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DOJ reaches $30 million deal with PayPal over minority-owned business program

May 12, 2026 by WDNY Radio

DOJ reaches million deal with PayPal over minority-owned business program

DOJ reaches $30 million deal with PayPal over minority-owned business program — In this photo illustration, the PayPal logo is displayed on the screen of a smart tablet. (Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — PayPal has agreed to waive $30 million in processing fees in order to resolve a federal investigation into an investment program that sought to boost Black and minority-owned businesses, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.

The probe is just one of a number launched under the Trump Justice Department scrutinizing companies that launched diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that Republicans have cast as unlawful and discriminatory.

DOJ had been probing whether PayPal’s program, which was launched in 2020 following the killing of George Floyd amid social unrest around the country, violated a federal law prohibiting creditors from discriminating against applicants based on race.

In order to avoid further investigation, the company has agreed to waive processing fees for roughly $1 billion in transactions — estimated at $30 million — “for eligible American small businesses that are veteran-owned or engaged in farming, manufacturing, or technology.”

The announcement by DOJ does not explain why PayPal’s transaction fee waivers will be directed to those specific classes of small businesses.

It has also agreed to launch a new small business initiative that does not account for “the race or national origin of the business owners.”

“This Department of Justice is delivering on President Trump’s vow to root out illegal DEI from every corner of corporate America,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement announcing the settlement. “American corporations are on notice: you will face our aggressive enforcement if you use race or national origin to discriminate against qualified Americans.”

The settlement does not include any admission of wrongdoing by PayPal, and under the agreement, the DOJ acknowledges it “has not made any determinations or findings regarding PayPal violating [the Equal Credit Opportunity Act] or any other federal law related to the economic opportunity fund.”

“For more than two decades, PayPal has helped small businesses start, scale, and thrive by expanding access to digital financial tools,” a PayPal spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News. “We’re excited to launch the Small Business Initiative to infuse American small businesses with even more economic opportunity.”

Dr. Marty Makary intends to resign as FDA commissioner: Sources

May 12, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary intends to resign on Tuesday, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

His departure was in the works after he clashed publicly with lawmakers, major pharmaceutical companies and President Donald Trump himself. He was scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

Makary, who is a surgeon by training, gained notoriety during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing against masks for children and vaccine mandates, and criticizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for citing Israeli data in recommending boosters rather than conducting its own research.

Since taking office in March 2025, the commissioner has focused his efforts on reshaping vaccine policy in the U.S. and transforming American diets.

Makary appeared in a video on X alongside Kennedy when the secretary announced in May 2025 the removal of the COVID-19 vaccine from the CDC’s immunization schedule for “healthy children and pregnant women.”

“There’s no evidence healthy kids need it today and most countries have stopped recommending it for children,” Makary said at the time.

Last year, Makary appeared at a news conference announcing the HHS and FDA would be implementing a series of measures to phase out eight artificial food dyes and colorings from America’s food supply by the end of 2026.

Makary said at the time that the agencies are looking to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings and to work with the food industry to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes used in cereal, ice cream, snacks, yogurts and more — claiming American children “have been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals.”

Makary also supported Kennedy’s updated federal dietary guidelines earlier this year. The guidelines recommended that Americans limit highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates but also advocated for consuming red meat and full-fat dairy, a reversal of past nutrition guidance.

“For decades, we’ve been fed a corrupt food pyramid that has had a myopic focus on demonizing natural healthy saturated fats, telling you not to eat eggs and steak and ignoring a giant blind spot: refined carbohydrates, refined sugars, ultra-processed foods,” Makary said. “In this new guidance, we are telling young people, kids, schools, you don’t need to tiptoe around fat and dairy. … You don’t need to push low-fat milk to kids.”

In early May, Trump criticized Makary for not moving quickly enough to approve flavored vape and nicotine products, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

Trump’s advisers informed him that Makary was delaying the president’s effort to “save” vaping,” a pledge Trump made on social media during his presidential campaign, according to the Journal.

Lady Gaga’s bringing ‘Mayhem’ to streaming — and to a theater near you

May 12, 2026 by WDNY Radio

For Lady Gaga, doing a regular concert film is so “been there done that.” That’s why, when it came time to document her Mayhem Ball tour, she went in a different direction.

Apple Music Live: Lady Gaga MAYHEM Requiem is a film of a one-night-only show that Gaga did Jan. 14 at LA’s Wiltern Theater. It’s described as a “celebration and musical reimagining” of her album Mayhem and features her performing rearrangements of the album’s songs, surrounded by what’s designed to look like the ruins of the Mayhem Ball’s opera house set.

You can get a sneak peek of Gaga’s performance of the song “Shadow of a Man” now. Other songs she performs include “Abracadabra,” “Die With a Smile” and “Disease.”

You can register online to get free tickets to one of 15 one-night-only screenings of the film, which will take place Thursday at 11 p.m. ET in cities including New York, Nashville, Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Orlando and Washington, D.C.

If you want to watch it in the comfort of your own home, it will premiere on Apple Music on that same day and time, and you won’t need a subscription to watch the premiere live. If you’re a subscriber, you’ll be able to listen to a live album version of the film on-demand starting Thursday.

Lupita Nyong’o playing two roles in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’

May 12, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Lupita Nyong’o’s role in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has been confirmed.

In a new TIME magazine cover story on Nolan, it’s revealed that the actress plays not one, but two characters in the upcoming film. She plays Helen of Troy, as well as Helen’s sister Clytemnestra.

The piece says it’s one of “several striking adaptation choices” Nolan makes to Homer’s epic poem.

Nyong’o has yet to appear in the trailers for the film, which led to fan speculation about who she would play.

The Odyssey tells the story of the Greek hero Odysseus’ (Matt Damon) 10-year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. He is filled with interruptions in his quest to return home to his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and his grown son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), who fights off suitors who are desperate to steal his father’s throne.

Nolan wrote and directed the film, his first since the Oscar-winning blockbuster Oppenheimer. He also produced the movie with his wife, Emma Thomas.

The Odyssey opens in movie theaters on July 17.

Billy Idol to play 2026 Ohana Festival

May 12, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Billy Idol is set to play the 2026 Ohana Festival, the annual music festival curated by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder.

This year’s fest is taking place Sept. 25-27 at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, California. Idol is confirmed to play opening night of the festival, which will be headlined by Eddie Vedder & Friends.

The weekend’s other headliners include alt-country star Tyler Childers on Sept. 26 and Pearl Jam on Sept. 27.

Other artists confirmed to play Ohana this year include Alabama Shakes, Bad Religion, Courtney Barnett, Pixies, Rilo Kiley and Jon Batiste.

You can sign up now for a presale taking place Thursday at 10 a.m. PT. Any remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday at noon PT.

For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit OhanaFest.com.

Idol, who will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November, is set to kick off a new U.S. leg of his It’s A Nice Day To …Tour Again! tour on Aug. 7 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The tour runs through Sept. 27 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A complete list of dates can be found at BillyIdol.net.

Shooting near Harvard University leaves 2 with life-threatening injuries, suspect ID’d

May 12, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) — Two people were shot and left with life-threatening injuries after a gunman began shooting into traffic in Cambridge on Monday afternoon near Harvard University, according to officials.

Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said during a press briefing after the incident that a gunman with an assault-style rifle was “actively firing in an erratic fashion at various vehicles.”

The shooting occurred in the vicinity of Memorial Drive and River Street before 1:30 p.m.

A trooper and a civilian, a former Marine, fired their weapons and struck the gunman, who was later identified as Tyler Brown, multiple times, according to the DA. Brown is under arrest and is hospitalized, Ryan said.

Brown is now facing six new felony charges, including two for assault with intent to murder.

He was under probation supervision for a previous crime, according to the DA.

Brown was sentenced to five to six years in state prison and three years of probation in August 2021 after he fired at Boston Police. Brown pleaded guilty to eight charges, including armed assault with intent to murder and attempted assault and battery by means of discharging a firearm, according to a 2021 statement from the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.

Brown was also previously required to undergo a mental health evaluation and treatment, according to the DA’s office.

