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Monkeypox case trajectory could outpace current vaccine supply, vaccine expert says

August 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. is currently in a race to have the necessary tools and medicines to stop the growing spread of monkeypox, and it may be an uphill battle, according to one vaccine expert.

Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, spoke with ABC News Live Tuesday about the latest developments in the spread of the virus. Hotez said he’s concerned about the trajectory of new cases that are being reported throughout the country and the world.

As of Wednesday, 6,326 monkeypox cases have been confirmed in all states except Montana and Wyoming, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No American has died from the virus, according to health officials. There have been 25,391 cases worldwide as of Wednesday, according to the CDC.

Hotez said the current monkeypox vaccine, JYNNEOS, is effective, but said the current supply may not be enough.

“It’s not dire yet, but the feeling is unless we work pretty quickly we could get there,” he told ABC News.

Monkeypox is spread through skin-to-skin contact, and although most known cases in the current outbreak are among people who identify as gay or bisexual, anyone can get it, Hotez said. As of Wednesday, five children have contracted the virus, the CDC said.

Hotez said the small supply of the vaccine, which was commissioned a decade ago, is the result of U.S. health officials letting a stockpile expire “inexplicably” and doing nothing to replenish it.

“When the outbreak began we only had a few thousands doses and we’re playing catchup ever since,” Hotez said.

The Food and Drug Administration announced last week that it had inspected and approved the manufacturing of 786,000 more doses of JYNNEOS for distribution in the U.S. and that more than a million doses will be available in the coming weeks.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced FEMA administrator Robert Fenton would serve as the White House National Monkeypox Response Coordinator and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis would serve as the White House National Monkeypox Response Deputy Coordinator.

The pair will “will lead the Administration’s strategy and operations to combat the current monkeypox outbreak, including equitably increasing the availability of tests, vaccinations and treatments,” according to a statement from the White House.

Hotez said Biden’s appointees are qualified to lead the task and said one of the issues that they’re going to have to tackle is the vaccine supply. In addition, he said they will have to determine if there will be an increased call to use the antiviral drug tecovirimat, a.k.a. TPOXX, to treat patients while the country replenishes the vaccine supply.

“The problem is this: We don’t have the full armamentarium of tools to control it,” he said. “So we’re in a race trying to…accelerate the control tools, [so] that we have the diagnostics, the drugs and the vaccines versus that steep trajectory of cases.”

Key takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries: Big night for abortion rights, election deniers

August 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Abortion rights activists on Wednesday were relishing a major victory after Kansas voters soundly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to roll back abortion access in the first state-level test since the Supreme Court overturned Roe. v. Wade.

That win — in a red state former President Donald Trump carried by double digit margins in 2020 — is a clear warning shot for conservative candidates and state lawmakers alike who campaign on Roe’s downfall: Put the fate of abortion in the voters’ hands and suffer the political consequences.

Kansas voters choose to protect abortion access

Several factors may have motivated Kansas voters to defeat the amendment 59%-41%, but left-leaning strategists are likely to paraphrase Barack Obama famously observing, “elections have consequences.”

Those sorts of consequences can be measured in turnout.

On Tuesday, an eye-popping number of voters took to the polls, in near presidential general election-levels. So far, about 900,000 Kansans sounded off — compared to numbers in the 300,000 range in the 2016 and 2014 primaries. The turnout was stunning by any measure, for a primary night in the middle of summer vacation season.

Can Democrats repeat the results in other states?

Beyond the headline there’s layered impact here, as those seeking an abortion in a handful of states bordering Kansas — states that have implemented trigger law restrictions — can legally travel across state lines for the procedure.

While it might be a stretch for Democrats to do too big a victory lap for the cause, never in this midterm cycle has the left had a flare so bright and powerful, especially as down-ballot Democrats inherit the baggage of a generally unpopular president in Joe Biden, staggered inflation numbers, and mounting concerns about inflation.

