K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For August 23rd, 2017 – Morning

PHOENIX (AP) - PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS BLAMING THE MEDIA FOR THE WIDESPREAD CONDEMNATION OF HIS RESPONSE TO VIOLENCE AT A CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA, PROTEST ORGANIZED BY WHITE SUPREMACISTS. AT A POLITICAL RALLY IN PHOENIX, HE UNABASHEDLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE WAS DEFYING HIS ADVISERS' RECOMMENDATIONS TO STICK TO THE SCRIPT AND APPEAR "PRESIDENTIAL."

TOKYO (AP) - THE NAVY HAS ANNOUNCED THAT THE COMMANDER OF ITS 7TH FLEET HAS BEEN DISMISSED "DUE TO A LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN HIS ABILITY TO COMMAND." U.S. PACIFIC FLEET COMMANDER ADM. SCOTT SWIFT RELIEVED VICE ADM. JOSEPH AUCOIN OF HIS COMMAND ON WEDNESDAY.

CAIRO (AP) - YEMENI SECURITY OFFICIALS AND WITNESSES SAY THE SAUDI-LED COALITION HAS CARRIED OUT SEVERAL AIRSTRIKES, HITTING A SMALL HOTEL NEAR THE YEMENI CAPITAL OF SANAA AND KILLING DOZENS OF SHIITE HOUTHI REBELS AND CIVILIANS THERE. THE OFFICIALS SAY AN ESTIMATED NUMBER OF 60 HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE STRIKES ON WEDNESDAY MORNING IN THE TOWN OF ARHAB, SOME 35 KILOMETERS, OR 22 MILES, NORTH OF SANAA.

CAIRO (AP) - WHITE HOUSE ADVISER JARED KUSHNER AND VISITING U.S. OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN SNUBBED BY THE FOREIGN MINISTRY IN CAIRO. THE MINISTRY SAYS THE COUNTRY'S TOP DIPLOMAT, SAMEH SHOUKRY, CANCELLED HIS MEETING WITH KUSHNER AND THE OTHERS WHO ARE ON A MIDEAST TOUR TO PRESS ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE EFFORTS. THE GESTURE COMES AFTER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CUT NEARLY $100 MILLION IN MILITARY AND ECONOMIC AID TO EGYPT AND DELAYED ALMOST $200 MILLION MORE IN MILITARY FINANCING, PENDING HUMAN RIGHTS IMPROVEMENTS.

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK (AP) - THE DEFENSE LAWYER OF THE DANISH INVENTOR WHO IS SUSPECTED OF MANSLAUGHTER IN THE CASE OF SWEDISH JOURNALIST KIM WALL, WHO IS BELIEVED TO HAVE DIED ON A SUBMARINE THAT SANK, SAYS POLICE STATEMENTS WEDNESDAY DO NOT "CHANGE MY CLIENT'S EXPLANATION THAT AN ACCIDENT HAPPENED" ABOARD THE SUBMARINE. DANISH POLICE CONFIRMED WEDNESDAY THAT DNA TESTS FROM A HEADLESS TORSO FOUND WASHED ASHORE OFF COPENHAGEN MATCH WITH 30-YEAR-OLD WALL.
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FOR MORE THAN A YEAR, LOCAL SHERIFF'S, POLICE, FIRE, HEALTH CARE AND OTHER AGENCIES PREPARED FOR THE WORST FOR THE TOTAL ECLIPSE, BUT INSTEAD THEIR HOPES FOR THE BEST PANNED OUT.
INTERIM CASPER POLICE CHIEF STEVE SCHULZ SAID TUESDAY THAT THE EVENTS LEADING TO AND DURING THE ECLIPSE TURNED OUT SMOOTHLY.

HE SAID THERE WERE THREE OR FOUR ARRESTS FOR PUBLIC INTOXICATION DURING THE WEEKEND AND PROBABLY NOT EVEN HALF OF THOSE WERE RELATED TO THE ECLIPSE.

LIKEWISE, THERE WERE TWO ARRESTS ON MONDAY FOR DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE, AND THOSE PROBABLY WEREN'T ECLIPSE-RELATED, EITHER.

HOWEVER, TWO NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS WERE ARRESTED THURSDAY AFTER ALLEGEDLY SENDING THEMSELVES MARIJUANA AND COCAINE THROUGH THE MAIL.

SCHULZ SAID THE ANTICIPATED CONGESTION OF CROWDS DOWNTOWN DIDN'T HAPPEN, IN PART BECAUSE ECLIPSE-VIEWERS WERE SCATTERED AROUND CASPER, OUTSIDE THE CITY, AND ON CASPER MOUNTAIN.

THEN AGAIN, THE NUMBERS OF ECLIPSE-VIEWERS REVEALED THEMSELVES WHEN THEY LEFT TOWN AND DROVE BUMPER-TO-BUMPER ON THE HIGHWAYS.

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WYOMING'S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE HAS FALLEN SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE PAST YEAR BUT NOT BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE ARE GETTING HIRED TO FILL A GROWING NUMBER OF JOBS.

THE WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF WORKFORCE SERVICES SAYS THE LABOR FORCE IN WYOMING HAS DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE LAST SUMMER.

THE LABOR FORCE IS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE EITHER WORKING OR ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR WORK.

THE DEPARTMENT REPORTED TUESDAY THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN WYOMING IN JULY WAS 4 PERCENT, DOWN FROM 5.4 PERCENT IN JULY 2016.

BUT THE NUMBER OF NONFARM JOBS IN WYOMING HAS REMAINED ESSENTIALLY FLAT.

WHAT'S CHANGED IS WYOMING'S LABOR FORCE DECREASED BY MORE THAN 7,000 PEOPLE, OR OVER 2 PERCENT.

ECONOMISTS SAY PEOPLE APPEAR TO BE MOVING TO OTHER STATES OR DROPPING OUT OF THE WORK FORCE.