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The Utah Supreme Court heard three back-to-back cases on Monday asking the high court to block a transfer of the cases to the Utah Legislature’s newly created, randomly selected three-judge panel specifically meant to hear challenges to Utah laws. Attorneys in the three lawsuits — Planned Parenthood’s challenge to the…
President Donald Trump wants to sharply curtail mail ballots. He’s called them “inherently corrupt” and baselessly condemned them as a major source of fraud. But with Republicans falling behind in the polls, the president is now urging his supporters to vote in the midterm elections any way they can, including by…
Two Idaho political action committees, or PACS, on both sides of the proposed abortion rights initiative, Proposition 1, have spent $1.3 million combined, and raised nearly $7.5 million total. The ballot measure’s supporters have outpaced its opponents in both fundraising and spending so far. So far, the main PAC…
Editor’s note: This story is part of We Vote Utah, a partnership between KUER, PBS Utah and Utah News Dispatch to cover Utah’s 2026 elections. The top election official in the red state of Utah has been loud and clear — on and off social media — about her concerns with the Trump administration when it
Voters in four states will decide housing-related ballot measures in November, providing testing grounds for different strategies to boost affordable homes. The six measures across California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are the highest number in a single election year in at least two decades, according to…
Over the past year and a half, a dozen states have embraced a new vision for solar power: small, cheap panels that can be hung from a balcony or porch, be plugged into a standard wall outlet and take a dent out of residents’ utility bills. These systems, known as balcony solar or plug-in solar,
Editor’s note: This story is part of Gen Z at the Ballot Box, a collaboration between States Newsroom and The 19th. Brenna Vandergeest was a teenager when her grandmother told her about Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court case that ended the federal right to an abortion. She said it lit a…
Kalshi, Polymarket and the Coalition for Prediction Markets have spent at least $3 million this year on lobbying and campaign contributions across the federal and state levels, according to a new report from the government watchdog group OpenSecrets. Prediction market platforms say they are like commodity markets that…
Candidates vying for Utah’s 3rd Congressional District made their pitches for what will be the largest district in the state, clashing over environmental issues, nuclear energy, forest management and the boundaries of Utah’s recently reduced national monuments. Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy, going into her second…
Utah law enforcers and attorneys are reminding survivors of domestic violence that help to obtain protective orders is available, regardless of whether they want to pursue criminal charges against a perpetrator. Police, prosecutors and advocates gathered at the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday…
When Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin declared in September that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could serve warrants on individuals at polling places this fall, officials in Denver, a liberal city where roughly 14% of residents are foreign-born, quickly sued. “Every day we find new things to be…
Jobs across the United States rose by 29,000 in September, a disappointing result as recent growth was also revised down in Friday’s monthly jobs report, the last one before midterm elections. September growth was a large dip from a strong August number that was revised down from 162,000 to 133,000 in the new report…
WASHINGTON — This summer, arrests of immigrants in the United States soared to the highest levels since President Donald Trump returned to office. An unprecedented increase in cooperation between local and state law enforcement and federal immigration officers through collaborations known as 287(g) agreements helped…
Salt Lake County prosecutors urged lawmakers to toughen penalties for recruiting minors into gangs. Now they say they're putting the new law to work. .
The former site of the Utah State Prison in Draper is now a blank canvas as state leaders prepare the ground to build a massive development that’s been named The Point. Thursday, the construction of its “Convergence Point,” a centerpiece for the project, was celebrated. After receiving $50 million from the Utah…
In reaction to an audit released Wednesday that was critical of Utah’s Judicial Conduct Commission, Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz said he was “extremely disappointed” with its findings, including how the commission handled and dismissed allegations against former Justice Diana Hagen. Hagen resigned in May after the…
It used to be considered against the law in America to starve a member of an endangered species to death or harm it by destroying its home. That’s changing as the federal government chips away at the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Under the Trump administration’s new interpretations of the law, as long as the animal
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators departed Capitol Hill on Wednesday night for their campaign break, leaving numerous policy disputes unresolved. The chamber won’t return until Nov. 9 for the five-week lame-duck session, when party leaders will have to decide which bills they want to negotiate during what could be the final…
President Donald Trump is scheduled to kick off a month-long blitz of campaign stops with a Thursday rally in deep-red Oklahoma before heading to other states with strong Republican leanings. The first events in the closing stretch of the midterm election campaign suggest his strength with swing voters is limited, as…
After reports of a bird flu outbreak at a mink farm in Utah emerged, animal welfare advocates are describing the state’s response to it as “dangerously lax.” Details about the outbreak are still publicly unclear. A spokesperson for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food said that “due to the limited reach and…
Legislative auditors on Wednesday released a slate of four reports that found a lack of “accountability” across the governing structures that make up Utah’s judiciary. The audits — which come during a time of ongoing tension between the GOP-controlled Utah Legislature and the courts in the wake of rulings that have…
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans did not gain any support Wednesday from Democrats as they attempted to advance a bill that mashed together two hot-button midterm issues: requiring voter ID in federal elections and limiting stock trading for members of Congress. The Republican-led bill, titled the Stop Insider…
A federal grand jury indicted 10 noncitizens for unlawfully voting in Minnesota, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wednesday, highlighting the administration’s effort to keep election security a top issue, in line with President Donald Trump’s longstanding unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. The indictments…
Dozens of Utahns are set to have their debt cancelled after a national auto loan company agreed to settle claims that it exploited borrowers.
President Donald Trump is tapping $20 million in Homeland Security funding to pay for TV ads that heavily feature him ahead of the midterm elections, Democrats said Tuesday as the promos critics call propaganda come under bipartisan attack. The Trump administration recently moved the funds into a U.S. Customs and…
In the race for Utah’s 1st Congressional District, two candidates from opposing political parties found themselves meeting in the middle, a shift from the scenes playing out in campaigns across the country seeking a spot in a profoundly divided U.S. Congress. Ben McAdams, who won a crowded primary for the Democratic…
Kennedy said states should have more authority over health matters and the U.S. does not need a surgeon general.
Diesel fuel prices in the U.S. continue to break all-time records, hitting $6.28 a gallon as a national average on Sept. 14, 2026, and they aren’t likely to come down anytime soon. Because diesel is the fuel for freight transportation, farming and construction – and is related to a key heating fuel – the effects
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted, for now, the Trump administration’s request to continue rapid third-country deportation of immigrants to countries not their own. The decision will allow the Trump administration to carry out its aggressive deportation method of quickly removing immigrants to one…
WASHINGTON — The three news organizations that President Donald Trump barred from entering the White House grounds earlier this month have asked a federal judge to ensure their reporters continue to have access after a temporary restraining order expires in early October. Attorneys for CNN, MS Now and Politico filed…
As PacifiCorp readies to sell its Washington service area to Gem, an affiliate of Portland General Electric Company, state watchdogs and advocates are skeptical, saying the deal in its current form may not be in the public interest. The company has proposed to sell its Washington service area for approximately $1.9…
Five weeks before Election Day, President Donald Trump’s sprawling effort to identify and remove noncitizen voters hasn’t produced the kind of large purges that could meaningfully affect the midterm elections. Even a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision giving states access to a supercharged Department of Homeland…
For most of his life, Douglas Stewart Carter has been confined to a Utah prison cell. On a misty evening and at 71 years old, he emerged free of shackles or guards Monday, with his time on death row now behind him. As he strode out of the Utah County Jail, Carter smiled and pushed
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan measure to overhaul the college sports landscape got a step closer to becoming law Monday after passing the U.S. Senate. The bill — which sailed through on a 77-22 vote — would set a national framework for college athletes’ compensation, provide certain antitrust protections to the NCAA…
Trevor Lee, a Republican representative from Layton and one of the most controversial figures in the Utah Legislature, has resigned after being charged with fraud on Monday. Lee is facing four felony charges in 3rd District Court after being accused of forging employment documents to obtain a home loan, according to…
The challenges and dire threats surrounding the unchecked growth of artificial intelligence appear unlikely to move Congress or President Donald Trump to act as the U.S. Senate enters its last week before the midterms. The rapid emergence of the technology has sparked a host of policy debates, with some warning of an…
A political issues committee launched a campaign on Monday urging Utah voters to reject a proposed constitutional amendment on their Nov. 3 ballot that would set a higher bar for ballot initiatives that raise taxes. Utah lawmakers earlier this year approved a resolution to put the proposed amendment to the Utah…
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has, once again, infuriated lawmakers from both political parties by using a controversial maneuver to cancel funding previously approved by Congress. The $810 million in the “pocket rescission” would have gone to refugee assistance programs at the Department of Health and Human…
A Utah law seeking to connect victims of intimate partner violence to immediate help from confidential advocates isn't doing that most of the time, data indicates.
