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The latest University of Utah basketball player who’s reportedly headed into the transfer portal was one who had a breakout season.

Multiple national reports late Friday, with the first coming from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, indicated that Utah junior forward Ezra Ausar will test out his options by entering the portal.

“No person shall be … deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.” — Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States

The constitutional conservatives who lead Utah’s political class are strangely silent about the horrible abuse of basic constitutional rights that the Trump administration is perpetrating.

Utah’s members of Congress, its state officials, its legal scholars and law school professors, should be raising the roof to object to the way agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been snatching people off the street and deporting them, some to prisons in foreign nations, some back to nations they have no real connection with, without having to establish in court that those involved are the criminals or other threats the government claims they are.

(At least, we think these are ICE agents, as some of them are not uniformed or otherwise identified.)

The White House and right-wing media are claiming that people in the United States without authorization, or who are suspected of committing crimes or being members of violent gangs, are not entitled to the constitutional guarantee of due process. That the government is not obligated to appear in court and support, not just casually allege, those charges.

This is false. The Constitution’s guarantees of basic rights, including the right to due process, repeatedly and pointedly protect “persons.” Not citizens, legal residents, refugees or any other privileged class. Just, plain and simple, persons.

The persons who have been seized, or have had their student visas canceled, have been described as gang members on no evidence beyond that they have tattoos. Some who speak up for Palestinian rights have been wrongfully accused of being Hamas terrorists when they are doing no more than exercising the universal right of free speech and protest. Freedoms we preach about to other nations.

If the government can claim anyone is not entitled to due process, it can claim no one is entitled to due process. Law-abiding citizens, such as you, are just as vulnerable to being spirited away if the government isn’t obligated to prove that you are who they say you are.

Utah Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis, Reps. Celeste Maloy, Burgess Owens, Blake Moore and Mike Kennedy should be on record objecting to these practices. Before it starts happening in our state.

Editorials represent the opinions of The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers expressed mixed reactions to President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariff plan announced earlier this week, which imposes a baseline 10% tax on all imports and higher rates for some countries.

The tariffs, released as part of Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day,” surprised many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, prompting some concerns about what it could mean for local economies that rely on trade with other countries. Meanwhile, others are willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt to see how it turns out — and whether it will really cause a “boom” in the U.S. economy like the president says it will.

The Deseret News contacted all six members of Utah’s congressional delegation in the House and Senate to get their thoughts on Trump’s tariff package. Here’s what they said:

Sen. Mike Lee

While initially expressing some hesitation toward tariffs of any kind, Sen. Mike Lee said he’s keeping an open mind about how Trump’s approach could possibly result in more free trade — arguing the system the U.S. currently utilizes is not equal in all circumstances.

“Some seem to be operating under the assumption that we currently have free trade. In many instances, we don’t,” Lee told the Deseret News.

Instead, Lee had other ideas on how he’d approach the topic of unequal tariffs: “If I were the leader of a foreign country with tariffs on the United States, I’d propose a free-trade agreement as soon as possible — one that truly gives us unfettered access to their markets, just as they want unfettered access to ours.”

Sen. John Curtis

Sen. John Curtis was similarly hesitant to the idea of sweeping tariffs on more than 100 global trade partners. While agreeing with Trump that he wants “better trade relationships,” Curtis warned of the unintended consequences that often result from tariffs.

“As a former business owner, I know tariffs are challenging — not just because of their impact, but because of the uncertainty they create,” Curtis said. “I’m also mindful of how new tariffs could drive inflation — something Utah families are already feeling.”

“My hope is that this move sparks meaningful negotiations that strengthen American enterprise, and my focus remains on policies that grow our economy, protect national security, and keep America competitive on the world stage,” he added.

Rep. Blake Moore

Rep. Blake Moore took a balanced approach to Trump’s tariff plan, recognizing that while tariffs “have the potential to do substantial good,” they can also lead to “downward economic pressure” that is hard on local businesses.

Moore lauded the Trump administration’s policies to crack down on Chinese forced labor and efforts to rebuild domestic manufacturing, but the Utah Republican also warned that a “blanket approach” to tariffs will create challenges for Utah businesses.

“I’ve always been supportive of targeted approaches toward strategic industries. President Trump’s first term demonstrated that when tariffs are wielded effectively, great economic outcomes can follow,” Moore said. “We saw this with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement — the strongest and most modern trade agreement in U.S. history. President Trump also implemented Section 301 tariffs — an effective, targeted measure that addressed strategic vulnerabilities in our supply chain with China.”

“Enacting a new tariff regime has been a major focus of President Trump’s second administration these last few months, and while I’m concerned, I’m not surprised by the market and public’s reactions to yesterday’s announcement,” he added.

