in utah we never give up. it's our turn to write the next chapter of history and prove that our greatest days are still ahead. i come to you from the smallest of small towns and the most humble circumstances in taking a sacred oath today. my family and i pledge our hearts and our hands to you these next four years. we will succeed together as one. let's go. [applause] thank you, governor and congratulations. thank you for your attendance at this historic event and through your support for a beautiful state and its people. following the closing number, the benediction will be offered by ronald of the court of apostles of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. this evening, please join us around the state for the 125th anniversary of statehood, television special to be aired at 6:30 p.m. on local television stations. it's not just a favorite melody, it's also a fitting tribute to a man who turned his life and service to the community and the stage and country. they lifted him up and walked alongside hi

. >> utah governor announced turning mandate, teachers and school staff in utah would be eligible to get the coronavirus vaccine. he also talks about the state's response to the virus overall. >> rise. ladies and gentlemen, the master of ceremonies for today's new event. major general. [applause] >> please welcome lieutenant governor. [applause] [applause] >> governor elect cox, governor elect to henderson, governor herbert, elected officials, residents of utah, on behalf of the inauguration committee and the utah national guard it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2021 state of utah inauguration ceremony. i am major general michael turley, adjunct general for utah and privilege to serve as your master of ceremonies. today the honorable spencer j cox will take the oath of office and become the 18th governor of the great state of utah. in addition deidre henderson will be sworn in as lieutenant governor and the other constitutional officers will re- swear their oath's as they continue in their positions of public service. [applause] to begin today ceremony the colors will be posted

in utah, we never give up. it's our turn to write the next chapter of utah's history and prove that yes indeed, our greatest days still lie ahead. i come to you from the smallest of small towns and humblest of circumstances. taking a sacred oath today, my family and i pledge our hearts and hands to you these next four years. we will succeed. together as one utah. let's go. [applause] [cheering] [cheering and applauding] [cheering and applauding] >> thank you, governor. congratulations. ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attendance at this historic event for your support and his people. the benediction will be on the quorum of the 12 apostles, church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. please join you tons about the state for the 125th anniversary, television special to be aired 6:30ir p.m. on local television stations followed by simultaneous fireworks shows in all 29 utah families beginning 8:30 p.m. his final song is a special request from our newly sworn in governor. not just a farm boy from fairview

that is in southwest utah. then in southeastern utah, you have the monument which is now 1.36 million acres. that is a vast sprawling monument. a little bit bigger than what president obama first created in 2016 because president trump did actually add about 11,000 acres. just a little bit to that when he made the boundary changes. >> boundary changes of national monuments. is this something that happens a lot? >> no. this is super unusual. national monuments get created under the 1906 law called the antiquities act. it lets presidents set aside land that have historic cultural or scientific interest. and that could be, you know, obviously a range of things that are there. stwhat they are protecting and y it is on existing public lands. over the years, monuments have been tweaked by congress and fairly rarely coming into abolish monument. it just a of times. up until president trump nobody had used the antiquities act to cut in line the way that he did. idand, so, that in itself has raised questions. if you law

here in utah, build things to last. when we learnar a better way too the job, we start back over and build again. tonight, we find ourselves in a similar period of building and rebuilding.er we meet in an extraordinary place, extraordinary times. so much has changed because of this pandemic. even the nature of this speech has changed to keep people safe. everyone of you has been tested for a virus, we knew little to nothingha about one year ago. you're all wearing masks, galleries are empty, spouses and guests and staff are watching from home. i've also significantly shortened this speech from its usual length, making it we believe that the shortest state of the state speech in utah history, something most of you will see as a silver lining of this pandemic and worthy of standing ovation in better times. in the name of brevity, i removed the carefully orchestrated lines which probably wouldn't work anyway without some strategically placed stafford to remind you when to cap. [laughter] but of course, these modifications

