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How advocates predict Trump’s 2024 win could impact gun violence prevention laws

November 7, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Drew Spiegel was preparing to march in the 2022 Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park when gunfire rang out.

“In that short time span, seven people died, 48 more [were] injured,” the 19-year-old told ABC News. “I texted my parents that I might not be coming home from the Fourth of July parade. And my life forever changed.”

For more than a year after the shooting, Spiegel didn’t talk about it. That changed when he got to college and encountered the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.

“They asked me straight up like, ‘Are you a survivor of gun violence?’ ” he said. “And I was like, no, but technically I was at a mass shooting. And they were like, so then yes.”

The U.S. sees 43,000 fatal shootings every year, and 120 people are fatally shot every day, according to Angela Ferrell-Zabala, the executive director of Moms Demand Action, an Everytown subsidiary group.

“This is bigger than a mass shooting problem, it’s a gun violence epidemic,” Spiegel said, citing the July assassination attempt and apparent September attempt on former President Donald Trump, who won a second term in the White House on Tuesday, as evidence of the problem’s scale.

“If Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, is not safe from gun violence, then nobody is,” he said.

Now, Spiegel is sharing his story with people who may have different opinions than him.

“The change we’re fighting for, is not mutually exclusive with the Second Amendment. They can coexist,” he told ABC News. “We can have a country where people are allowed to have guns and also a country where you don’t have to worry about going to school.”

But he isn’t just thinking in terms of the next four years — he’s looking at how the laws made in the coming decades could save lives.

He’s found an ally in Rep. Maxwell Frost, who won election in Florida’s 10th Congressional District in 2022 and won reelection on Tuesday. The 27-year-old Democrat is also a survivor of gun violence and was previously the national organizing director for gun control advocacy group March For Our Lives.

That movement didn’t result in gun control legislation getting passed, but Frost accepts that change takes time.

“The way you measure the success of a movement is, you see the seeds are planted in people,” Frost told ABC News. “I’m the first person from that movement to be in Congress. That’s a win, right? And then we got the Office of Gun Violence Prevention[in 2023]. That’s a win.”

However, Frost warned ABC News in August that he foresees this progress being rolled back.

“If Donald Trump wins this election, one of the things he’s going to do on Day One is get rid of the office completely. Get rid of it,” he said. “This office is helping to save lives across the entire country. So getting rid of the office literally means more people will die due to gun violence.”

With Trump returning to the White House in January, it’s unclear how much progress gun control will make. In 2018, the Trump administration banned bump stocks, which allow guns to essentially operate as automatic weapons. However, the Supreme Court struck down that ban in June.

“When I’m back in the Oval Office, no one will lay a finger on your firearms,” he told National Rifle Association (NRA) members in February.

Despite this, Spiegel is hoping people will keep fighting for gun violence prevention laws, to prevent stories similar to his own from happening all over again.

“I think our rights and freedoms will be under a higher attack than ever before. But I don’t think it’s completely over,” he told ABC News. “I think there’s still a country and, more importantly, our friends and family in the country that are worth fighting for. And we just put our heads down and get back to work. You just keep fighting.”

Star of new horror flick ‘Heretic’ covers Bob Dylan’s ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ for the film

November 7, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Are you ready for yet another cover of Bob Dylan‘s classic “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”?

The song, which Dylan recorded for the soundtrack of the film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, has been covered by everyone from the Grateful Dead and Guns N’ Roses to Avril Lavigne and Eric Clapton. Now Yellowjackets star Sophie Thatcher has recorded her version for the soundtrack of the new A24 horror film Heretic.

In the film, out on Nov. 8, Thatcher and Chloe East play two Mormon missionaries who try to convert a character played by Hugh Grant — who turns out to be a very bad guy. The new version of the song is heard at the end of the film. Thatcher says her version feels “very melancholic and feminine and more dreamy and atmospheric.”

“It works with the movie because Hugh Grant goes on a spiel about religion and Christianity, [and how] they’re all iterations of each other,” she says.

Thatcher also allows that her version sounds very much like Mazzy Star‘s ’90s hit “Fade Into You.” And that’s not the only ’90s alt-rock band that’s referenced in the film: At one point, Grant’s character sings a bit of Radiohead’s “Creep” to illustrate how similar it is to The Hollies‘ “The Air That I Breathe.”

Three charged in connection with Liam Payne’s death, self-harm ruled out

November 7, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Three people were charged with “crimes of abandonment of a person followed by death, supply and facilitation of narcotics” in connection with the death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne, the Argentinian Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement Thursday. Liam died Oct. 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel in Buenos Aires.

An investigation found that Payne was “not fully conscious, or was experiencing a state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall,” causing the Prosecutor’s Office to rule out “self-harm of any kind.”

“This situation would also rule out the possibility of a conscious or voluntary act on the part of the victim, since, in the state he was in, he did not know what he was doing nor could he understand it,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.

The three people charged in connection with Liam’s death include a person who accompanied the singer on a “daily basis during his stay in the city of Buenos Aires.” This person was charged with “crimes of abandonment of a person followed by death,” a charge that has a potential sentence of 5 to 15 years in prison, the Prosecutor’s Office said.

Two other people were charged with “the crime of supplying narcotics,” two counts each. The two charged were a hotel employee who is believed to have provided Liam with cocaine while he was staying at the hotel and a drug supplier accused of providing the singer with drugs at “two different times on Oct. 14,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.

Toxicology tests showed that Liam had traces of “alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his body,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.

Quincy Jones to be honored with BET prime-time news special

November 7, 2024 by WDNY Radio

BET is airing a prime-time news special in honor of the late Quincy Jones. Premiering Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, BET AND ET PRESENT QUINCY JONES: LIFE AND LEGACY will feature interviews with Jones, as well as rare archival footage from throughout his career. Among the many things being discussed are Jones’ impact across music, television, film and philanthropy; his work with Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin; and his production on “We Are the World,” which gathered top musical talent across all genres to raise money and awareness for famine relief in Africa.

“We mourn the loss of a true cultural titan and visionary,” Scott Mill, president and CEO of BET Media Group, said in a statement. “Quincy Jones was not only a musical genius but also a trailblazer whose influence on Black culture and the global music landscape is immeasurable. His work broke barriers, set new standards of excellence, and inspired generations to believe in the power of their art and voices. Through his groundbreaking compositions, timeless productions, and relentless advocacy, Quincy redefined what was possible and helped shape the soundtrack of our lives. BET honors his legacy and will continue celebrating his indelible contributions to our community and beyond. He will be deeply missed.”

Following BET AND ET PRESENT QUINCY JONES: LIFE AND LEGACY will be an encore presentation of Q 85: A MUSICAL CELEBRATION FOR QUINCY JONES, which celebrated Jones’ 85th birthday. Brian McKnight, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, LL Cool J, Ludacris, Charlie Wilson, Fantasia, NE-YO, Yolanda Adams, Dave Chappelle, Gladys Knight and more were in attendance.

Judge says Giuliani faces contempt if he doesn’t turn over property to poll workers

November 7, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A federal judge in New York on Thursday raised the possibility of holding Rudy Giuliani in contempt if he fails to turn over property by next week to the two Georgia poll workers he defamed after the 2020 election.

A 90-minute hearing devolved into what the judge called “griping” after a lawyer for former election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss accused Giuliani of “game playing” and an attorney for Giuliani accused the two women of being “vindictive.”

A federal jury last year ordered Giuliani to pay Freeman and Moss nearly $150 million for defaming them with false accusations that the mother and daughter committed election fraud while the two were counting ballots in Georgia’s Fulton County on Election Day in 2020.

Earlier this week, Freeman and Moss’ attorney claimed that Giuliani had “secreted away” his property after the receivership controlled by the two election workers accessed Giuliani’s apartment, only to find it virtually empty.

