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Ace Frehley, founding guitarist of KISS, dead at 74

October 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Ace Frehley, the founding guitarist for the rock band KISS, has died at age 74.

His death was confirmed in a statement from his family.

“We are completely devastated and heartbroken,” the statement read. “In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth. We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others.”

The statement went on to say, “The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”

Frehley, whose costumed stage persona with the band was The Spaceman, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with KISS in 2014.

The news comes just weeks after Frehley canceled the remainder of his 2025 tour dates “due to some ongoing medical issues.”

Frehley, born Paul Daniel Frehley, co-founded KISS with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss in New York City in 1973. They released their self-titled debut in 1974 and began to gain a following thanks to their live shows, which included face paint, wild stage outfits and plenty of pyrotechnics.

Their breakthrough came after the release of 1975’s Alive!, a double live album that featured live recordings from their first three records. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard chart and sold over 9 million copies worldwide.

KISS went on to become one of the bestselling bands of all time.

Frehley left the group in 1982 but rejoined them in 1996. He then left again in 2002, after KISS’ first farewell tour.

Over the years he had a contentious relationship with his former bandmates. He did not participate in KISS’ final End of the Road world tour, which wrapped in New York in 2023, and claimed that he had not been invited to take part. Simmons contended Frehley was always welcome to join them.

Monaleo says latest single was a ‘way to display Black American pride’ and honor her ancestors

October 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

“Soulaan” refers to “the distinct culture, history, and knowledge of Black Americans before and after colonization in America,” as reported by soulaan.com. It’s a term Monaleo connected with, so much so she made it part of her latest song.

“That spoke to me, because my ancestors were slaves. It felt like a really beautiful way to display Black American pride and continue honoring the people [who] came before me,” she says in an interview with Billboard, adding she knew shortly after learning the term that she “wanted to find a way to incorporate that message into my music.”

“I grew up with my grandmother and my mother, Southern Black American women, so the culture and the roots run really deep,” she explains. “It doesn’t sound like I’m preaching, but I’m just getting my generation to understand the importance of knowing your history.”

Monaleo’s message continues in the “Sexy Soulaan” video, which features the Black American Heritage Flag, alongside flags from Haiti, Angola and Congo.

“We’re all Black,” she says of her decision to include the flags. “When cops pull us over, they’re not trying to figure out if you’re from Haiti or Jamaica. … They just see you as a Black person here in America. I wanted to show some solidarity across the diaspora, and that’s why you see the flags stitched behind me.”

As for why she chose a Black American Heritage Flag instead of the American flag, she explains, “A lot of Black Americans don’t really resonate with the American flag, because we know how much blood has been shed over it. And we know that we’re not really included.”

She adds the flag was created to recognize Black Americans and give them something to “be proud of.”

“Sexy Soulaan” appears on Monaleo’s Who Did the Body project, which is set to arrive on Friday.

Trump announces deal to reduce cost of specific IVF medication

October 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump announced a deal on Thursday between his administration and pharmaceutical company EMD Serono to reduce the cost of some fertility medications.

Senior administration officials have said this deal will help millions of American women struggling to conceive with their ability to afford the expensive treatment.

Trump pledged to expand IVF access for Americans struggling to start families — making it a point of his presidential campaign. In February, he signed an executive order looking into how to lower costs and reduce barriers to IVF.

This deal “delivers on the president’s pledge,” an official said.

“In the Trump administration, we want to make it easier for couples to have babies, raise children and start the families they’ve always dreamed out,” Trump said during an announcement from the Oval Office.

Trump said EMD Serono, the largest fertility drug manufacturer in the world, has agreed to provide discounts for the cost of fertility drugs the company sells in the U.S., including its most popular, Gonal-f, which treats infertility in women and men.

Officials told ABC News a fertility drug typically costs between $5,000 and $6,000 per cycle, the officials said, and only about 30% of families have access to some sort of employer-based coverage.

Trump said EMD Serono will list its fertility drugs online at “very, very heavily reduced prices.”

“We’re pleased to announce that, depending on the patient’s income, the cost of drugs for a standard IVF cycle of infertility will decrease somewhere between 42 and 79% for families,” an official said, and “based on the results of this negotiation.”

The official said those drugs will be available in early 2026.

In 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated the cost for a single cycle of IVF can range from $15,000 to $20,000, and can surpass $30,000 if a donor egg is involved.

The average number of cycles needed to become pregnant from IVF is 2.5, meaning the average cost of IVF to conceive successfully can exceed $40,000, according to the HHS.

In May, Trump signed an executive order to pressure companies to only charge U.S. patients the same rate as they charge in other countries, an effort called “most favored nation” pricing.

This kicked off a monthslong campaign to pressure pharmaceutical companies to drop their prices voluntarily, without regulation.

