For weeks, I've been covering the day-to-day doings, and more often dysfunction, of the U.S. House of Representatives. But I sometimes get tired of political infighting, like I'm sure many of you do.
That's why I found Meg Walter's hilariously accurate comparison between the House and the "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" to be a perfect, and still informative, break from the stress of covering Capitol Hill.
Read The Real Housewives of the House of Representatives right here.
The man behind America’s most controversial high school course
Trevor Packer, the College Board’s senior vice president over Advanced Placement courses and a BYU graduate, just had the toughest year of his entire career.
Why? Packer has repeatedly found himself at the center of a culture war being waged by one of America’s most prominent politicians: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The story goes something like this: Last year, College Board rolled out its new AP African American Studies course, assembled in the wake of George Floyd’s death and the subsequent protests.
Dozens of schools were selected to pilot an early draft of the course, including five in Florida. Shortly thereafter, DeSantis’ Florida legislature passed a string of education bills, including one that affected how teachers could discuss topics like race and national identity.
A schism emerged between the Florida Department of Education and College Board. Nearly everyone was left disappointed, in one way or another: students, who couldn’t take the course; parents, who either felt their children’s education was being censured or being radicalized; DeSantis & Co.; College Board & Co.; and on and on.
And then there was Packer, the soft-spoken man from Provo, Utah, stuck in the middle.
Read more about the man responsible for making AP “the most powerful educational tool in the country" and how he's navigated the culture war of school curricula.
House Republicans should worry less about who they pick to be their speaker than they do about electing someone quickly to address the multiple crises brewing at home and abroad, Utah Republican Rep. Blake Moore said Wednesday.
“We can’t waste another day,” Moore said in an interview with the Deseret News. “We have to finish the appropriations process. We have to make sure we avoid a government shutdown on Nov. 17.”
Moore’s comments came just hours before Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan’s campaign for House speaker received a potential death blow on Wednesday, failing to secure a majority in a floor vote by an even larger margin than Tuesday’s attempt.
Moore says House Republicans' inability to unite behind Jordan is the result of congressional norms being "obliterated" in January's speaker race.
“I think the problem with Congress in general is that once you move past a precedent, it is gone forever,” Moore said. “Then you add in the unique nature of a narrow majority, then all of a sudden a handful of people have outsized influence.”
Read more about the likeliest outcomes for the current speaker's race.
More in Politics
Rep. Blake Moore encourages Egyptian authorities to fast-track aid for Gaza refugees (Deseret News)
Sens. Mitt Romney, Jacky Rosen introduce resolution calling for release of hostages held by Hamas (Deseret News)
Rep. Lauren Boebert faces tough road to reelection (Deseret News)
Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb: How will the Hamas attack, House chaos and concerns about Biden’s age affect Utah politics? (Deseret News)
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Health
Fatal crashes involving young drivers down significantly compared to 20 years ago (Deseret News)
Jennifer Graham: How your weight became part of the culture war (Deseret News)
Faith
Details released for Sister Kathleen Eyring’s funeral (Deseret News)
Daniel Frost: In James Huntsman lawsuit, you can’t define ‘tithing’ without religion (Deseret News)
Family
There’s been a number of day care-related deaths this year. Here’s how to find and choose safe child care (Deseret News)
Michael Kofoed and Olga Stoddard: Why Nobel Prize-winning economist Claudia Goldin’s work matters to families (Deseret News)
Salt Lake County
Is this the future of Main Street? Salt Lake City unveils possible downtown design changes (KSL)
Hang glider and paragliders collide in Draper, killing 1 (KSL)
Utah County
Dozens gather in prayer to support Israel, Utah's Jewish community (KSL)
Symposium provides updates, discussion on Utah Lake conservation efforts (Daily Herald)
The West
Where are rents declining the most? Here’s where Utah, Idaho rank (Deseret News)
Texas installing concertina wire along New Mexico border (ABC News)
The Nation
Pro-Palestinian protests in U.S. Capitol end in arrests (Deseret News)
Top law firm rescinds job offers to Ivy League students who signed letter blaming Israel for violence (Fox News)
The World
What President Biden told Israelis, Palestinians in Tel Aviv (Deseret News)
Early Israel, U.S. intelligence claims Islamic Jihad rocket responsible for Gaza hospital explosion (Deseret News)
Sports
Massive new Apple study finds pickleball now outpacing tennis in popularity (Deseret News)
Do bowl prospects for both Utah and BYU hinge on a win this week? (Deseret News)
Mark Pope talks Taylor Swift concerts, Marcus Adams’ eligibility, being picked 13th, and more at Big 12 Tipoff (Deseret News)
Ashley Hatch, Olivia Moultrie coming to Utah with U.S. Women’s National Team (Deseret News)
Wasatch Elementary School third grader Mounir Johnson gives a thumbs-up in class in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. The school was designated a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
Read more about why some Utah schools were selected as "Blue Ribbon" by the U.S. Department of Education.
That's all for today. Check your inbox tomorrow morning for more news from the Beehive State and beyond!