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Trump promises to refill the Great Salt Lake as Utah leaders poo-pooh conservation

Lawmakers want to spend $1 billion on pipelines and desalination rather than asking Utahns to use less water.

News

Utah officials are preparing to ask the federal government for $1 billion to support the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Great Salt Lake" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/07/10/great-salt-lake-dust-disproportionately-impacts-latinos-pacific-islanders" data-vars-content-id="3e22fb82-d552-41e6-a56c-dcd4847c26f1" data-vars-headline="Trump promises to refill the Great Salt Lake as Utah leaders poo-pooh conservation" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/07/10/great-salt-lake-dust-disproportionately-impacts-latinos-pacific-islanders" target="_self">Great Salt Lake</a> following President Trump&#x27;s recent statement that it&#x27;s &quot;very important&quot; to save the lake.The big picture: Republican lawmakers are <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="looking at measures" data-vars-click-url="https://senate.utah.gov/securing-utahs-water-future/" data-vars-content-id="3e22fb82-d552-41e6-a56c-dcd4847c26f1" data-vars-headline="Trump promises to refill the Great Salt Lake as Utah leaders poo-pooh conservation" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://senate.utah.gov/securing-utahs-water-future/" target="_blank">looking at measures</a> that sidestep asking Utahns to use less water.

ICE watchdogs chortle as MAGA Sen. Mike Lee deletes post linking masks to cartels

"Cartel hitmen wear masks," Lee said of footage of veiled attackers. "Leftists aren't complaining."

In a now-deleted X post on Sunday, Sen. Mike Lee appeared to compare masks worn by ICE agents to those worn by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="cartels setting fire to a gas station in Mexico" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/23/mexico-cartel-leader-el-mencho-drug-lord-killed" data-vars-content-id="8b6b1b86-e7bc-4d31-8227-fc3bf48f76ba" data-vars-headline="ICE watchdogs chortle as MAGA Sen. Mike Lee deletes post linking masks to cartels" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/23/mexico-cartel-leader-el-mencho-drug-lord-killed" target="_self">cartels setting fire to a gas station in Mexico</a>.The intrigue: The comparison directly — if temporarily — contradicted the Trump administration&#x27;s defense of immigration agents&#x27; concealment of their identities during raids, arrests and other public actions.

Colorado River cuts loom after states miss deal

The seven Colorado River Basin states missed a key federal deadline to reach a new water usage agreement.

The seven Colorado River Basin states missed a key <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="federal deadline to reach a new water usage agreement" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/02/03/katie-hobbs-colorado-river-agreement-upper-basin-burgum-meeting" data-vars-content-id="4baac60f-b299-46a1-96f6-8b56471c417e" data-vars-headline="Colorado River cuts loom after states miss deal" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/02/03/katie-hobbs-colorado-river-agreement-upper-basin-burgum-meeting" target="_self">federal deadline to reach a new water usage agreement</a>, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is now likely to impose a solution of its own.Why it matters: The Colorado River is a vital source of municipal water for residents living along the Wasatch Front, and beyond and federal intervention could mean forcing mandatory cuts.

Most Utahns don't support Christian nationalism

Christian nationalism is deeply entrenched inside today's Republican Party, according to the survey.

Less than one-third of Utahns <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="hold Christian nationalist beliefs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/03/11/utah-republican-christian-nationalism-view-politics" data-vars-content-id="5158a0e6-9106-40b5-811a-a886eb215a81" data-vars-headline="Most Utahns don&#x27;t support Christian nationalism" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/03/11/utah-republican-christian-nationalism-view-politics" target="_self">hold Christian nationalist beliefs</a>, according to a sweeping 50-state survey by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute.Why it matters: The once-fringe ideology holds that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and should be governed according to strict fundamentalist Christian values, even as the country becomes <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="less religious" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/26/great-unchurching-america-religiously-unaffiliated" data-vars-content-id="5158a0e6-9106-40b5-811a-a886eb215a81" data-vars-headline="Most Utahns don&#x27;t support Christian nationalism" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/26/great-unchurching-america-religiously-unaffiliated" target="_self">less religious</a>.

