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What GOP candidates have said about promising to pardon Trump in classified docs case

June 14, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Two long shot Republican candidates in the 2024 presidential race have gone further than others in the party in defending former President Donald Trump from his unprecedented federal indictment.

Vivek Ramaswamy and Perry Johnson, both entrepreneurs and both polling in the back of the pack of GOP candidates, have promised to pardon Trump if they are elected president — a pledge that hasn’t been taken up by most of the rest of the field. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has indicated support for a potential presidential pardon but hasn’t been definitive.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Sunday called such promises “wrong” and “offensive,” comments he echoed on “ABC News Live Prime” on Tuesday.

Trump, who was arraigned in Florida on Tuesday afternoon, is charged with 37 counts including willful retention of national defense information and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Prosecutors allege he illegally retained government secrets after he left the White House and worked to avoid returning them when asked.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and his attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

On social media, he called his indictment last week a “DARK DAY” for the country.

Ramaswamy appeared outside the federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday where Trump made his court appearance. There Ramaswamy said that he had sent letters to every other 2024 Republican candidate, seeking to have them also promise to pardon Trump.

Below is a look at where various Republican candidates stand on the issue, though many haven’t yet publicly addressed it.

Presidents can only pardon people convicted of federal crimes, not state crimes. Trump separately faces felony state charges in New York City related to hush money he paid to an adult film actress before the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty.

Ramaswamy and Johnson offer pardons if elected

Ramaswamy, a biotech company founder, initially made his promise of a presidential pardon for Trump before the indictment had been publicly released. On Sunday on CNN, when pressed on whether his view had changed after the indictment was revealed, Ramaswamy said it hadn’t, claiming that the allegations were “deeply politicized” and included “omissions” that he didn’t specify.

“I’m even more convinced that a pardon is the right answer here,” he said.

Prosecutors have defended their work: “This indictment was voted by a grand jury of citizens in the Southern District of Florida, and I invite everyone to read it in full to understand the scope and the gravity of the crimes charged,” special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the federal case against Trump, said on Friday.

At his press conference on Tuesday, Ramaswamy said other White House hopefuls had to take a public stand as well.

“I challenge every one of the other candidates to actually act on their convictions,” he said. “If you’re not going to … pardon President Trump on Jan. 20, 2025, you deserve to say why.”

Johnson has repeatedly called for Trump to be pardoned, even before Trump faced federal charges. Johnson argued on social media that President Joe Biden should issue such a pardon and said that, if elected, he would issue a pardon for Trump himself.

“We must turn the page of American history and focus on important issues like ending this debt crisis, finally building the wall, and resolving the war in Ukraine,” Johnson wrote on Twitter last week.

In a radio interview on Tuesday, Haley said she was leaning toward supporting a Trump pardon if she is elected, but she said it was too early to say.

“I would be inclined in favor of a pardon. But I think it’s really premature at this point when he’s not even been convicted of anything,” Haley said.

Hutchinson criticizes it as ‘simply wrong’

The former governor, appearing on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday after Ramaswamy, slammed offers of a presidential pardon for Trump.

“It is simply wrong for a candidate to use the pardon power of the United States of the president in order to curry votes and in order to get an applause line,” he said. “That really undermines the rule of law in our country that I have served my lifetime supporting, and it is offensive to me that anyone would be holding out a pardon under these circumstances.”

Hutchinson vehemently agreed on Sunday that Trump carries the presumption of innocence and has a right to make his case, but he called the indictment a “distraction” from the campaign — and has repeatedly called on Trump to end his bid “for the good of the country,” while acknowledging he won’t.

Republican candidate Steve Laffey has joined with Hutchinson on the issue of a prospective pardon, telling ABC News on Friday, “Enough is enough.”

“It’s time for him [Trump] to leave the stage. And if guilty, he goes to jail for quite a period of time,” Laffey said.

Other candidates not weighing in as definitively

Some of the biggest names in the Republican primary race, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence, aren’t making similar pardon offers — though they haven’t publicly ruled them out either.

“I’m not going to speak to hypotheticals,” Pence told reporters on Friday in New Hampshire, also calling it “premature” for Trump to drop out. “Everyone is innocent until proven guilty in America, and I think the former president has a right to make his defense. And we’ll respect that right.”

DeSantis has criticized what he called the “weaponization” of the federal government, in bringing charges against Trump. But his campaign did not respond to a question from ABC News about whether he would promise a pardon if elected, or not.

In May, he was specifically asked on a radio show about potentially issuing a pardon for Trump or people charged in connection with Jan. 6. The governor did not mention either Trump or any specific Jan. 6 cases by name but indicated he was open to the idea.

“We will be aggressive [in] issuing pardons,” he said then, arguing that the Department of Justice and FBI had been turned to pursue political rather than law enforcement goals.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Trump ally-turned-critic, was asked about potentially pardoning Trump during the town hall-style event where he announced his White House bid last week.

“I can’t completely answer that until I know what he was charged with and convicted of,” Christie said, later adding, “But I will tell you as a [former] prosecutor, if I believe someone has gotten a full and fair trial, in front of a jury of their peers — and especially someone in public life — who committed those crimes when they held a public trust, I can’t imagine pardoning them.”

What about Biden?

On the other side of the aisle, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked at Tuesday’s briefing if President Joe Biden would consider a pardon for Trump. She said she wouldn’t discuss the issue.

Boat carrying wedding guests capsizes in Nigeria, killing at least 103

June 14, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — The death toll from a capsized boat that was carrying wedding guests in Nigeria has risen to more than 100, authorities said Wednesday.

The wooden boat overturned early Monday as it was ferrying about 300 people, including children, across a river to Kwara state from neighboring Niger state after a wedding in the remote village of Egboti, according to Ajayi Okasanmi, spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force’s Kwara State Command. Authorities weren’t alerted for hours since the incident occurred before dawn in complete darkness, Okasanmi said.

A search and rescue operation continued until Wednesday. Okasanmi told ABC News that 103 people have been confirmed dead.

Many of the passengers were residents of villages within the Patigi district of Kwara state, according to Kwara Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s office, which issued a statement offering “heartfelt condolences” to the victims’ families.

Federal Reserve expected to pause monthslong string of rate hikes

June 14, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Reserve is expected to pause its aggressive series of interest rate hikes on Wednesday, ending a string of 10 consecutive rate increases that stretches back 15 months.

The decision arrives a day after fresh data showed consumer prices rose 4% last month compared to a year ago, cooling more than economists expected and bolstering hopes that inflation will continue its steady return to normal levels.

Inflation has fallen significantly from a peak last summer but remains at a level double the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%.

The slowdown of price increases has coincided with a sharp escalation of the Federal Reserve’s benchmark interest rate last seen in the 1980s.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect the Federal Reserve to pause rate hikes on Wednesday as it assesses the ongoing effect of its previous policy decisions.

For more than a year, the Federal Reserve has aimed to roll back price increases by slowing down the economy and slashing consumer demand.

Data released in recent months suggests that the policy approach has succeeded in slowing economic activity.

U.S. gross domestic product grew by a sluggish 1.1% annualized rate over the three months ending in March, according to government data.

Meanwhile, three of the nation’s 30 largest banks failed over a weekslong stretch beginning in March.

While high interest rates contributed to the collapses, each of the banks also retained a sizable portion of uninsured depositors, who tend to panic without a government backstop for their funds.

Consumer spending and hiring, however, have remained solid, fueling hope among some economists that policymakers can succeed in dialing back inflation while averting a recession.

A jobs report earlier this month showed that the labor market grew robustly in May, adding 339,000 jobs compared to Wall Street estimates of just 195,000.

Since the economy continues to exhibit strength, the expected Federal Reserve decision to pause rate hikes marks a “close call,” Bank of America said in a research note last week.

“While incoming data point to resilience in activity and stickiness in inflation, the Fed appears to desire additional time to monitor policy lags and regional bank stress,” Bank of America said.

“We do not believe the Fed is close to signaling a prolonged pause,” the bank added. “Instead, we expect the Fed to say that inaction in June is more akin to a skip — for now.”

Upon the announcement of the central bank’s most recent rate hike last month, Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted the removal of a sentence that appeared in the Fed’s previous rate hike announcement that said “some additional policy increases might be appropriate.”

Powell described the omission in the announcement as “meaningful,” saying a decision about any additional rate hikes would be “data dependent.”

Why Tom Hanks turned down ‘When Harry Met Sally’ role

June 14, 2023 by WDNY Radio

In a tale that could have given us one of the most iconic rom-com pairings, Tom Hanks‘ wife, Rita Wilson, has revealed the reason behind Hanks turning down the opportunity to star opposite Meg Ryan in the beloved 1989 film, When Harry Met Sally.

During an appearance on the Tuesday, June 13 episode of the Table for Two With Bruce Bozzi podcast, Wilson spilled the beans.

