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Daily Briefing

Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 296th day of the year. There are 69 days remaining in 2017.

The clock:

• 15 days until the 2017 election (11/7/2017)
• 91 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)
• 136 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)
• 379 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
• 1,107 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

• POLL: Most Utahns say they do not support President Trump's plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border [Utah Policy].
  
  
• Several prominent Utahns who are supporters of Rep. Mia Love contacted Democrat Ben McAdams in the days prior to his decision to run for Congress to urge him not to run. Some of those who tried to keep McAdams out of the race were encouraged to do so by the Love campaign [Utah Policy].
  
  
• PODCAST: Ben McAdams discusses why he decided to jump into next year's 4th CD congressional race against Mia Love [Utah Policy].
  
  
• Our "Political Insiders" say it's time for Utah to legalize medical marijuana instead of doing more research on the potential benefits [Utah Policy].
  
  
• Rep. Chris Stewart defended President Donald Trump's call to the widow of a U.S. serviceman killed in Niger. The phone call, in which he reportedly said the woman's husband "knew what he signed up for," has sparked controversy for being insensitive [Tribune].
  
  
• Katie McKellar does a masterful job laying out how the Gary Ott tragedy unfolded, and what might be next following his death last week [Deseret News].
  
  
• Newly minted ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman says he plans to encourage travel between Russia and the United States [Deseret News].
  
  
• Gov. Gary Herbert is heading to Jordan and Israel for a trade mission this week [Associated Press].
  
  
• School boards across the state are asking voters to approve more than $800 million in bonds this year [Deseret News].
  
  
• Utah's unemployment rate ticked down last month to 3.4 percent [KSL].
  
  
• A former employee at the Salt Lake County jail has filed a federal lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and gender discrimination [Deseret News].
  
  
• Salt Lake City is making good progress getting ready to possibly host another Winter Olympic Games [Deseret News].

National headlines:

• President Donald Trump told House Republicans on Sunday that they need to pass the Senate budget and get working on tax reform and soon, or they will face a tough midterm election in 2018 [Politico].
  
  
• The Republican tax reform plan may not cut taxes for Americans making more than $1 million [Axois].
  
  
• Sen. John McCain takes a swipe at President Donald Trump, who dodged the draft during Vietnam five times by claiming he had bone spurs [Twitter].
  
  
• Partisan clashes are hampering the congressional investigations into Russian involvement in the 2016 election [New York Times].
  
  
• Special counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating the Democratic lobbying firm led by Tony Podesta [NBC News].
  
  
• National Democrats are getting worried about the Virginia governor's election this year, which is tightening up in the final days of the race [Washington Post].
  
  
• President Donald Trump's reputation as a great negotiator is taking a hit as Congress is finding him to be untrustworthy [Washington Post].
  
  
• Democratic challengers in congressional districts held by Republicans are posting some eye-popping early fundraising numbers, which is prompting concern among the GOP [Politico].
  
  
• Former President Jimmy Carter says he's ready to negotiate with North Korea if President Donald Trump asks him to [New York Times].
  
  
• Yikes! The U.S. is preparing to put nuclear bombers back on 24-hour alert, a status not seen since the cold war ended in 1991 [Defense One].
  
  
• Female state legislators, staffers, and lobbyists across the country report being sexually harassed by their male colleagues [The Hill].
  
  
• Big tech companies spent more than $14 million last quarter lobbying the federal government [Recode].

On this day in history:

• 452 - Valentinian III is elevated as Roman emperor at the age of six.
  
  
• 1850 - The first National Women's Rights Convention begins in Worcester, Massachusetts.
  
  
• 1861 - President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus for all military-related cases.
  
  
• 1915 - In New York City, an estimated 25,000 women march on Fifth Avenue to advocate for their right to vote.
  
  
• 1929 - The Wall Street Crash begins.
  
  
• 1946 - The United Nations General Assembly convenes for the first time.
  
  
• 1962 - President John Kennedy signs Proclamation 3504, authorizing the naval blockade of Cuba following the discovery of Soviet missiles on the island.
  
  
• 1973 - President Richard Nixon agrees to turn over subpoenaed audio tapes of his Oval Office conversations.
  
  
• 1983 - A U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut is hit by a truck bomb, killing 241 military personnel.
  
  
• 1987 - The U.S. Senate rejected President Ronald Reagan's nomination of Judge Robert Bork to the Supreme Court by the biggest margin in history, 58-42.

Today At Utah Policy

Poll: Most Utahns oppose building a wall on the Mexico border By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Like the rest of America, most Utahns don't want to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border, a new UtahPolicy poll finds....

McAdams isn't shying away from what promises to be a rough congressional campaign in 2018 By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams says he's not worried about the negative campaigning that is inevitably coming his way now that he's decided to challenge Rep. Mia Love next year....

Podcast: Interview with Democratic Congressional candidate Ben McAdams By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Democrat Ben McAdams announced his candidacy for Congress last week, mounting a challenge to two-term Republican Mia Love in Utah's 4th CD....

"Political Insiders" say it's time to legalize, not study, medical marijuana By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor A majority of our "Political Insiders" say that medical use of marijuana should be legal, bucking the mainstream stance that more study is needed before taking that step....

Win a copy of 'Grant' by Ron Chernow By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor We're giving away a copy of the latest book from Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Ron Chernow....

Policy News

Wise Words

Experience

"The only source of knowledge is experience." Albert Einstein

Lighter Side

Great

"Went to see Bruce Springsteen last night [Oct 19th] on Broadway. And you're not going to believe this, he was great. Turns out he's really great. Bruce almost restored my faith in America last night. And then the president tweeted and it was gone again." Jimmy Fallon