Good Tuesday morning Utah! Thanks for reading “The Rundown”.
👂 I’m listening. Got a news tip? Some interesting political gossip? Just want to chat about politics? Send me an email or find me on Twitter @SchottHappens.
Get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up for free here.
Majority of Americans support reinstating COVID-19 restrictions
A new Monmouth University poll found just over half of Americans (52%) favored going back to masking and social distancing guidelines in their state, while 46% were opposed.
The partisan gap in the poll is massive. 85% of Democrats support returning to COVID-19 guidelines, and 73% of Republicans were opposed.
Another major partisan split in the survey was over whether respondents would get vaccinated. Among those who say they won’t get the vaccine if they can avoid it, 70% are Republicans or lean toward the GOP, while just 6% are Democrats.
The poll was conducted before the CDC released new guidance for mask-wearing last week.
President Joe Biden has good approval ratings from Americans for his handling of the pandemic. 55% say he’s done a good job, and 38% say he’s done a bad job. 54% of Americans say the governor of their particular state is handling the pandemic well. Those approval numbers are down 4 points from last month.
Here’s what you need to know for Tuesday morning
🏛 A tale of two senators. Sen. Mitt Romney says the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill he helped negotiate will benefit Utah greatly. Sen. Mike Lee says the spending bill is too large. [Tribune]
😷 Don’t expect Utah lawmakers to reverse the ban on school mask mandates. Legislative leaders say there have been no discussions about revoking the ban, and there’s no appetite for a special session before kids return to classes. [Tribune]
🏫 As we scooped last week, the Utah Department of Health released new COVID-19 recommendations for K-12 students, but most of the response will be up to individual school districts. [Tribune]
🦠 Sen. Lindsey Graham says he has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated. Graham may have exposed other senators to the virus during a weekend boat ride. [WaPo]
🏠 The White House asked states to protect renters and halt evictions after the federal moratorium expired on Saturday. [AP]
🏠 Utahns rallied at the Capitol on Monday to urge lawmakers to extend the eviction moratorium. [Tribune]
💉 The U.S. reached President Joe Biden’s goal of having at least 70% of adults partially vaccinated, but it was a month late. [NYT]
😷 Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards reinstated the statewide mask mandate on Monday amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. [Newsweek]
😷 McDonalds says masks will be required for all employees and customers inside their restaurants. [Reuters]
🦠 The entire population of Wuhan, China, will be tested for COVID-19 after a handful of cases were confirmed in that city on Monday. [AP]
❓ Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson suggests, without evidence, that the FBI may have known more about the planning of the January 6 insurrection than it has revealed so far. [WaPo]
⚖️ Two more Utahns were arrested by the FBI for allegedly taking part in the January 6 insurrection. [Tribune]
A fourth police officer who responded to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol died by suicide. [WUSA9]
⚖️ A law professor suggests the Utah law used to charge a woman with a hate crime for stomping on a “Blue lives matter” sign may be unconstitutional. [Tribune]
☔️ The big rainstorms that have pounded Utah in recent days won’t do much to ease the state’s drought. [Tribune]
🛑 Officials from Maricopa County in Arizona are defying the latest subpoena from the state senate seeking to expand the review of the 2020 election. Officials called the GOP-led investigation “never-never land.” [WaPo]
🤸🏾♀️ U.S. gymnast Simone Biles returned to competition and captured a bronze medal in the balance beam. [Fox News]
Tuesday’s Utah news roundup
Utah
Lenders, debt collectors got millions in pandemic bailouts — even as some pressed Utahns to pay up. [Tribune]
State looking to stop algal blooms, and you can help. [Tribune]
Heber City Police chief cleared after investigation of internal complaint. [FOX13]
Judge orders disbarment of Ogden attorney who spent Roy widow’s lawsuit settlement. [Standard Examiner]
COVID-19
15 Utahns die of COVID-19 over the weekend. [Tribune]
COVID vaccine trials for children need more volunteers. [KUTV]
Flooding
Enoch prepped for floods. It didn’t help when the rain came. [Tribune]
East High’s basketball court was flooded in the Salt Lake City rainstorm. The floors had just been replaced. [Tribune]
Patients moved after flooding at Primary Children’s Hospital. [FOX13]
Miner dies after flash flooding hits Emery County coal mine. [KSL]
Local Government
Here’s what you need to know about August’s primary elections in Salt Lake County. [Tribune]
North Ogden, South Ogden to hold hearings on proposed tax hikes, more to follow. [Standard Examiner]
Education
BYU students, faculty and staff must report vaccination status ahead of fall semester. [Deseret News]
Business
Silicon Slopes launches political action committee aimed at Utah’s Capitol Hill. [FOX13]
On the Opinion Pages
Mike Lee wants to help Utah become a second-tier state by treating women as second-class citizens, George Pyle writes. [Tribune]
Aaron E. Carroll: COVID is now a crisis for the unvaccinated. [Tribune]
— The Tribune’s Connor Sanders contributed to this report.
