Don't miss tonight's Hinckley Report

Hosted by Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics, The Hinckley Report brings together Utah's top journalists, lawmakers, and policy experts to provide insight and analysis on current events and political news. 

Utah Headlines

Election news

• A guide to voting in Utah for the general election (Deseret News)
• Experiencing homelessness? You can still vote in Utah. Here’s how (KUER)
• Opinion: No policy victory can compensate for failure of character. Why I can't vote for Trump (Deseret News)
• Thou shalt not vote for Trump. These prominent Latter-day Saints view that as a command from God. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• How much does religion impact Utah’s political divide? Here's what the data says (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Salt Lake County mayoral candidates spar over spending (Deseret News)
• 3 takeaways: What you need to know from Thursday’s S.L. County mayoral debate (Salt Lake Tribune)

Utah

• Melons and the Green River: Giving life to a rural Utah town (Deseret News)
• Farmers help a small town thrive with a big assist from a river (Deseret News)
• Revolutionizing pro sports: How Ryan and Ashley Smith are changing the game in Utah (Deseret News) 
• ‘We cannot celebrate their suffering’ — Utah rabbi sees hope for peace in the Middle East (Salt Lake Tribune)

Biz/Tech

• Amazon’s early Prime Big Deal Days tech deals (Deseret News)
• Utah could be hit by a surge of flood-damaged cars in the wake of Helene’s stormwaters (KSL TV)
• US port workers and operators reach deal to end East Coast strike immediately (Reuters)

Crime/Courts

• Utah man and his brother arrested in relation to Jan 6 Capitol breach (KSL TV) 
• How a change in process is helping people in Utah expunge their criminal records (Fox13)

Culture

• 100-year-old prophet expected to participate at general conference (Deseret News)

Education

• Washington County schools aim to curb lunch debt as state total swells to $2.8M (St. George News)
• A closer look at Utah State volleyball’s decision to forfeit to SJSU (Deseret News) 

Environment

• Feds release final plan for Bears Ears National Monument (KSL) 
• Wildlife officials warn of contaminated Utah waters as waterfowl hunting season approaches (KUTV)

Health

• New pill could help smokers quit — for good (Deseret News)
• What to know about the RSV immunization for babies (KSL TV)

Housing

• Joint philanthropic partnership opens first units of affordable townhome community in Lehi (Daily Herald)

National Headlines

General

• Is the toilet paper apocalypse upon us again? (Deseret News)
• By mule and helicopter, volunteers deliver aid to Helene victims (Reuters)
• Soul-searching and regret over unheeded warnings follow Helene’s destruction (AP)
• The Bold. The Beautiful. The Fat Bear. (New York Times)
• Passport processing wait times drop again (The Hill)
• Garth Brooks accused of rape in lawsuit from hair-and-makeup artist (AP)

Political news

• Filing in Trump case details remarkable schism with Pence over rejecting 2020 election loss (AP)
• Melania Trump says she supports abortion rights, putting her at odds with the GOP (AP)
• CNN requested an interview with Melania Trump. Her book publisher asked for $250,000 in exchange (CNN)

Election news

• Will Hurricane Helene disrupt voting in the South? (Deseret News)
• Why Trump is lying about disaster relief (New York Times)
• Trump's already harsh rhetoric on migrants is turning darker as Election Day nears (Reuters)
• Trump’s Jan. 6 role back in focus as he readies new stolen election claims (Washington Post)
• Obama will stump for Harris in final election push (New York Times)
• Trump losing ground with women on economy, poll shows (Politico)

Ukraine 🇺🇦

• Years after his capture in Mariupol, his family received only his broken body (Washington Post)

Israel and Gaza

• Khamenei says Iran and its allies will not back down from Israel (Reuters)
• Israeli airstrikes cut off a key crossing between Lebanon and Syria (NPR)
• 'Why us?': A tide of grief in Lebanon (New York Times)
• The female soldiers who predicted Oct. 7 say they are still being silenced (Washington Post)

World news

• Sudan's war to intensify as rainy season draws to a close (Reuters)

Number of the Day 

News Releases

Utah college-age population will soon shift from high growth to a season of decline

Utah’s population continues to grow, age, and diversify. A new report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute shows that compared to national declines beginning in 2025, the state’s college-age population is projected to begin decreasing in 2032 and decline for over a decade before rebounding. If current approaches remain unchanged, this demographic dip will impact enrollment and revenues at Utah’s eight public colleges and universities, as well as eight technical colleges. (Read More)

Taxation an important issue to voters in 2024 Utah Priorities Project

Today, the Utah Foundation announces the release of a research brief focused on taxation. Several survey questions help us understand where Utah voters stand on taxation.

