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Workers clash with police at iPhone factory in China

November 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(HONG KONG) — Violent clashes erupted between workers and hazmat-suited police officers at China’s so-called “iPhone city,” where about half of Apple’s smartphones are assembled.

Accounts on Chinese social media point to a combination of strict “zero-COVID” measures, a brewing labor dispute and the pressure for factory workers to deliver ahead of a busy holiday season that caused frustration among employees at the manufacturing plant in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou.

Videos that appear to show hundreds of angry workers throwing sticks and bricks at security forces and then officers subduing and beating protestors popped up on Chinese social media Tuesday night into Wednesday as quickly as Chinese government censors raced to delete them.

The enormous factory complex is operated by Foxconn, the Taiwanese company that is the world’s largest technology manufacturer.

COVID-19 infections across China are nearing record levels this week, testing Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s signature “zero-COVID” strategy — a program that seeks to track and eliminate every new COVID case — as well as the slowing Chinese economy.

In late October, tens of thousands of Foxconn workers walked off the job at the same factory fearing a COVID lockdown after widespread claims that the city of Zhengzhou had mismanaged a COVID-19 outbreak. This led to Apple issuing a statement earlier this month that shipments of its latest lineup of iPhones will be “temporarily impacted” by COVID restrictions in China.

In an effort to keep remaining workers to stay on, the local government and Foxconn offered generous incentives and started an aggressive recruitment drive for new workers willing to move to the Zhengzhou campus.

Recruitment ads circulating on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, touted a 6,000 to 10,000 Yuan (roughly $840 to $1400) signing bonus. Those ads began being censored late in the day Wednesday.

Last week, an executive at the Foxconn campus told the Chinese business outlet Yicai that they had successfully recruited more than 100,000 new workers who began arriving from around China last weekend.

Video on TikTok-like app Kuaishou said the workers who arrived over the weekend having to first quarantine at an isolation facility for four days.

When the new crop of workers emerged out of quarantine, many started to accuse Foxconn on social media of changing the terms of their contract and withholding the incentive bonus until they work through May of next year.

Foxconn in a statement to ABC News acknowledged the “violence” at the plant and said “on the evening of November 22, some new hires to the Zhengzhou Park campus appealed to the company regarding the work allowance, which they had doubts about.”

The statement added, “[Foxconn] has emphasized that the allowance has always been fulfilled based on contractual obligation.”

Foxconn also highlighted “speculation” among the new recruits that they would be sharing dorms with COVID positive employees, calling it “untrue.”

The new employees will only be allowed in once a government inspection clears the facility, the company said.

Foxconn said that they “will continue to communicate with employees and the government to prevent similar incidents from happening again.”

Machine Gun Kelly premieres new song ”Taurus” from upcoming movie

November 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Machine Gun Kelly has premiered a new song called “Taurus,” recorded for the upcoming movie of the same name.

The track features guest vocals by Naomi Wild, who, along with Kelly, stars in Taurus. It’s available now via digital outlets and is accompanied by a video, streaming now on YouTube, that features footage from the film.

In Taurus, MGK plays a character named Cole, a “rising but troubled musician.” The film premiered earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival and is out now in select theaters and on-demand.

The song “Taurus” follows Kelly’s new album Mainstream Sellout, which dropped in March. The record is up for Best Rock Album at the 2023 Grammys, and Kelly just took home Favorite Rock Artist at the 2022 American Music Awards.

(Video contains uncensored profanity)

Debbie Gibson’s taking her ‘Winterlicious’ holiday album on the road

November 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The day after Thanksgiving, Debbie Gibson kicks off her Winterlicious tour in support of her new holiday album of the same name. It’s actually Debbie’s first-ever Christmas project, because unlike most teen stars, she refused to strike while the iron was hot.

“I didn’t want to churn out a holiday album just to capitalize on my success, which I feel like a lot of artists were doing at that time,” she tells ABC Audio. “Their labels were like, ‘Quick, let’s get out the holiday record and cash in!’ That I knew I didn’t want to do.”

After years of acting and doing stage musicals, returning to recording, playing Las Vegas and battling health issues, Debbie says, “I woke up and it’s like, ‘Oh my God, yeah, it is 36 years later. Here I am now. OK, well, let’s do it now.'”

The album features holiday favorites, duets with her pal Joey McIntyre and her father, and new original songs Debbie wrote. For the tour, she’s mixing them together with her her past hits, like “Shake Your Love” and “Lost In Your Eyes,” some of which will get holiday makeovers.

“I am working out some arrangements of my hits to fit the vibe of the holiday album,” she says. For example, she’s reworking “Only In My Dreams” to match the “campfire” vibe of one of the new songs, “Christmas Dreams,” so she can do them as a “little dream medley.”

As for that album title, if something is “winterlicious,” what does it taste like? Debbie explains:

“Winterlicious is, like, a drink and a smell for me, and it involves peppermint and vanilla and chocolate,” she laughs. “It’s kind of like the pumpkin spice latte of the holiday season!”

Bruce Springsteen ties John Mayer for ‘Billboard’ chart record

November 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Bruce Springsteen has just landed another chart milestone. The Boss’ latest album, Only The Strong Survive, tops the Billboard Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts this week, moving 40,000 equivalent album units.

The new number one marks the eighth time Bruce has topped both of these charts since they began in 2006. He first reached number one on them with 2007’s Magic.

Springsteen is now tied with John Mayer for the most number ones on the Top Rock and Alternative Albums charts. The Beatles, Coldplay, Dave Matthews and Tom Petty are just behind them, with six each.

In addition to the album chart success, two songs from Only The Strong Survive land on the Rock Digital Song Sales chart this week. “Nightshift” lands at eight, while “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” is at 16.

After Wednesday’s finale, ‘Andor’ executive producer Tony Gilroy teases what’s in store for season 2

November 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

On Wednesday, the longest Star Wars TV series to date, Andor, wraps up on Disney+.

The show, which shows the early days of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story‘s Cassian Andor and his journey to the Rebellion, was co-produced by Diego Luna and executive produced by Tony Gilroy, the man credited with turning around the messy production on Rogue, and turning the film into one of the most-loved Star Wars movies in a generation.

The well-received 12-episode series scored a follow-up, with shooting already underway on a sophomore season. ABC Audio asked Gilroy what he could say about the new season.

As it turns out, the show will span many years and lead right into the moment we first met Cassian, when he interrogated — and eventually kills — a contact who had secret information for him.

Gilroy explains, “When we finish episode 12…it’ll still be four years until the events of Rogue One. And in the second half of the show [there’s] another 12 episodes.” [I]nstead of covering one year, we’ll cover four years,” he continued. “And we will — I mean, there’s no secret — we’re going to walk him in, the last scene of the show, be him walking to the ship to go to the Rings of Kafrene to go see Danny Mays [who played Tivik] at the beginning of Rogue.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

NIH launches website for reporting at-home COVID test results

November 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHIGTON) — The National Institutes of Health has launched a website MakeMyTestCount.org which allows people to anonymously report the results of any brand of at-home COVID-19 test.

The website is a collaboration between the NIH and a healthcare technology company, CareEvolution.

Data collected is anonymous and sent to public health systems that receive test results from laboratories and doctor’s offices. Users provide general information such as age and zip code and have the option to include race, ethnicity, sex, and symptoms, but it is not required.

Given the rise of at-home tests, accurately tracking the number of COVID-19 cases has become increasingly difficult. This new website may help provide scientists with a clearer picture of how many people are testing positive and may not require medical care which would normally alert public health systems of the positive test. More accurate data may allow public health departments to modify responses to address outbreaks and spread.

A study done in March suggested at-home test use varies by demographics. COVID at-home test use was highest among persons who identified as white, adults aged 30–39 years, those with annual household incomes of $150,000, and those with postgraduate degrees.

From financiers to UFO believers, scores of GOP megadonors are flocking to DeSantis

November 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(TALLAHASSEE, FL) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appears to be eying a run for the presidency in 2024, cruised to reelection this month with the backing of a Rolodex of wealthy GOP donors — topped by an aerospace mogul who says that UFOs are real and that space aliens are here on Earth, “right under people’s noses.”

Robert Bigelow, a Las Vegas hotel executive who went on to found Bigelow Aerospace with the goal of building the first commercial space station, donated a record $10 million to a political action committee supporting DeSantis’ reelection campaign in what was the state’s single largest political donation ever made by an individual, according to campaign filings.

The donation, which was Bigelow’s first major contribution to a Florida candidate, made him DeSantis’ single biggest individual benefactor over the last two years.

After making relatively modest political donations in prior years, Bigelow ramped up his donations in 2022, writing six- to seven-figure checks to a variety of Republican causes across the country, including donating a combined $8 million to a super PAC supporting Nevada Republicans running for Congress, and giving $2 million to the GOP-aligned super PAC Club for Growth Action.

Although he made no contributions during the last election cycle to former President Donald Trump or Trump’s other fundraising vehicles, Bigelow gave contributions to a super PAC supporting Trump-endorsed Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker, and a PAC connected to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

Bigelow, who has been a vocal advocate in the search for extraterrestrial life, told CBS’ 60 Minutes in 2017 that he is “absolutely convinced” that aliens exist and that “there has been, and is, an existing presence” of UFOs.

“I spent millions and millions and millions — I probably spent more as an individual than anybody else in the United States has ever spent on this subject,” Bigelow told 60 Minutes. His company was part of a multimillion-dollar Pentagon program that investigated UFO sightings, according to The New York Times, which said the program reported no conclusions about the origin of unidentified objects.

His record contribution to DeSantis puts Bigelow on a long list of wealthy supporters who could support the Florida governor if he and Trump face off in the 2024 presidential primary. GOP megadonors who have already endorsed DeSantis for 2024 include billionaire financier Ken Griffin, who after Election Day this month told Politico, “I think it’s time to move on to the next generation.”

Griffin, who was the GOP’s biggest donor at the federal level during the 2022 election cycle, previously gave $100,000 to Trump’s 2016 inaugural committee and has continued to donate to the Republican National Committee, which been closely aligned with Trump.

But Griffin was the second largest individual donor, after Bigelow, to a pro-DeSantis PAC, donating $5 million early in the election cycle. He later gave another $5 million to the Republican Party of Florida, which was a major supporter of DeSantis’ campaign.

Other big-name Trump supporters who became major DeSantis supporters this past cycle include financier Walter Buckley Jr., who donated $1.3 million to DeSantis’ PAC; Home Depot cofounder Bernard Marcus, who donated $500,000; and shipping executive Richard Uihlein, who, together with his wife, donated a combined $1 million, according to filings.

The longtime conservative PAC Club for Growth also contributed $2 million to DeSantis’ PAC this past cycle.

Of note, Florida supermarket heiress Julie Fancelli — a major Trump donor who reportedly helped fund the Jan. 6 rally on the Ellipse — also supported DeSantis in recent years, giving a total of roughly $59,000 to his PAC in 2018 and 2019.

Buoyed by support like this, allies of DeSantis last week registered a new super PAC dubbed “Ron to the Rescue” to back his potential presidential run. The organization has already launched its first round of digital ad campaigns and this week is launching its first television ads in Iowa, only a week after Trump announced last Tuesday that he was running again in 2024.

“Right after last Tuesday, my phone was exploding with supporters urging us to move forward again and get the governor’s back,” said California-based GOP operative John Thomas, who had been working on and off to organize the super PAC over the last year.

“The only way we saw Gov. DeSantis having a meaningful path against Trump or to the nomination was if the Republicans didn’t win the majorities in the midterms and Trump-backed candidates dramatically underperformed,” Thomas said. “Not only is that exactly what ended up happening, but on the flip side, Gov. DeSantis not only got reelected but he created his own self-made red tsunami in Florida, turning it from a swing state to a red state.”

Thomas said backers of the new super PAC include “some former Donald Trump donors” as well as “traditional DeSantis supporters.” He said a “prominent law enforcement union” is also “financially supporting” the super PAC and endorsing DeSantis.

Dropping today on Peacock, ‘Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin’

November 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Adam Devine returns as Pitch Perfect scene stealer Bumper Allen in the new Peacock spin-off series Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, which debuts Wednesday.

The series sees Bumper re-teaming with Flula Borg‘s Piëter Krämer when one of Bumper’s songs goes big in Germany.

Devine calls it “crazy” the “love” people still have for Pitch Perfect, which came out in 2012. “You know…my role was pretty small in the first movie and Rebel [Wilson] and I actually improvised our relationship in the first movie…,” he says. “So it’s crazy to see how popular the movies have become and how it was so popular that now we have a spin-off series…”

Devine’s Modern Family love interest Sarah Hyland plays Heidi, Bumper’s quirky assistant, who reveals she’s been hiding some skills of her own on the mic. She tells ABC Audio she “leapt with every fiber of her being” to be in the show.

She enthused, “The Pitch Perfect franchise is so iconic and such a big moment in pop culture, really. So it’s, it’s, it’s really amazing to be able to be a small part of that now. And yeah, I got to sing for the first time professionally and in a really long time, and I was really, really excited to be able to hopefully show that off in a, in a good way for me.”

She and Devine perform Ryan Tedder‘s original song “Know My Name” in the series, something Hyland told ABC Audio she was “honored” to do. “I was so lucky enough to sing that,” she said. “He’s written some of the biggest songs out there”

The series also stars She-Hulk star Jameela Jamil as a scheming competitor, and model/actress Lera Abova as Piëter’s cool Berlin DJ sister.

Number of US abortions declined in 2020, CDC report finds

November 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The number of abortions performed in the U.S. decline in 2020, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The annual report, published Wednesday by the CDC, looks at how common abortion is in the United States and who is getting the procedure.

In total, 620,327 abortions were reported during 2020, a 2% decline from 2019. This data includes every state aside from California, Maryland and New Hampshire.

The rate of abortions also declined to 11.2 per 1,000 women between ages 15 and 44 in 2020, a drop from 11.4 per 1,000 the year before.

Women in their 20s accounted for more than half of all abortions in 2020 at 57.2%. Specifically, women between ages 25 and 29 made up 29.3% and women between ages 20 and 24 made up 27.9% of those who had an abortion.

In addition, of all women who had abortions that year, 86.3% were unmarried and 60.9% already had at least one child, according to the report.

Comparatively, teenagers under age 15 and women aged 40 or older accounted for the fewest abortions in 2020 at 0.2% and 3.7%, respectively.

When looking at abortions in the U.S. by race and ethnicity, large disparities could be seen.

Although white women and Black women each accounted for the highest number of abortions in 2020 — making up about one-third each — the rates were dramatically different.

Black women had an abortion rate nearly four times higher than that of white women at 24 abortions per 1,000 Black women compared to 6.2 abortions per 1,000 white women.

Additionally, while Hispanic women made up a smaller share of the abortions performed in 2020 at 21%, the abortion rate was 1.8 times that of white women at 11.4 abortions per 1,000 Hispanic women.

According to the CDC, reasons for these disparities include unequal access to family planning services, poverty and mistrust of the medical system.

The report also examined how far along women were when they received abortions. The overwhelming majority of abortions in 2020, 80.9%, were performed at or before nine weeks’ gestation. In 2020, 93.1% of abortions were performed before the second trimester.

About half of all abortions, 51%, were medical abortions in 2020 followed by surgical abortions at or before 13 weeks at 40%.

Additionally, the report discussed abortion trends from 2011 to 2020. Data showed the total number of abortions declined by 15% and the rate per 1,000 women decreased by 18% — with that rate decline seen across all age groups.

Particularly, the decrease in abortion rate was highest among adolescents aged 15 to 19, dropping by 48% between 2011 and 2020.

The authors did not state whether the drop in 2020 occurred because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions nor did they discuss what may be seen after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — which guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion — this summer.

However, they did write that abortion surveillance is “to help evaluate programs aimed at promoting equitable access to patient-centered contraceptive care in the United States to reduce unintended pregnancies.”

Def Leppard share live video for “Kick

November 23, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Def Leppard is giving fans a taste of their live show without having to shell out money for a ticket.

The band just dropped the new video for the track “Kick,” which is a live performance clip from their 2022 The Stadium Tour with Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.

“Kick” was the first single from the band’s most recent album, Diamond Star Halos.

Next up for Def Leppard, they bring their tour with Mötley Crüe to Latin America and Europe in 2023, with dates kicking off February 18th in Mexico City, Mexico.

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