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Shinedown exits Rock the Country festival: ‘Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide’

February 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Shinedown has dropped off the bill for the Rock the Country festival.

The festival, which is headlined by Kid Rock and country star Jason Aldean, has garnered controversy due to its association with conservative and MAGA circles.

“Shinedown is everyone’s band,” the “Second Chance” outfit writes in a Facebook post. “We feel that we have been given a platform to bring all people together through the power of music and song.”

“We have one BOSS, and it is everyone in the audience,” the group continues. “Our band’s purpose is to unite, not divide. With that in mind, we have made the decision that we will not be playing the Rock the Country Festival.”

The post acknowledges that, “We know this decision will create differences of opinion.”

“But we do not wat to participate in something will believe will creature further division,” Shinedown says. “And to our fans, thank you for supporting and believing in us.”

Several other artists have already exited Rock the Country, including rapper Ludacris. Notably, Shinedown drummer Barry Kerch dubbed Ludacris a “coward” for the decision during a recent podcast interview.

“If he’s not tough enough to stick it out, that’s just silly,” Kerch said. “That’s him being a coward, in my opinion.”

When asked whether Shinedown would ever drop off a show due to negative feedback, Kerch replied, “I would hope not.”

“But it is a democracy,” Kerch continued. “There’s four of us to vote. My vote would be no, but if three of the other guys vote against it, then, again, it’s a democracy.”

Meanwhile, Kid Rock just announced a run of live dates dubbed the Freedom 250 tour, running from May 1 in Dallas to June 20 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. Tickets go on sale Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. local time.

Trump shares video that includes racist depiction of the Obamas, sparking backlash

February 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump shared on his social media platform overnight a video that includes a racist animation of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama depicted with the bodies of apes, sparking condemnation from some lawmakers and demands that the post be taken down.

Trump reposted the roughly minutelong video, which focused on debunked claims about the 2020 election, to his social media platform.

At the end of the video, the Obamas’ faces appear abruptly and without explanation for seconds with the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” playing over it. The video then ends back on similar imagery of the conspiracy video footage.

The Obamas had no comment when ABC News reached out to their representatives for a response.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, when asked for comment, said, “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”

The video reposted by Trump overnight includes only imagery of the Obamas.

The meme video referenced by Leavitt was shared in October by the Hardin County Republican Party of Kentucky on Facebook, which led the chairman to issue an apology and deleted the post after swift backlash noting the long history of racist tropes depicting Black people as apes or monkeys — a tool of slave traders and segregationists to dehumanize them.

Trump’s overnight repost was condemned by some lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the first Black leader of a party in Congress, wrote on X: “President Obama and Michelle Obama are brilliant, compassionate and patriotic Americans. They represent the best of this country. Donald Trump is a vile, unhinged and malignant bottom feeder.”

“Every single Republican must immediately denounce Donald Trump’s disgusting bigotry,” Jeffries wrote.

Republican Sen. Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate and also the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, posted on X: “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, wrote in a post: “Racist. Vile. Abhorrent. This is dangerous and degrades our country — where are Senate Republicans? The President must immediately delete the post and apologize to Barack and Michelle Obama, two great Americans who make Donald Trump look like a small, envious man.”

Luigi Mangione’s state trial tentatively scheduled for June

February 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione’s state murder case is tentatively scheduled to begin on June 8, Judge Gregory Carro said on Friday.

Carro said he could push the trial date to Sept. 8 if the Department of Justice decides to appeal a ruling in Mangione’s federal case.

Mangione, who is accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan in December 2024, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges.

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

4 times as many measles cases in a few weeks than US typically averages in a whole year: CDC

February 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — There have been at least 733 confirmed measles cases reported across the nation, the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed Friday.

In just a few weeks, the United States reported four times as many cases than typically seen throughout an entire calendar year.

Before last year, which had a record breaking 2,276 cases, the U.S. averaged 180 cases annually since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

The record numbers come as South Carolina is dealing with the largest outbreak recorded in recent memory.

Other states that have reported cases and are dealing with ongoing outbreaks include Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Most of the outbreaks occurring across the country are in pockets of under-vaccinated or unvaccinated communities.

The rate of kindergartners vaccinated with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine has fallen from 95% in 2019 to below 93% in 2025, CDC data shows. Herd immunity, a threshold for vaccination rates that slow a virus’ ability to spread, is typically achieved at 95% vaccination rates, public health experts say.

Declining vaccination rates have left approximately 300,000 kindergarteners unprotected from measles infection.

The MMR vaccine is given in two doses, the initial shot given after the first year of life and the second shot given after the fourth year of life.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Mgk disappoints Backstreet Boys fan in T-Mobile’s Super Bowl ad

February 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Mgk appears in a T-Mobile Super Bowl commercial.

The ad begins with unsuspecting customers being surprised by the Backstreet Boys, who sing a parody of their hit “I Want It That Way” all about T-Mobile’s qualities as a carrier.

At the end, the narrator says, “We also had a second surprise.” Cut to a curtain falling to reveal mgk rocking a guitar in a nearly empty store.

“Where’s the Backstreet Boys?” a disappointed girl asks.

“Tell me why,” mgk sighs.

Super Bowl 60 kicks off Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Green Day will perform during the game’s opening ceremony, airing at 6 p.m. ET.

100 million on alert for dangerous cold, as some see coldest winds of season

February 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — At least 100 million Americans are on alert for dangerous cold weather in the coming days across the East as brutal, eye-watering cold winds — the coldest of the season for some — are expected across the Northeast this weekend.

Wind chills in the -20s are possible in Michigan and northern Ohio through Saturday morning, with -10s for southern Ohio and West Virginia.

