| Swim experts warn against breath holding competitions;Trumpâs cuts to treatment will lead to deaths in Utah; crowd roars as Sha Reh graduates .png?width=1200&upscale=true&name=Utah_Policy_Logo_Email_Full%20(1).png) | 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 | May 29, 2025 It's Thursday and National Alligator Day ð What you need to know - Lt. Gov. Henderson has been receiving more death threats over primary signature gathering issues after last week's Rules Review and General Oversight Committee included comments from Phil Lyman supporters who continued to challenge signatures. Commenters on X posted photos of nooses and an electric chair and called for a "public execution." DPS officials say they take the threats seriously, while determining if those posts are protected by the First Amendment.
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 | NUEX to Bring Higher Ed & Industries Together, Tackle Employer Problems Spurred by a desire for higher ed to collaborate more with employers, Weber State University will host the Northern Utah Employer Exchange later this year. The hands-on, strategic exchange will pair industry leaders with WSU to help solve tough issues such as retention, generational differences, training, and hiring. Learn more here. | | |
Utah Headlines Political news - White House will send DOGE cuts to Congress as Republicans like Sen. Mike Lee ramp up pressure (Deseret News)
- Can Congress convince America it can get things done again? (Deseret News)
- In Ogden, a nature center wanted to welcome Black birders for free this week. Mike Lee and more called it racist. (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Gov. Cox seeks to unite state agencies, organizations to strategize on Utah growth (Utah News Dispatch)
- Utahâs got growing pains. A new state council is supposed to help (KUER)
Municipal news - Salt Lake City to open 4 new foothills trailheads 4 years after plan hit a snag (KSL)
- Utah Inland Port begins work on turning old Salt Lake landfill into manufacturing hub (KSL)
Utah - Can the 2034 Winter Games help preserve Utahâs quality of life? Hereâs what a former governor says (Deseret News)
- More growth is coming with or without the 2034 Olympics. Organizers say the Games will only help Utah. (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Crash victim's family gets support from community after suffering two devastating losses in one month (KUTV)
Biz/Tech - SpaceX Starship test ends in explosion again, but Musk calls it âbig improvementâ (Deseret News)
- Lindonâs Awardco exceeds $1B valuation in latest fund round, solidifies role in workplace technology space (Daily Herald)
Crime/Courts - Utah Judiciary responds to controversy surrounding judgeâs comments (KSL TV)
- Farmington man charged with stalking Salt Lake City mayor (Deseret News)
- Murray police reopen case of pregnant woman missing for 47 years (KSL)
- Online thieves target benefits meant for low-income families (KSL)
Culture/Community - âItâs brutalâ: Jonathan Roumie on preparing for the crucifixion scene in âThe Chosenâ (Deseret News)
- Can you spell better than a 12-year-old? (Deseret News)
- 2 new baptismal fonts near completion as Salt Lake Temple renovations continue (KSL)
Education - K-12 - Pause on student visas impacting prospective Utah high school students (KSL TV)
Education - Higher - The U.S. is halting foreign student visa interviews so screeners can look at potential studentsâ social media (Deseret News)
- Student visa pause âextraordinarily disturbingâ: Arne Duncan (The Hill)
- International students contributed $44 billion to the U.S. economy in the 2023-2024 school year. Their loss could hurt more than just universitiesâ bottom line. (Washington Post)
Energy - How a formerly mothballed mine is breathing new life into Beaver County (Deseret News)
- Utah won a âtight raceâ to get a nuclear reactor by next year, startup founder says. Hereâs what we know so far. (Salt Lake Tribune)
Environment - Utahâs current fire season is weeks longer than decades ago (KSL Newsradio)
Family - Holly Richardson: Tips for a great summer with kids, with less screen-time, & more memory-making (Deseret News)
- Childcare crunch continues to leave Utah families with few affordable options (Fox13)
Health - New COVID variant is raising some concern (Deseret News)
- HHS cancels funding for Moderna to develop vaccines to combat bird flu. This is the same technology that Trump hailed for saving lives during pandemic with Operation Warp Speed. (Washington Post)
- Why drinking sugar is a greater health risk than eating it: BYU study (Deseret News)
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National Headlines General - Bird vs. baggage handler: How 2 pigeons delayed a Delta flight (Deseret News)
- Ancient DNA reveals a new group of people who lived near land bridge between the Americas (AP)
Political news - Trump - NPR sues President Trump over executive order to cut the station's federal funding (Deseret News)
- Trumpâs Air Force One deal with Qatar not final, despite U.S. claims (Washington Post)
- These historians oversee unbiased accounts of U.S. foreign policy. Trump fired them all. (Washington Post)
Other federal political news - Marco Rubio drops the hammer on foreign censorship. U.S. to block foreign officials who try to silence Americans online under new visa crackdown (Deseret News)
- JD Vance calls on bitcoin âdigital pioneersâ to continue political involvement (Deseret News)
- How Supreme Court ties happen â and what happens next (Deseret News)
Immigration/deportation - A Missouri town was solidly behind Trump. Then Carol was detained. (New York Times)
- Trump administration says it will fly migrant back to U.S. after judge rules his deportation "ignored" due process (CBS News)
