Trail Mix with Nic Dunn; gun violence in the US - are there solutions?; grizzly bear attack; mountain snow in the forecast; | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at editor@utahpolicy.com. | | |
Situational Analysis | Oct. 18, 2022 Oh, yesterday was a Monday, wasn't it?? The Utes actually beat USC, not UCLA. Mea culpa. Today, then, is Tuesday and National Chocolate Cupcake Day. Also, ballots go in the mail today. ð Be in the Know Did you miss last night's Senate debate? Catch the replay here of Senator Mike Lee and challenger Evan McMullin in their only debate of the campaign. Neither pulled any punches. One point of disagreement was on the federal government's role in prescription drug pricing. McMullin said he supported a plan that would let the federal government negotiate lower prices while Lee called it price fixing and said the US needed to import more from other countries. Another point of disagreement was over the events of Jan. 6. McMullin called it a "violent insurrection" while Lee said there were people who "behaved very badly." Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics said last week that âConservatives and liberals have largely made up their minds, now weâre going to see how the silent, moderate majority exerts their power. That is the ground both candidates want.â Did last night's debate move any undecided moderates? We'll find out in a few weeks.... Rapid Roundup Appropriations day on the Utah hill; a poll from OH Predictive Insight puts Mike Lee up by 15 points, a definite outlier from most polls showing the gap to be considerably smaller; mountain snow in the forecast for this weekend (!!); college wrestlers wrestle a grizzly (the bear started it); Ukraine says Russia destroyed almost a third of its power stations over the last week; Trail Mix with Nic Dunn Join me as I talk with Nic Dunn, Vice President of Strategy and Communication for Sutherland Institute, about the mix of career experiences that led him to his current role.
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| | | The Hinckley Report, PBS Utahâs weekly political roundtable, airs Fridays at 7PM. Hosted by Jason Perry and produced in partnership with the Hinckley Institute of Politics on the University of Utah campus, the program provides insight and analysis of the most pressing political issues facing our state. | | |
Utah Headlines General What Arkansas fans had to say about BYUâs hospitality (Hint: It was good) (Deseret News) Elections Mike Lee tries to distance himself from Trump in Utah debate (AP) Editorial Board: Lee-McMullin debate shed some light, left much unanswered. A single, one-hour debate canât confront all important questions. The hard work now is up to voters. (Deseret News) Sen. Mike Lee, Evan McMullin donât hold back in heated Senate debate (Deseret News) Utahâs senate candidates donât hold back in fiery debate (ABC4) Take 2 Podcast: Chris Stewart for Congress in Utah's 2nd District (KUTV) Voters ponder debate, political expert looks to national implications of Lee/McMullin race (KUTV) Utahâs three largest counties say they have enough poll workers for Election Day (KSL TV) Washington County Commission incumbent has âunfinished businessâ while challenger offers âexpertiseâ (St. George News) Washington County Commission Seat C: Snow touts his connections while Winsor seeks to look past divisions (St. George News) Iverson seeks to continue defending freedoms; Goode touts self-reliance, sustainability through tech (St. George News) Politics Provo police chief resigns over weekend; mayor appoints new acting chief (Salt Lake Tribune) Business If grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons merge, will consumers win or lose? (Deseret News) Toys R Us returns inside Macyâs stores, complete with a week of free toys (Deseret News) Microsoft lays off employees after slowdown in earnings growth (Wall Street Journal) Education Fighting words? WalletHub released the results of its analysis and revealed the best colleges and universities in the US. BYU received top honors for Utah. (Deseret News) Here's why Gov. Spencer Cox wants Utah classrooms to be cellphone-free (KSL) Enrollment breaks records at multiple Utah universities (KSL TV) 2 Utah colleges are still losing students. For one, it's the third year of declining enrollment (Salt Lake Tribune) State auditors review how Utah school districts manage curriculum. Bottom line: it's just not clear enough (Fox13) The University of Utah saw a record high number of stalking cases last year. The stateâs flagship school saw more cases of stalking than any other college in Utah for 2021, according to annual Clery reports. (Salt Lake Tribune) Environment Democrats and Republicans can find common ground on this issue: energy. This canât be just a Republican or just a Democrat concern. We need national collaboration and problem solving (Deseret News) Conservationists begin to remove thousands of invasive trees at the Bear River Massacre Site (KSL TV) EPA is launching an environmental justice study of Salt Lake Cityâs west side (Salt Lake Tribune) Family Utah nonprofit helps women discover self worth after crises (Fox13) Health A 'game-changer' for