Situational Analysis | November 11, 2021

It's Thursday. Happy Veterans Day.

Be in the Know

1.  In 1918, at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, the Armistice ending World War I was signed. We still observe this day as Veterans Day, honoring all those who have served in the US military. All national parks have free admission for everyone today and many restaurants have deals for veterans.

2. The Utah is sending bills to Gov. Cox's desk for his signature, including the controversial Congressional maps, the controversial renaming of the university in St. George and the somewhat less controversial House and Senate maps. The Governor is expected to sign all bills.

3. F.W. de Klerk, who led South Africa's last white minority government and shared a Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela for overseeing the end of apartheid, has died at age 85.

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Special Session Debrief

Lawmakers are meeting in special session this week to decide several controversial issues. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, Chris Karpowitz and Spencer Stokes join host Jason Perry on "The Hinckley Report" this Friday at 7:30 p.m. to discuss how these votes will shift the political dynamic in Utah.

Utah Headlines

General

• Chris Stewart: Today, let’s honor the veterans of the war in Afghanistan (Deseret News)
• Utah veterans organization helps veterans adjust to daily life (Fox13)
• VA in Salt Lake offering 500 free meals to homeless, underserved veterans (Fox13)
• Utah experts weigh in as U.S. inflation soars to 30-year high (Deseret News)
• Thanksgiving dinner is going to be really expensive this year (Deseret News)

Politics

• Andy Rasmussen: The bipartisan infrastructure bill was a big win for sportsmen and women. It’s difficult to overstate how significant this bill is in these polarized times. (Deseret News)
• Utah Legislature passes Dixie State name change to Utah Tech University (KUTV)
• How the NAACP grades Mitt Romney, Mike Lee on voting rights, COVID-19 relief (Deseret News)
• COVID-19 vaccine exemption bill passes legislature after being watered down (Fox13)
• New state House, Senate maps win quick approval (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Utah Legislature passes bail reform compromise bill (KUER)
• Incoming SLC council makes history with majority being BIPOC and LGBTQ+ (ABC4)

COVID Corner

• 1531 new cases, 12 new deaths
• Idaho COVID-19 cases ‘bonkers,’ Utah governor says, but it’s Utah that’s a hot spot (Deseret News)
• Department of Defense helps staff new St. George monoclonal antibody treatment site. The facility will serve older adults, who are vulnerable to severe COVID-19 infections. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• A judge says Texas’ ban on mask mandates violates the rights of students with disabilities. (New York Times)

Education

• Georgetown study: ‘To succeed in America, it’s better to be born rich than smart.’ The smartest kids from the poorest families have a 31% chance of graduating college and getting a good-paying job. Kids who struggle academically but come from the richest families have a 71% chance of graduating college and getting a good-paying job. (Georgetown University)
• Utah school districts are offering extra pay to attract substitute teachers. Will it work? (Salt Lake Tribune)

Environment

• No U.S. coal plants by 2030? John Kerry makes bold prediction in Glasgow (Deseret News)
• Utah Lawmakers punish Intermountain Power, allege the utility’s interests no longer align with the state. Legislature passes bill that would strip IPA of its exemptions to transparency laws that apply to most interlocal entities. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Outdoor workers can pay a heavy price for Utah’s bad air (KUER)

National Headlines

General

• Metallurgist admits faking steel-test results for Navy subs (AP)
• Elon Musk sells around $5 billion in Tesla stock (Wall Street Journal)
• In 1921, the first soldier of the Tomb of the Unknowns was laid to rest. The memorial was caught on film. (Washington Post)

Politics

• Reps. Nunes and Stewart: Biden's vaccine mandate threatens our national security (Fox News)
• Gerrymandering surges as states redraw maps for House seats (AP)
• Democrats’ lofty tax agenda imperiled by resistance from within (Washington Post)
• House Republicans who backed infrastructure bill face vicious backlash (New York Times)
• Trump's attacks on McConnell seen as prelude to 2024 White House bid (The Hill)

Policy News

Rep. Owens co-sponsors the Child RESCUE Act to crack down on child exploitation & abuse

Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) co-sponsored the Child RESCUE Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Reps. Abigail Spanberger (VA-07) and Ben Cline (VA-06) to strengthen federal efforts to rescue U.S. children from sexual exploitation and abuse.

The Child Response to Exploitation and Sexual Abuse of Children in Unaddressed Emergencies Act, or Child RESCUE Act, would create a national commission to study proactive strategies and identify the resources needed to locate and rescue children from sexual exploitation and abuse. (Read More)

Distribution company Revman to grow in Utah

The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (Go Utah) is pleased to announce that Revman International, Inc. will expand in Grantsville, Utah, bringing up to 70 new high-paying jobs in the next 10 years.

“Revman’s new distribution center will improve speed to consumers and reduce the cost for retailers,” said Dan Hemmert, the Office of Economic Opportunity’s executive director. “We’re excited they have chosen to grow in Tooele County and for the opportunities they’ll bring to the area.”

