Situational Analysis | July 1, 2021

Welcome to Thursday. It's a new month, a new quarter, a new fiscal year and the first half of 2021 is now in the rear-view mirror. Crazy. 

Today also marks the 50th anniversary of 18-year-olds being allowed to vote. If they were old enough to die for our country, they were old enough to vote for its leaders.

Be in the Know

1. Gov. Spencer Cox met with President Biden, other western governors to discuss climate change, drought and resources to fight wildfires. "Wildfires are not a partisan phenomenon," the president said. Gov. Cox agreed.
2. Dallin H. Oaks penned an op-ed for the Deseret News heading into the 4th of July weekend: Our inspired Constitution. "I see divine inspiration in the vital purpose of the entire Constitution," he writes. "We are to be governed by law and not by individuals, and our loyalty is to the Constitution and its principles and processes, not to any officeholder."
3. Donald Rumsfeld, former Congressman, White House Chief of Staff and Secretary of Defense under two presidents, died yesterday at age 88. A former speechwriter of his, Matt Latimer, writes about what the obituaries won't. "They loved him when things were going well. They blamed him when things went bad. And he never complained."
4. Gary Peller teaches constitutional law at Georgetown University Law Center. He writes in Politico: "I've been a critical race theorist for 30 years. Our opponents are just proving our point for us." Solid read.
5. Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg surrendered to authorities this morning ahead of expected charges of tax crimes to be announced later today. 

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Utah Headlines

General

• The neuroscience behind why your brain may need time to adjust to ‘un-social distancing’ (St. George News)
• Freedom Festival Gala is a gem in the festival's crown. This years honorees are the Puro sisters, Leonard Bagalwa and President Dallin H. Oaks (Daily Herald)
• IN FOCUS Discussion: Uptick in Utah drownings (ABC4)
• Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish, first woman to lead a major denomination in Utah, dies at 81 (Deseret News)

Politics

• Why Utah Tech University and what does this mean for students? (St. George News)
• Letter: Christiansen’s call for Salt Lake County election ‘audit’ makes no sense (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Why the FEC ordered Utah GOP Rep. Burgess Owens to pay $4,000 fine (Deseret News)
• Utah County Commission votes to reduce property taxes. An increase approved in 2019 is cut almost in half. (Salt Lake Tribune)

COVID Corner

• Utah's COVID-19 cases take a big jump: 574 new cases, 3 more deaths
• Physician describes what it's like in the ICU as COVID cases, hospitalizations rise again (KUTV)
• California gov’s business manager evaded Newsom's strict COVID rules by moving to Utah (New York Post)
• Delta is now the most common COVID-19 variant in the U.S. (Wall Street Journal)
• Pandemic surges in many parts of the world, fueled by the Delta variant (New York Times)
• Australia's NSW state says Delta outbreak grows despite lockdown (Reuters)

Drought/Wildfires

• Cooler temperatures and rain showers didn't improve Utah drought conditions ðŸ˜© (Fox13)
• Poll: Utahns favor incentives for ‘wise’ water use — and tougher penalties for those who aren’t (Deseret News)

Education

• FOX 13 Investigates: Granite School District physically rips out memory of student who died by suicide from the yearbook (Fox13)
• Dear Donovan Mitchell, Utah’s GOP boss wants to meet with you on critical race theory and tell you why it shouldn't be taught in schools (Salt Lake Tribune)

Energy

• Rocky Mountain Power announces latest solar facility in rural Utah on behalf of Facebook's Eagle Mountain data center (Utah Business)
• Experts say gas prices will be highest since 2014 ahead of holiday weekend (Standard-Examiner)

Family

• Hunting, fishing will be forbidden to Utahns behind on child support as new law goes into effect today (KUTV)

Housing

• Habitat for Humanity completes one home, starts another in same cul-de-sac in Orem (Daily Herald)
• Utahns try ‘van life’ as rents and home prices soar (Salt Lake Tribune)

Legal

• Cache Children's Justice Center cuts ribbon for new Logan facility (Herald Journal)

Local Communities

• Summit County official has ‘zero aspiration’ for Park City mayor’s office after contaminated soils criticism (Park Record)
• Extra Utah: A journey to the oldest spot in the state (KUER)
• Cache County attorney steps down to take new role in Weber County (Herald Journal)
• Cedar Breaks Wildflower Festival begins this weekend (St. George News)

Service

• Days for Girls sends reusable feminine hygiene products to women around the world (KUTV)

National Headlines

General

• AP sources: Trump company, executive indicted in tax probe (AP)
• Trump Org CFO surrenders to authorities after grand jury indictments (The Hill)
• Judge denies Britney Spears' request to have her father removed from conservatorship (NPR)
• Bill Cosby freed from prison, his sex conviction overturned (AP)
• Historic Northwest heat wave may have killed hundreds (AP)
• Biden to meet with Surfside families as rescue efforts enter eighth day (The Hill)
• Day of rage: Inside the Capitol riot, an exclusive video investigation (New York Times)

Politics

• The Senator Who Decided to Tell the Truth. A Michigan Republican spent eight months searching for evidence of election fraud, but all he found was lies. (The Atlantic)
• ‘Not a healthy environment’: Kamala Harris’ office rife with dissent (Politico)
• Milley was one of Trump’s favorite generals. Now he’s a villain of the right. (Politico)
• Plenty of GOP earmarks in spending bill its members will oppose (Roll Call)
• House debates $715 billion transportation and water bill, making its pitch on infrastructure (Washington Post)
• So much for ‘action’: McCarthy dials back early pledge to rein in Republicans who cross the line as Gosar, others go unpunished (Washington Post)
• House votes to create select committee for investigating Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Only 2 Republicans vote for the bill. (Washington Post)

