Politics and Economy
Governor Gary R. Herbert sums up the 2011 Legislative session in this edition of the News Conference. The process involved in the passing of House Bill 477 is discussed, along with immigration legislation, nuclear power in Utah, and the firing of Forrest Cuch.
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In this final regularly scheduled episode of KUED's legislative session coverage, Host Ken Verdoia discusses the work done by our state's Senators and Representatives in the 2011 state session..
This episode was taped and broadcast one week after the last day of the session.
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In the second of a series of three shows on the Utah Legislature, Host Ken Verdoia discusses the issues our state's Senators and Representatives are currently debating.
This episode, taped and broadcast near the midpoint of the session, is an update of the 2011 session.
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This week on Utah NOW - National Public Radio's Diane Rehm. We're broadcasting our conversation with the popular radio host recorded live at the Rose Wagner Center in Salt Lake City. We talked about her compelling personal story, which includes a condition that threatened to take her voice. She also discussed the changing media landscape and tells a few stories along the way. (rebroadcast)
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It goes without saying that a lot happened over the last year. A faltering economy, a tussle over healthcare, a popular governor moves on, a Utah sports icon dies, a frightening strain of flu emerges. This week on Utah NOW, we're reviewing the year, the figures, the stories, the twists and turns of 2009.
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This week on Utah NOW, Sen. Bob Bennett will be joining us. Bennett is one of the only Republicans who has actually produced a plan to reform the country's healthcare system. We'll talk about the particulars and the politics and explain why his plan didn't make the cut.
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This week on Utah NOW, we're profiling a new documentary that traces the complicated history of Black people in Mormonism. We'll talk about how Black Mormons reconcile their racial and cultural identity with their faith and ask why the myths and misperceptions persist.
Watch the doucmentary "Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons"
Oct. 7th at 9 PM on KUED 7.1
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This week on Utah NOW, we're exploring the fate of the Snake Valley groundwater and the proposal to pipe it to Las Vegas. Recently, Utah and Nevada announced an agreement to share the remaining aquifer water. But in this arid desert landscape, some see it as a water grab, not a water share. Join us for a closer look at the future of water in the west.
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This week on Utah NOW we're profiling Utah's Lt. Governor designee Greg Bell. Senator Bell is considered a moderate politically...too moderate for conservatives who openly opposed him for the job. We'll talk to the Senator about his ideas and his decision to accept one of the least coveted positions in government.
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The uproar over a gay couple detained for allegedly refusing to leave after kissing near the Main Street Plaza last week revealed a lingering resentment about the involvement of the LDS Church in the fight over Proposition 8 in California. This week on Utah NOW: the fallout of Prop 8... how are the faithful dealing with and talking about gay rights?
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This week on Utah NOW - Is torture in a time of war immoral if not illegal? The use of harsh interrogration techniques in the war on terror has forced this country to confront some difficult questions. Retired Brigadier General and Utahn, David Irvine will join us to explore the nature, the limits and the costs of torture.
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This week on Utah NOW, we're working through the news that Utah Governor Jon Huntsman is stepping down to become Ambassador to China. We're asking what this means for Utah to lose a popular leader with a moderate political disposition? We'll also look at what we know about the man who will replace him... Gary Herbert.
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This week on Utah NOW we're looking at the questionable future of the American newspaper. As papers around the country are failing, we'll assess the prospects of the newsroom in Utah. We'll talk about the challenges from the Internet and ask about the implications of all of this on the state of journalism, on democracy and on the community.
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This week on Utah NOW - we're talking about the boundaries of presidential power. Legal scholar Scott Matheson has written a book about the U.S. presidency during times of crisis. He'll join us to talk about how American leaders have squared security with human rights when the stakes were high.
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This week on Utah NOW we're exploring the fate of the Common Ground initiative. It's an effort to secure legal protection at the state legislature for gay and transgendered Utahns. Gay rights advocates hoped that a backlash over the passage of Proposition 8 in California would create an opening for the initiative... but it seems lawmakers are having second thoughts.
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This week on Utah NOW, the always-dicey question of ethics in the Utah Legislature. It isn't rampant corruption that some are getting at in their attempt to strengthen the code of ethics - it's perception and principle. This week we're talking about the efforts to reform the rules of conduct on Utah's Capitol Hill.
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This week on Utah NOW, we're looking back at 2008. We'll be joined, among others, by political cartoonist Pat Bagley to talk about the highlights and the characters who made '08 one of the most interesting years - in years.
