July 31, 2025
⏰ Tick Tock
Days to Utah's 2025 municipal primary elections (8/12/2025) - 12
Days until Election Day (11/4/2025) - 96
Days until the 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026) - 462
Days until the 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028) - 1,195
Utah's weather conspiracy bill part of national wave
Republican lawmakers nationwide are pushing legislation to combat an imaginary threat: the supposed secret spraying of chemicals from aircraft to control the weather. This legislative crusade stems from the notorious "chemtrails" conspiracy theory, which has long claimed that governments or shadowy elites are manipulating the environment through aerial chemical spraying.
Utah recently became a battleground for this conspiracy-driven legislation. Sen. Ronald Winterton, R-Roosevelt, sponsored SB216, a bill that would have banned "weather geoengineering" through aerial chemical spraying. The proposal went as far as establishing a public reporting system for suspected chemical spraying incidents, with "credible" cases to be investigated by the Attorney General's office. Despite clearing the Senate, the bill ultimately stalled in the House.
NBC News reports that Republican lawmakers in nearly 20 states have sponsored similar bills.
At its core, the legislative push seeks to outlaw human-made alterations to the climate — notable, given how the party has fought to stop efforts to combat climate change tied to fossil fuel consumption and as the Trump administration has cut funding for climate change research and removed the website that hosted the government’s climate assessments.
“One political party in this country seems especially concerned about the idea of theoretical changes in the weather,” Matthew Cappucci, a meteorologist for The Washington Post and other outlets, told NBC News. “Whereas that same political party will largely turn a blind eye to actual weather modification that is happening in slow motion, i.e., human-induced climate change.”
Tennessee and Florida have already signed such bills into law. The movement has even reached Congress, where Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Tim Burchett are leading the charge to outlaw geoengineering at the federal level – all while actual climate change legislation continues to languish.
Thursday morning's headlines
Utah and the West
The chatter about Sen. Mike Lee possibly being nominated for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court has begun anew. [Utah Political Watch]
Lt. Governor's Office receives Dept. of Justice request for Utah voter information. [KUTV]
Rep. Blake Moore addresses Epstein files, immigration and Trump's tax bill during Utah visit. [Deseret News]
Federal judge issues first ruling in "bellwether" trial over Utah's claims to thousands of roads on federal land. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Video shows people in waist chains, handcuffs departing Salt Lake City on possible ICE plane. [Fox 13]
Utah AG issues consumer advisory for 23andMe customers. [Utah News Dispatch]
Trump's tariff on Mexican tomatoes could affect Utah buyers, growers. [KUTV]
25 passengers injured in turbulence on Salt Lake City flight to Amsterdam, airline says. [KSL]
Nation
Polling shows most Americans support a third political party, but not if it's Elon Musk's America Party. [Fox News]
President Donald Trump exploded at former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev when he compared Trump to "Sleepy Joe" Biden. [Daily Beast]
Texas Republicans are considering new congressional maps that would add five Republican seats, which would help the GOP hang on to their slim majority in Congress. [Washington Post]
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he will move ahead with plans to redraw his state's congressional maps if Texas Republicans pass their own redistricting proposal. [Texas Tribune]
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the Trump administration is considering conducting a new census, contending the last one was "flawed." [Politico]
The family of Virginia Giuffre, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse, urged President Trump not to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell. [NBC News]
World
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. and China have "the makings of a deal" on trade. [CNBC]
Germany signaled its government is open to recognizing Palestinian statehood. [Bloomberg]
Economy
Treasury Secretary Bessent said the newborn savings accounts created as a part of President Trump's massive tax cuts and spending legislation are a "back door for privatizing Social Security." [Washington Post]
Technology
Australia is banning YouTube for children under 16 years of age to protect them from its "predatory algorithm." [LiveMint]