Biden-appointed judge may force Trump to return plane of criminal immigrants
EXCLUSIVE: A Biden-appointed federal judge could decide Wednesday morning that a plane carrying illegal immigrants convicted of serious crimes to South Sudan has to return.
The plane is carrying eight men – all of whom are convicted of crimes ranging from homicide to robbery, according to details exclusively provided by the Department of Homeland Security. The DHS unveiled details of the crimes after U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy threatened to order the return of the migrants at a Wednesday hearing.
“No country on earth wanted to accept [the migrants] because their crimes are so uniquely monstrous and barbaric,” Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said at a press conference Wednesday. “These heinous individuals have terrorized American streets for too long.”
“While we are fully compliant with the law and court orders, it is absurd for a district judge to try to dictate the foreign policy and national security of the United States of America,” McLaughlin said.
INCOMING TRUMP ADMIN, CONGRESS SHOWDOWN LOOMS WITH SOUTH AFRICA OVER SUPPORT FOR RUSSIA, US FOES
Thongxay Nilakout, a Laos citizen who was convicted of first-degree murder and robbery and was sentenced to life behind bars, is also on the flight. He was arrested in January by ICE. Mexican citizen Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez is convicted of second-degree murder, and was taken into ICE custody earlier this month.
Dian Peter Domach of South Sudan is convicted of a DUI, “possession of burglar’s tools and possession of defaced firearm; sentenced to 18 months confinement” and “robbery and possession of a firearm; sentenced to 8 years confinement.” He was arrested by ICE earlier this month.
TRUMP ADMIN MAKES NEW MOVE TO BRING SOUTH AFRICAN REFUGEES TO US AS PRESIDENT BLASTS NATION’S RULERS AGAIN
Two Burmese citizens, Kyaw Mya and Nyo Myint, are also headed to the African nation on the flight. Mya is convicted of “Lascivious Acts with a Child-Victim less than 12 years of age.” He was sentenced to 10 years behind bars, but he was paroled after four years. Myint is convicted of “first-degree sexual assault involving a victim mentally and physically incapable of resisting” and faced 12 years behind bars. He was also charged with “aggravated assault-nonfamily strongarm.” Both were arrested by ICE in February.
Vietnamese citizen Tuan Thanh Phan, a citizen of Vietnam is convicted of “first-degree murder and second-degree assault.”
DHS officials noted at Wednesday’s briefing that the home countries of each of the illegal immigrants refused to take them back to their home soil. The migrants remain in DHS custody, the officials added.
Murphy, appointed by former President Joe Biden, ruled on Tuesday night that the Trump administration must maintain custody of the migrants in case he rules their removal unlawful, and they must be transferred back to the U.S.
TRUMP ADMIN ENDS DEPORTATION PROTECTIONS FOR MASSIVE NUMBER OF VENEZUELANS AMID ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN
Lawyers for illegal immigrants from Myanmar, also called Burma, and Vietnam accused the Trump administration of illegally deporting their clients to third-party countries. They argue the deportations violated Murphy’s previous court order mandating that migrants be granted “meaningful opportunity” to establish that sending them to a third country would make them unsafe.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Murphy previously found that any plans to deport people to Libya without notice would “clearly” violate his ruling regarding third-party deportations, which also applies to people who have otherwise exhausted their legal appeals.
Top Democrat’s COVID testimony lands him a federal criminal investigation
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for allegedly lying to Congress about his decisions made during the COVID-19 pandemic while serving as governor, a source familiar with the probe confirmed to Fox News.
The New York Times first reported that the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington opened the inquiry into Cuomo about a month ago after senior officials in the DOJ demanded an indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams for corruption charges be dismissed.
The DOJ declined to comment to Fox News.
The Trump administration is now in an unusual spot of ending a criminal case against Adams while opening a new case into Adams’ main rival within months of each other.
Cuomo is running in the Democratic primary to serve as the next mayor of New York City, while Adams is seeking re-election as an independent candidate.
HOUSE REPUBLICAN ASKS TRUMP DOJ TO CRIMINALLY PROSECUTE EX-NEW YORK GOV ANDREW CUOMO
“We have never been informed of any such matter, so why would someone leak it now? The answer is obvious: This is lawfare and election interference plain and simple—something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against,” Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s spokesperson told Fox News. “Governor Cuomo testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier, and he offered to address any follow-up questions from the Subcommittee — but from the beginning this was all transparently political.”
The former governor was grilled by Republican lawmakers last year about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. House Republicans subsequently recommended the Justice Department pursue criminal charges against him. They accused him of intentionally lying to Congress during the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the excessive number of nursing home deaths.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., referred Cuomo to President Donald Trump’s Justice Department for criminal prosecution.
