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Carl Nassib reflects on publicly coming out on social media, hopes for fall NFL season

July 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — NFL defensive end Carl Nassib initially “agonized” over his decision to publicly come out as gay last offseason following his sixth year in the league.

But ultimately, he realized that one Instagram post could be a way to create a positive narrative for others and help society’s conversation around sexual orientation, and so he became the first active NFL player to come out as gay.

Nassib, 29, spoke to ABC News’ Good Morning America co-anchor and former NFL star Michael Strahan about that life-changing moment on social media and where he is now.

“I stared at the phone for, like, an hour just looking at it, trying to hype myself up,” he recalled. “The last thing I said was like, ‘You know what — for the kids.’ And: pressed post.”

Nassib said it “definitely was some difficult times” over the 15 years while he considered sharing that part of his life publicly.

“Really struggling with who you are and trying to figure out that side of your life was definitely a tough part,” he said.

The former Oakland Raiders lineman, who was released earlier this spring, said, “I just wanted to show that it really doesn’t matter — your sexual orientation.”

“I came out to my close friends and family years ago. And I wanted to do it publicly because I wanted to stay ahead of the narrative,” he said. “I just wanted to own the story and make sure I did it on my terms. One of my biggest fears was that I would only be remembered for being gay.”

When it came to being in a locker room full of men in a sport considered to be more conservatively masculine, Nassib said, “I really wasn’t scared about that at all.”

“I had a great relationship with my teammates,” the Raiders former edge rusher said. “I just was met with the most incredible support from my teammates.”

Nassib’s announcement was met with a tidal wave of support on social media from celebrities, fellow players and fans.

“[I] actually hope that one day videos like this and the whole coming out process are just not necessary,” he said. “When people come out, they’re coming out of the closet because they’re afraid. They have fear that they’re gonna have negative impact on their life, on their relationships, on their job.”

He added, “I just hoped that one day we don’t have those fears — that’s the society I hope for one day. And I hope I can be a positive push in that direction.”

Statistics show that support for the LGBTQ+ community can be life-saving, according to a recent survey from The Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health that found 45% of LGBTQ youth had contemplated suicide in the last year, but those who had support from family attempted suicide at less than half the rate.

Nassib said he has a message for kids at home who see legislation like Florida’s so-called “don’t say gay” bill.

“They have support from a massive community of people who will love them no matter what, and we are making strides in a positive direction,” he said. “It won’t be a perfect road, and we just have to continue the course and make sure that we do it from a place of love and not from a place of animosity.”

Nassib donated $100,000 to the Trevor Project, which was matched by the NFL, to support the nonprofit that focuses on suicide prevention and support in the LGBTQ community.

The Trevor Project received many anonymous messages from the LGBTQ+ community thanking Nassib for his courage and honesty.

“You may very well have saved some lives today,” one message read. Another one stated, “Way to be a leader on and off the field, Carl. You are saving lives through your bravery.”

And finally another said, “Seeing your message today made me so excited to be part of a world I could see people like me in any sort of public role.”

“Love it. That’s incredible,” Nassib said after hearing the replies. “I hope that I can continue to be that person.”

For the last four years, Nassib said he has “been working on an app called Rayze” that “introduces volunteers and donors to causes and nonprofits that they’re passionate about” and allows people to easily donate to those causes.

As football season nears, Nassib, who said he was not surprised to be released by the Raiders, is preparing for camp as a free agent.

“It was a great time we had. I have so much love for Las Vegas. It allowed me to do a lotta great things,” he said. “And I think that there’ll be more — there’ll be better opportunities in the future.”

Without naming teams or organizations where he hopes to end up this fall, Nassib said, “the best scenario for me is, like, the best opportunity to show what I got. Got a lot in the tank.”

Biden to sign executive order on Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad

July 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Tuesday that codifies a 2020 law dealing with Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad.

Drawing on the 2020 Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, the new executive order will reinforce the U.S. government’s efforts to support families of Americans wrongfully detained or held hostage overseas, according to the White House.

