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Ahead of Ukraine peace call, White House says Trump ‘open’ to meeting with Putin

May 19, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — President Donald Trump is expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin at around 10 a.m. ET on Monday, as the White House continues its push for an end to Moscow’s 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine after last week’s peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey.

“The subjects of the call will be, stopping the ‘bloodbath’ that is killing, on average, more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, and trade,” Trump wrote in a post to his conservative social media website on Saturday.

“I will then be speaking to President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and then, with President Zelenskyy, various members of NATO,” Trump added.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at Monday morning’s briefing the public can expect to hear from President Trump or the White House following the calls.

ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott pressed Leavitt if Trump will set a new deadline for peace talks during his conversation with Putin, but Leavitt said she wouldn’t get ahead of Trump on any specific timeline.

“His goal is to see a ceasefire and to see this conflict come to an end, and he’s grown weary and frustrated with both sides of the conflict,” she said.

Leavitt also said she believed Trump “would certainly be open” to meeting with Putin but “let’s see how this call goes today.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed to journalists on Monday that the call would take place at 5 p.m. Moscow time — 10 a.m. ET — the state-run Tass news agency reported.

“The conversation is important given the talks that took place in Istanbul,” Peskov said, as quoted by Tass. “We have already said everything we could about the talks, what the main positional points are,” he said. “We will wait and give the best possible message based on the results of the conversation.”

Renewed direct contact with Putin — the last publicly known direct phone call between the two presidents took place in February — comes after Trump’s hopes for peace talks progress in Istanbul were scuppered, Putin having declined to attend despite Zelenskyy’s invitation to do so.

The Istanbul talks were the first known meeting between representatives of Moscow and Kyiv since spring 2022, when the Turkish city hosted the final round of unsuccessful peace negotiations to end Russia’s unfolding invasion.

Once it became clear Putin would not attend, Trump told reporters of the peace effort, “Nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together, okay?”

“And obviously he wasn’t going to go,” Trump added. “He was going to go, but he thought I was going to go. He wasn’t going if I wasn’t there. And I don’t believe anything’s going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together, but we’re going to have to get it solved, because too many people are dying.”

Trump’s repeated threats of further sanctions on Russia have so far failed to precipitate any notable shift in Moscow’s war goals — which, according to public statements by officials, still include Ukraine’s ceding of four regions — which Russian forces do not fully control — plus Crimea, as well as a permanent block on Kyiv’s accession to NATO.

Putin said Sunday that any peace deal with Ukraine should “eliminate the causes that triggered this crisis” and “guarantee Russia’s security.”

Kyiv and its European backers are still pushing for a full 30-day ceasefire, during which time they say peace negotiations can take place. Moscow has thus far refused to support the proposal, suggesting that all Western military aid to Ukraine would have to stop as part of any ceasefire.

Contacts between U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials continued after the end of the talks in Istanbul. On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Rubio welcomed a prisoner exchange agreement reached during the Istanbul meeting and emphasized Trump’s call for an immediate ceasefire.

Vice President JD Vance also met with Zelenskyy at the Vatican on Saturday, following Pope Leo XIV’s offer to host a bilateral meeting.

After the meeting, Zelenskyy wrote on X that he had “reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible.”

“We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoners exchange,” Zelenskyy continued. “Pressure is needed against Russia until they are eager to stop the war.”

“To the contrary, Russia is completely focused on the past, rejecting the ceasefire and instead talking constantly about the 2022 Istanbul meetings, attempting to make the same absurd demands as three years ago,” the foreign minister said.

“This is yet another reason why pressure on Russia must be increased,” Sybiha added. “Moscow must now understand the consequences of impeding the peace process.”

Meanwhile, long-range strikes by both sides continued. On Sunday night into Monday morning, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 112 drones into the country, 76 of which were shot down or jammed. Damage was reported in five regions of Ukraine, the air force said in a post to Telegram.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Monday morning that its forces had downed 35 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Stocks slide after Moody’s downgrades US debt

May 19, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Stocks slumped at the open of trading on Monday after a downgrade of U.S. credit triggered a spike in debt yields that threatened to raise borrowing costs throughout the nation’s economy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 295 points, or 0.7%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.9%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq plunged 1.2%.

Moody’s, a top ratings agency, cut the U.S. credit rating on Friday, dropping it one notch from the top rating of Aaa to a lower classification of Aa1.

