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Committee chairs threaten DHS inspector general with subpoena over missing Secret Service texts

August 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Democratic chairs of the House Homeland Security and House Oversight committees on Tuesday threatened the Department of Homeland Security inspector general with a subpoena, accusing him of delaying responding to the committee’s request for answers regarding missing Secret Service text messages on and around the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

“If you continue to obstruct, we will have no choice but to consider alternate means to ensure compliance,” Rep. Bennie Thompson and Rep. Carolyn Maloney, both Democrats, write to Joseph Cuffari in a letter dated Aug. 16.

This is the second letter they have jointly sent to the DHS IG requesting information, amid new allegations that career staff in Cuffari’s office prepared a notice to Congress earlier this year about their difficulty obtaining Secret Service text messages connected to Jan. 6, but the notice was not included in the government watchdog’s required regular report to lawmakers.

The DHS inspector general has been under scrutiny for his handling of the deleted Secret Service text messages on and around Jan. 6. He previously waited more than a year to notify the committee about the missing texts.

A Secret Service spokesman last month acknowledged text messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021, were deleted after being sought by the DHS inspector general.

A letter Cuffari sent last month to the heads of the House and Senate Homeland Security committees said the messages were deleted “as part of a device-replacement program,” despite the inspector general having requesting such communications.

Guglielmi, the Secret Service spokesman, subsequently dismissed any “insinuation” the agents had “maliciously” deleted the texts.

The agency sent out communications to employees on how to upload digital files on their local devices if they are government records, according to a source familiar with the Secret Service migration process.

The letter sent by the committee chairs lays out how they say the inspector general might have violated the Inspector General Act.

“In response to the Committees’ requests, you have refused to produce responsive documents and blocked employees in your office from appearing for transcribed interviews,” the members write. “Your obstruction of the Committees’ investigations is unacceptable, and your justifications for this noncompliance appear to reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of Congress’s authority and your duties as an Inspector General.”

The DHS IG has instructed the Secret Service to stop its internal investigation because his office has now turned the deleted text message issue into a criminal investigation, according to three sources familiar with the situation.

The congressional committees say Cuffari made no mention of the Secret Service’s retention issues in the semi-annual report to lawmakers, despite knowing about them.

The inspector general’s office has not responded to ABC News request for comment.

Baby Keem produced Offset’s upcoming single, “54321”

August 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Offset is working on another solo album, and he’s ready to give fans an idea of what to expect. On Friday, the rapper will drop his new single, “54321,” a collaboration with Grammy winner Baby Keem.

According to Offset, Keem produced the single, which was first announced over the weekend. It is one of several songs that will be on his upcoming album — one that he claims will have “hits” for both men and women.

“Album is full of hits and full of smashes,” he said in a clip shared to his Instagram account. “Y’all gonna see how I’m coming. I’m coming crazy in all aspects of rapping. I ain’t playing no games. I got shit for the girls too. I made sure I touched on some shit for the girls.”

Offset’s debut solo project, Father of 4, was released in 2019. He’s since dropped Culture III with Migos, whose members Takeoff and Quavo have started their own group, Uncle & Phew.

New COVID bivalent vaccine expected in US in the fall

August 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — On Monday, the U.K. became the first country to approve a bivalent vaccine booster shot for adults, which would target both the original COVID virus and the Omicron variant.

This vaccine, which is likely going to be available in the U.S. starting in the fall, is expected to provide increased and longer-lasting protection against COVID and the new variants.

Sony Salzman, coordinating producer for ABC News’ Medical Unit, sat down with ABC News’ podcast “Start Here” to discuss what people can expect from the new bivalent vaccine, and the way forward in the country’s vaccination strategy.

START HERE: Yesterday the U.K. became the first country on Earth to approve a new type of vaccine, a vaccine that was engineered with a more recent variant of COVID in mind. Let’s check in with ABC’s Sony Salzman from our Medical Unit. Sony, is this a turning point? What does this vaccine do?

