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Miami can’t postpone its elections to next year, judge rules

July 22, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Miami elections could proceed this year as originally planned, after a judge ruled that city officials could not push elections back to 2026 without voter approval.

The ruling comes after the Miami city council voted 3-2, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez signed off, to cancel November’s elections and hold them in 2026 instead. They argued the alignment with statewide elections would lower costs and increase turnout. The decision was met with pushback for being done via ordinance rather than a vote from the public.

Suarez and council members faced accusations, including from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, of deciding to extend their own time in office, some beyond legal term limits.

Mayoral candidate Emilio Gonzalez filed a lawsuit on June 30, challenging the decision, calling it “unconstitutional” and a “blatant power grab.”

Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Valerie R. Manno Schurr ruled in favor of Gonzalez on Monday, saying the city did not have the authority to shift elections without voter approval.

“The Court declares that the City of Miami cannot change the dates of municipal elections or the terms of offices for the City’s elected officials without amending the City of Miami Municipal Charter … which requires approval by the electorate,” Schurr wrote in her opinion.

DeSantis lauded Monday’s decision. He previously called the attempt to postpone the elections “wrong” and said he hoped to see “a swift legal response.”

“City of Miami politicians voted to defy term limits, cancel this year’s scheduled election, and extend their own terms in office — all without voter approval. Today, a judge has put the kibosh on the scheme,” DeSantis wrote on X. “Great to see the law and common sense prevail.”

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who had issued a legal opinion on June 11 supporting Gonzalez’s argument, also weighed in on social media.

“Thrilled that the Court agreed with our legal opinion on the City of Miami’s unconstitutional attempt at moving back an election without voter approval,” Uthmeier wrote.

Another amicus brief supporting Gonzalez’s came come from former Miami mayor and current Commissioner Joseph Carollo. Carollo was one of the two commissioners who voted against shifting the elections.

The court’s ruling offers declaratory relief but not injunctive relief, meaning Miami is legally in the wrong but has not been explicitly ordered not to postpone its elections. However, Florida State University Law Professor Michael Morley said “if push comes to shove, the court can just enter injunctive relief” at any time.

The city is appealing Schurr’s decision.

“While we respectfully disagree with the trial court’s decision, we are confident in the strength of our case and remain optimistic about the outcome on appeal,” City Attorney George Wysong wrote in the appeal notice.

Morley said he thought the appeal was “extremely unlikely” to succeed.

Speaking prior to the ruling, University of Miami Law Professor Charlton Copeland said due to the nature of the dispute, the suit would be able to move through the courts “fairly quickly.”

“These are clean legal arguments about what law governs… these aren’t procedurally complicated issues,” Copeland said.

Aubrey Jewett, a professor at the University of Central Florida, said the choice to hold elections on even or odd years involves a “trade off.”

Odd-year elections might have lower turnout, but “a greater emphasis on local issues that people are actually looking at and voting on.” In even years, local concerns might be drowned out by state or federal issues despite a higher turnout, Jewett told ABC News.

Even as elections could go forward this year as planned, Jewett said harm has been done to Miami’s political culture already because the postponement decision was pushed without voter input.

“The local politics has long had a reputation for being sort of an insider’s game, and that a relatively few number of people have a lot of influence,” Jewett said. “I think that for a lot of Miami residents, it will breed even more cynicism and distrust.”

Erik Menendez in hospital, diagnosed with serious medical condition: Family

July 22, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Erik Menendez, 54, is in the hospital and has been diagnosed with a serious medical condition, his family confirmed to ABC News.

The condition has not been disclosed.

Erik and Lyle Menendez were resentenced in May to 50 years to life in prison, which makes them eligible for parole — the latest step in a yearslong battle for the brothers trying to get released after 35 years behind bars.

The brothers have a parole hearing on Aug. 21.

His attorney, Mark Geragos, appeared on TMZ calling for Erik Menendez’s immediate release.

“It’s a serious condition,” Geragos told TMZ.

“I just think he should be parole furloughed, I think is the proper term, and he could be medically furloughed in advance of the hearing so that he can work with the parole attorney and get up to speed and be ready and do it and give it his best shot. I think that it’s the only fair and equitable thing to do,” he said.

Erik and Lyle Menendez were initially sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has fought against their release, calling the brothers’ claims of self-defense part of a litany of “lies.” But the brothers have the support of over 20 family members in their efforts to be freed.

