This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
GOP primary: Ted Cruz vs. the GOP establishment. Obama to hold event in Utah Friday. Where the real power lies in the Utah Senate.
Happy Tuesday. The 2016 Republican primary race could be an interesting gauge of where the GOP will head in the future, and Sen. Ted Cruz may be the one to watch as he galvanize's the right wing in the face of push-back from the establishment. The latter, writes Politico's Roger Simon, recognizes that Republicans have to broaden their base or be relegated to a regional party incapable of winning a national election. Cruz, however, represents part of the party that is happy with its tent size. [http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/roger-simon-gop-ted-cruz-116536.html?hp=l3_3" target="_blank">Politico]
Topping the news: The White House announced that President Barack Obama will hold an event in Utah this Friday, his first visit to the state as president. The trip will leave South Dakota as the only state he has yet to visit. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2346579-155/white-house-confirms-obama-to-visit" target="_blank">Trib] [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865625326/President-Obama-to-make-first-trip-to-Utah-this-week-as-president.html" target="_blank">DNews] [http://fox13now.com/2015/03/30/pres-obama-to-visit-utah-for-economy-event-friday/" target="_blank">Fox13] [http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/president-obama-visits-hill-air-force-base-friday/17678/uC9W9wkLYE2XWJWm5-v9gQ" target="_blank">ABC4] [http://kuer.org/post/president-obama-coming-utah" target="_blank">KUER] [http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/03/30/barack-obamas-trip-to-utah-friday-leaves-only-south-dakota-without-a-presidential-visit/" target="_blank">WSJ]
-> The 2015 Utah Legislature passed a record number of bills, but they weren't spread evenly across lawmakers. Just two Republican senators managed to pass more bills than all the Democrats combined. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2331301-155/two-gop-senators-pass-more-bills" target="_blank">Trib]
-> A group of veterans and military families rallied at the Utah Capitol yesterday to urge Gov. Gary Herbert to veto a bill that would rename part of the Veterans Memorial Highway after the late House Speaker Becky Lockhart. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2349046-155/veterans-rally-at-capitol-for-veto" target="_blank">Trib] [http://fox13now.com/2015/03/30/vets-rally-against-renaming-veterans-memorial-highway-after-becky-lockhart/" target="_blank">Fox13] [http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/veterans-military-families-rally-against-i-15-name/41808/pQTvTNy0LEKt3QG1tL6RoQ" target="_blank">ABC4]
-> At the same time, Gov. Gary Herbert signed three bills honoring the state's veterans. [http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/three-bills-signed-as-a-salute-to-utah-veterans/33393/EBCen5RVPU-WCg35uMO_AQ" target="_blank">ABC4]
Tweets of the day: From @http://www.twitter.com/nataliewsj" target="_blank">nataliewsj: "Obama's going to Utah and all I can think about is Crownburger fry sauce in SLC."
@http://www.twitter.com/DavidLifferth" target="_blank">DavidLifferth: "Can you imagine if the Liberal Media Freaked Out over Hillary's destroyed email server like they did over John Swallow's lost iPad?"
Happy Birthday: To state Rep. Jim Dunnigan and ABC News' Meredith Nettles.
In other news: Utah Sen. Mike Lee's chief of staff resigned last week, causing him to shuffle around his top staff. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2348504-155/sen-mike-lee-sees-staff-changes" target="_blank">Trib]
-> Despite Lee being a longtime critic of Google, he will be accepting campaign contributions from Google employees at a Silicon Valley fundraiser event today. [http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/03/30/awkward-timing-for-sen-mike-lees-google-backed-fundraiser/" target="_blank">WSJ]
-> Salt Lake City residents are hoping that welcoming Google Fiber's free wi-fi service will benefit low-income families, especially school-aged children. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2339863-155/slc-schools-hope-google-fiber-will" target="_blank">Trib]
-> A Granite School District teacher who refused to subjectively evaluate her students' performance on an exam that she thought posed a conflict of interest was recently fired by the school board. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2338826-155/rolly-test-bucking-utah-english-teacher-loses" target="_blank">Trib] [http://kuer.org/post/granite-district-fires-teacher-who-snubbed-standardized-test" target="_blank">KUER]
-> After settling a lawsuit accusing Utah of mismanaging royalties from oil and gas drilling on the Navajo reservation, the state has been put back in charge of the multimillion-dollar trust fund. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2348789-155/utah-back-in-charge-of-navajo" target="_blank">Trib]
-> Lawmakers are still working to determine whether the funding they have allocated toward children's STEM education has been effective. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2335387-155/too-early-yet-to-tell-if" target="_blank">Trib]
-> Former Utah Rep. Jim Matheson has been appointed as a board member of student loan giant Sallie Mae. [http://www.sltrib.com/news/2348693-155/former-utah-rep-jim-matheson-named" target="_blank">Trib]
-> Some Ogden residents are proposing the use of artificial turf as a landscaping option to help conserve water, but the city isn't on board with the idea. [http://fox13now.com/2015/03/30/ogden-officials-against-artificial-turf-as-water-conservation-option/" target="_blank">Fox13]
Nationally: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said yesterday he is planning a political event on April 13 to announce his 2016 plans, whether they be a bid for the White House or another term in the Senate. [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765671006/Sen-Marco-Rubio-to-announce-next-campaign-on-April-13.html" target="_blank">AP] [http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/marco-rubio-2016-campaign-announcement-date-116524.html?hp=l3_3" target="_blank">Politico] [http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/28/politics/rubio-announcement-april/" target="_blank">CNN] [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/03/28/rubio-eyeing-a-miami-landmark-as-he-gets-closer-to-setting-a-formal-launch-date/" target="_blank">WAPost] [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/28/marco-rubio-white-house-april_n_6961472.html" target="_blank">HuffPost]
-> Indiana state officials are attempting to hush the outcry that has come with the state's new religious liberties law that some say shows intolerance toward the LGBT community. But Indiana Gov. Mike Pence says the law isn't going to change. [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765670959/Indiana-lawmakers-try-to-quiet-firestorm-surrounding-new-law.html" target="_blank">AP] [http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/indiana-gov-mike-pence-says-controversial-religiou/13555/cNGTpF9mR0qq4ZJkMeHmEA" target="_blank">ABC] [http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/mike-pence-indiana-gay-rights-116532.html?hp=t3_r" target="_blank">Politico] [http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/29/politics/mike-pence-indiana-anti-lgbt-religious-freedom-law/" target="_blank">CNN] [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/30/mike-pence-indiana-religious-freedom-law_n_6973650.html" target="_blank">HuffPost]
-> The Supreme Court yesterday declined to hear the latest court case against Obamacare. [http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/supreme-court-obamacare-case-decline-medical-board-116504.html?hp=b1_c2" target="_blank">Politico]
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— Thomas Burr and Erica Palmer
https://twitter.com/thomaswburr" target="_blank">Twitter.com/thomaswburr and https://twitter.com/erica_palmer">Twitter.com/erica_palmer