It's June and that means National Pride Month; KSL TV started broadcasting 73 years ago today; ritualistic child sex abuse in Utah County
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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 1, 2022

Welcome to a new month. It's National Pride Month, National Camping Month, and National PTSD Awareness Month.

An anniversary shout-out to KSL TV 📺 which began broadcasting on this day in 1949. 🎉 

Be in the Know

  1. Two Utah families file a lawsuit against the transgender student athlete ban. The lawsuit includes two transgender girls who attend public schools — a 16-year-old who wants to play volleyball and a 13-year-old swimmer. The families are filing the lawsuit anonymously to protect their children. Bill sponsor Rep. Kera Birkeland responded: "The lawsuit filed today is not surprising, as such actions have been threatened since the beginning. My goal has always been to protect girls sports and female athletes across the state and I hope the courts will recognize that and uphold the legislation." Senators Bramble and McCay had similar statements, that the bill "preserves women's sports" and that "litigation is part of the process." Rep. Andrew Stoddard tweeted "Message bills are fiscally irresponsible. This suit will cost millions of taxpayer dollars."

 

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Utah Headlines

General

  • Utah County seeks info in ritualistic child sexual abuse investigation (KSL)
  • Hate crimes against Utah LGBTQ nearly doubled last year, with a big jump during Pride Month (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • Gordon Monson: Anyone who rides a bike in Utah … man, be careful out there (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • First genome sequenced from a Pompeii victim. The victim’s DNA can unlock new secrets of the city lost to destruction (Deseret News)
  • 'We're excited for this year': Why your next Utah hike may make you $20K richer (KSL)
  • How common is abortion in the U.S.? Pew Research Center released a new look at abortion statistics on Friday, May 27 (Deseret News)
  • Leonard Pitts: So much for the good guy with a gun (Salt Lake Tribune)

Politics

  • Republican challenger blasts Burgess Owens for ducking primary election debates. GOP candidate Jake Hunsaker says incumbent ‘acting as a coward’ for not debating (Deseret News)
  • Biden predicts job slowdown, backs Fed strategy as he focuses on inflation (Deseret News)
  • Gordon focuses on meeting accessibility in Utah County Commission seat B race (Daily Herald)
  • Do Utah Rep. Chris Stewart, GOP challenger Erin Rider want Trump’s endorsement? Candidates in Utah’s 2nd Congressional District squared off in party-sanctioned debate Tuesday (Deseret News)
  • Why not a free North Korea, a democratic China? Why a 40-year-old Reagan speech still matters (Deseret News)

Education

  • Schools have to choose between fight and flight. Two well-organized systems for what to do in case of an active shooter at your school. (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • Should feds forgive student loans? See what Utahns think in new poll (Deseret News)
  • Park City students report suspicious social media post (Fox13)
  • ‘Expand your world’: STEM Center invites Southern Utah children to discover what’s possible (St. George News)
  • Native students can wear regalia at Utah graduations. What about seniors who want to honor other cultures? (Salt Lake Tribune)

Environment

  • Nearly half of Utahns overwater their grass — a bad sign for drought, and lawn health (Deseret News)
  • Watch: Huge rock slides off cliff at Lake Powell (KSL)
  • Lake Effect: what does Great Salt Lake mean to you? (UPR)
  • A ‘perfect recipe for extreme wildfire’: New Mexico’s record-breaking, early fire season (New York Times)

Health

  • Did ending smallpox vaccination efforts help monkeypox spread? (Deseret News)

Housing

  • U.S. home prices have been accelerating for 4 straight months. Will it ever end? (Deseret News)

UtahPolicy-01-01

 

On June 9, Utah Policy, World Trade Center Utah, Utah Valley University and others are partnering to organize the China Challenge Summit. A high-profile group of leaders from across the nation and world will provide quality thought leadership and business guidance around three themes:

  • China's economic, trade, business and foreign policies.
  • China's foreign affairs strategy and U.S. foreign policy towards China.
  • How U.S. businesses and policymakers should respond to these challenges.