Mormon church returns ancient rock art to Indigenous custody

The boulder has been displayed outside a Tremonton chapel for about 80 years.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has returned a boulder containing 1,200-year-old Fremont <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="petroglyphs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2025/10/27/nine-mile-canyon-guide-utah-petroglyphs" data-vars-content-id="8e3ed061-c93e-409c-81d8-2b7b9327e072" data-vars-headline="Mormon church returns ancient rock art to Indigenous custody" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2025/10/27/nine-mile-canyon-guide-utah-petroglyphs" target="_self">petroglyphs</a> to its original site in northern Utah, about 80 years after members removed it and put it on display at a chapel.Why it matters: The location is a sacred gathering place in the mountains for the Northwest Band of the Shoshone Nation, the band&#x27;s vice chair, Brad Parry, said in a church <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="statement" data-vars-click-url="https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-works-with-shoshone-band-to-preserve-sacred-petroglyphs" data-vars-content-id="8e3ed061-c93e-409c-81d8-2b7b9327e072" data-vars-headline="Mormon church returns ancient rock art to Indigenous custody" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-works-with-shoshone-band-to-preserve-sacred-petroglyphs" target="_blank">statement</a>.

How Juanita Brooks' history of the Mountain Meadows Massacre changed Mormon views of the past

75 years ago, a revolutionary history book exposed who was to blame for the 120 deaths of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Seventy-five years ago this month, a new book drastically changed how Latter-day Saints viewed their own history: Juanita Brooks&#x27; &quot;The Mountain Meadows Massacre.&quot;<ul><li>This is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Old News" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/07/01/utah-history-story-collection-old-news-powell-bundy-olympics" data-vars-content-id="a4d5517a-95d5-4402-b950-89ce0665f662" data-vars-headline="How Juanita Brooks&#x27; history of the Mountain Meadows Massacre changed Mormon views of the past" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/07/01/utah-history-story-collection-old-news-powell-bundy-olympics" target="_self">Old News</a>, where we recount the history of Utah history.</li></ul>Why it mattered: It was the first historical work that offered convincing evidence that the Mormon Militia had slain 120 California-bound settlers in a 19th-century attack long blamed primarily on Indigenous people in southern Utah.

When Mark Hofmann's deadly bombs left SLC in terror

Forty years ago, a forgery scandal led to a series of deadly bombs.

Forty years ago, Salt Lake was reeling in terror as multiple bombs exploded in deadly attacks around the city, stemming from a forgery spree involving purportedly historical Mormon documents.<ul><li>This is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Old News" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/07/01/utah-history-story-collection-old-news-powell-bundy-olympics" data-vars-content-id="cd2e9802-df85-42f3-8428-6adb94dc30f6" data-vars-headline="When Mark Hofmann&#x27;s deadly bombs left SLC in terror" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/07/01/utah-history-story-collection-old-news-powell-bundy-olympics" target="_self">Old News</a>, where we process patterns of trauma and healing in Utah&#x27;s past.</li></ul>

Latter-day Saints' leaders urge forgiveness after shooting

The attack last week killed four and wounded another eight.

Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called on members to be &quot;peacemakers&quot; in the aftermath of a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="deadly mass shooting" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/28/michigan-church-shooting-multiple-victims" data-vars-content-id="84757293-7c5f-450c-b6b1-f090131a16ea" data-vars-headline="Latter-day Saints&#x27; leaders urge forgiveness after shooting" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/28/michigan-church-shooting-multiple-victims" target="_self">deadly mass shooting</a> a week ago against one of the faith&#x27;s chapels in Michigan.What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;We realize that our hearts are mourning loss, and some feel uncertainty caused by violence or tragedy throughout the world,&quot; Gary E. Stevenson, a member of the church&#x27;s leading Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said Saturday at the faith&#x27;s semiannual General Conference.

Latter-day Saint leaders announce temple construction "slow-down"

The announcement comes after a flurry of new temples announced under the late church president Russell M. Nelson.

For the first time in years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced no new temples at its semiannual General Conference this weekend in Salt Lake City.Why it matters: Expanding the number of temples globally was a signature initiative of church President Russell M. Nelson, who <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="died a week ago" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2025/09/28/russell-m-nelson-latter-day-saints-president-dies" data-vars-content-id="cc7e8868-0b65-4b79-9167-f031f686b0d0" data-vars-headline="Latter-day Saint leaders announce temple construction &quot;slow-down&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2025/09/28/russell-m-nelson-latter-day-saints-president-dies" target="_self">died a week ago</a>.

Russell M. Nelson, Latter-day Saints president, dies at age 101

As a leader in the Mormon faith, he oversaw new temples, new branding and new policies on sexuality and gender.

