Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 86th day of the year. There are 279 days remaining in 2017.
Another Wilson may challenge for Hatch’s seat. Could Utah become a Democratic stronghold? Trump tries to right the ship after the health care implosion.
The clock:
- 2 days until the last day Governor Gary Herbert can sign or veto bills (3/29/2017)
- 54 days until the Utah Republican State Convention (5/20/2017)
- 82 days until the Utah Democratic State Convention at Weber State University (6/17/2017)
- 225 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)
- 301 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)
- 346 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)
- 589 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
- 1,317 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
Today’s political TL; DR –
- Democrat Jenny Wilson says she’s taking a “hard look” at challenging for Sen. Orrin Hatch‘s seat in 2018 [Utah Policy].
- Was there a misunderstanding between Gov. Gary Herbert and legislative Republicans over a bill that could cut requirements to place Democrats on state boards and commissions? Herbert vetoed the bill last week [Utah Policy].
- Stats guru Nate Silver suggests Utah could become a “blue” state in the future [Deseret News].
- Following the crash and burn of the Republican health care bill last week, Utah’s delegation to Congress is reluctant to try again. Sen. Mike Lee is the only member of Congress from the Beehive State to cheer the defeat of the legislation [Deseret News, Tribune].
- Emails from Salt Lake County officials show the struggle over the decision to build a new homeless shelter in the county [Tribune].
- Donald Trump‘s White House is in disarray after the effort to repeal Obamacare went down in flames last week, and aides are worried Trump’s agenda could be in danger of failing [Politico].
- How did the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus scuttle the Republican healthcare reform bill? They made a secret pact not to commit to a vote without consulting the whole group [Politico]. Congressional Democrats are feeling emboldened following the health care repeal, and President Donald Trump is seemingly reaching out for their help [Wall Street Journal, Politico].
- President Donald Trump taps his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to lead a new White House office to overhaul the federal government using ideas from the business world [Washington Post].
- What’s next for Congressional Republicans following the stinging defeat of the Obamacare repeal last week? Tax reform is the next item on the agenda [New York Times].
- Sen. Orrin Hatch says Democrats treated Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch shabbily during his confirmation hearings last week [Wall Street Journal].
- First Lady Melania Trump is reportedly miserable in her new role now that her husband is the president [New York Post].
- Conservative firebrand Tomi Lahren has reportedly been banned permanently from Glen Beck‘s The Blaze for a TV appearance where she said she was pro choice when it comes to abortion [The Hill].
- United Airlines is defending the decision to keep some girls who were wearing leggings from boarding an airplane for violating their dress code [Huffington Post].
On this day in history:
- 1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sighted Florida.
- 1836 – The first Mormon temple was dedicated, in Kirtland, Ohio.
- 1886 – Apache leader Geronimo surrendered to U.S. federal authorities.
- 1964 – Alaska was rocked by a powerful earthquake that killed 114 people. The magnitude 9.2 quake was the biggest in the U.S. and the second largest worldwide since 1900.