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This week on Utah NOW we're exploring the role of private contractors in the modern American military. This is the story of the five former Blackwater guards who've been accused of killing 14 unarmed civilians in Iraq. We're talking about the case and the questions of accountability in the confusion of a war zone. (Photo: Courtesy Rick Egan, The Salt Lake Tribune)
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This week on Utah NOW, we're repeating our profile of Moab as a community and as a model for the "new west". Environmentalists had hoped the city would be a new economic model for the rural American West, that it would shift away from industries like mining and cattle and instead use as its centerpiece the beauty of the land and its remarkable terrain. A few decades into this experiment and we'll see how it's working out.
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This week on Utah NOW the activist and former talk show host Phil Donahue discusses the film he made about the true costs of war. It's an intimate portrait of the daily struggle for a young soldier paralyzed by a bullet in Iraq. Donahue says the film explores the fullest meaning of the word "harm" in "harm's way."
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As we head into the final stretch of the 2008 election year, Utah NOW is presenting a series of debates in some of the races. Join us as we present the 2nd Congressional District debate between Rep. Jim Matheson and his Republican challenger Bill Dew.
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As we head into the final stretch of the 2008 election year, Utah NOW is presenting a series of debates in some of the races. Join us as we present the 3rd Congressional District debate between Republican Jason Chaffetz and Democrat Bennion Spencer.
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As we head into the final stretch of the 2008 election year, Utah NOW is presenting a series of debates in some of the races. Join us as we present the 1st Congressional District debate between Rep. Rob Bishop and his challenger Morgan Bowen.
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As we head into the final stretch of the 2008 election year, Utah NOW is presenting a series of debates in some of the races. Join us as we present the Utah Attorney General's debate between Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and challenger Jean Welch Hill.
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As we head into the final stretch of the 2008 election year, Utah NOW is presenting a series of debates in some of the races. Join us for a special edition of Utah NOW as KUED and Voices for Utah Children present the Utah Governor's debate between Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. and challenger Bob Springmeyer.
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This week on Utah NOW, a conversation with Ralph Nader. Throughout his career the controversial candidate and consumer advocate has tormented corporate America and the country's political establishment. But like him or not, there is no denying his influence on American public life.
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This week on Utah NOW, we're profiling Moab as a community and as a model for the "new west".
Environmentalists had hoped the city would be a new economic model for the rural American West, that it would shift away from industries like mining and cattle and instead use as its centerpiece the beauty of the land and its remarkable terrain. A few decades into this experiment and we'll see how it's working out.
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Utah Congressman Chris Cannon has another primary battle on his hands. This has become a regular occurrence in the 3rd District. This week on Utah NOW, Cannon and his Republican challenger Jason Chaffetz will join us. They'll talk about the issues in the race including the war, the economy and immigration.
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This week on Utah NOW - Valerie Plame Wilson and her husband, the former ambassador Joseph Wilson will join us to talk about how they responded to having her cover as a CIA operative blown in the political dispute over the war. They say this is about speaking truth to power.
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Along with snow or maybe polygamy, Utah's liquor laws are right up there with the characteristics outsiders associate with the state. But have you ever wondered where they came from or how we got to this point?
This week on Utah NOW we're talking about the history and logic of Utah's liquor laws and the current effort to reform them.
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This week on Utah NOW - we're exploring the high-cost debt industry in Utah.
In particular, we're focusing on payday lenders who have found a niche in places where there are a high number of working poor, minorities and elderly. Some say this trend is changing the culture and the assumptions we hold about borrowing money.
We'll ask if these lenders are providing a needed service or exploiting the most vulnerable people in society.
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This week on Utah NOW -- Doris Kearns Goodwin will be with us.
An acclaimed historian with an eye for detail, Goodwin applies the lessons from the past to give perspective to the politics of today. We'll talk about the role of leadership and vision for a country in turmoil.
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It wasn't so long ago that Utah lawmakers created a progressive series of policies designed to accommodate the reality of illegal immigrants in the state. But now legislators are having second thoughts.
This week on Utah NOW we are exploring the latest in the debate of illegal immigration and asking how you balance the rule of law with compassion.
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This week on Utah NOW - We'll explore Republican Mitt Romney's abrupt exit from the race for President.
We'll talk about the factors that seemed to do him in and the implication of Romney's run on the Utah political landscape.
