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‘I feel no need to kiss the ring’ of Trump, Haley says as she refuses to drop out

February 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(GREENVILLE, S.C.) — Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is vowing to stay in the 2024 Republican primary race despite being rejected by voters in the few early states so far and trailing rival Donald Trump in numerous polls.

As Haley said in a speech on Tuesday in South Carolina, her home state, she will be continuing her campaign because she believes her anti-Trump message is important and more voters elsewhere in the country deserve to be “heard.”

“Many of the same politicians who now publicly embrace Trump privately dread him. They know what a disaster he’s been and will continue to be for our party. They’re just too afraid to say it out loud,” Haley told supporters in Greenville.

“Well, I’m not afraid to say the hard truths out loud. I feel no need to kiss the ring. And I have no fear of Trump’s retribution. I’m not looking for anything from him,” she continued, drawing applause. “My own political future is of zero concern.”

She went on to make clear that, regardless of the outside chatter, she isn’t seeking to be Trump’s running mate or “trying to set up a future presidential run.”

At the same time, Haley suggested she would not keep running against the former president for the GOP nomination just to run against him.

“My purpose has never been to stop Trump at all costs,” she said.

A Trump campaign spokesman responded to Haley on social media with a lewd retort: “She’s going to drop down to kiss a– when she quits, like she always does,” he wrote.

South Carolina will hold its Republican primary, the next big race in the nomination fight, on Saturday.

“But on Sunday, I’ll still be running for president. I’m not going anywhere,” Haley said.

According to 538’s polling average, she trails Trump by more than 30 points in South Carolina.

She is behind by similar margins in other states.

Haley has repeatedly pointed to the fact that only three states have voted so far in this year’s GOP nominating race, though she has lost in every one of those elections — including in Nevada, to “none of these candidates.”

Voters “deserve a real choice. … We don’t anoint kings in this country,” Haley said. “We have elections.”

In her speech, she said she’d heard from “the American people” — a mother who “just wants a return to normalcy,” a high school student who “finally has hope that America will make it” — and they fueled her determination.

“They see the same polls as me. But more importantly, they have the same belief as me. They believe in America. They believe America can do so much better — that we must do better. And they know when the country’s future is on the line, you don’t drop out. You keep fighting,” Haley said. “In fact, you fight harder than ever.”

“Dropping out would be the easy route,” she continued. “I’ve never taken the easy route.”

Haley made a similar case for herself during a campaign stop in Greer, South Carolina, on Monday night, telling her supporters she would stay in the GOP primary through Super Tuesday on March 5 and beyond.

“Go tell your family and friends that America’s depending on what they do on Saturday,” Haley said. “I promise you this, on Sunday, I’m headed to Michigan and then we’re going to Super Tuesday states and we’re going to keep on going.”

During her remarks on Tuesday, Haley continued to blast both Trump and President Joe Biden.

“The truth is, Americans already know what Joe Biden and Donald Trump will do,” she said. “But we’re just as concerned with who they are. They’re dividers at a time when America desperately, urgently needs a uniter. All they do is turn us against each other. Trump calls his fellow Americans vermin. These are dangerous times.”

“The majority of Americans don’t just dislike one candidate. They dislike both,” she said. “As a country, we’ve never seen such dissatisfaction with the leading candidates. We’ve never had so many Americans mired in pessimism and division. We still have a chance to restore their faith. I will fight as long as that chance exists.”

Haley, as she has done often on the trail, again cited Biden and Trump’s ages — at 81 and 77.

“We’re talking about the most demanding job in human history. … You give it to someone who is disciplined, someone who can work day and night for eight years straight,” she said. “No vendettas. No drama. Just results.”

But whatever her “serious concerns” about Trump, she said, she was not “Never Trump” and “never [has] been.”

“Like most Americans, I have a handful of serious concerns about the former president,” she said. “But I have countless serious concerns about the current president.”

Suspect in Manhattan hotel murder may be multistate serial attacker of women: Police

February 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The man suspected in the beating and strangulation death of a Queens woman inside a SoHo hotel earlier this month is under arrest in Arizona, where he is charged in two stabbings, according to police.

Raad Almansoori, 26, is accused in the death of Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38, who was found earlier this month at SoHo 54 Hotel sometime on either Feb. 7 or 8. A broken iron was recovered at the scene and bits of plastic were embedded in the victim’s skull, detectives said.

