The Hinckley Report, PBS Utah’s weekly political roundtable, airs Fridays at 7 p.m. Hosted by Jason Perry and produced in partnership with the Hinckley Institute of Politics on the University of Utah campus, the program provides insight and analysis of the most pressing political issues facing our state.

Utah Headlines

General

• Judge rules Utah redistricting lawsuit can move forward. Utahns will ‘get their day in court,’ Better Boundaries says (Deseret News)
• Utah wildlife agency proposes changes to elk hunting as popularity soars (KSL)
• Utah volunteers help turn 5,000 pounds of ugly apples into juice and hard cider (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Utah law prof. helps win precedent winning restitution case for sex trafficking victims (KUTV)

Elections

• Amendment A: How much can Utah Legislature spend in special session? (KSL)
• Josh Kanter and Chase Thomas: Amendment A would give Legislature too much power. Big budget changes should be made in collaboration with the governor. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Campaign sign thieves risk losing voting rights (KSL Newsradio)
• Do costly election security measures hit the mark? KSL investigates (KSL Newsradio)
• Burgess Owens and Darlene McDonald set to debate Friday (KUTV)
• Experts say campaigns use 'roundabout way' to get voters' phone numbers, send texts (KUTV)
• Who's spending money on political ads isn't always easy to decipher (KUTV)
• Don’t ignore the down ballot. Utah school boards are important too (KUER)

Politics

• If the death penalty is a moral issue, we ought to debate it as such. It’s better to persuade our neighbors than to engage in regulatory chess that contributes to botched executions (Deseret News)
• Utah governor endorses legislation supporting Afghan allies (KSL)
• Marc Peterson: Renewable energy is not a failed path. Professor who spoke to the Utah Legislature is wrong about the costs of renewables. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Business

• Dove, TRESemmé and other Unilever dry shampoos recalled due to high levels of benzene, a cancer-causing agent (Deseret News)
• Businesses forced to move to make way for Bangerter interchange (KSL TV)
• Homeless services are challenged by Utah’s tight labor market (KUER)
• ‘Deepfakes’ of celebrities have begun appearing in ads, with or without their permission (Wall Street Journal)

Education

• Utah Valley University receives largest single gift in school history (KSL)
• Utah’s governor wants a tuition freeze. Is that the best way to curb college costs? (Deseret News)
• 😢 USU Eastern soccer player killed in weekend crash at Soldier Summit (KSL)
• High school athletes give back to community as part of First Lady Abby Cox's 'Show Up for Sports' campaign (KSL)
• Once homeless woman now award-winning student at Weber State (Fox13)
• First-year student enrollment at USU at record level (UPR)

Environment

• Why do climate activists throw food at paintings? (Deseret News)
• Utahns face another hefty rise in natural gas prices this winter. Rates could be 35% higher than two years ago if PSC approves Dominion Energy’s rate requests. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Power generation at risk due to Utah coal fire, BLM says. Underground fire could smolder indefinitely, permanently shuttering Lila Canyon mine. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Salt Lake County Health Department launches new air quality map as Utah enters inversion season (ABC4)

Family

• Are classes on fatherhood and relationships a good use of taxpayer dollars? Early studies found little value, but as programs evolved, experts say the benefits have increased and offerings improved (Deseret News)
• Layton parents encourage others to openly communicate with children following daughter's suicide (Fox13)
• How do you tell your children about your trauma? In a new book for young readers, Achut Deng recounts her harrowing experiences as a girl escaping the fighting in Sudan and arriving in America as a refugee. (The Atlantic)

Health

• What the president says you need to do now to protect yourself, others against COVID-19 (Deseret News)
• Research on long COVID-19 continues as some Utahns experience symptoms (Fox13)
• 1 in 10 Americans over 65 have dementia, study finds (KSL)
• Utah mom, experts warn of rising cases of RSV (ABC4)
• Lupron, a drug patented half a century ago, treats advanced prostate cancer. It costs a few hundred dollars in the U.K. — so why are U.S. hospitals charging more than $38,000 per dose? (NPR)

Housing

• Housing market prices slowed at record pace in August. It’s just the beginning. S&P Case-Shiller index reports largest home price deceleration in its history (Deseret News)

National Headlines

General

• NY Supreme Court judge unwinds state’s strict COVID policies. Job reinstatement and backpay are ordered by Judge Ralph J. Forzio for sanitation workers who sued after being fired (Deseret News)
• Giving back ancient manuscripts and giving away Hobby Lobby — the latest on David Green (Deseret News)
• A retiree served food to the homeless for years. Then it got her arrested.
  Norma Thornton, 78, sued the government of Bullhead City, Ariz., challenging an ordinance that outlaws serving prepared food for “charitable purposes.” (Washington Post)

Elections

• For Fetterman, contentious exchanges, verbal struggles in debate with Oz (Washington Post)
• 1 million vote early in Georgia, a dramatic increase from 2018 (Washington Post)
• Alaska GOP votes to censure McConnell over his support for Murkowski (Washington Post)
• Warnock leads Walker by 2 points in Georgia Senate: poll (The Hill)
• Democrats scramble to avert shock Senate loss in Washington state. Incumbent Patty Murray’s support has slipped in recent weeks, prompting outside groups to pour in millions to prevent a sleeper victory by Republican Tiffany Smiley. (Politico)

Politics

• Growing number of Republicans say Trump won’t be GOP nominee (The Hill)
• Alito: Roe leak made justices ‘targets for assassination’ (The Hill)
• Election Day rout would force big changes on Democrats (The Hill)
• Florida judge orders DeSantis to hand over migrant flights records (Politico)