The credit downgrade unleashed a selloff of U.S. debt, sending Treasury yields higher, which in turn raised the cost of U.S. borrowing and stoked investor fears about wider impact across the economy.

“This is a major symbolic move as Moody’s were the last of the major rating agencies to have the U.S. at the top rating,” a Deutsche Bank analyst said in a client note shared with ABC News.

The Treasury selloff sent long-term yields soaring above the level attained in the immediate aftermath of President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. That spike in yields helped persuade Trump to suspend a major swathe of the tariffs, Trump later said.

The current spike in debt yields coincides with U.S. House Republicans’ push to pass a domestic policy bill that includes broad tax cuts. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office warned last month that the bill would raise the nation’s debt, which now stands at about $36 trillion.

‘Strongest in the broken places’: Joe and Jill Biden say thanks amid cancer diagnosis

May 19, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Joe and Jill Biden said on Monday they were thankful for the “love and support” they’ve received since the former president’s office announced his cancer diagnosis on Sunday.

“Cancer touches us all,” the couple said in a post on Joe Biden’s social media account. “Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”

The post included a photo of the couple, along with their cat, Willow.

Biden’s office on Sunday said he had been diagnosed on Friday with prostate cancer, saying that while it was “a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.”

“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” the statement said on Sunday.

Biden’s cancer diagnosis comes after a small nodule was found in the former president’s prostate after “a routine physical exam” on Tuesday. The discovery of the nodule “necessitated further evaluation,” his spokesperson said at the time.

The sentiment about being stronger in the “broken places” is derived from a well-worn line in “A Farewell to Arms,” a novel by Ernest Hemingway, which says, “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” It’s a citation that Biden has often applied in difficult and important moments, both in his life and for the general public.

Biden used the phrase in 2016, as he opened his speech at the Democratic National Convention. He then quoted the line in March 2021, as the country marked the first anniversary of the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. And he repeated it in September 2021, on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, using Hemingway’s words in his tribute to the victims.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Averi Harper, Brittany Shepherd, Eric M. Strauss and Leah Sarnoff contributed to this report.

New Jersey transit strike: Tentative deal reached, trains will resume operation

May 19, 2025 by WDNY Radio

A tentative agreement has been reached to end New Jersey’s first statewide transit strike in more than 40 years, according to the union representing the engineers and train operators.

Trains are set to resume operations on Tuesday, according to NJ Transit. The union had previously indicated trains would resume on Monday.

“We will have a deal. Strike will end,” the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) said in a statement.

Terms of the agreement, which have not yet been released, will be sent to the union’s 450 members who work as locomotive engineers or are trainees for their consideration, according to the union.

The BLET will begin to conduct a ratification vote by electronic ballot for participating members and the agreement will also be voted on by the NJ Transit board at their next meeting on June 11.

“While I won’t get into the exact details of the deal reached, I will say that the only real issue was wages and we were able to reach an agreement that boosts hourly pay beyond the proposal rejected by our members last month and beyond where we were when NJ Transit’s managers walked away from the table Thursday evening,” Tom Haas, the general chairman for BLET, said in a statement.

The strike, which lasted just three days, shut down trains on Friday, leaving some 350,000 commuters scrambling to find other modes of transportation.

BLET members had been threatening to go on strike unless NJ Transit officials and the union were able to agree on new contract terms and conditions for the workers who drive the trains.

The day before the strike commenced, a deal with the union was close but not reached, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said at the time.

Both sides met for eleventh-hour negotiations to avert the strike on Thursday, in addition to a meeting in Washington, D.C., on Monday with the National Mediation Board, but no resolution was reached.

Union leaders said during a press conference on May 9 that it’s been five years since train engineers working for NJ Transit have received a pay increase.

“Reasonable people would vote for an agreement that is fair,” BLET National President Mark Wallace said at the time.

BLET chairman Haas said during the same news conference that engineers working for NJ Transit earn an average salary of $113,000 a year. If NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri agrees to an average salary of $170,000 a year for engineer operators, then “we got a deal,” Haas said.

Following the news of the tentative strike deal, Kolluri said supplemental bus service and park and rides will be operational as planned on Monday, along with the light rail.

“If you can work from home, please do that one more time tomorrow,” he added.

NJ Gov. Murphy celebrated the agreement, saying, “I am delighted to report that NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have reached a tentative agreement and as a result, New Jersey’s first rail strike in decades has officially come to an end.”

Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ passes House Budget Committee vote

May 19, 2025 by WDNY Radio

The House Budget Committee voted late Sunday night to advance President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” after several GOP hard-liners blocked the measure from moving forward Friday.