The former New York City mayor was given a Nov. 14 deadline to turn over the shares in his Upper East Side co-op apartment, valuable sports memorabilia, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and luxury watches — including one that belonged to Giuliani’s grandfather.

When defense lawyer Ken Caruso complained that forcing Giuliani to relinquish his grandfather’s watch was “vindictive,” an exasperated Judge Lewis Liman said, “Oh come on!”

“The law is the law and I don’t apply it differently to your client,” Liman said. “Don’t come to me and say something is vindictive.”

The judge was equally unmoved by the defense argument that Giuliani’s car, a blue Mercedes-Benz convertible once owned by the actress Lauren Bacall, was exempt from the judgment because it’s worth less than $4,000.

“Monday the title and keys will be delivered as well as the physical location of the car,” Judge Liman said.

Giuliani also balked at relinquishing about $2 million dollars he is owed for legal worked performed for Donald Trump.

“They wanted that money to make a political statement,” Caruso said.

Liman did not budge and reminded Giuliani of the consequences.

“He is under an unqualified order to deliver all the receivership property to the receiver,” Liman said. “If he doesn’t comply then I’m sure I’ll get a motion for contempt. If he hasn’t delivered, and there is a way in which he could have delivered, he’ll be subject to contempt sanctions.”

Outside court, Giuliani accused Freeman and Moss of bringing a “political vendetta” that was “financed by the Bidens.”

When ABC News asked whether he regretted defaming Freeman and Moss, Giuliani answered “No” before his lawyer stepped in to say the case was on appeal.

Billy Joel and Sting announce only baseball stadium appearance for 2025

November 7, 2024 by WDNY Radio

After launching their co-headlining tour in football stadiums this year, Billy Joel and Sting will continue the party into 2025 by performing in four football stadiums — but they just announced a one-off show for next year in the more “intimate” surroundings of a baseball stadium.

The two Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will perform April 26 at the Milwaukee Brewers’ American Family Field, in what the The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports will be their only baseball stadium show of 2025. It’ll be Billy’s first show in Milwaukee since 2019 and Sting’s first show there since 2016.

American Family Field has a capacity of 41,900. By comparison, a football stadium, like the one they’re performing in on Nov. 9 in Las Vegas, can hold 72,000 fans.

Tickets go on sale Nov. 15 at 10 a.m. local time via livenation.com and ticketmaster.com. Citi cardholders will be able to access a presale beginning Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. local time.

Following the joint concert with Sting Nov. 9, Billy has two more shows left in 2024: a Nov. 23 solo date in Hollywood, Florida, and a New Year’s Eve show at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York, on Dec. 31. As for Sting, his Sting 3.0 tour with his power trio continues through November and ends Dec. 7.

Billy and Sting’s first show together in 2025 comes on Feb. 8 in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, then Sting resumes his solo tour on Valentine’s Day in South America.

Ryan Reynolds says Marvel is “obsessed” with seeing Channing Tatum as X-Men hero Gambit

November 7, 2024 by WDNY Radio

As a guy who spent years trying to get Deadpool off the ground, Ryan Reynolds says he feels for his pal Channing Tatum, who never got the chance to play the X-Men hero Gambit onscreen — until Ryan brought him into Deadpool & Wolverine, that is.

Tatum tried to get a Gambit project off the ground before Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, but his hopes were dashed when that deal went through.

After the blockbuster success of D&W, however, it seems there’s renewed hope for Tatum’s Cajun, card-slinging, mealy mouthed mutant.

“I honestly don’t know what goes on behind closed doors in the bookkeeping sessions at Marvel, but I do know that they’re obsessed with him in that role,” Reynolds tells Entertainment Weekly‘s Awardist podcast.

Reynolds compared Tatum’s journey to his own, when the success of leaked test footage of him playing Deadpool convinced Fox to greenlight the 2016 smash hit original.

