Inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts

Will the state step up to help fill the gaps for funding things like Medicaid, SNAP, and education that the federal government has now changed? Hosts Sarah Reale and Rusty Cannon weigh in on comments from Governor Spencer Cox, who says they will look at every program and whether Utah can step in. After a contentious public meeting, Reale and Cannon discuss Utah County's decision to expand the Sheriff's office's powers to coordinate with ICE in what's known as a 287(g) agreement. Environmental groups argue that Utah gave up the right to claw back some of its federal public lands at statehood, our panelists weigh in on whether a state court can block Utah from pursuing its federal case to try and prove that the feds can't hold on to that land forever.

The federal government cannot withhold Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood for at least the next two weeks, after a district court judge issued a temporary restraining order the same day Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit alleging that they were being singled out and punished for providing abortion services. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Rusty Cannon weigh in on where they think the case will go. Utah’s House Speaker, Mike Schultz, Karianne Lisonbee, and Trevor Lee were among the GOP lawmakers who rallied on behalf of a Utah plastic surgeon who, along with three others, is facing multiple federal charges for an alleged scheme to provide fake vaccine cards, inject saline into his minor patients, and destroy thousands of dollars’ worth of Covid-19 vaccines. Plus, our panelists weigh in on what could change in Utah after a major decision from the IRS allowing churches to endorse candidates from the pulpit and keep their tax-exempt status.

The federal government cannot withhold Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood for at least the next two weeks, after a district court judge issued a temporary restraining order the same day Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit alleging that they were being singled out and punished for providing abortion services. Planned Parenthood of Utah acting president, Shireen Ghorbani outlines why she believes the case will succeed. Plus, panelists Taylor Morgan and Rusty Cannon weigh in on Utah’s House Speaker, Mike Schultz, rallying on behalf of a Utah plastic surgeon who, along with three others, is facing multiple federal charges for an alleged scheme to provide fake vaccine cards, inject saline into his minor patients, and destroy thousands of dollars’ worth of Covid-19 vaccines. Plus, they weigh in on what could change in Utah after a major decision from the IRS allowing churches to endorse candidates from the pulpit and keep their tax-exempt status.

President Trump's signature One Big, Beautiful Bill is now one step closer to becoming law, but not without some pushback from those who worry it will strip healthcare and food assistance from millions and increase the nation's debt. Gina Corina with Utahns Against Hunter breaks down why she believes the policy will hurt the most vulnerable Utahns. Host Lindsay Aerts also stalks with Dr. Molly Hart, the newly appointed state superintendent of Utah's K-12 public schools. President Trump also visited the site of his plans for a new immigration detention center called "Alligator Alcatraz."

President Trump's signature One Big, Beautiful Bill is now one step closer to becoming law, but not without some pushback from those who worry it will strip healthcare from millions and increase the nation's debt. Panelists Adam Gardiner and Sarah Reale break down the bill's many provisions, including spending, Medicaid cuts, energy credits, and the parts that were stripped, perhaps impacting Utah the most, the public lands sale and AI moratorium.

Utah is in the middle of a fight in Congress over selling public lands as Utah's senior Senator, Mike Lee pushes for a proposal to be included in President Trump's big, beautiful bill. Host Lindsay Aerts is joined by Jordan Hess, legislative affairs director for Washington City, on why the city supports Lee's plan and whether it strikes the right balance of addressing Utah's housing needs while protecting public lands. The Wilderness Society's BLM Campaign director, Michael Carroll also joins to break down why they are opposed to the most recent version. Caroll also defends a series of maps the group created, which Lee has chastised for causing undue panic and fear, accusing the group of being led by "eco-terrorists."

Utah is in the middle of a fight in Congress over selling public lands as Utah's senior Senator, Mike Lee, pushes for a proposal to be included in President Trump's big, beautiful bill. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Erin Rider weigh in on whether the budget mega bill is the best place to facilitate the sale, and whether Utah and other western states' need for housing will outweigh the pushback. Some recent polling shows Governor Spencer Cox with a favorable approval rating in Utah, but that he's lost some ground with Utah's democrats. Morgan and Rider weigh in on why.

The nation is grappling with instances of political violence, namely in Minnesota where a state lawmaker and her husband were killed and another shot, Panelists Taylor Morgan and Leah Murray discuss how to quell the problem. Senator Mike Lee is facing huge backlash for his tweets about the Minnesota deaths. Or panelists weigh in on whether he should face any further consequences. He is also championing a push to make thousands of acres of public land eligible for sale in Utah, our panelists dive into whether this proposal strikes the right balance to tackle a growing housing crisis.

