Utah GOP organizing convention is tomorrow; Pres. Trump has endorsed current chair, Rob Axson, who is polling at nearly 60% | | | 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 | May 16, 2025 It's Friday and National Pizza Party Day. ð Happy birthday today to Sen. Nate Blouin and Rep. Katy Hall and on Sunday to Rep. Christine Watkins! ð ð ð What you need to know Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday he is preparing to have âuncomfortable, hardâ conversations with cities this year about building more high density housing, as Utah's housing crisis continues. He also said the state needed to do "better PR" on building and growth. On Thursday, the Wasatch Front Regional Council considered plans for 15,000 housing units. Rapid Relevance Utah GOP organizing convention is tomorrow; Pres. Trump has endorsed current chair, Rob Axson, who is polling at nearly 60%; delegates will also consider kicking signature-gathering candidates out of the party | | |
Utah Headlines Political news How the Utah GOP convention will decide the fate of party unity (Deseret News) Are delegates in touch with Utah voters? Survey reveals where they âalign and divergeâ (Standard-Examiner) Utah residents speak out against proposed Medicaid work requirements (Deseret News) Protest quilting built a sisterhood in Utah. Then, other states joined in (KUER) Municipal news These were Utahâs 10 fastest-growing cities in 2024 (KSL) Bluffdale family faces second eminent domain loss as city takes land for road expansion (KUTV) Ogden mayor appointed to 2034 Olympics Host Communities Committee (ABC4) Why lack of federal funding could drop the curtain on southern Utah arts scene (Fox13) Salt Lake City plans to spend another big chunk of $80 million bond on parks upgrades. Hereâs how and where. (Salt Lake Tribune) As SLC studies train crossing delays, council member says 'we need to make as much noise as the trains make' (Fox13) Utah A behind-the-scenes look at the set of âThe Chosenâ Season 6 in Goshen, Utah (Deseret News) Biz/Tech Could U.S. tax credit on electric vehicles go away? (Deseret News) Community/Culture Filler vs. action engine: âIt came to passâ carries more weight than you think (Deseret News) What to expect as Salt Lake City's Main Library rooftop space reopens (KSL) Crime/Courts 'Intentional misconduct': Utah Supreme Court orders new trial for death row inmate Douglas Carter (KSL) Salt Lake police announce cold case homicide solved on 40th anniversary of woman's death (KSL) Education - K-12 Photo gallery: Buddy benches part of a quest to build friendships (Deseret News) Utah banned an 18th book from all public schools: âWater for Elephantsâ by Sara Gruen (Salt Lake Tribune) Lakeside Elementaryâs Hollie Fisher named Davis School District teacher of the year (Standard-Examiner) Education - Higher Tackling history was no ordinary task for future BYU professor (Deseret News) How 2 Utah universities plan to slash liberal arts programs under state-imposed budget cuts (Salt Lake Tribune) Energy Politics and managing the electrical grid do not mix, panelists say (Deseret News) Opinion: Upgrading Utahâs power grid will help us achieve energy abundance (Deseret News) With US trade war, China now top buyer for Canadian crude on Trans Mountain pipeline (Reuters) Environment Will increased logging help ease southern Utah's wildfire crisis or exacerbate the issue? (St. George News) The Nature Conservancy teaches children to âbecome stewardsâ of Great Salt Lake (KSL TV) Family Opinion: Congressional funding for child care is crucial to supporting Utah families (Deseret News) Most Americans don't earn enough to afford basic costs of living, analysis finds (CBS News) Health Behavioral health in Utah has critical gaps amid growing demand (Deseret News) Utah health leaders share findings, work to combat mental health crisis (KSL Newsradio) Addicted to distraction. We arenât just hooked on scrolling; we are captive (Deseret News) Positively 50+: Navigating Medicare (KSL TV) Trump administration defunds autism research (Reuters) Housing Mortgage rates seen as stable. So why are homebuyers still hesitant? (Deseret News) Minimum-wage Utah workers have to work 156 hours a week to afford the average apartment, according to report (Fox13) | | |
