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FBI warns criminals are using fake QR codes to scam users

January 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Cybercriminals could use altered Quick Response (QR) codes to steal personal and financial information of unsuspecting customers, the FBI warns.

QR codes are all around us these days, and they’re used for everything from restaurant orders to donations. During the pandemic, many restaurants began using QR codes in place of paper menus.

How it works: A code is scanned via a phone camera app, and the user is then redirected to the relevant website.

Troubles can arise, the FBI says, in cases where the codes have been altered. Unwitting users can be directed to malicious sites that prompt them to enter their financial and login information or expose them to malware.

“While QR codes have been around for a very long time, certainly in recent years, they’ve gained more widespread use,” Dave Ring, section chief of the FBI’s Cyber Division told ABC News. “Part of that is with the pandemic and a drive toward being as contactless as possible, QR codes give people the opportunity to just use their phone camera and scan a QR code.”

Police in San Antonio, Texas, warned that fake QR codes were found on parking meters throughout the city. “People attempting to pay for parking … may have been directed to a fraudulent website and submitted payment to a fraudulent vendor,” a tweet from the department said.

Ring said the San Antonio scam was the “perfect example” of people exploiting a simple, daily exercise, and the FBI warned that criminals could be taking advantage of people through other similar tactics.

“A cybercriminal can swap out a completely innocuous legitimate QR code for one that directs people to a malicious site, and that malicious site may prompt someone to click a link and could potentially download malware onto their device,” Ring said.

The redirect can also take users to what appears to be a banking website but is actually fraudulent, he added.

“Malicious QR codes may also contain embedded malware, allowing a criminal to gain access to the victim’s mobile device and steal the victim’s location as well as personal and financial information,” the FBI bulletin said. “The cybercriminal can leverage the stolen financial information to withdraw funds from victim accounts.”

To avoid any trouble, the agency urges people to use caution by checking the URL of the code, and when entering financial and other personal information.

“Just always practice caution when you’re looking at putting in any login information, personal information or financial information when you navigate from a QR code or from any link that you that you don’t know for sure is where you’re trying to go,” Ring said.

Some state lawmakers focusing on abortion access amid challenge to Roe v. Wade

January 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Several state lawmakers are looking to expand abortion access this legislative session while a challenge to Roe v. Wade is before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Two bills out of Maryland and Washington aim to increase the pool of abortion providers operating in the states, which will likely see an increased demand for the service should the conservative-leaning high court overturn or limit Roe in the coming months through its decision on the Mississippi case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.

Washington state Sen. Emily Randall, the majority whip for the Senate Democratic Caucus, is the lead sponsor of a bill under consideration this session that would expand abortion providers recognized under state law to include physician assistants and advanced registered nurse practitioners, in addition to physicians.

“Abortion providers in Washington are rapidly preparing for the increase in women and people … who will drive hundreds of miles to Washington’s borders from our neighbors in Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Nevada, depending on what type of ban the Supreme Court institutes,” Randall said during a media briefing Thursday with the State Innovation Exchange, a strategy center that supports state legislators nationwide in advancing progressive policies. “That’s why this policy is more important than ever.”

Democratic Maryland Del. Ariana Kelly, a former executive director at NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland, also plans to introduce legislation this session that would expand abortion access in the state by allowing qualified health care providers such as midwives and nurse practitioners to provide abortions and increase access to training for abortion providers. The so-called Abortion Care Access Act would also ensure Medicaid covers abortion procedures and eliminate copays and deductibles on abortion care.

“What we want to do is address what we see as a critical provider shortage and also affordability issues,” Kelly said during Thursday’s briefing, held two days before the 49th anniversary of Roe. “As we’re seeing an increased wait time for appointments, we can recognize that there’s a shortage of providers. In today’s climate, six months from now, I think we’re only going to see this getting worse.”

Kelly said that two-thirds of Maryland counties do not have abortion providers, particularly in rural areas, while the state is also seeing increased demand — including from patients flying in from Texas in the wake of a state ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. Helping Maryland residents access abortion care “more efficiently and effectively” may also help providers care for those coming from out of state, Kelly said.

Georgia Democratic state Rep. Park Cannon said she plans to introduce a resolution next week that addresses abortion access in the state, including for women of color, while a law that would ban abortion as early as six weeks in the state is being challenged in court.

“We need to resolve measures that say that Georgia has a strong commitment to the protection of reproductive health, rights and justice, which of course includes the right to safe and legal abortion care, but also the right to make reproductive decisions on your own,” Cannon said during the briefing.

Other states moving to protect abortion rights while the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to uphold the Mississippi abortion ban include New Jersey, which last week enacted a bill that codifies the right to an abortion into state law.

The Vermont state legislature is also considering Prop 5, an amendment that would enshrine “reproductive autonomy,” including abortion, in the state constitution. If ultimately passed, the proposal could go before voters in November.

Meanwhile, states looking to restrict abortion rights include Florida, where state legislators are considering a bill that, like the Mississippi law before the Supreme Court, would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Washington state Republicans have also introduced legislation this session that would roll back abortion access, including a bill that would make providing medical abortion methods a felony.

Additionally, voters in Kansas and Kentucky are expected to decide this year whether to amend their state constitutions to say there is no right to an abortion.

Last year, 108 abortion restrictions were enacted in 19 states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights research organization. That’s the highest total in any year since 1973, when the Supreme Court legalized abortion with its decision in Roe v Wade, the organization said.

After hearing arguments last month over the Mississippi law, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared inclined to scale back abortion rights. A decision on the case is expected by the end of the court’s term in June.

Should the court overturn Roe, leaving the right to an abortion decided on a state-by-state basis, 26 states are “certain or likely” to ban abortion, according to a report published in October by the Guttmacher Institute.

4 people, including infant, freeze to death being smuggled across US-Canada border

January 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(MANITOBA, Canada) — Four people, including two adults, a teen and an infant, have been found frozen to death about 40 feet from the U.S.-Canada border while being smuggled into North Dakota, according to U.S. and Canadian authorities.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and law enforcement officers with the Department of Homeland Security performed a traffic stop Jan. 19 on a 15-passenger van about 1 mile from the border when they found two undocumented Indian nationals from Canada inside, according to the Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Less than a quarter mile away from the border, law enforcement encountered and apprehended five additional undocumented Indian nationals that walked across the U.S. border from Manitoba, Canada, according to the RCMP.

One of the travelers who was taken into custody was carrying a backpack containing children’s items, such as clothes, diapers and toys, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He told authorities he was carrying the backpack for a family that was traveling with their group but got separated from them as they traveled to the border during the night.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, coordinating with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, began a search on both sides of the border for additional travelers when they found the bodies of four individuals on the Canadian side of the border in Manitoba.

The adult male, adult female, teen male and infant were found “frozen,” according to Canadian authorities, and are believed to have died due to exposure.

The DOJ said, according to the group of travelers, the border crossing took an estimated 11 hours. Two of the travelers were transported to a hospital with serious injuries, the DOJ said.

The low temperature in Emerson, Manitoba, which is at the U.S.-Canada border, dipped to minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday.

Steve Shand, 47, a U.S. citizen from Florida who was driving the van, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol and charged with one count of knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien had come to, entered, or remained in the United States in violation of law, having transported and moved or having attempted to transport and move such aliens, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Shand made his first court appearance Thursday and is due back in court on Jan. 24. He is currently being held in custody in Grand Forks County in North Dakota.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine cause of death of the victims. The four travelers who died have not yet been identified.

The Mounted Police said it plans to continue searching for any additional people who may have been illegally crossing the border.

Patti Smith to present livestream event next month showcasing her songs and writing

January 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Patti Smith has announced plans for a special livestream event that will take place February 2 at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, that will feature her performing songs, telling stories, and reciting some of her poetry and prose.

Patti will be joined by her longtime band mates Lenny Kaye and Tony Shanahan during the presentation, which will be available exclusively to paid subscribers to her Substack page.

Substack subscribers also can submit questions and requests that Smith may respond to or fulfill during the show. After the livestream, which begins at 8 p.m. ET, the presentation will be available on demand for 24 hours.

You can check out a video message from Patti sharing details about the livestream and her Substack page.

Substack is an online platform that’s geared toward writers interested in connecting directly with their audiences. Smith joined the platform last year, and has been using it to debut weekly installments of her first serialized long-form work, The Melting.