>> narrator: in utah, a record number of police shootings. >> he's got myun! >> let go! let go! >> shots fired, shots fired. >> it's not just a problem in salt lake city. it's a problem throughout o whole state. >> narrator: "frontline" and "the salt lake tribune" investigate training. >> do not hesitate. >> gun gun! >> nrator: accountability. >> you want your officers to be the frontline defense for mental illness going untreated in the community? well, then there's going to be some bad outcomes. >> the bar of lawful conduct, in which you can use a lethal force is very low for law enforcement, but it is very high for prosecution for the purposes of accountability. >> narrator: and racial disparities. >> no justice, no peace! >> utah is 1.5% black, but in the last 10 years, our database shows black people made up 7% of poice shootings. >> narrator: now, as part of "frontline's" local journalism initiative... >> ...shots fired. suspect down! >> narrator: "shots fired." >> frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the

in utah, we never give up. it's our turn to write the next chapter of utah's history. and prove that yes, indeed our greatest daysstill lie ahead . i come to you from the smallest small town. and the list of circumstances. in taking a sacred oath today , my family and i pledge our hearts and our hands you these next four years. we will succeed. together as one utah. let's go. [applause] >> thank you governor cox and congratulations. ladies and gentlemen thank you for your attendance at this historic event and for your support for ourbeautiful state and its people . following the closing number of benediction will be offered by ronald a rathbun of the core of the 12 apostles of thechurch of jesus christ of latter day saints . please join utahans around the state for the 120 anniversary of statehood television special to the aironet 6:30 p.m. on local television stations followed by simultaneous fireworks shows in all 29 ofutah's counties beginning at 7:30 p.m. . this final song is last from our newly sworn in governor. not just a favorite memory of the boy from fairview

here in utah, we built things to last. and when we learn a better way to do the job, we start back over and we build it again. tonight, we find ourselves in a similar period of building and rebuilding. we meet in an extraordinary place in extraordinary times. so much has changed because of this pandemic. even the nature of this speech has changed to keep people safe. everyone of you has been tested for a virus that we knew little to nothing about one year ago. you are all wearing masks. the galleries are empty. your spouses and guests and staff are all watching from home. i have also significantly shortened the speech from its usual length making it, we believe, and ron fox confirmed today that it is the shortest state of the state address in utah history. something that most of you will see as a silver lining of this pandemic. [laughter] and in the name of brevity, i have even removed the carefully orchestrated applause lines that probably would not work anyway without some strategically placed staffers like mike to remin

utah cares a lot about conservation. and we've got some amazing national parks so is making sure we can look at everything, balance it and i want to bring some tools of efficiency to this. often times, with so many different organizations involved at the state and federal level, making sure those groups can work together in an efficient manner. that's something i appreciated for my previous career and i want to use that management consulting experience to push this along. host: for those of us on the east coast, explained the extent of public land in the state of utah, not just the national parks, but also the bureau of land management land as well. guest: i had it explained to me why it's difficult for some people to understand. 65% of utah is under federal jurisdiction. if you take a square mile and say new jersey or some other state that doesn't have that type of factor, you can build a subdivision, you can build homes, you can actually go and get quite a bit of tax revenue off of that land you are able to use. in uta

we want utah businesses negatively applied -- impacted to apply and make sure utah businesses are getting their fair share. on the first round, we had an outsized participation by utah businesses. we hope we can do that again to help these businesses bridge. for the latest information, please go to coronavirus. -- coronavirus. utah.gov/ business. >> gov. cox: thank you for that information. we are constantly working on the economic side of the pandemic as well. we are grateful for your leadership and encourage small businesses in the state to take it manage of those resources that are available. with that, we can take some questions now. dr. dunn is here. the lieutenant governor is here as well. or dan can take questions. if there aren't any questions -- i would be shocked. quacks yesterday people 70 and older could make appointments. we saw overloaded phone lines. some counties have no information on their websites at all. do you feel like you have not given sufficient support. what resources is the state making available? quacks it was the local health districts that were excited about

