More than 13,900 people killed in gun violence so far in 2023

May 2, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Shootings have continuously made headlines in just the first few months of the year.

As of May 1, at least 13,959 people have died from gun violence in the U.S. this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive — which is an average of roughly 115 deaths each day.

Of those who died, 491 were teens and 85 were children.

Deaths by suicide have made up the vast majority of gun violence deaths this year. There’s been an average of about 66 deaths by suicide per day in 2023.

The majority of these deaths have occurred in Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Illinois and Louisiana.

The grim tally of gun violence deaths includes 460 people killed in officer-involved shootings.

There have also been 494 “unintentional” shootings, the Gun Violence Archive shows.

There have been 184 mass shootings in 2023 so far, which is defined by the Gun Violence Archive as an incident in which four or more victims are shot or killed. These mass shootings have led to 248 deaths and 744 injuries.

There have been at least 13 K-12 school shootings so far this year, including a recent incident in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27 when three children and three staff members were shot and killed at the Covenant School, a Christian school for students in preschool through sixth grade.

In Michigan, three students were killed and five others were injured when a gunman opened fire at two locations on Michigan State University’s main campus in East Lansing on Feb. 13, police said.

California saw three mass shootings in a matter of days in January, with one shooting leaving at least 11 people killed and 10 others injured after a gunman opened fire at a dance studio near a Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park, California.

The U.S. has surpassed 39,000 deaths from gun violence per year since 2014, according to data from Gun Violence Archive. Still, gun deaths are down from 2016, 2017 and 2018, when the total number of deaths each year surpassed 50,000. There were 44,310 such deaths in 2022.

Last June, President Joe Biden signed into law a gun safety package passed by Congress. It was the first gun reform bill from Congress in decades.

But advocates for gun reform continue to push for tougher measures. Florida lawmakers Rep. Jared Moskowitz and Rep. Maxwell Frost spoke with ABC News’ GMA3 to mark the fifth anniversary of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and called on Congress to do more to curb gun violence.

“Five years later, we feel like we’ve made some progress and then we were reminded that nothing has changed,” Moskowitz said.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call or text the national lifeline at 988. Even if you feel like it, you are not alone.

Met Gala 2023: Rihanna, A$AP Rocky walk carpet together

May 2, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Rihanna arrived in style at the 2023 Met Gala Monday night.

After much anticipation, the “Diamonds” singer arrived on the Met Gala carpet with her boyfriend, rapper A$AP Rocky.

Rihanna wore a stunning white floral gown — reminiscent of a wedding dress — in accordance with this year’s theme, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” which was dedicated to the longtime Chanel creative director, who was known for creating iconic bridal looks for the luxury fashion house.

Rihanna’s dress boasted large, structural white flowers that draped around her head like a hooded cape. She accessorized the look with dark sunglasses.

A$AP Rocky donned a black dress coat with a red tartan kilt, which included a train, and embellished jeans underneath. He finished the ensemble with a stack of Gucci belts and a thin black tie.

Rihanna and A$AP are currently expecting their second child together.

Other notable Met Gala looks included Doja Cat, who dressed as Lagerfeld’s cat Choupette; Lil Nas X, who wore nothing but a thong and body crystals; and Janelle Monae, who pulled off a wild transformation first appearing in a large black and white conical coat before removing it to reveal a sheer wire-framed dress with a sequin black bikini underneath.

Serena Williams pregnant, expecting second child with Alexis Ohanian

May 2, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Serena Williams is pregnant.

The tennis superstar revealed that she’s expecting her second child with her Reddit co-founder husband Alexis Ohanian on Monday.

Williams shared the news in an Instagram post, captioning a photo of the couple, “Was so excited when Anna Wintour invited the 3 of us to the Met Gala.” The pair also showed off her growing baby bump as they walked the red carpet for the gala.

Williams, 41, and Ohanian, 40, welcomed their first child, daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., in September 2017.

Ed Sheeran, Alanis Morissette to sub for Katy Perry and Lionel Richie on ‘American Idol’

May 2, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Luke Bryan said a few days ago that the two artists who’d be filling in for Lionel Richie and Katy Perry on American Idol while they’re performing at King Charles‘ coronation this weekend are “big time,” and he wasn’t kidding.

