The teens trying to make ‘MAHA' cool
Lexi Vrachalus and Grace Price are two of the young influencers behind the newly formed 'MAHA Girls' account. They're bringing their social followings and "Make America Healthy Again" influence together to recruit a younger cohort of MAHA devotees. CNN's Meena Duerson chats with the 19-year-olds about where the movement is going.
02:51 - Source: CNN
Will Sean 'Diddy' Combs be convicted?
Sean 'Diddy' Combs is facing five charges in a blockbuster sex trafficking trial, but will he be found guilty? CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister asks former prosecutor Elie Honig to predict the outcome.
03:05 - Source: CNN
Jury begins deliberations in the Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial
01:10 - Source: CNN
See swarms of 'lovebugs' invade South Korea
Video posted on social media shows thousands of 'lovebugs' blanketing hiking trails on the Gyeyangsan mountain. South Korea is wrestling with an outbreak of the insects, which have been driven into warmer urban areas like Seoul due to climate change, according to a 2022 study.
00:42 - Source: CNN
The key testimony and evidence in Sean Combs trial, explained
CNN's Laura Coates goes over the five counts hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs is charged with, the key evidence and testimony presented to jurors, and how the defense disputes the allegations.
03:13 - Source: CNN
Beyoncé's 'flying' car prop tilts midair
A technical mishap led to Beyoncé's 'flying' car prop to tilt during a Cowboy Carter concert in Houston, with fans capturing the moment on video. The singer was quickly lowered down and without injury, according to Beyoncé's entertainment and management company.
00:57 - Source: CNN
'Cobra Kai' star Alicia Hannah-Kim accuses co-star of biting her
"Cobra Kai" star Martin Kove allegedly bit co-star Alicia Hannah-Kim during a fan convention in Washington, claiming it was a joke, according to police.
03:02 - Source: CNN
See Jonathan Anderson's highly anticipated Dior debut
Jonathan Anderson, founder of JW Anderson, made his debut as creative director of Dior. His collection, Dior menswear Spring/Summer 2026, was showcased during Paris Fashion Week.
00:45 - Source: CNN
What biohacker Bryan Johnson says is the most powerful drug in existence
CNN's Boris Sanchez spoke with controversial biohacker Bryan Johnson about the impact of the medical experiments he's done and what he thinks is the most underrated aspect of health.
01:08 - Source: CNN
See swarms of 'lovebugs' invade South Korea
Video posted on social media shows thousands of 'lovebugs' blanketing hiking trails on the Gyeyangsan mountain. South Korea is wrestling with an outbreak of the insects, which have been driven into warmer urban areas like Seoul due to climate change, according to a 2022 study.
00:42 - Source: CNN
Thousands defy ban on Budapest Pride
Protesters in Budapest are marching against a ban on Pride events across Hungary. People came from 30 different countries to show support under scorching heat, organizers said.
00:53 - Source: CNN
Two men reunite baby bird with its mother
Two men were walking in their neighborhood when they heard chirping near a sewer. When they approached, they could see a baby bird trapped inside the sewer.
01:17 - Source: CNN
Iowa anchor has been missing for 30 years
CNN's Randi Kaye investigates the mystery of journalist Jodi Huisentruit's disappearance in 1995. Now thirty years later, police are still tracking down clues.
01:31 - Source: CNN
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' son escorted out of courtroom
A judge removed Sean Diddy Combs' son, Justin Combs, from the courtroom and apparently asked him to change his clothing after Combs' son arrived wearing a shirt that says 'Free Sean Combs' to the defense team's final closing arguments. The controversy comes nearly two weeks after Diddy's son Christian 'King' Combs was also removed and spoken to by the judge for wearing a similar slogan in sight of the jury.
01:28 - Source: CNN
Newlyweds Bezos and Sanchez spotted on boat ride
CNN's Melissa Bell reports from Venice, Italy, following newlyweds Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez as they wave at spectators during their boat ride through the city.
00:45 - Source: CNN
Brad Pitt's home burglarized
The Los Angeles Police Department said a break-in occurred at a house in the Los Feliz neighborhood. A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation confirmed to CNN that it belongs to actor Brad Pitt.
