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Key moments from Day 12 of the Olympic Games

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(TOKYO) — Each day, ABC News will give you a roundup of key Olympic moments from the day’s events in Tokyo, happening 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time. After a 12-month delay, the unprecedented 2020 Summer Olympics is taking place without fans or spectators and under a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sydney McLaughlin wins gold, sets a new world record in 400m hurdles

Team USA’s Sydney McLaughlin set a new world record of 51.46 seconds for the 400m hurdles and picked up the gold medal along the way. She was congratulated by teammate Dalilah Muhammad who won the silver in the event.

The previous world record for the men’s 400m hurdles was also smashed yesterday by Norway’s Karsten Warholm.

U.S. women’s basketball heads to semifinals, win streak extended to 53

The United States women’s basketball team has now won 53 straight games at the Olympics, a streak extending from the 1992 Olympic Games. Team USA defeated Australia 79-55 in an effort led by Breanna Stewart with 23 points.

USA baseball sets sights on gold after 3-1 win over Dominica

The U.S. baseball team beat the Dominican Republic 3-1 to stay in the hunt for gold. Triston Casas hit his third home run of the Olympic Games and Team USA will play the loser of Japan-South Korea next on Thursday.

COVID-19 cases at Tokyo Olympics rise to 327

There were 28 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday, including four athletes, three of whom were staying at the Olympic Village at the time of the positive test. The total now stands at 327, according to data released by the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.

The surrounding city of Tokyo reported 4,166 new cases on Tuesday, a seven-day average increase of 178.0%, according to data from the Tokyo metropolitan government.

Allyson Felix one step closer to making history

U.S. sprinter Allyson Felix finished second in her heat and advanced to the semifinals of the women’s 400m, putting her one step closer to reaching a record 10 Olympic gold medals.

If Felix wins the 400m, she would have the record for most gold medals of any female track and field athlete with 10. If she also wins the 4x400m relay, she would surpass legend Carl Lewis with the most track and field gold medals ever. The Tokyo Games are the fifth Olympics for the 35-year-old track star.

Japan extends domination in skateboarding events

Japan’s Sakura Yosozumi won the gold in the first ever Olympic skateboarding park event, followed by 12-year-old Kokona Hiraki, Japan’s youngest medalist.

For more Olympics coverage, see: https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/Olympics

COVID-19 live updates: Nearly 72,000 kids tested positive in US last week

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.

More than 614,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 4.2 million people have died worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Just 58.2% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC last week, citing new science on the transmissibility of the delta variant, changed its mask guidance to now recommend everyone in areas with substantial or high levels of transmission — vaccinated or not — wear a face covering in public, indoor settings.

Here’s how the news is developing Wednesday. All times Eastern:

Aug 04, 10:01 am
WHO chief: No booster shots until at least end of September

The World Health Organization is calling for a moratorium on booster shots until more people from low-income countries have received a vaccine.

Low-income countries have only been able to administer 1.5 shots for every 100 people due to lack of supply, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said Wednesday.

A moratorium on boosters until at least the end of September will “enable at least 10% of the population of every country to be vaccinated,” he said.

Aug 04, 9:20 am
Alabama hospital sees deadliest day of pandemic

Four COVID-19 patients at Regional Medical Center in Anniston, Alabama — all unvaccinated — died within 24 hours, marking the hospital’s deadliest day of the pandemic, The Anniston Star reported.

As delta surges, patients are now getting sicker faster, a doctor at the hospital told the newspaper.

Only 28% of residents in Calhoun County are fully vaccinated, according to The Anniston Star.

Aug 04, 8:24 am
Obama to ‘significantly scale back’ 60th birthday party

Former President Barack Obama has decided to “significantly scale back” his 60th birthday party on Martha’s Vineyard due to the spread of the delta variant, according to a spokesperson. Hundreds of guests were expected to attend.

“This outdoor event was planned months ago in accordance with all public health guidelines and with covid safeguards in place. Due to the new spread of the delta variant over the past week, the President and Mrs. Obama have decided to significantly scale back the event to include only family and close friends,” spokesperson Hannah Hankins said in a statement.

Obama’s office did not give a new estimate of how many guests will attend.

Simone Biles shares sweet Twitter exchange with Taylor Swift following Bronze medal win

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

After Simone Biles took home the bronze medal in the individual balance beam competition at the Tokyo Olympics, she celebrated with none other than pop star Taylor Swift.

Biles, who previously withdrew from several gymnastic events due to mental health reasons, reacted to the meaningful video Swift voiced in support of her return to the Games.

