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Kristi Noem confirmed by US Senate as Trump's Homeland secretary
Ted Hesson, Reuters | Posted Jan. 25 - 11:56 a.m. | Save Story
Kristi Noem was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as President Donald Trump's Homeland Security secretary on Saturday, putting into position a key member of the Republican's Cabinet as he launches a wide-ranging immigration crackdown.
Senators approve bill requiring fiscal impact statements on ballot initiatives
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 25 - 11:26 a.m. | Save Story
Utah senators approved a bill that would require sponsors of citizen ballot initiatives to complete a fiscal impact statement on how they would pay for any changes enacted through the initiative.
State Department freezes new funding for nearly all US aid programs worldwide
Ellen Knickmeyer and Farnoush Amiri, Associated Press | Posted Jan. 25 - 9:07 a.m. | Save Story
The State Department has frozen new funding for almost all U.S. aid programs worldwide, making exceptions to allow humanitarian food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt to continue.
Utah high schoolers divided on House bill easing driving restrictions for minors
Eva Terry, Deseret News | Posted Jan. 25 - 8:55 a.m. | Save Story
Utah lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow a newly licensed minor to drive up to one passenger (who does not have to be a relative) as soon as they get their license.
Afghans stranded in Mexico under Trump immigration crackdown face bleak choices
Lizbeth Diaz, Reuters | Updated Jan. 25 - 7:41 a.m. | Save Story
Thousands of migrants who had expected to start their new lives in the U.S. this week found themselves suddenly faced with the prospect of returning to their home countries, seeking refuge elsewhere, or waiting indefinitely in Mexico.
Proposed bill would shorten time on Utah's registry for some sex offenders
Daniella Rivera, KSL-TV | Posted Jan. 24 - 10:37 p.m. | Save Story
Utah lawmakers are expected to consider a bill that would make changes to Utah's Sex Offender Registry.
Utah lawmaker abandons bill letting car dealerships stay open all weekend
Daniel Woodruff, KSL-TV | Posted Jan. 24 - 9:44 p.m. | Save Story
A bill that would have allowed car dealerships to stay open on weekends is not moving forward this legislative session.
Trump signs crypto-friendly executive order, opens door for national digital asset stockpile
Art Raymond, Deseret News | Posted Jan. 24 - 9:33 p.m. | Save Story
President Donald Trump took another step toward his promise to make the U.S. the "crypto capital of the planet" on Thursday, signing an executive order aimed at promoting the domestic cryptocurrency sector.
Hegseth confirmed as Trump's defense secretary in tie-breaking vote
Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick And Farnoush Amiri, Associated Press | Updated Jan. 24 - 8:02 p.m. | Save Story
The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as the nation's defense secretary in a dramatic late-night vote Friday.
Advocates rally for more child care funding in Utah
Daniel Woodruff, KSL-TV | Posted Jan. 24 - 7:34 p.m. | Save Story
Advocates rallied at the state Capitol on Friday to push for more money for child care. They said Utahns are struggling to afford child care and public funding is desperately needed.
Lawmakers mull mandatory 10-year sentences for child torture convictions
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 24 - 5:04 p.m. | Save Story
A legislative committee advanced a bill that would establish a mandatory minimum sentence for people convicted of child torture, though future changes to the bill are expected.
Trump administration says 'Gulf of America' name change now official
Richard Valdmanis, Reuters | Posted Jan. 24 - 4:01 p.m. | Save Story
The Trump administration's Interior Department said on Friday it had officially changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and the Alaskan peak Denali to Mount McKinley.
Trump says he will order FEMA overhaul on tour of disaster-hit North Carolina
Nandita Bose and Steve Holland, Reuters | Updated Jan. 24 - 12:28 p.m. | Save Story
President Donald Trump said on Friday he plans to sign an executive order to overhaul or eliminate the main federal agency that responds to natural disasters during a visit to storm-hit areas of North Carolina.
Trust in news media is down. KSL.com launches news survey to get your feedback
Logan Stefanich, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 24 - 10:03 a.m. | Save Story
Recent global surveys show people just don't trust news media like they used to. KSL.com is launching a survey in hopes of getting feedback and increasing that trust.
After extensive public comment period, lawmakers advance bill on public labor unions
Caitlin Keith, Deseret News | Posted Jan. 24 - 8:24 a.m. | Save Story
A bill that would change the way public labor unions operate in the state advanced through a Utah House committee Thursday, after an extensive period of public comment.