Ed Sheeran and Alanis Morissette will be filling in for Lionel and Katy during Sunday night’s installment of the show. While Ed will be a guest judge, Alanis will both judge and mentor the remaining contestants, who’ll be performing her songs live. The contestants will also team up to sing duets of Ed’s songs.

Both Ed and Alanis will also perform themselves: Alanis will sing one of her hits, while Ed will perform a new single from his album Subtract, which drops on Friday.

Meanwhile, Katy and Lionel will be checking in with the show live from Windsor Castle, where the coronation concert is taking place. The show airs live coast to coast Sunday, May 7 at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT on ABC.

In other Ed news, his intimate documentary Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All starts streaming Wednesday on Disney+.

John Fogerty joins Jimmy Fallon and The Roots for a performance of “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” using classroom instruments

May 2, 2023 by WDNY Radio

On Monday’s The Tonight Show, John Fogerty joined host Jimmy Fallon and his house band The Roots in the Tonight Show Music Room for a rendition of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” — performed with classroom instruments.

In the recurring segment, Fallon and The Roots back music artists for a version of one of their popular songs, using instruments you would find in a classroom.

In this case, it was Fogerty, rocking a toy guitar, while Fallon blew into a jug and Roots members played a toy xylophone, a melodica and kazoos.

Past music room guests have included Ringo Starr, The Who and Aerosmith.

Fogerty just kicked off his Celebration Tour, which pulls into the BeachLife Festival 2023 in Redondo Beach, California May 5-7.

Parents speak out after son’s suicide at elite boarding school

May 2, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — On the one-year anniversary of a student’s death, an elite boarding school in New Jersey released a statement publicly admitting its failure.

The Lawrenceville School released a statement acknowledging that it failed to protect student Jack Reid, who died by suicide in 2022, from bullying, saying it “fell tragically short” in Jack’s case. Jack was 17 at the time.

Elizabeth and Bill Reid, Jack’s parents, spoke to ABC News’ Good Morning America about their son’s suicide after bullying at The Lawrenceville School.

“We were well aware of what was going on and we were encouraging him. He advocated for himself. He talked to the school. He talked to his friends. We were meant to see him the next morning and the last words we spoke to him about were, ‘Dad, I’m doing better. I love you,'” Bill Reid recalled.

The school said in its statement that it had been made aware of the bullying and “cruel behavior” toward Jack and “there were steps that the school should have taken in hindsight and did not.” It promised to make changes and do better.

“Bullying and unkind behavior, and actions taken or not taken by the school, likely contributed to Jack’s death,” read part of the statement posted by The Lawrenceville School on April 30.

The statement was required as part of a settlement deal with the family of Jack Reid, who had filed a lawsuit against the school.

In the spring of 2021, an untrue rumor spread across The Lawrenceville School campus that Jack, who was a junior in high school at the time, had committed sexual assault by kissing a girl. Then, in September 2021, a false claim that Jack was a rapist was posted anonymously to a nationwide student app, in a letter from the school obtained by ABC.

The school reportedly investigated the rumors and found them false, but never publicly shared the results or told Jack, in the letter.

On April 30, 2022, a student, who was disciplined for bullying Jack, was expelled from the school for other reasons, however, the school admitted that the student was allowed to return “largely unsupervised” to the dorm where Jack lived, according to the statement. Students gathered with the expelled student and reportedly began bullying Jack, according to the statement released by the school. Later that night, he died by suicide, according to the statement from the school.

The school announced that it will create policies around spotting and stopping bullying and has since agreed to contribute to multiple nonprofits focused on bullying and suicide prevention per the school’s latest statement.

“Jack was universally regarded as an extremely kind and good-hearted young man, with an unwavering sense of social and civic responsibility and a bright future. We continue to mourn this loss,” the school said in part of the statement.

It added, “We acknowledge that more should have been done to protect Jack.”

If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises, please call or text 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org or dial the current toll free number 800-273-8255 [TALK].