00:32 - Source: CNN
See moment suspect lights fire on Seoul subway
CCTV footage released by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office captures the moment a man lit a fire on a busy subway in the South Korean capital last month. The footage, from May 31, shows passengers running away after the suspect doused the floor of the train carriage with flammable liquid before setting it alight. Reuters reports that according to the prosecutors' office, six people were injured. The prosecutor's office says it charged the 67-year-old man with attempted murder and arson.
00:48 - Source: CNN
Fireball spotted across the sky
A 'daytime fireball' was caught on video in the sky over South Carolina – causing a sonic boom, according to the American Meteor Society. CNN has reached out to emergency management officials in North Carolina and Tennessee, as well as NASA for comment.
00:36 - Source: CNN
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jurors reach verdict on 4 counts at Sean ‘Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial, remain deadlocked on one
NEW YORK — Jurors weighing the federal case against Sean 'Diddy' Combs on Tuesday told the court they'd reached a verdict on all counts except the RICO conspiracy charge, which had drawn 'unpersuadable opinions on both sides.' In a note sent out after 4 p.m., the eight men and four women on the jury said after around 12 hours of deliberations, they had decided on two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The note did not indicate what their verdict was on those counts. The outstanding charge is racketeering conspiracy, which carries a potential life sentence and alleges Combs ran his Bad Boy Records empire like a criminal enterprise. Combs appeared shell-shocked in court and was seen dabbing his eyes after his attorneys received the note. The development came as a thunderstorm broke out amid darkening skies above the courthouse. After hearing proposals from federal prosecutors and the rap mogul's team about how to proceed, Manhattan Federal Judge Arun Subramanian brought the jury back in and instructed them to keep deliberating. 'It is your duty, as jurors, to consult with one another and to deliberate with a view to reaching an agreement,' the judge said. The jurors soon sent out another note to say they would go home and continue weighing the case on Wednesday. Combs, 55, could be sentenced to life in prison if found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. He's pleaded not guilty to all charges. The Manhattan U.S. attorney's office alleges he abused his notoriety and his wealth for two decades to sexually exploit women at weekly sex parties, directing them to perform sordid sex acts with a rotation of male escorts while high on his supply of drugs. In the RICO charge the jury is grappling with, Combs is accused of employing members of his Bad Boy Records empire to help organize the vile sessions and commit kidnapping, arson, witness tampering, bribery and a host of other crimes to intimidate women into submission and terrorize anyone who threatened his authority. Combs, a New York native who launched the careers of iconic hip hop artists like the Notorious B.I.G., maintains that, while it's true he has assaulted romantic partners, he never pressured women into sexual performances against their will, that he paid escorts for their time, not sex, and that his employees were not hired to commit crimes. Earlier Tuesday, in a morning note, the jury asked to review the testimony of Combs' ex, Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, regarding Combs brutally assaulting her in March 2016 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles. Explosive footage of the assault shows Combs pummeling Ventura in a hallway, dragging her by the hair, kicking her while she curls up on the floor, and hurling a vase at her. Ventura, on May 13, testified that the assault occurred after she tried to leave a 'freak-off session after Combs punched her in the face. Jurors also wanted to look back over Ventura's testimony regarding her interactions with Daniel Phillips, a former male revue performer, whom she and Phillips testified was hired multiple times to sleep with Ventura for Combs' sexual gratification between 2012 and 2013. The panel also asked to review Phillips' testimony. The morning note also requested a review of accounts that Ventura shared about traveling with Combs to the Cannes Film Festival one year. In her testimony about the trip to the French film festival, Ventura said Combs had accused her of stealing his drugs and kicked her off his yacht without her shoes or her passport. After the tense trip, Ventura said she had swapped seats with someone on a commercial flight back to New York, but Combs switched them back. Ventura said he spent the flight playing humiliating footage of her at freak-offs that she thought had been deleted, and then when they got back to the city, she felt she had no choice but to submit to another of the depraved events. _____
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Diddy's Top Attorney Admonished by Judge After Sarcasm-Heavy Closing Argument