Taylor calls the gymnast a “hero” in the promo that was aired on NBC and lauded her decision to put her mental health first, saying it sets a great example for generations to come.

“She’s perfectly human,” the Grammy winner expressed in the emotional clip. “And that’s why it makes it so easy to call her a hero.”

Biles retweeted the video and revealed just how much Swift’s words meant to her.

“I’m crying,” she gushed. “How special. I love you @taylorswift13.”

Taylor was quick to reach out to the gymnast and let her know that she wasn’t the only one shedding a few happy tears that evening.

“I cried watching YOU. I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch you all these years, but this week was a lesson in emotional intelligence and resilience,” the “willow” singer expressed. “We all learned from you. Thank you.”

Now that Biles has won the bronze, she is officially tied with gymnast Shannon Miller as the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast. Miller, a 90s phenomenon, won seven Olympic medals during her career.

Prior to her dramatic comeback, Biles had withdrawn from competing on the vault, uneven bars and floor events. The 24-year-old gymnast admitted Tuesday she “wasn’t expecting to medal” but was “pretty happy” by the result.

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard admit they wait until their kids are “stinky” before bathing them

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Looks like Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis aren’t the only celebrity parents who don’t wash their children every day. Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard readily admitted they wait for their daughters smell before throwing them in a bathtub.

When speaking to The View Tuesday, co-host Meghan McCain admitted that Kutcher and Kunis’ recent admission made her reevaluate if she is “bathing my child too much.”

Shepard hailed his former Armchair Expert guests, who made the reveal on his podcast last week and sparked a nationwide conversation about hygiene. Joking that the couple are now seen as “bad parents,” he and Bell revealed that they’re members of the same club.

“What’s interesting is, we bathed our children every single night prior to bed as part of a routine — and then, somehow, they started to go to sleep on their own without the routine,” Shepard said in reference to his two young daughters, Delta and Lincoln, who are six and eight, respectively.

Continued the Parenthood star, “[Kristen and I] had to start saying like, ‘Hey, when’s the last time you bathed them?'”

Bell nodded along to their joint confession and deadpanned, “Yeah, we forget” as her husband jokingly admitted they can go up to nearly a week before they wash their daughters.

“[We go] sometimes five, six days… They don’t smell so, you know, it’s hard,” Shepard quipped.

“I’m a big fan of waiting for the stink,” added Bell. “Once you catch a whiff, that’s biology’s way of letting you know you need to clean it up. I don’t hate what they’re doing. I wait for the stink!”

‘Punky Brewster’ star Soleil Moon Frye reveals three of her kids have COVID-19

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Amid the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, Soleil Moon Frye revealed the virus has impacted her own family.

The 44-year-old Punky Brewster star recently shared on Instagram that three of her four children have tested positive for coronavirus, and she’s urging parents to get their kids tested if they begin to show symptoms.

“I thought my son had a cold or a fever,” she captioned a photo of herself with her four kids — Poet, 15, Jagger, 13, Lyric, seven and Story, five — whom she shares with ex-husband Jason Goldberg. “I did not know that he had Covid-19. With the encouragement of our doctor, I had him tested.”

When the results came back positive, Soleil says she canceled a scheduled work trip and rushed home to discover that two of her other kids had also tested positive for the virus.

“I want to protect my babies, love them, make them all better, take away the burning fever and tummy aches,” she said, adding that she has “tried to smile through the fear and nurture them,” and has “shed many tears.”

Still, the actress acknowledges “how incredibly fortunate” they are.

“My kids have been able to heal together and support each other through this, we have a doctor we trust, and hospitals close by,” she wrote, adding that her “heart breaks for the lives that have been lost,” as well as those who “do not have the same things that we have or the chance to be with their loved ones throughout this.”

Soleil still hasn’t figured out how the kids contracted the virus.

“That is part of the mystery in this,” she concludes. “How hard it is often to trace and how easy it is to spread. Please be safe.”

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Former Cuomo aide Charlotte Bennett reacts to AG investigation findings: ‘He’s a danger’

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Charlotte Bennett, a former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and one of the 11 women accusing him of sexual misconduct, is calling for the governor’s immediate impeachment.

“September is not soon enough,” Bennett, 25, said Wednesday on Good Morning America. “This needs to happen now. He’s a danger.”

On Aug. 3, a months-long probe by New York State Attorney General Letitia James found that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, including current and former state employees. Following the announcement, Cuomo released a recorded video in which he denied any sexual misconduct and addressed Bennett directly.