What Trump and the White House are planning for the midterms

July 22, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump and the White House are already working behind the scenes on next year’s midterm elections, where Trump will play a heavy role in recruiting, fundraising and messaging, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.

The White House plans to spend this year and next selling the president’s massive tax and spending bill to voters ahead of the midterm elections, the White House official told ABC News.

Trump and members of his Cabinet will travel to battleground states to promote the bill. Just last week, Vice President JD Vance was in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, to tout the signature legislation.

The White House is also planning a retreat in August for congressional staffers to discuss how to promote the bill and is seeking candidates to run in several key races. Trump is also expected to get involved if a prospective candidate is hesitant to enter the race.

According to the White House official, aides of the president are working to recruit someone to run in New Hampshire for the state’s open Senate seat. The effort comes after the state’s popular former governor, Chris Sununu, who had been mulling a run for the seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, said in early April that he had decided not to run.

White House political director Matt Brasseaux also has been attending House candidate recruitment meetings organized by Georgia GOP Rep. Brian Jack.

Trump’s political operation has continued to raise money and the president has told congressional Republicans that he plans to spend money on their races. The president’s political operation will also soon establish fundraising vehicles for candidates in several notable races, allowing Trump’s team to raise funds for them. Trump is also planning to headline a major fundraiser organized by the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C., in the fall.

The president and the White House are also working to keep Republicans in key races from retiring or seeking other offices.

The White House is working to prevent Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst from retiring, the White House official said. The efforts come after she received criticism, telling voters during a town hall, “We all are going to die,” in response to concerns about cuts to Medicaid in Trump’s megabill. Ernst has not announced her 2026 plans.

As the most powerful person in the Republican Party, Trump plans to use his political clout to influence the primaries to ensure that the party nominates the candidate he views as the most electable or to punish Republicans who have angered him.

Trump recently met with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to discuss the state’s Senate primary for the seat now occupied by Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. The White House aims to avoid a messy primary in the critical battleground state and is determining how to engage in the race.

Trump has pushed for Republicans to redraw congressional districts in Texas to create more GOP seats to pick up in the midterms. Trump encouraged members of Texas’ congressional delegation during a recent call to support his plan and his team is also exploring other states for possible redistricting opportunities. If successful, Republicans could gain five new seats, but the move comes with risks.

California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom has said that he has spoken to state lawmakers about calling a special session to initiate changes to state law to redraw districts in response to developments in Texas.

“If we’re gonna play fair in a world that is wholly unfair, we may have the higher moral ground, but the ground is shifting from underneath us. And I think we have to wake up to that reality,” Newsom said.

July 22 will be the second-shortest day of the year, scientists say

July 22, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Tuesday, July 22 will be the second-shortest day of the year, as Earth completes a full rotation in less time than usual.

The planet on Tuesday will experience a shorter rotation than the typical 24 hours, though not by much: 1.34 milliseconds less than usual, according to Timeanddate.com.

Typically, we think of the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere as Dec. 21 or 22, which coincides with the winter solstice – July 21 or 22 in the Southern Hemisphere – which is the point at which the hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the sun. In those instances, however, it’s only the number of hours of daylight that are affected, and not the length of time it takes for the Earth to make a full rotation on its axis.

The 1.34-millisecond discrepancy in Tuesday’s length is explained by differences in the gravitational pull between the Earth and the moon, which causes the Earth to spin more quickly, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute.

In recent years, Earth has broken its own speed records several times, including on July 5, 2024 – the shortest day ever measured, when the planet’s full rotation was completed 1.66 milliseconds faster than usual, according to Timeanddate.com.

This year, July 10 was measured as the shortest day of the year, with a full rotation occurring 1.36 milliseconds faster than normal. Aug. 5 is expected to be the third-shortest day of the year, projected to be 1.25 milliseconds shorter than usual.

Earth completes one full rotation on its axis in 24 hours, or about 86,400 seconds, plus or minus a millisecond or so, according to Timeanddate.com. Before 2020, Earth’s shortest length of day was just 1.05 milliseconds shorter than usual.

If current trends continue, a full second may need to be subtracted from atomic clocks in the near future to accommodate for a “negative leap second,” according to Timeanddate.com.

The system of leap seconds was introduced in the 1970s, according to Time and Date. While there have been dozens of positive leap seconds, in which a second was added, there has never been a negative leap second. The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service, which monitor’s the Earth’s rotation, also determines whether to add or subtract a second.

In its early days – about 4.5 billion years ago – Earth was spinning at a much faster rate, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute. A full rotation only lasted between three and six hours.

