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As House takes up Epstein vote, survivor describes ‘moment of vulnerability’

November 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Danielle Bensky, a survivor of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, said the push by members of Congress and, now, President Donald Trump, to release investigative files has led to a “moment of vulnerability” for herself and other survivors.

Bensky said on Monday in Washington that pending legislation amounted to a noticeable movement towards accountability for Epstein survivors. She called the moment “hopeful,” saying that it also felt like “unprecedented waters.”

“This is a moment of vulnerability,” Bensky said. “This is a moment, as you can see, when we are tapping into those youngest parts of ourselves and saying we’re doing it for that little person that used to exist. We’re doing it for women.”

ABC News spoke with Bensky, who goes by Dani, a day ahead of the long-awaited vote by the House to release the Epstein files. The House is expected to vote Tuesday, after Trump called on Republicans to release all the files, reversing his stance.

The House vote is just step one, though. If it passes as expected, Senate Majority Leader John Thune would then need to bring it up for a vote in the Senate. Passage in the Senate would then send it to Trump’s desk for possible signing.

House Democrats last week released emails subpoenaed from the Epstein estate that mentioned Trump by name multiple times. In one email, written in 2011, Epstein referred to Trump as the “dog that hasn’t barked” and he told accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell that an alleged victim had “spent hours at my house” with Trump.

Trump, who was friendly with Epstein for years, said after Epstein’s arrest in 2019 that they hadn’t spoken in more than a decade after having a falling out. The president on Monday said he would sign a bill to compel the Justice Department to release all files relating to Epstein if it reaches his desk.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters last week that emails related to convicted sex offender Epstein released by House Democrats “prove absolutely nothing, other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong.” Trump has denied all wrongdoing and denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.

Bensky has claimed she was recruited in 2004 when she was an aspiring ballerina in New York City. She alleges she was sexually exploited by Epstein for more than a year.

Bensky was among a group of survivors of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his convicted accomplice, holding a demonstration Monday evening at the National Gallery of Art — a couple of blocks from the Capitol — at which they displayed a looped video of several survivors holding pictures of themselves at the age they met Epstein.

Maxwell was found guilty in December 2021 of conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors to participate in illegal sex acts, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts, sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking of a minor. She is serving 20 years in prison.

Bensky said that being there at the National Gallery of Art gave her a bigger sense of meaning to “make the world safer” for the young kids and teenagers she works with as a dance choreographer.

Rachel Foster, co-founder and executive council chair of World Without Exploitation, an anti-sex trafficking coalition, described on Monday the fight to release the files as “truly bipartisan.”

“Truly a bipartisan effort. It’s not political,” Foster said. “This is about transparency, and this is a moment, if there’s any moment for people from both sides of the aisle to come together and say that victims who have sexual abuse need to have justice, and we all need transparency when it comes to either standing with victims, standing with women and children who have been abused or you’re protecting perpetrators.”

ABC News James Hill contributed to this report.

Country music’s bestselling artist of all time won’t let the success change him

November 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

In 2025 Luke Combs surpassed Garth Brooks to become the bestselling country artist of all time, according to the RIAA. He’s also in the running for entertainer, male vocalist and single of the year for “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” at Wednesday’s CMA Awards.

They’re all major accolades the “Back in the Saddle” hitmaker takes in stride.

“It’s all very unexpected, I think,” Luke says. “You can’t plan to get to this point, you know. And obviously when I moved here, I just wanted to be able to make a living doing music, whatever that looked like. So it’s all kinda extra to me, like in a good [way]. … It’s all been a blessing, and I’m very fortunate and I’m just thankful, man, for the fans. I mean, it’s all them.”

It’s a sentiment that’s all the more believable coming from a man who’s determined not to let success change him.

“I mean, I’m very grounded,” he reflects, “and I’ve had the same basically band and crew. Ninety-nine percent of my guys have been with me for nine years now, you know, and so I’m just around the same people, and my assistant’s my best friend from high school.”

“And I just hang out at home with my kids and my wife and, you know, they don’t treat me any different than anybody else,” he continues. “And I go to the grocery store and cook dinner every night, and then I go to work and it’s like, you know, I just can’t really be any different. It would just be weird to me to be any different.”

Luke’s set to play his latest #1, “Back in the Saddle,” during the 59th CMA Awards, airing live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Shinedown premieres new single, ‘Searchlight’

November 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Shinedown has premiered a new single called “Searchlight.”

Frontman Brent Smith describes the track, which Shinedown previously debuted live in October during their performance at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, as “a song about owning your true feelings.”

