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Fed expected to raise interest rates, escalate fight against inflation

September 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Wall Street will watch closely on Wednesday as the Federal Reserve is expected to escalate its fight against inflation with a dramatic interest rate hike.

The move would come 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 instituted a series 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 an economic downturn and putting millions out of work.

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

The combination of those comments and the inflation data last week has led many economists to expect another 0.75% interest rate hike on Wednesday. Some economists have predicted that the Fed will raise rates by 1%, which it has not done in four decades.

At each of its last two meetings, the central bank has increased its benchmark interest rate by 0.75% — jumbo-sized hikes last matched in 1994.

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.

At closing Tuesday, each of the major stock indexes fell roughly 1% ahead of an anticipated rate hike. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled nearly 300 points.

Chris Cornell-played acoustic guitar being auctioned to benefit Ukraine

September 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

An acoustic guitar played by the late Chris Cornell is being auctioned off in support of Ukraine amid its ongoing fight against Russia’s invasion.

The guitar, made by the Washburn USA custom shop, belongs to musician Pete Thorn, who took the instrument on tour with him in 2009 when he played in Soundgarden frontman’s solo live band. According to Thorn, Cornell liked the guitar so much that he would borrow it to play a few songs each night on the tour.

Proceeds from the auction will be donated to the organization Save Our Allies, which is providing humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine. A press release states that the guitar is being auctioned with the blessing of Cornell’s widow, Vicky.

For more info, visit SOA.RallyUp.com/UKR.

Thorn also performed with Cornell’s daughter, Toni, during her rendition of the Prince-written, Sinéad O’Connor-sung song “Nothing Compares 2 U” on The Tonight Show last December.

Crowded House’s postponed North American tour rescheduled for spring 2023

September 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Veteran New Zealand/Australian pop-rock band Crowded House has announced rescheduled dates for its recently postponed 2022 North American tour, which now will take place next spring.

The trek’s revamped itinerary, which features 18 shows, now kicks off on May 2 in Vancouver, Canada and is plotted out through a May 30 concert in Boston.

“Crowded House are delighted at long last to be able to play shows in North America,” says frontman Neil Finn in a statement. “We have been picking up the pace recently as the world opens up and can’t wait present the show with this band lineup in absolute top form to the good folk of North America, from sea to shining sea.”

Last month, the band announced that its 2022 tour, which had been slated to run from early September to early October, was being postponed because current Crowded House drummer Elroy Finn — Neil’s son — had injured his lower back and needed time to recuperate.

Previously purchased tickets for the 2022 dates will be honored for the rescheduled shows.

In addition to Neil and Elroy, Crowded House’s current lineup also features original bassist Nick Seymour, acclaimed producer Mitchell Froom on keyboards and Neil’s son Liam on guitar. The band is supporting its latest studio album, 2021’s Dreamers Are Waiting.

Prior to the North American trek, Crowded House will launch a 2022 Australian tour running from late October to late November. Check out the band’s full schedule at CrowdedHouse.com.

Music notes: BLACKPINK, Justin Timberlake, Megan Thee Stallion, BTS, Madonna and more

September 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

If you missed it, BLACKPINK performed “Shut Down” last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Lisa, Rosé, Jisoo and Jennie are promoting their newly released sophomore album, BORN PINK.

Justin Timberlake sent love to Jimmy Fallon, who turned 48 on Monday. The Grammy winner saluted Fallon on his Instagram Story, writing, “My phone could never capture the beauty of your aura. I can’t imagine my feed without you. You complete me.” Justin signed it “from your Instagram boyfriend.”

Speaking of Fallon, the late night host is going viral for his manic-opening monologue, where he tried deciphering all the Easter eggs Taylor Swift possibly left for her upcoming Midnights album.

Megan Thee Stallion is also heading to late night as one of the newly announced hosts of Saturday Night Live. Variety reports the “Sweetest Pie” rapper will make her hosting debut on October 15 and will also serve as the musical guest.

