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Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, 88, running for reelection

September 24, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(DES MOISE, Iowa) — Iowa’s senior Republican senator, Chuck Grassley, announced in an early morning tweet Friday that, at age 88, he will seek reelection in 2022.

Grassley, who will be 89 by Election Day next year, is proud of his physical fitness, and not-so-subtly bragged about in a tweet announcing his run that showed him jogging before sunrise in Iowa.

“It’s 4 a.m. in Iowa so I’m running. I do that 6 days a week. Before I start the day I want you to know what Barbara and I have decided,” Grassley said the tweet. “I’m running for re-election—a lot more to do, for Iowa. We ask and will work for your support. Will you join us?”

The tweet included a clock turning to 4 a.m. and video of him jogging in the dark along a rural road.

It’s 4 a.m. in Iowa so I’m running. I do that 6 days a week. Before I start the day I want you to know what Barbara and I have decided.

I’m running for re-election—a lot more to do, for Iowa. We ask and will work for your support. Will you join us? #GrassleyRuns #GrassleyWorks pic.twitter.com/cwv8yu9wkx

— Grassley Works (@GrassleyWorks) September 24, 2021

Even getting close to 90, Grassley is currently only the second oldest member of the Senate, with California Democrat Dianne Feinstein besting him for the title by a matter of months.

His physique is a matter of legend on Capitol Hill.

He is frequently seen running or walking briskly through the Capitol hallways, and he’s known to challenge other senators to push-up contests. (He can do at least 21, perhaps more.)

But Grassley’s endurance can also be measured by his steady presence on Capitol Hill.

He began his career in Washington when he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1975. He’s been a member of the Senate since 1980, and currently holds the record for the 10th longest Senate tenure.

Grassley currently serves as the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He led the committee for a portion of the Trump administration and aided in the confirmation of Supreme Court nominees and many federal judges that cemented conservative sway of the judiciary. He also served as chair of the Senate Finance Committee for the later half of President Donald Trump’s term.

With Republicans hoping to retake the now evenly-divided Senate in 2022, Grassley’s seat, as well as those of other Republican incumbents up for reelection, will be closely watched. Several long-serving Republican senators are retiring in 2022.

Following the announcement of his intent to run, the Iowa Republican Party threw its weight behind the senator.

“The road to a Republican majority runs right through Iowa. Defending this seat should be a top priority for every Iowan looking to stop Joe Biden’s chaotic agenda,” the party said in a statement. “Sen. Grassley’s never-quit attitude has propelled him to be one of the most effective senators in our state’s history. Grassley is a lifelong family farmer who understands the value of hard work, community, education, and family.”

Grassley’s most likely opponent is former Democratic Iowa Representative Abby Finkenauer, who was narrowly defeated in her 2020 reelection bid for the House.

Recent polling be the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed Grassley leading Finkenauer by 18 percentage points among likely voters.

Finkenauer slammed Grassley in a statement, alleging that the senator has lost touch with Iowa during his lengthy Senate tenure.

“After 47 years in Washington, D.C., Chuck Grassley has changed from an Iowa farmer to just another coastal elite,” Finkenauer alleged.

Grassley’s Senate colleagues celebrated his announcement in tweets Friday, praising his work ethic and experience.

“Chuck is a ferocious advocate for the people of Iowa and the conservative cause,” GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in a tweet. “I have served with Chuck my entire time in the Senate. He is one of the most hardworking, enthusiastic senators I have ever met with a wealth of experience and knowledge.”

ABC News’ Quinn Scanlan contributed to this report.

GOP-led review of Arizona ballots reaffirms Biden’s win

September 24, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(PHOENIX) — Nearly eleven months after Joe Biden was elected president, the GOP-led review of Arizona’s Maricopa County ballots has found no substantial deviation from the vote count reported by the county that helped clinch the win for Biden.

The review’s count was within a “few hundred” of the county’s total, according to Republican Senate President Karen Fann.

