Author: business

Lawsuit says Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs tied to 2022 shooting, LAPD says no

An 18-page Los Angeles Police Department report of the shooting exclusively obtained by USA TODAY makes no mention of the bloody scene

LOS ANGELES ― Producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr. says he was two feet from a closed bathroom door inside Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Los Angeles music studio when shots rang out on September 12, 2022.

When the door opened, Combs and his son, Justin Dior Combs, allegedly walked out, leaving a third man bleeding on the floor in a fetal position with gunshot wounds, Jones says in a civil lawsuit.

Jones says he rushed in, put pressure on a wound to the victim’s torso and lifted him onto the toilet seat, instructing an assembled crowd to call 911. He then carried the victim, a musician nicknamed “G,” to the front of Chalice Recording Studios to await an ambulance, Jones’ lawsuit claims. The man survived.

Photos included in the suit show blood dripping from the toilet seat down the side of the bowl, more blood on the floor, clothing strewn on and near the toilet, and stained and crumpled paper towels. Jones also says he still has the clothing he was wearing that day, which may still have the victim’s DNA on it.

But an 18-page Los Angeles Police Department report of the shooting exclusively obtained by USA TODAY makes no mention of the bloody scene.

Instead, it shows that police focused their efforts on an altercation outside the studio. The report paints a far different picture than the one described in Jones’ suit and raises questions about what really happened. Did the shooting follow an argument among the three men inside the building, as Jones suit alleges? Or was it the result of an attempted robbery outside that had nothing to do with the music mogul, as the police report indicates?

According to Jones, Combs insisted that he tell the police “G” had been shot in a drive-by outside, rather than after “a heated conversation” inside.

In a letter to Jones’ lawyer, Tyrone A. Blackburn, which was filed as an exhibit in the case, attorney Jonathan D. Davis called Jones’ allegations “bald-faced lies,” saying: “Mr. Combs and his son were never suspects, never investigated and never interviewed by police.”

The police report obtained by USA TODAY confirms that Sean Combs was inside the studio when the shooting occurred but doesn’t list him or his son among the people questioned.

Blackburn says there’s a reason for that.

“As we’ve said from the beginning,” he said, “this was a huge coverup.”

Davis did not return a telephone call from USA TODAY. One of Combs’ lead civil attorneys, Erica A. Wolff, did not immediately return phone or email messages.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department said detectives were unavailable and told a reporter to file a records request.

The shooting victim could not be reached. USA TODAY is not publishing his name because he was the victim of a violent crime.

More: Diddy arrest punctuates long history of legal troubles: Unraveling old lawsuits, allegations

Combs faces charges but not for Chalice Studios shooting

Jones worked as a producer on Combs’ 2023 “The Love Album: Off the Grid.”

In September 2024, more than six months after Jones’ civil suit was filed, Sean Combs was arrested on federal criminal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs, who has been in custody ever since, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His trial is scheduled to begin May 5.

Jones’ suit remains pending in the Southern District of New York. In the complaint, Blackburn stated that he has spoken with several other witnesses who would corroborate that the shooting occurred inside, but declined to name them.

Blackburn has also voluntarily removed several record companies and executives initially named as defendants from the lawsuit. In December 2024, U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken denied their attorneys’ motion for sanctions against Blackburn, saying there was “insufficient evidence for the Court to conclude that he has engaged in a pattern of bad faith.” Last month, Oetken dismissed five of Jones’ nine claims, including racketeering. The judge allowed claims of sexual assault, sex trafficking and failure to keep property safe to move forward. The judge warned Blackburn that he cannot use the federal charges against Combs as evidence of guilt.

Sean Combs also faces dozens of civil lawsuits alleging sexual assaults dating back to the 1990s.

One of them was filed by his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who can be seen being physically assaulted by Combs on surveillance video from a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. Combs’ legal team has alleged the video, made public by CNN in 2024, had been altered. CNN has denied the allegation.

Ventura’s suit, which Combs settled for an undisclosed amount the day after it was filed, alleged that at the time of the incident, Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the footage. Other ongoing civil suits allege that he has paid off and coerced victims and witnesses not to talk about sexual assaults and other criminal behavior ― claims Combs’ attorneys have repeatedly denied.

More: Diddy pleads not guilty again, shocks with new look in court

Four men have been charged with the shooting and attempted robbery of “G”, along with a string of other crimes over an 11-month period beginning in December 2021, according to information filed in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County.

According to the police report obtained by USA TODAY, one of those men, Rudolph Flowers, allegedly shot “G” as he got into his car about half a block from Chalice Studios, where he had just left “a meet and greet for up-and-coming artists (and) industry people.” Afterward, the victim ran back to the studio for help and was sitting in a black folding chair outside when police arrived, the report says.

Police collected surveillance video from a nearby business that showed “G” struggling with another man as he got into his car, but not the shooting itself. The report does not indicate any attempt by officers to obtain security camera footage from Chalice Studios.

