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Surfside building collapse latest: 10 more bodies recovered from rubble, bringing death toll to 46

July 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Eva Marie Uzcategui Trinkl/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Elsa made landfall at about 11 a.m. Wednesday in Taylor County, Florida, along the Sunshine State’s Gulf Coast.

Taylor County, in Florida’s Big Bend region, is about 50 miles southeast of Tallahassee.

Elsa, which is slamming Florida with gusty winds and heavy rain, strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday night before weakening back to a tropical storm.

A boat capsized near Key West as Elsa blew through on Tuesday, according to the Coast Guard. Nine people remain missing.

As of Wednesday morning, Florida had no reports of fatalities or significant structural damage, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

About 26,000 customers in Florida are without power, he added.

A hurricane warning was issued for Florida’s west coast from the Chassahowitzka River to the Steinhatchee River.

Tampa Bay is among the areas under a storm surge warning.

Tropical storm warnings have been issued in Savannah and Charleston, and a tropical storm watch extends up to Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

After blowing through the South, the storm is expected to move up the East Coast, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to the mid-Atlantic, New Jersey shore, New York City, Long Island and New England.

Elsa is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression as it moves up the East Coast, but it could regain tropical storm status as it passes over the waters of the mid-Atlantic.

By Thursday night Elsa will reach mid-Atlantic, dropping flooding rain and gusty winds near Washington, D.C., and into Philadelphia.

The latest path shows Elsa’s center passing right over the Interstate 95 corridor, heading just east of D.C. to near Philadelphia and then north over New York City.

Northerners should be prepared for gusty winds up to 50 mph, heavy rain and potential flash flooding.

By Friday morning, Elsa will be dropping heavy rain along the Jersey shore, New York City and Long Island.

Elsa will move into New England late Friday morning into Friday afternoon. Boston and Portland, Maine, could face strong winds, power outages and flooding.

Flooding is possible in Philadelphia, New York City, Connecticut, Massachusetts and northern New England. Some areas could see up to 5 inches of rain.

Avenged Sevenfold plans to release new album by next summer

July 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Avenged Sevenfold is planning to release a new album by the summer of 2022.

During a recent stream on the DWPresents Twitch channel, frontman M. Shadows revealed, “We’re booking shows for next summer, and the record will be out before then.”

As for what the upcoming effort will sound like, well, you’ll just have to wait until it’s released to find out.

“There’s no way to describe music,” Shadows asserts. “It’s like, ‘Oh, it’s heavy, it’s fast.’ Like, what are we gonna say about it? It’s a work of art that we’ve worked on for a long time.”

Avenged Sevenfold’s most recent album is 2016’s conceptually driven The Stage.

‘Summer of Soul’: Billy Davis Jr. & Marilyn McCoo share how the Harlem Cultural Festival impacted The 5th Dimension

July 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Co-founding 5th Dimension members Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. recall are sharing the emotional impact of being a part of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a series of concerts that took place at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem over the course of several weekends.

Documented in Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson‘s directorial debut, Summer of Soul, includes footage of the musical group performing in front of a crowd of thousands at the festival. McCoo, the group’s original lead singer, says it was very important to the band members to been “seen and heard in Harlem.”

“The 5th Dimension was known for a lot of our pop success,” McCoo tells ABC Audio. “But we wanted to be known and understood by our audiences in Harlem as well. We knew a lot of those people weren’t going to be able to get a chance to come and see one of our concerts and see the variety of music that we offered. So, doing a performance for this concert was important because we wanted them to have a little bit broader understanding of what The 5th Dimension was about musically. And so this gave us a chance to do it.”

Davis, who’s been married to McCoo since 1969, agrees, noting that being a part of the dynamic lineup that included Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Nina Simone to name a few, made perfect sense since they currently had a hit song “Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In” on the airwaves.

“So a lot of people were waiting for us out there for that day,” he explains. [So] to be able to do that in front of our own folks was just a real thrill.”

