Situational Analysis | June 4, 2025

It's Wednesday and National Cheese Day ð§

Happy birthday to state Sen. Gregg Buxton and U.S. Sen. Mike Lee! ð ð ð

What you need to know

Associate Chief Justice John Pearce will leave the Utah Supreme Court on Dec. 1, after a decade on the high court and 16 years in public service. "The time has come for me to turn the page, start a new chapter of my career, and find new ways to serve the people of Utah," he said in a letter to Gov. Spencer Cox. Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant said Pearceâs contributions have been âtruly extraordinary.â After his retirement, Pearce plans to return to practicing law privately and continue teaching at the University of Utah's S. J. Quinney College of Law.

Rapid Relevance

The Utah House Majority Caucus elected 3 new members of the leadership team: House Majority Leader â Rep. Casey Snider, House Majority Whip â Rep. Candice Pierucci and House Majority Assistant Whip â Rep. Bridger Bolinder; job openings rebounded in April but layoffs picked up; Utah State and 4 others are officially leaving the Mountain West for PAC-12

On the Hill

12:00 pm: Elected Officials and Judicial Compensation Commission

Utah Headlines

Political news

Report: Sen. Mike Lee to return public land sale to âbig, beautiful billâ (ABC4, Deseret News)
Clean energy tax credit repeals could cost Utah thousands of jobs, industry group says (Deseret News)
Antisemitism is on the rise. Hereâs how the West is reacting (Deseret News)

Municipal news

Salt Lake City's big 300 West bike extension plans hit a small snag with the state (KSL)
Layton leaders OK development plan around FrontRunner station, hope for 'vibrant area' (KSL)

Utah

A Bear Lake namesake returned recently. Then it was struck and killed. (Salt Lake Tribune)
Utahâs relationship with Ute Indian Tribe shows a different approach to Trump-New York mascot debate (Deseret News)
Salt Lake man, 85, spent retirement substituting at East High â his alma mater (KSL)
D-Day theory: Utah Beach named for Provo carpenter (Salt Lake Tribune)

Biz/Tech

What is debanking? Why Citi said it wonât debank for political reasons anymore? (Deseret News)
Dollar General posts record sales as bargain stores attract more people (AP)

Crime/Courts

Provo man charged with threatening to blow up Missionary Training Center (KSL)
West Jordan man accused of killing roommate's dog because it was 'mimicking' him (Fox13)
Utah man, former BYU Idaho professor charged w/ 20 counts of sexual exploitation of minor (KUTV)

Culture/Community

A world chess champion banged his fist in defeat. I did a lot worse (Deseret News)
Need more Mammoth hockey? SEG launches weekly podcast starring Tyson Nash (ABC4)
An AP reporter explored religion in Utah. She was surprised by what she found (Deseret News)
'Everyone's just scared': Clearfield Job Corps students brace for facility's closure (KSL)

Environment

This Utahn wants those stained onesies youâre trashing (Salt Lake Tribune)
Tours of worldâs largest mine - Rio Tinto Kennecott - now available for the 2025 season (Deseret News)
Selling public land isnât enough for some conservatives. They want it in state hands (KUER)
Trump, Utah leaders restore access to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Deseret News)

Family

Opinion: Lessons learned from laundry (Deseret News)
Among youths, are night owls more impulsive than morning larks? (Deseret News)

Health

Opinion: Medicaid cuts will harm children and education in Utah (Deseret News)
Public warned about increased risk of swimmer's itch at Sand Hollow Reservoir (KUTV)
Traveler diagnosed with measles after passing through Salt Lake airport (KUTV)

Housing

The number of unsold homes in the U.S. hits a record high â is that good news for buyers? (Deseret News)

National Headlines

General

Michael J. Fox appeals for help finding lost 'Back to the Future' guitar (Reuters)
Tulsa announces reparations for the 1921 âBlack Wall Streetâ massacre (Washington Post)

Political news - Trump

Trump seeks to reshape judiciary as first nominees face Senate (Reuters)
Trump voters call president's pardon of corrupt Virginia sheriff 'a terrific mistake' (NPR)
Trump asks Congress to wipe out funding for public broadcasting (NPR)
White House proposes shutting down chemical safety agency (Washington Post)
Trump DOJ investigates Bidenâs pardons: Report (Deseret News)
Opinion: Why Trump is mad at âsleazebagâ Leonard Leo (Salt Lake Tribune)