“It wasn’t an apology and he didn’t take accountability for his actions,” Bennett said. “He blamed me and said that I simply misinterpreted what he had said.”

After working with the governor last year, Bennett lodged a harassment complaint, saying that the governor asked her inappropriate questions and made her feel uncomfortable.

“His line of questioning was not appropriate,” she said. “He was coming onto me and he insinuated that survivors of trauma and sexual assault can’t tell the difference between mentorship and leadership and sexual harassment itself — which is not only insulting to me but every survivor who listened to him yesterday.”

She added, “The victim blaming is not OK.”

Bennett’s complaint was the second of two sexual misconduct accusations against Cuomo at the time and it sparked the attorney general investigation. The first person to accuse Cuomo, Lindsey Boylan, tweeted her allegations in December 2020.

“I actually DM’ed her on Twitter and we had a private conversation in which I told her what I was experiencing and why I left public service earlier that same year,” Bennett said. “And, you know, when there are two women, there are more than two. We know from experience that it’s not just one person and that’s why we need to believe every woman who makes these allegations.”

After watching Cuomo’s response to the attorney general’s findings, Bennett said she felt “overwhelmed but mostly vindicated.”

“I had just listened to the New York State attorney general tell me and the 10 other women that we were believed … that was powerful and so much more important than anything the governor had to say,” she said.

Republicans face incomplete debate lineup, donor apathy in California recall race

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Ahead of a debate that’s missing a few key candidates, Republicans hoping to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom in September’s recall election have attracted relatively few sizable donations, according to data from the California secretary of state reviewed by ABC News.

The Richard Nixon Foundation, which is hosting the debate on Wednesday night, said in a news release that four candidates are participating: John Cox, Kevin Faulconer, Kevin Kiley and Doug Ose.

But Newsom did not reply to the foundation’s invitation, the group said, while deep-pocketed reality show star and former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner and talk-show host Larry Elder have scheduling conflicts. The foundation said in a news release it would hold spots for Newsom, Jenner and Elder in case any decided to participate.

The foundation is also planning a debate for Aug. 23.

The debates are not the only challenges facing the candidates. Dan Schnur, a professor at the University of Southern California and a former chairman of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, told ABC News that “the traditional Republican donor base doesn’t appear to be convinced yet that the recall is a viable exercise.”

But that could change due to recent polling showing “considerable grassroots support for recall,” he said.

Here’s what the Republican candidates invited to the debate have raised in large-dollar donations, according to data available on Tuesday:

John Cox: About $8.7 million across his 2021 and 2022 campaign committees — including roughly $7.6 million in monetary and non-monetary contributions and loans from himself — from at least 1,667 contributions
Kevin Faulconer: Approximately $3 million from at least 1,422 contributions
Larry Elder: About $990,000 from at least 574 contributions
Caitlyn Jenner: Approximately $747,000, from at least 1,581 contributions
Doug Ose: About $400,000 from at least 230 contributions
Kevin Kiley: Approximately $214,000 from at least 100 contributions

Only donations from an individual that add up to $100 or more are itemized in the data from the secretary of state, thus excluding those “small-dollar donations” in the donation counts.

Individuals donating to a gubernatorial candidate can give up to $32,400, according to the California Fair Political Practices Commission. According to the Federal Elections Commission, candidates have no limit when donating to themselves, but must still report those contributions.

Even if those numbers present an incomplete picture, as they only range from the start of 2021 to Tuesday and exclude the small-dollar donations, they still appear to be a relatively small number of donors for such a large state.

“The candidates … haven’t set the world on fire,” Joshua Spivak, a senior fellow at the Carey Institute for Governmental Reform at Wagner College, told ABC News.

Regarding the candidates, Spivak noted that “there seems to be a wide disconnect between interest in Caitlyn Jenner from media and online sources and social media and voters.”

The California Republican Party is currently gearing up to vote on whether it can endorse a candidate at all, though it is expected to be approved. An endorsement from the state party may spur fundraising.

Newsom has criticized the recall as a partisan effort and waste of taxpayer money, but he “has his work cut out to raise Democratic interest in the recall vote. And if he fails on that front, an unusual off-year electorate might be just Republican-leaning enough to boot him out of office,” according to FiveThirtyEight.

Voters in the election will respond to two questions: do they want to recall Newsom; and if most voters elect to do so, who should be his replacement?

