Situational Analysis | June 24, 2021

It's the last Thursday in June, which means it's National Work from Home Day - just like yesterday and all the other days before it for the last 15 months.

Fingers crossed for rain today. 

Be in the Know

1. Congressman John Curtis had a big day yesterday. He unveiled the new Conservative Climate Caucus with 50 Republican members. "The goal of the Conservative Climate Caucus," he said, "is to bring members of the Republican party together to educate each other on climate policies that will make real progress on reducing emissions through American innovation and resources...without sacrificing American jobs and principles."

2. The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of the First Amendment, when deciding that schools cannot punish students for what they say off campus unless it amounts to bullying or threats. (It's the cheerleader/SnapChat case.)

3. SCOTUS also ruled that the structure of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (which regulates Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac) is unconstitutional because of the limits on the president's ability to remove the agency's director. The current director was removed by the end of the day.
4. The Supreme Court also ruled unanimously that pursuing a suspect following a minor offense does not give blanket permission to enter a home without a warrant.
5. One more: SCOTUS also ruled 6-3 that a California law allowing union organizers to enter the property of agricultural businesses to drum up support for a union is unconstitutional.

6. A new report is out from the Multicultural Advisory Committee of Utah's COVID-19 response on how gender, race and ethnicity are connected to evictions in Utah. "The research team was able to show that despite moratoriums reducing the number of evictions in Utah during the year 2020, the disparity of evictions persisted in BIPOC communities."

7. The last supermoon of the year, the "Strawberry Supermoon" can be seen through Friday. Check it out. 

Utah Headlines

General

• Former Utah Supreme Court Justice and former Speaker of the Utah House, Richard C. Howe, dies at 97 (KSL)
• Provo Missionary Training Center resumes in-person training after a 15-month hiatus (Deseret News)
• Study by Brigham Young University examines motives, personalities of internet trolls (Fox13)
• Utah faces unsettling increase in fatalities on roadways (Fox13)

Politics

• Which came first: Your values or your political party (Deseret News)
• Civic engagement program aims to inspire Utah students to get involved with politics (Fox13)

COVID Corner

• 527 new cases, 3 new deaths
• COVID ‘knocked the wind out of’ Navajo Nation, its colleges. Here’s how they’re recovering (PBS)
• Brazil Passes 500,000 Covid Deaths, a Tragedy With No Sign of Letup (New York Times)
• These two key groups are now being hit hardest by COVID-19: young people and Black Americans. (CNN)

Drought/Wildfires

• Over 40,000 acres burned in Utah this month. (KSL)
• Utah drought report brings worrisome numbers, record low reservoir levels across state (Fox13)
• Fireworks professionals preach education and safety ahead of holiday sales (Fox13)
• Utah County Commission approves ban on fireworks, open flames in county parks (Daily Herald)

Environment

• Can fighting climate change be a conservative cause? Rep. John Curtis says it's a must. (Deseret News)
• 'Ecocide': Mass environmental damage may become an international crime (Deseret News)
• In break with Trump, House GOP forms group on climate change (AP)

Health

• The doctors are not all right. Doctors need mental health support, but the medical profession often punishes them for getting it. A story of a Utah doctor and suicide. (Vox)
• U.S. life expectancy decreased by an 'alarming' amount during pandemic (NBC)

Legal

• Cottonwood Heights Police Chief gets $70,000 settlement in legal back and forth between city, councilmember (KUTV)

National Headlines

General

• Antivirus pioneer John McAfee found dead in Spanish prison hours after extradition request approved (AP)
• How the Mormon Church beat Bill Gates in a battle over farmland (Daily Beast)
• High-rise condo partially collapses near Miami Beach; search and rescue underway (Fox35)

Politics

• Biden nominates Cindy McCain as ambassador to the United Nations food agency (CNN)
• Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner distance themselves from the former President and his constant complaints (CNN)
• Florida Gov signs law requiring students, faculty in public universities be asked to declare their political beliefs (The Hill)
• Bipartisan infrastructure ‘framework’ heads to the White House. Senators to meet with Biden after reaching tentative agreement on $559 billion in new spending (Roll Call)

International

• In Canada, another ‘horrific’ discovery of indigenous children’s remains (New York Times)
• Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, the son of pro-democracy icons who helped topple dictator Ferdinand Marcos, has died. He was 61. (AP)

Business Headlines

• U.S. weekly jobless claims fall; first quarter GDP unrevised at 6.4% (Reuters)
• US jobless claims tick down to 411,000 as economy heals (AP)
• Sanshu Inu coin — the trending cryptocurrency you haven’t heard of (Deseret News)
• Stock futures rise after Nasdaq hits record (Wall Street Journal)

Policy News

Rep. Curtis introduces Conservative Climate Caucus with over 50 members

“Today, I am proud to launch the Conservative Climate Caucus with many of my Republican colleagues. Republicans have conservative solutions to lower emissions while enhancing economic prosperity. We do care about climate – and we already have solutions and plan to find more. 