BILL MAHER SUGGESTS ANDREW CUOMO’S NURSING HOME SCANDAL MAY COST HIS NYC MAYORAL CAMPAIGN
Cuomo – the Democratic scion now considered the current frontrunner in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary in June – was first referred to the Biden Justice Department for criminal prosecution in October 2024.
Former Rep. Brad Wenstrup, then-chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, said Cuomo made “multiple criminally false statements” to Congress about his handling of the 2020 COVID-19 nursing home death scandal.
Cuomo, who was governor at the time, issued a March 2020 directive that initially barred nursing homes from refusing to accept patients who had tested positive for COVID-19. The directive was aimed at freeing up beds for overwhelmed hospitals.
More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients were released from hospitals into nursing homes under the directive, which was later rescinded amid speculation that it had accelerated outbreaks.
SECOND COVID NURSING HOME DEATH’S CASE AGAINST CUOMO TOSSED
The eight plaintiffs in the case argued that their loved ones contracted COVID-19 in nursing homes and died as a result of the directive. They accused Cuomo and his administration of being civilly liable for their deaths as well as being liable for failing to accurately report the number of nursing home deaths in New York state that resulted from the virus.
Cuomo has previously said that the directive was based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance at the time.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A report released in March 2022 by the New York state comptroller found Cuomo’s Health Department “was not transparent in its reporting of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes” and it “understated the number of deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50%” during some points of the pandemic.
In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi last month, Comer said “to our knowledge, the Biden Administration ignored this referral despite clear facts and evidence.” He requested that Bondi review the referral and “take appropriate action.”
“Andrew Cuomo is a man with a history of corruption and deceit, now caught red-handed lying to Congress during the Select Subcommittee’s investigation into the COVID-19 nursing home tragedy in New York,” Comer said in a statement Monday. “This wasn’t a slip-up – it was a calculated cover-up by a man seeking to shield himself from responsibility for the devastating loss of life in New York’s nursing homes. Let’s be clear: lying to Congress is a federal crime. Mr. Cuomo must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The House Oversight Committee is prepared to fully cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigation into Andrew Cuomo’s actions and ensure he’s held to account.”
CNN’s Tapper slams Hunter Biden as ‘unethical,’ ‘sleazy’ in podcast with Katie Couric
CNN’s Jake Tapper had harsh words for Hunter Biden while discussing the behind-the-scenes cover-up of former President Joe Biden’s mental decline with Katie Couric on Tuesday.
Tapper appeared with Axios reporter Alex Thompson on Couric’s podcast “Next Question” to chat about their book “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.”
While talking about the Biden family, Tapper said he found that Hunter had an undue amount of influence in the White House, “almost like a chief of staff.”
“It’s bizarre because I think he is provably, demonstrably unethical, sleazy and prone to horrible decisions,” Tapper said.
JAKE TAPPER’S PAST COVERAGE OF BIDEN’S COGNITIVE DECLINE UNDER SCRUTINY AHEAD OF HIS NEW BOOK
“Tell me how you really feel,” Couric remarked.
He continued, “Just look at the record: after his brother died, he cheated on his wife with his brother’s widow and then got her addicted to crack. That’s just one thing I could say. I don’t have a lot of personal regard for him…I barely have ever met him. I’ve met him like once or twice.”
By contrast, Tapper said that he had known Biden’s other son Beau before his death and considered him an upstanding citizen. Beau was the heir apparent to the Biden political dynasty, serving as Delaware’s attorney general from 2007 until his death from cancer in 2015, when he was a candidate for governor.
“But Hunter is not [everything Beau was], and the idea of letting him drive the family car, as it were, is just really, really questionable,” Tapper said.
Both Tapper and Thompson remarked on how protecting Hunter from legal consequences was likely one of the factors in the decision for Biden to run for a second term. Thompson added that he believed Hunter at times abused their relationship.
Tapper had initially been reluctant to address issues surrounding Hunter Biden before Biden’s first term, calling some of the allegations against him “too disgusting” to repeat on CNN in 2020.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
However, by 2023, Tapper had begun to aggressively attack the Biden administration regarding Hunter and his questionable foreign business deals.
“Look, I mean, Hunter Biden is who he is. It’s pretty clear who he is,” Tapper said in 2023. “In addition to being an addict, he’s a guy who ethically has – there have been questions raised about his behavior, and I think it’s worth covering.”
He also attacked Biden for lying about his claims that he would not pardon Hunter only to do so in the final weeks of his term.
Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for Hunter Biden for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Hunter Biden separately blasted Tapper in an interview with Breaker on Wednesday, saying he was “furious” with the CNN host for reaching out to him repeatedly while Beau was dying in pursuit of a scoop about the situation. Breaker also reported that Tapper and Hunter Biden had an angry confrontation at the Super Bowl in 2018.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A spokesperson for Tapper denied he had acted thoughtlessly around Beau Biden’s death, noting Tapper was subsequently offered interviews with the president and co-moderated the 2024 debate.
