It's National Rural Health Day; Rocky Mountain Power warns of scammers during holiday season; weekly jobless claims rise more than expected | | | 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 | Nov. 16, 2023 It's Thursday and National Rural Health Day. What You Need to Know Newly-sworn-in Speaker Mike Schultz delivered his first speech last night, calling for bipartisan cooperation. âI believe with all my heart that Utah has something special. We cannot and will not let the D.C. model of divisiveness and dysfunction enter this chamber like I have seen in so many other states,â Schultz said, his voice breaking. âWe dream big, we act bold, and we do the hard things to secure a bright future for generations to come," he said. He then presided over a 40-minute discussion and eventual passage of a resolution in support of Israel. Rapid Relevance Rocky Mountain Power warns of scammers during holiday season; weekly jobless claims rise more than expected; tall trucks, SUVs are 45% deadlier to pedestrians, study shows; and Utah food trucks give back with free hot meals for homeless. On the Hill Today 9:00 am: Utah Water Symposium Plenary at UVU (Watch here) 11:00 am: Utah Water Symposium Keynote at UVU (Watch here) | | |
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Utah Headlines Political news Editorial Board: The nation loses its grip on civility (Deseret News) First session for new Utah House speaker dominated by emotional debate on resolution supporting Israel (Deseret News) Utah House swears in new speaker, passes resolution in support of Israel (KSL) New Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz delivers emotional plea to lawmakers to find bipartisanship (Salt Lake Tribune) Sen. Mike Lee sponsors bill to keep children from viewing online pornography (Deseret News) Sen. Romney, Rep. John Curtis attended historic March for Israel rally (Deseret News) Power of the purse. Congress must reclaim its authority over spending to reign in deficits and restore order (Deseret News) Attorney General Sean Reyes elected new chair of Republican AG Association (KSL Newsradio) Legislators hear a plan to give them control of the Intermountain Power Project (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Republican, Democrat weigh in after legislative audit ordered on Utah AG Sean Reyes (KUTV) State pushes forward with anti-road rage bill, prepares public campaign for safer roads (KUTV) As he leaves, Wilson warns lawmakers of hard choices to be made on water (Fox13) Utah news Utah prisons are dangerously short-staffed, must make âdrasticâ changes, audit finds (Salt Lake Tribune) Rockslide and road repairs shut down two areas in Zion National Park (Salt Lake Tribune) Woman saves Utah student from carbon monoxide poisoning after noticing him passed out in vehicle (ABC4) Ogden program aims to help immigrants become US citizens, promote civic engagement (Standard-Examiner) Business/Tech Delta rated best for business travel purchasing 13th year in a row (Deseret News) Crimes of opportunity? Retailers rethink self-checkouts as inventory losses soar (Deseret News) Bitcoin mining gobbles electricity. But could it also reduce emissions? (Salt Lake Tribune) Thousands of Starbucks workers are expected to go on a one-day strike today, 'Red Cup Day' (AP) Crime Vandalism at Utah Pride Center, police ask for publicâs help (KSL Newsradio) Tim Ballard is under criminal investigation after a woman reported her sexual assault allegation to police (Salt Lake Tribune) Operative or intern? Tim Ballardâs story of working for the CIA keeps changing (Fox13) Family hopeful as new evidence surfaces in decades-old Weber County cold cases (KUTV) Sheriffâs office seeks help to ID group that drew swastika in Sundance lifthouse (ABC4) Culture Happy (almost) Thanksgiving! Here are 5 short stories to help you re-center on gratitude (Deseret News) Gwyneth Paltrowâs Utah ski trial is inspiring a stage musical in London (Salt Lake Tribune) Education School library books could face removal statewide if handful of Utah boards say they are indecent (Deseret News) Tooele County discontinuing German, Russian, Chinese in Dual Language Immersion program (KSL Newsradio) Cool School: Sandy school embraces STEM in every aspect of learning (Fox13) Utah Rep. Ryan Wilcox is advocating for armed security in every school (KUER) Environment Utah is purchasing land for an eventual water pipeline in Box Elder (Deseret News) Why Great Salt Lake commissioner says refilling the lake will likely take longer than 5 years (KSL) Family What makes Gen Z teens different than previous generations? They are lonelier, more apt to use therapy and less likely to do drugs (Deseret News) Health What you donât know about illicit drugs in Utah could kill you (Deseret News) Can one small daily act of joy change your day â and you? (Deseret News) Vampire virus? Scientists may have discovered the first one (Deseret News) Collaboration is key to Utah's top heart attack survival rate in US, Intermountain Health says (KSL) Salt Lake County faces 800% increase in syphilis cases among women (UPR) UK becomes 1st country to approve gene therapy treatment for sickle cell, thalassemia (AP) US earns 'D' grade in preterm birth as maternal and infant care remains in 'crisis,' new report finds (Good Morning America) Housing Why are baby boomers dominating the hot U.S. housing market? (Deseret News) | | |
