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Indiana Senate passes ban on transgender girls playing on girls’ sports teams

March 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — An Indiana bill to ban transgender girls from participating in girls sports in K-12 schools passed the state Senate on Tuesday. State legislators voted 32-18 in favor of the bill.

The bill now goes to Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk for signature. He has not explicitly said if he will sign it into law.

Holcomb previously stated that he agrees “adamantly that boys should be playing boys’ sports and girls should be playing girls’ sports.” It is unclear whether his definition of “boys” and “girls” is trans-inclusive.

Several organizations have spoken out against the legislation and called for Holcomb’s veto since Tuesday.

“With so much going on at home and abroad, it’s disappointing to see Indiana lawmakers prioritize regulating transgender student-athletes,” Amit Paley, CEO and executive director of The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on LGBTQ suicide prevention and crisis intervention, told ABC News. “This will likely become the second anti-trans bill enacted in 2022 and the 11th anti-trans sports ban across the country. While the rationale for these bills is based on myth and misunderstanding, the impacts they’re having are very real.”

Advocates say the bill will have a serious negative effect on transgender students’ mental and physical well-being.

“Trans kids — like all kids — just want to be able to play with their friends. This regressive and damaging legislation hurts transgender youth and doesn’t address any actual problem,” Cathryn Oakley, Human Rights Campaign state legislative director and senior counsel, said in a statement on Tuesday.

“This bill puts already vulnerable youth in more danger, and threatens the health and safety of all children in Indiana,” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, an anti-LGBTQ defamation organization, said in a statement. “Every child should have the chance to play with their friends and to belong, just as they are, and experience the lifelong benefits that being on a team can offer.”

Jay Brown, senior vice president of programs, research and training at The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, spoke on the stigma and potential consequences that bills like HB 1041 can perpetuate in the organization’s 2021 Epidemic of Violence report.

“When lawmakers discuss bills banning transgender and non-binary youth from accessing medical care, playing school sports or using restrooms, it sends a message that even from an early age transgender and non-binary people are different and unwelcome,” he said.

Authored by Republican Indiana state Rep. Michelle Davis, HB 1041 is one of several anti-trans bills being proposed around the country.

“I want to make sure that all the opportunities are provided for our young females and we protect the fair competition for them so they have all those possibilities,” Davis said at a hearing in January. Davis admitted under questioning during the hearing she could not cite any examples in Indiana of a cisgender student losing a chance to compete to a trans athlete, according to Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV.

Another Republican-backed bill, SB 435 or the “Save Girls’ Sports Act,” which similarly calls for a ban on transgender boys and girls participating in high school sports teams that correspond with their gender identity, passed in the Georgia Senate last week. It will have to pass in the House before going to Gov. Brian Kemp, a sponsor of the bill, for review.

ABC News’ Kiara Alfonseca and Tony Morrison contributed to this report.

US documenting Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilians but stopping short of calling them war crimes

March 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Russia is hitting civilian targets in Ukraine, killing innocent people and destroying hospitals, schools and critical infrastructure like running water, electricity and gas, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken alleged Wednesday.

But President Joe Biden and his administration have stopped short of accusing the Kremlin of conducting war crimes in its invasion of Ukraine so far, with the top U.S. diplomat saying instead they are “looking very closely at what’s happening” and “documenting it.”

The U.S. and its NATO allies continue to provide Ukraine with assistance, including anti-aircraft missiles known as Stingers, a senior U.S. official confirmed. But that lethal military aid, overwhelming condemnation at the United Nations and the flight of Western businesses and crippling sanctions, including new ones announced Wednesday, have yet to change Vladimir Putin’s calculus as he seeks to topple Ukraine’s government.

Instead, Russia is increasingly switching to using indiscriminate bombardment to terrorize cities into submission — a tactic Putin’s forces honed previously in Chechnya and Syria and that seems to have secured them their first major Ukrainian city, Kherson.

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has been pummeled with heavy artillery, rockets and airstrikes, destroying apartment buildings and government offices alike. Another major city, Mariupol, is under ferocious, continual bombardment with rocket barrages and ballistic missile strikes, knocking out the power.

Schools, hospitals and residences; buses, cars and ambulances; and infrastructure like drinking water, electricity, and gas amid Ukraine’s bitter winter have all been hit.

“These aren’t military targets. They are places where civilians work and families live,” Blinken told reporters, adding, “This is shameful.”

But while Biden said Wednesday morning he believed Russia is intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure, Blinken stopped short of that, saying the U.S. is still assessing particular strikes.