Almansoori made statements while in custody in Arizona linking himself to a string of assaults on women, including the stabbings in Surprise and Phoenix, an attack in Florida and the deadly attack in the New York City hotel, according to the NYPD.

Several of those crimes involve women who work as escorts, police said.

“He tells the cops they should Google SoHo 54 Hotel,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenney said.

Almansoori also made statements about hurting as many as three woman in Florida, Kenney said.

Surprise, Arizona, police responded to a McDonald’s on Sunday morning and found a woman who had been stabbed multiple times. The suspect, later identified as Almansoori, then stole a car nearby and was later arrested with the car by the Scottsdale Police Department, police said. It was at this time Almansoori admitted to the stabbing a few days earlier in Phoenix, Surprise police said.

Almansoori is facing charges of attempted homicide, theft of means and aggravated assault in Surprise and robbery, assault, theft and criminal damage in Phoenix, police said.

He is being held without bond.

Detectives are now looking at unsolved crimes in Florida and Texas, where Almansoori has lived and has prior arrests, including the kidnapping and sexual assault of a female, according to police.

“The majority of arrests involve domestic violence and assault,” Kenney said.

Kenney said the NYPD is working with the FBI and asking the public and members of law enforcement to come forward with information. The NYPD shared photos last week of Almansoori allegedly leaving the SoHo 54 Hotel wearing the leggings of Oleas-Arancibia.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office has sent prosecutors to Maricopa County, Arizona, to seek Almansoori’s extradition.

Almansoori is believed to have arrived in New York City in late January, when credit card information shows he visited an escort in upper Manhattan. Later credit card use shows the purchase of a plane ticket to Arizona where he allegedly committed two crimes.

Librarians could be criminally charged over ‘obscene’ books in West Virginia bill

February 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The West Virginia legislature is considering a bill that would remove protections for librarians in case minors come across books that contain what the state considers “obscene” material at their facilities.

The bill passed the House of Delegates on Feb. 16 and has now been introduced in the Senate.

The bill would remove any exemptions from criminal liability for public libraries or museums that display or distribute “obscene matter to a minor.”

A librarian or museum who violates these restrictions could be charged with a felony, fined up to $25,000, and sentenced to up to five years in a correctional facility if found guilty.

Critics say the bill would lead to an increase in book challenges and potentially lead to criminal charges against librarians for books that are not pornographic, but books that include sexual content — including classical literature.

Obscene matter, as defined in three parts in the state code, applies to matter that: “an average person, applying contemporary adult community standards, would find, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest, is intended to appeal to the prurient interest, or is pandered to a prurient interest.”

The definition goes on, adding that: “an average person, applying community standards, would find [that the material] depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexually explicit conduct; and a reasonable person would find, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.”

The American Library Association (ALA) has found that obscenity allegations have largely been used to challenge books that touch on the LGBTQ+ community, sex education, race and politics.

The bill has prompted debate over concerns about censorship and what students can or cannot have access to.

“It is going to cost our counties and our librarians when these matters go to the court system,” said Democratic House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle in a Friday hearing on the bill, according to local news outlet The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. “This is a very dangerous bill.”

Supporters of the bill say that it does not ban books or censor speech because the books can still be bought privately. They say it protects children.

“What this bill does do is stop obscene and pornographic material, sexually explicit materials from being available to children in public taxpayer-funded spaces,” said Republican Del. Elliott Pritt in the Friday hearing, according to The Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

Schools and libraries nationwide have seen a massive increase in book-banning efforts and complaints relating to topics like racism, race, sexual orientation, gender and more, according to the ALA.

Preliminary ALA data found that in the first eight months of 2023, attempts to censor library materials increased 20% from the same reporting period in 2022, which saw the highest number of book challenges since the organization began compiling the data over 20 years ago.

Roommate arrested in double murder at University of Colorado dorm room

February 20, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A student at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs has been arrested for allegedly killing his roommate and a young woman in a double homicide in a dorm room, according to officials.

Nicholas Jordan, 25, is facing two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his roommate, Samuel Knopp, and Celie Rain Montgomery, who were found shot dead on Friday, according to the Colorado Springs police.

Jordan, who is from Detroit, was found in a vehicle early Monday and taken into custody in Colorado Springs on Monday without incident, police said.

Montgomery, 26, of Pueblo, Colorado, and Knopp, 44, of Parker, Colorado, were found fatally shot Friday morning.

Knopp was a registered student at the school while Montgomery was not currently registered, police said.