National Headlines General Urban America is in free fall. New York City may hold answers (Deseret News) Only 51 of these U.S. whales remain. Little has been done to prevent their extinction (NPR) Mother of 6-year-old who shot Virginia teacher gets 21 months in prison (Reuters) Stores are finally giving shoppers a break on prices (Wall Street Journal) Political news In 1993, this law changed religious freedom forever. Now, it shows how religion and politics have changed (Deseret News) Pandas, fentanyl and Taiwan â takeaways from Bidenâs long-awaited meeting with Xi (AP) Judge denies Rep. Greeneâs restitution request for $65,000 home security fence (AP) US Senate passes stopgap funding bill to avert government shutdown (Reuters) House Ethics Chair previews Santos report, expects another expulsion vote (Politico) Capitol Police evacuate lawmakers after protesters block DNC headquarters (Roll Call) Election news Sen. Joe Manchin says Donald Trump would destroy US democracy if he wins second term as president (AP) Colorado case using âinsurrectionâ argument to bar Trump from the ballot goes to the judge (AP) Once Florida's favorite son, Floridians turn on DeSantis in his bid for president (NPR) Trump signals heâs out for revenge in second term (The Hill) Trump leads Biden in head-to-head 2024 rematch: poll (The Hill) Ukraine ðºð¦ Russian court convicts a woman for protesting the war in Ukraine in latest crackdown on free speech (AP) They trudge from Russia into Ukraine, bringing takes of repression and fear (New York Times) Israel ð®ð± Israel signals wider offensive in Gazaâs south, where hundreds of thousands have fled (AP) Doctors are among the many dead in Gaza. These are their stories (NPR) Hamas agrees to tentative deal to free dozens of hostages, pending Israelâs approval (Washington Post) World Seizing Darfur region, paramilitary forces are accused of atrocities (New York Times) | | |
| | News Releases Utah Broadband Center seeks public input on proposed locations for broadband deployment The Utah Broadband Center (UBC), part of the Governorâs Office of Economic Opportunity, asks for public feedback on Utahâs draft of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Initial Proposal Volume 2. Comments can be submitted online until Dec. 15, 2023. (Read More) Curtis reacts to nuclear project cancellation âIâm saddened to learn of this project's cancellation,â said Rep. Curtis. âCurrent and future nuclear will play a vital role in Americaâs energy mix. This can be a learning experience for other SMR projects, and Congress should take this opportunity to ensure the permitting process for energy projects is designed to encourage innovation.â (Read More) Congress sets Nov. 15 as National GIS Day Today, as Geographic Information System (GIS) users around the world showcase their work, Congressmen John Curtis (R-UT) and Pete Aguilar (D-CA) introduced a resolution officially designating November 15, 2023, as National GIS Day. The resolution encourages GIS users to continue to innovate and use GIS as a tool to analyze and address todayâs societal challenges and drive economic growth. (Read More) Two years after infrastructure law enacted, Utah reaps benefits U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today released the following statement to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the bipartisan infrastructure bill negotiated by Romney and his colleagues: âTwo years ago today, I was proud to see our bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law. For decades prior, elected officials had talked about the need to address our nationâs aging infrastructure, yet various challenges and disagreements had resulted in little progress. Our Senate groupâfive Republicans and five Democratsâworked earnestly to change that. I could not be more proud of what we accomplished: legislation to modernize, replace, and expand physical infrastructure in communities across the country without raising taxes or adding to our national debt.â Utah communities have so far received more than $2.4 billion under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. (Read More) Romney urges Biden to implement grand China strategy U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) urged the President to implement his legislation to develop a grand strategy to counter China, which was signed into law as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022: âIt has been nearly two years since my legislation requiring the Biden Administration to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the threat of an emerging China was signed into law, yet all that has been outlined are aspirational principles. Principles alone will not address the magnitude and scale of the threat posed by China. The United States is in dire need of a grand strategy which addresses our approach to developing countries, global trade, economic measures, research and development investments, military procurement, and more. The Administration must deliver this strategyâas mandated by lawâwithout delay. (Read More) Statement from 3 Utah House Democrats on HR901 "Today we were asked to vote on H.R. 901 House Resolution Supporting the State of Israel. We want to be clear, we condemn Hamasâ attack on Israel, but the resolution falls short by not acknowledging the significant impact the conflict has had on innocent Palestinian lives. With over 10,000 Palestinian lives lost, including 4,000 children lost in reprisals against Hamas and over 1.5 million people displaced in Gaza, we have trouble supporting a resolution that doesnât explicitly recognize the plight of Palestinians." (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Celebrating 30 years of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, with the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation â Nov 16, 10 am, MST, Register here
General election â Nov. 21
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On This Day In History 1532 - Francisco Pizarro traps Incan emperor Atahualpa and his men, slaughtering 5000 in one hour. Only Atahualpa was saved - to be executed later. 1801 - The New York Evening Post published its first issue, after being created by Alexander Hamilton as a way to provide a Federalist viewpoint. It is the oldest continuously running newspaper in the US. 1941 - Joseph Goebbels publishes his screed of hate, blaming Jews for the war. 1961 - President Kennedy increases military aid to Saigon without committing additional troops 1973 - US President Richard Nixon authorizes construction of the Alaskan pipeline 1985 - President Reagan arrives in Geneva for his first summit with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev 2001 - The first Harry Potter film opens. 2018 - The CIA concludes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi Quote of the Day "Joy is an inside job." âMission: Joy On the Punny Side What do you get when James Bond takes a bath? Bubble 07 | | |
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