| Streaming âThe Chosenâ Season 5 this weekend; Sen. Chuck Schumer renames the Trump megabill the âWell, Weâre All Going to Die Actâ .png?width=1200&upscale=true&name=Utah_Policy_Logo_Email_Full%20(1).png) | 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 5, 2025 It's Thursday and Thank You Day ð What you need to know - Sen. John Curtis, writing in the Deseret News, says that it's time to solve the right problem relating to American energy. "The right policy solution must navigate tax credits and regulatory reform," he said. Many of the energy tax credits that would be slashed in the House version of the budget bill are Republican policies that "support strategic energy assets and a robust domestic economy" and should be addressed carefully and precisely. Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, said "solar credits have been something that's been bipartisan for a long, long time" and shouldn't be political. Those tax credits could be key to establishing American energy dominance.
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 | Beyond Fun and Games Nearly half of Boomers and 36% of the Silent Generation play video games weekly â for mental sharpness, stress relief, and fun. Learn more and game on. | | |
Utah Headlines Political news - Bill Gates comes to Utah to help Sen. Curtis in his efforts to preserve clean energy (Deseret News)
Municipal news - One of the fastest growing Utah County cities will now have a second ZIP code (KSL)
- Weber County seeks creation of special court to aid veterans caught up in the legal system (KSL)
- Cache Valley organizations come together in conference to end violence (KSL TV)
- Summit, Wasatch counties pushing back on new redistricting requirements (Fox13)
- Utah County candidacy filings for new school board seats, municipal roles taking shape (Daily Herald)
Utah - Utah mom survives devastating Vespa crash in Italy: 'It's just a miracle you can't make up' (KSL)
- A Utah womanâs passion for kindness transforms lives in Downtown Salt Lake (ABC4)
- Closure of northern Utah Job Corps has far-reaching impact (Fox13)
- Judge blocks Trump administration's effort to eliminate Job Corps (Reuters)
Crime/Courts - University of Utah tennis player charged with sexually assaulting woman (KSL)
- Police: St. George man arrested after breaking into leasing office, attacking manager (KSL)
- Lori Vallowâs second Arizona trial moves forward after she appears in court in a wheelchair (Deseret News)
Culture/Community - Morgan Scalley discusses faith, leadership on Ashley Hatchâs podcast (Deseret News)
- 'Antiques Roadshow' returns to Utah for unique finds (KSL)
Education - K-12 - Luis Contreras: A lot of things â to infinity and firsts (Deseret News)
- âThe power belongs to the parentsâ: Rep. Owens, Education chief back school choice and parental rights (Deseret News)
Education - Higher - Report: Utah higher education students received $1.6B in federal student aid awards (KSL)
- BYU alumni artists help bring âElioâ to life (Deseret News)
- Brigham Young University is now on Russiaâs âundesirableâ list. Why? (Salt Lake Tribune)
Energy - Steve Handy, Bob Stevenson: Utahâs energy costs are rising. An outdated grid is to blame. (Salt Lake Tribune)
Environment - A new report by the governorâs office shows Utah has reduced human-caused wildfires (Deseret News)
- Scientists in Japan develop plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours (Reuters)
Health - Weber, Morgan health officials warn residents after bat tests positive for rabies (Deseret News)
- Are you among adults who donât know you have diabetes, hypertension? (Deseret News)
- Utah public health officials report new potential measles exposure (KSL TV)
- Not-so-'old'-news: Utah named the happiest state for seniors (Fox13)
Housing - Mortgage applications are down nationwide. Hereâs why (Deseret News)
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National Headlines General - A pet zebra caused âhavocâ after escaping from its owner in Tennessee (Deseret News)
- How much has antisemitic violence risen in the U.S. and globally? (Deseret News)
Political news - Trump - Trump tax bill will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit and leave 10.9 million more uninsured, CBO says (AP News)
- Republican leaders raise doubts about deficit projections (Deseret News)
- Trump announces travel ban and restrictions on 19 countries set to go into effect Monday (AP)
- Trump cannot proceed with gutting US Education Department, court rules (Reuters)
- Trump administration attacks Columbia's accreditation (Wall Street Journal)
- Trump calls for scrapping debt limit (The Hill)
Other political news - Republican push for proof of citizenship to vote proves a tough sell in the states, even red ones (KUER)
- US State Department's planned layoffs may violate court order, judge says (Reuters)
Musk/DOGE - Former DOGE engineer on his experience working for the cost-cutting unit (NPR)