“That is a true statement. They were close. I find it ironic that our secretary of state, and a few others have called this a sham audit — that you can’t trust, that you can’t believe it. Well the interesting fact is: Truth is truth, numbers are numbers and we said that from day one,” Fann said. “And those numbers were close. Within a few hundred.”

“This has never been about overturning the election. It’s never been about decertifying,” she said.

Despite mandated post-election reviews and two private audits of the county’s results that showed no anomalies or election integrity issues, Republicans still forged ahead with court cases seeking to prove fraud in Maricopa County.

When those failed, the state Senate contracted a private company to conduct a review of its own, which has now ultimately found similar results to the vote counts reported by Maricopa County, officials said during their presentation.

Democrats disavowed the process in a statement Friday afternoon.

“This fake audit, which has cost Arizona taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, was never about increasing voter trust. It was about overturning the will of the voters, waging war against a fair and secure election and encouraging conspiracy theories to destabilize American democracy. The facts are this: Maricopa County performed multiple real audits of the election as required under state law,” Senate Democratic Leader Rebecca Rios said. “At the end of the day, the American people elected Joe Biden in a free and fair election and Cyber Ninjas and Arizona Republicans can’t change that.”

Biden flipped the state blue with a 10,457 vote lead. Sen. Mark Kelly also ousted former Republican Sen. Martha McSally — winning that race by 78,806 votes.

Maricopa County Chairman Jack Sellers, a Republican who was critical of the partisan review process, said after a draft report began circulating Thursday night that the results were not surprising.

“You don’t have to dig deep into the draft copy of the Arizona Senate/Cyber Ninja audit report to confirm what I already knew – the candidates certified by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Governor, Secretary of State and Attorney General – did, in fact, win,” Sellers said in a statement.

Despite the fact that the review reaffirmed Biden’s win, critics say it still contained misrepresentations about election procedures.

The process was also criticized for a lack of transparency. While the review was being conducted, it was difficult to discern who exactly was in charge. Far-right media outlets were typically given increased access to the review and its officials, according to local media.

Fann chose Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based cybersecurity firm with no experience working in elections, to conduct the review. She agreed to cover $150,000 of the cost with taxpayer money and approximately $6 million was donated by private groups, according to records released in response to a court order.

Only Fann and the chairman of the Judiciary Committee heard the presentation on Friday. There was no public comment or question period expected. Democrats are not allowed to participate in the presentation and were not expected to be able to ask questions, according to a spokesperson for Senate Democrats, who said the party had been “out of the loop.”

Since the beginning of the review, election experts have warned that the process was flawed and results would not be trustworthy given the unscientific manner the review was conducted. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican who took office in January, wrote a 38-page report to debunk common conspiracy theories and lies about the election results.

“I spent November and December willing to wait for a meritorious lawsuit, a scientific claim, or convincing data. But it never came because it didn’t exist. What is there, is data showing that Trump’s loss was built on disaffected Republican voters,” Richer wrote in his report. “And the maps of presidential votes in 2020 almost exactly match the Arizona map of 2016, except that it shifted slightly in favor of the Democrat.”

Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat running for governor who fought to allow official election observers in to watch the review process, wrote a prebuttal of her own, saying the partisan review does not meet the standard definition of an “audit.”

“Moreover, it failed to satisfy the basic standards for election auditing. Because of these failures, any findings or report issued by Cyber Ninjas, or the state senate, based on the information collected using these faulty and inconsistently applied procedures and processes, should not be considered trustworthy or accurate,” she said.

US enters deferred prosecution agreement with detained Huawei executive Weng Manzhou

September 24, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Brooklyn on Friday to resolve a sanctions violation case that has kept her detained in Canada since late 2018.

Meng appeared by video in Brooklyn federal court where Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kessler said the deferred prosecution agreement expires in December 2022, four years after her arrest by Canadian authorities at the request of the United States.

“If Ms. Meng complies with all of her obligations under the DPA, the government agrees to dismiss all the charges against her,” Kessler said. “If Ms. Meng does not comply with her allegations she can be prosecuted.”

Meng has been confined to her multimillion-dollar home in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she said in 2019 she’d taken up oil painting in order to pass the time.

