As President Donald Trump appears determined not to concede on his campaign promise of a border wall, that insistence could take a toll on his party. In the Southwest, growing diversity and the president’s demeaning rhetoric about Latino migrants are pulling parts of the region from the once-firm grip of Republicans. And it’s notable that each of the nine House members whose districts touch the border from California to Texas opposes a wall as the solution for border security. [NYTimes]
Happy Friday
Topping the news: In Washington, Utah Republican Sens. Mitt Romney and Mike Lee cancelled out each others’ votes on two competing bills — one backed by the president and the other by Democrats — aimed at ending the government shutdown. Lee did not vote for either and Romney voted for both; each failed to pass. [Trib]
-> As part of his monthly televised news conference at KUED, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert indicated support for two bills that would impose restrictions on abortion, hinted that he supports bolstering for hate crime legislation that would include LGBT people and said he does not want to see Medicaid expansion repealed. [Trib] [ABC4] [DNews]
-> Salt Lake County mayoral candidates Jenny Wilson, Arlyn Bradshaw, Shireen Ghorbani and Stone Fonua debated at Jordan High School on Thursday on issues pivotal to the county, like housing affordability, air quality and climate change. [Trib] [Fox13] [DNews]
Tweets of the day: From @nielslesniewski: "'I don’t quite understand why' federal workers are needing to go to food banks, says Secretary Wilbur Ross on CNBC.”
-> From @jonfavs: “Nancy: You’re not giving the SOTU until you open the government. Trump: Yes I am. Nancy: No you’re not. Trump: Ok fine.”
-> From @StephenAtHome: “Trump was too scared to give Pelosi a nickname, and then she cancelled his SOTU address. Congratulations to Neuterin’ Nancy!”
Behind the Headlines: Salt Lake Tribune reporters Bethany Rodgers, Taylor Stevens and Sean P. Means and editor Jennifer Napier-Pearce join KCPW’s Roger McDonough to talk about the week’s top stories, including a Utah bill that would ban abortion at 15 weeks, the upcoming closure of Utah’s downtown homeless shelter and the Sundance Film Festival starting this weekend. 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: Think you kept up with the news this week? Take our quiz to find out. A new quiz will post every Friday morning. You can find previous quizzes here. If you’re using The Salt Lake Tribune mobile app, click here. [Trib]
Happy birthday: Today to West Jordan City Councilman Dirk Burton and Sunday to state Sen. Dan McCay.
In other news: A private company has stepped in with a major donation to support operations at Utah national parks that otherwise would be seriously understaffed as the federal government shutdown drags into its second month and visitation at the parks begins to increase. [Trib] [DNews]
-> More than 200 volunteers woke before 4 a.m. to scour Salt Lake County in search of people sleeping in the cold as part of an annual state data collection effort called the Point-in-Time count, which attempts to capture information on unsheltered people experiencing homelessness. [DNews]
-> Stone Fonua, the least known of the county mayoral candidates, has run for multiple offices under multiple different parties and has lost every time. He says he’s not too worried about defeat in this race and is campaigning as a way to get his ideas into the public discourse. [Trib]
-> Utah Transit Authority officials said Thursday that they are studying an extension of TRAX to the Point of the Mountain and Lehi before determining whether to proceed. [Trib] [DNews]
-> The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which was a major figure in the fight over Proposition 2, announced it will disengage from the medical marijuana debate and let lawmakers hash out details on the issue. [Fox13]
-> As Utah considers a move to outlaw conversion therapy, which purports to change a person’s sexual orientation, a former proponent of and prominent Latter-day Saint counselor for the practice has announced he is ready to date men. [Trib]
-> Former Sen. Jim Dabakis and newly-inaugurated Sen. Derek Kitchen talk about what it means to be the only LGBTQ voice in the statehouse. “With a body of 104 people and there’s only one out queer person, it’s incredibly important to have somebody out there representing this community,” Kitchen said. [KUER]
-> Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke argues that a proposed bill that would prohibit Utahns from changing the sex listed on their birth certificates is about “taking a swipe” at people who are transgender and should be rejected. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley illustrates U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ comments about furloughed employees. [Trib]
Nationally: Negotiations on the Senate floor began with a renewed sense of urgency after competing Democratic and Republican proposals to end the government shutdown failed to pass — one with funding for a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border and one without. The shutdown hits day 35 on Friday, and 800,000 federal employees will miss a second paycheck. [NYTimes] [WaPost]
-> The Trump administration said it will begin to roll out a policy — previously announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and homeland Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen — that would block asylum seekers from crossing at various heavily trafficked locations along the southern border. [NYTimes]
-> The Senate Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed Michael Cohen, president Trump’s former attorney, after he delayed his scheduled hearing before the body to an undetermined date, citing safety concerns for himself and his family. [NYTimes] [WaPost] [Politico]
Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Send us a note to cornflakes@sltrib.com.
-- Taylor Stevens and Christina Giardinelli
