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Trump indicates he pleaded the Fifth in deposition for New York AG probe

August 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Donald Trump on Wednesday indicated he invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against testifying against himself during a scheduled deposition that day as part of the New York attorney general’s civil investigation into his family real estate business.

The former president was seen arriving at the attorney general’s office in New York City around 9 a.m. local time.

In an emailed statement to reporters about an hour and a half later, Trump said, in part, “Under the advice of my counsel … I declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution.” His statement also included lengthy attacks on the state attorney general’s investigation.

A source with knowledge of the matter subsequently confirmed to ABC News that Trump was declining to answer questions from investigators.

As of early Wednesday afternoon, Trump remained at the attorney general’s office — across the street from one of the Trump-branded buildings included in the civil investigation.

A spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James declined to comment.

The deposition in the civil case follows an escalation in a separate federal investigation into Trump’s handling of classified material. On Monday, the FBI searched Trump’s residence in Palm Beach, Florida.

Wednesday’s deposition, which had been delayed from July due to the death of Trump’s ex-wife Ivana, comes after a months-long court fight during which Trump was held in contempt as he fought the attorney general’s subpoena.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has called the investigation politically motivated.

“My great company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides. Banana Republic!” he said in a statement on his social media outlet, Truth Social, shortly before Wednesday’s deposition.

Two of his grown children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, have already been deposed as part of the civil probe, sources said.

Trump argued unsuccessfully that he should not have to sit for a deposition while the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office was conducting a parallel criminal investigation. While the Manhattan DA’s case remains active, two senior prosecutors who had been leading it resigned earlier this year over the lack of an indictment.

James has said her office uncovered evidence of potentially fraudulent conduct in the way the Trump Organization valued its real estate holdings when seeking loans and when asking for tax breaks.

Lawyers in her office have said in court that the office is nearing a decision on an enforcement action.

ABC News’ Will Steakin contributed to this report.

“Let’s go”: Cole Swindell teases a Jo De Messina cameo in upcoming “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” video

August 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Cole Swindell has said that he hopes to find a way to involve ‘90s country star Jo Dee Messina in his new song, “She Had Me at Heads Carolina.” After all, the single pays a pretty big homage to her 1996 country hit, “Heads Carolina.”

As he gears up to put out the song’s music video this week, it looks like Cole just might have achieved his goal. A teaser for the video shows scenes of a night out, and there’s a familiar face tending bar in the clip: that’s right, it’s Jo Dee herself.

“THURSDAY,” Cole wrote in the caption for the teaser. “‘90s Country Fans. Let’s Go!”

Back when he put the song out, Cole said that he hoped the ‘90s great would be able to participate in “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” but he didn’t specify how he hoped to make that happen.

“I hope somebody I get to sing it — whether I do something, I want her to be involved, because we wouldn’t have the song without the writers and without her making it what it is,” he explained at the time.

At country radio, Cole’s updated version of the ‘90s hit is his fastest-rising single to date. Just eight weeks after being released, “She Had Me at Heads Caroline” is already inside the top-10 on the country chart.

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ becomes most-watched original ‘Trek’ series for Paramount+

August 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

A lot of fans are boldly going with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, according to Paramount+.

The prequel series set a record for the streaming service as the most-watched original series in the Star Trek franchise over its first 90 days and ranked as one of Paramount+’s top two original shows overseas.

The series, which stars Anson Mount as U.S.S. Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike — Captain Kirk’s predecessor at the starship’s helm — launched in May.

The show is one of a quintet of new Trek shows available on the streaming service, including Picard and the animated comedy show Star Trek: Below Decks, all produced by Alex Kurtzman.

George Cheeks, president and chief executive officer at CBS, celebrated in a statement: “Over the past six years, Alex … and his amazing team have brilliantly created and carefully curated a new Star Trek universe for Paramount+ with five complementary series – each different in tone, style, story and in some cases target audience.”

He adds, “Each series is a success in its own right, and now the franchise’s newest edition, Strange New Worlds, is earning critical acclaim and delivering notable performance achievements on the service.”

The new series also stars Rebecca Romijn as Pike’s Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock.

Inflation slows significantly as gas prices drop in July

August 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Inflation data released on Wednesday revealed that price increases slowed in July, easing the strain on household budgets as the Federal Reserve fights inflation with a series of borrowing cost hikes.

While still elevated, price hikes waned from the near-historic pace reached in June, giving hope to policymakers and consumers that inflation has peaked.