“People, probably don’t know this, but Tom was offered When Harry Met Sally and he turned it down because he was going through a divorce and he was very happy to be not married,” she shared. “And so he could not understand that a person going through a divorce would have anything other than just like, ‘I’m so happy.'”

In the classic romantic comedy, both Billy Crystal‘s Harry and Meg Ryan’s Sally are devastated by their respective marriages ending.

Hanks and his first wife, Samantha Lewes, had ended their nine-year marriage in 1987, and shortly after, he tied the knot with Wilson in 1988. The couple has been happily together ever since, raising a blended family that includes their own children, Chet, 32, and Truman, 27, as well as Hanks’ children from his previous marriage, Colin, 45, and Elizabeth, 41.

South braces for severe weather, dangerous heat: Latest forecast

June 14, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The South is bracing for severe weather on Wednesday, including strong tornadoes, powerful winds and large hail.

The bull’s-eye will be from Jackson, Mississippi, to Montgomery, Alabama, to Albany, Georgia, where winds could reach 80 mph or higher. But the severe weather could stretch as far west as eastern Texas and as far east as Birmingham, Alabama; Atlanta; Tallahassee, Florida; and Savannah, Georgia.

On Thursday, the threat for hail and winds will be in two pockets: one in Kansas and Oklahoma, and another along the Gulf Coast from Mississippi to Florida.

The South is also facing dangerous heat.

On Tuesday, McAllen, Texas, hit a record high of 103 degrees.

Alerts are in effect Wednesday from Florida to Louisiana to Texas, where temperatures could reach 98 degrees in Austin and 110 degrees in Loredo, Texas. The heat index — what temperature it feels like with humidity — could climb to a scorching 119 degrees.

On Thursday, the record heat will set in from Houston to New Orleans, with temperatures approaching 100 degrees.

By Friday, record highs are expected in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans and Miami, with a heat index close to 120 degrees.

The Weeknd says ‘The Idol”s explicit scenes are not meant to be sexy

June 14, 2023 by WDNY Radio

If you were uncomfortable watching the sex scenes in the latest episode of The Idol, The Weeknd says that’s the point.

In a new interview with GQ, the singer-turned-actor says the graphic scenes between his character Tedros and Lily-Rose Depp’s Jocelyn are not meant to be “sexy.”

“There’s nothing sexy about it,” he explains. “However you’re feeling watching that scene, whether it’s discomfort, or you feel gross, or you feel embarrassed for the characters. It’s all those emotions adding up to: This guy is in way over his head, this situation is one where he is not supposed to be here.”

The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, adds that his cult leader character is far from cool. He calls the explicit scenes in episode two “gluttonous” and said Tedros is “over-indulging.”

“He can’t believe he’s there,” he explains of his character. “He comes off like such a loser. Those moments are the humanity that you find in a psychopath, the chink in his armor.”

The controversial series airs Sundays on Max.

Whoopi Goldberg thinks hosting ‘Wheel of Fortune’ would be “lots of fun”

June 14, 2023 by WDNY Radio

The big question is who will host Wheel of Fortune after Pat Sajak leaves the long-running game show, and Whoopi Goldberg appears interested in taking over the reins.

On the Tuesday, June 13 episode of ABC’s The View, Ken Jennings — who has been sharing Jeopardy! hosting duties with Mayim Bialik following longtime host Alex Trebek‘s death in 2020 — was asked by View co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin if he had any ideas on a possible replacement.

When Jennings suggested that “Hopefully, Wheel‘s got an envelope somewhere that says ‘What to do when Pat packs it in,'” Joy Behar revealed that Whoopi wanted the job.

And, Goldberg confirmed, stating, “I want the job. I think it’d be lots of fun.”

Behar then joked that she and fellow View panelist Sara Haines “could be Vanna White,” taking “turns walking back and forth, pointing to the letters.”

Sakak, 76, tweeted on Monday, June 12, “Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all.”

Sajak has been the host of the game show since 1981. White, 66, who operates the board and reveals letters as they are guessed by contestants on the game show, has co-hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1982.