Flowers and the three other men have pleaded not guilty. Charges against a woman initially charged in the case have been dismissed, according to court records.

More: Diddy, City College and the infamous night in 1991 when 9 people died

A chaotic scene and a ghost gun

Before a hearing in the case against Flowers on April 4, a reporter asked prosecutors about the possibility that “G” was shot inside Combs’ studio. One of them said the reporter was “barking up the wrong tree.”

The police report that forms the basis for the charges describes a chaotic scene.

It says the victim and a woman had just left Chalice Studios and were getting into his car when a masked man armed with a gun jumped into the passenger seat. The woman left and the victim struggled for the gun and grabbed it. When he got out of the car, “there was another suspect,” the report says.

“It was then that he realized he was shot but could not recall if it happened inside the car or when he had got out onto the street,” the report says. The victim then ran back toward the studio for help.

The victim said he had been wearing a gold Rolex but had not been “showing it off.”

“During the shooting, rapper Sean Combs (Puff Daddy) was present in the studio,” the report says. “Officers believe that (the victim) may have been part of Sean Combs’ entourage.”

The report also stated: “(The victim) said he had no arguments or confrontations with anyone inside.”

The report says surveillance video from a nearby business showed a man in dark clothing heading toward the victim’s car and “an altercation” in the street. The video did not record sound, and the report makes no mention of muzzle flashes being visible on it. A witness told officers he heard two shots and saw a man run to a car where another man was waiting. A second witness told police he heard three shots and saw “two different muzzle flashes that appeared to be shooting at each other.”

The officers who initially responded to the scene found blood on the doorjamb of the victim’s car and on rear driver’s side door, the report says.

About 10-to-15 feet from where the victim was first treated, police also found a “ghost gun” ― an illegal weapon without a serial number. The weapon had blood spots on it and was located “near a small plant like it was trying to be concealed.”

After telling the officers what happened, the victim, who was in pain, “refused to answer questions and became irate upon further questioning. (He) stated he was not involved in an altercation with anyone at the location and did not know who may have shot him.” The report mentions that the man was treated for one gunshot wound. Jones contends there were two.

The victim told officers he had not been carrying a gun that night, but according to the report, they didn’t believe him.

“Officers believe that (the victim) was in possession of a concealed unregistered “ghost gun due to … statements of two different muzzle flashes of firearms shooting toward each other, (the victim’s) vicinity to where the firearm was located and the way the firearm was placed in order to conceal it from officers,” the report says.

Online court records do not show any pending criminal charges against the man in connection with the illegal gun.

Gina Barton is an investigative reporter at USA TODAY who covers criminal justice. Will Carless is a national correspondent and reported from Los Angeles. Reach them on X, @writerbarton and @willcarless.

April 15, 2025
Melinda French Gates book ‘The Next Day’ tackles transitions, divorce
- On letting go: “It isn’t necessarily easy. We like comfort. We like routine. But it makes space for something else I might not know yet.”
- On aging: “We used to think of women in that they got to a certain age and they are over the hill or something … but we have so much wisdom in this age.”
- On parenting: “I finally learned the good enough parent, I always had this concept of this perfect parent. But the perfect parent is a myth.”
- On Mom guilt: “I learned rupture and repair. Even times I make mistakes, I have to take responsibility for them.”
When Melinda French Gates shares a story, she makes you feel like a best friend is letting you in on a secret.

Her new book, “The Next Day: Transitions, Changes and Moving Forward,” (Flatiron, 176 pp. out now) isn’t so much a memoir or an advice book, but what feels like a walk with a smart friend, one who takes counsel and shares hard-won advice. She also doesn’t feel the need to tidy it all up or offer all the answers.

“I wrote this in the middle,” she tells USA TODAY in a call from her office outside Seattle. “I’ve gone through some difficult times, and rather than writing safely from the other side, I wanted to write about when you are in those transitions.”

Her book tells stories from what she calls the hardest decision of her life: The end of her 27-year marriage to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. It also covers leaving for college, motherhood and guilt, her departure from the Gates Foundation last year, and why Alexis Carrington from “Dynasty” was a childhood role model.

The book is honest but doesn’t feel confessional. It isn’t a tell-all. She shares without oversharing. And she shares with the intent of helping. It’s the perfect book club book.

French Gates is a philanthropist, businesswoman and advocate for women and girls. In 2019, she committed $1 billion over 10 years to expand women’s power and influence. Last May, French Gates announced that as the first step in the next chapter of her philanthropy, she is committing an additional $1 billion through 2026 to advance women’s power globally. Her three children are now grown and she is a grandmother to two.

And at 60, she says, she’s still in transition – and that’s exciting.

“Even on your darkest and hardest days, even when it’s scary or it feels horrible, there will be a better time. There will be a time when I will look back at this, and there must be something in here that will be beautiful,” she says. “Maybe I’m learning something. I try to say to myself now in the uncomfortable transitions, ‘It’s good to be uncomfortable.’ I have been through this before. I’ve been through change, not this kind of change. But I was better last time when I came out the other side.”

