Situational Analysis | August 4, 2022

It's Thursday and a great time to see a National Park - you can go for free today! August 4 is the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act that passed in 2020 and we are the beneficiaries. 

Also, a very happy birthday to the US Coast Guard. 

Be in the Know

• Yesterday was not a very good day for Alex Jones. The entire contents of his phone going back two years and which showed he withheld evidence were apparently mistakenly sent by his attorney to a lawyer for Sandy Hook parents. In a brutal cross-examination, that attorney, Mark Bankston, noted Jones had testified under oath that he personally searched his cellphone for Sandy Hook text messages and was unable to find any. Bankston asked, “You know what perjury is, right? I just want to make sure you know before we go any further.” Bankston then read some of his text messages about Sandy Hook as well as emails, after Jones had said he didn't use email. Jones at least conceded that the Sandy Hook massacre was "100% real." 

Rapid Roundup

• The US Senate voted 95-1 to ratify Finland's and Sweden's application to join NATO (Josh Hawley was the lone no vote), Amazon driver joins Utah kids on a slip-and-slide, pumpkin space Oreos will be in stores in less than 2 weeks, interesting graphs on today’s economic data compared with recessions over the past 50 years and a "guard cat" is credited with foiling a robbery in Mississippi. 

Utah Headlines

General

• Can a Mega Millions jackpot make you happy? A new study by Harvard and Exeter shows that receiving unearned money doesn’t improve people’s outlook on life (Deseret News)
• USU report reveals high rates of sexual violence statewide, need for additional funding (KSL)
• A new study looks at the experiences of Utah women who have been sexually assaulted (UPR)
• The best things to do in Utah in August (ABC4)
• Heads up Utah butterfly migration fans, it’s time for the flight of the monarchs (KUER)

Politics

• Why did Mitt Romney, Mike Lee vote against veterans health care bill? (Deseret News)
• Washington Co. cities pass strict landscaping ordinances in drought (Fox13)
• Rep. Curtis pitches six-step plan to address climate change (Daily Herald)
• Ed Allen: Utah Debate Commission provides a important service to democracy (Salt Lake Tribune)
• A look at Utah laws reveal it takes longer to renew car registration than it does to buy a gun (KUTV)

Business

• Delivery drivers suffer: Long hours in record high temps take a toll (Deseret News)
• Robinhood is laying off 23% of its employees. Here are other tech layoffs you should know about (Deseret News)
• Nu Skin sees soft second quarter as layoffs rumored within company (Daily Herald)
• Walmart lays off hundreds of corporate workers (Wall Street Journal)

Education

• Engineering to empower, BYU capstone project helps provide clean water to Pakistan (Deseret News)
• A back-to-school necklace sounds innocent — but it has a darker meaning (Deseret News)
• Utah public school students perform well despite low state funding (UPR)
• ‘Teach and get out’: Parents critique counselors and demand ‘basic’ education as Jordan school board asks for tax increase. After hearing hours of comments from critics, the board voted 6-1 to increase its property tax levy by 23%. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• ‘Never seen it this bad’: America faces catastrophic teacher shortage (Washington Post)

Environment

• Report: Glen Canyon Dam plumbing problems could cause ‘massive bottleneck’ on Colorado River (Deseret News)
• Potential loss of hydropower at Lake Powell is not the biggest worry, according to new report (Salt Lake Tribune)
• The tragedy of the Great Salt Lake commons (Deseret News)
• Back when the West had fresh air: How to prepare for a future wrapped in wildfire smoke (Deseret News)
• James Westwater: Developer’s plan for Utah Lake threatens to be an ‘unmitigated disaster’. Utah Lake is not ‘broken’ and its restoration does not require a radical plan (Salt Lake Tribune)
• ‘We live in a precious place’: New executive director for Conserve Southwest Utah encourages protection of area’s natural resources (St. George News)
• New irrigation research and technology is helping Utah farmers produce food and save water (UPR)

Family

• West Jordan organization offers resources for women, children in need (KUTV)

Health

• Mental health issues or gun laws? Utahns weigh in causes of mass shootings (Deseret News)
• New report shows Utah rape rates higher than US average despite positive trends (KUTV)
• A new study finds that long COVID comes in three forms, all with their own set of symptoms: respiratory, neurologic and autoimmune (The Hill)
• Utah researchers find patients with specific cancer at higher risk for mental health issues (KSL)

Housing

• Kimball Young: Investors are gobbling up Utah’s affordable housing (Salt Lake Tribune)

National Headlines

General

• Russian prosecutors seek 9 1/2-year sentence for Griner (AP)
• New evidence shows how Myanmar’s military planned its brutal purge of the Rohingya (Reuters)
• China fires missiles near Taiwan after Pelosi visit (Wall Street Journal)
• Volcano eruption near Iceland airport sparks travel fears, risky photo shoots (Secret Life of Walter Mitty, anyone??) (Washington Post)