Moore said he would work with the White House to “better understand these changes” and use his position on the House Ways and Means Committee to “get us to the sweet spot where our trade policies promote fairness while supporting American industries and keeping prices manageable for hardworking families.”

Rep. Celeste Maloy

Rep. Celeste Maloy was open to the idea of reciprocal tariffs imposed by the Trump administration with the goal of beginning negotiations to lower rates other countries have imposed on the U.S.

“For decades, our trade partners have imposed tariffs on us at higher rates, which has hurt our competitive edge,” Maloy said. “The American people voted for President Trump because he promised to upend the status quo. The idea behind reciprocal tariffs is to invite our trade partners to the bargaining table and correct the current trade imbalance.”

Rep. Mike Kennedy

Rep. Mike Kennedy echoed similar sentiments. Although he did not go so far as to fully endorse the tariff package, the Utah Republican told the Deseret News: “We need fair trade agreements that enable all parties to prosper and operate effectively.”

Rep. Burgess Owens

Rep. Burgess Owens did not immediately respond to requests for comment by the Deseret News. However, previous statements posted on social media indicate the Utah Republican may be in support of reciprocal tariffs — and he has previously praised Trump as an entrepreneur who understands these decisions.

“The Art of the Reciprocal Tariff,” Owens wrote in a post on X last month. “No more free access to American markets. If you tariff us, we will tariff you.”

“WOW!!! ‘Reciprocal Tariffs’ … a boom for America’s Middle Class,” he wrote in another post.

A lot changed for Utah HC in 44 seconds.

What had been a 1-1 game, one that seemed like Utah’s to take control of at any moment, thanks in large part to its 25-9 advantage in shots on goal through two periods, suddenly had turned into a 3-1 deficit that the team could never recover from.

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With a quick, unassisted goal from Kings forward Kevin Fiala, Los Angeles would not only take the lead back, but would never give it up for the rest of the game.

With Utah defenseman John Marino attempting a dangerous cross-ice pass right after the faceoff, the puck went straight to Fiala’s stick, right in front of the net, leading to an immediate goal for the Kings.

The uncharacteristic mistake from Marino would prove to be fatal for Utah later in the game.

After two penalties were called on Anze Kopitar for cross-checking Kevin Stenlund, and Stenlund was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for going down a little too easily after the cross-check, a 4-on-4 situation was set up for both teams.

But with Fiala’s goal coming just 19 seconds into the 4-on-4, play resumed with both Stenlund and Kopitar still in the box.

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Without the extra man on the ice, Utah made yet another costly mistake.

This time, Trevor Moore knocked Utah’s Sean Durzi to the ice, then took off on a breakaway and buried another goal for L.A. during the 4-on-4.

“I think the first one was an unfortunate turnover,” said coach André Tourigny. “Johnny (John Marino) doesn’t do a lot of those… just happened at the wrong time. I think it was an unnecessary risk but that’s happened. The other one, there’s a few things on that. I think we didn’t move our feet to get up ice… Veggie (Karel Vejmelka) could have, should have, gotten that puck.”

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The Kings would add one more with an empty-netter to go up 4–1, before conceding Utah’s only other goal—Jack McBain’s first career power play goal—with under 30 seconds remaining and far too little time left to mount a comeback.

“We were in the driver’s seat for the first two periods, and unfortunately, what happened on the four on four and they capitalized on two chances,” said Utah’s Lawson Crouse. “That’s how quick the game can get away from you, and we were playing catch up from there.”

While the game ultimately ended in a convincing win for the Kings, it’s hard not to look back at a few key moments in the first two periods that went Los Angeles’ way.

The first tough break for Utah came just two minutes in, when what looked like an early goal was called back.

Upon review, a pass from Utah’s Clayton Keller to Dylan Guenther, who was wearing a bubble after breaking his nose in Utah’s win over the Flames, never crossed back in front of the blue line and instead traveled along it.

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As a result, Keller crossed the line before the puck, making the play offside. While it wasn’t initially called and it appeared as though Guenther had scored, a quick challenge by the Kings led to the play being overturned and play resumed shortly after.

“I think [the team is learning] how every play matters…,” said Guenther. “Every shift, no matter what happens, all you can do is go out there and try to win your shift so just take it a step at a time.”

While Utah never looked fazed, even after the unfortunate offside call, the team found itself on the wrong side of yet another goal

This time, the Kings scored their first goal of the night following a wild sequence in which L.A.’s Adrian Kempe collided with Vejmelka after being pushed by Utah’s Logan Cooley.

Because it was deemed that Kempe ran into Vejmelka because of Cooley,  no goalie interference penalty was called against Kempe.

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All of the sudden, what could have been a 1–0 lead heading into the second period instead turned into a 1–0 deficit.

Those breaks for the Kings were a big reason why the game stayed close early on, even with Utah’s offense humming and controlling much of the play.

