Good Tuesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 61st day of the year. There are 307 days left in 2016.
Super Tuesday is today. Mitt Romney says Donald Trump’s response to a question about the KKK disqualifies him from the presidency. Lawmakers advance a plan for a limited Medicaid expansion.
The clock:
The Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses are today – (3/2/2016)
Nine days to the final day of the 2016 Utah Legislature – (3/10/2016)
20 days to the GOP presidential debate in Salt Lake City – (3/21/2016)
21 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic caucus meetings (3/22/2016)
29 days to the last day the governor may sign or veto bills (3/30/2016)
53 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic State Conventions (4/23/2016)
69 days to the last day a veto override session may begin (5/9/2016)
119 days to the 2016 Utah primary election – (6/28/2016)
139 days to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland (7/18/2016)
146 days to the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia (7/25/2016)
252 days until the 2016 presidential election – (11/8/2016)
Ten talking points for Tuesday:
Super Tuesday is today. 12 states and one territory cast ballots as 1,034 Democratic and 595 Republican delegates are up for grabs. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are expected to run riot today, racking up big delegate wins [Politico, Washington Post, Fox News].
A new national poll shows both Clinton and Bernie Sanders would beat Trump in a general election matchup [CNN].
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas shocks observers by asking his first question from the bench in a decade [Washington Post, New York Times].
Mitt Romney says Trump’s refusal to disavow David Duke and the KKK during an interview disqualifies him for the presidency [Politico]. Trump blames the whole incident on a faulty earpiece he used during the interview [CNN].
Utahns say Trump and Clinton are most likely to win their party’s nominations, with Clinton having the best shot to win in November [Utah Policy].
Hundreds march in downtown Salt Lake City to demonstrate against the police shooting of a 17-year-old boy over the weekend [2 News, Tribune, Deseret News].
Legislative leaders say they can’t guarantee Sen. Mark Madsen‘s medical marijuana bill will make it out of committee in time to get a full vote in the House [Utah Policy].
House Speaker Greg Hughes says he’s been working on “nothing but budget” over the past few days [Utah Policy].
A House committee approves Rep. Jim Dunnigan‘s bill to expand Medicaid coverage to Utahns in the “greatest need” [Deseret News, Tribune, Associated Press].
Some Salt Lake County leaders are alleging County Recorder Gary Ott may not be in control of his office because of health issues [Deseret News].
On this day in history:
1692 – The notorious witch hunt began in the Salem village of the Massachusetts Bay colony, eventually resulting in the executions of 19 men and women.
1780 – Pennsylvania became the first state to abolish slavery.
1781 – The American colonies adopted the Articles of Confederation, paving the way for a federal union.
1872 – Yellowstone National Park was established by an act of Congress.
1932 – Aviator Charles Lindbergh’s son was kidnapped. The child’s body was found on May 12. Bruno Hauptmann was convicted of the kidnapping and murder and executed in 1936.