Richmond, Virginia, could reach below-zero wind chills this weekend.

Extreme cold warnings are in place across much of the Northeast, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont.

New York City could reach as low as -20 this weekend, and upstate New York around Saranac Lake could reach -40. Frostbite can occur in 10 minutes on exposed skin.

Much of this extreme cold is due to strong winds gusting 30 to 50 mph this weekend, especially Saturday.

Monday morning will still be very cold across the Northeast, but the wind will be calmer, so wind chills won’t be as extreme.

Slowly through the week, a warming trend is expected across the East, with high temperatures going above freezing for New York City and Boston on Wednesday, possibly even on Tuesday.

The end of next week is looking above average across the middle of the country, while the Northeast feels seasonal mid-February winter temperatures.

The system ushering in the brutal cold also brings some snow.

Friday morning, snow was falling over Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, western Pennsylvania and western New York.

By Friday afternoon, snow will become more scattered and fall from the Appalachians of western North Carolina through upstate New York.

A few light snow showers or flurries will pass over New York City on Friday night, and much of Saturday is looking dry. A dusting up to 1 inch of snow is possible over the city on Friday night.

On Saturday, Boston and much of New England will continue to see passing snow showers.

Boston could see 2 to 4 inches of snow through Saturday evening.

The western New York I-90 corridor could see 2 to 5 inches of snow through Saturday evening, including Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo.

Official soundtrack announced for Paul McCartney’s ‘Man on the Run’ documentary

February 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

A documentary about Paul McCartney will naturally have plenty of music, and now it’s been announced that his upcoming film, Man on the Run, will have an accompanying soundtrack.

Man on the Run – Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack will feature classics from the Paul McCartney and Wings catalog, including “Silly Love Songs,” “Band on the Run” and “Coming Up.”

The soundtrack will also include bonus material, such as three previously unreleased tracks: a rough mix of “Arrow Through Me” from sessions for the 1979 album Back to the Egg; a live version of “Live and Let Die” from the 1980 concert film Rockshow; and “Gotta Sing Gotta Dance” from the 1973 TV program The James Paul McCartney TV Special.

Man on the Run – Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack will be released Feb. 27, the same day the documentary premieres on Prime Video. It will be released on a variety of formats, including CD, black vinyl and digitally, which are available for preorder now. The soundtrack will also be released on limited-edition New York taxi yellow vinyl via Jack White‘s Third Man Pressing plant and limited-edition tangerine peel orange vinyl through Amazon.

Directed by Morgan Neville, Man on the Run chronicles McCartney’s life after the breakup of The Beatles, including the formation of his band Wings. The film will premiere in theaters for one day only on Feb. 19. Tickets are on sale now.

US sees 733 measles cases nationwide in just over a month

February 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — There have been at least 733 confirmed measles cases reported across the nation, the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed Friday.

It comes as South Carolina is dealing with the largest outbreak recorded since measles was declared eliminated within the U.S. in the year 2000.

A total of 20 states have reported cases so far including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Last year had a record breaking 2,276 cases nationwide, the highest number since 1992. There were also three measles deaths, the first in a decade.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Consumer sentiment brightens, defying economists’ expectations

February 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Consumer sentiment ticked higher in February for the second consecutive month as inflation fears appeared to ease, though shopper attitudes remained well below levels registered a year ago, University of Michigan data on Friday showed. The reading exceeded economists’ expectations

At its low point in November, consumer sentiment fell close to its worst level since a pandemic-era bout of acute inflation. Modest gains in recent months indicate some positive momentum for shoppers.

Year-ahead inflation expectations dropped from 4% in January to 3.5% in February, the data showed. The outcome anticipated by respondents would put inflation above its current level of 2.7%.

The labor market has slowed in recent months, while inflation has hovered above the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%.

Despite these challenges, some major economic indicators remain upbeat.

In the fall, shoppers helped propel the fastest quarterly U.S. economic growth in two years, federal government data in December showed.

Meanwhile, a relatively small fraction of American adults are unemployed and looking for work. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.4% in December from 4.6% in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said, putting unemployment at a low level by historical standards.

Turmoil in markets this week, however, has prompted concern among some observers about the financial outlook.

Some major tech stocks plummeted in recent days after Anthropic unveiled an artificial intelligence tool viewed by some investors as a potential replacement for widely-used software products.

The price of bitcoin plunged more than 10% on Thursday, sinking the world’s largest cryptocurrency to its lowest level since October 2024 and erasing sizable gains made since then.

Geopolitical conflict also looms amid negotiations over Greenland, U.S.-backed leadership in Venezuela, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as persistent tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

In recent weeks, Trump has threatened tariffs against Canada, South Korea and eight European countries, invoking the tool as means of exerting pressure over a range of foreign-policy issues.

Suspect in 2012 Benghazi attack arrested, DOJ says

February 6, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A suspect in the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, has been arrested and brought back to the United States, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday.

Zubayr al-Bakoush was brought back to Andrews Air Force Base at 3 a.m., she said.

On Sept. 11, 2012, a group of men stormed into the diplomatic compound in Benghazi. Four Americans were killed in the attack.

The suspect is charged with the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others, according to the U.S. attorney.

“Bakoush was first charged by complaint in 2015 which was sealed for 11 years, an indictment, an eight count indictment, has been unsealed, and it charges Bakoush with the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens, the murder of State Department employee Sean Smith, the attempted murder of State Department Special Agent Scott Wicklund and conspiracy to provide materials for terrorists and support that resulted in the death of four Americans, as well as arson at the special mission,” U.S. Attorney Jeannine Pirro said alongside the Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.

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

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