Labels Inbox (5) Starred Important Sent Mail Drafts (1) Trash 2015 (1) 2016 1- Jan /feb2016 (2) June 2016 Keep (2) June post 2016 March/ MAy 2016 SEPT - OCT 2016 (3) Dave Says (11) Finances, Monthly billings and expenses (3) Personal (3)

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning must reads for Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 193rd day of the year. There are 172 days remaining in 2017.

A new poll shows all of the GOP candidates in the 3rd CD would have a lead on Democrat Kathie Allen, but only John Curtis has a majority right now. Our Schools Now holds public hearings about their school funding proposal. Donald Trump Jr. tweets out the evidence that he met with a Russian lawyer offering dirt on Hillary Clinton.

The clock:

• 13 days until ballots for the August primary are mailed to voters (7/25/2017)
• 34 days until the 2017 Utah primary election (8/15/2017)
• 118 days until the 2017 election (11/7/2017)
• 194 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)
• 239 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)
• 482 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
• 1,210 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

• NEW POLL: In a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, Provo Mayor John Curtis gets a majority of support over Democrat Kathie Allen. However, Chris Herrod and Tanner Ainge only pull about 40% support against the Democratic nominee [Utah Policy].
   
• The candidates for the GOP nomination in the 3rd District special election debate in Utah County. Very few differences between the three men emerge from the discussion [Deseret News, Tribune, Daily Herald, KUTV, Fox 13].
   
• Sen. Orrin Hatch says the story surrounding Donald Trump Jr.'s contacts with a Russian lawyer with purported connections to the Kremlin is "overblown" [Tribune].
   
• Sen. Mike Lee says he welcomes the decision to delay the August recess so the Senate can continue working on an Obamacare repeal measure [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• Sen. Lee says he will vote against any Senate health care plan unless an amendment allowing insurance companies to sell policies that don't comply with Obamacare regulations is part of the package [Tribune].
   
• The Our Schools Now group, which is seeking a sales and income tax hike to boost education funding, held seven required public hearings on the proposal Tuesday night [Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• The Downtown Alliance releases a list of 10 steps that are needed to quell the homeless crisis in downtown Salt Lake City [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
   
• Some Utah cities are catching heat for boosting user fees instead of raising taxes to help their budgets [Tribune].
   
• More than 400,000 people submitted public comments on the Bears Ears National Monument after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke re-opened the public comment period [Associated Press].
   
• Bombastic political reporter Rod Decker says he will retire in September to spend time taking care of his wife who is ill [Tribune]. 
   
• The Salt Lake County Council wants the state auditor to look into the Mountain Accord now that a judge has ruled the organization is subject to the state's open meetings statute [Deseret News, Tribune].

National headlines:

• Email firestorm. Donald Trump Jr. released an email chain showing he was offered incriminating evidence about Hillary Clinton from a person purporting to be part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's campaign [New York Times].
   
• Donald Trump's White House has been plunged into chaos following the release of Trump Jr.'s emails. Staffers are viewing each other with suspicion over who is leaking information about the story to the press, while others are privately acknowledging the story is a PR disaster [Washington Post, New York Times, Politico].
   
• The Russian lawyer Donald Trump Jr. met with is denying she has ties to Russian intelligence agencies, but there is plenty of evidence to doubt those claims [McClatchy].
   
• The email reveal does put Trump Jr. legal jeopardy as he may have violated U.S. election law by soliciting campaign support from a foreign national [Reuters].
   
• Congressional investigators along with the Justice Department are looking into the Trump campaign's digital operation, run by Jared Kushner, and whether it helped facilitate Russian attacks on Hillary Clinton [McClatchy].
   
• Senate Republicans will unveil their latest health care proposal on Thursday [The Hill].
   
• It's almost assured that Los Angeles will be awarded the 2024 or 2028 Summer Olympics [Los Angeles Times].

On this day in history:

• 1862 - Congress authorized the Medal of Honor.
   
• 1984 - Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale named New York Congresswoman Geraldine A. Ferraro his running mate, making her the first woman to run on a major party ticket.

Today At Utah Policy

Poll: Curtis, Herrod and Ainge would have an advantage over Democrat Allen in November's election; Only Curtis gets a majority
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
A new poll shows all three of the Republicans vying for the GOP nomination in the special election in Utah's 3rd District leading Democrat Kathie Allen, but only Provo Mayor John Curtis gets a majority of support....

