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DOJ reviewing decision to not charge agents involved in investigating Larry Nassar

October 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said at a Senate hearing Tuesday that the Department of Justice is conducting a review into its decision to not bring charges against agents who failed to investigate allegations of sex abuse by former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.

Less than three weeks ago, gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman testified before the Senate over alleged FBI failures in handling the case against Nassar.

Monaco’s announcement followed widespread condemnation from lawmakers during a blockbuster hearing last month with the gymnasts, who detailed horrific experiences of sexual assault, and a damning inspector general report that highlighted the abuses and how agents initially on the case appear to have mishandled the athletes’ allegations.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were deeply critical of the Justice Department last month for declining their invitation to attend the hearing alongside FBI Director Christopher Wray and IG Michael Horowitz.

“I can inform the committee today that the recently confirmed assistant attorney general for the criminal division [Kenneth Polite] is currently reviewing this matter, including new information that has come to light,” Monaco said. “In light of that review, I think you’ll understand, Mr. Chairman, that I’m constrained in what more I can say about it, but I do want the committee, and frankly I want the survivors, to understand how exceptionally seriously we take this issue and believe that this deserves a thorough and full review.”

Monaco further assured Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., there was a “sense of urgency and gravity” with the recently launched review.

Earlier in her testimony, Monaco said she was “shocked” and “horrified” both about the findings included in the DOJ IG’s report as well as the experiences detailed by Biles, Maroney, Nichols and Raisman.

“I am deeply sorry that in this case the victims did not receive the response or the protection that they deserved,” Monaco said.

Facebook outage highlights risks of overdependence on single tech giant

October 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — On Monday, the crash of Facebook and the company’s apps threw the Internet into disarray and plunged billions of users into digital darkness. The outage illustrated how essential Facebook’s services have become as well as the risks of its dominance, particularly in developing countries.

Facebook said in a blog post on Tuesday the crash was caused by an error during routine maintenance, which took down global data servers.

During the outage, Facebook’s website and app were inaccessible, as were WhatsApp and Instagram, two of the company’s most popular acquisitions.

While the outage was relatively brief — around six hours — some researchers said it points to the downsides of a growing reliance on a single company’s services.

“I think it speaks to the vulnerability of our dependence on these platforms,” said Philip Roessler, a professor at William & Mary, at which he co-directs the Digital Inclusion and Governance Lab.

Roessler said that in countries where he does his research — places like Kenya and Malawi — WhatsApp is an essential part of the communications infrastructure, especially as mobile customers take advantage of WhatsApp-dedicated bundles that are much cheaper than standard mobile data.

“It’s become this kind of backbone of these emerging economies,” he said, highlighting how businesses use WhatsApp to communicate with customers and suppliers alike, while workers use it to find jobs.

WhatsApp is also valuable in places without universal literacy, Roessler said, because the platform allows users to send voice-based messages.

In Brazil, local broadcaster Globo reported that the outage temporarily crippled some small businesses, rendering them unable to fill orders.

The implications of a growing dependence on Facebook’s services go beyond the economic, according to Ryan Shandler, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford who highlighted the role played by social media platforms in aiding free speech and assembly.

“People have become dependent on this platform to realize basic civil and human rights,” he said.

In 2014, Facebook paid $19 billion to acquire WhatsApp. The messaging app’s rise to prominence, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Jon Callas, was due in part to cost. The data required to use the service, Callas said, could be cheaper than a traditional text message, also known as SMS.

“It was fantastically cheap and it was certainly as good as SMS, so lots and lots of people started using it as a replacement for that,” Callas said.

According to data from the digital analytics company Similarweb, Whatsapp is the most popular mobile messaging app in several of the world’s most populous countries, including India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Brazil.

In July, Facebook said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that its apps had around 3.51 billion users.

While the crash sparked a range of humorous responses — Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey joked on his own platform about buying Facebook.com, which was erroneously listed as for sale during the outage — its consequences could have been more serious, said Roessler, adding: “If it had lasted much longer, you know, the effects would have been quite deep and severe.”

Take a trip back in time, as Michael Ray serves up “Whiskey and Rain”

October 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

If Michael Ray‘s latest hit takes you back to an earlier era in country music, well, the Florida native’s just fine with that.

“‘Whiskey and Rain‘ has that Gary Allan feel I grew up on,” Michael explains. “It has that, you know, Ronnie Milsap feel of the ’80s. It has that Bakersfield sound that I grew up on, loving it, with a ‘today’ spin on it.”

“So we knew right away that it was a lead-off single,” he continues, “and I think a lot of people relate to it because it has that nostalgic feel to it.”

Michael adds, “I think it does feel like that back-in-the-day, ’90s, 2000 songs, but ‘today.’ And I think people are listening to a lot of that, ’cause it puts you in a great headspace, ’cause who doesn’t want to go back to ’95, you know, ’96, ’97, early 2000s?”

Even more than that, Michael loves that audiences instantly react to the first release from his Higher Education EP when he starts playing it in concert.

“I love the fact that now we’re able to play it, and it’s kind of like that A chord for ‘Friends in Low Places,’ you know?” he notes. “Now we just hit that guitar riff and people are knowing what it is, so it’s cool.”

This weekend, Michael’s Just the Way I Am tour serves up some “Whiskey and Rain” to fans in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Scoreboard roundup — 10/5/21

October 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

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

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Boston 6, NY Yankees 2

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
New York 125, Indiana 104
Chicago 131, Cleveland 95
Houston 125, Washington 119
Memphis 87, Milwaukee 77

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PRESEASON
Florida 3, Tampa Bay 2
NY Islanders 3, Philadelphia 0
Final Toronto 6 Montreal 2
Nashville 3, Carolina 2 (OT)
Pittsburgh 5, Buffalo 4 (SO)
Dallas 3, St. Louis 1
Vegas 7, Colorado 4
Seattle 4, Vancouver 0
Arizona 4, Los Angeles 1

NatGeo’s ‘Fauci’ documentary explores what it means to be a public servant during a crisis, says director

October 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

We’ve all gotten to know Dr. Anthony Fauci pretty well over the past year and a half. Brad Pitt even played him on Saturday Night Live! But a new documentary aims to take us deeper into Dr. Fauci’s life and why he emerged on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NatGeo’s Fauci, out now on Disney+, explores the immunologist’s storied career and takes us all the way back to when he was appointed director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease in 1984.

Co-director Janet Tobias spoke with ABC Audio about the new doc and reveals that it was actually in the works well before the word “coronavirus” touched headlines.

“Tony Fauci has served now seven presidents [and] innumerable congresses. He’s testified in front of Congress more than any other living figure,” she said. “I was really interested in the idea of what it means in the 21st century to be a public servant.”

Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the documentary’s original focus, of which Tobias said excited her colleagues because it meant they were handed a front row seat to watch history unfold.

“Tony was forged in the AIDS epidemic as a doctor, as a scientist, as a communicator,” the director said. “Then, of course, in COVID, he was tested in all those ways [again].”

Tobias said the documentary explores how he built “bridges between scientists and activists” during the AIDS epidemic and how, nearly 30 years later, he rebuilt those bridges “every single day” during the pandemic.

However, there was one major condition under which crew members were taken behind the scenes of Fauci’s life: “If you interfere with my work in any way, we will stop,” Tobias shared, adding, “Dr. Fauci was very clear with us from the beginning.”

Did Kelly Clarkson change a Billie Eilish lyric to shade her ex? Her fans think so

October 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Kelly Clarkson has a unique way to open her daytime chat show, which tasks her to serenade the audience with a “Kellyoke” segment. She typically covers a pop song and one of her recent song choices included a subtle lyric change that some of her fans believe was aimed at her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.

While covering the title track from Billie Eilish‘s second studio album, Happier than Ever, Clarkson changed the last line from, “I don’t relate to you/ I don’t relate to you, no/ ‘Cause I’d never treat me this sh****/ You made me hate this city,” to “I get it, you hate this city.”

The significance, fans believe, is that Kelly is in the midst of a contentious divorce with Blackstock, where she was recently awarded the couple’s Montana ranch. Brandon, a talent manager, had claimed his future plans for the property had involved sponsoring rodeos and, therefore, allowing him to become a full-time rancher.

Clarkson did not alter the final lines of “Happier Than Ever” and belted out, “You ruined everything good/ Always said you were misunderstood/ Made all my moments your own/ Just f****** leave me alone.”

Notably, Kelly chose leave in most the expletives, opting instead to have them bleeped out.

Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June 2020 after nearly seven years of marriage.

Walker Hayes on “Fancy Like’s” viral success: “We were just telling the truth, man!”

October 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

A few months ago, Walker Hayes was a country singer who’d had a couple of hits. But his ode to date nights at Applebee’s, “Fancy Like,” turned him into a TikTok celebrity, and then a bonafide pop star.

“The idea really spawned from a conversation when me and my co-writers about the misconception that all celebrities live a very lavish lifestyle,” Walker explains to ABC Audio. “I think most people just think that if you’re an artist, if you’re a performer, if you’re a songwriter and you’re paying the bills, you live in a mansion and you always eat at Ruth’s Chris and you always wear expensive shoes. And that’s not necessarily true,” he points out.

“I just basically wrote the song to say, ‘Hey, I’m pretty simple guy, ’bout as fancy as it gets for me is Applebee’s on a date night,'” says Walker, a father of six. He adds. “You know, like, just me talking guy to guy, ‘How fancy do you get?’ ‘Well, hey, we fancy like Applebee’s!'”

After Walker and his teen daughter came up with a dance to go with “Fancy Like,” it went viral on TikTok and inevitably ended up in an Applebee’s commercial. The restaurant chain even put its Oreo Shake back on the menu, after Walker shouted it out in the song’s lyrics. The song hit number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and is now a pop radio hit; there’s even a remix with Kesha.