Ukraine 🇺🇦 

• Russia’s chaotic draft leaves some out in cold, without gear (AP)
• Brutal Russian general led troops that killed civilians (AP)
• Another casualty of Russia's war: Some Ukrainians no longer trust their neighbors (NPR)
• When Russian troops fled the Ukrainian town of Balakliia last month, they left behind thousands of documents that detail the inner workings of the Russian war machine. (Reuters)
• Ukraine Calls for More Air-Defense Help as Russian Barrages Continue (Wall Street Journal)
• The Nova Kakhovka dam looms large in the possible battle for Kherson. (New York Times)
• European allies worry U.S. could dial back support for Ukraine. ‘If America starts to blink, other nations might as well,’ said one British member of Parliament (Washington Post)

World News

• Rishi Sunak promises to focus on ‘economic stability and confidence’ in first speech as U.K. prime minister. The 3rd U.K. prime minister in 7 weeks, Rishi Sunak becomes the first person of color and the first Hindu in the position, and inherits a country facing economic challenges (Deseret News)
• Gas crunch eases in Europe — but the respite might not last (AP)
• Zimbabwe’s focus on wheat set to yield biggest-ever harvest (AP)

Guest opinion: More on Senate committees and a non-caucusing member

by Gordon Jones

Earlier in this space I explained how Evan McMullin’s pledge not to caucus with either party if elected to the Senate would leave him with no committee assignments. The recap is that committee assignments are made by resolution adopted by the whole Senate, and unless McMullin caucuses with their party neither party leader is likely to include him in its party’s committee membership resolution.

But that is not the end of the problem. This is perhaps inside baseball, and the details are hard to forecast, but Senate party partisan distribution affects committees in ways not evident to the average citizen, and perhaps not known to McMullin himself.

Briefly stated, committee ratios are set to reflect the partisan balance of the Senate. If the Democrats have 60% of the seats in the Senate, they will have 60% of the seats on every committee. In a 50-50 Senate, committee membership would be equal.
But suppose a Senate composed of 50 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and one Independent, Evan McMullin’s avowed aim. McMullin’s refusal to caucus with the Republicans could cost them a seat on every committee. This is not a scenario that would endear him to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell or to any Republican who lost a committee slot as a result. (Read More)

News Releases

Mayor Wilson presents proposed budget to Salt Lake County Council

Tuesday morning, Salt Lake County Mayor Wilson presented her 2023 proposed budget to the Salt Lake County Council. The budget, which includes substantial one-time and carryover funds, takes advantage of federal pass-through to make significant investments in addressing homelessness, sustainability and water conservation, key community projects, and deferred maintenance.

“I was limited in my ability to create new ongoing programs, but thanks to one-time opportunities given to us by federal funding, my budget reflects my priorities and those of Salt Lake County residents: putting employees first, conserving water, protecting our air, public safety, our economy, expanding open space, and addressing homelessness,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. (Read More)

Number of the Day

Tweet of the Day 

Upcoming

• Effecting Societal Change for Child Sexual Abuse — Oct. 26, 8:00am-11:30am; Virtual and in-person at Saprea in Lehi, UT, Register here
• "Love your enemies": An Evening with Arthur Brooks — Oct 27, 6:00 pm, UVU, Register here
• General election â€“ Nov 8
• Hacks to Help Women Maximize Income and Minimize Expenses —Nov. 9, Noon-1:00pm; Virtual, Register here
• UWLP Book Club: How Women Rise By Sally Helgesen & Marshall Goldsmith — Nov. 10, 12:00pm-1:00pm or 7:30pm-8:30pm; Virtual, Register here
• Advancing Religious Freedom in a Divided America with Judge Thomas Griffith, hosted by Sutherland Institute and the Int'l Center for Law and Religion Studies— Nov. 15, 9:30 am - noon, More info here
• Biases, Barriers, & Barricades for Utah Women: A Solutions-Based Workshop with UWLP and the Policy Project, Nov. 15, 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm, Sandy, Register here
• Utah Foundation’s 2022 Annual Luncheon â€” Nov. 16, noon, Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek, Register here
• Utah Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit with the Salt Lake Chamber — Jan. 12, 2023, Salt Lake City Marriott, 8 am - noon, Register here

On This Day In History

• 1825 - Erie Canal opens, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean
• 1861 - Pony Express (Missouri to California) ends after 19 months
• 1881 - Shootout at the OK Corral
• 1892 - "Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases" first published by African American journalist Ida B. Wells in Memphis, Tennessee
• 1902 - Elizabeth Cady Stanton dies of heart failure at 86
• 1919 - President Woodrow Wilson's veto of Prohibition Enforcement Bill is overridden
• 1947 - Hillary Rodham (Clinton) is born.
• 1949 - US President Harry Truman increases minimum wage from 40 cents to 75 cents
• 1950 - Mother Teresa founds Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India
• 2001 - The Patriot Act becomes law
• 2017 - Jacinda Ardern is sworn in as Prime Minister of New Zealand, becoming the world’s youngest female head of government.
• 2021 - NASA scientists think they have detected the first planet outside our galaxy, in Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), 28 million light-years away.

Wise Words

"I really rebel against this idea that politics has to be a place full of ego and where you're constantly focused on scoring hits against each one another. Yes, we need a robust democracy, but you can be strong, and you can be kind."
—Jacinda Ardern 

The Punny Side

Why don’t witches own cars with automatic transmission?

They know how to drive a stick.

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