Utah Policy Daily Newsletter

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Situational Analysis - February 11, 2021

We've made it to Thursday and past the mid-point of Utah's legislative session. Porn peddler Larry Flynt died yesterday at age 78. Unfortunately, his death will probably not make a single dent in the "industry."

Today, the House impeachment managers will wrap up their case against former President Donald Trump. In spite of terrifying video of just how close the mob got to legislators, some Republicans have dug in their heels. Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted: "The 'Not Guilty' vote is growing after today. I think most Republicans found the presentation by the House managers offensive and absurd." Ok, Boomer.

If you only have time for one thing today: Today is International Women and Girls in Science Day - take a minute to check out this article profiling 8 women in STEM who have made history. You'll meet Katalin Kariko, a leading scientist in RNA research and a senior VP behind the development of the Pfizer vaccine, Nita Patel who has been leading an all-woman team working on a COVID-19 vaccine at Novavax, teenage scientist and innovator Gitanjali Rao, and Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A Doudna, the first all-woman team to win a Nobel Prize for Chemistry. There's also Andrea Ghez, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics for her work on black holes, Sarah Gilbert, who is the architect behind the AstraZeneca vaccine and Celine Gounder, an infectious disease physician, epidemiologist, filmmaker, and medical journalist.

Countdown

22 days to the end of the 2021 Utah Legislature (3/5/21)
62 days until the end of the Cox/Henderson administration's first 100 days (04/14/2021)
78 days until the Biden/Harris administration's first 100 days are up (04/30/2021)

Today At Utah Policy

In-depth with Rep. Candice Pierucci
By Holly Richardson
I talked with Rep. Pierucci yesterday about some of the big bills she has been working on, including exempting military retirement pay from being taxed and putting guardrails on no-bid contracts during an emergency.

Tweets of the day: Impeachment
By Holly Richardson
Today's tweets are a round-up of what's happening with the impeachment trial for former President Trump.

images/mugs-300/Victoria_Petro-Eschler.png

Guest opinion: The January rail bridge fire burned more than wood
By Victoria Petro-Eschler
The recent rail bridge burning on the westside has become more than a literal smoldering environmental disaster. Indeed, this episode is a metaphorical burning of bridges with the Salt Lake City citizenry.On Thursday, January 7, a 120 foot wooden rail bridge located in the Poplar Grove area, crossing the Jordan River burned. Salt Lake City Fire Department responded with quick expertise to a dangerously complex situation. They are owed thanks and praise. Unfortunately, that is the only bright spot in the city's response to this crisis.

Utah Headlines

Deseret News

What the GOP can learn from 1,000 Trump voters - About 67% of the Trump voters in 2020 voted for Romney in 2012 and 29% had voted for Obama or third parties in 2012.
Mike Lee objects to House impeachment manager's narrative about Trump phone call - Lee said the statements attributed to him about the specifics of the phone conversation between Trump and Tuberville were false and said, "I'm the only witness."
How President Trump misdialed Utah Sen. Mike Lee while the Capitol was under siege - On Jan 7, Sen. Lee talked to reporters about the phone call from Trump.
How do we resolve racial tensions? Start with reclaiming Black family history - Black families have persisted and survived. They have overcome tremendous struggles and managed to find ways to maintain connections, despite all that stood in their way. To forget that legacy is a disservice to all.
After emotional debate, bill to rename Dixie State University clears Utah House - Many representatives from the St. George area voted against the bill, some of whom said the process had been rushed and there had not been sufficient community input.
Resolution recognizing Utah's election success OK'd - but not without a challenge - But Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding and Rep. Michael Petersen, R-North Logan, voted against it.
Only U.S. attorney appointed by Obama and Trump submits resignation - Utah U.S. Attorney John Huber, who served under both Democratic and Republican presidential administrations, announced he will step down at the end of February.
COVID-19 vaccines may give false positives in breast cancer screenings - Women are now being advised to either get their annual mammograms before being vaccinated against COVID-19, or wait at least a month after their final dose to avoid a mistaken breast cancer or other cancer diagnosis due to a side effect from the shots.

