Latest news with #JulyFourth
Politico
3 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Trump turns the screws
Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Bethany Irvine Good Tuesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, having a completely unstressful time moving the family into a new D.C. home after months in an Airbnb. Our furniture and entire worldly goods arrived from London by boat yesterday — all 167 boxes. But as the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh wrote, my actions are my only true belongings. So let's get to it. SPOTTED: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dining with White House personnel chief Sergio Gor at Cafe Milano last night, Playbook's Dasha Burns writes in. Tavolo per due: 'They talked for nearly two hours,' Dasha reports. 'Sen. Mark Warner and Art Collins came over to say hello, among others … One can only guess at what the two could have been gabbing about for so long — but you may recall both Gor and Bessent had their share of clashes with the recently departed Elon Musk. Perhaps it was a celebration dinner?' In today's Playbook … — Trump goes to work on the Senate GOP. — Iran deal on the brink after latest enrichment row. — Washington waits for the first Trump-Xi call. DRIVING THE DAY LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL: Donald Trump is turning the screws on GOP senators as he races to get the centerpiece legislation of his term into the statute books. For the second-successive day, the president has no public-facing events on his schedule — though that could change — as he focuses attention on getting the so-called Big, Beautiful Bill over the line by the self-imposed July Fourth deadline. This is quieter, grubbier work than the shock and awe tactics of Trump's first 100 days, and it shows. As Playbook noted last week, there has been less minute-by-minute drama emanating from the White House of late, with attention shifting away from the headline-grabbing purges of early-stage DOGE and the market-melting tariff warfare of 'Liberation Day' to the altogether muckier business of, well, getting things done. Phase Two: VP JD Vance told us back in April that the focus of Trump's second 100 days would be very different to the low-hanging fruit of the first — chiefly, pushing this megabill through Congress while resolving key foreign policy targets like the war in Ukraine and the Iranian nuclear program, one way or another. We're very much into that phase now. Consider Trump's Monday: A face-to-face with Majority Leader John Thune within hours of the Senate returning from its Memorial Day break. … Personal calls or meetings with key Republican holdouts, including Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). … And a barrage of stream-of-consciousness Truth Social posts — totalling more than 400 words — urging GOP colleagues to hit the July Fourth deadline, and insisting (again) that the bill includes 'NO CUTS to Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid.' Fact check: This last claim — hardly a new one for Trump — is the subject of a buzzy new piece by my ace POLITICO colleagues Adam Cancryn and Jake Traylor, which notes fast-shifting definitions around what the White House means by 'no cuts.' Trump, after all, has been saying for months that he will protect these very programs — and yet the BBB in its current form cuts more than $600 billion from Medicaid, and according to some estimates will see millions of people lose access to insurance. So which is it? Here's the rub: Trump is framing the $600 billion budget cut as nothing more than a long-overdue clampdown on waste, fraud and abuse, pushing undocumented immigrants off the system as well as unemployed people who fail to sign up for training or volunteering opportunities. 'Medicaid does not belong to people who are here illegally, and it does not belong to capable and able-bodied men who refuse to work,' one White House official tells POLITICO. 'So no one is getting cut.' This debate matters hugely: The 2026 midterms will be a referendum on Trump 2.0 — and Democrats want to convince voters the GOP chose to expend its trifecta powers delivering tax cuts for the wealthy while ripping health care from the poorest. But Trump believes he has a winning argument, too. GOP consultants say removing Medicaid from undocumented people and those refusing to work resonates strongly with voters who hate to see their hard-earned tax dollars frittered away. Whichever of these messages hits home hardest next year will go a long way to deciding who wins out. Reminder: These arguments are playing out within the GOP Senate conference, too. Just like House Speaker Mike Johnson before him, Thune is facing pressure from both 'Medicaid moderates' nervous about the already-planned changes and deficit hard-liners who want far bigger cuts than those proposed. As usual, any shift in one direction would risk enraging the other side … And any Senate changes to the legislation will need to be signed off by the wafer-thin GOP majority in the House. How this week pans out: Senate committees will start releasing their text portions as soon as today, per my POLITICO colleagues on Inside Congress. The uncontroversial parts will go first — we're expected to get the Armed Services panel's document today — but the real action will come later in the process, when the Finance Committee releases portions on tax and Medicaid. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told Bloomberg he expected Senate leaders to present Trump with a draft of these revisions by this weekend. While we're waiting for all that: Trump is expected to send his rescissions plan to Congress today, as my POLITICO colleagues Meredith Lee Hill and Jennifer Scholtes scooped last week. We're expecting to see $9.4 billion in DOGE cuts codified, mostly covering NPR, PBS and foreign aid. $2 trillion in savings, it certainly ain't. WAR AND PEACE GOING NUCLEAR: Trump's hotly anticipated prospective nuclear deal with Iran — seemingly on the brink of being signed several weeks ago, per hints dropped by administration officials — suddenly looks a lot less certain. Trump moved to slap down surprise reports yesterday that the U.S. proposal sent to Tehran at the weekend would allow 'limited low-level uranium enrichment on Iranian soil,' per Axios' Barak Ravid. AP swiftly confirmed the scoop, a significant compromise which would have risked enraging GOP hard-liners. Trump wades in: 'The AUTOPEN should have stopped Iran a long time ago from 'enriching,'' Trump wrote on Truth Social last night. 'Under our potential Agreement — WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!' It's unclear where that statement leaves the proposal sent by his envoy Steve Witkoff last weekend — and either way, the noises out of Tehran are not good. One senior Iranian official told CNN the U.S. plan was 'incoherent and disjointed,' while Reuters suggests Iran is poised to reject the deal. BREAKING OVERNIGHT IN THE MIDDLE EAST: 'Israeli Soldiers Open Fire Near Gaza Aid Site. Gaza Health Officials Say 27 Are Killed,' by NYT's Patrick Kingsley and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad ALSO NOT LOOKING GOOD: Russia and Ukrainian officials agreed last night to swap killed and captured soldiers after a brief round of talks in Istanbul — but report little progress toward ending the three-year conflict, per the AP. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Russia again refused to agree to an unconditional ceasefire. The second round of talks followed Sunday's devastating Ukrainian attack on Russian air bases, and Russia's endless barrage of drone strikes on Ukrainian cities. Officials from Ukraine have proposed a third round of talks at the end of the month. Meanwhile in Washington: The president is facing mounting pressure to impose further sanctions on the Kremlin from Senate Republicans, Semafor's Burgess Everett reports. He says several frustrated lawmakers have been 'saying recently they do not want to wait for the White House's greenlight at this point' — though Thune told reporters Trump is 'still hopeful they'll be able to strike some sort of a deal.' IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN: 'The Pentagon is poised to shift its oversight of Greenland by putting it under U.S. Northern Command, a symbolic gesture that would more closely align the island territory with the U.S.,' POLITICO's Paul McLeary and Phelim Kine report. 'The switch is the most concrete step yet in the Trump administration's months-long effort to gain ownership over Greenland, an autonomous island aligned with Denmark.' THE ECONOMY, STUPID XI DRIVES ME CRAZY: Washington is still waiting for the big Trump-Xi Jinping phone call that administration officials hope will unlock stalled trade talks. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is the latest official to signal that Trump is likely to talk with the Chinese president this week, per Reuters — and it's worth recalling there's been no publicly acknowledged call between the two since Jan. 17. Trump warmed up last night (and again early this morning) with a series of pro-tariff posts on social media. TACO Tuesday: It comes with China increasingly bullish about the way this trade war has panned out, noting Trump's surprising willingness to roll back tariffs so quickly after his initial flurry of attacks. Beijing yesterday hit back at Trump's latest claims about its conduct, with Beijing's Ministry of Commerce calling Trump's accusations 'baseless' and claiming the U.S. had been the party who 'severely undermined' the truce, per NYT. Man with a plan: In a highly readable new profile of Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng — the man Xi has entrusted with waging war on the U.S. economy — the WSJ's Lingling Wei writes how Beijing's 'economic gatekeeper' has built an arsenal of strategic tools 'including export controls of critical materials used to make chips, cars and F-35 jets.' This, she notes, 'gives it the ability to cause the U.S. real pain.' Trump will hate every word. Coming attractions: Despite the various legal challenges to his power to even enact trade barriers without congressional support, Trump is due to double the 25 percent steel and aluminum tariffs tomorrow. The announcement was announced last Friday night and prompted domestic steel and aluminum prices to skyrocket yesterday. And as for those legal challenges: Trump won the 'appeals court lottery' last night, as my POLITICO colleague Kyle Cheney put it, after one of his appeals to a judgment challenging his tariff powers was handed to the only three Trump-appointed judges that sit on the D.C. Circuit Court. MORE ECONOMY CHAT: Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are both addressing the American Compass New World Gala in D.C. tonight. BEST OF THE REST COMING TO A WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING NEAR YOU: Murder rates are tumbling across the U.S. in 2025, Reason's Billy Binion reports (and re-ups in an X post now going viral). Homicide stats are down at least 20 percent on last year, and we could even be on course for the lowest number on record. It's an extraordinary stat which, as he says, probably deserves a little more attention. (The trend follows dramatic falls in homicide rates in 2024 and 2023 too, Binion notes, though that's less likely to be the subject of a gleeful Truth Social post any time soon.) FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Out of the wilderness — Adam Jentleson, the former chief of staff to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and top aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, thinks he may have part of the solution to what ails Democrats: A new think tank that will 'push the Democratic Party toward the most effective, broadly popular positions regardless of which wing of the party they come from, with an eye toward 2028,' POLITICO's Elena Schneider scoops this morning. He's calling this new policy research and messaging hub 'Searchlight,' in honor of Reid's famously hardscrabble home town. What it would do: At a hush-hush meeting of top party donors and elected officials last month in upstate New York, Jentleson pitched the group as 'an institutional space where Democrats can think freely and put … ideas out into the world,' per one person directly familiar with the project. 'Voters do not break down among the perceived ideological lines that a lot of Democrats are drawn into by the interest groups,' one retreat attendee told Elena. THE VIEW FROM THE GOP: In 2024, Republicans made historic inroads with Latino voters. Now comes a warning from GOP consultant Albert Eisenberg in POLITICO Magazine: New survey numbers show that Latino support has curdled, and Republicans risk blowing their shot. 'It is tempting for Republicans to scoff at polls, but even if the topline voter approval is wrong, the significant drop in approval rating still matters,' Eisenberg writes. 'And both the polls and my conversations with would-be Hispanic Republicans in Pennsylvania show a clear drop-off. It should be a blaring alarm bell for the GOP as the 2026 midterms appear on the horizon.' COLD SHOULDER FOR CUBA: POLITICO's Eric Bazail-Eimil reports how Cuba had hoped to mend relations with the U.S. by accepting five deportation flights this year, yet 'the island nation finds itself increasingly at odds with the Trump administration.' EMPIRE STATE OF MIND: Andrew Cuomo hasn't won the New York City mayor's race yet — but he's already planning a national campaign to take on Trump. In a wide-ranging interview with POLITICO's Sally Goldenberg, the former governor and mayoral frontrunner said he plans to campaign against Trump's proposed Medicaid cuts to help Democrats in swing House districts across the country — a political strategy he says could help his party retake the House. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Virginia Del. Irene Shin is running to succeed the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) in Congress, opening with an endorsement from Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), who describes Shin as a disruptor who can bring a 'different kind of politics' to Congress. In her launch video, Shin says she's running for the seat because 'this moment calls for generational change.' Watch the full video HAPPENING TODAY: South Koreans headed to the polls overnight to elect a new president after months of political upheaval. Analysts projected that Lee Jae-myung, centrist Democratic Party candidate, would beat out Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party. But, as NYT's Choe Sang-Hun reports from Seoul, whoever wins faces daunting challenges, including trying to fix a sputtering domestic economy and navigating tensions between Washington and Beijing. 'The new leader must mend ties with China, South Korea's biggest trading partner, to spur exports and economic growth. But the United States, its only military ally, is demanding that South Korea help contain China.' TALK OF THE TOWN AND THE AWARD GOES TO: The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation honored the winners of the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prizes for Distinguished Reporting in 2024 at its annual dinner last night. Annie Linskey, Davis Winkie and Noah Robertson were this year's honorees. More on the winners here MEDIA MOVES — Chelsea Cirruzzo is now a Washington correspondent at Stat, covering HHS. She previously was a health care reporter at POLITICO. … Steve Shepard will be associate director of political research at Pew Research Center. He previously was senior campaign and elections editor and chief polling analyst at POLITICO. … Jason Dean will be lead analyst for WP' Intelligence's AI and tech vertical at WaPo. He previously was global technology editor at WSJ. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Harper Polling is relaunching under the leadership of pollster/owner Brock McCleary and data strategist/managing director Mike Yelovich. McCleary previously served as a pollster for Trump's 2020 campaign and Vivek Ramaswamy's 2024 presidential effort and is an NRCC alum. Yelovich was previously polling director at Cygnal. Read the full press release — Megan Dorward is now VP of public affairs at Optimal. She previously was head of industry, government and political advertising at Snapchat. TRANSITIONS — The Human Rights Campaign is adding Jonathan Lovitz as SVP of campaigns and comms and Amy Peña as SVP and general counsel. Lovitz most recently was a director of public affairs and senior adviser at the Biden Commerce Department. Peña previously was general counsel for the Chicago Community Trust. … Liz Abraham is now a counsel in White & Case's international trade practice. She previously was director of the international policy office at the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security. … Ken Farnaso is now an associate in the public affairs, regulation and geopolitical practice at the Brunswick Group. He is a Trump, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott and PLUS Communications alum. … … Tara Hupman is now VP of external affairs at the American Clean Power Association. She most recently was general counsel to the House Republican Conference. … Fara Sonderling is now a partner at Converge Public Strategies. She previously was manager of government affairs for the American Forest & Paper Association. … Chris Bowman is now director of government affairs at the Carbon Removal Alliance. He previously was a senior professional staff member for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is a Joe Manchin, Steny Hoyer, Conor Lamb and Mike Doyle alum. WEDDINGS — Olivia Umoren, director of public policy and advocacy at USAging, and Nnamdi Ezeuko, sports performance coach at The St. James, got married May 10 on Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria. They met at a South African house music (amapiano) concert in D.C. featuring their favorite DJs. Pic … Another pic — Meghan Murphy (née Maffey), a senior account manager at DCI Group, and Connor Murphy, deputy director of government affairs at Schagrin Associates, got married Saturday at the Decatur House. Pic … SPOTTED: Bill Johnson, Mike Smullen, McKenna Simpson, Alyssa Gulick, Jack Rosemond, Alex Stepahin, Laura Dyer, Sam Hattrup and Connor Crowley. — Meg Gallagher, a policy adviser for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Marine Corps Major Matt Lake, VP of federal affairs at Havoc AI, got married on Saturday in Napa Valley at St. Helena Catholic Church followed by a reception at Meg's childhood home. The couple met in 2021 while training for the Marine Corps Marathon with the Capitol Hill Running Club and started dating a few years later. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Former first lady Jill Biden … John Kirby … Anderson Cooper … WSJ's Michelle Hackman … Erick Erickson … David Planning of Cornerstone … Evan Medeiros … Defend the Vote's Brian Lemek … Gina Foote of FGS Global … Edelman's Rob Rehg … Avoq's Josette Barrans and Bryce Harlow … Lilia Horder of Monument Advocacy … former Reps. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) (98), Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) and Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.) … Amy McGrath … Michael Fleischer of DDC Public Affairs … Patrick Martin of Cozen O'Connor … Kellee Lanza-Bolen … Nick Troiano ... Justin Clark (5-0) … Manisha Sunil of New Heights Communications … Sophia Sokolowski … POLITICO's Ahmed Routher Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
How have tariffs impacted fireworks prices?
Our nation's birthday is just about a month away, and the cost for a key element to the fun is now "up in the air." As Americans plan July Fourth festivities, WCCO wanted to know how tariffs have impacted fireworks prices. A rainbow of excitement adorns the shelves at Fireworks Nation in North Hudson, Wisconsin. "Every year the product gets better and better, and safer," said Anders Nelson, owner of Fireworks Nation. He says customers have asked him if the price of his fireworks has gone up amid President Trump's trade war with China. "We're not raising our prices at Fireworks Nation," he said confidently. "Some of our shipments were affected by the tariffs, and we definitely saw our costs are up this year. Shipping costs are up, but we're holding our prices." While their prices hold steady, other retailers might raise them, according to Julie Heckman. She's the executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association. "(Price hikes) will depend on whether the retailer got their product here prior to the tariff hikes and if not, how much can they absorb versus what do they need to pass on to the consumer," said Heckman. She says consumer fireworks, the kind people buy at the store, already had a 5.3% tariff. It jumped to 20% in early March as the trade war got started. By April 9, reciprocal tariffs were pushed as high as 145%. "It hit at the absolute worst time when all of our products are trying to get here from China for the Fourth of July," said Heckman. Nelson and other retailers typically order their fireworks from China a year in advance. They're produced in the fall and winter, then shipped in the months leading up to the next Fourth of July. "In our case, we had ships on the water, and so, of course, we had to take them in, so we did have some tariff charges or shipping charges. But all of the ones that had not been shipped, we put a halt on the orders," said Nelson. President Trump's 90-day pause on the tariffs was helpful, but Heckman said it kick-started other issues. "When the tariffs were reduced a couple of weeks ago to 30%, many of the importers said, 'Go ahead, put my containers on the water.' But the issue will be, will they get here in time for the Fourth of July?" said Heckman. Most of Nelson's current product arrived before the new tariffs hit, so he's not worried about the upcoming holiday. "We're a volume dealer. We are more than a year ahead in our purchasing, and so we've been building our inventories," said Nelson. There is industry-wide concern regarding 2026, when the U.S. celebrates its 250th birthday. "The demand is going to be very high, plus [Fourth of July] falls on a Saturday, a weekend," said Nelson. Fireworks production in China came to a halt during the height of the tariffs, said Heckman, including workers being laid off. Production resumed once the tariffs were paused, but the delay created a potential supply chain problem that lingers into next year. "We are very concerned about 2026 because we lost vital manufacturing production time," said Heckman. Given the uncertainty with the trade war and how tariffs could impact prices in the months ahead, Heckman advises people to shop early. "Don't be surprised if there are some shortages. Shelves are not going to be bare, but there might just be a certain item that you're used to getting that maybe that retailer doesn't have in stock this year," said Heckman. Nelson wants people to shop smart and seek the best prices. More importantly, he wants them to make sure they're being smart about how they use the fireworks. "When you come together and you have your party, just make certain that you're safe. Read the labels on the packages and have a great, fun, safe, and happy Fourth of July," said Nelson. Studies show that over 96% of all fireworks in the U.S. come from China. Last year, that amounted to $452 million in product. Heckman would like to see the fireworks industry get a special exemption from heightened tariffs, which she said is what happened during Mr. Trump's first term.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Lilo & Stitch' Now Soaring to Record $170M-$180M Memorial Day Box Office Bow
July Fourth fireworks are coming early to the summer box office, thanks to the combo of Disney's live-action redo of Lilo & Stitch and Tom Cruise's final Mission: Impossible movie from Paramount and Skydance. The two tentpoles are expected to fuel the biggest Memorial Day of all time in terms of ticket sales and set numerous records in their own right. While the mash-up isn't expected to be quite the same cultural phenomenon that Barbenheimer was, the potent combo of the two movies can't be ignored. Parents may take their kids to see Lilo one day, then ditch them and go see Mission sometime else over the long holiday weekend (as for a moniker, how about 'Stitchin: Impossible'). More from The Hollywood Reporter Billy Joel Shares Brain Disorder Diagnosis 'Lilo & Stitch' Targeting $170M-$180M Box Office Bow, 'Mission: Impossible' Eyes Series-Best $78M 'Avengers: Doomsday' and 'Avengers: Secret Wars' Delay Release Dates From May to December The overall Memorial Day revenue crown currently belongs to the $306 million in ticket sales collected in 2013 when Fast & Furious 6 zoomed to $117 million, followed by The Hangover Part III with $50 million. It would also mark the best showing for two Memorial Day titles going up against each other. In 2007, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End opened to $140 million over the holiday frame, followed by Shrek the Third with $67 million. There's more: The biggest headline of Thursday's latest tracking report from the National Research Group was Lilo & Stitch. Three weeks ago, NRG's four-day opening number was $120 million. Now, it's $165 million, a jaw-dropping gross that would, in an ironic twist, see Lilo & Stitch supplant Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick ($160 million) as the biggest Memorial Day opener of all time, not adjusted for inflation. The news got even better for Disney and production company Rideback as early grosses began coming in from Thursday previews and Friday matinees — the PG pic is now projected to collect a massive $170 million to $180 million domestically, including a record $14.5 million in Thursday previews. Lilo & Stitch isn't just drawing interest from families; it's popping big time among teenage girls and younger women — i.e., Gen Z and younger Millennials — who grew up on the first 2002 movie and resulting TV show about a Hawaiian girl with a fraught family life who adopts an adorable, albeit trouble-making, dog-like alien. Box office pundits say the nostalgic factor is running high, just as it did among Millennials and Gen Z'ers for the live-action Aladdin, which made $1.1 billion in global ticket sales after getting families, teens and younger adults. The live-action Lilo & Stitch — originally intended to go straight to Disney+, helping to explain its modest $100 million production budget — would mark one of the better openings for a Disney live-action film. It has a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 72 percent. Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, with a current RT critics score of 79 percent, is on course to open to $78 million for the four days, in line with tracking. That would more than make up for the lackluster $54.7 million bow of the previous film in the series, as well as supplant the $61.2 million three-day launch of Mission: Impossible — Fallout to set a new franchise opening record. Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie went back to the drawing board after Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One disappointed and, among other changes, renamed the film. Their efforts appear to be paying off if tracking is correct. Final Reckoning resonates with its older male target audience in a major way, as well as among older females and younger males (the only quadrant who isn't so interested are younger females). A big challenge in terms of the film's financial success is its $400 million net budget before marketing — making it one of the most expensive films ever made — although Paramount insiders note that each new installment increases the value of the entire library, including a spike in home entertainment sales and rentals of previous titles. The two films will kick off what's expected to be a stellar June in terms of ticket sales. Hollywood got even more good news on Thursday when early tracking confirmed that Universal and DreamWorks Animation's live-action How to Train Your Dragon is eyeing a $72 million domestic debut. May 23, 4 p.m. Updated with early box office of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV
Miami Herald
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Five Key Moments From Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' Ongoing Sex Trafficking Trial
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday will resume their case against Sean "Diddy" Combs, whose sex trafficking trial has included stirring and often lurid testimony throughout two sensational weeks. Here's a recap of five crucial moments from the courtroom in Lower Manhattan that may play an outsized role as the jury of eight men and four women weighs the fate of Combs, 55, who faces up to life in prison if found guilty. Judge Arun Subramanian said Thursday he hopes the trial will conclude prior to the July Fourth holiday weekend. Casandra Ventura, the star witness in the sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy case against Combs, testified over four days last week - detailing instances of physical, sexual and psychological abuse during her 11-year relationship with the Bad Bay Records founder. The 38-year-old R&B singer, who goes by Cassie professionally, is expecting her third child with husband Alex Fine in weeks. Heavily pregnant, she broke down on the stand while recalling the extended and sometimes violent drug-fueled sex sessions with escorts known as "freak offs." "How did you feel during the freak offs when Sean beat you?" prosecutor Emily Johnson asked Ventura, who began to get emotional. "Worthless, like dirt," she testified as jurors and Combs watched on intently. "Like I didn't matter to him. Like I was nothing, absolutely nothing." Rapper Kid Cudi, who briefly dated Ventura in 2011 while she was on a break with Combs, told jurors that Combs broke into his Los Angeles home late that year and then torched his black Porsche 911 weeks later in January 2012. Cudi testified that Combs was livid that the Grammy-winning rapper had been seeing Ventura romantically, even spending the holidays with her family in Connecticut. No criminal charges were filed in either incident, although Cudi, 41, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, insisted in court that Combs "had something to do" with the Molotov cocktail placed inside his totaled Porsche. That testimony prompted an objection from Combs' attorneys. Judge Subramanian sustained the objection, telling jurors to ignore the accusation. The two rap stars then arranged a meeting after the car bombing at the Soho House hotel in Los Angeles, where Combs arrived first and stood near a window with his hands clasped behind his back "like a Marvel supervillain," Cudi testified. Combs and Cudi ultimately shook hands, although the tense meeting didn't provide the answers Cudi sought, he told jurors. "What are we going to do about my car?" Cudi recalled asking Combs. "I don't know what you're talking about," Combs replied, according to Cudi's much-anticipated testimony. Sharay Hayes, a male escort known as "The Punisher," told jurors about the dozen "freak offs" he had with Combs and Ventura between 2012 and 2015, earning up to $2,000 per sessions at luxury locales in New York, including the Trump International Hotel overlooking Central Park. Hayes, 51, said he was hired to create a "sexy scene" while doused in baby oil with Ventura as Combs masturbated nearby. The R&B singer paid him for the encounters, which included unprotected sex, he testified. The hulking escort said he had trouble maintaining an erection as Combs demanded he and Ventura have intercourse during their final liaison in March 2015. But Hayes said he never sensed at the time that Ventura had been uncomfortable during their meetings. "I did not get any cues that there was a discomfort with what was going on," Hayes testified. "It seemed like it was consensual as far as I was concerned." George Kaplan, 34, told jurors he worked up to 100 hours per week as Combs' former executive assistant from late 2013 through 2015, often setting up hotel rooms in advance of drug-fueled romps in Los Angeles, New York and Miami. Combs, who used an alias of "Frank Black," would typically stay for as little as 12 hours or up to several days, leaving behind empty Gatorade bottles, baby oil and "brown crystalized powder" on one occasion, Kaplan testified. Kaplan said he saw Combs get violent with Ventura during an incident on his private jet in 2015 and spotted the singer with bruises on her eyebrow and face during a visit to Combs' home later that year. Kaplan, who testified after being subpoenaed by federal prosecutors, said Combs' "physical behavior" ultimately prompted him to leave his job. "In my heart of hearts, I knew it was the right thing to do," said Kaplan, who did not notify authorities in either alleged attack. But Kaplan also spoke glowingly of his former boss, insisting Combs' "infectious vibration" and intense work ethic had helped him grow as an aspiring executive. "I'm a young man and this is a God among men talking to me," Kaplan testified. "He not only pushed me to my depth, he pushed me to depths I didn't even know I had." Gerard Gannon, a federal agent who searched Combs' 20,000-square-foot Miami mansion in March 2024, testified that he was among 80 to 90 investigators who descended upon the property and found AR-15 components along with sex toys and dozens of bottles of baby oil and lubricant. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) also seized three cellphones found inside a Balenciaga boot, a Gucci pouch stuffed with ketamine and MDMA and a .45-caliber handgun discovered tucked away in a red suitcase. The serial numbers on the disassembled AR-15 components had been defaced, but the high-powered weapons were not operable as found, Gannon said. He displayed the weapons to the jury, as well as one pair of seven-inch red heels found inside Combs' closet. Twelve other pairs of similar stilettos were recovered in all, the agent testified. Attorneys for Combs had previously characterized last year's raid as a "gross overuse of military-level force," but Teny Geragos tried a different tact during cross-examination of Gannon on Tuesday - asking the agent if he owns a gun as a resident of Florida. Gannon, who confirmed he did as part of his federal role, responded to Geragos' questioning as two of Combs' sons entered the courtroom. Combs and his family, meanwhile, were not present at the Star Island mansion during the raid. Gannon said agents waited until the mogul departed for a trip with his relatives prior to executing the search warrant. Despite nearly two weeks of lurid testimony, in which the defense even acknowledged their client as a domestic abuser, the prosecution's top charge of sex trafficking has not yet been proven beyond a reasonable doubt, according to legal analysts who spoke with Newsweek. That is largely due to contemporaneous texts between Ventura and Combs shown in court, which suggest she was a willing participant in the "freak offs" at the time, the analysts said. To that argument, Dr. Dawn Hughes, a forensic psychologist, testified as a prosecution witness, explaining to jurors why some victims stay in abusive relationships, including psychological bonds or deep-rooted love for their partner. "They experience a tremendous amount of shame, humiliation, degradation," Hughes said of sexual abuse victims. "They don't want to talk about it. They don't even want to think about it in their own brain." Hughes, who provided testimony as a so-called "blind expert," had not interviewed Combs or the alleged victims in the case, she acknowledged. Former Combs' employee Capricorn Clark is scheduled testify next when the case resumes on Tuesday, followed by Los Angeles police and fire officials. Related Articles 'Diddy' Looked Like Marvel Supervillain After Car Blew Up: Kid CudiSean 'Diddy' Combs Juror Appears to Fall Asleep During CourtDonald Trump Hotel Gets Dragged Into Sean 'Diddy' Combs TrialDiddy Trial Going His Way So Far, Legal Analysts Say: 'Acquittal Likely' 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Five Key Moments From Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Ongoing Sex Trafficking Trial
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Federal prosecutors on Tuesday will resume their case against Sean "Diddy" Combs, whose sex trafficking trial has included stirring and often lurid testimony throughout two sensational weeks. Here's a recap of five crucial moments from the courtroom in Lower Manhattan that may play an outsized role as the jury of eight men and four women weighs the fate of Combs, 55, who faces up to life in prison if found guilty. Judge Arun Subramanian said Thursday he hopes the trial will conclude prior to the July Fourth holiday weekend. Casandra Ventura arrives home after testifying at federal court in Manhattan in the sex trafficking trial of Sean Combs, her former boyfriend of 11 years. Casandra Ventura arrives home after testifying at federal court in Manhattan in the sex trafficking trial of Sean Combs, her former boyfriend of 11 years. TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP 'Like Dirt' Casandra Ventura, the star witness in the sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy case against Combs, testified over four days last week — detailing instances of physical, sexual and psychological abuse during her 11-year relationship with the Bad Bay Records founder. The 38-year-old R&B singer, who goes by Cassie professionally, is expecting her third child with husband Alex Fine in weeks. Heavily pregnant, she broke down on the stand while recalling the extended and sometimes violent drug-fueled sex sessions with escorts known as "freak offs." "How did you feel during the freak offs when Sean beat you?" prosecutor Emily Johnson asked Ventura, who began to get emotional. "Worthless, like dirt," she testified as jurors and Combs watched on intently. "Like I didn't matter to him. Like I was nothing, absolutely nothing." Rapper Kid Cudi arrives at federal court in Manhattan on May 22 to testify in the sex trafficking trial of Sean Combs, who faces up to life in prison if convicted Rapper Kid Cudi arrives at federal court in Manhattan on May 22 to testify in the sex trafficking trial of Sean Combs, who faces up to life in prison if convicted TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images Kid Cudi on the Stand Rapper Kid Cudi, who briefly dated Ventura in 2011 while she was on a break with Combs, told jurors that Combs broke into his Los Angeles home late that year and then torched his black Porsche 911 weeks later in January 2012. Cudi testified that Combs was livid that the Grammy-winning rapper had been seeing Ventura romantically, even spending the holidays with her family in Connecticut. No criminal charges were filed in either incident, although Cudi, 41, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, insisted in court that Combs "had something to do" with the Molotov cocktail placed inside his totaled Porsche. That testimony prompted an objection from Combs' attorneys. Judge Subramanian sustained the objection, telling jurors to ignore the accusation. The two rap stars then arranged a meeting after the car bombing at the Soho House hotel in Los Angeles, where Combs arrived first and stood near a window with his hands clasped behind his back "like a Marvel supervillain," Cudi testified. Combs and Cudi ultimately shook hands, although the tense meeting didn't provide the answers Cudi sought, he told jurors. "What are we going to do about my car?" Cudi recalled asking Combs. "I don't know what you're talking about," Combs replied, according to Cudi's much-anticipated testimony. Sean Combs family, including son King Combs, right, and stepson Quincy Brown arrive at federal court in Manhattan on May 16. Sean Combs family, including son King Combs, right, and stepson Quincy Brown arrive at federal court in Manhattan on May 16. TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images 'The Punisher' Speaks Sharay Hayes, a male escort known as "The Punisher," told jurors about the dozen "freak offs" he had with Combs and Ventura between 2012 and 2015, earning up to $2,000 per sessions at luxury locales in New York, including the Trump International Hotel overlooking Central Park. Hayes, 51, said he was hired to create a "sexy scene" while doused in baby oil with Ventura as Combs masturbated nearby. The R&B singer paid him for the encounters, which included unprotected sex, he testified. The hulking escort said he had trouble maintaining an erection as Combs demanded he and Ventura have intercourse during their final liaison in March 2015. But Hayes said he never sensed at the time that Ventura had been uncomfortable during their meetings. "I did not get any cues that there was a discomfort with what was going on," Hayes testified. "It seemed like it was consensual as far as I was concerned." George Kaplan, a former executive assistant for Combs, leaves federal court after testifying on May 22 in his former boss' sex trafficking trial. George Kaplan, a former executive assistant for Combs, leaves federal court after testifying on May 22 in his former boss' sex trafficking trial.A Once-Dutiful Employee George Kaplan, 34, told jurors he worked up to 100 hours per week as Combs' former executive assistant from late 2013 through 2015, often setting up hotel rooms in advance of drug-fueled romps in Los Angeles, New York and Miami. Combs, who used an alias of "Frank Black," would typically stay for as little as 12 hours or up to several days, leaving behind empty Gatorade bottles, baby oil and "brown crystalized powder" on one occasion, Kaplan testified. Kaplan said he saw Combs get violent with Ventura during an incident on his private jet in 2015 and spotted the singer with bruises on her eyebrow and face during a visit to Combs' home later that year. Kaplan, who testified after being subpoenaed by federal prosecutors, said Combs' "physical behavior" ultimately prompted him to leave his job. "In my heart of hearts, I knew it was the right thing to do," said Kaplan, who did not notify authorities in either alleged attack. But Kaplan also spoke glowingly of his former boss, insisting Combs' "infectious vibration" and intense work ethic had helped him grow as an aspiring executive. "I'm a young man and this is a God among men talking to me," Kaplan testified. "He not only pushed me to my depth, he pushed me to depths I didn't even know I had." Agent Reveals Role in Raid Gerard Gannon, a federal agent who searched Combs' 20,000-square-foot Miami mansion in March 2024, testified that he was among 80 to 90 investigators who descended upon the property and found AR-15 components along with sex toys and dozens of bottles of baby oil and lubricant. A police officer during the March 2024 raid on Combs' Miami mansion. A police officer during the March 2024 raid on Combs' Miami mansion. MEGA/GC Images Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) also seized three cellphones found inside a Balenciaga boot, a Gucci pouch stuffed with ketamine and MDMA and a .45-caliber handgun discovered tucked away in a red suitcase. The serial numbers on the disassembled AR-15 components had been defaced, but the high-powered weapons were not operable as found, Gannon said. He displayed the weapons to the jury, as well as one pair of seven-inch red heels found inside Combs' closet. Twelve other pairs of similar stilettos were recovered in all, the agent testified. Attorneys for Combs had previously characterized last year's raid as a "gross overuse of military-level force," but Teny Geragos tried a different tact during cross-examination of Gannon on Tuesday — asking the agent if he owns a gun as a resident of Florida. Gannon, who confirmed he did as part of his federal role, responded to Geragos' questioning as two of Combs' sons entered the courtroom. Combs and his family, meanwhile, were not present at the Star Island mansion during the raid. Gannon said agents waited until the mogul departed for a trip with his relatives prior to executing the search warrant. Case Far From Slam Dunk Despite nearly two weeks of lurid testimony, in which the defense even acknowledged their client as a domestic abuser, the prosecution's top charge of sex trafficking has not yet been proven beyond a reasonable doubt, according to legal analysts who spoke with Newsweek. That is largely due to contemporaneous texts between Ventura and Combs shown in court, which suggest she was a willing participant in the "freak offs" at the time, the analysts said. To that argument, Dr. Dawn Hughes, a forensic psychologist, testified as a prosecution witness, explaining to jurors why some victims stay in abusive relationships, including psychological bonds or deep-rooted love for their partner. "They experience a tremendous amount of shame, humiliation, degradation," Hughes said of sexual abuse victims. "They don't want to talk about it. They don't even want to think about it in their own brain." Hughes, who provided testimony as a so-called "blind expert," had not interviewed Combs or the alleged victims in the case, she acknowledged. Former Combs' employee Capricorn Clark is scheduled testify next when the case resumes on Tuesday, followed by Los Angeles police and fire officials.
