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Mitch McConnell returns to Senate after concussion, rib injury

April 17, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Republican Leader Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate floor on Monday, nearly six weeks after suffering a concussion and a fractured rib from a fall at a Washington hotel.

The Kentucky senator, who’s 81, has been recovering at home upon release from a rehabilitation facility March 25, following a five-day in the hospital after falling at the Waldorf Astoria while attending a private dinner on March 8.

“It’s good to be back,” McConnell said, before joking, “Suffice to say, this wasn’t the first time being hard-headed has served me very well.”

“We’re truly lucky and blessed to get to serve in this remarkable institution, represent our home states and serve our country. And needless to say, I’m very happy to be back. There’s important business for Congress to tackle,” he said.

Showing no outward signs of injury as a result of the accident, McConnell pivoted back to legislative business, chastising President Joe Biden for not yet returning to the debt ceiling bargaining table with Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The lawmaker was welcomed back to the Senate by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin on Monday.

McConnell will also likely field questions about his political future at a time when another senior senator, Dianne Feinstein of California, remains at home recovering from shingles.

Feinstein’s absence from the Senate Judiciary Committee is something Democrats are attempting to temporarily backfill in order to push forward some of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominations despite Republican opposition.

McConnell has made clear he has no intention to leave his role.

“I’m not going anywhere,” McConnell said in November, after he faced a leadership challenge from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida.

McConnell’s return will also come with another colleague’s long-awaited return following a medical pause: Freshman Sen. John Fetterman, who two months ago checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression.

The Pennsylvania senator returned to Congress on Monday, clad in gym shorts and a dark hoodie.

“It’s great to be back,” the senator told reporters before turning and walking into the Capitol.

Schumer and Durbin also welcomed Fetterman back to the Senate in their speeches on the floor, applauding their colleague for publicly seeking depression treatment, acting as an example for other Americans struggling with mental illnesses.

“I spoke to him by Zoom several weeks ago, and I was really heartened by his his message. He had the courage to step up and ask for help when he faced depression, to seek professional medical advice, and I can tell by his responses and the tone of his voice, that that decision had already made a difference in his life for the better,” Durbin said on Monday.

“I believe people will be inspired to follow his example and seek help,” he said, a sentiment that Schumer echoed:

“We’re all glad he got the support immediately sending an important message to millions of Americans that asking for and getting help works,” Schumer said.

ABC News’ Trish Turner contributed to this report.

Mitch McConnell returning to Senate after head, rib injury

April 17, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is returning to Congress on Monday, nearly six weeks after suffering a concussion and a fractured rib from a fall at a Washington hotel.

The Kentucky senator, who’s 81, has been recovering at home upon release from a rehabilitation facility on March 25, following a five-day stay in the hospital after falling at the Waldorf Astoria while attending a private dinner on March 8.

“I am looking forward to returning to the Senate on Monday,” McConnell said in a Tweet on Thursday. “We’ve got important business to tackle and big fights to win for Kentuckians and the American people.”

McConnell will also likely field questions about his political future at a time when another senior senator, Dianne Feinstein of California, remains at home recovering from shingles.

McConnell has made clear he has no intention to leave his role.

“I’m not going anywhere,” McConnell said in November, after he faced a leadership challenge from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida.

The Pennsylvania senator is expected to return at some point this week, according to his staff.

DOJ accuses China of spying on, harassing dissidents inside US

April 17, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The FBI on Monday revealed what it said is evidence of expanding espionage and security activity by the Chinese government on U.S. soil.

The Justice Department announced three cases suggesting more brazen activity by China inside the U.S. in the wake of the spy balloon controversy.

One case involves Chinese security officials allegedly spying on Zoom calls and then harassing Chinese dissident participants identified as targets.

Ten Chinese officials were charged with conspiracy along with an employee of a telecommunications company.

Sources told ABC News the company was Zoom and the insider from China allegedly was able to disrupt meetings on Zoom.

Another of the cases involves Chinese security officials allegedly setting up a “police station” in New York City and using it as a base of operations to spy on, co-opt or intimidate Chinese dissidents living in the city and elsewhere.

The charges unsealed allege two defendants were operating an illegal overseas “police station” — the first ever in the U.S. — located in lower Manhattan, for a provincial branch of the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The two suspects operated out a Manhattan office building in Chinatown at the direction of a Chinese police official, prosecutors alleged.

The men engaged in a number of activities on U.S. soil, prosecutors said, including participating in counter protests and targeting specific Chinese dissidents for harassment. The men arrested were expected in a Brooklyn federal court later Monday.

If convicted of conspiring to act as agents of the PRC, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The obstruction of justice charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The Justice Department also announced charges against 34 members of a specialized unit in China. The unit, run by the Chinese national police or Public Security Ministry, the U.S. said, allegedly created fake social media accounts, including on Twitter, to harass Chinese dissidents in the U.S. and to promote propaganda from China.

FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed concern about the Chinese “police stations” during a congressional hearing in November 2022.

“I’m very concerned about this. We are aware of the existence of these stations,” Wray told a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing in November.

“But to me, it is outrageous to think that the Chinese police would attempt to set up shop, you know, in New York, let’s say, without proper coordination. It violates sovereignty and circumvents standard judicial and law enforcement cooperation processes,” he added.

Roger Waters vows to go on with Frankfurt show

April 17, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Roger Waters is vowing to continue on with his planned Frankfurt concert, despite the local city council canceling it.

The Frankfurt concert was announced for May 28, but the city council canceled it because of the Pink Floyd rocker’s political beliefs, calling him “one of the world’s most well-known antisemites.” Rogers threatened to sue over the cancelation, and now he says he plans to go on with the show regardless of what happens.

In a post on Instagram, Waters writes that the Frankfurt council had a deadline of April 14 to respond to his interim injunction but they have no idea whether or not they actually did. Writing in all caps, Waters shares, “Not that it matters much! We’re coming anyway! Because human rights matter! Because free speech matters!”

After referring to Kristallnacht, the November 9, 1938, attack on Jews in Germany, and anti-Nazi activist Sophie Scholl, who was executed in 1943 for distributing anti-war leaflets, Waters reiterated his intention to continue with the show, noting, “We’re coming to Frankfurt on the 28 of May.”

In the meantime, Waters’ This Is Not A Drill tour continues through Europe. He’s set to play Copenhagen, Denmark, April 17 and 18. A complete list of dates can be found at rogerwaters.com.

‘New Girl’ comes to Peacock with “Roommates Wanted” ad, as Zooey Deschanel talks reboot potential

April 17, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NOTE LANGUAGE) New Girl, the beloved Fox sitcom that ran from 2011 to 2018, has found a new place to crash.

Peacock has announced that all seven seasons of the show, which starred Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Hannah Simone, Lamorne Morris, Damon Wayans Jr. and Megan Fox, are now available for streaming.

To promote the new addition, the network released a fake “Roommates Wanted” ad, noting that the “desired qualities” included “Must be willing to help with pranks,” “always have change at hand to contribute to the d*****bag jar,” and of course, “Must give a cookie if I got you a cookie” — all callbacks to the offbeat show.

Oh, “dealbreakers” include “Doesn’t like cats” and “doesn’t like Dirty Dancing.”

Oh, and rent is a reasonable $4.99 a month — which is, not coincidentally, Peacock’s subscription price.

Meanwhile, in a new chat with WSJ. Magazine, Zooey expressed of a potential New Girl reboot, “It kind of depends on the circumstance. I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my life doing reboots, but I definitely had a wonderful time and would be very happy to revisit.”

Check out photos from Morgan Wallen’s tour kickoff shows

April 17, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Morgan Wallen kicked off the stateside leg of his One Thing At A Time World Tour with back-to-back shows in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 14 and April 15.

