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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 Situational Analysis - June 1, 2021Welcome to a new month! June is LGBTQIA Pride Month, National Camping Month, National Headache and Migraine Awareness Month, National PTSD Awareness Month and National Safety Month. Yesterday and today mark 100 years since the Tulsa Race Massacre, when thousands of white people descended on "Black Wall Street" in Tulsa, Oklahoma, killed hundreds and razed the entire area, burning over 1000 homes, businesses and churches. Ten thousand people were left homeless. Eyewitness events describe turpentine fire bombs being dropped from the air and even brutal decapitations as Black men were forced to kneel in the streets before their own execution. For many years, this horrific event was called a "riot" and blame was placed on Black citizens. The "Tulsa World" newspaper headline at the time read "TWO WHITES DEAD IN RACE RIOT" and "MANY MORE WHITES ARE SHOT." Last week, survivors of the massacre testified in front of Congress. "I will never forget the violence of the White mob when we left our home," said Viola Fletcher, age 107. "I still see Black men being shot, Black bodies lying in the street. I still smell smoke and see fire. I still see Black businesses being burned. I still hear airplanes flying overhead. I hear the screams. I have lived through the massacre every day. Our country may forget this history, but I cannot. I will not. And other survivors do not. And our descendants do not." I've collected a baker's dozen of links related to this sad anniversary. These stories need to be told and remembered. News You Need to Know Mark Eaton, NBA star, professional speaker and "gentle giant," died Friday after crashing his bike in Summit County. The Utah Jazz won their third game against the Memphis Grizzlies, with just one win to go to move to the next round. Rudy Gobert said he was playing for Mark Eaton in the Saturday win. Republicans in the US Senate took just 200 seconds to kill the Jan. 6 bipartisan commission proposal. Six Republican Senators voted in favor, but they needed 10. In Canada, the remains of 215 indigenous children were found buried at the site of a former residential school. Canada's residential school system, which forcibly separated indigenous children from their families, constituted "cultural genocide," a six-year investigation into the now-defunct system found in 2015. The report documented horrific physical abuse, rape, malnutrition and other atrocities suffered by many of the 150,000 children who attended the schools, typically run by Christian churches on behalf of Ottawa from the 1840s to the 1990s. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the discovery 'heartbreaking.' The municipal election filing period opens today (unless your municipality is using Rank Choice Voting). Typically, there will be a large percentage of candidates who file on either the first day or the last.Calendar A Conversation with Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg and Nubia Pena, Director of the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs - June 2, 12:30-1:15 pm. Register here. Municipal election filing: June 1 - June 7 at 5 pm. Utah Democratic Party organizing convention: June 26, 2021 250 days of the Cox-Henderson administration: September 11, 2021Today At Utah PolicyCommentary: Be thankful we don't have Idaho's governance modelBy LaVarr Webb One of the reasons Utah state government functions reasonably well is because in past decades wise state legislators and other key Utah leaders streamlined and modernized our state constitution.I was reminded of that fact by the recent story out of Idaho about Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin playing silly games and undermining Gov. Brad Little at every opportunity, even though both are Republicans. Utah HeadlinesGeneral A friend for all seasons: Biking buddy recalls last ride with Big Mark (Deseret News) What's happened to our civility? A disgraceful fan incident at Jazz-Grizzlies playoff game damages Utah and Jazz fans' reputation (Deseret News) Utah Jazz's Joe Ingles pleads for fan civility, calls for those who misbehave to be dealt with 'harshly' (Salt Lake Tribune) Ballet West says two Black dancers were subjected to angry racial epithets in two separate incidents last week (Deseret News) New study: Patients live longer with social and emotional interventions, not just medical care (Deseret News)Politics Inside Utah Politics: New study looks into pay equity in state government and the IUP Panel talks about the rollback of pandemic restrictions (ABC4) Navajo Nation President shares hopes for future of tribe, importance of relationship with federal government (ABC4) What to do when you don't identify as a Republican or Democrat anymore. (Deseret News) How the rise of religious 'nones' will change the future of American politics (Deseret News) Idaho's lieutenant governor banned face mask mandates while the governor was out of town. He rescinded her executive order when he returned. (Deseret News) Utah Sen. Mike Lee votes to block 'kangaroo commission' on U.S. Capitol attack (Deseret News) White evangelicals, Hispanic Protestants, Latter-day Saints most likely to believe in QAnon (Salt Lake Tribune) On Message with Marty Carpenter: Take your medicine (UTPOL Underground)COVID Corner Utah reports 143 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death (Salt Lake Tribune) Software company Salesforce, with high-powered lobbyist, left competitors in the dust in race for a Utah vaccine contract (Standard-Examiner) The pandemic isn't over for these two groups: the unvaccinated and children (Deseret News) Malaysia announces 'total' lockdown as COVID-19 outbreaks reach worst point yet (Deseret News) Peru revises pandemic death toll, now worst in the world per capita (Reuters)Drought/Wildfires Love, hope, worry, fear as Lake Powell drops. Will it recover from drought? (Deseret News) Drought affecting recreation opportunities at Utah's reservoirs (Fox13)Economy COVID-19 relief funds put former Ogden foster kid on more stable footing, more funds available (Standard-Examiner) Labor shortage at Utah restaurants is 'acute' (KUTV)Elections Mocking Trump's policies may be the ultimate downfall for Democrats (Deseret News)Energy A week of landmark events in the oil industry and what it means for you. Big oil may never be the same for Exxon, Chevron, and Shell. (Deseret News)Health As COVID-19 slows, STDs are spiking in Utah. A lull in new cases may be due to declines in testing, not transmission. (Salt Lake Tribune)Legal These 3 former BYU and BYU-Idaho students are suing over LGBTQ discrimination. (Salt Lake Tribune)Local Communities St. George launches program to help