SALZMAN: I think it is a turning point, Brad. I think what these new vaccines are going to do is shift us into the next phase of the pandemic, where like the annual flu shot each year or season, we have to kind of predict what the virus is going to do and engineer a vaccine that is the best defense against that virus.

The U.K. government just recently authorized a vaccine that is a combination shot, it is Moderna’s combo shot. This is called a bivalent vaccine. And what it does is it still protects against that original Wuhan strain that emerged in 2020, but then it also protects against the newer BA1 Omicron strain. And so it combines both of those in the hopes of providing enhanced protection against the variants that are circulating right now.

START HERE: Right, so [with] Omicron cases absolutely skyrocketed in this country because people just did not have the same level of immunity as this variant came onto the scene. So how do I get one of these vaccines, Sony? I want one of these boosters. What’s happening in the U.S.?

SALZMAN: So it is coming to the U.S., too, but what we’re gonna get here is actually slightly different. FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, they looked at presentations from Moderna and Pfizer and what they said is, you know, that’s all well and good, but even within Omicron, we have all these subvariants right? So Omicron BA1 was the first Omicron subvariant, but now here in the U.S. and globally, actually, BA5 is the dominant variant.

What the FDA did is they asked the companies to go back, look at the formula again, and re-tweak it a little bit so that it’s a better match against BA5, and that is the version that they have ordered. The expectation is that that would be authorized in September or perhaps October, and be available sometime in the fall.

START HERE: So that sounds great; I guess that it would be the strain that’s a little bit more recent, but will it work better? Because I gotta say Sony, I see school about to start and I’m thinking ‘dang, wouldn’t it be nice to get a new vaccine in play before kids are all indoors spreading it to each other’s families.’ Is there a balancing act here between timeline and efficacy?

SALZMAN: Well, you know, just to set expectations, Brad, I do think it’s really important to remember that even these vaccines that we’re talking about the ones that are re-tweaked, and they’re reformulated, and they’re better matches against these new variants. The virus itself has changed so much that we are not going to get a bulletproof vaccine that protects you against any breakthrough infection.

START HERE: That’s no longer the expectation for these vaccines…

SALZMAN: That’s no longer the expectation, that’s exactly right. So, you know, maybe at some point in the future, there is some really interesting vaccine science, early stages of development here but for these vaccines, and for the way that this virus has evolved, that is no longer the expectation.

The expectation is that they are going to have higher efficacy, particularly against severe illness, and also last longer so that kind of drop off doesn’t happen as quickly. So that’s the expectation here, but I want to be clear: either of these vaccines, whether you do a bivalent against BA1 or BA5, or anything to that effect, it’s going to be better. Every scientist I’ve talked to says that this is the way forward.

We need to be updating the vaccines to be a better match for the variants that are circulating presently. But it’s not going to be this kind of bulletproof approach where you have a vaccine that completely protects you against infection. That’s not the expectation.

START HERE: Gotcha. In the meantime, we are hoping to see these Omicron-specific boosters here in the U.S. sometime in September. Sony Salzman from our Medical Unit, thanks a lot.

SALZMAN: Yeah, thank you Brad.

Judge rejects plea deals for couple accused of trying to sell nuclear sub secrets

August 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A federal judge in West Virginia on Tuesday rejected the plea deals of Jonathan Toebbe, a former nuclear engineer for the U.S. Navy, and his wife Diana, because she said they did not allow for enough prison time.

Jonathan Toebbe’s plea agreement called for a sentence of 12-17 years and Diana Toebbe’s plea agreement called for a sentence of three years after they pleaded guilty to offering to sell secrets about submarine nuclear propulsion systems to a foreign country.

Toebbe had faced life in prison for violating the Atomic Energy Act before reaching the agreement with federal prosecutors in West Virginia, where he put an SD card at a “dead drop,” according to the charging documents.