millions of Americans: You can now buy hearing aids over the counter (KSL) Look to exercise to extend life, even for the oldest, study says (KSL) New omicron subvariant BQ.1.1 gains momentum in U.S. (Deseret News) Housing David Marston: When no home is affordable, where do you live? (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah housing market sees shift following interest rate hike (KUTV) National Headlines General NATO begins nuclear exercises as tensions rise in Russia. Although the drills come during a time of high international tensions, NATO emphasizes that the event is recurring and not based on any current events (Deseret News) Can a public university advance religious freedom? ASU President Michael Crowâs tenacious take (Deseret News) Elections A new Georgia voting law reduced ballot drop box access in places that used them most (NPR) Democrats worry they peaked too soon ahead of midterms (The Hill) Inflation, crime, immigration top voter concerns ahead of midterms (The Hill) Politics New poll: Americans agree gun violence is a problem, but divided on causes. Deseret News/HarrisX poll also shows Republicans and Democrats worry about different kinds of gun crime (Deseret News) How to stop the next mass shooting. A symposium from across the political spectrum focusing on nine topics that arise in the wake of every mass shooting gun violence and what to do about it. (Deseret News) Former U.S. President Barack Obama criticizes Democrats for being too easily offended (Deseret News) Student loan forgiveness application website goes live (AP) Who counts as Black in voting maps? Some GOP state officials want that narrowed (NPR) Biden just pulled off a big diplomatic victory â and almost no one noticed (Washington Post) Voters see democracy in peril - but saving it isn't a priority (New York Times) Ukraine ðºð¦ Russia is grabbing men off the street to fight in Ukraine. Police and military officers swooped down on a Moscow business center this past week unannounced. They were looking for men to fight in Ukraine â and they seized nearly every one they saw. Some musicians, rehearsing. A courier there to deliver a parcel. A man from a Moscow service agency, very drunk, in his mid-50s, with a walking disability. (Washington Post) Winter is coming: Ukrainians dig in for brutal season ahead (AP) Missiles, exploding drones again hit Ukraineâs power, water (AP) In Ukraine, trend lines point to escalation, not an endgame (NPR) World News Protester is dragged into a Chinese consulate in England and beaten (New York Times) Australia drops recognition of Jerusalem as Israelâs capital (Politico) | | |
News Releases Gov. Cox outlines proposals to protect Utah children from harms of social media Gov. Spencer Cox called on Utah parents, teachers and legislators to support policies to protect Utah children from the negative effects of social media. âLike seat belt laws and tobacco regulations enacted years ago to protect our physical health, today Iâm calling on Utahns to join me in supporting some common sense solutions to protect our mental health,â Gov. Cox said. âWe need parents, educators, community leaders, and lawmakers to work with us to address these critical issues.â (Read More) A. Scott Anderson and over 60 organizations honored by the Womenâs Leadership Institute for exceptional commitment to promote and elevate women in Utah Thursday the Womenâs Leadership Institute (WLI) honored A. Scott Anderson, President and CEO, Zions Bank, with the inaugural Womenâs Leadership Institute A. Scott Anderson Ally Award, also naming the award after him. Anderson was unaware of the new award or that he was receiving it, attending the event as a panelist. While accepting the award, Anderson said, âthe greatest untapped resource in the nation is Utah women.â (Read More) Romney applauds nomination of Justin Martinez for U.S. Marshal for the District of Utah U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today released the following statement regarding the nomination of Justin Martinez for United States Marshal for the District of Utah: âJustin has dedicated his life to keeping our communities safe. A veteran of the United States Coast Guard, Justin has spent the past 26 years serving in various law enforcement agencies throughout Utahâmost recently as the Sheriff of Summit County. After the Parleys Canyon Fire last year, I met with Justin and was impressed with the well-executed response that he coordinated, which saved countless homes and lives. The Administration has made a great choice in nominating Justin for U.S. Marshal for Utah.â Lee praises announcement of U.S. Marshal for Utah After a recommendation from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), President Biden announced Justin Martinez as the U.S. Marshal for Utah. Justin has 26 years of law enforcement experience and has served as the Sheriff of Summit County, Utah, since 2015. Of the announcement, Sen. Lee said, âJustin Martinez is a proven leader and will serve us well as the U.S. Marshal for Utah. I trust that he will execute his duties with the same proficiency and professionalism he demonstrated during his 26 years of law enforcement service for Summit County and the State of Utah.â Dignity Index releases ratings for Fourth Congressional District debate, third-party ads The Dignity Index has released ratings today related to the Fourth Congressional District debate, Congressman Owensâ comments related to the debate and ratings of third-party messages â those not paid for or issued directly from candidates and their campaigns. (Read More) Lee plans oversight of grocery mega-merger
