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From Raids to Revelations: The Dark Turn in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Saga
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Following the federal raids on the residences of rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in Miami and New York, the hip-hop community remains shocked by the barrage of disturbing revelations surrounding the music icon.
The post From Raids to Revelations: The Dark Turn in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Saga first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Following the federal raids on the residences of rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in Miami and New York, the hip-hop community remains shocked by the barrage of disturbing revelations surrounding the music icon. The raids believed to be the culmination of a protracted investigation prompted by a lawsuit filed by Combs’ former protege, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, have brought to light a troubling pattern of alleged sexual misconduct and abuse.
“This is 100 percent about Cassie’s lawsuit,” a well-connected individual in the hip-hop community told the Informer. “Cassie’s lawsuit wasn’t just about Cassie being victimized, which she was. Cassie’s lawsuit gave the police a case with solid, irrefutable evidence.” Ventura’s lawsuit, which some reports suggested Combs settled for a jaw-dropping $100 million, initially drew attention to what some industry insiders described as “crimes” committed by Combs.
The Ventura lawsuit exposed Combs as a serial abuser who paid men for so-called “freak-offs,” including directing them to assault Ventura sexually. The lawsuit also detailed other forms of violence that sources said immediately caught the attention of law enforcement. “When this got out, the blowing up cars, the guns stuff, police called Cassie’s people because they hadn’t heard anything credible about Puff until then,” the source said. “They told Cassie’s lawyers in no uncertain terms that they were going to act. Naturally, they did their due diligence and here we are. Puff kids in cuffs, he’s on the run, and his pretty much the modern-day O.J. [Simpson].”
While Combs hasn’t been arrested, media members tracked his private plane to Antigua and other island destinations that reportedly have no extradition treaties with the United States. After the raids, a TMZ journalist spotted Combs being detained briefly by federal authorities at an airport in Miami. Part of Ventura’s claims included, “In February 2012 … Mr. Combs told Ms. Ventura that he was going to blow up Kid Cudi’s car and that he wanted to ensure that Kid Cudi was home with his friends when it happened.
“Around that time, Kid Cudi’s car exploded in his driveway. Ms. Ventura was terrified as she began fully comprehending what Mr. Combs was willing and able to do to those, he believed had slighted him.” Cudi later confirmed the story to the New York Times. Law enforcement officials confirmed that the investigation encompasses various potential crimes, including sex trafficking and firearms. Since Ventura’s lawsuit, numerous other accusers have made similar allegations against Combs, spanning decades. Lawsuits have detailed alleged coercion, rape, and other forms of abuse by the Bad Boy Records founder.
Despite Combs’ vehement denials, mounting legal battles and public scrutiny prompted him to step down as chairman of his cable television network, Revolt. Combs’ online marketplace, Empower Global, highlighting Black-owned brands, remains active but currently displays no available products. Earlier this year, Combs opted to retract a lawsuit he had filed against Diageo, a settlement reached with the London-based spirits giant. In his lawsuit, he alleged Diageo failed to fulfill promised investments in Cîroc vodka and DeLeon tequila, which he had endorsed. Combs asserted that Diageo treated these brands as inferior “urban” products and leveled unfounded accusations of racism against the company’s leadership.
According to court documents, Combs alleged that Diageo executives cited race as a factor in restricting distribution to predominantly “urban” neighborhoods. Further, he claimed that some leaders within Diageo harbored resentment towards him for his financial success. Diageo countered Combs’ claims in response, denouncing them as “false and reckless” attempts to extort additional funds from the company. Despite the legal dispute, Combs’ reputation suffered a significant blow, mainly after initiating the lawsuit. Subsequently, Diageo assumed full ownership of Cîroc and DeLeon following the lawsuit’s withdrawal.
After the raids on his homes where authorities handcuffed and temporarily detained two of his children, criticism of Combs intensified. Renowned artists like 50 Cent and former Bad Boy rapper Ma$e publicly condemned his behavior, while resurfaced interviews with superstar Usher have added fuel to the fire. Usher’s chilling testimony of his time at what he described as “Puff Flavor Camp” painted a vivid picture of the disturbing atmosphere surrounding Combs. “I got a chance to see some things … I don’t know if I could indulge and even understand what I was looking at,” Usher recounted in a resurfaced 2016 interview with Howard Stern. Asked whether he would send his kids to “Puffy Flavor Camp,” Usher exclaimed: “Hell no!”
The post From Raids to Revelations: The Dark Turn in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Saga first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Recently Approved Budget Plan Favors Wealthy, Slashes Aid to Low-Income Americans
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The most significant benefits would flow to the highest earners while millions of low-income families face cuts

