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Utah Headlines

General

• Utah acquires 45-star flag that flew over U.S. Capitol in 1896 (Fox13)
• Rep. Steve Handy: A humble - local - answer to climate solutions (Deseret News)
• Despite rising gas prices, AAA predicts Memorial Day weekend to see huge increase in travelers (St. George News)
• Meet Margaret Busse, the executive director of Utah's Department of Commerce. (UTPOL Underground)

Politics

• What Makes A Moderate Republican? It's Complicated And No One Agrees. (KUER)

Service

• Davis County non-profit collecting donations for homeless teens (Fox13)

COVID Corner

• Uber and Lyft will give you free rides to vaccine sites. Here's how it works. (Deseret News)
• Latino and Black children who get COVID-19 are highest risk for MIS-C (KUTV)
• RSL to allow maskless fans at Rio Tinto starting Saturday (KUTV)
• New U.S. Covid-19 Cases Under 40,000 for Third Day (Wall Street Journal)
• Covid vaccines do not harm placenta, contrary to social media misinformation, study finds (CNN)
• At Home Covid Tests Now Accepted For Entry Into The U.S. (Travel Off Path)
• Scores of dead bodies found floating in India's Ganges River (AP, New York Times)
• Covid Desperation Is Spreading Across India (New York Times)
• Johnson & Johnson vaccine deliveries delayed; 'black fungus' appearing more frequently in India: Latest COVID-19 updates (USA Today)

Education

• Utah parents, activists disagree over Critical Race Theory curriculum (Fox13)

Elections

• Kaysville Mayor Katie Witt not running for reelection (Standard-Examiner)

Family

• Elizabeth Bruenig didn't regret becoming a mother at 25. Then her far-left peers came for her (Deseret News)

Housing

• 'A boiling point': Small business owner says homeless community is affecting revenue (ABC4)
• Record lumber prices dragging homebuyers and renovators to the woodshed (Deseret News)
• Contrary to some rumors out there, Californians are not buying up all our real estate (Utah Business)

Infrastructure

• New program to bring affordable broadband to all Americans available starting today. (Fox13)

Local Communities

• 'Tensions are very high': Mantua residents unsure how to feel about new police chief (ABC4)
• Ogden police officer becomes first woman on city's SWAT team (Fox13)
• Weber County halts debate, for now, on short-term rentals in Ogden Valley (Standard-Examiner)
• Five County Association in southern Utah hires 23-yo economist with 'fresh set of eyes' to develop recovery, resiliency plan (St. George News)
• DWR proposes changes to 2021 waterfowl hunts; public input requested (St. George News)
• Tight labor market in Logan prompting reduction in service on bus routes (KUTV)

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National Headlines

General

• Federal judge denies NRA attempt to declare bankruptcy in win for New York state attorney general (Washington Post)
• Michelle Obama on coping with low-grade depression: 'Nobody rides life on a high' (The Hill)
• Gasoline demand spikes in several states after pipeline hack, leading to shortages (CNN, New York Times, AP)

Politics

• A GOP civil war? Don't bet on it. We've heard that narrative before. The Democrats believe it at their peril. (Politico)
• Democratic fissures start to show after Biden's first 100 days (The Hill)

Immigration

• George W. Bush is calling for a 'religious awakening' on immigration reform (Deseret News)

Liz Cheney

• Cheney in defiant floor speech: Trump on 'crusade to undermine our democracy' (The Hill, Reuters, AP, New York Times)
• Jeff Flake: In today's Republican Party, there is no greater offense than honesty (Washington Post)
• Liz Cheney and the sad face of the Republican Party (Washington Post)

Elections

• It's a Home in Brooklyn. What Could It Cost? $100,000? Shaun Donovan and Raymond J. McGuire, candidates for mayor of New York, were way, way off when asked to estimate the median home price in the borough. (It's $900,000) (New York Times)

International

• Israel, Hamas escalate heavy fighting with no end in sight (AP, Washington Post, Reuters)
• The Latest: Erdogan tells Putin that Israel needs a 'lesson' (AP)
• Army of fake fans boosts China's messaging on Twitter (AP)

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Policy News

Economic dashboard indicates Utah recovery underway with growth challenges returning
The Salt Lake Chamber's Roadmap to Recovery Coalition, in partnership with the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, has updated the Economic Dashboard for May to help business leaders know where Utah sits in the overall recovery. This tool tracks the state's path to a full and complete economic recovery from the pandemic recession and provides context for decision-makers.

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Reps Moore, Fulcher, Neguse, and Schrier introduce the Modernizing Access to our Public Land Act to digitize federal land mapping records
Today, Representative Blake Moore (R-UT) was joined by Representatives Russ Fulcher (R-ID), Joe Neguse (D-CO), and Kim Schrier (D-WA) in introducing the Modernizing Access to our Public Land (MAPLand) Act, which would direct federal land management agencies to digitize and standardize mapping records. This will allow hunters, anglers, and millions of other federal land users to access essential information about public lands as well as help federal land management agencies identify public lands with limited or nonexistent public access points and take proactive steps to open them to the public.

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Smith's introduces longer lasting Apeel produce
Smith's Food & Drug, a division of The Kroger Co., and Apeel Sciences today announced that Apeel's longer-lasting asparagus and avocados are now available in the produce section of all Smith's stores.

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Sen. Romney urges administration to fill watchdog vacancies
U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) joined his colleagues on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in encouraging President Biden to swiftly fill Inspectors General (IG) vacancies to help safeguard taxpayer dollars and strengthen independent oversight of federal agencies. The letter emphasizes the importance of Senate-confirmed IGs to Congress' oversight efforts and notes Senate-confirmed IGs are likely to be more independent than those in acting roles.

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Gov. Cox signs a joint letter to President Biden on border crisis
The following joint letter signed by Gov. Spencer Cox and 18 other Republican governors was sent to President Biden requesting to control the crisis at the southern border.

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Business Headlines

• Stocks pull back on Wall Street as inflation concerns grow (AP)
• Amazon wins court fight against $303 million EU tax order (Reuters)
• Digital coin ether hits record high as 2021 gains near 500% (Reuters)
• Credit card debt keeps falling. Banks are on edge. (Wall Street Journal)
• U.S. consumer prices jumped in April, CPI rose 4.2% from year earlier (Wall Street Journal)
• Stock futures point to further declines (Wall Street Journal)
• Website creator Wix.com expects $14 billion in revenue in next decade (Yahoo)
• Goldman Sachs director reportedly quits after striking it rich in Dogecoin (Yahoo)
• Coinbase reaches #1 on U.S. Apple App Store for first time since 2017 (The Block Crypto)

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