Morning must reads for Thursday, March 30, 2017

Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 89th day of the year. There are 276 days remaining in 2017.  

Draper pulls its offer of two possible sites for a homeless shelter. A legal analysis says Trump has the authority to rescind the Bears Ears Monument. Republicans might take another run at repealing Obamacare next week.

The clock:

  • 51 days until the Utah Republican State Convention (5/20/2017)
  • 79 days until the Utah Democratic State Convention at Weber State University (6/17/2017)
  • 222 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)
  • 298 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)
  • 343 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)
  • 586 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
  • 1,314 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today’s political TL; DR – 

  • Bob Bernick looks at the politics surrounding the fight over where to put a new homeless shelter in Salt Lake County [Utah Policy].
  • A new legal analysis argues President Donald Trump has the legal power to rescind the Bears Ears National Monument [Utah Policy].
  • During a raucous public meeting, which featured the crowd booing a homeless man, Draper Mayor Troy Walker pulls his offer of two sites for a potential homeless shelter [Deseret News, Tribune].
  • Gov. Gary Herbert signs the final pieces of legislation from the 2017 session [Deseret News, Tribune].
  • Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee differ on which path to pursue following the implosion of the effort to repeal and replace Obamacare. Lee says it’s too early to give up on the effort while Hatch says he’d rather focus on tax reform [Deseret News].
  • A federal judge in Hawaii has extended the block on President Trump’s revised travel ban arguing that those who are suing to stop it from going into effect are likely to win their case [Associated Press].
  • Republicans in Congress have one month from Thursday to pass a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown, but they’re going to need help from Congressional Democrats and President Trump [Washington Post].
  • The House GOP is considering making another run at passing the Obamacare repeal bill next week [Bloomberg]. New HHS Secretary Tom Price says the Trump administration still wants to undo parts of Obamacare with or without help from Congress [Washington Post].
  • Make no mistake, Donald Trump is a “war” president as U.S. military involvement in the Middle East grows [New York Times].
  • With the House investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia at a standstill, the Senate is poised to take the lead on the probe [New York Times].
  • Despite arguing for a complete overhaul of NAFTA on the campaign trail, it’s becoming apparent that the Trump administration will only seek modest changes to the trade pact [Wall Street Journal].
  • Here’s how states could force President Donald Trump to release his tax returns [Politico Magazine].
  • The Energy Department has banned the use of the phrase “climate change” by staffers [Politico].
  • President Donald Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida next week [New York Times].
  • North Carolina lawmakers say they’ve reached a deal to repeal the controversial “bathroom bill” which restricts which public restrooms transgender people can use [Washington Post].
  • Here’s what will happen now that Congress voted to allow internet providers to collect and sell your browsing history [Washington Post].
  • Welcome to the new economic normal. The head of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco says the economy has finally recovered following the great recession [CNN Money].
  • Wanna know what former President George W. Bush thought of Donald Trump‘s inauguration? “That was some weird s**t,” Bush reportedly said according to those in attendance [New York Magazine].

On this day in history:

  • 1867 – Secretary of State William H. Seward reached agreement with Russia to purchase Alaska for $7.2 million, a deal roundly ridiculed as “Seward’s Folly.”
  • 1870 – The 15th amendment to the Constitution, giving black men the right to vote, was declared in effect.
  • 1981 – President Ronald Reagan was shot and seriously injured outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John W. Hinckley Jr.