In life’s challenges, there are women who say “I had to go through it, so you should too,” and there are women who say, “I had to go through it, so I’ll work to make sure you don’t.” In her new book, French Gates shows she clearly is the latter. She hopes the book is helpful.

The thrill, she says, is in hearing what happens after she writes her books. “The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World,” published in 2019, spawned a series of books sharing more stories of inspiring women.

She seems genuinely excited when told that her last book inspired a nonprofit that helps girls graduate from high school in Guatemala to add more education about family planning and contraception.

“I love this,” she says. “You never know how you inspire something when you put a book in the world.”

While at first “The Next Day” might feel geared toward women in midlife transitions, it actually started as the 2024 Stanford University commencement speech.

“Life comes along, it happens to you and things change,” she says. “There is a lot of beauty and lessons we can learn when the change comes and when transitions happen. I thought, ‘I’ve been through a fair number of transitions now. I’ll take the speech and be much more specific.’ ”

The book feels as applicable to new graduates as it does to someone looking for a mid-career change. It feels both personal and universal. And once again, French Gates is eager to hear from readers: “I hope you’ll let me know in a year what comes from this.”

She also shares stories from her childhood that illustrate both her resilience and her ambition. One came from what might seem an unlikely source: Alexis Carrington.

French Gates grew up in Dallas, where she remembers watching evening soap operas “Dynasty” and “Dallas,” which aired back-to-back.

“Alexis Carrington was a flawed character. She had sharp elbows. She was ruthless. But I liked that she was a business woman in a man’s world. There weren’t that many female characters who were business women on TV,” she says. “She was also a mom, but what I liked about her was the other women would get dressed up for dinner, and their clothes were beautiful, but she was out in the real world every day. She was competing. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. And I thought, ‘I want to be a working woman like her.’ ”

Now it’s her friends who inspire her, many she’s known for more than two decades.

“Every Monday morning, whoever is in town, we walk. They have been like truth counsel over time. If I was afraid to take something to them Monday morning, I had to ask myself what is it about my values or what I did that made me uncomfortable with doing that,” she says.

She writes of some of those personal moments in the book, including the loss of her friend John Neilson, whose wife Emmy is a close friend. All proceeds from the book will support computer science education in honor of her parents and immunotherapy cancer research in memory of Neilson.

“I think I helped carry her to the other side of her grief. … (Emmy) is one of the people who helped me cross the chasm of my grief when I made the very difficult decision that I needed to leave my marriage,” she says. “There is a vulnerability in deep, deep friends of being known. The fact that you can be known by them and still be loved and still be OK even in some of your worst moments.”

While her ex-husband has talked more extensively about their divorce, calling it his biggest regret, French Gates has been more introspective and quiet.

She knew she needed to address it in the book, not only because the divorce was very public but because it has shaped her. “I put it from my perspective of what was helpful to me, in hopes to be helpful to others going through it,” she says.

She writes more about the decision to leave her marriage than the divorce itself.

“There was a whisper that kept coming. I knew things weren’t right… When more things and more came up or came to light later, in my case, I would have liked to have turned away from them. It would have been easier, it would have been convenient,” she says. “But there was just this whisper there. This is not OK. I knew at some point in the deep place that I would be betraying myself if I didn’t at least pay attention to that whisper. What the whisper was saying to me was you need separation to make sense.”

She writes of the fear of telling her parents, who had been married 63 years, the panic attack when she thought about how “Bill has a reputation for being one of the toughest negotiators in the world.”

And she writes of curling up in bed with her youngest daughter Phoebe when the news broke, and how they looked at memes and “laughed a little, but I wasn’t really in a celebratory mood.”

She writes about sharing her story with journalist Gayle King as a lesson for others to listen to their inner voice.

Now, she looks forward to continuing her work for equality and pushing for women to step into their full power.

“I never thought that when I got to 60 that I’d be so vibrant and wanting to work so much and wanting to take on new things,” she says. “It’s actually really, really exciting.”

And, mostly, she says, to take the time in these changing times, to not be in a rush.

“Make yourself pause and see the clearing. What is it I really want to do next?” she says. “We have to be purposeful enough to let the pause come and not be afraid of it to rush to the other side.”
April 15, 2025
Crossword Blog & Answers for April 15, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! Double Your Money
Constructor: Jess Rucks

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Jess: I am happy to have found a theme set where each theme answer is a type of food, and where each word in each theme answer is a slang word for money. TBH, I was probably hungry when I thought of this! I’m also pleased with the clues for CAN and AIR. Hope you enjoyed the puzzle!

