Situational Analysis | October 11, 2021

It's Monday and Columbus/Indigenous Peoples' Day as well as International Day of the Girl and National Coming Out Day.

Be in the Know

1. Utah's federal delegation penned a joint op-ed calling the re-expansion of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante a "monumental insult." "Unfortunately, Biden’s proclamation perpetuates a cycle of abuse under the Antiquities Act, which ignores the rights and the will of Utahns, to the detriment of the lands and those whose lives are most intertwined with them," they say. Meanwhile, indigenous-led nonprofit Utah Diné Bikéyah and others celebrated the restoration.

2. Publicly, Facebook's execs have tried to undermine the credibility of whistle-blower Frances Haugen, but internally, the company is in full crisis management mode, holding informational meetings to calm employees and distributing talking points, including info on how employees should respond when they are “asked questions about recent events by friends and family.” 

Utah Headlines

General

•  Ultramarathoners hit by winter storm in Farmington Canyon - 87 runners needed to be rescued in the near whiteout conditions (KUTV, Salt Lake Tribune, Fox13)
• On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, native Utahns call for recognition (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Utah Pride Center's road rally celebrates National Coming Out Day (KUTV)
• Utah’s jail suicide rate remains at twice the national average (Standard-Examiner)
• ‘Tis the season to slow down (St. George News)

Politics

•  What you need to know about the municipal election (ABC4)
• The Inside Utah Politics panel on vaccine mandate hearings and the 2022 Senate race (ABC4)
• Podcast: Bears Ears, COVID mandates, Evan McMullin challenges Mike Lee (Political as Heck)

COVID Corner

• Friday: 1637 new cases, 11 new deaths
• Merck asks US FDA to authorize promising anti-COVID pill (AP)
• Texas gubernatorial candidate Allen West, who is currently recovering from a case of COVID-19, said his hospitalization with the virus has made him “more dedicated to fighting against vaccine mandates.” (The Hill)

Education

•  Front-line fatigue: Many teachers, staff face utter exhaustion in 'an untenable situation' (KSL)
• Elementary school in Provo moves to remote learning following Test-to-Stay event reveals high number of positive results (KUTV)
• Utah schools are in ‘triage’ mode when it comes to mental health support for students (KUER)

National Headlines

General

• Southwest cancels nearly 2,000 flights in two days, disrupting weekend travel (The Hill)
• Inside America's broken supply chain (Washington Post)
• Taliban says US will provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan without giving political recognition to the Taliban rulers (AP)
• An alleged affair with Putin. A child born with no father listed. A shell company in Monaco. A $4-million apartment. More from the Pandora Papers on the swanky lifestyle of Svetlana Krivonogikh (Washington Post)
• Eating disorders in teens have 'exploded' during the pandemic (New York Times)

Politics

• ‘Frustration is at an all-time high’: Behind Biden’s falling poll numbers (Washington Post)
• No. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise refuses to say election wasn’t stolen (AP)
• Liberal Democrats have become the mainstream of the party and less willing to compromise with dwindling moderates (Washington Post)
• Dems thought giving voters cash was the key to success. So what happened? (Politico)
• Bleak midterm outlook shadows bitter Democratic battle (The Hill)

International

• Ethiopian army starts ground offensive against rebellious Tigray forces (Reuters)
• China says it carried out beach landing drills in province opposite Taiwan (Reuters)

Security

• Navy nuclear engineer and his wife charged with trying to pass secrets to a foreign government (AP)

Policy News

Salt Lake City Council Debates this week

The Pioneer Park Coalition, The Other Side Academy, and The Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce are partnering with ABC 4 to host a debate for each Salt Lake City Council race.

ABC 4 will be hosting the debates in-studio and give an entire hour uninterrupted on prime time TV at 7 pm. 
The debates will be live on CW30 (ABC 4’s station) and also streamed online at abc4.com

The date & time for each debate are as follows:

District 7 Debate Monday, October 11th at 7 pm. 
District 1 Debate Tuesday, October 12th at 7 pm. 
District 2 Debate Wednesday, October 13th at 7 pm. 
District 5 Debate Thursday, October 14th at 7 pm. 
District 3 Debate Friday, October 15th at 7 pm. 

