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Situational Analysis | June 24th, 2026
It’s Wednesday and International Fairy Day! 🧚🏼♀️
What you need to know
In Utah’s primaries, Ben McAdams, Blake Moore and Celeste Maloy all claimed victory in their respective Congressional races. Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, Senator Dan McCay and Rep. Trevor Lee lost their re-election campaigns, while both Box Elder County Commissioners on the ballot appear to have lost their seats as well. For all election results, go to the state website here. Results are not officially official until the final canvas in a couple of weeks.
Rapid relevance
AJ Dybantsa goes first in the NBA draft and heads to the Washington Wizards. The Jazz take Darryn Peterson with the second pick.
Utah Headlines
Political News
Republican leaders tangle with Utah Sen. Mike Lee over election bill (Deseret News)
Sen. Curtis renews vow not to fund Iran military operations without formal declaration of war (Deseret News)
As Republican Party looks to future without Trump in office, Utah could be a road map (UPR)
Cache County GOP primary voters opt for change in troubled county attorney's office (Cache Valley Daily)
Commissioners, sheriff unseated in Box Elder County primary (Cache Valley Daily)
America 250
Opinion: How can American education encourage good citizenship (Deseret News)
How Americans are feeling about the country’s 250th anniversary, according to new polls (AP)
Wildfires
Firefighters say 'at least 48 hours' longer for evacuees from Iron Fire (KSL)
Here’s why the wildfire smoke in Salt Lake City likely won’t clear anytime soon, forecasters say (The Salt Lake Tribune)
Humans cause most of Utah’s wildfires. Here’s how. (The Salt Lake Tribune)
Human-caused Cottonwood Fire explodes to 30,100 acres, 0% contained (ABC4)
Utah
What’s updated in Utah’s 2034 Winter Games plan (Deseret News)
Celebration of IOC’s Olympic Day includes a workout for Salt Lake kids (Deseret News)
Doulas of Utah organize diaper drive to support families in need (ABC4)
Biz/Tech/AI
Kids are talking to AI more than ever. Sen. John Curtis wants rules to ensure their safety (Deseret News)
AI cybersecurity flaw: How hackers can fool AI chatbots into handing over sensitive info (KSL)
Crime/Courts
‘There are criminal consequences’: Man accused of starting Memory Grove fire charged with reckless burning (The Salt Lake Tribune)
Former youth pastor charged with murder for wife's death at Zion National Park in 2006 (KSL)
455 people charged for alleged $6.5B health care fraud (Deseret News)
Co-owners of drug treatment facility accused of defrauding Utah Medicaid (KSL)
Utah mother charged with international kidnapping claims she was saving kids from 'end of times' (KSL)
Tyler Robinson isn't first high profile case to allow cameras, media argues (KSL)
Culture/Community
‘The show must go on,’ 81-year-old rocker Rod Stewart says after pausing Utah show for oxygen (Deseret News)
Does the Vesper Amphitheater follow Provo's hillsides and canyons preservation guidelines? (KSL)
Utah explorer who died on Mt. McKinley remembered as a caring lover of the outdoors (UPR)
Economy
The challenges dual-income families face (Deseret News)
Education
University of Utah trustees greenlight creation of state's first AI bachelor's degree (KSL)
Is Utah actually helping its youngest kids learn how to read? A new state report found ‘mixed’ results. (Salt Lake Tribune)
Environment/Energy
Environmentalists call for investigation after birds found dead near reflecting pool (Fox 13)
Utah farmers face devastating loss after major hailstorm hits onion crop (ABC4)
Appeals court says presidents aren’t beyond review in monument disputes (Deseret News)
Faith
Workers reinstall Salt Lake Temple’s legendary east doors as renovation reaches homestretch (Deseret News)
Health
Supplement company asks questions despite its ‘no questions asked’ return policy (KSLNR)
CDC’s chief blocked a covid vaccine study. Now it’s in a top medical journal. (Washington Post)
National Headlines
General
Savannah Guthrie renews plea for information on ‘Today’ show (Deseret News)
Camp Mystic, Where 28 Died in Texas Floods, Files for Bankruptcy (New York Times)
Political News
Supreme Court rules along ideological lines in case involving religious rights in prison (Deseret News)
Supreme Court says green card holders can be treated differently at border if accused of a crime (Deseret News)
US Senate joins House in rebuke of Trump over his war in Iran (Utah News Dispatch)
Trump set to mark nation's 250th birthday with campaign-style rally (Reuters)
Mamdani proves his power with New York endorsements (AP)
Immigration
Ukraine/Russia
Moscow oil refinery hit by drone attacks is unlikely to resume production this year, sources say (Reuters)
US/Iran/Middle East
World
Archaeologists find huge Viking textile production site in Denmark (AP)
Number of the Day

Tweet of the Day
Upcoming
July 4 — 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence
Aug 4-6 — One Utah Summit, SUU America First Event Center, Register here
Aug 13 — Titan of Public Service Gala with the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, Grand America
Aug 18-20 — August Interim
Nov 3 — General election
On This Day in History
1896 - Harvard University issues its first honorary degree to an African American – author, educator and orator, Booker T. Washington.
1918 - Mildred Ladner Thompson is born. In 1945, she became one of the Wall Street Journal’s first female reporters.
1929 - Carolyn Spellmann Shoemaker is born. When she was 51, and her children were grown, she began looking at the stars. She discovered 32 comets and more than 800 asteroids. In 1993, her most notable discovery was a team effort. Along with her husband and astrogeologist, Gene Shoemaker and astronomer David Levy, they discovered the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. She retired in 2019 at age 90.
1947 - While flying near Mt. Rainer, pilot Kenneth Arnold witnessed what is considered the first widely reported sighting of an unidentified flying object – UFO.
1992 - The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, strengthened its 30-year ban on officially sponsored worship in public schools, prohibiting prayer as a part of graduation ceremonies.
1995 - Esther Rome, American health advocate, dies from breast cancer at age 49. She belonged to the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. She and other group members began writing articles on women’s health which became the book Our Bodies, Ourselves.
2021 - A 12-story condo collapses in Florida, killing 98
2022 - US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade
Quote of the Day
We should not permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunities.
On the Punny Side
What do you call an apology written in dots and dashes?
Re-morse Code!
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