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Ten Things You Need to Know for Thursday – September 10, 2015

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Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City. 

Trump widens his national lead. Utahns aren't sure lawmakers will find the "right" solution to Medicaid expansion. Democrats hammer Mia Love for her trip to a D.C. party.

The clock:

  • 54 days to the 2015 election – (11/3/2015)
  • 130 days to the 2016 Iowa Caucus (tentative) – (1/18/2016)
  • 137 days to the opening day of the 2016 Utah Legislature – (1/25/2016)
  • 138 days to the 2016 New Hampshire Primary – (1/26/2016)
  • 182 days to the final day of the 2016 Utah Legislature – (3/10/2016)
  • 292 days to the 2016 Utah primary election – (6/28/2016)
  • 425 days until the 2016 presidential election – (11/8/2016)

Thursday's top-10 headlines:

  1. Donald Trump continues to outpace the Republican field. "The Donald" is the first GOP candidate to move above 30% support in the race for the nomination, gaining 8% since last month. Ben Carson is in second place at 19% [CNN].
  2. A new poll shows Utahns aren't sure that Utah lawmakers will be able to find the "right" solution for Medicaid expansion [Utah Policy].
  3. Opponents of Medicaid expansion in Utah are continuing their fight against whatever plan lawmakers eventually come up with [Deseret News].
  4. A federal judge rules the U.S. House of Representatives can move forward with their latest lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act [New York Times].
  5. Utah Democrats tee off on Rep. Mia Love's use of taxpayer money to travel to a posh social event in Washington, D.C. [Utah Policy, Tribune]. Meanwhile, Love still hasn't provided documentation that she met with staff members while in Washington for the event, which is her justification for using her Congressional account [Utah Policy].
  6. Sen. Mike Lee says he will not vote for a federal budget that includes funding for Planned Parenthood [Deseret News].
  7. A new study says Salt Lake County is well prepared to reduce the number of mentally ill people already in jail and divert more into treatment programs [Utah Policy, Tribune, Deseret News, KUER].
  8. A legislative audit says there's not enough collaboration between Utah public high schools and the Utah College of Applied Technology [Deseret News].
  9. The Disability Law Center is suing the state for keeping mentally ill criminal defendants to stay in jail while they await treatment [Tribune, KUER].
  10. Archeologists announce they have discovered a new species of human ancestor that could ultimately change our understanding of human evolution [National Geographic].

On this day in history:

  • 1813 – Oliver Perry sent the message, "We have met the enemy, and they are ours," after an American naval force defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812.
  • 1846 – Elias Howe received a patent for the sewing machine.
  • 1963 – 20 black students entered the white public schools of Birmingham, Tuskegee and Mobile in Alabama after President John. F. Kennedy federalized the state's National Guard.
  • 1989 – Hungary stopped enforcing East German visa restrictions and opened its borders, beginning a flood of emigration that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall two months later.
  • 2009 – U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted "You lie!" during President Barack Obama's address on healthcare reform to a joint session of Congress.