 1980 - The first Cubans sailing to the United States as part of the massive Mariel boatlift reached Florida.
   
• 1999 - Two students went on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., killing 12 students and one teacher before taking their own lives.
   
• 2010 - An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months.

Today At Utah Policy

Chaffetz not running for re-election in 2018
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Rep. Jason Chaffetz dropped a bombshell early Wednesday morning, announcing he would not run for re-election to Congress, or any office in 2018....

From contender to pretender
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Rep. Jason Chaffetz's shocking announcement that he's not running in 2018 does two things....

Chaffetz for President in 2028?
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Two weeks before he announced he was not running for re-election to congress in 2018, Rep. Jason Chaffetz's campaign registered two domains - jason2028.com and jasonchaffetz2028.com....

A totally bonkers, but not implausible rumor about Jason Chaffetz's future
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
The old joke is the most dangerous place in the world is between Rep. Jason Chaffetz and a television camera. That could be truer than you could imagine....

Weekly survey: Who will run for, and win, Chaffetz's seat in 2018?
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
With the shocking announcement Wednesday that Rep. Jason Chaffetz will not run for re-election, who do you think will jump into the race to replace him? Who is most likely to win that seat next year? Let us know your thoughts in our weekly survey....

Analysis: Why is Chaffetz stepping down from Congress?
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
Third District U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz stunned Utah politicos Wednesday morning by announcing he won’t run for re-election in 2018....

Policy News

Salt Lake Chamber applauds Chevron's commitment to produce tier 3 fuels
Air quality remains a critical economic issue for Utah’s business community, which is why companies large and small are leading the way to address these challenges....

Utah congressional delegation listens to companies share importance of international trade
Representatives Bishop, Chaffetz, Love and Stewart joined 40 business leaders and Gov. Herbert at World Trade Center Utah (WTC Utah) yesterday to discuss the importance of trade for Utah’s economy....

Utah coal industry employment in long-term decline
Employment in Utah’s coal mining and coal power industries has been declining for decades, due in part to shrinking demand for coal and improvements in mining technology. Policy changes promised by the Trump administration are unlikely to change that....

STEM Innovation Award recipients announced
The STEM Action Center will hold its third annual STEM Innovation Awards in partnership with Utah Technology Council as part of the Utah Innovation Awards dinner on Thursday, April 20, 2017. Five individuals will be recognized for their contributions to STEM education s...

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: Chaffetz career a list of lost opportunities

Gehrke: With Chaffetz's first move, the 2020 governor's race starts now

Washington County prosecutor weighing criminal probe of Kane County districts

Chaffetz's planned departure touches off mad scramble among would-be candidates

Hatch joins founder of child-trafficking rescue group in call for funding, resources

Oil company vows pollution relief for Utah; air advocates skeptical

Chaffetz won't seek re-election, leaves option for 2020 gubernatorial run

Deseret News

Op-ed: Putting wishful thinking ahead of public safety

Ben Tullis: The future of Jason Chaffetz and his 3rd Congressional District seat

Chaffetz says he won't seek re-election but his plans remain unclear

Social media reacts to Jason Chaffetz's announcement that he won't seek re-election

From BYU football to national newsmaker, 11 major moments from Jason Chaffetz's career

Local firms ask Sen. Mike Lee to support grant funding for biotech

Will Hatch run? Utah is 'in suspense,' says political news site

GOP praises Chaffetz as Democrats celebrate his impending departure

Utah ranks 5th in U.S. for visitor spending at national parks

Bernie Sanders looming large in race to lead Utah Democratic Party

Other

Jason Chaffetz announces he will not seek re-election, seat challengers evaluate future campaigns (Daily Herald)

Orrin Hatch partners with Operation Underground Railroad to fight trafficking (Daily Herald)

Utah County reactions over Chaffetz announcement are mixed (Daily Herald)

Indivisible Ogden, still seeking meeting, blasts Rep. Bishop as out of touch (Standard-Examiner)

$158 million I-15 project in Northern Utah moved up, thanks to $1B bonding bill (Standard-Examiner)

National Headlines

House Speaker Ryan sees long battle over tax reform (Reuters)

Bill Gates: Terrorists could wipe out 30 million people by weaponising a disease like smallpox (Telegraph)

Honeymoon from Hell: The Liberal Media vs. President Trump (NewsBusters)

North Korea says don't mess with us as U.S. plans next move (Reuters)

CIA, FBI launch manhunt for leaker who gave top-secret documents to WikiLeaks (CBS News)

Camille Paglia: Trump Already Headed Towards Reelection, Democrats Have Overplayed Their Hand (RealClearPolitics)

From Opa-locka to Fox News, the meteoric rise and fall of Bill O'Reilly (Miami Herald)

This man's deportation is testing Trump's murky stance on DACA (CNN)

Here's how France's hotly contested election could spark market turmoil (MarketWatch)

EPA plans to offer buyouts as part of Trump push to shrink workforce (Washington Post)

Emirates cuts US flights, blaming Trump administration curbs (Washington Post)

Wise Words

Seeing Results
"People love chopping wood. In this activity one immediately sees results." Albert Einstein

Lighter Side

United
"Because of the scandals, "The O'Reilly Factor" has lost 2/3 of its advertisers in one week. On the bright side, United Airlines is still with him!" Conan O'Brien