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EPA Administrator Michael Regan lays out agency’s plans

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Environmental Protection Agency announced last month that the water in Jackson, Mississippi, is now safe to drink, though agency administrator Michael Regan admits that there is still a lot of work to be done.

“The state and the city, the federal government, we’re all at the table with our sleeves rolled up looking for and identifying this path forward,” he told ABC News’ GMA3.

Regan joined GMA3 to talk about his visit to Jackson, his so-called “Journey to Justice” tour across the country and what climate action we can expect from the U.S. moving forward.

In addition to Jackson, Regan has also recently traveled to Egypt to participate in the COP27 conference on climate change, where the U.S. announced it would make significant efforts to curb methane emissions.

GMA3: Joining us now from Jackson, Mississippi, is the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Michael Regan. Thank you so much for being with us. I know you’ve made several trips down there to Jackson. I believe this is your fourth trip. What is the latest information you can share about what’s happening there on the ground?

REGAN: Well, good afternoon and thank you for having me, Amy. You know, this is my fourth trip, and it was a great trip.

The purpose for being there was to host a roundtable, engaged with community members and give them an update on the fact that the state, the federal government and the city are at the table negotiating some near-term solutions that hopefully will be overseen by a federal court if we reach an agreement.

So we are optimistic about moving forward to secure some longer term stability for the drinking water here in Jackson.

GMA3: And I know you’ve been meeting with residents there in Jackson. You’ve been hearing their personal stories about how this has impacted their lives. Can you share some of them with us?

REGAN: Well, I was, you know, my second visit with Miss Ali Anderson yesterday. She invited me back to her home. She’s 98 years old, a lifelong resident of Jackson. And she just walked me through day in and day out what it’s like for her to try to lift these crates of bottled water and how to use bottled water to cook and brush your teeth.

And, you know, she’s extremely frustrated but very optimistic. And she gave me some really sage advice two trips ago, and that is ignore the politics on the ground and focus on solutions. And so that’s why I convened the governor and the mayor and the entire Mississippi delegation to think about how do we chart a path forward. And that’s what we’ve been doing.

GMA3: Is there a permanent solution available or known at this point?

REGAN: You know, we have a lot of options that are on the table. We are in confidential negotiations about how to continue that process. So I can’t go into too many details. But what I can say is I’m optimistic about the path that we’re charting forward and the state and the city, the federal government, we’re all at the table with our sleeves rolled up looking for and identifying this path forward.

GMA3: All right. And Michael, I know you’ve been traveling from Mississippi. You were in Egypt, I believe, just last week for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. And the U.S. made a big announcement regarding methane emissions. Tell us what that announcement was, how it affects all of us here in this country and why this is such a big deal.

REGAN: Well, you know, I was proud that the president announced a number of actions that we’re taking to combat methane, which is a really powerful greenhouse gas pollutant. And the EPA announced that, you know, we’re going to push out supplemental regulation, basically a technology standard that gives us the ability to reduce 87% of the methane coming out of existing facilities and new facilities by 2030.

This is a really big deal because it’s allowing us to leverage technology to reduce this powerful pollutant while also reducing the loss of the gas product itself. And so we partner with industry, we partner with the environmental community, you know, unions, environmental justice community. This is a win-win not only for technology and for reducing pollution, but also for public health. And we’re really excited about that announcement that the president made in Egypt.

GM3: And what is the hope that this will have in terms of impact on the environment, on climate change, by making this big change?

REGAN: Well, you know, the goal worldwide is for us to keep global warming from increasing 1.5 degrees Celsius. We believe that this is a significant step forward to keep us on that path. You know, we have this saying keep 1.5 alive globally and the United States is doing its part. Again, methane is a very powerful pollutant. President Biden said from day one that America was back on the international stage and that we would lead. And he is walking the world through that vision with action and some of the actions that are being taken like this methane proposal. So we’re playing our part and we’re doing it well.

GMA3: I mentioned you’ve been traveling. You actually have legitimately been on a tour. You call it the ‘Journey to Justice’ tour going across the country. Tell us what the tour is and what you’ve learned and what the EPA is doing about getting some of that information from the people you’ve been speaking with.

REGAN: You know, thank you for asking that question. Our ‘Journey to Justice’ tour really is about getting from behind the desk in Washington, D.C., and traveling and meeting people where they are and hearing their stories. My tour started here in Jackson, Mississippi, and went through the Black Belt of the South.

But I’ve also been to Puerto Rico as well. And we’re looking to move to to take a trip to the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia soon. The goal is to really highlight the infrastructure needs, the lack of investment in many of our Black and brown and low-income and tribal communities.

And the reality is, is that we’re finally at a point where we have the resources at the federal level to match to many solutions that these communities have had for decades.

Thanks to the president’s leadership and to Congress, we have a number of historic pieces of legislation that finally give us billions of dollars that we could put into the hands of states, communities, nonprofits to really provide that path forward for clean air and clean water and environmental justice and equity for everyone in this country.

GMA3: Well you are certainly a very busy man. So we appreciate your time today. EPA Administrator Michael Regan, thank you so much.

REGAN: Hey, thank you for having me.

Ingrid Andress isn’t sure kickball’s a sport, but she knows it leads to “Wishful Drinking”

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Kickball can lead to a little “Wishful Drinking” — just ask Ingrid Andress and Sam Hunt.

You see, the pair’s recent number one can be credited to the fact that Ingrid’s boyfriend and Sam both love to play some ball.

“I met Ingrid three or four years ago,” Sam explains. “I played basketball with a group of guys out at a songwriter-buddy’s house and Ingrid dates one of the guys that played ball with us, and he put together this little kickball league.”

“So I joined them a couple of nights playing kickball at one of the Nashville leagues — one of the rec fields in town,” Sam continues, “and met Ingrid and just hit it off with her. She’s great. We had a couple of nights where we were like the substitutes. So we were on the sidelines, just kind of cutting up and hanging out.”

Fast-forward several months to Ingrid sending Sam a song she thought he’d be perfect on: “Wishful Drinking.”

The singer/songwriter confirms Sam’s version of events, even though her opinion of kickball may put her at odds with her significant other.

“Shout out to kickball,” she laughs, adding, “even though to me, it’s not really a real sport.”

“Wishful Drinking” is Ingrid’s second number one, following her breakthrough from a couple years ago, “More Hearts Than Mine.” Meanwhile, Sam’s latest in a string of successful singles, “Water Under the Bridge,” is currently nearing country’s top 25.

Solange Knowles tapped to curate BAM’s 2023 Spring Music Series

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Solange Knowles will be curating the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Spring Music Series, the venue announced on Wednesday.

Through her multidisciplinary creative imprint Saint Heron, the superstar singer/songwriter will select the Academy’s forthcoming concerts, films, performance art showcases, dance shows and theatrical pieces, honoring BAM’s “intergenerational and genre-spanning” impact of forward-minded artists, according to a press release obtained by Billboard.

“We’re excited to work with Solange and her Saint Heron collective for this incredible music series of genre-crossing artists presented in unprecedented ways,” David Binder, BAM’s artistic director said in the statement. “Her experimental, global, and authentic approach consistently pushes the boundary of what performance can be and charts new pathways for audiences to connect. We can’t wait to see how this transpires on our stages.”

The complete list of performances, set to begin in the winter of 2023, will be announced soon.

The “Cranes in the Sky” singer moved into musical composition earlier this year, writing the score for the New York City Ballet’s Play Time, which premiered at the end of September as part of the celebrated dance troupe’s Fall Fashion Gala.

Lindsey Stirling’s new Snow Waltz Tour has aerial tricks, humor, “magical moments” and lots of sparkles

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Ever since she released her 2017 Christmas album, Warmer in the Winter, Lindsey Stirling has been doing Christmas tours. She says not only are the tours now a cherished part of her fans’ holiday traditions, but they’re also a huge part of her own holiday celebration.

“I have heard people say that it’s now, like, a part of their tradition, like, ‘It’s a thing. We do it every year. We come to see your show,'” Lindsey says ahead of this year’s Snow Waltz Tour, which starts Thursday in Grand Prairie, Texas. “I think that’s one of my favorite things about the Christmas tour … it feels like it’s actually part of my tradition now.”

Just like her fans say it’s not Christmas without a Lindsey Stirling tour, the violinist says, “It doesn’t feel like Christmas for me unless I am on tour with my people.”

“Even though we’re on a tour bus and we don’t necessarily have our own full-size Christmas tree, we have our own traditions,” she adds. “And it makes it all the more magical that we get to go out and share, and be a part of other people’s traditions.”

Lindsey says this year’s tour include songs from the new album, plus favorites from past tours. On top of that, she plans to take her stagecraft “to the next level,” noting that she’s been practicing aerial tricks, like hanging on hoops and trapezes.

Plus, she laughs, “There’s humor in the show. There’s magical moments, there’s surprises, lots of choreography [and the] costumes are going to sparkle so much — you just wait.”

Lindsey’s also scheduled a special New Year’s Eve show in Washington, D.C.; tickets go on sale November 18 via lindseystirling.com.

The Moody Blues’ John Lodge reflects on 50th anniversary of ‘Seventh Sojourn’

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

November 17th marks the 50th anniversary of The Moody Blues album Seventh Sojourn, which, according to bassist/vocalist John Lodge, was inspired by Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.

Lodge says he and keyboardist Mike Pinder liked the idea of the characters making a six-day pilgrimage, while sharing various stories during their trek. “What they used to do after they walked for six days, they would sit down on the day of rest and tell everybody stories,” he shares. “And I thought, ‘That’s what our album is about, it’s about us.’”

He adds, “And sojourn means to rest and seven ’cause the seventh album. And so Mike and I were talking about it and we [decided], ’Yep, Seventh Sojourn, that’s the album title.’”

The album features the band’s big hit “I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band),” which was born out of the realization their fans looked up to them as saviors or prophets, when they were anything but. He says one time after a tour he found people in his front yard who told him, “We’re waiting for the spaceship to come, and you’ll be flying it.”

“And I said, ‘I don’t think so, so I won’t be flying anything.’ And they said, ‘No, but you will be,'” Lodge explains. “And I suddenly thought, ‘Hang on, I don’t know anything more than you guys. You know, I’m just a singer in a rock and roll band. That’s all I am.'”

‘Fleishman is in Trouble’ cast dishes on the new FX dramedy

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The new FX dramedy, Fleishman is in Trouble, premieres Thursday, starring Jesse Eisenberg as a doctor and a father whose marriage recently fell apart. So what kind of trouble is Fleishman in? Show creator Taffy Brodesser-Akner gave ABC Audio a sneak peek.

“His recent ex-wife dropped off his kids a day early for his custodial weekend. And she does not appear to be coming back,” she spilled. “He is left to deal with a child care crisis, an emotional crisis, a child psychology crisis. And he has to figure out what happened and how things could have gone so wrong without him understanding them.”

Eisenberg adds, “the show seems more about like a marriage, what it’s like to be married and righteous, what it’s like to kind of hold on to something that is slipping away, that you know, were hoping would be sustainable in a relationship.”

Fleishman is in Trouble comes at a time when antisemitism is more pervasive than ever, in the modern era. And while the show isn’t about Judaism specifically, it does feature Jewish characters and actors, including Lizzy Caplan and Adam Brody, who are freaked out by the current climate.

“It’s horrifying,” Caplan shared. “I mean, there’s nothing else to say other than for the first time in my life, it’s the thing that I think about in a real world fearful way.”

Brody echoed the same feelings, adding, “It’s the first time I’ve gone, like — and again, very privileged, so, you know, I don’t want to seem so naïve — but for me to go, wow, this is a real, pervasive thing right now that again is in vogue, is like a is very popular right now. That’s something.”

Amazon begins layoffs of workers on devices team

November 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Amazon began layoffs on Wednesday of workers on its devices team, which focuses on products like its voice-operated Alexa, Dave Limp, senior vice president of devices and services, said in a memo.

The move adds the company to a list of major tech firms that have imposed job cuts in recent weeks, including Facebook-parent Meta and Twitter.

The memo did not provide details on the scale of the layoffs, but the job losses arrive at a time when the company typically expands its workforce during the busy holiday season.

“We continue to face an unusual and uncertain macroeconomic environment,” the memo said. “After a deep set of reviews, we recently decided to consolidate some teams and programs.”

“In cases where employees cannot find a new role within the company, we will support the transition with a package that includes a separation payment, transitional benefits and external job placement support,” the memo added.

The layoffs follow major job cuts at other big tech firms, as industry titans retreat from record sales attained during the pandemic, when billions across the world were forced into isolation. Customers stuck at home came to rely on delivery services like e-commerce and virtual connections formed through social media and videoconferencing.

However, persistent recession fears, rising interest rates and a shift back toward a pre-pandemic lifestyle have crunched the tech sector.

Under new owner Elon Musk, Twitter laid off roughly half of its 7,500-person workforce, citing losses of about $4 million each day.

Days later, Meta announced that it would cut about 11,000 employees, which amounts to roughly 13% of its workforce. The company reported a second consecutive quarter of declining sales last month.

Lyft, Netflix, Coinbase, Salesforce, Microsoft and Snap are among a slew of other tech companies that have cut workers this year.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq has fallen more than 25% in 2022. Shares in Amazon are down 18% this year.

Third-quarter earnings released by Amazon last month fell short of analyst expectations for revenue, sending the stock down 13% in extended trading on the day of the announcement.

Other roommates home when 4 Idaho college students were stabbed to death

November 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(MOSCOW, Idaho) — Police in Moscow, Idaho, are pleading with the public to help them find the unknown suspect who stabbed four University of Idaho students to death in a house near campus.

“That individual is still out there,” Moscow Police Chief James Fry said during a news conference Wednesday. “We cannot say there is no threat to the community.”

The victims were killed with a knife in “an isolated, targeted attack”, Fry said.

The students, who were killed early Sunday morning and found hours later, were identified as Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Arizona; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho.

Two other roommates were home at the time of the crime, and they were not hurt, Fry said. It was not a hostage situation, he added.

Those roommates were home when police responded to a call for an unconscious individual at about noon on Sunday, Fry said.

Police said they are working to determine the victims’ timeline Saturday night.

Chapin and Kernodle were at a party on campus while Goncalves and Mogen were at a downtown bar that night, Fry said.

Chapin didn’t live in the house but was sleeping over with his girlfriend, Kernodle, according to his mother, Stacy Chapin.

Goncalves and Mogen had been best friends since childhood and “did everything together,” Goncalves’ sister, Alivia Goncalves, told ABC News.

She said she finds some solace that the friends were together in their final moments.

Autopsies are taking place Wednesday, Fry said.

He urged anyone with information about the victims’ whereabouts to call the tip line at 208-883-7180.

Up to 4 feet of lake-effect snow forecast for Buffalo, New York

November 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — Western New York is bracing for a “significant” lake-effect snowstorm that could dump up to 4 feet of snow in the Buffalo region over the coming days.

A lake-effect snow warning is in effect starting 7 p.m. Wednesday through 1 a.m. Saturday for southern Erie County.

The long-duration event is also expected in the east and southeast Great Lakes region, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Up to 4 feet of snow is possible for the region by Saturday morning. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph are also forecast.

“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” the National Weather Service in Buffalo warned. “The hazardous conditions will impact the commutes from Thursday morning through Friday evening.”

Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour are forecast for the Thursday morning commute.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced she plans to issue a state of emergency that will into effect Thursday morning and will deploy emergency response assets ahead of the storm.

“Hazardous travel conditions and local power outages as a result of the storm are likely due to the combination of snow, ice and wind in the forecast,” her office said in a statement Wednesday.