The White House is championing this win, with Biden releasing a statement that the vote “makes clear” that “the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion.”

But several questions remain, a chief one being whether this voter enthusiasm can be replicated in other deeply red states. And will Republican-controlled legislatures dare to push amendments for fear of the same sort of result?

A winning strategy forward for Democrats to preserve abortion rights remains unclear and will surely be tested in the upcoming August primaries.

Plus, the result in the rest of Tuesday night’s primaries will likely give Democrats more headaches than produce high-fives.

A mixed night for impeachment backers, but a big night for election deniers

Elections in Michigan, Missouri, Arizona and Washington made way for big wins for “the big lie” and saw the end of the reelection road for Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, one of the few Republicans who broke party ranks and voted to impeach Donald Trump. Meijer’s loss is something of a grim prescription for the remaining anti-Trump Republicans — Rep. Liz Cheney take note — who have staked their reputations and job security on the anything-but-MAGA line.

Instead of Meijer, ultra-conservative election-denier John Gibbs advances to the general election. The embers of Democrats’ stoking far-right flames burned in this race, too, with the party’s congressional campaign arm pumping $500,000 in ads boosting Gibbs’ profile in the hopes he would be easier for Democrats to beat in November.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, another vocal anti-Trump Republican who decided to back out reelection, told CNN that “the DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) needs to be ashamed of themselves.”

Tricky news in any event for Cheney, who faces her own set of hurdles in the Wyoming at-large primary on Aug.16. A quirk of the Wyoming election rules where Democrats and Independents can change party affiliations at the time of voting introduces a safeguard not accessible to someone like Meijer, however.

If the Republican primary cycle has taught anything, it’s that there is legitimate appetite for election conspiracy among the GOP electorate – or at least, a willingness to support “big lie” candidates despite everything that’s been revealed. FiveThirtyEight estimates at least 120 nominees deny the credibility of the election.

Arizona is something of the ground zero of election denial, where candidates at nearly every level champion a flavor of “election integrity.” In the GOP primary for attorney general, former prosecutor Abe Hamadeh, with a blessing from Trump, will effort to make Arizona great again.

It’s too early to call the results for the Republican gubernatorial primary, where former tv anchor Kari Lake has made a questioning of the election her mantra, turning interviews back on journalists to make her case.

Which sort of Democrat is left to fend off someone like Lake? In Arizona, it will be former secretary of state Katie Hobbs, who already is campaigning against “conspiracies of the past.”

“We need leaders who will look to the future, not conspiracies of the past. Leaders who are doers, not whiners. Do you want a governor whose entire platform boils down to being a sore loser or a governor who will get the job done for Arizona?” Hobbs pitched in her victory speech Tuesday night.

The 1975 premieres new “Happiness” song & announces US tour dates

August 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The 1975 has premiered a new song called “Happiness,” which will appear on the band’s upcoming album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language.

The horn-laden track is accompanied by a video featuring a smoking Matty Healy performing in front of disinterested lounge patrons as the stage setup continually changes. You can watch that now streaming on YouTube.

“Happiness” is the second Being Funny in a Foreign Language cut to be released following lead single “Part of the Band.” The album will arrive in full on October 14.

Along with the song premiere, The 1975 has announced a U.S. tour in support of Being Funny in a Foreign Language. The headlining run begins November 3 in Uncasville, Connecticut and concludes December 17 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit The1975.com.

Selena Gomez’s ’Selena + Chef’ returning soon

August 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Selena Gomez is heading back to the kitchen for a new round of Selena + Chef, with its fourth season premiering on August 18. The trailer is out now.

In a press release, Warner Media says this season will take us to a beautiful Malibu beach house, where the Grammy winner will invite her friends and family to help her master the culinary arts. This is the same house where Hannah Montana was filmed, a series Selena starred in as diva Mikayla in 2007.

This time, famed chefs Gordon Ramsay, Priya Krishna, Matty Matheson, Rachael Ray, Devonn Francis, Kristen Kish, Ludo Lefebvre, Paola Velez, Nick DiGiovanni and Adrienne Cheatham will be on hand to whip the “Wolves” singer into shape.

These esteemed chefs have the important task of guiding Selena through recipes and giving her tips to avoid kitchen disasters. They will have their hands full because, as seen in the trailer, Selena finds herself in questionable situations with cooking utensils.

While some chefs will continue to educate Selena virtually, Chef Ramsay becomes the first in-person guest on the show and declares, “We’re f***ed” when Selena admits her cooking skills are severely lacking.

As with the past three seasons, all guest stars will highlight a certain cause or charity. Since Selena + Chef began airing, it has raised $400,000 for 26 organizations.

Selena previously said in a statement, “I am looking forward to another season of being in the kitchen with some of the world’s best chefs. Hopefully, my skills have improved. More importantly, we’ve been able to raise money for incredible charitable organizations.”

The beloved cooking show will air in three parts. Three episodes will premiere on August 18. Three more will arrive on the streamer the following week. The final batch of episodes — four in all — will premiere September 1 for the season finale.

Cole Swindell shares the Tim McGraw duet he’ll never forget: “One of the coolest moments of my career”

August 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

For Cole Swindell, there’s not much that can top a live duet with Tim McGraw.

That’s exactly what happened last week at Michigan’s Faster Horses Festival: Tim and Cole got to share the stage, performing a live rendition of Tim’s classic “I Like It, I Love It” as a packed crowd of fans roared along with them.

Cole shared a close-up video of the moment on Instagram this week, introducing the duet by writing, “One of the coolest moments of my career is about to happen,” as the camera pans across him wearing a vintage McGraw shirt.

Flash forward to their time onstage, the two stars hold their microphones up to the crowd as the fans sing the chorus of “I Like It, I Love It” back to them.

“They never sang it back this loud when I covered it in college,” Cole jokes.

“Glad someone captured this because I mayyyy have blacked out up there!” the singer notes at the conclusion of his post.

Cole’s ‘90s country fandom continues to be a big part of his career: His new single, “She Had Me at ‘Heads Carolina,’” pays homage to another ‘90s classic from Jo Dee Messina.

Metallica teams up with ’Stranger Things’ for Hellfire Club merch

August 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Come crawling faster…to buy new Stranger Things-themed Metallica merch.

The metal legends have teamed up with the Netflix sci-fi show to create a new line of apparel featuring the logo of the Hellfire Club, the Dungeons and Dragons group led by everyone’s favorite metalhead, Eddie Munson.

The merch collab, of course, follows the placement of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” in the Stranger Things season four finale, which has led to a renewed interest in the 1986 song. Following the finale’s premiere in July, “Master of Puppets” made its first-ever appearance on the Billboard Hot 100.

You can order your own Metallica Hellfire Club shirt now via Metallica.com or Netflix.shop.

Metallica previously rocked Hellfire Club shirts in a TikTok of them jamming “Master of Puppets” alongside the scene where Eddie shreds the thrash classic in the Upside Down. The “Enter Sandman” outfit later met actor Joseph Quinn, who plays Eddie, backstage at last week’s Lollapalooza.

Bryan Adams releasing deluxe ‘So Happy It Hurts,’ vinyl ‘Classic’ collections in October

August 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

A two-CD super deluxe version of Bryan Adams‘ latest studio album, So Happy It Hurts, will be released on October 28.

The expanded collection includes a bonus disc featuring 12 of the tracks that appeared on Adams’ 2022 Classic and Classic Pt. II digital albums, which originally were released in March and last week, respectively. Those albums boasted newly recorded versions of many of Bryan’s best-known tunes.

A two-LP, 14-track vinyl edition of the Classic recordings will be released on October 28, and will be available on standard back vinyl and limited-edition orange vinyl. Both versions will feature a laser etching of Adams’ silhouette on the fourth side.