The order will authorize the federal government to impose financial sanctions on those who are involved — directly or indirectly — in wrongful detaining Americans abroad, the White House said. Moreover, government agencies will be directed to improve engagement with those Americans’ families, including sharing intelligence information about their loved ones and the government’s efforts to free them. The order will also charge experts across agencies with developing “options and strategies to deter future hostage-takings,” the White House said.

A senior Biden administration official told reporters that new sanctions will not be announced on Tuesday.

In addition to the executive order, Biden will introduce a new “risk indicator” — “the ‘D’ indicator” — to the U.S. Department of State’s travel advisories for particular countries to alert Americans of the risk of wrongful detention by a foreign government, according to the White House.

Starting Tuesday, the first countries to receive this additional risk indicator will be China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela, another senior administration official told reporters. The “D” indicator joins the existing “K” indicator that covers the risk of kidnapping and hostage-taking by non-state actors, as well as a range of other existing risk indicators.

China’s “D” risk designation may spark ire in Beijing, where Chinese officials have largely tried to avoid the subject of wrongful detentions and where Western sanctions are a constant trigger.

Experts estimate that roughly 200 Americans are arbitrarily jailed in China, and that even more are subject to unlawful “exit bans,” barring them from leaving the country. Some advocates have pushed for the Biden administration to take a more vocal approach to secure their freedom, rather than the standard behind-the-scenes diplomacy. But the State Department has recently tried a similar strategy — updating their official advisory to American and instructing them to reconsider travel plans to China due to “arbitrary enforcement of local laws.”

Syria, with which the United States does not currently have formal diplomatic relations, will be notably excluded from the “D” risk designation on Tuesday. U.S. officials believe that while the Syrian government may not be currently holding American journalist Austin Tice in its custody, it could have valuable information on his whereabouts and perhaps those of other missing Americans. Tice, 40, was abducted in Syria nearly 10 years ago.

The White House recently held a telephone call for the relatives of detained Americans to share information with them about these new announcements. Some of them are in Washington, D.C., this week for the unveiling of a mural depicting their loved ones, according to a spokesperson for many of the families, Jonathan Franks.

Franks, who represents a group called the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, accused U.S. officials of holding a “one-way conversation with families” and ignoring their requests to meet with Biden.

The public mural in Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood will depict the faces of 18 American hostages and wrongful detainees, according to Franks. Among those featured will be American basketball star Brittney Griner, 31, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, 52, both of whom remain detained in Russia, as well as U.S. permanent resident Paul Rusesabagina, 68, who inspired the acclaimed 2004 film Hotel Rwanda and was sentenced last September to 25 years in Rwandan prison over terrorism charges.

Franks accused the White House of rolling out these new steps in order to “pre-manage the press attention from many hostage families being in D.C. this week to unveil their mural,” saying “the White House is taking executive action to direct itself to follow existing law.”

The White House declined to comment in response to Franks.

According to the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, there are actually 64 publicly known cases of Americans being held hostage or wrongfully detained around the world.

Chrissy Teigen celebrates one year of sobriety

July 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Chrissy Teigen is one year sober.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, the model and celeb reflected on the past year and shared how she’s feeling these days.

“Not a drop of alcohol in 365 days! I miss feeling loopy and carefree sometimes, but to be honest toward the end, it didn’t give that fun feeling anymore anyhow,” Teigen, 36, wrote alongside a montage of videos featuring her with husband John Legend and their two children, Luna, 6, and Miles, 4.

“I drank to end crazy anxiety that later mostly went away when I – get this – quit drinking! sigh. anyhow I feel really good,” she continued. “Sometimes I get really frustrated looking back on days I should remember way better than I do because of alcohol.”

Teigen then recalled various events that she wished she could remember but couldn’t.

“Like when I drank cafe patron and fell asleep while an Outback Steakhouse chef taught me (my friends) how to make a bloomin onion at my house. I wish I was awake for that,” she expressed. “Wish I remembered really any awards show lol. There are pictures from huge moments in life where my eyes just look…gone. Some are from real work shoots, some just beach days with the family.”

Chrissy added that while she doesn’t know if she’ll never drink again, she does know that she doesn’t want to “be that way again… and for now, none is best.”

