KSL's Inside Sources

Topics we will cover on this episode of KSL's Inside Sources include:

This morning, we watched a guy run around the block here at Triad Center. Apparently, he's running a marathon! We didn't fully understand the why behind his run, but it got us thinking about alternative modes of transportation. And you're in luck! If you're not into running and you're not into breaking the bank to fill your car with gas right now, you can ride UTA for free this weekend. Greg and Holly explain why.

A few years ago, Holly had a unique and somber opportunity to visit some of the concentration camps in Europe. She remembers the feeling of sadness and heaviness in what could be described today as a peaceful location. On the heels of a Holocaust survivor visiting Utah and talking about her experience at Auschwitz, Holly recounts her own experiences visiting the places and why she gets so upset when people tried to dismiss the Holocaust as a hoax.

On this segment of Inside Sources, Holly wants to have a conversation about jokes -- what's actually appropriate for a joke. We hear all the time that people are just too sensitive and get offended by everything nowadays, but is that actually the case? There's an interesting situation involving jokes and AI that's in the news today, and it really highlights the issues with certain kinds of "humor." The quarterback for the Texas Longhorns is apologizing to ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe after his comments earlier this week about an AI video. The hosts discuss the situation and share their own thoughts on the line between a joke and straight-up offense.

Remember how a bunch of AI CEOs called for Congress to implement safeguards and for the industry to slow down a bit last weekend? Well already, just a few days later, one CEO is changing his tune. The CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, now says we should trust AI firms to do what's right. He says it's okay to be afraid, but we should let the professional do their jobs. His comments come amid yet another poll, however, showing more and more Americans are worried about AI destroying humanity. Sounds great, right?

Housing prices have gone up and up and up. Mortgage rates have also followed, and will probably continue to go up after today's Federal Reserve announcement. Amid all of that is a bit of doom and gloom for young people wondering how they'll ever be able to afford a home. So what can we -- the "older" adults -- do to help our children and grandchildren afford a home... so an entire generation doesn't lose the opportunity to build wealth through homeownership?  For more on that, Greg and Holly turn to Russell Faucette, owner of The Stern Team and co-founder of Omada Real Estate.

The Kennedy Center for the performing arts is now closed. The board of Trump appointees voted to close the prized facility immediately, and now the President says he won't renovate the building unless they add his name to the center. But here's the thing… Congress would have to approve that change -- several federal judges have confirmed that very fact. Congress also has to approve any and all additions to the center, which was created as a monument to President John F. Kennedy. So if Congress appropriated the money and has not approved a name change for the center, how will the renovations take place? Can the President legally stop this kind of thing?

For 239 years, our country has largely relied on one major document to guide our politics: the Constitution. Tomorrow, we celebrate this document -- which really helped shape democracy not only for us here in the U.S., but also for countries around the world. Tonight, President Dallin H. Oaks of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be the keynote speaker at a conference focused on the importance of the Constitution and its relationship with faith. If you didn't know, President Oaks served as a Utah Supreme Court justice before his church service began, so he is well versed in the Constitution. Ahead of his comments, Greg and Holly speak with Paul Edwards, Director of the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University about the Constitution. The hosts then share their own thoughts on the importance of this document and why they love, cherish, and hold it in such high esteem.

Another day... another vote. For the third time since the conflict began, the U.S. House has voted to end the ongoing war in Iran. The vote to pass a war powers resolution passed, but it's unlikely to do anything. Many members of Congress and the public at large refer to this conflict as a war, which would require congressional approval. But the Trump Administration continues to call it a military operation -- not a war -- and uses this to justify doing what they want without Congress. So does it just come down to semantics? Greg and Holly speak with Ryan Vogel, the Founding Director of the Center for National Security at Utah Valley University to get his perspective on the conflict. They also discuss the ongoing costs of the war on Americans' pocketbooks.

The midterms are less than two months away and now, we're getting a closer look at the security and effectiveness of the elections here in Utah. Yesterday, the legislature unveiled an audit looking at the way changes are implemented with elections across the state. Overall, the report says Utah's elections are in a good place and the Lieutenant Governor's Office handles things well. But it did find a few places for improvement, including better tracking and enforcement of changes with each of Utah's 29 county clerks. Greg and Holly discuss.

There appears to be an impending lawsuit on the horizon between the family of Charlie Kirk, the state of Utah, UVU, and various other named and unnamed people involved in the event where Kirk was shot and killed. On September 9th, his family filed a "notice for claim" against the state saying they should have done more to protect Charlie last September. This development isn't completely unexpected and will move forward separately from the criminal case against accused killer Tyler Robinson. KSL Legal Analyst Greg Skordas breaks down the "notice for claim" and answers co-host Holly Richardon's questions.

• Two Utah Supreme Court judicial nominees move ahead
• Will Congress add safeguards to artificial intelligence?
• Lawmakers call for Lindsay Clancy to face public execution
• Utah ranks in top 10 for ICE arrests; deplorable conditions at "Alligator Alcatraz" revealed
• Utah kids get hands-on opportunity to experience science used every day by DHHS
• Teenager in New York suspended for bringing a coffee cup to class
• Mmmm... Wastewater
• Survivors of deadly flooding in Grand Canyon share their story
• 100 Days to Christmas: Santa's mailbox is now open!