The U.S. Department of Education’s suspension this year of a comprehensive monitoring process puts billions of K-12 dollars at heightened risk of undetected waste, fraud and abuse, according to a new report by the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office. The congressional watchdog’s report also raised…
WASHINGTON — Government investigators Thursday released a report that found the Department of Homeland Security wasted more than $20 million in federal funding in its rapid expansion of immigration detention, including warehouse purchases strongly opposed in numerous U.S. communities. The nonpartisan Government…
WASHINGTON — A vast and growing network of artificial intelligence-driven Flock cameras could violate constitutional privacy rights, U.S. senators on a Judiciary Committee subcommittee said during a Wednesday hearing. GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, the chair of the Crime and Counterterrorism Subcommittee, said the…
Utah Valley University on Friday released a report detailing the findings of an independent, external review of the fatal shooting that killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk on its campus about a year ago. That review — commissioned by the university and conducted by a team of law enforcement and security…
WASHINGTON — An appeals panel Friday seemed inclined to agree that more than 100 Venezuelan men the Trump administration sent to a brutal prison in El Salvador are entitled to due process hearings to challenge their removal, which was made under an archaic 18th-century wartime law. Arguing on behalf of the class of…
In the small Utah town of Fairfield with a population of roughly 180 people — near the border of Eagle Mountain, where some 65,000 people live — a developer wants to build a project named “GoldMine,” which could include hundreds of acres for another data center in the Cedar Valley. The “mixed-use industrial and…
Utah Rep. Blake Moore said on Thursday that he “absolutely agrees” with Sen. John Curtis’ call to investigate Donald Trump Jr.’s lavish, private-island wedding after-party that was bankrolled by a Russian oligarch with ties to President Vladimir Putin. “Maybe one of the most tone-deaf things I’ve ever seen,” Moore…
WASHINGTON — Despite skyrocketing fuel prices and sinking approval ratings for President Donald Trump’s conflict in Iran ahead of the November midterms, Senate Republicans blocked Democrats’ efforts Thursday to check the president’s unfettered military action in the Middle East. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa…
Between the September monsoon storms, I waited for a clear stretch of weather before walking into the dry wash that runs through our farm in Naschitti, Navajo Nation, New Mexico. On my daily task to achieve 10,000 steps, I followed it toward the foothills of the Chooshgai Mountains with a question in mind: Where does
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration appeared to disappoint senators from both political parties Thursday with how she answered questions about medication abortion access during her confirmation hearing. Dr. Heidi Overton also faced skepticism from committee Chairman…
For more than 35 years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has surveyed American high school students every two years about their health and behavior. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey, established in 1991, draws a nationally representative sample of students in grades 9 through 12 at public and private…
WASHINGTON — U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly early Thursday issued an order that temporarily blocks President Donald Trump’s ban of three news organizations from the White House. Kelly, in the eight-page order, said that the White House must “immediately return, reinstate, and restore the White House ‘hard…
The celebrity investor and Fox News Network want a judge to dismiss the case for good.
The development of a planned veterans cemetery in Utah is advancing, now with funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The federal agency’s National Cemetery Administration announced it awarded $16.5 million for two Utah projects, to help establish the Northern Utah Veterans Cemetery in Washington…
WASHINGTON — U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly indicated during a Wednesday hearing he may order the Trump administration to reinstate White House press passes for reporters from three news organizations who had their credentials revoked this weekend. Kelly, of the U.S. District Court for the District of…
Tens of thousands of Americans continue to lose access to food assistance each month, even as Congress debates slowing down major cuts to federal food stamps. New data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows more than 330,000 Americans lost access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP…
A multibillion-dollar federal program that helps schools and libraries afford broadband internet is under review by the Trump administration, leaving education officials and advocates worried about potentially significant cuts. The E-Rate program provides about $3 billion annually for internet access and…
Federal officials charged a Utah letter carrier Tuesday with throwing 300 primary ballots in a church parking lot dumpster, an incident that a top U.S. Justice Department official said made the case for stricter regulations of voting. The prosecution of Damon Matai Seei, of Payson, Utah, showed “voting fraud is real,”…
The Trump administration is repealing federal rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants. It says the changes will make electricity cheaper for Americans. What consumers pay will depend partly on the cost of keeping older plants running compared with building and operating new…
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump faces a “big decision” to make a deal with Iran or “annihilate” the country, he told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. During a 37-minute speech to his international counterparts including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in New York City, Trump asked, “Will a deal…
Federal agencies have geothermal energy in sight, and are injecting funds for projects in Utah. The U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday it is granting $99 million for 21 geothermal energy development projects throughout the country. Five of them are in Utah. Five of the projects the department selected are…
A watchdog organization accuses Utah of allowing private agencies to serve Utahns with complex needs without enough oversight.
