Midday Roundup: High court halts Obama's power plant regs

Regulatory reprieve. A divided U.S. Supreme Court last night slammed the brakes on President Barack Obama’s plan for strict new regulations on the nation’s power plants. The surprise move prevents the Environmental Protection Agency from implementing new rules for carbon emissions while a legal challenge by 26 states makes its way through the courts. Under rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2014, power plants would have to cut carbon dioxide emissions 30 percent by 2030. All 50 states will be responsible for tackling their own emissions under customized plans that would have to be approved by the EPA. The high court split along ideological lines, with the four liberal justices indicating they would have denied the request to block implementation.

Senseless. The city of Los Angeles is mourning the shooting death of a 1-year-old girl who was killed when a bullet tore through the wall of the garage where her family lived and hit her in the face. On Tuesday evening, gunmen opened fire on the house in Compton, a neighborhood that has become synonymous with gang violence. Police confirmed the shooting appeared to be gang-related. Shooting deaths in Compton are at a historic low right now, but they still happen more than twice as often there than in the rest of Los Angeles County, according to The Washington Post. The latest victim, Autumn Johnson, was lying in her crib when she was shot. She later died at the hospital, just one week past her first birthday.

State execution. North Korea reportedly executed the head of its military on orders from dictator Kim Jong-un. General Ri Yong-gil was accused of corruption and killed last week, less than a year after the execution of North Korea’s defense minister. The move could show Kim’s fear of the military, one of the few domestic agencies with the means to threaten his rule.

Never to melt. Disney, who just can’t let it go when it comes to the marketing juggernaut Frozen, announced Tuesday that Elsa, Anna, and their adorable snowy sidekick Olaf are headed to Broadway. The New York debut of the musical version of Frozen is planned for 2018. Though the cast has not been announced yet, Disney has brought together a dream team of Broadway veterans to write, choreograph, design, and produce the show.

Marine disaster. The deaths of three animals in three months have further dampened SeaWorld’s hopes for recovering from a negative publicity slump. Since the release of the 2013 documentary Blackfish, about the downsides to keeping killer whales in captivity (such as whales attacking and killing trainers), SeaWorld’s net income has fallen by 84 percent. The recent deaths at San Antonio’s marine park included an orca, a beluga whale, and a dolphin. All three died from health problems, but SeaWorld said the illnesses were unrelated.

WORLD Radio’s Mary Reichard contributed to this report.