Trump signs executive order on developing artificial intelligence 'free from ideological bias'
Matt O'Brien and Sarah Parvini, Associated Press | Updated Jan. 24 - 7:45 a.m. | Save Story
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on artificial intelligence Thursday that will revoke past government policies his order says "act as barriers to American AI innovation."
Utah likely to join national opioid settlement agreement with Purdue Pharma
Cassidy Wixom and Collin Leonard, KSL.com | Updated Jan. 23 - 8:54 p.m. | Save Story
Utah is expected to join a settlement with Purdue Pharma, makers of OxyContin, that will resolve thousands of lawsuits alleging that the pain medication caused a widespread opioid crisis.
Senate confirms Trump nominee Ratcliffe as CIA director
Patricia Zengerle, Reuters | Posted Jan. 23 - 8:34 p.m. | Save Story
A majority of the U.S. Senate on Thursday backed President Donald Trump's nominee John Ratcliffe, a former House of Representatives member who served as Director of National Intelligence during Trump's first term, as director of the CIA.
'We must build': Cox asks lawmakers, Utahns to embrace state's industrial spirit
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL.com and Daniel Woodruff, KSL-TV | Updated Jan. 23 - 7:16 p.m. | Save Story
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called for a return to the state's "tradition of true grit" in his State of the State address at the Capitol Thursday evening, declaring that "now is a time for building."
'Promise fulfilled': Utah Republicans celebrate Trump's emergency declaration at the border
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 23 - 7:12 p.m. | Save Story
Utah's Republican lawmakers celebrated after President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring a national emergency at the southern border.
Utah leaders start debate over cutting, reallocating $60.5M in university funding
Tim Vandenack, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 23 - 5:02 p.m. | Save Story
Utah lawmakers have started debate over cutting and reallocating some $60.5 million in university funding, a priority for the GOP majority.
Trump defense pick Hegseth narrowly survives US Senate test vote
Patricia Zengerle, Reuters | Updated Jan. 23 - 4:34 p.m. | Save Story
The U.S. Senate narrowly voted on Thursday to advance the nomination of Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and military veteran, to be President Donald Trump's secretary of defense, clearing the way for a vote on his confirmation later this week.
Judge blocks Trump's order curtailing birthright citizenship
Dan Catchpole and Nate Raymond, Reuters | Posted Jan. 23 - 12:48 p.m. | Save Story
A federal judge in Seattle on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from implementing an executive order curtailing the right to automatic birthright citizenship in the United States.
Trump's geographic renaming plans leave mapmakers pondering what to do next
Laurie Kellman and Hillel Italie, Associated Press | Updated Jan. 23 - 12:34 p.m. | Save Story
Mapmakers and teachers are re-thinking what to call the gulf of water between Mexico, the United States and Cuba after President Donald Trump ordered it renamed from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Utah bill targeting squatters, one of several aimed at illegal immigration, gets committee support
Tim Vandenack, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 23 - 10:09 a.m. | Save Story
A bill targeting squatters, spurred in part by worries about Latino immigrants taking over vacant dwellings, has received a positive committee recommendation.
Salt Lake, Ogden schools say immigrant students are welcome after Trump flips policy on raids
Tim Vandenack, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 23 - 6:20 a.m. | Save Story
Salt Lake City and Ogden school officials sent out assurances saying immigrant students are welcome after the Trump administration flipped U.S. policy on raids in "sensitive locations."
Utah bill targets RMP account amid rate increases, but will it help or hurt customers?
Carter Williams, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 22 - 9:05 p.m. | Save Story
A bill that targets a Rocky Mountain Power recovery account cleared its first hurdle in the Utah Legislature as lawmakers vented about the company's rising rates.
Utah lawmakers advance with plan to kill daylight saving time
Eva Terry, Deseret News | Posted Jan. 22 - 8:33 p.m. | Save Story
Utah Rep. Joseph Elison, R-Washington, is sponsoring a bill to keep Utah perpetually on standard time until the federal government allows Utah to observe Mountain Daylight Time year-round, and it favorably passed in the House Government Operations Committee on Wednesday afternoon.
With Trump back in office, Utah lawmakers hope to finally make progress on deficit spending
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 22 - 7:11 p.m. | Save Story
Several members of Utah's congressional delegation expressed an eagerness to work with President Donald Trump on cutting federal spending — an ongoing frustration for the Republicans.