BTS will stream their concert — BTS in BUSAN — October 15 on the global platform Weverse. The septet will take over Busan Asaid Main Stadium, and the streaming platform is already gearing up to host tons of fan traffic.

Madonna released the music video for her “Hung Up” remix with Dominican rapper Tokischa. True to Madonna fashion, the clip is ultra-racy and features the two sensually cozying up and taking over a night club.

Nick Jonas and wife Priyanka Chopra took their baby daughter Malti on her first vacation to New York City. Priyanka shared snaps to her Instagram of them gazing out of the window and was sure to keep her little one’s face hidden.

Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde brushed off breakup rumors by attending a screening of their movie Don’t Worry Darling together in New York City. People reports the two didn’t pose together on the red carpet.

David Byrne, Dead & Company and more salute National Voter Registration Day

September 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

A variety of artists, including Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and members of the Grateful Dead spin-off group Dead & Company, are encouraging fans to check their registration status on Tuesday in conjunction with National Voter Registration Day.

As part of a campaign launched by the nonpartisan voter-registration organization HeadCount, the musicians took to social media to encourage their supporters to participate in the November 8 midterm elections.

Byrne shared a photo of himself holding up a sign that reads “Register to Vote,” while Dead & Company posted a pic of bandmates Bob Weir and Mickey Hart holding signs with the message “Vote” incorporated into the Grateful Dead’s famous skull logo.

Among the many other music artists encouraging voter registration on their social media sites were Bonnie Raitt, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, Death Cab for Cutie and The Lumineers.

Music notes: Rod Stewart, Andy Grammer, Nick Jonas, Harry Styles, Justin Timberlake and more

September 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Rod Stewart‘s wife Penny Lancaster served as security at Queen Elizabeth II‘s funeral, The Scottish Sun reports. Penny is Special Constable for City of London Police, and Rod is a knight; the pair are friendly with King Charles III.

Andy Grammer headlines Beyond the Sidelines in Indianapolis this Friday. WRTV reports he’ll take over the Lucas Estate in Carmel to support the Kicking The Stigma Action Grants. The benefit highlights mental health treatment and raises awareness about mental illness.

Nick Jonas and wife Priyanka Chopra took their daughter Malti on her first vacation to New York City. Priyanka shared the snaps to her Instagram of them gazing out of the window and hid her newborn’s face.

Justin Timberlake sent love to Jimmy Fallon, who turned 48 on Monday. The Grammy winner saluted Fallon on his Instagram Story, writing, “My phone could never capture the beauty of your aura. I can’t imagine my feed without you. You complete me.” Justin signed it, “From your Instagram boyfriend.”

The cast of ENCANTO will reunite for the ENCANTO AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL concert events on November 11 and November 12 to perform hits from the Disney animated film, as announced at D23 Expo.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Kendrick Lamar and Megan Thee Stallion set for ‘SNL’ season 48

September 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Kendrick Lamar will be the musical guest for Saturday Night Live’s season 48 premiere on October 1.
This will be his third performance on SNL. Two weeks later on October 15, Megan Thee Stallion will pull double duty as the host and musical guest. After previously performing, this will be Megan’s first time hosting.

After a five year hiatus, Lamar dropped his long awaited fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, on May 13. Pharrell Williams is among the producers, along with Kendrick’s cousin Baby Keem. The album features Kodak Black, Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah from Wu-Tang Clan and many more.

The 14-time Grammy winner kicked off the North American leg of the Big Steppers tour on July 19 in Oklahoma City. His final American show was Saturday in Los Angeles.

Lamar received nine nominations for the BET Hip Hop Awards, which will air October 4.

Megan released her second album, Traumazine, on August 12 featuring Future, Jhené Aiko, Latto, Dua Lipa, Lucky Daye, Rico Nasty and more. The three-time Grammy winner is up for two BET Hip Hop Awards.

