Page 7378 – 105.7 WDNY

U2’s Bono thanks Capitol Police in visit to push for COVID funding

March 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — He still hasn’t found what he’s looking for: emergency COVID-19 relief funding to distribute more vaccines to underserved countries.

U2’s frontrunner Paul “Bono” Hewson visited Capitol Hill on Wednesday as he continued to lobby lawmakers to adopt a global plan to vaccinate 70% of the world’s population globally by September as additional COVID funding remains stalled. The ONE Campaign, an international anti-poverty organization co-founded by Bono, is behind the effort.

There are still 2.8 billion people around the world waiting to get their first COVID vaccine shot, according to a United Nations analysis.

While on the Hill, Bono also took time to thank Capitol Police officers for defending democracy on Jan. 6, 2021, telling them that they’re respected around the world for their bravery.

“I haven’t been back since Jan. 6, and you guys saved America as far as I’m concerned from so much awfulness on that day,” Bono told them in a video the Capitol Police posted on Twitter. “And I just want to say, people around the world really respect you.”

Bono was in Washington for a Thursday evening ceremony where he’ll be awarded the Fulbright Prize for International Understanding for his “commitment to seek justice by fighting to end extreme poverty, tackle global health crises, and spur economic development in the poorest parts of the planet.” Past recipients include former President Jimmy Carter and former South African President Nelson Mandela.

His visit also comes two weeks after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi read a poem he wrote aloud at a St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon — which names Ukraine’s Volodymyr President Zelenskyy as a saint — amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.

“I got this message this morning from Bono,” Pelosi said of the Ireland-born singer. “And they struggle for us to be free, from the psycho in this human family. Ireland’s sorrow and pain, is now the Ukraine, and Saint Patrick’s name now Zelenskyy,” she read, quoting Bono.

Bono was spotted by reporters leaving Pelosi’s office on Wednesday. He was on the Hill to meet with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House and Senate about the need for supplemental COVID funding for the international vaccine response, according to the ONE campaign.

The global superstar is no stranger to the Capitol Rotunda.

He also made stops there while on tour in the nation’s capital in 2017 and 2018 to thank lawmakers on behalf of the ONE Campaign for various funding.

ABC News’ Mariam Khan contributed to this report.

DOJ expands Jan. 6 probe to include planning of ‘Save America’ rally

March 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice is expanding its criminal probe into the events of Jan. 6 to include preparations for the rally that preceded the storming of the U.S. Capitol, as well as the financing for the event, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.

Over the past two months, grand jury subpoenas have been sent to those who assisted in the organizing and planning of former President Donald Trump’s “Save America” rally on the Ellipse near the White House, the sources said.

The news of the expanding probe was first reported by the Washington Post.

The subpoenas to individuals with knowledge of the event are expansive, the sources said. Prosecutors are seeking multiple records and documents related to the rally, including text messages and emails, as well as potential communications with other individuals regarding the logistics of the event.

Officials with the Department of Justice declined to comment to ABC News.

The subpoenas are not indicative of wrongdoing, and one source said some subpoenas were sent with the clear indication that the request was for witness testimony and cooperation.

“In circumstances like those of Jan. 6, a full accounting does not suddenly materialize. To ensure that all those criminally responsible are held accountable, we must collect the evidence,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a speech on Jan. 5, one year after the Capitol attack.

“We follow the physical evidence. We follow the digital evidence. We follow the money. But most important, we follow the facts — not an agenda or an assumption. The facts tell us where to go next,” Garland said.

Rihanna continues to bump around in style

March 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

It’s no surprise that Grammy-winner Rihanna is currently sporting one of the most fashionable pregnancies in music.

Since sharing the exciting news of her pregnancy with boyfriend A$AP Rocky in January, the superstar has constantly showed off her growing belly bump in some of the most fashionable looks.

In the latest edition of Rihanna’s preggo looks catalog, the “Umbrella” singer shared her show-stopping ensemble for Jay Z’s Oscar Gold Party. The all-black, couture Valentino dress featured a just-about fully sheer, long sleeve top and a long sparkly bottom. She paired it with a black strapless bandeau and a slick-back-behind-the-ears, long, straight hairdo.