“These are serious crimes but we are talking about serious punishment. Twelve-and-a-half years is not a slap on the wrist,” defense attorney Nicholas Compton said.

The judge, though, said it was not in the best interest of the community to accept the plea agreements since the proposed sentences failed to account for the “grave harm” she said the Toebbes caused.

“Make no mistake these defendants have been charged with very serious crimes,” Judge Gina Groh said. “I find the sentencing options available to me to be strikingly deficient.”

The Toebbes, of Annapolis, Md., seemed to neighbors and co-workers as the typical suburban couple before they were arrested last October for allegedly scheming to sell secrets about Virginia-class nuclear submarines to a foreign country, which was not identified in court papers but was Brazil, a source told ABC News.

At the time of his plea, Toebbe conceded he sent a package to a foreign government, listing a return address in Pittsburgh that contained a sample of restricted data and instructions for establishing relationship to buy additional restricted data.

Toebbe said he began corresponding with someone he thought was a representative of the foreign government who was really an undercover FBI agent.

On June 8, 2021, the undercover agent sent $10,000 in cryptocurrency to Toebbe as “good faith” payment.

A few weeks later, Jonathan and Diana Toebbe traveled to a location in West Virginia, prosecutors said. There, with Diana Toebbe acting as a lookout, Jonathan Toebbe placed an SD card concealed within half a peanut butter sandwich at a pre-arranged “dead drop” location, they said.

After retrieving the SD card, the undercover agent sent Jonathan Toebbe a $20,000 cryptocurrency payment, prosecutors said. In return, Jonathan Toebbe emailed the undercover agent a decryption key for the SD card. A review of the SD card revealed that it contained restricted data related to submarine nuclear reactors, the indictment said.

Both the Toebbe’s withdrew their plea agreement after a judge rejected the agreement.

“Yes, your honor, I’d like to withdraw my plea,” Jonathan Toebbe said.

The judge on Tuesday set a trial date of Jan. 17, 2023, giving the parties time to negotiate a new plea agreement or proceed to trial.

Biden signs sweeping health, climate and tax bill, a major win for his domestic agenda

August 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed the Democrats’ massive climate, health and tax bill into law, marking a major accomplishment for his domestic agenda less than three months before midterm elections.

Speaking from the White House’s State Dining Room, Biden touted the Inflation Reduction Act as “further proof that the soul of America is vibrant, the future of America is bright and the promise of America is real and just beginning.”

“The American people won and the special interests lost,” he said before swiping at Republicans for their unanimous opposition to the law.

“That’s the choice we face. We can protect the already powerful or show the courage to build a future where everybody has an even shot,” Biden said.

Taking advantage of some political momentum, Biden interrupted his summer vacation for the signing just days after the House approved the measure, following Senate passage by just one vote amid some political drama. He has spent much of the past week in South Carolina. Biden arrived at the ceremony wearing a mask after spending his vacation with first lady Jill Biden, who has tested positive for COVID-19.

In attendance for the ceremony were Sen. Joe Manchin, a key negotiator of the package, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“I am confident this bill will endure as one of the greatest legislative feats in decades. It’ll lower costs, create millions of good paying jobs and is the boldest climate bill ever,” Schumer said during the event.

A larger celebration for the law is being planned for Sept. 6.

The White House also said that, “in the coming weeks,” Biden will host a Cabinet meeting focused on implementing the new law and will also travel across the U.S. to promote it.

The Biden administration has planned a cross-country rollout campaign for the legislation, which aims to make prescription drugs and health insurance cheaper; invest in clean energy and curb climate change; raise taxes on the wealthy; and cut the deficit.

Starting this week through the end of August, Cabinet members plan to travel to 23 states, on more than 35 trips, to tout the “Inflation Reduction Act,” according to the White House.

The administration also plans to roll out information online and on social media about the legislation’s impact, and to collaborate with members of Congress to host hundreds of events, the White House said.

