Utah Headlines

Political news

• Sen. Mike Lee joins Trump's calls to eliminate mail-in voting (Deseret News)
• Congressman Blake Moore defends the ‘big beautiful bill,’ calling it a win for taxpayers (Deseret News)
• Utah conservatives focus on illegal immigration, note issues in finding comprehensive fix (KSL)
• Appointing the Chief Justice, GSL berm, election changes among possible topics for Special Session (ABC4)
• In Africa, Sen. Curtis saw firsthand why China is winning (Deseret News)
• Rep. Mike Kennedy says deportations are necessary consequence of Biden border policy (Deseret News)
• ‘The Regulatory Pendulum’: Utah Rep. Maloy holds summit to take aim at federal permitting (Utah News Dispatch)
• Gov. Spencer Cox praises efficiency efforts by state officials saving more than $1 million (Cache Valley Daily)

Municipal

• Can southern Utah's small towns grow recreation economies without losing their charm? (St. George News)
• Rural counties in Utah demand better forest management to ward off wildfires (Deseret News)
• Donations reach $430,000 for employees affected by Main Street fire (ABC4)

Utah

• The state of Scouting in Utah (Deseret News)
• How the past lingers in these Utah ghost towns (KSL)
• Herriman drowning victim was men's college basketball player (KSL)

Biz/Tech

• Starbucks to give all North America salaried employees 2% raise this year, company says (Reuters)

Crime/Courts

• 3 Utah police officers shot, 2 killed in Tremonton (Deseret News)
• Community members leave flowers, pay their respects to fallen Tremonton Garland officers (KSL TV)
• Neighbor details final moments before shooting that killed two officers in Tremonton (KSL TV)
• Condolences for fallen officers pour in from Utah leaders, police departments (Fox13)
• Six times in Utah's past when more than one officer has died in the same incident (Fox13)
• Local residents unite to honor, remember fallen northern Utah officers (Deseret News)

Culture/Community

• This former BYU gymnast is one of the ‘Worst Cooks in America’ (Deseret News)

Economy

• Editorial Board: Another unfortunate debt milestone (Deseret News)

Education

• The myth of academic freedom (Deseret News)
• Weber State University is ‘pioneering’ a new, faster and cheaper bachelor’s degree (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Inching toward compliance, most Utah schools will have armed volunteer guardians (KUER)
• Canyons School District faces financial hurdles in paying off unfinished $50M tech center (KUTV)

Environment

• Yoram Bauman, Bob Inglis: Is a carbon tax the bipartisan solution to climate change? (Deseret News)

Faith

• Tabernacle Choir makes historic first visit to Argentina (KSL)

Health

• 1 in 4 adults with diabetes used a GLP-1 drug last year, survey finds (Reuters)
• Revealing the very real impact long COVID has on kids (Deseret News)
• Researchers discover a secret weapon that saves babies' lives. And it's not medical (NPR)

National Headlines

General

• Cambridge Dictionary adds ‘skibidi’ and ‘tradwife’ among 6,000 new words (AP)
• Conservative network Newsmax agrees to pay $67M in defamation case over bogus 2020 election claims (AP)

Political news

• White House blames California’s sanctuary laws for fatal crash involving migrant (Deseret News)
• What's behind the Trump administration's immigration memes? (NPR)
• Justice Department will start handing over Epstein files to Congress this week (Deseret News)
• 3 more GOP governors authorize deployment of National Guard troops as part of Trump show of force (AP)
• Top Air Force general to exit in Hegseth’s latest shake-up of Pentagon (Washington Post)
• Speaker Johnson vows to fight California Democrats’ ‘illegal power grab’ (The Hill)
• Republican civil war erupts over earmarks in funding bills (The Hill)

Artificial Intelligence

• AI is a mass-delusion event (The Atlantic) 

Immigration/deportation

• Federal agent fires weapon during immigration stop in Southern California, officials say (AP News)
• Maine police officer arrested by ICE agrees to voluntarily leave the country (AP)

Ukraine/Russia

• Focus turns to security guarantees after Ukraine summit leaves path to peace unclear (Reuters)
• Trump begins planning for Putin-Zelenskyy meeting while affirming US help with security guarantees (AP)
• Trump pushes for Putin and Zelenskyy meeting in bid to end Ukraine war (Wall Street Journal)
• Viral video of Russian vehicle waving US flag and attacking Ukraine sparks fury in Kyiv (Politico)

Middle East

• Hamas accepts proposed deal for ceasefire with Israel and hostage release, Egyptian source says (Reuters)

World news

• Myanmar to hold first general election since 2021 coup amid ongoing civil war (NPR)
• Paris Braces for a Future of Possibly Paralyzing Heat (New York Times)

Number of the Day

News Releases

Gov. Cox orders flags to be lowered after the passing of two Tremonton-Garland police officers

Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox has issued an order for the flags of the United States of America and the great state of Utah to be flown at half-staff on all state facilities in honor of Tremonton-Garland Police Department’s Sgt. Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada, who were killed in the line of duty.

Flags should be lowered to the half-staff position beginning immediately on Monday, Aug. 18 and remain at half-staff until sunset on the day of interment. (Read More)

Hatch Foundation announces sixth volume of annual policy review

Today, the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation announced the sixth volume of its annual Policy Review, titled “AI at the Crossroads: Policy, Innovation, and the Public Interest,” set for release in December 2025. The latest volume will examine the impact of artificial intelligence, the novel challenges faced by industry, and how lawmakers can navigate a rapidly emerging technology that promises to reshape the economy, public policy, and society in ways not seen since the Industrial Revolution. (Read More)

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Aug 18-20 — Interim Days
• Aug 21 —Sutherland Institute Congressional Series with Rep. Burgess Owens, 12 pm, Hinckley Institute of Politics & livestream
• Sept 11-12 — Women in the Money Conference, Sheraton Hotel and online, Register here
• Sept 15-17 — Interim Days
• Oct 6-8 — One Utah Summit, Cedar City, More information here
• Oct 13-15 — Interim Days
• Nov 4 — General election
• Nov 17-19 — Interim Days
• February 4-7, 2026 — Summit, with Silicon Slopes and Visit Salt Lake

On This Day In History

• 1791 - An accomplished mathematician, astronomer and son of a former slave, Benjamin Banneker writes to Thomas Jefferson, urging justice for African Americans using Jefferson’s own words from the Declaration of Independence.
• 1851 - Charles Hires is born. The Philadelphia pharmacist developed a drink he called root beer. Utah thanks you, Charles.
• 1919 - U.S. President Woodrow Wilson appears personally before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to argue in favor of its ratification of the Versailles Treaty.
• 1920 - Donna Allen is born. She founded the Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press in 1972 to publicize and research women’s issues which she thought were ignored by the mainstream media.
• 1946 - Bill Clinton is born. He became the 42nd US president.
• 1953 - CIA-assisted coup overthrows the government of Iran and reinstates the Shah.
• 2014 - NASA satellites take photos showing that the eastern basin of the Aral Sea had for the first time completely dried up
• 2010 - The last American combat brigade leaves Iraq
• 2020 - Apple becomes the 1st US company to be valued at $2 trillion, just 2 years after it reached $1 trillion valuation

Quote of the Day

"Who is keeping America confused and immobilized with misinformation? The mass media monopoly,"

— Donna Allen

On the Punny Side

I had a crazy dream last night! I was swimming in an ocean of orange soda. Turns out it was just a Fanta sea.

– Advertise With Us –

Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers.