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Top Florida law enforcement official sues DeSantis, alleging he was fired for blowing the whistle

June 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — A former top law enforcement official in Florida is accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis and his top aides of forcing him to retire after he refused to carry out orders he says were illegal or inappropriate, according to a lawsuit filed overnight.

Shane Desguin, a career employee of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, rose to become the agency’s chief of staff. He alleges his retirement in November was actually a “wrongful termination” and was the result of him blowing the whistle on a host of issues, including violations of state public records laws, illegal orders to arrest demonstrators without probable cause and directives to obtain photos and personal information of migrants flown to the Sunshine State without legal justification.

“Despite his stellar work performance during his employment,” the lawsuit says, Desguin “was subjected to disparate treatment, different terms and conditions of employment, and held to a different standard because he reported Defendants’ malfeasance, gross misconduct and unlawful employment activities and was subject to retaliation thereafter.”

The lawsuit was filed in state Circuit Court in Tallahassee and names DeSantis and FDLE, long viewed as one of the nation’s premier state-level law-enforcement agencies. Desguin is seeking unspecified damages and names both FDLE and DeSantis as defendants.

DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern declined to comment, saying the administration would address the allegations in court.

Some of Desguin’s accusations have filtered into public view in recent months in the wake of his retirement and the subsequent firing of his former deputy, Patricia Carpenter. They are currently at the center of a separate lawsuit filed by the Washington Post, seeking records related to DeSantis’ travel while he was mounting an ultimately unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for president.

Politico reported earlier this month that both Desguin and Carpenter were investigated by FDLE and were found to have violated workplace rules. Prosecutors declined to pursue criminal charges.

FDLE spokeswoman Dana Kelly told ABC News the agency “has not been noticed of this suit and we do not comment on any pending litigation. However, an internal investigation evidenced numerous acts of gross misconduct by Desguin….We are glad that our association with these bad actors (Desguin and Carpenter) has ended, considering the disturbing allegations that were substantiated after a thorough investigation.”

Both Desguin and Carpenter, according to the lawsuit, were subjected to an internal investigation built on bogus accusations, a “thinly veiled attempt at character assassination,” which occurred because they blew the whistle.

While he declined to comment on the lawsuit, Redfern on Thursday pointed to the findings of that probe and a previous comment by FDLE’s communications director, Gretl Plessinger: “Shane Desguin and Patricia Carpenter created workplace chaos, endangered the safety of other employees, and acted dishonestly and unprofessionally.”

Desguin’s attorney, Marie Mattox, said she had no comment beyond the complaint filed in court.

Desguin’s lawsuit says that when he was forced to retire last year, he received formal notification of his departure from the agency he joined in 2005 that said: “Retired. Not involving misconduct.”

The new lawsuit alleges that problems for Desguin began in late 2021, when Desguin was leading the agency’s Office of Statewide Intelligence and had been given new responsibilities in dealing with the influx of migrants who were being flown to Florida by the federal government.

Desguin alleges that DeSantis, through a senior official, ordered him to obtain “photographs, biometric data, and any other pertinent information by engaging with migrants at the airport. As these requests escalated, (Desguin) objected, and emphasized, on multiple occasions…FDLE could not legally conduct name checks, capture photographs, or compile intelligence files without a criminal predicate or reasonable suspicion, as those actions would be unlawful.”

The issue did not end there and, Desguin alleges, he continued voicing his concerns. When officials suggested transporting migrants out of Florida by bus, he told his superiors such a move could amount to “false imprisonment or kidnapping,” according to the complaint.

In September 2023, Desguin alleges a senior aide to DeSantis said the governor wanted him to make arrests at a demonstration of “neo-Nazis” in Orlando because it would have political benefit. Desguin allegedly pushed back, saying officers couldn’t arrest anyone simply for expressing their views.

According to the complaint, Desguin was told, “I don’t think you understand. If you look hard enough, you can find a way. The Governor [DeSantis] wants someone arrested today. He [Defendant DeSantis] will stand by you in any arrest.”

Ultimately, arrests were made, according to the lawsuit.