A whopping 39,609 fans saw Morgan’s performance on April 14 at Milwaukee’s MLB American Family Field, as stated in a press release.

“Milwaukee, I reckon we call that a successful trip,” the “You Proof” singer wrote on Instagram with photos from both shows.

Morgan’s next One Thing At A Time World Tour stop is Louisville, Kentucky, on April 20, and two consecutive nights in Oxford, Mississippi, on April 22 and April 23.

One Thing At A Time is Morgan’s third full-length album. The 36-song record, which dropped in March, includes the hit singles “Last Night,” “You Proof,” “Thought You Should Know” and the title track, which is approaching the top 10 on the country charts.

For a full list of tour dates and to get tickets to Morgan’s upcoming shows, visit his website.

Judge denies Trump’s request for delay in E. Jean Carroll defamation, battery trial

April 17, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A federal judge in New York on Monday denied former President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to delay the trial in the defamation and battery case brought by former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll.

Carroll sued Trump in November, alleging he defamed her by calling her a liar when he denied her claim that Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. She added a charge of battery under a recently adopted New York law that allows adult survivors of sexual abuse to sue their alleged attacker regardless of the statute of limitations.

Trump has repeatedly denied Carroll’s allegations.

Trump sought a one-month delay of the trial, slated to begin on April 25, arguing a “cooling off” period was necessary following intense media coverage of his criminal indictment in Manhattan last month in connection with an alleged hush money payment to an adult film actress.

The judge called the suggestion that the coverage could preclude the selection of a fair jury “pure speculation.”

“There is no justification for an adjournment,” Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled. “This case is entirely unrelated to the state prosecution.”

The judge included a pointed reminder that the postponement Trump sought may be a mixed blessing.

“Events happen during postponements. Sometimes they can make matters worse,” Kaplan wrote in this decision, noting the multiple criminal and investigations Trump faces.

“Developments in at least one of these matters, as well as actions and statements by Mr. Trump in relation to any, may well give rise to intense publicity that, in some respects, Mr. Trump might claim to be prejudicial in this case,” the judge said. “Mr. Trump’s suggestion that a one-month trial postponement in this case would ensure the absence of any such developments in the period immediately preceding jury selection is not realistic.”

Jay-Z releases reworked version of “Empire State of Mind”

April 17, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Jay-Z‘s put a twist on the 2009 track “Empire State of Mind,” replacing Alicia Keys‘ chorus with a snippet from Gil Scott Heron‘s “New York is Killing Me.”

Titled “New York (Concept de Paris),” the release comes after his performance of the song at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in support of the Basquiat x Warhol. Painting Four Hands exhibition. He also took the stage with live renditions of “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” “Never Change,” “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love),” “Excuse Me Miss,” “Can I Live” and “U Don’t Know.”

“New York (Concept de Paris)” is now available on DSPs.

McCarthy tells Wall Street House GOP will vote on debt ceiling increase with spending cuts

April 17, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Speaking at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the House will vote in “the coming weeks” on legislation to raise the debt ceiling and cut federal spending as he continued to blame President Joe Biden for not negotiating and accused him of “misleading the public.”

“I want to talk to you about the debate that’s not happening in Washington but should be happening over our national debt. It’s a debate that directly affects the lives of every American,” McCarthy said.

His latest salvo in the showdown comes as the White House has warned that, if House Republicans fail to pass a debt ceiling increase by this summer with no budget cuts attached, it would create financial chaos in world markets.

McCarthy said a $31 trillion debt is “too high” and the “problem is getting worse, not better.”

“Without exaggeration, America’s debt is a ticking time bomb that will detonate unless we take serious, responsible action. Yet how has President Biden reacted to this issue? He’s done nothing. So, in my view, he’s been irresponsible,” McCarthy said.

Biden and McCarthy met 75 days ago on Feb. 1, but the two leaders have not met or spoken about the debt ceiling since — beyond trading claims to reporters.