The White House also said that the two specialty pharmacies that account for more than 80% of the distribution of the drug — CVS Specialty Pharmacy and Express Scripts Freedom Fertility Pharmacy — told the administration they would “materially reduce their expenses associated with the handling of this drug, while still ensuring access to all families who wish to use it.”

DOJ charges alleged antifa followers with terrorism offense for attack on Alvarado ICE facility

October 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Federal prosecutors have secured a grand jury indictment of two alleged followers of the antifa movement on terrorism-related charges stemming from their involvement in a July 4 attack on an ICE detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, according to newly unsealed court records.

The indictment appears to be the first time a charge of material support to terrorism has been applied to alleged followers of the anti-fascist movement, following President Donald Trump’s declaration officially designating the movement as a domestic terrorist organization.

Experts have repeatedly questioned the legality of that proclamation — as did senior officials in law enforcement during Trump’s first term in office — given that the movement has no publicly known leadership structure and there are significant statutory limitations on law enforcement being able to designate domestic groups as terrorists.

The two men who were indicted, Cameron Arnold and Zachary Evetts, were previously charged in connection with the alleged ambush of federal agents at the ICE facility and attempting to kill two correctional officers and an Alvarado police officer, but the grand jury indictment charges both with an additional count of providing material support to terrorists.

Fox News was first to report news of the charges.

In the indictment, filed in the Northern District of Texas, prosecutors describe antifa as a “militant enterprise made up of networks of individuals and small groups primarily ascribing to a revolutionary anarchist or autonomous Marxist ideology, which explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States government, law enforcement authorities, and the system of law.”

They allege that Arnold and Evetts operated as part of an “Antifa cell” that planned and coordinated the July 4 attack on the ICE facility using firearms and fireworks to target correctional officers.

“Some Antifa Cell members discussed logistics, previous site reconnaissance, and locations of security cameras at the facility. They exchanged a map of Prarieland and the surrounding area that showed the locations of nearby police stations,” the indictment says. “One Antifa Cell member, for example, said in one group chat that they would be “bringing a wagon to hold armor and rifles.”

Kim Kardashian says her Justin Bieber ‘ELLE’ photoshoot was ‘not the most appropriate thing’

October 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Kim Kardashian has few regrets, but one of them is doing a photoshoot for ELLE magazine featuring a 16-year-old Justin Bieber — when she was 29.

On the Call Her Daddy podcast, Kim was asked by host Alex Cooper, “What is something you probably should have gotten canceled for, but didn’t?” Kim replied, “I don’t know who approved this and I don’t know who thought that this was normal, this narrative, but I did a photo shoot with Justin Bieber, and he was 16 years old and I don’t know how old I was.”

“His girlfriend was there, his parents were there, I mean it was like nothing creepy at all, but I look back and I’m like, ‘Who thought that was a good idea,’ you know? You know, I must have been 30 years old?” Kim continued.

She explained that the concept was based on the movie The Graduate, in which a recent college graduate, played by Dustin Hoffman, is seduced by a much-older married woman, played by Anne Bancroft.

“I just think that was like an odd concept and why none of us thought that that was odd at the time,” Kim concluded. “But now we look back and I’m like, ‘That would have not been the most appropriate thing.'”

Father of missing baby Emmanuel Haro pleads guilty to murder of 7-month-old

October 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — The father of Emmanuel Haro, the 7-month-old in California who has been missing since August, has pleaded guilty to the baby’s murder.

Jake Haro, 32, pleaded guilty in court on Thursday to all charges, including assault causing bodily harm to a child “resulting in the death of said child” and filing a false police report, according to court records.

The father, who previously pleaded not guilty with his wife Rebecca Haro in September, cried in court on Thursday while he was giving his plea.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel’s mother, 41-year-old Rebecca Haro, pleaded not guilty to an amended complaint on Thursday, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov 3. It remains unclear what is in the complaint, according to Los Angeles ABC station KABC.

Jake Haro’s sentencing is also scheduled for Nov. 3.

Officials have not announced whether they have located the baby’s remains.

The 7-month-old was reported missing on Aug. 14 at approximately 7:47 p.m. local time after his mother “reported being attacked outside a retail store on Yucaipa Boulevard,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Aug. 15.

When he was reported missing, Emmanuel’s mother told officials that “while she stood outside her vehicle, changing the child’s diaper, she was physically assaulted by an unknown male and rendered unconscious,” authorities said.

Authorities later said the mother was “confronted with inconsistencies in her initial statement,” leading officials to say they were “unable to rule out foul play in the disappearance of Emmanuel,” officials said.

Jake and Rebecca Haro were arrested and charged for the child’s murder on Aug. 22, officials said.

In August, officials announced they had a “pretty strong indication” on the location of the child’s remains and they believed Emmanuel was “severely abused over a period of time.”

“The filing in this case reflects our belief that baby Emmanuel was abused over time and that eventually because of that abuse, he succumbed to those injuries,” Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin said during a press conference in August.

Hestrin said Jake Haro, who he described as an “experienced child abuser,” “should have gone to prison” due to previously abusing another child he had with his ex-wife back in 2018, but a judge at the time granted him probation — a ruling Hestrin called an “outrageous error in judgment.” Authorities said the child in that case has been left bedridden.

“If that judge had done his job as he should have done, Emmanuel would be alive today,” Hestrin said.

B-52s fly off coast of Venezuela in show of force by Trump

October 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(BOSSIER PARISH, La.) — Three B-52 bombers took off from Barksdale AFB in Louisiana on Wednesday and flew for hours near the coast of Venezuela, according to flight tracking data, in what appears to be a major show of force by President Donald Trump.

The B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that has been used in conventional warfare in such places as Iraq and Syria. But it’s also capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

Trump confirmed on Wednesday that had authorized CIA action in Venezuela because of the flow of migrants and drugs from the country, and indicated his administration is exploring land strikes inside Venezuela.

Asked what’s next for his administration’s “war” on drug cartels and whether they were considering strikes on land, Trump said they were looking into it.

“Well, I don’t want to tell you exactly, but we are certainly looking at land now because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” the president said.

On Tuesday, Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a video of another lethal strike on alleged drug boat from Venezuela.

Since Sept. 2, Trump has ordered military strikes on at least five boats in the Caribbean Sea that the administration insists, without providing evidence, were carrying drugs to the U.S. The use of lethal of military force against drug boats is unprecedented and raises legal questions. Past administrations have relied on law enforcement to interdict drug shipments.

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

Dua Lipa on inspiration for Radical Optimism tour cover songs, whether she’ll ever release them

October 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

At each stop of her Radical Optimism tour, Dua Lipa has performed a cover of a song by an artist associated with the city or country where she’s performing, sometimes joined by a local artist. According to Variety, she’s done 56 such covers so far. Will they ever be officially released? Well, maybe.

In a chat with Variety, Dua says she got the idea to do the covers after she performed with country superstar Chris Stapleton at the ACM Awards in May 2024.

“It was so much fun that I proposed it to the band and to the team: ‘How fun would it be if every night we do a different song?'” she recalls. “And everyone was like, ‘Well that’s quite ambitious.'”

Dua says choosing the song is a “team effort” and learning all those songs is “nerve-wracking,” especially when she was touring in Europe and performed songs in French, German, Czech and other languages. She plans to do Spanish and Portuguese songs for the upcoming Latin American tour leg, as well.

Among the special guests who’ve joined her for some of those covers — a list that includes Green Day, Chaka Khan, Lionel Richie and Gwen Stefani — Dua says singing with Lenny Kravitz, who joined her in New York City for a rendition of his hit “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over,” was the most fun.

But when asked point-blank if she plans to release an album of the covers, Dua replies, “Um,” and then adds, in a fake foreign accent, “I cannot reveal the answer!”

She thinks she’s started a trend, though.

“I’m sure other people are going to be doing it after this,” she predicts. “It is really fun and really rewarding but it is a lot of f****** hard work, so good luck!”

New Freddie Mercury lyric book coming in 2026

October 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Freddie Mercury’s lyrics will be the subject of a new book coming out in the fall of 2026.

A Life in Lyrics: The Official Creative Legacy of Freddy Mercury, being released by Harper Collins, is described as “the definitive creative record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.” It features unseen material the Queen frontman left his good friend Mary Austin when he passed away in 1991.

According to the description, the book features material from Mercury’s notebooks, some of which has never been published before. That includes some of his earliest works, doodles and songs that have never been recorded, as well as alternative lyrics and abandoned verses to Queen’s iconic tune “Bohemian Rhapsody” and multiple drafts of “Don’t Stop me Now.”

The book also contains some previously unseen illustrated photographs taken from Mercury’s personal collection, with Austin also contributing stories, memories and anecdotes about the singer.

A Life in Lyrics: The Official Creative Legacy of Freddy Mercury is scheduled to be released on Sept. 1, four days ahead of what would have been Mercury’s 80th birthday.

Boy George & Culture Club announce US tour

October 16, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Hot on the heels of announcing a new Las Vegas residency, Boy George & Culture Club have announced dates for a new U.S. tour.

The trek, Culture Club’s first U.S. tour since 2023, was revealed on the group’s Instagram page. Dates kick off Feb. 18 in Tampa, Florida, and wrap March 29 in Lemoore, California.

The dates include the already announced six-show Vegas residency at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, running March 18-28.

A ticket presale is open now, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday.

A complete list of dates can be found at BoyGeorgeandCultureClub.com.

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