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The ‘big lie’ looms on Tuesday’s primaries in Nevada and South Carolina

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — As the House Jan. 6 committee’s latest hearings ramp up, they overlap with a set of primary races on Tuesday featuring a slate of Donald Trump-endorsed candidates who support the same “big lie” about the 2020 election that investigators say fueled last year’s insurrection at the Capitol.

The first primary held during the much-watched investigation into last year’s pro-Trump rioting will feature races for Senate, House and gubernatorial seats in Nevada, South Carolina, North Dakota and Maine. Texas will hold a special election for its 34th Congressional District seat.

Many of the races in Nevada include candidates that support the former president’s evidence-free claims that the 2020 election was stolen, while two House candidates in South Carolina who were critical of Trump’s role in Jan. 6 or supportive of his impeachment afterward are now up for competitive races against targeted, Trump-endorsed opponents.

The leading candidate in the Nevada GOP Senate primary is the state’s former Attorney General Adam Laxalt, a fervent supporter of Trump. In 2020, he chaired Trump’s reelection campaign in the state and supported Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election.

Laxalt hails from a political dynasty. His grandfather Paul Laxalt served as a senator for Nevada and his father, Pete Domenici, was New Mexico’s longest-serving senator.

Some of the issues Laxalt is running on include stronger southern border policies, protecting the Second Amendment and changing how elections are conducted — echoing many other conservatives running at the local level who, like Trump, baselessly claim that there is widespread election fraud that needs to be addressed.

Laxalt has not only secured an endorsement from Trump but from other 2024 presidential hopefuls, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton.

But Laxalt still faces some competition in the primary as Sam Brown, a veteran and businessman, has been rising in the polls. In addition, there is frustration with voters in the silver state who believe Laxalt is too close to the Republican establishment.

While serving in Afghanistan as an Army infantry lieutenant, Brown was wounded by a roadside bomb attack and was sent to Texas to recover from his severe burn injuries.

If Brown does pull off a win on Tuesday, it would be a political upset.

Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto does not face any serious challengers in her primary, but it’s the general election that will test the support she has within Nevada as voters grow frustrated with the first-termer over economic challenges in a tourist-driven state hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent fallout, including rising inflation.

Meanwhile, in the primary races for the House, although it’s expected that all three of Nevada’s incumbent Democrats will survive, the general election may give them all cause for worry. Their seats have been rated as toss-ups by the Cook Political Report.

Most in danger is Rep. Dina Titus, who said she got “f—–” by the state legislature on how they drew her district.

As for Nevada’s gubernatorial race, all eyes will be on the GOP primary, where Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo is leading the very crowded field. Lombardo — who has plenty of name recognition around the state’s most populated area, Las Vegas — has received an endorsement from Trump.

Nevada’s governor race later this year could potentially be a referendum on incumbent Democrat Steve Sisolak, who has had a somewhat difficult first term. Sisolak had to navigate the onset of COVID, which caused Nevada’s tourism-based economy to suffer.

Meanwhile, the GOP primary for secretary of state is drawing attention to Jim Marchant, the leading GOP candidate in the race who has falsely claimed that Trump won the 2020 election. Marchant’s candidacy is an example of a national trend involving supporters of the “big lie” who are running for offices like secretary of state in order to influence how elections are conducted.

If Marchant wins his primary, he will most likely face off against Cisco Aguilar in November.

On Tuesday in South Carolina, incumbent Republican Reps. Nancy Mace and Tim Rice are the two main objects of Trump’s rage after having denounced him in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack.

They’re now up against Trump-endorsed opponents for races the former president has called “two of the most critical primary elections in the country.”

Mace, the freshman congresswoman who just days into her term condemned Trump’s claims about his election being stolen, is being challenged by cybersecurity analyst and former state Rep. Katie Arrington, whom Trump called a “true Republican.”

“I am trying to communicate to my colleagues in Congress that rhetoric has real consequences.” Mace said on ABC News Live on Jan. 6, 2021.

