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Situational Analysis - January 20, 2021

Today's the day: Inauguration Day for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. In so many ways, this inauguration is unprecedented. The outgoing president will not be at the inauguration of his successor for the first time in over 150 years, the swearing-in is taking place just two weeks after an assault on the U.S. Capitol, security is sky-high, there's a pandemic still raging and oh, Kamala Harris will be making history as the first woman to be sworn in as vice-president. Women across the country are wearing pearls today in solidarity. If you want to watch/listen, it will be in all the places you normally find news.

If you only have time for one thing today, please read this piece by Stephen Studdert, a Utah resident who has been intimately involved with multiple Presidential inaugurations. He notes that he is both sad and hopeful. Sad, he says, "that our country has descended to this level of uncivil national discourse, unlike anything experienced since the ruinous Civil War." Hopeful for the future, as the "business of America's government will move evenly forward." If you don't have time to read, you can listen to Studdert on yesterday's "Inside Sources" podcast.

TICK TOCK

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

Today At Utah Policy

Utah Headlines

Deseret News

• Should Trump be held accountable, and if so, for what?
• I already was a politically homeless conservative. Then came the 'Trump supernova'
• Widespread voter fraud in 2020 election? A lot of Utahns think so
• How much blame does President Trump deserve for Capitol riot? Utahns are split
• Masked up and rapid tested, Utah lawmakers back to business in heavily guarded Capitol

Salt Lake Tribune

• Utah Gov. Spencer Cox releases 500-day plan for new administration
• Salt Lake City School District to decide Tuesday when junior high and high school can resume in person
• After a horrific 2020, downtown Salt Lake City positioned for a post-pandemic rebound
• Utah hospitals again running out of room, as a more contagious coronavirus variant threatens more illness
• Senate President Stuart Adams wants to lower Utah's vaccination age from 70 to 65
• How to participate in the Utah legislative session

Other

• Rep. Stewart cancels inauguration plans due to COVID-19 exposure, symptoms (Fox 13)
• St. George appoints city's first female mayor (Fox 13)

COVID Corner

• 'It's lonely sometimes': Utah seniors eager for return to normal life with COVID-19 vaccine (Fox 13)
• Moderna says possible allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccine under investigation (Reuters)
• New California Variant May Be Driving Virus Surge There, Study Suggests (New York Times)
• Allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccine remain 'overwhelmingly rare,' says expert (Yahoo!)
• Biden's incoming CDC director says she's 'optimistic' Covid vaccines will work against new variants (CNBC)
• People can get infected after 1st vaccine dose and may still spread it after 2nd, doctors say (Deseret News)
• COVID-19 variant might have been in the U.S. since October, experts say (Deseret News)

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National Headlines

• Trump tells people he's decided to pardon Steve Bannon as one of his final acts in office (CNN)
• Trump talked out of pardoning kids and Republican lawmakers (CNN)
• Pelosi says Trump could be accessory to murder after Capitol riot (Politico)
• Bitter, Trump skips chance to say splashy, high-profile farewell (CNN)
• Trump's '1776 Report' is an egregious parting shot (Washington Post)
• Burr says DOJ 'closed' insider trading probe without charges (Politico)
• Trump won't hand Biden the nuclear football. Here's how the handoff will happen. (NBC News)
• Kamala Harris' inauguration: 'To say I'm on edge is an understatement' (USA Today)
• Kamala Harris Has Always Worn Pearls. Now, in Sisterhood, So Will They. (New York Times)
• House Dems who challenged 2016 election results escalate fight with Republicans behind 2020 challenges (Fox News)
• Stunning Biden Inauguration Photos Show Thousands of Flags Planted Across National Mall (Newsweek)
• 12 Army National Guard members removed from inauguration duty (CNN)
• McConnell, Schumer fail to cut power-sharing deal amid filibuster snag (The Hill)
• How a participant in the Capitol riot allegedly stole Nancy Pelosi's laptop (Business Insider)

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Policy News

St. George Chamber of Commerce announces new board members
The St. George Area Chamber of Commerce (SGACC) is pleased to announce the election of Rebecca Box, Assistant Vice President at Security Services Federal Credit Union as the new chair of the board of directors and Kyle Case, CEO at the Huntsman World Senior Games as the board's vice chair for the 2021 year. Brad Buhanan of America First Federal Credit Union will serve as past chair on the board as well.

