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McAuliffe calls on Youngkin to condemn pledge to flag ‘carried’ at Jan. 6 rally

October 14, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic candidate for Virginia governor, has called on Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin to publicly condemn attendees of a GOP rally who pledged allegiance to an American flag said to have been flown at the Jan. 6 rally near the Capitol prior to the insurrection.

“They really brought a flag up there and they did pledge of allegiance to a flag that was used to bring down the democracy that that American flag symbolizes,” McAuliffe told reporters Thursday morning. “I’m just asking Glenn Youngkin to issue a statement or go before the cameras today… and say, it was not appropriate to pledge allegiance to a flag… that tried to destroy the democracy.”

The Youngkin campaign has not responded to ABC News’ requests for comment about the “Take Back Virginia Rally” to support the statewide GOP ticket and hasn’t said whether he condemns anything said or done at the event held in Glen Allen, Virginia, Wednesday evening.

At the start of the event, which was livestreamed on the right-wing platform Real America’s Voice, the emcee called up a woman with an American flag, which the emcee said “was carried at the peaceful rally with Donald J. Trump on Jan. 6.”

Five people died during or after the riot on Jan. 6. A comprehensive review of police officer bodycam footage found roughly 1,000 instances of assault against members of law enforcement who were trying to protect the building, according to legal filings by the Justice Department.

Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted at the Capitol, including about 80 U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department. And nearly 650 people have been arrested and charged with federal crimes in connection to the events of Jan. 6, with more than 100 having already pleaded guilty.

Youngkin did not speak at or attend the Virginia rally on Wednesday, but former President Donald Trump called in to urge attendees to vote for the Republican nominee.

“I’ll tell you what, Glenn Youngkin is a great gentleman, truly successful. … I know Terry McAuliffe very well, and Terry was a lousy governor with raising taxes — that’s all they knew how to do,” Trump said in brief remarks. “You have a chance to get one of the most successful business people in the country … he’ll straighten out Virginia. He’ll lower taxes, do all of the things that we want a governor to do.”

Trump, who didn’t pick a favorite candidate during the primary campaign, endorsed Youngkin after he secured the Republican nomination in May. While he wasn’t on the ground for the event, this marked the first time he attended an event, albeit via phone, to support the GOP ticket in the state.

Another Republican vying for statewide office, Winsome Sears, the nominee for lieutenant governor, was scheduled to speak at the rally, according to the event advisory, but she ultimately did not. ABC News has reached out to her campaign and to the John Fredericks Media Network, which held the rally, to ask about the cancellation but has not heard back.

Steve Bannon, the former White House adviser to Trump who was subpoenaed to appear for a deposition with the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack Thursday, also spoke at the end of the rally. Bannon has rebuffed the House select committee’s subpoena, and the committee’s chairman and vice chairwoman said last week they will “swiftly consider” holding Bannon in contempt of Congress.

Virginia voters rejected Trump twice, and by nearly double the margin in 2020 as in 2016. McAuliffe has tied Youngkin to Trump, branding him a “Trump wannabe” and frequently highlighting Youngkin’s plans and statements about “election integrity.”

But with less than three weeks until the Nov. 2 election, the race is neck and neck. McAuliffe only leads Youngkin by 2.5 percentage points, according to FiveThirtyEight’s polling average.

The fallout over the last general election, which Trump continues to falsely claim was stolen from him, has been a cloud over Youngkin’s campaign as he attempts to fend off McAuliffe’s attacks without alienating ardent Trump voters, many of whom wrongly believe President Joe Biden did not legitimately win the 2020 election.

But both candidates went on the record during the first debate pledging to “absolutely” accept the results of the election if they lose, even narrowly.

In-person early voting has been underway since mid-September and ends Oct. 30. About 345,000 ballots have been cast so far, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

ABC News’ Alex Mallin and Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.

Luke Combs once partied a little too hard with his country music hero, Eric Church

October 14, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Luke Combs was among the honorees at Wednesday night’s CMT Artists of the Year ceremony, and on hand to celebrate his accomplishments in country music was one other than the Chief himself, Eric Church.

It’s no secret that Eric has long been one of Luke’s musical idols. Both men hail from North Carolina and favor a country-rock sound, and Luke recently enlisted Eric as a guest artist on his hit single, “Does to Me.”

The old saying “Never meet your heroes” cautions against getting too chummy with your idols, but when Luke finally met Eric, they got along a little too well. The singer tells that story in an installment of CMT’s Probably Shouldn’t Tell You This series, which came out in advance of this week’s awards show.