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lead attorney concluded his powerhouse defense team's closing arguments at Diddy's sensational sex trafficking and racketeering trial on Friday afternoon, telling jurors they have the bravery to stand up to the government and acquit the rap and fashion mogul of charges that he used his company as a racketeering enterprise and claiming the prosecution is distorting consensual, nontraditional sex into criminal acts as part of a 'fake trial.' 'It takes a lot of courage to acquit,' attorney Marc Agnifilo said on Friday afternoon. 'You should feel bold, you should feel the courage that you will need to call this as you see it, and I am asking you to summon that courage and to do what needs to be done and to do the right thing.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Dolly Parton's Vegas Residency Sold Out in 90 Minutes: Here's How Fans Can Still Snag Tickets Rebekah Del Rio, Singer in 'Mulholland Drive's' Club Silencio Scene, Dies at 57 Sean Combs' Son Releases New Song 'Diddy Free' With Kanye West Following the jury exiting the court for a 15-minute break, Judge Arun Subramanian had to admonish Agnifilo for suggesting that the jury would speculate as to why federal prosecutors made certain charging decisions against Combs during his closing salvo. Judge Subramanian stated that this was 'a bridge too far' and later told jurors to disregard his statements and focus on the evidence in the case. Maurene Comey, the feds' lead prosecutor on the case, complained halfway through the closing argument, before the lunch break, to Judge Subramanian about what she called improper arguments made by the defense that were sarcastic toward the prosecution. Agnifilo was quick with a reply, telling the judge, 'I think I'm allowed to be sarcastic.' Agnifilo and the team of attorneys that includes Teny Geragos, Brian Steel and Alexandra Shapiro launched into their closing arguments early Friday morning. The defense opted not to call any witnesses after the prosecution rested its case on Wednesday, stating that it would only submit new evidence. The same day, Combs told Judge Subramanian that he would not be taking the stand to testify in his defense. In his final remarks, Agnifilo rebuffed, often sarcastically, the sprawling case laid out over the past six weeks by the federal prosecutors. On Thursday, an attorney for the prosecution spent four and a half hours recapping the elements of the case and explaining to the jury how evidence and testimony relate to the five charges in the indictment issued in September. Combs has pleaded not guilty the indictment charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering. He has remained incarcerated without bail in Brooklyn since September and throughout his federal trial. Agnifilo framed the events on the 23rd floor of the federal courthouse on Pearl Street in lower Manhattan over the past six weeks of testimony as a 'tale of two trials.' One version, he said, involved the federal prosecutors twisting the nature of Combs' nontraditional but consensual sex life into the endgame of multiple criminal acts, while the other is based on the hard evidence presented and saw witnesses who he said spoke of the 'successful Black entrepreneur' who is a respected member of his community. Of the two trials he spoke of, there was 'one from the mouths of prosecutors' and one that consisted of evidence, he told the jurors on Friday. 'This isn't about a crime. It's about money,' he said, then referring to the lawsuit filed by the rap titan's ex-girlfriend in October 2023, the legal move that began the unraveling of Combs' public persona and caught the eye of the feds: 'Cassie Ventura sued Sean Combs for $30 million because he has $30 million.' Agnifilo told the jury that Combs and Ventura's romance was a 'complicated' 10-year affair that was, at times, brutally violent, but added that it was also 'a great modern love story.' From the witness stand weeks ago, Ventura did tell of the ups and downs of her relationship with the larger-than-life pop culture figure, recalling the two meeting and starting a romantic relationship when she was 19 and a singer signed to his label and he was 37 and at the top of his game. From her account during her testimony, Ventura had her career held back and dangled before her by Combs, who was her boss and her boyfriend for a decade and was coerced into the performative sex marathons with strange men via threats and unfulfilled promises; at times, she said she wanted to make Combs happy and other times wanted to avoid the violent repercussions of saying 'no' to him. The defense attorney characterized their sex life, which essentially only consisted of freak-offs with other men, as the consensual fun of an open-minded couple. 'They are swingers,' Agnifilo said. 'This is their lifestyle.' Ventura also told the court during her marathon week of testimony, which came at the beginning of the seven-week-and-counting trial (since jury selection began on May 5), that the $30 million civil case, which was settled the next day, netted her $20 million. She also revealed a lawsuit against the Intercontinental hotel in L.A., where she was filmed being beaten and dragged by Combs in footage that leaked to CNN. Heightening his display of outrage, Agnifilo mocked prosecutors over their framing of his client's sex life as criminal. With both Ventura and 'Jane,' a victim who used a pseudonym in court, Combs was accused of arranging and filming 'freak-off' or hotel night marathon sessions, where a male sex worker or workers would engage partner(s) in lengthy sessions of drug-fueled intercourse, which involved Astroglide lube and baby oil and would frequently be filmed by Combs as he looked on. At a point during 'Jane's' testimony, she floated the idea she'd had that Combs was bisexual but too uncomfortable with the idea to ever engage with a same-sex partner himself; she also referred to Combs as a 'cuckold,' which she described on the stand as a man who enjoys watching his female partner have sex with another man. (The term is defined as the husband of an adulterous wife.) 