Though it was suggested who her plus one was for the event, she confirmed on Instagram saying, “me and my date for Oscar Gold Party #bump22.”

Rih’s preggo fashion all started with the reveal. She and dad-to-be A$AP shocked the world when they dropped the news by way of a sweet, chic NY photo shoot. Draped in a gold jewel-encrusted cross, Rihanna’s toe-length pink jacket was left open just enough to show off the growing bump.

It’s clear Rihanna loves her all black and was again ready to show off the bump, along with some cleavage, when captured out and about back in February. In a March all-black look, she paired her leather thigh-high boots with a matching miniskirt and silver sparkly bra.

From fur with animal prints to blue cut-out bodysuits, Rihanna just keeps on bumpin’ around in style.

Demi Lovato readying new “Cool for the Summer” remix

March 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Demi Lovato may be getting ready to say goodbye to their pop music, but there is one exception — “Cool for the Summer,” which has a brand-new remix on the horizon.

The Grammy nominee casually told fans about the unexpected revival on Wednesday by simply dropping a link so fans can pre-save the upcoming song, which has since been renamed “Cool for the Summer (Sped Up Remix),” though a release date has yet to be announced.

Demi released “Cool for the Summer” in 2015 and the track has since gained new life on TikTok — most recently being mashed together with Ginuwine‘s “Pony.”

The news comes as Demi revealed a brand-new tattoo on their arm on Wednesday, which reads, “Choose Love.”

“Choose Love – always,” the singer explained. “I’m inspired by the work @chooselove and their partners are doing to support refugees around the world, including those fleeing Ukraine.”

The tattoo was done by Ukranian tattoo artist Gusak, with the singer remarking, “It was such an honor learning about your home country.”

Demi also announced they are partnering with Choose Love to help Ukrainians displaced from their home by the Russian invasion, writing, “Take action with @chooselove and enter for a chance to win time with me in the studio to hear new music.” Fans can enter now on Propeller.

COIN seeks eternal relevance in new video for “Brad Pitt”

March 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Have you ever imagined speaking at your own funeral? That’s what’s depicted in COIN‘s new video for “Brad Pitt,” which premiered on Billboard before heading to YouTube.

The video shows a line of “mourners” at entering a “Celebration of Eternal Relevance” for COIN front man Chase Lawrence. The coffin is wheeled in and then followed by a mobile robot that displays a video of Lawrence smiling and greeting guests, and then addressing the crowd when it makes it to the podium.

The lid of the coffin flings open and we see that inside, it looks like a tanning bed. Lawrence jumps out and starts to sing the song, the lyrics of which go, “Bring me out of the box….I’m just asking you to/keep me young forever.”

Explaining the video’s concept, Lawrence tells Billboard, “I think the video, song and the album [Uncanny Valley] is very centered around this idea of relevance and clinging to our youth…what it looks like to age gracefully, and not knowing how to embrace moving on and getting older.”

“We talked a lot about this idea of the things that sustain you and make you appear younger are actually the things that are slowly killing you, which is seen in the paradox of the tanning bed versus the coffin,” Lawrence notes.

As for the song’s title, he explains, “Really, the title is just a symbol of youth, somebody that’s aged gracefully and has almost denied nature. Naming the song after him felt like a fun, kooky way to reduce the song to a cultural reference.”

Starting in April, COIN will support 5 Seconds of Summer on a tour of the U.K. and Ireland.

Survey shows 33% of Netflix users share their account

March 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

If you have Netflix, there’s a good chance that you let somebody else — your kids, your parents, maybe even your ex — watch the streaming service on your dime.

According to a new survey, 33% of the streaming giant’s users share their account with one or more people. The poll of 4,400 users conducted by the Leichtman Research Group found that 83% of Americans households have at least one streaming service, but of those who have Netflix, just 64% keep their account to themselves.

Of the 33% of those who do share their Netflix passwords, just 3% see others sharing the cost.

The poll is interesting in light of Netflix’s recent announcement that it would start charging for those who’ve been mooching movies off their generous friends: The pilot program started in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru would see a surcharge added to accounts that share their access.

In a blog post from Chengyi Long, director of product innovation at Netflix, she noted, “We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans.”