“We’re looking very closely at what’s happening in Ukraine right now, including what’s happening to civilians. We’re taking account of it, we’re documenting it, and we want to ensure, among other things, that there’s accountability for it,” he told reporters Wednesday.

The International Criminal Court announced Wednesday it would launch an immediate investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine after 38 member states, including the United Kingdom and Canada, referred reported atrocities to the ICC.

“Our work in the collection of evidence has now commenced,” ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan said in a statement. Khan announced Monday that he would request to open a probe, which requires either authorization from a pre-trial ICC chamber or a referral by member states. Ukraine, like Russia and the U.S., is not a member state.

Under the ICC’s founding document, the Rome Statute, “intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities” is a violation of international law.

Russia has outright denied that it has struck any civilians or civilian infrastructure.

Amnesty International, among other human rights groups, reported Tuesday that it had documented “the escalation in violations of humanitarian and human rights law, including deaths of civilians resulting from indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and infrastructure.”

“Strikes on protected objects such as hospitals and schools, the use of indiscriminate weapons such as ballistic missiles, and the use of banned weapons such as cluster bombs may all qualify as war crimes,” the group said.

While Blinken wouldn’t go that far, he compared Russia’s tactics in Ukraine to previous conflicts, where its forces were “absolutely brutal in trying to cow the citizenry of a given country, and that includes at the very least indiscriminate targeting and potentially deliberate targeting as well.”

To fight back, the U.S. provided several hundred anti-aircraft missiles, known as Stingers, to the Ukrainian military Tuesday, a senior U.S. official confirmed to ABC News. The missiles were part of a $350 million package Biden approved late Friday night, bringing total U.S. military aid to approximately $1 billion.

Before Putin launched his war, U.S. aid had been shipped in on regular flights to the capital Kyiv, where the airport has been shut down. Still, the U.S. has been successfully delivering military aid, according to Blinken, who declined to offer details on how.

“We are very actively working — every day, every hour — to provide that assistance,” Blinken said of the U.S. and its NATO allies, adding, “Vitally needed assistance is getting to where it needs to go.”

The U.S. also unveiled new sanctions Wednesday that target Russia’s oil and gas sector, its defense industry and its ally Belarus.

New export controls will bar oil and gas extraction equipment and refining technology, preventing Russian firms “from maintaining and upgrading current projects and, to some degree, from launching new projects,” the White House said.

The State Department is also implementing “full blocking sanctions” on 22 entities in Russia’s defense sector, while the Commerce Department is extending export controls on Russia to include Belarus, to prevent the country from transferring semiconductors and other technology to its powerful neighbor and ally.

ABC News’ Patrick Reevell, Ben Gittleson, and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

Rep. Ilhan Omar introduces bill named for Amir Locke to curb no-knock warrants

March 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., introduced a bill on Tuesday calling for strict limitations on no-knock warrants in drug-related investigations.

The bill, named for Amir Locke, would also ban “quick-knock” warrants, nighttime warrants, and the use of explosive devices, chemical weapons, and military grade firearms while warrants are carried out.

Locke, a Black Minnesota native, was 22 when he was fatally shot by Minneapolis SWAT officer Mark Hanneman during an early morning execution of a no-knock search warrant on Feb. 2.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has ruled the death of Locke, who was not named on the warrant, a homicide.

Hanneman has not been charged with any crime and is currently on paid administrative leave while the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigates the shooting.

Outcry to ban no-knock warrants once again surged after Locke’s death, leading to protests reminiscent of those immediately following the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in 2020. While Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey issued a moratorium on the request and execution of no-knock warrants in the city, concerned citizens and legislators have called for a more permanent solution.

Neka Gray, Locke’s aunt, asked that an end be put to no-knock warrants when a coalition of Black women and mothers met at Minneapolis City Hall to demand justice for Locke.

“Unfortunately, Amir won’t benefit from it. But the next person will,” Gray said. “And so what we’re asking is that this no-knock warrant, that this policy that was put in place where it only affects people that look like me, people that look like Amir, people that look like many people that are standing behind me, we’re just asking that that is changed.”

Omar discussed her bill during a press call on Tuesday.

“The use of no-knock warrants has a deep-rooted history in division, racism and the criminalization of Black and brown people,” she said. “This is yet another occurrence of police in Minneapolis utilizing tactics that deny human dignity,” she added, referring to the events that led to Locke’s death.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden supports the end of no-knock warrants in a press briefing last month following Locke’s death.

