It's also World Refugee Day, the Texas GOP declares the 2020 election invalid, the Utah Jazz have new uniforms and Sir Paul McCartney is 80! | | | 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 | June 20, 2022 It's Monday and the day Juneteenth is legally observed. This year is Utah's first to officially commemorate the day that Black slaves in Galveston, Texas learned of their emancipation - 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It is also World Refugee Day and this year, the number of refugees is an all-time high: 100 million people have been forced to flee their homes. Be in the Know In their first in-person convention since 2018, Republicans in Texas formally rejected President Joe Biden's election in 2020 as illegitimate: "We reject the certified results of the 2020 Presidential election, and we hold that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States." The new party platform would also call homosexuality an "abnormal life choice," removed the Texas legislature's ability to regulate guns, advocate for the repeal of the national 16th Amendment (federal income tax) and call for abolishing the Federal Reserve - among some 270 proposals that delegates voted on.
Rapid Roundup The Utah Jazz have new uniforms - and fans aren't impressed, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood tell a roaring crowd "This is the place!," the Mars rover set out to find alien life but found human trash instead, and Paul McCartney just turned 80! | | |
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Utah Headlines General Religion once played a big role in Juneteenth festivities. These leaders hope it will again someday soon (Deseret News) âIt felt like homeâ: Utahns celebrate Juneteenth at Ogden festival, and its first year as a state holiday. Gov. Spencer Cox and Rep. Sandra Hollins, who helped pass the stateâs recognition of Juneteenth into law, both spoke at the event. (Salt Lake Tribune) Andreâ M. Boyd: Juneteenth revisited and the future of Black America (Salt Lake Tribune) Utahns celebrate Juneteenth at the Ogden Amphitheater (Standard-Examiner) Black Ogdenites reflect on significance of first official Juneteenth (Standard-Examiner) Utah celebrates Juneteenth as state holiday (KSL TV) Juneteenth: A day of joy and pain - and now national action (AP) The cryptocurrency crash has led to $2T in losses. Hereâs whatâs behind the big dive (Deseret News) What is ârevenge travel,â and why is it so popular? (Deseret News) Utah unemployment rate remains among lowest in US (Fox13) Strong winds lead to fires and crashes across Wasatch Front (KUTV) Politics The Inside Utah Politics Panel on proposed gun legislation and the January 6th hearings (ABC4) Utah's Goblin Valley State Park to triple in size under deal with the feds (Fox13) Weber County rushed to get cameras in place to satisfy Utahâs new drop box law (KUER) Education Perspective: The rise of the joyless university. College campuses devoid of purpose and community are producing students who are aimless and sad (Deseret News) What you need to know about summer food options for students (ABC4) We asked teachers how their year went. They warned of an exodus to come (NPR) After school shootings, teachers struggle for years with trauma. They must often cope even while teaching students who are recovering, too (Washington Post) Elections Inside the BYU years of Utahâs GOP Senate candidates. The road to politics for Becky Edwards, Ally Isom and Mike Lee started at Brigham Young University (Deseret News) Mike Leeâs populist campaign for BYU student body president.The 1993 BYUSA election was among the most notable in school history, won by the son of university president Rex Lee (Deseret News) When Becky Edwards won the trust of BYUâs greatest football coach: The Senate candidate met her father-in-law, LaVell Edwards, while at BYU. He encouraged her desire to serve (Deseret News) Ally Isomâs political launch from BYUâs poli-sci program. Isomâs first campaign experience stemmed from a BYU political science class (Deseret News) Environment People from around the country flock to the Great Salt Lake for a swim. âYou either love it or you hate it, thereâs no in between,â one swimmer says (Deseret News) âThe system is at a tipping pointâ: Feds say unprecedented cuts needed to balance Colorado River water budget, prop up Lake Powell (Salt Lake Tribune) BLM warns hikers of quicksand in Utah (ABC4) Difficult terrain, extreme weather hamper efforts to fight fire in Dixie National Forest (KUTV) Heavy rain triggers flood and debris flow in Helper (Fox13) The immediate financial impacts of a shriveled-up Great Salt Lake (Salt Lake Tribune) Family Mitt Romney says this bill would promote families and marriage (Deseret News) Evan Ward: What fatherhood has taught me about dads and daughters (Deseret News) Susan Madsen: Families need fathers - the crucial role dad plays (Deseret News) The âreal warriorsâ are the men who share the responsibilities of raising children (Deseret News) For many dads, the COVID pandemic brought new perspectives on fatherhood (NPR) Health How a prostate cancer survivor learned that sometimes