Meteor causes loud boom in Utah, Inflation Reduction Act passes on party lines, 20 boxes of items retrieved from Mar-a-Lago
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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 | August 15, 2022

It's Monday and National Relaxation Day. I'm sure all the teachers, staff, parents and students heading back to school will appreciate knowing that.

There is so.much.news today - let's get started.

Be in the Know

  • It's been one year since Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, fell to the Taliban. Many of the most dire predictions have come true since then. Most girls cannot attend secondary schools. They may not travel long distances without a male guardian. Women report being hounded out of their jobs, out of government, and have been ordered to cover themselves from head to toe in public. The economy is in a tailspin, driving millions more into poverty and hunger. 

  • On Friday, the US House voted along party lines 220-207 to pass the Inflation Reduction Act. President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law this week.

  • A federal judge unsealed the warrant and the receipt of materials taken from Mar-a-Lago. Federal law enforcement is investigating obstruction of justice, illegal removal or destruction of government records and potential violations of the Espionage Act. The agents took approximately 20 boxes of items and recovered 11 sets of classified documents, including some marked as top secret and meant to be only available in special government facilities. Senator Rand Paul has called for the repeal of the Espionage Act and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed articles of impeachment against Attorney General Merrick Garland. Reminder: FBI director Christopher Wray was nominated by former President Trump who said of Wray: "He will make us all proud." 

  • Author Salman Rushdie was stabbed 10 times as he was preparing for a speaking event in New York. He is off a ventilator now but may lose an eye and sustained additional damage to his liver and the nerves in his arm. In 1989, the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for his assassination because of his writing. Iran says they weren't involved but said the attack was justified and that Rushdie and his supporters are to blame.

Rapid Roundup

 

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Utah Headlines

General

  • How modern science is calling us back to ancient wisdom (Deseret News)
  • Provo nonprofit 'Ella Rises' works to empower young Latinas (KSL)
  • Utah family takes in Ukrainian family fleeing war after meeting on social media (KSL TV)
  • USU’s gleaning program looking for volunteers, harvest locations to address local food insecurity (Herald Journal)

Politics

  • Utah senator suspended from ‘all party events’ following allegations of sexual harassment (ABC4)
  • Most gun deaths in Utah are suicides. Could this law help prevent them? (Deseret News)
  • Why Utah GOP congressmen voted against Inflation Reduction Act (Deseret News)
  • Two Utah lawmakers seek to end ‘clergy exception’ to child abuse reporting. GOP Rep. Phil Lyman and Democratic Rep. Angela Romero, have each opened bill files to end the clergy exception to reporting child abuse requirements to be considered during the Utah Legislature’s 2023 general session. Romero said the two will work together (Deseret News)
  • Erin Mendenhall: Investments could transform communities and increase quality of life. City Council and public should approve $80 bond issue to improve public spaces in the city. (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • ‘Major quality of life issue’: As crashes spike, Salt Lake City wants to make streets more walkable. Here’s how. (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • State senator to serve as VP of the National Conference of State Legislatures (ABC4)
  • The IUP Panel on inflation and the FBI raid of former President Trump’s home (ABC4)
  • Considering Utah voices in a new state flag design: thousands of submissions being narrowed down (St. George News)

Business

  • Microsoft, Traeger Grills and Young Living are cutting staff. Are Utah workers in for more layoffs? (Salt Lake Tribune)

Economy

  • Here’s how families are back-to-school shopping amid inflation (Deseret News)
  • Peter Reichard: Utah’s economy is roaring, but how’s quality of life? The American Dream is rapidly becoming unaffordable for a growing swath of Utahns. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Education

  • Why is there a teacher shortage? (Deseret News)
  • School lunch no longer free for Utah students (Fox13)
  • Utah school districts detail loosening of COVID-19 restrictions (Fox13)
  • Alpine School District passes ‘pilot’ policy to evaluate school materials (Daily Herald)
  • Efforts are underway to create a new prison college degree program in Utah (KUER)

Environment

  • Can mimicking beavers help save the Great Salt Lake? (Deseret News)
  • Arches National Park had long lines. Now it has fewer visitors. Is new reservation system working? (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • Oil, gas drilling sites impacted by wildfire in eastern Utah (Fox13)
  • Europe on course for new wildfire record this year (Politico)

Family

  • At Adaptive Ski Day, everyone gets in the water at Last Chance Lakes (Deseret News)
  • Utah is seeing a surge in child support payments over the past year, a change that state officials credit in part to a new state law that withholds hunting and fishing licenses to people who fall significantly behind on payments. (ABC4)

Health

  • Does the digital age create hypochondriacs around mental illness? (Deseret News)
  • Here’s why Utah is looking at monitoring wastewater for polio (Deseret News)

National Headlines

General

  • Anne Heche dies of crash injuries after life support removed (AP)
  • Man dies by suicide near Capitol, police say (Politico)
  • Oil prices drop on worries about Chinese demand and supply surge (Wall Street Journal)

Politics

  • Will the DOJ’s investigation hurt Trump or make him more popular? (Deseret News)
  • Cheney and Murkowski: Trump critics facing divergent futures (AP)
  • Don’t bet the farm on a GOP takeover of the Senate. In the general election, it doesn’t matter how the Republican base feels. What matters is what voters in the middle think (Deseret News)
  • White House plans campaign to highlight policy wins ahead of midterm elections (Reuters)
  • Liz Cheney’s political life is likely ending — and just beginning (Washington Post)
  • Cheney's next mission: Keeping her anti-Trump megaphone (Politico)
  • Condemnations of FBI in wake of Trump seizure worry lawmakers. Many in the GOP have launched broadsides against law enforcement, prompting even some of their colleagues to urge them to tone down the rhetoric (Washington Post)
  • Armed Trump supporters gather at Phoenix FBI office (Politico)