While Lawson Crouse scored Utah’s first goal of the game in the second to tie things up and keep it competitive, being on the wrong end of a two-goal swing early proved costly once Utah began making mistakes in the third.

Though Utah’s playoff hopes are still statistically possible, the team can’t seem to catch a break with each win the Blues get, this time with its second consecutive overtime victory coming against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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The win extended St. Louis’ win streak to 11, tied for the longest in the NHL this season, and has singlehandedly snuffed Utah’s hopes of making the playoffs.

With only six games remaining and sitting nine points behind the Minnesota Wild, holders of the final Wild Card spot, Utah will need to win out the rest of its schedule if it has any hope of making the playoffs.

Minnesota has struggled recently, losing five of its last six games, but it would still take a remarkable collapse, like losing all six of its remaining games, for the Wild to fall out of playoff position.

So while tonight’s loss has all but eliminated Utah from the race, the club will need to keep fighting while there’s still a statistical chance, starting with its game against Winnipeg on Saturday, April 5.

Its Do or Die For Utah Hockey Club  

The Utah Hockey Club has accomplished a lot in its inaugural seasons. One thing that it has failed to do, though, is beat the Los Angeles Kings.

In a season a lot of people underestimated the Kings, they’ve taken pride in proving people wrong. They’re three points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for the Pacific Division lead, leading many to wonder if this is the year they’ll get past the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs.

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On Thursday night when Utah and Los Angeles met, it was a game of strange bounces at the Delta Center. An early Dylan Guenther goal was called off because the puck carrier was offside — something that can’t happen unless he passes it backwards (which is exactly what happened).

Later on, the Kings scored the first allowed goal, though nobody realized it until a few minutes later (we’ll get into the details below).

In the third period, the Kings scored twice at 4 on 4, followed by an empty-netter from distance. Then, with 20 seconds to go, UHC tallied a power play goal — something they struggled to do all of March.

It ended with a final score of 4-2, though Utah out-shot LA 30-19.

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“I think we played a really solid, solid game,” said UHC head coach André Tourigny. “There were a few broken plays that made a difference in the game, but I think the guys were ready and we were really structured.”

Utah Hockey for dummies

As promised, we’ll dive into the Kings’ first goal. I got questions on X about it so I’m sure there are plenty of people wondering why it counted.

It started when Logan Cooley dragged Adrian Kempe down on a back-check, causing him to crash into Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka.

The referee’s arm immediately went up to call Cooley for interference, meanwhile Cooley went after Kempe for running into the goalie.

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As Utah’s captain was arguing on Cooley’s behalf, the officials were looking at another aspect of the play: the fact that the puck was in the net.

Andrei Kuzmenko’s shot landed in Vejmelka’s glove initially, but he dropped it as Kempe came barreling toward him. Kempe’s skate pushed it under Vejmelka as he fell, and it ended up in the net.

It’s hard to see it on most of the replay angles, but the overhead camera caught it perfectly. It’s one of the stranger goals you’ll ever see, but it was the right call.

Utah Hockey for casual fans

Before the game, Kings head coach Jim Hiller was confident.

“I’d be surprised if we’re not really good tonight,” he said.

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He also indicated that he’d like to fire lots of shots at Vejmelka, who was bound to be fatigued in his 19th consecutive start.

“We want to get (to the front of the net) every night, but the fact that he’s played a lot (will) incentivize the players,” Hiller said. “If we can get there, maybe we can find a couple extra ones.”

When the shots were 25-9 in Utah HC’s favor after the second period, it was clear that he may have underestimated his opponent. Hiller recognized his fault after the game.

“Well, I was wrong, first of all,” he said. “I said our legs would be good and we would play well, and we did not for the first 40 minutes — with the exception of the goalie. But then give our guys credit. Third period, we played good.”

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He’s right. The Kings were the better team in the third period by most metrics — not just because they scored more goals. They dominated in terms of shots, scoring chances, expected goals and even face-offs.

UHC associate captain Lawson Crouse was frustrated that his team’s solid play through the first two frames didn’t supply the result he wanted.

“We were in control of the game,” he said. “We were playing hungry hockey, determined hockey and (it’s) just a crappy feeling when it doesn’t pay out.”

Utah Hockey for nerds

Two goals against at 4 on 4 put a close game out of reach for UHC.

They’ve now allowed five goals at 4 on 4 this season — tied for the second-most in the league. Additionally, they’re tied for the second-most goals against at 3 on 3 with eight.

It’s not the first time Utah has allowed multiple 4 on 4 goals in a game, either. It was a major contributor in their 4-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators back in October.

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Crouse offered a reason as to why that’s been a struggle.

“It’s man-on-man coverage,” he said. “(There are) picks — you have to fight through stuff like that.”