“And in fact, when I came up for this weekend with my children for my swearing in, I actually put them on the first plane home on Monday morning because I was worried about what might happen today because of the rhetoric we’ve been hearing,” she said then.

Mace, running in the state’s 1st District seat, is endorsed by former Trump ambassador and two-term South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Tuesday’s primary may put Haley — a rumored 2024 presidential hopeful — to the test against Trump.

A third candidate on the ballot, Lynz Piper-Loomis, makes a runoff in this race more possible if no candidate receives 50% of the vote.

In South Carolina’s 7th Congressional District, state Rep. Russell Fry has earned the endorsement of Trump against five term Rep. Rice, who has consistently defended his post-Jan. 6 impeachment vote and condemnation of Trump’s role in the insurrection.

Rice’s break with Trump is notable as his district has displayed staunch support for the former president: It voted for Trump by a 19-point margin in 2020.

The special election for Texas’ 34th District seat has been a study in the kinds of races national Democrats and Republicans may deem as winnable — all in a contest to serve just six months in an area carved up by redistricting anyway.

Voters there will head to the polls for a third time this election season to cast a ballot for a short-term representative; this race is separate from the one being decided in November’s general election contest.

The messy electoral timeline was caused by former Rep. Filemon Vela’s decision to resign in March in order to work in the private sector after the Democratic lawmaker already announced he would not seek reelection the year before.

The situation creates a sped-up political calendar for candidates already in the running, while also offering Republicans the opportunity to flex their growing popularity in the heavily Latino area. Meanwhile, national GOP groups appear to be going all-in on the possibility of upending Democrats’ head start ahead of the general election and are pouring money into the race.

National Democrats have largely steered clear of the special election, while Republicans have poured money into the race — just last month spending more than $1 million.

“A Democrat will represent TX-34 in January,” Monica Robinson, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement to the Texas Tribune. “If Republicans spend money on a seat that is out of their reach in November, great.”

Gun deal negotiators may finish draft of new law this week, ahead of speedy vote, Sen. John Cornyn says

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Now that a tentative deal on trying to curb gun violence has been reached in the Senate, negotiators are working to make the proposal a reality — and fast.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the lead Republican on the gun talks, said Monday he would like to see lawmakers finish the bill’s legislative text sometime this week ahead of what Democrats have said would be a quick vote on the finalized bill.

“My hope is that we can complete that job in the next few days, hopefully by the end of the week, so that the bill will be available for all senators — indeed all the world — to read,” Cornyn said on Monday in a lengthy floor speech.

Such a timeframe would set up a possible vote on the Senate floor next week.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed Monday to hold a vote “quickly” once the legislative text was finalized, but acknowledged there was still more that needed to be done before a bill reached the floor. The framework of the agreement has 10 Republicans in support — enough to avoid the threat of a GOP filibuster that has stymied past gun laws. But Republican aides told ABC News the bipartisan deal was on the principles and not the details, which are still being worked out.

“Make no mistake about it, we have a lot of work left to do before we actually pass a bill. But yesterday’s announcement was a positive and necessary step in the right direction,” Schumer said.

A group of 20 senators — 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans — announced on Sunday they had reached a broad agreement after working for weeks following the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 young children and two teachers dead.

The outline of the deal includes funding for mental health and school safety; incentives for states and localities to pass “red flag” laws to take away guns from those deemed a danger to themselves or others; and strengthening the federal background check system, especially for potential gun owners under the age of 21 and for people convicted of domestic violence — closing the so-called “boyfriend loophole.”

Cornyn emphasized Monday that the proposed reforms would not add any more restrictions upon “law-abiding gun owners” but said he believed they will “save lives.”

“This is not an easy debate,” Cornyn said. “It’s emotional. It can be divisive. But it is also very important that we act.”

The agreement doesn’t include everything Democrats, including President Joe Biden, have called for in the wake of the latest onslaught of mass shootings across the U.S. This weekend alone there were at least 10 such killings.

