Situational Analysis | March 1, 2022

It's Tuesday and tonight is the State of the Union address. You can bet that foreign policy will be a central feature. 

It's also Mardi Gras and National Pancake Day. IHOP is serving up free pancakes from 7 am - 4 pm. 

Be in the Know

1.  Putin abandoned all pretense that the Russian military was "only" after military targets and shelled the second-largest city in Ukraine, hitting "Freedom Square," government offices, a concert hall, opera house and residential areas. President Zelenskyy told the European Parliament that now, all squares in Ukraine are named "Freedom Square." Zelenskyy's translator became choked up as he translates the president's message: Nobody is going to break us. We're strong. We're Ukrainians. We have a desire to see our children alive. I think it's a fair one." Over 660,000 refugees have fled Ukraine in the last 6 days - 150,000 of them in the last 24 hours. And, a heartbreaking string of texts from a Russian soldier to his mom: "Mama, I'm in Ukraine. There is a real war raging here. I am afraid...Mama, this is so hard." He has been reported killed in action.

2.  On Utah's Capitol Hill, Sen. Johnson's bill about "divisive concepts" is held in committee after the committee adjourns mid-discussion while the "Hope Scholarship" bill dies on the House floor. 

FROM OUR SPONSOR, VOICES UTAH

Conversations with today's most inspirational and influential voices

Join Deseret News and Utah Business in this VIP limited engagement series featuring Mike Conley, Joe Ingles and more. Attend for personal meet and greets, photo sessions and intimate conversations with the voices who have engaged and captured our attention. Buy tickets for the April 12 event.

2022 Legislative Session

41 days done, 4 days to go

General

• Rep. Tim Hawkes looks to retire after 4 terms in the Utah House (Salt Lake Tribune)

Today

Committee Meetings

• 8:00 am:House Public Utilities, Energy and Technology, Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
• 9:00 am: House Business and Labor, House Health and Human Services, House Education
• 915 am: Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy and Technology
• 2:00 pm: House Judiciary, House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, House Transportation, Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services, Senate Revenue and Taxation
• 2:15 pm: Senate Government Ops and Political Subdivisions

Floor Time

• House - 10:00 - 12:00, 4:00 - as needed
• Senate - 10:00 - 11:50, 4:00 - as needed

Tomorrow

Floor Time

• House - 9:00 - 12:00, 2:00 - as needed
• Senate - 9:00 - 11:50, 2:00 - as needed

Business and Labor

• Utah committee flies through hearing on race-based hair discrimination (Salt Lake Tribune)
• New liquor store is ready to handle online sales — if the Utah Legislature OKs funds (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Cha-ching: Utah House approves cryptocurrency bill (Fox13)

Economic Development and Workforce Services

• Lawmaker pushes bill to make housing affordable in Utah (Fox13)

Education

• Amid outcry over ‘pornographic material,’ Canyons School District revamps its book review policy (Deseret News)
• Utah lawmakers vote down school choice proposal (Deseret News)
• $36 million school voucher bill fails in Utah House on a 22-53 vote (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Utah Senate Education Committee debates ethnic studies standard for students (KUER)

Government Operations

• Utah lawmakers consider $85K-a-year plan to watch for federal laws infringing on state power. A bill sponsored by Rep. Ken Ivory also lays out steps the state could take in response. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Lawmakers revise bill so journalists will be allowed in public spaces (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Utah House once again defeats bill lowering voting age in school board races (KUTV)

Utah Headlines

General

• What to expect from President Biden’s State of the Union address (Deseret News)
• Ukraine's fight 'stirs our souls': Utahns stand in solidarity, denounce 'mad man' Putin (Deseret News)
• Ukrainian at Capitol rally urges Utahns not to be ‘detached’ from the dangers of the Russian invasion (Salt Lake Tribune)
• A sea of blue and yellow. More than a thousand Utahns rally in solidarity with Ukraine (KUER)
• Ted Koppel: Could the rural West’s ‘culture of self-reliance’ help it survive the next imminent disaster? (Deseret News)
• Poll: Utahns feeling inflation the most when it comes to basic life necessities (Deseret News)
• Susan Madsen: Yes, Utah, the gender pay gap is real. When I get emails from people attempting to ‘educate’ me with their opinions, I continue to direct them to the research and facts. (Deseret News)