“I’ll let the bad dreams come up and try to sort them out in therapy, without booze. Prayers for a blooming onion redo, @outback??” Teigen concluded.

The post garnered support from fellow celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Katie Couric and Tinx, who spread love in the comments. Legend also cheered on his spouse, writing, “Soooooo proud of you, my strong beautiful wife!”

Kevin Samuels cause of death revealed

July 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Medical examiners have determined a cause of death for Kevin Samuels.

According to TMZ, Georgia’s Fulton County Medical Examiner determined that the 57-year-old controversial YouTuber died of hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. It was also noted that Atenolol, a medicine used to treat hypertension, was found in Samuels’ system. The death was classified as due to natural causes.

As previously reported, Samuels died in May after collapsing in his home with a woman who has not been publicly identified. According to the incident report provided to ABC News by the Atlanta Police Department, the woman stated that she met Samuels the evening prior and spent the night with him. Upon Samuels’ complaint of chest pain, the woman attempted to help him, but he fell on top of her, after which she called 911.

Samuels was later transported to Piedmont Hospital for care.

In Brief: Peter Dinklage jumps onto ‘Hunger Games’ prequel, and more

July 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Game of Thrones alum Peter Dinklage has been tapped to play Casca Highbottom in The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, alongside Tom Blyth as young Coriolanus Snow, Rachel Zegler as tribute Lucy Gray Baird, and Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow. The film, per the studio takes place “years before 18-year-old Coriolanus would become the tyrannical President of Panem.” He’s alarmed to be assigned to mentor Lucy Gray. But after she grabs Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to “turn the odds in their favor,” leading to a “race against time to survive,” ultimately revealing who is a songbird, and who is a snake.” The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is due in theaters on Nov. 17, 2023…

Showtime announced on Monday that Desus & Mero, the late-night talk show hosted by Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, won’t return, amid reports of a falling out between the two, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Desus Nice and The Kid Mero will be pursuing separate creative endeavors moving forward,” Showtime said in a statement. “Showtime’s late-night talk show Desus & Mero will not be returning for a fifth season. Its final episode aired Thursday, June 23.” Desus & Mero premiered on Showtime in 2019 after several years on cable outlet Viceland. The Showtime series ran for 180 episodes across its four seasons…

Mickey Rooney Jr., an original Mouseketeer, actor and musician who was the eldest child of screen legend Mickey Rooney, “peacefully passed away” Saturday at his home in Arizona, Paul Petersen, a fellow Mouseketeer, announced on Facebook. Rooney Jr. was 77. The cause of death is unknown. Rooney Jr. also played in bands with Willie Nelson and appeared with the actor-musician in the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose, among others…

Heat-related deaths top 1,100 in Spain, Portugal amid heat wave and wildfires

July 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As Western Europe experiences a record-breaking heat wave, Spain and Portugal have reported at least 1,169 heat-related deaths, according to each country’s ministry of health.

At least 510 people died from heat-related issues in Spain between July 10 and July 18, the country’s health ministry said. Of those deaths, 273 were recorded on Friday, officials said. Another 659 heat-related deaths were recorded in Portugal between July 7 and July 17, local officials said.

Thousands of firefighters were having trouble containing forest fires in France, Spain and Portugal that have destroyed thousands of acres of land. The fires have forced thousands of people to evacuate to safety, as extreme heat grips the region.

In southern France, more than 14,000 people were forced to flee as fires spread to more than 27,180 acres of land. The country’s Interior Ministry also issued red alerts for heat waves for 15 French departments and orange alerts for 51 departments on Sunday.

France, reached a high of 40.8 degrees Celsius — 105.44 Fahrenheit — on Sunday. Temperatures remained high on Monday and Tuesday, but were expected to break by Wednesday.

The number of people who died of heat-related deaths is unknown, but France’s Ministry of Health told ABC News that information on the number of casualties will be released at the end of the month.

Firefighters in Spain were fighting 30 active fires, mostly in Castilla y Leon, Galicia and Andalusia, Interior Ministry and Catalan Authorities said.

Temperatures on Sunday were forecast to reach 42 C (107.6 F) in three provinces in the country, prompting the state meteorological agency to issue “extreme risk” alerts.