The end of Desguin’s career at FDLE, according to the lawsuit, came after weeks of internal discussions over the hot-button issue of releasing the agency’s records related to the governor’s travel as he tried to wrest the GOP nomination from former President Donald Trump. After having played a role in revising Florida’s public records law, Desguin alleges it was clear to him that DeSantis’ refusal to release the records violated the statute and its intent.

At the same time, an agency lawyer who was in line for promotion to oversee all agency records requests agreed with Desguin’s assessment and threatened to quit over the issue, according to the complaint.

The governor and his team, according to the lawsuit, directed FDLE to withhold the records and refused to allow the attorney who disagreed with them to be promoted. They also allegedly inquired whether the lawyer was a member of conservative legal organization The Federalist Society, implying that would help move the promotion along.

According to the lawsuit, Desguin went ahead and authorized a raise for the attorney despite the governor’s orders. That infuriated the governor’s office and Desguin was ordered to rescind the salary change. Then, he alleges, he and Carpenter were suspended.

He allegedly was forced to retire or he would be fired.

USC student will not be charged in fatal stabbing of homeless person

June 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — A University of Southern California student will not face charges for the fatal stabbing of a homeless man he said was done in self-defense.

Ivan Gallegos, 19, was arrested on suspicion of murder Monday night in the death of 27-year-old Xavier Cerf.

Police said Gallegos saw Cerf breaking into his car in the parking lot behind his fraternity house on Monday night. According to police, Cerf told him he had a gun, at which point the student stabbed him.

On Thursday, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said the department had reviewed the incident and decided not to bring charges against Gallegos.

“We believe that Mr. Gallegos’s actions were driven by a genuine fear for his life and the lives of others,” Gascón said in a statement. “Our heart goes out to the deceased’s family, friends and everyone impacted by this tragic incident.“

Gallegos, who is from Los Angeles, had previously been booked into jail and held on $2 million bail.

He is a member of Delta Tau Delta, a woman who manages the fraternity house told ABC 7.

Last month, the school’s Annenberg Media put out a profile on Gallego, who they described as an up-and-coming musician and a student in the business school.

Republican women are more motivated than Democratic women to vote in 2024: Survey

June 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A smaller number of the women voters who cast ballots for President Joe Biden in 2020 said they’d vote for him again in 2024 than the share of women voters who supported former President Donald Trump in 2020 who said they’d do so again this year, according to a new set of polls from KFF, a health care research nonprofit group.

The polls were taken of women both nationally and in the battleground states of Arizona and Michigan.

Of women voters who cast ballots for Biden in 2020, 83% said they would vote for him again in 2024 — with 7% who said they’ll vote for Trump and 10% who said they would vote for someone else or wouldn’t vote.

Of the women voters who cast ballots for Trump in 2020, 92% said they would do so again this year. None said they’d vote for Biden and 7% said they’d vote for someone else or wouldn’t vote.

This dip in support from women for Biden — a critical voting bloc ahead of the 2024 race, which is expected to be a close contest between Trump and Biden — comes as a majority of women across party, age, race and ethnicity feel “anxious” (68%) or “frustrated” (70%) ahead of November, the polls found. At the same time, only 21% said they are “uninterested” in the election.

Both Trump and Biden will be working to court women voters as the election nears.

The majority of women voters (60%) said they are not satisfied with their options for president this cycle, though the poll found that Republican women are more motivated (53%) than Democratic women to vote (44%). Twenty-nine percent of independent women voters are motivated, according to the polls.

More specifically, women voters supportive of Trump are more motivated (53%) than Biden voters (49%) to vote in the upcoming election.

The polls also carefully examined how the issue of abortion is impacting those voters and could affect turnout. The data suggests that the majority (65%) of Republican women who said abortion should be illegal are motivated to vote in 2024.

But broadly, most women voters (54%) said that the 2024 presidential election will have a “major impact” on access to abortion and reproductive health care in the country — with Democratic women (71%) saying more than Republican women (37%) that it will have that “major impact.” Forty-three percent of independent women said they thought it would have a “major impact.”

Furthermore, Democratic women reported they are more motivated to vote in states that might have abortion ballot initiatives in November compared to states without the measures, KFF’s polls found.

This is shown nationally: 83% of Democratic women voters said they will definitely vote in states that will/may have initiatives — a larger amount than the share of women who say they will vote (72%) in other states.

In states with potential ballot initiatives, according to KFF’s count, Republican and Democratic women voters are about equally likely to say they are certain to vote (82% and 83%, respectively). In all other states, Republican women voters are more likely than Democratic women voters to say that they’ll definitely vote in November (80% to 72%, respectively).

In Arizona, where there will likely be an abortion ballot initiative come November, 45% of women voters said they strongly support the initiative, with 22% saying they somewhat support it. Forty-nine percent of all Arizona women voters and 60% of Democratic women said they’re more motivated to vote this election than in elections past if the Arizona Right to Abortion initiative appears on the ballot.

In Michigan, where there isn’t an abortion ballot measure in 2022, 60% said they believe that abortion was settled by the constitutional amendment that they passed in 2022. Forty-eight percent of Michigan women voters said that initiative was very important to their turnout in the 2022 midterms.

Inflation remains the chief issue for women ahead of the 2024 election, however — nationally, in Arizona and in Michigan. In all three places, “threats to democracy” ranked as the second-largest concern and immigration and border security came third.

KFF noted that many within Biden’s base don’t approve of his handling of the issue of inflation. Nearly half of Democratic women voters overall — especially younger Democrats (72%), Black women voters (55%), Hispanic women voters (57%) and lower-income women voters (55%) — do not approve of how Biden is handling the issue.

Bugatti unveils the $4.1M Tourbillon hybrid hypercar

June 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Bugatti unveils the .1M Tourbillon hybrid hypercar

Bugatti unveils the $4.1M Tourbillon hybrid hypercar — Getty Images – STOCK

(NEW YORK) — Welcome to the new era of electrification.

Bugatti, the 115-year-old French marque known for its powerful W16 engines, unveiled its first electrified hypercar, the Tourbillon, on Thursday at the company’s atelier in Molsheim.

A naturally aspirated V16 engine and three electric motors replace the prodigious W16 powerplant and four turbochargers found in previous Bugatti models. The Tourbillon’s all-new hybrid powertrain generates 1,800 horsepower, up from 1,500 horsepower in the Chiron, the last model to showcase the W16.

The $4.1 million Tourbillon, which is currently in the testing phase, can also reach a top speed of 248 mph.

Emilio Scervo, Bugatti’s chief technical officer, said choosing a hybrid powertrain over an engine-less design was the “most important decision” for his team.

“We chose the hardest option, creating a powertrain from scratch and pairing it seamlessly with a complex system of e-motors, a new generation eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and more, all developed from the ground up,” he said in a press release. “But it was important to us that this car retain that pure and raw analogue feel of a naturally aspirated combustion engine.”

Bugatti’s move to produce a hybrid over an EV mirrors the reversal taking place in the automotive industry. A growing list of automakers are delaying their electrification plans as sales of EVs weaken and demand for hybrids heats up. When Matt Rimac, the founder of electric sports car maker Rimac, merged Bugatti with Rimac in November of 2021, analysts largely expected to see a fully electric Bugatti by the end of the decade. Insiders are now heralding the company’s transition to hybrid and expect Bugatti to sell all 250 units of the Tourbillon.

“I’m delighted that Bugatti chose to make an entirely new engine in a world turning to electric motors,” Tony Quiroga, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver and co-host of the magazine’s “Into Cars” podcast, told ABC News. “That it’s powered by an 8.3-liter, V16 that revs to 9000 rpm makes it entirely unique not only today, but in the history of street cars. Bugatti’s decision to build an internal-combustion engine that makes less power than its quad-turbocharged predecessor may have been driven by the desire to prioritize engine sound and characteristics over horsepower.”

Pairing an electric motor to a gas-powered engine is becoming more common among automakers; the latest examples include the Corvette E-Ray, McLaren Artura and Ferrari SF90 Stradale. Bugatti, however, is the sole automaker to offer a 16-cylinder hybrid powertrain. Adding electric motors to an internal combustion engine — hypercar or not — maximizes performance and can produce eye-popping horsepower. Drivers get instantaneous torque without spewing too many noxious gases. For a Bugatti Tourbillon owner, there’s not much to dislike.

“You get the efficiency gain of a turbo but with the low-end throttle response of a larger engine, an appreciable performance step,” Larry Webster, senior vice president of media and editorial at Hagerty, told ABC News. “From an enthusiast perspective, this is a great application of electrification and a trend I think we’ll see continue.”

He added, “Electrification has opened up entirely new ways for engineers to squeeze more power into the same amount of space. The horsepower war is in full swing and shows no sign of abating.”

The Tourbillon’s 8.3-liter engine makes 1,000 horsepower and the car’s three electric motors produce another 800. The car, including the added weight of the large battery pack and its electrically actuated dihedral doors, still weighs less than the Chiron, which the company attributes to the lightweight materials used in the engine and chassis.

The electric motors — two in the front, one at the rear axle — are powered by a 25 kWh 800V battery that’s stationed behind the driver and passenger. The car can travel more than 37 miles on electric power alone.

The interior of the Tourbillon has been totally redesigned as well. There is now a small touchscreen that can display vehicle data and Apple CarPlay. There’s also the option of keeping it entirely hidden; a mechanism deploys the screen if the driver so chooses.

The instrument cluster was built by Swiss watchmakers and contains more than 600 parts, titanium and gemstones such as ruby and sapphire. Bugatti’s designers reworked the interior to be more spacious, “making it ideal for longer trips and daily use,” according to the company. There’s even a frunk — a front trunk — now for extra storage space.

“It is crazy to build a new V16 engine, to integrate with a new battery pack and electric motors and to have a real Swiss-made watchmaker instrument cluster and 3D-printed suspension parts … but this is what Ettore [Bugatti] would have done,” said Rimac.

An electric Bugatti may be coming one day, but for now, a hybrid Tourbillon still satisfies the needs of the uber wealthy who can afford it, Webster said.

“I certainly never thought we needed all-electric sports cars for maximum performance and pleasure,” he said. “An internal combustion engine is a major contributor to the personality of the car thanks to the sound, the throttle response, and the motive power.”

Netanyahu and White House continue public disagreement over claim US withholding weapons amid Israel’s war with Hamas

June 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(ISRAEL) — The public war of words between Israel and the U.S. continued Thursday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responding pointedly to the White House after the Biden administration again denied his claim the U.S. is withholding weapons from Israel amid its fight in Gaza with Hamas.

His response came shortly after White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, in a call with reporters on Thursday, called Netanyahu’s claim “perplexing to say the least” and two days after the White House bluntly said it “genuinely didn’t know what he’s talking about.”

In a video he released earlier this week, Netanyahu claimed “the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions” Israel needed to fight Hamas.

On Thursday, he said, “I am ready to suffer personal attacks provided that Israel receives from the U.S. the ammunition it needs in the war for its existence.”

Kirby reiterated the White House’s frustration.

“Obviously, we didn’t know that video was coming and it was perplexing to say the least, certainly disappointing, especially given that no other country is doing more to help Israel defend itself against the threat by Hamas, quite frankly, other threats that they’re facing in the region in the United States,” he said, adding he had “no idea” what prompted the Israeli politician to post it.

“There has been no change in our posture,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted on Tuesday, saying it was “regular order” with the exception of one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs paused over Biden’s publicly expressed concern the imprecise munitions could be used in the southern Gazan city of Rafah and other areas heavily populated by civilians.

Two officials involved in approving arms transfers to Israel backed up the secretary’s comments, telling ABC News the administration is continuing to process both longstanding requests in the pipeline and new orders made after the onset of the conflict.

“You’d have to talk to the prime minister about what prompted him to do that,” Kirby said of his video comments. “Again, it was vexing and disappointing to us — as much as it was incorrect. So, difficult to know exactly what was on his mind.”

Kirby, asked about a behind-the-scenes efforts to get an apology from Netanyahu over the video, also said, “I think we’ve made it abundantly clear to our Israeli counterparts from various vehicles our deep disappointment in the statements expressed in that video and our concerns over the accuracy in the statements made.”

