1 dead in FrontRunner vs. pedestrian crash this morning; Wheeler Historic Farm's winter market now open; and "sick season" is in full force | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at [email protected]. | | |
Situational Analysis | Jan. 6, 2025 It's Monday and today is Epiphany, or Three Kings Day. What you need to know The 2024 election will be certified in Washington, D.C. today, with Vice President Kamala Harris, presiding. After the events of Jan. 6, 2021, Congress passed a law clarifying that the vice president's role in the proceedings is purely ceremonial, and raised the bar for objecting to a state's slate of electors. Today, the process is expected to go smoothly, with the only thing potentially hampering today's proceedings is a major winter storm. Rapid Relevance 1 dead in FrontRunner vs. pedestrian crash this morning; Wheeler Historic Farm's winter market now open; and "sick season" is in full force On the Hill 1:30 pm: Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee | | |
Utah Headlines Political news 2025 Legislative Preview (Hinckley Report) Gov. Cox: Utahns can give hope to the nation (Deseret News) New Utah Sen. John Curtis says heâll enact Trumpâs agenda while upholding âpioneer valuesâ (Deseret News) New Year, new tax: Salt Lake City raises sales tax for multibillion-dollar downtown project (Deseret News) Exclusive: Gov. Cox calls on Trump administration to remove ICE obstacles to deportations (Deseret News) To rebuild trust, Utahâs next attorney general wants to take his office down to the studs (Deseret News) Attorney General-elect Derek Brown plans to modernize the office using AI (KSL) Provo-Salt Lake City âquiet zoneâ reinstated; comments sought on northern Utah waiver (Deseret News) George Romney awarded Medal of Freedom, Mitt Romney accepts on his behalf (Deseret News) Utah lawmakers have set aside more than $200 million for another tax cut this year. What break will taxpayers get? (Deseret News) Utah Hill Air Force Base enforcing tighter security after recent attacks in New Orleans, Las Vegas (Deseret News) Downtown Salt Lake City revitalization in motion. Do Utahns approve? (Deseret News) Biz/Tech Want your flight to be on time? You can't get better than Salt Lake City International in the U.S. (KSL) Crime/Courts Utah filing alleges TikTok knowingly profited from child exploitation (Deseret News) Illinois man arrested after Nephi police seize meth with street value of $919,000 (KSL) In Utah, 217 women have now sued an OB-GYN for alleged sex abuse. One says he assaulted her after he agreed to stop practicing. (Salt Lake Tribune) Police locate, arrest 'violent' ex-boyfriend of woman found dead in Tooele County (KSL) Culture Perspective: The solution for âbrain rotâ is on your bookshelf (Deseret News) Does religion lead to more or less perfectionism? (Deseret News) Education Perspective: The enduring value of public higher education (Deseret News) Lehi student wins national recognition for ceramic creations (KSL) U. of Utahâs $500K prize backs proposal to use crop waste to store carbon (Salt Lake Tribune) Southern Utah University grad student awarded Utahâs 2025 Teacher of the Year (St. George News) UVU faculty and students contribute to preservation work at sacred Bolivian site (KSL) Environment Great Salt Lake makes new gains to start new year. What does it need in 2025? (Deseret News) Health U of U Health to participate in pain management trial (Standard-Examiner) Housing Utahns will get to weigh in on massive new homeless shelter but only after state selects a site (Salt Lake Tribune) | | |
National news General Jimmy Carterâs six-day state funeral begins in Georgia (Deseret News) The U.S. Secret Service remembers their friend, Jimmy Carter (Deseret News) âOur country ignored Africa,â Jimmy Carter said. He didnât (AP) Perspective: The elephants in the room with Gisèle Pelicot and Lily Phillips (Deseret News) FBI says New Orleans attacker surveyed area using Meta smart glasses (Washington Post) Vehicular attacks are not new. But preventing them has been a big challenge (NPR) Major winter storm moves east (New York Times) Politics Joe Biden: What Americans should remember about Jan. 6 (Washington Post) Trump urges Congress to pass his agenda in a single, massive bill (Reuters) Winter storm will not delay Trump election certification in Congress, House leader says (Reuters) Congress is ready to certify Trumpâs election win, but his Jan. 6 legacy hangs over the day (AP) What Jan. 6 did to Officer Howie Liebengood (Politico) U.S. Capitol Police chief opposes pardons for assaults against police (Washington Post) Chris Stewart: Kash Patel is the right man to restore trust in the FBI (Deseret News) Eric Schmidt: Artificial intelligence will remake our government. And thatâs a good thing (Deseret News) Lyric Kaplan: Can democracy survive artificial intelligence? (Deseret News) Opinion: Hunter Bidenâs pardon is perfectly in the presidentâs power (Deseret News) Fewer Christians, more ânonesâ: Congressâ new religious breakdown (Deseret News) Mike Johnson reelected as House speaker. All 4 Utah reps support him (Deseret News) Ukraine Ukraine presses attacks in Russiaâs Kursk region (AP) Warring sides battle in western Russia as Moscow reports gains in Ukraine (Reuters) Israel/Gaza Hamas and Israel wrangle over talks as Israeli strikes in Gaza intensify (Reuters) Israel conducts raids in Syria amid accusations of cease-fire violations (New York Times) World news Hezbollah leader Nasrallah was killed last year inside the war operations room, aide says (AP) Canada PM Trudeau is likely to announce resignation, source says (Reuters) | | |
