Situational Analysis | May 9, 2022

Good Monday morning to you. It's National Butterscotch Brownie Day, which sounds like a reason to celebrate.

Be in the Know

1. First lady Dr. Jill Biden met with First Lady Olena Zelenska in Kyiv on Mother's Day. “I wanted to come on Mother’s Day,” the U.S. first lady told Zelenska. “I thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people that this war has to stop and this war has been brutal and that the people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine.” Zelenska praised Biden “for a very courageous act” in coming to Ukraine. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also visited Ukraine on Sunday to meet with the president and “reaffirm Canada’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people,” according to his office.

2. Putin uses Russia’s Victory Day parade to justify invasion of Ukraine. Speaking in Red Square, the Kremlin leader said Russia was under threat from the West. Ukraine, he said, is led by US-backed neo-Nazis, so pre-emptive action was necessary. Victory Day parades were held in Russian-occupied towns in Ukraine, including Mariupol. Meanwhile in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky paid tribute to the 8 million Ukrainians who died in World War II, saying: “They fought for freedom for us and won. We are fighting for freedom for our children, and therefore we will win.”

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Utah Headlines

General

• The eyes have it: How this Lehi company has taken lie detecting to a new level (Deseret News)
• History was made at a historic Ironman triathlon in St. George (Deseret News)
• ‘I’m not quitting’: Kyle Brown refused to bow to his disease during his 2021 Ironman World Championship attempt (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Utah Black Chamber’s new CEO aims to ‘challenge and change the narrative’ for Black Utahns (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Utah events, awareness day spark conversations to reduce stigma of mental health challenges (KSL)
• Orrin Hatch memorialized for a life that ‘wanted to do the Lord's work’ (KUER)
• McConnell, Utah leaders honor ‘larger than life’ Orrin Hatch (AP)
• Utah graduates find themselves in a hot job market where they’ve got the upper hand (KUER)
• Troy Walker: Utah is the fastest-growing state, and public transit needs to catch up (Deseret News)

Politics

• Politico was right to publish Supreme Court draft, journalists say. A panel discussion on ethical journalism, hosted by the Deseret News in Washington, D.C., debated the ethics of this week’s Roe v. Wade leak (Deseret News)
• Brad Wilson: Sen. Orrin Hatch left a lasting legacy as the longest-serving Republican senator (Deseret News)
• The under-discussed middle ground in the abortion debate (Deseret News)
• Editorial Board: How Utah leaders can prove they are not just against abortion but for women: Comprehensive sex education, health care, child care, not punitive laws, are the keys to reducing abortion. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Jason Perry on the primary election and Governor Cox’s approval rating (ABC4)
• Primary Campaigning, SCOTUS Leak (Hinckley Report)
• Mother's Day March in protest of Supreme Court draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade (KUTV)

Education

• New preschool aims to improve students' mental health (KUTV)
• FOX 13 Investigates: Public school run by polygamous Kingston group continues appointing family members (Fox13)
• Celebrated Utah teacher shares common experiences with students (Fox13)
• Matching female students from underserved communities with mentors and scholarships the goal of AAUW (St. George News)
• Even with Utah’s help, DACA students can still face a hard road to graduation (KUER)

Environment

• Elon Musk’s quiet success with cobalt-free EV batteries at Tesla (Deseret News)
• Ogden water shortage declaration comes amid efforts to incentivize water-wise landscaping (Standard-Examiner)
• What to know about Utah’s 2022 fire season (KUER)

Family

• Research shows it’s relationships, not genetics that lengthen your life. Strong social connections are linked to better physical and mental health, coping skills, sleep quality and much more (Deseret News)
• A word to the wise: In a culture where ‘old’ is bad, how can we learn to embrace aging? (Deseret News)
• Utah-based women’s organization honors international moms in Mother’s Day celebration (Salt Lake Tribune)

Housing

• A record share of home sellers have dropped prices, but buyers are still struggling, Redfin says (Deseret News)

Utah/Ukraine Connection

• Arthur Cyr: Where does the U.S. stand on nuclear war with Russia? The U.S. has worked to avoid nuclear war throughout history, but it’s prepared to act if Vladimir Putin uses nuclear weapons (Deseret News)
• Utah company to send 7,000 hygiene kits to those still living in Ukraine (Fox13)

National Headlines

General

• Mortgage Rates Hit 5.27%, Highest Level Since 2009 (Wall Street Journal)
• Taliban orders head-to-toe coverings for Afghan women in public. Again. (Washington Post)
• Electricity shortage warnings grow across U.S. Power-grid operators caution that electricity supplies aren’t keeping up with demand amid transition to cleaner forms of energy (Wall Street Journal)
• Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister steps down after violent clashes in Colombo (Washington Post)

