Gov. Cox declares LGBTQ+ Pride Month, former Rep. Bev White dies, mama bear is no match for this teen
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The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. Send news tips or feedback to editor@utahpolicy.com.

 

Situational Analysis | Jun. 2, 2021

Today is Wednesday, June 2 and that means it's National Rocky Road Day. Who am I to argue?

Also, welcome to the new newsletter! We are pretty excited about it! The website got a makeover as well. Check it out: utahpolicy.com

I hope you love the changes as much as I do - feedback welcomed either way!

Be in the Know

  1. Governor Spencer Cox issued a proclamation declaring June to be LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Utah, the first Utah governor to do so.
  2.  Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open, citing her struggles with depression and anxiety. She had been fined $15,000 for refusing to attend a news conference after winning her first match. She's opened up much-needed conversations about athletes and mental health.

  3. Former Representative Beverly (Bev) White passed away on May 24 at age 92. She was Utah’s longest serving woman legislator in the House. During her 22 years there, she was chairwoman of the Social Services Committee and sponsored the ERA Amendment in Utah. She was the first Utahn to receive the Eleanor Roosevelt Award in 1994. 
  4. You've got to see this teenager save her dogs - from a mama bear! I wouldn't recommend doing what she did, but double-high-fives for her bravery. 🙌
 

Utah Headlines

General

  • Do the words critical race theory get in the way of equity, inclusion and diversity? (Deseret News)
  • Margaret Renkl: We were called as a nation to sacrifice. We didn’t answer. (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • In wake of racist, vulgar fan comments, Jazz owner Ryan Smith gives Ja Morant’s father courtside seats for Game 5 (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • UHP deals with 179 crashes over Memorial Day weekend; DWR boat citations double from 2020 (KSL)
  • What started with a small level drug deal on the street for about $50 grew into an investigation of a million-dollar drug trafficking ring involving Utah gang members and Mexican drug cartels. (KSL)
  • IN FOCUS Discussion: Black business communities after Tulsa massacre (ABC4)
  • Salt Lake City named among best biking cities (Fox13)
  • Hundreds gather to watch Utah women compete on 'LEGO Masters' TV show (Fox13)
  • Utah needs more consistency with domestic violence offenders who strangle, advocate says (KUTV)

Politics

  • The ‘For the People Act’ takes power from electorate and gives it to Speaker Pelosi, says Rep. Chris Stewart (Deseret News)
  • ‘It’s been a phenomenal experience’: Washington County Commissioner Dean Cox announces resignation (St. George News)

COVID Corner

  • Utah reports 112 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • Navajo Nation reports no new cases and no recent deaths related to COVID-19. (Twitter)
  • Sweet! Krispy Kreme has given away over 1.5 million doughnuts to vaccinated people. (KSL)
  • COVID pushed millions worldwide from the middle class to poverty. One man is trying to work his way back. (Washington Post)
  • Moderna applies for full F.D.A. approval for its Covid vaccine (New York Times)

Drought/Wildfires

  • Pineview Reservoir water levels down 20 feet below average (ABC4)
  • Excessive Heat Warning issued for parts of Utah later this week (Fox13)
  • Lehi prepares for water restrictions amid extreme drought (Daily Herald)

Economy

  • "Utah’s outdoors are important to tech sector employees. In fact, access to Utah’s outdoor recreation opportunities and wilderness was the most important rated factor for locating or staying in Utah." (Kem Gardner Institute)

Elections

  • Josh Daniels elected as Utah County Clerk/Auditor (Daily Herald)
  • Roy, North Ogden, West Haven and 10 other Weber County mayoral posts up for grabs this year (Standard-Examiner)
  • Ogden City’s longest tenured council member, Doug Stephens, says that after nearly two decades, he’s decided to call it quits. (Standard-Examiner)

Energy

  • Energy developers and uranium miners eye land near Bears Ears National Monument (KUER)

National Headlines

General

  • Private HBCU in Ohio surprises graduates by wiping out their student debt. (NBC)
  • Why facts don't change our minds: People experience genuine pleasure—a rush of dopamine—when processing information that supports their beliefs. “It feels good to ‘stick to our guns’ even if we are wrong,” researchers say. (New Yorker)
  • Biden decries ‘horrific’ Tulsa massacre in emotional speech (AP)
  • Iran's biggest warship catches fire, sinks in Gulf of Oman (NBC)
  • Arizona plans to execute prisoners with a lethal gas the Nazis used at Auschwitz (Washington Post)