You can preorder the two-CD version of So Happy It Hurts and the Classic two-LP sets now.

Coinciding with the recent release of the digital version of Classic Pt. II, Adams debuted a music video for his updated rendition of his 1998 single “When You’re Gone,” a duet with Melanie C of the Spice Girls. Bryan also recently premiered a video for the So Happy It Hurts track “I Ain’t Worth S*** Without You” that was shot on the stage of London’s historic Royal Albert Hall.

Here’s the track list for the super deluxe So Happy It Hurts package:

Disc 1
“So Happy It Hurts”
“Never Gonna Rain”
“You Lift Me Up”
“I’ve Been Looking for You”
“Always Have, Always Will”
“On the Road”
“Kick A**”
“I Ain’t Worth S*** Without You”
“Let’s Do This”
“Just Like Me, Just Like You”
“Just About Gone”
“These Are the Moments That Make Up My Life”

Disc 2
“Summer of ’69”
“(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”
“Run to You”
“Heaven”
“Can’t Stop This Thing We Started”
“Cuts Like a Knife”
“Please Forgive Me”
“Straight from the Heart”
“When You’re Gone” — featuring Melanie C
“Here I Am”
“Back to You”
“Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman”

And here’s Classic two-LP track list:

“Summer of ’69”
“(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”
“Run to You”
“Heaven”
“Can’t Stop This Thing We Started”
“Cuts Like a Knife”
“Please Forgive Me”
“Straight from the Heart”
“Hidin’ from Love”
“When You’re Gone” — featuring Melanie C
“Here I Am”
“When You Love Someone”
“Back to You”
“Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman”

Tyler Perry talks success and keeping his son out of the spotlight

August 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

In the August/September edition of AARP: The Magazine, Tyler Perry opened up about his dark childhood, his success and how he shields his seven-year-old son, Aman, from the spotlight.

For all of his fame both as an actor and a self-made billionaire mogul, Perry is notoriously protective about his private life. He shares Aman with ex Gelila Bekele, who he describes as an “incredible mother.” Though the couple split in 2020, she runs his charity, The Perry Foundation.

As for why he’s tight-lipped about his personal life, Tyler says, “Because these people are not famous. My son’s not famous. I want him to have as normal a life as he can.”

He said of the boy, “I want him to know what it’s like to have his own name and his own life and not have the pressure of trying to live up to whatever or whoever your father was.”

Perry also talked about how he’s handling current events as a Black father, explaining he hasn’t delved too deeply into matters of race — yet.

“…I want to hold out as long as I can,” he insisted. “I don’t want to tell him that there are people who will judge him because of the color of his skin, because right now he’s in a school with every race, and all these kids are in their purest form. When he describes his friends, he never defines them by race.”

Perry goes on to say of Aman, “the moment he loses that innocence is going to be a very, very sad day for me. I know it’s coming, though, because he’s already asking some really tough questions. What I want him to be, more than anything, is somebody who sees injustice, speaks out against it and effects change.”

Mother of Uvalde victim speaks out for first time

August 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(UVALDE, Texas) — Uvalde, Texas, shooting victim Makenna Lee Elrod loved butterflies so much that they were released at her funeral in June.

Several landed on her siblings and her mother, April Elrod, who said it felt like the 10-year-old was sending them a sign.

“One landed on my shoulder, one landed on her sister’s shoe, which is silly because Makenna is three years younger than her sister but they were the same size shoe and they always fought over shoes,” said Elrod, who spoke with ABC News for her first interview since the tragedy on May 24.

“One landed on her daddy’s tie,” she added.

Elrod recently got a tattoo in Makenna’s honor, she said. Flowers grace her forearm, representing each of her children, and a butterfly sits above Makenna’s flower.

She asked Georgia woodworker Sean Peacock to make her two benches shaped like butterflies in Makenna’s honor, but she didn’t expect he’d make them for free, let alone honor all 21 victims with butterfly benches of their own using donations from GoFundMe.