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

BREAD CHEESE (19A: Squeaky curd similar to paneer) BREAD CHEESE, which does not contain any BREAD, is a type of CHEESE that originated in Scandinavia. BREAD CHEESE is traditionally pressed into a round disk and then baked, grilled, or flambéed, which caramelizes the sugars on the outside of the cheese, forming a charred crust. BREAD CHEESE is sometimes eaten dipped in coffee, but it’s also eaten plain, drizzled with honey, or dipped in marinara sauce.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

YOUNG (14A: “Forever ___” (Bob Dylan song)) “Forever YOUNG” is a 1974 song written and recorded by Bob Dylan. “May your heart always be joyful / May your song always be sung / And may you stay forever YOUNG.”

ABE (15A: “Honest” prez) This clue contains a couple of clues for solvers. The use of the word “prez,” the shortened form of president, indicates the answer will be the shortened form of a word. The quotation marks around the word “honest” indicate that word is paired with the answer. Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, is known by the nickname “Honest ABE.”

TETRA (16A: Common aquarium fish) TETRA is a common name used to refer to over 150 types of fish. As the clue informs us, many types of TETRA do well in aquariums.

AKBAR (17A: “Allahu ___”) “Allahu AKBAR,” meaning “God is greater,” is a phrase used by Muslims in prayers and as a declaration of faith.

EVE (21A: ___ Polastri (Sandra Oh role)) Killing EVE (2018-2022) is a BBC series about an investigator, EVE Polastri, who is tracking the psychopathic assassin, Villanelle. Sandra Oh portrays EVE, and Jodie Comer plays the role of Villanelle. The show is based on the Villanelle series of books by Luke Jennings.

DES (26A: ___ Moines, Iowa) DES Moines is the capital of Iowa. I’m always happy to see DES Moines shouted out in the puzzle. I spent four and a half years there while attending Drake University.

AZTEC (27A: Huitzilopochtli worshipper) Huitzilopochtli is a God of Sun and War in the AZTEC religion. Huitzilopochtli was the patron god of the AZTECs.

ROPE (30A: ___ arrows (Tomb Raider tools used to create ziplines)) This is a reference to the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider franchise that includes video games and movies. A little over a week ago we saw ARROW clued as [Bit of ammo for Lara Croft]. It’s fun to see ROPE arrows, a specific type of arrows, referenced today.

TAO (40A: “___ Te Ching”) The TAO Te Ching is a fundamental text for Taoism. The oldest excavated portion of the TAO Te Ching dates back to the 4th century BCE.

CRADLE (25D: Cat’s ___) Cat’s CRADLE is a two-person game played with a loop of string. I enjoyed seeing this answer, as I have spent hours of my life playing cat’s CRADLE, as well as making other string figures.

TIN (28D: “Cat on a Hot ___ Roof”) Cat on a Hot TIN Roof is a 1955 play by Tennessee Williams, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A 1958 movie adaptation of the same name starred Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. I’m guessing Jess’s cat, Milo, appreciates the word “cat” appearing in these two consecutive clues.

ETTA (29D: “A Sunday Kind of Love” singer James) ETTA James included the song, “A Sunday Kind of Love,” on her 1960 album, At Last! “I want a Sunday kind of love / A love to last past Saturday night…”

SLEEPY (43D: Yawning friend of Happy and Sneezy) Happy, Sneezy, and SLEEPY, along with Doc, Grumpy, Bashful, and Dopey, are the seven dwarfs in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

EGYPT (49D: Country home to the Great Sphinx) The Great Sphinx is a statue located in Giza, EGYPT. It is one of the oldest known sculptures in EGYPT, dating to the 2500s BCE. A sphinx is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion.

MENDS (53D: Darns, say) and RATS (55D: “Darn!”) I appreciate the repeated use of the word “darn” in these consecutive clues.

EDU (59D: URL ending for the Culinary Institute of America) The main campus of the Culinary Institute of America is located in Hyde Park, New York. The school also has campuses in St. Helena, California, Napa, California, San Antonio, Texas, and Singapore. It was fun to see this clue immediately followed by EAT (60D: “Let them ___ cake”). I imagine a few cakes are made (and eaten) at the Culinary Institute of America.

A few other clues I especially enjoyed:

CAN (9A: Crushable Crush container)

AIR (22A: Too much of it might burst your bubble)

NOT BAD (1D: “I don’t hate it, surprisingly!”)

YAHTZEE (14D: Dice game whose name might be shouted during gameplay)

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

BREAD CHEESE (19A: Squeaky curd similar to paneer)

CHICKEN TENDER (35A: Strip of breaded white meat often served with dipping sauce)

GREEN CABBAGE (54A: Vegetable often used in coleslaw)

DOUBLE YOUR MONEY: Each theme answer consists of two words that may be used to refer to MONEY: BREAD, CHEESE, CHICKEN, TENDER, GREEN, and CABBAGE.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jess Rucks in person at the recent American Crossword Puzzle Tournament held in Stamford, Connecticut. It’s always a joy to meet crossword constructors in person! Oh yes, about Jess’s puzzle. It’s a nice extra that each of the MONEY terms are DOUBLEd in a phrase that is a type of food. The term “CHICKEN” to refer to MONEY is new to me. According to Urban Dictionary, the term CHICKEN usually refers to cash. Thank you, Jess, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles
April 15, 2025
Josh Groban blown away by a longtime fan’s talent

The “American Idol” Top 24 have shown off their chops, and it’s time for viewers to have their voices heard, too.

