Donald Trump, Sean Spicer and a Georgia special election. Your Tuesday morning political briefing from UtahPolicy.com

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Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning must reads for Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 171st day of the year. There are 194 days remaining in 2017. Today is the 151st day of Donald Trump's presidency.

Utahns have an unfavorable opinion of President Trump. Lawmakers step up the battle over the rules in Utah's special Congressional election. Democrats hope to pick up a Republican Congressional seat in Georgia Tuesday.

The clock:

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

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

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

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

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

1,233 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

NEW POLL: Most Utahns hold a negative opinion of President Donald Trump. 52% say they see him unfavorably, which is up slightly from April when 50% had an unfavorable opinion of the president [Utah Policy].
Legislators will meet Tuesday to hear from their own attorney about the legality of the special election process established by Gov. Gary Herbert. Herbert previously blocked the Attorney General from giving the Legislature a legal opinion on the issue [Utah Policy].
A new Census report shows Utah still spends the least in the nation in per-pupil education funding [Utah Policy].
Rep. Jason Chaffetz takes a swipe at the Trump administration, saying their tendency to stonewall investigations is just like the Obama White House [Utah Policy].
Chaffetz says he will not endorse any of the three Republicans running in the GOP primary to replace him in Congress [KUTV].
HBO's John Oliver mocks Sen. Orrin Hatch and Senate Republicans over the secretive way they're drafting their Obamacare replacement bill [Utah Policy].
There are at least three candidates who are already gearing up to run to replace Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder when he resigns to take the police chief position in Moab [Deseret News].
Lawmakers aren't likely to repeal Utahs new toughest-in-the-nation DUI law, but some groups are hoping to refine the statute [Fox 13].
This could be the final year for the Summer Twilight Concert Series following years of cost overruns for the popular downtown event [Deseret News].
A lack of skilled workers could lead to a slowdown in the economy [Utah Policy].
Mary Beckerle speaks about the controversy that led to her firing, and re-hiring at the Huntsman Cancer Institute [KUTV].

National headlines:

Voters go to the polls today for a special Congressional election in Georgia. Democrats hope to pick up the seat that's been in Republican hands for decades [The Hill].
Senate Republicans plan to hold a vote on some version of their Obamacare repeal bill next week. Senators could finally see the bill at the end of this week, which would give them just a few days before they cast a vote on the measure [Politico].
The Supreme Court agrees to hear a case from Wisconsin about whether partisan gerrymandering violates the Constitution. The case could drastically reshape American politics [New York Times].
Spicer out! White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer is reportedly set to take a less public role in the White House, meaning he would no longer head up the daily press briefings [Associated Press]. Possible replacements include radio talk show host Laura Ingraham and Daily Mail editor David Martosko [Politico].
A GOP digital firm left millions of voter's personal information completely exposed online for nearly two weeks [Los Angeles Times].
President Donald Trump met with tech executives at the White House on Monday. Trump called for an overhaul of government technology to keep pace with the private sector [ReCode].
A new national poll shows less than a third of Americans agree with President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement [Associated Press].
The Russia investigation is still simmering. Investigators are now looking at the business partners for former national security adviser Michael Flynn [Reuters].

On this day in history:

1837 - Queen Victoria ascended the British throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV.
1863 - West Virginia became the 35th state.
1963 - The United States and Soviet Union signed an agreement to set up a hot line communication link between the two superpowers.
1967 - Boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted. (The conviction was later overturned by the Supreme Court.)
1994 - O.J. Simpson pleaded innocent in Los Angeles to the killings of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Today At Utah Policy

Poll: Majority of Utahns view President Trump unfavorably By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor President Donald Trump's favorability rating has dipped slightly in Utah since April according to a new UtahPolicy.com survey....

Lawmakers set to meet Tuesday to discuss special election rules, separation of powers By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor When Utah legislators – both Republicans and Democrats – meet in party caucuses Tuesday noon, look for their own attorney, John Fellows, to give his opinion on whether GOP Gov. Gary Herbert followed proper procedure in declaring a special election to replace...

