Evan McMullin has a big haul for his first quarter of fundraising; the US breaks global record for daily COVID cases with 1.35 million
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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 | January 11, 2022

It's Tuesday and National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Human trafficking happens in every country and in every state in this country. ðŸ˜¢ The National Human Trafficking Hotline has tips on recognizing the signs of trafficking.

Be in the Know

  1. One more week until the legislative session officially begins and 'tis the season for legislative previews. Today, United Way is hosting a virtual preview from 4:00-5:00 pm, tomorrow, the Utah Taxpayers Association is hosting theirs on Wednesday from 9 am to 12 pm at the Little America and on Thursday, the Salt Lake Chamber and Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute are holding theirs from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Grand America.

  2. This one is a doozy. According to Politico, the committee investigating Jan. 6, 2021 is preparing to release their findings. Among the documents, the committee has found that forged certificates of ascertainment declaring Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence the winners of both Michigan and Arizona and their electors after the 2020 election that were sent to the National Archives. Public records requests show the secretaries of state for those states sent those certificates to the Jan. 6 panel, along with correspondence between the National Archives and state officials about the documents." The National Archives rejected the forgeries. Arizona is now suing for misuse of the state seal on false documents.

  3. Between the pandemic, budget cuts that cut the work force by 25%, the closure of processing centers, and an increase in workload, the IRS says to expect a delay in your refund this year. The IRS usually has a backlog of roughly 1 million returns, but as of Dec. 23, 2021, it still had 6 million unprocessed individual returns. Filing online is your best chance of receiving a refund within three weeks.

  4. We're #1! The US recorded at least 1.35 million new cases of COVID yesterday, shattering global records. The seven-day average for new cases has tripled in two weeks, to over 700,000 per day. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is also at an all-time high, doubling in just three weeks. 

 

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Utah Headlines

General

  • Utah County Attorney David Leavitt committed ethics violations in homicide case, judge rules (Fox13)
  • Monthly child tax credit payments have stopped. Will they be back? (Deseret News)
  • What this doctor learned about leadership from COVID-19 (Deseret News)

Politics

  • Meet the man ready to whip Utah's tech tornado: Jefferson Moss (UTPOL Underground)
  • New bill would do away with partisan school board elections (KUER)
  • Assistant Utah solicitor general Jeff Gray to run for Utah County attorney (Daily Herald)

COVID Corner

  • Weekend numbers: 24,147 new cases, 20 new deaths
  • Governor, Salt Lake mayor clash over whether county has power to mandate masks in state buildings (Deseret News)
  • Salt Lake County to stick with mask mandate, but plenty will be protesting (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • ‘About 3 hours’: Utahns growing impatient waiting in long COVID testing lines (ABC4)
  • BYU to require proof of vaccination or negative COVID test to attend events (Fox13)
  • The number of Americans hospitalized with Covid-19 is higher than last winter’s peak as Omicron tears through the U.S. and overwhelms hospitals. (New York Times, Washington Post)
  • Pope Francis calls anti-vaccine sentiment ‘baseless’ in his annual state-of-the-world speech (Washington Post)
  • Health officials letting COVID-infected staff stay on the job (AP)
  • Health care workers are panicked as desperate hospitals ask infected staff to return (The Hill)
  • 62K students, school staff in Los Angeles School District test positive for COVID-19 (The Hill)
  • 8 home COVID tests per month to be covered by insurers starting Saturday (AP)

Education

  • Utah's Lt. Gov on her recent graduation from college and the long journey to get there (KUTV)
  • How Utah State University plans to provide agricultural education in expanding urban setting (Deseret News)
  • University of Utah welcomes back students with new COVID-19 testing strategy (KUTV)
  • Many teachers out sick at Salt Lake County schools (KUTV)
  • 'No More, Not Here': Students using videos to spark change in Davis School District (Fox13)
  • Davis School District launches video effort to chip away at racism (Standard-Examiner)
  • This one thing can help students make the most of their college education: A strong internship portfolio (Deseret News)

Environment

  • Utah Lake's future the focus of summit (Fox13)
  • Coldest air in three years coming to parts of the country (NBCNews)

National Headlines

General

  • A 34-year-old father tried to walk home in last week’s record snowstorm. His body was found three days later. (Washington Post)
  • US Mint begins shipping quarters honoring Maya Angelou. They're the first in a series of quarters honoring American women. (AP)
  • Fed Vice Chair Clarida to resign over pandemic stock trades (The Hill)
  • The idea of another American Civil War is now mainstream, as divisions grow within states (NPR)
  • Lawsuit says 16 elite colleges are part of price-fixing cartel (New York Times)
  • Indiana state senator apologizes for saying educators need to be impartial when teaching about Nazism and fascism (CNN)

Politics

  • McCarthy says he'll strip Dems of committee slots if GOP wins House (The Hill)
  • Senators pry open spigot for Biden’s diplomatic nominees (Roll Call)
  • Supreme Court issues revised transcript of Gorsuch remark about flu deaths (The Hill)
  • Mitt Romney defended GOP senator Mike Rounds whom Donald Trump called a ‘jerk’ for saying that the 2020 election was fair and was not rife with fraud (Deseret News)

International

  • European Parliament President David Sassoli dies aged 65 (AP)
 

News Releases

McMullin for Utah announces record-breaking fundraising in first three months

McMullin for Utah announced Tuesday that the campaign raised over $1 million in its first three months. This is a first in the state’s history. It is more than any Senate challenger in Utah has ever raised in a single quarter. It is also more than any other Senate candidate with the exception of Sen. Orrin Hatch in 2012 and more than Sen. Mike Lee has raised in any previous quarter.

