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Parkland father climbs crane near White House, demands Biden do more on gun control: Report

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — On Monday’s fourth anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting, during which his son was killed, Manuel Oliver climbed atop a construction crane near the White House and unfurled a banner calling on President Joe Biden to do more to get gun control legislation passed, according to news reports.

Photos showed a large banner depicting an image of his son, Joaquin Oliver, who was one of 17 victims in the shooting at the high school in Parkland, Florida, and read “45K PEOPLE DIED FROM GUN VIOLENCE ON YOUR WATCH.”

Oliver climbed down the crane with another individual at approximately 10 a.m., and was met by officers who escorted him into an ambulance in handcuffs for a brief moment before he was led away, ABC News affiliate WJLA-TV reported.

In a statement to ABC News, the Metropolitan Police Department said officers located and apprehended one individual on the 700 block of 15th St., NW at approximately 5:40 a.m.

“Two other individuals were located on a crane near the location. At approximately 10:06 am, the two individuals located on the crane were taken into custody as well. Preliminarily, three individuals were arrested from the scene,” the Metropolitan Police Department confirmed.

The Metropolitan Police Department did not release the identities of the individuals arrested, but WJLA identified Oliver.

In a statement marking the shooting’s anniversary, Biden said his administration stands with the Parkland families, “Americans in every corner of our country who have lost loved ones to gun violence or had their lives forever altered by a shooting” and “those working to end this epidemic of gun violence.”

“I have put forward a comprehensive plan to reduce gun crime that includes curbing the proliferation of ‘ghost’ guns, cracking down on gun dealers who willfully violate the law, issuing model extreme risk protection order legislation for states, and promoting safe firearm storage, among other efforts,” Biden wrote.

Jill Biden plays Cupid, again, decorating White House for Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — First Lady Jill Biden is spreading love — and offering a teaching moment to elementary school students — at the White House on Monday to mark Valentine’s Day.

For the second year in a row, the first lady delivered a valentine to the nation with a colorful heart-filled display on the White House North Lawn.

The decor, this year, features hand-painted wooden artwork in the shapes of the family’s first pets — new cat, Willow, and German Shepherd puppy, Commander.

A massive, wooden heart between the two pets is inscribed with Corinthians 13:13: “Three things will last forever — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love.”

The heart-shaped decorations also extend inside the White House to the East Wing, where the first lady has featured the “heart-work” of second-grade students in Washington whose teacher, Alejandro Diasgranados, was awarded teacher of the year for 2021.

According to the first lady’s office, the students were asked to incorporate words reflecting her values including “family,” “kindness,” and “peace” to guide their Valentine’s Day heart designs. Diasgranados and some of the 21 students that created the 42 paper hearts on display in the East Landing are scheduled to visit the White House on Monday to see their work.

Three large, red hearts reading “hope,” “healing” and “love” were also on display in the East Wing.

After spending the weekend at Camp David, President Joe Biden and the first lady returned to the White House earlier Monday morning holding hands as they walked into the residence. Biden did not answer questions but lowered his mask to tell reporters, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

For the Bidens’ first Valentine’s Day in the White House, the first lady decorated the North Lawn with three giant, hand-painted hearts that read “hope,” “unity” and “love.”

Rihanna stuns fans after unexpectedly dropping in at her Savage X Fenty store

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Now that Rihanna no longer needs to hide her pregnancy, the “Umbrella” singer can step back into the public eye and continue doing what she loves — making people happy. Over the weekend, she and boyfriend A$AP Rocky shocked fans when they decided to pay a surprise visit to one of her Savage X Fenty stores.

People reports that the couple, both 33, crashed the Savage X Fenty store at the Westfield Culver City mall in Los Angeles. Rihanna wore a Valentine’s Day ensemble comprised of a striking crimson hooded robe and matching strappy heels that showed off her white pedicure.

As for her boyfriend, A$AP Rocky wore matching red and white trainers along with a blue-gray pinstripe tuxedo, white undershirt and black tie.

The two posed for photo ops around the store, including in front of mannequins that were modeling signature pieces from Rihanna’s new Valentine’s Day line.

Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty stores transitioned from an online-only platform to brick and mortar locations this year, with the first location opening in Las Vegas in January. She plans to open more locations in Houston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

The “Diamonds” singer first announced she was opening physical Fenty stores via Twitter on January 7, and said in a subsequent tweet, “[I] can’t believe it’s actually that time, and I can’t wait for you to have this experience irl.”

Nick Jonas says playing the Super Bowl Halftime show is his “dream”

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Could we possibly see The Jonas Brothers take over the Super Bowl Halftime show? Nick Jonas certainly hopes so.

Speaking with People, the “Jealous” hitmaker says taking center stage during the Big Game is on his and his brothers’ “bucket list,” for sure. “It’s been a dream for us,” he expressed. “I hope one day we get to do it!”