The shootings appear to be “an isolated incident between individuals who were known to one another and not a random attack against the school or other students,” police said in a statement.

Knopp was an “uplifting” person and “probably the best musician on campus,” student Gibson Marable told ABC News.

“We are in shock as we process this tragic loss of two lives,” university Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet said at a news conference last week. “My heart is broken for the victims.”

ABC News’ Mola Lenghi and Jeffrey Cook contributed to this report.

Texas Gov. Abbott announces military base at border in Eagle Pass

February 20, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(EAGLE PASS, Texas) — Texas is building a new military base for National Guard members deployed to the southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas — where state and federal authorities have been in a tense conflict over dealing with immigration — Gov. Greg Abbott said.

At a news conference on Friday, Abbott announced the construction of what he said would a new “base camp” that could house up to 2,300 soldiers.

“As opposed to being scattered around many different places across this region, they will be operating out of one place. It will amass a large army in a very strategic area. It will increase the speed and flexibility of the Texas National Guard to be able to respond to crossings,” Abbott said.

Officials expect that by mid-April they’ll have a 300-bed capacity and will add another 300 each month until completion, Texas Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer, Abbott’s top military adviser, said at the Friday press conference. The camp will include several features like large dining halls, individual rooms for soldiers and medical care facilities.

The move may also deepen the tension between the state and federal governments as Abbott continues to implement his own strategies to deter migrants from crossing in between ports of entry at the southern border.

Against the city’s wishes, Texas seized full control of a Shelby Park on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande in January, enclosing a 2.5-mile area with barriers and concertina wire and staffing it with Texas National Guard troops.

It has been the epicenter of state and federal government showdown as Abbott continues to restrict Border Patrol’s access to the area, preventing them from apprehending migrants crossing in one of the region’s major hotspots.

The Biden administration has sued the state of Texas over a law that would give new authority to local police to crack down on those suspected of entering the country illegally.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court intervened in the state-federal dispute and issued an order allowing federal authorities to cut down the razor wire installed by Texas in areas where it was otherwise difficult to help migrants in distress.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has been critical of the Texas governor, calling Abbott’s unilateral actions on the border “unconscionable.”

“It is unconscionable for a public official, to deliberately refuse to communicate, coordinate, collaborate with other public officials in the service of our nation’s interests, and to refuse to do so with the hope of creating disorder for others,” Mayorkas said in a recent interview with the Associated Press.

At the Friday press conference, Texas Maj. Gen. Suelzer said that in the coming weeks the Texas National Guard will be expanding operations and installing new barriers north and south of Eagle Pass, an indication that the state continues to build barriers despite the Supreme Court ruling last month that Border Patrol agents are allowed to remove or destroy razor wire fencing to apprehend migrants attempting to enter the United States. Suelzer did not specify if the expansion of those efforts means they will also restrict access to federal agents in those areas.

Without providing any evidence, Abbott claimed his efforts at Shelby Park and in other parts of the border are responsible for the number of crossings in the area dropping in recent weeks and increasing in Arizona and other parts of the border. The state’s operations at Shelby Park cover roughly 1% of the entire southern border. But the governor did acknowledge that the number of migrant encounters in the region might once again climb in the coming months.

“As we all know, come springtime, there’s going to be additional caravans that are making their way through the southern and central part of Mexico deciding where they are going to be going,” Abbott said. “We want to make sure that when they come to the crossroad about, ‘Are they going to go to Texas? Are they going to go elsewhere?’ They will know the wrong place to go is the state of Texas.”

Nikki Haley says deployed husband ‘stepped up to defend our nation’s freedom’

February 20, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — During a South Carolina speech Tuesday where former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley vowed to stay in the 2024 Republican primary race, she grew emotional speaking about her husband — recently the subject of jabs from former President Donald Trump — who is deployed to Africa with the South Carolina Army National Guard.

At times holding back tears, Haley reflected on her husband, Maj. Michael Haley, and his second deployment. Haley said he left to keep not only his family safe, but also the country.

“The kids and I know Michael … stepped up to defend our nation’s freedom and our way of life,” Haley said at the event in Greenville, South Carolina.

“They have made their stand because America is worth fighting and even dying for,” Haley said. “Now, I will continue to make my stand because America is worth living for.”

Haley told the audience that as she prepares for what could come in the future, her husband remains on her mind.

“As I prepare for what lies ahead, Michael is at the forefront of my mind,” Haley said. “I wish Michael was here today, and I wish our children and I could see him tonight, but we can’t. He’s serving on the other side of the world where conflict is the norm, where terrorists hide among the innocent.”