It all started when Eric invited Luke and his wife, Nicole, over for a steak dinner. Ever the gracious host, he kept the booze flowing all night, and Luke wound up overdoing it.

“I was on the whiskey and the rest of ‘em were on the wine. But whiskey has just a tad more alcohol than wine does,” he recounts. “I was on another plane of existence that evening.”

It wasn’t until 4:30 AM that Luke and Nicole made it to the car, where a driver was waiting to take them home. “And I had to stop in the middle of this really nice neighborhood,” the singer adds.

“Eric Church got me so drunk that I threw up on the way from leaving his house,” he admits. “I didn’t throw up in the house or anything. But in the middle of the road. It was kinda, like, semi-college-ish. I don’t think he knows that, either, so I hope he doesn’t see this.”

Cher suing Sonny Bono’s widow over song royalties

October 14, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Cher is singing “I Got Sue Babe” these days: She’s filed a suit accusing Mary Bono — the widow of her ex-husband and musical partner Sonny Bono — of trying to get out of paying royalties to her for Sonny & Cher hits.

It’s all pretty complicated, but in Cher’s complaint, obtained by ABC News, her lawyer is asking the court to stop Mary from using what’s called a “termination right” to avoid paying Cher royalties on songs like “I Got You Babe” and “Bang Bang.”

When Cher and Sony finalized their divorce in 1978, Sonny agreed that when it came to their hits, Cher could have 50% of “record royalties and musical composition royalties…in perpetuity and throughout the world.”

But Mary Bono is invoking the termination right, which allows artists to reclaim rights they may have signed away years ago. The suit says Mary had her team notify Cher last month that the royalty payments were going to stop.

Cher’s lawyer — the guy who won the infamous “Stairway to Heaven” copyright case on behalf of Led Zeppelin — says the provision that would allow Mary to do that is “wholly inapplicable” in this situation. The lawyer also says Mary is in breach of contract if she stops paying.

In addition to seeking to have her royalties reinstated, Cher is also suing for damages in excess of $1 million, plus attorneys’ fees.

The house featured on ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ can be yours for $2 million

October 14, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The house featured on ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ can be yours for million

If you’ve long admired the house Sabrina Spellman called home on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, it can now be yours — if you can afford the $2 million price tag.

The Victorian-style house, which served as the exterior of the Spellman family home on the ’90s sitcom, was recently listed for $1.95 million, reports the Asbury Park Press.

Located in Freehold, New Jersey — not the fictional Westbridge, Massachusetts — the property boasts over 7,000 square feet. However, don’t expect to walk inside and see the eclectic yet bewitching setup that was seen on television.

The home has since been remodeled into an office building and is being marketed for commercial use. Images taken around the property show cubicles, conference rooms, common kitchen areas, and plenty of parking.

In addition, the house comes with a separate two-story building in the back that also offers additional office space.

According to the newspaper, the home once belonged to the borough’s first female attorney and was later remodeled into a law office by a man named Scott Beskin, who owned the home when Sabrina was about to hit the airwaves 25 years ago. Beskin, 83, said someone from the show wanted to take a photo of the property and use it for the upcoming sitcom and he obliged.

“I just thought it was flattering that someone liked the looks of my Victorian building as much as I did,” he recalled.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch, starring Melissa Joan Hart, ran for seven seasons between 1996 and 2003.

Lil Nas X reveals secrets of “Industry Baby” video with ‘VEVO Footnotes’

October 14, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Lil Nas X‘s instantly controversial video for “Industry Baby” has gotten the VEVO Footnotes treatment: You can now watch the making-of feature, complete with behind-the-scenes information and commentary from both the rapper and the clip’s director.

Here are just some of the things you can learn about the clip from VEVO Footnotes:

–The video, in which Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow break out of “Montero State Prison,” is “essentially a giant metaphor to represent Nas’ unwillingness to conform to the industry standards or be caged in because of his beliefs,” explains director Christian Breslauer.

–Lil Nas X chose the prison setting because he wanted “to go to a place people would least expect me to go in a music video. An overly masculine place and make it gay asf.”

–The Grammys you see in Nas’ jail cell are the actual Grammys he won for “Old Town Road.”

–The security guard who gets punched by Nas is Colton Haynes, one of the stars of the Teen Wolf TV series.

–Lil Nas X’s favorite scene isn’t the nude shower dance sequence: It’s the part where everyone is dancing together in the prison yard.

