Good Tuesday morning, and happy Flag Day from Salt Lake City. Today is the 166th day of the year. There are 200 days left in 2016.
Trump ratchets up his anti-immigrant rhetoric following the Orlando shooting. Utah’s members of Congress call for a robust response to Islamic terror. Count My Vote launches radio ads ahead of the June primary election.
The clock:
- 14 days to the 2016 Utah primary election – (6/28/2016)
- 34 days to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland (7/18/2016)
- 40 days to the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia (7/25/2016)
- 147 days until the 2016 presidential election – (11/8/2016)
- 223 days until the first day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (1/23/2017)
- 268 days until the final day of the 2017 Utah Legislature – (3/9/2017)
Ten talking points for Tuesday:
- The FBI had investigated the Orlando nightclub shooter for nearly a year because they suspected he had become radicalized. They ultimately dropped the surveillance because agents concluded he was not a threat [Washington Post].
- In a response to the Orlando massacre, Donald Trump doubled down on his proposed ban on Muslim immigrants. Now he wants to stop immigrants from areas of the world with a history of terrorism [Washington Post]. Trump also suggests President Barack Obama may be a secret Muslim, which is why his response to the Orlando tragedy was muted [The Hill].
- Utah’s congressional delegation calls for a forceful response to Islamic terrorism in response to the Orlando nightclub shooting [Deseret News].
- Donald Trump bans the Washington Post from covering his campaign, calling the paper “phony and dishonest.” In response, the WaPo said the decision is “nothing less than a repudiation of the role of a free and independent press” [Washington Post, Politico, Bloomberg].
- A new national poll shows Hillary Clinton‘s lead over Donald Trump has grown to 7-points [Politico].
- Gov. Gary Herbert is basically campaigning full-time in the last two weeks ahead of the June primary election [Utah Policy].
- Count My Vote launches a series of radio ads ahead of the primary election urging Utahns to support signature-gathering candidates [Utah Policy].
- Rep. Paul Ray is considering legislation to reduce the time a convicted criminal stays on Utah’s death row before they’re executed [2 News].
- Utah leaders are urged to “think big” when considering development plans for the Point of the Mountain after the prison is relocated from that area [Tribune, Deseret News].
- Utah’s upcoming wildfire season is expected to be worse than last year, but still relatively mild [Tribune].
On this day in history:
- 1777 – The Stars and Stripes became the national U.S. flag.
- 1922 – Warren G. Harding became the first president to broadcast a message over the radio. The occasion was the dedication of the Francis Scott Key Memorial in Baltimore.
- 1940 – German troops marched down Paris’ Champs-Elysees as Allied forces abandoned the French capital.
- 1954 – The phrase “under God” was formally added to the Pledge of Allegiance.
