Political Cornflakes: It's not just the Russians who would have helped place Trump in the White House. Sarah Sanders says that God has made this possible.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Christian Broadcasting Network that she thought Donald Trump was president, because that's how God wanted it. "I think God is calling us all to take on different roles at different times and I think he wanted Donald Trump to become president, and that's why he is there," Sanders told CBN. Sanders added that Trump had done "extraordinary work" in favor of the issues "that really concern people of faith". [CNN]

At the head of the short story: Gov. Gary Herbert delivered his 10th annual State of the State address in which he urged lawmakers to lower the state's sales tax rate, which currently stands at 4.85. % to 1.75%, by taxing unspecified services that are now exempt. [Trib] [Fox13] [DNews]

-> The Senate of Utah voted 22-7 to cancel proposal 3 expanding Medicaid in favor of a more restrictive Medicaid plan on a party border ballot. The Senate must vote again before SB96 can be transferred to the House. [Trib] [DNews]

-> A new survey shows that 64% of Utahns support a tougher hate crime law, which would include protections for LGBTQ residents. This comes ahead of what the sponsor said was the first public hearing of the legislature for the bill in years. This is expected next week. [Trib]

-> An audit of recent years revealed that Utah 's police were punished less heavily than other states' law enforcement agencies for offenses such as driving under the influence, possession of illicit drugs and domestic violence. [Trib] [Fox13] [DNews]

Tweets of the day: @ShireenGhorbani : "All voters in Utah should be raging. Even if you have not voted for #MedicaidExpansion you must be able to see that one day you will vote for a proposal and that the legislature of that state will reject the will of voters. They serve us. Do not let them forget. #utpol "

-> @gopTODD :" Unsolicited Counsel to Hire the # utleg : Send me a text message "Vote on SB XX "is not particularly useful. I'm not smart enough to memorize 800 invoice / title numbers for each session. Also, tell me why you are opposed to it. # utpol "

-> @betterutah :" If we had a dollar every time a republican said, "We live in a republic, not a democracy, "we would have enough money to develop Medicaid. # utpol # utleg # utahdecided "

-> @GovHerbert :" This is the year in which we must unite to create a fairer, simpler and more sustainable tax code by expanding the bottom line, by lowering rates and giving low- and middle-income families their largest tax cut in Utah's history. "

Happy birthday: to Pat Jones, CEO of Women's Leadership Institute and former Senator of the State.

In Other News: The Attorney General's Office Utah has dismissed its lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, one of the major opioid manufacturers, in favor of an administrative action that it says will result in much faster civil penalties. . [Trib] [Fox13]

-> Shireen Ghorbani, a communications professional from the University of Utah and former congressional candidate and mayor of the county, has announced her intention to run for the Salt Lake County Council. If elected, she will occupy the former seat of Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. . [Trib] [DNews]

– Representative Phil Lyman, former Commissioner of San Juan County jailed for 10 days after driving an ATV demonstration in the closed Canyon Recapture, introduced a bill that would block a road or the track a class C misdemeanor. [Trib]

-> The Utah Transit Authority, which already has a $ 2 billion debt and plans to borrow more for a new $ 1 billion TRAX line, has been warned that its bond rating could be downgraded. [Trib]

-> A police chief from Utah is dismantled for DUI's presumption. [Trib]

-> A bill introduced by Representative Ken Ivory would allow a church or other non-profit organization to apologize for acts of violence without admitting guilt. [Fox13]

-> A legislative audit revealed that the government's used tire recycling program was not keeping up with the flow of used Utahn tires. [Trib]

-> Legislative auditors in Utah have explored allegations that an anti-noise wall lining I-80 near Parleys Summit had been built illegally and concluded that the Roads Service was no longer used. He had done nothing wrong. [Trib]

-> Citing potential benefits such as fraud reduction and general convenience, a Senate committee in Utah unanimously approved a bill that would turn the driver's license into a mobile digital version. [Trib] [DNews]

-> Democratic leaders convened an emergency meeting Thursday night to decide the opportunity to take disciplinary action against former treasurer and president of the party, the presidential candidate Rob Miller, for allegations of sexual harassment. [UtahPolicy]

-> Columnist Robert Gehrke highlights the good, the bad and the ugly of Senator Allen Christensen's bill to replace the voter-approved Medicaid extension initiative. [Trib]

-> Pat Bagley's point of view on the Senate is to reconsider Proposition 3. [Trib]

Nationwide: President Donald Trump attacked to US intelligence services on Twitter, accusing them of being naive and passive in the face of the dangers of Iran. The president's posts followed the top US intelligence officials who had contradicted him yesterday about national security. He reiterated that North Korea would probably be denuclearized and that control of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria would erode. [NYTimes] [WaPost] [Politico]

-> The federal government revealed that it had secretly shipped military-grade plutonium a few months ago from South Carolina to Nevada. [APviaTrib]

-> February 15, the deadline to reach a compromise on the border wall, President Trump met with officials of the White House to prepare a possible declaration of national emergency that can be ready if necessary is. Elsewhere, a bipartisan group of 17 legislators met to discuss a possible border security agreement. [Politico]

-> In the United States, Republicans killed a resolution condemning government closures as a bargaining tactic, even after the Democrats unveiled language accusing President Trump of ending the record. [RollCall]

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– Dan Harrie and Sahalie Donaldson