Page 7518 – 105.7 WDNY

Sununu not running for Senate from New Hampshire, likely hurting GOP hopes to gain a seat

November 10, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — New Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu announced Tuesday that he will not run for Senate in the 2022 midterms, likely hurting Republicans chances to gain a seat in Washington.

Instead, Sununu plans on running for his fourth term as governor.

While many anticipated he would announce a Senate run, Sununu, speaking at a news conference at the governor’s mansion, said his “responsibility is not to the gridlock of and politics of Washington.”

The 2022 midterms are key for Republicans to gain back majorities in Congress — needing to scoop only one seat in the Senate and nine seats in the House.

Sununu acknowledged the importance of the race in gaining back the party’s Senate majority, but said the office is not his “style.”

The race “is clearly seen as one of the best opportunities America has to have a 51st vote to stop Chuck Schumer from implementing what we all see as a losing agenda for America,” he said.

Sununu was seen as a formidable challenger to Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, who is running for reelection.

Two Republicans have filed for candidacy to challenge her, and her campaign recognizes the race will be hard-fought no matter who emerges as the Republican candidate, Hassan’s campaign manager Aaron Jacobs said in a statement.

While Sununu ruled out running for Senate next year, he didn’t completely close the door on heading to Washington.

Short of saying he is considering a run for president in 2024, Sununu said he might be open to a Cabinet position later in the future.

Sununu admitted that at one point he was leaning towards running for Senate. But after speaking with other senators, he said he realized he could have more of an impact as governor.

“I’d rather push myself 120 miles an hour delivering wins for New Hampshire, than to slow down and end up on Capitol Hill debating partisan politics without results,” he said.

Scoreboard roundup — 11/9/21

November 10, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Milwaukee 118, Philadelphia 109
Utah 110, Atlanta 98
LA Clippers 117, Portland 109

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
New Jersey 7, Florida 3
Final Boston 3, Ottawa 2
Los Angeles 3, Montreal 2 (OT)
Carolina 2, Tampa Bay 1 (OT)
Detroit 4, Edmonton 2
St. Louis 3, Winnipeg 2 (SO)
Chicago 3, Pittsburgh 2 (SO)
San Jose 4, Calgary 1
Vegas 4, Seattle 2
Anaheim 3, Vancouver 2 (OT)

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Gonzaga 97, Dixie St. 63
UCLA 95, CS Bakersfield 58
Kansas 87, Michigan St. 74
Villanova 91, Mount St. Mary’s 51
Texas 92, Houston Baptist 48
Purdue 96, Bellarmine 67
Duke 79, Kentucky 71
Illinois 71, Jackson St. 47
Memphis 89, Tennessee Tech 65
Oregon 83, Texas Southern 66
Alabama 93, Louisiana Tech 64
Houston 83, Hofstra 75
Arkansas 74, Mercer 61
Ohio St. 67, Akron 66
Tennessee 90, UT Martin 62
North Carolina 83, Loyola (Md.) 67
Maryland 83, Quinnipiac 69
Auburn 77, Morehead St. 54
St. Bonaventure 75, Siena 47
UConn 99, CCSU 48
Navy 66, Virginia 58

Pfizer asks FDA to amend booster authorization to include all adults

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Pfizer on Tuesday requested the Food and Drug Administration allow all Americans over 18 to be eligible for booster shots, submitting data from a 10,000-person trial that found its third shots to be safe and effective for adults of all ages.

The request from Pfizer comes six weeks after independent panels of experts at the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed the company’s initial request for booster shots and ultimately determined that only Americans over 65 years old or who are frequently exposed to the virus should get a third dose.

That decision, in part, was because experts at the FDA and CDC said they wanted more data on how the third shot might affect young people, and whether they even needed one given the enduring protection from the vaccine against hospitalization and death among that group.

Pfizer’s submission on Tuesday could satisfy that request, providing data on its trial of 10,000 people during the delta variant wave.

People who received a third dose of Pfizer had 95% efficacy against the virus compared to people who received two shots, Pfizer said in a press release on Tuesday. Compared to unvaccinated people, Pfizer projected that efficacy was 98%.

The FDA and CDC have both left the door open to widening booster recommendations out to everyone as more data comes out, and as immunity wanes.

And last week, chief medical advisor to the White House Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters that he thought boosters for all adults were imminent.

“It will be very likely that everyone will be able to get a booster within a reasonable amount of time,” Fauci said at the White House COVID briefing.

“People who have a primary vaccination are still really quite protected against severe disease and hospitalization,” he said, but said he supported boosters as a way to “stay ahead of the virus.”

Still, there will be a debate among experts over whether boosters are needed for all, which largely centers on whether the U.S. should be boosting to prevent breakthrough infections.

