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Lee Zeldin tapped to lead Environmental Protection Agency under Trump

November 11, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

In a statement on Monday, Trump praised Lee’s background as a lawyer and said he’s known the former New York congressman for a long time.

“He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet,” Trump said. “He will set new standards on environmental review and maintenance, that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way.”

Zeldin confirmed he had been offered the job in a social media post.

“It is an honor to join President Trump’s Cabinet as EPA Administrator,” Zeldin wrote on X. “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.”

Zeldin represented Long Island’s Suffolk County in the House of Representatives for eight years. He ran for governor against Democrat Kathy Hochul in 2022, earning Trump’s endorsement but falling short of Hochul by 6 points.

Zeldin previously criticized the Biden-Harris administration for canceling a key permit needed for the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline and rejoining the Paris climate agreement after Trump withdrew. During his gubernatorial bid, he wanted to reverse New York state’s ban on hydraulic fracking.

Zeldin will need to be confirmed by the Senate to lead the EPA.

Trump’s pick of Zeldin comes less than a week after Election Day and as Trump’s new administration begins to take shape.

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

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars toast their Grammy nominations: ‘We love y’all!’

November 11, 2024 by WDNY Radio

On Nov. 8, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars found out they’d been nominated for two Grammy Awards: Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group performance for their duet, “Die With a Smile.” On Nov. 10, they took to Instagram to thank the Academy … and their fans.

Gaga and Bruno, who appear to be wearing the outfits they wore in the live video for the top-10 hit, are shown together on a club banquette, with Bruno lifting a glass of champagne. According to its official Instagram feed, the photo was taken in the Champagne Room at Bruno’s Las Vegas club, The Pinky Ring.

“I’m so grateful for these 2 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS!” Gaga wrote. “Because of our amazing fans we are so blessed to be nominated for … Die With A Smile!! @recordingacademy We love y’all! Monsters and Hooligans did that!”

Bruno added in the comments, “(Monsters [shaking hands emoji] Hooligans) Thank you! We love you!”

Monsters and Hooligans are, of course, the official collective names for fans of Gaga and Bruno. However, it’s important to note that the Grammys aren’t determined by fan voting; they are decided on by members of the Recording Academy.

“Die With a Smile” is currently #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Gaga’s new solo single, “Disease,” from her forthcoming album, is #27.

CKY’s Chad I Ginsburg address Alien Ant Farm incident: ‘I had to protect myself’

November 11, 2024 by WDNY Radio

CKY frontman Chad I Ginsburg is giving his side to the story after his band was kicked off Alien Ant Farm‘s ongoing European tour.

As previously reported, AAF singer Dryden Mitchell alleged that Ginsburg treated “multiple crew members and opening band members like trash,” culminating in him “punching me in the face.”

In an Instagram Story, Ginsburg writes, “Nothing wrong with defending yourself from a bad guy,” presumably referring to Mitchell.

“If you are attacked or feel truly threatened, have no fear and stop the threat however you can,” he says. “I had to protect myself. It was a split second reaction to a very angry guy muttering then yelling #*%! at me from 10ft away charging at ME, into my personal space!”

“He was attacking me!” Ginsburg continues. “I felt a physical threat and had I not tried to avoid the attack, I would have been assaulted.”

Alien Ant Farm is continuing their tour without CKY. Fans who were attending the shows for CKY can receive refunds at point of purchase.

Paul Mescal-starring ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ transfers to New York

November 11, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Paul Mescal will be making his New York stage debut.

The London revival of Tennessee Williams‘ A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Mescal, Patsy Ferran and Anjana Vasan, is making the transfer across the pond to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York.

Its limited engagement off-Broadway run starts on Feb. 28 and will continue through April 6. Rebecca Frecknall directs the production, which will play at BAM’s Harvey Theater after a return engagement in London that starts on Feb. 3.

The London run was acclaimed, with several Olivier Award wins, including Mescal for Best Actor, Vasan for Supporting Actress and the production-winning Best Revival. Ferran also won a London’s Critics Circle Award for her performance.

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly expecting baby: ‘Nothing is ever really lost’

November 11, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly are expecting a baby together.

The Jennifer’s Body star revealed that she’s pregnant in an Instagram post, which includes a photo of a positive test. The post tags mgk, with whom Fox has been in a relationship since 2020, and is soundtracked by his song “last november.”

“Nothing is ever really lost,” Fox writes in the caption. “Welcome back.”

Fox previously shared that she suffered a pregnancy loss with mgk. In “last november,” mgk sings, “One day and another ten weeks/ I never even got to hear your heart beat.”

Fox has three children, while mgk has one.

Cody Johnson’s grateful for CMA Awards nods, but ‘it’s not about winning for me’

November 11, 2024 by WDNY Radio

As the 2024 CMA Awards approach, Cody Johnson recently shared about his attitude toward the awards show and his odds of winning.

“I could probably tell you who’s going to win all of them, and it’s probably not me,” Cody tells the press in a recent interview. “I think we have a better shot at Music Video because I’m in there twice.”

“But, you know, it’s not about winning for me,” Cody says. “It’s like, man, we were nominated technically seven times, five for myself and two [in the Song of the Year category] for the songwriters of ‘The Painter’ and ‘Dirt Cheap,’ which is just as cool to me.”

Cody’s also up for Male Vocalist of the Year, while his album Leather is nominated for Album of the Year.

The 2024 CMAs, hosted by Luke Bryan, Peyton Manning and Lainey Wilson, will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu.

Beyoncé course coming to Yale University

November 11, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Beyoncé‘s artistic work, specifically from 2013 to 2024, will be the focus of a new class at Yale. Beyoncé Makes History: Black Radical Tradition History, Culture, Theory & Politics through Music will be taught by Daphne Brooks, professor of African American studies and music, as a byproduct of her class at Princeton University, Black Women in Popular Music Culture.

“Those classes were always overenrolled,” Brooks told Yale Daily News. “I always thought I should come back to focusing on her and centering her work pedagogically at some point.”

The new course will focus on Beyoncé’s latter works, starting with her self-titled album.

“2013 was really such a watershed moment in which she articulated her beliefs in Black feminism,” Brooks said. “[In ‘Flawless’], it was the first time a pop artist had used sound bites from a Black feminist like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It became more about ‘We are going to produce club bangers that are also galvanizing our ability to think radically about the state of liberation.'”

Brooks said the election and Beyoncé’s continuous Album of the Year Grammy snubs were incentives to do the course.

“Black women are sometimes completely marginalized from some of the highest accolades and are so rarely taken seriously as musicians who are capable of and worthy of recognition for serious monumental work,” she said.

“Other artists have not [embraced] intersectional political and historical work like Beyoncé has,” Brooks added. “And that’s not to pit them against each other; it’s just to make a point about what institutions choose to value and what they often disregard, and it’s often people of color and especially women of color’s artistic achievements. So that’s why this class needed to happen right now.”

The new Bey course starts at Yale next semester.

Singles from The Beatles, Ringo Starr available for Singles Day

November 11, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Monday, Nov. 11 — 11/11 — is apparently Singles Day because it’s 1-1-1-1, and some special singles have just been released to mark the occasion.

Capitol Records has dropped two special vinyl releases from The Beatles: the group’s most-recent single, “Now and Then,” with the 1962 single version of “Love Me Do” in black, clear and light blue vinyl, and a Revolver special-edition box set featuring four LPs and a 7-inch bonus EP.

There’s also Ringo Starr‘s 45 RPM Singles Collection, featuring three 7-inch singles, which was previously available for Record Store Day.

There are also four Singles Day releases from ABBA, as well as classic holiday tunes from Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. They are all available at shop.capitolmusic.com.

Mariah Carey holiday pop-up bars opening nationwide Nov. 15

November 11, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Mariah Carey is bringing Christmas cheer — the alcoholic kind — to select cities via a series of pop-up bars in Virgin Hotels locations nationwide.

From Nov. 15 to Dec. 29, Mariah Carey’s Black Irish Holiday Bar will offer fans custom cocktails, photo ops and the opportunity to sing along to Mimi’s holiday hits. The bars will be available in Virgin Hotels in New York City, Nashville, New Orleans, Chicago and Dallas.

At each bar, you can reserve a 90-minute block starting at $22 per person, which includes a welcome cocktail. There’s also a brunch option on Saturdays and Sundays for $30 per person. In addition to eating, drinking and singing along to “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” you can write a holiday letter to Mariah with your wish list and recreate “memorable Mariah Xmas moments” for your social media posting pleasure.

All the festive cocktails on offer are made with Mariah’s signature brand of Irish cream liqueur, Black Irish, with punny names like What More Can I Do martini, It’s Time!, Queen of Christmas Cocoa and the Make My Wish Come True martini.

Mariah’s Christmas Time holiday tour is currently underway; her next date is in Palm Springs, California, on Nov. 13.

Spirit Airlines plane struck by gunfire while attempting to land in Haiti

November 11, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(HAITI) — A Spirit Airlines plane flying from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Haiti was diverted after it was struck by gunfire while attempting to land in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian National Office of Civil Aviation (OFNAC) told ABC News.

The plane was struck by gunfire four times while attempting to land at Touissant Louverture Airport in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, OFNAC said.

The Spirit Airlines plane “diverted and landed safely in Santiago, Dominican Republic,” Spirit Airlines said in a statement Monday, adding that no passengers reported injuries and one flight attendant onboard the plane reported unspecified “minor injuries” and was undergoing medical evaluation.

After the plane arrived in the Dominican Republic, “an inspection revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire,” the Spirit Airlines statement said. The plane was taken out of service and a different aircraft was secured to return the passengers and crew to Fort Lauderdale, the statement added.

All airlines have temporarily suspended flights at Touissant Louverture Airport, OFNAC told ABC News. American Airlines and JetBlue issued statements announcing that they had suspended flights into Haiti until at least Thursday.

The U.S. Embassy in Haiti issued a security alert saying that it was “aware of gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince which may include armed violence, and disruptions to roads, ports, and airports.”

“The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous,” the embassy alert continued, further noting that “The U.S. government cannot guarantee your safety traveling to airports, borders, or during any onward travel. You should consider your personal security situation before traveling anywhere in Haiti.”

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