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The UtahPolicy.com daily newsletter gets you up to speed on the top local and national news about politics and public policy. Send news tips or feedback to editor@utahpolicy.com

Situational Analysis - May 4, 2021

It's Tuesday and National Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be with you. Do you remember the first time you saw a Star Wars movie? It was a whole new type of film. For me, I was a teenager living in France in 1977 when the first one came out and happily went to the theater multiple times in a row to hear Princess Leia say "Que la force soit avec toi."

News you need to know

  1. Rep. Candice Pierucci went on New Day with John Berman to talk about Saturday's GOP convention. "What's critical is we ... recognize we're not a party of a person. We're a party of principles."
  2. First Lady Jill Biden will be in Utah on Wednesday.
  3. Bill and Melinda Gates are divorcing after 27 years of marriage.
  4. It happens here too. Check out this piece from the Daily Herald. "Tales From Utah Valley: Why have we kept so quiet about sexual abuse of children?"
  5. What was it like in the room where it happened? The plan to take down Osama bin Laden, that is. Check out this rivoting piece from Politico: 'I'd Never Been Involved in Anything as Secret as This'
  6. A CNN poll released Friday found that only 23% of Republicans believe that President Biden legitimately won the 2020 election. Fifty percent say there is "solid evidence" that Biden did not win, but that's a drop from 58% in January. And speaking of polls, an ABC News/Ipsos poll found that nearly two-thirds of Americans now say the country is headed in the right direction. The last time Americans were that optimistic was December 2006.

Countdown

53 days until the Utah Democratic party organizing convention (06/26/21)
130 days until half-way through the Cox/Henderson's administration's 500-day plan (09/11/2021)

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Today At Utah Policy

images/mugs-300/LaVarr_Webb.jpgOpinion briefs: No red meat, no cable news stardom . . . How to get on TV . . . more trampling of state prerogatives
By LaVarr Webb
Why isn't Utah included in discussions of dynamic states? As I flip through the cable news channels, I frequently see stories (especially in conservative media) about states whose economies are booming and that have opened up and reduced or eliminated pandemic restrictions. Their governors are often interviewed and the states are contrasted with Democratic-led states that have more restrictions and whose economies are weak.



Utah Headlines

Deseret News

Salt Lake Tribune

Other Utah News Sources

COVID Corner


National Headlines

Education


Policy News

images/Resized_Logos/Cox_seal.pngGov. Cox orders water conservation measures at all state facilities
In response to ongoing concerns about extremely dry conditions, Gov. Spencer J. Cox issued an executive order forbidding irrigation at state facilities between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., requiring that sprinklers are shut off during rain storms and making sure landscape watering systems are operating efficiently.
images/Resized_Logos/Romney_Senate_logo.pngRomney, Merkley Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Long-Term Health of Saline Ecosystems
U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced their Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Program Act, bipartisan legislation to facilitate an integrated regional assessment of saline lake ecosystems that would fill a critical data gap that has made it nearly impossible to address a variety of problems caused by declining water levels. Saline lakes line wetlands across the West Coast, serving as habitats for a diverse array of wildlife and providing important economic and social benefits to nearby communities.
images/Resized_Logos/University_of_Utah_logo.pngCollaboration fast-tracks U of U technology for ultra-quick, affordable COVID test
The University of Utah (the U), ARUP Laboratories, and Techcyte Inc. announced that they have formed a partnership to develop NanoSpot.AI, a less than five-minute, easy-to-administer SARS-CoV-2 antibody test. NanoSpot.AI is estimated to be significantly less expensive to manufacture than other SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests, so it has the potential to be considerably more affordable than currently available tests, making it possible to extend the test to every corner of the world.
images/Resized_Logos/Chris_Stewart_logo_white.pngReps. Stewart and Correa Introduce Legislation to Address Suicide in Young Adults
Congressman Chris Stewart (R-UT) reintroduced bipartisan legislation with Congressman Lou Correa (D-CA) and Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and John Kennedy (R-LA). The bill, The Improving Mental Health Access for Students Act, will help address suicide amongst teens and young adults by increasing access to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Crisis Text Line.
images/Resized_Logos/Cox_seal.pngGov. Spencer J. Cox names Monica Diaz to the Third District Juvenile Court
Gov. Spencer J. Cox has nominated Monica Diaz to fill the Third District Juvenile Court judicial vacancy. "As director of the Utah Sentencing Commission, Monica Diaz demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the Constitution, respect for the law and expertise in policy," Gov. Cox said. "These experiences - as well as her legal work as both a prosecutor and a public defender - will serve her well as a Juvenile Court judge. I'm proud to recommend her to this important position."

Business Headlines


On This Day In History

(From History.com)

  • 1776 - Rhode Island becomes the first colony to declare its independence from England.
  • 1922 - Eugenie Clark is born. An ichthyologist known for both her research on shark behavior and her study of fish in the order Tetraodontiformes, she was popularly known as "The Shark Lady"
  • 1944 - "Gaslight", starring an 18-year-old Angela Lansbury in her film debut, is released.
  • 1970 - The National Guard kills four students and wounds nine others in Kent State shootings.
  • 1979 - Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman to be elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
  • 1998 - A federal judge in Sacramento, California, gives "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski four life sentences plus 30 years after Kaczynski accepts a plea agreement sparing him from the death penalty.
  • 2018 - Sarah Zorn becomes the first woman to lead cadets as a regimental commander at the Citadel.

Wise Words

"Power is like being a lady... if you have to tell people you are, you aren't."

~Margaret Thatcher


Lighter Side

Lighter Side

"According to polls, the last time we were close to being this optimistic was 2006. I'm not surprised. That was when Tom Hanks brought back the mullet."

- JIMMY FALLON


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