Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 197th day of the year. There are 169 days left in 2016.
An apparent terrorist attack in France kills 84 people. Bishop unveils his public lands bill. Donald Trump apparently picks Mike Pence as his running mate.
The clock:
- Three days to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland (7/18/2016)
- 10 days to the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia (7/25/2016)
- 116 days until the 2016 presidential election – (11/8/2016)
- 192 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (1/23/2017)
- 237 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (3/9/2017)
Ten talking points for Friday:
- Here’s our rundown of the week that was in Utah politics [Utah Policy].
- Bob Bernick explains why we decided to hold off on publishing a story that Facebook was considering building a massive data center in Utah [Utah Policy].
- 84 people, including two Americans, are dead after an apparent terrorist attack in Nice, France. A truck plowed into a group of people who were celebrating Bastille Day [Guardian]. Donald Trump once again calls for a crackdown on immigration into the United States from “terrorist areas” following the attacks [Talking Points Memo].
- Donald Trump has reportedly chosen Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate [Politico]. Trump was going announce his choice on Friday, but will delay the unveiling because of the attacks in France [Washington Post]. Pence’s selection might help Trump win support in Utah where he is struggling to gain traction [Deseret News].
- Donald Trump‘s backers crush an attempt by some delegates to block him from winning the nomination at next week’s convention [Politico].
- GOP convention organizers are running out of money, so they’re begging billionaire Sheldon Adelson to cover a $6 million shortfall for next week’s event [Politico].
- Reps. Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz unveil their public lands bill in an effort to head off a new national monument designation in Utah [Tribune].
- Interior Secretary Sally Jewell visits Utah to discuss how best to protect the Bears Ears area, which may include President Obama making it a national monument [Deseret News, Tribune].
- The Utah Attorney General’s office declines to investigate activists who are calling for a new national monument at Bears Ears after Rep. Mike Noel called for a probe into alleged ties to environmentalist groups [Tribune].
- Former House Speaker Mel Brown says he will request a recount after he lost his primary election to Logan Wilde by just eight votes [Deseret News].
On this day in history:
- 1799 – The Rosetta Stone, which helped decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, was found by French soldiers.
- 1870 – Georgia became the last of the Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union.
- 1979 – President Jimmy Carter delivered a speech in which he lamented what he called a “crisis of confidence” in America. Though he didn’t use the word, it became known as the “malaise” speech.
