Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 190th day of the year. There are 176 days left in 2016.
Snipers kill five police officers in Dallas. A GOP lawmaker says questionable spending by a law firm hired by the legislature needs to be investigated. The feds are investigating the wife of Democratic nominee Michael Weinholtz.
The clock:
- 10 days to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland (7/18/2016)
- 17 days to the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia (7/25/2016)
- 123 days until the 2016 presidential election – (11/8/2016)
- 199 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (1/23/2017)
- 244 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (3/9/2017)
Ten talking points for Friday:
- Rep. Steve Handy says the allegations of misspending by a law firm hired by the legislature to explore the possible transfer of public lands to the state deserve a full investigation [Utah Policy].
- A new survey finds most Utahns are unfazed by the purchase of the Salt Lake Tribune by Paul Huntsman. Most say the purchase will not affect whether they read the paper or not [Utah Policy].
- Horror in Dallas. Two snipers opened fire on police officers during a protest in downtown Dallas Thursday night. As of Friday morning, 5 police officers are dead, 6 wounded. One suspect was also killed [Dallas Morning News, CNN, Washington Post]. President Barack Obama says he was “horrified” by the “vicious, calculated and dispicable attack” [Bloomberg].
- Rep. Jason Chaffetz chairs a hearing for FBI Director James Comey about his decision to not bring charges against Hillary Clinton over her email scandal [Tribune, Politico]. After the hearing the State Department announced they were re-opening their investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server during her time as Secretary of State [Politico].
- Donald Trump meets with GOP lawmakers in Washington, but more than a few left the meeting with more questions than answers [Talking Points Memo]. Sen. Orrin Hatch says he told Trump to make “critical adjustments” to his campaign if he wants to win in November [Deseret News].
- Bernie Sanders is reportedly set to endorse Hillary Clinton next week [New York Times].
- Federal prosecutors are now handling the marijuana possession investigation into Donna Weinholtz, the wife of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Michael Weinholtz. Prosecutors say they are investigating a complaint brought by the U.S. Postal Inspector and Department of Homeland Security [2 News, Tribune, Fox 13].
- Utah Republicans are hammering Democrat Doug Owens over his role as an attorney in the lawsuits that delayed the construction of the Legacy Parkway [Tribune].
- Rep. Rob Bishop is opposing a proposed land management rule because it allegedly diminishes local government input [Deseret News].
- Utah House Democrats are slamming a new alternative path to obtain a teaching license and are demanding a hearing on the new policy [Tribune, Deseret News].
On this day in history:
- 1663 – King Charles II of England granted a charter to Rhode Island.
- 1776 – The Declaration of Independence was read in public for the first time, to people gathered at Philadelphia’s Independence Square.
- 1835 – The Liberty Bell cracked while being rung during the funeral of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall in Philadelphia.
- 1889 – The Wall Street Journal was first published.
- 1909 – The Wright Brothers demonstrated their airplane for an enthusiastic crowd at Fort Myer, Virginia.
