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R. Kelly accuser, documentary producer speak out after guilty verdict: ‘These women are like heroes’

September 28, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(BROOKLYN, N.Y.) — After years of allegations and legal battles, a swift decision was made in a Brooklyn courtroom Monday to convict singer R. Kelly on eight counts of sex trafficking and one count of racketeering charges.

Lisa Van Allen, who testified against the R&B singer, and Tamra Simmons, executive producer of the documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” joined “Good Morning America” Tuesday in an exclusive interview following the singer’s guilty verdict.

“We were crying because — I think everybody was just shocked,” Simmons said of the initial moments following the decision. “These women, these survivors, these men that testified, I just am so thankful that — black women’s voices are now being able to be heard.”

“These women are like heroes to me — they helped show that we are human, you know, and that black women don’t have to have superpowers and we don’t have to endure pain and suffering and things like that in order to, you know, say that we’re a strong black woman,” Simmons said. “Like things can happen to us and now we can speak out about it.”

Kelly, 54, could spend the rest of his life in prison for leading what prosecutors alleged was a criminal enterprise, leading an entourage of individuals with the help of his fame to recruit women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity.

After years of allegations by multiple accusers fighting for justice, Van Allen told “GMA” she almost cried upon hearing Monday’s verdict.

“This is what I was looking for back in 2008, so I would say that I believe that the difference is this time is that there is power in numbers,” she said.

Van Allen said she believes the allegations from black and minority women were not taken seriously initially because “there wasn’t like a group of us — it would always be one here, one there — they didn’t look deep into it or anything like that and, you know, and I do think still the timing was off.”

Fifty witnesses took the stand over the course of Kelly’s six-week trial, including 11 alleged victims in this case, in which the prosecution asserted that Kelly had encounters with six women.

Simmons’ 2019 documentary, which Van Allen appeared in, brought attention to the R&B singer’s case and helped give them a platform for their voices to be heard, she said.

“These women have been dealing with this for years and actually didn’t want to speak out because, you know, they’re thinking ‘who is going to listen to me? Who is going to believe me?'” Simmons said. “I just knew that if we had eyes on this, that we can’t turn a blind eye anymore and so I think what these women and the families that have gone through this and trusted, you know, our team as producers and understanding that, you know, we’re going to try to find justice for you even if we can’t, we still believe you because a lot of these women just wanted to be heard.”

Lawyers for Kelly, who pleaded not guilty, said the relationships were consensual suggesting the accusers were jilted lovers and fan girls trying to cash in.

“The guilty verdict forever brands R. Kelly as a predator who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable and the voiceless,” Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said Monday following the verdict.

Simmons said Kelly “built this enterprise to be able to lure young women and men [who] he knew would be vulnerable and he basically preyed upon that. And I’m just thankful that now our future daughters and sons no longer, you know, have the possibility of encountering this man and having this done to them.”

R. Kelly is scheduled to be sentenced in May of next year. He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years behind bars and up to life in prison.

Obama says presidential center will invest in community, empower youth

September 28, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(CHICAGO) — The Obama Presidential Center will provide economic investment and opportunities for young people on Chicago’s South Side, President Barack Obama said an interview with “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts ahead of the center’s grand opening.

Obama has a personal connection to the area; he said that he first “learned how to work in public service as a community organizer” and announced a run for political office in the South Side.

“But part of it is also because I believe that both here, in America, and around the world, we’re at a critical juncture where we can either go down the path of division and conflict and tribalism and cynicism, or we can pull together and solve big problems,” Obama said. “And a test case is in a city as wealthy as Chicago, in a country as powerful as the United States; is everybody included? And, you know, here on the South Side, there’s young people who are enormously talented, enormously gifted, but often forgotten.”

Those young people on the South Side of Chicago — a predominantly African-American area of the city which has historically faced redlining, divestment and discrimination — are often surrounded by “poverty, crime and drugs,” Obama said.

“And so, for us to be able to build a world-class institution that will attract millions of people and bring billions of dollars of benefits and thousands of jobs into a community that so often is forgotten, [that] hopefully will send a signal that those young people count. Those young people matter,” he added.

Building the center will also help give people from the South Side jobs and train them in professions that can be of use to them in the future, Obama said.

The Obama Presidential Center differs from previous presidential libraries in that it is not run by the National Archives and Records Administration. It will host a branch of the Chicago Public Library, but the records themselves will be digitized and stored elsewhere.

The center’s planning has not been free of controversy; it has previously faced lawsuits over its location in Jackson Park, a public park that is on the National Register of Historic Places and was designed by Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted.

Community activists on the South Side of Chicago have also called on the Obama Foundation and the city of Chicago to ensure current residents are not displaced from nearby neighborhoods through gentrification.

Obama told Roberts he is confident that the center will enhance the park, and that he and the Obama Foundation have “gone through such an exhaustive process” to get community input in developing the establishment.

He had previously said that he did not want to sign agreements with community groups, because he did not think those agreements could represent everyone.

All in all, Obama said he wants the center to send a message of empowerment.

“Ultimately, what we wanna do is empower [people in the community] to do the work where they live in their various communities. And part of the goal of the presidential center is anybody who visits the museum, we want them to come through and, at the end of the museum, we’re gonna be asking them the question, ‘How can you make a contribution?'” Obama told Roberts.

“We wanna be able to say to them, ‘Look, this isn’t about some president over there. This is about citizens like you who could make a difference,'” he added.

Obama gives Democrats a pep talk with Biden agenda in limbo: The Note

September 28, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) —

The TAKE with Rick Klein

He’s been there before, with many of the same players alongside him, and wants to see his party get there again.

With that in mind, former President Barack Obama is lending rhetorical support to President Joe Biden’s agenda — an agenda he thinks the nation “desperately needs” and that he believes Democrats will get across the finish line.

In an interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts — ahead of the groundbreaking for what he sees as a legacy-defining initiative: the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago — the former president urged his party not to shy away from the argument that wealthier Americans should be asked to pay more in taxes.

“I think that they can afford it. We can afford it. I put myself in this category now,” Obama said. “And I think anybody who pretends that it’s a hardship for billionaires to pay a little bit more in taxes so that a single mom gets child care support, or so that we can make sure that our communities aren’t inundated by wildfires and floods and that we’re doing something about climate change, for the next generation, you know, that’s an argument that is unsustainable.”

It’s a relatively simple message, but one with complicated repercussions at this moment of uncertainty for the agenda of his former vice president.

Memories of the political wipeout that followed the passage of Obamacare — back when Democrats had far more comfortable margins in Congress than they do now — would be fresh even if so many key figures weren’t still in positions of power.

One critique from back then is that Democrats failed to sell what they were seeking to do, in a debate where Obama and others found themselves playing defense around what bills would not do.

Obama’s long-view-of-history take isn’t shared by all Democrats, just like they don’t all agree on the unmitigated political upside of what Biden wants. But the party might be able to use a dose of the fierce urgency they famously had in the Obama days, in the uncertain now.

The RUNDOWN with Averi Harper

Top Pentagon officials are slated to face tough questions during testimony on Afghanistan before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, U.S. Central Command head Gen. Kenneth McKenzie and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley will offer their insight into the chaotic troop drawdown in Afghanistan.

All eyes will be on Milley, who has taken heat, including calls to resign, since Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa revealed in their book “Peril,” that Milley took secret precautions to keep former President Donald Trump from being able to launch a nuclear weapon or taking military action after the attack at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Milley and the others will likely be grilled on not only the troop withdrawal and the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members, but also on the later retaliatory drone strike that killed 10 civilians, including children.

Milley had first referred to the drone strike as “righteous,” but changed his stance amid the fallout.

“This is a horrible tragedy of war and it’s heart wrenching and we are committed to being fully transparent about this incident,” Milley said.

The TIP with Alisa Wiersema

The long-awaited debut of Texas’ redistricting proposal revealed that despite Republican influence on the map-making process, the outcome broadly favored incumbents on both sides of the aisle. Additionally, given the state’s rapid population growth, two newly proposed congressional districts — numbered 37 and 38 — were outlined respectively in the Austin and Houston suburbs.