But, she maintained, sharing between different households has begun “impacting [Netflix’s] ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members.”

Survey questions, methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.

Is the sad girl era over? Olivia Rodrigo hints her next album will have “more colors and textures”

March 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Olivia Rodrigo hinted her fans will not have deja vu when they listen to her next album because it’ll offer new “colors and textures.”

Speaking to ELLE, the Grammy nominee admitted, “I’m definitely not as sad as I was when I wrote SOUR” when questioned about the tone of her new work. “I’m so excited to make my next record and explore more colors and textures and feelings and grow as a human being even more.”

Olivia says she is “stoked” about what’s next because of how much she’s changed since dropping “drivers license” last year. Looking back at her old songs — in particular “jealousy, jealousy” and “brutal” that talks about online critics — the singer says she has grown thicker skin since her career exploded.

“I was so angsty,” she laughed when looking over the song’s lyrics. “I guess I was just coming to terms with being like a really young person in the industry and feeling weird about it. But I don’t think I feel that way anymore, which is nice.”

However, Olivia admits she’s still growing up and has to work on herself more — particularly in how she can be her own worst enemy when making music. “I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself all the time,” the 19-year-old singer confessed. “I’m way too hard on myself and it’s past the point of being productive.”

When asked how she plans on overcoming that mindset, Olivia replied, “I guess I just try to think of it in a positive way and try to channel it to make myself a better person and not self-destruct, I suppose.”

She added that the book Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert, has further opened her eyes by teaching her, “If you’re a fulfilled, happy person, your art can only be more whole and better received.”

How ‘Coda’ Oscar winner Troy Kotsur changed ‘Star Wars’ forever

March 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Before Troy Kotsur broke ground in Hollywood by being the first deaf performer to win the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award with his performance in Coda, he changed a galaxy far, far away.

One of the significant recent changes to the Star Wars universe came in Disney+’s The Mandalorian, in which the desert natives known as the Tusken Raiders were shown to be more than the baddies who mugged Luke in Star Wars: A New Hope, or who kidnapped Anakin’s mom, leading to her death, in Attack of the Clones.

Instead, when Pedro Pascal‘s Mando encounters some of them, he communicates using a form of sign language, showing their culture is deeper than previously shown. This thread was carried through into The Book of Boba Fett.

Kotsur developed the Tusken sign language, and played one of the characters later in the series as one of the masked natives. In an ASL video interview with the deaf blog the Daily Moth, he explained he was a fan of Star Wars since he was eight.

“Remember…in…1977…accessibility for Deaf people were limited, but that Star Wars movie blew my mind. It changed my life,” Kotsur signed. “Why? It was…so visual for me. For the first 5 minutes…The spaceships shooting, the robots…all of that overwhelmed my eyes. I watched it 28 times.”

He explained his contribution to The Mandalorian: “[M]y goal was to avoid ASL. I made sure it became Tusken Sign Language based on their culture and environment.”

He called the gig, “a blessing,” and a dream come true. “It is fate,” he signed.

Incidentally, if you want to know the sign for “Mandalorian,” Kotsur invented that, too: It’s based on the ASL for “M” and the shape of their trademark helmets.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Who is Edith Kanaka’ole, the Hawaiian teacher to be featured on the quarter?

March 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Edith Kanaka’ole, a Native Hawaiian teacher, will be featured on U.S. quarters next year, along with five other women, as part of the 2023 American Women Quarters project from the U.S. Mint.

Kanakaʻole, who died in 1978, was an internationally acclaimed hula teacher, composer, chanter and performer.

She is credited for playing a vital role in passing down the teachings of hula amid the 1970s Hawaiian Renaissance when cultural traditions, languages and institutions were being revived widely and publicly among Native populations.

Kanakaʻole’s dance school, Hālau o Kekuhi, was internationally acclaimed, for its teachings of the ʻaihaʻa style of hula and chanting.

The ʻaihaʻa is a “low-postured, vigorous, bombastic style of hula that springs from the eruptive volcano personas of Pele and Hiʻiaka,” according to the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation.