DOJ to dismiss Biden-era lawsuits against two city police departments
The Justice Department on Wednesday said it is dismissing Biden-era lawsuits against the Louisville and Minneapolis police departments and is in the process of unwinding investigations into several other police departments, describing the actions as sweeping and overly broad.
Speaking to reporters on a press call Wednesday, Justice Department Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said DOJ is taking all necessary steps to dismiss “with prejudice” the Louisville and Minneapolis lawsuits, and to close the investigations into the departments – calling them as expensive, overly broad and failing to address the problems they set out to solve.
Many of the consent decrees they reviewed were “reliant on faulty legal theories,” DOJ officials said, though they declined to provide specifics citing the privileged nature of the investigations.
In both Louisville and Minneapolis, Justice Department officials said, the Biden-era lawsuits accused the city police departments of “widespread patterns” of unconstitutional police practices – something DOJ officials attributed to be the result of “wrongly equating statistical disparities with intentional discrimination,” and relying “heavily” on what they said were “flawed methodologies and incomplete data.”
TRUMP WITHDRAWS SLEW OF BIDEN-ERA LAWSUITS TIED TO ABORTION, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, FINANCIAL REGS AND MORE
The U.S. has a long history of so-called consent decrees, which allow federal oversight into the actions of local police departments. They have been used as a means of investigating city police departments in Los Angeles, Calif., Ferguson, Mo., and other places where law enforcement personnel have been accused of using force without justification or otherwise abusing power.
The news comes just four days before the five-year anniversary marking George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in 2020. His death touched off widespread protests and riots across the country, as well as pleas for police department reform.
The consent decree in Louisville was pending approval from a judge. The department was previously investigated following the killing of Breonna Taylor at her apartment in 2020.
The department is also undertaking a review of all pending federal consent decrees opened by DOJ’s Civil Rights Division in recent years, officials said, “with a view to whether they should be concluded.”
AG BONDI DISMISSES DEI LAWSUITS BROUGHT AGAINST POLICE, FIRE DEPARTMENTS UNDER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
Justice Department officials noted these consent decrees often last more than a decade, involve tens of millions in federal funding – while doing little, in the Trump administrations’s view, to solve the underlying problem,
On average, officials said the decrees last more than a decade and carry a hefty price tag, with the average compliance cost for a large department costing roughly $10 million dollars annually.
“That’s over $100 million in taxpayer expense, often without significant impact to the underlying issues that the DOJ identified,” Dhillon said.
JUDGE ON WARPATH PRESSES TRUMP DOJ ON ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION, ANSWERS LEAVE COURTROOM IN STUNNED SILENCE
The Civil Rights Division will also be closing its investigations into, and retracting, the Biden administration’s findings of constitutional violations on the part of police departments in Phoenix, Arizona; Trenton, New Jersey; Memphis, Tennessee; Mount Vernon, New York; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Louisiana state police, officials announced.
“In short, these sweeping consent decrees would have imposed years of micromanagement of local police departments by federal courts and expensive independent monitors, and potentially hundreds of millions of dollars of compliance costs, without a legally or factually adequate basis for doing so,” Dhilon said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Overbroad police consent decrees divest local control of policing from communities where it belongs, turning that power over to unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats, often with an anti- police agenda,” she added.
“Today, we are ending the Biden Civil Rights Division’s failed experiment of handcuffing local leaders and police departments with factually unjustified consent decrees.”
Paige Spiranac names this actor as ‘slowest golfer’ she’s ever played with
Golf influencer Paige Spiranac has built up a massive audience with millions of followers across several social media platforms, and it has afforded her an opportunity to do some amazing things.
Some of those things include hitting the course with the biggest names in Hollywood.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Spiranac said on the “Vanity Index Podcast” on Tuesday that the most famous celebrities she played golf with were Mark Wahlberg and Justin Timberlake.
She said she was in a foursome with the two actors and legend Gary Player. She then revealed who was the “slowest” golfer she has ever played with.
“At Genesis, they did a celebrity Ryder Cup. My partner was Nick Jonas and we played against … Chris Pratt. He was very slow,” Spiranac said. “Might be the slowest golfer I’ve ever played with. Super nice guy, unbelievably slow.
WYNDHAM CLARK APOLOGIZES AFTER FLINGING DRIVER DURING MELTDOWN AT PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: ‘COMPLETELY INAPPROPRIATE’
“We were like four holes behind on a nine-hole little thing. And they were like, ‘You need to speed it up.’ He had all these people around him, and he’d tell like these amazing stories. And we were like, ‘Hit the golf ball.’”
Pratt has been known to play in some pro-ams.
In June 2024, Pratt participated in the Workday Golden Cub Memorial Pro-Am at Muirfield in Ohio. He played with Peyton Manning and PGA Tour star Rory McIlroy.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He also played golf before his wedding to Katherine Schwarzenegger in 2019.
