Page 7742 – 105.7 WDNY

Biden honors retiring Justice Breyer, commits to nominate Black woman to replace him on Supreme Court

January 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden and Justice Stephen Breyer appeared together Thursday at the White House to announce Breyer’s retirement from the Supreme Court, clearing the way for Biden to follow through on his campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to the high court as his historic first pick.

“I’m here today to express the nation’s gratitude to Justice Stephen Breyer for his remarkable career of public service, and his clear-eyed commitment to making our country’s laws work for its people,” Biden said.

Biden praised Breyer’s career in public service, beginning in the United States Army as a teenager before going on to serve in all three branches of government before he turned 40. Multiple times, Biden noted his personal connection to Breyer, as the only president to have presided over a justice’s confirmation — when he was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Breyer was nominated to the Supreme Court in 1994 by President Bill Clinton.

“He has patiently sought common ground and built consensus, seeking to bring the court together. I think he’s a model public servant in a time of great division in this country,” Biden said, hailing Breyer for being a justice who could bridge divides on the bench.

Turning to the vacancy he will leave, Biden also reaffirmed his commitment to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, which he said was “long overdue.”

BREAKING: “I’ve made no decision except one: The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications…That person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court,” Pres. Biden announces. https://t.co/hQKNJg7Lhr pic.twitter.com/yDjebjLOVu

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 27, 2022

“While I’ve been studying candidates’ backgrounds and writings, I’ve made no decision except one: the person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity. And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court. It’s long overdue in my opinion, I made that commitment during the campaign for president, and I will keep that commitment,” he said.

Biden said he’s made “no choice at this point” but it’s his intention to announce his nominee “before the end of February” after consulting with both Democratic and Republican senators. He also noted Vice President Kamala Harris will play a key consulting role in the process.

“I will fully do what I’d said I’d do. I will fulfill my duty to select a justice, not only with the Senate’s consent, but with its advice,” Biden said. “I’m going to invite senators from both parties to offer their ideas and points of view.”

Biden said he will keep in mind Breyer’s spirit when he makes his decision on filling the seat.

“In the end, I will nominate a historic candidate, someone who’s worthy of Justice Breyer’s legacy, and someone who like Justice Breyer, provide incredible service on the United States Supreme Court,” Biden said.

Breyer, quoting from President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, reminded that the nation’s founders described American democracy as one great “experiment.”

“‘We are now engaged in a great Civil War to determine whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure,'” he said, citing Lincoln’s famous words, saying they are still relevant today.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer reflects on his career: “It’s a kind of a miracle, when you sit there and see…people that are so different in what they think, and yet they’ve decided to help solve their major differences under law.” https://t.co/JhNQIRZvbD pic.twitter.com/OZFj5gW6ry

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 27, 2022

Recalling conversations with his students, Breyer said it’s now up to the next generation will “determine whether the experiment still works.”

“It’s an experiment that’s still going on. And I’ll tell you something, you know who will see whether that experiment works? It’s you, my friend. It’s you, Mr. high school student,” Breyer said. “I am an optimist, and I’m pretty sure it will.”

Earlier Thursday, in a letter to the president Thursday, Breyer formally notified Biden of his retirement and wrote he intends to complete term and remain until a successor is confirmed, holding his seat in several blockbuster decisions that will close the term in late June.

Breyer called the job a privilege and great honor, saying “I have found the work challenging and meaningful. My relations with each of my colleagues have been warm and friendly.”

BREAKING: Justice Stephen Breyer announces his retirement from the Supreme Court.

The move clears the way for Pres. Biden to follow through on his campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to the high court for his historic first pick. https://t.co/Szf1sdE8A9 pic.twitter.com/wq6rKFjrRy

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 27, 2022

In finishing out the term — but stepping down ahead of the midterm elections — Breyer, 83, the most senior member of the Supreme Court’s liberal wing who served on the bench for 27 years, fulfills the wish of Democrats who lobbied to ensure Biden could name a successor while Democrats controlled the Senate.

