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Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch may have offered a clue about who President Donald Trump will nominate to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court left by retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, days ahead of the planned announcement on Monday. In a Friday op-ed article for Deseret News, a prominent newspaper in Hatch's home state of Utah, the longtime Republican lawmaker wrote a defense of the coming nominee amid a highly polarized and evenly split Senate. "Too much is at stake to allow politics to corrupt the Supreme Court confirmation process," Hatch wrote. "That's why in the coming weeks, I will lift...

Twenty-seven conservative leaders signed a statement in support of Lee, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, Conservative Partnership Institute Chairman Jim DeMint, and FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon. “Sen. Lee has a proven record of standing up for principle, for doing the right thing for the right reasons, even in the face of withering criticism,” the letter states. “And that’s what this nominee is in for.” The statement warns the confirmation battle to replace Kennedy is likely to be the “roughest fight Washington has seen in decades,” and notes that a Supreme Court with a conservative majority will...

Robert Costa, a Washington Post political reporter and NBC News political analyst, tweeted Thursday: "When I asked a prominent Trump ally about Sen. Lee/ SCOTUS, they said this article is floating around the WH, as evidence that he's a long shot." Costa included a link to an Associated Press story about Lee casting a "protest" vote in the 2016 presidential election for independent candidate Evan McMullin.

President Trump is scheduled to announce one of the most important decisions of his presidency on Monday: the name of his second nominee to the Supreme Court, to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. This will be a defining moment for President Trump’s legacy. Every president is remembered for his nominations to the Supreme Court – and not always positively. Past Republican presidents have repeatedly nominated justices who failed to live up to the principles they were selected to represent. For example, President George H.W. Bush’s selection of liberal David Souter was one of the most consequential errors of his presidency....

Lee’s office characterized the conversation as an interview. Asked about the call, White House spokesman Raj Shah said: “Yesterday, the President spoke on the phone with Sen. Mike Lee.”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) interviewed with President Trump about the looming Supreme Court vacancy, the senator’s communications director confirmed Tuesday. Conn Carroll tweeted confirmation of a Deseret News story that said Lee met with Trump on Monday about the opening that will be created by Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement at the end of the month. Lee, who has expressed interest in the high court in the past, told the news outlet that he spoke with Trump about the position, but did not offer further details. The senator indicated again last week he's open to being nominated as a Supreme Court...

Mitt Romney said it is "too early" to say he will support President Trump in 2020. The Utah candidate for U.S. senator further explained to MSNBC's Kasie Hunt, in an interview that aired Sunday evening, that his prior prediction that Trump will get re-elected was not an endorsement. "I also think Gavin Newsom will get elected [as governor] in California. That's not something I want to see, it's just something that's probably going to happen," Romney added. Romney was also prompted to speak about whether he wants a Republican to challenge Trump in a 2020 primary. "There will be people...

In a stunning late night Facebook Live video, Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee pleaded with Donald Trump to step aside and give up his nomination for president. The video, which Lee filmed from his home in Utah, is like many on Facebook Live — a single person, speaking to the camera, spreading a message.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Wednesday touted his Republican colleague Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) as the "best choice" to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement announcement. "I think the single best choice President Trump could make to fill this vacancy is Sen. Mike Lee," Cruz said on Fox News shortly after Kennedy's announcement. "I think he would be extraordinary."

He added that we “need to get our language correct.” “If you support the Constitution, you’re not a right-winger. You’re not even theoretically conservative, you’re a constitutionalist,” Levin stated. Levin then took a shot at “Never Trumpers.” “All these Never Trumpers out there, these former Bush administration officials or pseudo-conservatives who have been trashing this president left and right, I don’t mean just disgreeing with them here and there,” Levin said. “But we’re seeing here — failure, trying to sabotage him, joining in with the left — shame on them, shame on them.” The radio show host went on to...

Mitt Romney is leading Mike Kennedy, 77 percent to 23 percent in initial returns posted after polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the race to become the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch.

An email from Dr. Mike Kennedy, the principled limited government constitutional conservative who beat Mitt Romney for the Senate nomination at the Utah Republican State Convention, reminded us that the Utah Republican Primary Run-Off is Tuesday.

WEST JORDAN, Utah — Mitt Romney faced families gathered at a pristine suburban sports park here with a stern message: What was happening to children at the border had to stop. But the man expected to be Utah’s next U.S. senator went out of his way not to blame — or even mention — President Trump, whose “zero tolerance” order had resulted in migrant families being separated. “I know that the politicians in Washington, many of them are looking to find fault,” Romney told voters at the event, held a few days before Tuesday’s primary. “I like to find answers...

SALT LAKE CITY — The way Mike Kennedy sees it, he’s “just a plain old guy.” He’s no Mitt Romney, the millionaire Republican elder statesman and Kennedy’s opponent for the party’s nomination for Utah’s soon-to-be-open Senate seat. And he’s certainly no Ted Kennedy, the late liberal senator with whom he shares a surname but not a bloodline. Nope. Mike Kennedy’s “just a plain old guy” who “comes from dirt.” Mike Kennedy is not really plain or old. He’s a physician, and a lawyer, and a three-term state legislator, a husband and father of eight children. He’s a practicing member of...

...Dustin Roberts, 36, of McKinleyville, Calif., tried to disarm the trooper after being stopped for a speeding violation. Troopers found 74 pounds of marijuana and some cocaine in his vehicle, officials said.

Mitt Romney made no secret of his criticism of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, but until now, he had not publicly revealed who he voted for: his wife, Ann. "I wrote in the name of a person who I admire deeply, who I think would be an excellent president," the Utah US Senate candidate told the Deseret News and KSL editorial boards Wednesday. Romney said he realized his vote "wasn't going to go anywhere, but nonetheless felt that I was putting in a very solid name."

It’s safe to say we know what Mitt Romney will be like as a US Senator.He’s a #NeverTrumper to the core.On Tuesday Mitt Romney went on NBC to slam Republican President Donald Trump.The Washington Times reported: Mitt Romney said Tuesday that President Trump is not the role model he would want for his grandchildren.“I don’t think I would point to the president as a role model for my grandkids on the basis of his personal style. He has departed in some cases from the truth, and has attacked in a way that I think is not entirely appropriate,” Mr. Romney...

A Utah man who has been incarcerated in a Venezuelan jail since 2016 was on a flight home to the U.S., Venezuelan officials said Saturday. Joshua Holt, 26, has been jailed in Venezuela after he traveled to the South American country in the summer of 2016 to marry Thamara Candelo, whom he met on a website for Mormon singles. The two planned to return to the U.S. after getting married, but where jailed in El Hilcolde on what human rights groups said were largely trumped-up charges. “Good news about the release of the American hostage from Venezuela. Should be landing...

SALT LAKE CITY — A Riverton man who has been imprisoned in Venezuela for the past two years was released and is expected to arrive in Washington, D.C., on Saturday evening. The family of Josh Holt posted a statement on Facebook saying, "We are grateful to all who participated in this miracle."

A Utah man who has been incarcerated in a Venezuelan jail since 2016 is set to be released, U.S. officials said Saturday. Joshua Holt, 26, has been jailed in Venezuela after he traveled to the South American country in the summer of 2016 to marry Thamara Candelo, whom he met on a website for Mormon singles. The two planned to return to the U.S. after getting married, but where jailed in El Hilcolde on what human rights groups said were largely trumped-up charges. “Good news about the release of the American hostage from Venezuela. Should be landing in D.C. this...