News roundup: HuffPost laments return of 'George W. Obama'

HuffPost hits back with 'George W. Obama.' Phone records may be stored in Utah. Hatch wants immigrants to pay back taxes.

Happy Friday. The left-leaning Huffington Post is upset with President Barack Obama over the latest revelation that phone companies are handing over call information to the feds in secret. The HuffPost's home page has been featuring the headline "George W. Obama" on top of a hybrid Obama-Bush picture that's just a tad creepy. [HuffPost]

Topping the news: Phone records seized from Verizon could be stored at the NSA's new data storage center due to open in Utah in the fall. [Trib]

-> Sen. Orrin Hatch thinks it's only fair that immigrants seeking a path to citizenship should pay their back taxes - and he won't continue to back the bill unless this provision is added. [Trib]

Tweets of the day: From @ryanbeckwith: "Verizon's new plan: Friends, Family, Federal Prosecutors."

And from @TVietor08: "I am so pissed about invasions of my privacy that I'm going to tweet about it and post an angry open letter on my non-private Facebook page."

Happy birthday: Today to the Sierra Club's Vanessa Pierce and on Saturday to USU's Matthew LaPlante and The Trib's Derek Jensen.

In other news: Rep. Jason Chaffetz turned up the heat on IRS official Faris Fink over his responsibility for lavish spending on a conference in 2010. [Trib] [WaPost]

-> A Republican poll tries to tie Rep. Jim Matheson to President Barack Obama, showing the NRCC is already targeting the Utah Democrat. [Trib]

-> Despite the promise of much publicity, only two law firms have applied to be special prosecutor in the investigation of AG John Swallow; The Lieutenant Governor's Office has now added another two weeks to the application window. [Trib]

-> A quick Q&A about the special prosecutor and why one is needed. [Trib]

-> Utah House Democrats want the truth about what AG John Swallow has been up to, even if it takes impeachment to get it. [Trib]

-> Bryan Schott and Bob Bernick discuss the Swallow scandal and question where the Utah Democrats are while all this is going on. [UtahPolicy]

-> Bernick, meanwhile, goes after the GOP for its efforts to tamp down voter involvement in elections. [UtahPolicy]

-> Gov. Gary Herbert has appointed a Salt Lake County veteran prosecutor to fill an opening on the 3rd District Court. [Trib]

-> Paul Rolly continues his coverage of the Dan Snarr Saga as the Murray mayor fights against the traffic ticket he got in Salt Lake City. [Trib]

-> Following the murder of University of Utah scientist Uta von Schwedler in 2011, Sen. Todd Weiiler, R-Woods Cross, is proposing a law that would allow a judge to revoke custody rights if a parent is suspected of killing their spouse. [DNews]

-> Mitt and Ann Romney talked through their experience on Election Day and offered their take on everything from the IRS scandal to Hillary Clinton in an exclusive interview with CNN held in Park City. [CNN] [Fox13] [DNews]

Nationally: Leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee admit that the leaked court order demanding that Verizon provide records of all phone calls originating in the United States is a renewal of an order that has been in place since 2007. [Politico] [TheHill] [NYTimes]

-> Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Mike Rogers says that surveillance of Verizon phone records saved the U.S. from a terrorist attack in recent years. [Politico] [WaPost]

-> In addition to phone records, the NSA has been gathering user information from top Internet companies over the past six years as part of a program called PRISM. A senior official maintains that the program only targets foreigners outside of the U.S. [Guardian] [NYTimes] [WaPost]

-> The NY Times editorial board says the Obama administration has lost all credibility after the latest NSA revelations. [NYTimes]

-> Rep. John D. Dingell Jr., D-Mich., will become the longest-serving congressman in history today when he enters his 20,997th day as a representative. [NYTimes]

-> A nationwide poll of 500 Latinos shows that GOP support may suffer if the party continues to fight immigration reform. [Trib]

-> Chris Christie has chosen New Jersey AG Jeff Chiesa to replace the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg until his successor is elected in October. [Politico] [NYTimes]

-> Some of the same Republicans who voted to repeal Obamacare 37 times have solicited grants from the program. [Nation]

-> China hacked the campaigns of both President Barack Obama and John McCain in the 2008 election. [NBCNews]

Where are they?

Gov. Gary Herbert attends a ribbon cutting at Blackrock Microsystems and a ceremonial bill signing at the state Capitol, films some PSAs and attends a Utah Council of the Blind celebration.

SLC Mayor Ralph Becker is in Portland, Ore., for a policy consensus initiative board meeting.

WVC Mayor Mike Winder meets with the Salt Lake Board of Realtors.

President Barack Obama spends the morning in California where he delivers a statement on the Affordable Care Act and speaks at a DNC fundraiser. After lunch he flies to Palm Springs to meet up with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox. [Trib]

— Thomas Burr and Isobel MarkhamTwitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/i_markham