Register to attend this unprecedented event at ChinaChallengeSummit.com.


National Headlines

General

  • In Britain, it took just one school shooting to pass major gun control (NPR)
  • CEO of Deutsche Bank’s DWS resigns after police raid on offices (Wall Street Journal)
  • Queen Elizabeth II: A visual timeline of her 70 years on the throne (Washington Post)
  • Texas state police are walking back earlier statements that a teacher had left an exterior door propped open, allowing a gunman to get inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. (AP)

Politics

  • President Biden: What America will and will not do in Ukraine (New York Times)
  • Supreme Court blocks Texas social media law from taking effect (NPR)
  • Clinton 2016 campaign lawyer acquitted of lying to the FBI (AP)
  • Trump on Sussmann verdict: ‘Our country is going to hell’ (The Hill)
  • ‘It’s going to be an army’: Tapes reveal GOP plan to contest elections (Politico)
  • Dr. Oz jumps the gun, declares himself ‘presumptive’ GOP Senate nominee (Politico)
  • Biden to meet with baby formula makers on easing shortage (AP)
  • Biden to push new economic agenda, migration plan at Americas summit (Reuters)
  • White House scrambles on inflation after Biden complains to aides (Washington Post)
  • Former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro subpoenaed by Justice Dept. in Jan. 6 probe (Washington Post)
  • Month before Buffalo shooting, poll finds 7 of 10 Republicans believed in 'Great Replacement' (USA Today)
  • ‘Substantial reason to believe’ Reps. Fallon and Rutherford violated STOCK Act, ethics office finds (Roll Call)
  • Judge: No ‘speck’ of proof in Palin’s libel case against NYT (Politico)
  • New Australian government includes record 13 women ministers (AP)

Ukraine 🇺🇦 

  • 'They are carpet-bombing us': Ukrainian troops are getting pounded as they await heavy weapons from the West. After suffering humiliating defeats, Russia is making slow but steady progress as it employs a scorched-earth campaign. (Politico)
  • Biden says US sending medium-range rocket systems to Ukraine (AP)
  • Russian oil producers stay one step ahead of sanctions. Shippers and refiners hide origin of Russian oil, and some is getting into the U.S. (Wall Street Journal)
  • From Ukraine's front lines, bravery and wreckage (New York Times)
  • Despite some progress, Russia is making mistakes in eastern Ukraine that it made in earlier offensives, U.S. officials said. (New York Times)
  • Zelensky: Russian strikes near chemical plants ‘just madness’ (The Hill)
 

News Releases

Granite District High School graduation ceremonies to be held June 1 & 2

Schedule of Granite School District High School Graduation Ceremonies

Wednesday, June 1 and June 2 (Read More)


Granite School District to provide free meals to students throughout the summer

Granite School District will be providing free meals to kids aged 18 and younger throughout the summer as part of the USDA’s Summer Lunch program.

Lunch will be served in cafeterias and students must be present to receive a meal. Parents will not be permitted to pick up meals to take home. All sites will be closed July 4 and July 25. (More details here)


New Utah Foundation report: Social mobility in Utah

Utah ranks near top on homeownership, other measures of social mobility but Beehive State tracks national decline in children outperforming parents.

Utah Foundation President Peter Reichard said the new report “essentially explores whether the American Dream is still alive in Utah. We’re making headway when we look at homeownership, educational attainment and the engagement of young Utahns,” Reichard said. “But we need to look for ways to preserve these gains in the face of challenges like high home costs. We also need to find out whether it’s possible to buck the broader negative trend in intergenerational mobility.” (Read More)