Monday night’s episode rode the wave from Sunday night and brought out the second half of the Top 24 performers. Now, for the first time this season, it’s up to “Idol” fans to determine who makes it through after next week; votes can be cast at americanIdol.com/vote.

Highlights from night two of the Top 24 performances included spot-on feedback from Broadway star and multi-platinum singer Josh Groban, who was a guest mentor alongside artist-in-residence Jelly Roll; a high-energy cover by Desmond Roberts that would give Stevie Wonder a run for his money; and a Kelly Clarkson-esque rendition of an Avril Lavigne song by Drew Ryn.

Last night: Luke Bryan, Jelly Roll admit song covers are better than their versions

Meanwhile, Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan again took a step back from critical feedback in favor of uplifting each singer and encouraging viewers to vote.

Here are some of the best moments from Episode 9.

Amanda Barise flirts with Josh Groban, puts a new spin on ‘Defying Gravity’

For the Top 24, seasoned performer Amanda Barise, who fancied herself as the underdog in this competition, chose a song she felt “embodies my time on the show.” She and the band came up with a unique, upbeat and slightly tropical-themed arrangement for “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked.”

During rehearsals, she mentioned more than once that Groban was her first crush, and in turn, he revealed her singing videos had come up on his Instagram feed. He came away from the rehearsal saying, “Amanda is a vocal technician. There’s very little she can’t do.”

Amanda, showcasing her newfound confidence, was barefoot on stage as she seemingly hit every note known to mankind in delivering her rendition of Elphaba’s famous solo. The song’s dramatic climax was something that must be heard to be believed.

Though the judges all shared their compliments, Groban’s was by far the most effusive: “Everything you do is extraordinary. I’ll be your fan and I’ll be watching from the sidelines and I’ll be cheering you on every step of the way.”

Luke Bryan jumps on his seat in excitement over piano man Josh King

Josh King has only gotten better since finding himself some main character energy in the first round of Hollywood Week.

The airport piano performer officially earned the “most improved” award by donning a white blazer and matching pants and breaking out some impressive footwork while performing “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John. As he walked around toting the whole mic stand, he got the judges dancing up on their feet.

There was no trace left of the guy who had his butt firmly on a piano seat during his “Over the Rainbow” audition.

If you recall, Bryan’s criticism at the time was that “you can’t dance to the way you’re playing,” and Underwood wasn’t willing to advance him through the competition (he got by with yeses from Richie and Bryan). Weeks later, Josh is kneeling on the ground, whipping out a harmonica and charismatically engaging with the crowd.

Bryan, who had bragging rights for seeing Josh’s promise from the beginning, was left jumping on his seat as Underwood alluded to it being a “perfect performance.” She added, “If you had told me on your first audition that you’d be here right now just crushing it, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.”

Richie was in shock over Josh’s dexterity. “You are a showman on top of being a great singer,” he said.

Carrie Underwood gets emotional: Country singer on the difficulty of being vocal about faith

Mattie Pruitt takes on ‘iconic’ Katy Perry song

As it turns out, this isn’t 15-year-old Mattie Pruitt’s first “Idol” journey. It’s revealed that her mom, Sara, was pregnant with Mattie when she auditioned for the show more than a decade ago.

After producers used some “Disney magic” to surprise Mattie with an appearance from Sara during rehearsals, the two did a sweet cover of “At Last!” It was immediately clear where Mattie got her singing chops from.

The Tennessee high school student appropriately donned a cotton candy-colored tiered gown as she took on “Wide Awake,” which Underwood called “an iconic monster of a song.” It was too bad Katy Perry was no longer around to hear it.

Mattie’s now-signature came through as she sang “wish I knew then what I know now,” and her pitch-perfect delivery had Richie exclaiming “oh my god!” midway through the soaring performance. Later, Richie told Mattie, “I’m telling you, if this is how you start your career? Oh my god, the future is yours.”

Bryan, though complimentary, accurately pointed out Mattie could do more with her stage presence: “Get in that rockstar mode. Get in what you see Carrie Underwood do when she gets on stage.”

‘American Idol’ 2025 Top 20 reveal

The four contestants who were eliminated via the season’s first audience vote will be revealed Sunday, April 20, during the three-hour Easter special.

CeCe Winans, Season 22’s Roman Collins, The Brown Four, along with Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Underwood, will take the stage. So will the Top 20 contestants.

April 15, 2025
Aimee Lou Wood: 'White Lotus' star through the yearsCelebrities

Aimee Lou Wood: ‘White Lotus’ star through the yearsCelebrities

April 15, 2025
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs appears in court, pleads not guilty to new charges

Sean “Diddy” Combs has again pleaded not guilty to new charges brought against him by U.S. attorneys, who accuse him of turning his “multi-faceted business empire” into a “criminal enterprise” over two decades.