Other political news

Congress to vote on DOGE cuts as early as next week. Hereâs what made the list (Deseret News)
Republican push for proof of citizenship to vote proves a tough sell in the states, even Republican-led ones (KUER)
Hegseth orders the name of gay rights activist Harvey Milk scrubbed from Navy ship (AP)
Ernst risks political blowback with âwe all are going to dieâ remarks (The Hill)
Rand Paul doubles down on big, beautiful bill criticism after Trump slam (The Hill)

Musk/DOGE

Musk calls Trump's tax-cut and spending bill 'a disgusting abomination' (Reuters)
Republican leaders seek to tamp down Elon Musk outrage over Trump tax bill (Deseret News)

Immigration/deportation

An immigrant was accused of threatening Trump. Prosecutors say he was framed. (New York Times)
Wife and children of man charged in Boulder attack detained by ICE (Deseret News)

Tariffs/Trade

Global alarms rise as China's critical mineral export ban takes hold (Reuters)
Trump to sign order doubling metals tariffs to 50%, White House says (Reuters)
A new era of trade warfare has begun for the U.S. and China. Instead of battling over tariffs, Washington and Beijing have turned to a potentially far more harmful strategy: flexing their control over global supply chains. (New York Times)
The BYU grad at the heart of Trumpâs trade war (Deseret News)

Ukraine/Russia

Satellite imagery shows Ukraine attack destroyed and damaged Russian bombers (Reuters)
As Russia reels from drone attack, Ukraine targets vital Crimean Bridge (Washington Post)
Troop casualties in Ukraine war near 1.4 million, study finds (New York Times)

World news

âThey donât need meâ: Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says sheâs done with politics (Deseret News)
Madeleine McCann: Police begin major new searches in Portugal (Reuters)

News Releases

Utah House Majority Caucus elects new leadership members

The Utah House Majority Caucus held a special leadership election to replace Majority Leader Jefferson Moss, who resigned from the Legislature following his appointment to Executive Director of the Governorâs Office of Economic Opportunity. The following representatives have been elected to the respective positions for the remainder of the 2025-2026 term: House Majority Leader â Rep. Casey Snider; House Majority Whip â Rep. Candice Pierucci, and House Majority Assistant Whip â Rep. Bridger Bolinder. (Read More)

Pres. Trump signs Maloy CRA restoring access in Glen Canyon National Recreational Area

President Donald Trump signed into law a Congressional Review Act resolution introduced by Representative Celeste Maloy (UT-02), Senator John Curtis (R-UT), and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) that overturns a National Park Service rule and restores the use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on 24 miles of park roads in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. (Read More)

Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi files for re-election

Mayor Michelle Kaufusi, who made history as Provoâs first female mayor in the cityâs 174-existence, has officially filed for re-election to a third term, positioning herself to build on a successful tenure that has earned national recognition.

Under Kaufusiâs leadership, Provo achieved an unprecedented milestone by being named the Nationâs Best-Performing City for three consecutive years (2021-2023) by the Milken Instituteâthe only city to earn this distinction since the index began in 1999. The prestigious ranking evaluates citiesâ effectiveness at leveraging resources to promote economic growth while delivering essential services. (Read More)

Curtis visits geothermal project in Beaver, Utah

U.S. Senator John Curtis (R-UT) last week toured Fervo Energyâs Cape Station geothermal project, a next-generation clean energy initiative located in Beaver County, Utah. He was joined by company leaders, project engineers, and Bill Gates, founder of Breakthrough Energy, for a firsthand look at one of the most ambitious geothermal developments in the nation. (Read More)

On This Day In History

1070 - Roquefort cheese created in a cave near Roquefort, France
1784 - Ãlisabeth Thible became the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon. Her flight covers four kilometres in 45 minutes, and reached an estimated 1,500 metres altitude.
1913 - English suffragette Emily Davison dies after throwing herself in front of King George V's horse Anmer during the running of the Derby at Epsom
1919 - Congress passes the 19th Amendment
1940 - Winston Churchill's speech "We shall fight on the seas and oceans"
1942 - Battle of Midway begins
1949 - Georgia Neese Clark is nominated as the first female treasurer of the US. She was confirmed unanimously.
1989 - Tiananmen Square Massacre as Chinese troops begin firing on protesters, killing an estimated 1000. Even Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev declared that he was saddened by the events in China.
2018 - Saudi Arabia issued its first driver licenses to women

Quote of the Day

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts."

âWinston Churchill

On the Punny Side

What did one wall say to the other wall?

I'll meet you at the corner!