In Brief: ‘SNL’ film in the works, and more

May 2, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Netflix has announced that the next installment of Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters anthology will be titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Lyle and Erik Menéndez were convicted in 1996 of murdering their parents José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menéndez. The story of the Menéndez brothers has been the focus of several docs and scripted projects over the years, most recently the 2017’s Law & Order: True Crime — The Menéndez Murders, starring Edie Falco as defense attorney Leslie Abramson, and the Lifetime TV movie Menendez: Blood Brothers, starring Courtney Love as Abramson. Monsters: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story reached 1 billion view hours in its first 60 days, according to Netflix, making it only one of four series to achieve this milestone…

Ahead of its second season, Amazon Freevee has picked up Bosch: Legacy for a third season. The series, per the streamer, follows “Harry Bosch — played by Titus Welliver — a retired homicide detective turned private investigator, as he embarks on the next chapter of his career; attorney Honey “Money” Chandler — portrayed by Mimi Rogers — who struggles to maintain her faith in the justice system after surviving an attempted murder; and Maddie Bosch — played by Madison Lintz — as she discovers the possibilities and challenges of being a rookie patrol cop on the streets of Los Angeles.” Earlier this year, it was reported that Amazon Studios is looking to expand its Bosch universe with a pair of as yet untitled spinoffs — one centered on Hector’s character, Detective Jerry Edgar, and another on Renee Ballard…

Ghostbusters: Afterlife helmer Jason Reitman is working on a yet-to-be-titled film that will take a behind-the-scenes look at the opening night of Saturday Night Live, according to Deadline. The screenplay, based on interviews conducted by Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan with all the living cast, writers and crew, will purportedly tell “the true story of what happened that night behind the scenes in the moments leading up to the first SNL broadcast, retelling chaos and magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, counting down the minutes in real time to the infamous words, ‘Live From New York, it’s Saturday Night,’” per the outlet…

Movie and TV writers’ union gives go-head to strike

May 2, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The union representing thousands of Hollywood movie and television writers has called for a strike effective 12:01 a.m. PT on Tuesday.

It is the first such Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike since 2007; the latter action began November 5, 2007 and lasted until February 12, 2008.

Picketing for the current strike is scheduled to begin Tuesday afternoon.

WGA representatives have been negotiating unsuccessfully with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) over how writers are paid in the streaming era, which has dramatically changed the way shows are made and monetized. That in turn has effected how writers are hired, for how long, and how they’re compensated.

In its statement, the WGA noted, in part, “The decision was made following six weeks of negotiations with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony…”

The statement continues, “From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a ‘day rate’ in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession…”

How will a writers’ strike affect what we watch? You may not see the effect immediately in streaming and film, since many studios now have much more content in the pipeline for distribution across multiple platforms, meaning there would not be such an immediate drought of scripted TV.

Late-night TV, on the other hand, will once again be the quickest area to be impacted. Reruns of late-nights shows begin Tuesday night, and production on Saturday Night Live also will likely grind to a halt.

First Republic Bank fails: Was it a bailout?

May 2, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The collapse of First Republic Bank on Monday left it under control of the U.S. government, which quickly sold the bank to JPMorgan Chase. The move aimed to shore up the financial system after a cascade of major bank failures.

JPMorgan Chase, the nation’s largest bank, retained the majority of First Republic’s assets and all of its deposits, JPMorgan Chase said on Monday. In turn, the deal fully protects depositors at First Republic, who immediately became customers of JPMorgan Chase.

To achieve the rescue, however, a federal agency provided $50 billion in financing to JPMorgan Chase, setting off questions about whether the government had orchestrated a bank bailout.

Speaking at the White House on Monday, President Joe Biden applauded the government effort and assured that the move would not require taxpayer support.

“Regulators have taken action to facilitate the sale of First Republic Bank and ensure that all depositors are protected and the taxpayers are not on the hook,” Biden said.

“These actions are going to make sure that the banking system is safe and sound,” he added.

Here’s what to know about the rescue of First Republic and whether it’s a bailout:

Is the First Republic rescue a bailout?