that's in southwest utah. in southeastern utah, you've got the bears ears monuments, which is 1.3 6 million acres. that's a vast, sprawling monument. it's bigger than what president obama first created in 2016, because president trump did add 11,000 acres, so a little bit of that when he made the boundary changes. host: boundary changes of national monuments. does this happen a lot? guest: no, this is super unusual, and i am glad you asked an interesting question. national monuments are created under this 1906 law called the antiquities act. presidents can set aside land that has historical, cultural, or scientific interest. this occurs on existing public lands. over the years, monuments have been tweaked. congress has rarely come in to abolish monuments, just a handful of times. but up until president trump, no one had used the antiquities act to cut a monument the way that he did. that in itself has raised questions. there are a few lawsuits pending over his actions, but the proclamations president biden sig

of the start of the new congress and were joined by freshman congressman blakemore a republican from utah first district, as of today you bidding congress one month officially has that first month gone anything like you thought it would? >> it's been a journal entry month all admit to that. it is not gone as predicted, the kind of the second half of the month i look on the bright side we have been able to get down, focus on committee assignments and all the stuff i was excited about coming into congress to work on. his stop and how i predicted but we will take things as they come. >> the first couple of days very unpredictable where were you on january 6. >> i was in the house chamber on the floor and as the debate started a few of my colleagues and i that we've been asked it's been spread out a little bit and i wasn't going to be part of the debate and i was in the balcony and walking back and forth with thee windows and looking at the protest was going on, you can get a sense that things are starting to get a little more active so i was back and forth looking at that and i was in the ho

not utah. we'll talk about that ahead help. >> house speaker nancy pelosi is calling for a 9/11-style commission to investigate the january 6th attack on the capitol. we're going to speak to two architects of the original 9/11 commission. >>> and millions of people are now without power in texas as temperatures in that state plunge to dangerous levels. what went wrong? >> it's like a walk-in freezer. it's like 34 to 36 degrees, i would say. you know, me and my family have been getting inside our cars trying to warm up and all that stuff. >> goodness. we'll have a live update from there, next. just over a year ago, i was drowning in credit card debt. sofi helped me pay off twenty-three thousand dollars of credit card debt. they helped me consolidate all of that into one low monthly payment. they make you feel like it's an honor for them to help you out. i went from sleepless nights to getting my money right. so thank you. ♪ research shows that people remember commercials with exciting stunts.

do you guys have the best snow there in park city, utah? >> guilty as charged. it is hands down the best snow and something that has always kept me here. and, you know, i'm a colorado girl at heart, but i'm still in utah and probably will be till i die. >> that is a big endorsement, especially coming from colorado and someone who has literally skied and competed, you know, all around the world and been part of that. okay, so, tell me about park city specifically. what can i look forward to if i come and visit the resort? >> park city is, you know, just a standout resort in that it has, i think, something for everyone, where you can come in and shred some corduroy on these

utah feeds the colorado river. and less water in the state means trouble downstream, impacting nearly 40 million people in seven states. jonathan vigliotti, antelope island, in utah's great salt lake. spray, lift, skip, step. swipe, lift, spin, dry. slam, pan, still...fresh move, move, move, move aaaaand still fresh. degree. ultimate freshness activated when you move. feelining stresseded in your s? not with n new olay reretinol y wash..ultimate freshness which imimproves skikin 3x bet. from dry a and stressesed, to bt and smsmooth. so, i cacan feel my y best iny skin.. olayay body. fearlessss in my skikin. do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy, even a term policy, for an immediate cash payment. we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. but we quickly realized that we needed a way to supplement our income. if you have one hundred thousand dollars or more of life insurance you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel or let your policy lapse without f

which paid off with scholarship money from the university of utah. her dad, matt. >> one of the attractions of university of utah was that it appeared to be very safe. >> and they actually sell that. you know? salt lake city is one of the safest cities. this is a safe place. >> as part of the pitch? >> yes. >> as she headed off to college, lauren was a appearance dream. a dedicated athlete, studious, not a part here, not a drinker. not active on the dating scene. what were you worried about? anything? >> the only thing i worried about was -- so, i wanted to resort to really safe car. so, that was my only real worry. >> lauren alex on day one of her freshman year. >> so, we were roommates our freshman year. and august, 2015. and we became instant friends. >> alex and lauren hung out together, attended church together, and for the next three years, lauren continue to focus on her studies. her truck events, and her friends. as for boyfriends? not so much. was lauren somebody had a lot of boyfriends? >> i would say no. but i would say she did hang out wi

