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Monroe Canyon fire in Sevier County considered “number one” fire in US; water safety tips after back-to-back drownings in Utah reservoirs
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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 | July 21, 2025
It's Monday and National Junk Food Day 🍔
What you need to know
- Utah is ready to take one giant step toward a rocket launching pad - again. More than 50 years ago, Utah was in the mix to host the Space Shuttle program. Cape Canaveral, Florida won out, but now, Utah is is looking at hosting its own space launch facility. Utah's aerospace and defense sector that has evolved dramatically over the past five decades and now accounts for a fifth of the state’s overall GDP. The state's Spaceport Exploration committee, created during this year's legislative session, will hold its inaugural meeting on July 28.
Rapid Relevance
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Utah Headlines
Political news
- Readers’ Forum: Clean energy cuts endanger our air, health and future (Deseret News)
Municipal news
- Three more candidate forums set for Weber County municipalities in next two weeks (Standard-Examiner)
Utah
- Celebration held for completion of new therapy building at the Utah State Developmental Center (Daily Herald)
- Federal funding for public media is gone. Here's what that means for UPR (UPR)
- Hiker dead after falling 700 feet in rock slide near Bells Canyon (Fox13)
- Spanish Fork teen becomes youngest to hike 36-mile ridge surrounding Little Cottonwood Canyon (KSL)
- Utah Valley Marathon adjusts course to be 'fastest' Boston qualifier (KSL)
Biz/Tech
- ‘Quiet cracking’ is the newest term for a workplace problem — and it’s ‘pretty pervasive,’ expert says (The Hill)
- Months of Trump’s tariffs are shifting supply chains and diplomatic ties (Washington Post)
- Facing stiff competition, Utah’s massive development at The Point in Draper pivots to new homes for sale (Salt Lake Tribune)
Crime/Courts
- 5 Utahns plead guilty to $100M fraudulent supplement scheme (KSL Newsradio)
- Judge orders Tennessee to turn off inmate’s heart-regulating implanted device at execution (AP)
Culture/Community
- Neighborhood grieves after West Jordan house fire claims four lives, including children (Fox13)
- Tony Hawk's Vert Alert skateboarding competition returns to Salt Lake City (KSL)
- Pioneers of Progress celebrate modern-day trailblazers (KSL)
- Remembering the guys trip that settled Utah (Deseret News)
- Connecting with the human family: Church History Museum’s 2025 Pioneer Fair (Deseret News)
- How one woman found new life as a farmer, born of hope and grit (Deseret News)
- Veteran surge event connects unsheltered veterans to resources and homes (KSL)
Education — higher
- The University of Utah could be in danger of losing $100+ million annually (Deseret News)
- Sandy Barbour, former Penn State AD, selected as USU Interim Director of Athletics (Cache Valley Daily)
- Perspective: Why my college will never seek accreditation (Deseret News)
- Susan Madsen: One size doesn’t fit all — the impact of HB261 on women in higher education (Deseret News)
Environment
- AI data centers are using more power. Regular customers are footing the bill (Utah News Dispatch)
- Grand County’s trail ambassador program will lose nearly $200K in funding this year (Salt Lake Tribune)
- How wildfires beget floods and the delayed danger we ignore at our peril (Deseret News)
Faith
- In LDS chapels, Catholic churches and Jewish temples, sensory rooms attract neurodivergent worshippers (Salt Lake Tribune)
- LDS leader in L.A. goes to bat for immigrants, regardless of their legal status, rebukes ‘racist’ rhetoric (Salt Lake Tribune)
Family
- How these 2 activities help those moving into adulthood flourish (Deseret News)
- Birth rates in Latin America and Caribbean, where families are typically large, are shrinking (Deseret News)
Health
- A push for more organ transplants is putting donors at risk (New York Times)
- Memory cafes ignite laughter and connection for dementia patients (AP)
- Perspective: It’s time to hold the line against the culture of death (Deseret News)
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National Headlines
General
- Nearly 1 in 4 Americans over 50 are delaying retirement due to economic concerns, survey finds (CBS News)
- Edwin Feulner, ‘Heritage Foundation’s George Washington,’ dies at 83 (New York Times)
- Global hack on Microsoft product hits U.S., state agencies, researchers say (Washington Post)
- Jake Larson, a WWII veteran who became a TikTok star as 'Papa Jake', has died at 102 (NPR)
- Man pulled into MRI machine after he walked into an exam room wearing a chain necklace (AP)
Political news
- Gabbard threatens prosecution against Obama administration officials for ‘treasonous conspiracy’ (Politico)
- Mark Warner: Tulsi Gabbard ‘not competent’ (The Hill)
- State Department defends decision to destroy 500 tons of emergency food (Good Morning America)
- Exclusive: Trump's funding cut stalls water projects, increasing risks for millions (Reuters)
- Trump calls for name reversals of NFL's Commanders, baseball's Guardians (Politico)
- Dershowitz casts doubt that grand jury testimony will yield answers on Epstein (Politico)
- Republicans’ food aid cuts will hit grocers in many towns that backed Trump (Politico)
- Consumed by Epstein, Trump has lost ground on the economy and immigration (Washington Post)
