Utah and National Updates

Elections, Politics, & Government

Nicki Minaj speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Phoenix....
Adriana Gomez Licon, Associated Press

Nicki Minaj surprises conservatives with praise for Trump, Vance at Arizona event

Minaj was interviewed by Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who has taken over as leader of Turning Point.
7 months ago
Russian Presidential foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, left, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-i...
Associated Press

Russia says talks on US peace plan for Ukraine ‘are proceeding constructively’

A Kremlin envoy says peace talks on a U.S.-proposed plan to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine were pressing on "constructively” in Florida.
7 months ago
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis speaks to the National Governors Association at the Broadmoor Hotel in Co...
Associated Press

Colorado governor accuses Trump of playing ‘political games’ after disaster request denials

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis accused President Donald Trump of playing “political games” Sunday after the Trump administration denied disaster declaration requests following wildfires and flooding in the state earlier this year.
7 months ago
A celebration for the 152nd anniversary of the completion of the nation’s first transcontinental ...
Kevin Lind, Deseret News

Mike Lee pulls amendment that caused stir over national parks management

Sen. Mike Lee on Thursday pulled an amendment over national parks management that caused a stir.
7 months ago
Former United States Sen. Mitt Romney at the Thomas S. Monson Center in Salt Lake City on March 27....
Bridger Beal-Cvetko and Daniel Woodruff

Mitt Mamdani? Romney says it’s time to tax the rich

Former Utah Sen. Mitt Romney argued in a recent op-ed in the New York Times that it's time to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans.
7 months ago
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, at Utah Valley University in Orem on Feb. 20, 2024....
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL

Mike Lee wants American privateers to seize drug cartel property on the high seas

Private citizens could be granted authority to seize property from drug cartels under a constitutional provision not used in more than 200 years, thanks to a new bill introduced Thursday by Utah Sen. Mike Lee.
7 months ago
A sign at a Target in Layton says the store accepts SNAP payments....
Kennedy Camarena

The ‘chaos and uncertainty’ of SNAP going into the new year

Utahns Against Hunger addresses how changes to SNAP can reverberate across households and communities, and how others can help.
7 months ago
FILE - In this July 21, 2020 file photo, a man opens social media app 'TikTok' on his cell phone, i...
Associated Press

TikTok signs deal to sell US unit to American investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake

The U.S. version of TikTok has been sold to American Investors, including Oracle and Silver Lake.
7 months ago
FILE - Pages from the U.S. Affordable Care Act health insurance website healthcare.gov are seen on ...
Kevin Freking, Associated Press

4 Republicans defy Speaker Johnson to force House vote on extending ACA subsidies

The move came the same day that House Republican leaders pushed to passage a health care bill that does not address the soaring monthly premiums that millions of people will soon endure.
7 months ago
President Donald Trump speaks during a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House, Tues...
Rebecca Santana, Associated Press

Trump expands travel ban and restrictions to include an additional 20 countries

The administration cites national security concerns, including the arrest of an Afghan national suspect, as reasons for the travel ban expansion.
7 months ago
State Auditor Tina M. Cannon speaks in the Senate building at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Mond...
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL

Capitol board votes to move auditor’s office amid dispute over space in Utah Capitol

Auditor Tina Cannon argues the move threatens her office's independence and transparency of state government.
7 months ago
Former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich died Thursday night, according to the social media po...
Logan Stefanich, KSL

‘Devoted public servant:’ Former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich dies at 72

Former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich died Thursday at the age of 72, according to the social media posts of several Utah politicians.
7 months ago
Utah lawmakers are asking a state judge to certify her November ruling on the state's new congressi...
Bridger Beal-Cvetko and Daniel Woodruff

Utah Legislature asks judge to move quickly so they can appeal new congressional map

Utah lawmakers are asking a state judge to certify her November ruling on the state's new congressional map by next week so they can appeal the decision, according to court documents filed Thursday.
7 months ago
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), speaks during a news conference following a vote on ...
Cami Mondeaux, Deseret News

What’s next for expiring subsidies as dueling health care bills fail in Senate?

The failed health care votes leave the chamber without a plan to address the expiring subsidies.
7 months ago
The League of Women Voters holds a rally in the rotunda of the Capitol prior to a special session o...
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL

Who should draw the congressional maps? Here’s what voters and Constitution say

Most respondents in a recent poll prefer that lawmakers work with a commission to draw congressional boundaries.
7 months ago
The Alpine School District has apologized "for any hurt feelings" related to a video shown to the s...
Simone Seikaly

Alpine School District apologizes for “hurt feelings” after claim by Freedom From Religion group

The Freedom From Religion Foundation said the school showed a video with "overtly religious messaging" during class on Nov. 17.
7 months ago
President Donald Trump announced a $12 billion aid package aimed at helping the nation’s struggli...
Debbie Worthen, KSL TV

Utah farmers may miss out on federal aid amid economic struggles

Most of the $12 billion aid package proposed by President Trump will go to farmers that produce crops like corn and grain. Most Utah farmers don't fall into those categories.
7 months ago
House Majority Leader Casey Snider, R-Paradise, talks to House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, as t...
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL

Utah Legislature passes resolution condemning judges, repeals anti-bargaining law

In a special session of the Utah Legislature, lawmakers condemned the courts over a recent ruling on redistricting.
7 months ago
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth smiles as he walks to a secure room in the basement of the Capitol t...
Stephen Groves and Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press

Hegseth tells congressional leaders he is weighing release of boat strike video

Hegseth provided a classified briefing Tuesday to congressional leaders alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top national security officials.
7 months ago
FILE - A Block Island Wind Farm turbine operates, Dec. 7, 2023, off the coast of Block Island, R.I....
Matthew Daly and Jennifer McDermott, Associated Press

Federal judge throws out Trump order blocking development of wind energy

Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order blocking wind energy projects and declared it unlawful.
8 months ago
The Utah State Capitol is pictured in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025....
Heather Peterson

Legislature plans to repeal recent collective bargaining ban, but more reforms could be on the way

Utah's legislature plans to repeal a recent law that bans state employees from collective bargaining during Tuesday's special session. However, that does not mean the legislature is done trying to reform the state's union policies.
8 months ago
(Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)...
Brigham Tomco, Deseret News

Poll finds Utahns don’t want judges deciding congressional maps. Here’s what else they say

A new poll published on Thursday found an overwhelming number of Utah voters don’t want a judge to decide their congressional districts. But a majority also don’t want the Legislature to do it without an advisory body.
8 months ago
A student walks toward the “W” on the mountainside near the campus of Weber State University in...
Tim Vandenack, KSL

New censorship flap at Weber State prompts author to pull out of speaking appearance

For at least the second time since October, Weber State University officials placed restrictions on what they would allow a guest speaker to say while speaking on campus in light of guidelines and restrictions stemming from HB261.
8 months ago
With flowers in the foreground, construction on the front of the U.S. Supreme Court continues Monda...
Mark Sherman, Associated Press

Supreme Court allows Texas to use a congressional map favorable to Republicans in 2026

The Supreme Court is allowing the challenged Texas congressional redistricting plan to be used in next year’s election, despite a lower-court ruling that the map likely discriminates on the basis of race.
8 months ago