Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning Must Reads for Friday, October 28, 2016

Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 302nd day of the year. There are 64 days left in 2016.

Rep. Chris Stewart appears headed to winning another term in Washington. DNC Chair Donna Brazile visits Utah. Leaders of the takeover of a wildlife refuge in Oregon are acquitted by a jury.

The clock:

• Four days left to register to vote online in Utah (11/1/2016)
• 11 days until the 2016 presidential election - (11/8/2016)
• 52 days until the Electoral College meets to cast their votes for president and vice president (12/19/2016)
• 84 days until Inauguration Day (1/20/2017)
• 87 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature - (1/23/2017)
• 132 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature - (3/9/2017)

Ten talking points for Friday:

1. Rep. Chris Stewart leads Democrat Charlene Albarran by 25-points [Utah Policy].
   
   
2. Democratic National Committee  Chair Donna Brazile visits Utah to rally Democrats and urge millennials to vote [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
   
   
3. The leaders of the armed occupation of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon were acquitted by a jury on Thursday [Associated Press].
   
   
4. Donald Trump suggests we should just cancel the election and declare him the winner [NBC News]. Hillary Clinton might have something to say about that because nearly every poll shows she is winning [Huffington Post].
   
   
5. Hillary Clinton is reportedly considering Joe Biden as her Secretary of State, but nobody has spoken to Biden about it [Politico].
   
   
6. Hillary Clinton raised about twice as much money as Donald Trump in October, putting the GOP at a massive financial advantage in the final days of the campaign. Also, Trump's claims that he is spending $100 million of his own money on the campaign don't hold up to scrutiny [Washington Post].
   
   
7. GOP vice president candidate Mike Pence's plane skidded off the runway during a landing at La Guardia airport in New York [Bloomberg].
   
   
8. Despite likening Donald Trump to Benito Mussolini, Rep. Chris Stewart reaffirmed his intention to vote for the GOP nominee [Deseret News, Tribune].
   
   
9. A high-ranking member of the LDS Church, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, violated church policy by making a campaign donation to state school board candidate Richard Nelson [Tribune].
   
   

10. Former Utah gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Johnson pulls his endorsement of state Senate candidate Jason Christensen, who is running under the Independent American Party banner, after Christensen made comments on social media calling a gay man who killed himself a "sinner" [Tribune].

On this day in history:

• 1636 - Harvard College, now Harvard University, was founded in Massachusetts.
• 1886 - The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.
• 1919 - Congress enacted the Volstead Act, which provided for enforcement of Prohibition, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto.
• 1962 - Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev informed the United States that he had ordered the dismantling of Soviet missile bases in Cuba.
• 1980 - Republican nominee Ronald Reagan asked voters during a debate with President Jimmy Carter in Cleveland "are you better off than you were four years ago?"

Today At Utah Policy

Stewart Leads Albarran by 25-Points in Utah's 2nd Congressional District By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Democrat Charlene Albarran has closed the gap slightly with Republican Chris Stewart slightly in Utah's 2nd Congressional District, but it's not going to be enough to catch him by election day....

Bob Bernick's Notebook: What Does the Future Hold for Utah Republicans and Democrats? By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor You might expect, loyal UtahPolicy readers, that two weeks from a huge election I would opine about the U.S. presidential race, or the 4th District contest, or some such.But, no, this week I use the crystal ball to look beyond Nov. 8. – way into next summer....

A Vote is the Same Thing as an Endorsement!: Bernick and Schott on Politics - Episode #304 By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick Donald Trump's #2, Mike Pence campaigns in Utah because Utah has become a surprising battleground state in 2016. Will his problems cost the GOP the Senate or even the House?...

DNC Chair Brazile Urges Millennials to Vote By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Donna Brazile has a terrific sense of humor, but she also delivered some profound truths and a message of hope on Thursday night....

Podcast: Bernick and Schott on Politics - Episode #304 By Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott break down the "what" and "why" of the week that was in Utah politics....

Be Sure to Vote, Especially on Education-Related Issues By Kim Burningham Like me, I suspect a number of you have already voted.  ...

Gary Johnson Loses it When Asked About Evan McMullin By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Gary Johnson is tired of talking about Evan McMullin....

Weekly Survey: Which Presidential Candidate will Carry Utah? By Bryan Schott, Managing Editor Will Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, or Evan McMullin win Utah's six electoral votes in November? Vote now in our weekly survey....

Policy News

Wise Words

The Press
"If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed." Benjamin Franklin

Lighter Side

Follow the Money

"Of course, Hillary also had her moments. Here's what she said about her tax plans: "We are going to go where the money is." And she knows where the money is. It's where she gives her speeches." Stephen Colbert