Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning Must Reads for Friday, December 16, 2016

Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 351st day of the year. There are 15 days remaining in 2016.

Utah officials urge President Obama to not declare a Bears Ears monument. Sen. Mike Lee meets with Donald Trump. President Obama vows to strike back against Russian hacking into the election.

The clock:

• Three days until the Electoral College meets to cast their votes for president and vice president (12/19/2016)
• 35 days until Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President (1/20/2017)
• 38 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (1/23/2017)
• 83 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature (3/9/2017)
• 326 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)
• 690 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)

Ten talking points for Friday:

1. Monumental opposition. Gov. Gary Herbert and Reps. Jason Chaffetz and Rob Bishop are urging President Barack Obama to not declare a Bears Ears National Monument [Utah Policy, Tribune].
   
   
2. News roundup. Here's our rundown of the "what" and "why" of the last week in Utah politics [Utah Policy].
   
   
3. Power outage. It was a very bad electoral year for Utah's Democrats which is why it's our #8 Utah political story from 2016 [Utah Policy].
   
   
4. Lee goes to Trump Tower. Sen Mike Lee met with President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday in New York City [Deseret News, Tribune].
   
   
5. Russian hacking latest. President Barack Obama is vowing retaliation against Russia for interfering with the 2016 election [CNN]. The Russian attempt to hack the Republican National Committee was thwarted mostly because they didn't try as hard as they did to breach the Democratic National Committee [Wall Street Journal]. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said there was no "technical interference" from Russia into the election system [RealClear Politics]. The White House did not do more about the Russian attempt to hack the 2016 election because they didn't want to appear overly partisan and they thought Hillary Clinton was going to win [NBC News]. 
   
   
6. Pentagon hacking. A 2015 Russian cyber attack on the Pentagon nearly crippled the U.S. military within hours [CBS News].
   
   
7. Electoral ad. MoveOn.org is running an ad featuring Texas Republican elector Christopher Suprin who says he will not vote for Donald Trump when the Electoral College meets on Monday [YouTube].
   
   
8. Interior dance. Utah officials say they're confident Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke, Donald Trump's pick to head up the Interior Department, will work with them despite his opposition to turning control of federal lands over to the states [Deseret News, Tribune]. Zinke reportedly got the job because he's tight with Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr. [Wall Street Journal].
   
   
9. Homeless fallout. The Salt Lake City Council says the decision to create four new homeless shelters around the city must have a low impact on residents and businesses around the new facilities [Deseret News]. Some of the current homeless service providers plan to stay in downtown Salt Lake City [Tribune]. The parents at a daycare center slated to become one of the new shelters say they were taken by surprise by the announcement [Tribune].
   
   
10. Power grab. The North Carolina legislature is moving to strip new Governor Roy Cooper of many of his powers before he takes office in January. Cooper is a Democrat while the North Carolina legislature is dominated by Republicans [New York Times]. Governor-elect Cooper vows to take the legislature to court if the proposed limits to his power are passed [Politico].

On this day in history:

• 1773 - The Boston Tea Party took place as American colonists boarded a British ship and dumped more than 300 chests of tea overboard to protest tea taxes.
• 1944 - Germany launched a counteroffensive in World War II that became known as "The Battle of the Bulge."
• 1978 - Cleveland, Ohio defaulted on its financial obligations, the first American city to do so since the Great Depression.

Today At Utah Policy

The Electoral College is Unfair - Bernick and Schott on Politics #310 By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick Rumors are flying that President Obama is going to create a Bears Ears National Monument in Utah sometime before Christmas. Utah's Congressional delegation is not happy about the possibility, and Rep. Rob Bishop says any monument designation could be undone by the Trump admi...

Bernick and Schott on Politics: The Top-10 Utah Political News Stories from 2016 - #8 By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick 2016 was not a good year for Utah Democrats....

Herbert, Bishop, Chaffetz warn Obama About Bears Ears Monument By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Fifty bucks.That’s how much U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop has bet his staff that President Barack Obama will NOT designate the Bears Ears area in southeastern Utah a national monument before Obama leaves office Jan. 20....

Podcast: Bernick and Schott on Politics #310 By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott discuss the "what" and "why" of the past week in Utah politics....

Podcast: The Top-10 Utah Political News Stories from 2016 By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott continue their countdown of the top-10 Utah political news stories from 2016....

Policy News

Utah-Based Lucid Software to Expand At Home Lucid Software and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development announced the Utah-based software company will expand in state, adding up to 339 jobs and $11 million in capital investment to the community....

Wise Words

Speak Plainly
"Always prefer the plain direct word to the long, vague one. Don't implement promises, but keep them." C. S. Lewis

Lighter Side

Spin
"A real estate agency that sells apartments inside Trump Tower is advertising the new 24-hour presence of Secret Service agents as a, quote, 'new amenity.' While they're advertising the eggs that hit your windows as 'free grocery delivery.'" Jimmy Fallon