Situational Analysis | July 20, 2022

Good Wednesday morning to ya. It's National Fortune Cookie Day. Have you ever had a fortune cookie that made you cry? I have. 🥠 It's also National Hot Dog day 🌭 and cheap (or free!) hotdogs are yours for the asking. I'm sure Senator Romney will want to know, since hot dogs are his favorite. 

Be in the Know

• The House voted 267-157 on Tuesday—with support from all Utah House members, plus another 43 Republicans and all Democrats—to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and require all states to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages if the marriage was valid in the state in which it originally occurred. Democrats have argued the legislation is necessary after Justice Clarence Thomas signaled in his Dobbs concurrence last month a desire to revisit Obergefell v. Hodges.
• 👀 Security vulnerabilities in a popular Chinese-built GPS vehicle tracker can be easily exploited to track and remotely cut the engines of at least a million vehicles around the world, according to new research. The most severe  of six flaws found is a hardcoded password that can be used to gain complete control of any GPS tracker, access to vehicles’ real-time location and past routes, and remotely cut off fuel to vehicles, even while they are in motion. wide 
• America's deadly epidemic: violence against women. In 2019, nine out of 10 murdered women were killed by men they knew, according to the Violence Policy Center. In nearly two-thirds of those cases the women were wives or other intimate partners of the men. Often, such killings follow years of abuse, raising questions about how police, courts and society at large support women. Black women and girls were murdered at a rate more than twice as high as white women and girls.

Rapid Roundup

• Utah expands fire restrictions in 20 counties ahead of Pioneer Day weekend, Jean Bingham serves as the first woman grand marshal for Days of ’47 Parade, the Governor and First Lady kick off Pioneer Day celebrations with a downtown cattle drive, lots of road closures for parade and marathon. 

FROM OUR SPONSOR, DESERET NEWS MARATHON

This is the race! Join us for this year's Deseret News Marathon on July 23.

First run in 1970, the Deseret News Marathon is the oldest road race in Utah and the 4th oldest marathon west of the continental divide. The marathon follows the path the Utah pioneers traveled when they first entered the valley. This event is truly a part of Utah’s heritage! Register today!

Utah Headlines

General

• Did you know there were Black pioneers? Mauli Bonner is telling their story (Deseret News)
• What to do when breaking news breaks your heart (Deseret News)
• Documents reveal offers to help, missed opportunities before a U. student was killed in a Salt Lake hotel (Deseret News, Salt Lake Tribune)
• Read University of Utah president’s statement on mistakes in killed student’s case and released documents (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Mother of Lauren McCluskey responds to U's report on domestic violence response (KUTV)
• Director of Utah Domestic Violence Coalition reacts to U of U report on student death (KUTV)
• ‘If not me then who?’ Why Elizabeth Smart says self defense should be as common as fire drills (Deseret News)
• Grantsville man admits murdering mom, 3 siblings when he was 16 (KSL)
• Utahn wins tumbling gold medal at World Games (Fox13)

Politics

• Editorial Board:  When Social Security and Medicare funds run dry, what’s the plan? (Deseret News)
• Rep. Curtis hopes to prevent gun suicides nationally with law similar to Utah’s (KSL Newsradio)
• Let the jockeying begin. Several Utah House Republicans vying for open leadership position (KUTV)
• 'Divisive' political climate in focus after Utah lawmaker gets suspicious letter (KUTV)
• Utah members of House join in passing same-sex marriage bill in retort to high court (Fox13)
• Washington County House primary recount finds Joseph Elison won by 10 votes (KUER)
• Mitt Romney warns Democrats against 'stupid' strategy of helping GOP election deniers. “Be careful what you wish for," said the Utah senator, a vocal critic of GOP efforts to cast doubt on elections. (HuffPost)
• The slow pace of Utah Senate confirmation for Rep. Joel Ferry (KSL Newsradio)

Education

• Utah Tech buildings re-open after bomb threat forces evacuations; FBI to investigate (St. George News)
• Ogden’s new O-Tech high school wants to narrow the gap between students and college (KUER)

Environment

• Why did Utah oil shale developers give away priceless water rights? Environmental group alleges secret deal with Deseret Power to preserve the 11,000-acre right that should have expired. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Ted Williams: The ‘Keystone Pipeline’ won’t make gas any cheaper (Salt Lake Tribune)
• More than 100 million in the US face excessive warning, heat advisories as dangerous heat wave continues (KSL TV)
• Salt Lakers doing a good job conserving water so far this year (Fox13)
• Courts asked to block oil and gas leases over health and climate (UPR)

Family

• Mom captures video accusing Sesame Place of racism after character ignores two Black girls. Sesame Place has issued two apologies for the incident, but the family says it will continue to investigate after others started sharing videos with similar experiences in the park (Deseret News)

Health

• Huge new global study says no alcohol level safe for those under 40. The study, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, says some over 40 may benefit from a small amount, but other research says no (Deseret News)
• Utah has highest rate of skin cancer in U.S. — here’s why (ABC4)
• U.S. death toll from drug overdoses is rising fast among Black and Indigenous people (NPR)

Housing

• Utah home values remain high as inventory increases, market cools (Fox13)