The consumer price index, or CPI, rose 8.5% year-over-year in July, a marked slowdown from 9.1% in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

On a monthly basis, the consumer price index rose 1.3% in July, remaining unchanged from the rise seen in June, according to the bureau. While food and shelter costs increased over the last month, the gasoline index price fell 7.7% in July to offset those increases.

The inflation data arrives as other indicators have sent mixed signals about the economy in recent weeks.

A slowdown in the inflation rate emerged in part because the national average price of gasoline, which makes up a key portion of the consumer price index, has declined for more than 50 consecutive days, according to AAA.

Meanwhile, a government report on Friday revealed that hiring in July more than doubled economists’ expectations, defying Fed efforts to slow the economy and rebuking fears of a recession.

The significant uptick in hiring last month — an added 528,000 jobs and unemployment rate drop to 3.5% — came alongside elevated wage increases that may put upward pressure on consumer prices.

The heightened wage increases match a pattern that stretches back months. A closely observed measure of U.S. wages, called unit-labor costs, rose 9.5% over the second quarter of this year, the fastest rise of that metric since the first quarter of 1982, according to data released by the federal government on Tuesday.

When facing high inflation, policymakers fear what’s referred to as a price-wage spiral, in which a rise in prices prompts workers to demand raises that help them afford goods, which in turn pushes up prices, leading to a self-perpetuating cycle of runaway inflation.

The Fed has sought to avoid a price-wage spiral with a series of borrowing cost increases, Maurice Obstfeld, a professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley, told ABC News. At meetings in each of the past two months, the central bank has increased its benchmark interest rate 0.75% — dramatic hikes last matched in 1994.

“The data is telling us not that rate hikes have been ineffective but that the Fed will have to go quite a bit further,” Obstfeld said.

However, other data suggests that inflation fears have waned significantly.

A survey released by the New York Federal Reserve on Monday showed that consumers expect inflation to slow down.

Individuals who responded to the July survey said they expect inflation to run at a 6.2% pace over the next year and a 3.2% rate for the next three years, both of which marked significant declines from the inflation expectations expressed by consumers in the month prior.

Flannel undone: ’90s nostalgia festival canceled

August 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The Flannel Nation festival is going back in its drawer.

The ’90s nostalgia concert, which was set to take place this Saturday, August 13, in San Pedro, California, with artists including Everclear, Soul Asylum, Sugar Ray, Candlebox and Filter, has been canceled.

In a statement posted to Facebook Tuesday, Flannel Nation organizers wrote, “We regret to announce that due to ongoing problems and logistical setbacks, putting on Flannel Nation as intended has become infeasible.”

Presumably, those “ongoing problems” and “logistical setbacks” include several bands dropping off the lineup, including Everclear, who wrote in an Instagram post that the Flannel Nation organizers “do not have the adequate means to provide the level of experience our fans expect and deserve while attending an Everclear show.”

Filter and Candelbox also canceled their sets, both citing “unforeseen circumstances.”

Meanwhile, Flannel Nation plans to “retool” and “reschedule” to take place on a new date.

Simon Cowell reveals Camila Cabello wasn’t supposed to audition for ‘X Factor’

August 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Simon Cowell is dishing a few secrets about X Factor, a show that produced stars like Harry Styles and Camila Cabello.

Speaking with Extra, the mega producer explained that he is the reason Camila was able to audition. The “Havana” singer made a name for herself on the show’s second season as a member of Fifth Harmony, but Cowell said his first meeting with her wasn’t a happy one.

“I happened to go backstage and I saw her crying, asked her why she was crying and she said, you know, it was too late for her to audition because she was a reserve, whatever that meant,” he recalled. “She wasn’t really supposed to audition.”

Cowell must have seen something in Camila, because he personally intervened on her behalf. “I said to her, ‘Well, I’m one of the producers, you just got an audition,'” he revealed.

He said that is a clear example of why he loves doing reality competition shows.

“Seeing Camilla today or Harry Styles, Leona Lewis, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, there’s been so many times luckily where I’ve been there at that moment where their career is going to go in a completely different direction,” said Cowell. “If we didn’t have those things happen, then there’d be no point making the shows.”

Speaking of Harry, the producer said he saw greatness in the “Adore You” singer during his first audition. “I remember his audition like it was yesterday. He was very charming, he was very confident, he was very funny, and I liked him,” Cowell said. “I just thought there’s something … special about him … You never forget those moments.”

He added discovering some of the world’s biggest stars and helping them achieve success is what he’s “most proud of,” which he says adds more depth to his shows.