“We had no idea that we would do a dance to this, that it would just pop off, that it would go viral, that it would just transcend genres!” Walker laughs. “We had no idea. We were just telling the truth, man!”

Måneskin conquers ‘Billboard’ Alternative Airplay chart with “Beggin'”

October 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

It appears Måneskin‘s “Beggin'” days may be over.

The Italian band’s viral Four Seasons cover has hit number-one on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart, giving the group their first-ever leader on the chart.

Måneskin’s also been having success with their single “I Wanna Be Your Slave,” which currently sits in the top 25 on Alternative Airplay and the top 40 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay ranking. Back in August, they released a new version of the song featuring the one and only Iggy Pop.

The Måneskin train is set to keep rolling this week with the release of a new single called “MAMMAMIA.” That’ll arrive Friday, October 8.

REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin turns 70 today

October 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Here’s wishing a happy 70th birthday to longtime REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin.

Cronin first joined the Illinois-based band in 1972 in time to record their second album, R.E.O./T.W.O., but he left the group because of creative differences during the making of their next record, Ridin’ the Storm Out.

In 1976, Kevin rejoined REO Speewagon and has fronted the band ever since. During the group’s heyday in the late 1970s and early ’80s, Cronin split main songwriting duties with guitarist Gary Richrath. In 1978, REO scored minor hits with the Cronin-penned “Roll with the Changes” and “Time for Me to Fly,” which were both featured on the band’s You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish album.

REO Speedwagon’s real commercial breakthrough came in 1980 with Hi Infidelity. The album spent 15 non-consective weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 in 1981, more than any other album that year. It featured the chart-topping ballad “Keep On Loving You” and the #5 hit “Take It on the Run,” both written by Cronin. Hi Infidelity has gone on to be certified Diamond by the RIAA for sales of over 10 million in the U.S.

Numerous other Cronin-penned Billboard Hot 100 hits followed for REO Speedwagon during the ’80s, including “Keep the Fire Burnin’,” which peaked at #7 in 1982, and the band’s second chart-topping single, “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” which was #1 for three weeks in 1985.

Richrath was fired from REO over conflicts with Cronin in 1989, and Kevin has continued to lead the band. REO’s most recent studio album was the 2009 holiday collection Not So Silent Night…Christmas with REO Speedwagon, but the group still tours regularly.

The band’s next concert is scheduled for this Friday, October 8, in Boerne, Texas.

Hip Hop Hurray: The 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards honors rap royalty and salutes the next generation of artists

October 6, 2021 by WDNY Radio

This year’s BET Hip Hop Awards was a star-studded event that included appearances by some of this year’s most respected emcees.

The evening’s big winners included Tyler, the Creator, who was received the inaugural Cultural Influence Award, as well as Hip Hop Album of the Year for Call Me If You Get Lost. Lil Baby won four awards, including Artist of the Year, and Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion took home three trophies for “WAP.”

Additionally, Yung Bleu was named Best New Hip Hop Artist, while J. Cole took home Lyricist of the Year.

Young Thug & Gunna, Latto, Bia featuring Lil Jon, Baby Keem, Tobe Nwigwe, and Isaiah Rashad were just a few of the artists who took the stage to perform some of their hits. Meanwhile, hip-hop powerhouses Trina, Remy Ma and Rapsody presented some of the night’s top honors.

Hosted by DC Young Fly, Karlous Miller, and Chico Bean — also known as the comedy group 85 South — the show was fused with comedy skits and hip hop ciphers throughout the night.

Rapper-actor Nelly received the 2021 “I Am Hip Hop” Award from So So Def producer Jermaine Dupri before taking the stage to perform his own medley of songs, which included “E.I.”, “Country Grammar”, “Air Force Ones”, “Grillz”, “Ride With Me”, “Dilemma”, and “Hot in Herre”. Legendary rapper and 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee LL COOL J presented the first-ever “Rock the Bells Cultural Influence Award” to Grammy Award-winning rapper-producer Tyler, the Creator.

Before the night ended, Big Daddy Kane paid tribute to his fellow Juice Crew member, rapper Biz Markie, who passed away in July at the age of 57.

Here’s the list of 2021 BET Hip Hop Award winners:

Hip hop album of the year
Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, the Creator

Song of the year
“WAP,” Produced by Ayo & Keyz (Cardi B Feat. Megan Thee Stallion)

Hip hop artist of the year
Lil Baby

Best hip hop video
Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP”

Best new hip hop artist
Yung Bleu

Best collaboration
Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP”

Best duo or group
Lil Baby & Lil Durk

Best live performer
Tyler, the Creator

Lyricist of the year
J. Cole

Best international flow
Little Simz (U.K.)

Video director of the year
Missy Elliott

DJ of the year
DJ Scheme

Producer of the year
Hit-Boy

Hustler of the year
Saweetie

Best hip hop platform
Genius

Sweet 16: best featured verse
Jay-Z, “What It Feels Like” (Nipsey Hussle feat. Jay-Z)

Impact track
Nipsey Hussle feat. Jay-Z, “What It Feels Like”

+ More