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Situational Analysis - Dec. 28, 2020

It's Monday of the in-between, that weirdawesome week between Christmas and New Year's, where you're not sure if you should work or eat snacks and do puzzles.

TICK TOCK

7days to Utah inauguration day (1/4/2021).
8days until Senate runoffs in Georgia(January 5, 2021)
9days until a joint session of Congress to certify the presidential election (January 6, 2021)
22days to the start of the 2021 Utah Legislature (1/19/2021)
23days to presidential Inauguration Day (01/20/2021)
67days to the end of the 2021 Utah Legislature (3/5/21)

Today At Utah Policy

Utah Headlines

Deseret News

• Capturing up-close and personal impacts of COVID-19 in a social distancing Utah
• Inside the newsroom: The future is now for the Deseret News
• What Utah Jazz beat writer Sarah Todd had to say on ESPN '30 For 30' podcast about March 11 NBA season suspension
• Dave Barry's 2020 year in review
• The pitfalls of owning old mining sites in Salt Lake's Wasatch canyons
• The virus exposed me to a lot of good humans
• Want Washington to work? It will take listening and understanding

Salt Lake Tribune

• Why Utah's Latino immigrant community is still waiting to celebrate after Joe Biden's election
• Coronavirus in Utah: Cases fall, ICU beds increase as state reports two new deaths
• Utah institutions move away from 'Dixie,' but locals split
• Rep. John Curtis, Congress blasted by US Conference of Mayors for leaving cities, states out of relief package
• Gary Herbert, the nation's longest-serving governor, has this to say about his 11.5 years in office

Other

• Health care workers named as Salt Lake Tribune's 'Utahns of the Year' for 2020 (FOX 13)
• 'A big, orange fireball:' BYU family narrowly escapes Christmas Day Nashville explosion (KUTV)

COVID Corner

• COVID-19 Long Haulers search for answers while doctors do the same (FOX 13)
• The 1 Major Dilemma Pfizer and Moderna Face With COVID Vaccine Trials (Motley Fool)
• Dr. Fauci explains why his herd immunity estimate has shifted (CNN)
• CDC issues new guidance about vaccinations for people with underlying health conditions (The Hill)
• Fauci shares Biden's concern that 'darkest days' may be ahead in Covid-19 fight (CNN)
• California Disney employee brags about getting COVID-19 vaccine early, hospital says leftover doses were given to non-frontline healthcare workers (New York Daily News)
• How 2 airlines transported the COVID-19 vaccine to some of the farthest regions of the world (Yahoo News)
• UK to roll out Oxford COVID-19 vaccine from Jan. 4, Sunday Telegraph says (Reuters)

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National Headlines

• Trump signs coronavirus relief and government funding bill into law after lengthy delay (CNN)
• Trump to hold rally in Georgia on eve of Senate runoff elections (CBS News)
• Global shares edge up on news Trump signs aid bill (Yahoo News)
• What is the fight over the 'COVID relief bill' all about? (Al Jazeera)
• The CDC's failed race against covid-19: A threat underestimated and a test overcomplicated (Washington Post)
• Democrats promise Biden-era abortion showdown over Hyde Amendment (NBC News)
• Democrats set to clash in special House elections (The Hill)

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Policy News

PODCAST: ToddCastUtah Live
Senator Todd Weiler is kicking off 2021 a wee bit early by going live with his podcast. He and his guests (including yours truly), talked about the incoming Cox/Henderson administration and cabinet, the Senate District 14 special election and more.Click here to listen.ToddCastUtah can be found on all major podcasting platforms.

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Utah's Statehood celebration to include TV special, fireworks in all 29 counties
All Utahns are invited to participate in a statewide celebration of the 125th anniversary of Utah's statehood, which will launch on Jan. 4 with a TV special and simultaneous fireworks in all 29 counties.The Utah Department of Heritage and Arts is organizing the events in recognition of the historic anniversary and in support of Utah's cultural sector. "Thrive125: A Utah Celebration" will air on Monday, January 4 at 6:30 p.m. on all four Utah network affiliates, with a repeat airing on PBS Utah at 8:30 pm.

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WEBINAR: Romney, Curtis outline pandemic relief resources
On December 23, the Salt Lake Chamber held a webinar to talk about the new COVID-19 legislation and what Utahns can expect.Participants included Senator Mitt Romney; Congressman John Curtis; Howard Headlee, president and CEO of the Utah Bankers Association; and Scott Simpson from the banking and credit union industry. Sterling Nielsen, president and CEO of Mountain America Credit Union, and Natalie Kaddas, president and CEO of Kaddas Enterprises, served as moderators.

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This Christmas season should engender compassion for the homeless
Derek Miller writes that when "Jesus said the poor would always be among us, it was an invitation to help, not an excuse to ignore." There are many ways to serve, he reminds us, from financial donations to volunteering our time to choosing kindness. There are also many people working with Utahns experiencing homelessness who deserve our thanks, people who don't turn away, but who are moved to action.

Business Headlines

• Amazon hires lobbyist brother of Biden White House counselor (CNBC)
• Unemployment benefits run out for millions as Trump refuses to sign Covid relief bill(CNBC)
• The coming tech-driven productivity leap (Axios)
• Market Edges Toward Euphoria, Despite Pandemic's Toll (DNYUZ)
• Penguins, valued at $650M, received $4.82M COVID loan (New York Post)

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On This Day In History

(From History.com)

• 1793 - Thomas Paine, known for his role in the American Revolution, is arrested for treason in France
• 1856 - Woodrow Wilson is born. Known now as the 'Father of Public Administration,' he went on to become the 28th President of the United States.
• 1869 - U.S. Patent Office issued patent No. 98,304 to William Semple for chewing gum
• 1886 - U.S. Patent Office issued patent No. 355,139 to Josephine Garis Cochran for her invention of the "dish washing" machine. It should be a national holiday.
• 1894 - Burnita Matthews, suffragist, carried a banner outside the White House, gained admission to the bar in 1920, worked for the National Woman's Party and was chosen as Federal District Court Judge by President Truman in 1949
• 1908 - The most destructive European earthquake ever recorded hits southern Italy
• 1922 - Stan Lee is born
• 1934 - Maggie Smith, award-winning actress, is born
• 1945 - The Pledge of Allegiance is formally adopted
• 1967 - Muriel Siebert becomes the first woman to own a seat on the N.Y. Stock Exchange
• 1973 - President Nixon signs the Endangered Species Act into law
• 1981 - Elizabeth Jordan Carr is born. She was the first American baby born after in vitro fertilization

Wise Words

"The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people."

~Woodrow Wilson

Lighter Side

"Nobody claim 2021 as 'your year.'

We're all going to walk in real slow.

Be good. Be quiet.

Don't.Touch.Anything."

(The Meme-a-verse)

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