Under the proposed map, incumbent Democrats — like Rep. Colin Allred and Rep. Lizzie Fletcher — whose current district borders would have led to competitive midterm challenges, were “packed” into would-be bluer districts. On the flipside, this means that many of the areas surrounding those districts are also going to become more favorable to Republicans and would lessen future chances of competitive races that could benefit Democrats.

Democrats also argue that the current configuration doesn’t reflect the state’s increased population being attributed to people of color.

The political packing approach is likely to resonate most in the Houston metropolitan area, where existing Democrat-represented districts were redrawn to overlap one another. This allows the newly proposed 38th Congressional District to create a new, reliably red district in the suburbs. Meanwhile, the creation of the 37th Congressional District near Austin would spread out existing Democrat influence, while reinforcing surrounding GOP-controlled districts.

The most visible border change would happen to Texas’ 34th Congressional District, which is currently occupied by retiring Democrat Filemon Vela. The current district would essentially be split in half and the southern, bluer region would become the entire district. The former northern portion would fold into the more GOP-favoring 27th district, which is currently occupied by GOP Rep. Michael Cloud.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News’ “Start Here” Podcast. Tuesday morning’s episode begins with analysis of the verdict in R. Kelly’s sex trafficking and racketeering trial. Then, ABC’s Anne Flaherty reports on the impact of New York’s vaccine mandate on hospital workers. And, ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman is on the site of a major train derailment in Montana, where the NTSB is still trying to determine what happened. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

ABC News’ Robin Roberts’ exclusive interview with former President Barack Obama airs on ABC’s “Good Morning America” at 7 a.m.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie testify in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan and plans for future counterterrorism operations at 9:30 a.m.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testify in a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on supporting an equitable pandemic recovery at 10 a.m.
President Joe Biden receives the President’s Daily Brief at 10:30 a.m.
The White House COVID-19 Response Team and public health officials hold a press briefing at 12:30 p.m.
Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago at 1:15 p.m. CT
White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds a briefing at 1:30 p.m.
Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin participate in the final Virginia gubernatorial debate of the general election campaign in Alexandria, Virginia, at 7 p.m.

The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the day’s top stories in politics. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.

Return-to-office style: Letting go of dress codes; embracing hybrid fashion and individuality

September 28, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Millions of Americans have traded traditional work wardrobes for loungewear in the nearly two years of working remotely during the pandemic.

Now, as companies discuss return-to-office plans, many people are also rethinking what their post-pandemic workwear might look like. Will traditional “work vs. weekend” wardrobes become a thing of the past after the pandemic?

“The lines between work and weekend have been blurring for decades,” Deirdre Clemente, professor of fashion history at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, told “Good Morning America.” “This transition, [due to the pandemic] has certainly been faster since business casual became the standard for workplace attire in the early 2000s. So what we view as pandemic dress standards have actually been coming slowly for quite some time.”

“Dress standards change as American culture changes,” she added. “The pandemic has put many aspects of our lives into sharp focus.”

As the trend of casual workwear was accelerated by the pandemic, fashion retailers have also had to adapt to strike a balance between comfort and polished apparel.

Executives at men’s fashion brand Suitsupply, known for providing a wide array of trendy work-ready suiting as well as casual wear, noticed their customers have recently started to gravitate toward relaxed styles.

“There is a sort of hybrid composition to an outfit happening at the moment,” Suitsupply CEO & founder Fokke de Jong told “GMA.” “We’re seeing suits come back big time and people are using alternative layers underneath to dress them down — we call it ‘elevated casual.'”

“We’re meeting this movement with smart crossover pieces like knitted suits and dressy trousers with casual details like drawstring closures and elastic waistbands,” he said. Jong also points out items such as shirt-jackets working well for a more relaxed office setting, while cotton-cashmere sweatsuits and pure cashmere hoodies brings a more refined touch to leisurewear — making them ideal for a home office.

Alternatively, athleisure apparel brands, such as Lululemon, have found ways to fully lean into their current offerings based on increased customer demand.

Lululemon’s latest 11-market global study survey of male participants found a connection between comfort and confidence. Eight in 10 millennial men said perform better at work when they are dressed comfortably and close to nine in 10 would like their employer to loosen up dress code rules, according to their survey.

