KSL's Inside Sources

Taxing big tech companies -- is it legal or not? The state of Utah says it is; in fact, they passed a bill to do just that in the last legislative session. But the Utah Taxpayers Association disagrees, saying the state's new law violates existing federal law. Remember, the legislature passed the bill to tax large tech companies earlier this year, saying it's meant to target ads that are supposedly designed to addict minors. KSL Legal Analyst Greg Skordas shares his takes on what this lawsuit could mean for the future of "big tech" in Utah.

Education and artificial intelligence -- are they polar opposites? Or can they work hand-in-hand? And if they can work together, what's the most effective, most ethical way? Today, we really dig into artificial intelligence and how the state of Utah plans to use it in the coming school year. Over the course of two segments, Greg and Holly consult Matt Winters, AI Specialist at the Utah State Board of Education, to learn how schools, teachers, parents, and students can best use AI in the coming school year.

Utah's college students head back to class in just a few weeks. As we talk about back-to-school, we can't forget our college and university students. In this segment, Greg and Holly talk about graduation retention rates -- what drives people to go to college, stay in college, graduate from college, and then live in the same place where they earned their degree? Dr. Peter Bahr, Vice President of Employer Engagement and Managing Research Director for the Institute for the Future of Work at Strada Education Foundation, joins them.

The Senate Homeland Security Committee has voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in Contempt of Congress. Dr. Fauci oversaw the beginning of the nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been conspiracies following him around for years, so he was subpoenaed to testify before a congressional committee. But he didn't really answer any of their questions, choosing to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 111 times. So what happens next?

Little-to-no relief in sight for wildfires burning around the state today. And the heat that's blowing into Utah for the weekend... well, it's certainly not helping very much. This summer feels like it's just dragged on and on and on when it comes to fires. And with the heat, the last couple of months have certainly been challenging. Inside Sources shares updates on new fires around the state, the fires that continue to burn out of control, and the potential long-term effects of the blazes here in Utah.

Utah's water systems -- and public utilities systems in general -- could be susceptible to attacks from Iran. According to a new intelligence note reviewed by ABC News, Utah is one of more than a dozen states that could find themselves the subject of cyberattacks from bad foreign actors. We've known for a while now that we could face attacks -- a legislative audit from the last general session confirmed as much. But according to ABC News, we were actually the target of attempted attacks last November. Greg and Holly share their thoughts on the fragility of our security systems.

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

Read these phrases aloud and think about what's wrong with them: Match and mix,  jelly and peanut butter, stones and sticks, Clyde and Bonnie. Did those sound right to you? Probably not. They're called irreversible binomials, and Merriam Webster dictionaries is teaching us all about it on their social media. If you haven't seen their X/Twitter posts, you have to check them out -- they're both educational and fun!

Every election season, we hear from people across the country pleading for more ethical and moral candidates. But when push comes to shove and we're casting our ballot, it often feels like it's a low priority. One thing that's been really interesting to watch in this midterm election season has been this push for ethical lawmakers. At the same time however, some unethical or immoral candidates have also been pushed ahead. So when Election Day finally rolls around, will ethics actually matter?

In some developing news today, the man accused of killing a Santaquin police sergeant will stand trial for 15 charges after all, including aggravated murder and two counts of attempted aggravated murder. Michael Aaron Jayne has been charged for killing Sergeant Bill Hooser in May 2024. In this segment, KSL Legal Analyst Greg Skordas catches listeners up on how the case has been progressing behind the scenes.