Utah

Vice President Mike Pence speaks as Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, a Democrat of California, listens during the vice presidential debate Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, at Kingsbury Hall on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt

Pence, Harris spar over COVID-19 in vice presidential debate

As the coronavirus sweeps through the upper reaches of government, Republican Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Sen. Kamala Harris faced off Wednesday night in a debate highlighting the parties' sharply conflicting visions for a nation in crisis.

Pence, Harris spar over COVID-19 in vice presidential debate
A Somali woman wearing a purple headscarf answers the phone in an office with American flags and East Africa map on the wall.

US-based Somali Bantu face deportation to a country they've never known

US-based Somali Bantu face deportation to a country they've never known
US members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, wearing protective masks, gather at Toncontin International airport before heading home, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, March 29, 2020.

Latter-day Saints calls missionaries home amid coronavirus 

Latter-day Saints calls missionaries home amid coronavirus 
Signs direct voters at a polling place in the state's presidential primary election in Greenfield, New Hampshire, Feb. 11, 2020.

MIT researchers sound alarm over voting app’s security flaws

MIT researchers sound alarm over voting app’s security flaws
North American beaver

'Beaver Believers' say dam-building creatures can make the American West lush again

'Beaver Believers' say dam-building creatures can make the American West lush again
Phytosaur fossil

Rare fossils could face trouble outside new Bears Ears National Monument boundaries

The Trump administration recently slashed the size of Bears Ears National Monument, leaving paleontologists worried about the fate of the area's rare fossils.

Rare fossils could face trouble outside new Bears Ears National Monument boundaries
Rugged mountain with long, slim peak. Brush in front

He can make national monuments, but many legal scholars say Trump can't destroy them

The Trump administration plans to drastically shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah. Conservation and Native American groups have sued, saying only Congress can make that change.

He can make national monuments, but many legal scholars say Trump can't destroy them
US President Donald Trump displays an executive order

Trump cuts federal protection for two national monuments

Trump shrunk the size of Bears Ears National Monument by more than 80 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by roughly 45 percent by signing two presidential proclamations.

Trump cuts federal protection for two national monuments
Drilling in Wyoming

The US Department of the Interior’s new four-year strategic plan calls for maximizing fossil fuel extraction from public lands

Remember "Drill, baby, drill"? Well, it's back — and this time it's likely to become a reality.

The US Department of the Interior’s new four-year strategic plan calls for maximizing fossil fuel extraction from public lands
Grand Escalante

US interior secretary recommends altering some national monuments for commercial use

A leaked report says Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke wants to shrink or alter some national monuments in order to allow greater commercial use of the land.

US interior secretary recommends altering some national monuments for commercial use
screenshots of two advertisements of Facebook posts by John Curtis

Utah congressional candidate says Facebook ad to 'build the wall' was made in error

The campaign for John Curtis says the mistake is a chance for dialogue. But one DACA recipient isn't so sure.

Utah congressional candidate says Facebook ad to 'build the wall' was made in error
Woman sitting on grass in front of building with two young children in front of her

Why this DACA recipient won't be extending her protected status, but says others should

About 154,000 people are eligible to renew their status for two more years. But not everyone thinks it's worth it.

Why this DACA recipient won't be extending her protected status, but says others should
Bears Ears National Monument

Interior secretary recommends scaling down Bears Ears National Monument

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s interim report recommends changes to Bears Ears National Monument’s 1.3 million acres of protected lands.

Interior secretary recommends scaling down Bears Ears National Monument
Sharlee Mullins Glenn speaks to demonstrators outside the Office of Homeland Security in West Valley City, Utah in May.

Trump's policies have turned some Mormon women in Utah into political activists

It started as a private Facebook group of a few Mormon women in Utah, upset about the Trump administration’s travel ban on immigrants. In a matter of weeks, Mormon Women for Ethical Government went national.

Trump's policies have turned some Mormon women in Utah into political activists
A Friday night "Meet the Muslims" session at the Utah Islamic Center in Sandy, Utah. Members of the center started them after the election of Donald Trump.

Some Utah Muslims feel let down by Mormon neighbors who voted for Trump

Mormons in Utah have their own history of religious persecution. But then the state went for Trump, who had proposed faith-based immigration bans. Muslims there are wondering what to make of that.

Some Utah Muslims feel let down by Mormon neighbors who voted for Trump