The non-profit is focused on uplifting the cultural teachings, philosophies and traditions that were revived thanks to the Kanakaʻole family.

Hula is a cherished way of telling Hawaiian stories through dance. Because performers are often dressed in lei, grass skirts, or other natural elements-turned-garb, there is a relationship with the earth that often must be cultivated.

According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, many dancers find ways to give back to nature and the forests that provide them with their dancing materials.

She was also a longtime Hawaiian studies instructor at the University of Hawai’i-Hilo, and not only taught about hula, but also taught about the connection between nature and Hawaiian culture.

In 1996, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs deemed hula schools and their teachers “Living Treasures” to recognize the deep study of Hawaiian genealogy, plants, language, and history required for hula.

Her legacy lives on through the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, which is run by Kanakaʻole’s descendants.

“This is an unbelievable honor for our family, for our body of work at the Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation in carrying on her legacy and her teachings, for our home and for our people,” said Kanaka‘ole’s granddaughter Huihui Kanahele-Mossman. She is also the executive director of the foundation.

“This high recognition reminds us that our work at the foundation continues to be relevant, our research and our practices continue to have meaning and application,” said Kūha‘o‘īmaikalani Zane, Kanaka‘ole’s grandson and president of the board of directors of the foundation.

Kanakaʻole will be featured opposite George Washington on the coin.

She joins several other prominent women in the 2023 release of this project: former First Lady and first chair of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights Eleanor Roosevelt, first African American and Native American woman pilot Bessie Coleman, Mexican American journalist Jovita Idár and Native American Maria Tallchief, America’s first major prima ballerina.

“The range of accomplishments and experiences of these extraordinary women speak to the contributions women have always made in the history of our country,” U.S. Mint Deputy Director Ventris C. Gibson said in a press release.

He continued, “I am proud that the Mint continues to connect America through coins by honoring these pioneering women and their groundbreaking contributions to our society.”

Two killed as severe weather spawns nearly 30 tornadoes in seven states

March 31, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Two people were killed Thursday in the Florida Panhandle when their mobile home was toppled by a suspected tornado, one of nearly 30 that has wreaked havoc across seven South and Midwest states, officials said.

The deaths in Washington County, Florida, were the first fatalities reported from the outbreak of severe weather that began Tuesday night.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said two mobile homes were destroyed, and the two people killed were inside one of them, according to ABC affiliate station WMBB in Panama City. Two other people in the second mobile home that was destroyed were injured, the sheriff’s office said.

The deadly episode came after the National Weather Service issued new tornado watch warnings early Thursday from coastal Apalachicola, Florida, to Valdosta, Georgia.

The band of severe weather continued to move east and north, prompting severe weather warnings up the East Coast, including a forecast of potentially damaging winds Thursday evening for New York City, Trenton, N.J., and parts of eastern Pennsylvania.

The severe weather front that swooped in from the Rocky Mountains generated at least 29 tornadoes in seven states on Tuesday night and throughout Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Funnel clouds reportedly touched down in Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and Missouri.

One twister that tore through Springdale, Ark., on Wednesday injured seven people and caused heavy damage to an elementary school. The NWS reported that the Springdale tornado was a powerful EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale and produced winds of 145 mph.

Besides tornadoes, the severe weather front came with damaging winds that ripped roofs on homes, barns and businesses and uprooted trees.

In Louisiana, powerful winds and low visibility due to blowing debris was blamed for a three-car pile-up on a highway near Iota that caused several minor injuries, according to the Iota Police Department.

At least 10 twisters were reported across Mississippi and high winds toppled large trees outside the Governor’s Mansion in Jackson.

At least three tornadoes touched down in Central Alabama, including one that flipped over a mobile home in Shelby County, triggering a rescue of a person trapped inside, ABC affiliate station WBMA in Birmingham reported.

A twister also touched down in Montevallo, Alabama, Wednesday night, tearing the roof off a dorm at the University of Montevallo and injuring one person, according to the Montevallo Police Department.

“We are thankful that this week was spring break and that very few people were on campus during tonight’s storms,” university officials said in a statement.

ABC News’ Max Golembo, Puri, Alexander, Griffin, Melissa Griffin and Whitney Lloyd contributed to this report.

+ More