- Judge finds government acted illegally in Russian scientist case, with no 'factual or legal basis' for revoking her visa, says she should be released (New York Times)
- Stephen Miller, Noem tell ICE to supercharge immigrant arrests to 3,000 per day, triple the number ICE agents were making in the early days of Trump's term (Axios)
- Judge says US effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil on foreign policy grounds is likely unconstitutional (AP)
DOGE/Musk - Elon Musk leaves Trump administration after contentious tenure (Washington Post)
Tariffs - Trumpâs âLiberation Dayâ tariffs halted by Court of International Trade (Washington Post)
- Tariff ruling a setback for Trump but doesn't end trade war (Wall Street Journal)
Ukraine/Russia - Russian official Medvedev offers Trump WWIII warning after Putin comments (The Hill)
- Pressure mounting on reluctant Trump to impose sanctions on Russia (Reuters)
Middle East - As Trump seeks Iran deal, Israel again raises possibility of strikes on nuclear sites, which would upend any deal (New York Times)
- Israel announces new West Bank settlements despite sanctions threat (Reuters)
World news - North Korea slams Trumpâs âGolden Domeâ plan: âHeight of self-righteousnessâ (The Hill)
- Death, sexual violence and human trafficking: Fallout from U.S. aid withdrawal hits the world's most fragile locations (ProPublica)
- Glacier collapse buries most of Swiss village (BBC)
- Tate brothers face rape and trafficking charges in U.K.(NPR)
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 | News Releases Senators David McCormick (R-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) to participate in The Senate Project Series The Orrin G. Hatch Foundation and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate announced that the sixth installment of The Senate Project series will feature US Senators David McCormick (R-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA). The discussion will be held Monday, June 2 at 9AM EDT/7 AM MDT in the Kennedy Instituteâs full-sized replica of the United States Senate Chamber in Boston. Shannon Bream, anchor of Fox News Sunday, will moderate the conversation, which will be live streamed on FOX Nation with FOX News Media as the exclusive media partner for The Senate Project. (Read More)
Lee and Coons applaud U.S. Sentencing Commissionâs amendment on supervised release U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND), along with Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL), released the following statement to applaud the United States Sentencing Commissionâs unanimously finalized recent amendment to the United States Sentencing Guidelines regarding federal supervised release: âThis is an important step by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. This amendment regarding federal supervised release better aligns our system with parts of our Safer Supervision Act. It is a meaningful move to restore federal supervision to the system that Congress originally intended and focus supervision on those who need it most. This is an illustration of how we can work together to improve our justice system by promoting rehabilitation, fairness, and public safety. We look forward to continuing this effort and ensuring that the entire Safer Supervision Act becomes law.â (Read More)
Gov. Cox establishes council to help Utah plan for the future and protect quality of life Today, Gov. Spencer Cox signed an executive order launching the BUILD Coordinating Council, a proactive step to ensure Utahâs future is as dynamic and strong as its past. The new council will bring state agencies together to streamline efforts, align long-range planning, and make the most of shared opportunities. By working collaboratively, Utah will be better positioned to meet growing demands for housing, transportation, water, energy, open space, recreation and air quality, while preserving the exceptional quality of life Utahns value. (Read More) | | |
Tweet of the Day 
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Upcoming - May 31 â Utah Democratic Party Organizing Convention, Ogden High School
- June 2 â The 6th Senate Project debate hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute featuring Sens. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA), with Fox News anchor Shannon Bream as moderator. The debate will be live-streamed at 7 am MDT on Fox Nation and later broadcast on Fox News.
- June 2-6 â Municipal candidate filing period
- 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
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On This Day In History - 1739 - Patrick Henry born
- 1851 - Sojourner Truth's spontaneous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech electrifies the woman's rights convention in Akron, Ohio.
- 1886 - American chemist John Pemberton begins to advertise Coca-Cola.
- 1917 - JFK is born.
- 1942 - Bing Crosby records "White Christmas", the world's best-selling single (estimated 100 million copies sold)
- 1943 - Norman Rockwellâs Rosie the Riveter appears on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post.
- 1953 - Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first to ascend Mount Everest.
- 2005 - Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to lead the Indy 500.
Quote of the Day The secret to so many artists living so long is that every painting is a new adventure. So, you see, they're always looking ahead to something new and exciting. The secret is not to look back. âNorman Rockwell
On the Punny Side What do you call an alligator that is always stirring up trouble? An instigator. | | |
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