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Romney: Obama has to learn, he lost the last election. GOP delegates elect Al Jackson. Lee says GOP ready if Obama takes executive action.
Happy Monday. Mitt Romney says President Barack Obama needs to stop trying to poke a stick in Republicans' eyes and try to work with the incoming majority party in Congress. "The president has got to learn that he lost this last election round," Romney told CBS's Face the Nation yesterday. "The American people spoke loud and clear." [RCP]
Topping the news: Republican delegates elected Al Jackson to fill Sen. John Valentine's seat, a contest won by a single vote. [Trib][Herald][UtahPolicy]
-> House Speaker Greg Hughes offers his agenda for the coming session, including a vow against raising taxes and possible changes to Gov. Gary Herbert's Healthy Utah plan. [UtahPolicy]
-> Sen. Mike Lee says the GOP is ready to respond to President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration if need be. [Trib][DNews][UtahPolicy]
Tweet of the day: From @HollyontheHill: "Don't let anyone ever tell you one vote doesn't matter. Al Jackson just won the special election by one vote."
Happy Birthday: To GOP consultant Alan Crooks.
Tune in: What do you like about your job? We're talking about Utah's best workplaces and what makes an inviting, exciting and productive work environment. Watch Trib Talk live at 12:15 p.m. Mountain Time on sltrib.com.
Opinion section: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich supports Sen. Orrin Hatch's Employee Rights Act that he says will keep unions politically honest. [Trib]
-> Ellie Bodily, a school nurse at Meadow Elementary, Sego Lily Elementary, Willowcreek Middle School and Polaris High School in the Alpine School District, wants to see school nurse funds increased to help save Utah in the long run. [Trib]
-> Ray Diehl, native Utahn and business analyst, says Democrats in Utah should just run for local office and let Republicans go it alone in other races since they already dominate Utah politics. [Trib]
-> R.G.B. Robb, writer and resident of Utah, believes that the LDS church should treat prescription drug abuse the same as alcohol. [Trib]
-> Dr. Brian Moench, president of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, discusses the inconsistency with what Utah voters want to see happen with the state's climate and the political representatives they vote for. [Trib]
-> Timothy Graham, medical director of the Utah Diabetes and Endocrinology Center at the University of Utah, dislikes the term prediabetes because it is just as serious as diabetes and discusses how it has become an epidemic. [Trib]
-> George Pyle explains American politics with the help of Dr. Pangloss. [Trib]
-> Paul Rolly believes the investigation of former Attorney General John Swallow may have actually saved the new House speaker's career. [Trib]
-> Rolly also says Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, wants changes to how teens get their drivers licenses to ensure they understand the risks of DUI's. [Trib]
-> Thomas Burr gathers some sound advice for Rep.-elect Mia Love from experienced House members that they wish they would have known when first arriving in Washington. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley offers his take on Sen. Orrin Hatch calling progressives just "dumbass liberals." [Trib]
-> The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin calls Hatch the "distinguished pol of the week." [WaPost]
-> Former Sen. Bob Bennett says Hatch's last term looks to be a good one. [DNews]
Weekend in review: State air quality regulators attempt to persuade Wasatch Front residents who still burn wood to heat their homes to switch to cleaner heating systems. [Trib]
-> A tax for junk food was approved a Navajo lawmakers last Friday. [Trib]
-> Utahn Ralph Jacobson, an Air Force general who also worked in the space program, passed away at age 82. [Trib]
Nationally: A videotape showing the beheading of a fifth Western hostage, Peter Kassig, was released Sunday. President Barack Obama condemns the Islamic jihadists as being, "pure evil." [NYTimes][Examiner][WaPost][WSJ][LATimes]
-> A fourth government agency experienced a computer breach that caused the State Department to temporarily shut down its unclassified email system and public websites. [NYTimes][WaPost]
-> According to the Obama administration, the Federal Health Exchange Website is up and running smoothly allowing 100,000 people to sign up for health insurance. [NYTimes][WSJ]
-> Now that the Republican Party is ready to take over Congress, GOP leaders have shifted their focus toward tax reforms and fear Obama will combat their initiatives. [WaPost][Examiner]
Where are they?
Rep. Jason Chaffetz gives a presentation to the Steering Committee in his quest to become the next chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Rep. Chris Stewart flies to Washington, votes and has dinner with the Netherlands Ambassador.
Gov. Gary Herbert attends a Boards and Commissions meeting and holds a budget discussion.
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox participates in the iVote committee, attends the Boards and Commissions meeting and ends his day with budget discussions.
President Barack Obama meets with senior advisors.
Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox. [Trib]
— Thomas Burr and Mallory Jesperson
Twitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/JespersonM