The goal of the Conservative Climate Caucus is to bring members of the Republican party together to educate each other on climate policies that will make real progress on reducing emissions through American innovation and resources. Proposals to reduce emissions and be good stewards of the earth do not have to hurt the American economy – in fact they do the opposite. There is a way to lower global emissions without sacrificing American jobs and principles – and I believe Republicans are the ones that can and should be leading the charge. Read More

Conservative Climate Caucus gains wide support

This morning, Rep. John Curtis (R-UT), member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, announced the new Conservative Climate Caucus in a press conference at the US Capitol. The Congressman will serve as Chairman and lead the Caucus of over 50 members, including representatives from every committee with jurisdiction over climate policy and various ranking members. Read More

Curtis introduces bipartisan legislation to empower patients to take control of their pain treatment

Today, Representatives John Curtis (R-UT) joined Reps. Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), David B. McKinley (R-WV),  and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), to introduce the bipartisan Non-Opioid Directive (NOD) Act, which would allow patients to notify health professionals that they do not wish to be treated with opioids. 

“There’s no question Congress must keep addressing the growing opioid crisis across the US. The COVID-19 pandemic has left many socially isolated and without access to adequate behavioral health care or addiction treatment services,” said Curtis. Read More

Rep. Stewart co-sponsors bill to ban U.S. dollars from funding Gain-of-Function research

Yesterday,Congressman Brad Wenstrup(R-OH) introduced the Foreign Gain-of-Function Research Prevention Act of 2021. Congressman Chris Stewart (R-UT) is an original cosponsor of this legislation, which would prevent federal dollars from going to fund gain-of-function research in foreign adversarial nations.

“There is significant circumstantial evidence that COVID-19 leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” said Rep. Stewart. “The origin of this virus is one of the most important questions we currently face, and the American people deserve answers. But we already have one unfortunate answer that can’t be ignored: U.S. taxpayer dollars have been funneled to the very lab that conducted this dangerous research and turned our world upside down." Read More

Rio Tinto Kennecott and BYU researchers partner to improve reclamation

Rio Tinto Kennecott and Brigham Young University (BYU) researchers are joining forces to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to improve reclamation at the Bingham Canyon Mine.
In June 2020, a group of students and professors from the BYU Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences broke ground on four research projects on land areas surrounding the mine with the goal to increase plant diversity, stability and enhance the aesthetics of areas visible from the Salt Lake Valley. Read More

Gov. Spencer J. Cox appoints Ryan Tenney to the Utah Court of Appeals, Senate asks for public input

Gov. Spencer J. Cox has appointed Ryan Tenney to the Utah Court of Appeals. The governor’s nominations are subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate.
“Ryan is one of the most accomplished and respected appellate attorneys in the state,” Gov. Cox said. “His appellate experience, sharp legal writing and ethical grounding will make him an excellent addition to the Utah Court of Appeals. I’m grateful for his willingness to serve the people of Utah.”
Tenney currently serves as assistant appellate attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office.

Sen. Lee speaks on ending federal mask mandate

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) today delivered remarks on the Senate floor in support of Sen. Rick’s Scott’s (R-FL) Stop Mandating Additional Requirements for Travel (SMART) Act, and to ask for its passage by unanimous consent. Though Democrats blocked its passage, the SMART Act would prohibit the federal government from requiring Americans to wear masks on public transportation. Read More

Number of the Day

Commentary: Federal infrastructure investments will magnify local efforts

By Senator Kirk Cullimore

Upcoming

• Utah Democratic Party Organizing Convention  – June 26
• Securing the American Dream: A conversation with Tim Scott presented by the Hatch Foundation – Aug 11 @ noon. Register here
• Utah Foundation Annual Luncheon with Shaylyn Romney Garrett – Sept 23 @ 12 pm. Register here

On This Day In History

From History.com

• 1896 - Harvard University issues its first honorary degree to an African American – author, educator and orator, Booker T. Washington.
• 1918 - Mildred Ladner Thompson is born. In 1945, she became one of the Wall Street Journal’s first female reporters.
• 1929 - Carolyn Spellmann Shoemaker is born. When she was 51, and her children were grown, she began looking at the stars. She discovered 32 comets and more than 800 asteroids. In 1993, her most notable discovery was a team effort. Along with her husband and astrogeologist, Gene Shoemaker and astronomer David Levy, they discovered the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. She retired in 2019 at age 90.
• 1947 - While flying near Mt. Rainer, pilot Kenneth Arnold witnessed what is considered the first widely reported sighting of an unidentified flying object – UFO.
• 1995 - Esther Rome, American health advocate, dies from breast cancer at age 49. She belonged to the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. She and other group members began writing articles on women’s health which became the book Our Bodies, Ourselves.

Wise Words

"Take as much math as possible."
-Carolyn Shoemaker

Lighter Side

Visiting Annapolis, I noticed several plebes on their hands and knees holding pencils and clipboards. “What are they doing?” I asked our tour guide. “Each year, the upper­classmen ask the freshmen how many bricks it took to finish paving this courtyard,” he said. “So what’s the answer?” my friend asked. The guide replied, “One.”

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