Despite the growing public tensions, officials from both nations met in Washington on Thursday to discuss the ongoing war. Kirby confirmed that national security adviser Jake Sullivan would still be meeting with high-level Israeli officials coming to the White House.

“Jake [Sullivan] will be meeting today with his counterpart,” Kirby said, referring to Tzachi Hanegbi, the head of Israel’s National Security Council. He also said that Ron Dermer, Israeli’s Minister of Strategic Affairs, would be in the session.

“It’ll be a wide-ranging discussion, I think you can imagine, about everything that’s going on with the Gaza war with our support to Israel, with our efforts to get a better sense of how they’re continuing to prosecute operations against Hamas, as well as continuing to talk about the importance of closing on this deal,” Kirby said ahead of the meeting.

Biden’s team was enraged and frustrated by Netanyahu’s video, a U.S. official told ABC News on Wednesday, adding that U.S. officials have made clear to the Israelis that Netanyahu’s video is inaccurate and out of line.

The meeting comes after the U.S. canceled another meeting between American and Israeli officials to discuss Iran in response to the Netanyahu video, officials confirmed to ABC News.

But the White House pushed back on claims that a high-level U.S.-Israel meeting on Iran scheduled for this Thursday was canceled specifically because of the video. It instead pointed to scheduling issues as the reason for the cancellation of the meeting. The White House also insists that the meeting will be rescheduled.

At the State Department Thursday, spokesperson Matt Miller announced that Blinken would meet with Dermer and Hanegbi Thursday afternoon.

Miller said that during the meeting, the officials would discuss “our ongoing work to try to reach a ceasefire that will secure the release of all hostages” as well as the situation in north of Israel along the country’s border with Lebanon, as well as ongoing work to “get humanitarian assistance into Gaza and work that needs to be done to accelerate and improve that process.”

ABC News’ Will Gretzky and Shannon K. Crawford contributed to this report.

US bans Russian cybersecurity software amid threat of influence operation

June 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Biden administration is issuing a total ban on the use of a Russian-backed cybersecurity software in the United States due to the Russian government’s alleged influence operations over the software, the U.S. Commerce Department announced on Thursday.

Kaspersky Lab’s software has been a concern of U.S. government officials since at least 2017. Under Russian law, their government has total access to Kaspersky systems and therefore has access to the data of all of its customers, U.S. officials say.

“Russia has shown it has the capacity, and even more than that, the intent to exploit Russian companies like Kaspersky to collect and weaponize the personal information of Americans,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters on a call on Thursday.

Raimondo said the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security was able to ban Kaspersky under its new authorities.

Kaspersky “has long raised national security concerns” and it was banned from several government systems as far back as 2017, Raimondo said. She added that “while we’ve been exploring every option at our disposal, we ultimately decided that given the Russian government’s continued offensive cyber capabilities and capacity to influence Kaspersky’s operations, that we had to take the significant measure of a full prohibition if we’re going to protect Americans and their personal data.”

After July 20, Kaspersky is prohibited from entering into any new agreements inside the U.S. under the new ban. Kaspersky can provide existing customers with cyber and antivirus software until Sept. 29, but after that “Kaspersky will not be able to provide security updates.” Software services will “degrade,” the rule says.

Raimondo said she wanted to make clear that Americans and U.S. businesses who continue to use existing Kaspersky products will not be breaking the law, but they will not be able to update their products as of Sept. 30. “I would encourage you in the strongest possible terms to immediately stop using that software and switch to an alternative in order to protect yourself, your data, and your family,” the commerce secretary said.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose Department has a robust cyber agency, said in a statement Americans need to know they can rely on the safety of their devices.

“The actions taken today are vital to our national security and will better protect the personal information and privacy of many Americans,” Mayorkas said. “We will continue to work with the Department of Commerce, state and local officials, and critical infrastructure operators to protect our nation’s most vital systems and assets.”

ABC News previously reported on the government’s concerns about Kaspersky. The head of Kaspersky Lab, Eugene Kaspersky, at the time denied Russia’s influence on the software company.