House Speaker reaches tentative SALT cap agreement with blue state Republicans
House Speaker Mike Johnson has reached a tentative deal with blue state Republican lawmakers to boost the cap on state and local tax deductions, or SALT, to $40,000 in President Donald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill,” Republican sources confirmed to Fox News late Tuesday.
The proposed cap – which is up from $30,000 – would be per household for taxpayers making less than $500,000 per year.
GOP HOLDOUTS UNMOVED BY TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ TRIP TO CAPITOL HILL
It remains unclear whether GOP hardliners who oppose raising the SALT cap deductions will sign off on the measure.
FIRST ON FOX: THESE REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS SAY THEY ‘STAND UNITED’ IN SUPPORT OF TRUMP’S ‘ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’
The tentative agreement, first reported by Politico and confirmed by Fox News, comes as House GOP factions have been engaged in high-stakes debates on taxes, Medicaid, and green energy subsidies while crafting the president’s “big, beautiful bill.”
SALT deduction caps primarily benefit people living in high-cost-of-living areas like New York City, Los Angeles, and their surrounding areas.
BLUE STATE REPUBLICANS THREATEN MUTINY OVER STATE AND LOCAL TAXES IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’
Republicans representing those areas have framed raising the SALT deduction cap as an existential issue, arguing that a failure to address it could cost the GOP the House majority in the 2026 midterms.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Meanwhile, Republicans representing lower-tax states are largely wary of raising the deduction cap, believing that it incentivizes blue states’ high-tax policies.
Special agent testifies on what was found inside Diddy’s mansion during 2024 raid
Authorities seized a handgun found inside a suitcase from Sean “Diddy” Combs’ guest house during the raid on his Miami home
. The jury was shown a 45-caliber and the gun pictured had a serial number.
Special agent Gerard Gannon testified that along with the gun, they found a magazine with ammo inside a bag. The agent showed the jury that the magazine had nine bullets in it. He held it up for the jury.
Gannon testified a box of 45-caliber bullets was also found. The prosecution showed a picture of a box of bullets. The former HSI agent then held up the box of bullets for the jury.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Madison Smyser asked Gannon to open the evidence bag containing the gun. He then walked the gun in front of the jury.
Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Dr. Dawn Hughes testified Wednesday that victims will try to placate their abuser in order to stop the violence.
Hughes told the jury when you placate an abuser, you are trying to soothe the abuser and often apologize unnecessarily. The victim will try to do all the things to not get hit by their partner, according to the doctor. Hughes said placating can appear in all facets of a relationship – if you can’t say no to little things, it’s hard to say no to something else.
Cassie testified on May 13 that she couldn’t say no to Diddy at times. Cassie recalled one instance when there was a blow up pool filled with oil she was told to get into. She explained she got in because “you couldn’t say no.” Cassie was concerned about Combs’ temper if she didn’t get in, the singer-songwriter told the jury.
Cassie also testified that Diddy was in control of every “freak off.”
“Every freak off was directed by Sean…,” she told Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson. Combs would tell her where she would be, what the lighting was, etc. During the first “freak off,” Cassie claimed she was wearing an outfit from a sex store, something with “really high platform shoes.” She also wore a masquerade mask.
Cassie told the jury she took ecstasy before the “freak off.” The singer said she was high “so there wasn’t too much feeling…a mixture of dirty and confusion…he’s happy with me, so I did something right…”
She claimed the next “freak off” occurred shortly after. Cassie testified she experienced the same nervousness, “What am I going to do. I can’t say no.” She “ultimately said yes.”
“I didn’t want to make him upset,” she told the assistant U.S. attorney. “I didn’t want to make him angry.”
Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Dr. Dawn Hughes told the jury about trauma bonds during her testimony Wednesday in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial.
Hughes explained that because these relationships start with love, the victims continue to want that feeling. When they are shown that, they want it back, and it creates a psychological attachment called a trauma bond, according to Hughes. The victim loves their partner despite the violence and abuse. When times are good, that creates a very strong bond. Hughes claimed that because the acts are so private and often humiliating, the victim only turns to the abuser, creating a very powerful bond.
The clinical psychologist claimed a trauma bond has a sense of hopelessness and makes a victim feel they are unable to leave.
During cross-examination on May 15, Cassie admitted she kept the “freak offs” a secret from her mom and friends.
She also told Diddy’s defense lawyer, Anna Estevao, that Diddy trusted her with his secrets. The “Me & U” singer explained that she wanted to earn his trust.
Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Dr. Dawn Hughes testified that financial dependence on an abuser is a factor affecting a victim’s ability to leave a relationship. It sabotages a victim’s independence, the clinical psychologist said.
Hughes explained when a victim doesn’t have financial dependence, they are kept on unstable footing.
Cassie Ventura told the jury Sean “Diddy” Combs controlled her entire lifestyle while testifying on May 13.
