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The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at editor@utahpolicy.com.

 

Situational Analysis | June 13, 2025

It's Friday and National Sewing Machine Day 🧵

Also, Happy Father's Day on Sunday!

What you need to know

Rapid Relevance

 

Beyond Fun and Games

Nearly half of Boomers and 36% of the Silent Generation play video games weekly — for mental sharpness, stress relief, and fun. Learn more and game on.

 

Utah Headlines

Political news

  • Time running out for Gov. Cox to put the repeal of Legislature’s anti-union law on the 2025 ballot  (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • Utah Sen. Mike Lee proposes sale of more than 2 million acres of US lands (KUTV)
  • Republicans, including Sen. Lee, push to rein in D.C. sanctuary policies as anti-ICE protests heat up (Deseret News)

Municipal news

  • Take a tour inside downtown South Salt Lake’s ‘first major development’ (Deseret News)
  • Part of I-15 to temporarily close again in Davis County for Shepard Lane project (KSL)

Utah

  • NCAA track and field championships: BYU’s Olympian James Corrigan advances, UVU’s 4x100-meter relay team makes program history (Deseret News)
  • Studio owner says landlord's renovations is killing her business (KSL)
  • University of Utah student is being held at Colorado immigration detention center (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • 'Defending my people': Immigrant advocates protest in Salt Lake City as national debate heats up (KSL)
  • 2 Utah courthouses reduce staff ahead of planned protests as state leaders urge calm (KSL)
  • Utah’s National Guard has helped to police protests for over 100 years (KSL TV)

Biz/Tech

  • Salt Lake City’s first direct flight to South Korea takes off (Salt Lake Tribune)

Crime/Courts

  • Lawsuit seeks to secure ownership rights for 23andMe customers’ data (Deseret News)
  • West Valley mom charged with leaving infant son in hot car for 108 minutes (KSL)

Culture/Community

  • Krispy Kreme offering dozen doughnuts for 13 cents on Friday the 13th (USA Today)

Economy

  • Report outlines Utah State University's economic contributions to the Beehive State (KSL)

Education 

  • Utah officials worry decision on J-1 visa program could impact dual-language programs (KSL)
  • Supreme Court bolsters school disability protections (Reuters)
  • U of U opens St. George campus to address rural doctor shortage (KSL Newsradio)

Energy

  • Opinion: Open letter from Utah business leaders calling for energy abundance, security and reliability (Deseret News)
  • Utah embraces the next step in nuclear energy — fuel enrichment (Deseret News)
  • Opinion: Open letter from Utah business leaders calling for energy abundance, security and reliability (Deseret News)

Environment

Family

  • Perspective: The ‘father divide’ and what it means for our kids (Deseret News)
  • How community connection and love for others makes Utah's seniors the happiest (Deseret News)
  • Elder abuse more common than we think, watch out for these signs (KSL TV)

Health

  • Research changes view on how Tylenol stops pain (Deseret News)
  • Zion National Park warns visitors against swimming in Virgin River due to possible toxins (KSL)
 

National Headlines

General

  • Air India Dreamliner crashes into Ahmedabad college hostel, kills over 240 (Reuters)

Political news - Trump

  • Judge says Trump acted unlawfully in California National Guard deployment (Deseret News)
  • Appeals court blocks earlier ruling, allows Trump to command California Guard for now (NPR)
  • Why Flag Day 2025: Massive D.C. military parade, hundreds of ‘No Kings’ protests — and Trump’s 79th birthday (Deseret News)

Other political news

  • House votes to claw back $1.1 billion from public media (NPR)
  • What the new Wyoming reveals about being conservative (Deseret News)
  • DOGE cuts pass House, despite some GOP opposition (Deseret News)
  • Hegseth says the Pentagon has contingency plans to invade Greenland if necessary (AP)

Immigration/deportation

  • 45 minutes to pack up a lifetime as Pakistan’s foreigner crackdown sends Afghans scrambling (AP News)
  • Trump officials vow to step up LA crackdown; Democratic US senator dragged away in protest (Reuters)
  • Trump administration tells immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela they have to leave (AP)

Ukraine/Russia

  • Russia condemns Israel's strike on Iran as 'unprovoked aggression' (Kyiv Independent

Middle East

  • UN votes overwhelmingly to demand Gaza ceasefire, hostage release and aid access (AP News)

World news

  • As the Dalai Lama Turns 90, His Exiled Nation Faces a Moment of Truth (New York Times)
  • Earthquakes damage centuries-old monasteries in a secluded religious community in Greece (AP)
 

Number of the Day 

Number of the Day, June 13, 2025 (1200 x 1000 px)

 

News Releases

Growth in housing and labor markets reflect resilient Utah economy 

The Salt Lake Chamber, in partnership with the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, has released the May 2025 Roadmap to Prosperity Economic Dashboard. “Despite economic uncertainty during the opening months of the year, Utah’s economy remains resilient, with job growth outpacing the national average and rising housing construction value signaling strong demand,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “Our strength in the labor and housing markets reflect Utah’s desirability as a place to live, work and play, and is a shining example of our state’s economic resilience and power.” (Read More)


Lee introduces the Open America’s Waters Act to repeal Jones Act, boost coastal trade

U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Open America’s Waters Act today to deregulate America’s coastal trade and alleviate the energy crisis by repealing the outdated Jones Act. Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) introduced a companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. (Read More)


Lee declares ‘Fidelity Month’ to celebrate family values

U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced a resolution designating June as ‘Fidelity Month’ to celebrate faith, family values, and patriotism. The resolution recognizes the national strife resulting from declining traditional values and serves as a rededication to these principles for the wellbeing of the American people. (Read More)

 

Tweet of the Day

 

Upcoming

  • June 17-19 â€” Interim Days
  • Aug 7 â€”  Titan of Public Service gala with Sen. Tom Cotton hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation at the Grand America Hotel. More Information Here
  • Aug 12 â€” Municipal primary
  • Aug 19-21 â€” Interim Days
  • Nov 4 â€” General election
 

On This Day In History

  • 1774 - Rhode Island becomes first colony to prohibit the importation of slaves
  • 1777 - 19 year-old Marquis de Lafayette lands in the American colonies to fight alongside George Washington
  • 1807 - Thomas Jefferson is subpoenaed in Aaron Burr’s treason trial
  • 1888 - US Congress creates the Department of Labor
  • 1920 - The US Post Office says children can no longer be sent via parcel post
  • 1966 - Supreme court establishes Miranda rights in Miranda v. Arizona
  • 1967 - Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Justice, is appointed to the US Supreme Court
  • 1971 - The New York Times begins publishing the Pentagon Papers
  • 1994 - A jury in Anchorage, Alaska, blames recklessness by Exxon and Captain Joseph Hazelwood for the Exxon Valdez disaster.
  • 2023 - Trump pleads not guilty in classified docs case

Quote of the Day

 â€œA man can make what he wants of himself if he truly believes that he must be ready for hard work and many heartbreaks.”

– Thurgood Marshall


On the Punny Side

What has more lives than a cat?
A frog, because it croaks every day.

 

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