Orrin Hatch, Mitt Romney and the debt limit. Your Thursday morning political briefing from UtahPolicy.com

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Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning must reads for Thursday, May 25, 2017

Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 145th day of the year. There are 220 days remaining in 2017. Today is the 126th day of Donald Trump's presidency.

Orrin Hatch is reportedly leaning toward retiring from the Senate in 2018. It's gonna cost big bucks to get on the ballot via signature gathering. A Montana congressional candidate assaults a reporter.

The clock:

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

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

166 days until the 2017 election (11/7/2017)

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

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

530 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)

1,258 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

SCOOP: Sources say Sen. Orrin Hatch is leaning toward retiring from Congress at the end of his current term, with an announcement coming sometime this fall. We're also told former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney is very interested in running for Hatch's seat if he steps down [Utah Policy].
It could cost a candidate around $100,000 to gather the 7,000 signatures required to get on the ballot in the special election to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz [Utah Policy].
SB54 could do exactly what it was designed to do during the special election to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz, allowing candidates to bypass the delegates on the way to the ballot. That may be a bridge too far for some Utah Republicans [Utah Policy].
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says the Obamacare replacement bill passed by the House last month would cause 23 million people to lose their insurance while reducing the budget by $119 billion in 2026 [Washington Post]. The CBO report also shows insurance premiums would skyrocket for younger and older policyholders. It also shows people with preexisting conditions could be priced out of the insurance market [Axios].
Greg Gianforte, a Republican congressional candidate for a special election in Montana, has been charged with assault after he allegedly "body slammed" reporter Ben Jacobs who was asking him about the GOP healthcare bill [New York Times]. Here's audio of the incident [YouTube]. A Fox News team witnessed part of the attack and said Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck and began punching him [Fox News].
Top Russian officials discussed how they might exert influence over Donald Trump through two of his advisers, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn [New York Times].
Attorney General Jeff Sessions did not disclose meetings he had with Russian officials on his application for a security clearance [CNN].
Police in the UK are no longer sharing information about this week's terrorist attack in Manchester with their American counterparts after some of that information was leaked to the media [BBC].
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin wants Congress to raise the debt limit before lawmakers leave for their summer recess [Wall Street Journal].
Newly elected GOP chairman Rob Anderson says the party's finances are "in shambles" with much more debt than previously thought. The party still hasn't paid the rent for May on their office and had to lay off a staff on Wednesday because of debt [KUTV]. Anderson says he plans to "stay the course" on the party's lawsuit against SB54, but he's hoping to work out a new compromise with the legislature [Deseret News].
Rep. Jason Chaffetz says he's leaving Congress next month to avoid catching "Potomac fever" which he says keeps people in Washington far longer than they should be [CNN].
Provo Mayor John Curtis is jumping into the race for Utah's soon-to-be open congressional seat [Daily Herald].
Rep. Rob Bishop is considering legislation that would require the federal government to "adequately" consult with local authorities before implementing any federal land management laws [E&E News].
A new legal study says a president does not have the power to undo a national monument created by one of their predecessors. That's important because of the continuing battle over what will happen to the Bears Ears National Monument [Tribune].
A Montana-based government watchdog group is suing the Interior Department to obtain documents about national monuments created under President Obama to determine how much public input played a part in the decision-making process [Tribune].
The Utah Transit Authority is moving forward on a controversial development project in Clearfield. The deal would sell land to Clearfield City who would then sell the land at a discounted price to a Swiss company that manufactures rail cars [Tribune].

On this day in history:

1787 - The Constitutional Convention was convened in Philadelphia.
1925 - John Scopes was arrested for teaching the theory of evolution in a Tennessee high school, leading to a trial that became a media sensation. Scopes was convicted and fined $100; the conviction was later overturned.
1961 - President John F. Kennedy asked the nation to work toward putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
1977 - "Star Wars" was released in theaters.

Today At Utah Policy

Sources: Hatch considering not running for another term in 2018; Romney seriously interested in replacing him By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor UtahPolicy.com has been told by various sources that U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, is leaning against running for re-election in 2018, and will likely retire. The second part of the rumor is that Mitt Romney is very likely to seek Hatch’s seat....