In an interview with ABC News in 2017, Kapersky called U.S. government warnings about his company “wrong advice” and said that “rumors about our partnership with government agencies [are] false.”

Charges to be dropped against most pro-Palestinian protesters from Columbia University

June 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The Manhattan district attorney’s office on Thursday moved to dismiss the charges against most of the pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at Columbia University and nearby City College, though prosecutors are moving forward with cases against a handful of protesters who allegedly assaulted police officers.

Prosecutors said they’re hamstrung by “extremely limited video or surveillance footage of what occurred inside Hamilton Hall” since most cameras were covered by the protesters.

Charges against 31 people will be dropped, though they’re still subject to discipline by Columbia University since they’re students or staff.

“In light of those disciplinary proceedings, the People move to dismiss these cases,” prosecutors said.

The district attorney’s office offered adjournments to 12 other defendants who are not employees or students at Columbia University provided they stay out of trouble.

The cases against six defendants who are charged with assaulting police officers at either Columbia or City College remain ongoing.

The protest movement connected to the Israel-Hamas war began in April at Columbia and swept across college campuses nationwide.

Hundreds of protesters were arrested at campuses across the country, while encampments were torn down and events canceled.

Columbia University canceled its large graduation ceremony on the main lawn where a protest encampment had been based before the NYPD dismantled it in May.

Trump urges Georgia court to reject Fulton County DA Fani Willis’ effort to dismiss disqualification appeal

June 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(ATLANTA) — Former President Donald Trump on Thursday urged the Georgia Court of Appeals to reject Fulton County DA Fani Willis’ effort to dismiss his appeal of the judge’s decision not to disqualify her from Trump’s election interference case in the state.

Calling Wills’ effort a “desperate bid to avoid disqualification,” Trump’s attorneys urged the appeals court to allow the issue to move forward.

The filing comes in response to Willis’ motion last week that asked the Court of Appeals to dismiss Trump’s appeal of a lower court’s decision to allow Willis to remain on the case.

Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty last August to all charges in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia. Four defendants subsequently took plea deals in exchange for agreeing to testify against other defendants.

Willis was allowed to stay on the case after Judge Scott McAfee declined to outright disqualify her despite finding there was a “significant appearance of impropriety” stemming from a romantic relationship between Willis and a top prosecutor on her team.

The election interference case has essentially been halted as Trump’s appeal of the disqualification ruling makes its way through the courts.

In his filing Thursday, Trump attorney Steve Sadow criticized Willis’ efforts to have Trump’s appeal dismissed, saying, “Simply stated, the State’s motion is a calculated, disingenuous attempt to mislead this Court for the obvious purpose of preventing interlocutory appellate review of the District Attorney’s misconduct.”

The Court of Appeals has already agreed to hear Trump’s appeal of the disqualification decision, and earlier this month it paused the election case pending the outcome — a move that experts said is likely to delay the election interference case until after the election.

Willis’ office last week sought to have the appeals court dismiss the appeal by claiming there was “lack of sufficient evidence” to support a reversal of the lower court’s ruling, in which Judge McAfee made a factual finding after multiple public hearings that Willis had no actual conflict of interest in the case resulting from her relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade.

The DA’s filing argued that only in “very rare circumstances” can appeals courts “disturb” a lower court’s factual finding unless the filing is “flatly incorrect.”

“The trial court’s careful and extensive evaluation of the resulting record, and its utter dismissal of the central evidence proffered by the Appellants, forecloses any possibility of reversal,” the filing from the DA’s office stated.

Trump’s attorney pushed back on the DA’s request by saying the DA’s office has “no proper procedural vehicle to relitigate this Court’s sound decision to hear the merits” of the appeal.

“Of course, as this Court well knows, that has never been, and is not now, the law,” Sadow wrote in his filing.

Sadow also said that most of the issues in Trump’s appeal involve legal issues, including what he called McAfee’s “misinterpretation of misapplication” of the legal standard for disqualification — not issues about the factual findings, as the DA’s motion states.

