At his monthly PBS Utah news conference, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox delved into a topic that’s been top of mind for him as chairman of the National Governors Association with his “Disagree Better” campaign. 

In this role, Cox has urged Utahns and Americans to come to together to combat what he calls “an existential issue and crisis” in the country: Americans’ inability to disagree without hating each other.

“Look guys, I’m not usually prone to hyperbole,” Cox told reporters, but he said the U.S. is “headed down a very dark path, and we’re further down that path than I think most people realize.”

“There is a very real chance over the next couple of decades of a complete failure of our democratic institutions, of our republic,” Cox said.

“I take that very seriously. If we don’t wake up as a society and if we don’t stop playing with fire, stop the hatred that we’re exhibiting toward our fellow Americans with whom we have some disagreements, we could end up in a very dark place.”

Cox pointed to research by Rachel Kleinfeld, a senior fellow in the Carnegie Democracy, Conflict and Governance Program, who has studied troubled democracies. 

“Threats have not only risen ten-fold in the last few years against members of Congress — they have also skyrocketed against mayors and local office holders,” Kleinfeld has written, citing a 2021 poll by the National League of Cities that found 81% of local leaders have experienced threats or violence.

Sen. Mike Lee, 28 other GOP lawmakers sign letter opposing funds for Ukraine without accountability

Several Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, said they opposed providing billions of additional dollars in support to Ukraine as the country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was in Washington, D.C., Thursday.

In a letter sent to Shalanda Young, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, congressional Republicans vowed to oppose President Joe Biden’s request for $24 billion in military, economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine unless certain questions can be answered.

The letter, uploaded by The Wall Street Journal, was led by Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. It lists five other senators — including Lee — and 22 other representatives as the signatories. 

Lee’s communications director Billy Gribbin sent the Deseret News a statement clarifying the senator’s position on funding for Ukraine. 

“Senator Lee has challenged the White House to provide clear goals and a defined mission for the additional 100 billion dollars that President Biden wants to take from the American people and send to Ukraine,” said Gribbin, referring to the number Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said it would cost the U.S. in the next 14 months. 

He said Lee doesn’t consider the “proxy war to be in America’s best interests,” which is why he is opposed to simply authorizing more funding. 

Read the questions asked by the congressmen.

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BYU’s Jewish quarterback is balancing football with High Holy Days observances this month

As a backup quarterback on BYU’s 3-0 football team, junior college transfer Jake Retzlaff knows he has to be ready to play at a moment’s notice if starter Kedon Slovis gets injured or otherwise can’t play.

That preparation as the Cougars gear up to play 3-0 Kansas on Saturday has been a bit more difficult for Retzlaff this week as the 6-foot-1, 205-pound junior from Corona, California, balances some of his beloved faith traditions with football.

Retzlaff identifies as a Reform Jew, and is in the middle of one of the holiest weeks of the year for Jews, the High Holy Days. They began with Rosh Hashana — the Jewish New Year — last weekend and end with Yom Kippur, which begins Sunday night at sunset and concludes Monday at sunset.

Some Jewish athletes have refrained from participating in games and practices during the High Holy Days, but Retzlaff made it clear in an interview last spring that he is at BYU to play football and won’t miss anything for religious reasons.

Read more about how Retzlaff practices his faith as a BYU football player. 

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