“The data provides a long-overdue recognition that professional workwear can and should be functional, versatile, and comfortable — and when it is all three, it can positively affect performance, confidence and more,” said Lululemon chief product officer Sun Choe in a statement.

“In many ways, both working from home and this ‘next normal’ of a hybrid work environment has amplified what Lululemon has been designing for all along — versatile, distraction-free garments that move with you through changing conditions and activities, making the wearer feel confident and looking sharp,” said Lululemon senior vice president, design, Ben Stubbington in a statement.

He continued, “The success and current strength of Lululemon’s iconic ABC Pant, as well as several other key styles, highlight how consumers are shopping for functional, versatile items that don’t sacrifice on style.”

While experts say it’s difficult to confirm the lasting power of the pandemic comfort trend, Clemente says that post-pandemic work wardrobes will be more versatile and individualized.

“Many things that mattered so much before have less meaning now, she said. “Our clothes will come to reflect these new social standards, that’s how fashion works.”

“Some people will choose a more formal attire, for a while at least,” Clemente added. “Others will just walk in as if they were still working out of their spare bedroom.”

“More than any other time in human history, we have a vast array of wardrobe choices.”

How these 4 Latinx, female-owned small businesses are making a name for themselves

September 28, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Hispanic Latinx Heritage Month celebrates the rich culture, achievements and valuable contributions of Hispanic, Latino, Latina and Latinx Americans who have made waves and inspired others to achieve success in their community and beyond.

The Hispanic-Latinx community makes up an estimated 18.7% of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

To mark Hispanic Latinx Heritage Month, we are highlighting a few small businesses that are an integral part of the fabric of the U.S. and beyond.

Ceremonia
Business: Hair care

Ceremonia is a clean hair care brand rooted in Latinx heritage. After growing up in Sweden, Babba Rivera, founder of Ceremonia, felt driven to bring change to the hair care community by starting a business that honored and represented her Chilean background. For years, she ignored her Latinx roots because she was not exposed to other entrepreneurs like her.

Rivera is the daughter of a hairdresser, which means beauty and hair care were always a priority for her family, with routine trips to relatives in Chile to keep up with the latest trends. Ceremonia focuses on hair wellness through the use of clean hair care.

“I have this stage of my life to thank for my fearless attitude today, because there is something very empowering about feeling like you know how to work your way up from nothing,” she said.

Rivera’s multifaceted career path prepared her to start Ceremonia during the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and contributed to her being a strong, proud Latinx business owner.

“With immigrant parents who did not speak the language and struggled to find a job, I often feel like I’ve gotten to where I am today against all odds. There’s something extremely humbling about the journey that has led me here and I feel incredibly proud and lucky to be where I am today,” Rivera said.

Rivera is not the only one who recognizes her achievements. Forbes awarded her with a spot on their prestigious “30 Under 30” list, which is the “definitive list of young people changing the world.” As Ceremonia gains traction, Rivera continues to reach higher in hopes that more Latinx entrepreneurs will develop businesses.

“My dream is for Ceremonia to continue to be at the forefront of this progress and inspire other brands to follow suit,” Rivera said.

Afrogirlie
Business: Handbags

Founded by proud Afro-Latina Leanna Castillo, Afrogirlie is an online purse boutique heaven.

This trendy business’ mission is to help its clients exude excellence, no matter what they do. According to Castillo, one of the most important pillars for her business was to “create something that was attainable for all women, regardless of socioeconomic background. You can have an amazing high-quality bag, and it doesn’t need to break the bank.”

Castillo is a Honduran American with a passion for entrepreneurship. Castillo admitted, “Being Afro Latinx is a unique experience. Outwardly the world looks at you and makes assumptions about you. This inspired me to create my business doing what I love most, which is fashion.”

As Castillo feeds her passion, her hope is to pay tribute to Black and Afro Latinas who were trailblazers in modern fashion. Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to “be patient.”

“It takes time to nurture a business, it’s truly like a baby, and it will need love and attention,” she said. “To my fellow Afro-Latinx entrepreneurs, we have such a unique experience and we must exploit that [in a good way]. Be your unapologetic authentic self.”

Old Salt Merchants
Business: Spices, teas and other kitchen essentials

Old Salt Merchants is a Latinx owned and operated provisions company born in the Victorian Seaport of Port Townsend, Washington. The company’s mission is to “ignite and expand our customers’ palates by sourcing a high-quality selection of gourmet products that are bold and irresistibly unique.”

“As far back as I can remember, I used to rummage through my mom’s spice cabinet and couldn’t help but focus on the unique smell all of the different spices had,” said Monique Rodriguez, the founder and CEO of Old Salt Merchants.

She continued, “The earthy and slightly pungent smell of cumin, for example, still reminds me of my grandmother’s kitchen.”

This is where the founder’s love for spices was born. “Our brand is influenced by my Mexican heritage and the importance of not only celebrating but acknowledging all the different cultures through food,” she said.

As a Hispanic woman-owned and operated company, Old Salt Merchants wants to create awareness around the contributions made by the Latinx community, but especially those made by women. Rodriguez attributed her success to perseverance during the pandemic and generous partnerships.

Rodriguez’s advice to other entrepreneurs is to find mentors and role models who can serve as sources of inspiration as you pursue your dreams.

“That type of like-minded network can help you in so many ways, but you have to be a little gritty, able to overcome obstacles and bounce back when things don’t go your way,” Rodriguez said. “Don’t be afraid to make that left turn when everyone else is making a right. That’s what will set you apart from the rest!”

Dauntless Clothing
Business: Clothing line

Paula Maldonado, a young Colombian American pioneer, founded Dauntless in 2017. She has always been an avid supporter of environmental and social causes and an advocate for innovative design principles. Maldonado’s belief that the fashion industry “lacked responsibility around fair trade standards, sourcing of materials or climate impact” set her on her mission to create an apparel brand dedicated to change, sustainability and honesty.

These tenets were not the only thing driving Maldonado’s mission. The founder added that she also wanted Dauntless to be employed solely by women and focused on supporting women’s empowerment and equal pay.

“I decided that my mission would be to bring conscious apparel to fashion-forward consumers and change their perception of what sustainable fashion looked like and what it meant,” she said.

Dauntless’ success can be traced back to hard work by a 100% women-run business.

Most recently, Dauntless was chosen for the all-in-one shopping app Klarna’s Small Business Impact Initiative, which gained more visibility and support as a valued brand in the industry. Castillo noted, “The Klarna Small Business Impact Initiative also awarded our team funding towards media exposure in an effort to help us recover from the pandemic.”

When asked about leading by example and paving the way for younger Latinx entrepreneurs, she said, “Success has no gender or race. Remove that stigma from your beliefs and your brain. Believe in what you are doing and look around for opportunities that can help you grow your business. You will be surprised by the number of people and companies that believe in women entrepreneurs and women in business. Don’t doubt yourself!”

Lisa Ling regrets making comment about Monica Lewinsky on ‘The View’: ‘My heart sunk’

September 28, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — On the latest episode of the “Behind The Table” podcast, former co-host of “The View” Lisa Ling and current co-host Sara Haines spoke candidly about their biggest regrets while co-hosting the show and how they learned to speak openly at the Hot Topics table.

Haines was a co-host of “The View” from 2016 to 2018, for seasons 20 and 21. She left to co-host ABC News’ “GMA 3: Strahan, Sara & Keke,” and returned to “The View” panel again in 2020, for season 24.

On the podcast, Haines said she is a “huge fan” of Ling and always admired her time on the Emmy award-winning daytime talk show and as a “hardcore” journalist.

Ling’s career began at age 21, when she covered the civil war in Afghanistan as a correspondent on Channel One News. In 1999, at 26, she became a co-host of “The View” and got to work alongside show creator Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Meredith Vieira and Star Jones. She was one of the youngest co-hosts on the show.

In December of 2002, Ling decided to leave the show to further pursue her journalism career as a correspondent for National Geographic’s Explorer. She went on to become an award-winning journalist reporting hard-hitting stories from numerous countries.

“What you do is emotional at times, but you just are so immersive and the stories you tell are so powerful,” Haines said of Ling’s impressive journalism career.

Ling sat at the Hot Topics table for three years before becoming a field correspondent at “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and pursuing her journalism career.

Though Ling called “The View” a “tangent” in her career, she said being on that table is how she found her voice, and her time there was “instrumental in helping me to get to where I am today.”

But that’s not to say she hasn’t had to grapple with some regretful remarks she made on the show.

One evening in December 2001, Ling bumped into Monica Lewinsky, who had a relationship with former President Bill Clinton during her time as a White House intern working in the office of the chief of staff, Leon Panetta. The two spoke about Lewinsky’s college tour, and Ling said that she told her about how disappointed she was that the questions being asked of her weren’t more intellectual.

On Dec. 19, 2001, one of “The View” co-hosts asked Ling about her night. She told viewers about her conversation with Lewinsky and commented that she doesn’t know what’s intellectual about being on your knees.

“My heart sunk,” Ling told Haines. “It was so not me to say something like that about someone who had kind of confided in me about something personal that she had experienced.”

“I felt deflated and sad and hurt,” she continued. “It was, it was a horrible, horrible moment where I sacrificed my own character right for that laugh.”

Ling said that soon after her comment, she “profusely apologized” to Lewinsky and years later had the opportunity to interact with her even more. While she said Lewinsky was “gracious and forgiving,” she also “wasn’t afraid” to tell her how hurt she was by Ling’s comment.

Haines related to Ling’s story and looked back on comments she made about Taylor Swift after her “Reputation” album was released in 2017.

After she watched Swift’s “Miss Americana” documentary, Haines said she “recognized” that she was a part of “a media problem” with Swift and was upset by the realization.

“I had made jokes before about how many boyfriends she’d had or writing a song about them,” Haines said. “They actually were all innocently motivated. I wasn’t going for a laugh.”

Now, Haines said she realized she was a part of the conversations that hurt Swift.

“I private messaged her on Instagram and kind of communicated what I had done, what I saw in the documentary and that I hoped I was a part of the stronger narrative from that point on in defending what someone might feel like in those moments.” Haines said it was “no surprise” that she didn’t hear back from Swift, but she “needed to let her know that I was sorry.”

Prior to making regrettable comments on “The View,” Ling told Haines that she had to overcome the Asian etiquettes she learned growing up.

Ling said she “was taught that you have to be respectful of your elders,” but one thing that’s “imperative on ‘The View’ is you have to fight for space. You have to fight for time. You have to fight to get a word in edgewise.”

Sitting alongside Walters, Behar, Vieira and Jones,” Ling felt it was “mortifying” to speak up “because culturally, I would always wait until they said their piece and then I would offer my thoughts or my insights.”

While Ling said it felt like a “fight every day just to express an opinion,” she wouldn’t be able to do what she can now had it not been fro those three years at “The View.”

In the third episode of “Behind The Table,” Ling and Haines discuss the challenges they faced on the show, fond memories of Barbara Walters. Ling also looks back on her decision to leave “The View” and Haines reflects on her early days guest co-hosting the show and her decision to come back on the panel after leaving in 2018.

“‘The View’ has become a real force. It’s an important outlet and it’s smart. It can be irreverent. It can be silly. It can be funny,” Ling told Haines on the podcast. “It is comprised of smart women expressing their feelings and their opinions about things that are happening in this country and in the world.”

Marijuana use did not climb following legalization in states: Study

September 28, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Recreational pot has become legal for more Americans, but despite that ease of access, marijuana use hasn’t ignited, a study released Monday found.

An article published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found there was no increase in cannabis use among the general population or among previous users after their states legalized marijuana.

Researchers surveyed about 830,000 Americans over age 12 on their reported cannabis use, both before and after recreational marijuana was passed in their state. The study looked at data between 2008 and 2017.

Washington state and Colorado became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana in 2021, after which marijuana use saw a slight increase among Hispanic and white participants, researchers said.

The study also found there were no changes in cannabis use or cannabis use disorder for individuals between the ages of 12 and 20 in the states that legalized the substance.

As of Sept. 27, 18 states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana use for adults over 21. In this year alone, four states, New York, New Mexico, Virginia and Connecticut, legalized the substance.

