Also, Utah hits 70% of adults vaccinated, Haiti president assassinated and a very happy anniversary to Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter! | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. Send news tips or feedback to [email protected]. | | |
Situational Analysis | July 7, 2021 It's Wednesday and another heat wave is hitting. It's also World Chocolate Day and National Strawberry Sundae Day. Our deepest condolences to Rep. Carol Spackman Moss on the loss of her husband, Bob, this weekend and to Sopia DiCaro on the loss of her brother-in-law, Kevin. ð¥ Be in the Know Governor Cox says Utah met its goal of vaccinating 70% of the adult population with at least one dose. The calculation includes nearly 115,000 doses administered in the state by federal agencies such as the Veterans Administration in addition to those reported by the Utah Health Department. Areas that did not meet that goal include rural areas, communities of color and Utah County. Breaking overnight: Haiti President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated at his home early this morning. First Lady Martine Moïse was also shot in the overnight attack and hospitalized. Port-au-Prince had been suffering an increase in violence as gangs battle one another and police for control of the streets as the country's humanitarian crisis worsens. Happy 75th anniversary to Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, a record in presidential marriages. Their story is the sweetest and like all long-lasting relationships, it's one of learning and evolving. | | |
Utah Headlines General Damaged by flash floods, rural clinic outside Zion National Park asks for help rebuilding (The Spectrum) Layton home explosion leaves man in critical condition (Fox13) Family History Library reopens after long pandemic closure; more than 50 waiting as doors open (Deseret News) First Lady and Friends: Michelle Love-Day on RISE, finding her passion as an educator, and empathy's place in understanding each other Utah company Uplift Aerospace goes public, plans marketing on the moon (KSL) Diversity in the workplace: A conversation with Northrop Grumman (EDCUtah) Politics Does the media create sexism toward women in politics? (St. George News) Provo council votes to make city codes gender neutral (Daily Herald) COVID Corner Utah reports 1,149 new COVID cases, 7 new deaths, over 4-day period (Fox13) Utah meets goal of 70% eligible vaccinated; some counties lag behind. Utah County is around 40%. (KUTV) Delta is now the dominant coronavirus variant in the U.S. (NPR) Britainâs daily infections could reach 100,000 this summer, health secretary says (Washington Post) Pfizer shot much less effective against Delta, Israel study shows (Forbes) Drought/Wildfires/Heat Gov. Spencer Cox says better water storage is needed to address western U.S. drought (KUER) Wildfires threaten all of the West â and one group more than others. That threat to Latinos has grown in the past decade, and they are twice as likely to live in areas most threatened by wildfires relative to the overall U.S. population. (Politico) Another intense heat wave to roast Western U.S., southwest Canada (Washington Post) Economy When stimulus checks came, Utahns were more likely to sock money away (Utah Foundation) Domo executive hopes award nomination shows women they are 'wanted and needed in tech' (KSL) Education Protesters voice opinions over critical race theory at Granite School District board meeting. Members of Black Lives Matter Utah and the Proud Boys also attended. (Salt Lake Tribune) One of nation's largest teachers unions vows to defend those punished for teaching "honest history" of the U.S. (KUTV) Elections What are the potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates up to? (Deseret News) Energy Project in rural Utah aims to tap into the âinexhaustibleâ geothermal energy below our feet (KUER) Five solar companies merge to form Lumio (Utah Business) Health Hospitals often charge uninsured people the highest prices, new data show (Wall Street Journal) Relentlessly Resilient: Coach Babe Kwasniak on winning the mental health battle by connecting with others Community contributions reach $67M in Utah to address pandemic-related mental health crisis (Deseret News) Legal FAA fines Utah airline passenger over $10,000, launches new PSA to stop âunruly behaviorâ (KSL) 11 anti-mask protesters charged after disrupting Utah school board meeting (Fox13) Local Communities Tourism continues to grow-Numbers show Sevier County weathered COVID-19 well (Richfield Reaper) National Headlines General Searchers at Florida collapse site ânot seeing anything positiveâ (AP) Britney Spears' court-appointed attorney has submitted petition to resign (CNN) Eric Adams wins Democratic primary for New York City mayor. Mr. Adams held off Kathryn Garcia after a count of 118,000 absentee ballots saw his substantial lead on primary night narrow to a single percentage point. (New York Times) Tokyo Olympics No relay: Banned sprinter Richardson left off Olympic team (AP) Bruce Springsteenâs daughter makes Olympic equestrian team (AP) Utah native Jake Gibb set to make Olympic history (ABC4) Politics Russian government hackers breached the computer systems of the Republican National Committee last week (Bloomberg) What does Mitch McConnell do now? At age 79, the longtime Senate Republican leader is contemplating his legacy. (The Atlantic) Biden appeals for unity six months after Capitol riot (The Hill) Republicans weigh âcrackingâ cities to doom Democrats. GOP officials from D.C. and the states are debating how aggressively to break up red-state cities to maximize the partyâs advantage in redistricting. (Politico) Rep. Mo Brooks says he canât be sued for inciting Capitol riot because he is a federal employee (Washington Post) Defense Pentagon cancels massive JEDI cloud contract after drawn-out battle among tech giants. The move comes two years after former President Donald Trump publicly disparaged bidder Amazon. (Politico) Economy Rising oil and gas prices add to U.S. economic challenges (New York Times) Education We disagree on a lot of things. Except the danger of anti-critical race theory laws. (New York Times) Nikole Hannah-Jones will join Howard University instead of the University of North Carolina. (New York Times) Elections âUnheard Ofâ: Oklahoma GOP chair backs challenge to senate Republican over his vote to certify the 2020 presidential election (Forbes) When weâll know how much Trumpâs support is worth. Ex-president has already begun wading into competitive Senate primaries. (Roll Call) G.O.P.-backed laws in Montana could hurt Native American voting. Restrictions passed by the Republican-led Montana Legislature could have stark effects on Native American reservations, where voting in person can mean a two-hour drive. (New York Times) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is tied with Matthew McConaughey in a new poll. Yes, THAT Matthew McConaughey (Deseret News) Energy The energy revolution is tweaking OPEC out (The Atlantic) International In Myanmar, the military and police declare war on medics (AP) UN rights chief: Situation in Myanmar a 'multi-dimensional human rights catastrophe' (The Hill) Blinken meets Uyghur Muslims previously detained in Chinese camps (AP) Security Up to 1,500 businesses could be affected by a cyberattack carried out by a Russian group. (New York Times) White House: âWe will take actionâ on ransomware criminal actors if Russia wonât (Politico) Business Headlines Didi plunges below IPO price as China expands crackdown. Shares tumble 20%, erasing about $15 billion of value. (Bloomberg) Why Shib coin is gaining attention again (Deseret News) Analysis: U.S. IPO market a danger zone for Chinese firms after Beijing crackdown (Reuters) Tech surge puts Nasdaq on course for record open (Reuters) | | |
Policy News Utah Community Builders translates suicide prevention toolkit into Spanish to reach more diverse communities Utah Community Builders, the social impact nonprofit of the Salt Lake Chamber, in partnership with inWhatLanguage, a leading localization and translation technology provider, has released the Suicide Prevention in the Workforce Employer Toolkit in Spanish. The toolkit was originally released last October during the launch of the Workforce Resilience Through Mental Fitness initiative. As Spanish speakers make up nearly 12% of Utahâs population, they are a crucial part of the workforce. Read More The Utah Center for Rural Development announces enhancements In a continued effort to provide Utahâs rural residents top-notch service, the Center for Rural Development, housed in the Utah Governorâs Office of Economic Opportunity, recently announced changes to its programs and two new team members. The Center for Rural Development is enhancing its programs and services to encourage economic opportunities for all Utahns, regardless of geographic location. Based on Gov. Coxâs âOne Utah Roadmap,â rural Utah matters and has a voice in the state's economic future. Read More | | |
