| UT GOP delegates to vote on stripping party membership for candidates who gather signatures; DWR gives tips for avoiding conflicts with bears .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 | May 6, 2025 It's Tuesday and both National Nurses Day and National Teachers Day! ð Happy birthday to President Stuart Adams, and the KSL, which launched on this day in 1922! ð ð ð What you need to know -
For the third year in a row, Utah has been named the Best State in America by U.S. News. The ranking looks at 71 metrics across eight categories, including crime and corrections, education, infrastructure and natural environment. Utah is No. 1 this year in the Best States assessment of statesâ financial stability, #2 in lowest poverty rate, #3 in economy and infrastructure, #4 in education, and #7 in crime and corrections. Utah also has some room for improvement, being ranked #19 in opportunity, #36 for housing affordability and #48 in the environment category, which looks at pollution-related problems.
Rapid Relevance | | |
 | Tickets on sale now for Envision Utahâs Annual Spring Breakfast! When all eyes are on us for the 2034 Olympic Games, what should Utah show the world? Join us for a conversation between Governor Mike Leavitt and 2034 Games CEO Brad Wilson to talk about lessons from 2002 and how we can prepare Utah for 2034. Tickets on sale at envisionutah.org. | | |
Utah Headlines Political news - Utah women stitch messages of unity into quilts headed for Congress (KUTV)
- 'Initiatives Initiative' group to seek help from Utah Supreme Court (Fox13)
- Cache County Republicans choose new party leadership at organizing convention (Cache Valley Daily)
Municipal news - Salt Lake City librarians officially unionize, but likely referendum to determine next steps (Deseret News)
- Cedar City Airport completes $5.5M terminal expansion (KSL)
- Provo urges residents to recycle right as misuse raises costs, landfill concerns (KUTV)
- Salt Palace sale terms called 'very unusual, bad deal' for taxpayers (KUTV)
- Not too late: Volunteers still being sought for next weekâs 24th annual Ogden Marathon (Standard-Examiner)
Utah - Have You Seen This? State's biggest bagpipe band brings Scotland to Utah (KSL)
Biz/Tech - Deseret News appoints vice president of product and technology (Deseret News)
- Forever 21 stores in Utah close doors for good (Fox13)
- U.S. seeks breakup of Google's ad-tech products after judge finds illegal monopoly (Reuters)
- âWe definitely are collateral damageâ: Tourism industry roiled by Trumpâs new world order (Politico)
Economy - Federal Reserve likely to defy Trump, keep rates unchanged this week (AP)
- âWho buys 30 dolls?!â: Three economists on what the Fed should do now (New York Times)
Education - K-12 - Female Canyon View wrestler goes undefeated in Las Vegas tournament, repeats as national champion (St. George News)
Education - Higher - Federal student loans are due again. A record percentage of borrowers are seriously delinquent (KSL)
- Utah Tech University looking at possible degree program cuts (KSL Newsradio)
- Scholarships from the Utah Jazz changed their lives, even as the world changed around them (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Trump administration says Harvard will receive no new research grants until it meets White House demands (AP)
Energy - Opinion: A homegrown vision for Utahâs energy future takes root (Deseret News)
Environment - UDOT continues work to clear mountain passes for summer (ABC4)
- Colorado River states need âshared painâ to break the deadlock, say water experts (KUER)
Family - Retirees: Are you a tightwad or spendthrift? (Deseret News)
- Whatâs in a name? Thatâs the question newlywed female athletes must answer (Deseret News)
Health - Healing addiction: Experts discuss power of compassion, community and hope (Deseret News)
- Holly Richardson: Celebrating the vital role of midwives on International Day of the Midwife (Deseret News)
- Your brain is biased to negativity. Hereâs how to be more positive. (Washington Post)
Housing - New coalition aims to create better understanding between landlords, tenants (KSL TV)
- Utahns respond to national report showing housing payments at all-time high (KUTV)
| | |
National Headlines General - Delays and cancellations are causing chaos at Newark Airport. An outage briefly left air traffic controllers âunable to see, hear, or talk toâ planes last week (Washington Post)
- Youâve heard of eminent domain. What about seizing a church to build a soccer field? (Deseret News)
- All cardinals who will elect new pope arrive in Vatican City ahead of conclave (KSL)
- Reuters wins Pulitzer for fentanyl investigation; New York Times takes four prizes (Reuters)
- 20 years later, the Real ID deadline is here. Here's why it took so long (NPR)
Political news - The lessons of 3 images â 2 from a pope, 1 from a president (Deseret News)
- Trump is making foreign liberals, free trade and immigrants great again (Washington Post)
- Trump administration asks judge to toss suit restricting access to abortion medication (AP)
- Hegseth directs 20% cut to top military leadership positions (AP)