The president has not budged on his refusal to negotiate over the debt limit and has dismissed GOP efforts to combine a debt ceiling vote to a deal on the budget.

“Mr. President, with all due respect, enough is enough. This is not how the leader of the free world should act. Your partisan political games are provoking the very crisis you claim you want to avoid greater dependency on China, increasing inflation, and threatening Medicare and Social Security,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy says defaulting on our debt is “not an option” but blames the Biden administration for not engaging in negotiations with House Republicans.

“Make no mistake: The longer President Biden waits to be sensible, to find agreement, the more likely it becomes that his administration will bumble into the first default in our nation’s history,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy says a “no strings attached” debt limit increase will not pass.

“In the coming weeks, the House will vote on a bill to lift the debt ceiling into next year, save taxpayers trillions of dollars, make us less dependent on China, and curb high inflation — all without touching Social Security or Medicare,” McCarthy said.

He claimed the bill will limit federal spending, economic dependence on China, and the growth of spending over the next 10 years to 1% annual growth. The bill will also “claw back” billions of dollars in unused COVID-19 related spending, he said.

“Our proposal will also include restoring work requirements that ensure able-bodied adults without dependents earn a paycheck and learn new skills. That will grow our economy and help the supply chain,” McCarthy said.

This bill will be dead on arrival in the Senate. McCarthy is hoping this will bring Biden to the negotiating table.

Ahead of McCarthy’s speech on Monday, the White House accused him of “holding the economy and full faith and credit of the United States hostage.”

“Speaker McCarthy is holding the full faith and credit of the United States hostage, threatening our economy and hardworking Americans’ retirement,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a written statement. “A speech isn’t a plan, but it’s clear that extreme MAGA Republicans’ wish lists will impose devastating cuts on hardworking families, send manufacturing overseas, take health care and food assistance away from millions of people, and increase energy costs — all while adding trillions to the debt with tax cuts skewed to the super-wealthy and corporations.”

Bates drew attention to when former Presidents Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan spoke out against debt-ceiling brinksmanship. And he noted that reporting on what McCarthy might call for in his speech “has shown no consensus within the Republican conference.”

“MAGA House Republicans can’t even agree what they are holding the debt limit hostage over,” Bates wrote. “Their proposals are all over the map, but they all have one thing in common: devastating cuts to programs that working families rely on to lower costs and make ends meet.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was also slated to respond to McCarthy’s New York Stock Exchange speech, with his office saying that on Monday he’ll call on McCarthy “to stop the partisan games and show us his plan to avoid defaulting on our national debt and provoking global financial catastrophe.”

McCarthy closed out his speech on Monday saying, “Well, if there’s one thing I hope America has learned about me in these first 100 days since I was elected speaker, it’s this: I will never give up.”

He said he has “full confidence that if we limit” federal spending, the U.S. will end dependence on China, curb inflation and protect Social Security and Medicare for the next generation.

“I’m here to tell you I want a responsible, sensible debt ceiling that puts us on an economic path to make America stronger. That works for every American. But that cannot happen if the president continues to ignore the problem and he can’t continue any longer. The day is coming. I do not want to see this president bumble into a default. I want to sit down and solve the problem together,” McCarthy said.

Eric Clapton announces lineup for his Crossroads Guitar Festival

April 17, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival is returning with a star-studded lineup of guitarists joining him. The seventh installment of the festival will take place September 23 and 24 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the first time the festival is being held since 2019.

Clapton will play both nights of the festival, with the lineup made up of artists like ZZ Top, Robbie Robertson, Santana, Stephen Stills, Gary Clark, Jr., John Mayer Trio, Sheryl Crow, Robert Randolph, Roger McGuinn, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Vaughan, Joe Bonamassa, Jakob Dylan and many more.

Proceeds from the shows, as well as an online auction, benefit The Crossroads Centre at Antigua, a rehab facility founded by Clapton.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Friday, April 21, at 10 a.m. local time. More information, including the complete lineup, can be found at crossroadsguitarfestival.com.

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