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Situational Analysis | July 2, 2025

It's Wednesday and World UFO Day 🛸

Happy birthday to Rep. Stewart Barlow! 🎁🎂🎈

What you need to know

Gov. Cox, Marie Osmond kick off Utah's yearlong celebration for America's 250th birthday. As part of Gov. Cox's speech, he urged Utahns to return to an "old era of patriotism," driven by the knowledge "that responsibility is built here, that we must be better human beings, that there is nothing more un-American than hating our fellow Americans." Rep. Celeste Maloy and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson also spoke. A full list of events and ways to volunteer can be found on Utah's America250 website.

Rapid Relevance

Utah skies to be filled with F-35A jets for Fourth of July; Stadium of Fire bolsters safety measures after 2024’s spectator injuries; over 90% of Utah in drought status, conditions likely to worsen

Utah Headlines

Political news

Senate kills proposal to ban statewide AI regulations in overwhelming bipartisan vote (Deseret News)
Martha Hughes Cannon, beloved on both sides of the ocean, celebrates a birthday (Deseret News)
Car-camping to Capitol Hill: The remarkable rise of Sen. Curtis’ right-hand man, Corey Norman (Deseret News)
Utah voters favored casting early mail ballots in last year's presidential election (KUTV)
All of Utah’s downwinders could be compensated under Senate’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ (Utah News Dispatch)
What an 8-mile stretch of dirt road in Utah says about the meaning of America’s public lands (Washington Post)

Municipal news

Here's how Salt Lake City wants to transform Smith's Ballpark (KSL)
Salt Lake City pitches housing, a library and festival space for Smith’s Ballpark (KUER)
Maj. Brent Taylor Foundation needs help with flag campaign (ABC4)
Draper residents face 15% water rate increase (KUTV)

Utah

Utah’s monsoon season is about to start at a helpful time for the state (Deseret News)
It’s the smallest bird native to North America. And it passes through Utah (Deseret News)
Kalani Sitake confident Cougars will recover positively from loss of Jake Retzlaff (Deseret News)
82-year-old hiker dies on trail near Stewart Falls despite rescue efforts (KSL TV)
Rural arts programs will feel the $1M funding loss at Utah Humanities (KUER)

Biz/Tech

Tesla shares tanking after Trump trashes Elon Musk on social media (Deseret News)
College graduates face toughest job market in more than a decade as hiring slows (KSL)

Crime/Courts

Intoxicated man shoots gun after argument, hits bystander, police say (KSL)

Culture/Community

July events and activities in Utah (Deseret News)
Photo gallery: Jazz camp for kids (Deseret News)
Food dyes disappearing: Green Jell-O will go from synthetic neon to naturally green and clean (Deseret News)

Economy

US personal income drops for first time since 2021, raising recession concerns (KUTV)

Education

Why absenteeism is quietly undermining education in Utah (Deseret News)

Environment

National climate report website goes dark (Deseret News)

Family

Dating app fatigue: A Gen Z diagnosis (Deseret News)
Utah has the ‘happiest’ families in America, according to a new study (Parents)

Health

USU report shows Utah women have more mental health issues than men (KSL)
9 Utahns now have measles, Utah health department reports (KSL)
Doctor offers reminders about children and heat with July weather looming (KSL TV)
Only 37% of Gen Z uses sunscreen as misinformation spreads on social media (KUTV)

Housing

Are condos getting cheaper? Here’s what a new study found (Deseret News)
Homeowners demand transparency over rising HOA fees in Kearns community (KUTV)
Ogden expands home buying assistance program, offering up to $20,000 for down payments and closing costs (Fox13)

National Headlines

General

Zohran Mamdani and New York: What we've learned about religious pluralism (Deseret News)
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, whose ministry was toppled by prostitution scandals, dies at 90 (AP)
Record July Fourth travel expected as Americans hit the road and the skies (Reuters)

Political news - Trump

Musk proposes a new political party, Trump suggests DOGE ‘might have to go back and eat Elon’ (AP)
Trump administration withholds over $6 billion for after-school, summer programs and more (AP)
Study: 14 million lives could be lost due to Trump aid cuts (NPR)

Other political news

House Republicans threaten to sink Trump's megabill (Wall Street Journal)
Why democracy hinges on respect for the court — and the rule of law (Deseret News)
Despite last-minute changes, US Senate bill deals big blow to renewable energy (Reuters)
Daughter of assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers sees painful echoes of political violence in America (AP)
Poll: Most feel democracy is threatened and political violence is a major problem (NPR)