In Mijas, Spain, in the municipality of Malaga, 3,000 people have fled due to fires. More than 22,000 acres of land are at risk of being burned in the Mijas province as firefighters struggle to contain the flames.

Wildfires are happening earlier in the season, ending later and becoming more frequent because of climate change, the European Union said in a report last year.

“Climate change is aggravating the situation, making countries more prone to wildfires and increasing the intensity of such events,” the report said.

The sweltering heat is also expected to take hold of other parts of Europe in the coming days. Areas of England are expected to hit 40 C (104 F) on Tuesday.

“This year, for the first time, we’ve issued a severe weather emergency response in summer,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said.

Ukrainians are being forcibly deported to Russian ‘filtration camps’

July 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Eduard Mkrtchian, injured during Russian shelling of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, said he was forced to evacuate and, at a Russian-controlled checkpoint, said he was given false information and forced to travel into Russia.

He told officials he wanted to go to western Ukraine, to a city called Zaporizhzhia, but was told “there’s no Zaporizhzhia anymore,” he said in an interview with ABC News’ Ines de La Cuetara.

Instead, he was brought to a so-called “filtration camp,” a checkpoint in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine where reports have emerged of people being interrogated for hours, their biometric data being recorded and their photos on their phones wiped.

He said he was repeatedly misled, and brought deeper and deeper into Russia.

“I was deceivingly taken to Russia,” he told ABC News.

The U.S. Department of State estimates that between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens, including 260,000 children, have been “interrogated, detained, and forcibly deported” to Russia, adding that “the unlawful transfer and deportation of protected persons is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians and is a war crime.”

There are at least 18 “filtration camps” that have been set-up along the Russia-Ukraine border, according to Michael Carpenter, the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

During his interrogation, Mkrtchian says, “they asked me to undress. They asked me the meaning of every tattoo on my body.”

“They deliberated a long time whether or not to let me go. I realized that they could kill me here,” he said.

“You have to fill out a form. There are different questions. For example – do you have relatives in the armed forces of Ukraine, do you know about the location of Ukrainian military bases, and so on,” said Mariupol resident Ruslan Bojko, who says he spent four days at a “filtration camp.”

ABC News spoke with Bojko on a reappropriated cruise ship in Tallinn, Estonia, that now houses more 1,800 Ukrainian refugees.

“These people don’t have a choice, they have to comply,” Tanya Lokshina, Europe and Central Asia associate director for Human Rights Watch, told ABC News. “The de facto choice, the only option that they have, is to remain in the streets and die under shelling.”

According to a statement released on Wednesday by the U.S. Department of State, “evidence is mounting that Russian authorities are also reportedly detaining or disappearing thousands of Ukrainian civilians who do not pass ‘filtration.’”

“There are very strong grounds to believe that those individuals detained by them experience ill treatment and even torture,” said Lokshina.

“The woman who was sitting next to me in the filtration camp, her husband had been gone for two weeks. He was taken away for filtration and not returned. There were at least 10 women I spoke with who had similar stories,” said Mkrtchian.

Russia has acknowledged that it is resettling Ukrainian refugees, yet claims it is for “humanitarian” reasons.

After spending time in a refugee camp in Russia, Mkrtchian eventually traveled across Russia to Estonia where he now lives, awaiting the opportunity to return to Ukraine.

“How can I stay in a country that destroyed my life?” he said.

Second half of 2021 sees first increase of births since pandemic: CDC

July 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — After months of declining births during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of babies born may be rebounding in the United States, a new federal report finds.

The report, published early Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found there was a 4% increase in births for the second half of 2021 compared to the same period the year before.

Between July 2021 and December 2021, 1,905,953 babies were born compared to 1,830,523 babies born from July 2020 to December 2020, according to the CDC.

This marks the first increase in births seen since 2014, the researchers noted.

For the report, the authors looked at birth certificate data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, including final birth counts from 2019 and 2020, as well as provisional data for 2021.

Results showed that, when comparing 2020 counts to those of 2019, births declined in both the first and second halves of the year at 2% and 5%, respectively.

