Happy Monday!.
It begins – Ted Cruz announces his 2016 presidential campaign. Why is Dave Hansen helping to take down Governor Herbert? Corroon running unopposed for another term as Chairman of Utah's Democratic Party.
Countdown:
- Days to the 2015 Utah municipal primary elections – 144
- Days to the 2015 election – 228
- Days to the 2016 Iowa Caucus (tentative) – 304
- Days to the opening day of the 2016 Utah Legislature – 311
- Days to the 2016 Utah presidential primary – 466
- Days until the 2016 presidential election – 599
Monday's top-10 headlines:
- Ted Cruz makes it official by announcing he is running for president in 2016 [Wall Street Journal].
- Dave Hansen talks about why he is helping Jonathan Johnson run for governor against Gary Herbert in 2016 [National Journal].
- Peter Corroon is running unopposed for another term as head of Utah's Democratic Party [Utah Policy].
- Gov. Herbert signs a bill allowing officials to opt out of performing same-sex marriages [Fox 13].
- Hundreds of Utahns have contacted the governor's office in opposition to a bill bringing back the firing squad as a means of execution. Gov. Herbert says he's leaning toward signing the measure [Associated Press].
- Some are worried the controversies surrounding the Utah Transit Authority salaries might hurt efforts to get Utah voters to decide whether to raise sales taxes to fund mass transit [Tribune].
- Utah's unemployment rate holds steady while the state added more than 12,000 jobs last month [Utah Policy, Tribune, Deseret News].
- While Utah continues to add jobs, the number of people looking to fill them has remained steady over the past two years [Tribune].
- A new analysis says the number of Utahns on food stamps is declining, just not as fast as some would expect [Tribune].
- Utah's new non-discrimination law provides penalties while others passed by individual cities do not [Tribune].
On this day in history:
- 1775 – In a speech supporting the arming of the Virginia militia, Patrick Henry declared, "Give me liberty or give me death."
- 1933 – The German Reichstag adopted the Enabling Act, which effectively granted Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers.
- 1983 – President Ronald Reagan proposed the "Star Wars" missile defense system.
- 1983 – Barney Clark, the world's first recipient of a permanent artificial heart, died in a Salt Lake City hospital.
- 1989 – Dick Clark retired from hosting "American Bandstand" after 33 years.
- 2010 – President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law.