National Headlines General What John Adams and his family can teach America today, according to this presidential historian (Deseret News) The unseen cost of dismantling foreign aid (Deseret News) Exclusive: US aid cuts leave food for millions mouldering in storage (Reuters) As Trump targets DEI, Republican-led states intensify efforts to stamp it out (AP) Hospital tells family brain-dead Georgia woman must carry fetus to birth because of abortion ban (AP) Political news - Trump Trump, Army birthday bash plans include 25 Abrams tanks (Reuters) Supreme Court could block Trumpâs birthright citizenship order but limit nationwide injunctions (AP) Trump calls them handsome, attractive, tough: Trump's bromance with Arab leaders (Wall Street Journal) Other federal political news Is Congress protecting children or policing the internet? (Deseret News) A policy affecting blue-state taxpayers is causing major problems for Trumpâs agenda (Deseret News) The case that could change the legal system as you know it (Deseret News) Ben of Ben & Jerryâs arrested while protesting about Gaza in U.S. Senate: What he said about it (Deseret News) Trumpâs firing of FEMA director unsettles GOP senators (The Hill) Older people in crosshairs as government restarts Social Security garnishment on student loans (AP) Immigration/deportation Trump suspends asylum system, leaving immigrants to face an uncertain future (AP) DHS requests 20,000 National Guard members to help with immigration crackdown (New York Times) Tariffs Consumers are getting hit by surprise tariff bills (Washington Post) Trump signals US will inform countries of new tariff rates in coming weeks (The Hill) New Zealand boosts movie production incentives after Trump's 100% tariff plan (Reuters) Ukraine/Russia Russian nationalists call for Moscow to fight on in Ukraine (Reuters) Russia and Ukraine hold their first direct peace talks in 3 years amid low expectations; Putin a no-show (AP) Russia is targeting Ukrainian hotels to discourage journalists, report says (Washington Post) Middle East Israeli strikes kill at least 93 people in Gaza as Trump wraps up his Middle East visit (AP) Opulence, business deals and a $400M plane from Qatar: Takeaways from Trumpâs Mideast tour (AP) World news The all-female free divers of Jeju Island have a 'superpower' in their genes (NPR) | | |
| | News Releases Utah recognized as national leader in advancing educator microcredentials A recently-published national report from New America highlights Utah as one of the top states in the nation for its broad, forward-thinking integration of educator microcredentials into state policies. A microcredential is a digital form of certification indicating demonstrated competency of a specific skill. The report, When Micro Goes Macro: A Nationwide Review of Statesâ Educator Micro-Credential Policies, was released on May 6. The report shows significant nationwide growth in the adoption of microcredentials, with Utah standing out as one of only two states using them in four policy areas. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming May 17 â Utah GOP Organizing Convention, at UVUâs UCCU Center. May 20-22 â Interim Days May 31 â Utah Democratic Party Organizing Convention, Ogden High School Aug 7 â Titan of Public Service gala with Sen. Tom Cotton hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation at the Grand America Hotel. More Information Here | | |
On This Day In History 1918 - US Congress passes the Sedition Act 1943 - The Warsaw Ghetto uprising ends. 13,000 Jews have died, about half burnt alive or suffocated, German casualties were less than 300. The surviving residents were deported to Treblinka, where virtually all of them were dead by the end of the war. 1975 - Junko Tabei, Japanese mountaineer, becomes the first woman to summit Mount Everest. 1990 - Jim Henson, American puppeteer, artist, screenwriter and filmmaker, and creator of 'the Muppets" (Sesame Street; The Muppet Show), dies of toxic shock syndrome at 53 1997 - President Bill Clinton publicly apologized for the notorious 40-year Tuskegee Experiment, in which government scientists deliberately allowed Black men to weaken and die of treatable syphilis. 2018 - Officials at Michigan State University agree to pay $500 million to settle claims from more than 300 women and girls who said they were assaulted by sports doctor Larry Nassar. 2022 - The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 reaches 1 million. Quote of the Day "I think it's good to be your own person. But individuality is a mixed blessing. People who are 'different' are isolated." âJim Henson On the Punny Side Me: "I think you have a deep-seated fear of marriage. Do you know the symptoms? Friend: "I can't say I do." Me: "Well, that's one of them." | | |
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