In exchange for her entry into the deferred prosecution agreement, Kessler said the U.S. would tell the Canadians that Meng can be released and return to China.

“Have you reviewed the entire statement of facts with your United States legal counsel?” asked Judge Ann Donnelly.

“Yes,” Meng replied through an interpreter.

“Is every statement in the statement of facts true and accurate?” Donnelly said.

“Yes,” Meng said.

Huawei allegedly broke U.S. sanctions in 2017 by selling embargoed American equipment to Iran, according to prosecutors.

“In entering into the deferred prosecution agreement, Meng has taken responsibility for her principal role in perpetrating a scheme to defraud a global financial institution,” acting U.S. Attorney Nicole Boeckmann said in a statement. “Her admissions in the statement of facts confirm that, while acting as the Chief Financial Officer for Huawei, Meng made multiple material misrepresentations to a senior executive of a financial institution regarding Huawei’s business operations in Iran in an effort to preserve Huawei’s banking relationship with the financial institution.”

Meng pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, but stipulated to certain facts outlined by prosecutors who have accused her and the technology company founded by her father of stealing trade secrets and evading economic sanctions on Iran.

Resolution of the case may give Beijing cover domestically to re-engage with the United States. The case was widely seen as an opening salvo by the Trump administration in its approach to China.

Meng was arrested the same day former President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met face to face on the sidelines of 2018’s G-20 in Argentina. Since then, the case has been on a list of demands the Chinese have presented to the U.S. at their recent bilateral meetings as a “show of sincerity” about a rapprochement.

“The company has been provided very little information regarding the charges and is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng,” Huawei said in a statement at the time of Meng’s arrest. “Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations where it operates, including applicable export control and sanction laws and regulations of the U.N., U.S. and E.U.”

Haitian migrants cleared from camp at Texas border but controversy continues

September 24, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(DEL RIO, Texas) — After more than a week of growing controversy, immigration authorities in Del Rio, Texas, on Friday finished clearing out an encampment of mostly Haitian migrants that at one point expanded to about 15,000 people.

“As of this morning, there are no longer any migrants in the camp, underneath the Del Rio International Bridge,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at a White House briefing Friday afternoon.

Five flights departed Del Rio for Haiti on Thursday carrying 548 Haitians, officials said.

So far, more than a dozen flights have taken about 2,000 people back to Haiti, according to the Department of Homeland Security. About 3,900 have been moved from the camp for processing or expulsion.

The U.S. government has not accounted for all the migrants in the camp, but officials on Thursday said “several thousand” had returned to Mexico. Other government officials who spoke directly to ABC News but were not authorized to officially provide the information said “thousands” more have been placed in “removal proceedings” and released in the U.S.

Those proceedings can take time, officials said, in part because migrants in removal proceedings are legally allowed to make a claim of asylum. Asylum cases can take anywhere from six months and several years with the massive case backlog at immigration courts across the country.

The administration is also employing a controversial process of rapid removal or “expulsion” known as Title 42 — a reference to a section of U.S. public health code that the government says requires them to immediately expel unauthorized migrants at the border.

Immigrant advocates have raised concerns about Title 42 cutting off access to legal means of obtaining asylum.

Black Eyed Peas doing livestream from the pyramids of Giza, Egypt next month

September 24, 2021 by WDNY Radio

LIVENow, the platform that brought you Dua Lipa‘s Studio 2054 livestream last year, is teaming up with the Black Eyed Peas for a performance in a truly memorable setting.

The group will be performing from the Great Pyramids of Egypt in Giza on October 2. 13,000 fans from Egypt will attend but LIVENow will broadcast the show to a global audience. Tickets are on sale now and range from $10 to $75.

With VIP and VVIP Pass tickets, you’ll get signed digital artwork, and special behind-the-scenes footage. A VVIP pass gets you that, plus a live feed from the group’s personal greenroom, plus a custom limited-edition lithograph that’s been created just for this performance.

Dua Lipa levitates down the runway at Versace fashion show

September 24, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Singer, songwriter, actress….and now, runway model.