Ukraine 🇺🇦 

  • Has foreign military aid made a difference in Ukraine? (Spoiler: Yes) (Deseret News)
  • Boredom, loneliness plague Ukrainian youth near front line (AP)
  • Russian forces pound Ukraine's Donetsk region (Reuters)

World News

  • Myanmar court convicts ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in more corruption cases, adding six years to an 11-year prison sentence. (AP)
  • China announces new drills as US delegation visits Taiwan (AP)
 

News Releases

Rep. Phil Lyman opens a bill file to remove the exception for clergy not to report child abuse

Recent news stories have shown example after example of failed systems that should be protecting underage, vulnerable children. As a father, grandfather, and lawmaker, I have been keenly interested in Utah’s child protection laws and have been actively reviewing those laws over the last several months. 

The exception for clergy concerns me. While I understand and deeply value the confession process, providing an exception for clergy when it comes to reporting abuse creates unnecessary ambiguity for both the clergy member and for the person who is confessing. Worse yet, it can delay intervention for innocent victims. There are too many heartbreaking stories of abuse in Utah and across the Nation of help that never came or came too late. I have opened a bill file, removing the exception from the duty to report abuse.  At this time, it is crucial that I hear from you on this important and sensitive issue. Please email your thoughts and comments to lymanforutah@gmail.com (Read More)


Bipartisan infrastructure bill funding to be awarded to Summit County and Utah Inland Port Authority

The Department of Transportation (DOT) this week announced a more than $25 million investment from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for critical infrastructure projects in Utah. Specifically, Summit County and Utah Inland Port Authority will receive grants from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program, which was allocated more than $2.2 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—the bipartisan infrastructure bill negotiated by Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) and his colleagues—to help urban and rural communities move forward on projects that modernize roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports, and intermodal transportation and make our transportation systems safer, more accessible, more affordable, and more sustainable. (Read More)


Owens votes against the Inflation, Recession, and IRS Army Act

Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) released the following statement after voting against H.R. 5376, the Inflation, Recession, and IRS Army Act.

“Over the past 18 months, President Biden’s economic agenda has steered our country into a recession, and the Democrats are trying to spend their way out. Senator Schumer calls the Inflation Reduction Act a ‘game changer,’ but the experts and economists call it a $740 billion scam that fails to reduce inflation, slash prices, or crack down on wealthy tax cheats. (Read More)


Rep. Curtis statement on passage of Inflation Reduction Act

With passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, Congressman John Curtis (UT-03) released the following statement:

Individuals can respectfully disagree about the best path forward on an issue, including the topics covered by this bill. That said, I am deeply concerned about this legislation, both on substance and my colleague’s disregard for those impacted. (Read More)


Rep. Moore’s statement on H.R. 5376

Congressman Blake Moore issued the following statement after his vote against H.R. 5376:

“On behalf of Utahns who are struggling with inflated prices of everyday goods, rising energy costs, and overreaching big government policies, I voted “no” today on the Senate Amendment to H.R. 5376 – the Democrats’ Inflation “Reduction” Act. Behind a misleading name, this $700+ billion package comes on the heels of Democrats passing trillions in new spending over the past year and a half, contributing to inflation and negative economic growth. It pushes the Biden Administration’s progressive agenda—as Democrats are vying to keep their majority in the House—at the expense of hardworking American families. (Read More)


Romney talks faith, Washington D.C. Temple opening on Fox News Sunday

To celebrate the rededication of the Washington D.C. Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) sat down with Bret Baier for Fox News Sunday for a discussion on faith, family, and the challenges facing our country. (Read/Watch More)


Number of the Day

Number of the Day, Aug 15, 2022
 

Tweet of the Day

Screen Shot 2022-08-15 at 7.28.02 AM
 

Upcoming

  • Interim Days — Aug 16-18, le.utah.gov
  • Women in the Money with Utah State Treasurer's Office — Sept. 15-16, Salt Lake Sheraton + online, Register here
  • Interim Days — Sept. 20-22, le.utah.gov
  • ULCT Annual Convention — Oct 5-7, Salt Palace Convention Center, Register here
  • Interim Days — Oct 18-20, le.utah.gov
  • General election â€“ Nov 8
 

On This Day In History

  • 1057 - The real Macbeth, King of Scots, slain in battle by the son of King Duncan who was slain by Macbeth 17 years previously
  • 1769 - Napoléon Bonaparte is born.
  • 1876 - US law removes Indians from Black Hills after gold find
  • 1890 - Elizabeth Bolden is born. When Lizzie Bolden died at the age of 116 years and 118 days, she had lived through 21 U.S. Presidents. At the age of 30, the passage of the 19th Amendment would provide Bolden with her first opportunity to vote in a Presidential election. The supercentenarian was the oldest living person in the world at the time of her death.
  • 1909 - Cathedral of the Madeleine is dedicated in Salt Lake City.
  • 1914 - The Panama Canal opens
  • 1939 - The movie The Wizard of Oz premieres
  • 1961 - The Berlin Wall is built
  • 1969 - Woodstock begins
  • 1971 - US President Richard Nixon announces a 90-day freeze on wages, prices & rents
  • 1973 - The National Black Feminist Organization is formed.
  • 2021 - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani flees the country as Taliban forces enter the capital Kabul and take control

Wise Words

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

—Aristotle


The Punny Side

What happens when you cross an angry sheep, and an angry cow?

You get two animals in a baaad moood.

 

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