Additionally, compared to the first half of 2020, there was a 2% decrease in births in the first half of 2021.

January 2021 and February 2021 saw the biggest declines in births, at 9% and 2%, respectively.

Meanwhile, July 2021 to December 2021 recorded increases in births between 1% and 7% in comparison with July 2020 to December 2020. November 2021 and December 2021 saw the largest increases, at 6% and 7%, respectively, data showed.

Researchers also looked at changes in births based on the race and ethnicity of the mother.

During the first year of the pandemic, all races and ethnicities saw decreases in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The same trend continued in the first half of the year in 2021, with declines of between 2% and 8% for women in nearly all groups.

However, for the second half of 2021, increases were seen across multiple groups. Hispanic women saw the largest increase in births at 6%, followed by white women at 4% and Asian women at 3%, the report found.

Other groups — including Black women, American Indian/Alaskan Native women and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander women — did not see significant changes in the number of births during the second six months of 2021.

The report also looked at changes in the number of births by state. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia recorded a decline in births in the first half of 2021 compared to the first half of 2020, while only four states saw increases, the CDC report found.

Similarly, when comparing the first six months of 2019 to the same period in 2020, the number of births declined for 20 states.

However, in the second half of 2021, births increased for 39 states compared to the second half of 2020, with the largest increase seen in Connecticut at 10%.

Other significant increases were seen in New Hampshire at 9%, as well as Florida, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont at 8% each. Declines were seen in only two states: Arizona and New Mexico.

The authors note that despite the increase in births in 2021 compared to the year prior, the overall number — 3,659,289 — was still 2% lower than the 3,747,540 recorded in 2019.

“The difference in trends observed between the first two months of the year and the last seven months suggests that the downward trend seen in 2020 through the beginning of 2021 may have abated,” the authors wrote. “Ongoing evaluation of trends in births by month will monitor whether the changes observed for the second six months of 2021 will continue into the next year.”

The CDC did not immediately return ABC News’ request for comment.

Macy’s brings back Toys ‘R’ Us in time for the holidays

July 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A classic toy superstore is being brought back to life ahead of the holiday season.

Macy’s, in partnership with Toys “R” Us parent company WHP Global, announced Monday that it plans to bring the Toys “R” Us brand to every Macy’s store in the U.S. for the holiday season.

The rollout of the new pop-up stores is set to begin in late July, with all locations expected to be complete by Oct. 15, according to a press release. In-store shops will vary in size, but span up to 10,000 square feet in flagship locations like Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco.

Toys “R” Us, a beloved toy chain, liquidated its U.S. stores in 2018 after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017. The brick-and-mortar toy megastore buckled under the competition from online retailers like Amazon.

According to a recent report by the U.S. Commerce Department, U.S. retail sales rebounded more strongly than expected in June, even amid historically soaring inflation. Retail sales rose 1% last month, and revised data from May showed sales falling only 0.1% instead of 0.3%, as previously reported.

As to where it stands, retail sales are 18% above pre-pandemic marks, according to data collected by Mastercard.

Since last summer, Toys “R” Us products have been available at Macy’s exclusively online. In Macy’s reported earnings for the first quarter of 2022, the retailer recorded that toy sales were 15 times higher than before its partnership with Toys “R” Us.

“Macy’s cannot wait to bring the Toys ‘R’ Us experience to life in our stores,” said Nata Dvir, Macy’s chief merchandising officer, in part of a statement. “The customer response to our partnership with Toys ‘R’ Us has been incredible and our toy business has seen tremendous growth.”

Man arrested after attempting to access closed roadway near first lady Biden’s motorcade

July 19, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A man was arrested after allegedly attempting to access a roadway closed off for first lady Jill Biden’s motorcade, according to the United States Secret Service.

The man was charged with assault on police, failure to obey, crossing a police line and resisting arrest, officials said.

“A man was arrested near the White House after attempting to access a roadway that was temporarily closed due to a protectee motorcade,” the Secret Service told ABC News. “The individual struggled with uniform division officers and was ultimately placed into custody. Two officers were sent to an area hospital for evaluation following the minor physical confrontation.”

The first lady’s office declined to comment on Tuesday.

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