Pioneer Day weekend, Biden has COVID, monarch butterflies are disappearing, and FCC orders auto warranty robocalls blocked (hooray!) | | | 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 | July 22, 2022 We made it to Friday of another long weekend! Be safe, be cool, have fun. My husband and I will spend the weekend replacing kitchen cabinets and countertop in our son and daughter-in-laws home and will be thankful for air conditioning the entire time. Be in the Know Despite desperate pleas from aides, allies, a Republican congressional leader and even his family, Donald Trump refused to call off the Jan. 6 mob attack on the Capitol. In last night's Jan. 6 committee hearing, audio was played of Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reacting with surprise to the former presidentâs reaction to the attack. âYouâre the commander-in-chief. Youâve got an assault going on on the Capitol of the United States of America. And thereâs Nothing? No call? Nothing Zero?â Milley said. At the Capitol, the mob was chanting âHang Mike Pence,â testified Matt Pottinger, the former deputy national security adviser, as Trump tweeted that Pence was a coward. Meanwhile, recordings of Secret Service radio transmissions revealed agents at the Capitol trying to whisk Pence to safety amid the mayhem and asking for messages to be relayed telling their own families goodbye because they did not know if they would live to see the end of the day. In the early evening of Jan. 6, after hours of rioting, Mr. Trump had only one thing to say: "Mike Pence let me down." Rapid Roundup President Biden has COVID, a man was arrested after using his horse to run down and trample another man in Uintah County, some good news as the FCC orders phone companies to block auto warranty robocalls ð ð , Crumbl CEO doubles down, as Utah cookie war continues (doesn't this remind you of the dirty soda war??), and monarch butterflies are now on the endangered species list ð. | | |
| | | FROM OUR SPONSOR, DESERET NEWS MARATHON This is the race! Join us for this year's Deseret News Marathon on July 23. First run in 1970, the Deseret News Marathon is the oldest road race in Utah and the 4th oldest marathon west of the continental divide. The marathon follows the path the Utah pioneers traveled when they first entered the valley. This event is truly a part of Utahâs heritage! Register today! | | |
Utah Headlines General Life-threatening corruption endangers Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammed Yunus. Yunus, a frequent visitor to Utah and helper of the poor, needs support from the U.S. against baseless charges that could put him in prison (Deseret News) Utah domestic violence shelter reports case increase during summer (Fox13) She loved reading, drawing and petting any dog she saw. This is who Zhifan Dong, slain University of Utah student, was. (Salt Lake Tribune) Small Utah towns using grant-funded projects to entice visitors (Fox13) Multiple people hospitalized after armed home invasion suspect sets house on fire ð¥ (KUTV) Politics All of Utahâs US House delegation votes against codifying the right to birth control (Deseret News) Why some Democrats and Republicans are crossing over to support the other party. Candidates running against Trump-backed opponents are hoping to build bipartisan coalitions to win in November (Deseret News) Curtis wants the U.S. to have a voluntary âDo not sellâ gun list. Utah already has one â but how many have actually signed up? (Deseret News Tom Huckin: U.S. should study democracies around the world (Salt Lake Tribune) What was Trump doing during the 187 minutes before he called off the Jan. 6 attack? The House committee investigating Jan. 6 showed outtakes of Trumpâs video messages as he wrestled with his wording after ignoring pleas to call off the attack (Deseret News) Business Due to inflation and price increases, minimum wage is at its lowest value since 1956 (Deseret News) Amazonâs $3.9 billion bid to upgrade health care. The purchase of primary care provider One Medical signals Amazonâs renewed interest in the challenging health care sector (Deseret News) Why Traeger is cutting staff. The Utah-based companyâs plan is included in a recent document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Salt Lake Tribune) Car service and repair shops see bump in business due to the heat (Fox13) Tech-Moms to host first Orem cohort (Daily Herald) Northrop Grumman and NASA successfully test fire rocket booster (Cache Valley Daily) Environment Yes, Utah got âlackadaisicalâ about water, Gov. Spencer Cox concedes. Hereâs why he remains hopeful: From landmark reforms to state water laws to big investments in infrastructure, he believes itâs not too late for the Great Salt Lake. (Salt Lake Tribune) More wolves for Colorado? Conservation groups propose plan to reintroduce at least 750 wolves (Deseret News) You think this summer is hot? Summer of 1936 was deadly. 