The New York Post reports that Dua Lipa made her runway debut on Friday in Milan, Italy, wearing a pink metal mesh outfit, and a two-piece black number held together with colorful safety pins, both from Versace.

The show was part of Versace’s Spring/Summer 2022 show, where Dua walked with professional models Gigi Hadid, Irina Shayk, Emily Ratajkowski, Stella Maxwell and Naomi Campbell, not to mention Madonna‘s daughter, Lourdes Leon.

Dua already has a relationship with Versace: She wore two of the label’s gowns to this year’s Grammys, and also appears in Versace’s current Fall/Winter 2021 campaign.

Dua will make her acting debut in the upcoming spy movie Argylle.

Watch Metallica, Elton John, Green Day & more perform globally Saturday during Global Citizen Live event

September 24, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Global Citizen Live, the 24-hour concert event spanning six continents and featuring performances by more than 50 artists, takes places Saturday, September 25.

Among the veteran rock artists who will be shown performing are Metallica, Elton John, Green Day and Duran Duran.

Live performances will take place in New York City; Los Angeles; London; Paris; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Sydney, Australia; and Lagos, Nigeria.

Elton will be performing in Paris, Green Day in LA, and Duran Duran in London. Metallica will be shown playing songs at their headlining set Friday at the Louder than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

Global Citizen Live isn’t designed to raise money, but rather it’s supposed to inspire people to demand government action on issues like poverty, climate change and vaccine equity.

“We don’t want your money. This is not a telethon. We want you to take action because your voice is more powerful than your wallet,” Global Citizen co-founder Hugh Evans tells ABC Audio. “If everyone works together and we all call on the U.S. government to step up in unison, then the government will step up.”

Evans continues, “We need not just the U.S. government to step up: We need the entire G20 to step up. Because issues like climate change or global hunger or vaccine equity, these can’t be solved by any one nation.”

Commenting on the event’s star-studded lineup, Evans says, “[T]hey are utterly breathtaking artists. And I think the fact that they’re all uniting for this once-in-a-generation moment this Saturday is amazing. We just want to encourage everyone across America to tune in…and be part of this.”

You can watch on ABC News Live, Apple TV, Twitter, all the Global Citizen channels and more.

Here’s a partial list of who’ll be appearing where:

NEW YORK
Coldplay, Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello, Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Meek Mill, Shawn Mendes, Alessia Cara, Cyndi Lauper, Burna Boy, Jon Batiste, Lang Lang.

PARIS
Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Charlie Puth, Doja Cat, DJ Snake, Black Eyed Peas, Christine and the Queens, Måneskin.

LONDON, U.K.
Nile Rodgers & Chic, Duran Duran, Kylie Minogue, Rag’n’Bone Man.

LOS ANGELES
Stevie Wonder, Green Day, Adam Lambert, Chloe x Halle, Demi Lovato, H.E.R., ONEREPUBLIC, Ozuna, Migos, The Lumineers, 5 Seconds of Summer.

AROUND THE WORLD
Fugees, BTS, Lorde, Metallica, Usher, Keith Urban, Andrea Bocelli, Ricky Martin.

Stevie Wonder, H.E.R., Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Migos & more to perform globally during Global Citizen Live

September 24, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Stevie Wonder, H.E.R., Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Migos, Chloe X Halle, Usher, Meek Mill, and Nile Rodgers & Chic are among the dozens of stars performing around the world Saturday during the historic 24-hour Global Citizen Live concert series.

Performances will take place in New York City; Los Angeles; London; Paris; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Sydney, Australia; and Lagos, Nigeria. Fugees‘ opening night concert of their reunion tour on Wednesday in NYC was taped and will be shown during the worldwide broadcast.

You can watch on ABC News Live, Apple TV, Twitter, all the Global Citizen channels and more

The goal of Global Citizen Live is to encourage people to call upon world leaders, philanthropists and politicians to prioritize vaccine equality, climate change and famine.

Here’s a partial list of who’ll be appearing:

NEW YORK CITY
Coldplay, Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello, Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Meek Mill, Shawn Mendes, Alessia Cara, Cyndi Lauper, Burna Boy, Jon Batiste, Lang Lang.