- Hegseth used multiple Signal chats for official Pentagon business (Wall Street Journal)
- Pence criticizes Trumpâs tariffs, stance on Russia (Washington Post)
- Editorial Board: Trump's third-term jokes deserve a serious response (New York Times)
Immigration/Deportation - The controversy at America's other border (Deseret News)
- Will a $1,000 stipend actually entice immigrants to leave? DHS unveils self-deportation program (Deseret News)
- Judge orders Trump administration to admit roughly 12,000 refugees (AP)
Tariffs - National security risk? Trump proposes tariff on foreign made films (Deseret News)
- As Trump tariffs sink in, Canadian companies pivot from US to new markets (Reuters)
- Six US states invite Canadian provincial leaders to discuss Trump tariffs (Reuters)
- Ford pulls guidance, warns it will take $1.5 billion hit from Trump's tariffs (Reuters)
- From prosperity to austerity: Trumpâs tone shifts ahead of tariff impacts (Washington Post)
DOGE/Musk - Does Trumpâs plan to reopen Alcatraz pass the DOGE test? (Deseret News)
- Musk above the law. Read The Wall Street Journalâs Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage that showed how he operates. (WSJ)
Ukraine/Russia - Exclusive: Order by Hegseth to cancel Ukraine weapons caught White House off guard (Reuters)
- Kremlin says Russia still plans to cease fire in Ukraine from May 8-10 but will respond if attacked (Reuters)
Israel, Gaza, Syria - Israel may seize all Gaza in expanded operation, officials say (Reuters)
World news - Friedrich Merz failed to be elected German chancellor at first attempt. What now? (Reuters)
- Drone strikes pound Port Sudan, putting aid deliveries at risk (Reuters)
| | |
Number of the Day .png?width=1200&height=1000&upscale=true&name=Number%20of%20the%20Day%2c%20May%206%2c%202025%20%20(1200%20x%201000%20px).png)
| | |
 | News Releases Curtis invites Utahns to help shape maiden Senate speech On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, U.S. Senator John Curtis (R-UT) will deliver his first address from the Senate floor. In an opinion piece published in Deseret News, Curtis invited Utahns to help shape the content of his speech by sharing personal reflections and experiences tied to key American principles. To prepare, Senator Curtis is making independent visits to four historic sites where, he says, âAmerican principles arenât just spoken, but felt:â - The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- The National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Arlington National Cemetery
- Ensign Peak in Salt Lake City, Utah
Constituents who have visited any of these places or been moved by their meaning are encouraged to share their stories by emailing experience@curtis.senate.gov.
Curtis, Merkley introduce bipartisan bill to strengthen relations between the US and Taiwan U.S. Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) today introduced the Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act, bipartisan legislation that reaffirms U.S. policy to support Taiwanâs democracy and its engagement with the world. The bill, which was previously introduced by then-Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), comes as Taiwan faces increasing military and diplomatic aggression from China. (Read More) | | |
Tweet of the Day  | | |
Upcoming - May 6 â "State AG Offices and the New Administration" webinar hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, 10:00 am MDT, Register here
- May 12 â Utah Taxes Now Conference with the Utah Taxpayers Association, Grand America Hotel, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, Register here
- May 17 â Utah GOP Organizing Convention, at UVUâs UCCU Center.
- May 20-22 â Interim Days
- May 31 â Utah Democratic Party Organizing Convention, Ogden High School
- 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 - 1922 - KSL launches.
- 1935 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs an executive order creating the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
- 1937 - German airship Hindenburg explodes in flames at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 on board and 1 on the ground and ends the age of zeppelins.
- 1947 - Martha Craven Nussbaum, one of the foremost American philosophers, was born today.
- 1954 - Roger Bannister becomes first to run a sub-4 minute mile at 3:59:4
- 1960 - President Eisenhower signs the Civil Rights Act of 1960.
- 1981 - Architecture student Maya Lin wins a national competition for the design of the Vietnam Veteranâs Memorial to be built in Washington, D.C.
- 1987 - William J. Casey, American head of the CIA during the Iran-contra scandal (1981-87), dies of aspiration pneumonia at 73
- 1994 - The âChunnelâ officially opens, linking England and France through an underwater tunnel.
Quote of the Day "You can't have a democracy when people don't learn to put themselves in the shoes of another person, who can't think what their policies mean for others."
âMartha Nussbaum
On the Punny Side No one prepared me for the fact that as an adult, you have to figure out what you're going to eat everyday. | | |
â Advertise With Us â Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
|