Politics

• Miss. governor doesn’t rule out banning contraception if Roe falls (Washington Post)
• Biden admin announces expansion of free high-speed internet to eligible US households (The Hill)
• Democrats’ chance to save the House majority runs through these districts (Politico)

Ukraine 🇺🇦 

• No end in sight for Ukraine war as Putin hails Victory Day (AP)
• Russian ambassador to Poland hit with red paint in powerful visual (AP)
• Ukrainians report fierce fighting as Russia marks Soviet WW2 victory (Reuters)
• Russian satellite television menus were altered on Monday to show viewers in Moscow messages about the war in Ukraine: "You have blood on your hands" (Reuters)
• Bono sings with soldier in Kyiv metro station (BBC)
• On surprise trip to Kyiv, Trudeau reopens Canadian Embassy (Politico)

News Releases

WGU creates Distinguished Alumni Council in Utah

If you had a question and needed an accurate answer, where would you go? Straight to the source.

Western Governors University’s alumni are the expert source. They’ve mastered the school’s competency-based curriculum. They’ve juggled school, work, family and life. They offer a unique, boots-on-the-ground perspective about what it takes to earn a college degree as a busy adult learner.

WGU is proud to announce the creation of its Distinguished Alumni Council in Utah to create additional opportunity for adult learners in this state. These alumni council members are eager to share personal stories about how their educational pathway has impacted their family and career journeys. They also will help weave together WGU alumni to provide a network of workforce and philanthropic partnerships for the benefit of current and future students. (Read More)

Women’s Business Center of Utah honored with SBA Award

The Women’s Business Center of Utah (WBCUtah) has been awarded the 2022 Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award for Region IIIV by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The award honors a Women’s Business Center for its excellence in innovation in assisting women entrepreneurs by providing a wide variety of training and counseling. Region IIIV includes Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
“The mission of the WBCUtah uniquely focuses our technical assistance and support on the needs, strengths and challenges of women business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in Utah,” said Ann Marie Wallace, State Director of WBCUtah. “We have served over 800 women statewide in the last year, and are honored to have been a part of their entrepreneurial journey. We are excited to be recognized for the excellence in our assistance and support they deserve.” (Read More)

Reps Blake Moore and Anna G. Eshoo introduce bipartisan bill to bring electronics manufacturing to America and strengthen supply chains

Reps. Blake Moore (R-UT) and Anna G. Eshoo(D-CA) announced bipartisan legislation to bolster domestic printed circuit board (PCB) production and strengthen supply chain security. The Supporting American Printed Circuit Boards Act will complement semiconductor incentives by encouraging domestic PCB manufacturing and R&D to reduce supply chain disruptions, address national security concerns related to foreign PCB production, and further enhance America’s economic leadership.

“I have been encouraged by Congress’s consistent efforts to strengthen our microchips industrial base, as they are increasingly critical to our everyday technology,” said Rep. Blake Moore. â€œHowever, they are only part of an extensive microelectronics infrastructure. As we work to reshore our manufacturing, strengthen our supply chains, and prioritize national security, we are confronted by the immediate need to rebuild and bolster our entire microelectronics ecosystem. The Supporting American Printed Circuit Boards Act will help usher in a new era of American manufacturing. This bill will not only maintain the integrity of military and national security commercial materials, but it will also fuel the resurgence of American manufacturing through incentivizing the purchase and production of domestically-sourced printed circuit boards. I look forward to collaborating with Congresswoman Eshoo on this bipartisan effort as we work to keep our supply chains and electronic systems secure.” (Read More)

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• General election â€“ Nov 8

On This Day In History

• 1657 - William Bradford, first governor of Plymouth Colony and the 11th great-grandfather of Utah’s Lt. Governor, Deidre Henderson, dies at age 57.
• 1754 - The 1st newspaper cartoon in America: the divided snake "Join or Die"
• 1865 - President Andrew Johnson issues a proclamation declaring armed resistance in the South is virtually at an end; this is the commonly accepted end date of the American Civil War
• 1906 - Sarah Boyle is born. She became a writer who supported immediate integration in 1962 with The Desegregated Heart. She railed against age discrimination in the 1970s and 80s.
• 1914 - Anna Jarvis’s vision of Mother’s Day becomes a reality with a national designation by President Woodrow Wilson.
• 1921 - Sophie Scholl is born. She was an active anti-Nazi activist and was subsequently arrested and beheaded for passing out leaflets. 
• 1922 - The International Astronomical Union formally adopt Annie Jump Cannon's stellar classification system, which with only minor changes, is still used today.
  1941 - British intelligence, including Alan Turing, breaks German spy codes after capturing Enigma machines aboard the weather ship Muenchen
• 1955 - West Germany joins NATO
• 1960 - The FDA approves “the pill.”
• 1974 - The US House of Representatives votes to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Nixon 

Wise Words

“But what does my death matter, if through us thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?”

- Sophie Scholl

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