'You wanna call it swingers, you wanna call it threesomes, whatever it is,' he said, adding that it is absurd for the prosecution to frame his sex life as 'one of the most serious, complicated, comprehensive' criminal acts. The attorney also argued that the prosecution has not presented evidence that money was exchanged for sex with the men hired for the 'freak-off' events. He pointed to two men called to the witness stand who did not identify themselves as sex workers and emphasized that they were paid for their time (and if sex happens, it happens, being the winking logic here). He also pointed to one escort who testified, Daniel Phillip, who told the court of the $6,000 he was handed after a session with the couple: 'I didn't care if I was paid one way or another. … I didn't ask to get paid, they gave that to me.' During his more-than-four-hour closing argument, the attorney dismissed claims that Combs Global (née Combs Enterprises) is a racketeering enterprise, saying the idea is preposterous. 'Are you kidding me? That's the fake trial I'm telling you about,' the lead attorney told jurors. Agnifilo then mocked 'Jane,' who dated Combs from 2021 until his arrest in 2024. She had told the court that while she was involved with him, the near-billionaire would pay her $10,000 monthly rent; she also admitted from the stand that her rent is still being paid by the incarcerated mogul. 'I hope she's having a nice day. But do you know where she's doing it? In the house he's paying for,' Agnifilo quipped. He argued that Combs paying the rent bill was always a 'gesture of kindness and decency.' Then he reminded the jury of a hotel night in September 2023 when 'Jane' rejected an escort who still was paid $1,000. 'The government said they're not saying every single 'hotel night' was sex trafficking,' the counselor said. 'Well then, which ones were? And how's Sean Combs supposed to know the difference?' On the tropic of the videos Combs made of the 'freak-off' parties, his attorney told the jury that they were not the kompromat that Ventura said was used to threaten and control her but innocent 'homemade porn' that is far more normal than prosecutors would say. 'He's not the only man in America making homemade porn,' Agnifilo said. The narrative around the now notorious CCTV video from the InterContinental hotel in L.A., in which a robe-clad Combs attacks Ventura as she is attempting to flee a 'freak-off' was spun in a new direction, with Agnifilo telling the jury that Combs is clearly on a bad batch of drugs, a consistent defense excuse for this harrowing beating ('He stays in a towel in a public hallway way too long,' Agnifilo told the jury), and that he was more interested in getting his phone back from Ventura than harming her and dragging her back to their hotel room. The defense team leader showed footage of Combs acting calmer when he had taken the phone from Ventura; he did not show the later footage in which Combs appeared to fly into a violent rage again. The sensational raid last year of Combs' properties was the next element of the government's treatment of the fallen mogul. In March, federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations descended on Combs' homes in Miami and Los Angeles. At the time, Combs' attorney criticized the raids as overkill. Agnifilo took a moment to mock the discovery of large amounts of lubricants, a fact that became something of a punchline when news of the raids broke. 'I guess that's all worth it,' he said, 'Boxes and boxes of Astroglide. They got it, the streets of America are safe from the Astroglide. Thank God for the special response team. They got the baby oil, way to go fellas.' Continuing to mock the large-scale raid, he added: 'You know, it's the 50th anniversary of Jaws. We need a bigger boat, we need a bigger crime scene tape.' Judge Arun Subramanian said he will give the jury instructions on Monday before the 12-member panel begins its deliberations. 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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Trial Jury Troubles Begin Within One Hour of Deliberations