Sen. Bramble and McCay respond to lawsuit against H.B. 11

Sen. Curt Bramble and Sen. Dan McCay issue the following statements regarding the lawsuit against H.B. 11 Student Eligibility in Interscholastic Activities: “All kids deserve fair opportunities; however, we must acknowledge the fact that biological boys and girls are built differently,” said Sen. Curt Bramble.  “H.B. 11 is trying to protect two things: safety and the integrity of competition,” said Sen. Dan McCay. “It is our responsibility as lawmakers to pass legislation that ensures women still have a place in their sport. H.B. 11 does just that. At times, litigation is part of the process, and we will work within the legal system to get answers. H.B. 11 also creates a commission if a ban is put on hold that will help foster a safe and fair environment for all athletes.” (Read More)


Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute: Unprecedented federal fiscal response to COVID-19 propped up economy, but created significant challenges

In the midst of the tremendous challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, which included significant health impacts and widespread layoffs, the federal government began its fiscal response to help prop up the U.S. economy. A report released by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute details the federal government’s 2020 and 2021 fiscal policy (i.e., spending and taxing) responses to the pandemic and the initial impacts of these fiscal responses, particularly on western states. 

“While the Federal Reserve’s expansionary monetary policy (i.e., money supply increase and corresponding  interest rate reduction) played a significant role in stabilizing the U.S. economy through the early pandemic, the massive scale of the federal government’s fiscal response to the COVID-19 pandemic (about 25% of 2020 GDP) far exceeded its fiscal response to other economic downturns,” said Gardner Institute Chief Economist and Public Finance Senior Research Fellow Phil Dean. “The enormous and rapid response stabilized household and  company budgets, which in turn helped stabilize state budgets; however, the unprecedented level of stimulus  also contributed to current economic and budget challenges being faced today across the country.” (Read More)


Romney, Durbin lead call for robust research funding in final competition bill

U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) with U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL) and Ken Calvert (R-CA) led a bipartisan letter to Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) and House-passed America COMPETES Act conferees urging the lawmakers to oppose provisions in USICA that would allocate a high, fixed percentage of future research funding at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE) based on the Established Program to Stimulate Competition Research (EPSCoR). EPSCoR is a federal-state partnership program designed to enhance the research capabilities of states that receive less than 0.75 percent of NSF funding every five years.

“For the United States to maintain and expand its innovation leadership, developing the total pool of research enterprises is essential. We must prioritize fostering scientific talent and developing new technologies. If large portions of science agency budgets are off limits to these institutions, innovative research in our states would be compromised. We urge you to ensure that the final bill broadens participation in our world-class research ecosystem and to support policies that elevate research in EPSCoR and non-EPSCoR states alike,” they wrote. (Read More)


Number of the Day

Number of the Day, June 1, 2022
 

Tweet of the Day

Screen Shot 2022-06-01 at 7.12.52 AM
 

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

  • 1779 - Benedict Arnold is court-martialed
  • 1801 - Brigham Young is born
  • 1843 - Sojourner Truth leaves NY to begin her career as an antislavery activist
  • 1868 - James Buchanan, 15th US President, dies at age 77
  • 1909 - Ida B. Wells delivers her speech, “Lynching, Our National Crime” at the National Negro Conference (the forerunner to the NAACP)
  • 1942 - News of Holocaust death camp killings becomes public for the first time
  • 1949 - KSL TV begins broadcasting
  • 1962 - SS officer Adolf Eichmann is executed in Israel after being found guilty of war crimes
  • 1968 - Helen Keller dies
  • 1980 - CNN launches
  • 1990 - George H.W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev agree to end production of chemical weapons
  • 1993 - Connie Chung becomes the second woman to co-anchor the evening news, 17 years after Barbara Walters became the first in 1976, and the first Asian-American.
  • 2017 - US President Donald Trump announces the US is withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement

Wise Words

“The trouble with Eichmann was precisely that so many were like him, and that the many were neither perverted nor sadistic, that they were, and still are, terribly and terrifyingly normal. From the viewpoint of our legal institutions and of our moral standards of judgment, this normality was much more terrifying than all the atrocities put together.”
― Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil

 

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