The Supreme Court is seen at sundown in Washington, on Nov. 6, 2020. J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday to determine if states can prohibit social media companies from banning users based on political speech if that speech violates the platform’s policies. The justices are grappling with how the First Amendment should be applied on social media platforms based on two cases: Moody v. NetChoice in Florida and NetChoice v. Paxton based out of Texas. The Florida law would stop social media companies from banning the accounts of political candid ..read more

“I voted” stickers are available on Election Day in Cottonwood Heights on Nov. 8, 2022. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News The fate of Utah’s run with ranked choice voting divided Senate leadership Monday morning. During the senate committee for HB290, Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, voted with the majority to repeal the state’s alternate voting methods pilot project, saying he “wasn’t impressed” with the results of ranked choice voting in the cities where it was tested. Senate Majority Leader Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, joined two Democratic colleagues in opposing the measure, argu ..read more

A rendering of what the new University of Utah Health hospital in West Valley City will look like. University of Utah Health Facing significant increases in construction and equipment costs, University of Utah Health asked state lawmakers to authorize another $400 million bond for its planned multispecialty health center, emergency department and hospital in West Valley City. The Utah Legislature previously authorized a $400 million bond for the medical campus, but the cost of construction and rising equipment prices as well as project modifications have driven the estimated cost of the p ..read more

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a primary election night party at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, S.C., on Feb. 24, 2024. Andrew Harnik, Associated Press Dozens of state lawmakers, including Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, officially endorsed former President Donald Trump for reelection on Monday. Standing in the Utah Capitol rotunda on Monday afternoon, Schultz, R-Hooper, surrounded by 14 of his colleagues, posed with an endorsement letter, written by the speaker and signed by over 100 legislators and officials from around the state. “Now, more than ever before ..read more

Rep. Dan Johnson, R-Logan, was transported in an ambulance after an apparent medical issue in the House chamber at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Monday. Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News A Utah lawmaker was transported from the Capitol via ambulance after an apparent medical issue in the House chamber on Monday afternoon. Rep. Dan Johnson, R-Logan, was seated at his desk shortly after lawmakers convened for an afternoon session at 2 p.m. when the incident occurred. Another lawmaker called out for Rep. Raymond Ward, R-Bountiful, a physician, who rushed to Johnson's aid and wheeled his chai ..read more

Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends the closing arguments in the Trump Organization civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court in the Manhattan borough of New York on Jan. 11, 2024. Trump lawyers filed a notice of appeal Monday, Feb. 26, for his $454 million New York civil fraud judgment. Shannon Stapleton, Pool Photo via Associated Press Former President Donald Trump on Monday appealed the $454 million verdict handed down on Feb. 16 by New York Judge Arthur Engoron in the civil fraud case against him. Trump’s lawyers filed the appeal asking the state’s intermediate app ..read more

The exterior of the Capitol in Salt Lake City is pictured on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Consideration of a proposed amendment that would raise the vote threshold to 60% to pass some initiatives appears to have stalled in the Legislature. Laura Seitz, Deseret News Controversial legislation putting an amendment to the Utah Constitution on the November ballot that would raise the vote threshold to 60% to pass some initiatives appears to be stalled in the final days of the 2024 Legislature. The resolution detailing the proposed amendment that would apply only to citizen initiatives that increase ..read more

U.S. Sen. Mike Lee speaks to House Democrats at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. Laura Seitz, Deseret News Before the internet’s rise in the 1990s and the popularization of smartphones in 2010s, pornography was relegated to VCRs, magazines and brick-and-mortar buildings. Now pornography websites bring in billions of users and it’s available in people’s pockets at virtually any time. As access has changed, so much of the country’s views on it have also shifted. Gallup polling data from 2023 shows that 39% of respondents said pornography is morally acceptable. That ..read more

A rendering of an LGM-35 Sentinel missile flying at twilight. Northrop Grumman is helping develop the intercontinental ballistic missile system out of the Roy Innovation Center, a sprawling complex in Roy. Northrop Grumman The U.S. Air Force invested in an ambitious program to develop a new intercontinental ballistic missile in 2020. Last month, the Air Force said it would cost 37% more than estimated to develop the missiles, as Bloomberg reported. The project won’t be completed on time and is two years behind schedule, originally set to conclude in 2026. Still, the Air Force has no plans ..read more

Details of the House of Representatives Chamber at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Jan. 10. Utah lawmakers will tackle possible tax cuts, social media regulations and funding for sports stadiums during the last week of the 2024 general session. Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Utah lawmakers have just five days left to pass hundreds of bills before time runs out for the legislative session on midnight on March 1. Lawmakers passed a record number of bills last session and still managed to adjourn with a couple of hours to spare — a rarity that seldom replaces the scramble to pass as much a ..read more