Saucy Santana is MTV’s global ‘Push’ artist for the month of August

August 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Every month, MTV Push connects the world to artists via live performances, interviews and other forms of content. This go-round, the platform is bringing fans closer to Saucy Santana via an exclusive chat that sees him discussing everything from his key to success to his single “Booty.”

Santana started his career as a makeup artist for City Girls and went on to release his first song in 2019. He followed up with a few more releases, breaking through to the mainstream with the help of the viral hit “Walk.” TikTok fans have also assisted in the success of “Material Girl,” which most recently resulted in him sharing a stage and remix with Madonna.

Saucy attributes his wins to simply embracing who he is. “It’s so easy to wake up every day and be yourself, that’s you, that’s the only person you know how to be,” he told MTV Push, “and that’s how I’ve gotten this far being Santana the only way I know how.”

Santana has been on a run, performing at shows like Summer Walker‘s New York concert and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Commonly on his set list is his recently released song, “Booty,” a Latto collaboration that serves different purposes.

“Booty is as loud as you can, driving around in the car,” he said of the song. “Booty is getting ready for the club, Booty is a work out, a lot of people I’m seeing are working out to the song … it’s a cardio record!”

Saucy Santana’s full interview can be found here.

Just fishing: Jake Owen teaches his youngest daughter how to fish

August 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Jake Owen is teaching his daughter a vital country life skill — fishing.

The singer took to Instagram to share a video of him and his 3-year-old daughter, Paris, fishing on a river. Paris holds a child-size fishing rod in her hands as her dad talks her through the process of how to properly use it. “Push it in and let it go when you release it,” he advises as the tot gives a hopeful look at the camera before casting the reel into the water.

“There you go! Good job,” Jake says. “Did you get one?” he asks as Paris reels in the line, repeating after her dad as he says, “Come here, fish.”

“Are we fishing or what?” he asks his youngest child, who gives a smile and a thumbs-up. “Raise a girl that can cast a fishing pole,” Jake adds in the caption.

Jake and his fiancé, Erica Hartlein, welcomed Paris in 2019. She joins older sister Olive Pearl, whom Jake shares with his ex-wife.

Brian May, Rick Wakeman taking part in Starmus science and music festival

August 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Queen‘s Brian May and ex-Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman are among the musicians who will participate in the 2022 Starmus festival, which is scheduled to take place in Yerevan, Armenia, from September 5 to September 10.

May co-founded the festival in 2011 with Dr. Garik Israelian, one of the world’s leading astrophysicists, who had helped Brian complete his PhD thesis in astrophysics in 2007. The event promotes science communication and music. It features speeches from Nobel laureates, astronauts, scientists and authors, as well as musical performances.

The festival seeks to inspire and educate a new generation of explorers and spark their interest in making new discoveries.

The sixth annual Starmus festival will mark May’s first visit to Armenia. In 1988, May participated in the Rock Aid Armenia campaign, a humanitarian project organized to help those affected by a devastating earthquake that hit the country.

Wakeman, who has taken part in several previous Starmus festivals, joins May on this year’s lineup of performers, which also includes contemporary prog-rock group Sons of Apollo and Armenian-American rock singer Serj Tankian of the band System of a Down.

For more information about the festival, visit Starmus.com.

Hello, Sidney? Neve Campbell discusses whether she’d return to the ‘Scream’ franchise

August 10, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Neve Campbell is opening up about her future — or lack thereof — in the Scream franchise.

The actress, who played hard-to-kill heroine Sidney Prescott in five Scream films, announced in June that she was stepping away from the series over an apparent salary dispute.

In a statement at the time, she said, “I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”

She called the move a “very difficult decision.”

However, Campbell recently told Entertainment Tonight the coffin isn’t nailed shut on her possible return to the series.

“I care about these movies,” Campbell said. “If they were to come to me with an amount that felt in keeping with … the value that I bring them, I would certainly consider it.”

The Party of Five alum praised the directors of the fifth Scream movie, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and wished them luck on the next film.

However, she stood firm in her decision to walk away from the series: “My feeling truly is, had I been a man in this franchise — 25 years, five movies — the offer would have been very different,” she said, explaining women should be “on par financially with men.”

“I fought for a long time to have that be a part of my life and … I really just didn’t feel that what was offered to me really equated to what I bring to these films — the value that I bring to these films and that Sidney brings to these films,” she said.

“The idea of being on set and feeling taken for granted or taken advantage of just seemed impossible for me to endure, to be honest.”

Scream 6 is reportedly set for a 2023 release.

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