The singer-songwriter claimed that Combs paid for her entire lifestyle, which included cars, clothing and trips. In addition, the “Last Night” rapper would provide Cassie spending money.
According to Cassie, Diddy would “take things away if she wasn’t doing what she was asked.”
Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Dr. Dawn Hughes
, who is being compensated $6,000 for her time, explained why victims stay in abusive relationships during her testimony Wednesday.
Victims will stay in abusive relationships because a lot of behaviors conspire to keep the victim trapped, according to Hughes. She also testified that in these relationships, there is almost always love, making it difficult for the victim to see their way out. She claimed psychological consequences from the abuse can also prevent a victim from leaving.
Hughes explained to the jury it’s about the power and control of the abuser, not just about the hitting. She continued saying when you are hit or beat up, you feel scared and it’s very hard to take that fear away. When in this high level of fear, Hughes claimed victims can’t take any other things into account – like leaving a relationship.
Hughes defined psychological abuse as the threat of physical violence. This can include intimidation.
Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
After the jury heard from former HSI agent Gerard Gannon, Dr. Dawn Hughes took the stand.
Hughes is a doctor of clinical psychology. She explained to the jury the difference between clinical psychology and physical psychology.
Hughes testified she has treated people suffering from PTSD – including WWII veterans – rape and sexual abuse victims along with people suffering from trauma.
According to the doctor, she specializes in interpersonal violence and traumatic stress.
Hughes explained traumatic stress is the psychological outcome that comes from a traumatic event, like rape or sexual abuse. The clinical psychologist has practiced for 30 years and has treated thousands of victims of sexual abuse.
Hughes testified she is board certified and licensed in various jurisdictions including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and North Carolina. The doctor has testified in court about 60 times.
Hughes explained she does not have personal knowledge of this case and has not reviewed evidence or assessed anyone involved. She confirmed she has not seen any details about what has happened in court. Her role today is to provide “blind testimony.”
Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
HSI special agent Gerard Gannon testified that he did not personally conduct fingerprint analysis on the guns missing serial numbers found during the raid of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Miami home.
During cross-examination, Diddy’s defense lawyer Teny Geragos asked about the ways law enforcement can identify the owner of a gun without a serial number. According to Gannon, you can dust for prints or test for hair and fibers.
Gannon confirmed you can get fingerprints off metals.
The special agent claimed he is not sure if HSI has Diddy’s DNA as he was not present for Combs’ arrest in September of 2024.
Gannon testified he did not personally conduct fingerprint analysis of the guns.
Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Former HSI agent Gerard Gannon testified that at least one individual home at the time of the raids on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ property “wasn’t too happy” and wouldn’t cooperate.
According to Gannon, HSI knew Diddy would not be home the day they executed the search warrant. The special agent testified he was aware the rapper would be at the airport with his family. The plan was to execute the warrant after Combs left, but if plans changed, they would have to execute it with him present.
During the raid, Gannon testified there were six individuals on the property. They were handcuffed until they were identified, according to the special agent. He told the jury “there was one individual who wasn’t too happy” and who wasn’t cooperating when they searched him.
Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Former HSI agent Gerard Gannon’s testimony turned to the master bathroom.
The special agent, who planned out the raid of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ home testified they discovered multiple bottles of baby oil and Astroglide in the closet outside the master bathroom. He testified they seized 25 bottles of baby oil and 31 bottles of Astroglide. The bags of the bottles were in the courtroom for the jury.
Gannon also testified they located a box with the inscription “Puffy” in the master bathroom. Inside was a bag with a clear pill and crystal rock-like substance.
Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Court resumed Wednesday with testimony from HSI special agent Gerard Gannon. The agent helped plan the raid on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ home in 2024 and previously testified about the items they seized.
The jury was shown platform heels found inside Diddy’s home as Gannon testified they also found 12 other pairs of platform heels. The prosecution showed the jury various pairs of other shoes and boots. Inside one of the boots, Gannon claimed they found three cell phones.
They also found a black Gucci bag on top of the dresser. Gannon claimed inside the bag they found an assortment of pills, presumably narcotics, and powder.
Inside the bag were blue, pink, white, and yellow pills, plus a bag of pink pills, a bag of white powder and a container with a white substance inside. Photos of which were shown to the jury.
A $100 bill was also found inside the bag and tested positive for cocaine and ketamine.
Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
The jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial heard from male exotic dancer Sharay Hayes, who the rapper and Cassie allegedly paid for sex, during Tuesday’s testimony.
During cross-examination, Hayes – also known as The Punisher – testified that sex with Cassie was consensual. Criminal defense attorney Duncan Levin explained this strategy is a “risky move.”
“Diddy’s team is using Sharay Hayes to suggest that Cassie’s participation in the ‘freak offs’ was consensual, aiming to undermine her claims of coercion by presenting a third-party witness who described her as willing and engaged,” the former defense attorney for Harvey Weinstein explained. “It’s a classic credibility attack — trying to reframe disturbing power dynamics as mutual behavior — but it’s a risky move.”
“Even if Hayes didn’t see overt resistance, that doesn’t negate the potential for psychological coercion, especially given Cassie’s testimony about control and abuse,” he continued. “Whether the jury buys it depends on how convincingly the prosecution reinforces the idea that consent under manipulation isn’t real consent.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared in court Wednesday as rapper Kid Cudi is expected to testify Wednesday or Thursday.
Diddy wore a light-colored sweater to listen to the eighth day of testimony. The rapper sat at the defense table while his lawyers, the prosecution and Judge Arun Subramanian discussed the upcoming testimony of Dr. Hughes.
During Tuesday’s testimony in Diddy’s sex-trafficking trial, the jury heard from a former HSI agent, a male escort nicknamed The Punisher and Cassie Ventura’s mom.
Male escort Sharay Hayes testified Tuesday that the sexual encounters he experienced with Cassie Ventura
were “consensual.” Hayes claimed he never witnessed Diddy or Cassie use drugs during their alleged “freak offs.” His final “freak off” with the couple was in 2015, where he claimed to experience erectile dysfunction due to Diddy’s aggressive nature.
Regina Ventura, Cassie’s mother, testified that she “memorialized” her daughter’s bruises that she allegedly received from Diddy beatings. Regina testified that Cassie told her that Diddy beat the singer. The jury was then shown photo evidence of Cassie’s bruises.
Special agent Gerard Gannon will continue his testimony Wednesday. The HSI agent helped plan the raid on Diddy’s home in 2024 and has testified that they found weapons with the serial numbers missing.
Fox News’ Maria Paronich and Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
Rapper Kid Cudi is set to testify in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal trial for sex crimes. The Grammy Award-winning artist, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi, was first mentioned in the trial during Cassie Ventura’s testimony. The two dated briefly in 2011, during a break in her relationship with Diddy.
During her testimony, Cassie claimed Diddy allegedly threatened to blow up Cudi’s car during her relationship with him, once he found out they were dating.
Cudi broke out onto the music scene with the release of his song, “Day ‘n Nite,” in 2007. He later released his debut album, “Man on the Moon: The End of Day,” in 2009, which included the song as his lead single.
The rapper has received six Grammy nominations throughout his career, going on to win two in 2012, for his collaboration with Kanye West, Rihanna and Fergie on the song, “All of the Lights.”
The conversation Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former personal assistant, David James, recalled where the rapper allegedly told a business associate, “Cassie is good…I’ve got her right where I want her…,” could be a “window into his mind,” according to a legal expert.
“The jury may be led to believe Diddy intentionally targeted Cassie for abuse and manipulation by exploiting her relative age and immaturity to prey upon her. His statements that he got her where he wanted her is a window into his mind and perhaps intent to make Cassie his personal sex worker,” trial attorney Adanté Pointer told Fox News Digital. “It’s certainly worth noting that an off the cuff comment is not the best evidence as to a persons state of mind as they have to be placed in context of the circumstances surrounding them. Was Diddy intoxicated when made the comment, what was the subject of the conversation it was made in and whether the personal assistant has their own ax to grind against Diddy.”
Pointer, a partner with Lawyers for the People LLC, explained that James’ warning to Cassie to get out of the relationship could be seen “as proof that Cassie was made aware of the danger yet purposefully continued to pursue her romantic relationship with Diddy.”
“The jury may say this evidence is proof she was fully aware of what she was getting into yet continued the relationship clear eyed and purposefully,” he said. “The evidence tends to undercut the idea she was captive and engaged in the purported sex acts against her will. A jury can certainly relate in their own personal lives to being give a warning or seeing a red flag yet making the decision to move forward with a relationship, a job or behavior that can result in negative consequences. This is akin to knowing that driving your car faster than the speed limit can result in tickets, crashes and even death yet the person still decides to speed along the freeway, when a negative consequences takes place, the driver can’t then use ignorance as a shield when they’re busted for speeding.”
While former Danity Kane singer Aubrey O’Day traveled to New York City amid Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial, the musician confirmed she is not testifying.
“No, I’m not here to testify for the Diddy trial, that I know of,” O’Day told T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach in an episode of the trio’s new podcast. The 41-year-old singer revealed she “was contacted by Homeland Security” and “did have a meeting with Homeland Security.”
“I posted on my Instagram that I was here in New York and enjoying myself because I wanted to make it clear to everyone that I am not here testifying,” O’Day added.
O’Day was referring to a video she shared to Instagram announcing she was in New York City.She posted a video on May 14 with the caption, “Hey New York!!! Where y’all think I should head first?” Opening statements began in Diddy’s trial on May 12.