With the slimmest of margins, Democrats can now pass Biden’s nominee without a single Republican vote due to a 2017 rule change under then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, which lowered the threshold to break the filibuster from 60 votes to 51 votes for Supreme Court nominees. McConnell said last year that the GOP may try to block a Democratic nominee to the court if Republicans won control of the Senate in November and a vacancy occurred in 2023 or 2024.

Following Biden and Breyer’s joint announcement, McConnell called on Biden to select a nominee to fill Breyer’s vacancy who has “demonstrated reverence for the written text of our laws and constitution” and urged him “not to outsource this important decision to the radical left.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday the chamber is prepared to move to confirm Biden’s nominee with “all deliberate speed.” Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who once served as a clerk to Breyer and was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals last year with bipartisan support, is considered a top contender.

Once Biden nominates a replacement, Senate Democrats plan to not only hold a confirmation hearing swiftly — similar to Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who had her first hearing within 13 days of her nomination — but also to hold those proceedings while Breyer is still sitting on the bench, according to two Democratic aides familiar with the matter.

While the transition presents an exciting opportunity for Biden and his supporters, replacing Breyer will not change the court’s 6-3 conservative majority.

ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky contributed to this report.

Bonnie Raitt to receive prestigious honor at Billboard’s 2022 Women in Music Awards

January 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Bonnie Raitt is among a variety of female artists who will be honored at Billboard‘s 2022 Women in Music Awards, which takes place March 2 at the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Los Angeles.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will be presented with the Icon Award at the event, which will be hosted by Ciara. For the first time ever, tickets to the Women in Music Awards ceremony will be made available to the public; they go on sale in February.

Other honorees include country star and one-time American Idol finalist Gabby Barrett, singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, pop star Doja Cat, rapper Saweetie and R&B singer Summer Walker. All the honorees will perform at the ceremony.

Other award winners, including the 2022 Woman of the Year, will be announced soon. If you can’t make it to L.A., you’ll be able to watch it streaming live, with more details to come.

Starting in March, Raitt will hit the road for a lengthy U.S. headlining trek dubbed the Just Like That… tour. Guest artists that will support Bonnie on various parts of the trek include NRBQ, Lucinda Williams and Mavis Staples. Visit BonnieRaitt.com for a full list of dates.

‘Ted Lasso’ Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham gets the last laugh in Super Bowl ad

January 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Ted Lasso lead Hannah Waddingham has traded Emmy gold for the gold standard of visible TV spots: A Super Bowl ad.

In a new teaser of the first-ever Big Game spot from online discount platform Rakuten, Waddingham is shown wearing an elegant black gown, and a dazzling necklace, as she practices a Cruella Deville-level evil laugh.

However, holding a mirror to her face, it’s clear she’s not getting it just right.

“See who gets the last laugh,” the teaser notes, along with the date of Super Bowl LVI, February 13, 2022.

Waddingham’s menace in the spot is much closer to her role of evil Septa Unella in Game of Thrones — of course, she doesn’t even need her “shame” bell here.

In a statement, an “excited” Waddingham hinted about the commercial, “Can’t wait for everyone to meet my boss Leonardo…he’s to die for.”

For the record, a 30-second spot for this year’s Super Bowl costs $6.5 million, according to Ad Age.

Moderna launches clinical trial for HIV vaccine that uses mRNA technology

January 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Moderna announced Thursday that it’s launched early-stage clinical trials of an HIV mRNA vaccine.

The biotechnology company has teamed up with the nonprofit International AIDS Vaccine Initiative to develop the shot, which uses the same technology as Moderna’s successful COVID-19 vaccine.

The first participants in the Phase I trial were given doses at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., according to a company statement.

“We are tremendously excited to be advancing this new direction in HIV vaccine design with Moderna’s mRNA platform,” Dr. Mark Feinberg, president and CEO of IAVI, said in a statement. “The search for an HIV vaccine has been long and challenging, and having new tools in terms of immunogens and platforms could be the key to making rapid progress toward an urgently needed, effective HIV vaccine.”

Nearly 38 million people worldwide — including about 1.3 million in the U.S — are living with HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, which can lead to the potentially fatal disease AIDS.