for more we turn to jennifer con, ah, today we're talking about utah. the state we're playing the game twister is considered an act of sodomy. utah, unsurprisingly, has one of the least generous welfare systems in the country, but in a very strange blurring of lines, between church and state. utah seems to be depending on the mormon church to do its job, providing welfare. according to a new story by pro public, a utah safety net for the poor is so intertwined with the l. d. 's church that individual bishops often decide who receives assistance. so poor people in utah are effectively being forced to convert to mormonism. just to get basic necessities. you'll what the hell mormons, this is how you're getting people to join your faith. well, you never heard of a crusade. just do a crusade. it because this is weird. the article includes the story of one woman, daniel bellamy, who is sick in need of assistance and was rejected from the states draconian welfare system. she describes church members entering her home to have her read out loud from the book of

it generally is not directed at a red, red state like utah. like, this is a state that donald trump won. so were you able to sort of get to the bottom of what is it they want to prove? donald trump won the state. what are they trying to prove, that he didn't win the state or won it more? >> that joe biden did not get as many votes in the state as he did on election night. they're looking to -- they're looking for votes that were cast by people who don't exist or don't live at someplace or don't live at an address or haven't lived there for awhile. they're specifically asking did you get extra ballots because we're a universal vote by mail state and asking if they got extra ballots and what they did with the ballots. my whole point is to get affidavits. that's why they're recording you without your knowledge so if you don't do an affidavit, they can recreate one without a recording. they're trying to find out what happened at the extra ballots and as i listened to this reporting of the training session, the person running it absolutely claimed

utah's governor now asking people to pray for rain. what do you say to critics, even those who are faithful, who say utah needs more than prayer, they need long-standing water management policy in place? >> i say they are right. >> reporter: utah is the second driest state in the country, but has some of the highest public water consumption per capita. the governor has imposed water restrictions, but some say it comes too late. >> every drop we save now is a drop we will have later. >> here, you feel just a little bit helpless. >> reporter: sixth-generation farmer ron gibson has 70% less water this year. he won't plant hundreds of acres of crops. your family has been doing this for 152 years. that's many generations. do you worry that this is the last generation of farming in your family? >> you know, i can't sleep at night, most nights, because that's exactly the concern. >> reporter: about 95% of utah's water comes from snow pack, and this year, there was little of it. >> we would be standing under water had it been a normal water ye

the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. merkley: madam president, the united states lost 13 -- 13 service members in afghanistan on august 26, 2021. mr. lee: the heroic service and the ultimate sacrifice of these men and women will never be forgotten. they are marine lance corporal david l.espinosa from texas, marine sergeant nicole l.gee from california, marine staff sergeant darint. hoover from utah, army staff sergeant ryan c.knauss from tennessee, ryleej. mccollum from wyoming, dylan r.merola from california, marine r.merola from california, marine from california. marine sergeant from massachusetts. marine corporal sanchez from indiana. remains corporal from missouri. maybe hospital korman from ohio.hm marine corporal from nebraska. over the s next hour, not an president senators representing many of these fallen servicemembers and the state from which they hail will honor their service and their memory. utah staff sergeant darrin taylor hoover was only 11 years old when september 11, 20. from that moment on, he knew h

and good morning from utah. the beehive state is the next stop on our cross-country tour from the majestic mountains to the greatest snow on earth and the other worldly arches, how the state is racing back as we say -- >> good morning, america. ♪ >>> good morning, america. that was pretty amazing. want to thank you for joining us this thursday as we "rise & shine" and you can see in beautiful utah. >> very glad you guys didn't have me climb mountains in south dakota two days ago. look at that sunrise. always gorgeous, nothing quite beats a sunrise in utah. the state is so famous for its breathtaking parks and hidden gems you'll want to hear about. that's coming up. >>> we'll begin with the coronavirus pandemic. it's gaining new strength. driven mostly by the delta variant. health officials plead with those still unvaccinated to get the shot. abc's whit johnson has the latest. good morning, whit. >> reporter: george, good morning. during a town hall overnight president biden suggested that the cdc could soon up

