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Democrats introduce federal gas tax holiday ahead of midterm elections

February 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Two Senate Democrats up for reelection introduced a bill on Wednesday to temporarily suspend the federal gas tax through the end of 2022, as millions of Americans grapple with the economic impacts of surging oil prices.

The Gas Prices Relief Act from Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., would suspend the $18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax through Jan. 1, 2023, according to a summary of the proposal shared with ABC News.

The senators, who are both on the ballot in November, released the proposal at a time when gas is roughly $3.45 a gallon nationwide, about $1 more expensive than a year ago, according to AAA.

“Arizonans are paying some of the highest prices for gas we have seen in years and it’s putting a strain on families who need to fill up the tank to get to work and school,” Kelly said in a statement. “This bill will lower gas prices by suspending the federal gas tax through the end of the year to help Arizona families struggling with high costs for everything from gas to groceries.”

“We need to continue to think creatively about how we can find new ways to bring down costs, and this bill would do exactly that, making a tangible difference for workers and families,” Hassan said in a statement.

At least four other Democrats, Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and Raphael Warnock of Georgia, have already signed on as co-sponsors of the measure. (Cortez Masto and Warnock, like Hassan and Kelly, are up for reelection in the fall.)

With inflation at a nearly 40-year high and Americans frustrated about the rising cost of many staples, Republicans have seized on the issue of gas prices as they try to retake the House and Senate in the midterms, pointing to the Biden administration’s economic agenda.

According to Gallup, just 33% of Americans are satisfied with the state of the economy — a 10-point drop from 2021 — and just 27% are satisfied with the nation’s energy policies.

Around the country, Democratic and Republican governors have proposed their own changes to state gas taxes ahead of the summer — by either freezing state gas tax collection or stopping planned increases from taking effect.

The Biden administration in November released 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help fight high gas prices before the holidays.

Cold weather and the possibility of sanctions against Russia over a potential invasion of Ukraine have both played a role in keeping the price of oil high, according to AAA.

Despite inflation, the Biden administration has touted the latest job numbers, arguing that the stronger-than-expected addition of 467,000 jobs in January signaled that the economy is weathering the pandemic as the latest wave of COVID-19 recedes.

House lawmaker apologizes for using vulgarity when asked to mask up

February 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Republican Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky, the second-most senior lawmaker in the House, told ABC News he has apologized to Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, after she said he refused to put on his mask Tuesday when she asked him to and, instead, poked her and told her to “kiss my ass.”

“This afternoon, I met with Congresswoman Beatty to personally apologize. My words were not acceptable and I expressed my regret to her, first and foremost,” Rogers said in a statement.

Beatty, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, tweeted a thread about their exchange Tuesday afternoon that got more than 10,000 likes and 5,000 retweets in less than an hour from its posting.

“Today, while heading to the House floor for votes, I respectfully asked my colleague @RepHalRogers to put on a mask while boarding the train. He then poked my back, demanding I get on the train. When I asked him not to touch me, he responded, ‘kiss my ass,'” the Ohio lawmaker tweeted.

“This is the kind of disrespect we have been fighting for years, and indicative of the larger issue we have with GOP Members flaunting health and safety mandates designed to keep us and our staff safe,” she wrote.

In a third and final tweet, Beatty tagged Rogers’ Twitter account and said, “when you are ready to grow up and apologize for your behavior, you know where to find me.”

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus held a press conference on the Capitol steps Tuesday evening to demand Rogers apologize for what they suggested was a physical and verbal “assault” on Beatty and described overall incivility in the halls of Congress.

“I will not give Hal Rogers a pass,” said Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., who is running for Senate. “Look, we’re all dealing with the same thing, but his racist, inappropriate behavior against Joyce Beatty is totally unacceptable. And we will not tolerate it.”

Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., first vice chair of the caucus, added, “We are here in solidarity to call on that member to formally apologize to our chair and to understand the seriousness of his actions and the lack of decorum that he exhibited today.”

The apology from Rogers, a Republican, to Beatty, a Democrat, marks a rarity in today’s hyper-partisan Congress.

Republicans have rebelled against mask requirements at the Capitol since they were imposed last year with the change of congressional leadership amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with some publicly questioning the efficacy of masks despite public health experts recommending them.

In a directive issued last month amid looming fears of the omicron variant, the Office of the Attending Physician, Dr. Brian Monahan, said it was required that all members and staff wear “medical-grade” masks throughout the House, unless members are speaking in the halls of the House or someone is alone. There is no mask requirement for the Senate chamber or the halls of Congress.

While Rogers not wearing a mask did not break any Capitol rules, Democrats have for months blasted Republicans for flouting COVID-19 precautions and what they say is a lack of concern over the health and safety of their congressional colleagues, especially with many in a higher age bracket.

