Special Session with Bryan Schott

Utah Republicans are pushing for the Utah Legislature to adopt map "Option C" when they meet to vote on new congressional boundaries on Monday. The map is the most pro-Republican of the five proposals put forward by lawmakers.

Note: this is a recording of a livestream broadcast from 10/02/2025.

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The Utah Supreme Court denied the Utah Legislature's request for an emergency stay to keep the state's 2021 congressional maps, deemed illegal, in place.

If you needed any more proof why lawmakers want to keep control of drawing Utah's political maps, our analysis proves that all three of the maps produced by the independent commission in 2021 would have produced at least one strong Democratic district.

Republicans thought ...

We sit down with Christopher Goldsmith, an expert on disinformation and extremist tactics and the founder of Veterans Fighting Fascism. 

Goldsmith, who publishes the "On Offense" Substack and co-hosts the "Find Out" podcast, discusses the shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. He talks about the potential implications for democracy, the dangers posed by radicalized extremist movements, and disinfo...

This week, we go over the latest in the court case over Utah's gerrymandered congressional maps and how the GOP-controlled legislature will try to open up a new path of attack so the new map is still likely to elect Republicans or even keep the old map in place for the 2026 election.

It's no secret that Utah's congressional map is gerrymandered, but we finally have an idea what methodology they used to create it. It appears...

A Utah judge threw out Utah's congressional maps on Monday, ruling that the Republican-controlled legislature violated the state constitution when it repealed Prop. 4. in 2020. Now, lawmakers have less than a month to draw new maps, or the court will do it for them.

We discuss the ruling, what it means, how we got here, and what's next.

Plus, a conversation with Dave Daley, a senior fellow at FairVote and the author of Ratf*...

Utah Senate President Stuart Adams is under scrutiny after a change to state law he championed benefited his step‑granddaughter as she faced serious felony charges.

Host Bryan Schott goes through the timeline, explains what changed in the law, and tests Adams’ defense against the public record.

We also examine the media’s role and patterns from past episodes where Adams’ actions raised ethical questions.

In this e...

The chatter surrounding Utah Sen. Mike Lee as a possible pick for the Supreme Court has started again. Don't dismiss it as just idle speculation. Lee probably came closer to landing a seat on the Supreme Court in 2018 than most realize.

The Justice Department wants information about Utah's elections. This could have a very big impact on the 2026 elections and beyond.

A liberal group is spending money in Utah to recruit candi...

It was a bad week on social media for a couple of Utah's congressional Republicans. 

• Rep. Burgess Owens reposted an anti-Muslim video on social media that came from an account that frequently posts White supremacist content.
• Sen. Mike Lee was fooled AGAIN by a fake letter on social media that was clearly generated by AI. Lee likes to criticize the media for inaccuracies, but he should really work on his media literacy sk...

Federal prosecutors drop the charges against a Utah doctor accused of running a fake vaccine card scheme. How much did politics play in the dismissal? (Hint: a lot).

Who is funding your congressional delegation? We break down the latest financial disclosures and come up with some interesting nuggets.

Republicans are flailing trying to contain the fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files controversy. Sen. Mike Lee suggests havi...

Sen. Mike Lee's social media is causing some heartburn for top leaders of the LDS Church, but don't expect that will make him tone things down.

Lack of housing in the West is a serious problem, but policymakers will have to come up with a solution that does more than lean on ideology.

Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz rallies support for a Utah doctor who federal prosecutors allege provided hundreds of fake vaccine cards durin...

Sen. Mike Lee's controversial plan to sell off millions of acres of public lands hits two significant roadblocks. The Senate parliamentarian ruled against the proposal, and he's facing mounting opposition from conservation groups and his fellow Republicans in Congress.

There are more questions than answers about the "No Kings" rally in Salt Lake City that left one protester dead. The anonymous organizers are hiding behi...

Utah's members of Congress either supported President Donald Trump's airstrikes against Iran or remained silent, despite the lack of credible intelligence backing the President's justification for the attack. Sen. Mike Lee's contradictory stance on war powers does raise some eyebrows, though.

Sen. Lee faced some backlash for his cruel and insensitive social media posts in the aftermath of a tragic shooting in Minnesota. Wil...

Utah elected officials are talking tough about possible violence ahead of protests scheduled all over Utah this weekend. A group of Republicans in Riverton issued a completely over the top statement warning protesters against committing any violence or vandalism. They're worried a similar situation to what transpired in Los Angeles could happen here, but their rhetoric doeesn't match the reality of what is happening in Cal...

Utah's Republican members of Congress sure like to talk about how they're worried about government debt and deficits, but they're twisting themselves into knots to justify their support for the massive reconciliation bill, which will blow a $2.4 trillion hole in the budget.

Rep. Trevor Lee had an outburst on social media after the Utah Mammoth posted a Pride-themed version of its logo, threatening legislation to force polit...

How do Utah Republicans decide whether a study is credible? If it aligns with their politics, they embrace it - even if it relies on fabricated research. If it contradicts their agenda, they ignore it.

Utah Democrats pick Brian King as their new party chairman. What will it take for the state's superminority party to start making an impact politically?

Rep. Blake Moore was all in on Elon Musk and DOGE. Now, he's trying to di...

Is the Utah Republican Party scheming to overturn SB54 and ditch signature gathering, restoring convention delegates as party gatekeepers?
 
 Utah's members of Congress say they're fiscal conservatives, but they won't explain why they voted for the "big, beautiful bill" that blows a big, ugly $3.8 trillion hole in the budget.
 
 A scary incident involving Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall underlines the dang...

This week, we're wrapping up the 2025 Utah Republican Party Convention:
 

• Rob Axson wins another term as party chair.
• Where does Phil Lyman go from here?
• It sure sounds like Utah Republicans are hatching a plan to repeal SB54 before the 2026 election.

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Utah lawmakers face off against Salt Lake City in a battle over Pride flags.

The state’s most successful signature gathering effort in history puts a union-busting bill on the ballot.

Could Donald Trump influence the future leadership of the Utah Republican party?

Plus, a deep dive into the upcoming GOP convention, where the party's direction hangs in the balance.

Also, some corrections from last week's episode...

The Utah Legislature faces a tough reality as the referendum to overturn the anti-union bill surpasses its signature goal, signaling a significant pushback against Republican lawmakers. A judge's ruling that the state's private school voucher program is unconstitutional leaves legislative leaders scrambling to respond. With no veto override session on the horizon, Governor Spencer Cox's vetoes remain intact

Plus a conve...