AFP USA

Donald Trump’s signature tax and spending bill was in limbo early Thursday as Republican leaders in the US Congress scrambled to win over a group of rebels threatening to torpedo the centerpiece of the president’s domestic agenda.Trump is seeking final approval in the House of Representatives for his Senate-passed “One Big Beautiful Bill” — but faces opposition on all sides of his fractious party over provisions set to balloon the national debt while launching a historic assault on the social safety net.As midnight (0400 GMT) struck, House Speaker Mike Johnson was still holding open a key procedural vote — the bill’s last hurdle before it can advance to be considered for final approval — more than two hours after it was first called.With no clear sign of the stalemate breaking, his lieutenants huddled in tense meetings behind the scenes with the rebels who had either voted no or had yet to come to the House floor.”We’re going to get there tonight. We’re working on it and very, very positive about our progress,” Johnson told reporters at the Capitol, according to Politico.Originally approved by the House in May, Trump’s sprawling legislation squeezed through the Senate on Tuesday by a solitary vote but had to return to the lower chamber Wednesday for a rubber stamp of the Senate’s revisions.The package honors many of Trump’s campaign promises, boosting military spending, funding a mass migrant deportation drive and committing $4.5 trillion to extend his first-term tax relief.But it is expected to pile an extra $3.4 trillion over a decade onto the country’s fast-growing deficits, while forcing through the largest cuts to the Medicaid health insurance program since its 1960s launch.While moderates in the House are anxious that the cuts will damage their prospects of reelection, fiscal hawks are chafing over savings that they say fall short of what they were promised by hundreds of billions of dollars.Johnson has to negotiate incredibly tight margins, and can likely only lose three lawmakers among more than two dozen who have declared themselves open to rejecting Trump’s bill.- ‘Abomination’ -Republican leaders had been hoping to spend just a few hours on Wednesday afternoon green-lighting the package, although they have a cushion of two days before Trump’s self-imposed July 4 deadline.The 887-page text only passed in the Senate after a flurry of tweaks that pulled the House-passed text further to the right.Republicans lost one conservative who was angry about adding to the country’s $37 trillion debt burden and two moderates worried about almost $1 trillion in health care cuts.Some estimates put the total number of recipients set to lose their health insurance at 17 million, while scores of rural hospitals are expected to close.Legislation in the House has to go through multiple “test” votes before it can come up for final approval, and a majority must wave it through at each of these stages.There were warning signs early in the day as the package stumbled at one of the first steps, with a straightforward vote that ought to have taken minutes remaining open for seven hours and 31 minutes — making it the longest House vote in history.Johnson had made clear that he was banking on Trump leaning on waverers, as he has in the past to turn around contentious House votes that were headed for failure.The president has spent weeks cajoling Republicans torn between angering welfare recipients at home and incurring his wrath.Trump pressured House Republicans to get the bill over the line in a private White House meeting with several holdouts on Wednesday.”What are the Republicans waiting for?,” he posted on his Truth Social platform just after midnight.”What are you trying to prove??? MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT’S COSTING YOU VOTES!!!”House Democrats have signaled that they plan to campaign on the bill to flip the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections, pointing to analyses showing that it represents a historic redistribution of wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest.”Shame on Senate Republicans for passing this disgusting abomination,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters.

