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Mississippi Senate passes ban on transgender health care for minors

February 21, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(JACKSON, Miss.) — A bill banning gender-affirming care for people under the age of 18 is heading to the desk of Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves.

The bill, passed by the Mississippi Senate on Tuesday, would restrict access to gender-affirming hormone therapy and puberty blockers for people age 17 or younger. The bill also passed the House in January.

In 2021, Reeves passed an anti-trans sports bill that barred transgender girls from playing on teams that align with their gender identity.

According to the Madison County Journal, Reeves has signaled support for the bill, saying “I look forward to signing this legislation to protect Mississippi kids from this woke ideology that is trying to be pressed upon kids across America.”

If signed, Mississippi would be at least the fifth state to implement a law against gender-affirming care for minors. This includes Alabama, Utah, South Dakota, and Arkansas. Florida did not pass a law, but instead restricted this care via the state Board of Medicine.

Laws in Alabama and Arkansas are being battled in the courts.

Studies have shown that gender-affirming care is safe and effective for transgender or nonbinary youth, and that such care improve patients’ mental health and self confidence.

LGBTQ people and activists say that gender-affirming care can be “life-saving” for transgender youth who already face higher risks of suicide, substance abuse, bullying and poor mental health outcomes due to discrimination.

Supporters of these bans suggest that transgender youth should wait until they are adults before making decisions about gender-affirming care. In other states, some proposed bills begin to restrict care even into young adulthood, up to the ages of 21 or 26.

Several major national medical associations recommend gender-affirming care, with the American Medical Association calling it “medically necessary.”

Critics are urging Reeves to veto the bill.

“Mississippi lawmakers are insisting that they know what’s best for transgender youth and ignoring the recommendations of every major medical association,” said Jensen Luke Matar, Executive Director of The TRANS Program in Mississippi in a statement.

“Patients, along with their health care providers – not politicians – should decide what medical care is in the best interest of a patient. I know from years of working directly with trans youth in Mississippi that they need support, love, and affirmation – not this brazen political attack that cuts off their access to life-saving care,” Matar continued.

Malcolm X’s family to file $100 million wrongful death lawsuit, alleging cover up of his murder

February 21, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Malcolm X’s family to file 0 million wrongful death lawsuit, alleging cover up of his murder

(NEW YORK) — The family of Malcolm X announced Tuesday they intend to file a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against U.S. government agencies and the NYPD for allegedly concealing evidence related to the assassination of the civil rights leader, who was shot and killed while speaking at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City on Feb. 21, 1965.

Two of Malcom X’s daughters, along with their attorneys Ben Crump and Ray Hamlin, spoke out at a press conference at The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center in New York City on Tuesday, nearly six decades after their father’s death.

Ilyasah Shabazz, Malcolm X’s daughter, said that the family is seeking “justice” for a man “who gave his life for human rights.”

“For years our family has fought for the truth to come to light concerning his murder, and we’d like our father to receive the justice that he deserves,” she said. “The truth about the circumstances leading to the death of our father is important – not only to his family, but to many followers, many admirers … And it is our hope that litigation of this case will finally provide some unanswered questions. We want justice served for our father.”

Crump said that the lawsuit will name the city of New York, the state of New York, the FBI and the CIA as defendants.

“If the government compensated the two gentlemen that were wrongfully convicted for the assassination of Malcolm X with tens of millions of dollars, then what is to be the compensation for the daughters who suffered the most from the assassination of Malcolm X?” Crump said.

The NYPD and the FBI declined to comment on pending litigation in response to requests from ABC News. ABC News reached out to the FBI, CIA, the state of New York and the City of New York, but requests for comment were not immediately returned.

Muhammad Abdul Aziz and Khalil Islam – the two men who were exonerated in the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X – received a $36 million settlement in Oct. 2022 after lawsuits were filed on their behalf in 2021 against both the city and the state of New York.

New York City agreed to pay $26 million in settling a lawsuit filed on behalf of Aziz and also Islam, who was exonerated posthumously in the killing. Meanwhile, the state of New York also agreed to pay an additional $10 million.

A New York City Law Department spokesman told ABC News in Oct. 2022 that the settlement “brings some measure of justice to individuals who spent decades in prison and bore the stigma of being falsely accused of murdering an iconic figure.”

“Based on our review, this office stands by the opinion of former Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance who stated, based on his investigation, that ‘there is one ultimate conclusion: Mr. Aziz and Mr. Islam were wrongfully convicted of this crime,'” he added.

The lawsuits came after Vance, the former district attorney, moved to vacate the convictions of Aziz and Islam in Nov. 2021 after an investigation found “newly discovered evidence and the failure to disclose exculpatory evidence.”

The two-year probe, which was launched by Vance, attorneys David Shanies and Deb Francois and the Innocence Project, also found that the FBI failed to disclose documents that cast doubt on the involvement of Aziz and Islam in Malcolm X’s murder.

Vance criticized the way law enforcement handled the case and said the investigation revealed that certain witnesses, acting under orders from then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, were instructed not to reveal they were FBI informants.

Vance apologized last year on behalf of law enforcement for “serious, unacceptable violations of law and the public trust.”

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky and Nakylah Carter contributed to this report.

All Time Low livestreaming London album release concert

February 21, 2023 by WDNY Radio

All Time Low has announced a livestream of the band’s upcoming concert at London’s Wembley Arena on March 17.

The show will celebrate the release of ATL’s upcoming album Tell Me I’m Alive, which arrives that same day.

“We’re excited to announce that the Wembley show, our album release celebration, will now be a live stream event for the world to join in,” says frontman Alex Gaskarth. “We know it’s going to be a really special, fun night and we wanted to make sure as many of our fans around the world would have the chance to be involved and participate.”

You’ll be able to watch the stream via the platform On Air. For more info, visit OnAir.events.

Tell Me I’m Alive is the follow-up to 2020’s Wake Up, Sunshine, which spawned the hit “Monsters.” It includes the single “Sleepwalking,” which hit #1 on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart.

All Time Low will launch a U.S. tour in support of Tell Me I’m Alive in May.

Two dead, three injured in explosion at welding company in Florida: Officials

February 21, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(MEDLEY, Fla.) — Two people have died and three others were injured following an explosion in Florida, authorities said on Tuesday.

The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Medley Police Department responded to reports of an explosion at 11350 Northwest South River Drive in Medley, Florida, at 8:42 a.m., the Miami-Dade Police Department said in a news release.

Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters discovered multiple people were on fire, according to a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesperson.

Two people were pronounced dead at the scene and three people were hurt in the fire, Miami-Dade Police Department said. Two were critically injured and were sent to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, according to police.

The explosion and fire happened at a welding company in Medley, according to ABC News Miami affiliate WPLG.

The Miami-Dade Police Department Homicide Bureau and its arson unit are investigating the incident, authorities said.

The incident comes a day after one person was killed and multiple others were injured in a fiery explosion at a manufacturing plant in Ohio.

Steven Mullins, a 46-year-old man from North Ridgeville, Ohio, was found dead at the scene on Monday, said Christopher Harris, external affairs manager of the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office.

There were “multiple burn victims” from inside the plant taken to the hospital, Bedford Heights Police Department Sgt. Robert Majer told ABC News.

Music notes: Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Billie Eilish, Calvin Harris, Macklemore, Katy Perry and more

February 21, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Miley Cyrus celebrated “Flowers” hitting #1 on the Billboard charts by sharing a sizzling bikini snap. “Flowers is #1 @ Pop Radio for the first time & #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 again for the 5th Week in a row! THANK YOU & I LOVE YOU!,” she wrote.

Selena Gomez is toying with going back to her natural, curly hair. Sharing a bare-faced selfie and her full head of curly hair, she wrote, “I liked my hair back then.. should I do it again?”

Billie Eilish announced it’s a little easier to get your hands on her new fragrance, Eilish No. 2, because it’s now being sold at Ulta’s website.

Calvin Harris teased his new collaboration with Ellie Goulding by sharing a video of her singing inside London’s Great St. Bart’s church. “Wow @elliegoulding plus 900 year old church acoustics. New one is on the way,” he wrote. The song is apparently titled “Miracle.”

Macklemore asked his 7-year-old daughter, Sloane, to direct the music video for his song “No Bad Days.” He shared the adorable video of him asking his eldest child to help him out, to which she bursts out into tears and hugs her dad. He captioned the video, “This one is gonna be special.”

Katy Perry has teamed with Peeps candy for a new shoe collection. The sandal collection, aptly named the Peeps Bunny Collection, arrives tomorrow on the Katy Perry Collections website.

Mariah Carey announced in a statement her Black Irish Cream Liquor is going international by expanding to South America and the Caribbean. Previously, the brand was only available in the United States.

Madonna has a message to those who had an issue with her recent Grammys appearance. She tweeted, “Look how cute i am now that swelling from surgery has gone down. Lol.”

Music notes: Adam Levine, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Mariah Carey and Madonna

February 21, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Adam Levine finally showed up in wife Behati Prinsloo‘s Instagram. He reportedly hasn’t made a cameo on her account since September. She shared a photo of them playing the “pop-a-shot” carnival game. The pair recently welcomed their third child but have yet to reveal the baby’s name or gender.

Miley Cyrus celebrated “Flowers” hitting #1 on the Billboard charts by sharing a sizzling bikini snap. “Flowers is#1@ Pop Radio for the first time on the Billboard Hot 100 again for the 5th Week in a row! THANK YOU & I LOVE YOU!,” she wrote.

Katy Perry has teamed with Peeps candy for a new shoe collection. The sandal collection, aptly named the Peeps Bunny Collection, arrives tomorrow on the Katy Perry Collections website.

Madonna has a message to those who had an issue with her recent Grammys appearance. She tweeted a selfie and wrote, “Look how cute i am now that swelling from surgery has gone down. Lol.”

Liam Neeson on why he never played James Bond, and why he’s not “Taken” with superhero movies

February 21, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NOTE LANGUAGE) In a new Rolling Stone interview, Liam Neeson spilled some tea about his career, and about one near miss in the form of a certain secret agent with a license to kill.

Neeson explains that while he wasn’t expressly “offered” the role by the James Bond-producing Broccoli family back in the day, he might have been had his deceased wife, Natasha Richardson, not forbade it.

“I know the Broccolis. They looked at a bunch of actors. Schindler’s List had come out and Barbara [Broccoli] had called me a couple of times to ask if I was interested,” Neeson explained.

“I said, ‘Yes, I would be interested.’ And then my lovely wife, God rest her soul, said to me…’…If you play James Bond, we’re not getting married.'”

He explained, “So I would tease her by going behind her back, making my fingers as though I’m holding a gun,” Neeson said, humming the Bond theme. “I loved doing that s***!” he added with a laugh.

The Taken franchise star commented, “She gave me a James Bond ultimatum. And she meant it! Come on, there’s all those gorgeous girls in various countries getting into bed and getting out of bed. I’m sure a lot of her decision-making was based on that!” he laughed.

Neeson also admitted he’s “not a fan” of superhero movies, though he “admires” the technology that brings them to the big screen. “They all seem to me to be just the same story,” the actor said.

That said, he did appear in Christopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight trilogy. Of that, he said they were the exception. “They had a noir feel to them. And Chris Bale and Gary Oldman? Come on! What a cast. And Michael [Caine] and Morgan [Freeman]? My God!”

Love Sux: Avril Lavigne reportedly calls off engagement to rocker Mod Sun

February 21, 2023 by WDNY Radio

Avril Lavigne and Mod Sun, who got engaged last year, have ended their relationship, sources close to the couple tell People.

An insider tells the publication, “Avril and Mod Sun have been on and off for the past two months, but are no longer together as a couple.” The two were last seen together at a pre-Grammy event in LA.

Avril and Mod Sun, born Derek Smith, first met in 2021 and put out a collaboration called “Flames.” They got engaged in Paris in April of 2022. Mod’s new album God Save the Teen features a track called “Avril’s Song” and a duet with her called “Shelter.” He also appeared on Avril’s 2022 album, Love Sux.

