Segment 1: It’s no secret that the federal government subsidizes farmers to grow corn, soy, wheat, cotton and rice – commodities that encourage processed food diets. But what if that money went to support healthier options like fruits and vegetables, and to shore up small and medium farmers instead of big agribusiness? On Monday, Jennifer…
Despite opposition from his own party, Republican Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is pushing to have former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray confirmed as director of the newly-created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Shurtleff is one of 36 AGs from across the country that sent a letter to the U.S. Senate today backing President Obama’s nominee.
Conservation groups are slamming an attempt by Utah and Arizona lawmakers to overturn the Interior Department’s moratorium on new uranium mining claims near the Grand Canyon. David Nimkin, Southwest Regional Director for the National Parks Conservation Association, disagrees with their idea that mining decisions should be left up to Congress, not Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
Republican Utah lawmakers are teaming up with Arizona’s congressional delegation to try to overturn the Interior Department’s moratorium on new uranium mining claims in a one million acre area near the Grand Canyon. In a news conference today, Senator Mike Lee said the bill he’s co-sponsoring is about jobs.
Utah Governor Gary Herbert is continuing his push to promote Utah’s economy with a trip to New York City. Unemployment in the state is hovering around seven and a half percent. What’s his reaction to President Obama’s jobs speech Thursday night, and what plans does he have to offer Utahns who don’t have a job and put them back to work?
The newly-elected chairman and other leaders of the Utah Democratic Party have embarked on a “Red Rock Tour.” The party says Jim Dabakis and others are traveling more than 1,100 miles across Southern Utah, telling voters in cities like Cedar City, Moab and St. George that they should get their own congressional district.
Republican Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz says he would like to return to Washington, but not as a senator… at least for now. In a surprise announcement Monday afternoon at the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics, Chaffetz said he will not be running against Senator Orrin Hatch in 2012. KCPW’s Jessica Gail spoke to the Congressman about what prompted his change of heart, and reports on what it means for Utah’s political future.
The entrance of Texas Governor Rick Perry into the presidential race provides another candidate to stack up against former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman. And Huntsman’s team is already taking some shots. Every Friday, we talk with Thomas Burr, Washington Correspondent for the Salt Lake Tribune, and author of Political Cornflakes, a daily, online round-up of Utah politics.
When she was elected mayor of Saratoga Springs in 2009, Mia Love made history as the first African American woman ever to serve as a mayor in Utah. Now, Love, who’s a Republican, is considering a bid for Congress. She just got back from a visit to Washington, DC. KCPW’s Jeff Robinson asked her about the purpose of that trip.
Utah Senator Mike Lee and other Tea Party Republicans pushing a balanced budget amendment during the debt ceiling crisis got a verbal thrashing this week from former presidential candidate and Senator John McCain. The veteran lawmaker not only described their efforts as “foolish” but “bizarro.” Every week, we talk with Thomas Burr, Washington Correspondent for the Salt Lake Tribune, and author of Political Cornflakes, a daily, online round-up of Utah politics.
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