| VP Kamala Harris in Utah today; Thunderbirds arrive in Utah, prepare for air show; & videos show intense storm with flooding, hail in Moab .png?width=1200&upscale=true&name=Utah_Policy_Logo_Email_Full%20(1).png) | 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]. If you're a candidate in 2024 and want to advertise on UtahPolicy.com, contact Suzanne Benitez. | | |
Situational Analysis | June 28, 2024 It's Friday and National Food Truck Day What you need to know - Joe Bidenâs allies wanted him to demonstrate strength and energy on the debate stage to help put to rest questions about the 81-year-old Democratâs physical and mental acuity. That did not happen last night. A CNN flash poll shows 67% think Trump won the debate. By the end of the 90-minute showdown, the Democratic presidentâs allies â party strategists and rank-and-file voters alike â descended into all-out panic following a debate performance punctuated by repeated stumbles, uncomfortable pauses, and a quiet speaking style that was often difficult to understand, reports the AP. Undecided voters moved quickly into the Trump camp and overseas allies are bracing for a Trump return after the debate.
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 | Speak Up for the San Rafael Swell The San Rafael Swell is a treasured place to seek peace and quiet. But the Bureau of Land Management is under extraordinary pressure to expand damaging off-road vehicle use across on these remarkable public lands. Visit SUWA.org to speak up for the Swell. | | |
Utah Headlines Political news - The Martha Hughes Cannon statue installation will have to wait a little longer (Deseret News)
- Utah isn't planning to roll out child care worker subsidies, despite a bill that calls for it (Fox13)
Election news - Lyman tells supporters not to put away their yard signs quite yet (Deseret News)
- Trent Staggs concedes in Senate primary, cites negative ads (Deseret News)
- Less than 1,000 votes separate Maloy and Jenkins in Utah congressional race. Maloy still ahead (Deseret News)
- Jay Evensen: Why we need to hear concession speeches (Deseret News)
- Sharlee Mullins Glenn: Utahâs Republican caucus/convention system does not serve the people (Deseret News)
- 2024 Utah GOP convention winners struggle in primary election (KSL Newsradio)
- Republican delegates backed Trump-like candidates â but Utah primary voters defeated them in the polls (Salt Lake Tribune)
- The 2024 primary tested Trump influence on Utah Republicans. What did it tell us? (Daily Herald)
Utah news - Why Olympian Apolo Ohnoâs reinvention includes breaking down stigma of mental illness (Deseret News)
- 'Every day was worth it': Taylor man leaving behind Old West museum he built behind his home (KSL)
- Air show brings $50 million impact to Utah (KSL TV)
- Lightning strike injures members of church youth group in Sevier County (KSL Newsradio)
- Utahâs middle class is âfairly stable.â Hereâs why it might not feel that way. (Salt Lake Tribune)
Olympic news - Former BYU track and field standout Courtney Wayment has qualified for the Olympics (Deseret News)
- Franceâs âon holdâ French Alps bid for the 2030 Winter Games also made a pitch to the IOC (Deseret News)
Business - We have a crisis of trust in institutions. Can âpositive leadershipâ offer a solution? (Deseret News)
- Walgreens to close a 'significant' number of locations (KUTV)
Crime - Utah OB-GYN David Broadbent charged with forcible sexual abuse for 2020 patient exam (Salt Lake Tribune)
Education - USU Scientists Part of National Project on Extreme Heat, Community Resilience (Utah State Today)
- Library of Congress Grant Gives Utah's K-3 Teachers Training to Access Primary Sources (Utah State Today)
Environment - Companies taking minerals from the Great Salt Lake are supposed to pay Utah royalties. The state hasnât collected the proper amount in years. (Salt Lake Tribune)
- The tide has turned on Utah Lakeâs invasive weeds. Now come the planting parties (KUER)
Health - Virtually all newborns in the U.S. are screened at birth for congenital disorders. Letâs ensure all children get the care they need (Deseret News)
Housing - Eva Witesman: Data should be used to improve the system of homeless services provision, not to punish providers (Deseret News)
- Buyers hesitate as housing affordability declines (Deseret News)
- Delayed opening date for Salt Lake tiny home village to help homelessness (KUTV)
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National Headlines General - Oklahoma schools are required to teach the Bible, state superintendent says (Washington Post)
Political news - Supreme Court rejects controversial Purdue Pharma bankruptcy deal (NPR)
- Supreme Court rules on Idaho abortion, EPA, Purdue bankruptcy and SEC cases, leaves Trump immunity for another day (Washington Post)
Election news - Democrats scrambling, Republicans celebrating as age, competency take center stage (Deseret News)
- Biden delivers uneven performance under Trump's barrage of falsehoods at first debate (Reuters)
- 'I am absolutely voting for Donald Trump': Undecided voters react to Biden's campaign performance (Reuters)
- Biden campaign official: Heâs not dropping out (The Hill)
Ukraine ðºð¦ - Russian casualties in Ukraine mount, in a brutal style of fighting (New York Times)
- Poland very likely to sign security deal with Ukraine before NATO summit, says PM (Reuters)
Israel and Gaza - Israel storms Gaza City neighbourhood, orders Palestinians to go south (Reuters)
- âNow Thereâs Barely Anythingâ: Gazans Describe Life on the Verge of Famine (New York Times)
World news - At Least 750,000 on Brink of Starvation and Death in Sudan, Experts Warn (New York Times)
