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Biden fist bumps Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid criticism of meeting

July 15, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia) — Continuing his first visit to the Middle East as president, Joe Biden shared a fist bump Friday with Saudi Arabia’s de-facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ahead of their highly-anticipated meeting despite criticism around the Saudi Arabia stop.

Biden is meeting, separately, with the prince’s father, King Salman, the White House said.

The president stepped off Air Force One and onto a lavendar carpet in Jeddah shortly after 11 a.m. ET, descending the steps and greeted immediately by two individuals. He fist bumped the first greeter and shook hands with others. The president then walked towards the Beast, stopping to greet a few other officials lined up for his arrival, accompanied by national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.

Sullivan declined to say earlier this week if the public would see the president and the crown prince shake hands, and Biden has repeatedly declined to say whether he will bring up the 2018 murder of Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi with him — despite immense pressure to snub the leader over alleged human rights atrocities, particularly since a U.S. intelligence report found Mohammad bin Salman directly approved the murder operation at a Saudi embassy in Turkey in 2018.

As a presidential candidate, Biden vowed to make oil-rich Saudi Arabia a “pariah” state over Khashoggi’s murder, but the rapprochement to U.S. and Saudi Arabia relations comes at a time when gas prices have skyrocketed as the West has attempted to boycott Russian oil, ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, and as Biden faces calls to balance security interests with human rights concerns.

Biden has defended his trip to the oil-rich nation, writing in an op-ed for The Washington Post published ahead of his visit that “my aim was to reorient — but not rupture — relations with a country that’s been a strategic partner for 80 years.”

“As president, it is my job to keep our country strong and secure,” he wrote. “We have to counter Russia’s aggression, put ourselves in the best possible position to outcompete China, and work for greater stability in a consequential region of the world.”

But Sullivan on Friday ahead of the meeting downplayed any chance of an agreement from Saudi Arabia to increase oil production as a result of Biden’s meetings in the kingdom.

“I don’t think you should expect a particular announcement here bilaterally,” he told reporters on AF1. “We will discuss energy security at this meeting,” he said broadly, when asked if the public should expect an agreement.

Since taking office, Biden has spoken twice with King Salman, the crown prince’s father, who officially rules the country, but had dispatched Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to serve as his administration’s point of contact with the crown prince, in what was widely perceived as a snub to the powerful Saudi leader.

On Saturday, Biden plans to attend a summit of Arab leaders in Jeddah, a meeting that the crown prince will also attend, though it’s not yet clear how the two leaders will interact or engage there.

Biden noted in his op-ed he would be the first U.S. president to fly from Israel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, describing it as a “small symbol” of the deepening ties between Israel and the Arab world.

Jayland Walker had 46 gunshot wounds in his body, autopsy report reveals

July 15, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(AKRON, Ohio) — Jayland Walker, the 25-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by police in Akron, Ohio, had 46 gunshot wounds on his body, according to an autopsy report conducted by the Summit Co. Medical Examiner’s Office.

“The autopsy determined that Jayland had 46 gunshot wound entrances or graze injuries,” chief medical examiner Lisa Kohler said at a Friday press conference. She later added, “The photographic record shows more than 46 labeled wounds because there are exit wounds, bullets beneath the skin and abrasions that were numbered for the purpose of identifying specific injuries.”

Walker also had injuries to his face, heart, both lungs, liver, spleen, left kidney, intestines, pelvis, iliac artery and several bones in his legs, according to Kohler

His manner of death has been ruled homicide and the toxicology report showed no use of drugs nor alcohol by Walker at the time of the incident.

“The family is devastated by the findings of the report and still await a public apology from the police department,” the Walker family’s legal team said in a statement to ABC News.

Walker was unarmed when he was fatally shot by police on June 27 after a traffic stop turned into a pursuit. He was running away when eight officers opened fire on him, body camera footage released by the city showed.

Officials said they attempted to pull Walker over for a traffic violation and an equipment violation with his car. He allegedly refused to stop, which set off a chase that ended in his death.

Officials said a flash of light seen in body camera footage appeared to be the muzzle flash of a gun coming from the driver’s side of Walker’s car.