Utah Senator Mike Lee is behind a push to make thousands of acres of public land available for sale in Utah. The proposal has drawn a lot of consternation, including from Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, who's director for Western priorities, Devin O'Dea joins host Lindsay Aerts to outline why. Plus, several questions remain about what exactly happened at the No Kings protest in downtown Salt Lake City where an innocent bystander lost his life. Rep. Jeff Burton is a former leader of Utah's National guard, breaks down what he learned after a briefing with Salt Lake City police chief Brian Redd.

Governor Spencer Cox defends President Trump's decision to federalize the National Guard and send troops to protests in Los Angeles. Panelists Sarah Reale and Erin Rider weigh in. "They're dumb flags, and it was a dumb bill." That's Cox's quote when asked about Salt Lake City's move to create alternatives to the Pride flag after they were banned on government buildings. Cox is also leaving the door open for a potential special election over repeal of the law that bans public labor unions from collective bargaining. Artificial intelligence regulations seem to be the latest snag for President Trump's big, beautiful bill. Lawmakers in both Congress and the Utah state legislature are voicing their disapproval of a provision in the bill that would stop states from regulating artificial intelligence for the next 10 years. Reale and Rider weigh in on all of it.

Utah is considering plans for a new uranium processing facility to fuel the governor's plans to build new nuclear energy. ABC4's Jordan Tracy sat down with the Executive Director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Joel Ferry to learn what it means for Utah and neighbors living around Camp Williams. Artificial intelligence regulations seem to be the latest snag for President Trump's big beautiful bill. Lawmakers in both Congress and the Utah state legislature are voicing their disapproval of a provision in the bill that would stop states from regulating artificial intelligence for the next 10 years. The author of an open letter to Utah's senators, Doug Fiefia joins host Lindsay Aerts to discuss why he believes Washington needs to back off its AI moratorium. Governor Cox called both Salt Lake City's move to get around Utah's Pride flag ban and the law that created it "dumb." Panelists Sarah Reale and Erin Rider weigh in.

Utah's House Majority just voted to elect new leadership, a group that will shape the priorities of Utah's House in the years to come. Panelists Rusty Cannon and Adam Gardiner break down the leadership shakeup and the House's relationship with the Senate. Utah Associate Chief Justice John Pearce announced he's stepping down from the Utah Supreme Court at the end of his term in December. Plus, President Trump and Elon Musk are publicly feuding over the Big, Beautiful, Bill. Our panelists discuss the fate of the spending package in the Senate and how Trump and Elon's breakup might impact it.

The filing deadline for 2025 municipal elections ended this week, and the races in several of Utah's 253 cities are taking shape. From Mayor to City councils across the state, Host Lindsay Aerts and Executive Director of Governing Group, Kyle Friant, run through some of the top issues impacting those communities and the people running to lead them through it. Plus, Utah Associate Chief Justice John Pearce announced he's stepping down from the Utah Supreme Court at the end of his term in December. University of Utah Political Science Professor Matthew Burbank walks through the impacts of a vacancy, recent tensions with the high court and the legislature, and how Governor Cox might navigate picking a successor.

Utah Democrats will elect a new chair at their state convention Saturday. Panelists Rusty Cannon and Sarah Reale break down what the party needs to do to gain some ground both in Utah and across the nation. A federal trade court has blocked Trump from imposing some tariffs created under emergency powers, however, an appeals court issued a stay, meaning the tariffs can't continue while the issue winds its way through the courts. Cannon and Reale break down the initial ruling and what happens next.

A federal trade court has blocked Trump from imposing some tariffs created under emergency powers, however, an appeals court issued a stay, meaning the tariffs can't continue while the issue winds its way through the courts. Panelists Rusty Cannon and Sarah Reale break down the initial ruling and what happens next. Governor Spencer Cox joined with dozens of mayors, urging cities and the state to continue to collaborate on his administration's goal of creating 35,000 starter homes. Inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts takes you inside the back-and-forth with reporters over how he plans to accomplish this.

Utah's Republican party has reelected their chair and decided to push pause on a resolution that would have stripped party membership from signature gathering candidates. Panelists Taylor Morgan and Erin Rider discuss the fate of the party, and what's next for the often-controversial dual path to the ballot. The House of Representatives has passed Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, but how will the Senate change it? And the Pentagon has officially accepted the plane gifted by Qatar. Will there be constitutional challenge to it? Our panelists dive in.

Utah Attorney General Derek Brown visited the southern border this week to discuss Republican strategies around immigration, slowing crime, and drugs. He joins host Lindsay Aerts to discuss whether Republicans are getting the messaging right on immigration and how his office is working to fix the system. Utah Democrats will pick a new chair at their state party convention May 31. We hear from two of the four candidates, Brian King and Ben Peck on how they each plan to make a dent in Utah's Republican stronghold.