Elrod has called meeting Peacock “a blessing.” He said the donation is a “love story.”

“He and I’ve been talking since and when I’m having a bad day, he just seems to be the one that messages and says you know, we’re praying for you,” Elrod said. “Her story has brought people closer together. And I mean, what more can you ask for?”

A prayer vigil was held Monday in Uvalde Town Square as the benches were unveiled. The benches were laid alongside crosses that had been put up around the square’s fountain to honor each victim, with many adorned with rosaries, teddy bears, photos and flowers.

Families of several victims joined the Elrod family at the vigil, admiring the benches as the sun went down.

Elrod said Makenna was loved by many, making friends everywhere she went. She said people continue to come up to her and tell her stories about Makenna that she hadn’t heard before.

“When she played softball, she would take an extra 30 minutes to say goodbye at the softball fields before we can leave,” Elrod said.

She was also loved by her teachers, one of whom was a close friend to the Elrods. Irma Garcia, who also died in the shooting, was shielding Makenna during the attack. Elrod herself is a teacher in Uvalde, at Dalton Elementary.

“I knew her and knew what an amazing teacher she was. And so I requested for her to be Makenna’s teacher that year, or this year, and Makenna had a wonderful year. And she was growing. And I mean, she really was having a great year and, and Miss Garcia was an amazing teacher. Amazing,” Elrod said. “And I know that she, that when she left this Earth, that she was being held by Miss Garcia, and she was trying to protect her.”

When people remember Makenna, Elrod wants them to remember her daughter’s bright smile and welcoming demeanor, as well as her faith.

They hope her spirit lives on through a butterfly garden near their home, as well as the memorials of her scattered throughout the city.

“I feel like we’re gonna keep Makenna’s memory alive because we’re gonna love big, like Makenna did,” Elrod said.

Boeing workers approve contract after averting strike

August 3, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(ST. LOUIS) — Nearly 2,500 Boeing workers at three St. Louis-area facilities on Wednesday accepted a contract offer from the plane manufacturer after calling off a strike planned for earlier this week.

In recent weeks, a dispute over the three-year contract centered on retirement compensation. Workers last Sunday rejected an offer that fell short of their demands on that issue, said Jody Bennett of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW).

The new contract provides workers with an $8,000 cash bonus, which would be subject to tax withholdings. Alternatively, under the terms of the proposed contract, workers can opt to place the total amount in a 401(k) account, Boeing said.

Under the proposal, the company will automatically put an amount equivalent to 4% of a worker’s pay into the 401(k) each year, the company and Bennett said.

But the new proposal removes the company’s 401(k) match, which featured a dollar-for-dollar company match on 10% of a worker’s pay, the union said. Instead, the company will match 75% on the first 8% of employee contributions.

“Throughout negotiations, the committee worked diligently to educate the membership and bring back an improved offer from the company,” said Tom Boelling, president of IAM District 837, the union local that represents the workers. “We have delivered an equitable contract that will secure the future for the members, their families and future generations.”

The contract includes a $2 per hour increase in the base wage for all employees, which equates to an average 7.2% wage hike, Boeing said. Workers at the three St. Louis-area locations make an average of $29.42 per hour, the union said.

“We’re pleased with the outcome of the vote and we look forward to our future here in the St. Louis area,” Boeing said in a statement.

In 2014, Boeing stopped offering a traditional pension plan for new hires, replacing it with a 401(k) that fails to adequately compensate workers, Bennett said.

The Arlington, Virginia-based company reported $160 million in profit in the second quarter of this year, which marked a 72% decline from the same quarter a year prior.

The company brought in $62.2 billion in revenue in 2021 after a resurgence in sales of its 737 Max, which was grounded in 2019 after two crashes left 346 people dead. The Federal Aviation Agency lifted the grounding order in November 2020.

“Our members at Boeing St. Louis fought hard to ensure they received a contract that compensated them fairly,” Bennett, of IAMAW, said in a statement.

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