This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Trump brings an air of reality TV to the White House. Hatch, Lee praise Trump's pick for the high court. Protesters arrested outside Hatch's office.
Happy Wednesday. Nobody got a rose, but President Donald Trump has brought an air of reality TV to the White House. Just after the network countdown clocks had gone past zero, Trump strode into the East Room and stepped to the podium bearing the presidential seal. He was alone. But after a few scripted remarks about the sanctity of the Supreme Court, it was time for the big reveal of Trump's pick for the high court. [<a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/trump-supreme-court-reality-tv-234469">Politico</a>]
<strong>Topping the news: </strong>As Republican legislators passed resolutions to rescind Bears Ears National Monument and eliminate large portions of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, a new poll from The Salt Lake Tribune and the Hinckley Institute of Politics shows that Utahns are more divided on the issue than lawmakers think. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4840590-155/poll-utahns-divided-over-bears-ears"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865672246/Utah-House-urges-Trump-to-undo-Bears-Ears-National-Monument.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>] [<a href="http://www.good4utah.com/news/top-stories/utah-house-asks-president-trump-to-rescind-bears-ears/647952306"; target="_blank">ABC4</a>] [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2017/01/31/utah-house-to-president-trump-take-eraser-to-national-monuments/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/utah-house-calls-for-repeal-of-bears-ears-monument"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>] (More news from Utah's Capitol Hill below)
-> Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee offered their support for Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, as a "standout choice." [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4886682-155/utahs-hatch-lee-applaud-trumps-pick?fullpage=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865672296/Utah-senators-praise-Supreme-Court-nomination.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]
-> Prominent Utahns reacted to the pick, some with praise and others with condemnation. [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/utahns-react-to-trumps-supreme-court-nominee-neil-gorsuch"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]
-> Democrats boycotted a Senate Finance Committee vote on two of Trump's Cabinet nominees, prompting Hatch to charge them with acting "like idiots." [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4884999-155/sen-orrin-hatch-blasts-dems-for"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2017/01/31/democrats-boycott-votes-on-mnuchin-and-price-senator-orrin-hatch-says-democrats-should-be-ashamed/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>]
-> Forty-seven protesters were arrested outside Hatch's Washington office after they allegedly blocked his office's entrance during a demonstration. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4885792-155/dozens-of-protesters-arrested-outside-hatchs"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/protest-outside-sen-hatchs-office-nets-47-arrests"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]
-> Some Utah residents trying to call congressional offices have encountered nothing but full voicemail boxes and "please try again later" messages. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4886055-155/utahns-frustrated-at-full-voicemail-boxes?fullpage=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
<strong>Tweets of the day: </strong>From @<a href="https://twitter.com/StephenAtHome">StephenAtHome</a>: "Trump has selected Judge Neil Gorsuch for his Supreme Court nominee. He celebrated by eating Merrick Garland's heart."
-> From @<a href="https://twitter.com/RobertGehrke">RobertGehrke</a>: "NEW: Tom Bergeron booked to play Judge Gorsuch in upcoming made-for-TV #SCOTUS movie."
-> From <a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/maura_healey"; target="_blank">@maura_healey</a>: "I don't wake up every day looking for a way to sue Donald Trump. But we are 10 days in and I've filed three cases already."