residents conserve electricity, avoid blackouts (Salt Lake Tribune)National HeadlinesTulsa Race Massacre - 100 years later Biden to honor forgotten victims of Tulsa race massacre (AP) Hundreds gather at historic Tulsa church's prayer wall (AP) 100 years later, the wounds from the Tulsa Race Massacre still unhealed (AP) How the Tulsa Massacre spent most of the last century unremembered (AP) How Tulsa Race Massacre Shaped Today's Most Successful Black CEOs (NPR) Recognizing the 100th Anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre with Survivors' Powerful Accounts (People) One of the last survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre - Viola Fletcher, 107 years old - wants justice (Washington Post) Black Wall Street was shattered 100 years ago. How the Tulsa race massacre was covered up and unearthed (CNBC) Inspired By Tulsa, Black Leaders Are Defining What Black Wall Street Means Today-In Its Many Forms (Forbes) A Long-Lost Manuscript Contains a Searing Eyewitness Account of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 (Smithsonian Magazine) National Museum of African American History and Culture Commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre (Smithsonian) Thousands lost everything in the Tulsa Race Massacre-including my family (National Geographic) It was much more than Tulsa (Washington Post) Antiracism teaching ban divides Oklahoma ahead of Tulsa massacre centennial. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt was recently ousted from his role on the race massacre commission because of a new law. (Politico)General There's a sexual assault crisis in the military. Troops are more likely to be sexually assaulted by a fellow service member than shot by an enemy in war. (New York Times)Politics After defeating restrictive voting bill, Texas Democrats send loud message: 'We need Congress to do their part' (Washington Post) Republicans vow to revive Texas bill that restricts voting rights (New York Times) Republicans fear Trump will lead to a 'lost generation' of talent. The 45th president has brought new voices and voters to the party, but he's driven them out too. Insiders fear the repercussions. (Politico) Senate blocks Jan. 6 commission in 200 seconds (Politico) 'Pretty damn scary': Failure of Jan. 6 commission exposes Senate wounds (Politico)Economy How the world ran out of everything (New York Times)Education These Young Students Learned Photography And Gained Community During The Pandemic (NPR) A student was barred from graduation for wearing the wrong shoes. So a teacher gave him the shoes off his own feet. (Washington Post) Disputing racism's reach, Republicans rattle American schools (New York Times) Nation's first school mandate on AAPI history heads to Illinois governor (Politico)International Buried Alive In Mongolia's Worst Sandstorms In A Decade (NPRPolicy NewsSen. Lee Issues Statement on Google Ad-Tech Antitrust Case in FranceSen. Mike Lee (R-UT) today issued the following statement as Google nears a settlement of an antitrust case with France alleging that the company has abused its power in online advertising.Reps Blake Moore and Mike Simpson Introduce the Bear River Heritage Area Study Act to Study Feasibility of Establishing the Bear River Heritage Area Today, Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT) was joined by Congressman Mike Simpson (R-ID) in introducing the Bear River Heritage Area Study Act, which would require the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of establishing the Bear River Heritage Area in Utah and Idaho in the historic Bear River area, allowing local communities in the Bear River area to protect important elements of their heritage and promote the area's tourism industry.Sen. Lee Issues Statement on January 6 Commission Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement on his vote opposing legislation to create a commission investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol:"The events of January 6th were tragic, and there are many legitimate questions that remain to be answered. However, the commission the Democrats attempted to establish today contained broad investigative mandates even to areas outside the events of January 6th, combined with broad subpoena power and a flawed structure constituting a recipe for a political witch-hunt. I support efforts, including the multiple investigations underway and the oversight from Senate Committees, to uncover these unanswered questions, but establishing a Kangaroo Commission to politicize the events of that day will neither help us deliver justice nor get to the bottom of the truth." An online version of this release can be found here. Business HeadlinesOnce called 'the most powerful woman in startups,' Ann Miura-Ko explains her success (Deseret News) World stocks hit another record, oil up in big data week (Reuters) Stocks, oil and bond yields all climb as economic data improves. (New York Times) OPEC, Russia seen gaining more power with Shell Dutch ruling (Reuters) Krispy Kreme revenue surges ahead of planned stock market listing (Reuters) One way companies are concealing higher prices: Smaller packages (Washington Post) Even in the face of surging grocery prices, retail beef and pork prices cause sticker shock (Washington Post) Prices up 3.6 percent annually in April, reflecting upward trend, but policymakers say it's temporary (Washington Post)On This Day In History(From History.com) 1779 - Benedict Arnold is court-martialed 1801 - Brigham Young is born 1843 - Sojourner Truth leaves NY to begin her career as an antislavery activist 1868 - James Buchanan, 15th US President, dies at age 77 1909 - Ida B. Wells delivers her speech, "Lynching, Our National Crime" at the National Negro Conference (the forerunner to the NAACP) 1942 - News of Holocaust death camp killings becomes public for the first time 1968 - Helen Keller dies 1980 - CNN launches 1990 - George H.W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev agree to end production of chemical weapons 1993 - Connie Chung becomes the second woman to co-anchor the evening news, 17 years after Barbara Walters became the first in 1976, and the first Asian-American.Wise Words"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." ~Maya Angelou Lighter SideLighter Side"At last night's N.B.A. playoff game between the Wizards and the 76ers, a Philly fan literally added insult to injury by dumping popcorn on D.C.'s Russell Westbrook as he was leaving with a twisted ankle. That is shocking, and that guy's an idiot - a tub of arena popcorn is like 19 bucks! That's why real Phillies fans throw used batteries - it's economical and you're recycling." - STEPHEN COLBERT Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
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