Summer of Soul is now available in theaters and on Hulu.

‘Loki’ director Katie Herron teases the final two episodes: “There are definitely questions that we will answer”

July 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(SPOILERS AHEAD)We’re down to the last two episodes of the Disney+ series Loki, and director Kate Herron recently teased what we can expect in the final installments; episode five of Loki drops on Wednesday.

Herron explained to Hollywood Life the purpose of Loki’s first post-credit scene, in which Tom Hiddleston‘s titular character finds himself in a strange place where he confronts three other Lokis after being pruned by Gugu Mbatha-Raw‘s Ravonna.

“I just felt like it would just give it a bit more punch, basically,” she explains. “It was meant to have that kind of surprise intention, obviously, but I just felt prolonging it and giving that gap really gave it the punch that we were after.”

As for the post credits scene, where Loki asks “Is this Hell?” — referring to one of the nine realms — Herron says the significance “is just that he doesn’t know where he is, and he’s wondering if it could be that.”

Regarding Ravonna’s reason for pruning Loki, Herron promises, “We’re going to find out so much of what she knows and where her head is at as the story continues.”

“I love how Gugu played it when Mobius — played by Owen Wilson — is deleted. She’s doing it for the greater good, but she has that moment after where she takes a breath,” she continues. “It wasn’t an easy decision. So I think, for me, more of Ravonna and how she feels about everything is to be answered, but there are definitely questions that we will answer in regards to that.”

Herron also says the series will explore Loki’s reaction to seeing different variations of himself, as well as if he and Sylvie — played by Sophia Di Martino — will be reunited by the end of the series.

Marvel is owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.

Metallica headlining ATLive festival; listen to Biffy Clyro’s cover of “Holier Than Thou”

July 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Metallica is headlining Atlanta’s 2021 ATLive festival.

The metal legends will take the stage at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 6, the second night of the two-day event. Greta Van Fleet and Cage the Elephant are also on the bill.

Tickets go on sale to the general public next Friday, July 16, at 10 a.m. ET. Those who’ve joined Metallica’s Fifth Member fan club will have access to a pre-sale. Visit Metallica.com for all ticket info.

The first night of ATLive, November 5, will be for the country fans, and features a lineup of George Strait, Eric Church and Caitlyn Smith. That show is ticketed separately from the Metallica day.

In related news, Metallica has shared Biffy Clyro‘s cover of “Holier Than Thou,” which will appear on the upcoming all-star tribute compilation The Metallica Blacklist, celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Black Album.

Along with the Scottish trio’s version, you can also listen to the punk group OFF! put their spin on “Holier Than Thou.” Both covers are available now for digital download.

The 53-track Metallica Blacklist will be released September 10.

Meanwhile, Metallica has also dug up a “Pre-Production Rehearsal” version of “Holier Than Thou,” one of the many bonus tracks included on the 30th anniversary Black Album reissue, also due out September 10.

Ava DuVernay remembers actress Suzzanne Douglas as a “quiet, elegant force”

July 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay paid tribute to actress Suzzanne Douglas, who passed away Tuesday at age 64. The two worked together on Netflix’s When They See Us, in which Douglas played Grace Cuffee.

“Suzzanne Douglas was a quiet, elegant force as we made When They See Us,” DuVernay wrote on Instagram, sharing a clip from the film. “A gentlewoman. A gem of a lady. A confident, caring actor who breathed life into the words and made them shimmer. I’m grateful that our paths in this life crossed. May she journey on in peace and love.”

News of Douglas’ passing was shared on Facebook by her cousin, Angie Tee.

“Suzzanne Douglas, a beautiful and talented actress, made her transition today,” the post reads. “She warmed our hearts on movie screens and television sets all over the world. This beautiful soul was my cousin. I can remember growing up, there weren’t very many black actresses who had starring roles, but there was my cousin with the lead role in Tap starring alongside great dancers such as Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr.“

Tee continued, mentioning Douglas’ other roles in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, alongside Angela Bassett and Whoopi Goldberg, plus The Inkwell and Jason’s Lyric. “The world will miss your talent, but your soul will live on forever. Rest in Paradise, my beautiful cousin Suzzanne. You will be missed RIP,” Tee concluded.

