Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 266th day of the year. There are 100 days left in 2016.
Donald Trump, Jr. visits Utah. The Democratic AG candidate drops out of the race. Jason Chaffetz rips the CEO of the company that makes the EpiPen over massive price hikes.
The clock:
- Four days to the Utah Gubernatorial debate at Utah State University (9/26/2016)
- Four days to the first presidential debate at Hofstra University (9/26/2016)
- 12 days to the 2nd Congressional District debate at the University of Utah (10/4/2016)
- 12 days to the vice presidential debate at Longwood University (10/4/2016)
- 17 days to the second presidential debate at Washington University (10/9/2016)
- 18 days to the 4th Congressional District debate at Salt Lake Community College (10/10/2016)
- 20 days to the U.S. Senate debate at Brigham Young University (10/12/2016)
- 25 days to the 1st Congressional District debate at Weber State University (10/17/2016)
- 27 days to the 3rd Congressional District debate at Utah Valley University (10/19/2016)
- 27 days to the third presidential debate at UNLV (10/19/2016)
- 47 days until the 2016 presidential election – (11/8/2016)
- 123 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (1/23/2017)
- 168 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (3/9/2017)
Ten talking points for Thursday:
- Donald Trump, Jr. visits Utah to raise money for his dad’s presidential campaign and meets with Republicans on Utah’s Capitol Hill [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
- Democrat Attorney General candidate Jon Harper stunned the Utah political world on Wednesday when he announced he was abruptly dropping out of the race [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
- A review of spending by the law firm hired by the Utah Legislature to help with Utah’s effort to take control of public lands found some improper spending while other things were underbilled to the state [Utah Policy, Tribune].
- Sen. Mark Madsen, who left the Republican Party and became a Libertarian, is no longer allowed to attend the Senate GOP, but there’s a legal reason for that [Utah Policy].
- As first reported by UtahPolicy.com, lawmakers will likely meet in a November special session to fix a problem with the allocation of monies from a gas tax hike passed by the 2016 Legislature [Utah Policy, Tribune].
- Donald Trump calls for the controversial “stop-and-frisk” police practice to be implemented nationwide as a way to combat violent crime [Politico].
- North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory declares a state of emergency in Charlotte following the second night of violent protests over the police shooting of an African-American man [CNN].
- A new survey finds Utahns are divided over whether President Barack Obama should declare Bears Ears a national monument [Tribune].
- Rep. Jason Chaffetz ripped Heather Bresch, the CEO of Mylan, over her explanation of why the company increased the price of the EpiPen more than 500%. “This is why we believe you,” Chaffetz said bluntly when he heard her explanation for the price increase [Business Insider].
- Ahead of the first presidential debate on Monday, the editor of PolitiFact offers some tips on how moderators can fact check the candidates during the debate [PolitiFact].
On this day in history:
- 1776 – The British hanged American Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale. His famous last words were, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
- 1862 – President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in rebel states free as of Jan. 1, 1863.
- 1949 – The Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb.
- 1975 – President Gerald Ford escaped a second assassination attempt in 17 days, this one by self-proclaimed revolutionary Sara Jane Moore, who tried to shoot him as he walked from a San Francisco hotel.