They were first asked how they might allocate funds if the state received an additional $200 million to address issues such as education, roads, or homelessness. Edu­cation and tax cuts topped the list of preferred options, receiving nearly 47% of total responses. Roads, health care, and homelessness were at the bot­tom of voters’ lists of issues to address.

When asked in 2020 which taxes should be cut, property and income taxes were voters’ top choic­es

In addition, half of Utahns disagreed that Utah should reduce tax­es, even if it results in lower quality service or fewer services from the state. Liberals were more likely to disagree and those who noted taxation at the top of their priorities were more likely to agree. 66% of very liberal respondents strongly disagreed while 33% of very conservative respondents strongly agreed. (Read More)

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Oct. 4 — Conservative Climate Summit, 7:30 am - 3:00 pm, UVU, Register here
• Oct. 4 — Hatch Foundation hosts Civil Dialogue Symposium with Dana Perino, 2:00 pm, USU, Register here
• Oct. 7-9 — One Utah Summit, SUU, Register here
• Oct. 8 â€” CD1 Debate, UT Debate Commission, 6:00 pm
• Oct. 10 — US Senate Debate, UT Debate Commission, 6:00 pm
• Oct. 14 â€” CD2 Debate, UT Debate Commission, 6:00 pm
• Oct. 15-16 — Interim Days
• Oct. 16 — Nurturing Hope in Ourselves and Others: The Science of Hope and Well-Being sponsored by the Utah Women and Leadership Project, 12:00 - 1:15 pm, Register here
• Oct. 17 — CD3 Debate, UT Debate Commission, 6:00 pm
• Oct. 24 — CD4 Debate, UT Debate Commission, 6:00 pm
• Nov. 5 — Election Day!
• Nov. 15 — Women & Business Conference & ATHENA Awards Luncheon with the Salt Lake Chamber, Grand America Hotel, Register here
• Nov. 19-20 — Interim Days
• Jan. 9 — What’s Up Down South Economic Summit. St. George. Register here
• Jan. 10 — Rural Utah Data Symposium. St. George. Register here

On This Day In History

• 1822 - Rutherford B. Hayes is born. He became the 19th US President
• 1854 - Abraham Lincoln makes his 1st political speech at the Illinois State Fair
• 1896 - Dorothy Lawrence, the only woman to serve on the front lines in WWI, is born
• 1908 - Eleanor Flexner is born. An influential author and historian, she wrote Century of Struggle: The Women’s Rights Movement in the United States and Mary Wollstonecraft: A Biography.
• 1915 - Dinosaur National Monument is established
• 1927 - Work begins on Mount Rushmore
• 1944 - General Eisenhower warns of the risk of “shell shock”
• 1957 - Sputnik launched by the USSR, inaugurating the Space Age
• 1976 - Barbara Walters becomes the first woman co-anchor of the evening news (at ABC)
• 1988 - Televangelist Jim Bakker is indicted on federal charges
• 1993 - Ruth Bader Ginsburg joins the U.S. Supreme Court as its second woman Justice
• 2006 - WikiLeaks is launched
• 2008 - Sheryl Sandberg becomes the COO of Facebook

Quote of the Day

"Attacks against our political institutions are not meant to reform, but to undermine. They are not designed to improve processes or laws, but to subvert them; to instill fear and doubt, harass and intimidate, cause confusion, delay, and chaos. And they always serve to advance a political agenda, not the public interest."

—Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson

On the Punny Side

I hate it when I'm singing a song, and the artist gets the words wrong.

– Advertise With Us –

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