During the mid-Proterozoic period – between 2.5 billion years ago and 543 million years ago – the Earth had slowed such that a day lasted about 19 hours, according to a 2023 study published in Nature Geoscience.

Since then, the length of an Earth day has slowed to its present 24 hours due to the fact that the moon’s gravitational pull “steals” some of energy Earth uses to spin, in addition to causing tidal friction, according to the Institute.

Additionally, climate change is causing days on Earth to become longer due to the melting of ice at the poles, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As the poles melt, the redistribution of mass from the resulting sea-level rise also is increasing the length of a day, the researchers found.

Cause of deadly fire at assisted-living facility is undetermined due to 2 possible origins: Officials

July 22, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(Mass.) — The deadly fire at an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, was accidental, however, the cause is classified as undetermined because investigators found two possible origins, officials said.

State Fire Marshal Jon Davine there are two possible causes that “were clearly accidental”: an electrical or mechanical failure involving an oxygen concentrator, or improper use or disposal of smoking materials.

Officials will continue to investigate, but may not be able to narrow it down to one cause, Davine said.

Ten people died and dozens were hurt in the July 13 blaze at the Gabriel House, which was home to about 70 people. The 10 residents killed ranged in age from 61 to 86.

The fire-alarm fire began in a second-floor resident’s room, where there was an oxygen concentrator and numerous smoking materials, Davine said at a news conference on Tuesday.

There were no signs of issues from cooking, candles, lighting, heating, electrical outlets or other appliances in the room, he said.

Responders did find the damaged remains of a battery-powered scooter, but Davine said investigators believe that was a product of the fire, not the cause.

The resident of the room was among the 10 people who died, so investigators could not get an account of the fire in its earliest stages, Davine said.

Investigators believe the presence of medical oxygen contributed to the fire’s rapid spread, Davine added.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III called the blaze an “unprecedented tragedy.”

Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon again commended the first responders who rushed into the flames.

“We mourn the lives lost and the decades of family memories were erased,” Bacon said. “I ask that you say a prayer for these families and I also ask that you spare a thought for the first responders confronting their own trauma.”

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey held a separate news conference earlier on Tuesday to discuss steps to ensure “tragedies like this don’t happen again.”

Healey announced the state is giving $1.2 million to Fall River to hire more emergency response personnel, stressing the importance of supporting firefighters and first responders.

Healey also said the state is launching a fire and life safety initiative to ensure all 273 assisted living facilities in Massachusetts “are prepared to prevent fires and protect residents during emergencies.”

All facilities must submit an emergency preparedness plan to the state within 30 days, she said. The state is also requiring all facilities to give residents and their families a letter outlining fire safety protocols, evacuation safety procedures and points of contact for questions or concerns, she said.

‘American Idol’ music supervisor and husband killed with their own gun: DA

July 22, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — The gun allegedly used in the killing of an “American Idol” music supervisor and her husband at their home in Los Angeles belonged to the victims, according to prosecutors.

Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca, both 70, were found shot to death in their Los Angeles home during a welfare check on July 14, authorities said. Kaye had been with “American Idol” since 2009, according to a spokesperson for the ABC television show.

Responding officers found the victims dead with multiple gunshot wounds, including to the head, police said.

It is believed the couple was killed four days earlier, when the Los Angeles Police Department said it received two calls about a possible burglary at the Encino address.

The suspect — 22-year-old Raymond Boodarian — is accused of scaling a fence onto the property that day, entering the home through an unlocked door and then shooting and killing the couple when they arrived home from the grocery store about 30 minutes later, authorities said.

A firearm recovered from the suspect’s Encino residence came from the victim’s home, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

“It was a gun that he had recovered from the actual house. It was Robin and Tom’s gun,” Hochman said during a public safety forum in Encino on Monday. “It wasn’t his gun. Which is exceptionally tragic.”

Boodarian was arrested on July 15 and has since been charged with two counts of murder and a count of residential burglary, with the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders and murder during the commission of a burglary, the district attorney’s office said. He has not yet entered a plea to the charges. He is being held without bail and his next court hearing is Aug. 20.

Hochman said officers were led to Boodarian after the suspect called police.

“Mr. Boodarian got caught because he used his cellphone to contact police concerning this situation,” Hochman said during Monday’s meeting. “Police were able to ping the cellphone, find out where he lived, go to his residence and arrest him.”

LAPD Deputy Chief Marla Ciuffetelli told attendees of the packed forum that police are continuing to assess the initial July 10 response to the couple’s home.

Officers were unable to make entry into the home, which Ciuffetelli said was “quite fortified.” Police flew a helicopter over and saw no signs of a burglary or any other trouble and cleared the scene, detectives previously said.

“We’re always striving to try to respond better,” Ciuffetelli said. “We’re taking a very close look at the response. I’m not saying that there was any mistakes made, but we’re making sure that in similar circumstances, that we respond appropriately.”

In the wake of the killings, LAPD Capt. Michael Bland said the department was upping patrols overnight in Encino.

“This is not something we take lightly,” he told the crowd.

Fake nurse used 20 aliases, 7 social security numbers: Police

July 22, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A woman accused of impersonating four nurses from other states and using around 20 aliases since 2020 has been arrested and charged with dozens of counts, police said.

Shannon Nicole Womack, 39, has been charged with 43 counts, including endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person, identity theft, forgery and falsely pretending to hold a license, according to court records.

Womack is also charged with use and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court records.

Womack was arrested on Monday, court records show.

Womack gave police false identification when she was pulled over by police in a routine traffic stop in April on Interstate 79, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

An investigation revealed that approximately 20 different aliases and seven different Social Security numbers were associated with Womack, according to police.

A search warrant was then executed on her vehicle, and investigators found multiple forms of identification, prescription medications prescribed to different victims, medical documents and various pieces of medical equipment, police said.

Womack posed as a licensed practical nurse, registered nurse and registered nurse supervisor at multiple rehabilitation and nursing home facilities throughout Pennsylvania, police said.

She was using the identities and credentials of four confirmed nurses from southern states, police said.

“Womack was able to secure these nursing positions through staffing agencies by submitting fraudulently signed documents and also by creating a false LLC to self-deploy herself to multiple jobs,” police said in a statement.

“Womack obtained employment through staffing agencies and even … was able to create her own host agency,” Pennsylvania State Police trooper Rocco Gagliardi said at a press conference. “So she was picking up the phone and transferring those employment jobs, careers, to herself.”

Police believe she began the deception in 2020 and continued it across many states on the eastern side of the country.

“During that COVID time, they got hit hard, and they needed help,” Gagliardi said. “So it wasn’t uncommon for these different residence locations, agencies, to reach out to host agencies and say we need some extra shifts filled. That started in 2020 and it was such an easy transition, she just kept going after that.”

The investigation remains ongoing, police said.

Womack’s bail was set at $250,000. Her next court appearance was scheduled for July 29.

Columbia University disciplines 70 students as it seeks a deal with Trump

July 22, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Columbia University announced on Tuesday that it is disciplining more than 70 students over anti-Israel protests that took over Butler Library on the New York City campus earlier this year and during Alumni Weekend last spring.

The disciplinary action came as the university seeks to work with the Trump administration, which in March accused the school of “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”

Most of the disciplined students received two-year suspensions or expulsions in the first punishments meted out by the university’s Provost’s Office. The Trump administration is withholding $400 million in federal grants from the university.

Columbia and the administration have been trying to work out a deal to restore the funding.

“Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community. And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution’s fundamental work, policies, and rules,” the university’s statement said. “Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences.”

The University Judicial Board (UJB), which was placed under the Provost Office in March, determined the findings and disciplined the students. The UJB panel is comprised of professors and administrators who, the university said, “worked diligently over the summer to offer an outcome for each individual based on the findings of their case and prior disciplinary outcomes.”

The university did not disclose the names of the disciplined students.

The punishment stemmed from violations that occurred in May, when students took over the Butler Library during a pro-Palestinian protest, and from an illegal encampment students established on campus during Alumni Weekend in the spring of 2024, according to the university.

“The speed with which our updated UJB system has offered an equitable resolution to the community and students involved is a testament to the hard work of this institution to improve its processes,” the university said in its statement.

Following the Butler Library protest, which the university said affected hundreds of students attempting to study, the school launched an investigation, banned participating individuals from affiliated institutions and non-affiliates from campus, and placed Columbia participants on interim suspension.

“The University Judicial Board held hearings, in which respondents had an opportunity to be heard and make their case, and then determined findings and issued sanctions approximately 10 weeks following the incident,” according to the university’s statement.

In a March 13 letter to the university, the Trump administration listed nine demands Columbia must comply with “as a precondition for formal negotiations” regarding federal funding being withheld, including enforcing existing disciplinary policies.

