Utah Policy Daily Newsletter

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Situational Analysis - April 30, 2021

It's Friday and the last day of April! It's also National Oatmeal Cookie Day and National Raisin Day. Probably not a coincidence.

There is beautiful weather ahead this weekend. I hope you have a chance to get out and enjoy it!

News you need to know

I'm not much of a sports buff but even I know it's a big deal that Zach Wilson was NFL draft pick #2 and Penei Sewell was draft pick #7. Congrats to them!
Amelia Powers Gardner was sworn in yesterday as the newest Utah County Commissioner.
Salt Lake City is planning on a tiny home village to house people experiencing homelessnes. The Other Side Academy has been picked to manage the project and has an ambitious goal of having the first 40 ready by March.
The Utah GOP Organizing Convention is tomorrow. Delegates will elect a new leadership team that outgoing chair Derek Brown hopes will be focused more on winning elections and less on in-fighting. Speaking of in-fighting, there's a resolution being proposed to censure Senator Mitt Romney.
World Trade Center Utah is opening a first-of-its-kind office on UVU's campus. The alliance will give UVU business students real-world experience in competing globally.

Countdown

1 days until the in-person Utah GOP Organizing Convention (05/01/2021)
57 days until the Utah Democratic party organizing convention (06/26/21)
134 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

Commentary: Have we reached a point where deficit spending doesn't matter?
By LaVarr Webb
I'm a grumpy old guy, and I've written many times that I'm worried about deficit spending and the federal debt rising to unfathomable levels. Pres. Joe Biden is recommending another $6 trillion in spending, boosting the debt even higher.Biden is not planning to borrow the entire $6 trillion, of course. He wants to raise taxes on the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans to pay for some of it.

Utah Headlines

Deseret News

Reaction to American Families Plan and Biden's speech before Congress. Paid leave, child care, child tax credit expansion, and more free school are part of the plan - but not everyone's wowed.
The two worlds of our sexual revolution cannot hold. We can't foster a culture that celebrates and affirms extravagant sexual exploration while also enforcing much needed boundaries.
What did it take to turn a high school dropout into a software engineer? Nontraditional student Cory Britton wanted to be a role model for his kids, so he braved the university setting. He graduates this week.
President Russell M. Nelson and the COVID-19 vaccine: Revered as a prophet by Latter-day Saints, he prayed throughout 2020 for a vaccine to relieve world suffering caused by the pandemic
Sound principles, new circumstances: In praise of the First and Second Amendments
Was bipartisanship at play in Biden's first 100 days? Here are 10 examples
Can Utah Republicans survive an emerging sea of blue in the West? That's what's at stake and why the race for Utah's next Republican leader matters, outgoing Utah GOP chairman Derek Brown says

Salt Lake Tribune

Vivint reaches $20M settlement with FTC over allegations of fraudulent use of credit reports
Help all women - including queer members - to feel they belong in Relief Society, LDS attendees told at BYU Women's conference (Salt Lake Tribune)
The most iconic hike on the Wasatch Front shines in all seasons. The Lake Blanche Trail offers plenty of distractions from incessant climb, plus a rewarding view at the top (Salt Lake Tribune)
Salt Lake City mayor unveils new details about tiny home project for the homeless. The Other Side Academy has been picked to manage the tiny home village pilot project and promises that any neighborhood the development comes to 'will be better for it.' (Salt Lake Tribune)

Other Utah News Sources

Republicans, economists question Biden's tax hikes for wealthy, investors (KUTV)
Utah man charged with assaulting police during Jan. 6 Capitol riot. He's the 5th Utahn to be charged. (KUTV)
Gov. Cox holds ceremonial signing of six 'government efficiency bills' (ABC4)
Utah Supreme Court rejects appeal by the man convicted of sexually abusing members of the '5 Browns' (Fox13)
Weber County anti-poverty program gets $100K boost from LDS Church (Standard-Examiner)

COVID Corner

Navajo Nation sends PPE to help COVID-ravaged India (Fox13)
Does COVID-19 lead to strokes? A new study suggests that it does. (Deseret News)
Utah plans to bring COVID-19 shots 'to the people' by providing Utah businesses, community groups, churches and other organizations with mobile clinics upon request (Deseret News)
Thousands of Utah's coronavirus vaccine doses are waiting to be claimed (Salt Lake Tribune)
Chipotle Mexican Grill recently announced it is giving away 250,000 burritos to celebrate and honor the health care workers who are on the frontlines of the pandemic. Sign up on their website. (Deseret News)
AstraZeneca struggles with data needed for COVID-19 vaccine's approval (Washington Post)
Exclusive: Pfizer begins exporting U.S.-made COVID-19 vaccine to Mexico (Reuters)
Brazil COVID-19 Deaths Top 400,000 Amid Fears Of Worsening Crisis (NPR)
With 379,257 new infections, India now has reported more than 18.3 million cases, second only to the United States. The Health Ministry also reported 3,645 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 204,832. Experts believe both figures are an undercount. (AP)
India Covid: Delhi running out of space for cremations (BBC)
State Department, CDC urge Americans to avoid travel to India over COVID-19 concerns (Deseret News)

