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Homeland Security Investigations, Boston Police warn of counterfeit goods and tickets during NBA Finals

June 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(BOSTON) — Authorities from Homeland Security Investigations and the Boston Police Department are warning that there could be an uptick in counterfeit NBA goods and tickets being sold, as the series shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Wednesday.

“Criminals have been known to exploit fan enthusiasm during major sporting events by selling counterfeit jerseys, hats and other sports related merchandise to unsuspecting consumers,” said Jim Mancuso, HSI Intellectual Property Rights Center Director. “Fans who spend their hard-earned money can rest assured the IPR Center and its partners are working around the clock to ensure they are getting only genuine, high-quality officially licensed NBA merchandise.”

HSI is the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

The effort isn’t new. During major events such as the Super Bowl and the NCAA Men’s Final Four, HSI is out on the streets collecting counterfeit goods. In February, officials announced they seized nearly $100 million worth of counterfeit sports goods in the past year.

In a separate news release, Boston Police urges fans to be cautious in purchasing NBA finals tickets.

“The BPD encourages fans to only buy tickets from authorized ticket agencies,” the Department says. “Fans who purchase tickets from a secondary source are taking a chance and do so at the buyer’s own risk.”

Homeland Security Investigations works in concert with the NBA and other sports leagues to crack down on counterfeits.

“In San Francisco, Boston and beyond, counterfeiters take advantage of consumers who want genuine, quality NBA merchandise and tickets — and take away from their overall NBA Finals experience,” said Ayala Deutsch, NBA Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel.

HSI urges consumers to shop at official NBA licensed stores and look for the NBA hologram which is on every licensed, official product.

The series between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors is tied and Game 3 takes place Wednesday at the TD Garden in Boston.

Ukrainian grain may be leaving ports — but on Russian ships, US official says

June 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — There is evidence of Russian vessels departing “from near Ukraine with their cargo holds full of grain,” a U.S. Department of State spokesperson told ABC News on Monday night.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that Russia seized at least 400,000 to 500,000 tons of grain worth over $100 million, according to the State Department spokesperson.

“Ukraine’s MFA also has numerous testimonies from Ukrainian farmers and documentary evidence showing Russia’s theft of Ukrainian grain,” the spokesperson said.

The news of Ukrainian grain aboard Russian ships partly confirms a recent report by The New York Times that Moscow is seeking to profit off of grain plundered from Ukraine by selling the product while subverting sanctions. Ukraine has already accused Russia of shipping the stolen grain to buyers in Syria and Turkey.

Since Russian forces invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, the cost of grain has skyrocketed worldwide. Russia and Ukraine — often referred to collectively as Europe’s breadbasket — produce a third of the global supply of wheat and barley, but Kyiv has been unable to ship exports due to Moscow’s offensive. Earlier this month, the Ukrainian Grain Association warned that Ukraine’s wheat harvest is expected to plummet by 40%.

In recent weeks, there has been an all-out push from the United States and the United Nations to facilitate exports from war-torn Ukraine, desperate to offset what they foretell is a looming global food crisis with the potential to devastate the developing world. A Russian blockade in the Black Sea, along with Ukrainian naval mines, have made exporting siloed grain virtually impossible and, as a result, millions of people around the world — particularly in Africa and the Middle East — are now on the brink of famine.

As part of ongoing efforts to assist food exports, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to meet with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara this week. But State Department spokesperson Ned Price has set low expectations for the meeting.

“I don’t know if we should expect breakthroughs,” Price told reporters during a press briefing on Monday afternoon. “Of course, we’ll be watching closely. We’ll be talking with our Turkish allies in the aftermath of that visit.”

Price underscored the pain the world is feeling because of Russia’s crunch on its food supply.

“This is a war that not only has brutalized — and, in many ways, terrorized — the people of Ukraine, but it has put at risk food security around the world,” he said.

Currently, there are approximately 84 merchant ships and 450 seafarers trapped at Ukrainian ports, according to Price.

“Not only is there grain aboard these vessels, but there are about 22 million tons of grain sitting in silos near the ports that also needs to move out to make room for the newly harvested grain,” he said. “In addition, Russia has actually taken aim at ships at sea. They have taken aim at grain silos. They are continuing to effectively implement what amounts to a blockade of Ukraine’s ports.”

Sen. Chris Murphy gives updates on Senate gun negotiations, meeting with Biden at White House

June 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., was meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday to personally update him on ongoing gun negotiations in the Senate as lawmakers try to reach a deal this week, which he outlined to ABC’s The View beforehand.

Murphy said negotiators hope to announce a framework by the end of the week, allowing a package to advance for votes thereafter, adding that the pressure on lawmakers, this time, feels unprecedented with constituents reaching out to offices “at a rate that I’ve never seen before.”

Murphy told the co-hosts ofThe View that he and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the lead Republican on negotiations, were part of talks Monday “that went into the wee hours of last night” and that an increasing number of Republicans are supporting the efforts.