Columbia also agreed to ban masks on campus, one of the Trump administration’s key demands, saying in the memo, “Public safety has determined that face masks or face coverings are not allowed for the purpose of concealing one’s identity in the commission of violations of University policies or state, municipal, or federal laws.”

Judge overseeing DOJ Epstein grand jury records request asks for more information

July 22, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The federal judge now overseeing the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury records from Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal case said in a new order Tuesday that he plans to rule “expeditiously” on the matter but requires more information before he can do so.

“The Court intends to resolve this motion expeditiously,” District Judge Paul Engelmayer said in a four-page order, filed Tuesday. “However, the Court cannot rule on the motion without additional submissions,” the order also said.

Engelmayer is asking for further briefing from the Justice Department after he said their initial motion “does not adequately address” what the filing said is a “non-exhaustive list of factors for district courts to weigh in considering applications for disclosure” of such secret grand jury information.

Engelmayer gave the government until July 29 to submit a brief further outlining their justification for seeking the release of the records, which he said should address whether they have already reviewed grand jury transcripts from Maxwell’s case and whether they provided notice to victims prior to their motion to unseal the records.

The order also directs the government to file under seal an index of Maxwell grand jury transcript materials, the transcripts themselves and a proposed redacted set of the transcripts, as well as other items.

Separately, Judge Engelmayer set a deadline of Aug. 5 for Maxwell’s attorneys and victims in the case to address their positions regarding the disclosure of the grand jury transcripts.

President Donald Trump announced last week that he’d ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of additional Epstein material following pushback from conservatives and others for more transparency in the case.

Bondi said Monday that Deputy Attorney Todd Blanche will meet with Ghislaine Maxwell sometime in the “coming days.”

“President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say,” Blanche said in a statement posted by Bondi on X.

MLK’s daughter implores the White House to release Epstein files

July 22, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. said the White House should make public the files on financier-turned-sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after the Trump administration released thousands of files on her father’s 1968 assassination over objections from her and other relatives of the civil rights leader.

“Now, do the Epstein Files,” Bernice King, CEO of The King Center in Atlanta, wrote in a social media post on X on Monday night.

Bernice King’s social media post, accompanied by a black-and-white photo of her late father, came after she and her brother, Martin Luther King III, issued a statement on the government’s release on Monday of 230,000 files related to their father’s assassination.

“As the children of Dr. King and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, his tragic death has been an intensely personal grief — a devastating loss for his wife, children, and the granddaughter he never met — an absence our family has endured for over 57 years,” the children of the civil rights’ leader said in their statement. “We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief.”

On Monday, Tulsi Gabbard, the White House National Intelligence director, announced the release of the King assassination files in accordance with President Donald Trump’s Jan. 23 executive order to declassify records concerning the assassinations of King, President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

Gabbard said the files were being made public in coordination with the Department of Justice, the FBI, the CIA and the National Archives.

Gabbard said the King files include records that have “never been digitized and sat collecting dust in facilities across the federal government for decades.”

“The American people have waited nearly sixty years to see the full scope of the federal government’s investigation into Dr. King’s assassination,” Gabbard said in a statement. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are ensuring that no stone is left unturned in our mission to deliver complete transparency on this pivotal and tragic event in our nation’s history. I extend my deepest appreciation to the King family for their support.”

In her statement, Gabbard included quotes from Alveda King, Martin Luther King’s niece and a former Georgia state representative.

“My uncle lived boldly in pursuit of truth and justice, and his enduring legacy of faith continues to inspire Americans to this day. While we continue to mourn his death, the declassification and release of these documents are a historic step towards the truth that the American people deserve,” said Alveda King, a supporter of President Trump.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network civil rights organization, criticized the release of the King assassination records as a “desperate attempt to distract people from the firestorm engulfing Trump over the Epstein files.”

“The integrity of Dr. King’s legacy can and will not be weaponized to serve Trump’s cynical agenda,” Sharpton said. “I urge the public to see this for what it is and not fall for the bait and switch.”

Trump has come under criticism recently from his own supporters for not releasing the files on Epstein, who died from suicide in 2019 in a federal detention center in New York City where he was being held while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

Trump, who once had a friendly relationship with Epstein, said last week that he has urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to release “whatever she thinks is credible” about the Epstein files.

The president also told reporters that he doesn’t understand why some of his supporters are so interested in the “sordid, but boring” contents of the Epstein files. He added, “I think, really, only pretty bad people, including the fake news, want to keep something like that going.”

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