Security vulnerabilities in Chinese GPS system; a deadly epidemic: violence against women; downtown cattle drive, Russia relocating millions | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at editor@utahpolicy.com. | | |
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. ð¥ It's also National Hot Dog day ð 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 Tuesdayâwith support from all Utah House members, plus another 43 Republicans and all Democratsâto 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. ð 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 vehiclesâ 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 â47 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 Utahâs 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 presidentâs statement on mistakes in killed studentâs 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) âIf not me then who?â 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, whatâs the plan? (Deseret News) Rep. Curtis hopes to prevent gun suicides nationally with law similar to Utahâs (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. âBe 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) Ogdenâs 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 âKeystone Pipelineâ wonât 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. â hereâs 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 â and likely Utahns â 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 âtargetsâ 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) âItâs the accumulationâ: 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) Trumpâs choices set nation on path to Jan. 6 violence, committee shows. Across seven hearings, the panelâs 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 âyesâ (The Hill) McConnell: Trump will face âcrowdedâ 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 â so much so that she could vault to leadership next year. (Politico) Ukraine ðºð¦ "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 Ukraineâs 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 Moscowâs 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 individualâs 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 weekâs Consumer Price Index grew beyond expectations placing inflation at a staggering 9.1% nationally. Sen. Leeâs 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 Leeâs detailed plan to fight inflation. Government spending, especially deficit spending, is considered a major contributor to inflation. (Read More) Number of the Day | | |
Upcoming Monument dedication to Black pioneers â July 22, 10:00 am, This is the Place Heritage Park USU Research Landscape: Water optimization on Utah farms â Aug 4, 4:00 pm, OC Tanner HQ, SLC. RSVP here Women in the Money with Utah State Treasurer's Office â Sept. 15-16, Salt Lake Sheraton + online, Register here ULCT Annual Convention â 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 âDeclaration of Sentimentsâ 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 Womenâs 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 - âThatâs one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.â 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 âKnowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.â â Bruce Lee Lighter Side âI donât know if youâve 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, itâs so hot, people on TikTok were slapping each other with tortillas just for the breeze.â â JIMMY FALLON | | |
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