Saturday, May 17, Utah GOP delegates will vote on a new party chair, which many see as a litmus test for the direction of the party. Delegates will also debate whether to strip party membership from candidates who gather signatures. Panelists Leah Murray and Adam Gardiner give their predictions. President Trump is hoping that Congressional Republicans can coalesce around a plan to cut spending, but the so-called "big beautiful bill" is facing an uphill battle among Republicans who disagree with how much to cut, Medicaid requirements, food assistance, and local and state tax deductions.

President Trump is hoping that Congressional Republicans can coalesce around a plan to cut spending, but the bill is facing an uphill battle among Republicans who disagree with how much to cut, Medicaid requirements, food assistance, and local and state tax deductions. Panelists Leah Murray and Adam Gardiner break down what's needed to move the so-called "big beautiful bill" forward. Part of the plan to help fund the government includes selling off some federal land in Washington and Beaver Counties. Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Legal Director, Steve Bloch, outlines why they're opposed to the idea and whether it's part of a bigger plan for Utah to get control over even more acres.

The Utah GOP will pick its next chairman at their state convention on May 17. Current chair and candidate running for reelection Rob Axson, and convention chair Thomas Wright join host Lindsay Aerts to break down what's at stake. Phil Lyman, who's challenging Axson, declined to join. The pair also breaks down a proposal to strip party membership from candidates who gather signatures. Plus, a sidestep of the Utah flag law from Salt Lake City has state leaders criticizing the move. Salt Lake adopted Pride, transgender, and Juneteenth flags as official city flags so they could be flown anywhere. The sponsor of the new law, state senator Dan McCay joins with his criticism of the decision.

President Donald Trump wrapped up his 100th day in office this week with less than stellar approval ratings. Panelists Rusty Cannon and Adam Gardiner weigh in on whether Republicans are getting what they voted for. They join host Lindsay Aerts to break down Trump's wins and losses around the economy, tariffs, immigration, DOGE, and more. Plus, after the Utah Fits All Scholarship was ruled unconstitutional, the bill's sponsor, Rep. Candice Pierrucci outlines why she believes the Utah Supreme Court will uphold the ruling.

The state's school choice program, which critics say are school vouchers, was deemed unconstitutional by a Utah judge but she did not throw out the program all together. The state has plans to appeal the ruling, so the judge decided to let the program continue until the state supreme court ultimately decides the case. Utah State Board of Education member Carol Lear is a plaintiff in the lawsuit and joins Lindsay Aerts to walk through their arguments. Utah's Public Labor unions are pacing extremely well in the effort to overturn hb267, and President Donald Trump is floating ideas about how to increase the country's birth rate. Panelists Leah Murray and Taylor Morgan are back and weigh in on the impacts of these stories and more.

Utah's public labor unions say they've gathered 320,000 signatures to put a referendum on the ballot to repeal H.B.267, Utah's ban on collective bargaining. But, now supporters of the bill have over a month to try to get voters to change their minds. Kevin Greene is the state director for the conservative Americans for Prosperity; his group is leading the effort. Plus, Senator Mike Lee has introduced the SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote. It's caused some consternation among groups who say that it will disenfranchise women and others who've legally changed their name. Weber County Clerk, Ricky Hatch joins the show to sort it all out. And, Governor Spencer Cox confirms a May special session and talks Trump deportations at his monthly news conference.

After visits this week from three of President, Donald Trump's cabinet members to Utah, House Speaker Mike Schultz joins inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts to break down the visits. They discuss Utah's efforts to Make America Healthy Again, by banning fluoride, getting rid of food dyes in schools, and limiting soda from SNAP purchases. He also elaborates on his desire for Utah to run its own Federal programs and the possibility of a veto override session. Then, panelists Maura Carabello and Adam Gardner debate the realities of this, and weigh in on how Trump's tariff whiplash is impacting small businesses.

Some of Salt Lake's city council members say they're frustrated by the state's new law that dictates how the city and county will fund the Salt Palace renovations. It's part of the plan to revitalize downtown and upgrade the Delta Center. Council chair Chris Wharton joins Inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts to share more on why. He also explains why the city chose ranked choice voting for its November election, and possible city pushback on the ban of pride flags in government buildings. Plus, the Governor's Senior advisor over housing, Steve Waldrip details where the state could be working with the federal government to build housing on federal lands as an effort to chip away at Utah's housing crisis.

The 2025 legislative session is officially finalized after Thursday's deadline for Governor Cox to sign or veto any remaining bills. Cox vetoed six bills, let two take effect without his signature, and said a special session would be coming to fix others. One bill he let take effect was the controversial ban on pride flags in school and government buildings. Panelists Leah Murray and Taylor Morgan bring their hot takes on the Governor's decisions. Another major headline, the Sundance Film Festival is leaving for Boulder, Colorado. Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson didn't mince words on the decision, and weighed in on the money and politics behind it.