ABC News’ Dr. Ronnye Rutledge contributed to this report.

‘We’ve got to speed it up’: Top US climate negotiator John Kerry says ahead of Glasgow summit

September 28, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Top White House climate negotiator John Kerry said in an interview with ABC News Live that every country needs to act to reduce emissions and address climate change faster than ever before, especially after warnings the upcoming climate summit in November could be a failure if more countries don’t increase their commitments to the Paris Agreement.

Kerry said Mother Nature “did a hell of a job whipping up enthusiasm to get something done” after the extreme events and record-high temperatures around the world this past year and said leaders are starting to feel the anticipation for the upcoming COP26 summit where countries will re-examine what they need to do to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees or 2 degrees Celsius.

“Every country has to go faster. None of us can say we’re really fast,” Kerry, the special presidential envoy for climate, said in an interview with ABC News Live. “There are very few countries, you can get them on one or two hands, that are in keeping with the Paris numbers.”

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said there’s a “high risk of failure” from the COP26 climate summit in November if countries don’t drastically increase commitments to reducing emissions.

The latest report from the United Nations found the world is on track to warm an average of 2.7 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, failing the goals of the Paris Agreement and triggering consequences from global warming like more extreme heat waves, droughts that would increase impacts on agriculture in some parts of the world and intensifying severe weather events. Even with every country’s current efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they’re expected to increase 16% by 2030, according to the U.N. report.

“The 191 countries that have all put in their plans together, whether they’ve changed them, improved them or kept them the same, that 191 result in a 16% increase in emissions,” Kerry told ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee.

“That is a big F — that fails, it fails for everybody,” he added.

Kerry was appointed to the role as special envoy for climate by President Joe Biden to help re-establish the country’s role as a leader in international climate negotiations after former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement.

Kerry, who previously served as secretary of state under President Barack Obama and for 28 years as a senator, has traveled to countries like India and China, which generates about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, to speak with leaders about increasing their commitments to reducing the use of fossil fuels.

During the U.N. General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the country will stop financing new coal power projects abroad and will provide more financial support for developing countries to build renewable energy infrastructure. Kerry said that is a good start, but he acknowledged it sends a mixed message when the country continues to use fossil fuels and build new coal power plants inside the country.

“I think now there’s a growing awareness in China,” said Kerry, who recently returned from his second trip to speak with leaders there. “And I think President Xi is personally very invested in this issue. And my hope is that President Xi is going to help us all to come together around certain choices we can each make. It is possible that China could do more to peak earlier or to reduce coal.”

Kerry said he understands frustration from climate activists like Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who recently tweeted that “whatever our so-called leaders are doing, they’re doing it wrong.”

“A lot of them have failed, but I think it’s unfair. I think it’s a little much of a reach to say that, ‘so-called leaders,’ there are a lot of real leaders around and they are trying very, very hard to move this process,” he told ABC News.

Kerry said he understands Thunberg’s frustration and anger, and he is also angry that some people are getting in the way of action on climate change.

“What we need to do is behave like adults and get the job done. And she’s absolutely right to be pressing the urgency of our doing that. But there are leaders out there trying to get some things done, just too slowly in some cases, and we’ve got to speed it up,” he said.

HomeGoods just launched an online store ahead of the holidays

September 28, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — HomeGoods introduced a new shopping platform today to pick up your favorite candles, throw blankets and kitchen goods from the comfort of your home.

HomeGoods.com, the highly anticipated online store from the retailer, is a new destination for shoppers to discover a wide assortment of top brands and décor ideas. Of course, the new venture comes just in time for the holiday season.

Just like the retail store, there will be a wide variety of products to shop from, including bedding, seasonal décor, pet products, storage and organization with an ever-changing selection of brand-name and designer home goods at prices generally discounted below department and specialty store prices.

“We are thrilled to bring a second way for our passionate shoppers to discover and shop an assortment they know and love,” John Ricciuti, president of HomeGoods, said in a statement. “We hope our customers find the same excitement shopping HomeGoods online as they do exploring the aisles of our stores.”

