Wednesday, May 21, 2025
⏰ Tick Tock
83 days to Utah's 2025 municipal primary elections (8/12/2025)
167 days until Election Day (11/4/2025)
531 days until the 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026)
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👀 Here's what you need to know for Wednesday morning:
UTAH AND THE WEST
Utah Gov. Cox joins gushing letter to Trump supporting his "big, beautiful" bill. [Utah News Dispatch]
Gov. Cox said Donald Trump could be a uniter. Here's how the governor thinks the president has done so far. [Salt Lake Tribune]
"In government we never want to be frantic," Democratic lawmakers say about university cuts. [Utah News Dispatch]
House Speaker floats new idea to help deal with Great Salt Lake dust. [Fox 13]
Monitors haven't caught the severity of Great Salt Lake dust storms. Here's why. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Why Utah's fire season this year could be "busier" despite snowpack, forecast. [KSL]
Utah could be in for another hot summer, but will it also be wet or dry? [KSL]
The Utah Department of Agriculture offers new loan program to help farmers fight drought conditions. [KSL]
Study: Utah a "middle of the pack" state for military retirees. [Deseret News]
At Lake Powell, families pay millions to contractor that hasn't had to bid in decades. [Fox 13]
University of Utah shuts down LGBTQ youth health clinic. [Salt Lake Tribune]
NATIONAL
The House GOP is racing to find support for President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill." The Rules Committee started meeting at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, but still hasn't come to a consensus. [New York Times]
- House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris said Wednesday morning there's "no way" the bill makes it to the floor today. [X]
The tax cuts in the House GOP's megabill would mostly benefit the richest Americans while disadvantaging low-income households by cutting federal spending on Medicaid and food assistance. [Politico]
The national debt is on pace to climb to 117% of the U.S. economy's size by 2034 – higher than the previous record in 1945. The GOP tax and spending megabill would push the debt above the 1945 level even sooner. [New York Times]
President Trump announced plans to build a $175 billion "Golden Dome" missile defense system for the United States. [Politico]
President Trump's approval rating ticked slightly lower last month, down to 42%, matching the lowest level of his second term in office. [Reuters]
Democratic Rep. Jerry Connolly of Virginia, the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, has died. [CBS News]
Using the Guantanamo Bay naval base to house migrants is costing as much as $100,000 per day for each detainee. He recently announced that his cancer had returned. [Reuters]
Democrats in Congress are exploring ways to block President Trump from accepting a luxury jet as a gift from Qatar. [Politico]
Elon Musk says he's stepping back from spending on political races, saying he's "done enough." [Politico]
INTERNATIONAL
President Trump is reportedly upset by images of suffering Palestinian children and has told his aides to tell Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to wrap up the ongoing conflict in Gaza. [Axios]
U.S. intelligence says there are indications Israel is preparing to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. [Reuters]
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. will impose new sanctions on Russia if there is no progress made in a peace deal with Ukraine. [Financial Times]
Intercepted radio chatter and drone footage appeared to capture Russian officers ordering the killing of surrendering Ukrainian troops. [CNN]
The Trump administration plans to divert $250 million earmarked for foreign assistance to fund the removal of people who fled to the U.S. from war zones. [Washington Post]
BRIEFLY
Donald Trump, Jr. said he might run for president someday. [USA Today]
NFL players will be allowed to participate in the 2028 L.A. Olympic flag football competition. [Los Angeles Times]
