Situational Analysis | August 30, 2021

It's Monday and National Grief Awareness Day. Seems appropriate after such a sad weekend. 

Be in the Know

1. 13 American service members were among the almost-200 killed by a suicide bomber. One of those was Utah's own Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover. A vigil was held for him at the state Capitol last night, with several hundred people in attendance. Another of the 13 service members was Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, who was photographed cradling an Afghan infant. "I love my job," she posted on Instagram last week. President Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and others were at Dover Air Force Base when the military aircraft bringing them home arrived.

2. Vaccination mandates are now in place at the University of Utah, Utah State and Weber State. The schools announced the mandates after the Pfizer vaccine received full approval from the FDA. Medical, religious and personal exemptions will be permitted.

3. Hurricane Ida hits New Orleans the same day that Hurricane Katrina did in 2005, knocking out power and reversing the flow of the Mississippi River. Ida was a Category 4 (and just missed being a Category 5), while Katrina was a 3. Katrina was a larger storm, however, which created a larger storm surge and caused levees to break. A number of residents are riding out the storm and its aftermath because they can't afford to leave.

4. Ed Asner died on Sunday at age 91. He played Lou Grant on the 1970's sitcom "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." 

Utah Headlines

General

• Utah Marine killed in Afghanistan blast was 'a born leader,' father says (Deseret News/KSL)
• Meet the new leader of Black Lives Matter Utah, Rae Duckworth (Salt Lake Tribune)
• A year after mass demonstrations sparked by George Floyd murder, protesters see double standard in prosecutions (Salt Lake Tribune)

Politics

• How political candidates pick their campaign songs — and why it’s changed (Deseret News)
• Senator Mike Lee on the Afghanistan exit and why he voted no on the infrastructure bill (ABC4)
• The Inside Utah Politics Panel on the power struggle over mask mandates and vaccine approval (ABC4)
• Political as Heck podcast: Aimee Winder Newton on mask mandates and Utah as the worst state for women

COVID Corner

• The reasons people refuse the COVID-19 vaccine are more complicated than you think: Fear of side effects, government mistrust and even just finding time are among reasons people say no. (Deseret News)
• This Texas dad stripped down to a swimsuit to make a point about mask mandates (Deseret News)
• CDC: An unvaccinated teacher took off their mask to read aloud. Half the class got COVID (Ed Week)
• Opinion: How science journalism changed our COVID-19 behaviors for the worse (Deseret News)

Drought/Wildfires/Heat

• Lake Tahoe threatened by massive fire, more ordered to flee (AP)

Education

• State Education Board member at odds with educators over equity and inclusion (KUER)
• UVU announces Women’s Success Center, Bonnie Baliff-Spanvill Endowment (Daily Herald)
• Districts starting school year facing physical and emotional health uncertainties (Daily Herald)

National Headlines

General

• US WWII veteran reunites with Italians he saved as children. (ABC News)
• Hurricane Ida traps Louisianans, leaves the grid a shambles (AP)
• Afghans killed outside airport were seeking new lives abroad (AP)
• Rockets target US troops as final Kabul withdrawal begins, core diplomats fly out (Reuters)
• Islamic State claims responsibility for rocket attack on Kabul airport (Reuters)
• Marine says he’ll resign after being relieved of command for calling out leaders on Afghanistan (Washington Post)
• Biden enters perilous final hours of Afghanistan mission (The Hill)
• Biden deserves credit, not blame, for Afghanistan. Americans should feel proud of what the U.S. government and military have accomplished in these past two weeks. (The Atlantic)
• Romney blames both Biden and Trump for crisis in Afghanistan. He also said the removal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is not the same thing as ending the war. (Politico)

Politics

• Records rebut claims of unequal treatment of Jan. 6 rioters (AP)
• China cuts children's online gaming to one hour (BBC)
• Former NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch, a rising right-wing radio star, doesn’t care if you call her a murderer (Washington Post)

Policy News

Romney: Crisis in Afghanistan is a humanitarian and foreign policy tragedy

U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today discussed the crisis in Afghanistan with Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union.

Leaving Americans behind and leaving our Afghan friends behind, who worked with us, would put upon us and will put upon us a moral stain. This is the result of very ineffective decisions, terrible decisions, by the prior Administration and the current Administration. This did not have to happen. It was preventable. And let me note that’s very different than the military. Our military came in at the very last moment and has performed admirably, as far as I can tell, to move people out as quickly as possible. We didn’t have to be in this rush, rush circumstance with terrorists breathing down our neck. It’s the responsibility of the prior Administration and this Administration that has caused this crisis to be upon us and has led to what is, without question, a humanitarian and foreign policy tragedy. (Read More)

Gov. Cox, Senate President Adams and Speaker Wilson support campus vaccination policies

Gov. Spencer J. Cox, Senate President J. Stuart Adams and House Speaker Brad Wilson issued a joint statement following actions by the University of Utah and Utah State University:

“The law allows Utah’s universities to require vaccinations as long as there is a path for students to submit personal exemptions and attend in-person classes. We support this balanced approach and look forward to keeping students, faculty and staff at our colleges and universities safe this year.” 

Number of the Day

Upcoming

• Zions Bank Community Speaker Series: Building economic inclusion – Aug 31 @ 12 pm. Register here
• Naming ceremony for the Orrin G. Hatch United States Courthouse – Sept 2, @ 12 pm. Email events@orrinhatchfoundation.org
  for the Zoom link
• Utah Foundation Annual Luncheon with Shaylyn Romney Garrett – Sept 23 @ 12 pm. Register here

On This Day In History

From History.com

• 1862 - Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia ends with a Confederate victory over Union forces
• 1930 - Warren Buffett is born
• 1966 - Constance Baker Motley is confirmed as U.S. district judge, becoming the first Black woman on the federal bench. She was also the first African American woman elected to the New York State Senate in 1964. 
• 1967 - Thurgood Marshall becomes 1st Black Supreme Court Justice
• 1983 - The astronaut, Guion S. Bluford, Jr., makes history when he became the African American to fly in space.
• 1984 - Judith A. Resnick is the second U.S. woman in space, traveling on the first flight of the space shuttle Discovery

Wise Words

“The measure of a country's greatness is its ability to retain compassion in times of crisis.”

-Justice Thurgood Marshall

Lighter Side

Speaking of the use of Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug given to livestock, as a cure for COVID:

“Normally, when you hear the phrase ‘horse pills,’ you think it’s a euphemism, but in this case, it’s literal horse pills.”

~SETH MEYERS

– Advertise With Us –

Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers.