Utah and National Updates

Elections, Politics, & Government

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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
1 month 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.
2 months ago
...
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.
2 months ago
House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., arrives at the White House ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 on the S...
Kevin Freking, Associated Press

House Republicans are looking to get their agenda on track after a chaotic week

House Speaker Mike Johnson wants this week to ease the divisions in his Republican ranks and make progress on key legislative priorities before this fall's elections.
2 months ago
Stickers for Utah County voters sit on a table as part of Utah's primary election at the Lehi Civic...
Cassidy Wixom, KSL

Here’s who is moving forward after the Utah County Republican primary

Utah County is poised to see change this November after the incumbent clerk appears to have lost the primary race and two commissioner seats are open for newcomers.
2 months ago
CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman at the G7 summit, Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (J...
Matt O'Brien, AP Technology Writer

OpenAI limits its latest ChatGPT product to Trump-approved customers during cybersecurity review

OpenAI is restricting the release of its new AI model, GPT-5.6 Sol, at the request of President Donald Trump's administration.
2 months ago
This photo provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration shows pills containing fentanyl whi...
Jim Mustian, Associated Press

DEA asks watchdog to investigate claims that agents permitted fentanyl to hit the streets

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration asked the U.S. Justice Department’s internal watchdog to investigate claims that DEA agents permitted hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to enter New Mexico.
2 months ago
A voter casts a ballot during New York's primary election on Tuesday in New York. (Ryan Murphy, Ass...
The Associated Press

Federal judge bars Trump from implementing proof of citizenship requirement to vote

A federal judge has permanently barred President Donald Trump's administration from implementing most of his first executive order on elections, part of which sought to require people to show documentary proof of citizenship when they register to vote.
2 months ago