Suzzanne Douglas is also known for starring alongside Robert Townsend in the family sitcom The Parent Hood, which ran from 1995-1999 on The WB. The cause of her death has yet to be disclosed.

Chipotle hiding $1M worth of free burritos in ads during NBA Finals

July 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — As the Suns and the Bucks face off in the NBA Finals, Chipotle is giving away millions in free burritos.

Amid the on-court action of Tuesday’s Game 1 broadcast, Chipotle raised the stakes for the commercial breaks and hid a keyword that unlocked 10,000 free burritos at the end of its ad.

The fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain announced Wednesday that it has hidden up to $1 million — or possibly more, depending on if the teams go further than Game 4 — worth of free burritos in its TV ads.

As the series progresses, Chipotle will continue to offer a number of prizes that vary from game to game hidden in the end card of the commercial.

Now the word is officially out, the brand said it expects codes will go fast. To score a free entrée, fans will have to put a full court press on texting the keyword to 888-222.

“The final games of the basketball season are arguably some of the most entertaining moments of the year,” Chris Brandt, Chipotle’s Chief Marketing Officer said in a statement. “Along with the high-profile player matchups, off-court storylines, and fan interactions, our hidden code giveaway creates another ‘game within the game’ and elevates the viewing experience for our fans during breaks in the action.”

Check out the full NBA Finals schedule below to make sure you’re tuned in and ready to go.

Game 2 – Thursday, July 8: 10,000 free burritos
Game 3 – Sunday, July 11: 20,000 free burritos
Game 4 – Wednesday, July 14: 30,000 free burritos
Game 5 (If necessary) – Saturday, July 17: 40,000 free burritos
Game 6 (If necessary) – Tuesday, July 20: 10,000 free burritos
Game 7 (If necessary) – Thursday, July 22: 10,00 free burritos

Jennifer Lopez says she’s “never been better” amid rumors of rekindled romance with Ben Affleck

July 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Jennifer Lopez neither confirmed nor denied she and Ben Affleck are giving love another shot, but she did recently say she’s “never been better.”

After ending her engagement with Alex Rodriguez, the “On The Floor” singer caught up with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe and dished on her career and personal life.

Lopez, while plugging her new single “Cambia El Paso,” assured fans she’s in a good place.

“I’m super happy. I know people are always wondering, ‘How are you? What’s going on? Are you okay?’ This is it. I’ve never been better,” she grinned. “I want my people who care about me… to know that I’ve really gotten to a place in my life where I’m great on my own.”

The Grammy nominee continued, “I think once you get to that place, then amazing things happen to you that you never imagine in your life happening again. And so that is where I’m at.”

“I just want everybody to know that it’s… the best time of my life,” she maintained.

As for her new single, which translates to “Change the Step,” Lopez hinted the song may be about her recently called off engagement.

“It is about change and it is about taking a step… when things don’t feel right,” she explained. “To me that represents joy, happiness [and] life.”

“‘Cambia El Paso,’ where it says, ‘All she wants to do is just dance, dance, dance, dance.’ It’s really about all she wants to do is be happy. All she wants to do is live,” Lopez said.

Lopez and Affleck, who have recently been photographed canoodling together, first met in 2002 and broke up in 2004.

Lopez later married singer Marc Anthony in 2004 while Affleck wed Jennifer Garner in 2005. Both respective marriages ended after 10 years.

Kim Kardashian temporarily shutting down KKW Beauty, relaunching ‘completely new brand’

July 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for ULTA Beauty / KKW Beauty

(NEW YORK) — Kim Kardashian is saying goodbye to KKW Beauty.