In addition, HomeGoods will make its return process easy. Shoppers can return items at any one of the more than 820 HomeGoods locations across the U.S. or return by mail.

The store plans to continue to expand its online merchandise after the initial launch.

Obama says Haitian migrants’ plight is ‘heartbreaking,’ but Biden knows system is broken

September 28, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(CHICAGO) — Former President Barack Obama believes the migrant crisis at the border in Del Rio, Texas, is “heartbreaking” and thinks comprehensive immigration reform is needed to fix “a system that, overall, is dysfunctional.”

“It’s no secret that we don’t have that. It’s the reason I proposed comprehensive immigration reform. It’s the reason Joe Biden proposed it during his administration, and it’s something that is long overdue,” Obama told Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts in an exclusive interview that aired Tuesday morning.

As a candidate, Biden vowed to work with Democrats and Republicans to reach common ground on comprehensive immigration reform — efforts that have stalled in Congress for two decades.

Obama said that the crisis in Del Rio “is a painful reminder that we don’t have this right yet and we’ve got more work to do.”

“As big-hearted as he is, nobody understands that better than Joe Biden,” Obama added. “And the question is now: Are we gonna get serious about dealing with this problem in a systemic way, as opposed to these one-offs where we’re constantly reacting to emergencies? And I think that that’s something that every American should wanna put an end to.”

Biden vowed to implement a more humane approach to immigration than his predecessor, President Donald Trump, but now Biden is under fire from members of his own party over his administration’s handling of the migrant surge at the border in Del Rio.

At the center of the criticism from Democrats is the Biden administration’s use of a Trump-era public health order to rapidly expel thousands of those migrants, mostly Haitian nationals, without giving them a chance to apply for asylum within the United States — a move that violates U.S. asylum law, according to advocates challenging it in court.

“Despite the Administration’s rapid deployment of personnel and resources in response to this crisis, much of the strategy to address the care of these vulnerable individuals is deeply concerning,” Democratic Reps. Bennie Thompson and Gregory W. Meeks said in a joint statement Wednesday. “Specifically, we urge the Administration to halt repatriations to Haiti until the country recovers from these devastating crises.”

The Biden administration is defending its use of a Trump-era public health order to deport migrant families in court, arguing that lifting it would lead to overcrowding at DHS facilities, and that an influx of migrants, amid the delta variant surge, poses a public health risk.

So far, more than a dozen flights have taken about 4,000 people back to Haiti, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on CNN on Sunday.

At one point, there were more than 14,000 migrants in Del Rio, putting a strain on Customs and Border Patrol resources.

The influx of migrants from Haiti came after civil unrest erupted this summer following the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation.

“Immigration is tough. It always has been because, on the one hand, I think we are naturally a people that wants to help others. And we see tragedy and hardship and families that are desperately trying to get here so that their kids are safe, and they’re in some cases fleeing violence or catastrophe,” Obama said. “At the same time, we’re a nation state. We have borders. The idea that we can just have open borders is something that … as a practical matter, is unsustainable.”

Obama also weighed in on Biden’s attempts to unite Democrats as divisions within the party threaten to imperil the president’s domestic agenda.

Amid ongoing disagreements within the party over a $3.5 trillion so-called “human infrastructure” bill, Biden met last week with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, as well as moderate and progressive Democrats from both chambers.

“And as far as Democrats are concerned, I think President Biden is handling it exactly right, which is one of the great strengths of the Democratic Party is we’re diverse,” Obama said. “We come from all parts of the country. We look like the country as a whole.”

Obama said the country “desperately needs” the programs Biden has planned and predicted that the infrastructure package will pass.

“Any time Democrats try to pass legislation, there’s gonna be some negotiation and back and forth and sometimes some arguments that spill out into the press,” he said. “At the end of the day though, Democrats believe that we can make an economy that is fair, that we can address critical issues like climate change in a smart way.”

Obama has been outspoken in his support for his former vice president and told the New York Times in June that the Biden administration is “finishing the job” begun by the Obama presidency.

Obama is set to attend the groundbreaking of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on Tuesday — a presidential library in the historic Jackson Park neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side that will honor his legacy as the first Black president.

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