Politics

  • Brian Sicknick's partner on GOP senators rejecting Jan. 6 commission: "It's a spit in the face to Brian" (The Hill)
  • Biden’s budget collides with the ‘third rail’ of abortion politics (Deseret News)

Courts

  • Supreme Court will not take up Johnson & Johnson challenge of $2.1 billion cancer case award (Washington Post)
  • In unanimous ruling, SCOTUS affirms authority of Native American tribal governments and police forces (TIME)
  • Gorsuch denies Colorado churches' petition challenging Covid-related restrictions (CNN)

Economy

  • The COVID trauma has changed economics - maybe forever. (Bloomberg)

Elections

  • Early 2024 moves already underway in next GOP White House race (FoxNews)
  • Harris to lead Biden administration's voting rights effort (Reuters)
  • Biden prioritizes US voting rights law as restrictions mount (AP)
  • A win by Melanie Stansbury keeps control of New Mexico US House seat in Democrat hands. (NPR)

Energy

  • Biden suspends Trump-era drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (New York Times)

Immigration

  • Gov. Greg Abbott orders Texas child-care regulators to yank licenses of facilities housing immigrant kids (Dallas News)

Infrastructure

  • Biden, GOP senator to meet as infrastructure deadline looms (AP)
  • Biden plans new housing, small business programs to tackle racial wealth gap (Politico)

International

  • Israeli opposition parties reach agreement to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Washington Post)
  • US ambassador to UN to travel to Syria border town amid debate over humanitarian aid (The Hill)
  • Parents fear for kidnapped children, some as young as 4, after latest school raid in Nigeria (CNN)
  • Malaysia scrambles fighter jets after 16 Chinese military aircraft fly toward Borneo (CNN)

Security

  • All JBS beef plants in US shut after cyberattack, including one in Utah (Bloomberg,KUTV)
  • US withdrawal from Afghanistan nearly at halfway point one month into effort (The Hill)

Business Headlines

  • OPEC to increase oil output as global economy recovers (AP)
  • Oil price rises to two-year high as OPEC and allies see higher demand (Wall Street Journal)
  • US manufacturing activity grows for the 12th straight month (AP)
  • The Southwest is America's new factory hub - 'Cranes Everywhere.' (Wall Street Journal)
  • AMC up 40% as Reddit bulls drown out hedge fund share dump (Reuters)
  • Etsy is buying the fashion resale app Depop for $1.6 billion (New York Times)
 

Policy News

Nominees announced for 4th District Court vacancy

The Fourth District Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for a vacancy on the Fourth District Court. The vacancy results from the retirement of Judge Darold J. McDade, July 16, 2021.


Gov. Cox declares June to be LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Utah

Governor Spencer Cox became the first Utah governor to recognize Pride Month with an official declaration

 
 

Upcoming

  • A conversation with Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg and Utah's Nubia Peña – June 2, 12:30-1:15 pm – Register here

  • Municipal election filing period  – June 1- June 7 at 5 pm

  • Utah Democratic Party Organizing Convention – June 26 

 

On This Day In History

From History.com

  • 1863 - Harriet Tubman leads 150 Black Union soldiers in the Combahee River Raid in South Carolina, liberating 750 slaves. This was the only Civil War military engagement where a woman was the commander.
  • 1924 - Congress enacts the Indian Citizenship Act, conferring citizenship on all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the country. The privileges of citizenship, however, were largely governed by state law, and the right to vote was often denied to Native Americans in the early 20th century.
  • 1935 - Babe Ruth retires
  • 1941 - Lou Gehrig dies at age 37.
  • 1953 - Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey.
  • 1954 - Senator Joseph McCarthy charges communists are in the CIA.
  • 1989 - 10,000 Chinese soldiers are blocked by 100,000 citizens in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, protecting students demonstrating for democracy
  • 2004 - Ken Jennings begins his 74-game winning streak on the syndicated game show Jeopardy!

Wise Words

"Every strike brings me closer to the next home run."
-Babe Ruth


Lighter Side

One of my wife’s third graders was wearing a Fitbit watch, which prompted my wife to ask, “Are you tracking your steps?” “No,” said the little girl. “I wear this for Mommy so she can show Daddy when he gets home.”

James Avery in Reader's Digest

 

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