Kim took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday to announce that she’ll be temporarily shutting down the website and relaunching it “under a completely new brand with new formulas.”

“To our loyal customers, [i]t all started with a contour kit and expanded to eyes, lips, body and many incredible collections over the past four years,” she said in a statement.

“On August 1st at midnight we will be shutting down the KKWBeauty.com site so that we can come back to you under a completely new brand with new formulas that are more modern, innovative and packaged in an elevated and sustainable new look,” she continued.

The 40-year-old beauty and fashion mogul also teased a new “shopping experience,” which will allow customers to purchase all of her beauty and cosmetic products in one place.

“I’m excited to continue to develop and expand my product range and for you to finally be able to experience it the way that I have always envisioned,” she said. “In addition, my team is hard at work to improve the customer shopping experience where you will be able to purchase my beauty and cosmetic offerings in all categories from one single website.”

Kardashian launched her line in 2017. She sold 20% of the company to Coty in 2019 for $200 million, although the deal wasn’t finalized until this past January.

Biden to meet with national security experts on ransomware defense

July 7, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden is slated to meet with national security and government leaders Wednesday to discuss the latest ransomware threat that happened over the holiday weekend.

Kaseya, an information technology and management solutions company, said 50 of its 35,000 clients were affected by a ransomware breach.

“While impacting approximately 50 of Kaseya’s customers, this attack was never a threat nor had any impact to critical infrastructure,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday. “Many of Kaseya’s customers are managed service providers, using Kaseya’s technology to manage IT infrastructure for local and small businesses with less than 30 employees, such as dentists’ offices, small accounting offices and local restaurants. Of the approximately 800,000 to 1,000,000 local and small businesses that are managed by Kaseya’s customers, only about 800 to 1,500 have been compromised.”

It’s unknown who carried out the ransomware attack on Kaseya.

It’s not just critical infrastructure being targeted. The Republican National Committee said one of its computer system vendors was breached by criminal cyber activity but insists that no RNC data was accessed.

“Over the weekend, we were informed that Synnex, a third-party provider, had been breached. We immediately blocked all access from Synnex accounts to our cloud environment. Our team worked with Microsoft to conduct a review of our systems and after a thorough investigation, no RNC data was accessed. We will continue to work with Microsoft, as well as federal law enforcement officials on this matter,” RNC Chief of Staff Richard Walters said in a statement to ABC News.

The administration has put a renewed focus on cyber threats after a spate of ransomware attacks disrupted supply chains in various sectors, with the majority coming from hackers based in Russia.

“Even if there are criminal actors, even if it’s not the Russian government that attacks our critical infrastructure or our country through cyberattacks, we reserve the option to take action if they won’t do it on their own,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on MSNBC Wednesday morning. “The president reserves that option, meeting with some of his national security experts this morning to get an update, to have a discussion about ransomware, and we’ll see what we learn from there.”

In May, one of the nation’s largest pipeline companies, Colonial Pipeline, was hit with a ransomware attack, which prompted the administration to take action.

Biden signed an executive order shortly after the hack, which was aimed at modernizing the federal government’s response to cyberattacks by “improving information-sharing between the U.S. government and the private sector on cyber issues,” improving detection of hacks into federal systems and creating a “standardized playbook” for how the government responds to attacks, according to the White House.

In addition to the executive order, the Department of Homeland Security mandated that pipeline companies report cyber breaches to federal authorities within 12 hours. The directive came from the Transportation Security Administration.

Meat supplier JBS has also been hit with a ransomware attack, forcing its meat plants to stop operations for a few days.

Both JBS and Colonial Pipeline paid the ransom to get their systems back online.

“I made the decision to pay, and I made the decision to keep the information about the payment as confidential as possible,” Colonial Pipeline CEO Joesph Blunt told a Senate Committee in June. “It was the hardest decision I made in my 39 years in the energy industry, and I know how critical our pipeline is to the country, and I put the interest of the country first.”

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