In a nationwide address earlier this month, Biden urged Congress to ban assault-style weapons — which were previously outlawed in the 1990s and early 2000s — and high-capacity magazines, repeal immunity for gun manufacturers and more.

“We spent hours with hundreds of family members who were broken, whose lives will never be the same,” Biden said then. “They had one message for all of us: Do something.”

ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday if the tentative gun deal delivered on what those parents said they wanted.

“What he heard and all of you may have heard from the folks in the community, as well, is to do something,” Jean-Pierre replied. “The president has called on Congress to do something. They are doing something.”

Biden wants to see the gun safety reform bill “on his desk to sign as soon as possible,” Jean-Pierre added.

Cornyn himself admitted the delicacy of delivering on anti-gun violence legislation in such a closely divided Senate.

“Most often we hear people say, ‘Do something.’ Well, they don’t give you a lot of guidance on what that something looks like — and when you begin to dig down into the details, you find out there is not a lot of consensus about what that something should look like,” he said in his speech on Monday.

He said he believed focusing on keeping guns away from “criminals and people with mental health problems” was a winning formula.

“I’m hoping that 10 Republicans supporting the bill is not a ceiling but is the floor,” he said.

If passed, the deal would be the first major piece of gun control legislation to make it through Congress in three decades.

“I urge my colleagues to think of all the lives we can now save by turning this framework into law,” Schumer said on Monday. “Americans have waited long enough for us to take action. Too many lives, too many have been already lost.”

Parkway Drive revealed as second headliner for ShipRocked 2023

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

ShipRocked 2023 officially has its second headliner.

Parkway Drive has joined the previously announced Falling Reverse to lead the bill for the concert cruise, which takes place January 22-28.

“After the last couple of years of chaos, we can’t wait to share this unique experience with our fans … cruising and exploring one of the most beautiful parts of the planet by day and smashing the stage by night,” Parkway Drive says. “We’re so stoked this is happening and we’ll see everyone on deck!”

Other artists playing ShipRocked 2023 include Nothing More, Skillet, Motionless in White, Ayron Jones, Bones UK, grandson, Suicidal Tendencies, Lilith Czar, Nonpoint, Wage War and Zero 9:36.

For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit ShipRocked.com.

Parkway Drive, meanwhile, just dropped a new song called “Glitch,” marking their first fresh material since releasing the album Reverence in 2018. The Australian group had been scheduled to tour the U.S. this spring, but they ended up canceling it due to mental health reasons.

Pour Some Gin for Me! Two new gin products inspired by Def Leppard songs available now

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Def Leppard is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, and to commemorate the milestone, the award-winning Swedish spirits producer Brands for Fans has released two premium gin products inspired by the veteran British hard rockers.

The new gins are named after two songs from Def Leppard’s chart-topping 1987 album Hysteria, “Animal” and “Rocket,” both of which reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Def Leppard “Animal” gin is a London Dry Gin with intense flavors that include juniper, lemon peel and botanicals.

Def Leppard “Rocket” gin is a premium distilled liquor with bold flavors that include juniper and herbaceous tones, as well as lavender and lemon. Lavender is included in the flavor profile as a nod to the lavender labyrinths in the band’s hometown of Sheffield, England. “Rocket” gin also contains no added sweeteners.

Both gins were created by Brands for Fans’ in-house master blender Daniel Henriksson.

The liquor was produced for Def Leppard by Brands for Fans in partnership with the Epic Rights licensing company.

The gins are available now in the U.S., the U.K. and mainland Europe. They can be ordered by visiting BrandsforFans.com.

As previously reported, Def Leppard recently released a new studio album titled Diamond Star Halos, and the band is set to launch a 36-date North American trek dubbed The Stadium Tour with Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts this Thursday, June 16, in Atlanta.