Courts

• Federal judge blocks Florida law that would penalize social media companies (Washington Post)

Economy

• Knowing what your co-worker makes doesn’t close the pay gap. Salary transparency is intended to help address inequities. But making the number public doesn’t seem to move the needle. (New York Times)

Elections

• Arizona Republicans strip some election power from Democratic Secretary Of State (NPR)
• New poll shows how Trump surged with women and Hispanics — and lost anyway (Politico)

Energy

• PG&E seeks $3.6 billion in rate hikes for wildfire safety (AP)

Environment

• ‘Hard to comprehend’: Experts react to record 121 degrees in Canada (Washington Post)

Immigration

• Republicans go all-in on immigration as a political weapon (Politico)

International

• Turkey formally quits treaty to prevent violence against women (Reuters)
• Xi warns against foreign bullying, says they will "get their heads bashed," as China marks 100 years of the CCP (Reuters)
• Red Cross reveals that children are being held in northeast Syria prisons (Reuters)
• Ahead of Canada’s national day, more unmarked graves found, more churches burned (Washington Post)

Business Headlines

• Texas Instruments to acquire Micron chip plant in Lehi for $900 million (Deseret News)
• Big business is seeing what happens when ‘woke corporations’ meet ‘cancel culture’ (Deseret News)
• Stock futures point to tepid start to third quarter (Wall Street Journal)
• Clorox stock is getting wiped out (CNN)
• Robinhood pays $70 million to settle range of allegations (AP)

Policy News

Gov. Spencer J. Cox, dozens of municipal leaders plead with Utahns to forgo using personal fireworks during the July holidays

Gov. Spencer J. Cox stood side-by-side with local leaders at Utah’s Capitol to advise all Utahns to “Celebrate Safely!”
In a strong, unified message, Gov. Cox and more than 30 Utah city mayors, council members, city managers and other local leaders asked Utahns to skip using personal fireworks this year and join with neighbors in celebrating July 4th and 24th at public celebrations sponsored by Utah communities. Read More

Rep. Stewart Joins Maria Bartiromo to Discuss COVID-19, China, and Corporate America

Yesterday morning, Congressman Chris Stewart (R-UT) joined Fox News’ Mornings with Maria to discuss the House Republican hearing on the origins of COVID-19, the importance of holding China accountable for their role in the outbreak, and China’s growing influence over corporate America. Read More

Bicameral foreign affairs leaders send letter to President Biden expressing concern over continued crackdowns in Hong Kong

Today, on the one-year anniversary of the promulgation of the intentionally-vague national security law in Hong Kong, the four leaders of Congress’s foreign relations subcommittees on Asia sent a letter to President Biden regarding the continued crackdowns on freedoms of speech and press in Hong Kong.

They condemned the actions taken by the Governments of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), including the arrest of pro-democracy activists, the cracking down on the media, and the stifling of freedom of expression on school campuses.
Members also requested, among others, answers regarding the Administration’s plans to encourage international partners to hold PRC and HKSAR officials accountable for undermining Hong Kong’s high-degree of autonomy and to assist Hong Kongers seeking to leave Hong Kong for fear of retribution due to their political beliefs and activities. Read More

Utah’s redistricting process outlined

Utah’s Legislative Redistricting Committee outlines the redistricting process and timeline to address delays caused by COVID-19.
Every ten years, the Legislature is constitutionally required to redraw legislative, congressional and school board district boundaries to reflect changes in population. To accomplish this, the Legislature formed the bipartisan Utah Legislative Redistricting Committee, to gather input from the public and recommend new district boundaries. Read More

Number of the Day

Upcoming

• Preparing for a New Future: Legislative updates and trends with Rep. Brian King and Senator Todd Weiler – July 8 @ 10 am Register here
• Securing the American Dream: A conversation with Tim Scott presented by the Hatch Foundation – Aug 11 @ noon. Register here
• Utah Foundation Annual Luncheon with Shaylyn Romney Garrett – Sept 23 @ 12 pm. Register here

On This Day In History

From History.com

• 1863 - The Battle of Gettysburg begins
• 1867 - New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario became the Dominion of Canada. Happy Canada Day!
• 1890 - Elizabeth Davey Lochrie is born. Known as the “Daughter of Montana” and adopted by the Blackfoot Nation, she traveled rural Montana painting evocative portraits of the Native Americans who lived there. Her breathtaking murals captured the beauty and ruggedness of Montana frontier life.
• 1896 - Harriet Beecher Stowe dies at age 85
• 1903 - France hosts the first Tour de France bicycle race.
• 1916 - Battle of the Somme begins. By the end of the day, 20,000 British soldiers were dead and 40,000 wounded. It was the single heaviest day of casualties in British military history.
• 1944 - The Bretton Woods Conference begins. 
• 1968 - The United States institutes the ZIP Code.
• 1984 - PG-13 rating debuts
• 1987 - For the first time in history, there were three Black women serving as presidents of four-year colleges and universities in the US: Dr. Niara Sudarkasa at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, Dr. Johnetta Cole, at Spelman College in Atlanta and Dr. Gloria Randle Scott at Bennett College in Greensboro, NC.
• 1997 - Hong Kong is returned to China. It’s not working out that great.

Wise Words

"The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone."
-Harriet Beecher Stowe

Lighter Side

Was the Declaration of Independence was written in Philadelphia?

No, it was written in ink.

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