The musician, who appeared on Diddy’s “Making the Band,” added a weighing scale emoji – prompting online speculation she was testifying.
During Tuesday’s testimony, the jury heard from Cassie Ventura’s mom, Regina Ventura, who testified to the alleged abuse her daughter endured at the hands of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Cassie’s mom’s testimony may prove to be a crucial component to the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s case against the disgraced music mogul, according to legal experts.
Los Angeles litigator John J. Perlstein exclusively told Fox News Digital that while “Generally speaking, relatives can be perceived as extremely biased witnesses,” the credibility of the testimony “is largely dependent on the demeanor of the individual.”
“It is irrelevant to the case whether Ventura’s mother spoke to Diddy or not, and would unlikely favor either side. What will be relevant is her testimony regarding the $20,000 payment exchange for keeping sex tapes from being released, which in my opinion, can be very damaging to the defendant as it shows what little value a man of great means placed upon this poor woman.”
In addition to her testimony, the jury was shown emails sent from Cassie to her mom in 2011, alleging Diddy was threatening to release two sex tapes of her, with Regina claiming he also demanded “$20,000 to recoup the money he spent on Cassie.”
Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
Cassie’s mother, Regina Ventura, testified Sean “Diddy” Combs
demanded $20K from the family in 2011. On Tuesday, the jury was shown an email from Cassie to her mother on Dec. 23, 2011.
The email read: “The threats that have been made towards me by Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs are that are that [sic] he is going to release 2 explicit sex tapes of me. One on Christmas Day, maybe before or right after and another one some time after that. He has also said that he will be having someone hurt me and Scott Mescudi physically (he made a point that it wouldn’t be by his hands, he actually said he’d be out of the country when it happened).”
Regina testified Tuesday that she “was physically sick” and did not understand a lot of the email. She claimed the sex tapes threw her, but she understood that Diddy was allegedly going to hurt Cassie.
Regina explained she understood that the “Last Night” singer wanted $20K to recoup the money he spent on Cassie. At the time, Diddy was allegedly angry that Cassie was with another person. It was expected the money would come from Regina and her husband.
Regina claimed they took out a home equity loan to pay Diddy. When Regina received wiring instructions, she wired the money from her checking account to the Bad Boy account. About four to five days later, the money allegedly came back. Regina said she did not have any conversations with Diddy about the money and she does not have a copy of the wiring instructions.
“I was scared for my daughter’s safety,” Regina told Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson.
Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Brain surgeon testifies John O’Keefe’s injuries consistent with fall, not immediate death
Brain surgeon Dr. Aizik Wolf testified on direct examination
that John O’Keefe’s head injuries are “classic blunt trauma” and consistent with “soft tissue [hitting] a solid ground.”
“The only way he could get this kind of an injury was to fall backwards [and] hit the back of his head,” Wolf said. “Then the resulting energy forces [go] into his brain, into the base of his skull.”
Wolf testified O’Keefe did not die immediately after sustaining his head injuries, pointing to O’Keefe’s bruising caused by blood leakage within the skull referred to as “raccoon eyes.”
“I don’t think he died immediately,” Wolf said. “Neither hypothermia, nor this kind of head injury would kill you immediately.”
Following a short line of questioning from special prosecutor Hank Brennan and defense attorney Robert Alessi, Wolf was dismissed from the witness stand.
Following an unexpected pause to speak with the jurors in Karen Read’s trial on Wednesday morning, Judge Beverly Cannone called Court into session.
“I do need to stress for you that it is very very important that no one discusses this case,” Cannone told the jury. “Don’t let anyone talk to you about the case, no comments about the case. We’ve seen how hard the lawyers have worked to pull this case together for you and everybody has given it so much time. So please let’s make sure we follow that.”
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan then went on to call Dr. Aizik Wolf, a brain surgeon, to the witness stand.
Day 20 of
Karen Read’s trial hit a snag Wednesday morning with Judge Beverly Cannone pausing proceedings to speak with each juror individually regarding an unspecified “issue.”
“I’m going to ask [that you] don’t speculate as to what I’m going to talk to you about,” Cannone told the jurors. “Please, when you go back to the deliberation room, talk about anything but this case and I’ll see each of you individually.”
While the reason remains unknown, the development does not necessarily mean a mistrial is imminent. Cannone declared a mistrial in Read’s first case last year after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
“This is almost certainly an individual voir dire of witnesses to determine if they have received [extraneous information], and if so, does it diminish their impartiality?” retired Massachusetts Superior Judge Jack Lu told Fox News Digital. “The reason I can predict this with certainty is because this is a standard drill.”
During jury selection, Cannone opted to empanel six alternate jurors, with most criminal cases only seating up to four.
“This distinguished judge very much anticipated this,” Lu said. “The reason we know this is because she empaneled 18, so there are many spare jurors. That’s a ton of jurors. She knew this would happen. Things are in good hands with Judge Cannone and this is an expected development. I am surprised it has not happened before this, with just one week left of [the] prosecution’s case.”
