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Burgess Owens wants Britney Spears to testify before Congress but isn’t sure why
During a brief interview on Fox Business Channel Wednesday morning, Utah Rep. Burgess Owens was asked about a letter he co-signed last week asking pop-star Britney Spears to testify before Congress. Owens struggled to explain why.
“Well, Britney just represents the voice of the voiceless. I’m not sure about her particular case,” Owens said.
A judge denied Spears’ request to be released from the conservatorship, which has controlled every aspect of her life since 2008. Shortly after that, Owens joined fellow Republicans Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Andy Biggs in extending an invitation for Spears to speak to Congress.
The freshman Republican said he was aware of some of the abuses that can take place in a conservatorship, relating the story of his aunt.
“I know there is a conservatorship and guardianship in which good people, my Aunt Frances for one, got caught up in a system that she lost all her rights. She was living the American dream, had done very well in this country. All of a sudden, because of a judge, she was put in a system where she had no rights,” Owens said.
“Something has to be done. There might be something good about the process, but at the same time, when predators get involved, we have to make sure we’re that we’re protecting our senior citizens,” Owens added.
Several days before Owens, Gaetz, and the others sent their letter to Spears, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bob Casey asked the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to provide more information about how federal agencies interact with the conservatorship system. The New York Times reports that effort could be the first step in a move by Congress to overhaul the system.
Here’s what you need to know for Thursday morning
Local news
Utah is leading a multi-state, bipartisan lawsuit against Google alleging the company used monopolistic practices to charge exorbitant fees on in-app purchases made through its Google Play store. [Tribune]
Nearly two dozen Utah cities will use ranked-choice voting in this year’s municipal elections. [Tribune]
Utah doctors are pleading with people to get vaccinated as the number of new COVID-19 cases surge. [Tribune]
Utah hospitals aren’t requiring employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus...yet. [Tribune]
National news
President Joe Biden is set to speak about the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Taliban is making rapid gains in that country. [WaPo]
Biden is also weighing possible responses as Russia steps up cyberattacks against the U.S. [NYT]
The fence installed around the U.S. Capitol after the January 6 attack is coming down. The Capitol remains closed to visitors. [AP]
Former President Donald Trump is suing Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for allegedly censoring right-wing voices online. Legal experts say the lawsuits have little chance of succeeding. [Axios] Trump’s political operation almost immediately began fundraising off of the suit. [Forbes]
Arizona’s top election official called for a criminal investigation into former President Trump’s “efforts to interfere” with counting ballots in last year’s election. [Arizona Republic]
Conservative groups are pushing back against the Biden administration’s plan to boost the IRS’s budget. [WaPo]
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s husband locked in more than $5 million in stock from Google’s parent company Alphabet in the weeks ahead of the House Judiciary Committee’s vote on antitrust legislation targeting Big Tech companies. [Bloomberg]
Four suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s president were killed in a gun battle with police Wednesday. Two others were arrested and taken into custody. [NYT]
Yikes! Fox News host Tucker Carlson communicated with known Kremlin contacts in the U.S as he was seeking an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Shortly thereafter, Carlson accused the NSA of spying on him. [Axios]
The global death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 4 million. [CNN]
The CDC says the delta COVID-19 variant is the dominant strain of the virus in the U.S. [CNBC]
Japan is declaring a new state of emergency due to COVID-19. The emergency will last through the Olympic games, which kick off later this month. [AP]
The Minnesota Fed is requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. [NYT]
Former President Trump charged the Secret Service more than $10,000 for hotel rooms used by his security detail at his New Jersey golf club in May. [WaPo]
Officials in Miami have officially stopped looking for survivors of the Miami-area condominium building collapse. [CNN]
The Tampa Bay Lightning are Stanley Cup champions for the second straight year. [ESPN]
Thursday’s Utah news roundup
Utah
Looking for a place to rent? View this expanded map of new apartments from Logan to Salt Lake City, Provo and beyond. [Tribune]
Salt Lake City’s newest park is now open — see where three creeks meet on the west side. [Tribune]
How pride in 2002 Winter Olympics legacy is focal to bringing Games back. [DNews]
Is the Biden administration stirring up race wars among ranchers in the West? [DNews]
Utah urgently needs more foster families, agency says. [KUTV]
How prevalent are investors in Utah’s housing market? Not as much as you may think. [KUTV]
New ‘Flex Fund’ program promises more help to domestic violence survivors. [KUTV]
Vaping debate returns in Utah; nicotine levels could be cut. [KUTV]
Some Orem residents need potty training. [Daily Herald]
COVID-19
In the midst of another COVID-19 surge, doctors plead with Utahns to get vaccinated. [Tribune]
Utah epidemiologist suggests schools require masks once again. [KUTV]
Southern Utah has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state, data shows. [ABC4]
Environment
Water conservation authority considers ‘turf buyback’ as St. George reviews wasteful ordinances. [FOX 13]
Utahns cut fireworks use dramatically, according to air quality and fire monitoring data. [FOX13]
Tech
Utah software innovator Entrata snares record $507 million venture deal; Jazz owner Ryan Smith co-leads round. [DNews]
Local Government
Provo mayoral candidate disqualified for not reporting finances. [Daily Herald]
Lehi officials amped up over additional e-scooter prospects. [Daily Herald]
Ogden City Council nearing ‘crossroads’ on renewable energy program participation. [Standard Examiner]
City Council votes 4 to 1 to open parcel of land earmarked for the Arts and Culture District to public art and live music. [Park Record]
On the Opinion Pages
Amanda Scott and Alexis Ence: St. George University is a better name than Utah Tech. [Tribune]
Fredrick Vars and Bryan Barks: Utah’s voluntary do-not-sell firearms law can save lives. [Tribune]
— Tribune reporter Connor Sanders contributed to this report.