First Republic, the nation’s 14th-largest bank, fell into financial turmoil because it specialized in long-term mortgage loans to affluent clients.

As interest rates rose rapidly over the past year, the mortgage loans and other investments lost value, leaving the bank with losses on a sizable portion of its balance sheet.

After the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank last month, panicked depositors withdrew a significant share of the bank’s funds in part because many of the customers held deposits that exceeded the limit covered by federal insurance.

If the bank had failed without a buyer, the remaining uninsured depositors may have lost their funds.

JPMorgan Chase on Monday agreed to acquire all of the bank’s $103.9 billion in deposits as well as the majority of its $229.1 billion in assets, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, a federal agency.

As part of the deal, the FDIC provided $50 billion in financing to JPMorgan Chase, the bank said on Monday. Ultimately, the final cost to the FDIC will be approximately $13 billion, the agency said.

The financing from the FDIC qualifies as a bailout since it marks the transfer of funds from the U.S. government to JPMorgan Chase as a condition of the sale of First Republic, some experts told ABC News.

“The biggest fear is banking runs and lost confidence — that is why the FDIC had to act quickly,” said Edward Moya, a senior market analyst at broker OANDA. “I would consider that a bailout.”

“The focus is to make sure the bank failure doesn’t significantly lead to a crisis,” he added.

Anat Admati, a professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, echoed the sentiment, noting that the FDIC appears to have helped ease the acquisition of First Republic.

“This seems to be more that guaranteeing deposits, and then it becomes something that I would consider a bailout,” Admati told ABC News.

In backstopping First Republic customers, however, the FDIC ultimately carried out its mandate of guaranteeing depositors, even if by indirect means, Morris Pearl, a former managing director at asset manager BlackRock, told ABC News.

“It depends on your definition of the word ‘bailout,'” Pearl said. “It’s kind of like if you damage your car, the insurance company might pay to repair the car or they might say this car is beyond hope and we’ll give you money to buy a new car.”

JPMorgan Chase said the government chose it as a buyer because the bank’s bid gave the FDIC more favorable terms than rival offers.

“Our financial strength, capabilities and business model allowed us to develop a bid to execute the transaction in a way to minimize costs to the Deposit Insurance Fund,” JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said in a statement.

Will the sale of First Republic cost U.S. taxpayers?

The government funds required for the sale of First Republic will come out of the Deposit Insurance Fund, a pool of billions of dollars kept in case the government needs to cover insured depositors after a bank failure, the FDIC said.

The Deposit Insurance Fund receives funding from banks, which pay insurance premiums in order to receive protection from the U.S. government and offer that guarantee for customers. The agency also derives income from investments made with the insurance revenue.

In turn, the bailout of First Republic will not draw on individual taxpayers, since the funds do not come from taxes levied on everyday Americans.

If the banking panic continues to spread, the federal government may have to take further action that draws on the Deposit Insurance Fund, potentially exhausting the fund and calling on taxpayers to supplement it with additional money.

For now, however, such an outcome appears remote. At the end of last year, the Deposit Insurance Fund held $128.2 billion, according to a quarterly report.

Alabama mother denied abortion despite fetus’ ‘negligible’ chance of survival

May 2, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Kelly Shannon was excited when she found out she was pregnant. With a daughter under the age of 2, Shannon and her husband had been actively trying for a second child.

The Alabama couple’s happiness quickly turned to heartbreak when testing revealed just three days before Christmas there was an 87% chance the baby had Down syndrome.

Shannon had asked for genetic testing because the couple wanted to tell family the baby’s gender at Christmas. She was pregnant with a girl.

“I spent the next few weeks trying not to get too attached, but it’s hard not to love a baby you have prayed for,” Shannon told ABC News.

At an appointment with a maternal fetal medicine specialist in January, Shannon was counseled on resources available for parents of children with the disorder. However, more scans and test results showed there was evidence of swelling in the baby’s head and body wall, a heart defect and a tumor on the baby’s abdomen that was about one-third the size of the baby and growing.