Education

• Here are the 14 Salt Lake City schools proposed for possible boundary changes or closures (Salt Lake Tribune)

Environment

• Climate change is here. Is Utah ready? International report warns of dire circumstances. Utahns already feeling them (Deseret News)
• Bill Christensen: Infrastructure bill protects Utah’s outdoor heritage and legacy (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Zion National Park surpasses park history visitation with more than 5 million tourists (ABC4)

COVID Corner

• Weekend numbers: 896 new cases, 3 new deaths
• Most Americans say the coronavirus is not yet under control and support restrictions to try to manage it, Post-ABC poll finds (Washington Post)

National Headlines

General

• Vast majority in new poll dissatisfied with direction of nation (The Hill)
• Dianne Feinstein's husband, Richard Blum, dies after a long battle with cancer (Politico)

Politics

• A Sneak Peek at the Country’s Midterm Battles: Primary Day in Texas (New York Times)
• Prominent conservative judge who advised Pence on the 2020 election endorses Biden's Supreme Court nominee (CNN)
• House passes bill making lynching a federal hate crime (The Hill)

Ukraine

• The sports world stands against Russia. Sports federations from around the world — including FIFA, UEFA and the IOC — are rallying in support of Ukraine. (Deseret News)
• Utah woman raising funds to help citizen volunteers in Ukraine (Fox13)
• Utah companies scramble to help employees in Ukraine (Fox13)
• Zelenskyy calls Russia a 'terrorist state' after its military hits Kharkiv’s central square (NPR)
• Russia is using controversial 'cluster munitions' in Ukraine, humanitarian groups say (NPR)
• Russia pummels Ukraine’s No. 2 city and convoy nears Kyiv (AP)
• ‘Undisguised terror’: Russia’s Kharkiv strike chills Ukraine (AP)
• Russian column bears down on Kyiv, raising fear for civilians (Reuters)
• Russia Targets Civilian Areas as Missile Hits Central Kharkiv. Miles-long Russian convoy advances on Kyiv; Cease-fire negotiations expected to resume in coming days (Wall Street Journal)
• Russian invasion escalates as massive, 40-mile long convoy threatens Kyiv, Kharkiv ‘surrounded’ (Washington Post)
• Satellite images show 40-mile convoy of Russian forces bearing down on Kyiv (Washington Post)
• Teen who tracked Elon Musk's plane launches Russian Oligarch Jets account (The Hill)
• ‘Yes, He Would’: Fiona Hill on Putin and Nukes (Politico)
• The Long Weekend That Changed History (The Atlantic)
• Russian artillery kills 70 Ukrainian soldiers at military base, official says (USA Today)

News Releases

Gov. Cox, Lt. Gov. Henderson and other officials stand in solidarity with Ukraine

Gov. Spencer J. Cox praised the courage and patriotism of Ukrainians in the face of Russian aggression and asked Utahns to support Ukraine during a rally at the Utah State Capitol this evening. 

“The assault on Ukraine has exposed Vladimir Putin for what he is — a brutal dictator hell-bent on forcing his will upon another sovereign nation without provocation,” Gov. Cox said in a statement. “Tonight, as Utahns and as Americans, we stand united against oppression. We stand united for democracy. We stand united for freedom for Ukraine.” (Read/Watch More)

Nominees announced for Utah Supreme Court vacancy

The Appellate Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for a vacancy on the Utah Supreme Court.  The vacancy results from the retirement of Justice Constandinos Himonas, March 1, 2022.

