Situational Analysis | May 30, 2022

Happy Memorial Day!

We are now in the deadliest 100 days on Utah roads and it's already been a bad year. Stay safe this summer. 

Be in the Know

1. A Memorial Day ceremony will be held this morning at 10 am on the south steps of the State Capitol Building. The ceremony will include remarks from Governor Cox and Senator Mitt Romney along with a special musical numbers and 21-gun salute by the Utah National Guard. A wreath and flag display will remain in place throughout the day for the community to visit and remember the brave men and women who paid the ultimate price to defend our nation. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Capitol Rotunda. Other Memorial Day ceremonies will be held throughout the state as well. 

2. Lithuanian journalist and social media personality Andrius Tapinas  wanted to do more to help Ukraine and he got creative. He decided to launch a crowd-funding campaign to raise 5 million Euros in 3 weeks to buy a Bayraktar TB@ drone. He did it in 3 days. The small country has fewer residents than Utah, at just 2.8 million. 

FROM OUR SPONSOR, GONDOLA WORKS

Support the gondola for generations to come.

It’s a zero-emission alternative to road-based options. A gondola has
the least impact to streams and the watershed, and maintains the
integrity of canyon trails, wildlife, climbing boulders and routes. Learn
more at gondolaworks.com

Utah Headlines

Memorial Day

• Memorial Day — A time to reflect on the true heroes of America (Deseret News)
• Memorial Day holiday weekend filled with remembrances and activities (KPCW)
• Memorial Day isn’t about high gas prices or the start of BBQ season. An estimated 1.35 million Americans have died in wars since the Revolution. We should stand in awe of their sacrifice, which puts many of today’s worries into perspective (Deseret News)
• Here’s how you can honor soldiers this Memorial Day (Deseret News)
• How to fly the American flag on Memorial Day (ABC4)
• GALLERY: Flags placed at headstones in Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park (KUTV)
• Memorial Day weekend brings memorable weather to Utah (KUTV)
• First responders, trauma leaders preach water safety ahead of Memorial Day weekend (Fox13)
• 'My heart is in Arlington': What Memorial Day means to one Gold Star family (NPR)

General

• Never-before-seen meteor shower may light up Utah's sky Monday (KSL)
• Record 100 million people displaced due to Ukraine war, other conflicts. The number represents a sobering one percent of the global population. (Deseret News)
• Who’s winning the war for American public opinion: Israelis or Palestinians? The latest data from Pew Research Center shows that a majority of Americans view both Palestinians and Israelis in a favorable light (Deseret News)
• Delta is the latest airline to announce cuts to summer flight schedule. What will it mean for travelers? (Deseret News)
• Turn your camera on — the zoom meetings are here to stay. The pandemic made hybrid work the norm, and we aren’t going back. (Deseret News)
• Photo project aims to restore respect to Asian American and Pacific Islander names (Salt Lake Tribune)
• The audacious quest to document the lives of all 421,000 American soldiers who died in WWII. In his Stories Behind the Stars project, it is Don Milne’s not immodest goal to chronicle the lives of all the G.I.s who gave their lives for their country during WWII (Deseret News)
• FOX 13 Investigates: Heber City tried and failed to hide thousands of dollars paid to two whistleblower officers (Fox13)
• 3 Southern Utah cities rank in top 5 small cities in America to start a business (St. George News)
• What can Dubai or Zurich teach Utah about growth? A new commission wants to find out (KUER)
• Moab non-profit receives first Spirit of Service award from Governor Cox (UPR)

Politics

• The personal need not be political (Deseret News)
• Is the 2022 election about 2020, or are we ready to look ahead? (Deseret News)
• Running water is promised to the Navajo Nation in this ‘historic’ settlement, but some residents remain skeptical. With the stroke of three pens, settlement almost two decades in the making is signed into law (Deseret News)
• New poll shows widespread support for background checks and other gun reform laws (Deseret News)
• Here are the states with the strictest gun laws in America. Hawaii has the second most restrictive gun laws and fewest gun deaths in the country (Deseret News)
• For some Utah Republican candidates, Trump is still king at Wyoming rally (Salt Lake Tribune)
• ‘If you’re aligned with Mitt Romney or Spencer Cox, I’m not your guy’: Chris Herrod courts right-wing at Friday debate against Rep. John Curtis. Herrod, who is challenging for a seat in Utah’s 3rd Congressional District, specifically took aim at Black Lives Matter, ESG, critical race theory and mask mandates. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Third time’s a charm between Rep. John Curtis, Chris Herrod in a GOP-sponsored debate (KUER)
• Mitt Romney discusses guns, curling, climbing and Utah’s shot at the 2030 Olympics. The senator was instrumental in bringing Ukrainian athletes to Utah during the ongoing war. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• How Utah’s law regulating the troubled teen industry could influence federal legislation (ABC4)
• The IUP Panel on school safety and the Georgia primary (ABC4)

Education

• What happened after rough seas knocked a team of Utah deaf, blind students out of a 70-mile boat race last year? (Deseret News)
• Utah whiz kids hope to make history at Scripps National Spelling Bee (Fox13)
• Utah County school districts give insight into safety protocols (Daily Herald)
• Why the Utah Supreme Court interfered in a school district's land sale (KSL)

Environment

• Arguments against firework bans are going up in smoke — but we are still playing with fire (Deseret News)

Family

• When will the baby formula shortage end — and how is New York tackling price gouging? Experts predict it will be July before the baby formula shortage is really resolved (Deseret News)
• Danone to fly formula to the U.S. for babies with allergies. Nutricia owner is working with the FDA to quickly ship the equivalent of five million bottles of medical formula (Wall Street Journal)

Health

• If states could produce their own insulin, would it solve the cost crisis? (Deseret News)
• New Jersey cancer cluster school finds no traces of radiation. 120 people with connections to the same high school in New Jersey have been diagnosed with brain tumors. Testing shows no radioactive material was found on school grounds (Deseret News)

Utah/Ukraine Connection

• The pets of Ukraine find a home, and a vet, in Poland (Deseret News)

National Headlines

General

• Days after the Uvalde shooting, the NRA convention went on as planned (NPR)
• The DOJ reviewing the police response to the Uvalde school shoooting (Wall Street Journal)
• Trump, Cruz join NRA leaders in defiant response to Uvalde shooting (Washington Post)
• President Biden mourned with families in Uvalde. (New York Times)
• Abbott booed at Uvalde memorial site: ‘We need change’ (The Hill)
• After Uvalde, mass shootings continue over the weekend across the U.S. At least eight people were killed and another 45 wounded in mass shootings across the United States since Wednesday. (NPR)
• A dad’s anguish outside Texas school while shooting unfolded (AP)
• Season’s 1st hurricane aims heavy hit at Mexico tourist zone (AP)

Politics

• First up, Bernie Sanders vs. Lindsey Graham: How Orrin Hatch, Ted Kennedy friendship is inspiring new debates (Deseret News)
• The message 21 principals who have experienced gun violence in their schools have for the nation’s elected leaders. Elected leaders at all levels have a duty ‘to prevent our kids and educators from being murdered in school,’ principals say in open letter. (Deseret News)
• The Supreme Court’s approval rate is falling. A recent poll found the U.S. Supreme Court’s approval is under water (Deseret News)
• Vermont likely to elect its 1st woman to Congress this year (AP)
• Paul Pelosi, husband of House speaker, arrested on DUI charge (Washington Post)
• After losses in Ga., Trump sets sights on ousting Liz Cheney in Wyo. (Washington Post)
• Supreme Court may soon expand gun rights amid roiling debate (The Hill)
• Mo Brooks gets into fiery exchange with ‘Fox News Sunday’ host over 2020 election (The Hill)

Ukraine 🇺🇦 

• Ukrainians say they're badly outgunned by Russia in the battle for the Donbas (NPR)
• Donbas is an 'unconditional priority' for Russia, Lavrov says (Reuters)
• Russian troops entering Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine (AP)
• War in Ukraine adds to food price hikes, hunger in Africa (AP)
• Ukraine war hits Africa's most vulnerable as aid costs spike (Reuters)
• ‘Now I am a beggar’: Fleeing the Russian advance in Ukraine (AP)
• In Ukraine, living in fear of death from above (AP)
• UK says Russia suffers devastating losses among lower-ranked officers (Reuters)
• Ukraine get missiles, howitzers as Zelenskiy expects good news on arms (Reuters)
• In occupied Kherson, Russia is imposing a grim, hopeless reality (Washington Post)
• ‘It’s extremely important that we don’t forget the brutality.’ NATO’s efforts to help Ukraine are not simply about military strength but about character, the alliance’s leader indicated. (The Atlantic)