Economic outlook: U.S. labor crunch threatens business growth By Robert Spendlove, Zions Bank economic and public policy officer It has been nearly eight years since the end of the Great Recession and many businesses in the United States are still struggling to grow, but this time for a different reason – a lack of qualified workers....

John Oliver mocks Hatch, Republicans for American Health Care Act By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Last Week Tonight host John Oliver blasted Senate Republicans Sunday night over the secretive way they've handled writing their version of legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare....

Bad news for Utah: New Census report shows Utah still In last place in per-pupil education funding By Press Release The U.S. Census Bureau released its annual comparison of state education finances, finding that Utah remains in last place in per-pupil current expenditures, as has been the case every year since 1988. ...

Chaffetz has some tough words for Trump, Obama on the way out the door By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Rep. Jason Chaffetz is leaving Congress at the end of the month. As he is ready to leave his Congressional career, offers some parting shots at President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions....

Policy News

Sen. Lee speaks on Senate floor about new Planned Parenthood videos Senator Lee spoke on the Senate floor to continue raising awareness of the unconstitutional and inhumane activities happening in Planned Parenthood clinics across the nation and draw attention to the more recent undercover investigations by the Center for Medical Progress wh...

United Utah Party holds first convention, Nominates Jim Bennett for Third Congressional District special election The United Utah Party held its first convention on Saturday, June 17, at Corner Canyon High School in Draper. ...

Rep. Stewart introduces the Outdoor Recreation Enhancement Act Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) introduced The Outdoor Recreation Enhancement Act, which will ensure continued access to national parks and help preserve jobs for outfitters, guides and other seasonal employees....

Speaker's Task Force on Intergovernmental Affairs announces first hearing On Thursday, June 22, 2017 at 10:30 AM EDT in House Visitor Center (HVC) Room 210, the newly formed Task Force on Intergovernmental Affairs will hold its inaugural hearing....

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: Utah imam had every right to come home again

Editorial: Utah water report shows how much we have to learn

Utah's economy keeps producing more jobs

Rolly: Herrod loves to post doctored photos - is that the image of a congressman?

Utah close to achieving rail safety certification needed to avoid loss of nearly $150M in federal funding

Deseret News

Boyd Matheson: What are conservatives and liberals afraid of?

Editorial: Fight against governor over special election is political grandstanding

Report says Utah ranks 7th in child well-being, but health care uncertainty casts pall

Chaffetz says Trump, Obama administrations no different in stonewalling his investigations

Candidates lining up to replace Salt Lake County sheriff

Campaign hopes to help reduce workplace accidents in Utah

Summer concert series' cost a concern for Salt Lake City Council

Battle heating up between lawmakers, governor over special congressional election

National Headlines

Republicans hope to avoid Georgia upset and salvage their agenda (Washington Examiner)

Market Volatility Has Vanished Around the World (Wall Street Journal)

Poll: Americans say U.S. political debate is increasingly uncivil (CBS News)

Tensions rise in Syria as Russia, Iran send US warnings (Associated Press)

Why So Many Critics Hate the New Obama Biography (Politico)

Sources: Senate GOP prepares for Obamacare repeal vote next week (Politico)

Only ObamaCare insurer in most Iowa counties to hike premiums by 43.5 percent (The Hill)

Rep. McHenry filling in as House whip at crucial time (The Hill)

Justices to Hear Major Challenge to Partisan Gerrymandering (New York Times)

Jared Kushner Is About to Plunge Into Middle East Diplomacy (New York Times)

Wall Street hits record highs on strong technology, health stocks (Reuters)

Wise Words

Perspective
"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." Mary Engelbreit

Lighter Side

Fox Slogan
"Fox News is dropping its slogan "fair and balanced." Instead, it will be replaced with the more appropriate slogan "blondes and Hannity." Jimmy Fallon

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