Republicans face incomplete debate lineup, donor apathy in California recall race

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The Richard Nixon Foundation, which is hosting the debate on Wednesday night, said in a news release that four candidates are participating: John Cox, Kevin Faulconer, Kevin Kiley and Doug Ose.

The foundation is also planning a debate for Aug. 23.

But that could change due to recent polling showing “considerable grassroots support for recall,” he said.

Here’s what the Republican candidates invited to the debate have raised in large-dollar donations, according to data available on Tuesday:

John Cox: About $8.7 million across his 2021 and 2022 campaign committees — including roughly $7.6 million in monetary and non-monetary contributions and loans from himself — from at least 1,667 contributions
Kevin Faulconer: Approximately $3 million from at least 1,422 contributions
Larry Elder: About $990,000 from at least 574 contributions
Caitlyn Jenner: Approximately $747,000, from at least 1,581 contributions
Doug Ose: About $400,000 from at least 230 contributions
Kevin Kiley: Approximately $214,000 from at least 100 contributions

Only donations from an individual that add up to $100 or more are itemized in the data from the secretary of state, thus excluding those “small-dollar donations” in the donation counts.

“The candidates … haven’t set the world on fire,” Joshua Spivak, a senior fellow at the Carey Institute for Governmental Reform at Wagner College, told ABC News.

Regarding the candidates, Spivak noted that “there seems to be a wide disconnect between interest in Caitlyn Jenner from media and online sources and social media and voters.”

Voters in the election will respond to two questions: do they want to recall Newsom; and if most voters elect to do so, who should be his replacement?

Republicans face incomplete debate lineup, donor apathy in California recall race

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The Richard Nixon Foundation, which is hosting the debate on Wednesday night, said in a news release that four candidates are participating: John Cox, Kevin Faulconer, Kevin Kiley and Doug Ose.

The foundation is also planning a debate for Aug. 23.

But that could change due to recent polling showing “considerable grassroots support for recall,” he said.

Here’s what the Republican candidates invited to the debate have raised in large-dollar donations, according to data available on Tuesday:

John Cox: About $8.7 million across his 2021 and 2022 campaign committees — including roughly $7.6 million in monetary and non-monetary contributions and loans from himself — from at least 1,667 contributions
Kevin Faulconer: Approximately $3 million from at least 1,422 contributions
Larry Elder: About $990,000 from at least 574 contributions
Caitlyn Jenner: Approximately $747,000, from at least 1,581 contributions
Doug Ose: About $400,000 from at least 230 contributions
Kevin Kiley: Approximately $214,000 from at least 100 contributions

Only donations from an individual that add up to $100 or more are itemized in the data from the secretary of state, thus excluding those “small-dollar donations” in the donation counts.

“The candidates … haven’t set the world on fire,” Joshua Spivak, a senior fellow at the Carey Institute for Governmental Reform at Wagner College, told ABC News.

Regarding the candidates, Spivak noted that “there seems to be a wide disconnect between interest in Caitlyn Jenner from media and online sources and social media and voters.”

Voters in the election will respond to two questions: do they want to recall Newsom; and if most voters elect to do so, who should be his replacement?

The Lox, Dipset face off in Verzuz battle, announce The Rap Superheroes tour coming this fall

August 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Legendary rap groups The Lox and Dipset faced off in an epic Verzuz battle at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Tuesday night.

After being introduced by legendary wrestling announcer Michael Buffer, each crew took the stage. Hailing from Yonkers, The Lox members Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch were all present, while Dipset’s Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana and Freekey Zeekey represented Harlem.

After the two exchanged insults in a way that only New Yorkers can, they got to the music.

The first few rounds went off without a hitch, until Jadakiss called out Dipset for “lip-syncing” and not knowing the words to their own songs. This went on throughout the entire Verzuz, with the two groups slinging jabs at each other, but they each claimed it was “all love” and ended the night with a message of unity.

And it wasn’t just talk. The Lox and Dipset announced that they will be going on The Rap Superheroes Tour together. State Property, which consists of Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Peedi Peedi, Oschino and Omillio Sparks, and the duo Young Gunz, will also be joining them on tour.

Here are The Rap Superheroes Tour dates:

September 16 Atlanta, Georgia (Gas South District)
September 17 Orlando, Florida (Addition Financial Arena)
September 21 Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Baton Rouge River Center)
September 23 Austin, Texas (HEB Center)
September 25 Houston, Texas (NRG Arena)
September 30 Chicago, Illinois (Credit Union 1 Arena)
October 1 Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Miller High Life Theater)

Fans can visit TheRapSuperHeroes.com for more information.

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