PARIS
Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Charlie Puth, Doja Cat, DJ Snake, Black Eyed Peas, Christine and the Queens, Måneskin.

LONDON
Nile Rodgers & Chic, Duran Duran, Kylie Minogue, Rag’n’Bone Man.

LOS ANGELES
Stevie Wonder, Adam Lambert, Chloe x Halle, Demi Lovato, H.E.R., ONEREPUBLIC, Ozuna, Migos, The Lumineers, 5 Seconds of Summer.

AROUND THE WORLD
Fugees, BTS, Lorde, Metallica, Usher, Keith Urban, Andrea Bocelli, Green Day, Ricky Martin

Watch Elton John, Stevie Wonder & more perform around the world Saturday during Global Citizen Live event

September 24, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Global Citizen Live, the 24-hour concert event spanning six continents and featuring performances by more than 50 artists, takes places Saturday, September 25.

Among the veteran pop and rock artists who will perform at the various shows are Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers & Chic and Green Day.

Performances will take place in New York City; Los Angeles; London; Paris; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Sydney, Australia; and Lagos, Nigeria.

Elton will be performing in Paris, Wonder and Green Day in LA, Lauper in New York, and Duran Duran and Rodgers & Chic in London.

Global Citizen Live isn’t designed to raise money, but rather it’s supposed to inspire people to demand government action on issues like poverty, climate change and vaccine equity.

“We don’t want your money. This is not a telethon. We want you to take action because your voice is more powerful than your wallet,” Global Citizen co-founder Hugh Evans tells ABC Audio. “If everyone works together and we all call on the U.S. government to step up in unison, then the government will step up.”

You can watch on ABC News Live, Apple TV, Twitter, all the Global Citizen channels and more.

Here’s a partial list of who’ll be appearing where:

NEW YORK
Coldplay, Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello, Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Meek Mill, Shawn Mendes, Alessia Cara, Cyndi Lauper, Burna Boy, Jon Batiste, Lang Lang.

PARIS
Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Charlie Puth, Doja Cat, DJ Snake, Black Eyed Peas, Christine and the Queens, Måneskin.

LONDON, U.K.
Nile Rodgers & Chic, Duran Duran, Kylie Minogue, Rag’n’Bone Man.

LOS ANGELES
Stevie Wonder, Green Day, Adam Lambert, Chloe x Halle, Demi Lovato, H.E.R., ONEREPUBLIC, Ozuna, Migos, The Lumineers, 5 Seconds of Summer.

AROUND THE WORLD
Fugees, BTS, Lorde, Metallica, Usher, Keith Urban, Andrea Bocelli, Ricky Martin.

Nick Cannon teases possibility of having more children: “My therapist says I should be celibate”

September 24, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Nick Cannon is the proud father of seven children, four of whom were born in under a year. But the 40-year-old Masked Singer host says he’s not certain if he wants any more.

“Think about it, you can’t be like, ‘No I’m done.’ Like what if God says, ‘No you not,'” Cannon told Entertainment Tonight before joking, “But I’m not sitting out here planning it. My therapist says I should be celibate.”

Cannon, who welcomed baby Zen with model Alyssa Scott in July, said he loves being a father of seven.

“I come from a big family, I have several siblings, being raised in an unorthodox family by my grandparents at times, I’ve experienced such a wide range of upbringing that I have such a love and passion for kids and family. I want a big family too,” he confessed. “The Lord has blessed me with what I asked.”

Though Cannon’s juggling multiple television projects that includes an eponymous daytime talk show, he said his little ones will always come first because he enjoys being a dad.

“They get my full attention when I’m not working,” he said. “And that’s the beauty of it because it kind of keeps me out of trouble. It’s either work or playing with my kids.”

Besides baby Zen, Cannon also is the father of newborn twin boys with Abby De La Rosa, a nearly 1-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son with Brittany Bell. Cannon also shares shares 10-year-old twins, son Moroccan and daughter Monroe, with ex-wife Mariah Carey.

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