Utah Headlines

Utah legislature

• On the Hill: Paying for safe drinking water in Utah (KSL TV)
• Utah group to host Great Salt Lake vigils during 2025 legislative session (KSL Newsradio)
• Bill targets Lt. Governor’s election oversight with appointed executive director of elections (ABC4)
• What to watch for with Utah’s 2025 legislative session (KUER)
• Utah’s hotly anticipated higher ed budget bill is out. Here’s what it says (KUER)
• Mike Schultz's unlikely journey to becoming Utah House speaker (KSL)
• Here’s how many millions of dollars Utah lawmakers seek to cut from higher education (Salt Lake Tribune)

Other political news

• How will Utah be impacted by Trump's second term as President? (Hinckley Report)
• Editorial Board: Make Inauguration Day meaningful (Deseret News)
• How will new public safety plan change policing in Salt Lake City? (Deseret News)
• Rep. Burgess Owens named vice chair for Education committee, endorses Linda McMahon (Deseret News)
• As Utahns, we must help our new senator do his job by speaking up (Deseret News)
• Sen. Curtis says atmosphere is ‘different’ ahead of Trump’s second inauguration (KSL TV)
• Should running for office be easier? (Deseret News)
• Mexican consul in Utah monitoring immigration issue, awaiting clearer sign of what Trump plans (KSL TV)
• ‘Two votes, you could do any damn thing you wanted’ — A brash but bipartisan Utah politician leaves the stage (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Sen. Mike Lee posts to X at an astonishing rate. Is he busy talking to Utahns or distracted from his duties? Lee made 9,396 posts on X over the last six months of 2024 — meaning Utah’s senior U.S. senator was posting once every 28 minutes. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Elon Musk is Sen. Mike Lee’s most engaged account on X. Here’s what their posts tell us. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Utah

• Former BYU star, Utah native Conner Mantz shatters American half-marathon record (KSL)
• Families welcome home Utah National Guard soldiers after Africa deployment (KSL TV)

Biz/Tech/Economy

• TikTok restores service for US users based on Trump’s promised executive order (AP)
• Costco Teamsters vote to authorize US-wide strike, union says (Reuters)
• Edward Jones settles yearslong investigation for $17M — and Utah will see $320k (Salt Lake Tribune)

Crime/Courts

• Former Utah Senate candidate's 'own actions' lead to mistrial in sexual abuse case (KSL)

Culture

• ‘American Primeval’: How this Native American historian reconciles hard history with the storytelling of Hollywood (Deseret News)
• What 'American Primeval’ gets wrong about Brigham Young, early Latter-day Saints (Deseret News)
• Why some experts believe there’s a society-wide ‘serious crisis of attention’ today (Deseret News)

Education

• West High students, parents demanding answers following principal’s suspension (Deseret News)
• BYU, other Latter-day Saint schools will not drift from church governance, leader says (Deseret News)
• Letter: Our family will suspend our 23-year scholarship at USU following transphobic actions by the university (Salt Lake Tribune)
• One year later, academia still contending with Utah's anti-DEI legislation (St. George News)

Energy

• Opinion: We need nuclear energy — but we must face the risks (Deseret News)

Environment

• Opinion: The Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola will cost $1,000 per Utah household (Deseret News)
• Land grab or land rights? Utah eyes millions of acres of public terrain. (Washington Post)

Family

• Perspective: Girlbosses, tradwives and the hollowness of labels (Deseret News)

Health

• Pre-conception air pollution poses risks to future child's health (Deseret News)
• COVID-19 increases the risk of chronic fatigue syndrome, U. Health study says (KSL)

National news

General

• If anyone wonders how to make a difference in the world, look to the life of the 39th president (Deseret News)
• Elder Corbitt calls for unity, ‘peacemakers’ at 1st South Carolina Religious Liberty Conference (Church News)

Politics

• Rev. Theresa Dear: Honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the day of the presidential inauguration (Deseret News)
• Voices: On a rare overlap of two important events, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy can help us understand ‘disagreeing better’ (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Trump promises harsh immigration crackdown on inauguration eve (Reuters)
• Trump's border czar says immigration raids will begin next week, including in Chicago (NPR)
• Civil rights leaders mobilize ahead of Trump’s inauguration on MLK Day (Reuters)
• At the Hispanic Inaugural Ball, the wait staff contemplates Trump’s return (Deseret News)
• History may be kinder to Joe Biden than voters (Deseret News)
• Joe Biden’s religious freedom legacy — and what it means for the future (Deseret News)
• What to watch at Trump’s inauguration: Big Tech CEOs, Carrie Underwood and foreign leaders (AP)
• Trump’s first orders likely to include border, drilling, DEI policies (Washington Post)
• Scores of career State Dept. diplomats resign before Trump’s inauguration (Washington Post)