“The song felt like a victory lap… but also an underdog anthem, and that’s what I wanted the lyrics to reflect,” the chart-topping rapper says of “Industry Baby.” “I wanted a song to remind people I’m not going anywhere.”

(Video contains uncensored profanity & offensive language.)

Capitol Police using support dogs in wake of Jan. 6 trauma

October 14, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — In the nine months since the Jan. 6 attack, even as their physical injuries heal, some Capitol Police officers still do battle with unseen wounds and memories.

As part of their department’s efforts to assist with that healing, the agency has now added two “wellness dogs” to its health program.

ABC News spoke with two officers in that program who have supported each other, with help from Lila, a 3-year old black lab from California.

Invisible injuries

U.S. Capitol Police officer Jeffrey Albanese, a 14-year veteran, said his role on Jan. 6 was to make sure all emergency personnel who needed to be in the Capitol could enter.

But what haunts him is having listened to radio calls from officers in distress.

“Hearing the cries for help, hearing, ‘We need officers here, we need officers at this place.’ Just hearing your responses back, ‘This is all we have.’ So, I’d say, you know, for me that was profound,” Albanese said.

One of those who needed assistance was fellow officer Caroline Edwards, who is dealing with prolonged effects from the attack, including a traumatic brain injury.

She was working on the Capitol’s West Front, when she saw a crowd of about 200 protesters coming at her. As they came closer, they began tearing down fences and barricades, Edwards said, using them to attack her and her fellow officers.

She has struggled in the months since.

“You kind of have this, this guilt of like, ‘Am I, am I making this up?’ — because I can’t tell you know I can’t show in a tangible way that I’m injured, but you know I really have to tell people I’m not feeling good today,” Edwards said.

The “hardest part about having a traumatic brain injury is just the unseen injury part,” she added. “You kind of have to tell people yourself like, I’m not feeling good today, I gotta, I gotta stop you have to set your own boundaries which is it difficult for anybody, let alone a police officer.”

Edwards said it’s been hard being away from her fellow officers during her recovery. “The injury takes you out of that tight-knit police community that you kind of come to know and love, and you see everybody working, you see everybody, suffering, and you have to sit home and not be able to do anything about it.”

Thanks to a peer support group, she said, she knew her feelings of guilt were understood.

Comfort dogs

As they spoke to reporters on Capitol Hill, both Albanese and Edwards were joined on by their four-legged colleague.

In the past few weeks, the department has hired two new comfort dogs, Lila and Leo, to address trauma as well as support the long-term health and well-being of their employees.

Dogs on Capitol Hill aren’t a new concept; they are often tucked away in congressional offices, led on leashes held by staffers and lawmakers. On Fridays, they can be seen roaming the halls when Congress often isn’t in session.

Wellness Coordinator Dimitri Louis, who began working at the Capitol in 2016, and joined the police force full-time focusing on wellness and resiliency, said since Jan. 6 there’s been an increased demand for the program’s resources.

Soon after the insurrection, several service animals were brought to Capitol Hill by other support agencies, including neighboring police departments. Officers quickly noted their positive impact.

Louis, who wasn’t a dog person before meeting Lila, now calls her a blessing.

“She originally started off as a seeing-eye dog, but through her training, they realize how much she loves squirrels and that distraction can be an issue. So, she got retrained to be very comfortable around people around crowds and to be very very social,” he said.

Lila moved in with Louis in June. Her canine colleague, Leo, joined the police force just two weeks ago with the goal to “lower anxiety, bring smiles and improve the overall well-being of all our employees, both sworn and civil,” Louis said.

Every day for Lila looks different. Some days, members of the police force can request her. Other times, she comes by to greet fellow members of the force. And some days, she just hangs out with Louis as he works in his office. However, he said, she does work at least 40 hours per a week.

And much like many other dogs “she does love chasing squirrels, which sometimes can be a challenge. She loves chasing squirrels, she really just loves being around people. It’s awesome that for her temperament and her personality, She loves what she does for work,” he said.

Korn drummer Ray Luzier drops off upcoming tour dates after testing positive for COVID-19

October 14, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Korn drummer Ray Luzier has tested positive for COVID-19.

The “Freak on a Leash” metallers announced the news in an Instagram post Thursday, adding that Luzier will be absent from their upcoming shows taking place on October 15 in Las Vegas; October 16 in Fresno, California; and October 18 in Oakland, California.