While none of the baby’s conditions on its own would warrant a termination under the guidelines of the one hospital in the state still providing abortions, Shannon’s specialist strongly believed this combination of symptoms made it extremely unlikely the pregnancy would survive to term or through labor and delivery. Her physician believed the hospital would be able to provide her with abortion care despite Alabama law prohibiting abortions at all stages of pregnancy.

“The likelihood of the baby surviving was negligible,” Shannon said. “Even if she did survive to term, it would be unlikely she’d survived through labor. And if she did survive through labor, then we’d be looking at multiple corrective surgeries immediately after birth.”

A report from her physician that was shared with ABC News confirmed the doctor had “conveyed the high likelihood that the findings may lead to an intrauterine demise [of the fetus] due to heart failure or neonatal demise.”

Dr. Carrie Rouse, a maternal fetal medicine specialist in Indiana who did not treat Shannon but reviewed some of her records, said that if she would have seen Shannon she would have counseled her on the same options: continuing her pregnancy and providing her the best care available, including potentially delivering early, or terminating the pregnancy.

These are the same options Shannon’s specialist in Alabama gave her, according to physician reports shared with ABC News.

“It is truly a tragedy that someone’s options for what to do with their pregnancy and their own body is dependent on their zip code,” Rouse told ABC News. “I just feel so sad for her and for her family and her physicians that are put in this position to where she can’t access — and they can’t provide — the care that she has been counseled about and has opted for in her own home. It’s so hard. It’s devastating.”

Alabama is one of 15 states that has ceased nearly all abortion services since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June, ending federal protections for abortion rights.

Shannon and her husband decided to pursue termination and she filled out the necessary paperwork. An abortion would need to be approved by several hospital committees made up of doctors.

On Jan. 20, Shannon’s specialist called her and informed her that while one committee had approved the abortion, a higher-level committee denied permission, telling Shannon this was the hardest phone call she had to make in her professional career, Shannon said.

“That was probably the lowest, maybe the lowest or second lowest point of the whole traumatic experience,” Shannon said. “I was sitting in my car talking to her and I couldn’t form words. I just sat there and sobbed. I was in a parking lot and I pulled out my phone, and I texted my husband, I was like, ‘I need you to come see me and I need you to bring our daughter.'”

“I didn’t even feel like I had the ability to get out of the car until I saw her and had a reason. I didn’t have any motivation to move until I could see my daughter again,” Shannon added.

Shannon said the committee — made up of 13 physicians in the University of Alabama, Birmingham’s Maternal Fetal Medicine Department — said its decision was final unless the fetus developed a complication called hydrops fetalis, in which large amounts of fluid build up in a baby’s tissues and organs causing extensive swelling.

“The committee felt that since each condition was by itself potentially survivable — not that they would lead to any kind of quality of life, just that they could potentially lead to life — that under Alabama law they did not think that my case met the criteria for termination,” Shannon said.

Shannon’s fetus did not develop hydrops, so she was left unable to access abortion care, she said.

“The other thing that was happening was the state district attorney in Alabama was also going on the news and actively talking about pursuing convictions for anybody in performing abortions in Alabama,” Shannon said.

“UAB is the only place in the state that provides that service, so they were also trying really hard to make sure that they could protect their ability to do that for other women,” Shannon said.

ABC News requested comment from Shannon’s doctor, but they declined. Instead, UAB Hospital said in a statement to ABC News: “UAB does not perform elective abortions. We provide care to women who present to us in need of pregnancy-related care within the law.”

Shannon had to drive to Richmond, Virginia, to access abortion care. She left at 11 a.m. and arrived in Richmond at 2 a.m., after stopping several times along the way, she said.

The hospital arranged housing for Shannon at no cost through a hotel partner. While her insurance was employer-based and covered the procedure, Shannon said she received a $2,089 bill from Virginia Commonwealth University. She said she had already paid about $600 for the procedure.

The couple said it still hopes to grow their family when they are ready.

“This has been the single most painful and traumatic experience of my life and our lives, and anybody who wants to stand up and say that abortions are wrong or that people shouldn’t be able to make their own decisions about abortion care just need to recognize that it’s not a black and white issue,” Shannon said. “It is complicated and I wouldn’t wish this on anybody.”

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