Brown was also on probation at the time of the 2021 incident for a 2014 assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (knife) and witness intimidation conviction, according to the DA’s office. He was sentenced to four to five years in state prison for violating his probation to be served concurrently.

The DA’s office had recommended Brown be sentenced 10 to 12 years, criticizing the lower sentence.

“My office recommended a significant sentence for Mr. Brown given the nature of his offenses and the trauma and harm he inflicted. I am disappointed in the sentence that was imposed,” then-District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a 2021 statement.

The two people who were struck by gunfire were in their vehicles at the time.

Aerial footage from ABC News’ Boston affiliate WCVB showed the gunman being apprehended by police at the scene.

WCVB footage also showed a black Dodge sedan off the side of the road after an apparent crash.

A rifle was seen on the grass in the area, according to WCVB.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said in a statement that there is no ongoing threat to the public, but asked that residents “avoid the area to allow public safety personnel to do their work.”

Lisa Schill, a witness to the shooting, told WCVB she was in a school van on the way to pick up kids at school. She said she left the van and began running from the incident on foot.

“I was running for my life,” Schill told the publication.

ABC News’ Chris Barry contributed to this report.

Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder headlining 2026 Ohana festival

May 12, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder has announced the lineup for the 2026 edition of his Ohana festival, taking place Sept. 25-27 in Dana Point, California.

Both Pearl Jam and Vedder will headline, with the latter’s solo set billed as “Eddie Vedder & Friends.”

The bill also includes Fontaines D.C., Alabama Shakes, Billy Idol, Bad Religion, Pixies, Rilo Kiley, The Format, Courtney Barnett and Sugar.

You can sign up now for a presale taking place Thursday at 10 a.m. PT. Any remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday at noon PT.

For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit Ohanafest.com.

‘Fourth Wing’ officially coming to Prime Video

May 12, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Fourth Wing is taking flight.

The screen adaptation of the popular romantasy book by Rebecca Yarros has been ordered to series by Prime Video.

Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan is executive producing, along with Yarros and showrunner Meredith Averill. Lisa Joy will direct the first episode.

“I’m thrilled to be working with this dedicated, experienced team and grateful for their passion for both the books and the readership behind them,” Yarros said in a statement.

Fourth Wing follows the story of Violet Sorrengail, who is forced to enroll at Basgiath War College, where she joins hundreds of candidates working toward becoming elite dragon riders.

Amazon MGM Studios and Jordan’s Outlier Society acquired the rights to the books around the time the first book was released in 2023. There have since been two other books in the series, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm.

Luke Combs may be ‘Sleepless,’ but it’s not slowing him down any

May 12, 2026 by WDNY Radio

For the fifth week in a row, Luke Combs is still waking up the Billboard Country Airplay chart by keeping “Sleepless in a Hotel Room” at #1.

While that’s plenty impressive, it’s just par for the course for a Luke Combs hit. It’s his third-longest stay atop the tally so far, matching the performance of 2023’s “Fast Car,” 2021’s “Better Together” and 2019’s “Even Though I’m Leaving.”

“Forever After All” made it six weeks in 2021, while Luke’s all-time record-holder so far is “Beautiful Crazy,” which reigned for seven weeks in 2019.

Over on the comparable Mediabase chart, “Sleepless” is enjoying its second week of all-nighters.

In all, that means Luke has spent 42 weeks at #1 as a soloist, matching Keith Urban’s record.

If you wonder where that puts them in history, the Aussie and the North Carolinian are at 13th place overall when it comes to their time at the top.

Luke Combs may be ‘Sleepless,’ but it’s not slowing him down any

May 12, 2026 by WDNY Radio

For the fifth week in a row, Luke Combs is still waking up the Billboard Country Airplay chart by keeping “Sleepless in a Hotel Room” at #1.

“Forever After All” made it six weeks in 2021, while Luke’s all-time record-holder so far is “Beautiful Crazy,” which reigned for seven weeks in 2019.

Over on the comparable Mediabase chart, “Sleepless” is enjoying its second week of all-nighters.

In all, that means Luke has spent 42 weeks at #1 as a soloist, matching Keith Urban’s record.

If you wonder where that puts them in history, the Aussie and the North Carolinian are at 13th place overall when it comes to their time at the top.

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