Brazilian coffee beans, French champagne and Chinese teas — drinks are a profit driver for US restaurants, but higher import costs have eaten into margins and fed into consumer prices in the three months since President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping global tariffs.A stone’s throw from the White House, a restaurant group that takes pride in dishing up fresh local meat and produce has found itself having to raise prices on its menus.”The reality is, we have to pass along some of those to our guests,” said John Filkins, corporate beverage director at Clyde’s Restaurant Group.”Could be anywhere from 50 cents to $1 on certain wines by the glass, or spirits, or some of our food menu items,” he told AFP.”We’ve seen huge increases in coffee and in teas, and we’re beginning to see some of those increases in food, as well as paper products coming on through as well,” he added.Clyde’s, which opened in the 1960s in Washington, has more than a dozen restaurants in and around the US capital.One of them is The Hamilton in downtown Washington, where drinks prices have ticked up.While management has tried to limit increases, Filkins said this has been tough.Businesses have encountered snarled supply chains and higher costs since Trump imposed fresh tariffs after returning to the presidency in January.In April, the president unleashed his widest-ranging salvo, a 10 percent duty on imports from most trading partners. This is expected to surge to higher levels for dozens of economies.- ‘Low cash, low margin’ -Leaders like Filkins are eyeing a deadline next Wednesday when the steeper tariffs are due to kick in.These are customized to each partner, with the level for European Union products rising to 20 percent and that for Japanese goods jumping to 24 percent unless they strike deals to avert or lower the rates.Filkins warned that the longer tariffs remain in place, the fewer small, independent distributors, importers and restaurants there might be.”The hope is we don’t see tariffs to the extent where we’re seeing them any longer,” he added.”Restaurants are, at the end of the day, typically low cash, low margin,” Filkins said.A typical outfit probably runs “in the single digits in terms of profit margin,” he noted.This means that cutting out 10 percent to 15 percent of their profit for wine by the glass, for example, could prove a significant blow.- 20-30% hikes -Clyde’s sources coffee beans from places like Brazil and Indonesia for its blends, while getting teas from India and China.”Over the course of the last probably six months, we’ve seen about a 20 to 30 percent increase of that cost,” Filkins said.This is partly because suppliers and distributors are not only paying the 10 percent tariff but forking out more due to exchange rates.Imports from China face a 30 percent tariff currently even though Washington and Beijing have temporarily lowered tit-for-tat levies on each other’s goods.Without a deal, products from Indonesia face a 32 percent duty come Wednesday, and the rate for India spikes to 26 percent.”For liquor, beer and wine, most of the wine we import comes from the EU,” Filkins said, noting the impact is biggest on products from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal so far.Yet, his company is trying to hold off passing on additional costs entirely.”Consumers are not comfortable spending more in the current climate,” said Filkins.The world’s biggest economy has fared well after the Covid-19 pandemic, helped by a solid labor market that allowed consumers to keep spending.But economic growth has slowed alongside hiring. Economists are monitoring to see if tariffs feed more broadly into inflation this summer, and households become more selective with purchases.With Trump’s approach of announcing, adjusting and halting tariffs roiling financial markets and fueling uncertainty — forcing businesses to put investments on hold — Filkins hopes for an easing of levies.”It’s hard for all of us to forecast what’s going to happen in the next eight days,” said Filkins. “We can’t base all of our decisions on speculation.”

Even during his federal criminal trial in New York, the descriptions of Sean Combs were frequently those of awe: one former assistant called him “a god among men.””Larger than life,” said witnesses over and over — his accusers included.And that he was, until it all came crashing down.The music and entertainment titan known for his legendary A-list “white parties” had multiple mansions, a private jet, a business empire and scores of accolades.Then in September 2024, he was arrested on sweeping charges including running a criminal ring that allowed him to commit harrowing sexual abuse.And after a two-month long courtroom saga, a jury of 12 New Yorkers on Wednesday found him guilty of two prostitution-related counts — but acquitted him of more serious allegations of racketeering and sex trafficking.The outcome was not what prosecutors had hoped for — a decisive conviction for grave crimes that could have kept him incarcerated for life.Nevertheless, even before the blockbuster proceedings began, Combs’s reputation was in tatters. The 55-year-old still faces dozens of civil lawsuits in which he is accused of lurid abuse.And even his own team’s defense came back to haunt him: the federal judge denied Combs bail as he awaits sentencing, reading back his attorneys’ words in which they conceded again and again that he has a record of violence.- Rebrands upon rebrands -Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records whose proteges included the late Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige, was known as a high-flying, smooth-talking kingpin who ushered hip-hop from the underground to bottle-service clubs.He was continuously rebranding — his monikers include “Puff Daddy,” “P Diddy” and, more recently, “Brother Love.”Court proceedings revealed a much seedier side, casting him as a violent, domineering boss whose inner circle helped him live life with impunity.Even before his arrest, the mushrooming accusations and legal action left many of his businesses reeling. There were symbolic measures as well: the city of New York had rescinded the honorary key they had bestowed upon him.But as was clear outside the courthouse throughout the proceedings, he still has a loyal fan base, especially in the city where he made his name.- Party boy and hip-hop mogul -Born Sean John Combs on November 4, 1969, in Harlem, the artist entered the industry as an intern in 1990 at Uptown Records where he eventually became a talent director.He gained clout as a party planner, which would remain central to his brand.In 1991, he promoted a celebrity basketball game and concert at the City College of New York that ended in a stampede, leaving nine people dead.The event was over-capacity by the thousands and resulted in a string of lawsuits, with Combs blamed for hiring inadequate security.He was fired from Uptown, and founded his own label, Bad Boy Records.Thus began his quick ascent to the top of East Coast hip-hop.The Notorious B.I.G. became the genre’s king following the release of his landmark debut album “Ready to Die” in 1994, up until his shock murder in 1997.Combs boasted a number of major signed acts and production collaborations with the likes of Blige, Usher, Lil’ Kim, TLC, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.He was also a Grammy-winning rapper in his own right, debuting with the chart-topping single “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” and his album “No Way Out.”The smash hit single “I’ll Be Missing You” was a tribute to Biggie. His other major tracks included “It’s All About The Benjamins” and “Been Around the World.”He built an image as a brash hustler with unapologetic swagger, a major producer who also ventured into Hollywood, reality television and fashion. He was known as a ladies’ man — he had a high-profile relationship with Jennifer Lopez.- ‘Next chapters’ -As recently as 2023, Combs was still on top of the world — releasing a new album and taking a victory lap as he accepted lifetime honors including a “global icon” award from MTV.But his star plummeted rapidly in November of that year, when his former partner of 11 years, Casandra Ventura, filed a civil suit with a litany of allegations including a 2018 rape.Combs settled the suit almost immediately, but months later, it became clear that federal investigators were trailing him.His mansions were raided and many possessions seized. Then came his arrest and, nearly eight months later, his high-stakes federal trial.Combs’s defense conceded that he committed brutal violence. But they insisted that those instances did not amount to the extensive charges he faced — and won.Combs routinely brought self-help books or Bible passages with him to the courtroom, and his lawyers argue he’s an evolving man.He has six adult children, and a two-year-old named Love Sean Combs.”He’s been given his life back,” his attorney Marc Agnifilo said Wednesday.”He’s going to have next chapters of his life.”

Since immigration police raided his car wash near Los Angeles last month, Jose has been constantly watching the video feeds from his 11 surveillance cameras.The raid carried out by federal agents outraged the 25-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear that his business, which employs many undocumented Latin American migrants, will be targeted again. “It felt like racial profiling,” he said while showing AFP footage of the operation in Downey, a suburb of Los Angeles.In the videos, immigration officers chase and capture two car wash workers with dark complexions.Meanwhile, a lighter-skinned colleague calmly got into his car and drove away without being stopped.The two men arrested have no criminal records, with one of them working at the car wash for nearly 20 years, Jose said.”Our 10 workers that day were undocumented, they could have arrested any one of them,” he told AFP.Jose said he felt it was “not a coincidence” that the two arrested workers had darker skin than the others.A month after Los Angeles was rocked by protests against sweeping immigration raids carried out by the administration of Republican President Donald Trump, the second-largest US city has returned to calm even as raids continue in the region.In Montebello, near Downey, a raid on an auto body shop sparked criticism against aggressive immigration officers.Witness videos showed an employee being pushed against a gate. He shouted “I’m American, bro!” before being released.- Profiling? – “I believe that they are racially profiling people, which is unconstitutional. They are almost just driving around looking for people who look Mexican,” said Mario Trujillo, a Downey councilman who recorded about 15 raids in June.The Trump administration has emphatically rejected the accusation.”Any claims that individuals have been ‘targeted’ by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically FALSE,” said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security.”We know who we are targeting ahead of time,” she said, adding that agents were working “to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets.”Preliminary figures from last month’s arrests appear to contradict her statement.According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) figures obtained by the Deportation Data Project, which collects US immigration enforcement data, 722 migrants were arrested in Los Angeles and the surrounding area from June 1 to 10. An analysis by the Los Angeles Times showed that 69 percent of those arrested had no criminal convictions, and 58 percent had never been charged with a crime.”This administration lied to us. They’re not targeting criminals. They’re going for people walking on the street, workers that look undocumented, Latino,” Trujillo said. “That’s why people are getting mad.”Six Republican California state senators sent a letter to Trump last week, expressing concern over “raids targeting violent criminals, which have resulted in non-criminal migrants being swept up as well.””ICE raids are not only targeting undocumented workers, but also creating widespread fear among other employees, including those with legal immigration status. This fear is driving vital workers out of critical industries,” the letter said.In Downey, several Latin American migrants told AFP they now carry their immigration documents when they go out, for fear of arrest because of their appearance.”Permanent residents like us are not safe either,” said a 23-year-old Mexican worker at another car wash, despite her having permission to be in the country.