“It’s an awakening of the soul,” Smith says of “Searchlight.” “Lyrically it is a coming-of-age story that celebrates the moment you decide to go out into the world, and find your purpose. Musically it is an homage to all the music our parents, and grandparents brought us up on.”

“It is a love letter to Americana, Rhythm and Blues, Bluegrass, Outlaw Country, and of course Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Smith continues. “The creative process for this song was quite a journey, and we hope all the ‘Fans/Family’ feel that authenticity in every note, and every word.”

You can watch the “Searchlight” video on YouTube.

“Searchlight” marks the fourth song Shinedown’s released in 2025, following “Dance, Kid, Dance,” “Three Six Five” and “Killing Fields.” The band’s most recent album is 2022’s Planet Zero.

Suspect who fatally shot 11-year-old during road rage incident ‘did not know there was a kid’ in the back seat: Court documents

November 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(HENDERSON, Nev.) — The suspect who allegedly shot and killed an 11-year-old boy during a road rage incident in Nevada said he “did not know there was a kid” in the back seat of the vehicle when he opened fire, according to a declaration of arrest obtained by ABC News.

Tyler Matthew Johns, 22, was arrested on Friday and booked for open murder and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, according to the Henderson Police Department.

Johns remains held without bail after making his first court appearance on Saturday. The 22-year-old will appear in court again on Tuesday at 9 a.m. local time.

The incident occurred at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Friday, when two vehicles in traffic began “jockeying for positions trying to pass each other on the congested freeway,” police said during a press conference on Friday.

One of the vehicles tried to pass on the shoulder of the freeway, which is when both drivers rolled down their windows and began arguing, police said.

Johns, who was in a four-door sedan, allegedly fired a single shot from a handgun at a hybrid SUV driven by the victim’s stepfather, identified as Valente Ayala — hitting the 11-year-old sitting in the back seat, police said.

The boy, identified as Brandon Dominguez-Chavarria, was on his way to school, officials said.

After the child was shot, Ayala then rammed the suspect’s vehicle to stop him from fleeing the scene, causing both of them to come to a stop in the middle of the freeway, officials said.

Both drivers got out of their vehicles and proceeded to get into a heated exchange as a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer happened to be driving by, officials said.

During this argument, two witnesses got in between the two men, with Ayala yelling that the suspect had killed his son, according to the declaration of arrest.

The witnesses then proceeded to open the rear driver’s side passenger door and “observed a juvenile male slumped over in the seat with copious amounts of blood coming from or about the head,” according to the declaration of arrest.

Johns had “spontaneously admitted to officers that he had discharged his firearm” and stated he “did not know there was a kid in the back,” according to the declaration of arrest document.

He then “turned around and placed his hands behind his back without prompting from the officers, in what appeared to allow them to place handcuffs on his wrists,” the declaration of arrest said.

Shortly after the suspect was taken into custody, the Henderson Fire Department arrived at the scene and transported the child to a local hospital, but “despite their best efforts,” the child succumbed to his injuries, police said. The boy’s cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the head, the Clark County Coroner said on Monday.

“We lost a life today that we didn’t have to lose,” Henderson Police Department Chief Reggie Rader said during a press conference last week.

Ayala told officials he believed the suspect “intended to shoot him, but based on their speeds,” the bullet struck the child, according to the declaration of arrest.

Ayala was not armed during the road rage incident nor does he own any firearms, the declaration of arrest said.

ABC News’ Alex Stone contributed to this report.

‘Black Doves’ season 2 starts production, adds more to cast

November 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Production has officially started on Black Doves season 2.

Netflix has announced that cameras are rolling on the sophomore season of the spy thriller series starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw.

The streaming service also revealed several new additions to the cast. One Day star Ambika Mod will play Laila, an anarchic Black Doves agent who has been sent to help Helen on a mission. Babou Ceesay is set to portray Mr. Conteh, a Black Doves executive with suspicious motivations, while Sam Riley will play Patrick, an emissary who offers Whishaw’s Sam a lifeline.

Notably, Neve Campbell has also joined the cast, playing a character named Cecile Mason. Other additions include Sylvia Hoeks, who plays Katia Chernov, Goran Kostic, who takes on the role of Alexi Chernov, and Samuel Barnett, who plays Jerry.

Sarah Lancashire, Andrew Buchan, Kathryn Hunter, Ella Lily Hyland, Gabrielle Creevy, Agnes O’Casey and Molly Chesworth all also return for season 2, which is now filming in London.

Season 2 finds Helen (Knightley) still betraying her nation’s secrets to the Black Doves, according to its logline.