| | News Releases Utah Division of Consumer Protections announces release of previously redacted information in TikTok Inc. complaint filing The Utah Department of Commerceâs Division of Consumer Protections, represented by the Utah Attorney Generalâs Office, announced today the release of previously redacted information related to its most recent complaint filed against TikTok Inc. (TikTok). The previously redacted allegations include details from TikTokâs internal investigation, what the company called âProject Meramec,â which revealed that TikTok knew that hundreds of thousands of minors were accessing their LIVE product and its age restrictions were ineffective. Additionally, the Division alleges the companyâs investigation recognized that children were being sexually exploited, and TikTok decided not to stop anything because of the financial profits it was raking in. (Read More) Curtis sworn in as U.S. Senator for Utah On Jan. 3, John R. Curtis was sworn in as the United States Senator representing Utah. Senator Curtisâa Republicanâtook the oath of office Friday afternoon on the Senate Floor in the U.S. Capitol. Curtis brings extensive experience to the Senate, having passed over 20 bills into law during his tenure representing Utahâs Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to his service in Congress, Curtis was a small business owner and served as Mayor of Provo, Utah, for eight years. (Read More) Salt Lake Chamber and Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute host 2025 Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit The Salt Lake Chamber and Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute is hosting their annual Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit. The Summit is the stateâs premier economic forecasting and public policy event. During the summit, the Utah Economic Council will present the 2025 Economic Report to the Governor, release the business communityâs top public policy priorities for the upcoming legislative session and have panel discussions on critical issues and opportunities facing our state. The event will be held Jan. 10 at the Grand America Hotel, from 7:30 am - 12:00 pm. (Read More) State Auditor completes review of election processes During the summer, the Office of the State Auditor (Office) received numerous complaints about concerns with the election process. As a result, the Office reviewed certain election processes including controls over and disclosure of voter registration information, as well as the validation process associated with signature-gathering by candidates. Today, the State Auditor released another report detailing areas for improvement in the election processes, focusing particularly on the candidate petition signature verification process. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Jan. 6 â Salt Lake County inauguration, 10 am, Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center, 2525 Taylorsville Blvd, Taylorsville Jan. 8 â Inauguration for Gov. Cox, Lt. Gov Henderson, AG Derek Brown, Auditor Tina Cannon, and Treasurer Marlo Oaks, 10 am Jan. 9 â Whatâs Up Down South Economic Summit. St. George. Register here Jan. 10 â Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit with the SL Chamber & Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, 7:30 am - 12:00 pm, Grand America Hotel, Register here Jan. 10 â Rural Utah Data Symposium. St. George. Register here Jan. 11â Special election for HD4, 2 pm Jan 14 â Utah Taxpayers Association Legislative Outlook Conference, 9 am - 12:00 pm, Little America Hotel, Register here Jan. 21 â Utah legislative session begins Mar. 7 â Utah legislative session ends | | |
On This Day In History 1412 - Joan of Arc is born. 1759 - George Washington marries Martha Dandridge Custis. 1832 - The New England Anti-Slavery Society is formed 1838 - Samuel Morse demonstrates the telegraph. 1907 - Dr. Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center, Casa Dei Bambini, in Rome, Italy. 1912 - New Mexico joins the Union as the 47th state. 1919 - Theodore Roosevelt dies. 1925 - John DeLorean is born. 1941 - Franklin D. Roosevelt speaks to Congress on the âFour Freedomsâ - freedom of speech and expression, the freedom to worship God in his own way, freedom from want and freedom from fear. 1942 - FDR commits to biggest arms buildup in U.S. history 1945 - George Herbert Walker Bush marries Barbara Pierce. 1959 - Richard and Mildred Loving were convicted of interracial marriage in Virginia, given a one-year suspended sentence, and banished from the state. 2001 - Al Gore presides over a joint session of Congress that certifies George W. Bush the winner of the 2000 presidential election. 2021 - Insurrection at the US Capitol by Trump supporters who refuse to accept the results of the 2020 election Quote of the Day "Today, I will perform my constitutional duty as Vice President to certify the results of the 2024 election. This duty is a sacred obligation â one I will uphold guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution, and unwavering faith in the American people." âVice President Kamala Harris On the Punny Side Soon, Iâll be sharing some jokes about library books. They are long overdue. | | |
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