K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For May 11th, 2017 – Morning

WASHINGTON (AP) - THE ACTING FBI DIRECTOR, ANDREW MCCABE, ISN'T CONFIRMING PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S ACCOUNT THAT OUSTED DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY TOLD THE PRESIDENT HE WASN'T UNDER INVESTIGATION. IN FIRING COMEY, TRUMP NOTED THAT COMEY HAD TOLD HIM THREE TIMES THAT HE WASN'T UNDER SCRUTINY. BUT WHEN ASKED ABOUT IT DURING A SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE HEARING ON THURSDAY, MCCABE SAID HE COULDN'T COMMENT ON CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN TRUMP AND COMEY.

WASHINGTON (AP) - THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE HAS SUBPOENAED FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER MICHAEL FLYNN FOR DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE PANEL'S INVESTIGATION INTO RUSSIA'S ELECTION MEDDLING. SEN. RICHARD BURR, THE REPUBLICAN CHAIRMAN, AND SEN. MARK WARNER, THE COMMITTEE'S DEMOCRATIC VICE CHAIRMAN, SAY THE PANEL HAD FIRST REQUESTED THE DOCUMENTS FROM FLYNN ON APRIL 28.

WASHINGTON (AP) - PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS LAUNCHING A COMMISSION TO REVIEW ALLEGED VOTER FRAUD AND VOTER SUPPRESSION IN THE U.S. ELECTION SYSTEM. THAT'S ACCORDING TO THREE WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS WHO SAY HE'LL SIGN AN EXECUTIVE ORDER LATER THURSDAY. TRUMP HAS ALLEGED, WITHOUT EVIDENCE, THAT 3 TO 5 MILLION PEOPLE VOTED ILLEGALLY IN HIS 2016 CAMPAIGN AGAINST DEMOCRAT HILLARY CLINTON. THE PANEL IS EXPECTED TO INCLUDE BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS.

WASHINGTON (AP) - CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS HAVE REACHED AGREEMENT ON A BILL TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO FIRE ITS EMPLOYEES. IT'S PART OF AN ACCOUNTABILITY EFFORT TOUTED BY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. THE DEAL COULD SMOOTH THE WAY FOR FINAL PASSAGE ON AN ISSUE THAT HAD BEEN LARGELY STALLED SINCE THE 2014 WAIT-TIME SCANDAL AT THE PHOENIX VA MEDICAL CENTER.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - THE MORMON CHURCH, THE LARGEST SPONSOR OF BOY SCOUTS TROOPS IN THE UNITED STATES, IS PULLING OLDER TEENAGERS FROM THE ORGANIZATION AS THE RELIGION TAKES A STEP TOWARD DEVELOPING ITS OWN GLOBAL SCOUTING-LIKE PROGRAM. THE UTAH-BASED RELIGION'S ANNOUNCEMENT THURSDAY MEANS AN ESTIMATED 130,000 TEENAGERS AGES 14-18 WILL NO LONGER PARTICIPATE IN BOY SCOUTS STARTING NEXT YEAR, A SIGNIFICANT LOSS FOR THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA.
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TWO MEN WERE ARRESTED FOR DRUG POSSESSION TUESDAY AFTERNOON AT A CASPER MOTEL AFTER ONE OF THEM ALLEGEDLY WENT TO THE FRONT DESK AND SAID HIS MARIJUANA WAS MISSING FROM HIS ROOM.

20-YEAR-OLD ERIC SHAWN JARRIN AND 27-YEAR-OLD CHRISTOPHER JAMES RATHE BOTH COLORADO RESIDENTS, EACH FACE A MISDEMEANOR MARIJUANA POSSESSION CHARGE.

COURT DOCUMENTS SAY AN OFFICER WAS SENT TO THE MOTEL SHORTLY AFTER 2 P.M. TUESDAY AFTER HOTEL MANAGEMENT TOLD POLICE A GUEST COMPLAINED HIS MARIJUANA, WHICH HAD BEEN IN HIS ROOM, WAS MISSING.

THE OFFICER ARRIVED AND MET WITH JARRIN, WHO ALLEGEDLY SAID, "IT WAS MY WEED THAT WAS STOLEN."

JARRIN SAID HE WAS IN TOWN WITH HIS EMPLOYER TAKING INVENTORY AT A LOCAL GROCERY STORE. HE REPORTEDLY GOT BACK TO THE ROOM AFTER WORK AND WANTED TO SMOKE A BOWL BUT COULDN'T FIND HIS WEED.

HE SAID HE NOTICED THE BEDS IN THE ROOM HAD BEEN RECENTLY MADE. HE FIGURED THE HOUSE KEEPER MUST'VE STOLEN IT, SO HE TOOK THE ISSUE TO THE MOTEL'S FRONT DESK.

JARRIN THEN WAITED OUTSIDE THE MOTEL FOR POLICE TO ARRIVE SO HE COULD REPORT THE THEFT OF HIS MARIJUANA.

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CODY, WYO. (AP) - A MAN WAS ATTACKED AND INJURED BY A GRIZZLY BEAR WHILE SEARCHING FOR ANTLERS SHED BY DEER AND ELK IN NORTHWESTERN WYOMING, NEAR CODY. STATE WILDLIFE OFFICIALS SAY THE MAN REPORTED HE WAS PICKING UP AN ANTLER ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON WHEN THE BEAR KNOCKED HIM DOWN AND BIT HIS ARM TWO OR THREE TIMES. THE MAN WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HIMSELF TO THE HOSPITAL. HIS INJURIES WERE NOT CONSIDERED LIFE-THREATENING.

CHEYENNE, WYO. (AP) - TOURISM OFFICIALS SAY THE SOLAR ECLIPSE THAT WILL PASS OVER WYOMING IN AUGUST SHOULD GIVE THE STATE'S ECONOMY A MUCH NEEDED BOOST. STATE OFFICIALS ESTIMATE ABOUT 350,000 PEOPLE COULD VISIT WYOMING TO WATCH THE FIRST TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE TO BE SEEN FROM THE MAINLAND U.S. IN ALMOST FOUR DECADES. THEY'RE HOPING FIRST TIME VISITORS WILL LOVE THE STATE SO MUCH THAT THEY'LL COME BACK AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO VISIT.

WASHINGTON (AP) - ENVIRONMENTALISTS NOTCHED A RARE WIN IN THE REPUBLICAN-LED SENATE AS A GOP EFFORT TO REVERSE AN OBAMA-ERA RULE RESTRICTING HARMFUL METHANE EMISSIONS UNEXPECTEDLY FAILED. THE 51-49 VOTE WEDNESDAY AGAINST THE REPEAL MEASURE WAS A BLOW TO THE FOSSIL-FUEL INDUSTRY AND GROUPS LINKED TO THE CONSERVATIVE KOCH BROTHERS, WHICH HAD WAGED A PUBLIC CAMPAIGN TO OVERTURN THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT RULE.

JACKSON, WYO. (AP) - A 107-YEAR-OLD WYOMING MAN WHO LIVED IN A CABIN HE BUILT BY HAND IN JACKSON HOLE HAS DIED. ROSS TURNED 107 ON JAN. 11. HE CELEBRATED HIS FINAL BIRTHDAY AT HIS HOME, PULLING DOWN HIS OXYGEN MASK TO BLOW OUT THE CANDLES OF HIS CAKE.