dan: i think it was a good defensive effort so far by utah state, it's just, utah, excuse me, san diego state has been able to grind it out on the offensive end. kevin: pulliam pulls up and floats one through. 64-55, san diego state has led most of the way by as many as 11, third consecutive year these two teams, the top two seeds in the mountain west, they met in the championship game with the winner going on to the ncaa tournament. the virginia transfer anthony inside, a lot of congestion. the ball was on the rim. it was touched and there was no call and it looks like mensah now favoring that left knee and pulliam taking his time getting across midcourt surrounded, way.lerates and gets out of dan: pulliam is really steady with the basketball. kevin: he really is, a steady player, a senior, played some junior college basketball in texas at navarro college, heady player. shot clock at three. miller is on him. pulliam will advance and spin. they lost track of the shot clock and the violation there. dan: kevin, that's not the worst thing in the world to happen. they're up nine points, ran

i send a question from| from utah. i send a question from the desk. from utah. i send a question from the desk- -- _ from utah. i send a question from the desk. -- for _ from utah. i send a question from the desk. -- for the _ from utah. i send a question from the desk. -- for the desk. - the senators from utah sends a question on behalf of himself, sunder portman, sunder blackburn, and the question is for the council for the former president, clerk will read. —— senator portman, senator lee, senator blackburn... read. -- senator portman, senator lee, senator blackburn. . .- lee, senator blackburn... multiple state constitutions _ lee, senator blackburn... multiple state constitutions enacted - lee, senator blackburn... multiple state constitutions enacted prior i lee, senator blackburn... multiplej state constitutions enacted prior to 1787. _ state constitutions enacted prior to 1787. namely— state constitutions enacted prior to 1787, namely the _ state constitutions enacted prior to 1787, namely the constitutions - state constitutions enacted prior to 17

here in utah unemployment at 2.9%. lowest in the nation and the biggest problem we have right now in the state of utah are finding workers for the jobs that are available. and as we talk to workers, we found it actually is a disincentive. it is a terrible jobs report, not what we expected at all, but that's what happens when we pay people not to work. there are families struggling, we want to help them out but at some point have to roll that back. >> talk about president biden's $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan. you don't support that plan but you know utah has a c-plus from the society of engineers in frrk. biden a counteroffer roughly $500 billion is not enough. do you want republicans in the senate to meet biden in the middle so they can pass some funding and utah commuters and residents will get the infrastructure they need? >> well, i should also point out, jake, that c-plus is highest in the nation. so we're -- >> congratulations. >> it's not a great score, but -- thank you. we're the best in the nation when it

we have a better leading here in utah. it's called the utah way. and it means that we find common ground even while holding the principle, but we find common ground with others to solve problems and to advance our country, move our country forward. that's the kind of leadership the state needs and i'd like to offer. >> obviously you have utah being one of the reddest states, are you talking to democrats about if you were to win, how you would caucus? any strategies? any cooperation between you and the democratic party in the state of utah to unseat mike lee? >> well, unseating mike lee will require a cross partisan coalition and this is something i'm very excited about because i also think that this is the kind of leadership that we need elsewhere in the country as well. cross partisan leadership. leaders who will unite rather than divide and come together to solve problems. we launched in campaign this week. we'll be talking to republicans, democrats and independents about forming this coalition that i think is there based on what we see in the da

