Plus, the future of Gov. Cox’s ‘Disagree Better’ initiative
Good morning! Here are today’s temperatures: ⛅ 60 – 102° in Logan ⛅ 73 – 106° in Salt Lake | 💧 10% ⛅ 84 – 111° in St. George | 💧 20% ⚠️ Excessive heat warning. Drink plenty of fluids, stay out of the sun and do not leave young children or pets in unattended vehicles. In the years after the Church’s 2008 support of California’s Proposition 8, Elder Alexander Dushku — then an attorney involved in negotiations between LGBT and religious groups — learned important lessons about peacemaking. “If religious freedom is to be the means of human flourishing … then it must be conducive to a just and livable peace among contending factions so that all may flourish,” said Elder Dushku, a General Authority Seventy and general counsel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Read more about how LGBTQ+ and religious groups have grown to learn and understand each other. Also on our minds: An AT&T hack exposed ‘nearly all’ of the company’s 2022 wireless customers Gabby Petito’s father condemns Moab police’s attempt to dismiss wrongful death lawsuit Where the Jazz stand on Lauri Markkanen |
| ‘Between good and evil’: What President Zelenskyy told an audience of governors in Utah |
|
| | Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described his country’s ongoing war as “one of the most transparent battles between good and evil in our time” during a brief speech Friday at the National Governor’s Association meeting in Salt Lake City. “There are different wars in the world, but this is a war where it’s absolutely clear what is good and what boundaries evil crosses. This is one of the most transparent battles between good and evil of our time. It’s clear that Ukraine has done nothing wrong before God and people,” he said. Zelenskyy visited heavily Republican Utah at a time when the GOP is divided nationally and locally about sending more money to Ukraine and whether the war-torn country should be admitted to NATO. Zelenskyy, who has not traveled in the United States outside Washington, D.C., New York and California, arrived Thursday night and spent most of Friday in Utah. Read more about Zelenskyy’s comments at the meeting and read more here about how Utah leaders were able to get him here. | Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is not optimistic about the future of the United States of America. But he is hopeful. Cox took the stage as chairman of the National Governors Association for the final time on Friday, not to bid farewell to his chosen “Disagree Better” initiative, but to deliver a call to action for the 13 governors and several hundred state and federal influencers that were present. “We’ve gotten really, really good at tearing things down,” Cox told attendees gathered at The Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. “We need more builders. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to do.” The events of Thursday and Friday that capped off a year of Cox’s “Disagree Better” campaign — which included ads with 21 governors, trainings on depolarization and service projects — gave the Beehive State’s first-term governor hope, he said, that there is a critical mass of people willing to do the work to cross divides of misunderstanding. Read more about Cox’s message and his plans for the initiative. More in Utah Rep. Blake Moore touts Utah’s innovation in health care at congressional hearing in Salt Lake City (Deseret News) Gabby Petito’s father responds to Moab police’s attempt to dismiss wrongful death lawsuit (Deseret News) Matthew McConaughey joins Govs. Cox, Polis to discuss ‘Disagree Better’ (Deseret News) | FROM OUR SPONSOR UTAH DAYS OF ’47 RODEO Make a Memory Worth its Weight in Gold The Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo is filled with gold medal moments...and this summer we want you to find yours! Join us July 19–20, 22–24 at the Utah State Fairpark for live music, food and family fun. Get your tickets at utahdaysof47rodeo.com. | Utah The University of Utah just got the OK to purchase a 10-story office building in downtown Salt Lake City (Deseret News) Utah brothers push each other to new heights on ‘American Ninja Warrior’ (Deseret News) Salt Lake City’s Liberty Park has a wild new basketball court, more changes are coming (KSL) The U.S. AT&T data breach hits millions of customers. What did hackers get? (Deseret News) Former Ogden man identified as victim of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre from DNA (KSL) After letting Democrats wrestle over Biden, Trump will reemerge at the GOP convention next week (Deseret News) The World The European Union, France and the UK have voted. So, what does it all mean? (Deseret News) Emergency workers uncover dozens of bodies in a Gaza City district after Israeli assault (The Associated Press) Sports What’s going on with Lauri Markkanen, the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors? (Deseret News) BYU football needs defense, but that’s not its biggest priority (Deseret News) Walker Kessler, Keyonte George will not play in Las Vegas Summer League (Deseret News) What Nate Dreiling said about playing Utah, USC (Deseret News) What Bronco Mendenhall said at Mountain West media days — including about a BYU transfer (Deseret News) Faith Why some Christians cheered the recent layoffs at the Southern Poverty Law Center (Deseret News) Why Nick Saban said sports is like a religion (Deseret News) Lifestyle Copenhagen has tried a different approach to tourism: Rewarding good behavior (Deseret News) See photos of the impacts of the heat wave around the world (Deseret News) |
Check your inbox tomorrow morning for more news from the Beehive State and beyond! And reply to this email or email [email protected] to tell us what you think of Utah Today. Thanks for reading! — Ariel |
| Copyright © 2024 Deseret News, All rights reserved. |