National Take Your Dog to Work Day; Gov. Cox signs MOUs; Utah GOP special election convention to be held tomorrow; Utah Jazz select 3
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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 23, 2023

It's Friday and National Take Your Dog to Work Day. đŸ¶

Tomorrow is the GOP special election convention - only one winner will emerge to join signature-gathering candidates on the primary ballot. Stay tuned! 

What You Need to Know

  • Wreckage of the Titan submersible was found yesterday. There are no survivors. The U.S. Coast Guard says a "catastrophic implosion" destroyed the vehicle and killed its occupants, probably around the time communications were lost on Sunday. 

Rapid Relevance

 

Utah’s Open Space is Shrinking – What You Can Do

Population growth impacts recreation opportunities and open space in Utah. Leaders welcome input on how to protect them. Take the survey and be heard.

 

Utah Headlines

Political news

  • Gov. Cox meets with officials in France, United Kingdom during trade missions (Deseret News)
  • Opinion: Are conservatives better looking than liberals? Artificial intelligence thinks so (Deseret News)
  • Jana Riess: U.S. Latter-day Saints are becoming less Republican, but not by much. Driven by younger voters, members are shifting slowly away from default affiliation with the GOP. But it’s less of a blue wave than a blue ripple. (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • Utah Rep. John Curtis to fight BLM rule he says would restrict land access (UPR)

Election news

  • GOP candidates appeal to southern Utah delegates in debate 2 days before convention (Deseret News)
  • One Republican will know Saturday if they qualify for CD2 special election ballot: Here’s how they’ll get elected (KSL Newsradio)
  • Utah’s special election has national implications says GOP chair (KSL Newsradio)
  • Utah Candidate Greg Hughes made visits to China, urging cooperative U.S. policy (National Review)
  • Utah mayor hires firm linked to the far-right Proud Boys to consult for his congressional campaign (Salt Lake Tribune)

General Utah news

  • Census data: Utah County is the youngest in the U.S. as the nation grows older (Deseret News)
  • Sandy detective honored for 'incredible work' in horrific child abuse homicide case (KSL)
  • 'The honor of my life': Hill Air Force Base welcomes new commander (KSL)
  • Utah motorcyclist arrested, accused of shooting 18-year-old in face during I-15 road rage. The woman shot suffered suffered “permanent damage and disfigurement,” police said. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Business

  • Bye-bye to Bed, Bath & Beyond: Overstock.com snaps up brand, but not stores, in liquidation sale (Deseret News)
  • Owners of Midvale care facility face charges a year after it was shut down (KSL)
  • Ares Strategic Mining announces expansion to rural Utah (EDC Utah)
  • Jack in the Box opens in Salt Lake City, and is causing a traffic mess (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • Remote work appears to be here to stay, especially for women (Washington Post)

Culture

  • These are the 8 women that Salt Lake City’s new west side murals honor (KUER)
  • How Iranian immigrants are woven into the fabric of America (Deseret News)
  • Primary Children’s Hospital hosts Prom for teens receiving cancer treatments (KSL TV)
  • Special Needs Rodeo coming to Tooele July 1 (ABC4)

Education

  • ‘Monumental for our campus’: Utah Tech First-Generation program chosen for participation in national network (St. George News)
  • USU breaks ground on new art education and research center (UPR)
  • She’s the first ever Native valedictorian for her high school and for Salt Lake City (Salt Lake Tribune)

Environment

  •  Dozens rally outside DAQ in opposition of Parley's Canyon mine (Fox13)
  • Tribal coalition, environmentalists back Bears Ears land swap between Utah, feds (Fox13)
  • Crews still removing snow covering bike trails ahead of summer season (KSL TV)

Family

  • ‘Textbook controlling behavior’: The warning signs experts found in recordings by a father who murdered his family (Deseret News)

Health

  • Post-Roe, Planned Parenthood Utah says it won’t give up on abortion care in Utah (KUER)
  • Utah researchers are testing a birth control gel for men (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • Muscular dystrophy patients get first gene therapy (NPR)
  • Biden to sign executive order expanding access to contraception (Reuters)
  • Deadly fungal infections confound doctors—‘it’s going to get worse’ (Wall Street Journal)
  • New scrutiny for aspartame, one of the world’s most common sweeteners (Washington Post)

Housing

  • Businesses near Salt Lake homeless center claim parking lot 'used as a toilet' (KUTV)
  • Utah eviction law means harsh consequences, and more people face that potential than in years. Landlords across the state filed more than 2,600 eviction cases in the first four months of 2023. That’s up 40% from the same time period in 2022 and higher than pre-pandemic levels going back to at least 2017. (Salt Lake Tribune)
 