<strong>In other news:</strong> Pat Bagley offers his take on Hatch's support for Trump's Cabinet nominees and how he treated then-President Barack Obama's. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/home/4886456-155/bagley-cartoon-captain-orrin-underpants"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
 
-> As 30 immigrants were sworn in as U.S. citizens at the University of Utah, the brief ceremony was marred by fear of President Trump's executive orders addressing immigration and refugees. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4881396-155/30-people-become-americans-at-university"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> The university also recommended that foreign students and faculty not return to their countries of origin, if at all possible, because the order may prevent them from coming back into the United State later. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4886272-155/utah-university-students-from-foreign-countries">Trib</a>]
-> Officials at Utah State University similarly advised its international population from visiting the seven countries impacted by Trump's immigration plan. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4886272-155/utah-university-students-from-foreign-countries?fullpage=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> The Salt Lake County Council passed a resolution asking the federal government to revoke Trump's executive orders concerning immigration, calling it "contrary to our values as Utahns." [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865672304/SL-County-Council-urges-revocation-of-Trumps-refugee-and-immigration-order.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]
-> About 300 people evacuated Salt Lake City's Jewish Community Center after word of a bomb threat, which was later deemed not credible. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4884881-155/bomb-threat-forces-evacuation-of-salt"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/jewish-community-center-in-salt-lake-city-evacuated-after-bomb-threat/647715855"; target="_blank">ABC4</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/jewish-community-center-evacuated-due-to-bomb-threat"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]
-> In SLC Mayor Jackie Biskupski's State of the City address Tuesday night, she detailed plans for more affordable housing. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4887212-155/amid-shelter-outcry-slc-mayor-hints">Trib</a>]
-> The LDS Church has yet to take a position on the Boy Scouts of America's plan to allow transgender children to join its programs. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/lifestyle/faith/4886026-155/will-mormon-church-embrace-scoutings-new"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2017/01/31/lds-church-responds-to-boy-scouts-of-america-admitting-transgender-scouts/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>] [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/lds-church-studying-boy-scouts-of-america-announcement-on-transgender-participation"; target="_blank">KUTV</a>]
-> A civil rights group in Utah launched an initiative to raise awareness of sexual violence inside the LDS Church, connect survivors to support services and call on the faith's leaders to have a dialogue about abuse prevention policies. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4885622-155/utah-civil-rights-group-reaches-out"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> Utah's real estate market saw its best year of home sales since the Great Recession, with a 5.1 percent jump in fourth-quarter sales. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4882124-155/home-sales-hot-in-salt-lake?fullpage=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> As the Utah Department of Alcohol and Beverage Consumption considers creating a new mobile app, it has to weigh how a state law that prohibits the department from promoting alcohol consumption would play into that. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4885807-155/utah-liquor-commission-considers-consumer-app"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
<p class="p1">-> Utah joined 48 other states in signing a $5 million settlement with Western Union — resolving a national investigation into complaints about fraudulent wire transfer services. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4886016-155/utah-officials-sign-multi-state-5m-settlement"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> Government investigators say they have evidence that a Salt Lake City Bureau of Land Management agent may have broken federal ethics rules when he used his position to purchase sold-out Burning Man tickets. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4886786-155/report-on-utah-blm-agent-at"; target="_blank">APviaTrib</a>]</p>
<strong>From the Hill: </strong>Though the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel says a bill that would establish an online sales tax has a "high probability" of being rejected in courts, the legislation moved forward to the full Senate for consideration. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4885449-155/utah-online-sales-tax-bill-advances"; target="_blank">Trib</a>] [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865672297/Online-sales-tax-bill-advances-while-discussions-underway-on-education-funding.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]
-> A Senate committee expressed favor for legislation that would increase Utah's funding for affordable housing options. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4886244-155/affordable-housing-bill-gets-senate-committees"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> Senate President Wayne Niederhauser said it's unlikely that the Legislature will approve an increase in education funding this year, despite a ballot initiative seeking to raise income taxes to secure the money. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4885846-155/senators-say-utah-schools-will-be"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> Legislation offering up to $10,000 in performance bonuses to teachers at struggling schools received unanimous endorsement from the Utah Board of Education. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4862682-155/as-7m-turnaround-program-wobbles-educators"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> A bill proposing sweeping changes to Utah's juvenile justice system emphasizes early intervention and aims to cut both reoffending rates and state costs. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4885997-155/new-bill-would-bring-big-changes"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
