KSL's Inside Sources

As we approach our nation's 250th birthday, it may feel like we are more divided than ever on the issues that matter. But as Utahns, we've always had an ability to look past our differences and come together. In this special presentation from KSL NewsRadio – and sponsored by America First Credit Union and the State of Utah – legendary KSL host Doug Wright moderates a panel on finding unity amidst our political differences. Panelists include former Utah Governor Mike Leavitt, chair of the Utah Democratic Party Brian King, and founding partner at Elevate Strategies Gabi Finlayson. 

• Republicans to hold first-ever convention ahead of the midterm elections 
• U.S. House fails to move agenda forward, leaves early for Independence Day holiday 
• Commentary on the fallout of SCOTUS' opinion upholding birthright citizenship 
• State Senator apologizes for spreading false claims about data center pushback 
• Housing scams on the rise in Utah 
• "If I were a rich man..." -- Americans still working towards endless wealth 
• America250: Different flavors of patriotism 

• SCOTUS rules on transgender athletes, campaign finance
• Looking back on the Supreme Court's term
• Poll: American pride continues to fall
• Utah Firewatch: Federal and state partnerships
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sends aid to Venezuela
• America250: Volunteerism and unity

Our country has been built on principles of service, including love, caring for our neighbors, and volunteering. So what better way to celebrate our country's 250th birthday than by stepping in to help those in need? Church News' Aimee Cobabe joins Inside Sources in the studio again with more on how volunteers are answering the calls to serve in honor of our country's anniversary. Greg and Holly also discuss ways we can make sure political differences don't ruin our relationships.

The death toll in Venezuela following two back-to-back deadly earthquakes has skyrocketed to more than 1,700. More than 5,000 have been injured, and several thousand more are still missing. Responders are still undertaking rescue operations, but there's a real concern that the infrastructure in Venezuela can't support this many injured people in a system already stretched so thin. Aimee Cobabe, Church News reporter, joins the show to talk about ways The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is stepping in to help those struggling in Venezuela.

More than 200,000 acres have burned around Utah this fire season and it's not even July yet. Across the state, communities continue to deal with fires or the potential for fires. Fireworks are mostly banned statewide, and now more cities are making changes to their 4th of July celebrations. With this in mind, Greg and Holly share updates on the fires burning across the state. Representative Mike Kennedy joins the show to discuss the way federal firefighting works with state firefighting, and how each receives funding.

Are you proud to be an American? As we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding, a new poll from Gallup finds American patriotism is at its lowest levels since the attacks on September 11th. Only 33% of Americans today say they're "extremely proud" to be an American; in 2001, that was 55%. Greg and Holly discuss why patriotism has fallen so far and we hear from listeners to find out whether or not they're proud to be Americans.

The highest court in the land has wrapped its term for the year -- it is finished. Among the most notable decisions includes one dealing with mail-in voting. Already, lawmakers like Utah's Senator Mike Lee are pushing for the SAVE America Act to pass through Congress in light of the decision. Kelsey Dallas, managing editor of SCOTUSblog, joins the discussion to share her insights into this court's term and what we may see going into next year's Supreme Court term.

As the U.S. Supreme Court wrapped its term today, it first began with a few rulings not dealing with birthright citizenship: transgender athletes and campaign finance laws. In one opinion -- which covered two cases -- the court said that transwomen (people who were male at birth) cannot participate in girls' school sports. The other opinion held that political parties should not be subject to campaign finance limits. Inside Sources breaks down both of those decisions.

The future of birthright citizenship has now been decided by the United States Supreme Court. This morning, the court chose to uphold birthright citizenship as has been the law for more than 150 years. This means that the President's Executive Order limiting birthright citizenship will not stand. Already, the President and several other Republican lawmakers have voted to create legislation and work towards an official constitutional amendment to change birthright citizenship. Inside Sources has special coverage of this landmark decision, with guests Dr. Matthew Brogdon, Senior Director of the Center for Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University, and Carlos Trujillo, Utah immigration attorney.

• Utah Firewatch: 3 firefighters lose their lives fighting flames along the Utah-Colorado border
• Former Utah death row inmate moves towards new murder trial
• Trump Administration to decide who will use latest American AI technology
• Speaker Johnson says he'll send major bipartisan housing bill to the president's desk today
• Utahns remain split on President Trump's actions in the war in Iran
• America250: Colonial Heritage Festival and Sen. Curtis walks 250 miles

One of the coolest things around Independence Day is the chance to look back on the history of the country. And with it being the 250th Anniversary of our country this year, it's even more special. America 250 -- there's a really cool opportunity later this week for you to not only learn about life in 1776... but experience it too. Kim Gardner with Colonial Heritage Festival joins in the studio to chat about this exciting event. The hosts also get updates on Senator John Curtis' 250-mile jaunt ahead of the Fourth of July.

Utahns are still split on whether they support or don't support the ongoing war in Iran. New polling from the Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics finds that 49% of Utah voters disapprove of the recent military actions, while 44% approve. At the same time, a new round of talks between the US and Iran may take place this week in Qatar. It comes after a tense weekend of back-and-forth strikes between the two countries.

Speaker Mike Johnson says he'll send the bipartisan housing bill to the president's desk today. Remember, this is the same bill the President said he would not sign until the SAVE America Act passed Congress. So what's changed, and is there any chance the President will actually sign it? Or could it just go into effect without his signature? Inside Sources breaks this down with Deseret News Congressional Correspondent Cami Mondeaux.

Leaders of some of the most prominent AI companies in the United States are upset today over news that the Trump Administration wants to decide who will be allowed to use the latest AI technology coming from US-based tech companies. The government says Anthropic -- which makes Claude -- and OpenAI -- which makes ChatGPT -- will need approval for each new customer of their new, more powerful technology. How can this kind of thing be legal?

A former Utah death row inmate is headed back to court today as his attorneys and prosecutors prepare for a new murder trial. The new trial for Douglas Stewart Carter comes more than 40 years since the first one. Greg catches listeners up on how we got to this point and what exactly we're waiting on before a new trial can officially begin.

Wildfires turned deadly this weekend with three wildland firefighters losing their lives in a burnover incident along the Utah/Colorado border. Today, we learned the identities of the firefighters, including two women. The firefighters were identified as Emily Barker of Michigan, Nick Hutcherson of Arizona, and Sydney Watson of Alabama. Inside Sources takes just a moment to thank those firefighters for their work and sacrifice, and we send our thoughts and prayers to their families. So how do these kinds of burnover incidents happen, and how are firefighters trained to respond when the situation becomes extremely dire? Brad Washa, retired federal firefighter and current Utah State University assistant professor of Wildland Fire Science, joins the conversation to explain.