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By Kara Scannell , CNN Sean 'Diddy' Combs will remain in jail after a judge rejected his latest attempt for release while the rapper and music producer awaits trial on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy . Judge Arun Subramanian denied Combs' team's motion for release on Wednesday. His decision followed a two-hour court hearing on Friday where he appeared to explore potential options and questioned prosecutors' allegation that Combs continued to obstruct the ongoing investigation. "The Court finds that the government has shown by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community," the judge wrote in a five-page order. CNN has reached out to representatives for Combs for comment. Federal prosecutors argued that Combs could not be trusted on bail because he flouted the rules of the jail and judge. They said he posed a danger to women and was tampering with witnesses - even while in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center. Prosecutors allege Combs tried to evade law enforcement monitoring by using several techniques, including three-way calling, to contact witnesses. They also accused him of violating the judge's own order limiting communications and ignored his lawyers' guidance in part by orchestrating a social media campaign around his birthday to try to influence the potential jury pool. The judge pointed to evidence that Combs was not following the jail rules - including the continued use of a messaging service - in his decision. "Underscoring the Court's concern, despite defense counsel's assurances to the Court at the November 22, 2024 hearing (with Combs in attendance) that Combs stopped using ContactMeASAP as of November 16, 2024, ... the government indicates that Combs has continued to use this service as recently as this past Sunday, November 24, 2024." His attorneys have relentlessly pursued his release from federal custody, arguing that private security would provide more restrictions on Combs than federal jail. They said Combs needed to be free to help prepare his defense against the criminal charges and roughly 30 civil lawsuit alleging sexual abuse. His attorneys identified a three-bedroom apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side where they argued he would be surrounded by security 24/7 to monitor visits and phone calls. Under their proposed bail package, Combs would also post a $50 million bond. During Friday's hearing the judge scoffed at the suggestion that Combs could stay at his home in Miami with a boat dock, saying that's "not going to work." The hip-hop mogul was arrested in September and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and prostitution-related charges . He has pleaded not guilty and will go to trial on May 5. Combs was previously denied bail by two other federal judges who found there were no conditions that would assure them that he wouldn't try to obstruct the investigation or be a threat to the community. Combs initially appealed one of those rulings and then asked the appeals court to put that on hold while tried again with Judge Subramanian, who was transferred the case. - CNN
You knew it was coming, didn’t you? Baseball’s reigning Evil Empire took the initiative this week, signing another high-profile starting pitcher and giving its fans something additional to be grateful for during Thanksgiving week (besides, of course, those shots of the Commissioner’s Trophy being shown off here, there and everywhere throughout Southern California). And after the bombshell announcement Tuesday night, that the Dodgers had signed Blake Snell , the howls could be heard throughout the land. The Dodgers are making a mockery of the sport. The rest of baseball can’t compete. They’re signing everybody! And how are the Cincinnatis and Pittsburghs and Colorados of the sport able to compete with an organization that not only brings in boatloads of money – and has created a second source of runaway revenue through its ties to Japan – but isn’t interested in hoarding it? Shouldn’t the next step be a salary cap to restrain this franchise’s runaway spending? Oh, stop it. Competitive balance is not an issue in baseball, period. Four different teams have won the last four World Series, and nine different fan bases have celebrated championships in the last 12 years. There hasn’t been a repeat champion in ... checks notes ... a quarter of a century. (That would be the New York Yankees, the first Evil Empire, in 1999-2000.) Meanwhile, Kansas City, Detroit and Baltimore have all risen from rebuilding to contention in the last couple of seasons. Milwaukee and Cleveland, both smaller markets, were legitimate threats as this past postseason began. And the Padres, long squeezed between Mexico to their south, the Imperial Valley to their east, the Pacific to their west and L.A. to their north, just might have been the second-best team in baseball in 2024 and, may we remind you, had the Dodgers by the neck going into Game 4 of their National League Division Series . Nor are they going away, even with some payroll retrenching in the wake of controlling owner Peter Seidler’s death. (But, nope, still no parade.) Most of the caterwauling, of course, comes from those whose favorite teams were either outbid or declined to spend. Trust me, no ownership in Major League Baseball can claim poverty, even with the cable TV issues that have scrambled some teams’ finances. Yes, big-market teams start with a financial advantage. Yes, Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy and the cord-cutting revolution have factored in. And yes, the Dodgers and Yankees have insulated themselves to a degree by owning their own cable networks. So, maybe, give them some credit for intelligence and foresight? Front Office Sports reported that deferrals on Snell’s reported five-year, $182 million deal, said to be $60 million, would push the Dodgers closer to the $1 billion mark in deferred money owed to five players. Shohei Ohtani’s whopping $680 million deferred on a $700 million contract signed last winter enabled the Dodgers to add additional pieces. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts also have chunks of deferred money in their contracts – as does, interestingly, Teoscar Hernández on his one-year 2024 deal with the Dodgers. That would make that contract even more of a bargain than we thought. And this is an undisputable fact: Salary caps and other payroll-limiting mechanisms put no limits on front office creativity and ingenuity. It’s been pretty well established that in Guggenheim Baseball’s 13-year ownership of the Dodgers, especially after Mark Walter’s organization corrected the problems of the Frank McCourt era and particularly after Friedman arrived from Tampa Bay in 2015, the Dodgers have a smart, savvy organization whose advantages go way beyond their cash on hand. (And yes, as I noted on social media Tuesday night, we do tease them about sometimes trying too hard to be the smartest guys in the room. But most of the time they are, anyway.) Assuming everyone stays healthy – and as we saw throughout baseball in 2024, that’s a tall ask – what will the Dodgers’ rotation look like in 2025? They’ll have left-hander Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who was one of the victims of a soft free agent market last spring and didn’t sign with the San Francisco Giants until March 19. He got off to a dreadful start as a result but was lights out from the start of July. In 14 starts he was 5-0 (and his team 12-2 in those starts), with a 1.23 ERA, an opponents’ batting average of .123, an 0.78 WHIP, five double-digit strikeout games and a 3.8-1 strikeout to walk ratio, and a complete-game no-hitter, an achievement for someone denigrated as a five-and-dive pitcher. Maybe those final three months spurred him to sign early this time. It’s almost certain the Dodgers will use a six-man rotation from the start of the season, and right now they have seven possibilities and who knows what they do from here. They’ll have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Shohei Ohtani as a pitcher. Tyler Glasnow, Snell’s former teammate in Tampa Bay, will be back, as will Tony Gonsolin in his return from Tommy John surgery. Dustin May, essentially inactive since May of 2023, will return, and Clayton Kershaw is expected to re-sign and has indicated he plans to retire a Dodger. Is there room for free agent Jack Flaherty, last season’s major trade deadline acquisition? Or fellow free agent Walker Buehler, who closed out Game 5 of the World Series against the Yankees, following a sometimes spotty comeback from injury? And the wild card might be Roki Sasaki, who will be posted by his Japanese team this winter. The Dodgers had long been considered the favorites to land him, and even Snell’s signing might not change that. Then again, the way the 2024 Dodgers went through pitchers because of injuries – 40 for the season, including 12 starting pitchers – shouldn’t they be tempted to grab every reasonably healthy arm they can and sort it out as they go along? But this is, and should be, the bottom line: Every fan in every sport wants the people running their favorite team to care as much about winning as they do. In a lot of cities, with a lot of teams, that’s really hard to envision. In Dodger Stadium, it’s not hard at all. And if they’re going to be the new Evil Empire, why not just lean into it and have Dieter Ruehle play “The Imperial March” (i.e., Darth Vader’s Theme) before every game? jalexander@scng.comINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jarvis Walker's 20 points helped IU Indianapolis defeat Trinity Christian 106-49 on Saturday. Walker shot 7 for 12, including 6 for 10 from beyond the arc for the Jaguars (4-5). Paul Zilinskas shot 5 for 9, including 4 for 7 from beyond the arc to add 15 points. DeSean Goode had 14 points and shot 4 of 5 from the field and 5 for 5 from the line. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.It’s official: Dodgers sign Blake Snell for 5 years, $182 million
Teen in stable, but critical condition after shooting in south Phoenix
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U.S. stock indexes drifted lower following some potentially discouraging data on the economy. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% Thursday, its third loss in the last four days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite dropped 0.7% from its record set the day before. A report earlier in the morning said more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than forecast. A separate update showed that inflation at the wholesale level was hotter last month than economists expected. Adobe sank after issuing weaker-than-expected financial forecasts. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. On Thursday: The S&P 500 fell 32.94 points, or 0.5%, to 6,051.25. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 234.44 points, or 0.5%, to 43,914.12. The Nasdaq composite fell 132.05 points, or 0.7%, to 19,902.84. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 33.08 points, or 1.4%, to 2,361.08. For the week: The S&P 500 is down 39.02 points, or 0.6%. The Dow is down 728.40 points, or 1.6%. The Nasdaq is up 43.07 points, or 0.2%. The Russell 2000 is down 47.91 points, or 2%. For the year: The S&P 500 is up 1,281.42 points, or 26.9%. The Dow is up 6,224.58 points, or 16.5%. The Nasdaq is up 4,891.49 points, or 32.6%. The Russell 2000 is up 334.01 points, or 16.5%.
Mysterious buck reveals potential AI fraud scheme targeting B.C. seniors (BC)Share Tweet Share Share Email Books have a unique power to transport readers across time and space, offering insights into the lives, history, and culture of faraway places. Sierra Leone, with its rich heritage and complex history, has inspired countless stories that reflect its resilience, beauty, and struggles. From novels to memoirs, Sierra Leonean literature provides a lens into the nation’s soul, allowing readers to connect with its history, culture, and dreams. Here are five must-read books from Sierra Leone that will captivate your imagination and deepen your understanding of this remarkable country. 1. The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna A masterful novel by the acclaimed Scottish-Sierra Leonean writer Aminatta Forna, The Memory of Love explores the aftermath of Sierra Leone’s Civil War through the intertwined lives of three men—a history professor, a doctor, and a surgeon. This poignant story delves into personal and collective trauma, healing, and love in the shadow of conflict. If you enjoy Forna’s storytelling, don’t miss her memoir, The Devil that Danced on the Water, which provides a deeply personal account of her childhood and her father’s tragic story, offering a gripping perspective on Sierra Leone’s political past. 2. A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah This harrowing memoir recounts Ishmael Beah’s experiences as a child soldier during Sierra Leone’s Civil War. Beah was kidnapped, forced into combat, and exposed to unimaginable horrors. His narrative follows his journey from captivity and trauma to rescue, adoption, and eventual advocacy as a UNICEF ambassador . A Long Way Gone sheds light on the human cost of war while offering a story of resilience and hope. It’s a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the impact of conflict on Sierra Leone’s youth and the strength it takes to rebuild. 3. The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar by Syl Cheney-Coker Syl Cheney-Coker’s novel blends history, magic, and realism to tell the story of a fictional nation reminiscent of Sierra Leone. Spanning centuries, the narrative traces the arrival of formerly enslaved Africans and the country’s evolution to the present day. With its rich symbolism and poetic prose, The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar captures the spirit of Sierra Leone’s history and culture, making it a must-read for fans of literary fiction. 4. Breaking the Maafa Chain by Anni Domingo This historical novel follows the lives of two sisters torn apart by the transatlantic slave trade. One sister is taken to England and becomes the goddaughter of Queen Victoria, while the other endures life in an American labor camp. Through the sisters’ stories, Breaking the Maafa Chain sheds light on the horrors of slavery and the resilience of those who lived through it. It’s a compelling and emotional read that ties Sierra Leone’s history to the broader African diaspora. 5. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna Namina Forna’s debut novel combines fantasy and folklore, drawing inspiration from the legendary Dahomey Amazons. Set in a fictional world where a woman’s worth is tied to her purity, the story follows a young girl who is deemed impure but discovers extraordinary powers. While rooted in fantasy, The Gilded Ones resonates with themes of empowerment and resilience, echoing the strength of Sierra Leonean women and their stories. It’s a gripping tale that bridges cultural heritage and imaginative storytelling. Discover Sierra Leone Through Its Stories These five books offer a rich tapestry of Sierra Leone’s history , culture, and imagination. Whether you’re exploring the trauma of war, the magic of folklore, or the enduring spirit of its people, these stories provide a profound connection to the nation’s heart. Reading Sierra Leonean literature is not just an act of learning—it’s an invitation to experience the beauty and complexity of a country through the eyes of its storytellers. So, grab one of these titles, settle into your favorite reading spot, and let Sierra Leone’s vibrant narratives transport you. Related Items: and Stories , Culture , History , Read Books Share Tweet Share Share Email Recommended for you Crafting Playful, Culture-Driven Digital Narratives: Christie Wu on Designing for the Mumbai Gallery Association and Beyond From Rebellion to Runway: Leather’s Fashion History Creating a Proactive Maintenance Culture: the Leadership of Mohammad Rahman Comments
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