His gaze to the ceiling in exultation and hands miming prayer, Sean Combs appeared overjoyed as the jury foreman declared the music mogul not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking charges, thus taking a life sentence in prison off the table.Combs, 55, was still convicted on two lesser counts related to prostitution, and could serve time. But he and his lawyers hailed the day as a win.Defense attorney Teny Geragos’s eyes welled with tears before jurors had even finished reading the full verdict, clutching Combs’s hand before embracing her co-attorney Marc Agnifilo.Combs, who has been seen in court reading books including “The Power of Positive Thinking,” contained himself as the judge thanked jurors, but his relief was palpable.He was later captured by a sketch artist having fallen to his knees, his face buried in the chair he sat in for two months listening to weeks of testimony that cast him as a serial predator and master manipulator with violent impulses. His lawyer and prosecutors then made competing arguments as to whether he should be released on bond pending his sentencing.When Judge Arun Subramanian rhetorically asked whether or not Combs wants to return to the notorious Brooklyn prison where he has been held since September 2024, he rapidly shook his head.Before retiring to a courthouse holding cell to await the judge’s decision, Combs voiced thanks and love to his family members, who have been a regular presence during the proceedings.He also softly pumped his fists in his lap and mouthed his thanks to the jury.- ‘Disturbing reality’ -It was a jubilant scene for a defense team that spent weeks picking apart harrowing testimony from women who said Combs abused and forced them into sexual marathons with male escorts.The details were often difficult to hear, as was photo and video evidence of brutal beatings the women said Combs had subjected them to.The defense never denied the violence, or the sex — encounters that prosecutors said met legal thresholds for crimes including sex trafficking, forced labor and drug distribution.Government attorneys argued that Combs led a criminal organization of loyal employees who helped him carry out those crimes and many others with impunity.But the defense dismissed, and even mocked, those allegations. And jurors took their side.It was a major blow for federal prosecutors, who appeared somber as they left the room while the defense celebrations were ongoing.Outside the courthouse, crowds of Combs supporters along with hordes of influencers and content creators — who have been a constant feature of the proceedings — created a circus of sorts, prompting police to barricade the plaza just outside the building.Many of those celebrated with an air of “told you so” — and eagerly crowded the courthouse hoping to catch a glimpse of Combs.- Bail debate -Ahead of the bail hearing, the US Attorney’s Office that brought the charges released a serious statement that stood in stark contrast with the chaos outside.”Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society,” read the statement. “Victims endure gut-wrenching physical and mental abuse, leading to lasting trauma.”Combs ultimately was denied bail — in relative terms, a minor disappointment on one of the most pivotal days of his life.If slightly deflated, he sat stoically as the teams debated the decision into the evening.Agnifilo called him a “remarkable prisoner” who had “lived up to his obligations.”Prosecutor Maurene Comey countered that Combs is an “extremely violent man with an extraordinarily dangerous temper who has shown no remorse and no regret.”Combs waved at the judge as if he had something to say, but then huddled with his lawyers. He ultimately didn’t take the mic.His return to prison awaiting sentencing was not particularly unexpected.Outside, Agnifilo dubbed the day a “major step in the right direction,” vowing that Combs would one day walk free.

Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was found not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking Wednesday but convicted of a less serious prostitution charge after a high-profile marathon trial in New York.Combs was denied bail after the jury found him guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.But the 55-year-old hip-hop pioneer — once one of music’s most powerful figures — was acquitted of a major racketeering charge and two sex trafficking charges that could have sent him to prison for life.Combs bowed his head, quietly pumping his fists in his lap and bringing his hands together in prayer as the verdict was read out. At one point, he looked towards the ceiling, appearing to express deep relief.He shook hands with one of his lawyers and mouthed thanks to the eight-man, four-woman jury as they filed out of the courtroom.He then fell to his knees at the defense table, where he had spent two months wondering if he would live out his days in a cell.The verdict came after seven weeks of intense testimony, during which prosecutors accused Combs of being the boss of a decades-long criminal enterprise, directing loyal employees and bodyguards to commit myriad offenses at his behest.Jurors had been deadlocked on the racketeering charge on Tuesday — but Judge Arun Subramanian instructed them to keep working.Combs’s jubilance was deflated somewhat after the judge denied his request to be released on bail pending sentencing.Subramanian cited his confessed history of domestic violence in the decision — a defense that proved vital in his acquittal on key charges, but came with a price.”Domestic violence is violence,” Subramanian said.- Former partners testified -Along with racketeering, Combs was charged with sex trafficking two women: singer Casandra Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane.Both were in long-term relationships with the entrepreneur, and they each testified about abuse, threats and coercive sex in graphic detail.They both said they felt obligated to participate in sexual marathons with hired men directed and sometimes filmed by Combs.Combs’s lawyers insisted the sex was consensual. They conceded domestic violence was a feature of his relationships — footage of him beating and dragging Ventura was shown in court.Yet while disturbing, his actions did not amount to sex trafficking, the defense said. Jurors ultimately agreed.Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, released a statement saying she had made an “indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice.””She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion,” read the statement.”We’re pleased that he’s finally been held responsible for two federal crimes,” Wigdor told journalists outside the courthouse.Combs’s family members, present throughout the trial that began in early May, clapped and cheered for him in court when the verdict was handed down.- Sentencing -Combs has been incarcerated at a notorious Brooklyn prison since he was arrested in September 2024.And following the judge’s ruling he will stay there until sentencing. The judge proposed October 3, but said he was open to expediting the process, which the defense said they wished.The convictions confirm that Combs transported both Ventura and Jane for purposes of prostitution during the sometimes days-long sex parties.It was the fourth time in less than a year that Combs was denied bail — but not without an impassioned plea from Agnifilo.”He is a man who is in the process of working on himself. He’s been a model prisoner,” the attorney said, saying that Combs had applied to a New York treatment program for abusive partners.Agnifilo also said the case was “unique” enough to warrant an exception to the detention pending sentencing that his conviction would normally require.”The only thing exceptional” about Sean Combs “is his wealth, his violence and his brazenness,” clapped back prosecutor Maurene Comey.”He’s an extremely violent man with an extraordinarily dangerous temper who has shown no remorse and no regret for his multiple victims,” she said.Ventura’s lawyer Wigdor had also filed a letter to the court on behalf of her, urging the judge not to grant bond.”Combs is likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case,” read the letter.

A Tennessee man who plotted to kill FBI agents who investigated his role in the January 2021 assault on the US Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday.Edward Kelley, 36, was convicted by a jury in November of conspiracy to murder federal employees and other charges.Kelley planned to attack the FBI office in the Tennessee city of Knoxville using car bombs and incendiary devices attached to drones, and assassinate FBI employees in their homes or in public places, according to the Justice Department.”Kelley developed a ‘kill list’ of law enforcement and distributed the list — along with videos containing images of his targets — to a co-conspirator,” the department said in a statement.Kelley was among the more than 1,500 people pardoned by Trump who were convicted or facing charges over the January 6, 2021 attack on Congress.He was among the first rioters to enter the Capitol building and was convicted of assaulting police officers, destroying government property and other charges.Kelley’s lawyer argued ahead of his trial for the murder plot that Trump’s pardon should also apply to the charges in the case, but prosecutors rejected the claim.”The defendant’s conduct in this case was unrelated in both time and place to the events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol,” they said in a court filing.”This case is about the defendant’s entirely independent criminal conduct in Tennessee, in late 2022, more than 500 miles away from the Capitol: threatening, soliciting, and conspiring to murder agents, officers, and employees of the FBI.”