Special election could be the Utah GOP's nightmare come true By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war. - Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1.The war over SB54 is brewing, and the special election to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz could be the spark that sets it ablaze....

Signature gathering to get on the special election ballot could cost $100,000 By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Gov. Gary Herbert may have wanted to give all candidates a fair shot at being their party’s 3rd District nominee by ordering up a truncated signature-gathering process....

3rd Congressional District special election candidate tracker By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Who's in? Who's thinking about running to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz in Congress. Check out the latest filings and rumblings in our special election candidate tracker....

Weekly survey: New political party By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor A new centrist political party in Utah has formed. Organizers say they hope to attract Utahns who feel the Republicans and Democrats are too extreme. How successful do you think they'll be?...

Three takeaways from the Point of the Mountain Development Commission By Salt Lake Chamber Rapid growth and technology are pulling our state together. Nowhere is this more visible than at the Point of the Mountain where the state's two largest economies are integrating with a nationally recognized technology hub....

Policy News

Press release: CBO predicts tens of thousands of Utahns at risk of losing health coverage Almost three weeks after all four Utah members of the House of Representatives voted to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA), Utahns learned the true impact of the bill today when the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published an updated report. ...

Bishop introduces bill to protect and defend 2nd Amendment Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01) has introduced H.R. 2620, the Lawful Purpose and Self Defense Act....

Sen. Lee commends FCC announcement on internet innovation Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission voted on the Restoring Internet Freedom notice of proposed rulemaking:...

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: Next legislative session should focus on air, schools and tax reform

Western group sues Interior for documents on monument designations

Utah conservationist buys Needles Outpost for $2.5 million at SITLA auction

UTA gives initial OK to controversial land deal in Clearfield

Once-tiny Vineyard in Utah County sees population grow sixfold in 2 years

Deseret News

Jay Evensen: Can Utah's new political party rally docile moderates?

Editorial: The Mayor's plan to increase safety on Rio Grande Street should be a first step

Sen. Mike Lee, others introduce bill to prevent indefinite detention

Report: 23M more to be uninsured, $834M in Medicaid spending to be slashed under AHCA

New GOP chairman will 'stay the course' on SB54 lawsuit while working toward new compromise

Conservationist buys Needles Outpost in Bears Ears for $2.5 million

Supreme Court patent ruling praised by Utah tech community

Other

Provo Mayor John Curtis running for Jason Chaffetz's 3rd Congressional District seat (Daily Herald)

Former Provo state representative, Chris Herrod, joins race for Jason Chaffetz's seat (Daily Herald)

National Headlines

In first under Trump, U.S. warship challenges Beijing's claims in South China Sea (Reuters)

French Censors Target Children With Down Syndrome (Wall Street Journal)

Manchester Bomber Believed Muslims Were Mistreated, Sought Revenge (Wall Street Journal)

Trump debuts in Europe as Obama returns to stir nostalgia for the old days (Guardian)

Melania Trump's spokeswoman confirms that she's a Catholic (Daily Mail)

McConnell frets about healthcare, hopeful on tax overhaul (Reuters)

Obama admin knew gang members were part of illegal immigrant surge: Whistleblower (Washington Times)

McCain: Cynical Democrats killed Lieberman's FBI chances (CNN)

Vermont's Governor Vetoes Recreational Pot Bill (NPR)

Democrats Ask Deutsche Bank to Produce Documents on Trump Family Loans (Bloomberg)

Another Insurer Leaves Missouri's Affordable Care Act Exchange (FOX Business)

Wise Words

Character
"Your love of liberty - your respect for the laws - your habits of industry - and your practice of the moral and religious obligations, are the strongest claims to national and individual happiness." George Washington

Lighter Side

At Large
"A Girl Scout troop leader in Kentucky is on the run from police after she allegedly stole $15,000 worth of Girl Scout cookies. The suspect is now at large. And getting larger every minute." James Corden

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