Trump pardons Silk Road founder Ulbricht for online drug scheme
Nate Raymond, Reuters | Updated Jan. 22 - 4:37 p.m. | Save Story
President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life in prison for running an underground online marketplace where drug dealers and others conducted more than $200 million in illicit trade using bitcoin.
US Meta users report automatic refollows of president, VP accounts
Doyinsola Oladipo, Reuters | Updated Jan. 22 - 3:36 p.m. | Save Story
Some Meta social media users said on Wednesday that their accounts refollowed the profiles of President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and first lady Melania Trump after they had unfollowed those accounts once Trump took office for his second term.
Trump energy emergency order should withstand court challenges, experts say
Jack Queen, Reuters | Posted Jan. 22 - 12:40 p.m. | Save Story
President Donald Trump's declaration of a national energy emergency to boost drilling and speed up pipeline construction should withstand court challenges but will not allow oil and gas producers to skirt all environmental laws, according to legal experts.
Utah lawmaker seeks to establish a nuclear energy consortium
Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Deseret News | Posted Jan. 22 - 11:27 a.m. | Save Story
A GOP lawmaker with decades of experience in the energy sector is seeking to establish a nuclear energy coalition to prepare the state for deployment of the next generation technology.
Trump administration to criminally probe officials who resist immigration actions
Sarah N. Lynch and Andrew Goudsward, Reuters | Updated Jan. 22 - 9:31 a.m. | Save Story
President Donald Trump's administration has directed U.S. prosecutors to criminally investigate state and local officials who attempt to resist its immigration enforcement efforts, according to a memo to Justice Department staff seen by Reuters.
Hundreds of Capitol rioters released from prison after Trump's sweeping pardon
Julio-Cesar Chavez, Andrew Goudsward, Jason Lange and Nathan Layne, Reuters | Updated Jan. 22 - 6:54 a.m. | Save Story
Hundreds of Donald Trump supporters who had been serving prison sentences for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol were freed on Tuesday, after the new president pardoned more than 1,500 people.
Salt Lake City passes ordinance banning new gas stations near 'sensitive lands'
Carter Williams, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 22 - 6:24 a.m. | Save Story
The drama over a gas station next to Sugar House Park spilled over into a new citywide ordinance about gas station locations.
Eagle Mountain pauses discussion on allowing nuclear reactors
Cassidy Wixom, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 21 - 11:21 p.m. | Save Story
The Eagle Mountain City Council decided Tuesday not to act yet on code amendments allowing for nuclear plants and other energy production projects in the city.
Tensions rise as Utah court faces criticism from legislators
Emma Pitts, Deseret News | Posted Jan. 21 - 10:34 p.m. | Save Story
Matthew B. Durrant, the chief justice of Utah's Supreme Court for the past 13 years, said Tuesday that the state has set the standard for judiciaries across the nation that entire time.
Transgender issues reemerge as a focus of Utah lawmakers for 4th year in a row
Tim Vandenack, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 21 - 8:09 p.m. | Save Story
Transgender issues have reemerged in the Utah Legislature as a focus of debate for the fourth year in a row, and community advocates demonstrated at the Capitol Tuesday.
Cox focused on bolstering energy production, trimming taxes as 2025 session starts
Tim Vandenack, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 21 - 7:24 p.m. | Save Story
As the 2025 session starts, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said two priority issues in his view are bolstering energy production and trimming taxes.
Trump announces private-sector $500B investment in AI infrastructure
Steve Holland, Reuters | Posted Jan. 21 - 6:03 p.m. | Save Story
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a private sector investment of up to $500 billion to fund infrastructure for artificial intelligence, aiming to outpace rival nations in the business-critical technology.
Around 1,000 students rally for school choice at Utah Capitol
Logan Stefanich, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 21 - 5:34 p.m. | Save Story
Around a thousand K-12 students from across Utah on Monday gathered at the Utah Capitol to rally and advocate for school choice in celebration of National School Choice Week.
Utah's Democrats focus on renewable energy, homelessness, the judiciary as session begins
Tim Vandenack, KSL.com | Updated Jan. 21 - 4:12 p.m. | Save Story
Utah's Democratic lawmakers say they plan to focus on renewable energy, fighting homelessness and bolstering Utahns' quality of life as the 2025 legislative session begins.
Musk's hand gesture during Trump inauguration festivities draws scrutiny
Reuters | Posted Jan. 21 - 4:01 p.m. | Save Story
Billionaire Elon Musk's hand gesture while he spoke during a celebration of President Donald Trump's inauguration drew online comparisons to a Nazi salute on Monday, but a leading tracker of antisemitism said it appeared to represent a moment of enthusiasm instead.
