Grand Teton goat shoot suspended

after stern governor letter

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Grand Teton National Park officials have suspended efforts to shoot mountain goats from a helicopter after criticism from Wyoming’s governor prompted Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to intervene.

Bernhardt told park officials to suspend the shooting Friday night, hours after the effort began and Gov. Mark Gordon called the helicopter shooting a “farce” in a letter to acting Grand Teton Superintendent Gopaul Noojidail.

“I have long appreciated Grand Teton National Park for the treasure it is to all our citizens. Now I hope I will not have to remember it as an example of federal disregard for the sovereignty of the states,” Gordon, a Republican, wrote.

Gordon said he looked forward to a “more fruitful conversation” about ways to address the mountain goats more cooperatively with the National Park Service.

The Park Service suspended the flights since Friday’s initial effort, which was “effective towards meeting our objective,” park spokeswoman Denise Germann said Monday.

Matthews apologizes for Nazi

analogy to Sanders victory

NEW YORK (AP) — MSNBC’s Chris Matthews apologized Monday to Bernie Sanders for comparing the Democratic senator’s win in the Nevada caucus to the Nazi takeover of France.

Matthews’ self-described “bad” analogy deepened the discontent that the presidential candidate and his supporters have been feeling lately toward the cable network, one that is usually friendly territory for liberals.

“Sen. Sanders, I’m sorry for comparing anything from that tragic era in which so many suffered, especially the Jewish people, to an electoral result in which you were the well-deserved winner,” Matthews said at the opening of his show, “Hardball,” on Monday evening.

He said he’d try to do a better job elevating the debate this campaign season. He made the Nazi remark during his network’s coverage of Nevada results on Saturday night.

Even before Matthews’ analogy, a report in The New York Post said the Vermont senator had confronted MSNBC’s president, Phil Griffin, before the Las Vegas debate last week and said the network had not been fair to his campaign. MSNBC would not comment on the story.