In Brief: Marvel Comics legend John Romita Sr. dies, and more

June 14, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Stephen Colbert has extended his contract as host of CBS’ The Late Show through 2026, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The extension will take Colbert into his 11th year as host of the The Late Show, which he took over from David Letterman back in 2015. It has been the most watched late night talk show for the past several seasons. Prior to the writers strike, it was averaging 2.14 million same-day viewers per week, excluding repeats, per the outlet…

Netflix has acquired the rights to writer David Gauvey Herbert’s 2021 Esquire magazine article “Daddy Ball,” which will be adapted into an eight-episode dark comedy series directed by and starring Jason Bateman, according to Deadline. The series, which will have a different title, will follow two fathers of the Long Island Inferno youth baseball team who became embroiled in an epic battle…

Hotel Transylvania and Samurai Jack director Genndy Tartakovsky on Tuesday announced the voice cast for his first R-rated animated comedy feature Fixed, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Pitch Perfect star Adam Devine will play Bull, a pooch who learns his owners are about to get him snipped. His already-fixed buddies, Rocco, Fetch and Lucky — voiced respectively by Idris Elba, Fred Armisen and Bobby Moynihan — decide to take him out for a night on the town as a last hurrah before the dreaded act takes place, per THR. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse actor Kathryn Hahn plays Bull’s neighbor and love interest, “the glamorous show dog Honey who has an appealingly raunchy side.” A release date has not been set…

Comic book artist John Romita Sr., legendary for his work on characters like Spider-Man and Wolverine, has died at age 93. His son, John Romita Jr. confirmed the news on Twitter with “a heavy heart.” The artist “passed away peacefully in his sleep,” according to his son, who followed in his dad’s artistic footsteps. Tributes sprung up immediately on social media, with Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy writer-director and now DC Films co-CEO James Gunn posting a frame of one of Romita’s depictions of Spidey. “My brother & I wrote Mr. Romita when we were young kids & sent him drawings of superheroes we were working on,” Gunn said. “He wrote us back, telling us what he liked about the drawings! A truly memorable experience in my life, making me feel like the magic of comic books, which seemed so otherworldly, wasn’t actually that far away.”…

Interstate 95 collapse repair plan to be announced in Philadelphia

June 14, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(PHILADELPHIA) — Officials are expected to unveil on Wednesday a plan to repair an elevated section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia that collapsed when a tanker truck caught fire in the underpass.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt and other officials will provide an update on the coordinated response to the I-95 collapse during a press conference at 11 a.m. ET. They are set to announce a reconstruction plan along with a timeline, according to Philadelphia station WPVI-TV.

Shapiro had told reporters on Sunday evening that “the complete rebuild” is expected “to take some number of months.”

The section collapsed on Sunday morning as a tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline attempted to navigate a left-hand turn after exiting at the Cottman Avenue offramp of I-95 in Pennsylvania’s largest city, according to officials. Losing control through its turn, the truck fell on its side and ruptured its own tank. Once ignited, the fuel burned at a high enough heat to structurally compromise the concrete and steel I-beams of the overpass, officials said.

The northbound lanes of the affected segment collapsed, while the southbound lanes are compromised and will also need to be replaced. Crews have since removed most of the collapsed structure along with the tanker truck that was trapped beneath, officials said. They are now working to demolish the structurally unsound southbound portion of the roadway. The full demolition will likely be finished later this week, according to officials.

The Pennsylvania State Police said Monday that a body was recovered from the wreckage and turned over to the Philadelphia County Medical Examiner and Coroner. While authorities have yet to identify the remains, the family of Nathaniel Moody told ABC News that he was the driver of the tanker truck and had died in the crash. Moody leaves behind a son and two daughters, his family said.

I-95 is one of the busiest travel corridors in the United States and serves as the main north-south highway on the East Coast. An average of more than 160,000 vehicles travel across the impacted section in Philadelphia every day, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Haim shuts down accusations they don’t actually play their instruments

June 14, 2023 by WDNY Radio

The talented sisters of Haim — Este, Danielle, and Alana — are not here for anyone doubting their musical prowess. After their electrifying performance at the 2023 Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City, the band caught wind of rumors suggesting they were faking playing their own instruments. Well, they wasted no time setting the record straight.

It all started when Lakeshore Records’ A&R director, Eric Craig, raised doubts about Este’s bass skills in the comments section of an Instagram video posted by NME. “Is it me or is that bassist just acting?” he questioned.

In a direct response from the band’s account, they expressed their disbelief that this misconception was still making the rounds. “lol I can’t believe this s*** is STILL happening,” they replied.

Este, feeling the need to address the accusation head-on, took to the band’s Instagram Stories to set things straight. Frustrated but firm, she wrote, “I’m so used to seeing this s**** on every f****** video of us playing ever, but I’m so over it. Don’t ever say we don’t play our f****** instruments.”

The sisters have always been known for their incredible musical skills, and they refuse to let anyone undermine their hard work and talent. So, doubters beware!

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