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Gov. Cox invites Utahns to observe National Day of Racial Healing
For the last five years, the Tuesday following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has been designated as a National Day of Racial Healing. Governor Spencer Cox released the following statement: "On this National Day of Racial Healing, we invite Utahns to pause and consider the heart of who we are, the unique values we hold in our state, and the influence we have to build a greater, more inclusive community.

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Utah Inland Port Authority adds three new team members
Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) has some new faces as it nearly doubles its team to support business development, strategic projects, and administrative efforts. The three new hires bring UIPA's total staff to seven as the organization establishes new programs and policies.

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Utah League of Women Voters releases study on Utah abortion laws
The League of Women Voters of Utah has long watched the Utah Legislature spend time and effort on the subject of abortion. Since the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade 1, the Utah Legislature has considered 95 bills relating to abortion and has passed 43. In the 2020 legislative session alone, Utah lawmakers considered 11 bills to add restrictions to or prohibit abortion with certain exceptions.

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Gov. Cox appoints new Colorado River Commissioner
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced the appointment of Gene Shawcroft as the Utah Commissioner to the Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC).The UCRC is an interstate water administrative agency that works with the upper basin states (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) to safeguard their respective water rights and allocations while meeting obligations to the lower basin states (Arizona, California and Nevada).

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Business Headlines

• Treasury nominee Yellen says U.S. can afford higher corporate tax rate if it coordinates with other countries (CNBC)
• Netflix Co-CEOs Reed Hastings & Ted Sarandos Optimistic About Theatrical Windows Collapse & Rival HBO Max Day & Date Model (Deadline)
• Bed Bath & Beyond says it's dropping MyPillow because it's 'underperforming' after CEO claims anti-Trump pressure (Yahoo Finance)
• Alibaba founder Jack Ma appears for the first time since crackdown on his tech empire (CNBC)

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On This Day In History

(From History.com)

• 1801 - John Marshall is appointed Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
• 1869 - Elizabeth Cady Stanton becomes the first woman to testify before Congress.
• 1870 - Sisters Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Clafin open the first woman-owned brokerage firm in the United States.
• 1872 - Julia Morgan is born. She becomes the first licensed female architect in California and the innovative architect of Hearst Castle and over 700 other buildings
• 1896 - Actor and comedian George Burns is born.
• 1910 - Joy Adamson is born. As a conservationist, she lived and worked in Kenya and wrote the book "Born Free" after raising a lion cub to be released into the wild.
• 1930 - Edwin Buzz Aldrin is born.
• 1942 - Nazi officials hold Wannsee Conference in Berlin to organize the "final solution" to Europe's Jewish population.
• 1943 - Lead, South Dakota, temperature is 52F, while 1.5 miles away Deadwood records -16F
• 1945 - FDR inaugurated for his 4th term.
• 1949 - The nation's first televised inaugural parade for Harry Truman is watched by 10 million people.
• 1953 - First live coast-to-coast inaugural address by Eisenhower.
• 1981 - Ronald Reagan is sworn in as the 40th president of the United States.
• 1981 - Within minutes of the inauguration, 52 U.S. captives are released, ending the 444-day Iran Hostage Crisis.
• 1993 - Audrey Hepburn dies at age 63.
• 1998 - Researchers announce the successful cloning of calves.
• 2009 - Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.

2017 - Donald Trump sworn in as the 45th president.

Wise Words

"Find out who you are and do it on purpose."

~Dolly Parton

Lighter Side

There's a fine line between a numerator and a denominator.

(Only a fraction of people will get this joke.)

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