Parts of the New York State Thruway will also be closed to commercial traffic starting at 4 p.m. Thursday, she said.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz advised private businesses and schools to close on Friday if the forecast holds.

“We are gonna have a doozy,” he said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

Lake-effect snow is common in the late fall and early winter along the downwind shores of the Great Lakes, which is caused by cold air flowing over the warmer waters of the Great Lakes.

In November 2014, more than 5 feet of lake-effect snow fell just east of Buffalo, in what was one of the most significant winter events in the city’s history, according to the National Weather Service. A second lake-effect event days later dropped another 1 to 4 feet of snow in the same area, bringing the total from the two storms to nearly 7 feet, it said.

Beyond Buffalo, snow is also expected over upper New England on Wednesday, with winter weather advisories issued for the area.

Upstate New York, northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are expected to see more than 3 inches of fresh snow, with more than 6 inches expected in northern Maine. More than a foot is possible along the Canadian border in Maine.

ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke and Brian Hartman contributed to this report.

GOP projected to retake control of the House in key win after Democrats held Senate

November 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Republicans are projected to retake control of the House in the midterm elections, breaking Democrats’ unified control of the federal government, ABC News reports.

Despite other midterm disappointments, that marks a major victory for the party that’s been the chamber’s minority since 2019 — and will be a blow to President Joe Biden’s agenda in Congress.

Democrats already won control of the Senate, securing 50 seats with the opportunity to gain one more in the Georgia runoff next month between incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and his Republican opponent, Herschel Walker.

But Republicans, who will take over in the House in January, will now be able to block White House legislative priorities, decide what bills come to the chamber floor and have the opportunity to launch committee investigations into the Biden administration.

Several House Republicans have already said they intend to investigate Hunter Biden, the president’s son, and look into the administration’s policies on COVID-19 and the southern border.

The GOP House leader, California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, was nominated by his colleagues this week to be the next speaker, the chamber’s top position and second in line to the presidency.

“I’m proud to announce the era of one-party, Democrat rule in Washington is over,” McCarthy said after the intraparty leadership vote on Tuesday.

In a tweet on Wednesday night, he wrote, “Americans are ready for a new direction, and House Republicans are ready to deliver.”

Biden also released a statement on Wednesday that alluded to some Republican losses in the midterms but said: “I congratulate Leader McCarthy on Republicans winning the House majority, and am ready to work with House Republicans to deliver results for working families.”

McCarthy unveiled his party’s vision for Republican rule ahead of the midterms. Their “Commitment to America” plan focused on four key areas: creating an “economy that’s strong,” “a nation that’s safe,” “a future that’s built on freedom” and “a government that’s accountable.”

The pitch to voters largely avoided specific policy, instead focusing on criticisms of and contrast with Biden’s leadership — specifically on high inflation and anxiety surrounding crime.

McCarthy also vowed to bring down federal government spending and said Republicans are prepared to seek more congressional oversight for the billions in financial assistance to Ukraine as the nation defends itself from Russia’s invasion.

Republicans had been favored for months to win back control of the chamber, according to FiveThirtyEight’s forecast. Midterms have historically been a referendum on the president’s party.

Just twice in the past 19 midterm cycles — stretching back nearly 40 years — has the president’s party actually gained seats in the House.

But the anticipated “red wave” didn’t fully materialize, as Democrats kept the Senate and limited their losses in the House. Exit polling showed that voters, including independents, favored Democrats on key issues like abortion access despite the public’s disapproval of economic conditions.

“We know our job will not be easy,” McCarthy said on Tuesday. “We know the task. We’ve got a close majority. We’ll have to work together. We want to work with anyone who wants to make America stronger.”

Biden, meanwhile, has celebrated staving off historical headwinds after casting the elections as a choice between Democratic priorities and those of far-right “MAGA Republicans” rather than an appraisal of his first two years as commander-in-chief.

“I’m incredibly pleased by the turnout,” Biden told reporters when Democrats were projected to win the Senate. “And I think it’s a reflection of the quality of our candidates.”

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