Yellowstone National Park closes its entrances due to rockslides, flooding from ‘unprecedented rain

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK) — All Yellowstone National Park entrances have been closed in the wake of “unprecedented” rainfall causing “substantial flooding, rockslides and mudslides on roadways,” the National Park Service announced Monday.

Some roads have been washed out and others are covered in mud or rocks, according to the park service. Power has also been knocked out in multiple parts of the park, officials said.

More rain is in the forecast for the next few days, according to park officials, who said they don’t want anyone to get stranded.

The park service didn’t say when Yellowstone would reopen but noted that officials need time to assess the damage and wait for conditions to stabilize. The park service warned that many roads could be shuttered “for an extended period of time.”

“We will not know timing of the park’s reopening until flood waters subside and we’re able to assess the damage throughout the park,” Superintendent Cam Sholly said in a statement. “It is likely that the northern loop will be closed for a substantial amount of time.”

The massive national park spans 2,219,789 acres, mostly in Wyoming but also in neighboring Montana and Idaho. Summer is the park’s busiest tourist season.

Fivio Foreign, Cardi B lit up Summer Jam; Lil Baby’s documentary; Megan Thee Stallion on the small screen

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

–HOT 97’s Summer Jam music festival took place on Sunday with performances by hip-hop favorites like Fivio Foreign, Dreamdoll and City Girls.

B-Lovee and Dougie B kicked off the show and were later joined onstage by Cardi B to perform their hit song “Shake It.”

Lil Baby‘s performance of hit singles “Drip Too Hard” and “Yes Indeed” was considered a highlight of the night. Following Baby’s performance was Lil Durk, who was joined onstage by special guests Meek Mill, Nardo Wick and French Montana.

A special all-star tribute to the late DJ Kay Slay featured a collaborative performance by Busta Rhymes, Remy Ma, Fat Joe and Papoose.

–The feature length documentary about the life and career of rapper Lil Baby is set to premiere on Prime Video on August 26.

Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby tells the story of the Grammy-winning rapper from his early rap days as a teenager in Atlanta to becoming a sought-after and successful hip-hop artist.

“This film is a real look into my journey,” Baby said. “And if it inspires even one person to believe that they can get through hard stuff and dare to follow a dream, then it was worth every penny spent and hour worked.”

—Megan Thee Stallion is taking her talents to the acting world.

The Grammy-winning rapper is set to appear as a guest star on season 2 of the hit Starz drama P-Valley.

She’ll play the role of Tina Snow, a character name that pays homage to her alter ego. In addition to her appearance, Megan wrote and recorded an original song to be featured in a later episode.

Kevin Spacey formally charged with four counts of sexual assault by English prosecutors

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NOTE CONTENT) Prosecutors in England have formally charged Oscar winner Kevin Spacey with four counts of sexual assault against three men and an additional charge regarding nonconsensual sexual activity.

The star of House of Cards, until his ouster in 2017 amid a collection of sexual misconduct allegations against him, is scheduled to “voluntarily appear” in a British court Thursday to defend himself.

The alleged assaults happened years ago, when Spacey was the head of London’s famed Old Vic Theatre.

According to the formal charges, the alleged victims include a man who is now in his 40s; another man who is now in his 30s; and a third person, who is now in his 30s. The alleged incidents occurred in 2005, 2008 and 2013, respectively.

Spacey was also charged with “causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent” related to the alleged 2008 victim.

Last week, Spacey gave an exclusive statement to ABC’s Good Morning America in which he said he is confident he can prove his innocence.

Through a spokesperson, Spacey told GMA: “I very much appreciate the Crown Prosecution Service’s statement in which they carefully reminded the media and the public that I am entitled to a fair trial, and innocent until proven otherwise. While I am disappointed with their decision to move forward, I will voluntarily appear in the U.K. as soon as can be arranged and defend myself against these charges, which I am confident will prove my innocence.”