National Headlines

General

  • Ukraine ‘depriving’ athletes of chance to compete in Paris Olympics, IOC leader says. Policy allowing Russians, Belarusians to compete as ‘neutral athletes’ defended (Deseret News)
  • US engineers contributed to Missouri River flood damage and must pay landowners, court rules (AP)
  • The 5 men who were aboard the wrecked Titan sub loved adventures — and taking risks (NPR)
  • The International African American Museum in Charleston honors a journey of grief and grace (New York Times)

Politics

  • Supreme Court rejects Navajo Nation argument for federal assistance in Colorado River Basin (Deseret News)
  • U.S. presidents and sports: Competitiveness and ambition searching for a new target (Deseret News)
  • Arizona Republican election official sues Kari Lake for defamation (AP)
  • Biden and Modi cheer booming economic ties in visit that also reckoned with India’s record on rights (AP)
  • Father, aunt helped indicted US Representative George Santos post bail (Reuters)
  • Trump prosecutors struggled over motives. Then they heard the tape. (Wall Street Journal)
  • Senate, House Republicans on collision course over defense spending (The Hill)
  • House Freedom Caucus faces an internal purge push (Politico)

Ukraine đŸ‡ș🇩

  • Infighting among Putin’s lieutenants seems to reveal signs of ‘deep dysfunction’ (AP)
  • Ukraine says it advances in south, stops Russian attack in east (Reuters)
  • Ukraine's Western-trained brigades begin to enter the fight (New York Times)
  • Delivering mail in war-ravaged Ukraine: ‘There are still people living here’ (Washington Post)

World

  • Chased from their homes by gangs, thousands of Haitians languish in shelters with lives in limbo (AP)
  • UN aid enters opposition-held Syria from government territory for first time since deadly earthquake (AP)
  • After Taliban bans opium, a guilt-racked commander winks at harvest (Washington Post)
 

News Releases

Gov. Cox signs trade pacts with UK, France during European trade mission

Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox met with the United Kingdom’s Trade Minister Nigel Huddleston to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to boost trade and investment with the United Kingdom. 

The U.K.-Utah MOU is the first to prioritize fintech as well as aerospace, supply chain resilience and life sciences. This MOU is the fifth such arrangement between the U.K. and a U.S. state and marks a milestone in the U.K. trade ties with Utah. (Read More)


Putting patients first: Lee spearheads islet transplantation bill

Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Ted Budd (R-NC), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced a bill aimed at empowering patients and improving the outdated regulation of islet transplantation, a cutting-edge treatment for individuals with Type 1 Diabetes. Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives. Focused on patient-centered care, this effort would move islets to a more appropriate regulatory framework.

Islets, vital micro-organs in the pancreas responsible for insulin production, are essential for individuals’ well-being. However, those with Type 1 Diabetes face a daily struggle as their islets fail to function properly, necessitating insulin injections. Islet transplantation presents a transformative solution by utilizing islets from deceased donors to restore natural insulin production, potentially liberating patients from constant insulin administration. (Read More)

 

Number of the Day

Number of the Day, June 23, 2023

 

Tweet of the Day

Screenshot 2023-06-23 at 7.15.32 AM

 

Upcoming

  • GOP special election convention — June 24, Delta High School
  • United Utah special election convention — June 27, 7:00 pm, Hunter Library
  • Democratic special election convention — June 28
  • Municipal election filing period for cities using ranked choice voting — August 8-15
  • 'Titan of Public Service' gala recognizing Senator Mitch McConnell and former Transportation and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation — Aug 22, 7 pm, Register here
  • Municipal/Special election primary — Sept 5
  • General election — Nov 21
 

On This Day In History

  • 1921 - Jeanne M. Holm is born. She became the first female one-star general of the United States Air Force and the first female two-star general in any service branch of the United States
  • 1949 - The first twelve women graduate from Harvard Medical School
  • 1950 - Swiss parliament refuses voting rights for women.
  • 1972 - Title IX of the Education Amendments is signed by President Nixon, one of the most important legislation initiatives passed for women and girls since women won the vote in 1920. This legislation guarantees equal access and equal opportunity for female and male students in almost all aspects of our educational systems.
  • 1986 - Tip O’Neill refuses to let President Reagan address the US House
  • 1992 - Mafia boss John Gotti, aka “Teflon Don,” sentenced to life in prison. He dies there ten years later of throat cancer. 
  • 1995 - Jonas Salk, the American biologist who created the Polio vaccine, dies of heart failure at 80
  • 2016 - Britain votes for Brexit
  • 2018 - 12 boys and their coach are stranded in a cave in Thailand after monsoon flooding traps them.

Quote of the Day

“I think folks are looking and seeing that there’s an opportunity of leadership that’s coming out of Utah and we’re geared up for some critical roles to play over these next handful of years.”

—Rob Axson, Utah GOP chair


On the Punny Side

A police officer just knocked on my door and told me that my dogs are chasing people on bikes.
That’s ridiculous, because my dogs don’t even own bikes.

 

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