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Daily Briefing

Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 332nd day of the year. There are 33 days remaining in 2017.

The clock:

• 35 days until candidates can declare their intent to gather signatures for the 2018 election (1/2/2018)
• 55 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)
• 100 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)
• 101 days until the filing period for candidates in the 2018 election opens (3/9/2018)
• 107 days until the filing deadline for the 2018 elections (3/15/2018)
• 112 days until the statewide GOP caucus meetings (3/20/2018)
• 144 days until the GOP State Convention (4/21/2018)
• 210 days until the 2018 Primary Election (6/26/2018)
• 343 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
• 1,071 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's political TL; DR -

• POLL: As Congress debates tax reform, most Utahns agree with Republicans that the package will make the system simpler and fairer. The argument from Democrats that GOP proposals will primarily help the wealthy is not gaining much traction [Utah Policy].
  
  
• Our "Political Insiders" said Minnesota Sen. Al Franken should not resign following accusations from numerous women that he groped them without their permission [Utah Policy].
  
  
• A legislative task force is floating the idea of replacing the Utah Transit Authority board with a three-member commission appointed by the governor [Deseret News, Tribune].
  
  
• Republicans on Utah's Capitol Hill want to tackle tax reform next year, but they're not sure how they're going to proceed [Tribune].
  
  
• Thousands of mail-in ballots were rejected during this month's elections due to a number of errors [Tribune].
  
  
• Sen. Todd Weiler is considering legislation requiring county jails and state prisons to submit annual reports of prisoner deaths [Standard Examiner].
  
  
• Get to know Kurt Bradburn, the man who knocked Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan out of office after 24 years [Deseret News].

National headlines:

• President Donald Trump is tweeting about the NFL again Tuesday morning:
  
  
  • 5:46 am (MST) - "At least 24 players kneeling this weekend at NFL stadiums that are now having a very hard time filling up. The American public is fed up with the disrespect the NFL is paying to our Country, our Flag and our National Anthem. Weak and out of control!"
    
    
• Republicans in the Senate are scrambling to find votes for their tax reform plan. The effort to win GOP votes is resulting in more provisions that benefit wealthy Americans finding their way into the package [New York Times].
  
  
• Former national security adviser Michael Flynn met with members of special counsel Robert Mueller's team on Monday, raising the specter that he is trying to cut a deal with prosecutors [ABC News].
  
  
• This is an astonishing story. A woman approached the Washington Post claiming to be a victim of Alabama Republican Roy Moore. In doing their due diligence, the paper discovered she was actually part of a right-wing sting operation to discredit the media, then confronted her about it [Washington Post].
  
  
• Evan McMullin redux? A retired marine colonel in Alabama is launching a write-in campaign for next month's U.S. Senate election. Lee Busby's last-minute candidacy certainly has the potential to siphon votes away from controversial Republican Roy Moore [Washington Post].
  
  
• President Donald Trump broke out his favorite racial slur for Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, calling her "Pocahontas," at an event honoring Native American veterans. It did not go over well [Time].
  
  
• There's a bizarre situation unfolding at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Two people, each claiming to be the acting director of the agency, showed up on Monday [New York Times].
  
  
• Yet another woman says longtime Democratic Rep. John Conyers made unwanted sexual advances toward her [Detroit News].
  
  
• Sen. Al Franken apologizes for groping several women, saying he would work to regain the trust of voters [New York Times].
  
  
• The White House is weighing a ban on personal phones for employees. The official explanation is personal devices pose a cybersecurity threat, but some wonder if it's an effort to cut down on leaks [Bloomberg].
  
  
• Maliz Beams, who was hired to help Secretary of State Rex Tillerson overhaul the State Department, has quit after just three months on the job [BuzzFeed].
  
  
• Ivanka Trump for U.N. Ambassador? Don't laugh. Some in Washington are floating the idea [Politico].
  
  
• Dictionary.com names "complicit" as the 2017 word of the year [Washington Post].
  
  
• Consumers racked up $6.59 billion in online sales this year on "Cyber Monday" [USA Today].
  
  
• Gun shoppers on Black Friday set a new record as the FBI ran more than 200,000 background checks, a single-day record [Time].

On this day in history:

• 1520 - An expedition under the command of Ferdinand Magellan passes through the Strait of Magellan.
  
  
• 1895 - The first American automobile race takes place over the 54 miles from Chicago's Jackson Park to Evanston, Illinois. Frank Duryea wins in approximately 10 hours.
  
  
• 1919 - Virginia-born Nancy Astor became the first woman member of the British Parliament.
  
  
• 1994 - Serial killer Jeffery Dahmer was beaten to death by another prisoner in Wisconsin.

Today At Utah Policy

Most Utahns believe Congressional Republican claims on tax reform plans By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor Utahns agree more with Republicans concerning the tax reform plans now in the U.S. House and Senate than they do with Democratic criticisms of the proposals, a new UtahPolicy.com poll shows....

'Political Insiders' think Sen. Al Franken should not step down amid groping allegations By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor At least four women have stepped forward to accuse Democratic Sen. Al Franken of sexual harassment. Our "Political Insiders" are divided along partisan lines whether Franken should resign from the Senate....

Policy News

Fox Files: 'Black Friday' I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday....

EDCUtah marks 30 years of bringing business to Utah During its annual meeting, EDCUtah commemorated its 30th anniversary by rolling out its vision for the next chapter in EDCUtah's history....

Utah leads nation in financial industry growth Over the past ten years, Utah has become a leader in growth in the financial services industry....

Wise Words

Purpose

"It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?" Henry David Thoreau

Lighter Side

Fired

"CBS just fired Charlie Rose after allegations of sexual harassment. Yep. They told him to clear out his desk, put on some pants and leave." Jimmy Fallon