The New York jury now deliberating over the federal criminal case against former hip-hop and fashion mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs at a downtown Manhattan federal courthouse is off to a rocky start, complaining about one juror's refusal to follow the judge's instructions and asking multiple questions in notes to the judge in the first couple of days since the jury was sent off with the case on Monday. Just over an hour had passed of the 12-person jury's first day of deliberation on Monday when Judge Aron Subramanian received a note from the jury's just-designated foreperson, stating that one of the jurors was creating an alarming issue that required him to intervene. The note was also viewed by prosecutors, the defense team and the defendant after it was issued to the judge. More from The Hollywood Reporter Scooter Braun Steps Away From CEO Role at HYBE Warner Music Group Launches $1.2B Joint Venture With Bain Capital For Music Acquisitions Beatles' Apple Corps Names Tom Greene As New CEO '[There's a juror who] we are concerned cannot follow your honor's instructions. May I please speak with your honor or may you please interview him?' the foreperson asked Subramanian. The man referred to in the note is juror No. 25, a 51-year-old man from Manhattan who holds a degree in molecular biology and works as a veterinarian, according to Reuters. Subramanian seemed reluctant to take any immediate special action regarding the note and request, essentially telling the jury to buckle down and get back to work with the instructions they were given earlier in the day. 'I remind every juror of their duty to deliberate and their obligation to follow my instruction on the law,' Subramanian wrote in response. He instructed the jurors to 'please continue deliberating' the case. Whether Subramanian decides to intervene in the juror No. 25 situation remains to be seen and will hinge on whether the issue persists; the judge's decision not to take action indicates he hopes that the issue can be resolved among the jurors. On Monday, he excused the five alternate jurors but asked that they be readily available in case they are needed by the court. This is not the first time an issue has arisen with one of the jurors selected to hear the case; toward the middle of the six weeks of testimony, a male juror was was dismissed after it was discovered that he spends half of his time in the Bronx and half with his daughter in New Jersey, out of the Southern District of New York's jurisdiction. At the beginning this week, while giving instruction to the 12 jurors now deciding Combs' fate, Subramanian emphasized that they focus on the evidence presented to them, rather than what occurred as it was being presented. 'The rulings I have made during the trial are not any indication of my views of what your decision should be as to whether or not the guilt of the defendant has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt,' said Subramanian. Combs has pleaded not guilty to five counts contained in an indictment, including sex trafficking and racketeering. He has remained incarcerated without bail in Brooklyn; the disgraced hip-hop icon faces life in prison if found guilty on all charges. On Monday, Combs was present in the courtroom when the jury was handed the case. After they left the courtroom, according to reporting from the Associated Press, the defendant slumped in his chair for a period before standing and facing the rows of people seated in the gallery to watch proceedings. Members of his family and his close friends were there and, soon, bowed their heads as they began to pray. Combs stood feet from them, did the same and joined them in applause when finished. He was still clapping when he turned his back to the gallery again. Combs also displayed two books he's reading to the crowd: The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale and Shawn Achor's The Happiness Advantage. Federal prosecutors rested their case after six weeks of testimony from Combs' ex-girlfriends, personal assistants, federal agents and various members of his once-powerful media and music empire, which the feds argue was a 'criminal enterprise' used to traffic two of his girlfriends and coerce them into drug-fueled sex marathons. The defense rested its case shortly thereafter without calling a single witness. The jury ended Monday with another note to Judge Subramanian, this time seeking clarification regarding what qualifies as drug distribution. This is a piece of the alleged crimes that the feds say Combs committed and relates to the racketeering conspiracy charge he faces. The question related to whether a person receiving an illegal substance had previously asked the person accused of distributing the drug for it, if that counted as criminal distribution. Subramanian planned to respond to the question on Tuesday. On Tuesday morning, the jury sent a request for three transcripts, with two relating to testimony from Cassie Ventura, the defendant's ex-girlfriend of nearly a decade who was named as 'Victim 1' in the government's five-count indictment against Combs. The request related to three moments discussed: Ventura's testimony about the physical attack she endured at Combs' hands at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles; her testimony about what occurred at the Cannes Film Festival, where Ventura was allegedly shown video footage by Combs of her having sex; and escort Daniel Phillip's testimony about an Essex hotel incident in which Ventura was 'slumped over.' As of Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors and the defense team were arguing over which excerpts of the requested testimony should be sent back to the jury. Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Party in the U.S.A.' to 'Born in the U.S.A.': 20 of America's Most Patriotic (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025