Being diagnosed with HIV was once considered a death sentence. During the height of the U.S. AIDS epidemic in the mid-1990s, more than 50,000 deaths occurred every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Today, HIV is much more manageable with medications that can reduce viral loads to undetectable so the virus can’t be transmitted, as well as pills that can be taken to prevent infecting those who are HIV-negative.

But despite decades of research, no vaccine has ever been developed. Several candidates have entered clinical trials but failed in later stages.

The new vaccine uses mRNA, or messenger RNA, which teaches the body’s cells how to make proteins that trigger immune responses.

Researchers have developed not only a primary vaccine but also a booster to deliver HIV immunogens — molecules that elicit an immune response — via mRNA.

The hope is this process can induce specific white blood cells, called B cells, which can then turn into what are known as broadly neutralizing antibodies that can neutralize the virus.

According to the statement, Phase I of the trial will enroll 56 healthy, HIV-negative adult participants at GWU and three additional sites: Hope Clinic of Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle; and the University of Texas-Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Of the volunteers, 48 will receive one or two doses of the mRNA vaccine, and 32 also will receive the booster. The remaining eight will receive just the booster.

Researchers will then monitor for safety and efficacy of the new vaccine for up to six months after participants receive their final dose.

Moderna did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

ABC News’ Sony Salzman contributed to this report.

East Coast braces for snow storm: Latest path

January 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A snow storm is bearing down on the East Coast, with snow even expected to reach as far south as coastal North Carolina.

The brunt of the storm will hit from eastern Long Island to coastal Massachusetts, with moderate to major impacts for the Interstate 95 corridor from Philadelphia to New York City to Boston.

The storm will begin in the overnight hours early Saturday for Philadelphia and New York City.

By 7 a.m. it’ll be snowing heavily across much of the I-95 corridor. By early Saturday afternoon, the storm will clear out for most of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, focusing on Rhode Island, Cape Cod, Boston and Maine.

High winds and coastal flooding are a major threat. Wind gusts up to 65 mph are possible along the coast from Delaware to New Jersey to Long Island to Nantucket.

Whiteout conditions are possible from eastern Long Island to Cape Cod to Maine.

Eastern Long Island to Boston and Cape Cod are expected to get the brunt of the heaviest snow, with over 1 foot possible in some places.

New Jersey, Connecticut and New York City are forecast to see 4 to 10 inches of snow, with the higher totals closer to the coast.

North Carolina could get up to 4 inches.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has declared a state of emergency. He warned residents to be mindful of heavy snow and high winds as well as the possibility of tidal flooding and power outages.

Ahead of the storm is a deep freeze. Bitter cold hit the East Coast Thursday morning with a wind chill — what temperature it feels like — at about 8 degrees in New York, 2 degrees in Boston, 15 in Raleigh and 24 in Atlanta.

And behind the snow storm will be the coldest temperatures in years for Florida. Sunday morning the wind chill could plunge to 23 degrees in Orlando and 29 degrees in Miami.

Gabby Barrett will receive the Rising Star honor at ‘Billboard”s 2022 Women in Music Awards ceremony

January 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Gabby Barrett is among a list of elite female musical artists getting honored at the Billboard 2022 Women in Music Awards show.

During the ceremony, she will receive the Rising Star Award, an honor that’s previously been given to the likes of Halsey, Kelsea Ballerini and Ariana Grande.

Gabby is the only mainstream country artist confirmed to be honored at this year’s all-genre awards show, although Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bonnie Raitt, a rock, blues and Americana legend with country leanings, is receiving the much-coveted Icon Award.

Other honorees includes Doja Cat, Saweetie, Karol G and Summer Walker. Ciara will host the event, which is taking place March 2 at the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Los Angeles. This year will be unlike any Women in Music Awards ceremony in the past, as tickets will go on sale to the general public for the very first time.

Gabby’s career has seen a meteoric, genre-spanning rise since the release of her chart-topping debut single, “I Hope,” and hit first album, Goldmine. She’s since earned another number one with “The Good Ones,” and has been teasing new music for the year ahead.