Salt Lake Tribune

Mitt Romney has harrowing cameo in impeachment videos that show Capitol violence - Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman was running to respond to the initial breach when he passed Sen. Mitt Romney who was headed straight towards the mob and turns Romney around in order to get him to safety.
Tenant advocacy group calls on Salt Lake City's redevelopment director to resign - A rally against mass evictions is scheduled for Saturday after an out-of-state developer evicts dozens of low-income renters.
Utah health officials say most adults who want the COVID vaccine should be able to get one by the end of May - Those rosy projections are completely dependent on the ability of manufacturers to produce vaccines as promised, however.
What Sen. Mike Lee told me about Trump's call the day of the Capitol riot - Lee related the story of how then-President Donald Trump mistakenly called his phone thinking it belonged to Tommy Tuberville, the newly-elected senator from Alabama. The call became a controversial part of the impeachment trial on Wednesday.
These Walmarts in Utah will begin providing COVID-19 vaccines to seniors on Friday - Don't try to walk in; appointments will be required for the limited number of vaccinations.
Utah Legislature's Clean Air Caucus calls for historic investment in clean air initiatives - The bipartisan group has turned its sights toward big-ticket budget requests this session in an effort to address the state's poor air quality.
Cosmetology licensing amendment curls hair among community members - SB87 "creates an exemption from licensure under the cosmetology act for an individual who only dries, styles, arranges, dresses, curls, hot irons, shampoos, or conditions hair." Cosmetology industry objects.

Other

New video shows Romney directed away from U.S. Capitol rioters (Fox 13) - "It was heartbreaking and overwhelming to witness the violence our law enforcement officers faced on January 6," said Romney in a statement.
SLCC is giving students an edge with affordable education (KSL.com) - As the state's largest two-year college, SLCC is a launchpad to four-year degrees.

COVID Corner

Fully vaccinated people can skip Covid quarantines, CDC says (CNN) - "Fully vaccinated persons who meet criteria will no longer be required to quarantine following an exposure to someone with COVID-19."
Covid masks save lives. The CDC says double-masking may save more. (NBC News) - Masks have saved far more lives than any other biomedical intervention for Covid-19.
WHO expert group recommends use of AstraZeneca vaccine (Associated Press) - Independent experts advising WHO about immunization on Wednesday recommended the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine even in countries that turned up worrying coronavirus variants in their populations.
The U.S. may not reach herd immunity until Thanksgiving (Deseret News) - Top officials within Biden's team have warned that the slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine and the COVID-19 variants from the United Kingdom and South Africa could delay herd immunity.
Every Utah adult who wants vaccine could get it by end of May, director says (Deseret News) - Mass COVID-19 vaccination sites are set to begin operating in Utah in March and three months from now, every Utahn who wants protection against the virus should have an opportunity to receive their shots, health officials told state lawmakers Wednesday.

National Headlines

Shocking trial video opens Jan. 6 wounds for lawmakers (Politico) - Senators of both parties stood up, leaned forward, and appeared to identify themselves in the chilling security footage showing Capitol police officers creating a human barricade that allowed them to flee the chamber. Others simply looked away.
Crying in courtrooms: Even for lawyers, impeachment is worth getting emotional about (USA Today) - Emotions ran high during the first day of Trump's impeachment trial. With stakes this high, events have a way of getting personal - even for lawyers.
GOP senators signal they plan to acquit Trump despite visceral presentation by House Democrats (CNN) - Sen. Lindsey Graham said "I think there's more votes for acquittal after today than there was yesterday."
Impeachment managers show chilling new footage of Capitol attack at Trump's trial (Yahoo! News) - The footage from security cameras show how close rioters came to elected officials, provide graphic detail about the attack.
Biden Holds 1st Call As President With China's Xi As Trade, Security Issues Loom (NPR) - Biden raised some of the thorniest bilateral issues, but also talked about potential areas for cooperation, the White House said.
Biden announces U.S. sanctions against leaders of Myanmar military coup (NBC News) - The sanctions will target military leaders who directed the coup, as well as their business interests and close family members.
140,000 Republicans have left the party since Jan 6 (NY TImes) - "There's nothing left."
Pence reportedly 'angry' at Trump for not asking about his safety during Capitol riot: Chris Wallace (Fox News) - Pence's team said Trump's failure to call off the mob and ensure the safety of his loyal second-in-command represented the "ultimate betrayal."