While the trio will have to wait to see if the NFL decides to grant their wish, Nick did make a small appearance during Sunday night’s Super Bowl. He teamed with a different trio — the Jones trio comprised of Leslie Jones, Tommy Lee Jones and Rashida Jones — for Toyota’s Big Game commercial.

The ad sees the three Joneses racing in their new Toyota Tundra trucks and pulling stunts definitely meant for the professionals before arriving at their destination. When Jonas pulls up and tries worming his way into the Jones trio, noting the similarity of their last names, 75-year-old Tommy Lee Jones barks, “Try to keep up, whoever you are.”

Nick said the Men in Black actor created some of the “funniest moments” while filming because he would improvise his lines. “I think the line he says ‘Whoever you are’ was an improv line, and it made me laugh hard every time he said it,” he said.

Nick, who recently welcomed his first child with wife Priyanka Chopra, said he has big plans for this year. “I also have a lot of creative ventures that I am working on now, both on the music side of things but also on the film, television, and development side,” he teased. “I am really looking forward to getting those things up and going, and I am excited for this next step in my career.”

Susan Lucci opens up about undergoing second heart procedure

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Actress Susan Lucci is opening up about her battle with heart disease.

The 75-year-old, best known for her role as Erica Kane on the ABC daytime drama All My Children, told Good Morning America’s Amy Robach that she recently underwent an emergency heart procedure for the second time.

“I was having kind of a shortness of breath,” said Lucci, adding that she soon also felt discomfort around her ribcage and her back, similar to symptoms she had three years ago with her first heart scare.

“I thought, ‘This is crazy. These are the same kind of symptoms that I had three years ago but it can’t be,'” she said. “But when I lay down, I started to feel a sharp coming-and-going pain in my jaw.”

Lucci said when she called her doctor, he told her to go to the emergency room.

After undergoing several tests, Lucci’s doctor told her that she experienced an 80% blockage in one of her arteries due to plaque buildup. She was rushed to a cardiac catheterization lab, where another stent was put in to open up the blockage.

“She wasn’t having a heart attack this time and she wasn’t unstable,” Lucci’s doctor, Dr. Richard Shlofmitz, chairman of cardiology at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York, told GMA. “But she had symptoms that were certainly concerning to me that something might be wrong.”

Shlofmitz said if Lucci waited for her symptoms to get worse, it could have turned into a major emergency.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. About 1 in 16 women age 20 and older have coronary artery disease, the most common type of heart disease in the U.S.

The CDC says that heart disease may sometimes be “silent” and not diagnosed until other symptoms are present. To lower your chances of heart disease, doctors suggest managing stress levels, getting blood pressure checked regularly, check for diabetes and to quit smoking. Other ways to lower your risk of heart disease include being active, eating healthy and limiting alcohol intake.

Now Lucci, an advocate for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, is urging other women to listen to their bodies.

“Listen to your heart and act on [the symptoms],” Lucci said. “Give yourself permission to take good care of yourself. Be your own best friend. Be your own advocate. You’ll save your life.”

Jason Aldean books Rock N’ Roll Cowboy Tour this summer

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Jason Aldean declares himself a rock n’ roll cowboy with his new tour.

On Monday, the ACM Artist of the Decade announced that he’s launching the 34-date Rock N’ Roll Cowboy Tour, with Gabby Barrett, John Morgan and Dee Jay Silver set to open.

It begins on July 15 in Scranton, PA and continues through October 29, when it wraps in Wichita, KS. Along the way, Jason and crew will stop at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, and for a two-night stay at Bank of NH Pavilion.

The Rock N’ Roll Cowboy Tour is named after a track off Jason’s upcoming album, Macon, Georgia, that he says is “all about knowing you belong on the road.”

“I’m ready to get back out and feel the nights come alive,” he adds.

Tickets go on sale February 18 at 10 a.m. local time. Visit the singer’s website for a full list of dates.

Watch Maynard James Keenan prank openers Blonde Redhead onstage for last show on Tool tour

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Maynard James Keenan helped give a proper sendoff to Tool‘s opening band with an onstage prank.

The group Blonde Redhead, who’d been supporting Tool for the band month on their U.S. tour, played their final show with Keenan and company last week in Miami. To mark the occasion, Keenan invaded Blonde Redhead’s set to dance around while wearing a blonde wig, surrounded by others wearing red wigs.

Blonde Redhead‘s vocalist Kazu Makino shared footage from the prank in an Instagram Story, which was later re-posted by Keenan. In the caption, Makino wrote, “[Tool] making a point of our last show…this is how I look when I’m stunned.”

Keenan himself is a big fan of Blonde Redhead — ahead of the tour, he shared a long Instagram post explaining why he picked the band specifically to be Tool’s opener.

Tool’s tour is set to continue February 19 in Boston with support from The Acid Helps.

