Thursday, June 12, 2025
⏰ Tick Tock
Days to Utah's 2025 municipal primary elections (8/12/2025) - 61
Days until Election Day (11/4/2025) - 145
Days until the 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026) - 509
Days until the 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028) - 1,244
👀 Here's what you need to know for Thursday morning:
UTAH AND THE WEST
A woman hand-picked by Utah lawmakers to help develop a national program on federalism appointed a neo-Nazi to a leadership position within her own organization. [Utah Political Watch]
Senate Republicans are proposing selling off up to 3.3 million acres of federally land in 11 states, including Utah, as part of the tax cut and spending legislation. [Washington Post]
Trump response to LA protests an "escalation of fear" for immigrants, a top Utah Democrat says. [Utah News Dispatch]
Law enforcement preparing for protests in Utah this weekend. [Fox 13]
Utah officials worry decision on J-1 visa program could impact dual language programs. [KSL]
Trans care ban "in the right place," Gov. Cox says weeks after Utah report found care benefits trans youth. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Vineyard may have mismanaged its taxpayer money for more than a decade. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Advocates call on Sens. Lee, Curtis, to revive payments to downwinders in "big, beautiful" bill. [Utah News Dispatch]
Utahns complained of a chemical-smelling fog near US Magnesium. Here's why we may never know what it was. [Salt Lake Tribune]
NATIONAL
Marines being deployed to Los Angeles have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration officers. [Reuters]
President Donald Trump is suggesting expanding the deployment of military forces to other American cities, bending the traditional role of the armed forces. [New York Times]
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says deploying U.S. troops to Los Angeles is legal, but he can't cite which law authorizes the move. [Politico]
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott deployed National Guard Troops to the sites of planned immigration protests. [Texas Tribune]
Senate Republicans are considering cutting tax breaks for overtime and tips out of the massive reconciliation bill they're currently working on. [New York Times]
Polling: Most Americans (53%) oppose the massive GOP budget bill. Just 38% of Americans approve of President Trump's job performance. [Quinnipiac]
Sen. Rand Paul says he was uninvited from the annual White House picnic over his criticism of President Trump. [NBC News]
INTERNATIONAL
Israel is poised to launch a military operation on Iran. [CBS News]
An Air India jet bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff, apparently killing all 242 passengers and crew members on board. [ABC News]
President Trump's $5 million "gold card" citizenship website has opened for business. [USA Today]
ECONOMY
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon says the pandemic-era government spending that was boosting the economy has faded, leaving the U.S. vulnerable to an economic downturn. [CNBC]
EDUCATION
The entire 12-person board of the Fulbright program resigned in protest of interference from the Trump administration. [Wall Street Journal]
HEALTHCARE
Health Secretary RFK Jr. named eight new members of the vaccine advisory board after he fired the group's entire membership. Several of the new appointees are vaccine skeptics. [Washington Post]