The Melting began as a series of writings from Patti’s private pandemic journal, and has expanded into covering other topics, incorporating elements of science fiction and including reflections on the climate crisis. The ongoing work, which so far is made up of almost 40 installments and is nearing completion, also features audio recordings and photos.

Meanwhile, the 75-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and her band are scheduled for their first concert of 2022 on February 22 in Brooklyn, New York. You can check out her full itinerary at PattiSmith.net.

Ladies in waiting: All-female Rock Fantasy Camp featuring Nancy Wilson, Melissa Etheridge & others postponed

January 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

The first all-female edition of Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, which originally was scheduled to take place in Los Angeles from January 27 to January 30, has been postponed because of ongoing COVID-19 concerns, and now will be held over Mother’s Day weekend, May 6-9.

Topping the list of artists taking part in this installment of Rock Camp are Heart‘s Nancy Wilson, Melissa Etheridge and Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine.

Other talented musicians who will serve as musical mentors to the campers include Australian guitar whiz Orianthi, ex-Hole and Mötley Crüe drummer Samantha Maloney, former Michael Jackson touring guitarist Jennifer Batten, Jeff Beck touring bassist Rhonda Smith and many more.

Besides the accomplished musicians taking part in the camp, the crew and staff for the event also will be solely comprised of women.

The four-day event will feature masterclasses, Q&A sessions and themed jams, and will culminate with the campers performing in front of a live audience at the famed Whisky a Go Go club in West Hollywood, California. The campers also will be treated to a pre-Grammy party on Saturday night.

Wilson says of the decision to reschedule the event, “The thrill of attending Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp is the up close and personal attention each camper receives from our RockStar counselors. With the current restrictions, this completely changes the whole experience. Looking forward to rocking out safely Mother’s Day Weekend.”

Visit RockCamp.com for more information.

Apple TV+ launching a live-action Godzilla “Monsterverse” series

January 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Apple TV+ has announced that it’s launching a live-action TV series based on Godzilla and his other giant monster friends and frenemies, the Titans.

The untitled series will be backed by Star Trek: Enterprise‘s Chris Black and Matt Fraction, whose Marvel Comics’ Hawkeye run is a fan favorite — and was a major inspiration for the just-wrapped Disney+ series of the same name.

The recent so-called Monsterverse movies began with the stand-alone 2014 film Godzilla. That movie was followed up by 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, which hinted at an expanded universe of other Titans.

2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters was next, followed by 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong. The films earned more than $2 billion bucks worldwide.

Incidentally, those movies were co-produced by Warner Bros. with Legendary Pictures, so it’s curious that the Monsterverse series will stream on Apple TV+ instead of WB’s corporate sibling HBO Max, where the movies can currently be seen.

Jury seated in federal trial of 3 former cops accused in George Floyd’s death

January 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.) — Opening statements in the joint federal trial of three former police officers accused of civil rights violations in the death of George Floyd are expected to begin next week after a jury was seated on Thursday.

Fired Minneapolis police officers J. Alexander Kueng, 28, Thomas Lane, 38, and Tou Thao, 35, are set to fight charges stemming from their alleged roles in the 2020 death of the 46-year-old Black man who their one-time senior officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of murdering.

All three are charged with using the “color of the law,” or their positions as police officers, to deprive Floyd of his civil rights on May 25, 2020, by allegedly showing deliberate indifference to his medical needs as Chauvin dug his knee in the back of a handcuffed man’s neck for more than 9 minutes, ultimately killing him.

Kueng and Thao both face an additional charge alleging they knew Chauvin was kneeling on Floyd’s neck but did nothing to intervene to stop him. Lane, who was heard on police body camera footage asking if they should roll Floyd on his side to help ease his breathing, does not face that charge.

The three defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The 18-member jury, including six alternates, was impaneled in just one day, chosen from a pool of 256 potential jurors. The jury is comprised of 11 women and seven men, none of whom are Black.

The trial, expected to last at least two weeks, is being held at the Warren E. Burger Federal Building in St. Paul. Opening statements are expected to begin Monday.

U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson, who is presiding over the case, has instructed attorneys that he wants the trial to move quickly to lessen the possibility of people involved in the proceedings coming down with COVID-19 as the omicron variant continues to spread across the country.