Just a few weeks ago, Mod gushed to E! Online that he’d finally found “a real grown woman who has gone through it all 10 times over and she makes me a better person.” He also said, “I want the person that I’m with and I want a child. I don’t know how many children we are going to have. But those are the numbers that matter to me.”

Had Avril actually made it down the aisle with Mod, it would’ve been her third marriage: She was previously married to Sum 41‘s Deryck Whibley and Nickelback‘s Chad Kroeger.

Ohio abortion rights groups file language for proposed constitutional amendment

February 21, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(COLUMBUS, OH) — Abortion rights supporters in Ohio took the first step Tuesday in potentially getting the issue on the ballot in November in a statewide election.

Two groups — Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights — submitted language to the state Attorney General’s Office that could have residents vote on whether or not they want a constitutional amendment to protect abortion access.

Currently, abortion is legal in Ohio up until 22 weeks’ gestation, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Gov. Mike DeWine signed a law in April 2019 prohibiting abortions after cardiac activity can be detected, which is typically around the six-week mark, before many women even know they’re pregnant.

The law was blocked but temporarily went into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer. However, in October, a judge issued an injunction while litigation plays out.

The proposal from the two groups would amend Article I, Section 22 of Ohio’s constitution and state every individual has a right “to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions” on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one own’s pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion.

The amendment would also prevent state officials from interfering, prohibiting or penalizing a person for making choices related to reproductive health.

“Ohioans are perilously close to losing access to safe, legal, comprehensive reproductive medical care,” OPRR executive director Dr. Lauren Beene said in a statement. “As we saw first-hand when Ohio’s abortion ban went into effect last year, withholding that care puts people’s lives and health at risk.”

Her statement continued, “This commonsense amendment ensures that physicians will be able to provide the care our patients need and deserve free from government interference.”

The move in Ohio comes after five states put abortion on the ballot during the 2022 midterm elections. Voters enshrined abortion rights in their state constitutions in three states — California, Michigan and Vermont — and voted against further restricting access to abortion services in two states — Kentucky and Montana.

It also comes several months after Kansas became the first state to leave abortion up to voters following the Supreme Court’s decision. Residents decisively rejected a bid in August to remove abortion protections from its state constitution.

Anti-abortion groups have vowed to fight the proposed constitutional amendment, including Ohio Right to Life.

“The language of this ballot initiative is extremely vague, making it even more dangerous than we originally believed it would be,” said Elizabeth Marbach, communication director for the group, in a statement. “They believe that they can rewrite our state Constitution to eliminate all protections for the unborn, including abortions after the point at which babies feel pain — endangering the health and wellbeing of both women and children.”

“Kang gotta Kang”: Jonathan Majors “plays hard” as Marvel Studios’ ‘Ant-Man’ threequel baddie

February 21, 2023 by WDNY Radio

While critics were lukewarm at Marvel Studios’ 31st film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, most agreed that a highlight was Jonathan Majors‘ performance as Kang the Conqueror.

At a recent press event, Majors explained how he prepared to play the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest antagonist — which he first did as a variant of his Ant-Man character, this one known as He Who Remains, in Loki.

“You can’t antagonize somebody if you don’t know who they are,” the acclaimed actor explained. “If you don’t know, what’s the opposite of them, if you don’t know what their hopes and dreams are. My objective is to do that, antagonize in order to get what I need to fulfill my life, my dream. And so in Loki, I’m dealing with Tom. This opportunity came to me in lockdown. And so I studied Tom Hiddleston for hours a day, you know? And then when that was done, I went, ‘Okay, Paul Rudd, you’re up!’ You know?”

He continues, “You really have to be very clear about what it is you’re doing, who your character is, the spine of the character, what he’s about…what they’re going after. So you build that. And the rest of it, you just play hard…And if they…turn left, you turn it left, you know…and you’re in.”

He adds with a laugh, “You know, Kang gotta Kang.”

After-credit scenes proved we haven’t seen the last of Kang the Conqueror, who will be a part of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which is slated for a May 2, 2025, release.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania had a $225 million global debut over the weekend.

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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