The blitz will highlight will highlight other major legislative wins as well as part of a “Building a Better America Tour.”

In a memo the White House made public from Senior Adviser Anita Dunn and Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O’Malley Dillon to Chief of Staff Ron Klain, the administration plans to not only tout passage of the IRA, but also the CHIPS Act aimed at boosting the U.S. semi-conductor industry over China’s and easing a pandemic-cause shortage, the bipartisan gun control bill and the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

Ahead of Tuesday’s signing, the White House on Monday put out what it said would be the Inflation Reduction Act’s impact.

According to the White House, about 1.4 million Americans who are on Medicare who usually spending more than $2000 per year on prescription drugs will see their costs capped at that amount. Overall, it says, there are about 50 million Americans on Medicare Part D who are eligible for that cost cap.

The White House said there are about 3.3 million Americans on Medicare who use insulin, who will benefit from the new $35 monthly price cap.

The White House also estimates about 5-7 million Americans could see their prescription drug costs decrease once Medicare begins negotiating costs.

Lower Obamacare premiums will be extended for the 13 million Americans insured under that program, the White House said.

And the White House also claims greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by a billion metric tons in 2030 thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.

ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky and Justin Gomez contributed to this report.

Glass Animals reflect on finally being able to tour 2 years after releasing ’Dreamland’

August 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

After a two-year wait, Glass Animals are finally on their long-awaited tour to promote their third album, Dreamland.

The “Heat Waves” hitmakers caught up with Billboard at their concert in Brooklyn and marveled over being able to finally hit the road again. Dave Bayley, the group’s lead vocalist, admits he didn’t think the wait was going to be this long. The band was in the U.S. and performing at smaller venues when the pandemic struck.

“I honestly thought it was going to be two weeks,” he said. “We put everything in a truck and asked the truck to wait until we got back. We didn’t come back.”

Although disappointing, the band is thankful for the pause. The group was able to bring their tour plans back to the drawing board and create a more ambitious show. In addition, they began to experiment with their music.

“No one’s left a guidebook behind on how to release an album in a pandemic,” said Dave. “No one at the label knew how to put out an album in a pandemic.” Label execs said that they didn’t “have any ideas right now,” and Dave said it gave the band “free rein” to do what they wanted. “It was sort of amazing,” he recalled.

Glass Animals performed for their fans on Instagram Live and the group had fun with different filters, facial recognition software and more to enhance the experience. During that time, their song “Heat Waves” blew up on the charts — and so did their fame.

“I certainly haven’t sat down for a second and thought about how that song has [changed] and will change our lives,” said Dave.

Six people, including four teens, shot in Memphis

August 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — Six people, including four teenagers, were shot in related incidents in Memphis overnight, police said.

The first shooting was around midnight Tuesday, when officers heard multiple shots and saw a white SUV fleeing the scene, Memphis police said.

Officers responded to where the shots were fired and found an empty white Infiniti SUV in an apartment complex, police said. The SUV, which had been reported stolen, had bullet holes and part of a gas pump hanging from the tank, police said.

Police said they later learned that 19-year-old Reginald Felix, a 17-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy had been in the stolen SUV when they were shot around midnight.

A 25-year-old was also shot at the scene, police said.

A 14-year-old boy and a 25-year-old man took Felix, the 17-year-old and the 16-year-old from the apartment complex to Methodist North Hospital, police said.

While en route to the hospital they were shot by unknown suspects in a dark car, according to police.

The five of them abandoned the SUV and ran to the hospital, police said.

Officers responded to the scene at Methodist North Hospital at 12:47 a.m., according to police.

It’s not clear if the suspects in the dark car and the victims are known to each other, police said. No one from the dark car has been arrested.

Felix and the 16-year-old have since been released from the hospital and are charged with theft, police said.

The 17-year-old remains in the hospital and is expected to be charged with theft, police said.