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement in response to news reports that Kroger plans to buy Albertsons for $24.6 billion, combining two of the nationâs largest grocery chains at a time when food prices are already up 13% from last year. âUtahns, like all Americans, are suffering from skyrocketing food prices. As the senior Republican member of the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee, I will do everything in my power to ensure our antitrust laws are robustly enforced to protect consumers from anticompetitive mergers that could further exacerbate the financial strain we already feel in the grocery store checkout aisle.â Smithâs associates serve 17,000 meals to elementary school children during one-day event September was National Hunger Action Month, and Smithâs Food and Drug Stores asked their customers to join in their efforts to help solve hunger. During the month, Smithâs store associates in 141 stores engaged with customers to raise awareness of childhood hunger and request they donate $1.50 for a breakfast meal for local school children. Smithâs matched every donation to help end hunger in communities Smithâs call home. As part of Make A Difference Day, on October 14, Smithâs associates used the funds to assemble 17,000 breakfast bags and delivered them to local elementary school children in need in their local community. (Read More) Romney statement on President Bidenâs national security strategy U.S. Senator Romney (R-UT) released the following statement regarding President Bidenâs National Security Strategy (NSS): âChina has openly expressed its ambition to replace the United States as the geopolitical, military, and economy power of the world. With each passing day, it becomes a bigger threat to freedom and democracy while we stand by and watch... âThe U.S. has a robust history of grand strategy development in the face of prodigious threats. We should apply what weâve learned from previous successful models of grand strategy and build a strategy that can guide the U.S. to successfully address the evolving challenges and contours of the new era of geostrategic and geoeconomic competition with China. I look forward to continuing our work in the Senate to bolster the Administrationâs efforts in countering China.â (Read More) Number of the Day | | |
Upcoming Interim Days â Oct 18-20, le.utah.gov Effecting Societal Change for Child Sexual Abuse â Oct. 26, 8:00am-11:30am; Virtual and in-person at Saprea in Lehi, UT, Register here General election â Nov 8 Hacks to Help Women Maximize Income and Minimize Expenses âNov. 9, Noon-1:00pm; Virtual, Register here UWLP Book Club: How Women Rise By Sally Helgesen & Marshall Goldsmith â Nov. 10, 12:00pm-1:00pm or 7:30pm-8:30pm; Virtual, Register here Advancing Religious Freedom in a Divided America with Judge Thomas Griffith, hosted by Sutherland Institute and the Int'l Center for Law and Religion Studiesâ Nov. 15, 9:30 am - noon, More info here Biases, Barriers, & Barricades for Utah Women: A Solutions-Based Workshop with UWLP and the Policy Project, Nov. 15, 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm, Sandy, Register here Utah Foundationâs 2022 Annual Luncheon â Nov. 16, noon, Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek, Register here Utah Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit with the Salt Lake Chamber â Jan. 12, 2023, Salt Lake City Marriott, 8 am - noon, Register here | | |
On This Day In History 1648 - Boston Shoemakers establish the first American labor organization. 1767 - Mason and Dixon draw a line, dividing the colonies 1867 - The US formally takes possession of Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia for $7.2 million, or less than two cents an acre. 1897 - Isabel Briggs Myers is born. She later teamed up with her mother Katharine Cook Brigs to develop one of the most widely used personality inventories. 1898 - US takes control of Puerto Rico. 1917 - Mamie Clark is born. A psychologist, she established the Northside Center for Child Development (1946) with husband, Dr. Kenneth Clark, for the mental hygiene of the whole child. 1931 - Thomas Edison dies at age 84. 1968 - US Olympic Committee suspends Tommie Smith and John Carlos for giving the Black Power salute to protest racism and injustice against African-Americans during the Olympic medal ceremony. 1972 - Clean Water Act becomes law. 1982 - Bess Truman, former First Lady (1945-53), dies in Independence, Mo at 97 2021 - General Colin Powell dies of COVID-19 complications at age 84. Wise Words "Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand." âColin Powell The Punny Side What do you call a werewolf with a fever? A hot dog. | | |
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