The nominees for the vacancy are: Jennifer Brown, judge, Fourth District Court; Diana Hagen, judge, Utah Court of Appeals; Ryan Harris, judge, Utah Court of Appeals; Clemens Landau, judge, Salt Lake City Justice Court; Carolina Nunez, professor, BYU Law School; Jill Pohlman, judge, Utah Court of Appeals; Derek Pullan, judge, Fourth District Court.  (Read More)

Utah Main Street program announces grant recipients

The Utah Main Street Program (UMSP) Advisory Committee recently announced the communities that received its Downtown Enhancement Grant. Seven designated tier two communities received awards totaling $190,000. This ongoing annual funding support has been provided by the Utah Legislature.

The new UMSP grant helps local communities revitalize their economy, appearance, and downtown commercial districts. It accomplishes this by building a strategy centered around a community’s unique heritage and attributes, focusing on what’s special to make it a great place to live and visit. (Read More)

Suzanne Harrison to run for Salt Lake County Council

rom Rep. Suzanne Harrison:

I am excited to announce that I just filed to run for Salt Lake County Council At Large!

You are an important part of our team and our community and I wanted you to be the first to know my plans for 2023 and beyond — until then, I am grateful that I will continue to represent you in the Utah House of Representatives through the end of the year. The opportunity to represent you and your family has been an honor that I do not take for granted and I hope you will join me as we take our next step together. (Read More)

Number of the Day

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Campaign filing period: Feb 28-March 4 (early this year!)
• State of the Union address – Mar 1, 7 pm MST
• Utah legislative session ends – Mar 4, 2022, midnight
• Fireside chat with Justice Clarence Thomas hosted by the Hatch Foundation – Mar 11, 2022, 7 pm. Register here.
• Campaign Management Training with Utah Farm Bureau – Mar 24-25, registration deadline March 1. Register here
• Last day for a registered voter to change voter affiliation before the regular primary election.  - Mar 31
• Ballots are mailed - June 7
• Primary election day - June 28
• General election  - Nov 8

On This Day In History

• 1565 - Rio de Janeiro is founded.
• 1642 - Georgeana (York) in Maine becomes the first incorporated American city.
• 1692 - Salem Witch Hunt begins
• 1780 - Pennsylvania becomes the first US state to abolish slavery (for newborns only).
• 1781 - Articles of Confederation are (finally!) ratified after nearly four years of wrangling.
• 1790 - First US census authorized.
• 1845 - President John Tyler signs a resolution annexing the Republic of Texas.
• 1864 - Rebecca Lee becomes the first Black woman in the US to receive a medical degree.
• 1872 - Yellowstone Park established
• 1875 - A Civil Rights bill is enacted by Congress, giving Blacks the right to equal treatment in “inns, public conveyances, theaters and other places of public amusement.” It is overturned by the US Supreme Court in 1883.
• 1879 - The telephone makes it to Utah.
• 1880 - Gillette Hayden, a pioneering dentist and periodontist, is born. She founded the American Academy of Periodontology and served as its president.
• 1896 - 80,000 Ethiopians destroy 20,000 Italians in Ethiopia, killing two generals and capturing General Matteo Albertone in the Battle of Adowa
• 1932 - Lindbergh baby kidnapped.
• 1941 - Captain America created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby is first published by Timely Comics.
• 1954 - US explodes Castle Bravo, a 15 megaton hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll, which accidentally became the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated by the US.
• 1960 - San Antonio, Texas, becomes the first major Southern city to integrate lunch counters.
• 1961 - President Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps with Executive Order #10924
• 1966 - Soviet probe crashes into Venus
• 1967 - U.S. House expels Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Civil rights leaders say Powell was ousted because of his race. 
• 1971 - Bomb explodes in US Capitol building.
• 1987 - Congress passes a resolution designating March as Women’s History Month.
• 2020 - Turkey launches major offensive against Syrian government in northern Syria after 36 Turkish soldiers killed in air and artillery strikes 3 days earlier

Wise Words

"Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind."

—John F. Kennedy

Lighter Side

“Yes, the threat of nuclear annihilation may have increased; yes, we may be on the brink of World War III; and, yes, Europe is once again at the mercy of one power-hungry dictator, but on the bright side, when was the last time you thought about Covid, huh?” 

— TREVOR NOAH

– Advertise With Us –

Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers.