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Former cop Thomas Lane sentenced in state case over George Floyd’s death

September 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(MINNEAPOLIS) — A former Minneapolis police officer who pleaded guilty to his role in the 2020 death of George Floyd was sentenced Wednesday to three years in state prison.

Thomas Lane, 39, learned his fate over closed circuit television from a federal prison in Colorado, where he is already serving a 2 1/2-year sentence for violating the 46-year-old Black man’s civil rights.

Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill imposed the sentence on Lane Wednesday after defense attorneys and state prosecutors reached a plea agreement earlier this year in which they jointly recommended Lane receive a sentence of 36 months in prison. State Attorney General Keith Ellison said at the time that the plea agreement is an “important step toward healing the wounds of the Floyd family, our community, and the nation.”

Upon sentencing Lane, Cahill said he will receive 31 days credit for time he has already served. He will be allowed to serve his state prison time concurrently with his federal sentence.

Lane did not speak during the hearing.

He pleaded guilty in May to a state charge of aiding and abetting in second-degree manslaughter. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the top charge against him of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder.

“I now make no claim that I am innocent,” Lane said during his plea hearing in May.

Lane and two other former Minneapolis police officers, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, were convicted in February by a federal jury on charges of violating George Floyd’s civil rights by failing to intervene or provide medical aid as their senior officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on the back of Floyd’s neck, while he was handcuffed, for more than nine minutes in the May 25, 2020, incident.

Chauvin was convicted in state court last year of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison.

The 46-year-old Chauvin also pleaded guilty in December to federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights and was sentenced in July to 21 years in federal prison.

Fed hikes benchmark rate 0.75% in significant escalation of inflation fight

September 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Reserve instituted a dramatic interest rate hike on Wednesday, the latest in a series of borrowing cost increases, as the central bank tries to dial back near-historic inflation while avoiding an economic downturn.

The Fed raised the benchmark interest rate by 0.75%, repeating the same hike it imposed at each of the last two meetings. Prior to this year, the Fed last matched a hike of this magnitude in 1994.

The move arrives a little more than a week after a higher-than-expected inflation report revealed that prices rose slightly in August, worsening the cost woes for U.S. households and sending the S&P 500 tumbling for its worst day of 2022.

The Fed has put forward a string of aggressive interest rate hikes in recent months as it tries to slash price increases by slowing the economy and choking off demand. But the approach risks tipping the U.S. into a recession and putting millions out of work.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday 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.

“We have both the tools we need and the resolve it will take to restore price stability on behalf of American families and businesses,” Powell said.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Federal Reserve depicted the U.S. economy as one struggling with high prices.

“Inflation remains elevated, reflecting supply and demand imbalances related to the pandemic, higher food and energy prices, and broader price pressures,” the Federal Reserve said.

“Recent indicators point to modest growth in spending and production. Job gains have been robust in recent months, and the unemployment rate has remained low,” the statement added.

Hours before the rate hike announcement, chief executives at some of the largest U.S. banks sounded the alarm over sky-high inflation in testimony before Congress, warning that price hikes would require further borrowing cost increases from the Federal Reserve that will slow the economy and impose widespread financial pain.

Speaking at a conference held by the conservative-leaning Cato Institute, Powell said earlier this month that the central bank must act “forthrightly, strongly” to dial back inflation.

The rate hikes have yielded mixed results, however. On an annual basis, consumer prices have moderated slightly but remain highly elevated.

The consumer price index rose 8.3% over the past year as of August, a slight slowdown from 8.5% in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Some prices have already fallen significantly, though. Gas prices dropped 10.6% in August, the bureau said.

Meanwhile, rate increases appear to have slowed key sectors of the economy, sending mortgage rates higher and slowing the construction of new homes, for instance.

Still, other indicators suggest the U.S. economy continues to hum.

U.S. hiring fell from its breakneck pace but remained robust in August, with the economy adding 315,000 jobs and the unemployment rate rising to 3.7% as more people sought work, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in early September.

On Wednesday afternoon, immediately after the rate hike announcement, each of the major stock indexes had fallen slightly.

Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation helps keep pets + families together with a donation of 2 million pet meals

September 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation, an organization that supports shelter pets in need, is focusing on keeping families together with its newest charitable initiative.

In partnership with Greater Good Charities’ GOODS program, MuttNation is helping to provide two million pet meals to help families facing economic setbacks stay together with their pets.

“During times of crisis, it’s important to keep families and their pets together,” Miranda explains. “We are proud to partner with Greater Good Charities and hope our GOODS program donation will help families and their pets stay united in their homes during these challenging times.”

Miranda — an avid pet lover who founded MuttNation with her mom, Beverly, in 2009 — has several rescue pets of her own, some of whom will be joining her in Las Vegas for her upcoming Velvet Rodeo residency.

The singer recently posted a photo to her social media which shows three of her rescue dogs — Cher, Bellamy and Delta Dawn — on the road with her as she heads to Vegas.

Unflinching honesty, ‘90s bops + a “roller coaster” of emotion? That’s ‘Subject to Change,’ says Kelsea Ballerini

September 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

When fans finally get their ears on Subject to Change, Kelsea Ballerini hopes it’ll take them on a whirlwind of emotions.

“I loved the idea of having a record that takes you through a roller coaster — of growing up, and love, and a lot of inward conversation and maturity,” the singer tells ABC Audio. “Just airing all that out there in a way that feels witty and poetic and honest.”

As the title suggests there’s a major theme of change on the record — good change, bad change and all the growing pains that make us who we are.

“I never really have a start and stop date for writing [for my albums],” Kelsea explains. “When it’s time to make an album, I listen through to the demos that I’ve written over the last year and a half, and I see what they say.”

In the case of the “80 songs” that Kelsea wrote during the Subject to Change era, the songs were talking about different kinds of change. “I was noticing a lot of contrast and a lot of juxtaposition and a lot of change,” she notes.

Any artist would hope that each record sharpens and matures their sound, and Kelsea says that’s the case for Subject to Change, too.

“I’m really proud of what this record says about me in the last couple of years,” she notes. “Because I feel like it’s really honest. And also I feel like, sonically, it is so heavily ‘90s-influenced, and I hope it brings people nostalgia, too.”

Subject to Change arrives on Friday. Kelsea previewed the new album, which features lead single “Heartfirst,” before releasing it in full.

Red Hot Chili Peppers tease new ’Return of the Dream Canteen’ song, “Eddie”

September 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Red Hot Chili Peppers are teasing another preview of their upcoming album, Return of the Dream Canteen.

The “Californication” rockers will drop a new track from the record, titled “Eddie,” this Friday, September 23.

Along with the announcement, the Peppers have shared a minute-long clip of “Eddie,” which begins with a very “By the Way”-esque guitar riff and includes the lyric “They say I’m from Amsterdam/Does that make me Dutch?” — proving that Anthony Kiedis doesn’t just sing about California.

Return of the Dream Canteen, which also features the previously released single “Tippa My Tongue,” is due out October 14. It’s the second RHCP album of 2022, following April’s Unlimited Love.

Last week, Red Hot Chili Peppers wrapped their U.S. summer headlining tour. They’ll play the Louder than Life and Austin City Limits festivals this fall.

The Kinks’ Dave Davies discusses newly mixed tracks on his new ‘Living on a Thin Line’ compilation

September 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The Kinks‘ Dave Davies recently released a solo compilation called Living on a Thin Line, a musical companion to his new memoir of the same name.

The 13-track collection features previously released solo studio recordings and live performances, as well as new mixes of two of Dave’s songs created by his son Simon.

One of the new mixes is of a 1999 live version of the classic Dave-penned 1971 Kinks song “Strangers,” recorded at a concert at Wisconsin’s Marian College.

“I have always thought [that rendition] was my favorite … recorded version of [‘Strangers.’]” Davies tells ABC Audio. “So we messed around with that [recording] a bit. Simon Davies added some bits of keyboards. He added some little audio improvements … And I’m very happy with it.”

The other new mix is of “This Is the Time,” a tune that appeared on Davies’ 2007 album Fractured Mindz, the first record Dave released after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2004.

Dave explains that the song is about embracing a youthful attitude about looking toward the future.

“‘This Is the Time’ is my heartfelt optimism about what we’re capable of, and maybe where we’re going,” he says. “[M]aybe this is the time to really make things happen. You know, like they thought in the [days] … before the Vietnam War … All the youth were in uproar, and the ‘Flower Power’ thing.”

The compilation also features select songs from 1998’s Kinked; 2002’s Bug; the 2000 concert album Rock Bottom: Live from The Bottom Line; and 2018’s Decade, a collection of unreleased tracks Dave recorded during the 1970s.

The Living on a Thin Line compilation can be purchased now on CD now via Amazon. A two-LP version of the album will be released on January 13, 2023.

Jameela Jamil dishes on her ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ character, Titania

September 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Meet Titania! She’s the villain on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which drops a new episode today on Disney+.

Jameela Jamil plays the baddie, known as Titania, and Jamil shared her character’s back story with ABC Audio.

“In the comics, she’s bullied really badly as a kid, and that’s where all of her desperation for attention and power comes from,” she explains. “And so we don’t get to tell that story here, but maybe one day in the Marvel Universe, I’ll be able to. But I think it’s an important part of her, and I think it’s a part that probably exists in a lot of very insecure, vain narcissists.”

Titania, originally a wrestler in the comics, is now a social media influencer, which the 36-year-old British actress believes is appropriate for a supervillain here in 2022.

“I feel as though they are the modern day supervillain, some of them, of the world. And the fact that she sells products that are, you know, false and dangerous and [Titania’s] so fraudulent, I think resonates around certain influencers that we have in the world,” she shares.

While other actors of color have experienced bullying online after taking roles in comic-book and fantasy based shows and movies, Jamil says she’s “deeply relieved” that she hasn’t experienced any of it for this role.

“I’m horrified to see the hard time that other people have gotten. And it’s so unjustified and it’s so bad for the mental health of these quite young people who are entering the MCU,” she adds.

As for why that might be, Jameela figures, “This is not my first rodeo man. And so I think people also know that I just don’t care, as there’s no point.”

Scoreboard roundup — 9/21/22

September 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
Cincinnati 5, Boston 1
NY Yankees 14, Pittsburgh 2
Philadelphia 4, Toronto 3

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Houston 5, Tampa Bay 2
Baltimore 8, Detroit 1
Texas 7, LA Angels 2
Cleveland 8, Chi White Sox 2
Kansas City 5, Minnesota 2
Oakland 2, Seattle 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington 3, Atlanta 2
Milwaukee 6, NY Mets 0
Chi Cubs 4, Miami 3
San Francisco 6, Colorado 1
San Diego 1, St. Louis 0
Arizona 6, LA Dodgers 1

Toddler found dead in stolen car hours after deadly shooting, suspect in custody: Police

September 22, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(HOUSTON) — A toddler was found dead inside a car that was stolen after the child’s father was shot and killed in Houston on Tuesday, police said.

A 38-year-old man now faces charges of murder and tampering with evidence in connection with the case, police said Wednesday. The name of the suspect, who initially had been detained for questioning, will be released once charges are filed, police said.

Police had appealed to the public for information in the hours after the grim discovery amid their search for a suspect.

“We are asking for a lot of things from the public right now,” Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite told reporters during a press conference Tuesday night. “First and foremost, to pray for this family. A mother lost her husband and she lost her 2-year-old child today. We are also asking the public’s help in identifying the suspect. He is still at large.”

The Houston Police Department received a 911 call about a shooting in the area of El Camino Rey Del Rey Street and Chimney Rock Road at around 1:46 p.m. local time on Tuesday. Upon arrival, officers found a 38-year-old man who had been shot to death, according to Satterwhite.

Investigators believe the victim was meeting with another man at the location when possibly an argument ensued. The other man took out a gun and shot the victim multiple times before stealing his black SUV and fleeing the scene, Satterwhite said.

That evening, at approximately 6:36 p.m. local time, a woman called 911 to report her husband and 2-year-old son missing. The information she provided was specific enough that police soon realized the shooting victim was her husband, according to Satterwhite.

“We never knew about the child until she called,” he told reporters.

The stolen SUV with the little boy inside was found on Elm Street, more than 10 miles away from the shooting scene. Officers shattered the windows of the locked vehicle to get to the child, then immediately tried to render aid and called for an ambulance, according to Satterwhite.

“Sadly, it was too late. The child had passed in the car,” he said. “At this time, we don’t know why or how or what the cause of death will be. It could be something like heat exhaustion, we just don’t know. That will be determined later through autopsy.”

Investigators believe the suspect had left the car there, locked up and turned off, with the child in the backseat, according to Satterwhite.

“It’s the hardest thing we do,” he told reporters. “Children are innocent.”

The unidentified suspect, who remains on the loose, is described as a Black man wearing a white T-shirt, black shorts and a black Oakland Raiders cap.

When asked if he had a message for the suspect, Satterwhite said: “Turn yourself in. Turn yourself in now.”

Wisconsin governor calls special session to repeal 1849-era abortion ban

September 21, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(MADISON, Wisc.) — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced Wednesday that he is calling a special session of the state legislature in his latest attempt to repeal a criminal abortion ban dating back to 1849 which suspended some abortion services in the state after the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade in June.

“In Wisconsin, we still have an 1800s-era criminal abortion ban on the books that originated before the Civil War and when Wisconsin women did not have the right to vote, which could ban nearly all abortions, including in cases of rape and incest, if it goes back into effect,” Evers said in a statement on social media.

The Democratic governor had called a special session earlier this year, before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, to repeal the then-dormant law. The Republican-controlled state legislature gaveled in and out of the special session without holding any discussion. Days later, the Supreme Court released its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, effectively overturning Roe. Abortion providers in Wisconsin have since suspended services amid the threat of prosecution.

Evers said he is now calling a special session to “create a pathway for Wisconsin voters” to repeal the abortion ban, which makes it a felony to provide an abortion except when the mother’s life is at risk.

The governor’s actions come a week after Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin suggested voters could challenge the abortion ban through a statewide referendum.

Voters in Wisconsin currently can not change state laws by referendum or introduce ballot initiatives, according to the governor’s office. Instead, a constitutional amendment must pass two consecutive state legislatures before heading to voters.

Evers proposes creating a process that would enable voters to “bypass” the state legislature and allow referendum ballot questions brought by the public.

“Wisconsinites were not only stripped of their reproductive freedom, but they currently can’t enact change to protect that freedom without having to get permission from the Legislature first. That’s just wrong, and it’s time for us to change that,” he said.

Evers has ordered the state legislature to act on his proposals on Oct. 4.

In response, the Republican leaders of the state legislature called Evers’ actions a “desperate political stunt.”

“Governor Evers would rather push his agenda to have abortion available until birth than talk about his failure to address rising crime and runaway inflation caused by his liberal DC allies,” state Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said in a joint statement.

Evers is further challenging the pre-Civil War abortion ban in a lawsuit filed in June by Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul that names three Republican state legislative leaders among the defendants. Last week, Kaul named three district attorneys as new defendants in the ongoing case. The lawsuit argues that newer legislation, including a 1985 law that bans abortion only after fetal viability, should take precedence.

The governor, who is up for reelection this November, has vetoed more restrictive abortion laws passed by the state legislature in the past three years.

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