Time to start licking those envelopes and sticking the stamps -- Santa's mailbox is now open for the holidays. And the timing is great, especially since there are now 100 days until Christmas. Holly's so excited for these developments; Greg feels a bit "bah humbug" about the whole thing. Either way, better get your letters written and sent in soon so Santa has plenty of time to fulfill your Christmas wishes.

Another set of human remains have been discovered in the Grand Canyon. Officials are doing testing to confirm the identity, but a lot of signs indicate that it could be the last person missing after devastating floods in the area last month. While officials work to confirm the identity, people who survived the floods are dealing with a form of "survivor's guilt" -- that they made it out even though several others did not. The Deseret News' Leah Bowers spoke with several of these survivors and joins Greg and Holly to share their stories.

In an drought-stricken state like Utah, we all have to look for ways to conserve water. Many places around the state use reclaimed wastewater for irrigation and things like that. But what about drinking the reclaimed water? In La Verkin, you'll soon get the chance to taste wastewater that's been turned into clean drinking water.

Sometimes you read a headline and it makes you scratch your head. Here's one we saw this morning: New York high-school senior suspended for bringing coffee cup to class. The school district recently implemented some new rules to keep students from bringing drugs to school through drinks and food. The teen and her mother told local media that it was a deliberate act of civil disobedience meant to protest what the family claims was an illegally adopted school policy. Do you think the punishment fits the crime?

You ready to talk about some science? Before he turned to the dark side -- the law -- our own Greg Skordas studied engineering and science. Both of those topics still thrill him today, so he was more than excited to welcome Jeffrey Eason, Director of the Office of Communicable Diseases with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services into the studio to talk about tomorrow's Kids in Science Day. Eason explains what kids can expect and how they can get involved in some real-life science experiments and fun.

Despite the complaints Holly's gotten in the past for her views on immigration, she's standing by them: she believes the human should come first before the alleged crime. So the news that Utah ranks among the top 10 states for the rate of ICE arrests really bothers her. What's more, a new report from the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general found that some detainees in Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" faces inhumane conditions. She and Greg discuss both immigration-related stories.

Despite her innocence -- she has not been proven guilty in a court of law -- federal lawmakers are calling for the public execution of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts woman charged with killing her three children. She claims she did so while experiencing postpartum psychosis, and a jury failed to unanimously convict her of anything several weeks ago. Holly gives her hot takes on lawmakers calling for the death of an innocent person.

Some of the AI industry's biggest leaders have been calling on Congress to add more safeguards around artificial intelligence and now, Utah's governor is echoing those calls. Yesterday, Governor Cox posted a letter on X asking for Congress to create a national framework to establish rules, regulations, and safeguards for AI. Commissioner of the Utah Department of Commerce Margaret Busse help craft the message; she joins us to explain what the governor really wants. Deseret News congressional correspondent Cami Mondeaux also joins Inside Sources to give insights into whether or not Congress has an appetite to take up the issue before the midterms.

The past couple of years have highlighted some rather tense relations between the state legislature and the Utah Supreme Court; for example, redistricting, abortion access, and expanding the state's high court. Those tensions were definitely on legislator's minds yesterday as a Senate confirmation committee interviewed two men the Governor hopes to put on the bench. Greg and Holly discuss how these two nominees may change the relationship between the legislature and the judiciary.

"That sound you hear is the collective sigh of relief from election officials." That's how Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson reacted to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to block President Trump's order restricting mail-in voting before the midterms. The President isn't happy about the decision, slamming the justices this morning on social media. What does the court's order mean? Will our elections go ahead as previously planned? Utah Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson joins the show to explain. KSL Legal Analyst Greg Skordas also discusses the future court battles that could follow mail-in voting in the years to come.

• Back to the future: So. Utah business offers VHS rentals
• Diesel prices hit record high -- what are people doing to save money?
• Interest rates may go up again as the Fed tries to fight stubborn inflation
• President Trump's restrictions on mail-in voting continue to face judicial pushback
• Hope for people waiting for organ transplants: pigs
• State of farming, ranching in Utah
• Ask the Attorney: man accused of killing three women in Wayne County to appear in court
• The Detour: Man returns century-old magazine to library without having to pay multi-thousand-dollar late fee

What's the biggest library late fee you've ever paid? Or maybe you didn't pay… but how big was the charge? How about $12,000? One man back East had that fee for a 132-year-old overdue magazine. But here's the kicker: he won't have to pay the fee after all!

This was such a sad, crazy story when it broke last March -- three women killed in Wayne County. Their money and cars were stolen in the process. Prosecutors say Ivan Miller killed the three in an attempt to get home to Iowa. It appears to be a completely random thing, but that doesn't make it any easier to process. Miller's due in court today, so Inside Sources takes the chance to ask KSL Legal Analyst Greg Skordas about the case.