- How Bessent made the case to Trump against firing Fed Chair Powell (Wall Street Journal)
- Trump administration shuts down EPA's scientific research arm (NPR)
- Trump Sues Wall Street Journal Publisher Dow Jones Over Jeffrey Epstein Article (Wall Street Journal)
Immigration/deportation
- Majority oppose the way Trump is using detention facilities (The Hill)
- A kite surfer, Navy SEAL and makeup artist: Freed in a U.S.-Venezuela swap (New York Times)
- Newly flush with cash, ICE races to build migrant tent camps (Wall Street Journal)
Ukraine/Russia
- Sleepless in Kyiv: how Ukraine's capital copes with Russia's nighttime attacks (Reuters)
- Russia insists on achieving Ukraine goals despite Trump's ultimatum (AP)
Middle East
- At least 85 Palestinians killed while trying to reach aid in Gaza, officials say (CBS News)
World news
- The U.S. shouldn’t ignore the starving Rohingya of Myanmar (Washington Post)
- China starts construction on world's largest hydropower dam in Tibet (Reuters)
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Number of the Day
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Guest opinion: New federal education changes are coming. Here’s how Utah should prepare
by Christine Cooke Fairbanks
“Expect the unexpected” could be the motto for state education leaders right now, but “Prepare for the unexpected” is better.
Within the past few weeks, states have witnessed two major developments in national education policy: a federal education grant funding freeze and a ruling that President Trump does not have to halt the firing of half of the U.S. Department of Education staff. There are specific things Utah policymakers can do now to prepare as such changes impact state education policy...
Because disruption has become a pattern, the state should continue to understand how different federal education funding streams are utilized in the state (as it did with a recent federal funds audit) and require detailed local school district contingency plans for any near future loss of funds...
The education interim study items list includes the need to study federal education changes. This is wise, and it ought to include preparing for expanded state roles and oversight for things like Title I, IDEA, civil rights, and accountability issues. Setting aspirational goals and getting feedback from the public on what they’d like to see are part of what might empower states to respond rather than react.
This newest wave of uncertainty presents an opportunity for states to demonstrate new leadership in education policy, and now is the time to do it. (Read More)
News Releases
Curtis, Rosen lead bipartisan resolution honoring victims of Argentine terror attacks
To commemorate the 31st anniversary of the bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish Center and the 33rd anniversary of the bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, U.S. Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced a bipartisan Senate resolution reaffirming the United States’ commitment to justice for the victims and vigilance against the rising tide of antisemitism at home and abroad. (Read More) | | |
Tweet of the Day
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Upcoming
- Aug 7 — Titan of Public Service gala with Sen. Tom Cotton hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation at the Grand America Hotel. More Information Here
- Aug 12 — Municipal primary
- Aug 19-21 — Interim Days
- Nov 4 — General election
- February 4-7, 2026 — Summit, with Silicon Slopes and Visit Salt Lake
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On This Day In History
- 1656 - Elizabeth Key wins a lawsuit freeing herself from slavery in Virginia.
- 1853 - Central Park is created on Manhattan Island
- 1861 - The first Battle of Bull Run, the first major land battle of the Civil War that brought spectators out to watch some 5000 soldiers die.
- 1864 - Francis Clara Folsom is born. She became the youngest First Lady in U.S. history when she married sitting President Grover Cleveland when she was 21. It was the only wedding of a president that took place in the White House.
- 1925 - John T. Scopes found guilty of teaching evolution in the “Scopes monkey trial” in Dayton, Tennessee, fined $100 and costs
- 1938 - Janet Reno is born. She became the first woman to serve as U. S. Attorney General, 1993 – 2001, under President Clinton.
- 1951 - Robin Williams is born.
- 1966 - British physician, Dr. Ian Donald, pioneered the first use of ultrasound for medical diagnosis.
- 1974 - The US House Judiciary Committee approves two Articles of Impeachment against President Richard Nixon.
- 1998 - Alan Shepard, American astronaut and 1st American in space, dies of leukemia at 74
- 2007 - The seventh and final Harry Potter book is released. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sells 11 million copies in 24 hours.
- 2011 - NASA’s final space shuttle mission comes to an end
Quote of the Day
“I realized up there that our planet is not infinite. It's fragile. That may not be obvious to a lot of folks, and it's tough that people are fighting each other here on Earth instead of trying to get together and live on this planet. We look pretty vulnerable in the darkness of space.”
— Alan Shepard
On the Punny Side
Why don’t fish play basketball?
Because they’re afraid of the net.
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