Department of Justice fails to fully count prison deaths, Senate report finds

September 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice failed to count nearly 1,000 deaths in U.S. prisons during the 2021 fiscal year, according to a new report released by the Senate subcommittee on investigations.

States that accept certain federal funding are required under the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 (DCRA) to report to the DOJ who is dying in prisons and jails.

The law is intended to collect data on the scope of prison deaths in an effort to curb them.

But the Senate committee report, released Tuesday, alleges that the DOJ failed to properly implement reporting requirements — leading to ineffective and unfulfilled collection of the death data.

The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News; bureau personnel were scheduled to testify before Congress later Tuesday afternoon.

The subcommittee said in its report that the DOJ will be eight years late on providing Congress with a report on how deaths in custody can be reduced. The report was supposed to be sent in 2016, but it’s not expected to be finished until 2024.

The DOJ failed to identify at least 990 prison and arrest-related deaths in the 2021 fiscal year alone, the report found. It also found that 70% of the data the DOJ collected was incomplete and that the DOJ has no plans to publicly publish any of the data from recent years.

“DOJ’s failure to implement DCRA has deprived Congress and the American public of information about who is dying in custody and why,” the report states.

It continued, “This information is critical to improve transparency in prisons and jails, identifying trends in custodial deaths that may warrant corrective action—such as failure to provide adequate medical care, mental health services, or safeguard prisoners from violence—and identifying specific facilities with outlying death rates.”

The report stated that the DOJ’s data on prisons can be collected but that department officials chose not to. The Senate subcommittee called the failure to implement DCRA “a missed opportunity to prevent avoidable deaths.”

KISS’ Gene Simmons says he has hardly any friends

September 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

KISS member Gene Simmons may have millions of fans who adore his music, but in a new interview with Goldmine, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer admits that, besides one exception, he has no friends.

“Even today as I sit here, other than Paul [Stanley], and we only get together when we do stuff for the band … How do I say this without sounding inhuman? I don’t have friends,” Simmons tells the magazine.

He adds, “Yeah, if friends means, ‘Gee, I don’t know what I’m going to do this afternoon. Hey, you want to come over and hang out?’ I’m more interested in what I want to do, and I don’t want to pretend that I’m interested in what you want to do because I am not.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the 73-year-old rocker muses on what he might experience after he dies.

“I’m OK if there’s a heaven and a God. I’m OK with it. I’m also OK if there’s nothing,” Simmons maintains. “I lean towards nothing. My question is, if we get an afterlife, do mosquitoes? Maybe my mother’s sort of wise statement about every day above ground is a good day, and that’s it.”

In addition, Simmons reflects on something he wished he knew when he was younger that would have made his life easier.

“That it didn’t matter what I thought I knew, and it didn’t matter what I knew,” he notes. “You still have to wade through the jungle by yourself. All the knowledge in the world, or no knowledge at all, doesn’t prepare you for life because there’s no one journey, there’s no one road.”

The full interview is available in the latest issue of Goldmine.

‘Billy on the Street’ returns with Paul Rudd to plug Billy Eichner’s gay rom-com ‘Bros’

September 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Billy Eichner brought back his Emmy-nominated comedy show Billy on the Street with the help of Marvel movie star Paul Rudd. The pair hit the streets in branded T-shirts in order to spread the word among the straights about Billy’s Netflix “gay rom-com” Bros.

The addition of Rudd worked for many of the folks, including one burly guy who said he’d go if Rudd himself carried him to the theaters. Rudd obliged, doing Ant-Man proud by lifting the much bigger guy off the ground.

It didn’t work for one person, however, leaving Billy to scream in frustration, “I’m sorry I’m not Florence Pugh!”

Later in the bit, Billy recruited “a pack of wild lesbians” to scour the street for new converts to his film, which opens September 30. He even reprised his “for a dollar” segment from the classic Billy on the Street episodes to plug the Universal movie.

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