Utah and National Updates

Elections, Politics, & Government

A Utah-based think tank is proposing replacing several federal social welfare programs, like food s...
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL

Could one account replace food stamps, housing, child care benefits? This Utah group thinks so

A Utah-based think tank proposes replacing several federal social welfare programs, like food stamps, with a single benefit, and suggests Utah could pilot the program.
1 day ago
President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Wash...
Michelle L. Price, Eric Tucker and Collin Binkley, Associated Press

Trump doubles down on US election attacks in his primetime speech

President Trump elevated his yearslong push to raise doubts about the legitimacy of U.S. elections and dispute his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden during a primetime address to the nation on Thursday.
1 day ago
Top Utah officials asked the U.S. Department of Justice not to interfere with state elections after...
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL

Utah asks DOJ not to interfere with state elections after it threatened Lt. Gov. Henderson

Top Utah officials asked the DOJ not to interfere with state elections after the agency threatened Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson with prosecution over election administration last week.
2 days ago
A map shows the change in federally protected National Monument land in southern Utah, reducing Gra...
Brenna Donnelly, KSL

New maps show landmarks removed from Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments

Newly released state maps show which of southern Utah's most recognizable landscapes would lose national monument protections under President Trump's latest executive order.
2 days ago
A rendering of a proposed new building for Main Street where London Belle Supper Club and Los Tapat...
Carter Williams, KSL

Salt Lake City OKs $2M loan to help business owner drastically rebuild after Main Street fire

The owner of a Main Street building destroyed by fire last summer is receiving a big financial boost from Salt Lake City as it looks to drastically rebuild the property.
3 days ago
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill ...
Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press

Blanche confronts skeptical questioning of fund, tax deal for Trump at Senate confirmation hearing

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confronted skeptical questioning at a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday.
3 days ago
Cars, trucks and SUVs are getting bigger, and Utah law has changed because of it. (Matt Gephardt, K...
Matt Gephardt, KSL

Utah raises weight cutoff that can drive up vehicle registration fees

Cars, trucks and SUVs are getting bigger, and Utah law has changed because of it.
3 days ago
A student studies at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on March 13, 2024. A new Utah Women a...
Kennedy Camarena, KSL

Policy expert, report, question effect of diversity, equity and inclusion law on women in leadership

One Utah policy expert called Utah's anti-diversity, equity and inclusion law "a big setback" for women in K-12 education leadership, two years after the law's inception.
4 days ago
A memorial grows at the site where Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by ICE agents, last week...
Patrick Whittle, Jack Brook, Rebecca Santana and Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press

Trump administration orders ICE to suspend most vehicle stops after two deadly shootings

Trump administration officials told ICE officers to suspend most vehicle stops after two deadly shootings within a week.
4 days ago
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office with members of the Utah congressional delega...
Matthew Brown and Hannah Schoenbaum, Associated Press

What to know about Trump’s move to shrink the size of 2 national monuments in Utah

President Trump announced Monday that he will scale back the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah.
5 days ago
FILE - The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah is seen on July 9, 2017. (Spenser He...
Carter Williams, KSL

Trump shrinks sizes of Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments — again

President Trump has signed an executive order once again reducing the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.
5 days ago
FILE: Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) (L) talks with Chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) during a Senate Judic...
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL

Mike Lee urges Congress to pass the SAVE America Act after Lindsey Graham’s death

Sen. Mike Lee repeated calls for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, saying it would be "one of the best ways" to honor Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died Saturday.
5 days ago
FILE - Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks at an event, Aug. 2, 2025, in Fancy Farm, Ky. Sen. Mitch...
Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press

McConnell says a fall led to hospitalization, breaking silence about health

In a statement Sunday, Sen. Mitch McConnell, 84, said a fall landed him in the hospital four weeks ago. This comes after weeks of mounting speculation about the Kentucky Republican's health.
5 days ago
FILE - Darline Graham Nordone, sister of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., walks to the stage before his...
Meg Kinnard and Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press

Darline Graham Nordone, sister of Lindsey Graham, chosen to fulfill remainder of his US Senate term

Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, has been named as her late brother's temporary replacement in the U.S. Senate after his unexpected death over the weekend.
5 days ago
FILE - Darline Graham Nordone, sister of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., walks to the stage before his...
Meg Kinnard and Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press

Darline Graham Nordone, sister of Lindsey Graham, picked to fulfill remainder of his US Senate term

Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, has been named as her late brother's temporary replacement in the U.S. Senate.
5 days ago
FILE: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., gestures as he speaks to the media in Kyiv, Ukraine, March ...
SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, dies after a brief and unexpected illness, his office says

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who traveled the globe to advocate for a more aggressive U.S. foreign policy, has died after a “brief and sudden illness,” his office said. He was 71.
6 days ago
Several politicians voluntarily dismissed their federal lawsuit that sought to prevent Utah's new c...
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL

Burgess Owens, Celeste Maloy dismiss their lawsuit over Utah’s new congressional map

Several politicians voluntarily dismissed their federal lawsuit that sought to prevent Utah's new congressional map from taking effect for this year's midterm elections.
8 days ago
A group of people stands in shallow water as a cargo ship appears anchored in the Strait of Hormuz ...
Jon Gambrell and Seung Min Kim, Associated Press

US carries out another round of strikes on Iran after Trump says ceasefire is over

President Donald Trump warned Iran that the U.S. was preparing for another night of strikes, just hours after he said the ceasefire was over following Iranian attacks on American military sites in the Gulf.
10 days ago
Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson listens at a press conference at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Oc...
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL

DOJ threatens Utah’s lieutenant governor over election administration

Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said she received a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice Tuesday threatening her with criminal prosecution over her administration of state elections.
11 days ago
FILE - Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives for a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Ma...
Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press

McConnell speaks to Republican leaders, aides say, as speculation swirls about his health, hospitalization

The Senate's top two Republicans said they have spoken to Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell as McConnell remains hospitalized three weeks after he was admitted for undisclosed health issues.
11 days ago
Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, left, join hands at ...
Kimberlee Kruesi and Patrick Whittle, Associated Press

Platner should drop out of Maine’s US Senate race after sexual assault allegation, Sanders says

Sen. Bernie Sanders has pulled his support for Maine Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner as party leaders scramble to determine the next steps.
11 days ago
In this image provided by Mark Sherman, members of the Patriot Front march through Washington on In...
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL

Mike Lee blames ‘leftists,’ ‘Democrats’ for white nationalist march on Fourth of July

Without citing evidence, Sen. Mike Lee, R-UT, blamed "leftists," "Democrats" and others after a white nationalist group marched and rallied in the nation's capital on Saturday.
12 days ago
President Donald Trump has announced that Republicans will hold their first-ever national conventio...
Meg Kinnard, Associated Press

Trump announces midterm convention for Republicans in Dallas in September

President Donald Trump has announced that Republicans will hold their first-ever national convention ahead of the midterm elections in Dallas on Sept. 9 and 10.
18 days ago
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Cami Mondeaux, Deseret News

Most Utahns disapprove of how Trump is handling Iran war: Poll

A plurality of Utah voters disapprove of the military actions taking place in Iran and are critical of the way President Donald Trump is handling the war, according to a new poll.
19 days ago