Mid Day Report: Wednesday, May 14, 2025

The Karen Read case is back in court after a day off, fireworks are going off early, and cryptocurrency at the White House. Stay in "The Loop" with #iHeartRadio.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is w b Z, Boston's news radio, redefining local news.
A mix of sun and clouds in Boston right now,
sixty two degrees. It is eleven o'clock on Wednesday. Great
to have you with us. I'm Nicole Davis. Here's what's
happening over to Dedham now where Staple Lee Sergeant Zachary

(00:22):
Clark is on the stand and the Karen Reed murder
re trial. Right now, he's answering the prosecution prosecution's questions
about the investigation into the death of John o'keef. Earlier,
O'Keefe's niece was on the stand. Her testimony was not
recorded as she is a minor. Wbz's Emma Friedman has
more coming up at eleven fifteen. Meantime, in the Middle East,

(00:42):
President Trump meeting today with the new leader of Syria.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
President Trump met with Syria's president Ahmed al Sharah on
the sidelines of the summit with Gulf leaders, saying of
his decision to lift US sanctions against Syria gives.

Speaker 3 (00:53):
Them a chance for great The sanctions were really crippling.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
It was the first encounter between a US and Assyrian
leader in a quarter century, and what a leader A
man once branded a terrorist by the US, now restoring
stability to Syria. Next step, Trump suggested normalizing relations between
the two countries. Thicky Barker, CBS News London.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Now President Trump is over in Cutter today signing new
deals between Cutter and Boeing. Boeing will be selling billions
of dollars worth of planes to Cutter, and the President
also saying the Department of Defense will sell Cutter top
tier drones. The trip is already shrouded in controversy because
of mister Trump's decision to accept a gift from Cutter
of luxury jet that he could use as Air Force

(01:36):
one and then keep for his personal use after he
leaves office. That is not the only ethical concern swirling
around the White House today. However, a tiny company says
it will make a major investment in the President's cryptocurrency
your SABC's Mary Bruce.

Speaker 4 (01:50):
Gend Culture Group, a small technology company with ties to
China that operates on TikTok, announcing plans to purchase up
to three hundred million of the Trump Bitcoin. They are
just the latest business with foreign ties to jump into
the President's cryptocurrency business. And all of this is coming
as the President is working on a deal to allow
TikTok to continue operating in the US. Ethics experts are

(02:12):
sounding the alarm about conflicts of interest, but the White
House insists the President is following the law.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Now profits from this crypto venture go directly to the
Trump family, the president launching the coins shortly before he
was inaugurated, its value surging briefly before it crashed, and
another round of Israeli airstrikes raining down on the people
of Gaza today. Here's ABC's Tom Sufi Burridge.

Speaker 5 (02:32):
Jays roll overnight launching a series of deadly strikes in Gaza,
killing around seventy people and more than twenty children, according
to their mass run Gaza Health Ministry now follow separate
is Ready strikes on two Gaza hospitals Tuesday, and is
Ready official saying one attack tug is it a top
ha Math leader.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
It is not clear if Israel was successful in killing
that leader, Mohammed Sinwar. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah, who
says his forces are just days away from escalating fighting
in Gaza. He says there is quote no way Israel
will stop fighting until Hamas is defeated. When it comes
to the forecast. For the rest of the afternoon, it
will be a little bit up and down. We have

(03:07):
some clouds from time to time, some showers in western Massachusetts.
Right now here in the Boston area, though, we have
a bit of sun making its way through the clouds.
Right now, temperatures from most of us in the mid
sixties up to about seventy if you're inland today, maybe
a little bit warmer in some other areas. For tonight,
clouds with a couple of showers and a low in
the mid fifties. For Tomorrow, mostly cloudy with some showers

(03:30):
at times, high in the sixties, warmer inland. And Friday,
we start off with some fog and low clouds that
burns off throughout the morning, and for the rest of
the afternoon it'll be cloudy with a couple of spotty showers.
Highs in the seventies but upper seventies north and west.
Right now sixty six degrees in Franklin, where it's sixty
eight in Wareham, sixty seven in dan rather in Peabody,

(03:53):
and right now in Boston at eleven oh five it
is partly cloudy and sixty two degrees. The Boston city
councils said to meet today starting around noon, and during
this meeting they're expected to focus on the future of
one of their colleagues. Two councilors Ed Flynn and Aaron
Murphy have introduced a non binding resolution calling on the
council to quote formally address the future of Tanya Fernandez Anderson.

(04:17):
She is the councilor for District seven, which is including Roxbury, Dorchester,
Fenway and part of the South End. She also recently
pled guilty to federal corruption charges and has agreed to resign. However,
Fernandez Anderson has not made it clear when that will happen,
even though calls are growing for her to leave office.
The Globe reports President Ruth zie Luis Jan recently asked
a city lawyer if Fernandez Anderson could be forced out,

(04:39):
the lawyer confirming she cannot be removed. Before her sentencing
in late July. We haven't even hit Memorial Day, but
a sign of summer is already here. Illegal backyard fireworks.
WBC's Jim McKay says, for many people and a lot
of dogs, they're just a nuisance. Well, the fireworks kind
of go on a long long time.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
If Barbara lives in Plymouth. Then she heard the barrage
of fireworks that were let off last night in town.
She doesn't really care unless it goes on too long,
but nevertheless, it is illegal, and especially on weeknights, it
can really be bothersome to your neighbors.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
Honestly, for me, the dog really the fireworks really bothered
the dog.

Speaker 3 (05:17):
Leslie has a lab mix named Oreo, and Oreo is
no fan of the fireworks.

Speaker 1 (05:22):
So that makes it more difficult for me to enjoy them.

Speaker 3 (05:25):
It is illegal to possess and set them off. For Leslie,
she loves this time of year for neighborhood celebrations, but
the fireworks can take a hike.

Speaker 5 (05:34):
And generally like seeing the.

Speaker 3 (05:35):
People have, but not the fireworks exactly. Jim McKay WBZ
Boston's News Radio.

Speaker 1 (05:40):
At eleven oh seven. More legal trouble now for a
blogger known as turtle Boy Aiden Carney, indicted yesterday and
witness intimidation charges. Is we're connected to an incident involving
two members of the Albert family who testified in the
first Karen Reed trial. Carney is accused of walking up
to a Canton pizza shop owned by Chris Albert back
in March, staring into the window and talking about the

(06:01):
death of John O'Keefe and Albert's son, Colin McCarney has
been charged with witness intimidation in the read case. In
the past, he has pled not guilty. On social media,
he says prosecutors have already tried and failed to revoke
his bail over the incident, and quote, everything is cool.
You are now in the loop. For news updates throughout
the day. Listen to WBZ News Radio on the iHeartRadio app.

(06:24):
I'm Nicole Davis, w b Z and Boston's News Radio