Good morning Utah and TGIF! Thanks for reading “The Rundown”.
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This week’s winners and losers in Utah politics
👍🏻 Winner: Sean Reyes. Reyes is one of four attorneys general taking the lead in a multi-state bipartisan lawsuit targeting Google. The suit alleges the online giant is essentially acting like a monopoly and taking a larger cut of purchases made through the Google Play store than the market would dictate. Reyes’ efforts to put curbs on Big Tech are exactly the kind of thing he should be doing.
👎 Loser: Sean Reyes, Chris Stewart, and Burgess Owens. It’s been 6 months since a mob of former President Donald Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol. These three Utahns have still not explained why they helped promote into the “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was not legitimate or their reasoning for trying to overturn the election results.
Reyes took personal time to “investigate” election fraud in Nevada (there was none). He also hasn’t explained why he signed onto the ridiculous lawsuit from Texas seeking to overturn the election results in four states Trump lost.
Stewart and Owens still haven’t offered up a satisfactory explanation why they voted to throw out electoral votes from Pennsylvania - a decision backed by zero evidence. They also have been staunchly against any effort to investigate how and why the attack happened.
Utahns deserve better than silence on the issue.
👎 Loser: Black Lives Matter Utah. Founder Lex Scott didn’t just serve up red meat to Republicans when she posted that the American flag is a symbol of hate. She barbecued a whole cow.
Scott’s hyperbole obscures a legitimate argument, that Republicans and conservatives have failed to condemn far-right and white supremacist groups who use the flag as a rallying symbol. Many of those Trump supporters who attacked Congress literally beat members of the Capitol Police with flagpoles flying the Stars and Stripes.
Her over-the-top rhetoric gives her critics plenty of room to ignore the point she’s trying to make. Plus, it creates an opening for Republicans to smear Democrats by association. If you were wondering if anyone could come up with a more politically damaging message to Democrats than “defund the police,” calling the American flag a symbol of racism has to rank right up there.
Here’s what you need to know for Friday morning
Local news
Gov. Spencer Cox argues reinstating COVID-19 restrictions due to rising numbers of cases won’t work. Instead, he says that getting more people to take the vaccine is the best course of action. [Tribune]
Cox was one of 10 governors named to President Joe Biden’s bipartisan Council of Governors. The group will advise Biden on several issues, including extreme weather and terrorism. [Tribune]
National news
President Joe targets August 31 for the end of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. [AP]
President Biden met with civil rights leaders at the White House on Thursday to discuss voting rights. [The Hill]
Texas Republicans renew their effort to pass voting restrictions in a special legislative session called by Gov. Greg Abbott. [WaPo]
Authorities say the armed group who assassinated Haiti’s president included “professional killers,” retired members of the Colombian military, and two Americans. [CNN]
Four states have begun investigating the fundraising practices of both Republicans and Democrats. [NYT]
Auto manufacturer Toyota reversed course again and said it would stop donating to Republicans who contested the 2020 election results. [NYT]
The stock market took a tumble on Thursday as worries about the COVID-19 delta variant are rising. [Reuters]
Pfizer will seek approval from federal regulators for a COVID-19 booster shot. [NBC News]
Coal use is projected to rise by 15% as demand for energy is on the upswing. That’s the biggest jump since 1990. Higher temperatures are driving the energy demand, while drought cuts output from hydroelectric dams. [Bloomberg]
A study concludes the heatwave that scorched the Pacific Northwest earlier this year would be “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change. [CNN]
Events during the Tokyo Olympics will be held without fans due to rising COVID-19 cases. [Olympics]
Wells Fargo tells customers they’re closing all personal lines of credit. [CNBC]
“Utah Politics” podcast
ON this week’s episode, I’m joined by Andy Slavitt to discuss how the U.S. botched the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Slavitt led the team that fixed the Obamacare website when it first rolled out. He also headed up the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Obama administration. He’s the author of the new book: Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response.
Slavitt says U.S. leaders made a big mistake when they tried to find a political response to a public health crisis.
It was a huge public health challenge, and that meant tough decisions and trade-offs. But a lot of what happened came back to politics, which caused us to take a very different approach. And it was to our detriment,” Slavitt said.
Listen and subscribe to the podcast here.
Friday’s Utah news roundup
Utah
5 questions for the chief of Taylorsville’s new police department. [Tribune]
Navajo Division of Public Safety issues Amber Alert for two children. [Tribune]
We asked, you answered: Here are the flags you told us you fly at home. [Tribune]
IRS reverses decision denying Christian group tax-exempt status. [DNews]
How much did Mitt Romney get for his La Jolla mansion? [DNews]
FOX 13 Investigates: Dad saying little about Utah boy reported as runaway. [FOX13]
New mural hopes to spark conversations about anti-racism, Black joy, safety in Utah. [FOX13]
Asian restaurant target of hate vandalism, community businesses help fix it. [KUTV]
Utah County residents charged for allegedly disrupting Alpine School Board meeting. [Daily Herald]
COVID-19
12 Utah counties are rated at ‘high’ transmission level of COVID-19 — the most in four months. [Tribune]
Local Government
As western Weber County grows, feedback sought on plan guiding expansion. [Standard Examiner]
Weber County parcel is focus of new development plan after movie studio idea fizzles. [Standard Examiner]
Environment
It was 104 in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, and triple digit-temps will continue through next week. [Tribune]
HOA turf, parking strip changes and xeriscaping incentives considered to help in Utah’s drought. [FOX13]
‘Out of water’: One Utah reservoir completely dry, others drop near historic low levels. [ABC4]
‘High bacterial count found at Highland Glen Park pond, residents warned to stay out. [Daily Herald]
Tech
Utah’s Traeger Grills lights a fire under public stock offering effort. [DNews]
‘Not a matter of if, but when’: Ransomware attacks become increasingly common in Utah. [ABC4]
Health
‘Know Your Script’ initiative shows success in fight against opioid epidemic. [FOX13]
Paiute Tribe of Utah to build a new health facility triple the size of current building. [Spectrum]
Housing
SLC police spend hundreds of hours a week on homeless-related calls, public records show. [KUTV]
Local faith leaders call for federal relief funds to be used to end homelessness in Salt Lake County. [KSL]
On the Opinion Pages
Robert C. Wadman: It’s sad to see how the American flag is being abused. [Tribune]
Jeremy Glauser: Utah needs urgent investment in K-12 special ed and mental health. [Tribune]
🎂 You say it’s your birthday?!!
On Saturday send birthday wishes to former state Sen. Dan Liljenquist and former Tribune reporter Lee Davidson.
On Sunday, we say many happy returns to Gov. Spencer Cox, former state Rep. Kim Coleman and Daryl Wolke.
Got a birthday you’d like us to recognize in this space? Send us an email.
— Tribune reporter Connor Sanders contributed to this report.