Three weeks before Combs’ criminal trial is set to begin, the 55-year-old Grammy-winning hip-hop mogul appeared in Manhattan court Monday afternoon for an arraignment. Reuters reports Combs entered a not guilty plea in response to the latest criminal indictment, filed April 3, that adds one count of sex trafficking and one count of transportation to engage in prostitution of “Victim-2” to the previous three charges against him.

In the third superseding indictment, prosecutors claimed Combs’ alleged behavior in the additional criminal claims took place from 2021 to 2024.

In response to the revised indictment, Combs’ legal team previously said in a statement to USA TODAY, “These are not new allegations or new accusers. These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships. This was their private sex life, defined by consent, not coercion.”

USA TODAY has reached out to Combs’ team for comment.

What crimes is Diddy accused of committing?

Combs now faces two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering ahead of his May 5 trial. He has adamantly maintained his innocence in the criminal case as well as in response to dozens of sexual assault lawsuits, which detail alleged events that date back to the 1990s, that have been filed over the past 1½ years.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York first unsealed its criminal charges against Combs on Sept. 17. Federal prosecutors have since leveled a few new accusations in three superseding indictments as their investigation continues to unfold.

In prosecutors’ second superseding indictment from March, new accusations against Combs claimed he subjected employees to forced labor under inhumane circumstances.

Combs and his conspirators “maintained control over certain employees of the Combs Business” and “forced” them to “work long hours with little sleep, through use of, among other things, physical force, psychological harm, financial harm, and reputational harm, and/or threats of the same,” per the indictment.

This was an amended version of the first superseding indictment in January, which added three unnamed women who were allegedly victims of his so-called sex trafficking enterprise.

Prosecutors allege that as part of Combs’ alleged “criminal enterprise,” he and his associates engaged in kidnapping, arson and physical violence, sex trafficking and forced labor, among other crimes.

In November 2023, Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura filed — and quickly settled — a lawsuit with bombshell assault and abuse allegations against the Bad Boy Records founder. The unnamed “Victim 1” in the criminal indictment against Combs has been identified as Cassie.

Combs is currently in jail after being denied bond multiple times. Jury selection is scheduled to start May 5, with an anticipated May 12 date for opening statements.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.

Contributing: Jay Stahl, USA TODAY

April 15, 2025
Gayle King explains ‘nervous’ appearance ahead of Blue Origin flight

Gayle King’s game face might be a little shaky, but that’s OK.

The television news journalist, 70, launched into space Monday morning on the historic all-female Blue Origin flight that explored the outer orbit for 11 minutes.

The mission, called NS-31, also included pop star Katy Perry and journalist Lauren Sánchez, alongside former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn. The six women became the first all-female space crew in more than 60 years, Blue Origin has said.

However, King’s trailblazer spirit didn’t spare the “CBS Mornings” co-host of some last-minute jitters. While walking toward the capsule, King and her crewmates rang a ceremonial bell before boarding. Her notably serious facial expression drew concern and playful teasing from fans on social media.

“I don’t think Gayle will make it,” Amelda Packiry wrote on Facebook. “She will stop that rocket before liftoff. She looks very much nervous.”

Well, after a successful touchdown, King shared what was going through her mind before leaving the atmosphere.

History made: Katy Perry, Gayle King go to space on Blue Origin flight

Why Gayle King was ‘so afraid’ ahead of space flight

During a press conference following the space flight, King — a self-professed “nervous flier” — reflected on her anxious demeanor ahead of launch.

“At that moment I was so afraid, I just wanted to get into my seat because I just wanted to let the training kick in,” King explained. “I just wanted to get inside the capsule and sit down. So, the process of walking up there was a little daunting for me.”

Despite the nerve-wracking feat, King expressed gratitude for the life-changing experience, adding, “I know I will never forget it.”

“I walked out of there thinking, gosh I can do anything,” King said. “I’m so proud of us. I really am proud of me because I never in a gazillion years thought I could do this.”

‘The highest high’: Katy Perry, Gayle King recap emotional flight to space

Gayle King entertains the internet with space flight nerves

King’s pre-flight nerves quickly became a hot topic on social media, with fans weighing in on the news personality’s appearance.

“Gayle King is all of us on a Monday,” @DarkSkinPrue wrote on X.

“Gayle King looks scared. She’s not even smiling,” Laura Trestrail commented on Facebook. “Should of had her BFF Oprah (Winfrey) go with her 🫣💡”

“Lmao it’s Gayle King’s face for me. A face of regret or? 😂🤣,” X user @JTwifeyy wrote.

In a more sentimental take, Kayla Starr Simmons shared on Threads that King’s resolve to conquer her flying fears was inspiring.

“She’s been talking so transparently about how scared she was to do this. You could quite literally see the fear in her eyes as she rung the bell, she looked terrified!”, Simmons wrote. “The main thing I learned is to do it, and do it scared. Live your life fully without any regrets.”

