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Good morning!

As the Utah Legislature’s 2025 general session begins, Deseret News reporters have been busy writing about the latest from lawmakers.

Caitlin Keith attended press conferences from the House minority leadership and Senate minority leadership on Tuesday. She reports that Utah’s Democratic lawmakers plan to oppose the Utah Fits All education voucher program, make sure students in higher education are getting what they need, provide affordable energy, and stand up for the safety and rights of everyone in Utah.

Read more about the issues Utah’s Democratic lawmakers will focus on this session.

Also on our minds:

How to follow the Utah Legislature and be involved this session
Did BYU basketball rebound on the road against Colorado?
Eggs are expensive and getting harder to find. Here’s why

Gov. Cox ready to work with President Trump, hopes for balanced approach to border

Brigham Tomco sat down with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Tuesday to discuss the future of immigration in Utah. They discussed Trump’s orders on immigration, how Americans feel about border security and the Utah Legislature’s plans for immigration in the state.

Here are some key takeaways:

Gov. Cox said he supports President Trump’s designation of Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Cox questioned Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship.
Cox reaffirmed support for the Utah Compact, which opposes immigration policies that unnecessarily separate families.
Cox said he and the Utah Legislature remain focused on deporting those who have committed crimes after entering the country illegally.

Read more about what Cox said on Trump and immigration.

Tensions rise as Utah court faces criticism from legislators

Emma Pitts writes:

Matthew B. Durrant, the chief justice of Utah’s Supreme Court for the past 13 years, said Tuesday that the state has set the standard for judiciaries across the nation that entire time.

During his State of the Judiciary address in front of Utah lawmakers, Durrant credited amendments made in 1984 to the state’s Judicial Conduct Commission, which “restructured our judiciary, revamped the judicial selection process and established a new system for judicial evaluation and discipline,” resulting in collaborative efforts across the three branches of government and “positioned Utah’s judiciary as a national model with strong centralized leadership, a merit-based judicial selection process and robust accountability measures to promote public confidence in judicial fairness.”

As the 2025 legislative session began Tuesday, Durrant recognized the work of Utah’s judiciary council and called for mutual respect as lawmakers continued to enact policy guidelines and share recommendations throughout the 47-day session.

Read more about the key challenges facing Utah’s judicial system in 2025.

Relive the glory: BYU’s championship season

This is more than a look back; it’s a tribute to the spirit and passion of the Cougar community. Step back in time and celebrate the legendary moments of BYU’s epic 1984 National Championship season! Order your copy and relive the championship journey with us. Celebrate the past, inspire the future.

Utah

Hill Air Force Base could get small nuclear reactor as soon as 2028 (KSL)
Popular Tooele County reservoir temporarily closed over ‘dangerous’ ice conditions (KSL)
‘Doesn’t feel real’: Parents speak after 17-year-old girl chased down, killed in Cedar City (ABC4)
What swapping crops for houses means for Utah’s water and agriculture future (KUER)

Politics

Faith leaders weigh in as Trump puts pause on refugee resettlement (Deseret News)
Trump sets in motion his plans to shrink the federal government (Deseret News)

The U.S. & World

Winter Storm Enzo bringing rare snow, ice to Gulf Coast, including historic snowfall totals (The Weather Channel)
White House cheers release of two Americans freed in a swap with Taliban brokered by Biden, Qatar (The Associated Press)
Russia warns Trump against seizing Panama Canal (The Hill)
Nine Palestinians killed as Israeli forces launch major operation in Jenin (BBC)

Sports

What returning to the USWNT means to Ashley Hatch (Deseret News)
Where BYU landed in national way-too-early top-25 rankings (Deseret News)
Winning the NBA lottery is nice, but comes with no guarantees (Deseret News)
Investor’s multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Tony Finau has been dismissed by a Utah County judge — at request of both parties (Deseret News)

Faith

The faith factor in college football’s national championship (Deseret News)
Barbara Jones Brown: ‘American Primeval’ left this historian confused and frustrated. Here’s why (Deseret News)

Health

Eggs prices keep climbing, supplies dropping amid bird flu (Deseret News)
Trump announces U.S. withdrawal from World Health Organization (CNN)

🗓️ Events Calendar

We put together a calendar list of events and activities going on around the state of Utah the next month. Check it out and let us know if we are missing anything!

Here are some highlights for events in Utah today:

Jan. 22-23 — “Mary Poppins” | Covey Center for the Arts, Provo
Jan. 22 — U of U women’s basketball vs. Kansas | Jon M. Huntsman Center 7 p.m.
Jan. 22 — USU men’s basketball vs. Nevada | Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 7 p.m.

Check your inbox tomorrow morning for more news from the Beehive State and beyond!

And reply to this email or email newsletters@deseretnews.com to tell us what you think of Utah Today.

Thanks for reading!

— Ariel