National Headlines

General

• Netflix loses nearly 1 million subscribers. That's good news, as it's a little less than half of the 2 million they predicted they'd lose in April (NPR)
• France battles huge wildfires, Britain bakes in record heatwave (AP)
• Dow jumps 750 points as investors take hope from earnings reports (Wall Street Journal)
• U.S. home sales fell again in June, economists estimate. The housing market and construction have cooled as higher interest rates start to bite (Wall Street Journal)
• Indiana's AG could face a defamation lawsuit by the abortion provider for 10-year-old rape victim (NPR)

Politics

• DHS tracking vast swaths of Americans — and likely Utahns — regardless of immigration status, report says (Deseret News)
• Dan Cox, an election denier, wins the Maryland Republican primary for governor (NPR)
• The National Archives is looking into reports that the Secret Service deleted texts and now can't find them (NPR)
• GOP fake electors ‘targets’ in Georgia election fraud inquiry. At least a dozen of the GOP electors who falsely certified Trump as the victor of the 2020 election in Georgia are now subjects of criminal investigation (Washington Post)
• ‘It’s the accumulation’: The Jan. 6 hearings are wounding Trump, after all. Republican insiders say the cumulative effective of the hearings has been to erode support for the former president. (Politico)
• Trump’s choices set nation on path to Jan. 6 violence, committee shows. Across seven hearings, the panel’s findings have illustrated how the president repeatedly escalated tensions following his election defeat (Washington Post)
• House passes bill protecting marriage equality, with 47 GOP members voting ‘yes’ (The Hill)
• McConnell: Trump will face ‘crowded’ GOP field if he runs for president (The Hill)
• Meet the young woman at the head of the House GOP's first-term class. Rep. Ashley Hinson has impressed just about everyone in her party — so much so that she could vault to leadership next year. (Politico)

Ukraine 🇺🇦 

• "The mouth of a bear": More than 2 million Ukrainians forcibly relocated to Russia (AP)
• Europe races to cut Russian gas usage amid new Putin warning (Reuters)
• Putin, in Tehran, gets strong support from Iran over Ukraine (AP)
• Russia seeks to annex Ukraine’s east, south later this year, U.S. says. In Russian-occupied areas, Moscow is installing Russian banks and forcing residents to apply for Russian citizenship (Washington Post, New York Times)
• Russian fighter jet strikes homes in Sloviansk as Moscow’s offensive in Donetsk advances. (New York Times)

News Releases

Curtis votes in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act

Following the House vote today on the Respect for Marriage Act, Representative John Curtis (UT-03) released the following statement:

The majority opinion of the Supreme Court clearly stated that the Court has no intention of reversing any decisions respecting the right to marriage in the Constitution. That said, I also understand how important codifying these protections are to many Utahns. I do not believe the federal government should infringe upon an individual’s decision about who they wish to marry.

Sen. Lee continues to fight inflation

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) sought passage of his Preventing Runaway Inflation in Consumer Expenditures (PRICE) Act as a part of his continued effort to counter rising inflation.  Utah families are feeling the pains of inflation more acutely than those from almost all other states.  This week’s Consumer Price Index grew beyond expectations placing inflation at a staggering 9.1% nationally.  Sen. Lee’s PRICE Act would require a three-fifths supermajority vote in the Senate to pass new spending measures when inflation is deemed to be above 3% nationally.  This bill constitutes a pillar of Lee’s detailed plan to fight inflation.  Government spending, especially deficit spending, is considered a major contributor to inflation. (Read More)

Number of the Day

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Monument dedication to Black pioneers — July 22, 10:00 am, This is the Place Heritage Park
• USU Research Landscape: Water optimization on Utah farms — Aug 4, 4:00 pm, OC Tanner HQ, SLC. RSVP here 
• Women in the Money with Utah State Treasurer's Office — Sept. 15-16, Salt Lake Sheraton + online, Register here
• ULCT Annual Convention — Oct 5-7, Salt Palace Convention Center, Register here
• General election â€“ Nov 8

On This Day In History

• 356 - Alexander the Great is born in Macedonia
• 1848 - Elizabeth Cady Stanton reads the “Declaration of Sentiments” at the Seneca Falls Convention
• 1921 - Congresswoman Alice Mary Robertson becomes the first woman to preside over the floor of US House of Representatives.
• 1942 - The first class of Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) begins at Fort Des Moines, IA.
• 1944 - US President FDR nominated for an unprecedented 4th term at Democratic convention
• 1953 - The United Nations Economic and Social Council votes to make UNICEF a permanent agency
• 1969 - “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Neil Armstrong walks on the moon.
• 1973 - Actor and martial-arts expert Bruce Lee dies at age 32 after an allergic reaction to pain medication.
• 1977 - A flash flood hits Johnstown, Pennsylvania, killing 84 people and causing million of dollars in damages
• 2012 - Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting leaves 12 dead, 70 wounded

Wise Words

“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”

— Bruce Lee

Lighter Side

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it is hot. It is hot! Not just here in the U.S., but there are record-high temperatures all across the world. Seriously, it’s so hot, people on TikTok were slapping each other with tortillas just for the breeze.” 

— JIMMY FALLON

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