Contributing: Anna Kaufman and Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY

April 15, 2025
Who stars in ‘Last of Us’? Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, more

Every post-apocalyptic series has its share of cast turnover. But Pedro Pascal singlehandedly changed the face of HBO’s “The Last of Us” with the horrifying Season 1 hospital finale.

Pascal’s enraged protector, Joel, mowed down the rebel Fireflies (including the surgeon in scrubs), who were about to study immune Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) brain for a possible infection cure to save humanity.

Season 2 kicked off April 13 (now streaming on Max) with a revamped crew of returning faces and new characters in the video game adaptation — including a posse seeking revenge for Joel’s violent act of surrogate father love.

Here are the main players joining Joel and Ellie in fortified Jackson, Wyoming, five years after the Firefly destruction:

“The Last of Us” USA TODAY review Season 2 finds its horrors but loses the plot

Isabela Merced stars as Dina

Who’s Dina? The warrior who patrols the infected has become Ellie’s best friend and joke-cracking action sidekick. The Dina-Ellie relationship goes deeper during a dance in Episode 1. While Ellie is subconsciously furious at her surrogate dad, Dina gamely rewatches the beloved “Curtis and Viper 2” movie with Joel. “He’s like Dina’s fun uncle,” says Merced. “We don’t see that dynamic in the game, but it really informs how we’ll see Dina later on.”

We’ve seen Isabela Merced before: Merced, 23, played Dora in 2019’s live-action movie “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” and Izabella in 2017’s “Transformers: The Last Night.”

Additional superpower: Merced is Hawkgirl in DC’s “Superman” movie, which opens July 11 (the same month as Pascal’s superhero role in Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”) There’s no blockbuster beef. “It’s a win-win. If he wins, we all win. If I win, we all win,” says Merced. “It’s pretty cool that we both get to be superheroes at the same time.”

Young Mazino can fight as Jesse

Who’s Jesse: The patrol leader gives everything to Jackson, and gains respect from the community as patrol leader. Jesse has an on-and-off relationship with Dina (currently off).

We’ve seen Young Mazino before: Mazino, 33, sizzled in his Emmy-nominated, breakout role in Netflix’s rage-filled series “Beef.”

Extra credit: Mazino brings real fight to dystopian Jackson. Born Christopher Young Kim to Korean immigrant parents, Mazino, 33, is a first-degree Taekwondo blackbelt who “dabbles” in martial arts, including Muay Thai. But expect gun skills against the infected. “I won’t give spoilers, but if Jesse is doing Muay Thai, I’m in a really bad situation,” says Mazino.

Kaitlyn Dever rocks rage as Abby

Who’s Abby? Abby Anderson is a pivotal Part 2 video game character who leads a devastated group of Firefly survivors to hunt down Joel for what he did.

We’ve seen Dever before: Dever, 28, starred as socially awkward Amy in 2019’s “Booksmart,” Betsy Mallum in Hulu’s 2021 miniseries “Dopesick” and wellness influencer Belle Gibson in Netflix’s “Apple Cider Vinegar.”

Previous life: Dever was cast as Ellie a decade ago in the original film version of “The Last of Us” that was later scrapped. “As filmmaking goes, it just didn’t end up happening,” says Dever, who believes playing TV’s Abby a decade later is her destiny. “It feels like that was meant to be.”

Crushing the casting controversy: Some fans initially objected to the pivotal casting, saying Abby is noticeably more ripped in the video game. Dever saw the social-media trolling. “Yeah, duh, like right when I opened my phone,” she says. “It was hard to get away from it. But there was no wavering from ‘absolutely yes’ for this part.”

Dever brings channeled rage to Abby. “I changed my body language,” she says. “How she walks and commands a room is actually quite intimidating.”

The Millers are back, with a son, Benjamin

Who are the Millers? Joel’s family since Season 1 has been brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and pregnant sister-in-law Maria Miller (Rutina Wesley). After so much death, the Millers, pillars of the Jackson community, now have a 5-year-old son, Benjamin (Ezra Benedict Agbonkhese).

“Maria keeps saying, ‘He’s our gift,’ ” Wesley says of her onscreen child. “He’s really softened (her) in a way that she forgot she could be and made us closer as a couple.”

“Benji’s our Phoenix,” says Luna. “The child has reignited our purpose.”

April 15, 2025
Performers, dates, tickets, hosts, what to know
The 2025 Essence Festival of Culture will bring “legacy, rhythm, and resilience” to New Orleans this summer.
Attendees can expect performances from major artists like rapper GloRilla, R&B songstress Muni Long, and hip hop trailblazer and NOLA native Master P, according to a festival announcement.

The festival, which coincides with the 55th anniversary of Essence Magazine, is set for the Fourth of July weekend.

“This year’s festival will be both a time capsule and a forward-looking celebration — honoring the legacy that began on the page and now lives boldly on the stage,” Essence said.

Here’s what we know about this year’s festival.