Politics

• Indiana GOP Rep. Walorski, her communications director, her district director and the other driver die in an auto accident in her home district (Politico)
• Biden tests positive for fifth-straight day after "rebound" COVID infection (The Hill)
• ‘Yellowstone’ star Kevin Costner endorsed Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney (Deseret News)
• Trump loyalist, election denier, wins GOP nod to oversee Arizona elections (AP)
• McConnell manages midterm expectations after Trump-backed candidates win (The Hill)
• The question vexing Democrats: Biden 2024? (Politico)
• Congress is closer than ever to reining in social media (Politico)

Ukraine 🇺🇦 

• Months into war, Ukraine refugees slow to join EU workforce (AP)
• Ukrainian cities shelled, including one near nuclear plant (AP)
• Russia’s shortfalls create an opportunity for Ukraine, western officials say. Severe equipment and manpower problems could slow President Vladimir V. Putin’s mission as the war enters its sixth month. (New York Times)
• Some Ukrainian refugees are living on ferry ships, as an influx of migrants strains Europe. (New York Times)

News Releases

Utah Treasurer Marlo Oaks announces $30.6 million in unclaimed cash returned to Utahns in FY2022

Utah State Treasurer Marlo M. Oaks today announced that the Utah Unclaimed Property Division reunited $30.6 million in unclaimed property with rightful owners and processed a record-breaking 36,821 claims in fiscal year 2022 (July 2021 – June 2022).  

Shelter the Homeless now debt free, thanks to contributions from Salt Lake County, the State of Utah, and private donations

At the Salt Lake County Council meeting yesterday, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson announced that effective August 1, the three homeless resources centers opened in 2019 no longer incur any construction debt.  Shelter the Homeless, the non-profit organization that owns and manages the properties, will now be in a better position to support ongoing operations and maintenance on the buildings. (Read More)

Sutherland Institute names Nic Dunn new VP of Strategy and Communications

The Sutherland Institute announced today the addition of Nic Dunn as Vice President of Strategy & Communications. In this role, Dunn will lead the institute’s public  communications and strategic engagement efforts, which will include media relations,  multimedia production, marketing, and other forms of outreach and public engagement to  enhance Sutherland’s strategic objectives. (Read More)

Utah Senate President Pro Tem Wayne Harper elected vice president of National Conference of State Legislatures

Utah Senate President Pro Tempore Wayne Harper (R) has been elected vice president of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), a bipartisan organization serving the nation’s 7,383 state lawmakers and more than 30,000 legislative staff.  Harper will serve one year as vice president, ascend to president-elect the following year, and become NCSL’s president at the Legislative Summit in 2024. NCSL’s presidency alternates between parties every year. Idaho Speaker Scott Bedke (R) is NCSL’s current president and Rhode Island Speaker Pro Tem Brian Patrick (D) is president-elect.  (Read More)

Ahead of Senate vote, Romney reaffirms support for Sweden, Finland NATO accession

U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today delivered remarks on the Senate floor ahead of the vote on ratifying Sweden and Finland’s membership to NATO. In his remarks, Romney reaffirmed his support for the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO and voiced his opposition to Senator Rand Paul’s amendment, arguing that our commitment to NATO and Article 5 must be clear and unambiguous. (Read/Watch More)

Number of the Day

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Women in the Money with Utah State Treasurer's Office — Sept. 15-16, Salt Lake Sheraton + online, Register here
• ULCT Annual Convention — Oct 5-7, Salt Palace Convention Center, Register here
• General election â€“ Nov 8

On This Day In History

• 1790 - The US Coast Guard is established.
• 1821 - The Saturday Evening Post publishes its first edition.
• 1870 - Red Cross forms in Britain as the British National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War.
• 1890 - Barbara Armstrong is born. A lawyer and the first female law professor at a law school of a major university, she advocated social insurance throughout her career. She is considered the architect of the US Social Security system.
• 1914 - US proclaims neutrality in WWI
• 1942 - US and Mexico sign the Mexican Farm Labor Agreement, also known as the Bracero Program. The largest guest worker program in US history, the Bracero program lasted until 1964.
• 1944 - Anne Frank and her family are captured
• 1955 - Eisenhower authorizes $46 million for construction of CIA headquarters
• 1961 - Barack Obama is born in Hawaii
• 1964 - The remains of three slain civil rights workers found in Mississippi.
• 1977 - President Carter establishes Department of Energy
• 2020 - Huge explosions at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, kill more than 200 and leave over 6,000 thousand people injured

Wise Words

"This intolerable dependence on foreign oil threatens our economic independence and the very security of our nation. The energy crisis is real. It is worldwide. It is a clear and present danger to our nation. These are facts and we simply must face them."
— Jimmy Carter 

The Punny Side

The reason that aliens have never visited us is because our solar system has received terrible reviews.

We only have one star.

– Advertise With Us –

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