From President Trump's first term to his second, Westerners have become more intensely concerned about the rollback of environmental protections, a new poll shows.

Why it matters: The numbers from the annual Conservation in the West poll released last week suggest conservation isn't a niche issue — it's political bedrock in eight Rocky Mountains and Southwest states.

Driving the news: 84% of Western voters say backpedaling on laws that protect land, water and wildlife is a serious concern, up from 68% in 2018.

In addition, 86% say spending cuts to national parks, forests and other public lands are problematic.

• The sentiment crosses party lines. 75% of MAGA-aligned voters agree that spending cuts to national parks and public lands are a serious issue, the poll finds.

The intrigue: Entering the midterm election cycle, 85% of voters say conservation issues are a deciding factor in who they will pick on the ballot. That number is up from 75% in 2016.

Zoom in: 73% of Utahns polled said they view oil and gas' impact on nature as a serious problem.

• 67% said they are opposed to selling national public lands for oil, gas and mining development. Instead, they overwhelmingly support expanded renewable energy projects.
• 86% said they believe current national monument designations for some public lands from the last decade should remain.
• 90% believe the lack of water supply is a serious problem.

Between the lines: Respondents from all Colorado River states said they support an agreement requiring reduced water usage, with the majorities in Arizona (85%), Colorado (87%), Nevada (84%) and Utah (80%).

• The poll was completed just weeks before Colorado River states missed a key federal deadline for a new agreement on cuts and conservation amid a long-term regional drought.

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In a now-deleted X post on Sunday, U.S. Sen. Mike Lee appeared to compare masks worn by ICE agents to those worn by cartels setting fire to a gas station in Mexico.

The intrigue: The comparison directly — if temporarily — contradicted the Trump administration's defense of immigration agents' concealment of their identities during raids, arrests and other public actions.

Driving the news: "Cartel hitmen wear masks," Lee wrote above a video showing three armed men, one masked, setting a gas station ablaze. "Leftists aren't complaining."

• The video footage shows a reported gas station attack in Mexico amid unrest over the killing of the prominent drug lord known as "El Mencho."

A spokesperson for the Utah Republican did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Lee's implied disapproval of face masks won enthusiastic agreement from Democrats and other MAGA critics in Utah and nationally.

• "Yes. Cartel hitmen wear masks. That's why ICE shouldn't," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wrote.
• Lee deleted the post at some point after a flood of responses Sunday night.

Catch up quick: Lee has previously defended immigration agents' use of masks.

Context: The killing of "El Mencho," whose name is Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, by Mexican security forces on Sunday spurred retaliatory cartel violence across the nation.

• In response, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico urged U.S. citizens in multiple cities, many of which are tourist hubs, to "shelter in place until further notice."
• In an X post, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the U.S. provided intelligence to assist with the operation.

Oseguera Cervantes was the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico's most powerful drug gangs, widely known for their use of improvised explosive devices, displaying executed bodies in public and exporting drugs into the U.S.

• The group is labeled a designated terrorist organization in the U.S.

Flashback: A long shot proposal by Democratic state Sen. Nate Blouin — who is running for Utah's newly drawn 1st Congressional District — would have barred federal immigration agents from wearing masks during local operations.

Yes, but: The bill stalled in committee and is unlikely to advance this year.

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⚖️ A federal panel of judges blocked a bid to overturn Utah's newly drawn congressional map yesterday in a lawsuit brought by GOP Reps. Celeste Maloy and Burgess Owens, handing a major win to anti-gerrymandering advocates. (Politico)

💧 Gov. Spencer Cox said he spoke to President Trump over the weekend about the possibility of securing $1 billion in federal funds to save the Great Salt Lake. (Utah News Dispatch)

• Cox said a formal funding proposal by state leaders is currently in the works.

Roughly $126 billion is potentially up for grabs after the Supreme Court struck down a swath of President Trump's tariffs last week, according to the Trade Partnership Worldwide.

• Nearly $800 million of that was paid by Utahns.

Why it matters: Those tariffs likely made all kinds of goods more expensive as businesses passed higher costs onto everyday Americans — and the ruling now could lead to a chaotic refund process.

• It's unclear who gets to pocket that cash, since SCOTUS left that up to the Trump administration in its ruling.

What they're saying: "The Court says nothing today about whether, and if so how, the government should go about returning the billions of dollars that it has collected from importers," Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in his dissent.

• Economists at TD Securities view the refund process as "highly unclear" and estimate it could take up to 18 months as cases make their way through the federal court system.

The latest: After the ruling, Trump said he would impose a blanket 10% tariff on all nations under a separate trade law.

• The next day he raised the global tariff to 15%.

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