Coachella 2025: Shaboozey, Megan Thee Stallion and other Sunday highs and lows

2025 Essence Festival of Culture: Dates, tickets, venue, hosts

The 2025 Essence Festival of Culture is set for July 4-6 in the New Orleans.

The festival said “elevated daytime experiences” would take place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, while evening concerts are at the Caesars Superdome.

Tickets are currently available on Ticketmaster.

Comedian and “Black-ish” star Anthony Anderson and cultural multi-hyphenate Kenny Burns will serve as the hosts at the Caesars Superdome.

According to Essence, this year’s theme is “We are Made Like This,” which “speaks to the generations of Black brilliance that have shaped the world and continue to move it forward. “

Confirmed performers

According to Essence, current and legacy acts will take the stage at the Caesars Superdome and Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Performers announced so far include:

Muni Long

Summer Walker

GloRilla

Maxwell

Davido

Master P

Boyz II Men

Donell Jones

Buju Banton

The Isley Brothers

Nas

Who is curating the Quincy Jones tribute?

Legendary producer Jermaine Dupri will spearhead a tribute for Quincy Jones. The late music icon died in late November at the age of 91.

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected].
April 15, 2025
Why on earth did Katy Perry go to space?

The kookiness of this whole ordeal makes perfect sense for Katy Perry who, throughout her career, has made being corny and unserious her whole brand.

Katy Perry just went to space, and the whole thing feels kinda … whatever.

The “E.T.” singer took a short break from this “Woman’s World” April 14 to be among the stars. She was accompanied by former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, prominent civil rights activist and bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, journalist and television personality Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn and Emmy Award-winning journalist Lauren Sánchez, who so happens to be the fiancée of the man behind it all, Jeff Bezos.

The Amazon founder’s space technology company, Blue Origin, took the ladies on a brief morning trip above Earth.

Opinion: Katy Perry’s soulless ‘143’ album shows why nostalgia isn’t enough

In an Elle magazine interview boasting the impact of the trip – there hasn’t been an all-women space flight since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s 1963 solo mission – Perry exclaimed that “space is going to finally be glam.” Whatever that means!

But why in the world should we care about Perry and friends’ space odyssey?

Who is the billionaire space race really for? Can’t be us.

Let’s just call it what it is: This is all spectacle. The media fanfare, the celebrities selected – it’s all meant to act as an intergalactic billboard for Blue Origin.

Space exploration is exciting on its own as it fills our curiosity of the unknown, but this ongoing billionaire space race is annoying at best and nefarious at worst. It seems like our tech overlords’ obsession with space is motivated less by a love of technology and more by the potential of escaping a planet they’ve mined for all it’s worth.

Whether it’s space colonies orbiting the Earth, “Mickey 17”-style, or settlements on foreign planets, the idea of humans making a second home in space seems less far-fetched as Earth becomes increasingly inhospitable.

None of this will happen in our lifetime, especially if you don’t have $150,000 lying around for the deposit.

From Neil Armstrong to Katy Perry, historians of the future will look back on space escapades like Blue Origin as stepping stones to the first human colonies on Mars or the moon.

Opinion: How far will technology go? ‘Severance’ is our answer – and a warning.

But as I sat in contemplation, staring up at the stars Perry just saw up close, I kept coming back to my original question: Why did Perry specifically choose to do this? In her Elle interview, she expressed that she was flying for her daughter, Daisy, “to inspire her to never have limits on her dreams and show her that any type of person can reach their dreams.”

As lovely as that sounds, her reasoning comes off a bit tactless. Is it really best to sow inspiration through a private company owned by one of President Donald Trump’s billionaire yes-men?

Why did Katy Perry go to space?

In a now-memed interview with The Associated Press, Perry expressed excitement about “the engineering of it all” and learning “more about STEM,” some pretty ChatGPT-like answers anyone could spit out when asked about space travel on the spot.

She even shared her lifelong love of astrophysics. Does this explain the “E.T.” music video?

Watching that AP interview on TikTok and reading the comments made it all make sense. Which other pop star would do something so needlessly nonsensical?

Perhaps Lady Gaga? She expressed a desire to perform in space a decade ago, even going so far as to announce that she would be the first recording artist to sing in space in 2015 – something that never actually happened. The Lady Gaga of this decade seems much more grounded.

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The fact that Perry herself couldn’t even offer up a coherent answer makes even more sense out of this expedition. Maybe there’s an under-the-table check involved? Maybe she’s just bored and needs some publicity to help with low ticket sales for her upcoming tour?

Regardless, the kookiness of this whole ordeal makes perfect sense for Perry, who, throughout her career, has made being corny and unserious her whole brand.

To her loudest critics, her playing space buddies with evil billionaire Jeff Bezos is just another pledge in her allegiance to loserdom. Her most valiant stans may spin it as campy and iconic. As for me and my house, we see it as Katy Perry just being Katy Perry.

Kofi Mframa is a columnist and digital producer for USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network.

April 15, 2025