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Cardi B to help Mayor Zohran Mamdani select finalists for best 2-K initiative jingle

April 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is launching a 2-K initiative, in which he’ll provide free, universal child care for 2-year-olds in New York City. He’s on a search for the person who can come up with the best jingle for it, and he’s teamed with Cardi B for a contest in which she’ll help select the finalists.

Video of Mamdani asking Cardi for her assistance was posted to the NYC Mayor’s Office social media Friday and later reposted to her Instagram Story.

“Can you believe that?” Cardi says in the clip. “We have a 34-year-old mayor! I feel like I’m a kid, and you’re, like, running New York,” she continues, before Mamdani poses a question about child care.

“Cardi, what do you think of free child care?” he asks. The mother of four responds, “I feel like free child care is very important. Sometimes us women, we can’t really go forward because we don’t have nobody to help us take care of our kids.”

“This fall we’re starting to deliver universal 2-K, which is just like pre-K, just like 3-K, but 2-K for 2-year-olds. Free child care, 2,000 seats in the fall, and there’s gonna be seats in the Bronx starting it up. … Enrollment actually starts in June,” Mamdani says.

He then asks Cardi if she would help judge a competition to find the best jingle, and she replies yes.

“The mayor’s going to help you! And I’m gonna judge, and he’s going to give because he’s the one with the funds,” she clarifies. New Yorkers will vote for the lucky winner.

The deadline for submissions is April 17; rules and guidelines can be found online. The winner’s jingle will be the theme song for Mamdani’s 2-K initiative; it will also play on the radio.

White House asks for record-breaking $1.5 trillion for defense in new budget request

April 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

White House asks for record-breaking .5 trillion for defense in new budget request

White House asks for record-breaking $1.5 trillion for defense in new budget request — President Donald Trump pauses as he finishes speaking about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — The White House, in its budget request for the 2027 fiscal year, is asking Congress to approve roughly $1.5 trillion for defense — a record-breaking military spending request as the U.S. remains in its fifth week of war with Iran.

That is a $445 billion, or a 42% increase from the 2026 total level, according to the White House. Non-defense spending would be then be reduced by $73 billion, or 10%, according to the budget released by the White House on Friday.

Major targets of the proposed spending cuts are environmental programs across many federal agencies, including canceling more than $15 billion in Department of Energy grants related to clean energy.

The White House budget also continues the Department of Education’s “path to elimination,” proposes cuts to agriculture spending by 19% and proposes slashing the Internal Revenue Service’s budget by $1.4 billion.

“The 2027 Budget builds on the President’s vision by continuing to constrain non-defense spending and reform the Federal Government,” Office of Budget and Management Director Russ Vought wrote in the request to Congress.

President Donald Trump’s budget request, which is largely a wishlist sent to Congress in order to signal the administration’s priorities, lists “reducing violent crime and protecting national security” along with “protecting the homeland and removing dangerous illegal aliens” as the other two spending priorities for the upcoming year.

The budget proposes more than $19 billion for federal law enforcement — a 15% increase from 2026. The budget maintains “critical funding” for Immigration and Customs Enforcement next year, equal to the 2026 level, including $2.2 billion to maintain 41,500 immigration detention beds.

The White House said that an investment in defense and Department of Homeland Security would be, in part, achieved through budget reconciliation.

The reconciliation process comes with a key advantage of not being subject to a filibuster. This means legislation can be passed with a simple majority vote in the Senate and that Republicans wouldn’t necessarily need Democratic support, signaling an attempt from the White House to avoid Democratic demands for non-defense increases.

“Reconciliation funding in 2027 will enable DHS to fully implement the President’s immigration enforcement initiatives, finish construction of the border wall on the Southwest border, procure advanced border security technology, and continue the largest recapitalization investment in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard,” according to the White House.

Currently, DHS funding is caught in gridlock on Capitol Hill, resulting in the longest partial government shutdown in history.

KATSEYE’s Manon gives update while on ‘temporary hiatus’ from group

April 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

KATSEYE’s Manon Bannerman has given fans an update after she was noticeably absent from the group’s music video teaser for their new song, “Pinky Up.”

Back in February, the group’s record labels announced Manon would be “taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing,” but some fans were still upset to see her missing from the video.

Manon shared a statement on Weverse DMs, writing that she’s been having “positive conversations” with the labels HYBE and Geffen Records.

“Thank you so much for all the love and support you’ve been sending my way,” she wrote, according to Forbes. “I’m really grateful for the patience and kindness everyone has shown during this time. HxG and I are having positive conversations and I feel supported. I’m happy and I’m healthy. I’ll share more soon. Thank you for always being there for me.”

KATSEYE’s new song, “Pinky Up,” and its video drop April 9 at 9 p.m. PT.

Paul Simon performs ‘Something So Right’ on ‘The Late Show’

April 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Paul Simon broke out a classic tune for his latest appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was a guest on the late night talker Thursday night, where he performed “Something So Right” from his 1973 album, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon.

The choice of song was a request of Colbert, who, during the interview segment of the episode, showed a clip of Simon accepting a $20 bribe from an audience member to perform the song “Kodachrome” at a 2025 Los Angeles concert.

“I was just wondering if me and my friend Mr. Jackson here could entice you into doing ‘Something So Right,’” said Colbert, pulling out a $20 bill. Simon replied, “Oh, I’m doing that anyway. You keep it,” joking that since Cobert’s show has been canceled he’ll need the cash.