Unrelated sexual misconduct allegations first surfaced against Spacey in 2017 when Rent veteran and Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making a sexual advance against him when he was 14. On Twitter, Spacey said he did not recall the incident, but apologized. A civil suit by Rapp against Spacey was filed in 2020 and is still ongoing.

Music notes: Joe Jonas, Harry Styles, Kate Bush and Ed Sheeran

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Joe Jonas is the new face of the “Don’t Mess with Texas” anti-littering campaign. A commercial dropped Monday which sees Joe prancing around in colorful cowboy clothes as he removes garbage from an office in an attempt to “keep Texas clean.”

Harry Styles‘ “As It Was” is still the #1 song in the country, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for a sixth week. The song was streamed 25 million times and sold nearly 7,000 copies over the past week.

Elsewhere on the Hot 100, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” surged to fourth place, completing the longest run to the top five. The song, which came out in 1985, spent 36 years, nine months and two weeks making its way to the new chart milestone. The song is enjoying a renaissance thanks to Netflix’s Stranger Things. It sold 22,200 copies over the past week and was streamed 29 million times.

Ed Sheeran shared on Instagram how he put together his Mathematics tour, which involves a moving stage that can also revolve, pyrotechnics, fireworks “and a band at some point” so he wasn’t just “standing still with a loop pedal” in front of fans this time around. He shouted out the “many people involved in making it happen.”

Music notes: Zayn, BTS, Ariana Grande, Jack Harlow, Pitbull and more

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Zayn was feeling nostalgic for his One Direction days and shared a clip of himself singing “You & I.” Fans think he was referencing Liam Payne‘s comments about being the most successful member of 1D, since Zayn made sure to show off all his awards in the video.

BTS tapped Silk Sonic‘s Anderson .Paak to drum during their Proof Live performance on Monday. They performed their new song “Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” together.

In other BTS news, fans tweeted about them over 22 million times when they released Proof on Friday — the most coming around 1 a.m. ET, when 3 million people tweeted about the album.

Does Ariana Grande really need her own toilet seat when she goes on tour? Music News reports that British radio host Roman Kemp made the claims about Ariana at Capital’s Summertime Ball. Fans suggest that, if true, it could be for health reasons.

Jack Harlow added more dates to his Come Home The Kids Miss You tour, with new stops set in New York, Cincinnati and more. Tickets go on sale June 15 at 10 a.m. local time on his touring website.

Fans have streamed Pitbull and Kesha‘s 2013 hit “Timber” over 1 billion times on Spotify, making it the newest member of the streamer’s billions club. Pitbull said on Instagram, “We appreciate every one of these streams.” Kesha is urging fans to send her “videos of ur best drunk timber moment” to celebrate.

Selena Gomez says ‘Only Murders in the Building’ co-stars taught her to expect more from men

June 13, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Selena Gomez is much, much younger than her two co-stars in the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building, but she says being around them has taught her some valuable lessons — including one about her love life.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast, Selena talks about how great it is working with co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short, comedy legends who are 76 and 72, respectively. “Being around two adult gentlemen — because that’s what they are; they are very sweet and kind and hilarious and inappropriate sometimes and it’s the best — I just learned so much.”

She adds, “And my expectation for a man, to be honest — or any human — is to be as decent as these two human beings are. Because they have been doing this longer than I’ve been alive, and they are the kindest people.”

But whether or not Selena is actively looking for a man is another issue entirely — she’s kinda busy. Having finished filming the second season of Murders, she says she’s going to be working on new music “until season 3.”

“My therapist is like, ‘Girl, are you ever gonna find a man?!’ I’m like, ‘I dunno’… But I do feel like right now, in my life, I am just so open, and I love what I do … I just am in a really good space right now, and I’m enjoying it,” she notes.

As for the prospect of turning 30 on July 22, Selena says she’s happy about getting older, because she’s finally arrived at a place where her emotions aren’t “taking over me anymore.”

And, she reveals, “I am having a party, because I was like, ‘You know what? All my friends back home are married with kids, so I’m just gonna throw my own party.’”

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