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Lawmakers are back in session next week for the first time since voters rejected their voucher law. They'll be meeting in "the people's house," the newly renovated state capitol, but do they truly represent the interests of the people?
This week on Utah NOW, we're previewing the 2008 legislative session. We'll ask about the issues competing for lawmaker's attention this year. We'll also explore the fallout from the voucher fight.
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This week on Utah NOW - Has Mitt Romney's presidential campaign unmasked a subtle form of religious bigotry in American culture?
Take the question further by bringing it back home - is there a sentiment of anti-Mormon intolerance here in the capitol of Mormonism?
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This week on Utah NOW - Patrick Byrne is with us. He's still taking heat for comments he made in the debate over school vouchers. He was the principle financial backer for the effort to pass the referendum.
But that's only one of the causes he's willing to fight for. Call him a visionary or a provocateur - either way - he's determined to have his say.
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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was actually trying to resolve questions in his recent speech on religion. Instead, he may have raised more.
This week on Utah NOW we're exploring some of those questions. Among them, does freedom really require religion? And in a so-called enlightened 21st century, is our political system still rife with religious bigotry?
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This week on Utah NOW - one of the architects of The 9/11 Commission Report, former congressman Lee Hamilton is with us.
In an era of partisan bickering, he is one of the few bonafide statesmen. We'll talk about the changing roll of American foreign policy in a hostile world.
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If you go by the campaign rhetoric, there's a lot at stake in the vote over school vouchers.
On one side, it's the sanctity and solvency of the public school system. For others, it's nothing less than meaningful reform and real choice. This week on Utah NOW, we weigh the issues in the debate over Referendum 1.
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Lawmaker Ralph Becker and city councilman Dave Buhler are headed into the final stretch of the campaign for mayor of Salt Lake City.
This week on Utah NOW we bring them together. From downtown to the west side, from budgets to crime to sky bridges...the candidates will meet to debate the issues of the race.
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Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. speaks extensively about the tragedy at the Crandall Canyon Mine and his extreme frustration in how the event was handled and how the families and the community of Huntington have been treated. He also talks about the lessons to be learned from the crisis and what the State of Utah can do to respond to crises of this nature.
The Governor also speaks about the Special Legislative Session and the bill proposals within the session...specifically on the discussion of the ballot proposal to split Salt Lake County school districts, and on an animal cruelty law known as "Henry's Law."
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This week on Utah NOW--as people in Central Utah cling to the hope that six trapped miners are still alive, we're talking about the safety in a coal mine.
It's an evolving story about standards, working conditions and the culture of an industry where there have always been risks.
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This week on Utah NOW, a conversation with Utah senator, Bob Bennett. With a war raging, partisan conflicts intensifying and the presidential race in full swing, there's plenty to talk about.
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In his new documentary, "SICKO," the controversial filmmaker, Michael Moore, poses an intriguing question: Why doesn't every American have access to health care?
It's the question we're asking this week on Utah NOW. We'll look at the barriers and talk about the possibilities for change.
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This week Utah NOW presents The Governor's Monthly News Conference, an unedited exchange between reporters and Governor Jon M. Huntsman. Topics include the upcoming School Vouchers vote and the need for the public to become informed on the issue. He also talked about the budget surplus, tax cuts, and air quality on the Wasatch Front.
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In Washington, President Bush is still hoping to revive legislation that would reform the country's immigration laws. This week on Utah NOW, we'll take up one part of the ongoing debate--the relationship between immigration and business. What are consequences of the dispute on Utah's economy, industry and consumers?
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This month Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr. discussed the ongoing issue of Public Education Vouchers and if Utah will be a battleground for this issue, and how the two voucher bills work together and compete against each other. The governor also discussed the convergence of immigration and education issues.
Other issues raised in the press conference include the status of the Legacy Highway and the different transportation options along the Wasatch Front, new appointments to state education boards and commissions (with extensive discussion on the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Commission), and the high price of gas.READ MORE »
All the dust from the Sean Hannity Rocky Anderson scuffle has settled by now, and it's given the people a chance to think clearly about what really happened in the debate. This week on Utah NOW we're asking not who won, but what did the spectacle tell us about the condition of America's culture war?
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This month Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr. discussed the ongoing issue of Public Education Vouchers, and Real Salt Lake's involvement in a youth soccer complex in North Salt Lake City. The Governor also spoke about his trade mission to Canada, the issues around creating more wireless internet access in the state of Utah, and his recent discussions with U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt on the issues of disaffected youth and public shootings.