senator from utah. i send a ruestion president. senator from utah. i send a question to — president. senator from utah. i send a question to the _ president. senator from utah. i send a question to the desk. _ the senator from utah, mr romney, himself. _ the senator from utah, mr romney, himself, senator— the senator from utah, mr romney, himself, senator collins— the senator from utah, mr romney, himself, senator collins submitted l himself, senator collins submitted question— himself, senator collins submitted question and — himself, senator collins submitted question and the _ himself, senator collins submitted question and the clerk _ himself, senator collins submitted question and the clerk will - himself, senator collins submitted question and the clerk will read . himself, senator collins submitted question and the clerk will read it. | question and the clerk will read it. i question and the clerk will read it. i apologise — question and the clerk will read it. i apologise the _ question and the clerk will read it. i apologise. the

this is god's country, utah. how are these happening there? >> same situation happening all over the country. we did our press release to show sweeping problems with anti-police sentiments, not law enforcement officers coming into the profession that can possibly answer call to service every one of the regency's including the state of utah are having a real crisis with that. todd: how tough is recruiting for sheriffs, the challenges we are seeing literally in every state in the country? >> you have soft on crime from george soros types. and taking away the certainty and turn them into the bad guys. not seeing young people in a dangerous job, the academies are empty. you have a situation in utah where people call the police, it doesn't get answered because they are so understaffed. even in the state of utah you don't see 40% increase year over year in homicides until now and it is not a coincidence. the law enforcement agencies are understaffed because this incredibly radical agenda is implemented. todd: i haven't seen it but new york city when

in his own state of utah, mullen received over 21% of the vote. again, running as an independent in a rape red state, that had donald trump on the ticket. now evan mcmullin, is a conservative, but in the 2016 election he chose to run it openly against trump, and he's doing it again. he announced last week that he is running for the senate in utah, to challenge a trump ally, republican senator mike lee in next year's elections. but mcmillian is not craving trump's endorsement likely or others, against the kind of politics that trump is pushing. how is mcmillian going to do? it who is even supporting him? can he win? all of these are big ifs, but as a columnist jennifer reuben wrote for washington post, mcmullin has an uphill climb, but republicans want him to break free of the mega crepe. as well as independents and democrats, should cheer the arrival of a viable center-right candidate. the question is, are republicans ready for? this let's discuss this with evan mcmullin evan mcmullin, an independent candidate running for the united states senate

good for utah. parents going wild for it it's always fun to watch although they should probably behave a little better. you know better than anybody when moms are getting mad like this, you know something is seriously wrong, and that's wha i'm saying. your their angry out of love because they don't want their child being slapped with a mask five days away for ear, science has it's not necessary and if you just take utah out of all the 50 states, the pandemic barely penetrated there. the only watch 2,000 people in utah compared to 50,000 in new york. it wasn't even the leasing caus of death. at think it was 11 of all the reasons people died last year i this state of utah. the population of the city in utah, you need binoculars to se your neighbor bright it's a ver healthy states. it is not spreading in that state at all great i think the numbers show right now with newly all of the elderly in uta are vaccinated, about half of the adult population can get th shots shot, teachers can get that shot, we

utah is doing very well. we've been top 10 almost the entire time through vaccination of the number of vaccines assigned to the state that have been administered. that's the one that counts because those are assigned proportionally tthe state based on adults and those that are eligible to receive the vaccine. judy: and what are people saying in your state? you said you have had survey teams out talking to people to understand what they're thinking is. what are people saying about why they are not getting it? governor cox: just like every state, we are finding a lot of things. we tend to lump everyone into vaccine hesitancy, and that's not true. we have very different groups. we have vaccine ecstatic, the vaccine excited, the people who couldn't wait to get it. of course, we have those who just don't believe in it. but there are a whole bunch of people who are vaccine curious or busy. they have a lot going on in their lives and it tends to be the younger population. and for good reason. what we do know about t

mentioned utah as some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country like most republican led legislature in the majority of bills introduced by conservatives or in the taken care of children before birth but the but the cost of child rearing to adulthood is a major burden for moms why do the largely male lead conservative legislators that support pro-life bills stop the moment of progress. you know why does their activism in the end seem concerned you know at the end you know before the child is born. you know it's almost as if it's really not put all and i think the quote that you led with. from this bill sponsor is pretty telling he said we want to be pro-life in quotes and not just anti abortion the entire movement is actually about banning and criminalizing abortion which is ultimately a movement to control women and people who can get pregnant and so the real fundamental question is whether or not the government should be in control of the decisions that you make in regards to your body and your reproductive life or whether you should be in control of those things and so

