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Jobs report to show whether Fed rate hikes cooled hiring

October 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Wall Street will closely watch the release of new jobs data on Friday that will reveal whether U.S. hiring has cooled as the Federal Reserve aims to slow the economy in its fight against inflation.

Economists are predicting a gain of 250,000 jobs in September. That figure would mark the lowest number of jobs added in any month since December 2020.

The September jobs data arrives less than two weeks after the Federal Reserve imposed a 0.75% hike in interest rates, the same hike percentage at its previous two meetings.

The Fed has instituted a series of aggressive borrowing cost increases in recent months as it tries to slash near-historic inflation by slowing the economy and choking off demand. But the approach risks tipping the U.S. into an economic downturn and putting millions out of work.

So far this year, however, the U.S. labor market has defied expectations of a slowdown.
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U.S. hiring has slowed from its breakneck pace but remained robust in August, with the economy adding 315,000 jobs and the unemployment rate rising to 3.7%.

The hiring marked a significant drop from the 528,000 jobs added over the previous month, suggesting that the Fed’s rate hikes may have begun to cool off the labor market.

“This is an inflection point,” Erica Groshen, an economist at Cornell University, told ABC News. “I expect we’re going to see some signs of loosening in the labor market. Do I think we’re going to drop off a cliff? Probably not.”

Data released this week buttressed predictions of a hiring slowdown.

Job openings plummeted by over 1 million in August, marking a 10% drop from 11.1 million openings recorded in July, according to a government report released on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, unemployment insurance claims jumped by 29,000 to 219,000 in the week ending Oct. 1, Labor Department data on Thursday showed.

After announcing the rate hike last month, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reasserted the central bank’s commitment to bring inflation down to a target rate of 2%, saying the Fed expects to put forward “ongoing increases” to its benchmark interest rate.

The Fed forecasted that its rate hikes would raise the unemployment rate to 4.4% by the end of 2023.

“I am confident that the labor market won’t be as tight in the coming months,” said Groshen. “The question is how much will the unemployment rate go up and how quickly?”

“This is the pain that the Federal Reserve has reluctantly felt it has to cause,” she added.

Culture Con comes home: the “Ultimate Creative Homecoming” rounds out 3-city tour this Saturday

October 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Culture Con, a premiere destination for creators of color, entrepreneurs and young professionals, returns to New York City on Saturday, October 8, for a day full of activations, conversations, workshops and more.

Widely known as “The Ultimate Creative Homecoming,” the highly anticipated conference made stops in Los Angeles and Atlanta earlier this year. Attendees were able to participate in Culture Con Week in NYC from October 2-7 for an advance glimpse of all to come during the main event.

On Saturday, presenting partner HBO will host VIP and talent lounges; Strong Black Lead, Netflix’s Black sub-brand, will lead a conversation on cultural storytelling; and TikTok will discuss Black creators and the real-world impact of Black TikTok on culture.

Taraji P. Henson, Lena Waithe, Meagan Good, Tracee Ellis Ross, Terrance J, Angie Martinez and Winston Duke are among the more than 75 guest speakers and celebrities who will participate in conference panels and discussions.

An already much-talked-about part of the conference, actors Nia Long and Larenz Tate will reunite to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the beloved classic film Love Jones.

Culture Con is a division of The Creative Collective NYC, a vision born out of founder Imani Ellis‘ desire to build community and assemble a collaborative space for Black and brown creatives to engage with one another.

Please stop yelling “Wake up!” at Serj Tankian

October 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

If you ever come across Serj Tankian in public, maybe don’t yell “Wake up!” at him.

In an interview with Revolver, the System of a Down frontman shares that fans will often shout the “Chop Suey!” lyric if they see him out and about.

“People will scare the s*** out of me when they yell ‘Wake up!’ behind me somewhere — wherever, in public,” Tankian laughs. “I’m like, ‘F*** dude! Really? Wow … I’m glad you’re excited but don’t do that.'”

In addition to trying to avoid screams of “Wake up,” Tankian is gearing up to release a new EP called Perplex Cities. The five-track collection arrives October 21, though Tankian has been previewing songs from the EP via the augmented reality app Arloopa.

Javier Bardem’s kids reaction to hearing he might take ‘Lyle’ role opposite Shawn Mendes: “What are you waiting for?”

October 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem stars in the new movie Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, featuring Shawn Mendes as the voice of the titular reptile. Bardem says Shawn’s involvement was definitely a selling point for him to take the job — once his kids weighed in.