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This week on Utah Now we're profiling a new series on PBS that explores the challenges confronting the country and the world in the years after 9-11. We'll take on some of the questions at the heart of the series - just what has the war on terror meant for America's sense of purpose and identity?
Robert MacNeil, host of America at a Crossroads, joins us for a phone interview, and studio guests include U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah, Brett L. Tolman, and the director of the Middle East Center at the University of Utah, Ibrahim Karawan.
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This week Utah NOW presents The Governor's Monthly News Conference, an unedited exchange between reporters and Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. Topics include the funding of public education, the petition to put the issue of school vouchers on the ballot, and where Utah stands in regard to additional storage of radioactive waste. The Governor also discusses Utah's request for a fourth United States Congressional Seat, Real Salt Lake's stadium proposal, and climate change.
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On Tuesday, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney made it official - he's running for president. Whether he likes it or not, religion is going to be a factor in the campaign. This week on Utah NOW, we're going to be exploring Romney's candidacy and the role of religion in presidential politics.
Studio guests include author and historian Will Bagley, historian Jon Moyer and Kirk Jowers, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics.
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With a $1.6 billion budget surplus, Utah Lawmakers are in a position to reform Utah's public education system, but what exactly does that mean? This week on Utah NOW we're asking what it's really going to take in money and political will to make fundamental change.
Studio guests include Elisa Peterson, Executive Director of Parents for Choice in Education, Janet Cannon, Vice Chair of the Utah State Board of Education, and Andrea Rorrer, Director of the Utah Education Policy Center at the University of Utah.
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This week Utah NOW presents The Governor's Monthly News Conference, an unedited exchange between reporters and Governor Jon M. Huntsman. Topics include the governor's plan of action regarding the Divine Strake test, the future of the sales tax on food and the broader issues of tax reform. The governor also discussed the balance between the environment and tourism, the importance of ethics reform in the executive branch and Meth use in Utah.
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The 2007 Legislative Session opened this week, and as in years past the theme for this year will be education. Legislators have a huge chunk of money to work with - but it's never that simple. This week on Utah NOW we'll look at the issues, the players and the money on Capitol Hill.
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In Utah it's odd to find a Democrat on the top of the heap, but when the new Congress gathers in January, Jim Matheson and his party will find themselves back in charge. This week on Utah NOW, the congressman will join us to reflect on the issues of the last year and what may be the biggest story of 2006 - the transition of power.
Former member of Congress Karen Shepherd is this week's Speak Out editorialist.
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Months after promising to release its financial records, Real Salt Lake has finally given the public a glimpse at its plans for building a new stadium in Sandy - but the blueprint is raising even more questions. This week on Utah NOW we're asking, what's next in the effort to keep professional soccer in Utah?
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This week on Utah NOW acclaimed political analyst Larry Sabato breaks down the 2006 election. Sabato foresaw the victory for democrats last week. He will join us to explain the message voters were sending and how the country's political landscape is beginning to change.
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Over the next five years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is going to be re-making a significant part of downtown Salt Lake City. This week on Utah NOW we're asking, whose interests will define the character of downtown? Can a project designed and built by a private religious entity be the foundation for a vibrant city center?
Editorialist Ben Fulton of the Salt Lake City Weekly comments on the future look of downtown.
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Experts say this election year may mark a significant moment of change. But amidst all this uncertainty, is Utah destined to stay put? This week on Utah NOW, we'll survey the state's political landscape and ask about the prospects for change - even here.
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This week Utah NOW presents The Governor's Monthly News Conference, an unedited exchange between reporters and Governor Jon M. Huntsman. This month the governor discusses his trip to China and Utah's transportation situation. He also answers questions about gas prices and Utah's $500 million surplus.
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There was a time in American life when faith was a private matter. In his new book, The Holy Vote, journalist Ray Suarez examines how religion has come out into the open. This week on Utah NOW, Suarez will join us to talk about the role of God in modern politics.
Former member of Congress Karen Shepherd, is our new Speak Out Utah Essayist.
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In Utah more than 300,000 people have no health insurace. This week on Utah Now, we are asking why...just who are these people? What are the strategies they use to care for themselves and their families? And what are the costs to them...and you?