Judge Beverly Canonne called Court into session Wednesday morning by telling the jurors in Karen Read’s trial that she must speak with each of them individually alongside the attorneys at sidebar due to “an issue.”
“An issue has come to my attention that is going to make it necessary that I talk to each one of you individually over at sidebar with counsel,” Cannone said. “So that process will take a little while. I’m going to ask [that you] don’t speculate as to what I’m going to talk to you about. Please, when you go back to the deliberation room, talk about anything but this case and I’ll see each of you individually.”
Karen Read arrived alongside her defense team at the Norfolk Superior Courthouse for Day 20 of her murder trial.
The prosecution is expected to call Massachusetts State Police forensic scientist Christina Hanley to the witness stand for continued testimony regarding crime scene evidence in Read’s trial.
Karen Read’s defense
revved up its attacks on unexpected new expert findings Tuesday, which contradict the timeline they say proves she didn’t hit boyfriend John O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV and leave him to die in a blizzard in 2022.
Shanon Burgess, an expert on vehicle and phone data from the digital forensics firm Aperture, returned to the stand for a second day of brutal cross-examination with defense attorney Robert Alessi at the wheel.
Alessi pointed out inconsistencies in Burgess’ resume and revealed he got the dates wrong on a timeline that was supposed to be accurate “to the second.” And nothing in Burgess’ findings directly indicated that a fatal crash happened.
“As you sit here today, none of the information in that black box that you referred to on direct testimony indicates that there was a collision on Jan. 29,” Alessi said. “Does it?”
“Not by itself,” Burgess replied.
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan pumped the brakes when he returned for redirect questioning, asking the expert about flaws he had found in a previous analysis that indicated O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, was interacting with his iPhone after the time when prosecutors allege he was fatally struck by the defendant.
The math veered out of alignment, Burgess testified. A defense expert had relied on call logs to synchronize the internal clocks in Read’s Lexus SUV and O’Keefe’s iPhone.
But that doesn’t work, Burgess explained, because the expert used calls that Read made when her car was powered off, so the vehicle’s internal clock had nothing to do with them. Their timing was the product of the internal clock on her smartphone, which he said synced up with the Lexus the next time she turned it on.
Read the full story here.
Karen Read’s trial is resuming Wednesday with continued testimony from Massachusetts State Police forensic scientist Christina Hanley as the prosecution aims to further solidify its timeline.
Read is facing the possibility of life in prison for the alleged murder
of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe.
The Commonwealth, led by special prosecutor Hank Brennan, alleges Read struck O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV in a drunken rage, leaving him to freeze to death in the front yard of 34 Fairview Road in the early morning hours of Jan. 29, 2022. Read’s defense team claims Read dropped O’Keefe off at a party that night and drove off, insisting she never hit O’Keefe with her vehicle.
Fifth of 10 escaped New Orleans inmates recaptured, authorities say
The fifth of 10 inmate escapees who fled a New Orleans jail has been recaptured, authorities said Tuesday.
Corey Boyd, who was briefly spotted last Friday hours after the jailbreak, was taken into custody, the Louisiana State Police said.
Boyd, 19, was captured in New Orleans. He is accused of killing Brandon Fees during a car burglary in 2024.
LOUISIANA JAIL WORKER ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY HELPING 10 INMATES ESCAPE ORLEANS PARISH FACILITY
“Boyd will ultimately be transported to a secure state facility outside of the area and booked for Simple Escape,” the state police said in a Facebook post.
Boyd was originally jailed for second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery and threatening a public official.
7 FUGITIVES REMAIN ON THE RUN AFTER NOLA PRISON BREAK; INSIDE JOB SUSPECTED
The 10 inmates escaped the Orleans Parish Correctional Facility on Friday night, which was recorded on the jail’s surveillance footage. Authorities said they crawled through a hole hidden behind a toilet, scaled and then hopped the jail’s barbed wire fence and then ran across the highway into a neighborhood before changing clothes.
Five other inmates are still at large:
- Lenton J. Vanburen Jr., 26, faces charges of illegal carrying of weapons, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon, obstruction of justice and introducing contraband in prison.
- Jermaine Donald, 42, faces charges of second-degree murder, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice.
- Antoine Massey, 32, faces charges of domestic abuse involving strangulation, theft of a motor vehicle and a parole violation.
- Derrick Groves, 27, faces three counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and battery of a correctional facility employee.
- Leo O. Tate Sr., 31, faces charges of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon, illegal carrying of a weapon, motor vehicle theft and multiple drug counts.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Sterling Williams, 33, a maintenance worker at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, was arrested Tuesday and charged with 10 counts of principal to simple escape and malfeasance in office, according to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office.
Williams said an inmate threatened to shank him if he refused to help with the coordinated escape.