No better place for a Winter Olympics; Utah heatwave kicks off today, record highs in forecast; and Wall Street headed sharply lower again | | | 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. If you're a candidate in 2024 and want to advertise on UtahPolicy.com, contact Suzanne Benitez. | | |
Situational Analysis | Aug. 5, 2024 It's Monday and National Work Like a Dog Day. ðâ𦺠What you need to know Phil Lyman has asked the Utah Supreme Court to throw Gov. Spencer Cox out of office and put himself on the November ballot. Lyman's complaint also seeks to invalidate the primary results across the state for any race where a convention candidate earned at least 60% of the vote. The Utah Republican Party and its chairman, Rob Axson, were also named in the complaint as defendants.
Rapid relevance No better place for a Winter Olympics on planet Earth; Utah heatwave kicks off today with record highs in the forecast; and Wall Street headed sharply lower again after Japan's Nikkei index tumbles to worst loss since 1987. | | |
| | Stand for Our Land Recently, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has significantly restricted access to Utah public lands and continues to restrict access. We need you to get involved. Learn how your access is being affected and voice your concerns to the BLM. Your input will help shape the future of Utah. | | |
Utah Headlines Political news Tribune editorial: Utah officials show the danger of tweeting first, thinking afterward (Salt Lake Tribune) Election news Ricky Hatch: Why Utahns can count on their election officials (Deseret News) After losing election, Phil Lyman asks Utah Supreme Court to remove Gov. Cox and put Lyman on Nov. ballot (Deseret News) Maloy-Jenkins congressional election recount continues over software issues (Deseret News) Utah Ogden Diversity Commission facing change due to Utah law targeting diversity programming (KSL) 'A miracle': Drone pilot helps officials rescue family trapped in sinking boat on Utah Lake (KSL) Olympics Jimmer Fredette reveals nature of injury, expresses bittersweet feelings about Olympic experience (Deseret News) Courtney Wayment advances to Olympic steeplechase final (Deseret News) Great Scottie! Scheffler gets the Olympic gold medal in a thriller with a 62 (KSL) Utahn representing Team USA in fencing at 2024 Summer Paralympic Games (Fox13) Noah Lyles wins 100m gold by five thousandths of a second (Reuters) Olympic boxer Imane Khelif calls for end to bullying after backlash over gender misconceptions (AP) Simone Biles slips off the balance beam during event finals to miss the Olympic medal stand (AP) Competing for two: Pregnant Olympians push the boundaries of possibility in Paris. (AP) U.S. women's relay swim team wins Olympic gold, smashes world record (NPR) Olympic triumph: U.S. swimmer Bobby Finke wins gold, sets world record in 1,500 free (NPR) In a nation built for cycling, an American stole the womenâs road race gold (Washington Post) Utahâs Olympic bidders gave golden gift to IOC leader (Deseret News) Business/Tech Utah restaurant workers spot federally-protected egg-bearing lobster, work quickly to save her (KSL TV) Crime/Courts Ahead of execution in Utah, death penalty opponents speak out. Family members of Claudia Benn, the woman murdered by Honie, said they want the execution to move forward. (Deseret News) Culture Inside the making of the Celine Dion documentary (Deseret News) âBig nerd cultureâ: Hundreds of Utah wargamers gather to battle with dice, figurines (KSL TV) 31K people sign birthday card for LDS president â and break a world record (ABC4) Education As a faith-based institution, BYUâs new medical school will be rare (Deseret News) Springville fire caused $100,000 in damages to school building (KSL Newsradio) Itâs official: These 13 books are now banned from all public schools in Utah (Salt Lake Tribune) Harlem Globetrotters help hand out school supplies to children at Hill Air Force Base (ABC4) Utah is paying to bulletproof school windows and doors. See if your childâs district or charter school will see upgrades. (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah State boosters say theyâll withhold donations after football coach, administrators fired (Salt Lake Tribune) Environment Despite some rain on Utahâs horizon, the rest of summer looks hot, dry and fire-prone (Daily Herald) Family âWeâre just kind of portableâ â why this U.S. family chose to raise their children part time in France (Deseret News) Balancing child welfare system impact on Black families with needs of the kids (Deseret News) Families in 13 states, including Utah, struggle without federal aid to buy food this summer (St. George News) Health Blood banks issue urgent plea for donors as summer needs surge (Deseret News) BYU dietetics professor uses AI to create national glycemic index (KSL) | | |
National Headlines General The U.S. government is suing TikTok over child privacy law (Deseret News) World markets tremble over fears that the US has been too slow to cut interest rates (AP) The Unraveling of a Charityâs Feel-Good Story About Saving African Orphans (Wall Street Journal) Political news Perspective: Why religious language persists in politics in a secular age (Deseret News) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he left a dead bear in Central Park as a prank (AP) Election news Is JD Vance 'weird'? The Harris campaign wants you to think so (Deseret News) What would a Kamala Harris presidency mean for religious freedom? (Deseret News) Kamala Harris to announce vice president pick before battleground states tour (Reuters) Trump again tears into Georgiaâs Republican governor on the same day he campaigns in the state (AP) Harris has momentum, but the race is still tight. Here are the paths to the presidency (NPR) GOP senators say Trump caught âoff guardâ by Harrisâs strength (The Hill) Harris team launches GOP group with endorsements from ex-Trump officials, key Republican voices (The Hill) Ukraine ðºð¦ Thomas B. Griffith: On the ground in Ukraine promoting the rule of law (Deseret News) Israel and Gaza Mothers call for peace in Israel-Palestine (Deseret News) Iran says it does not want regional escalation but must 'punish' Israel (Reuters) World news Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina resigns, interim government to be formed (Reuters) | | |