Dr. Paul Offit, an FDA advisory panel member and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, doesn’t think there’s a strong need for boosters as long as the initial two shots protect against hospitalizations and death, which they still do for most young people.

“I think those who benefit the most from a third dose are those who are over 65 years of age. I think those who are over 50, who have a high risk medical condition, will likely benefit from a third dose. And for all others, I think you should consider yourself fully vaccinated with two doses,” Offit told ABC News in an interview on Tuesday.

“But the advantage of a third dose is that you’re less likely to have an asymptotic or mildly symptomatic infection. Where you could still, for example, be contagious,” Offit said.

ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons releases blues-rock holiday single, “Jingle Bell Blues”

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons is bringing fans some early holiday cheer with a new single titled “Jingle Bell Blues,” a 12-bar-blues-infused version of the Christmas classic “Jingle Bells.”

The track is available now as a digital download and via streaming services, while a limited-edition seven-inch vinyl single pressed on red-translucent vinyl will be released on December 10.

The disc, which you can pre-order now at Gibbons’ official online store, comes with an old-school vinyl center hole adapter with “Billy F Gibbons” written on it. The single’s flip side features an etching of a whitewall tire.

Billy recorded “Jingle Bell Blues” in Nashville this past June, with accompaniment from Mike Fiorentino on bass and Miles McPherson on drums.

Gibbons co-produced the track with Fiorentino, who also co-produced Billy’s 2021 solo album, Hardware, with Billy and ex-Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum.

Commenting about the new track, Gibbons says he hopes it’s worthy to stand alongside some of the classic tunes of the yuletide season.

“Around Christmas, it always seems that there are five to ten holiday selections listed in the lower right corner of a typical juke box in a typical juke joint, the song titles and artist names printed on wreath-bedecked title strips,” Billy reflects. “Our hope is for ‘Jingle Bell Blues’ to be one of those records. Bing Crosby, David Bowie, Elvis, Brenda Lee, Jose Feliciano, Otis Redding, Mariah Carey, Nat King Cole, Gene Autry, and not forgetting Adam Sandler, need some company and we’d be thrilled to provide it in the spirit of the season.”

French Montana’s new album features Drake, John Legend, Rick Ross and many more

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

French Montana has revealed the star-studded track list for his new studio album, They Got Amnesia, which drops Friday.

Drake, John Legend, Rick Ross, Ty Dolla $ign, Saweetie, Doja Cat, Lil Durk, Kodak Black, Latto, and the late Pop Smoke are featured on the 20-track project. This is the Moroccan born rapper’s fourth studio album, following his self-titled Montana in 2019.

The album cover shows the 37-year old MC breathing through tubes, a reference to when he was rushed to a hospital on November 21, 2019 in Los Angeles suffering from an elevated heart rate. He was ordered to stay at home for 30 days for extensive bed rest.

French admitted that he paid the price that year for partying too much to celebrate his birthday, which is today, November 9.

“Life comes at you sometimes, get you down to your knees,” he said. “That’s what happened when you try to be too much of a rock star on your birthday. I turned up so much I ended up in the ICU.”

Prosecution rests case in homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Prosecutors rested their case on Tuesday against Kyle Rittenhouse by playing for the jury a new drone video of the teenager allegedly shooting the first of three men — two of whom died — during a 2020 protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The prosecution wrapped up its case after six days of presenting evidence that they contend proves Rittenhouse is guilty of first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide.

“The state formally rests its case,” prosecutor Thomas Binger told the court Tuesday afternoon.

Prior to resting their case, prosecutors showed the jury a drone video, which they obtained on Friday, of Rittenhouse apparently shooting Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, multiple times, in a used car lot in downtown Kenosha the night of Aug. 25, 2020. Rosenbaum died from his wounds.

The defense began presenting its case that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense by calling its first witness, Nick Smith, 23, a former employee of Car Source, the car dealership Rittenhouse and other armed men said they were protecting the night Rittenhouse allegedly shot three people. Smith testified that the owner of Car Source called him and asked if he could put out fires in a car lot and to get a group together to protect his businesses, including two other car lots, during protests that had turned violent.

Smith testified that he spoke to Rittenhouse soon after the teenager allegedly shot the three men and that Rittenhouse repeatedly told him, “I just shot someone. I had to shoot someone.” Smith said Rittenhouse had earlier in the evening loaned him his body armor and helped protect the Car Source businesses.

After obtaining the drone video, the prosecution sent it the to the Wisconsin State Crime lab to be enhanced. The footage is the latest introduced in the case that shows Rosenbaum apparently chasing Rittenhouse into the car lot as the then-17-year-old carried an AR-style semi-automatic rifle and a fire extinguisher. The video showed Rittenhouse wheeling around and firing his weapon at Rosenbaum from close range.