Twitter reacts after Mickey Guyton confused for Jhene Aiko during Super Bowl broadcast

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

A fumble by NBC during Sunday night’s Super Bowl broadcast misidentified country singer Mickey Guyton as Jhene Aiko.

Social media was not having it after the network cut to country star Guyton, who was preparing to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and identified her as Aiko, who was singing “America the Beautiful.”

The reaction on Twitter was swift and brutal, with one person writing, “Jhene Aiko and Mickey Guyton don’t look alike. Tighten up NBC. All black folks don’t look alike.”

Another tweeted, “ummm… who confused Jhene Aiko and Mickey Guyton? Its tone deaf…. (On your part).” Yet yet another wrote, “Mickey Guyton slays the anthem. Too bad the same couldn’t be said for whoever wound up confusing [her for] Jhene Aiko.”

Shortly after the incident, an NBC Sports spokesperson tweeted an apology: “Leading into Jhene Aiko singing ‘America the Beautiful,’ we incorrectly showed Mickey Guyton and misidentified her before showing Aiko’s performance. We apologize to both artists for the error.”

Jury seated in federal hate crimes trial of three men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(BRUNSWICK, Ga.) — A jury has been seated in the federal trial of three white Georgia men charged with hate crimes stemming from the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was out for a jog in 2020 when he was chased and gunned down.

The 16 jurors, including four alternates, were empaneled on Monday morning following a lengthy selection process that started on Feb. 7.

Opening statements in the high profile case against retired police officer Gregory McMichael, his 36-year-old son Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, are set to begin on Monday afternoon.

The jury is comprised of eight whites, three Blacks and one Hispanic. Alternates are three white members and one Pacific Islander.

The trial in U.S. District Court in Brunswick, Georgia, is expected to last seven to 10 days.

All three men are charged with one count of interference with Arbery’s civil rights and with one count of attempted kidnapping. The McMichaels were also charged with one count each of using, carrying and brandishing a firearm, and Travis McMichael faces an additional count of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

If convicted, the men face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The McMichaels and Bryan were convicted last year on state murder charges in Arbery’s death. They were all sentenced to life in prison.

Arbery was fatally shot after the McMichaels saw him jogging in their Satilla Shores neighborhood near Brunswick, Georgia. They said they assumed Arbery was a burglar, armed themselves and chased him in their pickup truck. The McMichaels’ neighbor, Bryan, joined the pursuit, blocking the victim’s escape path with his truck and recorded video on a cellphone of Travis McMichael fatally shooting Arbery three times with a shotgun during a struggle.

If convicted in the federal case, the men must first serve their state sentences before being transferred to federal prison.

In the now-defunct plea deal filed with the court on Jan. 30, Gregory and Travis McMichael agreed to plead guilty to count one of an indictment alleging they interfered with Arbery’s right to enjoy the use of a public road he was jogging on “because of Arbery’s race and color.”

In exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecutors were to dismiss the other charges and allow the McMichaels to serve the first 30 years of confinement in federal prison before being transferred back to the Georgia Department of Corrections to serve out the remainder of their state sentences.

The same plea agreement was not given to Bryan.

Judge Lisa Wood rejected the McMichaels’ plea deal after Arbery’s parents, Wanda Cooper-Jones and Marcus Arbery, strongly objected and claimed it was forged without their consent. Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement that prosecutors were in constant communication with the Arbery family’s attorneys and had been assured the family would not object to the agreement.

Wood claimed she turned down the deal because it would have locked her into the three-decade federal prison sentence, saying she didn’t know if that was “the precise, fair sentence in this case.”

Following Wood’s decision, Gregory and Travis McMichael, who are being represented by court-appointed public defenders due to financial hardship, withdrew their guilty pleas and opted to go to trial.

Jennifer Lopez shares Ben Affleck-directed ‘On My Way’ music video

February 14, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Ben Affleck gave Jennifer Lopez the sweetest gift for Valentine’s Day — but it was really a surprise for their fans, too.

Via her new OnTheJLo newsletter, the “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” singer, 52, shared a new music video for her song “On My Way” directed by the Oscar winner. She called it “something very special and personal” that she wanted to share with her “inner circle.”

“It’s an early Valentine’s Day present from Ben. Watching it made me think about the journey of true love, it’s unexpected twists and turns, and that when it’s real, it actually can last forever,” she added. “This seriously melted my heart.”

This version features swoon-worthy footage from the lovebirds’ own lives together, from their past whirlwind relationship to their recently rekindled romance, alongside scenes from the official “On My Way” music video, which was released in December.

Lopez and Affleck dated from 2002 to 2004 and were previously engaged. The two reunited nearly two decades later and became an official couple again last year.

“On My Way” is from Lopez’s latest rom-com, Marry Me, in theaters and streaming on Peacock now.

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