Campaign Corner: Winning the political game - A million little things can add up to a big win By LaVarr Webb Hereâs an oldie but goodie campaign tip Iâve written about previously. But with municipal elections starting to heat up across the state, itâs very relevant today. Political campaigns can be discouraging because a lot of campaign work is boring and tedious. Myriad details must be taken care of, and itâs easy to question whether doing all these little things is really very important or will make a difference in the end. Candidates and campaign workers want to be out doing big, glamorous things, like engaging in high-profile debates, filming television spots, holding high-level strategy meetings and visiting editorial boards. But those things wonât win an election unless they are supported by a solid foundation built through a lot of attention to detail, detail, detailâall the little, boring things that ultimately add up to success: developing voter lists, stuffing envelopes, printing and production, responding to calls, e-mails and letters, building a volunteer team in every voting precinct, following up with donor prospects, recruiting and training grassroots workers, putting up lawn signs, building relationships, and so forth. A candidate I worked for many years ago spent many months, long before the election year, criss-crossing the state by himself, meeting with state legislators, county commissioners and mayors. He visited them where they were â in their homes, at their businesses, in their farm fields. He put forth an incredible effort, spending thousands of hours, meeting one-on-one with these influencers. He later recalled stopping at 2 or 3 a.m. at a deserted gas station restroom in Nephi toward the end of a long trip across the state, totally exhausted, asking himself if it was really worth it. It clearly was. He won the support of the stateâs opinion leaders and it was a big step in winning the governorship. In that same campaign, at campaign headquarters we would sometimes call our opponentâs campaign office at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. No one was ever there. By contrast, we routinely worked until 1, 2, or 3 a.m. We werenât absolutely sure we were going to win the election, but we sure knew we were outworking our competition. Political success usually results from a million little things coming together at the right time. A campaign is hour after excruciating hour of work and more work, with plenty of wondering if youâre making any headway, especially if your opponent is getting more headlines. But if youâre working smart, getting the fundamentals done, doing the little things, the routine things, the busy work â then it will all culminate in a big win at the end. | | |
Upcoming Preparing for a New Future: Legislative updates and trends with Rep. Brian King and Senator Todd Weiler â July 8 @ 10 am Register here Securing the American Dream: A conversation with Tim Scott presented by the Hatch Foundation â Aug 11 @ noon. Register here Utah Foundation Annual Luncheon with Shaylyn Romney Garrett â Sept 23 @ 12 pm. Register here | | |
On This Day In History From History.com 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death 1861 - Nettie Stevens is born. She discovered the X and Y chromosomes. 1865 - Mary Surratt becomes the first woman executed by the US government for her role in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. She was joined on the gallows by Lewis Powell, David Herold and George Atzerodt. 1915 - Writer Margaret Walker was born today. One of her most well known poems is "For My People." 1928 - Sliced bread is sold for the first time by the Chillicothe Baking Company, Missouri, using a machine invented by Otto Frederick Rohwedder. Described as the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped. 1930 - Building begins on the Hoover Dam. 1930 - Arthur Conan Doyle, British writer (Sherlock Holmes), dies at 71 1946 - James Earl âJimmyâ Carter marries Eleanor Rosalynn Smith at the Plains Methodist Church in Plains, Georgia. Happy 75th anniversary!! 1976 - Female cadets enrolled at West Point for the first time. 1981 - Sandra Day OâConnor nominated to the US Supreme Court by Ronald Reagan 2019 - US womenâs soccer team wins record 4th World Cup title Wise Words "A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be."
-Rosalynn Carter Lighter Side In 2011, the winners of an elementary school spelling bee in Utah received a trophy reading âViewmont Spellling Bee, 1st Place.â Oops. | | |
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