In a second body camera video, officers are heard radioing that a shot was being fired from Walker’s car. The footage shows an officer following Walker’s Buick off Route 8 and continuing the pursuit on side streets.

At one point, Walker slowed down and jumped out of the passenger side door before it came to a full stop, according to the footage. As Walker ran away from police, several officers simultaneously fired several bullets, fatally shooting him.

A gun was later recovered inside the car, but Walker was unarmed when he was shot.

The officers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave and have not been named.

The incident is under investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The United Nations has joined, offering help via a task force designed to address racial injustice and inequity in law enforcement.

The national civil rights group NAACP has called upon the Department of Justice to investigate Walker’s death.

“We are urging you and your Department of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation into the murder of Jayland Walker, and – if what we all saw with our own eyes is true – federally charge the officers responsible for his gruesome assassination,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said.

Walker’s funeral was held just days before the autopsy report, where he was described by family and friends as “kind” and “gentle.”

ABC News’ Amanda Su contributed to this report.

Yungblud, Royal & the Serpent, Dead Sara featured on upcoming Demi Lovato album

July 15, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Yungblud, Royal & the Serpent and Dead Sara are among the guests featured on Demi Lovato‘s upcoming new album, Holy F***.

The record finds the pop star going in more of a rock-influenced, guitar-driven direction, as heard in the previously released singles “Skin of My Teeth” and “Substance.”

Yungblud is featured on the album’s opening track, “Freak,” while Royal and Dead Sara guest on songs titled “Eat Me” and “Help Me,” respectively.

Holy F*** is due out August 19.

Royal and Dead Sara are also opening select dates on Lovato’s upcoming U.S. tour, kicking off in September.

Treat yourself to something ‘Special’ with Lizzo’s anthemic new album

July 15, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Are you ready for new Lizzo? Her fourth studio album, Special, is finally here, and it’s making major waves across social media.

“Special is here,” the Grammy winner raved on Instagram while sharing a silly outtake from her album cover shoot.

Fans are hailing Special as a much-needed ray of sunshine because of its positive messaging and funk-like elements. A notable track is Lizzo’s retro-sounding love song “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready),” which takes fans into her mind when she began falling in love with her current boyfriend, Myke Wright. The song explores Lizzo’s self-doubt as she questions whether she is ready for a relationship.

“You found me, I was fed up with the fantasy/ What you wanna do? Think I’m ready/ Think you like that, think you like that/ When I clap back like that, let me know,” she chants in the dance track.

Lizzo further explores her romantic journey in the song “Coldplay,” which features Coldplay’s Chris Martin. The sweet song is about all the little moments that make her feel loved.

Lizzo slows things down in her vulnerable track ”Naked,” which is about her finding and enjoying intimacy with her partner. “I’m naked/ Love how you look at me naked/ Come make this body feel sacred/ I’m a big girl, can you take it?” she sensually croons in the soulful track.

Special is also packed with feel-good songs that encourage listeners to feel good about themselves. “The Sign” is the Grammy winner’s pandemic track about how she bounced back from a heartbreak and is feeling more confident than ever. “I keep on writin’ these songs/ ‘Cause he keep on doin’ me wrong/ And my girls keep singin’ along/ I guess that I’m not alone,” she sings.

Special is now available across all major platforms.

Nita Strauss plays with Demi Lovato on ‘Kimmel’

July 15, 2022 by WDNY Radio

It appears that the mystery of Nita Strauss‘ new gig has been solved.

After announcing earlier this week that she was leaving her position as Alice Cooper‘s guitarist ahead of the shock-rocker’s upcoming fall tour, Strauss appeared on Thursday’s episode of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! alongside Demi Lovato.

Strauss joined Lovato to perform their new song called “Substance,” which will appear on the pop star’s upcoming rock-influenced, guitar-driven album Holy F***, due out August 19.

Strauss has not yet publicly commented on her new gig with Lovato, though she appeared to reference it Friday in an Instagram Story featuring a video of the classic Monty Python catchphrase, “And now for something completely different.”

When initially announcing her departure from Cooper’s band, Strauss shared that her “touring year is still VERY full,” suggesting that she’ll also join Lovato’s band on the road. That has yet to be confirmed.

Outside of her work in Cooper’s band, Strauss released her debut solo album, the instrumental Controlled Chaos, in 2018. Her 2021 solo single “Dead Inside,” which features vocals by Disturbed‘s David Draiman, became the first song by a solo female artist to hit #1 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in 32 years.

On the Beat: Police drummer Stewart Copeland turns 70 on Saturday

July 15, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Stewart Copeland, the arrestingly kinetic drummer of The Police, celebrates his 70th birthday this Saturday, July 16.

Born in Alexandria, Virginia, Copeland grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, where his CIA agent father was stationed. He later moved to England, and in 1974 he became the drummer of the prog-rock band Curved Air.

After Curved Air broke up in 1976, Copeland formed The Police the following year with singer/bassist Gordon Sumner, a.k.a. Sting, and guitarist Henry Padovani. Guitarist Andy Summers joined as a fourth member later in ’77, and Padovani exited the group soon after.

Offering up a captivating mix of punk, reggae, pop, rock, jazz and world music influences, The Police soon became one of the most popular bands on the planet.

While Sting was the group’s main songwriter, Copeland wrote or co-wrote at least one song on every Police album. His most significant contributions came on 1979’s Regatta de Blanc, which featured six tracks that he wrote or co-wrote.

While with The Police, Copeland released some solo singles and an album under the pseudonym Klark Kent. In 1982, he composed the soundtrack to the Francis Ford Coppola-directed film Rumble Fish.

After The Police broke up in 1986, Copeland worked on many film soundtracks, including Talk Radio and Wall Street.

Stewart also has played in such collaborative projects as Animal Logic, with jazz bassist Stanley Clarke and singer/songwriter Deborah Holland; Oysterhead, with Primus‘ Les Claypool and Phish‘s Trey Anastasio; and Gizmodrome, with ex-King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew and Level 42‘s Mark King.

In 2003, Copeland was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Police. In 2007-2008, the band reunited for a massively successful world tour.

In recent years, Copeland has composed several operas. In 2021, he won a Best New Age album Grammy for Divine Tides, a collaboration with Indian-music composer Ricky Kej.

Paramore announces fall US headlining shows

July 15, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Paramore has announced a run of U.S. headlining shows for the fall.

The outing, which marks the “Hard Times” trio’s first tour live performances since 2018, kicks off October 2 in Bakersfield, California and will wrap up November 16 in St. Augustine, Florida.

Tickets go on sale next Friday, July 22 at 10 a.m. local time. You can register for a chance at presale tickets via Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program now through Sunday, July 17 at 10 p.m. PT.

Along with the headlining dates, Paramore will be playing a number of festivals this fall, including When We Were Young and Austin City Limits.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Paramore.net.

Paramore’s most recent album is 2017’s After Laughter. The band revealed in a Rolling Stone interview earlier this year that they were back in the studio working on a follow-up.

Meanwhile, frontwoman Hayley Williams has released two solo albums: 2020’s Petals for Armor and 2021’s Flowers for Vases/Descansos.

Report: Zakk Wylde & Charlie Benante to play guitar & drums in reunited Pantera lineup

July 15, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Black Label Society‘s Zakk Wylde and Anthrax‘s Charlie Benante will be stepping in for the late Abbott brothers on the upcoming Pantera reunion tour, Billboard reports.

Wylde will be playing guitar in place of “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, while Benante will be manning drummer Vinnie Paul‘s spot behind the kit. They’ll join surviving Pantera members vocalist Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown, who, as Billboard reported earlier this week, are reforming the metal outfit for a 2023 tour.

Dime was murdered on stage in 2004, while his older brother Vinnie died in 2018 of a heart condition. The estates of both brothers gave a “green light” to the new lineup, according to Billboard.

The reported tour will mark the first Pantera live shows since the band broke up in 2003.

Secret Service deleted texts from Jan. 5 and 6, 2021, after watchdog sought records

July 15, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Secret Service deleted text messages from Jan. 5 and 6, 2021, after an internal watchdog requested them as part of a review of the department’s handling of last year’s Capitol riot, the watchdog said this week.

A letter sent Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General to the heads of the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees, which was obtained by ABC News, said the messages were deleted “as part of a device-replacement program” despite the inspector general requesting such communications.