Haley’s husband, who was deployed last year to Africa, was recently mocked by Trump, who implied during a campaign event in Conway, South Carolina, that he’s in Africa to get away from his marriage.

After initially questioning why Haley’s husband was not on the campaign trail, Trump took to social media last week to say that he should return from his deployment to “come back home to help save her [Haley’s] dying campaign.”

Haley blasted Trump for the comments, saying that anyone who disrespects military families can’t be president.

“Michael is deployed serving our country, something you know nothing about,” Haley wrote on X. “Someone who continually disrespects the sacrifices of military families has no business being commander in chief.”

Michael Haley also responded to the insult made by the former president. In a post on X, he tagged the former president as well as multiple news outlets and shared a meme: a portrait of a wolf with bold white text overlaid that read, “The difference between humans and animals? Animals would never allow the dumbest ones to lead the pack.”

Missing 11-year-old’s body found in Texas river: Police

February 20, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Investigators said Tuesday that they have found the body of an 11-year-old Texas girl who went missing last week when she missed her bus to school.

Audrii Cunningham was last seen on the morning of Feb. 15 near her father’s home in Livingston, Texas, at about 7 a.m., according to authorities. She did not take her bus to school that morning.

Her body was discovered near the Trinity River, according to Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons

“My heart aches with this news,” he told reporters.

Lyons said that the medical examiner is working to determine the girl’s cause of death.

A statewide Amber Alert was issued on Feb. 15.

Don Steven McDougal, a friend of Audrii’s father, was named by investigators as a person of interest. McDougal, who lives in a camper located behind Audrii’s house, allegedly promised to take Audrii to her bus stop and was the last person to see her, according to Lyons.

Lyons said there had been reports that McDougal had dropped the girl off at the bus stop in the past.

McDougal was arrested on an unrelated aggravated assault charge Friday, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. He has an extensive criminal history, including enticing a minor in 2008.

Polk County, Texas District Attorney Shelly Bush-Sitton told reporters that an arrest warrant is being prepared against McDougal and he will be charged with capital murder.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Letitia James says she’s prepared to seize Trump’s buildings if he can’t pay his $354M civil fraud fine

February 20, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Letitia James says she’s prepared to seize Trump’s buildings if he can’t pay his 4M civil fraud fine

Letitia James says she’s prepared to seize Trump’s buildings if he can’t pay his $354M civil fraud fine — Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Four days after a judge ordered former President Donald Trump to pay $354 million in his civil fraud case, New York Attorney General Letitia James told ABC News that she is prepared to seize the former president’s assets if he is unable to find the cash to cover the fine.

“If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets,” James said in an interview with ABC News’ Aaron Katersky.

Trump was fined $354.8 million plus approximately $100 million in pre-judgment interest on Friday after Judge Arthur Engoron determined that he inflated his net worth in order get more favorable loan terms.

The former president has denied all wrongdoing and has said he will appeal.

Saying that she was “very confident” with the strength of her case on appeal, James reiterated that her office would not hesitate to seize one of Trump’s buildings — listing Trump’s 40 Wall Street skyscraper by name — if Trump is unable to find the case to cover the court-ordered disgorgement.

“We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers, and yes, I will get 40 Wall Street each and every day,” James said.

James directly countered Trump’s allegation that the case lacked any victims, instead describing her case as vital to ensuring financial markets treat New Yorkers fairly.

“Financial frauds are not victimless crimes. He engaged in this massive amount of fraud. It wasn’t just a simple mistake, a slight oversight, the variations are wildly exaggerated, and the extent of the fraud was staggering,” James said. “If average New Yorkers went into a bank and submitted false documents, the government would throw the book at them, and the same should be true for former presidents.”

James also rebuffed Trump’s allegation that the case will prompt a mass exodus of business activity from New York.

“Last I checked tourism is up. Wall Street is doing just fine,” James said.

With Trump losing two civil cases against columnist E. Jean Carroll, facing Georgia election interference charges from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, and now losing his case against James, the New York AG concluded the interview with an observation about Trump’s legal cases.

“Someone once told me if you want something done, give it to a woman,” James said.

What a possible Capital One and Discover merger means for consumers

February 20, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Capital One’s decision to acquire Discover could establish a new megafirm that shakes up the credit card industry.

The move may hold long-term implications for credit card holders, regardless of whether they bank with Capital One or shop with Discover, experts told ABC News.