less is more (Deseret News) Is there racial bias in health care outcomes? Utah Juneteenth panel raises issues (KSL) Utah/Ukraine Ukrainian refugee bound for Ogden, more may be headed to Northern Utah (Standard-Examiner) National Headlines General How much for gas? Around the world, pain is felt at the pump (AP) Small businesses fall behind on hiring as inflation takes a toll (Wall Street Journal) Many voters in Sundayâs election opted for far-right or far-left candidates, denying President Emmanuel Macronâs centrist alliance a straight majority in the National Assembly. (AP) Colombia picks 1st leftist president in tight runoff contest (AP) International swimming bars transgender women from competing in womenâs events (Wall Street Journal) Modern âredliningâ is pushing some Texans out of their homes (Washington Post) Failed autopsies, false arrests: A risk of bias in death examinations. Disastrous errors by medical examiners have raised questions about whether they are influenced by prejudgments and a close relationship with the police. (New York Times) Politics After 10 years of DACA, religious leaders call for permanent solutions and immigration reform. Religious leaders say DACA keeps âDreamersâ in perpetual limbo and is a âband-aid on an open woundâ (Deseret News) Sen. Mike Lee says he would speak to Jan. 6 committee about his text messages with Mark Meadows (Salt Lake Tribune) Senate OKs enhanced benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, while Utahâs Lee and Romney vote ânayâ. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said Congress should be supporting veterans harmed by toxic exposure, but the billâs scope and cost were âastronomical and unjustified.â (Salt Lake Tribune) Elise Stefanik's defense of Trump around Jan. 6 clouds her pro-democracy work abroad (NPR) ð GOP member of Jan. 6 committee warns that more violence is coming (Washington Post) Trump campaign documents give inside look at fake-elector plan. A review of emails and memos shows that lawyers advising the former president knew the plan was baseless but pursued it anyway (Washington Post) The seven Senate seats most likely to flip in 2022 (The Hill) Ukraine ðºð¦ âItâs just hell thereâ: Russia still pounds eastern Ukraine (AP) Russians advance, Zelenskiy expects escalation as EU set to welcome Ukraine (Reuters) Four months into war, more Ukrainians decide to flee besieged areas (Reuters) EU's top diplomat calls Russia's blockade of Ukrainian grain a war crime (Reuters) Representatives from Finland and Sweden meet with Turkish officials to discuss NATO membership. (New York Times) | | |
News Releases Romney, Utah leaders applaud land conveyance signing in Goblin Valley State Park U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Utah leaders today applauded the signing of land conveyances in Goblin Valley State Park. These public land conveyances from the Bureau of Land Management, authorized by the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, will expand the recreation area at Goblin Valley State Park, provide a site for a new Emery County Sheriffâs Office Substation, and improve space for historical exhibits at the Buckhorn Information Center. (Read More) Lee Ocean Shipping amendments become law Eight amendments proposed by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) became law under the Ocean Shipping Reform Act. Three amendments were from his SHIP IT Act and represent a part of his detailed plan to fight inflation. Senator Leeâs contributions will be an essential step toward combatting our nationâs supply chain crisis. Leeâs amendments cut red tape responsible for delayed approval of much-needed port workers. They require federal reporting to Congress, giving lawmakers a better understanding of how U.S. port technology stacks up against our competitors. Additionally, they require the federal government to explore the feasibility of using U.S. Inland Ports, such as the one in Utah, for storing and transferring cargo containers. (Read More) Number of the Day | | |
Upcoming Primary election day â June 28 ULCT Annual Convention â Oct 5-7, Salt Palace Convention Center, Register here General election â Nov 8 | | |
On This Day In History 1782 - Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States after six years of discussion. 1867 - US President Andrew Johnson announces the Alaska Purchase that had been agreed upon in March for about 2 cents per acre. 1893 - A jury of 12 acquits Lizzie Borden of murdering her father and step-mother in New Bedford, Massachusetts. 1911 - The NAACP is incorporated in New York. 1921 - Alice Robertson (R-Oklahoma) becomes the first woman to chair the House of Representatives. 1924 - Minnie Spotted Wolf is born. In 1942, she became the first full Native American woman to join the Marine Corps Womenâs Reserve. 1975 - Jaws is released in theaters 2003 - Jimmy Wales establishes the Wikipedia Foundation. Wise Words "My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together."
â Desmond Tutu Lighter Side Q. What do you call a beehive without an exit? A. Un-bee-leavable. | | |
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