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Episode 10 of Take 2 tackles Utah’s biggest political and social issues of the week. 

3 months in: The surprising grades for Sen. Mitt Romney and Rep. Ben McAdams. 

A big week for LGBTQ issues in Utah:

• Hate crimes bill
• Possible revival of a ban on conversion therapy
• Policy change from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Governor Herbert does not veto new provisions for nuclear waste with Energy Solutions. 
• Crime is down in Salt Lake’s Rio Grande District or is it?

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 Take 2 tackles the week’s biggest political issues:

• Utah sinning legalized: Fornication, sodomy and adultery are now legal. Why does it matter? Greg Hughes says Utah County kept prosecutions in the category alive and well.
• 3.3 beer now 4.0 in grocery stores. Jim Dabakis is willing to let Utah cities decide their own alcohol content or ban booze all together.
• Governor signs bill to ban abortion after 18 weeks. Is this a giant waste of money or a much needed moral stand.
• Governor Herbert has one veto so far: Was it worth it?
• Utah Supreme Court tackles medical marijuana. The people verses the legislature. What will they ultimately rule?
• Sen. Mike Lee makes Colbert. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? Tonton’s unite.
• Is Consistent Law and order seriously lacking in the USA? Think Mueller, Smollet, Rich parents buying their kids into colleges.

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 Episode 8 of the Take 2 podcast proved to be lively with a debate between former state lawmakers Greg Hughes and Jim Dabakis.

2News Heidi Hatch posed the following questions and moderated the responses that were worlds apart:

• The Mueller Report is at long last complete: Should it be released and was the process fair? (Final bonus topic as Mueller handed report to AG while we were wrapping up recording)
• Rumor Mill: Is Chris Stewart headed to the Trump Cabinet? 
• Could Ambassador Jon Huntsman reprise his role as Utah’s Governor?
• Does Utah’s Legislature need more than 45 days to pass more bills?
• Utah’s GOP is a by many accounts a mess: Will a new Chair fix the infighting?
• Could Utah host a 2020 Presidential debate? The little state that could.
• Free Speech on our college campuses. Did POTUS make a smart move in that direction this week?

NCAA tournament, gravel pits are the pits, follow the money and a whole lot more in this week’s Take 2.

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Episode 7 of the Take 2 podcast was hosted by 2News Anchor/Reporter Brian Mullahy with former state lawmakers Greg Hughes and Jim Dabakis. The panel discussed the best and the worst of the 2019 legislative session with lively debate about a tax overhaul in an upcoming special session. Additional discussion addressed:

– Funding education

– Sales tax on food

– LDS Church lost control of alcohol?

– Abortion

– Medicaid expansion

– Hotter nuclear waste coming to Utah

– $19 billion state budget 

– State vs. Local jurisdictions

-House vs Senate

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 Back by popular demand, the Take 2 podcast moderated by 2News Anchor Heidi Hatch gets an exclusive update from former state lawmakers Greg Hughes and Jim Dabakis on the Utah legislature killing the massive tax overhaul.

The duo answers the big question about why tax policy is being addressed as a “problem” in the Beehive State.

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 Episode  6 of the Take 2 podcast was an emotion one with Heidi Hatch facilitating discussion about the Utah legislature with former state lawmakers Greg Hughes and Jim Dabakis.

When the topic of a bill that died in the legislature that would’ve banned conversion therapy for gay teens in Utah was posed, Dabakis – who is openly gay – issued a question of his own.

How hard would it be for you to change? How many sessions would you need so you could suddenly become gay?

Other topics discussed that had lively debate included:

• Will Utah be stuck with 3.2 percent beer forever?
• Should the Legislature allow first cousins to procreate?
• Utah’s Constitution references men: Has the time come to make it gender neutral?
• The only thing certain in this session: Death and taxes, or at least the death of a massive tax overhaul.

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 Episode 5 of the popular Take 2 podcast included a special guest in addition to Heidi Hatch moderating a lively debate between former state lawmakers Greg Hughes and Jim Dabakis.

The hot topics they discussed included Hughes expressing his concerns about a Beyond the Books investigation into the connection between charter schools and lawmakers.

Other topics debated include:

• A ban on texting while driving: The bill is dead for a third year, even after 75% of Utahns said they wanted it in a recent Hinckley/Salt Lake Tribune poll.
• Gov. Gary Herbert, in a surprising turn of events, says he’s on board with a higher alcohol content bill. Will he have a chance to sign it?
• Brigham Young University Police : What appears to be the third and possible final nail in its coffin.
• The Inland Port and the idea of rural spokes: Good idea or just plain stupid.
• The tax reform bill: It’s 257 pages long. Have any of us actually read it? AND it was the talk of Capitol Hill. 
• A 2News Behind the Books investigation into charter schools and legislators’ influence. Hughes had some major issues with the story. We let him address them with guest,  investigative reporter Chris Jones. The debate gets even more heated in Episode 6 of the Take 2 podcast on March 8. You won’t want to miss it!

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 In this week’s Take 2 podcast, Heidi Hatch facilitates discussion with former state lawmakers Greg Hughes and Jim Dabakis on hot topics in this legislative session: 

• A hate crimes bill collides with national headlines. Will it hurt Utah’s bill?
• Sandy City has a crisis on its hands. Who is ultimately responsible for the contaminated water crisis?
• Should Utah even fluoridate its water?
• Canadian drugs and their deeply discounted prices may soon be headed to Utah.
• Gov. Gary Herbert wants a huge tax cut: Is it even possible?
• Straight ticket voting – a Utah favorite could go the way of the Do-Do bird?
• BYU’s police force could soon be accountable like every other department in the state.

That, and a whole lot more, in this week’s Take 2 podcast – “the fastest-growing podcast in Utah.” 

Learn more about Heidi, Greg and Jim by clicking here. 

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2News Anchor Heidi Hatch moderates lively discussion between former legislative lawmakers Greg Hughes (R) and Jim Dabakis (D). 

In this week podcast, the duo tackles:

• Trump Declares a National Emergency:  Is it really as bad as it sounds?
• Utah’s wake-up call in the form of an earthquake: Are we really ready for the “big one” ?
• Should former Sen. Orrin Hatch get $2 million from the Utah Legislature for his legacy foundation?
• A bill on the table could cut Salt Lake County in half: The good, the bad and the ugly.
• With a 45-day session, should we really care about a Utah State flag?
• Is Utah the nation’s new dumping ground for depleted uranium?
• A transgender birth certificate bill dies. Is it something we can all agree on?

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2News Anchor Heidi Hatch poses tough questions to former legislative lawmakers, former Speaker of the House Greg Hughes (R) and former State Senator Jim Dabakis (D). How did they respond to being asked: 

• 3.2 Beer in Utah: Is it time to upgrade?
• Medical Marijuana: Do we need a set of rules?
• Redistricting: It may not happen? 
• Medicaid Expansion: A surprise GOP vote against revision and what happens next?
• Cell phones while driving: Should Utah toss them out the window?