Revman is a leading distributor of bedding, bath, and home decor products, sold under a portfolio of licensed, globally-known brands. Some brands in the portfolio include Nautica, Vera Wang, Eddie Bauer, Laura Ashley, and Tommy Bahama. (Read More)

Newly formed high school esports teams compete in statewide fall festival

 In the past few years, esport (video game) competitions have sprung up in high schools and middle schools throughout Utah. In line with this growing popularity, Granite School District has developed an Esports organization to help connect students to competitions. On Friday, Nov. 12 from 4-8 pm, six schools (Cottonwood High, Hunter High, Taylorsville High, Skyline High, Eisenhower Jr. High, and Hunter Jr. High) in Granite School District will be joining the Ken Garff Esports Fall Festival – a four hour competition featuring participants from 20 Utah school district. Students in teams of three will compete against other teams from all over the state in two popular games: Rocket League and Super Smash Brothers Ultimate.

The event will be livestreamed on Twitch and viewable on YouTube after the event. (Read More)

Parsons Behle & Latimer attorney Hal J. Pos granted the Edward W. Clyde Distinguished Service Award by the Utah State Bar

On Nov. 8, 2021, leading environmental attorney Hal J. Pos was presented the Edward W. Clyde Distinguished Service Award by the Energy, Natural Resources & Environment Law (ENREL) Section of the Utah State Bar. This prestigious award is given to attorneys based on their overall contributions to the ENREL Section of the Bar and to the practice of environmental law. Pos has been a member of the section for many years and served as 2000-2001 ENREL chairperson. Blaine Rawson, the ENREL Section’s current chairperson says,” Hal is a very worthy recipient of the award. He exemplifies what a lawyer should and can be.” Pos has led a storied career for more than 37 years at Parsons Behle & Latimer (Parsons) as one of its preeminent environmental and natural resources attorneys and former Parsons’ president and CEO. 

During the award ceremony, Pos addressed the younger natural resource attorneys emphasizing their responsibility to uphold environmental laws, regulations and policies that will support agreements made by countries and companies to combat climate change. “We have reached the critical juncture where the commitments nations and companies around the world have made must be achieved,” he said. “There remains no cushion in time. It will be your generation and your children’s generation that will need to act to help save our planet. (Read More)

Guest Opinion: The Presidential Spectacle

By Justin Stapley

Gaining public support as a candidate and maintaining it as President relies heavily on something called the “presidential spectacle,” which aids in portraying what’s known as the “single executive image” in the public imagination. In other words, there are certain rituals, actions, and behaviors typical to an operation seeking to portray someone as “presidential,” in command, and in control.   

The reality of the modern presidency is one of a multi-layered, multi-faceted, and quite expansive institution, one that any given President will spend most of their efforts to corral and bend to their will (to say nothing of their lack of control of the other branches of government). But the image in the public’s eyes is that they’ve elected one individual who represents their hopes and wishes and, thusly empowered, has all control, ability, and capacity to enact them.

Because the gulf between expectation and reality is so vast, Presidents increasingly rely on this idea of presidential spectacle. Any given administration is as much, or more, concerned with bending reality to fit narratives of strength and control as it is with actually accomplishing a governing agenda.  

The spectacle often begins with the crafting of a compelling narrative in the presidential campaign. As candidates step forward, they present their reasons for running for office. They, of course, mention policy and ideology, but they usually take secondary importance to the story they’re trying to tell the American people. Inasmuch as policy is important, it’s as a narrative device to further the story. (Read More)

Upcoming

• Common Good Awards with Envision Utah, virtual event â€“ Nov. 11, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm. Register here
• Utah Philanthropy Day Awards – Nov. 15, 6:00 - 7:00 pm on ABC4.
• Growth, Grit and Grace - SLC Chamber's Women & Business Conference and ATHENA awards – Nov 19, 8:00 am - 3:30 pm Register here

On This Day In History

From History.com

• 1620 - Mayflower Pilgrims make their first landing in America and Mayflower Compact signed.
• 1744 - Abigail Adams is born, a politically influential First Lady and early advocate for women’s rights
• 1885 - George Patton is born. 
• 1914 - Daisy Lee Bates is born. She mentored and advised the “Little Rock Nine” who integrated the Little Rock, Arkansas
• 1918 - Armistice Day: World War I ends at 11:00 on the 11th day of the 11th month
• 1921 - US President Warren G. Harding dedicates Tomb of Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery
• 1938 - Mary Mallon, Irish-American patient best known as 'Typhoid Mary' and the first person in the United States known to be immune to typhoid, dies at 69
• 1939 - Kate Smith first sings Irving Berlin's "God Bless America"
• 1942 - Draft age is lowered to 18
• 1979 - Bethune Museum and Archives opens in Washington D.C. as a center for African-American women’s history, honoring Mary McLeod Bethune
• 1993 - The Vietnam Women’s Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
• 2004 - Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, dies in Paris at 75

Wise Words

“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking."

-George Patton

Lighter Side

“OK, how much more bad news is Biden going to get? At the end of the month, we’re going to find out the turkey he pardoned was at the Capitol on Jan. 6.” 

— SETH MEYERS

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