Situational Analysis | August 2, 2022

It's Tuesday and National Ice Cream Sandwich Day. Mmmm. 

Also, a major crash on I-15 in Davis County is causing major backups this morning. Hydroplaning in standing water is suspected. Be careful out there!

Be in the Know

• President Joe Biden announced Monday that the United States killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who helped plan the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. U.S. officials said Zawahiri died in a CIA drone strike on his Kabul safe house Saturday night. Zawahiri had been in hiding for years and the operation to locate and kill him was the result of "careful patient and persistent" work by the counter-terrorism and intelligence community, a senior administration official told reporters. “Justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more,” Biden said.

Rapid Roundup

• Pat Carroll, the voice of Ursula from ‘The Little Mermaid,’ dies at 95, you could make $78K/year tasting candy, a man trying to kill a spider with a lighter starts 40-acre fire in Springville (I mean - it WAS a spider.....), and a baby zebra makes his debut at Hogle Zoo. 

Utah Headlines

General

• Salt Lake City resident Fientje Allis becomes friend to Navajo Nation (KUTV)
• Sports provide ‘social identity’ we thrive on. No matter what team holds your allegiance, there is an army of likeminded believers who share your enthusiasm and excitement for the cause. And that’s what makes sports great (Deseret News)
• Investigation begins into death of Lindon 16-year-old (ABC4)

Politics

• Utah Senate candidate Evan McMullin is trying to change national politics. Polls suggest it's working (People)
• Where does Mitt Romney stand on proposed law to protect same-sex marriage? (Deseret News)
• Is a third national political party possible? As a founder of the Utah United Party has learned, becoming established takes time, patience and resources. The new Forward Party needs to do more than just appeal to the political center (Deseret News)
• Cox objects to federal 'hammer' on states over anti-discrimination policies (Fox13)
• Truth-in-taxation hearings on property tax hikes to start this month (Fox13)
• Romney’s revised Family Security Act is back and looking for bipartisan support (KUER)

Education

• Rod Zundel has a new job in the Beehive State - Utah Tech announced that Rod has been named the director of broadcasting and multimedia content for the school’s athletic department (Deseret News)
• SLC School Board member, Mohamed Baayd and former state senator James Evans allege superintendent faces racial harassment (KSL TV)

Environment

• Lake Powell: A dwindling gem in the desert in need of long-term solutions (Deseret News)
• Steve Glaser: Utah agriculture must play its part in water conservation
  Utah must find a way to help its farmers use less water, even if it’s expensive. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Salt Lake City saw its hottest July on record — again (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Utah wildlife biologists want you to temporarily avoid these High Uintas water areas (KSL)
• Late July storms hit Cedar City, Iron County, cause flooding, road blockages, downed trees (St. George News)
• 2 found dead in charred car within California wildfire zone; blazes burn across the West (KSL)

Family

• People who regularly attended religious services as children are more likely to be happy as adults (Deseret News)
• They lost Medicaid when paperwork was sent to a pasture, signaling the mess to come (NPR)

Health

• Is antiviral Paxlovid related to COVID-19 rebound? (Deseret News)
• 3 practices to improve your mental health, according to a BYU public health professor: Say something, know something and be something (Deseret News)

Housing

• Moab housing ordinance could get vote soon but still faces opposition (KUTV)

National Headlines

General

• Biden: Killing of al-Qaida leader is long-sought ‘justice’ (AP)
• Bin Laden was the face of al-Qaida, but Ayman al-Zawahiri was its hate-filled heart (NPR)
• Watching al-Qaida chief’s ‘pattern of life’ key to his death (AP)
• More rain, more bodies in flooded Kentucky mountain towns (AP)
• Biden administration task force reunites 400 migrant families separated under Trump (NBC News)

Politics

• What’s at stake in Arizona’s primary. A newly crowned swing state, candidates in some Arizona primary races are divided over the 2020 election (Deseret News)
• Rusty Bowers testified in D.C. Now he might lose his primary in Arizona. (Washington Post)
• Arizona attorney general: No evidence of widespread dead voters in 2020 (Washington Post)
• There are a slew of significant primaries Tuesday. Election deniers, abortion and Trump's rampage against Republicans who voted to impeach him. It's a busy first primary night in August in five states, including battleground Arizona. (NPR)
• Trump endorses ‘ERIC’ in Missouri primary, a name shared by rivals. The former president’s unusual endorsement added uncertainty to an already tumultuous race (Washington Post)
• How the Green Bay Packers helped Justice Samuel Alito explain religious liberty law. During a recent speech in Rome, the Supreme Court justice shared why he thinks religious freedom is under threat (Deseret News)
• Jill Biden on teaching as first lady: ‘Knew I could do both’ (AP)
• U.S. Navy deploys four warships east of Taiwan as Pelosi heads to Taipei (Reuters)
• Chinese warplanes buzz line dividing Taiwan Strait before expected Pelosi visit (Reuters)
• Pelosi believed headed to Taiwan, raising tension with China (AP)
• Demand for Workers Eased in June, Economists Estimate (Wall Street Journal)

Ukraine 🇺🇦 

• Russia shells apartment buildings in southern Ukraine (Wall Street Journal)
• World shrinks to a basement in Ukraine for grandmother, 92 (Reuters)
• Voyage of Ukraine shipment provides test of grain agreement (AP)

News Releases

Utah’s fertility rate continues to drop, now fourth highest in the nation

Utah’s declining fertility rate made state headlines in 2016 when it no longer  ranked highest in the country. Since then, Utah’s total fertility rate of 1.92 births per woman has declined nationally from highest to fourth highest, with rates in South Dakota (1.98), Nebraska (1.94), and North Dakota (1.93) exceeding Utah’s. The latest figures are summarized in the latest research brief from the Kem C. Gardner  Policy Institute, which shows the Beehive State’s decline mirroring a decadal decline in fertility in every U.S. region, state, and Washington, D.C. The Intermountain West and Pacific divisions experienced the sharpest  declines. (Read More)

WGA celebrates Western Governors University’s impact on higher education, workforce development 25 years after founding institution

Western Governors University (WGU)—the nation’s leading online, nonprofit institution—was celebrated this week by current and former governors from the Western Governors’ Association (WGA), which established the university 25 years ago. While gathered in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, for its annual meeting, WGA—a non-partisan organization consisting of all U.S. governors considered to be part of the Western region of the nation—signed a proclamation to celebrate the university’s 25^th anniversary and its impact on higher education and workforce development. (Read More)

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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

• 1610 - During his quest to find the Northwest Passage, Henry Hudson’s ships sailed up a large river on the eastern shore of North America. The river and bay would eventually be named after him.
• 1754 - Pierre Charles L’Enfant is born. The central design for Washington D.C. was laid out by this French-American architect.
• 1776 - While delegates from the 13 colonies formally approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, it wasn’t signed by the delegates until August 2nd. However, not all the delegates signed on that day. Many signed days later and some, not at all.
• 1834 - Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi is born. This French sculptor is best known for designing the Statue of Liberty. 
• 1865 - Lewis Carroll publishes "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"
• 1909 - The United States Mint issues the first Lincoln penny to the public. 
• 1923 - The 29th President of the United States, Warren G. Harding, dies of a stroke
• 1990 - Iraq invades Kuwait
• 2018 - Apple becomes the first American public listed company to reach $1 trillion in value
• 2018 - TikTok, the video-sharing social network, becomes available worldwide after merging with Musical.ly

Wise Words

"One of the secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others."

— Lewis Carroll

The Punny Side

My wife told me to take the spider out instead of killing him.

Went out. Had a few drinks. Nice guy. He's a web designer.

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