Valerie Hudson, Deseret News Journalist Profile

Articles

No matter what it says, that chatbot is not your friend

1 week ago | deseret.com | Valerie Hudson

I remember when scientists began to wonder what role cognitive decline played in the fall of the Roman Empire. Obviously there were many contributing factors, but in the 1980s, scientists first proposed that habits the Romans adopted as a way of life led to widespread cognitive decline, which contributed to the empire's fall.
Nuclear jitters are back. How worried should we be?

1 month ago | deseret.com | Valerie Hudson

For decades now, it's been assumed in the field of security studies that the first nuclear exchange in a conflict would take place on the Indian subcontinent, between India and Pakistan. There have been incidents in the past that have come close, such as when nuclear bombs were loaded onto aircraft by these countries in 1999, but the crisis was averted by the efforts of then-President Bill Clinton.
The U.K. strikes a praiseworthy compromise

2 months ago | deseret.com | Valerie Hudson

Many have lauded the Utah Compromise of 2015, which saw the Utah Legislature adroitly balance the right to nondiscrimination in employment and housing on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity with the right to expression and practice of religion. Among others, Jonathan Rauch has praised that compromise as a model for the whole nation.
The 'Trump Doctrine' is coming into focus. What does it mean for the world?

2 months ago | deseret.com | Valerie Hudson

Donald Trump has been president for a little more than 70 days. Even so, in the world of foreign policy, the upheaval has been profound. USAID no longer exists; immigration numbers at the southern border have plummeted by over 90% since the election. Tariff wars are imminent, even with Canada and Mexico, with whom we have a free trade treaty, the USMCA, which was negotiated by Trump in 2018.
Democrats will long pay a price for their position on women's sports

Mar 8, 2025 | deseret.com | Valerie Hudson

It is possible you did not hear the amazing news from March 1, when a new national record in the women's high school triple jump was set. The new record was three full feet longer than the jump by the runner-up in that event, an astonishing feat by any measure. Astonishing, that is, unless you uncover that the new record holder is actually a biological male.
Small legislative nudges could level the playing field for homebuyers in Utah

Jan 28, 2025 | deseret.com | Valerie Hudson

Gov. Spencer Cox offered a clear-eyed vision of Utah's priorities in his 2025 State of the Union . He has rightly highlighted lack of affordable housing as the most pressing problem facing the state. With its growing population, the pain is felt across the board, but is especially keen for young families who are finding it particularly difficult to get on the property ladder.
The elephants in the room with GisÃ¨le Pelicot and Lily Phillips

Jan 3, 2025 | deseret.com | Valerie Hudson

On Dec. 19, the courtroom in Avignon, France, as always, was packed. But this day there were even more spectators because people had traveled to hear the verdicts, even if they could only stand outside. They waited for justice for Gisèle Pelicot. Pelicot, 72, is not a celebrity or a wealthy woman. She is the mother of three children, and was the wife of almost 50 years to her husband, Dominique, whom she married when she was 20. She noted, "Our friends used to say we were the perfect couple.
For many, childbirth in America is no holiday

Dec 22, 2024 | deseret.com | Valerie Hudson

The Christmas season's poignancy derives in part from the story of a poor, probably teenaged mother who was forced by circumstances to undertake childbirth far from home in a shelter for animals. We hope there were skilled women there in Bethlehem to help her through what must have been a fraught experience. In the days before modern medicine, childbirth was often a death sentence for women, or could result in lifelong complications.
The endgame in Ukraine is coming into view

Dec 10, 2024 | msn.com | Valerie Hudson

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The endgame in Ukraine is coming into view

Dec 9, 2024 | deseret.com | Valerie Hudson

War often starts in misperception and illusion, but war can only end by the mutual acknowledgement of hard reality. Ukraine and Russia are slouching toward that state now. The moment is inflected by the election of Donald Trump, who has promised a vastly different approach to the war, opening an opportunity for the recalculation of costs and benefits for all involved. Both sides are now feeling increasingly intolerable pain, though in slightly different forms.