Happy Friday! Good news: The government isn’t shutting down again. But getting to this point wasn’t easy. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was on the phone with President Donald Trump three times yesterday trying to convince him that the new budget deal was the best he could get and spinning it as a win -- which it really wasn’t. Trump was assured, though, by his folks that he could declare a national emergency, a move that will spark litigation and possibly congressional rebukes. Here’s a look at how the deal went down. [WaPost]
Topping the news: Utah’s members of Congress all reacted differently to the budget bill that passed on Thursday — some more positively than others. [Trib] [DNews] [KUTV]
-> After facing much controversy, Utah lawmakers decided to abandon two pieces of legislation that would have prevented people from changing their gender on their birth certificates and or driver licences. Lawmakers said they will defer consideration of the proposals. [Trib] [DNews] [KSL] [KUTV]
-> The Orrin Hatch Foundation is asking the Utah Legislature to donate $2 million to fund a center in the former senator’s name. The money would come from taxpayers. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: @BarackObama: “In the year since their friends were killed, the students of Parkland refused to settle for the way things are and marched, organized, and pushed for the way things should be - helping pass meaningful new gun violence laws in states across the country. I'm proud of all of them.”
-> @CandickBackus: “Standing here today are 25 female legislators, a historic number for the Utah Legislature.”
-> @StephenAtHome: “Things Howard Schultz doesn't see: 1. Color 2. The writing on the wall.”
Happy Birthday: today to former state Rep. Mel Brown and SITLA Associate Director and General Council John Andres and on Saturday to Attorney General Sean Reyes.
Behind the Headlines Tribune government and politics editor Dan Harrie, reporter Taylor Stevens, and columnist Robert Gehrke join KCPW guest host Marcie Young Cancio to talk about the week's top stories, including the evacuation of a Salt Lake City apartment complex deemed unsafe to occupy.
-> Every Friday at 9 a.m., stream “Behind the Headlines” at kcpw.org, or tune in to KCPW 88.3 FM or Utah Public Radio for the broadcast. Join the live conversation by calling (801) 355-TALK.
Friday quiz: Last week, 95 percent of you knew about efforts to put 4.8 beer in Utah’s grocery stores, but only 57 percent knew about a Sundance film revealing the late actor Anton Yelchin’s battle with cystic fibrosis. Think you kept up with the news this week? Take our quiz to find out. A new one will post every Friday morning. You can find previous quizzes here. If you’re using The Salt Lake Tribune mobile app, click here. [Trib]
In other news: After sending out a memo yesterday, Intermountain Mountain Healthcare announced that it will begin writing cannabis recommendations for qualifying patients during a news conference Thursday morning. Advocates said they hope their announcement leads other physician networks to do the same. [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13] [KUTV]
-> 149 years after a Utahn became the first woman to vote in all of America, lawmakers unanimously voted in favor of a resolution proposing to designate Valentine’s Day as Women’s Voter Registration Day. [Trib]
-> A committee decided on the sculptor who will depict Martha Hughes Cannon, Utah’s first state senator and in the country. The sculpture will be completed by Ben Hammond. [Trib] [KUTV]
-> Sen. Mitt Romney expressed concern that the Trump administration had yet to explain its findings on Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, the Washington Post journalist killed in 2018. [Trib]
-> Utah Republican lawmakers held a series of private meetings where they discussed implementing a tax-reform effort. While the meetings didn’t go into specifics, one Utah senator said they focused on some of the threats to the state’s budgets. [Trib]
-> Despite several environmental groups’ strong opposition, a bill proposing to make the permanent disposal of uranium possible in Utah passed out of its Senate committee hearing on Thursday. [Trib]
-> Robert Gehrke penned an impassioned editorial condemning landlords’ failures to provide their tenants with essential safety functions, citing the recently evicted Georgia Apartments as an example. He also blamed Utah legislators for failing to create policies that hold landlords to an adequate standard. [Trib]
-> Tribune cartoonist Pat Bagley offers his take on former Sen. Orrin Hatch’s supporters asking for taxpayer money. [Trib]
Nationally: CNN interviewed the Tribune’s very own Benjamin Wood for his coverage on the Utah Legislature’s decision to roll back Proposition 3. [CNN]
-> White House officials said that President Donald Trump plans to use emergency powers to override Congress’s spending package that cleared both the House and Senate on Thursday in order to secure funding for the border wall. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that Trump intends to sign the spending package in addition to taking executive action. [NYTimes] [WaPost] [Politico]
-> The New York Times kept tabs on how each senator voted on Thursday’s compromise spending package — the majority of which voted in favor. [NYTimes]
-> The Senate voted and confirmed William P. Barr as attorney general 54 to 45. [NYTimes] [WaPost] [Politico]
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-- Thomas Burr and Sahalie Donaldson
https://twitter.com/thomaswburr?lang=en, https://twitter.com/sahalied?lang=en