“The focus of these appeals will be the legal errors that the trial court committed below, errors that this Court has plenary authority to review and decide,” Sadow said.

Bisexual, transgender adults nearly twice as likely to experience loneliness: CDC

June 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Bisexual and transgender adults are more likely to face loneliness than straight and cisgender adults, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published Thursday.

Researchers looked at data from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System—which collects information on health risk behaviors, preventive health practices, and health care access—and examined links between loneliness and lack of social and emotional support and mental health variables.

Loneliness was highest among participants who identified as bisexual at 56.7% or transgender, which fell between 56.4% and 63.9% for transgender males, transgender females and transgender non-conforming.

Participants who identified as gay or lesbian also had high shares of loneliness at 41.2% and 44.8%, respectively.

Comparatively, those who identified as straight or cisgender had lower shares of loneliness at 30.3% and 32.1%, respectively, making bisexual and transgender individuals nearly twice as likely to face loneliness, according to the report.

“We know that people that are part of the LGBTQ+ community often face isolation but this study is important in that it highlighted the degree that they are isolated compared to people not part of that community,” Dr. Adjoa Smalls-Mantey, a New York-based psychiatrist, told ABC News.

Results showed that members of the LGBTQ+ community were more likely to report stress, frequent mental distress and a history of depression.

More than one-third of bisexual adults — 34.3% — reported feelings of stress compared to 12.6% of straight adults. Similarly, up to 37.8% of transgender adults reported feelings of stress while just 13.9% of cisgender adults reported the same.

More than half of bisexual adults and transgender adults — 54.4% and up to 67.2%, respectively — reported a history of depression. However, just 19.4% of straight adults and 21.4% of cisgender adults reported the same.

Smalls-Mantey said the results of the study did not surprise her because many LGBTQ+ patients she’s seen have discussed feeling lonely and isolated or facing rejection.

“They [often] don’t feel comfortable coming out to people that are closest to them and they may hide away, not share that part of themselves, not engaged with people that they used to. So sometimes it can be self-imposed,” she said.

Past research has shown loneliness and isolation can lead to poor health outcomes and put people at increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Additionally, social isolation can raise the risk of premature death from all causes including from obesity, smoking and physical inactivity,

The study had limitations, including data only coming from 26 states, which may make results generalizable not the entire U.S. adult population. However, the authors said addressing the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ individuals should include services that focus on loneliness and the lack of social and emotional support.

“Providing access to health services that are affirming for sexual and gender minority groups and collecting data to address health inequities might help improve the delivery of culturally competent care,” the authors wrote.

Dr. Judith Joseph, a board-certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor at NYU Health, told ABC News that she encourages LGBTQ+ individuals to connect with people outside of the home if they don’t find the support they need.

“So that could be the person at the store if you go to buy something, rather than just saying. ‘Oh, thank you and have a great day,’ ask that store clerk, ‘So, how’s your day going?'” she said. “You can start a conversation with the barista at the coffee shop. These small interactions really help a lot of my clients who have cut off people because they were not accepted by their parents.”

Man critically injured after being struck by roller coaster at Ohio amusement park

June 21, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(MASON, Ohio.) — A 38-year-old man was critically injured at a Mason, Ohio, amusement park Wednesday night after being hit by a roller coaster.

The man had entered a restricted, fenced area of the Kings Island theme park near the Banshee roller coaster “and is believed to have been struck by the ride” around 8 p.m., a spokesperson for the park said in a statement.

The park’s safety and first aid workers responded at the scene, and the man was transported to the hospital.

As of Thursday morning, police said the man remained in critical condition.

A witness said the man told a park employee he had lost something on the ride and needed to go back to get it, according to Cincinnati ABC affiliate WCPO.

The employee reportedly said he would not be able to do anything until the ride closed, but the man continued to wander in the ride’s vicinity and eventually passed through a restricted gate, WCPO reported.

The witness told WCPO the man had been dressed in clothing similar to park staff, so some had thought he was an employee.

The Banshee roller coaster will remain closed while officials investigate the incident, the park spokesperson said.

“Kings Island’s focus continues to be on the welfare of the guest and his family,” they said.

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