“I’m humbled and inspired by the coalition we’re building,” Evan McMullin said. “Thousands of Utahns – Republicans, Democrats and independents – are demanding change and have stepped up to support our campaign. I’m grateful for everyone who has sacrificed to contribute to this effort. It’s evidence of Utahns’ rejection of the broken politics of Washington and demand for new leadership that puts Utah’s interests first.” (Read More)


President J. Stuart Adams urges a balanced approach to COVID-19

President J. Stuart Adams issues the following statement regarding government mandates: 

“I support individuals’ right to wear or not wear a mask. However, we need to deal with COVID calmly, rationally and review and apply what we have learned over the past 22 months. We should take a balanced approach of saving lives, livelihoods and kids’ education while preserving personal liberties. We need to continue informing and providing Utahns with as many resources as possible, including making testing, vaccines/boosters and therapeutics readily available. After almost two years into the pandemic, I have full confidence in Utahns’ ability to use good judgment to make personal choices without interference from the government.”


Majority Leader Mike Schultz issues statement on government mandates, encourages Utahns to take personal responsibility

Over the weekend, Salt Lake County’s mask mandate went into effect, requiring all in the county to wear a mask for the next month. I’m calling on them, and other jurisdictions in the state, to reconsider their actions. Instead, they should be focused on providing the best information possible to their residents regarding masks, vaccinations, and other prevention measures as well as early treatment information to prevent hospitalizations.

While they may be well-intended, government mandates are not the answer. They have resulted in unnecessary divisiveness that is tearing our communities and our state apart.

While I stand adamantly against government mandates, I believe it is imperative for all of us to take personal responsibility to decrease our risk of infection, reduce the burden on our healthcare workers, and protect those around us. Among other things, we should stay home when sick, telework when possible, practice good personal hygiene, and most importantly, live a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, Utahns should work with their healthcare provider to discuss whether to be vaccinated and what treatment options are available should they get sick.

We must come together, take responsibility for our own actions, and look to the future with optimism and we can do all of that without the heavy hand of the government.


Utah Taxpayers Association annual legislative outlook conference features Utah’s top policy leaders

Celebrating its 100 year anniversary in 2022, the Utah Taxpayers Association is kicking off the year with the annual Legislative Outlook Conference on Wednesday, January 12, 2022. As part of the Legislative Outlook Conference, top policymakers and legislative leaders will present their tax proposals. These speakers will include Utah’s Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson, Senate President Stuart Adams, and House Speaker Brad Wilson. In addition, speakers will be discussing upcoming legislation and other tax policy issues in Utah. (Read More)


Public comments requested for Rural Energy projects

2 Open Houses Planned, Public is Encouraged to Attend

Who: Carbon and Emery Counties, in conjunction with the Utah Rural Energy Diversity Innovation Coalition

What: Open House to inform public and seek public comment on five Energy Diversification Projects

Drive a Tesla, learn more about potential small business programs, education opportunities, business development and energy diversification  

When: Thursday, Jan 13, 2022 from 6-8 pm in Price and Friday, January 14, 2022 from 6-8 pm in Castle Dale 

(Read More)

 
 

Upcoming

  • 2022 Legislative Outlook - Utah Taxpayers Association – Jan 12, 2022, 9:00 am. Register here
  • Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit 2022 - SLC Chamber – Jan 13, 2022, 8:30 am - 1:30 pm. Register here
  • Utah legislative session begins – Jan 18, 2022, 10:00 am
  • Utah legislative session ends – Mar 4, 2022, midnight
 

On This Day In History

From History.com

  • 1755 - Alexander Hamilton is born. He became the Founding Father with the best musical ever performed about his life. 
  • 1885 - Alice Paul is born. She later founded the National Women’s Party, was instrumental in the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 and 1923 and began the campaign for the Equal Rights Amendment.
  • 1908 - Theodore Roosevelt makes the Grand Canyon a national monument.
  • 1922 - Doctors give insulin to a diabetic patient for the first time.
  • 1935 - Amelia Earhart makes the first solo flight from Hawaii to North America.
  • 1964 - U.S. Surgeon General first announced a definitive link between cancer and smoking.
  • 1989 - President Reagan gives his farewell address.
  • 2008 - Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and the first to climb Mt Everest in 1953, dies from a heart attack at 88
  • 2010 - Miep Gies, who hid Anne Frank, dies at 100.
  • 2018 - President Donald Trump calls some countries s***hole countries during an immigration meeting
  • 2021 - US House Democrats introduce one article of impeachment against President Donald Trump for "incitement of insurrection" for encouraging his supporters to riot at the Capitol

Wise Words

“Let me offer lesson number one about America: All great change in America begins at the dinner table.”

-Ronald Reagan, in his farewell address


Lighter Side

“Speaking of breaking records, thanks to Omicron, the seven-day average for newly reported cases in the U.S. topped 700,000. Seven hundred thousand! That’s the population of Denver, and you know you’re in trouble when you’re higher than the people of Denver.” 

— STEPHEN COLBERT

 

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