A US senator renewed calls Wednesday for a bribery investigation into Paramount following its $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump over a lawsuit the entertainment giant initially described as meritless.The president had sued the CBS News parent company for $20 billion, claiming the “60 Minutes” program had deceptively edited an interview with his 2024 election rival Kamala Harris in her favor.The suit is described by Trump’s critics as part of a broader assault on press freedom that has seen him bar The Associated Press from the Oval Office and sue other media organizations over their coverage.Paramount nevertheless entered into mediation in a bid to placate Trump, as it seeks to close its $8 billion merger with the entertainment company Skydance, which needs federal government approval.”With Paramount folding to Donald Trump at the same time the company needs his administration’s approval for its billion-dollar merger, this could be bribery in plain sight,” said Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat.”Paramount has refused to provide answers to a congressional inquiry, so I’m calling for a full investigation into whether or not any anti-bribery laws were broken.”Warren was among three senators who wrote to Paramount Global Chair Shari Redstone in May with bribery concerns over the company’s efforts to settle the suit, calling for a congressional probe.Republicans control both chambers of Congress, limiting the power of Democrats to investigate or compel answers from witnesses.The senators’ letter came after CBS News head Wendy McMahon and “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens quit over Paramount’s handling of the showdown with Trump. – ‘Surrender’ -The company initially called the suit “completely without merit” and sought to have it dismissed.It said in a statement to AFP the $16 million would go toward Trump’s future presidential library rather than to him personally, and added that the settlement did not include an apology. “Companies often settle litigation to avoid the high and somewhat unpredictable costs of legal defense, the risk of an adverse judgment that could result in significant financial or reputational damage, and the disruption to business operations that prolonged legal battles can cause,” it added.But US senator Bernie Sanders, a co-signatory of Warren’s letter to Paramount, accused the company of emboldening Trump in his attacks on the media for the sake of its bottom line.”It’s pretty obvious why Paramount chose to surrender to Trump,” he said in a statement. “The Redstone family is in line to receive $2.4 billion from the sale of Paramount to Skydance, but they can only receive this money if the Trump administration approves this deal.”Trump accused CBS of airing two different snippets from the same answer that Harris, then vice president, gave about Israel, to help her in her election campaign.Legal experts have argued that the lawsuit would have been an easy victory in court for CBS, which made public an unedited transcript of the Harris interview.And media watchers have pointed out that Trump routinely takes part in interviews that are edited for all manner of reasons, often in his favor. ABC News, owned by Disney, agreed to donate a similar amount to the Trump presidential library in its own settlement with the president late last year.Trump had contended that star ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos had defamed him by asserting that Trump had been found liable for rape in a civil lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, when he was found liable for sexual abuse.Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, called the Paramount settlement “a sad day for press freedom.” “This was a frivolous lawsuit and the payment being described as a ‘settlement’ bears no relation to Paramount’s actual legal exposure in the case, which was negligible,” he said in a statement.”Paramount should have fought this extortionate lawsuit in court, and it would have prevailed.” 

Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was found not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking Wednesday but convicted of a less serious prostitution charge after a high-profile marathon trial in New York.The jury, after 13 hours of deliberation, found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.But the 55-year-old hip-hop pioneer was acquitted of a major racketeering charge and two sex trafficking charges that could have sent him to prison to life.Combs bowed his head, quietly pumping his fists in his lap and bringing his hands together in prayer as the verdicts were read out. At one point, he looked towards the ceiling, appearing to express deep relief.He shook hands with one of his lawyers, who embraced each other — two of them teared up in joy — and mouthed thanks to the eight-man, four-woman jury as they filed out of the courtroom.He later fell to his knees at the defense table, where he had spent two months wondering if he would live out his days in a cell.The relatively quick verdict came after seven weeks of at-times excruciating testimony, in which prosecutors had accused Combs of being the boss of a decades-long criminal enterprise, directing loyal employees and bodyguards to commit myriad offenses at his behest.Jurors announced they had reached a partial verdict late Tuesday and said they were deadlocked on the racketeering charge — but Judge Arun Subramanian instructed them to keep working.Combs, once one of the most powerful figures in the music industry, had vehemently denied all charges.- Family celebrate -Along with racketeering, Combs was charged with sex trafficking two women: singer Casandra Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane.Both were in long-term relationships with the entrepreneur, and they each testified about abuse, threats and coercive sex in graphic detail.They both said they felt obligated to participate in sexual marathons with hired men directed and sometimes filmed by Combs.Combs’s lawyers insisted the sex was consensual. They conceded domestic violence was a feature of his relationships — one harrowing example of him beating and dragging Ventura was caught on security footage that has been widely publicized.Yet while disturbing, his actions did not amount to sex trafficking, the defense said. Jurors ultimately agreed.Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, released a statement saying she had made an “indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice.””She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion,” read the statement.”We’re pleased that he’s finally been held responsible for two federal crimes, something that he’s never faced in his life,” Wigdor told journalists outside the courthouse.Combs’s family members, present throughout the trial that began in early May, clapped and cheered for him in court.His mother waved at cameras as she left the building with a smile. Influencers and YouTubers have scurried around the court complex throughout the trial, jumping on livestreams to offer hot takes and conspiracy theories.”The mainstream media is so mad right now that a Black man isn’t going down!” shouted one content creator.- Bail? -Combs has been incarcerated at a notorious Brooklyn prison since he was arrested in September 2024.The defense immediately requested that he be released on bond — they suggested $1 million — and be permitted to travel between Miami, Los Angeles, and New York while he awaits sentencing.They said they would hand over his passport to court officials.The judge is expected to rule on the matter during proceedings set to begin at 5:00 pm (2100 GMT). “He would be nothing short of a fool, which he is not, to violate any conditions the court set,” defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said, adding that Combs “treasures” the “opportunity he has been given.”The guilty findings confirm that Combs transported both Ventura and Jane for purposes of prostitution during the sometimes days-long sex parties.Lead prosecutor Maurene Comey opposed Agnifilo’s bond request on that basis, accusing the defense of trying to “downplay the seriousness” of the convictions.In a letter filed to the court, prosecutors calculated that he should serve at least four to just over five years in prison based on federal sentencing guidelines, a range that could increase after taking all evidence into account, they said.He should remain behind bars until his sentencing, they urged, calling him a flight risk with a history of violence and abuse against women and a “habitual drug user.”

A 30-year-old man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to murdering four students in the US state of Idaho in an agreement with prosecutors that allowed him to avoid the death penalty — and enraged some relatives of the victims.Bryan Kohberger, a former criminology student, was facing trial in August for the November 2022 stabbing deaths that rocked the small town of Moscow and made national headlines.University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were attacked around 4:00 am while they slept in their off-campus group house and stabbed to death.Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder at a hearing on Wednesday in the city of Boise.”Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty?” Judge Steven Hippler asked.”Yes,” Kohberger replied.The judge also acknowledged that some relatives were upset with the plea agreement reached between prosecutors and defense lawyers that took the death penalty off the table.”This court cannot require the prosecutor to seek the death penalty, nor would it be appropriate for this court to attempt to do that,” Hippler said.Sentencing was set for July 23. Kohberger faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Goncalves family, in a statement shared by their lawyer, expressed outrage over the plea agreement.”After more than two years, this is how it concludes with a secretive deal and a hurried effort to close the case without any input from the victims’ families on the plea’s details,” the family wrote.The Goncalves family had demanded the death penalty, and successfully advocated for the passage of a new law in Idaho which allows death row inmates to be executed by firing squad.On a Facebook page, the Goncalves family called the plea deal “shocking and cruel.””Bryan Kohberger facing life in prison means he would still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world. Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever,” they said.Kohberger was arrested and charged after investigators found his DNA on a knife sheath recovered at the crime scene.A video showed a car similar to Kohberger’s driving in the victims’ neighborhood around the time of the murders.No motive for the murders was ever established.At the time of the murders, Kohberger was studying for his PhD in criminology at Washington State University, about nine miles (15 kilometers) away from Moscow, across the state border.