Several Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for refusing to wear masks on the House floor but have characterized the rebukes as badges of honor.

Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend all Americans still wear masks in crowded indoor areas, such as on trains.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff escorted out of DC high school because of ‘security threat’

February 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, attending an event at Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, was escorted out of the room by a U.S. Secret Service agent because of a reported “security threat.”

Emhoff was ushered out of the room at 2:18 p.m. by a Secret Service agent, according to a press pool report. Dunbar’s principal followed a few minutes later, the report said.

His staff informed the pool there was a security threat reported by the school to the Secret Service.

A school announcement came over the intercom at 2:34 p.m. calling on teachers to evacuate the school and reporters left the building as well.

Enrique Gutierrez, the press secretary for DC Public Schools, said, “It was an apparent bomb threat … It was a bomb threat. We’re taking precautions, evacuation — evacuating everybody. Seems like all the students are out and safe.”

Earlier, Emhoff’s office put out a news release saying that, in commemoration of Black History Month, Emhoff would visit the school “to meet with students who are participating in a program that helps them relate to history on a personal level.”

His wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, was not with him at the time.

Emhoff’s communications director, Katie Peters, said in a statement that Emhoff is safe after the U.S. Secret Service had been “made aware of a security threat” at the school.

“U.S. Secret Service was made aware of a security threat at a school where the Second Gentleman was meeting with students and faculty,” the statement said. “Mr. Emhoff is safe and the school has been evacuated. We are grateful to Secret Service and D.C. Police for their work.”

“This afternoon during an event attended by a Secret Service protectee, the Secret Service was made aware of a threat to the venue and immediately evacuated the protectee,” a Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement.

“At this time there is no information to indicate the threat was directed toward our protectee. In order to maintain operational security, the Secret Service does not discuss our protectees or the means and methods used to conduct our protective operations,” the spokesperson said.

During a news conference later Tuesday, D.C. police said that the bomb threat at Dunbar High School during Emhoff’s visit appeared to be unrelated to previous bomb threats recently against Historically Black Colleges and Universities and that Emhoff wasn’t targeted, based on a preliminary investigation.

The bomb threat “doesn’t appear related and tied to what happened over the last few weeks but again, can’t rule it out,” Ashan M. Benedict, executive assistant chief of police with the Metropolitan Police Department, told reporters.

DC-area sniper appeals life sentences given to him as a juvenile

February 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Maryland Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on Tuesday over whether Lee Boyd Malvo, the last living D.C.-area sniper, should be given a revised sentence under new federal and state laws that apply to those convicted of crimes as juveniles.

In 2002, Malvo, who was then 17, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison after a sniper spree nearly 20 years ago in which 10 people were killed and another three wounded in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia over a span of 22 days.

In 2009, Malvo pleaded guilty for his role in killing six people in Montgomery County, Maryland, and received six life sentences without the possibility of parole. That same year, Malvo’s co-conspirator, John Allen Muhammad, was executed by lethal injection after being sentenced to death in Virginia.

However, because Malvo committed the crimes as a juvenile in 2002, new laws have given his attorneys fresh arguments to try to gain Malvo’s release.

Kiran Iyer, a lawyer for Malvo, claimed that his client’s age was not considered when he was sentenced to the six life sentences in Maryland in 2006.

Iyer claimed the judge who sentenced Malvo did not take into account Malvo’s immaturity and what the law terms the “diminished capacity” of juvenile offenders.

Malvo’s lawyer argued the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court case Miller v. Alabama, which said mandatory life sentences without parole for juvenile offenders is unconstitutional and violates the 8th Amendment, should be applied in Malvo’s case.

Iyer also argued new Maryland laws, including the Juvenile Restoration Act (JUVRA) that lets prisoners convicted as juveniles seek release after serving at least 20 years in prison, should apply. Juvenile offenders imprisoned at least 20 years can now file motion three times to attempt to receive a reduced sentence.

In recent years, lawmakers in Maryland and Virginia have passed similar legislation to abolish sentences of life without parole for crimes committed by juveniles.

Malvo, who is currently serving four life sentences for his conviction in Virginia, could be paroled in that state under new JUVRA laws. However, as things now stand, he’d then have to begin serving his Maryland sentence, needing to wait another 20 years to be considered for JUVRA consideration in Maryland.

On Tuesday, Malvo’s attorney asked the court to consider his sentences in Virginia and Maryland as one, noting, because of his conviction in Virginia, Malvo may never enter Maryland state custody. Iyer asked “for a meaningful opportunity for release from [Malvo’s] Maryland sentences.”

