— The name of a Lady Whistledown-style pamphlet from 1746. It was the squawk of the town.
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Caught on Camera
The Story
The fallout continues days after a video of Sean “Diddy” Combs emerged showing him beating his ex-girlfriend. The details are disturbing and can be triggering for some readers.
Catch me up.
A 2016 surveillance video shows Combs dragging, kicking, and throwing a vase at R&B singer Cassandra Ventura, known as Cassie. The recording, obtained by CNN, appearsto match some of the claims of physical abuseVenturamade in a lawsuit she filed against themusic mogul last year. They settled the suit the next day. It didn’t end there as others filed lawsuits against the rapper in the following months, and he currently faces a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation. Combs denied Ventura's allegations of abuse until yesterday.
What happened?
In a video apology, Combs said he was “truly sorry”and called his actions “inexcusable.” He added that he went to “therapy and rehab” after the incident. Ventura’s attorney said Combs only apologized “once his repeated denials were proven false.” Still, Combs cannot be criminally prosecuted for the assault due to the statute of limitations expiring years ago. Venturareceived supportive messages on social media after the video surfaced, with many noting her courage in speaking up.
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It took a video for Combs to own up to his alleged misconduct after months of denying his assault on Ventura. Though he won’t face legal repercussions for this 2016 incident, his actions could push federal investigators to put him under closer scrutiny.
Iran. This morning, Iranian state media reported that their president, Ebrahim Raisi, and other officials died after a helicopter crashed. This comes after state media reported bad weather forced the helicopter to make a “hard landing” on Sunday. The incident comes at a precarious time for Iran amid the Israel-Hamas war and high tensions in the region. Since becoming president in 2021, Raisi has squashed anti-government protests and tightened morality laws. He has been widely viewed as a possible successor to the country’s supreme leader, who sits at the top of the Iranian government. With Raisi's death, Iran’s first vice president will take control and an election would be held within 50 days.
Who was behind the podium…
President Biden. Yesterday, the president gave a commencement speech at Morehouse College. It’s a historically Black men’s college in the key swing state of Georgia. The speech gave the president an opportunity to pitch himself to young Black voters as he looks to keep the White House in November. Biden reiterated his calls for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, and told the graduates he heard their protests over the Israel-Hamas war. As he spoke, some students turned their backs or held Palestinian flags, but there weren't any noticeable interruptions. Biden also made democracy a key part of his speech saying, “in a democracy, we debate and dissent about America's role in the world.”
What’s under a microscope…
The Las Vegas Aces. The WNBA said it’s investigating the two-time defending champions’ sponsorship deal with theLas Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority(LVCVA).Every player on the team’s roster agreed to a two-year deal with LVCVA and will get $100,000 annually. The deals don't violate the WNBA's salary cap since they were brokered directly with the players' agents and not through the team. The league did not specify why it is investigating, but the deal could reportedly be seen as a financial advantage that other teams couldn't offer. This comes amid a larger conversation around pay disparity in the WNBA, with Aces’ rookies reportedly earning $67,000 a year.
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How to handle a sky-high credit card balance.
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Wake your brain up this Monday with a game of Flipart. Just rotate the pieces to fit within the frame and get ready to feel the rush when they all fall into place. Get into it.
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