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With the upcoming trial of FLDS leader Warren Jeffs Utah law enforcement faces head-on the not so secret practice of plural marriage in our state. This week on Utah NOW - we ask - How should polygamy be prosecuted in the 21st century?
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This week Utah NOW presents The Governor's Monthly News Conference, an unedited exchange between reporters and Governor Jon M. Huntsman. Topics include the war in Iraq, Utah's possible 4th district, and the investigation of Utah gas prices. Reporters also ask about healthcare in Utah, and the state's minority population.
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Political analyst Thomas Mann says Congress is deeply out of whack. Once a critical check on governmental power, Mann says decades of partisan bickering have left the institution weakened. This week on Utah NOW – Mann makes his case to get Congress back on track.
Studio guest Thomas Mann is a Brookings scholar and author of "The Broken Branch: How Congress is Failing America and How to Get it Back on Track."
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It’s been five years now, since the attacks of September.
At the time—the country wondered how we would react and if it would change the way Americans thought about the world outside its borders. This week on Utah NOW—we ask—how have we changed—and what have we learned…
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Along with throngs of supporters President Bush will be met by hundreds of protestors when he visits Utah next week. On Utah NOW we’re breaking down the elements of dissent…In a country founded by revolution how crucial is protest to a vibrant democracy and what are the limits?
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Last week as crowds celebrated the arrival of one of the world’s high profile teams - an eleventh hour deal promised a new stadium for Real Salt Lake. This week on Utah NOW we’ll explore the deal and what it means to spend public money on private venture.
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An unedited exchange between reporters and Governor Jon M. Huntsman. Some topics include the governor's poll numbers, his blue print for the future and the economy. He also talks about the prospect of tuition tax credits, education in the state of Utah and the presidential race of 2008. Reporters also asked the Governor about Iraq, transportation and the USTAR initiative.
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This week on Utah NOW, guest host Ken Verdoia re-visits the enduring questions of hazardous waste in Utah. We’ll update the prospects of storing the lethal leftovers of America's nuclear program in the state's west desert. Is Utah any closer to a resolution in this contentious issue?
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This week on Utah NOW we explore the nature of leadership. Just what is the essence of a good leader? In times of crisis or war – what are the characteristics people look to for direction and strength. From the founders to modern America – how does leadership play out in the country’s social and political climate?
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An unedited exchange between reporters and Governor Jon M. Huntsman. Some topics include a special education summit planned for September, the state's wildfires, the Third District Primary and what it revealed about Utahns' feelings on immigration, and electronic voting. The governor also answered questions regarding the removal of the government website which was written in Spanish, having global relationships with Mexico, China, India and Canada and the most recent decisions surrounding the storage of nuclear waste.
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The key issue in the primary battle between Utah Congressman Chris Cannon and businessman John Jacob is immigration. And the questions at play are the same being considered by Americans around the country. This week Jacob and Cannon will join us to talk about immigration and some of the other matters in this increasingly tense contest.
John Florez, is the editorialist for this week’s edition of “Speak Out Utah”.
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This week state leaders announced they had found enough donations to restore emergency dental care for tens of thousands of Medicaid recipients. The arrangement forestalled a political impasse over the issue—but is raising important questions—should private money be used to fund public programs—and what does the story reveal about government's obligation to those in need?
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The most recent example of disharmony in the usually unified Republican Party came in the latest dispute between Governor Jon Huntsman and Utah Lawmakers during the special session – But did it also expose some movement in Utah 's political culture? As moderates throughout the country are rethinking their loyalties are Utahns revising the values that influence their vote?
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An unedited exchange between reporters and Governor Jon M. Huntsman. Topics include President Vicente Fox's visit to Utah, Fox's views on immigration, Utah's relationship with Mexico, the special session and dental aid for low-income Utahns.
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The BLM is gearing up for its largest oil and gas lease sale in the U.S.'s history. On May 16th parcels of our public lands will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. While the U.S. is trying to repress its “addiction” to foreign oil, gas and oil wells and drills are dotting Utah’s wilderness areas. What are the implications for Utah’s natural landscape? The Utah NOW team traveled east, to Vernal, Utah, to capture the portrait of a boom town and to investigate one of eight BLM pilot offices in the U.S.
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An unedited exchange between reporters and Governor Jon M. Huntsman. Topics will include health care and Utah's uninsured, the position of the governor's tax reform plan, Utah's preparation for the bird flu and much more.