i believe in utah and the people of utah. mike lee is under water here. he's unpopular. he's polling at about 45% job approval, and most of that is soft. only a small contingent of utahns are strongly in favor of mike lee and that kind of divisive politics that caters to extremism and doesn't solve any problems for us or the country. unfortunately that will be enough to get him through the republican primary, i think. but again, a majority of utahns would like to make a change and that includes principled republicans, of course it includes democrats and the vast majority of independents as well. and so that's why i'm running as an independent in this cycle because we've got to unite all of us who want to stand for our institutions, that protect liberty and justice for all in america. we've got to unite together, and that's true in utah, but it's also true across the country. we're inviting everyone from disaffected republicans to democrats and independents, to come and join us. >> you are running as an independent candidate, is that because you are not identifying as a r

utah can't afford this. congress is supposed to be addressing, -- problems like these, not making them worse with sneaky fees. mr. president, this comes at a time when americans are already feeling the sharp sting of snowballing inflation. this graph highlights some of the problem. it highlights what the american people have felt over the past 12 to 18 months. you will notice that curve. today, inflation is at 5.4%, which means on average, goods you buy today are 5.4 more expensive, and the savings are worth less. don't forget, the federal government's reckless spending has exasperated this trend. look at how the red has grown. what we see here, the red you see in this chart, these are deficits. look at how it has grown. the red portion of the graph is deficit spending. while we surely needed to spend some additional money during the covid pandemic, to spend this much more? to the point where we were borrowing a lot more than we were taking and. mr. president, we borrowed close to $4 trillion last year. even

this includes outreach to the tribal nations in utah. there are tribes in utah, and in outreach to native americans addressing the health disparities and their risk for cognitive impairment and dementia. the other thing i brought up earlier is one of the unintended consequences of covid is that our ability to deliver telehealth resources to rural areas has really stepped up in the last year and opened up an opportunity, and that carries with it a need perhaps, or the request in that respect is, as i know you would resonate with, to better support broadband access to rural communities so that those telehealth deliveries can be given. the other aspect -- mrs. lahmeyer spoke to this in terms of support groups, being able to deliver support groups which we are doing through our program in utah to disseminate the supports and the care needed across this state to rural areas is another aspect of research that could be further expanded. it's a very important issue, and i think as your neighbor, we can work closely with investigators at the univ

utah is the place. if you're seeking a place where community matters, ask those at operation my hometown. utah is the place. and if you're seeking a place where opportunity is abundant, read the story of o.c. tanner. utah is the place. i'm very grateful for the privilege of representing the state of utah here in the united states senate. it's my home that the successes and the enduring spirit of utah will continue to serve as an example for the nation. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, yesterday, the senate moved a historic bill one step closer to president biden's desk. the senate unanimously passed legislation to finally make juneteenth a federal holiday and to preserve the legacy of that momentous day for generations to come. for more than a century, texans have celebrated juneteenth and commemorated the anniversary of the day slaves in texas were first informed of the news that they were indeed free. president linco

they traveled to utah. paxton's campaign spokesperson told "the tribune" it was a previously planned trip to meet with utah's attorney general about a multistate lawsuit against google. >>> all right, meanwhile, during an interview on fox news last night, senator ted cruz tried to blame the media for the negative attention that he's received for flying to cancun last week as his constituents suffered in the cold. take a look. >> i think the media's suffered from trump withdrawal, where they've attacked trump every day for four years, they don't know what to do, so they obsessed over my taking my girls to the beach. >> guess he misses him. anyway, democrats' coronavirus relief bill has passed another hurdle on its pathway to help struggling americans. the house budget committee approved a $1.9 trillion bill yesterday in a 19-16 vote, and that sets the stage for a potential house floor vote as early as friday. a senate vote expected next