Phoebe Bridgers to receive Trailblazer Award at 2022 ’Billboard’ Women in Music ceremony

January 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Phoebe Bridgers will receive the Trailblazer Award at this year’s edition of Billboard‘s annual Women in Music ceremony.

The Trailblazer Award was first given to Paramore‘s Hayley Williams in 2014. At the time, it was described as honoring a “standout female artist who breaks from convention to make a unique mark in music and pave the way for other talent.”

Other previous Trailblazer winners include Lana Del Rey, Kesha, Janelle Monáe and Brandi Carlile.

The 2022 Billboard Women in Music event takes place March 2 in Los Angeles, and will stream live online. Along with Bridgers, this year’s honorees include Bonnie Raitt, Gabby Barrett, Doja Cat, Karol G, Saweetie and Summer Walker. Ciara will host.

For more info, visit BillboardWomeninMusic.com.

Report: Three men arrested as SWAT raids home of YoungBoy Never Broke Again in Texas

January 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Three associates of YoungBoy Never Broke Again were reportedly arrested Tuesday when a SWAT team raided the rapper’s home in Harris County, Texas.

The sheriff’s office says a warrant was executed in connection to the shooting of a 20-year-old man in November. SWAT members seized multiple weapons during the raid, including AR-15s and a number of pistols, according to TMZ.

Roymellow Williams, Daryl Brown, and Carleon Gallien were booked for aggravated robbery and aggravated assault.

YoungBoy, born Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, owns the property and his mother, Sherhonda Gaulden, lives there. It is not known if she was home at the time of the raid.

Gaulden is now under house arrest in Utah as he awaits trial for weapons-related charges. He was released from federal prison in October after posting $500,000 bond. Last week, YoungBoy released his 17th mixtape, Colors, featuring Quando Rondo and Internet Money. He is nominated for a Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance for his feature on “WusYaName” from Tyler, the Creator‘s latest album, Call Me If You Get Lost.

In Flames returns to recording studio

January 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

It appears new In Flames music is in the works.

The Swedish metallers have posted an Instagram photo of guitarist Björn Gelotte working on a riff in the recording studio. In the caption, the band writes, “Here we gooooooooo.”

In Flames most recent album is 2019’s I, the Mask. Last year, they released CD reissues of their albums, from their 1994 debut Lunar Strain to 2008’s A Sense of Purpose.

This spring, In Flames will join Megadeth, Lamb of God and Trivium on the 2022 Metal Tour of the Year. They’d originally been on the 2021 bill as well before dropping off due to COVID-19 complications.

2020 documentary on Jimi Hendrix’s 1970 concerts in Maui to be screened in theaters next month

January 27, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Music, Money, Madness…Jimi Hendrix in Maui, the 2020 documentary focusing on two legendary 1970 shows that the Jimi Hendrix Experience played in Hawaii, will be screened in select U.S. theaters on various dates in February.

The documentary, which originally was released on Blu-ray in November 2020 in conjunction with the companion album Live in Maui, tells the story of how Hendrix and his band traveled to the island of Maui during the summer of 1970 to participate in the making of the movie Rainbow Bridge by playing two free outdoor concerts on the slopes of the dormant Haleakala volcano. The shows, which took place on July 30, were attended by a few hundred local residents.

Only 17 minutes of the footage from the two sets were used in Rainbow Bridge, a poorly received 1971 movie directed by Andy Warhol associate Chuck Wein that focused on various counterculture figures on the Hawaiian island. Music, Money, Madness…Jimi Hendrix in Maui incorporates previously unseen footage from the performances and the band’s visit to the island, as well as new interviews with Experience bassist Billy Cox, Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer, Wein, a number of Rainbow Bridge cast members and Warner Bros. label executives.

The first theatrical screenings of the documentary are scheduled for February 1 in various California cities, as well as Buffalo, New York; Oklahoma City; and Tacoma, Washington.

A special screening will be held on February 16 in Los Angeles at The Regent Theater that will feature a Q&A and conversation with Kramer, director John McDermott and Experience Hendrix CEO Janie Hendrix, Jimi’s sister.

Visit JimiHendrixMaui.com for more information about the screenings.

+ More