Downtown Alliance statement - Immediate steps for Rio Grande
By Press Release
 Over the past week, several incidents in the Rio Grande neighborhood have reminded us all that this is a neighborhood in crisis....

New research from University of Utah asserts 1966 U.S. Supreme Court decision that led to the creation of Miranda rights may today impede law enforcement's ability to solve crimes
By Press Release
Fifty years after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a historic decision in Miranda vs. Arizona - which determined that criminal suspects must be informed of their constitutional right to an attorney prior to police questioning - a pair of University of Utah resear...

Weekly survey: Did the Trump campaign collude with the Russians?
By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor
Donald Trump Jr. admitted this week he met with a Russian lawyer who promised to provide damaging information about Hillary Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's campaign. ...

Policy News

Sen. Lee welcomes August work
 Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement Tuesday after it was announced the first two weeks of August recess had been cancelled:...

Hatch blasts Democrat obstruction, hopes to advance nominees during extended recess
 Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, issued a statement on Senate Democrats' unprecedented obstruction of President Trump's nominees....

Rep. Love cosponsors the 'CHANCE in Tech Act'
 In Utah and across the country, our economy is dependent on the technology industry to create jobs and expand economic growth....

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: Speaker Hughes can't solve the crisis of homelessness by himself

Utah cities criticized for padding their budgets with user fees instead of raising taxes

Sen. Orrin Hatch calls Donald Trump Jr.'s email story 'overblown'

Business group calls for 'immediate' action for area near SLC shelter - but most proposals are already underway

Utah Sen. Mike Lee calls for canceling August recess, and gets a partial victory

Utah Sen. Mike Lee delivers ultimatum on health care that could be key

Union sues to block online access to past Utah teacher discipline cases

Millcreek leaders move to set salaries for mayor, council members

Salt Lake County Council members want the state auditor to look into Mountain Accord following judge's ruling

In Salt Lake and Utah counties, varying receptions for Our Schools Now initiative's $700M tax increase

No drama in Danny Walz's approval as new SLC RDA leader

A 'platform Republican,' a 'principled conservative' and a Utah mayor walk into a debate ...

Deseret News

Ralph Hancock: Trump's speech in Poland hit the right balance between tradition and innovation

Editorial: Pursue family-friendly policies that don't overly burden business

S.L. County Council members call for audit of Mountain Accord

Cheers, jabs for ballot initiative to boost school budgets

Lee spurs Senate to work on health care bill through August recess

Downtown Alliance calls for 10 'immediate steps' to regain control of Rio Grande

Few differences emerge among Republicans in first debate in race of Chaffetz's seat

IOC deal may be good news for another Salt Lake Olympics

Other

Third Congressional District candidates debate for first time as GOP primary draws near (Daily Herald)

Op-ed: The mystery of Ogden's vanishing college graduates (Standard-Examiner)

Locals give input on group's tax proposal to raise $700 million for schools (Logan Herald Journal)

Mayoral candidates vie for primary vote (Park Record)

National Headlines

Democrats intentionally used disinformation from Russia to attack Trump, campaign aides (Washington Times)

Amid Defeats, ISIS Shifts Narrative From Invincibility to Victimization (Free Beacon)

Between Trump and Dems, a center lane opens (CBS News)

Sources: Cohn is Trump's top candidate to replace Yellen at Fed (Politico)

Paying Professors: Inside Google's Academic Influence Campaign (Wall Street Journal)

Delaying August Recess, Senate Republicans To Release Updated Health Care Bill (NPR)

US THAAD missile defenses hit test target as North Korea tension rises (Reuters)

Majority of Republicans say colleges have negative impact on country, poll says (USA Today)

Seattle is sticking it to the rich with a tax on the wealthy - in a state with no income tax (Los Angeles Times)

Trump administration limits government use of Kaspersky Lab software (Reuters)

Controversial Alaskan gold mine could be revived under Trump's EPA (Washington Post)

Wise Words

Feeble Government

"Nothing turns out to be so oppressive and unjust as a feeble government." Edmund Burke
 

Lighter Side

New Study

"A new study reveals more than 2 billion people worldwide are overweight or obese. And at any given time, most of them are at Disneyland the same day as you." Conan O'Brien