Ukraine/Russia 

• Trump Vowed to End the Ukraine War Before Taking Office. The War Rages On. (New York Times)

Israel/Gaza

• Hamas frees hostages, Israel releases Palestinian prisoners on day one of ceasefire (Reuters)
• Palestinians trek across rubble to return to their homes as Gaza ceasefire takes hold (AP)

World news

• Taliban deputy foreign minister calls for girls' high schools to open (Reuters)

Number of the Day 

News Releases

Utah students selected for United States Senate Youth Program

The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) is pleased to announce that high school students Ms. Aingeleah NaTahsha Ford and Ms. Aaboli Samant will join Senator Mike Lee and Senator John Curtis in representing Utah during the 63rd annual USSYP Washington Week, to be held March 1 — 8, 2025. Aingeleah Ford of Salem and Aaboli Samant of West Valley City were selected from among the state’s top student leaders to be part of the 104 national student delegation that will attend meetings and briefings with senators, the president, a justice of the Supreme Court, leaders of cabinet agencies, and other officials throughout the week. Each delegate will also receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study. (Read More)

Protecting Utah’s children from exploitation in the digital age

Sen. McKell, Sen. Cullimore and Rep. Teuscher issued the following statement addressing the dangers of social media platforms and Utah’s efforts to safeguard children:

“Recent revelations about TikTok’s practices should alarm every parent and policymaker. The platform knowingly allowed minors to access its livestream feature despite ineffective age restrictions, creating an environment ripe for exploitation. Internal investigations revealed that children were being sexually exploited through transactions involving virtual currency—transactions from which TikTok allegedly profits significantly. This is more than corporate negligence; it is a system that monetizes harm to children. (Read More)

Statement from the Utah Senate Democrats on the Equal Rights Amendment

We commend President Joe Biden for reaffirming his commitment to gender equality and recognizing the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as a critical step forward. 
While legal and procedural debates surrounding the ERA continue, the need for gender equality is urgent. Women, especially women of color, still face inequities in pay, representation, and access to opportunity. These disparities hinder the progress of families and communities across the nation. (Read More)

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Jan. 21 — Utah legislative session begins
• Jan 21 — Prioritizing Life to Achieve Success at Work with UWLP, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, Register here
• Jan 23 - Designing Corporate Women’s Networks, Initiatives, and Leadership Programs with UWLP, 12:00-3:00 pm,Register here
• Jan 23 — State of the State address, 6:30 pm
• Jan 27 — The Impact of Women’s Health on Work and Life with UWLP, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, Register here
• Jan 29 — A Conversation with Pat Jones on Women's Leadership with UWLP, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, Register here
• Feb 3 — Building Bridges: Leading as Women in Local Government with the Utah Women and Leadership Project, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, Register here
• Feb 5 — Women and Policy, Strategy, Politics, and Change with UWLP, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, Register here
• Feb 10 — Gail Miller: Making a Difference with UWLP, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, Register here
• Feb 12 — Navigating the 2025 Tax Reconciliation Bill webinar with the Hatch Center, 10:00 am - 11:00 am, MST, Register here
• Feb 12 — Crossing the Divide: Making an Impact in Career and Community with UWLP, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, Register here
• Feb 20 — BioHive Live, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, Hale Centre Theater, Sandy, Register here
• Mar. 7 — Utah legislative session ends

On This Day In History

• 1801 - John Marshall is appointed Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
• 1869 - Elizabeth Cady Stanton becomes the first woman to testify before Congress.
• 1870 - Sisters Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Clafin open the first woman-owned brokerage firm in the United States.
• 1872 - Julia Morgan is born. She becomes the first licensed female architect in California and the innovative architect of Hearst Castle and over 700 other buildings
• 1942 - Nazi officials hold Wannsee Conference in Berlin to organize the “final solution” to Europe’s Jewish population.
• 1943 - Lead, South Dakota, temperature is 52°F, while 1.5 miles away Deadwood records -16°F
• 1945 - FDR inaugurated for his 4th term.
• 1949 - The nation’s first televised inaugural parade for Harry Truman is watched by 10 million people.
• 1953 - First live coast-to-coast inaugural address by Eisenhower.
• 1981 - Ronald Reagan is sworn in as the 40th president of the United States.
• 1981 - Within minutes of the inauguration, 52 U.S. captives are released, ending the 444-day Iran Hostage Crisis.
• 1998 - Researchers announce the successful cloning of calves.
• 2009 - Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. 
• 2017 - Donald Trump sworn in as the 45th president. 
• 2021 - Joe Biden sworn in as the 46th president and Kamala Harris makes history as the first female vice-president.

Quote of the Day

"Being a beloved community is also necessarily building a beloved community that is safe."

—Rev. Andrew Teal, speaking at BYU

On the Punny Side

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