News Releases

Hatch Foundation partners with Kennedy Institute, Bipartisan Policy Center, and Fox News to launch groundbreaking debate series

Dating back to the 19th century, the U.S. Senate has often been referred to as “the world’s greatest deliberative body.” Building upon that tradition of often fierce partisan debate on pressing issues facing the nation, a diverse new coalition—the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, and the Bipartisan Policy Center—is launching a series of Oxford-style debates between leading U.S. senators. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. Bernie Sanders debate live on June 13 on FOX News streaming service FOX Nation. The second debate to be carried live on C-SPAN in July. (Read More)

Romney attends signing of Navajo Utah Water Rights settlement agreement

U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox, Utah Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson, and Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez for the signing of the Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Agreement. The Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Act, introduced by Senator Romney, was authorized by Congress in 2020 and then fully funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the bipartisan infrastructure bill negotiated by Romney and his colleagues. (Read More)

Burgess Owens declines GOP debate

The Utah Republican Party confirmed to the Hunsaker campaign that Burgess Owens has declined to participate in a GOP-sponsored debate.  Because of this, and contrary to prior statements, the state party will not proceed with planning or sponsoring a debate for the two primary candidates in Congressional District 4. Burgess Owens is the only incumbent in the state rejecting all opportunities for debate, including the GOP-sanctioned forum.  He has also rejected other invitations to debate at scheduled forums hosted by non-partisan organizations including the Utah Debate Commission (UDC), KSL NewsRadio, and MWEG.

Hunsaker will participate in the UDC debate scheduled for Wednesday, June 1, 2022. (Read More)

Curtis’s bill to protect consumer privacy gets committee hearing

The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection held a hearing on Congressman Curtis’s bill, the Informing Consumers About Smart Devices Act. “This common sense and bipartisan bill ensures consumers are aware of the recording capabilities of items they are putting in their homes, while also balancing flexibility for companies who are developing smart technologies,” said Rep. Curtis. “Privacy, especially within our homes, should be a choice for consumers, and I am glad that Rep. Moulton and I have fostered a broad coalition of support for this legislation.” (Read More)

Support mounts for Lee’s Digital Advertising Act

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), joined by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), introduced the Competition and Transparency in Digital Advertising Act.  The bill would restore and protect competition in digital advertising by eliminating conflicts of interest that have allowed the leading platforms in the market to manipulate ad auctions and impose monopoly rents on a broad swath of the American economy. (Read More)

Number of the Day

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• "Defenders, Bullies & Victims: The Social Ecology of Adolescence" with Diana Meter - June 7, 2022 RSVP here
• Ballots are mailed â€“ June 7
• China Challenge Summit with WTCU, at UVU – June 9, 2022, 8:30-4:30, Register here
• Hatch Foundation Debate w Lindsey Graham & Bernie Sanders – June 13, 10 am MDT
• Utah Legislature Interim Days – June 14,15 le.utah.gov for more info
• Primary election day â€“ June 28
• General election â€“ Nov 8

On This Day In History

• 1431 - Joan of Arc is burned at the stake for receiving divine inspiration directly, rather than go through the church. Also, the English were mad she defeated them.
• 1539 - Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto's expedition of 10 ships and 700 men lands in Florida.
• 1868 - Civil War dead honored on Decoration Day. We now call it Memorial Day.
• 1910 - Rainbow Bridge National Monument established in Utah.
• 1911 - First Indy 500 race
• 1922 - Former President and US Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Taft dedicates the Lincoln Memorial on the Washington Mall. 
• 1943 - The first All-American Girls Professional Baseball League games are played.
• 1994 - Ezra Taft Benson dies at age 94.

Wise Words

Memorial Day thoughts:

"We don't know them all, but we owe them all." 

– Advertise With Us –

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