Colbert also asked Simon to name his “Mount Rushmore” of American lyricists, with Simon noting there’s a “long list.” The first name he mentioned was Chuck Berry, explaining “he taught my whole generation.” He also named Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder, as well as Joni Mitchell, although she is actually Canadian.

Paul Simon is set to launch a European leg of his A Quiet Celebration Tour on April 9 in Prague. He’ll then bring the tour back to the U.S. June 4 in Palo Alto, California. A complete list of dates can be found at PaulSimon.com.

US fighter jet appears to have been shot down by Iran, search and rescue underway, US officials say

April 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — An American fighter jet appears to have been shot down by Iran, according to three U.S. officials. Search and rescue operations are currently underway, the officials said.

White House asks for record-breaking $1.5 trillion for defense in 2027 budget request

April 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The White House, in their budget request for the 2027 fiscal year, is asking Congress to approve roughly $1.5 trillion for defense — a record-breaking military spending request as the U.S. remains in its fifth week of war with Iran.

That is a $445 billion, or a 42% increase from the 2026 total level, according to the White House. Non-defense spending is reduced by $73 billion, or 10%, according to the budget released by the White House on Friday.

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

Sting drops new EP featuring ‘Desert Rose’ remixes

April 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Sting has dropped a new EP dedicated to his 2000 single “Desert Rose.”

Desert Rose Reimagined includes three new mixes and three extended mixes of the song, including a reimagined version by Middle Eastern-American duo Tamer Malki and Rami Abousabe, who are also known as Bedouin. There are also remixes from African artist and producer Zakes Bantwini and DJ/producer Darque.

Desert Rose Reimagined is now available via digital outlets.

“Desert Rose” was the second single off Sting’s sixth solo album, Brand New Day. The original version featured Algerian raï singer Cheb Mami and peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100; it was Sting’s last top-40 hit.

Released in September 1999, Brand New Day hit #9 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and sold over 3.5 million copies in the U.S.

Sting will return to the U.S. for a new leg of his Sting 3.0 tour on May 6 in Hollywood, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at Sting.com.

The ‘most important release’ of Dan + Shay’s career is out now: ‘If you need somebody, say so’

April 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Dan + Shay have dropped the song they call “the most important release of our career so far.”

“Say So” has a theme of suicide prevention, and as per Variety, it was inspired by the death of the duo’s friend Ben Vaughn, a music industry executive who took his own life in 2025. “As we were talking about Ben, we were just like, ‘Man, I wish we would’ve known. I wish we could have reminded him that there’s always somebody on the other line,'” Dan Smyers tells Variety.

While the duo is best known for their love songs, Shay Mooney tells the outlet, “We felt like with [our forthcoming album] project in particular, we needed to come with this song first. We live in a crazy world right now. Obviously in the first verse it touches on Ben’s story, and it is very heavy, but I think that the rest of this song really offers hope to people.”

Adding that both he and Dan have benefited from therapy, Shay notes, “Talking about these things can oftentimes prevent somebody from getting to that point where they do feel hopeless. It isn’t just for people who are already at their wit’s end.”

In the song, the duo sings, “I’ll be there every time you call/ Pick you up every time you fall/ If you’re going through hell, you’re not alone/ If you need somebody, say so.”

On Instagram, the duo writes, “We are beyond proud of this song and hope it becomes a hit (manifesting), but someday when we look back, we will define its ‘success’ not by the amount of sales + streams, but by the amount of people it helped.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health challenge or thoughts of suicide – free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text the national lifeline at 988.

Shinedown shares new ’EI8HT’ song, ‘Outlaw’

April 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Shinedown has premiered a new song called “Outlaw,” a track off the band’s upcoming album, EI8HT.

In the chorus, frontman Brent Smith sings, “What will you do/ now that I’m gunning for you?/ Where is the outlaw in you?”

You can watch the “Outlaw” lyric video streaming now on YouTube.

EI8HT, the follow-up to 2022’s Planet Zero, drops May 29. It also includes the singles “Three Six Five,” “Dance, Kid, Dance,” “Searchlight,” “Killing Fields” and “Safe and Sound.”

Shinedown will launch a U.S. tour in support of EI8HT in May.

In other Shinedown news, the band’s celebrating its annual 4:03 Day with exclusive merch. 4:03 Day takes place April 3 and is named after the lyric, “It’s 4:03 and I can’t sleep” from the 2009 Shinedown single “If You Only Knew.”

Listen to two new Jack White songs, ‘G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs’ & ‘Derecho Demonico’

April 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Jack White has premiered two new singles, “G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs” and “Derecho Demonico.”

The bluesy rockers follow White’s 2024 solo album, No Name. The tracks are available now via digital outlets, and will be released on limited-edition vinyl Saturday via ThirdManRecords.com and the Third Man Records shops in Detroit, Nashville and London.

Also on Saturday, White will be performing on Saturday Night Live, marking his sixth overall appearance as a musical guest on the show. In a promo for the episode, White and host Jack Black remark that the show will coincide with both Easter and Passover, which the Tenacious D frontman declares to be “the two most metal holidays of all time.”

White will launch a European tour in May. He’ll be back onstage in the U.S. for the Borderland Festival in East Aurora, New York, in September.

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