The vote passed down party lines 17-16, with four Republicans voting present.

Conservative Reps. Chip Roy, Andrew Clyde, Josh Brecheen and Ralph Norman all voted present — a change from their no votes on Friday.

Next, the Rules Committee will hold its meeting midweek, teeing up a vote on the floor by the end of the week.

The vote’s passage in the House Budget Committee comes after House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Sunday that “talks have gone great.”

Sources told ABC News ahead of the vote that lawmakers had not yet reached a deal on several sticking points related to SALT and Medicaid reform.

Key components of the bill look to provide major tax breaks by cutting spending elsewhere, including hundreds of billions in cuts to Medicaid.

The House Freedom Caucus released a statement after the vote, saying, that the bill “does not yet meet the moment.”

“As written, the bill continues increased deficits in the near term with possible savings years down the road that may never materialize,” the caucus said on X.

A group of Budget Committee hard-liners on Friday voted to block the package from moving forward — partly over concerns with a starting date for Medicaid work requirements — defying Trump and Republican leaders. As the legislation is currently written, Medicaid requirements take effect in 2029. However, conservatives are pushing for the requirements to start much earlier, as soon as 2027.

“Some of the states have — it takes them some time. We’ve learned in this process to change their systems and to make sure that these stringent requirements that we will put on that to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse, can actually be implemented. So, we’re working with them [hardliners] to make sure what the earliest possible date is to put into law something that will actually be useful. I think we’ve got to compromise on that. I think we’ll work it out,” Johnson claimed.

What about the Senate?

Johnson said both chambers have been working in “close coordination” and hopes the Senate won’t alter the House bill.

“The package that we send over there will be one that was very carefully negotiated and delicately balanced, and we hope that they [Senate] don’t make many modifications to it, because that will ensure its passage quickly,” he said.

Johnson added that Congress must pass the package by July 4, especially given the mid-July “deadline” to address the debt limit to avoid a default.

“We’ve got to get this done and get it to the president’s desk by that big celebration on Independence Day. And I’m convinced that we can,” he added.

Reaction to Moody’s downgrade over debt

On Friday, Moody’s Ratings downgraded the U.S. government from a gold-standard Aaa to Aa1 rating, citing its failure to stop a rising tide of debt.

Moody’s is the last of the three major rating agencies to lower the federal government’s credit. Standard & Poor’s downgraded in 2011 and Fitch Ratings followed in 2023.

“Moody’s is not incorrect, but that’s why that emphasizes the very need for the legislation we’re talking about, historic spending cuts. I mean, this will help to change the trajectory for the U.S. economy and send that message of stability to our allies and even our enemies around the world,” Johnson said. “President Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” will be passed, and that will be the key to turning this thing around. We have to get this done, and it just shows more of the urgency of why we’re doing exactly what we’re doing with the legislation.”

Trump to ask Putin to stop ‘bloodbath’ in Ukraine peace call

May 19, 2025 by WDNY Radio

LONDON — President Donald Trump is expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin at around 10 a.m. ET on Monday, as the White House continues its push for an end to Moscow’s 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine after last week’s peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey.

“I will then be speaking to President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and then, with President Zelenskyy, various members of NATO,” Trump added.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed to journalists on Monday that the call would take place at 5 p.m. Moscow time — 10 a.m. ET — the state-run Tass news agency reported.

Once it became clear Putin would not attend, Trump told reporters of the peace effort, “Nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together, okay?”

Putin said Sunday that any peace deal with Ukraine should “eliminate the causes that triggered this crisis” and “guarantee Russia’s security.”

Contacts between U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials continued after the end of the talks in Istanbul. On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Rubio welcomed a prisoner exchange agreement reached during the Istanbul meeting and emphasized Trump’s call for an immediate ceasefire.

Vice President JD Vance also met with Zelenskyy at the Vatican on Saturday, following Pope Leo XIV’s offer to host a bilateral meeting.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday wrote on X that the Istanbul meeting highlighted a “stark difference” between Moscow and Kyiv. “Ukraine is forward-looking, focused on the full and immediate ceasefire to kickstart the real peace process. To the contrary, Russia is completely focused on the past, rejecting the ceasefire and instead talking constantly about the 2022 Istanbul meetings, attempting to make the same absurd demands as three years ago.”