Shoulder to shoulder with leaders in the Trump administration, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Monday made Utah the first state to officially take action to join the White House’s national effort meant to reduce addiction, homelessness and serious mental illness. Kathryn Burgum, White House senior adviser for addiction and…
WASHINGTON — Diesel prices hit a record average of $6.51 a gallon Monday, and some in President Donald Trump’s own party are breaking their support for the ongoing war in Iran that has driven fuel prices to staggering levels in the United States and across the globe. Already House Republicans locked in tight races as
The Trump administration’s top wildlife official issued a directive last week that expands a recent rollback of endangered species protections much further than the feds had told the public. Individuals and industries may kill endangered animals in the course of logging projects, developments and other activities, it…
WASHINGTON — The three news organizations that President Donald Trump has barred from entering the White House filed a lawsuit against the administration on Monday. CNN, MS Now and Politico wrote in a joint statement the suit is intended “to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the…
Last month, a public Heber City Council meeting that included Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s senior housing adviser Steve Waldrip started as a wide-ranging discussion about housing, growth and water pressures — but then it took a turn. Waldrip started by telling the Heber City Council and mayor he had a message that “I wish I
Neighbors across the Colville Tribes communities in Washington state knew Matilda Bob’s log home as the “rainbow house,” for its brightly painted exterior. Now it’s gone. Sparked by a lightning strike in mid-July, the Kaiser Canyon Fire destroyed Bob’s home and 42 other houses on the Colville Reservation, along with…
Women giving birth in rural communities were more likely than peers in urban areas to receive oral opioid prescriptions for pain upon leaving the hospital after a cesarean section, according to a new analysis of data from half a million C-sections. The study was conducted by researchers at Truveta, a health data and…
In its latest effort to overhaul federal homelessness funding, the Trump administration is proposing to provide more money to localities that prioritize treatment-first policies such as sober living, more cooperation with law enforcement and more temporary and transitional housing. It’s a reversal from a decade-long…
WASHINGTON — The rare 2026 issue that draws huge support from Republicans and Democrats in Congress is the same one that’s mobilized many Americans: restrictions on giant data centers. The House has overwhelmingly passed legislation forcing state regulators to consider requirements that data centers absorb the cost of…
State lawmakers got an update on efforts to remove invasive reeds from the Great Salt Lake and what it will take to keep up the progress.
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court Friday struck down the Trump administration’s policy to quickly send noncitizens to countries they are not from, finding that immigrants must have an opportunity to challenge their removal if they fear for their safety. The decision largely upheld a Boston federal judge’s February…
Wildfire is no longer a seasonal surprise across the Mountain West. It is a recurring fiscal challenge that threatens communities, public lands, infrastructure, air quality, and state budgets. As Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Washington confront increasingly costly fire seasons, policymakers should rethink not only how…
WASHINGTON — A federal judge told the Trump administration Friday a case against the Department of Justice’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund is “still alive and kicking.” The administration sought to dismiss the case brought against President Donald Trump’s negotiated settlement terms to drop his $10 billion…
When John Arthur, a Democratic representative from Holladay, read a recent report on how the Utah Fits All funds were spent last school year, he let out a big sigh. Utah’s school choice program is one of the issues that has deeply split the state Legislature. And for him, it’s an issue that’s very close
Utah is bringing on new officials guiding decisionmaking on the saline lake as it dips toward a historic low.