In the drone video, Rittenhouse also is seen running from the car lot. Other video introduced during the trial by the prosecution showed people chasing Rittenhouse down a street after he allegedly shot Rosenbaum.

The shootings occurred during a protest over the police shooting in Kenosha of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was paralyzed from the waist down from his injuries, that had devolved into looting and destruction of businesses in the two days prior to the night of the deadly confrontations involving Rittenhouse.

After the first shooting, footage showed Rittenhouse falling to the ground, apparently being kicked in the face by an unidentified man and hit with a skateboard by Anthony Huber, 25, before he allegedly opened fire again, killing Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, who testified on Monday that he had a loaded handgun in his right hand when he was shot in the right bicep.

The last witness the prosecution called in its case was Deputy Milwaukee County Medical Examiner Dr. Douglas Kelley, who performed the autopsies on both Rosenbaum and Huber.

Kelley testified that Huber died of a single gunshot wound to the chest that created a lethal injury to his heart and lungs. Rosenbaum, Kelley testified, was shot multiple times in the hand, thigh and groin area, head and back — the shot that killed him was the one that entered his back as he fell forward.

As graphic autopsy photos were shown, pool reporters in court described Rittenhouse as appearing to intentionally look away from the monitors.

Defense attorneys have yet to announce whether Rittenhouse will testify in his own defense.

ABC News’ Whitney Lloyd contributed to this report.

IMAX launching ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Fan Event

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

With the release of the final trailer to Ghostbusters: Afterlife — featuring the voices and brief appearances of some of its original series stars including Dan Aykroyd, the late Harold Ramis, and Bill Murray — comes news IMAX is doing the movie big.

Well, “big” is not a surprise for the giant format theaters, but in the case of the new film, they’re hosting a Ghostbusters Fan Event in the U.S. and Canada to celebrate the movie’s launch on November 19.

The special event will be live-streamed from Los Angeles at 8pm Eastern in select theaters, and will not only show the new Sony Pictures movie, but will also feature a Q&A with director Jason Reitman and his dad, producer — and original Ghostbusters director — Ivan Reitman.

The select theaters will also treat fans to commemorative posters and other goodies.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife stars the original cast, which also includes Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts, as well as series newcomers Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, and McKenna Grace.

Here’s a list of the participating IMAX locations:

United States

California

AMC Metreon 16 & IMAX Theatre – San Francisco, CA
Esquire IMAX Theatre – Sacramento, CA
Regal Edwards Irvine Spectrum & IMAX – Irvine, CA
TCL Chinese Theatres IMAX – Hollywood, CA
AMC Mission Valley 20 & IMAX Theatre – San Diego, CA

Washington DC
AMC Georgetown 14 & IMAX Theatre – Washington, DC

Florida
AMC Aventura 24 & IMAX Theatre – Aventura, FL

Georgia
Regal Atlantic Station & IMAX Theatre – Atlanta, GA

Illinois
AMC Oakbrook 12 & IMAX Theatre – Oak Brook, IL

Minnesota
AMC Rosedale 14 & IMAX Theatre – Roseville, MN

Massachusetts
AMC Boston Common 19 – IMAX – Boston, MA

New York
AMC Empire 25 & IMAX Theatre – New York, NY

North Carolina
Regal Stonecrest At Piper Glen & IMAX – Charlotte, NC

Pennsylvania
Regal UA King of Prussia & IMAX Theatre – King of Prussia, PA

Texas
AMC Northpark 15 & IMAX Theatre – Dallas, TX
Regal Edwards Houston Marq*E & IMAX – Houston, TX
Santikos Palladium IMAX Theatre – San Antonio, TX

Tennessee
Malco Paradiso Cinema Grill & IMAX Theatre – Memphis, TN

Washington
Regal Thornton Place & IMAX Theatre – Seattle, WA

Canada

Cineplex Cinemas Winston Churchill & IMAX Theatre – Oakville, ON

Hearst’s magazine workers protest mandatory return-to-office through the National Labor Relations Board

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — After more than a year of working remotely through the COVID-19 pandemic, staffers at Hearst’s magazines are fighting back against a mandatory return to office.

Workers at the magazine-publishing division of Hearst — which runs outlets including Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and Men’s Health — have filed an unfair labor practices charge against their employer with the National Labor Relations Board via their union, the Writer’s Guild of America East.

The document filed with the NLRB and shared with ABC News by the union alleges unfair labor practices because the management failed to negotiate with workers in good faith over return-to-office protocols.

The labor action from the magazine journalists comes as a slew of companies across the country are now seeking to bring employees back into the office and face new resistance after some 20 months of remote work during the health crisis.

Record-high levels of people quitting their jobs as the pandemic wanes and other unique labor market conditions have also been linked to workers being emboldened to negotiate for what they want in the workplace recently, especially as major companies have reported struggling to find staff.