“While we are very different in our views, we do both agree that we are not willing to do anything that compromises people’s Second Amendment rights. We are focusing on keeping weapons out of the hands of dangerous people,” Murphy said. “We can’t find agreement right now on an issue like an outright ban on assault weapons, but we can find an agreement that saves lives around making sure that only law-abiding citizens get access to really powerful firearms.”

In a prime-time address last week, Biden called for an assault weapons ban, and if not, he said, then to raise the age to buy assault weapons from 18 to 21. Instead, lawmakers are considering measures like expanded background checks, incentives for states and localities to institute red flag laws, and increased funding for school security and mental health programs.

“I’ve failed so many times before in these talks that I’m sober-minded about our chances, but you normally as time goes on after one of these cataclysmic mass shootings the momentum fades. The opposite seems to be happening this time,” Murphy added. “There are more Republicans every single day, who want to help us get to a product.”

Murphy said most Republicans realize there’s a “public urgency” to act.

“But I also think Republicans understand that this is good politics — that it’s going to be really hard to go back to their constituencies and say that they rejected a pretty reasonable offer to tighten up our nation’s firearms laws that are completely compliant with the Second Amendment,” he added.

However, without the support of 10 Senate Republicans to gain the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster, Congress could soon enter its third decade without having passed major gun safety reforms.

Pressed on the prospect of an assault weapons ban or raising the age to buy assault weapons, Murphy said, “I’m not going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

“Right now, we don’t have 10 Republican votes to ban these AR-15 assault-style weapons,” Murphy said. “Of course, I support banning assault weapons. I support universal background checks, but I don’t think that we can stand by and let our politics stop us from finding a compromise.”

“It won’t be everything I want. But I think it’ll give parents and kids in this country, a sense that we are taking seriously this epidemic and that we’re willing to make progress,” he added.

Throughout negotiations, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been on the defensive on Biden’s involvement as some have questioned whether the president should be taking a larger role in talks. She has argued Biden has been involved for decades and is giving senators “a little space” to work. Murphy has spoken with the White House every single day since the negotiations began, she said, but that can be on the staff level, not directly with Biden.

Maren Morris hints at special surprise during Humble Quest Tour

June 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Maren Morris is just days away from launching her Humble Quest Tour, and it seems she has a few surprises in store for fans coming to the shows.

The “Circles Around This Town” singer hopped on her Instagram Stories after a long day of rehearsals, admitting she was “very tired” as 2-year-old son Hayes could be heard clanging pots and pans on the floor beside her. But she had an important message to deliver to the people.

“There is a moment of this show that I have never done as a performer,” she hints, clarifying that it’s not “trapeze” or any stunts of similar nature. “But it’s going to be fun and a surprise. Can you guess what it is?” she teases. “I’m so excited to see you guys on the road in just a couple days.”

The hit singer also shared a series of behind-the-scenes snaps of rehearsals, including a black-and-white photo that shows her dramatically posing at the mic stand with spotlights beaming down on her, and another where she’s sitting on a black leather couch talking to member of the production crew.

“It takes a village. We’re here and ready to hit the road,” she says, adding on Twitter, “Sounds good, looks good, feels good.”

The Humble Quest Tour kicks off on Friday.

Flogging Molly announces new album, ‘Anthem’

June 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Flogging Molly has announced a new album called Anthem.

The seventh studio effort from the long-running Celtic punk outfit — and the first in five years — will arrive September 9. Flogging Molly collaborated with Steve Albini on the record, marking the first time they’ve worked with Nirvana‘s In Utero producer since he engineered their first two albums: 2000’s Swagger and 2002’s Drunken Lullabies.

“With this record we went back to the basics in a way that I don’t think we could have done if we hadn’t been playing together for over 20 years,” says frontman Dave King. “I think going back to Chicago and doing this record with Steve made the experience so fun and I really believe you can hear that on the record.”

Anthem includes the previously released song “These Times Have Got Me Drinking/Tripping Up the Stairs,” as well as a just-premiered new track called “The Croppy Boy ’98,” which is available now via digital outlets.

The album news coincides with the launch of Flogging Molly’s co-headlining U.S. tour with The Interrupters, which begins Tuesday in Indianapolis.

Here’s the Anthem track list:

“These Times Have Got Me Drinking/Tripping Up the Stairs”
“A Song of Liberty”
“Life Begins and Ends (But Never Fails)”
“No Last Goodbyes”
“The Croppy Boy ’98”
“This Road of Mine”
“(Try) Keep the Man Down”
“Now Is the Time”
“Lead the Way”
“These Are the Days”
“The Parting Wave”

Dirty Honey schedules California Dreamin’ North American headlining tour

June 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Dirty Honey has announced a summer and fall North American tour.

The headlining outing, dubbed the California Dreamin’ tour, launches August 25 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and will wrap up October 7 in Santa Cruz, California. In between, Dirty Honey will play their first run of Canadian headlining dates.

Dorothy will support on select shows, while Detroit band Mac Saturn will open all dates.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 10, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit DirtyHoney.com.

The California Dreamin’ tour takes its name from the lead single off Dirty Honey’s debut self-titled album, which dropped in April 2021. The group previously supported the record on the Young Guns tour earlier this year, which was co-headlined by Mammoth WVH.

You can also catch Dirty Honey at a number of U.S. festivals later this year, including Louder than Life and Aftershock.

The Kid LAROI reacts to people selling his McDonald’s nuggets for $30 apiece

June 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The Kid LAROI reacts to people selling his McDonald’s nuggets for apiece

Would you ever spend $30 on a single Chicken McNugget? Several opportune people are hoping to take advantage of The Kid LAROI fans by reselling pieces from his new McDonald’s meal collab for drastically marked up prices.

LAROI teamed with Mickey Dee’s in Australia to sell his favorite meal, which is a six-piece Chicken McNugget meal with barbecue sauce, medium fries, medium frozen Coke and a cheeseburger with no pickles.

The “Stay” singer caught wind of the scalpers inflating the prices of his new menu offering and shared one of the listings on his Instagram Story. The listing advertises a “Circle Kid Laroi nugget” and is asking for a whopping $30 in Australian dollars — or about $22 USD.

He captioned his post, which shows 19 people saved the listing, with three sobbing emojis.

For the record, a six-piece McNugget sells for about $5.79 USD, according to tracker Menu and Price. But, more interestingly, all you need to do is cough up $15 to buy the LAROI meal.

In other LAROI news, he is finally well enough to perform again and alerted fans via Instagram Story on Tuesday that he is ready to rock Brisbane, Australia. “I am here,” he shouted out. “See [you] tonight.”

LAROI was previously under doctor’s orders to postpone several shows so he could recover from the flu.

Play ball: Amazon drops teaser to ‘A League of Their Own’ reboot

June 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

On Tuesday, Amazon Prime dropped a teaser to A League of Their Own, the series reboot of the late Penny Marshall’s 1992 hit starring Tom Hanks and Geena Davis.

Set in a musically anachronistic choice, to Steve Nicks‘ “Edge of Seventeen,” the show is set in 1943 and again centers on the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which took up America’s Pastime while World War II kept millions of men overseas.

Broad City creator and star Abbi Jacobson is among the cast, along with D’Arcy Carden, Kate Berlant and Chanté Adams subbing for the team from the original film, which included Oscar winner Davis, Rosie O’Donnell, Lori Petty and Madonna.

The snippet doesn’t show any dialog, but gives glimpses into the characters and their relationships. According to its producers, “A League of Their Own evokes the joyful spirit of Penny Marshall’s beloved classic, while widening the lens to tell the story of an entire generation of women who dreamed of playing professional baseball.”

Amazon Studios adds, “The show takes a deeper look at race and sexuality, following the journey of a whole new ensemble of characters as they carve their own paths towards the field, both in the league and outside of it.”

The series debuts August 12 on Amazon Prime.

This is why Harry Styles wasn’t cast to play Elvis Presley

June 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Was Harry Styles ever in the running to play Elvis Presley? According to Elvis director Baz Luhrmann, the answer is a definite no.

The director opened up about his casting choices in an interview with Australian station NovaFM. He suggested the audience might have struggled to fully see Harry as the late rocker. “The real issue with Harry is — he’s Harry Styles,” Luhrmann said. “He’s already an icon.”

“Harry and I came to a place, genuinely I mean, he was just desperate to put the suit on and explore. He’s such a great spirit and I have nothing but great things to say about Harry Styles,” he continued. Luhrmann also clarified that the singer never auditioned for the role, which eventually went to actor Austin Butler.

The Australian director said he is open to working “on something with him” in the future that is more his — dare we say it — style. “Harry is a really talented actor,” Luhrmann said.

Harry is starring in the upcoming movies Don’t Worry Darling and My Policeman, a psychological drama and a romantic drama, respectively, which are both set to debut in theaters later this year.

As for Elvis, the movie arrives June 24.

Eric Church is thankful for the ones “Doing Life With Me” in new radio single

June 7, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Eric Church pays tribute to the people “Doing Life With Me” in his new single.

Co-written by Eric, Jeffrey Steele and Casey Beathard during a writing retreat in the mountains of Eric’s native state of North Carolina, the lyrics find the superstar comparing himself to a “runaway train,” acknowledging the battle scars of life while expressing gratitude for the people who stick with him through all the ups and downs.

“Every big every little in the everyday things/The notes and the words and the songs I sing/To the ones doing life with me,” he sings in the chorus of the gentle acoustic number.

“Doing Life With Me” is featured on &, the second installment of Eric’s three-part Heart & Soul album released last year. It follows the top five hit “Heart on Fire.”

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