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 | Guest opinion: Trump changes the game on climate by Andrew Sandstrom Hours before Thursdayâs debate, President Donald Trump made a peculiar post on Truth Social. The former president posted a picture of what appeared to be his climate change talking points for the debate, apparently written by his former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Andrew Wheeler. âMr. President,â the document began, âI am sure that a climate question will come up during your debate this week.â In preparation for this inevitability, Mr. Wheeler recommended that the former president focus on his climate wins and tout how his administration reduced carbon emissions during his time in office. He also recommended that Mr. Trump list his successes in making America energy independent, insisting that when it came to cutting pollution and increasing energy production, âWe can do both.â From there, the advice started to sound like my own climate advocacy: âWe will continue to reduce CO2 and focus on American made energy,â â[We need to stop] importing more energy from countries that arenât our friends,â âWhen you transport gas halfway around the world, it means more CO2 emissions.â Notably, nowhere in these talking points did Mr. Wheeler suggest the former president dismiss climate change or call it a âhoax.â That is what the Republican Party needs. It needs leadership on climate â a uniquely conservative vision for the future that includes energy affordability, energy abundance, and a decrease in pollution. It may, perhaps, even win us the White House. (Read More)
News Releases U.S. Supreme Court blocks Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan In 2019, the Utah Department of Commerceâs Division of Consumer Protection, through the Utah Attorney Generalâs Office, brought legal action against Purdue Pharma and Richard and Kathe Sackler, alleging that they deceptively marketed the pain relief drug OxyContin as less prone to abuse and addiction and, through their actions, created a public health crisis. Today, the United States Supreme Court invalidated the Bankruptcy Courtâs release of claims against the Sacklers as part of the bankruptcy plan. The Bankruptcy Court has entered a 60-day stay on the bankruptcy proceeding to allow the parties to seek again a negotiated resolution of the claims against Purdue and the Sackler family. Further litigation is expected if that process is unsuccessful. (Read More)
Gov. Cox issues statement on EPAâs Good Neighbor rule Gov. Cox issued the following statement: âThe EPAâs proposed Ozone Transport Rule is yet another example of federal overreach. This is one that would have dire consequences for energy security and reliability in Utah,â Gov. Cox said. âTwo years ago Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, Idaho Gov. Brad Little and I told the EPA why the rule was deeply flawed and bad policy. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed and stopped the rule in Utah last summer, and I am thrilled to see the U.S. Supreme Court today halt the implementation of the rule for other states impacted.â
Nominees announced for Business and Chancery Court vacancy The Business and Chancery Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for a vacancy on the Business and Chancery Court. This position was created by the Legislature during the 2024 Legislative Session. The nominees for the vacancy are: Michael Barnhill, Associate/Partner, Michael Best & Friedrich; David Billings, Shareholder/Partner, Fabian Van Cott; Jason Boren, Associate/Partner, Ballard Spahr LLP; Erin Byington, Executive Director, Utah Family Defenders Association; Rita Cornish, Judge, Second District Court; Mackenzie Hanks, Corporate Counsel, Intermountain Health; Jeffrey Makin, Senior Vice President, Sunrun Inc. Written comments can be submitted to the Business and Chancery Judicial Nominating Commission at [email protected] or Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, P.O. Box 142330, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2330. The deadline for written comments is noon July 8, 2024. (Read More)
Nominees announced for Fourth District Court vacancy The Fourth District Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for a vacancy on the Fourth District Court. This position results from the completion of Judge Robert Lundâs term, effective Jan. 5, 2025. The nominees for the vacancy are: Joshua Esplin, Chief Counsel/Attorney, Utah County Public Defenders Association; Tony Graf, Judge Pro Tempore, Small Claims, Salt Lake City Justice Court, Deputy County Attorney, Davis County Attorneyâs Office; Shawn Howell, Attorney, Utah County Public Defenders Association; Ryan Stack, Deputy County Attorney/Prosecuting Attorney, Summit County; Kasey Wright, Attorney/Owner, Wright Law Firm, P.C. Written comments can be submitted to the Fourth District Judicial Nominating Commission at [email protected] or Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, P.O. Box 142330, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2330. The deadline for written comments is noon July 8, 2024. (Read More) | | |
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Upcoming - August 14 â Hatch Foundation "Titan of Public Service" recognizing Sen. John Thune, Grand America
- August 20-21 â Interim Days
- September 17-18 â Interim Days
- October 15-16 â Interim Day
- November 19-20 â Interim Days
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On This Day In History - 1762 - Russian Tsarina Catherine II seizes power, declaring herself sovereign ruler of Russia
- 1820 - Tomato is proven to be non-poisonous by Colonel Robert Gibbon eating a tomato on steps of courthouse in Salem, New Jersey
- 1836 - James Madison dies
- 1914 - Austriaâs Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie are assassinated by a Bosnian Serb nationalist, setting in motion the events that led to WWI.
- 1919 - Treaty of Versailles is signed, officially ending WWI. John Maynard Keynes predicts economic chaos because of the harsh terms of the treaty.
- 1969 - Stonewall riots start. In the early morning hours, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. That night the street erupted into violent protests and street demonstrations that lasted for the next three days. The Stonewall riots marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world.
- 2007 - Egyptian Health Ministry officially bans female genital mutilation
- 2011 - Christine Lagarde becomes the 1st women to be elected head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Quote of the Day "I believe that it is a mandatory Law of the Universe" that on Fridays, you have to do something a little fun." âHanna Rhoades
On the Punny Side I hate when I'm singing along to a song & the artist gets the words wrong. | | |
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