“But after the misadventures of last Christmas, and with her husband Wallace (Buchan), preparing to become Prime Minister, she is walking a more treacherous line than ever,” the logline reads. “As Helen’s enigmatic handler Mrs. Reed (Lancashire) is ensnared in a ruthless plot to undermine her position in the Black Doves, Helen is reunited with her best friend Sam (Whishaw).”

The show’s creator, writer and executive producer, Joe Barton, says he “couldn’t be more excited to delve back into the world of our murderous little spy family.”

“To have so many of our amazing cast returning and also being able to add some of my absolute favourite actors into the mix is such a great joy. Downing Street will never be the same again,” Barton said.

ICYMI: Mariah the Scientist, Max B, and Sexyy Red and Drake

November 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Mariah the Scientist and Ken Carson are among those starring in the holiday campaign for Kim Kardashian‘s SKIMS brand. Ken rocks a sweatsuit designed with snowflakes and a teddy bear on the front, matching Kim’s daughter North West. Mariah is seen lounging on an armchair wearing some plaid shorts from the brand and a red top that says, “Read me.” The SKIMS holiday merch will drop Thursday at 12 p.m. ET.

Max B is back to the music following his release from prison. He recently performed for a large crowd at Bronx restaurant Salsa Con Fuego, including “I Gotta Habit” and “Sexy Love.” He also has back-to-back shows scheduled for January at the Brooklyn Paramount. “The second show officially sold out in less than 10 hours!” he wrote on X. “Back-to-back legendary nights with over 6000 tickets sold. The Return of the Wave Homecoming Show January 17th + 18th see you soon OWWW.”

It appears Drake and Sexyy Red have teamed up for a game of tennis. Drake shared photos of them posing together in their tennis outfits holding rackets. “I said tennis lesson she said where’s the bracelet or the necklace,” Drake captioned the Instagram post. Sexyy responded in the comments, “My baby zeddy.” Alongside a photo of Drake on her Instagram Story, she wrote, “Rich bd.”

Trump greets Saudi crown prince in lavish reception for 1st visit since Khashoggi murder

November 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Tuesday marked the first time His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia, set foot in the U.S. since 2018, following the death of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul, which caused global outrage.

And President Donald Trump welcomed MBS with a lavish entrance, complete with Saudi flags next to American flags, an orange carpet, black horses and a color guard band.

Cannons went off in the background and a military flyover took place as Trump walked the carpet to wait for the prince’s arrival. They shook hands and smiled for the cameras before going in for their bilateral meeting.

The crown prince denied ordering the operation against Khashoggi but ultimately acknowledged responsibility as the kingdom’s de facto ruler.

Now more than seven years later, the Saudi leader has business on his mind as he seeks to deepen ties with the U.S. through cooperation on oil and security, while also expanding the regime’s global outreach in finance, artificial intelligence and technology. Saudi Arabia notably boasts the world’s largest economy and maintains its lead as the world’s top oil producer.

Trump will host a dinner for the Saudi leader on Tuesday night with a who’s who of guests.

Billionaire Elon Musk was slated to attend, marking his first time back in the White House after he left the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a source with knowledge of the plans told ABC News.

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in the Saudi Pro League, will also be at the White House Tuesday, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.

Ahead of the Tuesday meeting, the crown prince had apparently scored a highly coveted weapons deal that includes advanced F-35 fighter jets from the U.S.

Trump confirmed on Monday during an event in the Oval Office that he plans to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia as part of a weapons deal, which experts say would mark the first time those jets have been sold to an Arab military.

A focus on defense and business

The prince’s trip to the U.S. is being billed as an “official working visit,” and is designed to follow up and advance on Trump’s May appearance in Riyadh — the first official visit of Trump’s second term in office.

“A lot of the financial and economic and artificial intelligence deals that they announced that were very ambiguous six months ago, I think we might start to see some teeth from them this time around and hopefully get a little bit more clarity on what those deals actually are,” said Elizabeth Dent, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former director for the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula in the office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.

During that May visit, Trump announced a $142 billion arms package with the Saudis, which according to a White House fact sheet was the “the largest defense cooperation agreement” Washington has ever done.

The agreement covers deals with more than a dozen U.S. defense companies in areas including air and missile defense, air force and space advancement, maritime security and communications, the fact sheet said.

The kingdom in turn announced a $600 billion investment in the U.S. spanning multiple sectors, including energy security, defense, technology, global infrastructure and critical minerals.

Some of the other notable deals announced under the $600 billion pledge included investments in: U.S.-based artificial intelligence data centers and energy infrastructure; advanced technologies; Saudi infrastructure projects; U.S. energy equipment and commercial aircraft; the U.S. health care supply chain; and U.S. sports industries.

The potential sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to the Saudi kingdom is likely to cause consternation from Israel.