- How DOGE's push to amass data could hurt the reliability of future U.S. statistics (NPR)
- Trump is losing patience with Musk's outbursts over megabill (Wall Street Journal)
Immigration/deportation - Guatemalan deportee arrives in US after judge orders Trump to facilitate return (Reuters)
- U.S. judge temporarily blocks deportation of family of Colorado attack suspect (Reuters)
- Plans for nationâs largest ICE detention center halted amid DOGE review (Washington Post)
Tariffs/Trade - Trumpâs new steel, aluminum tariffs kick in as deadline looms for trade deal pitches (Deseret News)
Ukraine/Russia - How Ukraine pulled off an audacious attack deep inside Russia (Reuters)
- Trump says Putin told him that Russia will respond to Ukrainian attack on airfields (AP)
- The Trump administration is redirecting a key antidrone technology earmarked for Ukraine to American forces in the Middle East (Wall Street Journal)
Middle East - US vetoes UN Security Council demand for Gaza ceasefire (Reuters)
- Claims of war crimes in Gaza are 'ridiculous,' says adviser to Israeli government (NPR)
- Israel says it has recovered the bodies of 2 Israeli-American hostages from the Gaza Strip (AP)
World news - Darfur: bearing the brunt of over two years of civil war in Sudan (NPR)
- Vietnam drops two-child policy amid demographic concerns (Washington Post)
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 | News Releases Federal student aid in Utah This data summary, the twelfth in a series on state and federal economic linkages from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, presents the Utah-federal government nexus for federal student aid in Utah. Students at Utah postsecondary institutions received 350,000 federal student aid awards totaling $1.6 billion in the 2022-23 school year. (Read More)
Sutherland announces addition of Samuel J. Abrams as visiting scholar Sutherland Institute announced today the addition of Samuel Abrams as a visiting scholar. His work for Sutherland will focus on the broad societal benefits of faith and religious organizations, as well as the importance of religious freedom. Abrams is a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where he teaches students about political leadership and the impacts of polarization on representation and institutions. His previous academic affiliations include New York Universityâs Center for Advanced Social Science Research and Stanford Universityâs Hoover Institution. He is also currently a nonresident senior fellow for the American Enterprise Institute. (Read More)
Lee bill cuts drug prices and red tape U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the bipartisan Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act today to cut drug prices for consumers and increase competition in the pharmaceutical market by categorizing generic-brand âbiosimilarâ drugs as interchangeable with their name-brand counterparts. (Read More)
Rep. Kennedy introduces legislation to protect patients from potentially deadly prescribing errors Representative Mike Kennedy (UT-03) introduced the Safe Prescribing Through Reporting Act of 2025. This legislation aims to provide doctors with crucial health information when prescribing to patients who are taking medications to treat substance abuse disorder (e.g. Methadone). Currently under federal law, substance abuse clinics do not report to PDMPs. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to enhance transparency and patient safety by allowing substance abuse disorder medications to be reported in the stateâs PDMP when authorized by state law. (Read More) | | |
Tweet of the Day 
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Upcoming - June 2-6 â Municipal candidate filing period
- June 9 â Show Up Summer Service Fair, 4:00-8:00 pm, Electric Park, Thanksgiving Point
- June 17-19 â Interim Days
- 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
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On This Day In History - 1883 - John Maynard Keynes is born. He was the English economist whose ideas changed the theory and practice of modern macroeconomics
- 1933 - FDR takes the US off the gold standard
- 1947 - US Secretary of State George Marshall outlines the âMarshall Planâ to rebuild Europe.
- 1955 - Martin Luther King, Jr. receives his doctoral degree
- 1967 - Six-Day War begins between Israel and its neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
- 1968 - Robert F. Kennedy shot
- 1973 - Doris A. Davis elected mayor of Compton, California, the first Black woman to govern a metropolitan city
- 1976 - Teton Dam burst
- 1987 - Dr. Mae C Jemison becomes the first Black woman astronaut
- 2002 - Elizabeth Smart is kidnapped
- 2004 - Ronald Reagan dies at age 93
Quote of the Day âWe have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are not heroes, they just don't know where to look.â âRonald Reagan, 1981
On the Punny Side When does a joke become a dad joke? When it becomes apparent. | | |
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