K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For October 9th, 2017 – Evening

HAZARD, KY. (AP) - EPA ADMINISTRATOR SCOTT PRUITT SAYS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL ABANDON THE OBAMA-ERA CLEAN POWER PLAN AIMED AT REDUCING GLOBAL WARMING. SPEAKING IN KENTUCKY ON MONDAY, PRUITT SAID HE WILL SIGN A PROPOSED RULE ON TUESDAY "TO WITHDRAW THE SO-CALLED CLEAN POWER PLAN OF THE PAST ADMINISTRATION." THE CLEAN POWER PLAN AIMED TO RESTRICT GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS. IT WAS A CENTERPIECE OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION'S ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES.

WASHINGTON (AP) - PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS TAKING A STEP TOWARD A LONG-SOUGHT REPUBLICAN GOAL OF ALLOWING INSURANCE TO BE SOLD ACROSS STATE LINES. THE WHITE HOUSE IS PREPARING AN EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT WOULD EXPAND HEALTH PLANS OFFERED BY ASSOCIATIONS TO ALLOW INDIVIDUALS TO POOL TOGETHER AND BUY INSURANCE OUTSIDE THEIR STATES. TRUMP SEES SELLING INSURANCE ACROSS STATE LINES AS A WAY TO FOSTER COMPETITION THAT BRINGS DOWN PREMIUMS FOR PEOPLE BUYING THEIR OWN POLICIES. BUT EXPERTS SAY THAT'S NOT GUARANTEED.

WASHINGTON (AP) - PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAS TAKEN AIM AT A PROMINENT REPUBLICAN SENATOR IN HIS LATEST SOCIAL MEDIA COMBAT. IT'S A REMARKABLE AIRING OF THEIR PARTY'S PROFOUND RIFTS. TRUMP HAS LAID BARE HIS PERCEIVED GRIEVANCES AGAINST RETIRING SEN. BOB CORKER OF TENNESSEE. AND CORKER ISN'T SHYING AWAY. HE TWEETS: "IT'S A SHAME THE WHITE HOUSE HAS BECOME AN ADULT DAY CARE CENTER. SOMEONE OBVIOUSLY MISSED THEIR SHIFT THIS MORNING."

NEW YORK (AP) - A LOS ANGELES TV REPORTER IS ACCUSING DEPOSED MOVIE MOGUL HARVEY WEINSTEIN OF EXPOSING HIMSELF TO HER AND MASTURBATING IN THE BASEMENT OF A NEW YORK RESTAURANT. IN AN APPEARANCE ON NBC'S "MEGYN KELLY TODAY," LAUREN SIVAN DESCRIBED AN ENCOUNTER WITH WEINSTEIN A DECADE AGO WHEN HE INTRODUCED HIMSELF TO HER WHILE SHE WAS HAVING DINNER WITH FRIENDS, THEN INVITED HER TO TOUR THE KITCHEN.

DAVIE, FLA. (AP) - MIAMI DOLPHINS COACH ADAM GASE SAYS HE LEARNED HOURS AFTER THE TEAM'S LATEST GAME ABOUT A VIDEO ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT APPEARED TO SHOW OFFENSIVE LINE COACH CHRIS FOERSTER SNORTING THREE LINES OF A WHITE POWDERY SUBSTANCE AT A DESK. GASE SAYS FOERSTER APOLOGIZED TO HIM BEFORE RESIGNING. GASE SAYS HE HAS KNOWN FOERSTER SINCE 2008 AND CONSIDERED HIM A DEDICATED COACH WHO WOULD ARRIVE FOR WORK AT 4 A.M.
=================================

THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTED SUNDAY THAT ERIK PRINCE, THE BROTHER OF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SECRETARY BETSY DEVOS, IS SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING CHALLENGING U.S. SEN. JOHN BARRASSO IN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY NEXT YEAR.

THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTED PRINCE, THE FOUNDER OF PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACTOR BLACKWATER, HAS BEEN URGED BY STEPHEN BANNON TO RUN FOR BARRASSO'S SEAT.

THE NEWSPAPER REPORTED BANNON, A KEY STRATEGIST FOR PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WHO RESIGNED IN AUGUST, HAS BEEN WORKING TO CHALLENGE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP.

BARRASSO BECAME WYOMING'S JUNIOR SENATOR AFTER THE DEATH OF SEN. CRAIG THOMAS IN 2007, IS NOW ONE OF THE TOP-RANKING REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE.

THIS WEEKEND, PRINCE TRAVELED TO WYOMING WITH HIS FAMILY TO EXPLORE WAYS TO ESTABLISH RESIDENCY HERE.

PUBLIC RECORDS SHOW PRINCE, WHO HAS NEVER HELD POLITICAL OFFICE, HAD AN ADDRESS IN WAPITI IN PARK COUNTY IN THE THE LATE 1990S AND EARLY 2000S.

HE ALSO HAS TOLD DEVOS THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO RUN AGAINST BARRASSO.

DEVOS LAUNCHED HER NATIONAL "RETHINK SCHOOL" CAMPAIGN IN CASPER LAST MONTH WHEN SHE VISITED WOODS LEARNING CENTER.

WHILE PRINCE'S TIES TO WYOMING ARE THIN, THE STATE HAS NONE OF THE PERSONAL POLITICAL ENTANGLEMENTS HE WOULD FACE IN HIS HOME STATE OF MICHIGAN.

THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTED THE 48-YEAR-OLD PRINCE HAS BEEN A CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE FOR YEARS.

HE FOUNDED BLACKWATER, NOW KNOWN AS ACADEMI, WHICH HAS FACED ETHICAL AND LEGAL PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF ITS PRIVATE CONTRACTING WORK FOR THE MILITARY.

IN 2007, THE COMPANY'S EMPLOYEES KILLED 17 CIVILIANS IN BAGHDAD.
=================================
CASPER, WYO. (AP) - THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF AUDIT SAYS 13 OF THE 79 SMALL TOWNS IN WYOMING HAVE NOT BEEN AUDITED BY THE STATE OR BY AN INDEPENDENTLY HIRED CPA IN AT LEAST A DECADE.

PAM ROBINSON IS THE ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE PUBLIC FUNDS DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AUDIT.

ROBINSON SAYS THE STATE USED TO AUDIT SMALL-TOWN GOVERNMENTS AT LEAST EVERY FOUR YEARS UNTIL THE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET WAS CUT IN 1992.

SMALL-TOWN GOVERNMENTS WERE NOT AUDITED BY THE DEPARTMENT AGAIN UNTIL A BUDGET INCREASE IN 2005 ALLOWED THE AUDITS TO RESUME ON A LIMITED BASIS.

THE ISSUE CAME TO LIGHT WHEN A RANDOM STATE AUDIT IN 2015 REVEALED THE TREASURER OF THE SMALL NATRONA COUNTY TOWN OF MILLS HAD EMBEZZLED ROUGHLY $60,000 FROM THE TOWN.
___