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Monday’s Talking Points – February 22, 2016

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Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 53rd day of the year. There are 313 days left in 2016.

Trump and Clinton cement their status as frontrunners. GOP presidential candidates are set to debate in Salt Lake City. Cruz and Sanders lead the 2016 field in Utah.

The clock:

  • The Nevada Republican Caucuses are tomorrow (2/23/2016)
  • Five days to the South Carolina Democratic Primary (2/27/2016)
  • Eight days to the “Super Tuesday” primaries and caucuses (3/2/2016)
  • 17 days to the final day of the 2016 Utah Legislature – (3/10/2016)
  • 29 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic caucus meetings (3/22/2016)
  • 37 days to the last day the governor may sign or veto bills (3/30/2016)
  • 61 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic State Conventions (4/23/2016)
  • 77 days to the last day a veto override session may begin (5/9/2016)
  • 127 days to the 2016 Utah primary election – (6/28/2016)
  • 147 days to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland (7/18/2016)
  • 154 days to the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia (7/25/2016)
  • 260 days until the 2016 presidential election – (11/8/2016)

Ten talking points for Monday:

  1. Donald Trump wins the South Carolina Republican Primary [New York Times, Roll Call]. Hillary Clinton wins the Nevada Democratic Caucuses [New York Times].
  2. Jeb Bush spent $150 million for nothing. He’s out of the 2016 race after finishing 5th in South Carolina [Politico, Vanity Fair].
  3. Reports are flying that Mitt Romney is set to endorse Marco Rubio, setting him up as the “establishment” alternative to front-runner Trump. Rubio’s campaign is denying the reports [Huffington Post].
  4. The Republican National Committee announces they will host a GOP presidential debate in Salt Lake City on March 21 [Deseret News, Tribune, Fox 13].
  5. A new poll shows Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders are the 2016 frontrunners in the Beehive State [Utah Policy].
  6. One medical marijuana bill advances on Utah’s Capitol Hill. Debate on another continues Monday morning [Deseret News, Tribune, Daily Herald].
  7. Lawmakers approve a plan to audit the University of Utah athletics department after the school cancels the long-standing basketball rivalry with BYU [Tribune].
  8. Sen. Daniel Thatcher says, if the proposed hate crimes bill falls this year, he will bring it back in the 2017 Legislature [Utah Policy].
  9. Rep. Ken Ivory says the federal government should repay Utah for keeping national parks open during the 2013 government shutdown [Deseret News].
  10. Rep. Jason Chaffetz speaks to lawmakers and has harsh words for the IRS, U.S. Department of Education and the EPA [Tribune, Deseret News].

On this day in history:

  • 1732 – George Washington, the first president of the United States, was born in the Virginia Colony.
  • 1819 – A treaty with Spain ceded Florida to the United States.
  • 1862 – Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as president of the Confederate States of America.
  • 1980 – The underdog U.S. hockey team shocked the Soviets at the Lake Placid Olympics 4-3. The dramatic upset was dubbed the “Miracle on Ice.”
  • 2010 – President Barack Obama announced his plan for a healthcare reform bill.