Politics & Policy

Russell M. Nelson, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Saturday, less than a month after his 101st birthday.The big picture: The church&#x27;s president is also revered as a prophet in the Mormon faith, which means he has enormous sway over the direction of the church and its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="17 million members" data-vars-click-url="https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics" data-vars-content-id="05ce6de4-072f-4b74-b350-250e422122f7" data-vars-headline="Russell M. Nelson, Latter-day Saints president, dies at age 101" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics" target="_blank">17 million members</a> worldwide.

Utahns pound pumpkin spice lattes amid shifting Mormon norms

The once-coffee-averse state is now one of the nation's top PSL orderers, per DoorDash data.

Utah — UTAH! — is ordering more <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="pumpkin spice lattes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/13/pumpkin-spice-latte-starbucks-dunkin-fall-menu" data-vars-content-id="bc63b44f-48c8-437f-824e-3a1ef577ed57" data-vars-headline="Utahns pound pumpkin spice lattes amid shifting Mormon norms" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/13/pumpkin-spice-latte-starbucks-dunkin-fall-menu" target="_self">pumpkin spice lattes</a> than almost any other state, according to new DoorDash data.Why it matters: Utah is widely known for culturally eschewing coffee in accordance with the teachings of Mormonism, the state&#x27;s dominant religion.

Lawsuit against Mormon church moves forward in sexual abuse case

Clergy-penitent privilege may not apply, judges write in unanimous ruling reversing earlier dismissal.

An Arizona appeals court has resuscitated a high-profile <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="lawsuit" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2022/08/05/mormon-sex-abuse-help-line-discouraged-police-reports" data-vars-content-id="3e5b5ed9-2916-447b-b5e7-9c474b9a434d" data-vars-headline="Lawsuit against Mormon church moves forward in sexual abuse case" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2022/08/05/mormon-sex-abuse-help-line-discouraged-police-reports" target="_self">lawsuit</a> against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ruling unanimously that the church may have been <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="obligated" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2022/08/19/judge-rules-mormon-church-cannot-withhold-information-abuse-case" data-vars-content-id="3e5b5ed9-2916-447b-b5e7-9c474b9a434d" data-vars-headline="Lawsuit against Mormon church moves forward in sexual abuse case" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2022/08/19/judge-rules-mormon-church-cannot-withhold-information-abuse-case" target="_self">obligated</a> to report a man to police after he confessed to sexually abusing his children.Why it matters: The ruling argues there are limits to Arizona&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="guarantee" data-vars-click-url="https://www.azleg.gov/ars/13/03620.htm" data-vars-content-id="3e5b5ed9-2916-447b-b5e7-9c474b9a434d" data-vars-headline="Lawsuit against Mormon church moves forward in sexual abuse case" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.azleg.gov/ars/13/03620.htm" target="_blank">guarantee</a> of &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="clergy-penitent privilege" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2022/08/05/mormon-sex-abuse-help-line-discouraged-police-reports" data-vars-content-id="3e5b5ed9-2916-447b-b5e7-9c474b9a434d" data-vars-headline="Lawsuit against Mormon church moves forward in sexual abuse case" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2022/08/05/mormon-sex-abuse-help-line-discouraged-police-reports" target="_self">clergy-penitent privilege</a>,&quot; reversing a lower court&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="dismissal" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/mormon-sex-abuse-de446ad8212b6ca50ecbaaf222c35e7e" data-vars-content-id="3e5b5ed9-2916-447b-b5e7-9c474b9a434d" data-vars-headline="Lawsuit against Mormon church moves forward in sexual abuse case" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/mormon-sex-abuse-de446ad8212b6ca50ecbaaf222c35e7e" target="_blank">dismissal</a>.

When the "Book of Mormon" musical premiered in Utah

The laughter and applause made the show hard to hear.

Ten years ago today, the hit musical &quot;The Book of Mormon&quot; premiered in Salt Lake City. Or Sal Tlay Ka Siti.<ul><li>This is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Old News" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/07/01/utah-history-story-collection-old-news-powell-bundy-olympics" data-vars-content-id="129446b2-0080-4766-9ec7-b1c7102025af" data-vars-headline="When the &quot;Book of Mormon&quot; musical premiered in Utah" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2024/07/01/utah-history-story-collection-old-news-powell-bundy-olympics" target="_self">Old News</a>, our weekly revue of Utah&#x27;s past.</li></ul>