Policy News

Business community responds to executive order restricting energy leases
The Salt Lake Chamber has issued the following statement regarding the executive order placing a moratorium on new oil and gas development leases on federal lands:"The Biden Administration's recent action to impose an open ended moratorium on new federal oil and gas leasing will have negative consequences for Utah's economy. Now is not the time to stall job creation or energy production during a pandemic and the Chamber calls for a better, more deliberate and inclusive process to reach these decisions.

Webinar: Where are the women?!
Why are so few women taught in K-12 U.S. history? That's exactly what we want to know and we invite you to be a part of the conversation! Did you know that out of 737 history makers taught in schools in every state, only 24%, or 178 are women? And only 15 women are taught in 10 states or more! Join an amazing line-up of thought leaders, historians and education specialists as we examine why so few women are included in the curriculum and how educators can expand U.S. history to be more inclusive and accessible.

Senate overwhelmingly supports Romney measure to rescue federal TRUST funds
During consideration of the budget resolution last week, the Senate adopted an amendment introduced by U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) aimed at restoring and strengthening endangered federal trust funds. The measure, cosponsored by 11 Republicans and Democrats, is based on Romney's TRUST Act, which would create a process for Congress to develop solutions to save the government's biggest, most important programs related to transportation, health care, and financial security.

Sens. Lee, King introduce bill to strengthen American manufacturing
U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Angus King (I-Maine) on Monday introduced the Reinforcing American-Made Products Act, a bill that strengthens American manufacturing by creating one national "Made in USA" labeling standard.

Sen. Romney announces committee assignments, including Foreign Relations and Budget
U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) announced his four committee assignments for the 117th Congress. His committee assignments include Foreign Relations; Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP); Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs; and Budget.

Business Headlines

Mastercard to let merchants accept some cryptocurrencies directly later this year (MarketWatch) - The company will be looking for cryptocurrencies that respect the privacy of consumer information, follow compliance procedures and "offer the stability people need in a vehicle for spending, not investment."
Microsoft approached Pinterest about a takeover in recent months (Seeking Alpha) - The talks are not currently active.
Biden Administration Pauses Trump's TikTok Ban, Backs Off Pressure To Sell App (NPR) - The White House is undertaking a wide-ranging probe into how Chinese-owned technology companies could potentially pose a risk to Americans' privacy and data security.
Postal Service Sets Major Operational Restructuring (Yahoo! Finance) - The Postal Service provided no details or a specific timetable in its announcement.
Uber's food-delivery growth fails to offset rideshare decline (Financial Times) - Company loses $6.8bn in 2020 as pandemic continues to drag down revenue.

On This Day In History

(From History.com)

1644 - First Black legal protest occurred in America when eleven Black people petitioned for freedom in New Netherlands (New York). The Council of New Netherlands freed the eleven petitioners because they had "served the Company seventeen or eighteen years" and had been "long since promised their freedom on the same footing as other free people in New Netherlands."

1805 - Sacagawea gives birth to a son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. He came with her two months later when she left with Lewis and Clark on their journey to the Pacific Ocean and back to the Louisiana Territory.

1840 - Jonathan Jasper Wright is born in Pennsylvania. He was a Black lawyer who was elected as a judge on the Supreme Court of South Carolina and served during Reconstruction.

1847 - Thomas Edison is born.

1916 - Emma Goldman, a crusader for women's rights and social justice, is arrested for lecturing and distributing materials about birth control.

1958 - Ruth Carol Taylor, a journalist and nurse, became the first Black flight attendant in the United States when she joined Mohawk Airlines on this day.

1977 - Clifford Alexander, Jr. is confirmed as the first Black Secretary of the Army. He will hold the position until the end of President Jimmy Carter's term.

1989 - Rev. Barbara Harris became the first woman bishop in the American Episcopal Church and in the Anglican Communion worldwide.

1990 - Nelson Mandela released from prison after TWENTY-SEVEN years.

2012 - Whitney Houston dies

Wise Words

"I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended."

~Nelson Mandela

Lighter Side

A boy asks his father, "Dad, are bugs good to eat?"

"That's disgusting. Don't talk about things like that over dinner," the dad replies.

After dinner the father asks, "Now, son, what did you want to ask me?"

"Oh, nothing," the boy says. "There was a bug in your soup, but now it's gone."

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