Ten Things You Need to Know Today – Thursday, January 7, 2016
Bryan Schott
Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City. There are 359 days left in 2016.
Joe Biden says he regrets not running for president. Another fight over SB54 flares up. The new prison won’t be completed until at least 2020.
The clock:
18 days to the opening day of the 2016 Utah Legislature – (1/25/2016)
25 days to the 2016 Iowa Caucus – (2/1/2016)
33 days to the 2016 New Hampshire Primary – (2/9/2016)
63 days to the final day of the 2016 Utah Legislature – (3/10/2016)
75 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic caucus meetings (3/22/2016)
107 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic State Conventions (4/23/2016)
173 days to the 2016 Utah primary election – (6/28/2016)
306 days until the 2016 presidential election – (11/8/2016)
Thursday’s top-10 headlines:
Joe Biden says he regrets his decision not to launch a bid for president in 2016 [New York Times].
The House passes an ObamaCare repeal that includes cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood for one year. The measure now heads to President Barack Obama‘s desk, where it faces a certain veto [The Hill].
Jeb Bush says he will not launch a third-party run if Donald Trump wins the GOP nomination [Reuters].
Another fight has erupted over SB54. This time, the Utah GOP and state elections officials are battling over when signatures gathered by candidates can be verified by county clerks [Utah Policy].
The new Utah prison won’t be completed until at least 2020 according to a new timeline submitted to lawmakers [Deseret News, Tribune].
Rep. Chris Stewart has some harsh words for North Korea’s announcement that they had a successful test of a hydrogen bomb [Deseret News].
A state investigation into whether Rep. Ken Ivory was defrauding local governments was closed because the attorney general’s office could not find any victims [Tribune].
Sen. Stephen Urquhart announces he will not run for re-election in 2016 [St. George News].
A legislative clerical error has delayed the distribution of $24 million to Utah’s public schools [Tribune, Deseret News].
On this day in history:
1789 – The first U.S. presidential election was held. Americans voted for electors who, a month later, chose George Washington to be the nation’s first president.
1953 – President Harry Truman announced the United States had developed the hydrogen bomb.
1980 – The U.S. government authorized $1.5 billion in loans for Chrysler Corp.
1999 – President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial opened in the Senate. He was later acquitted.
2006 – Rep. Tom DeLay, facing corruption charges, stepped down as House majority leader.