Congresswoman Celeste Maloy joins Inside Utah Politics to elaborate on answers from a heated town hall with angry Utahns over DOGE decisions and federal layoffs. She weighs in on how to hold President Trump accountable, and how Utah's federal employees will be protected amid layoffs. Plus, signature gathering is underway for a coalition of Utah's unions to try and repeal HB267 which bans collective bargaining for public employees. The groups explain the compromise with lawmakers that fell apart and give an update on their signature-gathering efforts.

Utah's Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson joins Inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts to break down big election changes coming to Utah, and reiterated that Governor Spencer Cox will sign H.B. 300. The bill requires ballots to include a state ID, be in clerks' hands by 8 pm Election Day, and voters to opt-in by 2029 if they want to be mailed a ballot. The ACLU of Utah has urged the Governor to veto it. They join the show to explain why they think it could lead to disenfranchisement.

After 45 days of debates, committees, and lawmaking, the 2025 Utah Legislative General Session has wrapped up. This week on Inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts, Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R-Utah) outlines what he thinks lawmakers did well and what he could veto now that the session has wrapped. We also take you inside the last Senate and House media availability and what leaders had to say on various controversial bills. Plus, West Valley City Senator Daniel Thatcher has left the Republican Party to join the Utah Forward Party.

This week on Inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts, panelists Sarah Reale, a member of the state board of education, and Chris Bleak, a political consultant, weigh in on the big rocks still to lift with five days left in the 2025 general legislative session. Utahns can expect some form of a tax cut, but the numbers are still being crunched on just how much. Lawmakers and the judiciary are at odds over a series of bills that aim to tweak the judiciary. And budgets will get decided this week, how much money is there to go around? Plus, Davis County Clerk Brian McKenzie and Salt Lake County Clerk Lannie Chapman explain why they oppose the big elections bill that requires providing ID to vote.

This week on Inside Utah Politics, Senator Mike Mckell (R-Spanish Fork) unveils key new details about the Utah Senate's plans to change a big election bill that would have required voters to return by-mail ballots in person. He says the changes will protect voting by mail but ID may still be required. Plus, Representative Jon Hawkins (R-Pleasant Grove) talks about a bill that further lays the groundwork for Utah to host the Winter Games again.

This week on Inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts, Utah State Senator Todd Weiler (R-Woods Cross) and former Utah Attorney General Candidate, Democrat Greg Skordas hash it out over looming judicial reforms including expanding the state Supreme Court, requiring higher threshold for judicial retention elections and a proposal to limit injunctions. Utah State Representative Anthony E. Loubet (R-Kearns) also joins the show to explain his proposal to change the publication requirement in Utah's Constitution. He also weighs in on just how many amendment proposals there are.

As a big bill to overhaul Utah's mail-in voting system is making its way through the House, the bill's sponsor, Republican Jeff Burton outlines why he believes Utahns should have to return their ballots in person and show ID. Others have concerns, including Democrat Rep. Andrew Stoddard who walks through his issues with the cost, accessibility and other worries shared by county clerks. Plus, Rep. Tyler Clancy dives into homelessness solutions and two major reforms he's hoping to pass.

This week on Inside Utah politics with Lindsay Aerts, one of Utah's most powerful lawmakers joins the show. House Speaker Mike Schultz breaks down a major proposal to change Utah's elections, unveils his yet-to-be seen bill to allow for more high schoolers to get college level training, and reveals the thinking behind a possible tax cut. Plus, our IUP panel breaks down the top week 2 headlines, including a compromise on a bill to allow for public labor unions to collectively bargain, a proposal to change the initiative process, and plans to require ID when voting by mail. Plus, Utah leaders are pushing air taxis as the future for transportation in Utah. Lindsay takes an in-depth look at the efforts.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Senate President Start Adams join Lindsay to wrap up the first week of Utah's 2025 legislative General Session. We hear how they hope to influence Utah's course as lawmakers mull over major reforms to elections and the judiciary. The episode also explores some top priorities that include energy abundance, housing affordability and community safety.

Lindsay Aerts is the Chief Political Correspondent for ABC4 News. She has been covering politics and news in Utah for nearly a decade. Lindsay grew up in Maine and attended Utah State University earning a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Her career began in music radio in Logan but an opportunity on a country morning show brought her to Salt Lake. She transitioned to cover radio news in 2015. Her career highlights include leading coverage of the 2020 election, and scoring exclusive stories and interviews with top Utah elected officials and decision-makers. Each week on Inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts she'll bring you the latest insights on the issues unique to Utah, plus hear from experts and analysts on both sides of the isle to help you understand how decisions in the halls of power impact your daily life.