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent
The new budget framework approved by Congress may result in sweeping changes to the federal safety net and tax code. The most significant benefits would flow to the highest earners while millions of low-income families face cuts. A new analysis from Yale University’s Budget Lab shows the proposals in the House’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Resolution would lead to a drop in after-tax-and-transfer income for the poorest households while significantly boosting revenue for the wealthiest Americans. Last month, Congress passed its Concurrent Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2025 (H. Con. Res. 14), setting revenue and spending targets for the next decade. The resolution outlines $1.5 trillion in gross spending cuts and $4.5 trillion in tax reductions between FY2025 and FY2034, along with $500 billion in unspecified deficit reduction.
Congressional Committees have now been instructed to identify policy changes that align with these goals. Three of the most impactful committees—Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means—have been tasked with proposing major changes. The Agriculture Committee is charged with finding $230 billion in savings, likely through changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. Energy and Commerce must deliver $880 billion in savings, likely through Medicaid reductions. Meanwhile, the Ways and Means Committee must craft tax changes totaling no more than $4.5 trillion in new deficits, most likely through extending provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Although the resolution does not specify precise changes, reports suggest lawmakers are eyeing steep cuts to SNAP and Medicaid benefits while seeking to make permanent tax provisions that primarily benefit high-income individuals and corporations.
To examine the potential real-world impact, Yale’s Budget Lab modeled four policy changes that align with the resolution’s goals:
- A 30 percent across-the-board cut in SNAP funding.
- A 15 percent cut in Medicaid funding.
- Permanent extension of the individual and estate tax cuts from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
- Permanent extension of business tax provisions including 100% bonus depreciation, expense of R&D, and relaxed limits on interest deductions.
Yale researchers determined that the combined effect of these policies would reduce the after-tax-and-transfer income of the bottom 20 percent of earners by 5 percent in the calendar year 2026. Households in the middle would see a modest 0.6 percent gain. However, the top five percent of earners would experience a 3 percent increase in their after-tax-and-transfer income.
Moreover, the analysis concluded that more than 100 percent of the net fiscal benefit from these changes would go to households in the top 20 percent of the income distribution. This happens because lower-income groups would lose more in government benefits than they would gain from any tax cuts. At the same time, high-income households would enjoy significant tax reductions with little or no loss in benefits.
“These results indicate a shift in resources away from low-income tax units toward those with higher incomes,” the Budget Lab report states. “In particular, making the TCJA provisions permanent for high earners while reducing spending on SNAP and Medicaid leads to a regressive overall effect.” The report notes that policymakers have floated a range of options to reduce SNAP and Medicaid outlays, such as lowering per-beneficiary benefits or tightening eligibility rules. While the Budget Lab did not assess each proposal individually, the modeling assumes legislation consistent with the resolution’s instructions. “The burden of deficit reduction would fall largely on those least able to bear it,” the report concluded.
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A Threat to Pre-emptive Pardons
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — it was a possibility that the preemptive pardons would not happen because of the complicated nature of that never-before-enacted process.

By April Ryan
President Trump is working to undo the traditional presidential pardon powers by questioning the Biden administration’s pre-emptive pardons issued just days before January 20, 2025. President Trump is seeking retribution against the January 6th House Select Committee. The Trump Justice Department has been tasked to find loopholes to overturn the pardons that could lead to legal battles for the Republican and Democratic nine-member committee. Legal scholars and those closely familiar with the pardon process worked with the Biden administration to ensure the preemptive pardons would stand against any retaliatory knocks from the incoming Trump administration. A source close to the Biden administration’s pardons said, in January 2025, “I think pardons are all valid. The power is unreviewable by the courts.”
However, today that same source had a different statement on the nuances of the new Trump pardon attack. That attack places questions about Biden’s use of an autopen for the pardons. The Trump argument is that Biden did not know who was pardoned as he did not sign the documents. Instead, the pardons were allegedly signed by an autopen. The same source close to the pardon issue said this week, “unless he [Trump] can prove Biden didn’t know what was being done in his name. All of this is in uncharted territory. “ Meanwhile, an autopen is used to make automatic or remote signatures. It has been used for decades by public figures and celebrities.
Months before the Biden pardon announcement, those in the Biden White House Counsel’s Office, staff, and the Justice Department were conferring tirelessly around the clock on who to pardon and how. The concern for the preemptive pardons was how to make them irrevocable in an unprecedented process. At one point in the lead-up to the preemptive pardon releases, it was a possibility that the preemptive pardons would not happen because of the complicated nature of that never-before-enacted process. President Trump began the threat of an investigation for the January 6th Select Committee during the Hill proceedings. Trump has threatened members with investigation or jail.
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Reaction to The Education EO
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Meanwhile, the new Education EO jeopardizes funding for students seeking a higher education. Duncan states, PellGrants are in jeopardy after servicing “6.5 million people” giving them a chance to go to college.

By April Ryan
There are plenty of negative reactions to President Donald Trump’s latest Executive Order abolishing the Department of Education. As Democrats call yesterday’s action performative, it would take an act of Congress for the Education Department to close permanently. “This blatantly unconstitutional executive order is just another piece of evidence that Trump has absolutely no respect for the Constitution,” said Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) who is the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee. “By dismantling ED, President Trump is implementing his own philosophy on education, which can be summed up in his own words, ‘I love the poorly educated.’ I am adamantly opposed to this reckless action, said Rep. Bobby Scott who is the most senior Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee.
Morgan State University President Dr. David Wilson chimed in saying “I’m deeply concerned about efforts to shift federal oversight in education back to the states, particularly regarding equity, justice, and fairness. History has shown us what happens when states are left unchecked—Black and poor children are too often denied access to the high-quality education they deserve. In 1979 then President Jimmy Carter signed a law creating the Department of Education. Arne Duncan, former Obama Education Secretary, reminds us that both Democratic and Republican presidents have kept education a non-political issue until now. However, Duncan stressed Republican presidents have contributed greatly to moving education forward in this country.
During a CNN interview this week Duncan said during the Civil War President Abraham “Lincoln created the land grant system” for colleges like Tennessee State University. “President Ford brought in IDEA.” And “Nixon signed Pell Grants into law.” In 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush which increased federal oversight of schools through standardized testing. Meanwhile, the new Education EO jeopardizes funding for students seeking higher education. Duncan states, PellGrants are in jeopardy after servicing “6.5 million people” giving them a chance to go to college. Wilson details, “that 40 percent of all college students rely on Pell Grants and student loans.”
Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) says this Trump action “impacts students pursuing higher education and threatens 26 million students across the country, taking billions away from their educational futures. Meanwhile, During the president’s speech in the East Room of the White House Thursday, Trump criticized Baltimore City, and its math test scores with critical words. Governor West Moore, who is opposed to the EO action, said about dismantling the Department of Education, “Leadership means lifting people up, not punching them down.”
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