Situational Analysis | April 28, 2022

Welcome to Thursday! It is international Holocaust Remembrance Day, a date which corresponds to the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar. "To forget a Holocaust," said Elie Wiesel, "is to kill twice."

Be in the Know

1. Senator Orrin Hatch will lie in state in the rotunda of the Utah Capitol from 2 pm to 8 pm on Wednesday, May 4th. His funeral services will be held at 1 pm on Friday, May 6th, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Institute of Religion, located at 1780 S. Campus Drive in Salt Lake City. Both events are open to the public. 

2. The US economy shrank 1.4% in the first quarter, down sharply from a 6.9% annual growth rate in the 4th quarter of 2021. According to the Wall Street Journal, the decline comes from a slower pace of inventory investment by businesses. "Despite the slip, many economists think that overall the economy remains on track to resume modest growth in the second quarter and beyond, in part because consumers and businesses are continuing to spend. 'It’s really hard for the economy to grow rapidly once you’ve recovered to a substantial degree,' said David Berson, chief economist for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co."

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Utah Headlines

General

• Cryptocurrency investment scams skyrocket through social media. More and more folks who think they are investing in cryptocurrency are actually being duped into sending money to thieves. (KSL)
• ‘Textbook corporate greed’: As inflation pummels consumers, U.S. CEOs rake in cash (Deseret News)
• Josh Holt remembers Orrin Hatch's work to free him and his wife from Venezuela prison (KUTV)
• Advocates raising awareness for sexual assault survivors on ‘Denim Day’ (KSL TV)
• 'Topaz Stories': Japanese-Americans with Topaz connections visit new exhibit (Millard County Chronicle Progress)
• Utah Jazz assistant coach Keyon Dooling put on administrative leave, facing federal charges in defrauding case (Deseret News)

Politics

• Ally Isom calls on Becky Edwards to drop out of US Senate race (KUTV)
• GALLERY: The many milestones of Sen. Orrin Hatch's career (KUTV)
• Chris Stewart tweets at Elon Musk, offers Utah as site for new Twitter headquarters (Fox13)
• Sen. Orrin Hatch’s legacy is one of bipartisanship — and contradiction (KUER)
• Why Immigration Policy should be Culture-Sensitive (USU CGO)

Education

• High schools in Sandy and Draper get Utah's top spots in U.S. News rankings (Deseret News)
• 'They have amazing ideas': Utah turns to students as it wraps input for new state flag designs (KSL)

Environment

• ‘Megadrought’ expected to worsen on the West coast, experts say (ABC4)
• Utah cities, districts begin watering restrictions (Fox13)
• Washington County eyes underground water rights, but it’s unclear if water is really there (KUER)
• We're running out of time to save Glen Canyon (Deseret News)
• About 6M Californians ordered to cut water use amid drought (AP)
  

Family

• How a GOP plan to help families fails stay-at-home parents (Deseret News)

Utah/Ukraine Connection

• An associate professor of history at BYU weighs in on Vladimir Putin’s double-edged sword and how it is hurting both Ukraine and Russia (Deseret News)
• 'People are dying': Utah veteran helps Ukrainian troops (KSL)

COVID Corner

• The U.S. is ‘out of the pandemic phase,’ Dr. Fauci says. Here's what that means. (Deseret News)

National Headlines

General

• Sheriff says drug bust led him to a startling suspect: His daughter (Washington Post)
• Outside the Supreme Court, a life of purpose and pain ends in flames (Washington Post)
• President pays his respects at Madeleine Albright’s funeral ceremony (Politico)

Politics

• McCarthy defends 1/6 audio, House GOP backs ‘next speaker’ (AP)
• After audio leaks, GOP group’s billboards say McCarthy must ‘stop lying’ (Washington Post)
• Talk of martial law, Insurrection Act draws notice of Jan. 6 committee (Washington Post)
• Trump said he’d be in White House instead of Mar-a-Lago if it weren’t for McConnell (The Hill)
• Biden seeks to send proceeds from Russian oligarchs’ confiscated assets to Ukraine (Washington Post)

Ukraine 🇺🇦 

• Microsoft discloses onslaught of Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine (Reuters)
• Occupied Ukrainian city fears sham Russian referendum plans (AP)
• Ukraine says Russian offensive in east gathering momentum (AP)
• A chilling Russian cyber aim in Ukraine: Digital dossiers (AP)
• Russia steps up assault on east Ukraine, Putin threatens countries that intervene (Reuters)
• Ukraine Brings First War-Crimes Charges Against Russian Soldiers in Bucha (WSJ)
• Fears Are Mounting That Ukraine War Will Spill Across Borders (New York Times)

News Releases

Sen. Romney honors the life and legacy of Senator Orrin Hatch

In a speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday, U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) honored the life and legacy of Senator Orrin Hatch.

I rise today to honor and celebrate the life and legacy of an extraordinary man, a giant among senators, and a dear friend, Senator Orrin Hatch. He was a man of vision and unparalleled legislative accomplishment. As the longest serving Senator in Utah's history, his unwavering dedication to our state and country during four decades of public service will be remembered for generations to come.

Few individuals have left such an indelible mark on the United States Senate. He did this through his legislation. He did it through the relationships he had with other senators. He did it through bipartisanship. He did it through his relationship with presidents of both parties. Like his good friend Ted Kennedy, he was a lion of the Senate. Now I know that there have been a number of senators who take responsibility for accomplishing many things, but I don’t think there’s ever been a legislator that has gotten more done legislatively than Orrin Hatch. Our judiciary, the fundamentals of our economy, even our national character are more elevated and more secure thanks to his leadership—thanks to his undaunted capacity to plow ahead. (Read/Watch More)

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Upcoming

• Breakfast Briefing with Utah Foundation, May 17, 8:30-10:00 am
• Ballots are mailed â€“ June 7
• Primary election day â€“ June 28
• General election â€“ Nov 8

On This Day In History

• 1758 - James Monroe is born. He became the 5th US President (1817-25).
• 1789 - Mutiny on the HMS Bounty
• 1908 - Oskar Schindler is born.
• 1923 - Game inventor Elizabeth Magie Phillips applies for her second patent for Monopoly’s predecessor. Her original patent was received in 1904, but after copycat versions started circulating, she applied for the second. It did not protect her intellectual property, however. Charles Darrow sold a slightly altered version to Parker Brothers and even though Phillips immediately went public with the plagiarism, she never did get the credit she deserved. 
• 1945 - Benito Mussolini is executed.
• 1947 - Thor Heyerdahl and the crew of the "Kon-Tiki" sail from Peru to Polynesia.
• 1960 - Elena Kagan is born today. She became the U.S. Supreme Court’s fourth woman justice
• 1971 - Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr. becomes the first Black Admiral in the U.S. Navy.
• 1993 - First “Take Our Daughters to Work” Day, sponsored by the Ms. Foundation. In 2003, it became “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work” Day

Wise Words

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." 

– Elie Wiesel

Lighter Side

Did you hear the one about the little mountain?

It's hill-arious!

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