Inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts

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...

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 champi...

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...

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 doo...

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 b...

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, Pres...

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 Joh...

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 wi...

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 c...

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 Senat...

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...

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, bu...

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 p...

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 sides...

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 unconsti...

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 an...

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 introdu...

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...

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...

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...

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 collectiv...

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. T...

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...

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 odd...

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 grou...