The 14-year-old and two 25-year-olds remain hospitalized, according to police.

ABC News’ Keith Harden contributed to this report.

Airfare will jump 20% this Labor Day, experts say

August 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Air travel fares may be starting to drop from their summer highs, but customers could pay the price to see family and take long-awaited vacations in the post-pandemic world, travel experts say.

Hopper predicts this upcoming winter holiday season will be the most expensive in the last five years.

Hopper anticipates 12.6 million people will fly over Labor Day weekend. Average ticket prices for the long weekend are up 20% from 2021 and 2019.

Domestic flights will cost $278 on average for a round-trip, according to Hopper data. For international flights, customers should expect to pay an average $850 for round-trip fares. International prices are up 34% from 2021 fares.

Nonetheless, Hopper said international travel is expected to make up 40% of the weekend’s air traffic, up 7% from 2021.

The most popular destinations for domestic and international bookings are Las Vegas, Denver, Atlanta, Puerto Rico and Mexico, according to Hopper.

Hotel and gas prices are expected to add further expenses compared to 2021 travel, the agency said.

This Thanksgiving, domestic flights are currently up 31% from 2019 prices and 44% from those in 2021. The average round-trip flight is sitting at $380, a Hopper spokesperson told ABC News.

For those going international, prices aren’t jumping quite as high. Hopper reported a 23% and 25% rise in prices from 2019 and 2021, respectively. The average round-trip price is listed at $788, according to Hopper.

Looking ahead to Christmas travel, Hopper said prices are up 25% and 42% from 2019 and 2021 for domestic bookings, and up 9% and 39% from those same years for international trips.

A Hopper spokesperson told ABC News that the best time to start booking your domestic holiday travel is by mid-September into mid-October. For international trips, start as soon as possible, Hopper said, to book by the first week of October.

Some of the most searched destinations for the holidays are facing these price raises, including New York City, Orlando, Atlanta and Los Angeles, according to Hopper.

London and Paris are the top searched international destinations for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, Hopper said.

The high-priced holiday season comes after a summer of airline disasters, as patrons experienced delays and cancellations at high rates throughout the season as severe weather and staff shortages have defined airports across the country.

Three men killed in hit-and-run outside Chicago gay bar, suspect at large

August 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(CHICAGO) — A suspect remains at large after three men were killed in a hit-and-run outside a Chicago gay bar, police said.

A fourth victim was struck and injured in the “horrific act” outside Jeffery Pub, which took place at about 5 a.m. Sunday, Chicago police said.

The attack “appears to be intentional” but is not being investigated as a hate crime, Chicago police said at a news conference Monday.

The incident began as an argument inside the bar, which then spilled into the street, police said. An “altercation” ensued, after which the suspect got in the car and drove into the pedestrians, police said.

The car involved was found abandoned four blocks from the scene, police said, but no one is in custody.

Police are looking to the public for help and asking anyone with information on the driver to come forward.

Learn how to make Miranda Lambert’s meatloaf

August 16, 2022 by WDNY Radio

When it comes to comfort foods, one of Miranda Lambert‘s go-to dishes is her mother’s meatloaf.

Growing up in Longview, TX, her mother Bev‘s homemade meatloaf was a favorite around the Lambert household, so much so that the singer would always request it on her birthday. She’s also partial to her father’s chicken-fried venison and her mom’s homemade barbecue sauce, with the “surprise ingredient” being a 1/4 cup of beer.

“It was handed down from my grandpa’s days in the military,” Miranda describes of the special sauce.

To make her mother’s meatloaf, the recipe calls for two pounds of ground beef, a pound of breakfast sausage, along with saltines or Ritz crackers. For an extra kick, she also incorporates bell pepper alongside chopped onion.

Rounding out the concoction is a blend of mustard, brown sugar, ketchup and a dash or Worcestershire sauce.

Get the full recipe and list of instructions here.

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