The trial will commence a little over a month after Chauvin, 45, a former Minneapolis police officer, pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges stemming from Floyd’s death and the abuse of a 14-year-old boy he bashed in the head with a flashlight in 2017. He admitted in the signed plea agreement with federal prosecutors that he knelt on the back of Floyd’s neck even as Floyd complained he could not breathe, fell unconscious and lost a pulse.

The guilty plea came after Chauvin was convicted in Minnesota state court in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison in the state case and is facing an even stiffer sentence in the federal case.

Kueng and Lane were rookies being trained by Chauvin at the time of Floyd’s fatal arrest.

The May 25, 2020, police encounter with Floyd was recorded on video from start to finish and included multiple angles taken by bystanders with cellphones, police body cameras and surveillance cameras.

The footage showed Chauvin grinding his knee into the back of Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds while Kueng helped keep Floyd down even after he stopped resisting by placing his knee on the man’s back and holding and lifting one of his handcuffed hands. Lane, according to the videos, held down Floyd’s feet.

Thao, according to footage, stood a few feet away, ordering a crowd to stand back despite several witnesses, including an off-duty firefighter, expressing concern for Floyd’s well-being.

Following the federal trial, Lane, Keung and Thao are facing a state trial on charges arising from Floyd’s death of aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

The state trial, which had been scheduled to get underway in March, was postponed until June 13 due to uncertainty over how long the federal trial will last.

The three defendants have pleaded not guilty to the state charges.

ABC News’ Whitney Lloyd contributed to this report.

Jeannie Mai reveals the name of her baby with husband Jeezy

January 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Jeannie Mai revealed the name of her first baby with husband Jeezy on Thursday

In a video posted on her Hello Hunnay YouTube channel, The Real co-host announced that the baby’s name is Monaco.

“I thought Baby J’s name should be a J name because obviously Jeannie and Jeezy, makes sense, but that wasn’t the name that came to us,” Jeannie explained. “What really came to us was how baby J came to fruition for us when we were dating.”

She recalled a trip to the European city-state of Monaco that she and Jeezy took where they talked about their goals for the future.

Then Mai pointed to a wall where Monaco’s name was printed and said that the nursery is themed after the moniker.

“That’s really the theme of the nursery: what Monaco is about. Family, moments, traveling, discussions, important key points in my life and Jeezy’s life that brought Monaco here,” she added.

On Thursday’s episode of The Real, the co-hosts also revealed the name, clarifying that the sex of the baby will be announced at a later date.

“Today is an extra exciting day because, guess what…we have a Baby J update,” Adrienne Bailon said. Then she pulled out an envelope and announced the name, reading, “Three years ago, Jeezy and Jeannie were talking on a bridge in France, talking about what it meant to do life together. Here they decided to grow and raise a family together. Hence, they named their child after the city that changed their lives forever: Monaco Mai Jenkins.

A$AP Rocky, Kid Cudi and Playboi Carti headline The Smoker’s Club Fest in Southern California

January 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

A$AP Rocky, Kid Cudi and Playboi Carti will headline The Smoker’s Club Fest on April 30 in San Bernadino, California.

Fans are encouraged to blaze up at the event featuring 70 acts performing at the Glen Helen Amphitheater which holds 65,000 people. The festival is described as “celebrating hip hop as one of the leading forces in paving the way for cannabis culture becoming mainstream.”

The lineup also includes Schoolboy Q, Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz, Ferg, Joey Bada$$, Lupe Fiasco, Curren$y, Rico Nasty, Earl Sweatshirt, Jay Rock, Wale, The Alchemist, and many more.

There will be a special pre-sale beginning Monday, January 24 at 10 a.m. PT for fans who sign up for early access to passes online at smokersclubfest.com. Remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public on January 24 at 2 p.m. PT.

Justin Bieber to headline ‘Homecoming Weekend’ pre-Super Bowl event in February

January 20, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Justin Bieber is set to kick off his Justice World Tour on February 18, but he’ll warm up for that with a February 11 performance ahead of the Super Bowl.

Justin is headlining The h.wood Group’s Homecoming Weekend pop-up party in Los Angeles, reports Billboard. The bill also includes Marshmello, and will take place in an event space outside the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

The event, presented by REVOLVE and the MALÏBU crypto service, will be Justin’s first live appearance of 2022. The bad news is that it’s an invitation-only bash, so unless you’re an A-list music, fashion, sports or entertainment star, you’re not getting in.

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