Immigration/deportation

Trump tours 'Alligator Alcatraz,' a day before its first arrivals are expected (NPR)
What is and isn’t legal when ICE officers make an immigration arrest (Washington Post)

Ukraine/Russia

As US and European aid cuts deepen, Ukraine's humanitarian lifelines fray (Reuters)

Middle East

Trump's ceasefire statement raises hopes in Gaza as Israel presses on with attacks (Reuters)
'Hell on Earth': Doctor describes 'mass casualty incidents' every day after aid sites open in Gaza (NPR/WBUR)

World news

How political tension with the U.S. boosted Canadian patriotism this Canada Day (Deseret News)

News Releases

Harmful algal bloom and waterborne pathogen season begins in Utah

As summer heats up and Utahns head outdoors to enjoy the state’s lakes, reservoirs, and rivers, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is reminding everyone to protect themselves from harmful algal blooms (HABs) and waterborne pathogens. These blooms pose health risks from May through October and can put a damper on fun summer plans. (Read More)

Advisory regarding misleading mailers targeting Utah business owners

The Utah Department of Commerce’s Division of Corporations and Commercial Code is issuing an important alert to business owners across the state. We have identified a series of potentially misleading mailers that are currently in circulation, which may confuse and mislead Utah business registrants. These letters feature QR codes that direct recipients to a third-party website that closely resembles our official business registration page. This unauthorized site is attempting to charge users $175 for business renewal services, which is unnecessary. (Read More)

Utah women and mental health, 2025

The Utah Women and Leadership Project released a new research snapshot. “Utah Women and Mental Health: A 2025 Update” provides an updated overview of women’s mental health rates in Utah, analyzes contributing factors, and highlights current statewide efforts to improve mental health for girls, women, and their families. (Read More)

President Adams’ on the kickoff of America’s 250th anniversary year honoring the nation’s legacy

As the United States begins a yearlong celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, President J. Stuart Adams issued the following statement to commemorate the milestone and mark the historic anniversary: “For 250 years, America has stood as the hope of the world. Our founding ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have stretched far beyond our borders and inspired generations around the globe." (Read More)

Utah House Democratic Caucus on the U.S. Senate voting to pass the Big Beautiful Bill

The Utah House Democratic Caucus released the following statement following the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill in the U.S. Senate: “The Utah House Democratic Caucus is deeply disappointed by the U.S. Senate’s vote to pass the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.” Let us be clear: there is nothing beautiful about this legislation. It is a morally indefensible measure that gives massive tax breaks to the wealthy at the expense of the most vulnerable members of our communities." (Read More)

Curtis statement on Senate passage of Big Beautiful Bill

U.S. Senator John Curtis (R-UT) released the following statement after voting in favor of the Big Beautiful Bill, landmark legislation that secures the border, delivers permanent tax relief for Utah families, and gives business certainty on energy policy: “The Big Beautiful Bill delivers for Utahns. It secures the border, provides permanent tax relief for working families, and strengthens our military. I’m grateful to Leader Thune and Finance Chair Crapo for including my changes to the energy credits—key for business certainty and for Utah’s energy future. I look forward to the House sending it to the President before the Fourth.” (Read More)

On This Day In History

1566 - Nostradamus [Michel de Nostre-Dam], French astrologist and prophet (Les Propheties), dies at 62
1776 - The Continental Congress votes for independence from Britain
1809 - Chief Tecumseh urges Native Americans to unite
1862 - Lincoln signs act granting land for state agricultural colleges
1881 - US President James Garfield is shot by Charles J. Guiteau a disappointed office-seeker; Garfield dies 79 days later
1908 - Thurgood Marshall is born. He later became the first Black US Supreme Court Justice.
1922 - Eleanor Leacock is born. A cultural anthropologist, she studied the Native North Americans, and issues of gender and class, racism, and poverty
1925 - Medgar Evers born in Decatur, Mississippi
1937 - Amelia Earhart disappears
1961 - Ernest Hemingway, American author and Nobel laureate (The Old Man and the Sea), dies from suicide at 61
1962 - Sam Walton opens his first Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas
1964 - President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act into law.
1997 - Jimmy Stewart, American actor (The Philadelphia Story and It's a Wonderful Life), dies of a pulmonary embolism at 89
2016 - Elie Wiesel, Jewish Auschwitz survivor and author (Night), Nobel Prize winner 1986, dies at 87
2019 - Germany's Ursula von der Leyen is the first woman nominated to lead the European Commission with France's Christine Lagarde the 1st woman nominated to lead the European Central Bank

Quote of the Day

“Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.”

– Elie Wiesel

On the Punny Side

Why do bees have sticky hair?

They use honeycombs.