Guenther gave a good perspective on situations like these.

“You’re always playing for something,” he said. “These next (six) games can give us momentum into next season, so they’re all big.”

He’s right, and his message applies to lapses like the ones Utah had at 4 on 4. Utah HC should take these situations as learning opportunities: Realize that it’s a weakness and figure out how to correct it.

If they do it right, next year’s team won’t have to worry about playing at 4 on 4.

What’s next?

Utah’s home stand continues with an early-evening game on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets.

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The Jets are in contention for the Presidents’ Trophy, awarded to the best team in the regular season. They’re currently in first place with the Washington Capitals and the Dallas Stars knocking at the door.

UHC has a chance to even up its season series with the Jets, who have beaten them twice in Winnipeg. If they can pull it off, the home team will have won every game between them.

The game starts at 5 p.m. MDT and will be shown on Utah 16, Utah HC+ and NHL Network.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore scored in a 44-second span early in the third period and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Utah Hockey Club 4-2 on Thursday night for their third straight victory.

Fiala gave Los Angeles — second in the Pacific Division — a 2-1 lead at 4:06 with a snap shot for his 29th goal. Moore added his 18th at 4:50, beating Karel Vejmelka with a backhander.

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Adrian Kempe scored his 33rd of the season for Los Angeles and Drew Doughty added an empty-netter. Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves.

Lawson Crouse and Jack McBain scored for Utah.

Vejmelka made 15 saves in his 19th straight start. The streak is the longest by an NHL goalie since Kuemper started 22 in a row for Arizona in 2019.

Takeaways

Kings: Los Angeles plays five of its final seven games of the regular season at home as it tries to catch Vegas for the division lead.

Utah: Failed to build on consecutive victories in Chicago and at home against Calgary as its playoff hopes fade.

Key moment

Kuemper made 16 saves in the scoreless first period, while Vejmelka faced only three shots.

Key stat

The Kings won 55.7% of the faceoffs.

Up next

Both teams play Saturday. The Kings host Edmonton to open a four-game homestand. Utah hosts Winnipeg.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

SALT LAKE CITY — The Kings are doing their best to remain ahead of the Edmonton Oilers as they battle for potential home-ice advantage in the postseason – and a Pacific Division title isn’t out of the question either.

Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore scored in a 44-second span early in the third period and the Kings beat the Utah Hockey Club, 4-2, on Thursday night for their third straight victory.

Drew Doughty had an empty-net goal and an assist, Adrian Kempe scored his 33rd of the season and Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves for the Kings (43-23-9, 95 points), who remain two points ahead of the Edmonton (44-26-5) for second place and moved within three points of first-place Vegas (45-22-8) in the division.

Jack McBain had a goal and an assist, Lawson Crouse also scored and Karel Vejmelka stopped 15 shots in his 19th consecutive start for Utah (34-30-12, 80 points), which had won two in a row. Vejmelka’s streak of starts is the longest by an NHL goalie since Kuemper started 22 in a row for Arizona in 2019.

The Kings took a 2-1 lead at 4:06 of the third period. Utah won a faceoff in its zone, but a pass into the middle by defenseman Olli Maatta was intercepted by Fiala alone in the slot, and he fired a snap shot into the net for his 29th goal of the season.

Moore was then the first player down the ice for a puck that went deep in the Utah zone, and he beat Vejmelka with a backhander for his 18th goal of the season to make it 3-1 at 4:50.

Doughty collected his empty-net goal to make it 4-1 with 1:50 left, and McBain scored on a power play with 20 seconds remaining to cut it to 4-2.

The Kings were getting outshot 22-4 when Kempe scored on a controversial play to give them a 1-0 lead at 6:56 of the second period.

Andrei Kuzmenko tried to feed Kempe crashing through the slot on a rush, but Kempe was pulled down by Utah forward Logan Cooley just before both crashed into Vejmelka.

A scrum ensued and there was no immediate indication of a goal, but the NHL Situation Room in Toronto interceded and awarded the goal to Kempe after a replay showed the puck had crossed the goal line beneath Vejmelka.

Utah tied it at 1-1 at 12:21 of the second. Crouse brought the puck from below the goal line to the bottom of the left circle before fitting his wrist shot just inside the near post and under the crossbar.

Utah briefly thought it took a 1-0 lead at 1:22 of the first period when Dylan Guenther fired in a hard wrist shot from the top of the right circle, but the Kings challenged for offside and it was confirmed, negating the goal.

Kuemper made 16 saves in the scoreless first period, while Vejmelka faced only three shots.

The Kings play five of their final seven games of the regular season at home, where they have been absurdly good (28-4-4).

UP NEXT

The Kings host Edmonton on Saturday at 1 p.m. to open a four-game homestand that also includes games against Seattle, the Ducks and Colorado.