“We have been engaging with, as you know, civil rights groups, a number of law enforcement groups. All agree on the need to reform the use of no-knock warrants,” she said.

Psaki also spoke about a Department of Justice policy announced by United States Attorney General Merrick Garland in September that regulates federal use of chokeholds, carotid restraints, and no-knock warrants.

The policy states that “federal agents are generally required to “knock and announce” their identity, authority and purpose, and demand to enter before entry is made to execute a warrant in a private dwelling” before entering after a “reasonable amount of time”. Exceptions may be made “in the most compelling circumstances.”

Biden briefly mentioned the Department of Justice’s policy at the State of the Union, before calling for funding the police and drawing applause.

The Locke family’s legal team issued a statement on Tuesday in response to the proposed legislation:

“We join the Locke family in applauding U.S. Rep. Omar for introducing this critically important bill. There is no doubt that no-knock warrants are a tragic and devastating failure of policy — a policy that directly led to the deaths of Amir Locke, Breonna Taylor and countless other Black and Brown people throughout the country for the past several decades.”

The statement said that while the “ultimate goal” is a ban on all no-knock warrants “it is a significant step forward.”

“We implore other members of Congress to champion this life-saving cause and pass this legislation to protect the lives and safety of those they swore an oath to serve,” it said.

ABC News’ Sejal Govindarao contributed to this report.

Check out 5 Seconds of Summer’s new song and video “Complete Mess”

March 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

5 Seconds of Summer are back with a new single, the first from their upcoming fifth album.

It’s called “Complete Mess,” and it’s the first song to be entirely written and produced by the band — specifically, guitarist Michael Clifford produced it. “For this record we realized if you want something done that truly represents how you feel, you’ve got to do it yourselves,” the Aussie group says in a statement.

“We wanted that expansive sound that we naturally gravitate towards when we play together, so we had to learn how to record that,” they add. “This new music is so authentically us. It’s exactly the kind of music we want to be making right now and it’s a good song to be able to reconnect to our fans after such a long time of not releasing music. We can’t wait for everyone to hear what we’ve been working on.”

The song’s chorus goes, “You make me complete/ You make me a complete mess,” a phrase inspired by a t-shirt that singer Luke Hemmings used to wear.

A music video for the tune also debuted today. The clip, which you can watch on 5 Seconds of Summer’s official YouTube channel, features the band members wandering around in the desert.

5SOS will launch the North American leg of their 2022 World Tour on June 11 in Vancouver, Canada. The trek is set to wrap up July 24 in Maryland Heights, Missouri.

Fighting around Ukraine’s nuclear plants raises global concerns

March 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Skirmishes around Ukraine’s nuclear facilities provoked a heated exchange Wednesday at the U.N. Environment Assembly between representatives of the warring countries and prompted a U.N. nuclear watchdog group to warn the “unprecedented” nature of the fighting could lead to “severe consequences.”

With worries already at an alarming level over Russian President Vladimir Putin putting his nuclear forces on high alert, a battle being waged in Ukraine for Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is upping the anxiety over a possible calamity that would likely wreak havoc far beyond the boundaries of the war zone.

“Barbarians who pretended to be rescuers, right now attack our cities, destroy infrastructure, kill my fellow citizens and try to destroy everything,” a Ukrainian official told the U.N. Environment Assembly gathered in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Ukrainian official said Russian troops are trying to seize the country’s nuclear power plants, adding, “Russia is conducting genocide against humanity.”

“They say they’ve come to save Ukraine, but they are here to destroy my beautiful country,” said the official, who received a standing ovation at the end of his remarks.

A Russian representative countered that Ukraine’s military forces have been attacking so-called pro-Russian “separatists” in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine for eight years without any protest from the international community.

“The war, which led to the death of 12,000 people in the east of the country, killed by the hands of Ukraine soldiers and neo-Nazi units,” the Russian official told the assembly, espousing claims the U.S. and its Western allies say are false and were concocted by the Kremlin as an excuse to invade Ukraine.

“You have just supported them, distinguished delegates. It’s them that you were offering your ovation. We didn’t begin that war,” the Russian official said.

Fighting continued Wednesday at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Enerhodar, Ukraine, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, both sides claimed.

The battle over the Zaporizhzhia plant prompted the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog group, to issue a warning over the “unprecedented” nature of this situation.

Rafael Grossi, director-general of the IAEA, said he and members of the agency are “gravely concerned” that a military conflict is happening for the first time amid the facilities of a large, established nuclear power program.

