Utah Headlines

Political news

• Utah's public lands lawsuit in limbo for now as judge considers environmentalists' litigation (FOX13)
• Utah’s Sen. Curtis pushes Treasury to mint commemorative coins ahead of state’s next Olympics (Deseret News)
• Speaker Johnson says voters have been ‘misled’ that religion should be separate from government (Deseret News)
• Can Feds hang on to public lands forever? Utah says no, but they’re still considering whether to pursue a federal case (ABC4)
• Federal funding cuts, cost of living dominate questions as Democrats end town hall series in Utah (Standard-Examiner)
• Sen. Curtis wants to protect PEPFAR from DOGE cuts (Deseret News)

Municipal news

• City-sponsored block parties bring neighbors together in Tooele (KSL)
• Grand County settles with employee who complained of harassment, discrimination (KSL TV)

Utah

• Utah scientists search deep space for traces of violent events (KSL)
• Transforming lives through sweet treats: How The Other Side Donuts is supporting recovery (Fox13)
• 20 semi rollovers at same spot in Weber County raises concerns over possible HAZMAT spill (KUTV)
• Does this new law make roads safer for cyclists? Utah now prohibits blocking bike lanes (Deseret News)
• Cottonwood Heights Chief of Police pushes back against new state law regarding bike lanes (KUTV)

Biz/Tech

• How will Trump’s new copper tariff impact Utah? (Deseret News)

Crime/Courts

• South Jordan couple charged with aggravated abuse of their 77-year-old father (KSL)
• Man arrested in fatal West Valley weekend crash (KSL)
• Corrections officials preparing for firing squad — Utah's 2nd execution in 13 months (KSL)
• Fentanyl drug busts are up, overdose deaths down in Utah, task force reports (KSL)
• ‘I would do it again’ — Doctor accused of COVID vaccine scheme speaks out after charges were dropped (ABC4)

Culture/Community

• Christmas in July? No, but Salt Lake City’s Eccles Theater is selling tickets for its holiday shows this week. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Education 

• Legions of Utah kids in afterschool/summer programs could be impacted by federal budget cuts (Deseret News)
• More than 20 states sue Trump administration over frozen after-school, summer funding (KUTV)
• USU presidential search opens as board looks for visionary, steady leader (Cache Valley Daily)
• Far more teen girls than boys see college as key to success, new AP-NORC poll finds (AP)

Environment

• The untold history of Utah’s public lands (Deseret News)
• Community grants can help prepare wildland-urban interface areas for fire season (KSL TV)
• Vortex forms over Deer Creek Fire, damaging structures and fire engine (KSL TV)
• Utahns may soon face watering restrictions, water managers say (KSL Newsradio)
• Cottonwoods used to line the Colorado River in Utah. What’ll bring the trees back? (KUER)
• Dixie National Forest seeks public input on Brian Head Resort expansion (St. George News)

Family

• Utah will pay for childcare, but tens of thousands of families don't know they qualify (KUTV)
• Training with dad: How Vineyard fathers created an impromptu summer camp (Daily Herald)

Health

• Measles cases are rising, but this Utah mom isn't taking any chances (KSL)
• Utah parents navigate conflicting advice on when to vaccinate children against measles (KSL TV)
• Ice cream, other foods getting makeover as part of MAHA (Deseret News)
• Utah needs primary care doctors. Can the Utah doctor shortage be fixed? (KSL TV)

National Headlines

General

• Plunging dollar leaves American travelers with less buying powe this summer (Wall Street Journal)
• Americans are downsizing their summer vacations (Washington Post)

Political news 

• Supreme Court greenlights Trump’s plan to dismantle Education Department (Deseret News)
• How Trump plans to dismantle the Education Department after Supreme Court ruling (AP)
• US imposes 17% tariff on Mexican tomatoes after withdrawing from agreement (Reuters)
• Two-thirds of the DOJ unit defending Trump policies in court have quit (Reuters)
• Trump administration says it won’t publish major climate change reports on NASA website as promised (AP)
• Trump tells supporters not to 'waste time' on Epstein files. They're not happy (NPR)
• White House preps for legal fight over firings — despite court victory (Washington Post)

Immigration/deportation

• Homeland Security is removing protections that kept some Afghans from deportation (AP News)
• New ICE Policy Blocks Millions of Detained Migrants From Seeking Bond (Wall Street Journal)

Ukraine/Russia

• In reversal, Trump arms Ukraine and threatens sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil (Reuters)
• Trump touts weapon sales to NATO for Ukraine and threatens Russia with 100% tariffs (NPR)

Middle East

• Gazans' daily struggle for water after deadly strike (Reuters)
• Netanyahu’s coalition is rattled as ultra-Orthodox party announces exit over military draft law (AP)

World news

• It’s Paradise Lost as Climate Change Remakes Europe’s Summers (New York Times)
• Hungary’s oldest library is fighting to save 100,000 books from a beetle infestation (AP)

Number of the Day

News Releases

Gov. Cox names Adam Stewart director of federal affairs

Gov. Cox has appointed Adam Stewart to serve as director of federal affairs for the Utah Governor’s Office, starting August 25th, 2025.

Stewart currently leads a 14-member team for U.S. Sen. Lummis, shaping policy on energy, environment, financial services, housing, artificial intelligence, and transportation. Earlier in his career, Stewart directed the Senate Western Caucus, staffed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, and spent nearly a decade advising former Rep. Rob Bishop, including a period of service as Bishop’s chief of staff. His work has contributed to legislation improving Colorado River management, expanding rural broadband, and strengthening the nation’s highways. (Read More)

Curtis, Padilla, Schiff, Mullin introduce bipartisan legislation to support America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games

Today, U.S. Senators John Curtis (R-UT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) introduced bipartisan legislationto support and commemorate the 2028 and 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games set to take place in Los Angeles, California and Salt Lake City, Utah, respectively, through the minting of new commemorative coins. Representatives Blake Moore (R-UT-01), Brad Sherman (D-CA-32), Frank Lucas (R-OK-03), Ken Calvert (R-CA-41), and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37) introduced companion legislation in the House. (Read More)

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Aug 7 â€”  Titan of Public Service gala with Sen. Tom Cotton hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation at the Grand America Hotel. More Information Here
• Aug 12 â€” Municipal primary
• Aug 19-21 â€” Interim Days
• Nov 4 â€” General election
• February 4-7, 2026 — Summit, with Silicon Slopes and Visit Salt Lake

On This Day In History

• 1799 - The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign
• 1806 - Zebulon Pike leads an exploring party across the American Southwest. He ends up in Colorado and has a mountain named after him. 
• 1899 - Estelle Ishigo is born. An artist, she joined her Japanese-American husband in a Wyoming internment camp during WWII, made sketches of her experience for the War Relocation Authority, and published “Lone Heart Mountain” in 1972 chronicling her internment.
• 1923 - Connie Boucher is born. An artist, she helped start the character merchandising industry by licensing characters such as Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” and Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are.”
• 1952 - Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is born. In 1989, Ros-Lehtinen became the first Cuban American and Latina elected to Congress. She gave the first Republican response to the State of the Union Address in Spanish in 2011 then again in 2014.
• 1971 - US President Richard Nixon announces he will visit the People's Republic of China
• 1982 - Senate confirms George P. Shultz as US 60th Secretary of State by vote of 97-0
• 2006 - Twitter officially launches

Quote of the Day

"No matter where you are from, no matter what your background is, no matter what your socioeconomic status is, every person can achieve his or her dreams."
― Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

On the Punny Side

 Russian dolls are so full of themselves.

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