If approved by shareholders and regulators, the merger would leave Capital One in a stronger market position, potentially allowing the company to offer more attractive bonuses and perks, some experts said. The potential challenge to industry juggernauts Visa and Mastercard, meanwhile, could elicit innovations and fresh offerings for consumers industrywide, they said.

The deal, however, could also have an adverse effect for consumers, leaving the industry with fewer competitors overall and easing pressure on companies to attract customers with favorable terms, some experts and consumer advocates said.

“It could be a little from column A and a little from column B,” Sara Rather, a credit card expert at NerdWallet, told ABC News, noting that the move may improve conditions for consumers in some ways and damage them in others.

“On the one hand, it means less competition and on the other hand it’ll potentially propel Capital One into a bigger entity that has even more innovation and product offerings. And the other companies are paying close attention,” Rather added.

Capital One did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment. Neither did Discover.

The deal arrives at a precarious moment for credit card holders. Credit card debt stands at a new record high $1.13 trillion, according to data released earlier this month by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Credit card balances increased by $50 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023 alone, a 4.6% jump from the previous quarter, the report said.

Experts who spoke to ABC News said the merger would not carry short-term impacts for customers at Capital One or Discover, or those at rival firms, since the two companies at issue may take over a year to finalize the agreement.

“This isn’t going to have any effect on consumers in the short term,” Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree, told ABC News. “These sorts of mergers tend to move glacially.”

“There’s nothing that Capital One or Discover customers need to really do or worry about today,” Schulz added.

Customers will likely receive communication from Capital One and Discover if the deal results in changes to their services, said Rather.

If the deal closes, it may ultimately influence consumer terms across the credit card industry, though it remains unclear whether that effect would be positive or negative, experts said.

As of Tuesday, the combined value of the two companies stands at approximately $83 billion. By comparison, the value of Mastercard and Visa are about $422 billion and $564 billion, respectively.

The potential arrival of a company made up of Capital One and Discover could heighten the competition faced by Mastercard and Visa, pushing them to improve the credit card terms available to customers, Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate, told ABC News.

“Certainly when you get more vibrant competition the existing enterprises in that space would obviously be concerned about facing greater competition,” Hamrick said.

But further concentration at the top of the industry may serve to loosen competition and harm consumers. “It’s a hard question to answer,” he added.

Some consumer advocates echoed the concern about possible damage to consumers.

Jesse Van Tol, president and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a consumer advocacy group, said in a statement that the move risks undercutting competition and harming offerings.

The merger “poses massive antitrust concerns, given the vertical integration of Capital One’s credit card lending with Discover’s credit card network,” Van Tol said.

Despite the success of a few giant companies, the credit card industry remains highly competitive, said Schulz. That fight for customers will limit any adverse impact after the merger, he added.

“The credit card marketplace is still so competitive that I think any worries about this having a negative effect on things like rewards is probably a little overstated,” Schulz said.

Regardless of where experts stand, they agreed that the deal may not gain approval from regulators.

“I wouldn’t count my credit card chickens before they hatch,” Hamrick said.

ABC News’ Elizabeth Schulze contributed reporting.

Kansas City Chiefs parade mass shooting: Two adults arrested for murder

February 20, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) — Two adults have been arrested in connection with the mass shooting at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade last week, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Dominic Miller and Lyndell Mays each face charges of second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said, noting that paradegoer Lisa Lopez-Galvan was fatally shot by a bullet from Miller’s gun.

It appears Mays was in a “verbal argument” at the parade with someone he had no prior history with, Baker said at a news conference. “That argument very quickly escalated to Mays” pulling out his handgun, and “almost immediately, others pulled their firearms,” including Miller, Baker said.

Both men are in the hospital for injuries sustained in the shooting, Baker said. Both are being held on a $1 million bond, according to Baker.

Lopez-Galvan, a radio DJ, was killed and 22 were hurt in Wednesday’s mass shooting.

Two juvenile suspects were taken into custody last week on gun-related charges and resisting arrest, officials said.

“We seek to hold every shooter accountable for their actions,” Baker said Tuesday.

“The effort and dedicated hours spent to expeditiously investigate this senseless act of violence is extremely commendable,” Lopez-Galvan’s relatives said in a statement that was read at the press conference on their behalf. “It is reassuring for our family and the entire community to know that this joint team effort has resulted in the identification of the suspects involved.”

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on Saturday in remembrance of Lopez-Galvan.

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