U.S. law requires that any weapons sale package to countries in the Middle East does not risk Israel’s security, and it’s unclear if Trump has cleared that hurdle in permitting the sale of fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

“There’s a whole host of issues that encompass this. Part of it is that Israel has to be able to maintain their congressionally-mandated qualitative military edge, which Congress does determine that,” Dent said. “And so, if the deal goes forward, I think we just have to see how they’re going to figure out the best way to ensure Israel can maintain that, as the only country in the Middle East that currently has F-35s.”

“I think the Israelis are probably pretty uncomfortable with these rumors swirling around without normalization in sight,” Dent added.

Saudis insist on ‘credible pathway’ to Palestinian statehood

The Saudi leader is seeking security guarantees from the U.S. amid turbulence in the Middle East. The security agreement with the U.S. has been in a development stage and has not yet been formalized, but the kingdom is seeking to deepen military and security ties between the two countries.

The security guarantees are viewed by some as part of a larger regional “megadeal” involving normalization with Israel, something Trump will surely push for, even as the Saudi kingdom has refused to do so under the current Israeli leadership.

Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday that he would discuss the issue with the crown prince.

“I hope that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords fairly shortly,” he said.

Earlier this year, Trump signed an unprecedented defense pact with Qatar via executive order that recognizes the “enduring alliance” between the U.S. and Qatar and provides Qatar an explicit security guarantee in the event of “external attack.”

Many analysts have said they believe the Saudis are looking for a similar defense pact with the U.S.

“I think it’ll be kind of similar to Qatar’s, where it basically just says it will consider any sort of threat or attack on Saudi Arabia to be an attack on the United States, and then the United States will respond appropriately, which could range from political to military options. So, I think that the administration will make sure to give themselves that decision space,” Dent said. “There’s a lot to work through here. Obviously, I think a lot of it will be about expectation management.”

The kingdom is notably invested in implementing the president’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. The kingdom has previously stated it wants to see the emergence of a credible path toward an independent and a free Palestine as a condition for supporting the demilitarization of Hamas and reconstruction of Gaza.

But Israel has put up a roadblock to Palestinian statehood, which will undoubtedly cause angst among Arab regional partners who are pushing for sustained peace in Gaza.

“Our opposition to a Palestinian state in any territory has not changed,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday during his weekly cabinet meeting. “Gaza will be demilitarized and Hamas will be disarmed, the easy way or the hard way.”

Netanyahu has long opposed a Palestinian state, saying in recent months that its creation would only reward Hamas and endanger Israel’s security.

ABC News’ Christopher Boccia, Will Steakin and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.

On This Day, Nov. 18, 1978: Billy Joel lands first #1 album with ’52nd Street’

November 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

On This Day, Nov. 18, 1978…

Billy Joel landed his first #1 album with 52nd Street, his sixth studio album. The record spent eight weeks on top of the charts.

The album, one of the first to be commercially released on CD, featured three top-40 singles: “My Life,” which peaked at #3, “Big Shot,” which hit #14, and the ballad “Honesty,” which went to #24.

It would go on to earn Joel two Grammys, album of the year and best pop vocal performance. “Honesty” was also nominated for song of the year.

Joel would go on to have three more #1 albums: 1980’s Glass Houses, 1989’s Storm Front and 1993’s River of Dreams.

Muse books performance at 2026 Milwaukee Summerfest

November 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Muse will be among the headliners at the 2026 Summerfest in Milwaukee.

The “Supermassive Black Hole” rockers will take the Summerfest stage on July 2. A presale takes place Thursday at 10 a.m. CT, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. CT.

For more info, visit Summerfest.com.

Muse last performed in the U.S. in 2023 in support of their most recent album, 2022’s Will of the People.

A new Muse single called “Unravelling” premiered in June.

Garth Brooks continues ‘The Anthology’ series with ‘The Comeback’

November 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Garth Brooks continues to tell the story of his career in the new installment of his ongoing The Anthology series.

The latest chapter, The Anthology Part VI: The Comeback – The Next Five Years, will be released on Dec. 5; it’s available for preorder now via TalkShopLive.com and Amazon.com. The six-disc set includes 60 songs and over 150 behind-the-scenes photos, plus stories from Garth and other key players during that moment in his career.

Part VI covers Garth’s 2018 North American stadium tour, his 2019 series of shows in dive bars, his return to Ireland and his Garth Brooks/Plus ONE 2022 Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace. The albums FUN and Time Traveler are also covered.

On Dec. 1 Garth will appear in a 30-minute show on Amazon LIVE, Amazon Prime Video FAST, TalkShopLive and GarthBrooks.com to discuss the new release and share never-before-seen concert footage.

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