-> Sen. Todd Weiler — who helped the state declare porn a public health crisis last year — has a new proposal up for debate that would require Utah's libraries to install pornography blockers on their networks. [<a href="http://kutv.com/news/local/senate-panel-oks-bill-requiring-porn-free-wi-fi-in-libraries"; target="_blank">APviaKUTV</a>]
-> The chairman of Utah's liquor control commission said he supports legislation to tear down the Zion Curtain — a 7-foot wall preventing customers from watching alcoholic drinks being made in restaurants. [<a href="http://fox13now.com/2017/01/31/utah-liquor-control-commission-chairman-backs-tearing-down-zion-curtains/"; target="_blank">Fox13</a>]
-> The House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee voted in support of a bill criminalizing panhandling on high-speed roads. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4885448-155/bill-criminalizing-panhandling-on-high-speed-roads?fullpage=1"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]
<p class="p1">-> The Senate will consider a bill that would make online indexed audio recordings an acceptable replacement for the longstanding requirement for written minutes of open meetings. [<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/news/4886443-155/digital-recording-could-replace-government-minutes"; target="_blank">Trib</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> A bill attempting to regulate the use of drones —addressing potential voyeurism, stalking, spying and other invasions of privacy — was stalled in a Senate committee due to concerns from law enforcement and civil liberties groups. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865672267/Drone-legislation-fails-to-get-off-the-ground.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> Rep. Steve Eliason again proposed a measure to designate the Little Sahara Recreation Area as a state park — a measure that now moves to the full House for consideration. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865672293/Lawmaker-makes-another-pitch-for-state-park-status-for-Little-Sahara.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> A House committee approved a bill extending Utah's early voting period, making it possible for voters in some counties to cast ballots the day before an election. [<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865672280/House-committee-passes-bill-to-extend-early-voting-period.html"; target="_blank">DNews</a>]</p>
<p class="p1">-> A new bill from Rep. Jeremy Peterson could first reduce and then rescind the tax credit incentive established in 2002 for homeowners adding solar rooftop panels to their property. [<a href="http://www.good4utah.com/news/local-news/sun-may-be-setting-on-utahs-solar-energy-tax-credit/648014834"; target="_blank">ABC4</a>]</p>
<strong>Nationally: </strong>President Donald Trump nominated federal appeals court Judge Neil Gorsuch, a conservative from Colorado, to fill the Supreme Court seat left open after the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/31/us/politics/supreme-court-nominee-trump.html?_r=0"; target="_blank">NYTimes</a>] [<a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/01/31/511850519/who-is-neil-gorsuch-trumps-first-pick-for-the-supreme-court"; target="_blank">NPR</a>] [<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/31/neil-gorsuch-nominated-supreme-court-trump/"; target="_blank">WaTimes</a>] [<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/neil-gorsuch-trump-supreme-court-nominee/"; target="_blank">CBSNews</a>]
-> Trump was expected to sign an executive order aimed at improving the nation's cybersecurity defenses but held off, meeting instead to discuss the mandate with<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>his senior adviser, chief strategist, director of the NSA and other national security officials. [<a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/31/technology/trump-cybersecurity-executive-order/"; target="_blank">CNN</a>] [<a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/317165-trump-scraps-signing-of-cybersecurity-executive-action"; target="_blank">TheHill</a>] [<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-admin-outlines-plan-tighten-government-cybersecurity-n714841"; target="_blank">NBCNews</a>] [<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/01/31/us/politics/ap-us-trump-cybersecurity.html"; target="_blank">NYTimes</a>]
-> Senate Democrats may avoid blocking Trump's upcoming Supreme Court pick, fearing Republicans could rewrite Senate rules for voter thresholds and waiting for a future nomination with the potential to shift the balance of the court. [<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/30/politics/democrats-supreme-court-battle/index.html"; target="_blank">CNN</a>] [<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/31/democrats-grapple-filibuster-option-neil-gorsuch/"; target="_blank">WaTimes</a>] [<a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/ted-cruz-nuclear-option-democrats-filibuster-234432">Politico</a>]
<strong>Where are they?</strong>
<ul>
<li>Rep. Jason <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/jasoninthehouse"; target="_blank">Chaffetz</a></strong> participates in a roundtable discussion on pension reform and chairs an Oversight Committee hearing on empowering inspectors general.</li>
<li>Rep. Mia <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMiaLove"; target="_blank"><strong>Love</strong></a> meets with constituents in her office, chats with staff and votes.</li>
<li>Gov. Gary <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/GovHerbert"; target="_blank">Herbert</a></strong> meets with Democratic leaders and staff, visits film day on Capitol Hill and speaks with Utah Business Magazine. In the evening, he attends the annual executive/legislative basketball game.</li>
<li>Lt. Gov. Spencer <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/SpencerJCox"; target="_blank">Cox</a></strong> speaks with X96 Radio, chats with Democratic leaders and also attends film day. In the afternoon, he attends the Ogden Rotary and tours the National Ability Center before going to the annual executive/legislative basketball game.</li>
<li>State Auditor John <strong><a href="https://twitter.com/FrugalDougall"; target="_blank">Dougall</a> </strong>sits down with various legislators and members of the attorney general's office.</li>
<li>President Donald <strong><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Trump</a></strong></strong> receives his daily intelligence briefing, participates in a listening session for African American History Month and meets with Supreme Court interests. In the afternoon, he participates in a legislative affairs strategy session.</li>
</ul>
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— Thomas Burr and Taylor Stevens
<a title="Thomas Burr" href="https://twitter.com/thomaswburr"; target="_blank">Twitter.com/thomaswburr</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/tstevens95">Twitter.com/tstevens95</a>