Zions Bank launches no-overdraft-fee account to help bring underserved consumers financial stability

Overdraft protection is designed to help consumers cover a charge when their bank account dips below zero — saving them the inconvenience and embarrassment of a rejected payment. A 2020 Morning Consult survey found that 89% of adults find the service valuable. But for low-income households, overdraft fees can be a major hurdle to having a bank account.

Zions Bank is among a growing number of financial institutions working to address the needs consumers who may find themselves priced out of traditional banking products. Today Zions Bank announced that it has received Bank On certification for its newly launched no-overdraft-fee bank account from the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund.

The product, called OnBudget Banking, helps keep customers aligned with their financial goals with a predictable monthly service fee of $5, mobile banking and no overdraft fees. The checkless account offers a Visa® debit card for making payments and accessing funds. (Read More)

Rep. Stewart sends letter demanding answers on why parents are being targeted by the DOJ

Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding answers on why the Department of Justice (DOJ) is targeting parents who speak out in opposition to school board decisions.

“President Biden is using the Justice Department as a political weapon,” said Rep. Stewart. “This is just the most recent example of his apparent commitment to silencing any opposition to his agenda. Threatening violence and disrupting public meetings are never acceptable, and Attorney General Garland is right that some of these acts may be criminal. But none of this constitutes a federal offense, and it certainly doesn’t warrant FBI involvement. The Attorney General is clearly attempting to restrict speech that is protected by the First Amendment. He has no right to silence the legitimate concerns of parents. And he has no right to brand these justly concerned parents as domestic terrorists.” (Read More)

Number of the Day

International Day of the Girl

By Holly Richardson

Today, October 11, is the International Day of the Girl. This year’s theme is Digital Generation. Our generation, focuses not only on internet access but also the ability to do so safely. In this, the second year of a global pandemic, there are notable differences in the ability for girls worldwide to access and use digital platforms for learning, earning and connecting.

According to the UN, the global internet user gender gap is growing, from 11 per cent in 2013 to 17 per cent in 2019, and widest in the world’s least developed countries at 43 per cent. 2.2 billion people below the age of 25 do not have internet access at home, with girls more likely to be cut off. Globally, the percentage of females among Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduates is below 15 percent in over two-thirds of countries. Nearly 1 in 4 girls aged 15–19 globally are not in education, employment or training, compared to 1 in 10 boys. In middle and higher-income countries, only 14 per cent of girls who were top performers in science or mathematics expected to work in science and engineering compared to 26 per cent of top-performing boys.

There has also been a global rise in the online harassment of women and girls since the beginning of the pandemic. In the US, two out of every ten young women, aged 18-29, have been sexually harassed online and one in two say they have been sent unwarranted explicit images. Some groups of women, including human rights defenders, women in politics, journalists, bloggers, women belonging to ethnic minorities, indigenous women, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities are particularly targeted by internet-facilitated violence.

Malala Yousafzai rightly noted “We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back” – and that includes the ability to safely access and use the internet.

Upcoming

• Utah Foundation Breakfast Briefing: Can Utah step up its game on air quality. – Oct 13 @ 9:00 am. Online only. Register here
• Utah Business Economic Summit – Nov 5, 8:00 am - 4 pm Register here
• 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

• 1809 - Meriweather Lewis dies of gunshot wounds under mysterious circumstances at age 35.
• 1884 - Eleanor Roosevelt is born. A civil rights advocate, feminist, author, and world diplomat, she was also the First Lady from 1933-45.
• 1890 - Daughters of the American Revolution is founded
• 1975 - Saturday Night Live, launches on NBC
• 1984 - Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan is the first U.S. woman astronaut to “walk” in space during Challenger flight
• 1986 - Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev open talks at a summit in Reykjavik, Iceland
• 2002 - Jimmy Carter wins the Nobel Peace Prize

Wise Words

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot do.”

-Author

Lighter Side

Q: What do you call a pepper in late autumn?

A: A little chili

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