During an emergency IAEA board of governors meeting, Grossi said an incident affecting nuclear facilities “could have severe consequences, aggravating human suffering and causing environmental harm” beyond Ukraine’s borders.

He said Russia informed the agency Tuesday that it had taken control of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, but ABC News has not been able to independently confirm the report.

Last week, Russia seized control of the Chernobyl power plant, now shut down and sealed with a containment dome after an infamous disaster in April 1986.

Ukraine’s nuclear regulatory agency SNRIU has requested “immediate assistance” from the IAEA to ensure the safety of Chernobyl and other nuclear facilities, Grossi said. He said the IAEA is assessing the request.

“Despite the extraordinary circumstances of an armed conflict causing increasing challenges and dangers, Ukraine’s nuclear power plants are operating normally,” Grossi said. “But while we may use expressions like ‘normal operations’ in a technical context, I want to emphasize there is nothing normal about the circumstances under which the professionals at Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants are managing to keep the reactors that produce half of Ukraine’s electricity working.”

Listen to SHAED’s Fleetwood Mac-meets-Daft Punk cover of Nirvana’s “Come as You Are”

March 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

SHAED has released a cover of the Nirvana‘s “Come as You Are,” which was first released as a single 30 years ago today.

The “Trampoline” trio certainly put their own spin on the Nevermind classic, turning the grunge rocker into a dancey, disco-esque tune.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re 13 or 70 — chances are you’ve heard ‘Come as You Are’ and can sing along — it’s just that good and timeless,” SHAED says. “We wanted our version to feel classic but danceable and we landed on something that we hope feels like the love child of Fleetwood Mac and Daft Punk.”

You can listen to the cover now via digital outlets.

In other SHAED news, band mates and husband-and-wife Spencer Ernst and Chelsea Lee have welcomed their first child together. The baby, named June River, was born January 29.

Smash Mouth introduces new singer, Zach Goode; releases “Never Gonna Give You Up” cover

March 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Hey now, Smash Mouth has a new singer.

The “All Star” outfit announced Tuesday that Zach Goode will now be fronting the band. Goode takes the place of founding vocalist Steve Harwell, who announced his retirement last fall to focus on his health issues.

Goode has played in a number of bands throughout his career, including several tribute acts. One of his groups, called Geezer, is described as blending “rock, comedy, rap and barbershoppe to hilariously swing the entire history of popular music from AC/DC and Dr. Dre back to Buddy Holly and the Beatles, mashed up mid-song with spot-on Weezer and Beastie Boys hits.”

Smash Mouth’s first song with Goode on vocals is a cover of Rick Astley‘s ever-memed classic “Never Gonna Give You Up,” which certainly sounds like a joke, but is, in fact, a real thing. You can listen to it streaming now on YouTube.

Democrats set Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearings for March 21

March 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden’s pick for the Supreme Court, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, began traditional courtesy calls with senators on Wednesday as Democrats announced her confirmation battle would get underway later this month.

The hearings will start on Monday, March 21 and conclude on Thursday March 24, setting Jackson on the path to what Democrats hope will be a speedy final confirmation vote, Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin said Wednesday.

“There’s no reason to wait or delay, as far as I’m concerned,” Durbin, D-Ill., said, setting the goal to get Jackson confirmed by the full Senate by the Easter recess starting April 8.

Biden announced Friday he would nominate Jackson to fill the seat of retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. Jackson, a Harvard law graduate, was confirmed to the Court of Appeals for the D.C Circuit in a bipartisan vote last June, but faces a tougher confirmation battle for her spot on the high court. If confirmed, she will be the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court.

Jackson began her day on Capitol Hill with a 40-minute meeting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Before their meeting, Schumer said he looked forward to “hashing out all the great things that we read about and are seeing” about Jackson.

Following their closed-door discussion, he praised what he said were Jackson’s family values, empathy and ability to see things from both sides.

“I think she deserves support from the other side of the aisle, and I am hopeful that a good number of Republicans will support her, given who she is,” he said.

A few hours after their meeting, Schumer started Wednesday’s Senate session with even more praise.

“Now that I’ve met her, I’ll add another word: Belongs. She’s not only brilliant and beloved, but belongs on the Supreme Court,” Schumer said. “America will be better off — much better off — with someone like Judge Jackson on the Supreme Court.”

Former Alabama Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, designated by the White House to help shepherd Jackson’s nomination across the finish line, escorted her to a similar meeting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, before taking her to spend time with Durbin.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Durbin said he expects Judge Jackson will garner bipartisan support, saying he is hoping to have at least a handful of GOP senators vote to confirm her.

