Good Wednesday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 139th day of the year. There are 227 days left in 2016.
Clinton wins Kentucky while Sanders triumphs in Oregon. Most Utahns say the American political system is “rigged.” Utah lawmakers grapple with Obama’s transgender school bathroom directive.
The clock:
- 41 days to the 2016 Utah primary election – (6/28/2016)
- 61 days to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland (7/18/2016)
- 68 days to the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia (7/25/2016)
- 174 days until the 2016 presidential election – (11/8/2016)
- 250 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (1/23/2017)
- 295 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (3/9/2017)
Ten talking points for Wednesday:
- Hillary Clinton wins the Kentucky Primary while Bernie Sanders wins in Oregon [Bloomberg, Politico, Washington Post].
- Bernie Sanders‘ campaign pushes back against criticism after his supporters disrupt the Nevada State Democratic Convention [The Hill, New York Times, Politico].
- Sanders’ campaign manager promises that there will not be violence at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia [Politico].
- Donald Trump says he’s willing to talk directly with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un [New York Times].
- A new poll shows most Utahns agree with Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders when they say they American political system is “rigged” [Utah Policy].
- Rep. Jason Chaffetz backs down on his push to force Ben Rhodes, deputy national security advisor, to testify on the Iran nuclear deal [Politico].
- A supporter of GOP challenger Jonathan Johnson wants the state to investigate whether Gov. Gary Herbert violated state fundraising laws [Tribune].
- Utah lawmakers will discuss how to deal with President Obama’s directive to public schools on accommodating transgender students [Utah Policy, Deseret News, KUER].
- The LDS Church also weighed in on the directive, calling for compromise [Associated Press].
- School boards along the Wasatch Front are, for the most part, not worried about implementing the directive, but one district is calling on lawmakers to reject the guidelines [Tribune].
- Low-income activists are worried the modest Medicaid expansion passed by lawmakers in the 2016 session will cover fewer Utahns than originally thought [Deseret News].
- The Salt Lake County Council is threatening to withhold sales tax revenue from the Utah Transit Authority due to the agency’s decision to close some meetings from the public [Tribune, Deseret News].
- A new poll shows a significant number of Utahns support designating a Bears Ears national monument, but opponents call the survey a “push poll” [Tribune].
On this day in history:
- 1860 – The Republican Party convention in Chicago nominated Abraham Lincoln for president.
- 1896 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that “separate but equal” racial policies are constitutional.
- 1933 – Congress created the Tennessee Valley Authority for flood control and rural electrification.
- 1980 – Mount St. Helens in Washington state erupted, blowing the top off the mountain and killing 57 people.