“First, the Department notified us that many US Secret Service text messages from January 5 and 6, 2021, were erased as part of a device-replacement program. The USSS erased those text messages after OIG requested records of electronic communications from the USSS, as part of our evaluation of events at the Capitol on January 6,” Joseph Cuffari, the inspector general, wrote.

“Second, DHS personnel have repeatedly told OIG inspectors that they were not permitted to provide records directly to OIG and that such records had to first undergo review by DHS attorneys,” Cuffari wrote. “This review led to weeks-long delays in OIG obtaining records and created confusion over whether all records had been produced.”

The director of communications at the US Secret Service, Anthony Guglielmi, said any insinuation the service intentionally deleted texts is false in a statement Thursday evening.

“The insinuation that the Secret Service maliciously deleted text messages following a request is false. In fact, the Secret Service has been fully cooperating with the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) in every respect – whether it be interviews, documents, emails, or texts,” the statement said.

The statement continued that the Secret Service “began to reset its mobile phones to factory settings as part of a pre-planned, three-month system migration. In that process, data resident on some phones was lost,” and that DHS OIG requested electronic communications for the first time on Feb. 26, 2021, after the migration was underway. The agency added that OIG was notified of certain data missing.

The Secret Service also refuted the notion that they were not being cooperative with the DHS investigation.

“To the contrary, DHS OIG has previously alleged that its employees were not granted appropriate and timely access to materials due to attorney review. DHS has repeatedly and publicly debunked this allegation, including in response to OIG’s last two semi-annual reports to Congress. It is unclear why OIG is raising this issue again,” the statement said.

Ohio’s Rob Portman, the top Republican on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said he was “deeply concerned” over the letter.

“I am deeply concerned by the letter I received from the DHS Inspector General documenting the Department’s delays in producing materials to the Inspector General and its deletion of records following requests by the Inspector General. It is essential that the Department be transparent with its inspector general, Congress, and the American public,” he said in a statement.

The DHS has not yet responded for comment.

Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the chairman of the committee, echoed that.

“We need to get to the bottom of whether the Secret Service destroyed federal records or the Department of Homeland Security obstructed oversight,” Peters said in a statement. “The DHS Inspector General needs these records to do its independent oversight and the public deserves to have a full picture of what occurred on January 6th. I will be learning more from the DHS Inspector General about these concerning allegations.”

It is unclear whether the messages were deleted intentionally or by accident, though the inspector general’s letter comes as the Secret Service is once again under heightened scrutiny following hearings from the House committee investigating the insurrection.

Recent testimony suggested that former President Donald Trump tried to join his supporters in marching from the Ellipse to the Capitol last year but was stopped by the Secret Service. The agency has since said it will respond on the record to that testimony.

NY AG delays depositions of Trump, 2 of his children, following death of Ivana Trump

July 15, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Depositions of former President Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. in connection with the New York attorney general’s civil investigation into the family’s businesses practices have been delayed, the New York Attorney General’s Office said Friday.

The AG’s office said the postponement was due to the death of Ivana Trump, the former president’s ex-wife and the mother of Ivanka and Donald Jr., on Thursday.

“In light of the passing of Ivana Trump yesterday, we received a request from counsel for Donald Trump and his children to adjourn all three depositions, which we have agreed to,” the office said in a statement. “This is a temporary delay and the depositions will be rescheduled as soon as possible. There is no other information about dates or otherwise to provide at this time.”

“We offer our condolences to the Trump family,” the statement added.

The New York Attorney General’s Office has been investigating potential discrepancies in how the Trump Organization valued certain assets when seeking loans or when pursuing tax breaks.

Trump has long denied any wrongdoing in the yearslong investigation.

The Trumps had sought to squash the AG’s subpoenas to testify on the grounds that they were politically motivated, but last month New York’s highest court declined to take up an appeal by the family, thereby obligating the Trumps to sit for depositions in the probe.

Ivana Trump died Thursday at her home in New York City at the age of 73. She was found unconscious and unresponsive at the bottom of a set of stairs in her Upper East Side apartment, according to police sources. A medical examiner will determine the cause of death, police said.

She and Donald Trump were married in 1977 and divorced in 1992.

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