Carrie J. Williams, a Maryland assistant attorney general, attempted to poke holes in Malvo’s appeal to Maryland’s highest court. She argued that under Virginia laws, Malvo will have a meaningful opportunity for release starting later this year in Virginia due to a state law there that allows juvenile offenders to have a parole hearing after 20 years. She added that Maryland and Virginia did not violate the 8th Amendment or the Supreme Court ruling in Miller v. Alabama, because of the way JUVRA laws work.

She also argued that Malvo was nearly 18 when he committed the crime and noted, because of his age and laws at the time of the killings, he isn’t serving life without parole.

Williams told the court, “Mr. Malvo was nearly 18 when he committed these crimes is certainly relevant, it is certainly relevant for consideration when deciding whether he could be appropriately sentenced to life without parole. But in this case, because of JUVRA. He’s not serving life without parole, and in fact, because his sentence should not be considered in the aggregate. And in fact, no one is any longer serving life without parole in Maryland for crimes that they committed as a juvenile.”

She went after Malvo’s attorney’s plea that his sentencing in Maryland and Virginia should aggregate, noting the planning and length of the crimes he committed.

Williams argued “Mr. Malvo had multiple, multiple opportunities to reflect upon each one of his 10 bad decisions and the bad decisions that have not been prosecuted but to which Mr. Malvo has confessed. If Mr. Malvo’s sentences aggregate — if this court holds that Mr. Malvo’s sentences must be considered as one single sentence — it will be close to a per se rule that all juvenile sentences must aggregate. Because it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the where the– argument against aggregation would be stronger.”

American skier Mikaela Shiffrin blows gate in slalom, out of event

February 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(BEIJING) — For the second straight competition, Mikaela Shiffrin has busted out of the competition just seconds into the first run.

Shiffrin missed the fourth gate in her slalom run, the event where she won her first Olympic gold in 2014, and will not contend for a medal.

The skier, who was expected to challenge for several medals in Beijing, sat on the side of the hill, with her head in her hands, for minutes after the accident.

The second run will come later in the evening.

The 26-year-old also fell during her first run in the giant slalom on Monday, disqualifying her from the event.

“Could blame it on a lot of things…and we’ll analyze it till the cows come home, but not today,” Shiffrin said on Instagram following that crash. “Today I chalk it up to really awful timing of a really frustrating mistake. Moving focus to slalom now, AND cheering for my teammates in the second run of the GS and the DH!”

Sweden’s Sara Hector took the gold with a time of 1:55:68, followed by Italy’s Federica Brignone with a time of 1:55.97 and Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami with a time of 1:56:41.

Shiffrin is one medal away from tying the record for most Olympic medals by a female American Alpine skier, four. She is two gold medals away from holding the record for most golds ever by a female Alpine skier, also four.

Shiffrin aims to have many chances to attempt those feats during the games as she plans on competing in three other Alpine events over the next two weeks.

She is still expected to compete in the super-G on Thursday, the downhill on Valentine’s Day and the combined on Feb. 17.

Shiffrin, a Colorado native, has been competing since she was 16 and quickly became one of the sport’s all-time greatest skiers with her record-setting performances. She is the most decorated Alpine skier in the world circuit, having won 11 World Championship medals, six gold.

At 18 years old she became the youngest slalom champion when she won a gold medal in the 2014 Sochi Games. Shiffrin won a gold medal in the giant slalom competition and a silver medal in the combined competition during the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

Scotty McCreery and his wife Gabi are thinking about starting a family: “It’s a conversation that’s being had”

February 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Scotty McCreery admits that ever since he and his wife Gabi got married in 2018, they’ve been faced with constant questions about starting a family. Now, the couple is considering the idea more than ever before.

“All my uncles, it didn’t take them two minutes once we tied the knot to be asking those questions. I’m the last McCreery boy with the bloodline, so they’re all like ‘you got to carry on the name’ kind of thing,” the country singer shares.

And while the couple wanted to give themselves time between the wedding and having children to travel, Scotty reveals that the conversation of starting a family is becoming more frequent in their household.

“Those first few years, we were very much like, ‘we’re going to live our life, we’re going to travel, we’re going to do our thing.’ I think we’ve we’ve done a good amount of that now,” he describes. “So I think it’s a little less scary. It’s definitely a conversation that’s being had, I’ll say that.”

While Scotty and Gabi plan their future family, the American Idol‘s future in country music looks bright as his current single, “Damn Strait,” is climbing the top 30 on country radio. He continues on his Same Truck Tour through February 19.

Glass Animals’ Dave Bayley talks cereal and working solo

February 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Glass Animals‘ “Heat Waves” has racked up more than a billion streams on Spotify, which means the group will soon be receiving their Spotify billion-play award. The plaque kind of looks like a bowl and in fact, many recipients have eaten food out of their awards. Glass Animals’ Dave Bayley says he’s got plans to do the same.

“I haven’t gotten it yet, but I will definitely eat cereal out of it,” Dave tells ABC Audio. “And…I’m actually doing this thing where I’m trying to design my own cereal at the moment, so I’m going to eat that out of it!”

In addition to notching a billion streams, “Heat Waves” also topped Spotify’s Global Top 50 Chart, as well as Billboard‘s Pop Airplay chart. On that chart, “Heat Waves” is the first #1 in eight years to be written, produced and performed by a single artist. Most hits these days have multiple writers —Justin Bieber‘s “Peaches” has 11, for example — so why did Dave go it alone for “Heat Waves?”

“With this record, I did want to do something very personal — way more personal than anything I’ve ever done before,” Dave says of Dreamland, the album that includes “Heat Waves.” “I think I’m quite a shy person and I’m not very good at being very open. And it seemed like the…only way to do it was to do a lot of it on my own.”

Dave notes that he’s always preferred working solo.

“I remember doing the first album, I sang under a blanket because I didn’t want anyone to see me!” he tells ABC Audio. “I was really scared, even though it was just me and my friend in the room. It’s easier for me to kind of dig deeper if I’m on my own.”

The Lumineers announce North American headlining tour dates

February 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The Lumineers have announced a North American headlining tour in support of the band’s new album, Brightside.

The massive outing launches May 14 in Jacksonville, Florida, and will run all the way through the summer before wrapping up September 6 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Tickets go on sale next Friday, February 18, at 10 a.m. local time. Members of The Lumineers’ fan club will have access to a pre-sale beginning Monday, February 14, at 10 a.m. local time.

The itinerary also includes a number of shows rescheduled from The Lumineers’ planned 2020 tour. Previously purchased tickets will be valid for the new dates. Additional tickets to those stops are on sale now.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit TheLumineers.com.

Brightside, the fourth Lumineers album, was released in January. Its title track hit number one on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart.

Happy Birthday to a natural woman! Carole King turns 80 today

February 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Carole King, the acclaimed singer/songwriter who first found fame in the 1960s as a composer of hits for others before becoming a top-selling solo artist in the early ’70s, celebrates her 80th birthday today.

The Brooklyn, New York, native has enjoyed two distinct chapters to her career. The first began when, as a teenager, Carole started writing songs with her first husband, lyricist Gerry Goffin.

The couple became part of the famed Brill Building songwriting collective that churned out hits for artists in the 1960s. Their breakthrough song was “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” a #1 hit for The Shirelles in 1960.

Many more hits followed, including Bobby Vee‘s “Take Good Care of My Baby,” Little Eva‘s “The Loco-Motion,” The Drifters‘ “Up on the Roof,” The Chiffons‘ “One Fine Day,” The Animals‘ “Don’t Bring Me Down,” The Monkees‘ “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” and Aretha Franklin‘s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”

King and Goffin divorced in 1968 and Carole moved to Los Angeles, where she began the next chapter of her career, writing and recording her own songs. Things exploded for her in 1971, when she released her second solo album, Tapestry.

Tapestry spent 15 straight weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200. The album included the chart-topping hits “It’s Too Late” and “I Feel the Earth Move,” the top-20 single “So Far Away,” and her own versions of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “A Natural Woman.” It also featured “You’ve Got a Friend,” with which James Taylor scored a #1 hit with in ’71.

Tapestry won four Grammy Awards and has gone on to sell over 13 million copies in the U.S.

Carole’s other solo hits include “Sweet Seasons,” “Jazzman” and “Nightingale.”

King is one of only three women to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice — in 1990 with Goffin for their songwriting achievements, and as a solo artist in 2021. Her many other accolades include induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, and recognition at the Kennedy Center Honors.

Liam Neeson “fell in love” while filming in Australia, but she’s “taken”

February 9, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Liam Neeson didn’t get the girl of his dreams on the set of his latest film, but he just may have found the premise for his next Taken movie.

During an appearance on the Australian TV show Sunrise to promote his new movie, Blacklight, the 69-year-old actor revealed that he “fell in love” with a crew member, “but she was taken.”

Neeson didn’t elaborate, but added, “I look forward to going back, I really do.”

Trainwreck star Amy Schumer couldn’t resist teasing Neesaon, sharing a screenshot of a Daily Mail headline with the caption, “Taken 4?”

One user commented, “Not taken 4, Amy.”

Another added, “Well if we know anything about Liam neeson, it’s that he won’t rest until he gets her back.”

Neeson was married to actress Natasha Richardson from 1994-2009 when she died after suffering a severe head injury in a skiing accident in Canada. They share two sons, Micheál, 26, and Daniel, 25.

He previously dated Helen Mirren in the 1980s after the two met on the set of the film Excalibur.

Blacklight opens in theaters on Friday.

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