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Good morning. Today's temperatures:

Salt Lake City: 40 - 60°

St. George: 61 - 79°

Logan: 28 - 55°

As if we needed more reasons to worry about the effects of screen time, new research shows that it's drastically and permanently changing the shape of our eyes, increasing nearsightedness.

But the good news is that a study in the journal Acta Ophthalmologica says you can prevent and even reverse this effect — by spending two hours per day outside.

Also on our mind today: The latest poll on Utah's GOP primary Senate race, which Utah Jazz legend wrote a letter of support for a Jan. 6 Capitol rioter and a look into the lives of four Ukrainian refugees.

How to save money as everything gets more expensive

The bad news is that even though inflation slowed slightly last month, U.S. consumers are still paying significantly more for nearly everything they buy.

The slightly better news is that not all products' prices are increasing at the same rate.

Here are some ways you can save money as inflation continues:

Avoid meat, poultry, fish and eggs. Utah consumers have seen even higher increases for these items — 18.4% in the Mountain West region — than consumers nationally — 14.3%, according to Rep. Robert Spendlove, R-Sandy, a senior economist and public policy officer for Zions Bank.
Don't rule out fresh produce. Although produce prices have increased significantly, fresh produce has increased more slowly than canned and frozen varieties.
Maintain your car instead of buying another one. Unless it's absolutely necessary, waiting to buy a new or used car could save money in the long term, even if prices continue to rise in the short term, Spendlove said. While prices for used cars rose 22% in April, maintenance and repair costs for vehicles have risen just over 5%.

Read more about how Utahns are cutting costs as prices rise.

Utah GOP congressmen vote against $28 million in aid for FDA to combat shortage of baby formula

Who's to blame for the nationwide baby formula shortage?

During his monthly news conference, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called it a "colossal failure" by the federal government, which failed to prevent a "foreseeable crisis."

Utah's Republican congressmen have also criticized the Biden administration for not doing enough to deal with the shortage.

A new survey by Demographic Intelligence indicates that decreased breastfeeding, panic buying and the wildly fluctuating number of births have all contributed to the shortage.

What are Utah's elected officials doing?

Reps. John Curtis, Blake Moore, Burgess Owens and Chris Stewart all voted against providing $28 million to the Food and Drug Administration to address the issue. Only 12 Republican House members joined with Democrats in supporting the bill, which passed with 231 votes.

House Republicans argued providing money to the FDA is unnecessary and that it would do little to get at the root of the problem. Utah's congressman have proposed their own legislation to combat the shortage.

Sen. Mike Lee, Stewart and Burgess have proposed their own legislation to help with the problem.

What is the federal government doing?

President Joe Biden invoked the Defense Production Act on Wednesday, ordering suppliers to "ensure that manufacturers have the necessary ingredients to make safe, healthy infant formula here at home," according to a White House fact sheet.

Biden also launched “Operation Fly Formula,” directing the Health and Human Services and Agriculture departments to use Department of Defense commercial aircraft to pick up overseas infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards and speed its way to store shelves.

Why does it matter?

It's not as simple as just telling mothers to breastfeed, as my colleague Lois Collins reported. A variety of issues can make it difficult or even impossible for women to breastfeed their babies.

Children who use specialized formulas have been the hardest hit by the shortage, according to medical experts. Two Tennessee children have been hospitalized after experiencing dehydration and diarrhea when other formulas didn't meet their nutritional needs.

More in Politics

How is the GOP primary race for Senate shaping up in Utah? New poll has answers (Deseret News)
Idaho Gov. Little is the type of Republican the U.S. needs, Utah Gov. Cox says (Deseret News)
Perspective: How has America changed under Roe v. Wade? (Deseret News)
From chaos to community: How some Loudoun County residents found common ground on transgender rights (Deseret News)
What is ESG and why is Glenn Beck blaming high gas prices on it? (Deseret News)
Elon Musk ditches Democrats, now says they’re the party of ‘division and hate’ (Deseret News)

FROM OUR SPONSOR PBS UTAH

Roots, Race & Culture premieres this Thursday at 7 p.m. on PBS Utah.
The bold new talk show invites audiences into honest conversations
about race, identity and culture, from the perspectives and shared
experiences of Utah’s Black and POC communities. Watch live, stream
anytime.

Business

Inflation, interest rates, international unrest driving U.S. markets to bear territory (Deseret News)
How James Thornton co-founded Tafi and expanded the metaverse (Utah Business)

Crime/Courts

Organs of shot Springville teen being prepared for donation (KSL.com)
Utah Jazz legend John Stockton writes letter of support for Jan. 6 Capitol rioter (KSL.com)

Faith

BYU squad of returned missionaries a ‘top-5 team’ — in storied Sandhurst military competition (Church News)
Why ‘The Chosen’ creator made a ‘final, definitive’ statement on Latter-day Saints and Jesus Christ (Deseret News)

Health

What to know about the Paxlovid COVID pill (Deseret News)
What is monkeypox and where is it spreading? (Deseret News)
COVID cases surging in Utah. Cases expected to increase for 4 weeks (Deseret News)
Opinion: What does Utah’s COVID expert have to say about masks, vaccines, and getting ‘back to normal’? (Deseret News)
'We have to do better': Policymakers, advocates call for better support of maternal mental health (KSL.com)

Northern Utah

Sewer capacity pausing approval of new subdivisions in portion of Saratoga Springs (KSL.com)
Why this year's historic homes tour focuses on one of Salt Lake's earliest neighborhoods (KSL.com)

Southern Utah

‘Economic engine of our community’: Ironman generates over $41M for Washington County (St. George News)

The Nation

Report: Census data inaccurate for 14 states, including Utah (Deseret News)

The World

A look into the lives of 4 Ukrainian refugees (Deseret News)
What Biden told the leaders of Finland and Sweden about joining NATO (Deseret News)

Entertainment

Where to watch 3 decades of BYU’s family-friendly shorts (Deseret News)
#ConventLife, TikTok Nuns go viral (Deseret News)

Sports

Here are the current Cougars most likely to be selected in next year’s NFL draft (Deseret News)
Utes getting a lot of love in preseason polls — but is that a good thing? (Deseret News)

Have a great weekend!

And if you have feedback about Utah Today, just reply to this email or email us at newsletters@deseretnews.com.

— Ashley