Bardem tells ABC Audio he wanted to make a movie that his kids could see for a change. He says, “When I told them about making a movie with a crocodile that sings and dances, and that I walk around the streets of New York with him, and that it’s done with the voice of Shawn Mendes, they were like, ‘What are you waiting for? I mean, just go there and do it, dad!'”

“We all love him!” Bardem says of Shawn.

In the movie, Bardem plays Lyle’s owner, Hector P. Valenti, and sings a duet, “Take a Look at Us Now,” with Shawn.

So, did Shawn give Bardem, who sang in the Oscar-nominated movie Being the Ricardos, any vocal tips?

“No! I mean, it’s impossible to give me any tips!” Bardem laughs. “I mean…there is nothing that can really help me to sing better!” He notes that when it came to his and Shawn’s duet, “It took me a while to bring the song together, while he could do it in a second, you know what I’m saying?”

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is in theaters Friday. The soundtrack, which is available now, features a new original song by Shawn, “Heartbeat,” plus songs written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the Oscar and Tony-winning duo who brought you the tunes in La La Land, The Greatest Showman and Dear Evan Hansen. Classics including Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock,” Stevie Wonder‘s “Sir Duke” and The Gap Band’s “Steppin’ Out” round out the album.

Death Cab for Cutie aims to “highlight the light and darkness at the same time” with “Here to Forever” single

October 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

It may not be surprising that a band called Death Cab for Cutie would sing about dying — it’s in their name, after all — but you may not expect them to do it with such cheeriness.

The “Soul Meets Body” group’s current single, “Here to Forever,” finds frontman Ben Gibbard musing that all the actors in movies he watches from the ’50s “are all dead now.” And if you didn’t hear it the first time, Gibbard repeats the line “They’re all dead now” with a warm, exuberant harmony from his bandmates.

Speaking with ABC Audio, bassist Nick Harmer shares that mismatching the tones of lyrics and the music within songs has long been a Death Cab staple.

“I think that one thing that we’ve done in this band, and certainly sonically, and we’ve kind of explored in our songs, is kind of this juxtaposition between either a heavy emotional content with more uplifting or lighter music or uplifting music with a darker, emotional lyrical content,” Harmer shares.

With “Here to Forever” specifically, that juxtaposition seems to be working, as the track currently sits at #2 on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart, the highest ranking any Death Cab song has had on the tally since 2015’s “Black Sun.”

“I think we kind of like how those things can kind of push and pull against one another from an emotional place,” Harmer says. “[We] look for those moments where we can kind of highlight the sort of light and darkness at the same time.”

“Here to Forever” appears on the new Death Cab album Asphalt Meadows, which is out now.

Ex-Yes singer Jon Anderson confirms 2023 tour plans with cover group The Band Geeks

October 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Former Yes frontman Jon Anderson recently revealed to ABC Audio that plans were in the works for him to tour with a talented cover group called The Band Geeks, and now official details have been announced about a spring 2023 U.S. trek with the collective.

The tour, dubbed “Yes Epics & Classics featuring Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks,” kicks off April 14 in Westbury, New York, and runs through a May 16 show in North Tonawanda, New York. Twelve dates have been confirmed, with more concerts expected.

The shows will feature performances of an eclectic selections of Yes songs, including epic pieces like “Close to the Edge,” “waken” and “Gates of Delirium,” and popular tunes “And You and I,” “Roundabout” and “Your Move/All Good People.”

The Band Geeks came together as the house band of Blue Öyster Cult bassist Richie Castellano‘s Band Geek podcast internet show. The group gained attention thanks to the YouTube videos they posted of their detailed performances of songs by Queen, Toto, Black Sabbath and, of course, Yes.

Anderson says, “The first time I heard the BAND GEEKS I truly freaked out — they sound just like the classic YES of the seventies, the YES that I know and love … AND THAT’S WHAT I’M WANTING TO BRING TO YOU ON THIS TOUR … YES MUSIC IS FOREVER!!!!!!”

In addition to Castellano, who plays bass and guitar in The Band Geeks, the group features former John Entwistle Band keyboardist Chris Clark, drummer Andy Ascolese, guitarist/keyboardist Robert Kipp and guitarist/bassist Andy Graziano.

For more details about the tour, visit JonAndersonYesEpicsandClassics.com.

Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington say that ‘Amsterdam’ is a story about friendship

October 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Amsterdam, the new film from director David O. Russell, follows a group of three friends who witness and are framed for the murder of a U.S. senator in the 1930s.

More than anything, however, the film’s stars — Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington — tell ABC Audio that the movie is about friendship.

“First and foremost, we wanted to give people a damn good time and to show them the love of true friendship,” Bale says. “We wanted to create this triangle of friendship that David [O. Russell] and I said, ‘Oh my God, we wish we had that in our lives.’”

Robbie even went as far as to say that the film’s friendship triangle is what enticed her to the role.

“Throughout my life I’ve had a couple of trio friendships that have been hugely important and really shaped my life,” Robbie says. “It is the first thing that drew me to this when I started talking to David [O. Russell] about it. He said, ‘There’s these three friends, I don’t know if this resonates with you.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know if you realize how much that could resonate with me.’”

Washington said that in researching his role, he found much more meaning than he could have ever anticipated.

“The 369th Harlem Hellfighters were a group of gentlemen that I was unaware of,” Washington says. “Learning that kind of stuff was very intriguing, informative and something I’m gonna hold on to moving forward in my life.”

Bale also found deep meaning in his character.

“He refuses to become a broken man,” Bale says. “He remains optimistic, he remains joyous, he remains fun. He’s an inspiration to David [O. Russell] and myself, and he’s someone who I want to be friends with.”

Suspect in custody after shooting at Hampton Inn in Dearborn, Michigan: Police

October 6, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(DEARBORN, Mich.) — A suspect has been taken into custody following a shooting and hourslong negotiations with authorities at a Hampton Inn in Dearborn, Michigan, the Michigan State Police said.

“The barricaded gunman has been taken into custody without incident,” police said Thursday night. “Michigan Ave. is still closed and will be as the investigation continues. This will be our final update.”

One victim has been hospitalized, according to Dearborn police. Authorities said they did not have an update on the victim’s condition.

Police said the suspect was firing shots with a long gun from inside the hotel.

Dearborn police said they had been in contact with the suspect’s family to get him to surrender peacefully.

According to police, the suspect was in a dispute with hotel staff over money.

Officers evacuated hotel employees and guests, police said.

Authorities are urging people to stay away from downtown Dearborn.

2 dead, 3 in critical condition from stabbings outside Las Vegas casino: Police

October 6, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(LAS VEGAS) — Two people are dead and three are in critical condition from a series of stabbings outside a Las Vegas casino on Thursday, according to police.

There are eight victims total from the incident, which started around 11:40 a.m. local time, Las Vegas police said. They include both locals and tourists, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said during a press briefing Thursday.

The initial stabbing, which occurred on the sidewalk along Las Vegas Boulevard, appears to have been unprovoked, Deputy Chief James LaRochelle told reporters.

The suspect then proceeded south and stabbed five more victims, and then an additional victim on Sands Avenue, he said. It’s unclear when or where the eighth victim was stabbed.

One victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and a second died after being transported to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, police said. Three patients are hospitalized in stable condition, police said.

The suspect was taken into custody within a “matter of minutes” by a security guard and police officer after fleeing the scene, police said.

LaRochelle said the suspect is a man in his 30s who recently arrived in Las Vegas. Police are working to confirm his identity, he said.

A large kitchen knife used in the incident has been recovered from the scene, police said.

A motive is unknown, according to police.

“[It’s] hard to comprehend, hard to understand murder investigation,” LaRochelle said.

The victims will be identified pending family notification, the sheriff said.

Authorities stressed there is no known threat to the public at this time, with Lombardo describing the scene of the attacks as “static.”

“The Strip is secure,” he said.

Judy Tenuta, accordion-playing 1980s comedy star, dead at 72

October 6, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Judy Tenuta, the popular comedian who called herself “The Love Goddess” while playing the accordion, has died, her publicist confirms to ABC News. She died of ovarian cancer on Thursday afternoon in Studio City, CA. She was 72.

Tenuta, who got her start in Chicago comedy clubs, broke out nationally in 1987 thanks to the HBO special Women of the Night, which also starred Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Poundstone and Rita Rudner.

Between 1987 and 1988, the quirky Tenuta toured with George Carlin, won the inaugural “Best Comedy Club Stand-Up Comic – Female” honor at the American Comedy Awards and starred in a series of Diet Dr. Pepper commercials, which you can see on YouTube. Her over-the-top stage shows included outrageous outfits, her signature greeting “Hi, Pigs!” and sarcastic references to herself as “The Love Goddess,” and to her own religion, “Judyism.”

A gay icon, Tenuta was nominated for two Grammys, wrote two books, starred in stand-up specials on Showtime, HBO and Lifetime and appeared in TV shows and movies including General Hospital, Material Girls, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, The Weird Al Yankovic Show and many more.

Last year, Tenuta shared her health issues in a comedic viral video called Kicking Cancer’s A**.

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