| | News Releases Nominees announced for two Fifth District Court vacancies The Fifth District Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for two vacancies on the Fifth District Court. These positions result from the retirement of Judge Eric A. Ludlow, October 1, 2024, and the appointment of Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen to the United States District Court for the District of Utah, April 15, 2024. The nominees for the vacancy are: Meb Anderson; Ryan Christiansen;Chad Dotson; K. Jake Graff; Susan Hunt; and EJay Overson. Written comments can be submitted to the Fifth District Judicial Nominating Commission at judicialvacancies@utah.gov or Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, P.O. Box 142330, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2330. The deadline for written comments is noon Aug. 12, 2024. (Read More) Nominees announced for Sixth District Court vacancy The Sixth District Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for a vacancy on the Sixth District Court. This position results from the retirement of Judge Marvin D. Bagley, September 30, 2024. The nominees for the vacancy are: Kent Burggraaf; Arek Butler; Jeffrey Makin; Michael Mathie; Robert Van Dyke. Written comments can be submitted to the Sixth District Judicial Nominating Commission at judicialvacancies@utah.gov or Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, P.O. Box 142330, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2330. The deadline for written comments is noon Aug. 12, 2024. (Read More) Rep. Lesser meets with members of Biden Administration to discuss new reproductive health privacy regulations On August 1, 2024, Representative Rosemary Lesser joined the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for a briefing on the HIPAA Privacy Rule to support reproductive health care privacy. The briefing covered updates to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Esteemed members from the Biden Administration, including Andrea Oliver, Regional Manager of OCR, and Lily Griego, Regional Director of HHS, were in attendance. (Read More) Utah House Democratic Leader on the statewide book ban The Utah House Minority Leader released the following statement after the Utah State School Board ordered the removal of 13 book titles from every public school in the state, in accordance with a new law passed earlier this year: âTodayâs news that 13 books will be banned from every public school undermines the authority of locally elected officials and school boards, which are composed mainly of parents who understand their communities. This ban contradicts our legislatureâs principle of local control by allowing a few districts to impose their standards statewide. Parents should have the autonomy to decide what their children can read, rather than leaving those decisions to a select few. I will continue to advocate for keeping the decision-making power about what children can read with parents and local communities.â Romney, colleagues to President Biden: Delaying weapons to Israel undermines our ally, accommodates Iran U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today joined 47 of his Senate Republican colleaguesâled by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR)âin sending a letter to President Biden, protesting the Administrationâs partial arms embargo against Israel. The senators urged the President to cease accommodating Iran, stop jeopardizing the lives of American servicemembers, and to deliver the necessary weapons systems to Israel. (Read More) Cox for Governor statement on Phil Lymanâs lawsuit challenging Utah election results. Again. Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman recently filed another lawsuit challenging the 2024 GOP Primary Election. In this lawsuit he demands that the Utah Supreme Court: Blatantly disregard the will of more than 400,000 Utah Republican voters and name him the GOP nominee for the November election Name any candidate that was the nominee of the Republican convention the automatic winner of their respective elections, regardless of the outcome of the Utah primary election. This action would also overturn the primary election results in Utahâs U.S. Senate and Attorney General races. Remove Governor Cox and Lieutenant Governor Henderson from office immediately and appoint the Utah Senate President as the new Governor. Sues Republican Party Chair Rob Axson and the Republican Party âRep. Lymanâs attempt to undo a democratic election rather than honor the will of the people is not just sad, but dangerous,â campaign spokesman Matt Lusty said. âItâs the kind of action you see in a banana republic and not the United States of America. Half the candidates in the primary election lost. In our proud American tradition, almost all of them did so with grace and poise. We encourage Mr. Lyman and his camp to do the same.â (Read More) | | |
Upcoming August 14 â Hatch Foundation "Titan of Public Service" recognizing Sen. John Thune, Grand America, Register here August 20-21 â Interim Days September 17-18 â Interim Days October 4 â Conservative Climate Summit, 7:30 am - 3:00 pm, UVU, Register here October 4 â Civil Dialogue Symposium with Dana Perino, 2:00 pm, USU, Register here October 7-9 â One Utah Summit, SUU, Register here October 15-16 â Interim Day November 15 â Women & Business Conference & ATHENA Awards Luncheon with the Salt Lake Chamber, Grand America Hotel, Register here November 19-20 â Interim Days | | |
On This Day In History 1624 - William Tucker, 1st child of African descent to be born in an English colony in America, is born in Jamestown, Virginia 1858 - First transatlantic telegraph cable completed 1861 - Abraham Lincoln imposes the first federal income tax 1864 - Battle of Mobile Bay, won by the Union Army led by Rear Admiral David Farragut with the cry "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" 1962 - Marilyn Monroe is found dead 1963 - The US, Great Britain and the Soviet Union sign the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited the testing of nuclear weapons in outer space, underwater or in the atmosphere. 1981 - Ronald Reagan fires 11,359 air-traffic controllers 2011 - Hazel Johnson dies. She was the first Black woman to become a general in the U.S. Army. She was appointed the Chief of the Army Nurse Corps in 1979. Johnson held a doctorate in education administration. 2014 - Obama signs The Iron Dome Bill providing $225 million in additional funding for Israel's Iron Dome defense. 2019 - Toni Morrison, writer and first African American woman to win a Nobel Prize, dies at age 88. Quote of the Day âDefinitions belong to the definers, not the defined.â
â Toni Morrison, On the Punny Side What do you call a scientist that studies carbonation? A fizzicist. | | |
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