April 25 (UPI) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday heard oral arguments on former President Donald Trump‘s claims of presidential immunity from the election interference case against him. Much of the three-hour hearing focused on whether there is a distinction between official presidential acts and private conduct regarding Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. After a series of hostile questions, Trump attorney D. John Sauer conceded that some of the former president’s alleged conduct were private, contradicting Trump’s earlier claims that the entire prosecution ought to b ..read more

HERRIMAN, Utah, April 25, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A landspout formed and briefly touched down Thursday, though no damage was reported, according to the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. The landspout was spotted about 11 a.m. about 1 mile northeast of Herriman, with at least one photo showing the circulation briefly touching the ground and kicking up dust in a construction area, the NWS reported. An NWS employee surveyed the approximate location and talked to several witnesses in the area. No damage was observed or reported. Landspouts are tornados that do not arise from organized s ..read more

April 25 (UPI) — Ex-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker on Thursday testified that he purchased the rights to a story about an alleged affair Donald Trump had with a Playboy model so that it would not damage his 2016 presidential campaign. When asked by prosecutor Joshua Steinglass during the second day of Trump’s New York hush-money trial if the primary reason he purchased the right’s to the story from Karen McDougal, who alleged the affair, was to influence the 2016 election, Pecker replied, “Yes, it was.” Pecker also testified that he was aware that “expenditures by a corporation made ..read more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 25, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Police say a semitrailer crash in Parleys Canyon spilled about 150 gallons of diesel fuel, some of which ended up in Parleys Creek. The semi was traveling eastbound on Interstate 80 near Mountain Dell Reservoir when it lost control on the wet roads, Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Cameron Roden said. The semi jackknifed and hit the concrete barriers on the left side, displacing four of them — including two that blocked the left two lanes of eastbound I-80, Roden said. The semi’s fuel tanks were ruptured in the crash, spilling about 150 gallons ..read more

April 25 (UPI) — The New York Court of Appeals Thursday overturned film producer Harvey Weinstein‘s 2020 rape conviction and ordered a new trial. The appeals court said in a 4-3 ruling that the trial judge in Weinstein’s New York rape case improperly allowed testimony and evidence against Weinstein that was “irrelevant” and “prejudicial” to the criminal charges he faced. “The trial court’s rulings ran afoul of these time-honored rules of evidence. Accordingly, the order of the Appellate Division should be reversed, and a new trial ordered,” the appeals court said in its ru ..read more

SPANISH FORK, Utah, April 24, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah County Sheriff’s Office chased down a speeder 71 mph over the speed limit, prompting a debate of sorts online on such police endeavor. The chase ensued about 3 p.m. as a 22-year-old Lehi man sped past a parked sheriff’s office motorcycle officer who clocked him at 141 mph in a 70 mph zone, according to the sheriff’s office posting online Tuesday night. “He received a citation for reckless driving. If found guilty he will likely lose his license. The deputy said he counseled the rider ‘on the physics of velocity and how quickly thi ..read more

DUCHESNE COUNTY, Utah April 24, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Police are seeking the public’s help in solving the 23-year-old death of a young woman based on her skull. The Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday released an artist’s rendering of the woman from an anthropological analysis of her remains. Her skull was found during the serving of a search warrant in northwest Duchesne County on March 13, 2001, according to the sheriff’s office press release. The skull was found on top of a post of a fence that surrounded the property. “The remains were being held on by wire. At the time the remai ..read more

April 24 (UPI) — Arizona’s Republican-controlled House voted Wednesday to overturn the state’s 1864 ban on nearly all abortions. The vote paves the way for a repeal that would revert Arizona abortion law to a 15-week ban. The measure, which now heads to the state Senate for a vote next week, passed Arizona’s House on Wednesday by a vote of 32 to 28 as three Republicans joined with Democrats. “I refuse to buy into the false notion pushed by the extremes on both sides of this issue that we cannot respect and protect women and defend new life at the same time,” state Rep. Matt Gre ..read more

LEWISTON, Utah, April 24, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — It could take another day or two before the Utah Fire Marshal’s Office determines the cause of the Tuesday afternoon barn fire that killed 120,000 chickens. Cache County Fire Marshal Jason Winn shared what is known so far with Gephardt Daily. The call came to dispatch at about 4 p.m., and Lewiston Fire crews arrived at the scene, the Oakdell Egg Farm, and saw the engulfed 20,000-square-foot barn. They determined they needed a lot more help. “They had fire showing through the roof, so they put in a second, third and fourth alarm, which brought ..read more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 24, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — There was a moment at the end of the play “Bald Sisters” at Salt Lake Acting Company that I believe was the most profound I’ve experienced at a theater this year. Sophea (the younger of the title’s bald sisters, played by Audrey Pan in this production) has been attempting to meditate sporadically throughout the show and finding it challenging. There’s a very simple moment that closes the play, where the sisters meditate successfully together, forehead to forehead. One opens her eyes and looks at the other, then closes her eyes again. The ..read more