Utah lawmakers to debate immigration, tax cuts, transgender students as 2025 session starts
Tim Vandenack, KSL.com | Updated Jan. 21 - 11:40 a.m. | Save Story
With Utah's 2025 legislative session starting, lawmakers are expected to debate immigration, tax cuts, transgender students, university funding, elections and more.
Democratic-led states, advocates sue over Trump's birthright citizenship order
Nate Raymond, Reuters | Posted Jan. 21 - 11:31 a.m. | Save Story
Democratic-led states and civil rights groups have filed the first lawsuits challenging executive orders President Donald Trump signed after taking office, including one that seeks to roll back birthright citizenship in the U.S.
Trump orders US exit from the World Health Organization
Patrick Wingrove, Jennifer Rigby and Emma Farge, Reuters | Posted Jan. 21 - 6:52 a.m. | Save Story
The United States will leave the World Health Organization, President Donald Trump said on Monday, saying the global health agency had mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises.
What's on tap for Great Salt Lake in the 2025 Utah general legislative session
Adam Small, KSL Newsradio | Posted Jan. 20 - 8:28 p.m. | Save Story
The Great Salt Lake is once again expected to be a topic of discussion and action for Utah lawmakers in the 2025 general legislative session, which starts on Tuesday.
As Trump takes power, critics gathered at the Utah Capitol to protest
Tim Vandenack, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 20 - 7:46 p.m. | Save Story
Following Trump's inauguration Monday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the Utah Capitol to protest the new president.
Trump pardons 1,500 charged with Jan. 6 US Capitol riot
Sarah N. Lynch, Nathan Layne and Andrew Goudsward, Reuters | Posted Jan. 20 - 6:43 p.m. | Save Story
President Donald Trump on Monday pardoned about 1,500 people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a sweeping gesture of support to the people who assaulted police as they tried to prevent lawmakers from certifying his 2020 election defeat.
US Senate confirms Marco Rubio as secretary of state
Patricia Zengerle, Reuters | Posted Jan. 20 - 5:48 p.m. | Save Story
The U.S. Senate on Monday unanimously confirmed Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a China hawk and staunch backer of Israel, as President Donald Trump's secretary of state.
Symbol of unity? Inauguration news coverage illustrates differences that pull country apart
David Bauder, Associated Press | Posted Jan. 20 - 4:20 p.m. | Save Story
A presidential inauguration is traditionally a symbol of the traditions that bind Americans together. Mainstream media coverage of the event on Monday provided many reminders of what keeps people apart.
'A long way to go': Utah civil rights advocates rally, march to mark MLK Day
Tim Vandenack, KSL.com | Posted Jan. 20 - 12:52 p.m. | Save Story
Civil rights advocates gathered at events across Utah Monday to honor Martin Luther King Jr., stressing the import of continuing advocacy efforts for the Black community.
Donald Trump is the 47th president of the United States
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL.com | Updated Jan. 20 - 12:50 p.m. | Save Story
Donald Trump has been sworn in as president of the United States for the second time Monday after completing a dramatic political comeback.
Trump administration talks Paris climate agreement withdrawal, Panama Canal and tariffs
Valerie Volcovici and Jasper Ward, Reuters | Posted Jan. 20 - 12:28 p.m. | Save Story
President Donald Trump will again withdraw the United States from the Paris climate deal, the White House said on Monday, removing the world's biggest historic emitter from global efforts to fight climate change for the second time in a decade.
The debate over how to increase trust in Utah elections
Brigham Tomco, Deseret News | Posted Jan. 20 - 12:01 p.m. | Save Story
Utah Republican policymakers are focused on voter confidence ahead of the 2025 legislative session following an election year that highlighted intraparty division over ballot access and mail-in ballots.
Just minutes before he leaves office, Biden pardons his siblings and their spouses
Zeke Miller and Colleen Long, Associated Press | Updated Jan. 20 - 10:54 a.m. | Save Story
President Joe Biden has pardoned his siblings and their spouses, saying his family had been "subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt him."
Trump says he will immediately declare national energy emergency
Nandita Bose and Jeff Mason, Reuters | Posted Jan. 20 - 10:44 a.m. | Save Story
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he would immediately declare a national energy emergency, promising to fill up strategic reserves and export American energy all over the world.