100 million Americans were under heat advisories this week, but the summer of 1936 burned hotter (Deseret News) Wildfires have lasting effects on drinking water supplies long after theyâre put out (KUER) Campfires could face extinction as Utahâs summers heat up (Salt Lake Tribune) Lake Powell and Lake Mead could collapse without more water cuts along the Colorado River, a new peer-reviewed paper explains (Salt Lake Tribune) Critics say the Great Salt Lake Recovery Act pushes more study when action is whatâs needed (KUER) Saratoga Springs to limit irrigation water-use due to drought, increase in costs (KUTV) Homes with wood roofs most susceptible to wildfires (Fox13) Health Georgia enacts 6-week abortion ban after a yearlong court battle (Deseret News) Utah hits 1 millionth coronavirus case during highly contagious BA.5 surge. Intermountain Healthcareâs Dr. Eddie Stenehjem said the state likely passed this milestone months ago because of dramatic undercounting of new cases. (Salt Lake Tribune) Are Utahns concerned about getting COVID-19? Hereâs why a doctor says they should be (Deseret News) Study says depression not caused by chemical imbalance, raising questions about antidepressants. University College London research says depression is not a serotonin imbalance and drugs that target it may not be the answer (Deseret News) Housing Housing market enters recession territory. Hereâs what that means. Sales continue to fall while inventory spikes â especially in âbubblyâ West (Deseret News) Volunteers of America hand out water bottles, sunscreen to unsheltered in Salt Lake County on hot July days (Fox13) Report: Homes deemed unaffordable in most U.S. counties (Washington Post) National Headlines General Unvaccinated man in Rockland County, N.Y., diagnosed with polio. This is the first U.S. case of polio in nearly a decade (Washington Post) Woman dressed as nurse and tried to steal baby from hospital, police say (Washington Post) Cyber-attacks on Port of Los Angeles have doubled since pandemic (BBC) Justice Kagan warns U.S. Supreme Court must maintain public confidence (Reuters) Politics Arthur Cyr: What Biden can build in the Middle East (Deseret News) Lee Zeldin, GOP nominee for NY governor, assaulted at rally (AP) Caroline Kennedy says US needs to engage more in the Pacific (AP) Vermonter Harry Anzbock once supported Obama. He eventually came to embrace Trumpâs false rigged-voting claim â and threatened to kill election officials over it. (Reuters) U.S. Supreme Court declines to allow Biden's shift on immigration enforcement (Reuters) Pence seeks distance from Trump as he considers 2024 presidential run (Washington Post) Watchdog launches criminal probe over missing Secret Service messages (Washington Post) A video showed Senator Josh Hawley fleeing the Capitol as it was attacked by the crowd he had cheered earlier. (New York Times) House GOP Conference deletes tweet attacking Sarah Matthews, former deputy press secretary in the Trump White House (The Hill) Two witnesses back key aspects of Cassidy Hutchinson's account of a heated confrontation between Donald Trump and the Secret Service on Jan. 6. (Politico) The inescapable conclusion from the January 6 hearings: Former President Donald Trump could not be compelled to call off the mob that nearly destroyed democracy. (The Atlantic) GOP leaders won't get in the way of Trump 2024. Most top Hill Republicans would rather he not announce before November. But that doesn't mean they're prepared to boost any rivals â setting up a 2016 redux. (Politico) Ukraine ðºð¦ Ukraine, Russia set to sign deal to reopen grain export ports (Reuters) Russia to ârun out of steamâ soon in Ukraine: U.K. intelligence chief (Washington Post) Analysis: Putin bets on an ancient weapon in Ukraine: time (Reuters) Russia is laying the groundwork for its annexation of Ukraine. Moscow has introduced its passport, currency and propaganda in a race to absorb occupied regions (Washington Post) | | |
