Good morning Utah! Thanks for reading “The Rundown”.
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Which president is the most popular?
Not surprisingly, a new YouGov poll finds Abraham Lincoln is seen as the “best” of the 45 men who have served as the nation’s chief executive. 56% of Americans say they have a favorable opinion of Lincoln, while 24% see him “somewhat” favorably.
John F. Kennedy was second, followed by George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt.
Barack Obama came in 8th, and Ronald Reagan was 9th. Joe Biden ranked #11.
Donald Trump was 20th on the list. However, Trump and Richard Nixon were the only presidents seen unfavorably by a majority of Americans.
Franklin Pierce, John Tyler, Chester A. Arthur, and Millard Fillmore were the bottom 4.
The quote of the day about the poll came from historian Kevin M. Kruse on Twitter.
Kruse later added he forgot Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act into law and, for that, his negative approval rating should be higher.
Here’s what you need to know for Wednesday morning
Utah news
🚨 SCOOP! The Utah Department of Health will unveil new K-12 COVID-19 guidelines later this week. Health officials met with Utah lawmakers last week to discuss the new recommendations. [Tribune]
Robert Gehrke says a group of people, including a Utah Republican lawmaker, who are pushing claims of voter fraud in Utah are way off base. [Tribune]
The drought may have contributed to a tragic 22-car pileup near Kanosh that killed 8 people. [Tribune]
An indigenous-led nonprofit group in San Juan County wants to assist in the federal investigation into Native American boarding schools. [Tribune]
National news
In harrowing testimony, three U.S. Capitol Police officers described their experiences trying to defend Congress during the insurrection on January 6. [CNN]
The CDC said fully vaccinated Americans should start wearing masks again indoors in some situations. The agency also said K-12 students and teachers should wear masks next school year. [NYT]
On Thursday, President Joe Biden will announce a requirement that all federal workers and contractors be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo regular testing. [CNN]
Voters in Texas ignored former President Donald Trump’s endorsement and elected another GOP candidate in a special election for Congress. [WaPo]
A bipartisan group of senators and the White House are working feverishly to salvage an infrastructure funding proposal. [AP]
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz were heckled off the stage during a press conference where they attempted to defend many of the people arrested during the January 6 Capitol riot. [Rolling Stone]
The Justice Department said Trump administration officials could testify about former President Trump’s actions leading up to January 6. [USA Today]
U.S. gymnast Simone Biles will not defend her all-around title. She withdrew from the competition due to a mental health issue. [NYT]
Wildfires this year have burned nearly 3 million acres so far, which is the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. [CNN]
Home prices continued to break records in May, jumping 16.6% higher than a year ago. [CNBC]
Wednesday’s Utah news roundup
COVID-19
7 more Utahns died of COVID-19. That’s the most in a single day in 5 months. [Tribune]
CDC advises indoor masks in most of Utah. [Tribune]
Utah health dept. breaks with CDC over masks in schools for vaccinated. [KUTV]
SLCo health leader applauds new CDC mask recommendation. [Fox 13]
Utah State Prison inmates vaccinated in Nomi Health, Utah Department of Corrections partnership. [Tribune]
Utah
This Utah oil producer was wasting natural gas. Now it uses it to mine cryptocurrency. [Tribune]
Protest gnomes are putting up a whale of a fight against Salt Lake City’s plans for an ‘Out of Blue’ ocean sculpture. [Tribune]
Disney ‘princess culture’ may make children more progressive about women, BYU researcher finds. [Tribune]
2030 or 2034 Winter Games? Utahns may soon know which Olympics they’re bidding for. [Deseret News]
More rain is headed for flood-ravaged Cedar City. [Tribune]
Cleanup underway in Cedar City after flooding causes extensive damage. [Fox 13]
Religion
LDS leaders shift gears, revive Saturday evening sessions of General Conference. [Tribune]
Church announces groundbreaking dates of 2 new temples. [ABC4]
Washington
Why Utah Sen. Mitt Romney is ‘incredulous’ over ‘politicization’ of the border wall. [Deseret News]
In the opinion pages
Terry Marasco: Critical race theory is not the issue. Ignorance of U.S. history is. [Tribune]
Derek Miller: Money is losing both value and meaning. [Tribune]
🎂 You say it’s your birthday?!!
Happy birthday to former Utah Insurance Commissioner Todd Kiser, former State Sen. Ralph Okerlund, and Caroline Updike.
Got a birthday you’d like us to recognize in this space? Send us an email.
— The Tribune’s Jordan Miller contributed to this report.
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