“It’s kind of like the same situation I went through,” Ryan says. “Once you show that it works well, that’s really what they need. Sometimes they just need to see it in action. And Channing is so singular in how he plays that character. But also he’s so beautiful physically, the way he moves and the way he can pick up steps.”

As reported, Tatum remained optimistic — but realistic — regarding his future in the role. He told Collider some months back, “You never know. I mean, literally, I could never be in another Marvel movie again, and it wouldn’t surprise me because I’ve had it in my hand before, and it’s gone away.” He added, “I’m always grain-of-salting it, but I’m hoping that [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] will allow me in.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Pharrell’s Black Ambition to award over $2.7 million to next generation of Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs

November 7, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Pharrell’s Black Ambition to award over .7 million to next generation of Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs

Pharrell’s Black Ambition to award over $2.7 million to next generation of Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs — Scott Kowalchyk/CBS

Pharrell Williams‘ nonprofit Black Ambition is returning for its fourth annual Demo Day, during which over $2.7 million will be given to the winners of the 2024 Black Ambition Prize Competition.

The applicants were first narrowed down to 250 of the most compelling Black and Latinx entrepreneurs, then to 40 people who got pitch training and participated in a public voting competition. The top eight will pitch live onstage during Demo Day for a chance to win the grand prize of $1,000,000.

Other winners of the competition, including 10 people from the eight-week HBCU Pre-Accelerator program, aimed at funding innovators from HBCUs, will receive between $25,000 and $250,000.

A panel discussion with Pharrell and CEO Felecia Hatcher will also take place, with the focus on the next chapter of Black Ambition and their support for Black and Latinx founders. Guests will then have a chance to celebrate with a cocktail hour and network at a reception with VIPs and the founders of Black Ambition.

“Now in its 4th year, I’m so proud of the doors that have been opened and the many seats at the table that Black Ambition has helped to facilitate,” Pharrell said in a statement. “Each year, the pool of talented innovators, thought leaders and business owners grows, further affirming Black Ambition’s continued mission of unlocking the potential of underrepresented entrepreneurs.”

Since its inception in 2020, Black Ambition has provided over 30,000 diverse founders with support and resources to help them navigate their businesses. All award winners have access to corporate leaders, mental health workshops and life coaching. They can also attend town hall meetings alongside Pharrell.

What’s Maynard James Keenan’s favorite tool?

November 7, 2024 by WDNY Radio

A Maynard James Keenan interview briefly turned into an episode of Home Improvement as the Tool frontman chose his favorite tool.

Comedian Bert Kreischer posed the question during the latest episode of his podcast, adding that it was his daughter’s idea to ask it.

Keenan’s answer? A “battery-operated pneumatic nail gun.”

“That changed the game!” Kreischer exclaimed.

“I remember when it was, like, the canister and it would clog up and get all f***** up,” Keenan continued. “The newer ones … you can charge the battery … you can get some s*** done.”

We assume in Keenan’s next interview he’ll be asked about what he thinks is the most perfect circle.

Meanwhile, Keenan will have some downtime to use his battery-operated pneumatic nail gun before a busy 2025, which includes the Tool Live in the Sand destination festival in the Dominican Republic and the return of A Perfect Circle and Puscifer‘s Sessanta tour.

Don’t miss Kelsea Ballerini’s acting debut on ABC’s ‘Doctor Odyssey’

November 7, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Kelsea Ballerini‘s making her highly anticipated acting debut on Thursday.

The country-pop singer will star in the sixth episode of ABC’s medical drama series Doctor Odyssey.

“When a wealthy family charters The Odyssey for a weeklong wedding cruise, all eyes are on the ‘bridezilla’ as she wreaks havoc on board,” reads the episode synopsis. “Amid the chaos, love and lust manage to find their way through the air with sparks flying among the crew.”

An episode promo is also available to watch on Instagram.

Doctor Odyssey airs at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.

Kelsea’s Noah Kahan-assisted current single, “Cowboys Cry Too,” is in the top 40 and ascending the country charts. You can find it on her new album, PATTERNS, out now.

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