News Releases University of Utah Research Park passes committee Sen. Mike Leeâs (R-UT) University of Utah Research Park Act passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today with a bipartisan vote. This bill would preserve the University of Utahâs nearly 600-acre research park and avoid possible action by the Bureau of Land Management to repurpose the land. Research Park is a center for research and development serving both the University and the local workforce. Research Park is situated on a parcel of land which was transferred to the University by the Bureau of Land Management in 1968. Sen. Leeâs bill would remove an encumbrance from that land patent to ensure Research Park remains productive and thriving. The bill is now eligible for consideration by the full Senate. (Read More) Sen. Leeâs FORMULA Act heads to Presidentâs desk The United States Senate unanimously passed Sen. Mike Leeâs (R-UT) FORMULA Act. The bill, which removes import tariffs on baby formula and baby formula input products until the end of this year, now heads to the Presidentâs desk. The House of Representatives had previously modified and passed the bill resulting in Senate reconsideration. (Read/Watch More) Owens leads the Police Radiation Exposure Benefits Act Today, Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) introduced H.R. 8458, the Police Radiation Exposure Benefits (PATROL) Act, to extend disability benefits to law enforcement officers who lost their lives or were permanently disabled due to clandestine lab radiation exposure, which is not currently covered under the Public Safety Officer Benefits (PSOB) Program. (Read More) Romney, Hickenlooper bill to protect endangered fish species, maintain ecosystems passes committee Today, U.S. Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and John Hickenlooperâs (D-CO) Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Recovery Act passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. This bipartisan legislation would continue protecting four threatened and endangered native fish species in the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins by extending conservation programs for one year to allow Upper Basin communities the time to develop a long-term management plan. The bill next heads to a vote on the Senate floor. (Read More) Number of the Day | | |
Upcoming Monument dedication to Black pioneers â July 22, 10:00 am, This is the Place Heritage Park Women in the Money with Utah State Treasurer's Office â Sept. 15-16, Salt Lake Sheraton + online, Register here ULCT Annual Convention â Oct 5-7, Salt Palace Convention Center, Register here General election â Nov 8 | | |
On This Day In History 1849 - Poet Emma Lazarus is born. 1862 - Lincoln tells his cabinet that he will issue an Emancipation Proclamation but will wait until the Union Army has achieved a substantial military victory. 1890 - Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy is born. An American matriarch, she was the mother of JFK, RFK & Ted. 1893 - Inspired by the view from atop Pikes Peak, American author and professor Katharine Lee Bates writes the lyrics to âAmerica the Beautiful.â 1898 - Miriam Underhill is born. She became a mountaineer and environmentalist, was in the first all-women ascent of the Matterhorn in 1932, and developed âmanless climbing,â which meant all-women climbing groups. 1908 - Jane Bolin is born. She was the first African American woman judge in the United States. She was also the first black woman to graduate from Yale Law School, the first to join the New York City Bar Association and the first to join the New York City Law Department. 1910 - Ruthie Tompson is born. The American animator and artist worked nearly 40 years with the Walt Disney Company. Some of the animated films she worked on include Mary Poppins, Robin Hood, and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too. In 2010, she became one of Americaâs supercentenarians. 1923 - Bob Dole is born. 1926 - Dorcas Reilly is born. You may not know her name, but you almost certainly know her food. During her time working for Campbellâs Test Kitchen, she created the green bean casserole, a staple of an American Thanksgiving feast. 1937 - The US Senate rejects FDR's proposal to enlarge the Supreme Court 1942 - Deportations from Warsaw ghetto to Treblinka begin. 1987 - Gorbachev accepts ban on intermediate-range nuclear missiles. 1991 - Cannibal and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is caught. 2013 - Prince George, first child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, is born. Wise Words âIt has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.â
â Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy | | |
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