For those dates, drum duties will be handled by Aric Improta of FEVER 333. Luzier is expected to be back on stage with Korn for their Los Angeles dates with System of a Down on October 22 and 23.

Luzier is now the third member of Korn to contract COVID-19. Frontman Jonathan Davis tested positive back in August, while guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer came down with the virus in September.

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Cardi B will not be sanctioned by court for traveling to Paris Fashion Week

October 14, 2021 by WDNY Radio

After celebrating her 29th birthday with a massive blowout on Monday attended by Megan Thee Stallion, Normani, Lizzo and more, Cardi B has won a court fight over the trial date for a copyright-infringement lawsuit filed by a photographer.

Kevin Michael Brophy is suing the “Rumors” rapper for at least five million dollars, accusing her of illegally using his tattoo of a tiger and a snake for the cover of her 2016 debut mixtape, Gangsta B**** Music, Vol. 1, according to RadarOnline.

The trial was originally scheduled to begin later this month, then was pushed to next year because Cardi claimed she needed extra time to travel from New York City to California where the trial would be held.

Her lawyer wrote, “For medical reasons, it is inadvisable for her to travel from her present residence on the East Coast to Southern California.”

Cardi’s attorney continued, “Being in the immediate post-natal period and nursing her newborn child, it would be an unreasonable imposition upon her to require her to actively be present for and participate in pretrial preparation and attendance at the trial itself.”

However, when the Grammy winner flew to Paris for Fashion Week in September, Brophy demanded that the trial be moved up to December, and that Cardi should be sanctioned and fined $8,130 for lying under oath.

On Wednesday, a judge ruled in Cardi’s favor. “In short, the court sees no reason to advance the trial date or issue an order to show cause regarding sanctions at this time,” ruled Judge Cormac Carney, according to AllHipHop.com.

Brophy and Cardi B’s court trial is scheduled for February 1, 2022.

Phasers set to “stunned”: George Takei labels William Shatner an “unfit guinea pig” after spaceflight

October 14, 2021 by WDNY Radio

There’s nothing colder than space: except maybe Star Trek star Geoge Takei.

William Shatner‘s record-breaking flight to space on Wednesday didn’t put any space between Takei and his longstanding grudge against his former co-star.

“He’s boldly going where other people have gone before,” Takei sniffed to Page Six, while in New York City at the Wednesday night opening of the play Thoughts of a Colored Man.

The 84-year-old Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu alongside Shatner’s Captain Kirk on the classic TV show and on the big screen, added, “He’s a guinea pig, 90 years old and it’s important to find out what happens. So 90 years old is going to show a great deal more on the wear and tear on the human body, so he’ll be a good specimen to study.”

Takei added, however, that Shatner was “not the fittest specimen of 90 years old, so he’ll be a specimen that’s unfit!”

To quote the actor’s famous catchphrase, “Oh my.”

In the past, the two U.S.S. Enterprise veterans have famously taken shots at each other, with Takei calling Shatner “self-centered,” and accusing him of trying to limit Sulu’s importance to the franchise. In turn, Shatner has said of Takei, “There must be something else inside George that is festering, and it makes him unhappy that he takes it out on me.”

Bill has said he feels “nothing but pity” for his Star Trek co-star.

Shatner blasted off Wednesday morning aboard Jeff Bezos‘ New Shepard spacecraft, which is operated by the Amazon head’s Blue Origin company. The actor was moved to tears upon his return.

Darius Rucker featured on carefree new song by singer-songwriter Keb’ Mo’, “Good Strong Woman”

October 14, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Darius Rucker lends his voice to “Good Strong Woman,” a breezy new release off of Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Keb’ Mo’’s forthcoming Good to Be album.

Gently lilting and optimistic, the song celebrates how beautiful life can be with the right partner.

“She will never leave you if you treat her right /She’ll be there in the morning ‘til the late of night,” Darius sings in his verse of the song. “She’s the kind that’s never gonna let you down/ Makes you put the brakes on the world around.”

Keb’ Mo’ co-wrote “Good Strong Woman” with Nashville writers Jason Gantt and Jason Nix, and Darius is one of a handful of country collaborators on Good to Be. Others include roots-leaning act Old Crow Medicine Show and actor/singer-songwriter Kristin Chenoweth. Vince Gill produced a portion of the new record, which will be out in January 2022.

For his part, Darius recently celebrated his latest number-one hit with another carefree anthem, “Beers and Sunshine.”

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