Voting rights groups and Democratic officials are looking to defend against what they see as possible election interference from the Trump administration ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, now that they’ve won a major battle over mail ballots. Common Cause, a nonpartisan pro-democracy organization, announced a…
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Thursday took another step forward on a sweeping bipartisan bill to overhaul the college sports world. The measure, clearing its second procedural hurdle on a 77-22 vote, would set national standards for college athletes’ compensation, provide certain antitrust protections to the NCAA…
As the clock winds down on a historically dry year in the Colorado River Basin, Colorado water officials Wednesday said they’re willing to launch a new state-run conservation program that would chip in to address system-wide shortages — but not without more certainty from the federal government, and possibly the state…
WASHINGTON — The White House Thursday withdrew the nomination of Richard “Lance” Schroyer to lead the agency the president tasked with carrying out his mass deportation campaign, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, had yet to have his confirmation hearing before the…
As Flock cameras’ makers aim to surf a wave of controversy, Utah lawmakers are preparing a bill proposal to strengthen privacy guardrails on automated license plate readers months ahead of the legislative session. The question isn’t whether the state should allow the cameras on its roads, said Sen. Calvin Musselman…
The Utah Senate has confirmed two more new justices to the Utah Supreme Court, capping off an era of major changes to the state’s highest court. The Senate on Wednesday voted 26-2 to consent to the appointments of 5th District Judge Matthew Bell and civil litigator Michael Menssen. The two men will fill vacancies…
Utah officials joined suicide prevention advocates in emphasizing the 988 hotline is available for anyone who needs to talk.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham levied criticism Monday against the National Governors Association, which she characterized as “feckless.” Lujan Grisham said she has called its chair and vice chair and told them they are running an organization that has “zero courage.” Her comments, she said, stem from her…
Agent Orange Awareness Day, though not an official federal holiday, is observed in the Beehive State and the rest of the country each year on August 10. That specific date was not arbitrarily chosen. According to the Blinded Veterans Association, the U.S. began spraying Agent Orange in Vietnam on August 10, 1961…
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve raised interest rates Wednesday for the first time in three years as inflation continues to dog the economy, largely driven by soaring gas and fuel oil prices while the war in Iran drags on. The central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee voted 12-0 to increase its benchmark interest…
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House departed Wednesday for a seven-week campaign break after spending less than two weeks in session during August and September. The extended “district work period” is intended to give incumbents from both political parties time to meet with constituents and fundraise back home before voting…
Charlie Kirk’s death at Utah Valley University last year was “entirely preventable,” his family says in a notice of claim.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Tuesday moved forward on a sweeping bipartisan bill that would set national standards for college athletes’ compensation. The measure breezed through its first procedural vote that needed 60 senators to advance, 74-24. The legislation is the latest congressional push to overhaul the…
After years of close scrutiny and multiple audits, a new legislative audit says the office of Utah’s chief election official has been “diligent in improving” the state’s election system — but some county clerks “did not fully implement all changes” to their elections. Legislative auditors, according to the report…
The Trump administration will comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s order this week blocking new restrictions on mail voting for this year’s elections, but President Donald Trump was right to attack the ruling, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said during a wide-ranging White House press conference Tuesday. Concerns…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will revoke limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that run on coal and natural gas, according to regulatory documents Administrator Lee Zeldin signed Monday. The administration framed the action to repeal 2024 limits on greenhouse gas emissions from virtually all…
Universities across the country are preparing for a major threat: a demographic dip in traditional college-aged people and a drop in the public’s confidence in higher education. Utah, according to a new report, is faring better than the national average. Still, that existential hazard persists in the state, and fiscal…
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday kept in place a lower court’s order blocking President Donald Trump’s embattled plan to place new restrictions on mail ballots for this year’s midterm elections. The unsigned, one-paragraph order upheld a Massachusetts federal court’s injunction on a U.S. Postal Service rule until…
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Sept. 4 giving the U.S. secretary of interior 90 days to decide whether to remove Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves and Mexican wolves in the United States. The Supporting America’s Ranchers executive order calls for Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum to…
WASHINGTON — Both chambers of Congress return to Capitol Hill this week for a brief session before heading back to the campaign trail until mid-November. The House will be in for one week and the Senate for three, giving Republicans little time to enact any laws or confirm nominees before voters decide whether to give
President Donald Trump has, at times, justified his campaign against mail-in voting in explicitly partisan terms, claiming Republicans’ electoral chances hinge on whether the practice is allowed. A new analysis from a Democratic-aligned voting rights group, shared first with States Newsroom, shows he may be right…
For University of Utah students, a nuclear engineering track had to do more with healthcare technology and less with the nuclear reactors that Utah elected officials keep mentioning in their speeches when debating energy abundance. But, amid that big push to make the state a major piece in the nuclear energy space…
The country’s two largest school districts — New York City and Los Angeles — banned most student use of artificial intelligence in classrooms for this school year as anxiety over AI’s effect on learning intensifies. The Los Angeles Unified School District announced last week that it is barring student use of…
Cerina Fairfax, a Virginia dentist and mother of two, spent nearly two years living in the same house as her husband while she was trying to divorce him. Virginia state law required couples with children, like the Fairfaxes, to wait a year before being allowed to file for divorce. Cerina’s husband, former Virginia Lt…