Jul 15, 2026
The monumental battle over Utah's public lands
In this week's episode, host Bryan Schott discusses:
Bears Ears & Grand Staircase Escalante shrunk again President Trump signed an executive order this week drastically reducing both monuments—continuing the back-and-forth that's played out since Clinton (1996) and Obama (2016) created them, Trump shrank them in 2017, and Biden restored/expanded them in 2021.
Trump's Thursday night address Multiple reports suggest the president will claim new evidence of foreign interference in the 2020 election and may declare Georgia Senators Warnock and Ossoff illegitimately elected as part of his ongoing efforts to sow doubts about the legitimacy of elections ahead of the midterms.
Legislature backs off ballot initiative power grab After previously signaling they'd push a constitutional amendment letting lawmakers repeal citizen ballot initiatives, legislative leaders reversed course after Senate President Stuart Adams lost his primary—a sign they're wary of further angering voters.
Save Act & Lindsey Graham's death Senator Mike Lee is renewing his push for the Save Act (which would require birth-certificate-or-passport proof of citizenship to vote and curtail mail-in voting) following Graham's unexpected death—though Lee still lacks the votes to pass the bill.
Trevor Lee investigation Representative Trevor Lee remains under Attorney General investigation over allegations he tried to leverage his legislative seat to help an employer land a federal cleanup grant tied to Hill Air Force Base, to pay off a $93,000 debt.
Henderson vs. DOJ Lt. Governor Diedre Henderson continues to publicly push back on the Department of Justice's demands for Utah's unredacted voter rolls, pointing out DOJ's 14 straight court losses on similar demands nationwide.
Jan. 6 subpoenas New Politico reporting reveals special counsel Jack Smith's investigation obtained text messages from 44 members of Congress, including Senator Mike Lee.
Also discussed: the Utah Debate Commission's 2026 debate schedule, Phil Lyman allies' signature-gathering conspiracy claims, CNBC ranking Utah among the 10 worst states to live in, and fallout from the Utah Fits All voucher program audit.
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