Suzanne Bates

Chris Klomp, the Utah entrepreneur RFK Jr. asked to run the Department of Health, decided he wanted to become a doctor before graduating from Boise High. So he started pre-med at BYU. But while on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ he expanded his scope to reforming the entire health care system. Here's why the dad of four, who now lives in Park City, chose to answer the call to serve in the Trump administration, and how he plans to be a unifying figure while overseeing $2.6 trillion in taxpayer funds at DHHS. deseret.com/politics/2026/…

Downtown SLC might soon be getting new lamp posts. There's a proposal to install 50 new beehive-themed lamp posts along Main Street before SL temple open house. Business community pledged $3M for the project. It's asking for $400K from SLC CRA right now; another $400K from others

NEWS: Utah Rep. Burgess Owens is the latest House Republican to announce his retirement from Congress. This sets the stage for Kennedy and Maloy to decide which of the two remaining GOP districts they can run in and avoid any member-on-member primaries #utpol

Happy State of the Union to all who celebrate. I'm in the chamber watching the speech, which is slated to begin in 30 minutes. Most House members seem to already be in attendance and taking their seats. I'll be giving live updates throughout the night deseret.com/politics/2026/…

Lebanon: On February 23, 2026 the Department of State ordered the departure from Lebanon of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of government personnel due to the security situation in Beirut. The Travel Advisory for Lebanon remains at Level 4 – Do Not Travel. Read the full Travel Advisory at travel.state.gov/content/travel…

Is the U.S. going to war with Iran? Today I asked former Trump National Security Adviser @robertcobrien, former Pentagon official @alexplitsas & @SenJohnCurtis. They said Trump has launched the largest military buildup since Iraq to either force Iran to give up offensive missiles, nuclear enrichment & state-sponsored terrorism — or to devastate the regime. “Trump is exercising a tremendous amount of power,” O’Brien said. “He will be in a position to fully degrade Iran if they don’t come to the table.” deseret.com/politics/2026/…

This has long since been in the works in Utah, however, after hearing from a national democratic strategist that this was a gift to them, I fear Utah will be thrown into the national debate when party powers shift & this is considered on the federal level. deseret.com/utah/2026/02/1…

The Trump administration sent a letter to Utah Legislature criticizing artificial intelligence regulations. Here's what it means for rest of the country. | By @BrighamTomco deseret.com/politics/2026/…

@_maryrichards So exciting! Congratulations!

Learning all we can about Costa Rica — our second son has been called to serve a mission there!

I tagged along w/ @TPAction as they help the Utah GOP w/ the final push to get the Prop 4 repeal petition across the finish line. Utah's first-ever Turning Point field rep Kelsey Newberry told me: "It’s going to be down to the wire.” deseret.com/politics/2026/…

Utah Supreme Court DENIES request to postpone signature submission deadline for Prop 4 repeal. Utahns for Representative Government failed to show the request was timely or warranted SC intervention. UFRG has until 5pm Sunday to submit the 141,000 verified signatures.

The Computer & Communication Industry Association sued Utah over its App Store Accountability Act. The law focuses on child contracts, not free speech. | By @BrighamTomco deseret.com/politics/2026/…

I’m aware of the Truth Social post that circulated earlier. The imagery was wildly offensive and inappropriate, and as a Black man, I find it especially troubling. It never should have been shared or even created, and I’m glad it has been taken down. Reports indicate it may have been posted in error by a staff member, but regardless, we all have a responsibility to use care and good judgment with the content we produce and distribute.

I spoke with Rep. @BurgessOwens this morning for @Deseret about Trump's infamous Truth Social post. He said: “We all make mistakes. I know President Trump’s heart. President Trump cares about everyone, particularly those who are having a hard time. All the policies he has right now are for our kids, are for the safety of our communities, particularly our at-risk communities. So I think we should give everyone a little space.” “We make mistakes. I put out a couple posts I wish I could pull back. We all do that, but he’s a good man with a good heart, and it’s obvious in the policies he’s put together.”

We applaud the White House for prioritizing secure American supply chains through Project Vault. Critical minerals power everything from advanced manufacturing to national defense, and strengthening domestic supply is essential for our economic and national security. Utah already plays a key role, from magnesium and beryllium to potash and lithium. We will keep working with federal and private partners to build secure supply chains and good jobs here at home. 🇺🇸 More here: deseret.com/politics/2026/…

New Utah map drama: Reps. Owens and Maloy of Utah joined local leaders to file a federal lawsuit alleging that the state’s court-ordered congressional map violates the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit names Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson as the defendant, seeking to prevent her from implementing the new district map for the 2026 elections. The new map would ensure a heavily blue district. From @BrighamTomco for @Deseret deseret.com/politics/2026/…

When @RepBlakeMoore joined the Friends of Denmark Caucus, he considered it to be mostly ceremonial. There are dozens of groups like that on Capitol Hill, mostly as a way to signal lawmakers’ interests. But then Trump’s campaign to seize Greenland ramped up — catapulting Moore into the spotlight as a leading GOP voice on the issue deseret.com/politics/2026/…

Scoop: @CelesteMaloyUT has been elected to replace Doug LaMalfa as chair of the Congressional Western Caucus. She was elected by unanimous consent this afternoon.

NEW @Deseret POLL — Utah voters are split in half over Trump’s handling of immigration policy: 49% approve, 46% disapprove The partisan divide: 76% of Republicans approve, 49% strongly approve. 89% of Democrats disapprove, 79% strongly disapprove deseret.com/politics/2026/…

Interesting note: RSC says it has built an AI tool “trained on thousands of Byrd Rule documents” to help generate legislation that complies with strict reconciliation rules Republicans had several policies stripped from the first reconciliation bill by the parliamentarian