National Headlines

Economy

Nearly 1.5 million mothers are still missing from the workforce. Mothers, especially those with school-aged children, have been slow to return to work during the Covid-19 pandemic (Wall Street Journal)
Utah Businesses Struggling To Find Workers As The State's Economy Recovers (KUER)
Economy rebounds from pandemic with consumer-led gains. GDP grew at 6.4% annual rate in the quarter, leaving economy within 1% of its peak. (Washington Post)
US recovery from pandemic recession is showing momentum. We still have a long way to go, however. More than 8 million jobs remain lost to the pandemic and the recovery remains sharply uneven. (AP)
The economy is (almost) back - but it is looking different than it used to. The recovery is profoundly unequal across sectors, unbalanced in ways that have big implications for businesses and workers (New York Times)
Many Republican voters agree with Biden - 'trickle-down economics' has failed (Reuters)

News round-up

They call endometriosis a 'Women's Disease.' She wants to redefine it. "It took them how many decades to recognize that one of the most regenerative tissues is found inside the uterus?" one expert notes. The reason, she believes, is simple: "Because none of the researchers had uteruses." (New York TImes)
Derek Chauvin juror: 'We all agreed at some point that it was too much'. Brandon Mitchell is the first juror to speak out about what it was like to convict Derek Chauvin, after watching video of George Floyd die 'over and over.' (Washington Post)
Arizona is prepared to lose about one-fifth of the water the state gets from the Colorado River, more than any other state in the Colorado River basin (AP)
Al Qaeda promises 'war on all fronts' against America as Biden pulls out of Afghanistan (CNN)
The great power race between the US and China is on. And Beijing is confident of winning (CNN)
Biden's economic plan would redistribute trillions and expand government. President seeks muscular role for the federal government in economy, helping middle and working class at the expense of businesses and the wealthy. (Washington Post)
Biden picks Houston-area sheriff Ed Gonzalez to lead ICE. ICE has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since 2017. (AP)
Kris Kobach, Former Trump Adviser, Announces Run For Kansas Attorney General. The former Kansas secretary of state lost a race for governor in 2019 and the GOP primary for Senate in 2020. (NPR)
Gaetz, Greene plan national tour to call out RINOs. The two lightning rod members of Congress aim to attack both Democrats and Republicans. (Politico)
Matt Gaetz associate admits both men had sex with teen girl, report says (New York Post)
A 38-year old Idaho lawmaker accused of rape by his 19 year-old intern resigns after ethics committee ruled he should be censured. He maintains it was consensual. It also was not his first incident. He had been warned previously against hitting on women who work at the Statehouse. (AP)

Policy News

Gov. 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."

May 6 luncheon: Post-pandemic and beyond - what will Utah's new future look like?
What will Utah be like 1 year after COVID-19? What about 10, or even 30 years? Tune in on May 6 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. as local nonprofit Envision Utah dives into the future with the help of an expert panel. The discussion will focus on questions like:

Lawmakers introduce legislation to protect Great Basin and Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Areas
Congressman Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Mitt Romney (R-Utah), and Congressman Chris Stewart (R-Utah) have introduced the Great Basin National Heritage Area and Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area Extension Act. This bicameral, bipartisan legislation would reauthorize federal funding for both National Heritage Areas (NHAs), ensuring their continued ability to promote conservation, expand recreation opportunities, and preserve the unique heritage of the Western United States.

Sens Lee and Thune Introduce Bill to Strengthen National Guard Resources and Readiness
Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and John Thune (R-SD) today introduced theGuarding Readiness Resources Act, a bill to ensure that National Guard unitsreceive the reimbursement required by law forthe use of federalequipmentto supportstate missions.

Business Headlines

'The very best tools:' Governor, officials cut tape on new Southern Utah crime lab in Cedar City (St. George News)

Spy Hop opens the doors of its new youth media arts center in Salt Lake City's Central Ninth neighborhood (Salt Lake Tribune)

Cruise Lines Could Start U.S. Sailings by Mid-July, CDC Says. The update paves the way to resume operations that have been suspended for longer than a year. (Washington Post)

Amazon's profit run continues, bolstered by sustained demand. The e-commerce giant's first-quarter sales hit $108 billion, up 44% from the first quarter of 2020. (Wall Street Journal)

Get ready for a shortage of iPads and MacBooks. The global shortage of chips could hurt production, costing Apple $3 billion to $4 billion in revenue. (NPR)

Ford slumps 10% after being hit by chip shortage, drags down rival GM, suppliers (Reuters)

No college, no problem. Some employers are dropping "arbitrary" degree requirements in their hiring practices. (NPR)

EXCLUSIVE U.S. Labor Secretary supports classifying gig workers as employees (Reuters)

On This Day In History

(From History.com)

1789 - George Washington gives first presidential inaugural address.

1880 - Lillian Bertha Jones Horace is born. A pioneering educator and writer, she is Texas's earliest known African American woman novelist, one of only two known black southern women novelists of the early to mid twentieth century, one of only two black women nationally to own a publishing company before 1920, and the only black woman nationally to author a utopian novel before 1950

1911 - Portugal approves female suffrage.

1927 - The first federal prison for women opens in West Virginia.

1939 - Ellen Zwilich is born. She became the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music.

1945 - Adolf Hitler dies from suicide

1975 - Vietnam War ends

1993 - World Wide Web (WWW) launches in the public domain.

Wise Words

"Let us, then, fellow citizens, unite with one heart and one mind. Let us restore to social intercourse that harmony and affection without which liberty and even life itself are but dreary things."

~George Washington, first inaugural speech

Lighter Side

"And get this: 85 percent of people who watched Biden's speech approved of it. That's amazing. The only other things Americans like that much are Dolly Parton and cheese fries."

- JIMMY FALLON

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