“I think it would be good for the Senate, good for the Supreme Court if that happens,” Durbin said, adding he wants the process to be fair.

In the evenly divided Senate, Democrats can confirm Jackson to the court without any Republican support. But that’s not how Durbin and other Democratic leaders hope it will go. While three Senate Republicans voted to confirm Jackson to the federal appeals court, several have said their previous votes will not determine how they vote on Jackson.

The top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, echoed Durbin’s sentiment after his conversation with Judge Jackson. The two talked for just under 10 minutes.

He told reporters it is his responsibility to make sure the Senate has a fair and dignified process.

“We’re going to meet our constitutional responsibility of advice and consent with dignity and fairness and most importantly, thoroughness. Everybody expects us to do our job,” Grassley said.

When asked how her conversation with Grassley went, Judge Jackson replied, “Good, thanks.”

Senator Durbin has set the goal to confirm Jackson before the Senate’s easter recess, which starts April 8.

ABC’s Allison Pecorin and Trish Turner contributed to this report.

Wendy Williams’ ex-husband is suing, Laverne Cox will apologize to Jada and Will, and more

March 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Wendy Williams’ ex-husband Kevin Hunter is suing production company Debmar-Mercury for wrongful termination from The Wendy Williams Show.

In court documents obtained by ABC News, Hunter claims his firing was based strictly upon his marital status. He also believes that Sherri Shepherd’s upcoming Debmar-Mercury-produced daytime show will benefit from concepts he created for The Wendy Williams Show.

Per the document, Hunter seeks “compensatory, punitive damages, an award of costs, interest and attorney’s fees, and such other and further relief as this Court deems just and proper.”

Actress Laverne Cox took to Instagram Live on Wednesday to address the joke she made about “entanglements” to Will and Jada Pinkett Smith on Sunday’s SAG Awards carpet.

“I’ve been thinking about it…No one is above critique, I like to hold myself accountable… I think my error was, I had so much I wanted to say to the Smiths,” the actress said. “This is not an apology, if the Smiths need an apology from me, I’ll find out privately and I’ll do that privately.”

In an effort to wrap up her SAG pre-show interview with the couple, she mentioned, “We can’t wait for more Red Table Talk and more, more entanglements.”

She was immediately scrutinized on social media; fans thought the joke was untimely and unnecessary.

Kanye’s new music video features an unlikely co-star — Pete Davidson. Sort of. The 44-year-old rapper released the music video for his new song “Easy,” and posted it on his Instagram page for his 15 million followers to watch him bury a cartoon version of Davidson.

“God saved me from that crash, just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s a**,” Ye says in the song of his ex Kim Kardashian‘s new boyfriend.

Oath Keeper pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy for Jan. 6 attack

March 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Joshua James, 34, of Arab, Alabama, pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy charges on Wednesday as part of deal with prosecutors contingent on his cooperation with the U.S. government in their ongoing prosecution of defendants who were involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The plea deal is the first of its kind for a Jan. 6 defendant and comes nearly a year after James was charged with impeding and obstructing Congress’ affirmation of the Electoral College vote in the 2020 presidential election.

James pleaded guilty before the court to one count of seditious conspiracy and one count of obstructing an official proceeding in exchange for a reduced offense level, which the judge will consider at sentencing. James agreed to pay $2,000 under the agreement for the damages to the Capitol.

The agreement requires James to cooperate with federal authorities, testify before a grand jury, sit for interviews, and turn over an accounting of his financial assets.

The maximum penalty for seditious conspiracy is 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and 3-year supervised release, along with other fees and penalties. James’ cooperation can be used in determining his sentencing, presiding Judge Amit P. Mehta explained to the court.

Without James’ full cooperation, as determined by the government, he will stand in violation of the agreement.

James acknowledged he was instructed by Oath Keepers leader Stuart Rhodes to be prepared to use lethal force if then-President Donald Trump was removed from the White House. Separately, he acknowledged that he, Rhodes and others planned to use “any means necessary” to stop the lawful transfer of power.

James admitted to assaulting an officer on the scene, grabbing him and yelling, “Get out of my Capitol.”

The 10 other alleged Oath Keepers charged in the seditious conspiracy plot, including Rhodes, have pleaded not guilty to all charges against them.

Lawyers for James did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

According to the indictment, James was a leader of a second “stack” of Oath Keepers who breached the building through the east side.

He is accused of forcing his way past law enforcement who were trying to guard the Capitol Rotunda, and of pushing his way past officers who were forced to deploy chemical spray against him.

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