Utah Headlines

Political news

• Why Gov. Cox said these laws are ‘crucial’ to Utah’s public safety (Deseret News)
• Gov. Cox, Utah lawmakers laud new public safety laws, but SLC leaders are less impressed (Salt Lake Tribune)
• 'Utahns are going to feel it' Gov. Cox says of Trump's 'liberation day' tariffs (KSL)
• Utah leaders have mixed reactions to Trump tariffs (KSL TV)
• Health Secretary RFK Jr. to visit Utah after GOP-led Legislature took up his ‘MAHA’ agenda (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Sen. John Curtis joins bipartisan group in attempt to introduce sanctions against Russia (Deseret News)
• Soft power, income inequality, economic determinism, and the veto period (Both Sides of the Aisle)

Municipal news

• Utah County’s hunger for housing is now a reckoning for Orem’s Wilkerson Farm (KUER) 

Utah

• How Trump’s global tariffs could impact Utah (Deseret News)
• Former BYU athletic director Val Hale receives kidney donation from his son (KSL TV)
• As a veteran and federal employee, I’ve supported efforts to reduce government size and spending. But this reduction is heartless and brutal. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Biz/Tech

• Utah delegation heads to Canada amid escalating trade war (Deseret News)

Crime/Courts

• New Utah laws will help hold child abusers accountable, district attorney says (KSL)
• After release of 2024 child abuse statistics in Utah, DA says any number is too high (KSL Newsradio)

Culture

• Bigger budget, same ‘dorkiness’: Jared Hess on bringing ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ vibes to ‘A Minecraft Movie’ (Deseret News)
• Recording yourself can be a gift to future generations (Deseret News)
• Throughout her life, legendary LDS scholar Claudia Bushman and her feminist ‘sisters’ have been ‘impossible to ignore’ (Salt Lake Tribune)

Education - K-12

• Utah Board of Education rejects letter to Trump administration over state handling of federal funds (KSL)
• Utah Board of Education rejects measure targeting lingering diversity programs in schools (KSL)

Education - Higher

• BYU landscaping students dig their way to 10th national championship (BYU News)
• A time for planting: BYU students team up with US Forest Service to reforest Mapleton Canyon (Daily Herald)
• Brad Mortensen: Universities with dual missions should have two distinct tuition rates (Deseret News)
• Small fee, big impact: USU students fund campus hunger relief (UPR)

Environment

• Will the tap run dry? Most Utahns worry that will be our reality (Deseret News)
• Utah’s hunters work with the state to preserve land (Deseret News)

Health

• Utah health officials track measles outbreak as confirmed cases spread to neighboring states (ABC4)

Housing

• Trump’s new tariffs are affecting mortgage rates (Deseret News)
• ‘We cannot keep building McMansions’: Why housing is out of reach for so many Utahns (Salt Lake Tribune)

National Headlines

General

• Rally and court hearing set for Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador prison (AP)
• Colleges say the Trump administration is using new tactics to expel international students (AP) 
• Pence will get the Profile in Courage Award from JFK Library Foundation for his actions on Jan. 6 (KSL TV)

Political news

• Trump administration revokes visas from international college students studying in Arizona (AZ Central) 
• Republicans are increasingly anxious about a midterms wipeout (Politico)
• Senate confirms Mehmet Oz to take lead of Medicare and Medicaid agency (AP)
• A Pentagon inspector general announces investigation into Hegseth's use of Signal (NPR)
• Rand Paul warns tariffs could cause GOP ‘decimation.’ (Washington Post)
• Head of National Security Agency and Cyber Command Is Ousted (New York Times)
• Trump backs Luna push for House parental proxy voting (The Hill)
• Luna says Johnson called her to discuss proxy voting strictly for new moms (The Hill)

Tariffs

• Global response to Trump’s tariffs reveals rising tensions (Deseret News)
• How tariffs impact major sportswear brands (Deseret News)
• Rising tariffs could hit grocery bills hard (Deseret News)
• How President Trump's tariffs impact Utah's local auto shops (Fox13)
• 'Brain surgery with a machete;' Utahns react to Trump's tariffs (Fox13)
• France's Macron calls for suspension of investment in US after tariffs (Reuters)
• Senators push to reclaim Congress’ power over tariffs (Deseret News)
• Trump's highest tariff will kill tiny African kingdom of Lesotho, economist says (Reuters)
• Trump’s tariffs threaten US weapons production (Politico)

DOGE/Musk

• Michael Kofoed: Hard truths about government efficiency (Deseret News) 
• Elon Musk will continue to be adviser after departure from DOGE, Vance says (Reuters)

Ukraine/Russia

• Britain and France accuse Russia’s Putin of delaying Ukraine ceasefire efforts (AP) 

Israel, Gaza, Syria

• Hundreds of thousands flee as Israel seizes Rafah in new Gaza 'security zone' (Reuters)

World news

• South Korea's President Yoon ousted as court upholds impeachment after martial law (Reuters)

Number of the Day 

News Releases

Gov. Cox orders flags to fly at half-staff in honor of former U.S. Representative Mia Love

Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox has issued an order for the flags of the United States of America and the great state of Utah to be flown at half-staff on all state facilities on Monday, April 7, 2025, in recognition of the life, legacy, and selfless service of former U.S. Representative Mia Love. (Read More)

Utah leads the nation in GDP growth

Utah’s real gross domestic product (GDP) growth led the nation in 2024, reaching 4.5%, compared to the nation’s 2.8% growth, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and analyzed by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Additionally, Utah’s nominal GDP surpassed $300 billion for the first time, averaging $301 billion for the year and ending at $308 billion. Statewide personal income grew 6.1% from 2023 to 2024, ranking Utah 4^th highest among states. (Read More)

Owens empowers states to tackle worker shortage

Education and Workforce Committee Vice Chair Burgess Owens (R-UT) introduced the One Door to Work Act to establish a state innovation demonstration authority in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). This legislation gives states and local workforce boards the flexibility to implement innovative reforms aimed at improving outcomes for job seekers, employers, and taxpayers. (Read More)

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Apr 7 — Funeral for Mia Love, 10:00 am, Institute Building at the University of Utah
• Apr 9 â€” Pillars of the Valley Elder Matthew S. and Paige Holland, with the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce, 7:00-9:00 pm, Register here
• Apr 24 â€” Giant in Our City with the Salt Lake Chamber, 6:00-9:00 pm, Register here
• May 1 — Utah Foundation's annual luncheon and 80th birthday celebration, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm, Grand America Hotel, Register Here
• May 1 â€” High school writing contest deadline with The Rostra: Applying the wisdom of the past to the problems of today. More info here
• May 6 â€” "State AG Offices and the New Administration" webinar hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, 10:00 am MDT, Register here
• 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

On This Day In History

• 1802 - Dorothea Dix is born. A pioneering nurse and social activist, she championed the mentally ill and indigenous populations. 
• 1841 - President William Henry Harrison dies of pneumonia 32 days into office, after giving the longest inaugural speech in history. VP John Tyler becomes president.
• 1865 - President Lincoln dreams of his assassination.
• 1887 - Susanna Madora Salter is elected mayor of Argonia, Kansas, becoming the first woman mayor in the US
• 1928 - Maya Angelou is born.
• 1949 - NATO is signed in Washington, D.C.
• 1968 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated while standing on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
• 1975 - Bill Gates and Paul Allen start a little company they call Microsoft.

Quote of the Day

“In a world where there is so much to be done, I felt strongly impressed that there must be something for me to do.”

—Dorothea Dix

On the Punny Side

What do you call your mom's angry French sister?
A Croissaunt.

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