Over 300 employees (out of a bargaining unit of some 450 people) from Hearst’s magazines division also signed a petition that was delivered to management demanding workplace location flexibility.

“We, the undersigned, trust in our colleagues to perform all their work responsibilities from the location that is most suitable to their needs. We have seen our colleagues adapt to unprecedented changes in our work lives without a drop in productivity,” the petition, shared with ABC News by the union, states. “We do not believe that a return to office is the same as a return to work, because for all Hearst employees, we have never stopped working, regardless of our location.”

The petition adds that while some employees require access to the office to do their work, they are simply seeking a “continuation of the functional norm that we have reached as a result of our extraordinary circumstances, with employees and teams able to make decisions that are appropriate for their work needs.”

In a Twitter thread posted by the Hearst Magazines Media Union, the group says that they have been seeking to negotiate with management “for months” over return-to-office plans but still feel in the dark. The thread adds that it was only four business days before the scheduled return that some New York-based employees learned of the COVID exposure policy, and that many health and safety questions remain unanswered.

“It’s our position that by barreling ahead with these last-minute plans, management is making a unilateral change to our work circumstances without adequately bargaining over the change as required by federal law,” the union tweeted. “We are ready to cooperate with any investigation the NLRB deems necessary and are hopeful this process will reinforce to the company how serious we are about workplace safety.”

Some journalists working at Hearst have weighed in on the debate on Twitter, arguing flexible work arrangement offers more time to spend with family and more.

A Hearst magazine’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on Tuesday.

“We recognize that returning to the office is a big step and that some people are apprehensive about it,” Debi Chirichella, Hearst’s president, said in an email to staff last month, according to the New York Times, which reported that Hearst is seeking employees to be in the office at least three days a week. Chirichella continued: “Adjusting to this new way of working will require the same flexibility, patience and collaboration that we all demonstrated when we began working from home.”

Data from the Department of Labor indicates that many companies are in the process of recalling workers back to their offices. The DOL said that 11.6% of employed person’s teleworked because of the pandemic last month, down from 13.2% in September.

Glass Animals break ‘Billboard’ record for longest journey to top 10

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

It’s taken from the middle of — not June — but January until now for Glass Animals to finally score their first Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit.

Yes, believe it or not, the British band’s single “Heat Waves” has finally reached number 10 on the Hot 100, 42 weeks after it first entered that chart back on January 16 of this year. That’s the longest any song has ever taken to get to the top 10 in the more than 60-year history of the chart.

The previous record was held by country superstar and American Idol winner Carrie Underwood, whose single “Before He Cheats” took 38 weeks to hit the top 10. Other acts who’ve seen their hits take 30 or more weeks to reach those heights include Imagine Dragons, Nickelback, Creed, and country-pop crossover stars Gabby Barrett, Lonestar and Faith Hill.

“Heat Waves” is from Glass Animals’ third album, Dreamland, which became their first top 10 album on the Billboard 200 upon its release in August of 2020. The band’s current single is “I Don’t Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance.”

Glass Animals are up for Favorite Pop Duo or Group and Favorite Rock Artist at the American Music Awards, which will be handed out later this month on ABC.

U2 debuts new “Your Song Saved My Life” music video promoting Education Through Music charity

November 9, 2021 by WDNY Radio

U2 and the upcoming animated film Sing 2 have teamed up with the Education Through Music nonprofit to create a special music video for the Irish rockers’ new tune “Your Song Saved My Life” to promote the organization, which provides music classes to children in under-resourced schools throughout North America.

The video, which premiered today on U2’s YouTube channel, features several students and teachers from the Education Through Music (ETM) program, who, through interviews, voice-overs and subtitles, share why music has had such an important positive impact on their lives. The clip seeks to demonstrate the importance of ETM’s goal of making high-quality music education available to more young people across America.

You can support ETM and find out more about the program by visiting YourSongSavedMyLife.com and www.national.etmonline.org.

As previously reported, “Your Song Saved My Life,” which was released last week, will appear on the soundtrack album for Sing 2, which features Bono making his animated film debut as the voice of a rock-star lion character named Clay Calloway. The flick is scheduled to get its U.S. premiere on December 22.

The album, which will be released on December 17, also features Bono duetting with Sing 2 co-star Scarlett Johansson on a version of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” as well as Johansson performing renditions of the band’s “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” and “Where the Streets Have No Name.” On the latter tune, Scarlett is joined by Sing 2 cast members Reese Witherspoon, Nick Kroll and Taron Egerton.

The 21-song soundtrack also includes tunes by Elton John, Whitney Houston, Billie Eilish, Pharrell Williams and more. You can pre-order the album now.

+ More