“This is yet another reason why pressure on Russia must be increased,” Sybiha added. “Moscow must now understand the consequences of impeding the peace process.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Monday morning that its forces had downed 35 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Former President Joe Biden diagnosed with ‘aggressive’ prostate cancer

May 19, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to a statement from his office released Sunday afternoon.

“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone,” the statement read.

“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” the statement concluded.

A Gleason score of 9 indicates a high-grade, aggressive form of prostate cancer. It further indicates that the cancer cells look very different from normal prostate cells and are likely to grow and spread rapidly.

This places the cancer in the Grade Group 5, the highest-risk category, which is associated with a greater likelihood of metastasis and a more challenging prognosis. Yet despite the cancer’s apparent aggressiveness, its hormone-sensitive nature offers a viable treatment pathway, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Reaction to Biden’s diagnosis started to roll in as the news broke.

President Donald Trump said he was “saddened” by Biden’s diagnosis.

“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

Former President Barack Obama posted a sincere message on X on Sunday evening, saying, “Michelle and I are thinking of the entire Biden family. Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery.”

Former Vice President Kamala Harris posted on X that she and her husband Doug Emhoff were keeping Biden and his family in their prayers.

“Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership,” she wrote.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who served in Biden’s Cabinet, said the former president “is a man of deep faith and extraordinary resilience.”https://x.com/PeteButtigieg/status/1924211892324594152

“Chasten and I are keeping him, and the entire Biden family, in our prayers for strength and healing,” Buttigieg said in a post on X.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Biden confirmed to ABC News that a small nodule was found in the former president’s prostate after “a routine physical exam.”

The discovery of the nodule “necessitated further evaluation,” the spokesperson said.

In February 2023, while serving as president, Biden had a lesion removed from his chest that was cancerous. Before entering office, Biden had several non-melanoma skin cancers removed with Mohs surgery.

“As expected, the biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma,” White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor said at the time. “All cancerous tissue was successfully removed. … No further treatment is required.”

Biden’s health had been under scrutiny since before he dropped out of the presidential race in 2024, giving way to then-Vice President Kamala Harris to top the Democratic presidential ticket.

In an appearance on ABC’s “The View” earlier this month, both Biden and former first lady Dr. Jill Biden generally pushed back against the slate of new books from reporters claiming that Biden was dealing with cognitive decline at the end of his presidency.

“They are wrong. There’s nothing to sustain that,” Biden said.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer death among men in the U.S., according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

An estimated 313,780 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year, representing 15.4% of all new cancer cases, with an estimated 35,770 deaths from prostate cancer this year, representing 5.8% of all cancer deaths, according to the NIH. The five-year relative survival rate from prostate cancer, meaning the percentage of people alive five years after diagnosis, is roughly 98%, the NIH says.

Prostate cancer in general usually grows very slowly. While finding and treating it before symptoms occur may not improve men’s health or help them live longer it is generally a more treatable type of cancer, even when it has spread.

-ABC News’ Eric Strauss contributed to this report.

Pope Leo XIV to lead inaugural mass Sunday, thousands expected to gather

May 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(VATICAN CITY) — Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff for the Roman Catholic Church, will lead his inaugural mass on Sunday, according to the Vatican.

The mass, called the Holy Mass for the Beginning of the Pontificate, will begin in Vatican City on Sunday at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET), the Vatican Press Office said.

Before the start of the mass, Leo will wave to the tens of thousands of people expected to be in the crowds, according to officials.

The mass, which will be held in St. Peter’s Basilica, will begin by the tomb of St. Peter, according to Vatican officials.

During the mass, the Petrine Pallium and Fisherman’s Ring will also be presented to Leo, the press office said.

The Pallium — a narrow Y-shaped band woven in white and decorated with two black pendants, six black crosses and three pins representing Christ’s crucifixion — signifies the pontiff carrying on his shoulders the responsibility of shepherding the church.

The Fisherman’s Ring, a gold signet ring, symbolizes the new pope’s role as the successor of St. Peter, a fisherman who is considered to be the first leader of the church, according to the Vatican Press Office. The ring signifies the beginning and the end of a pope’s authority, with Francis’ ring ceremonially broken after his death. Catholics who meet the pope traditionally kiss the ring to demonstrate both their respect for the pontiff and their devotion to the church.

Leo will then deliver a homily, followed by a prayer, called the Regina Caeli, according to the Vatican. The event is expected to be approximately over two hours, officials said.

After the Regina Caeli, Leo is expected to greet delegations and guests, the Vatican said.

Among the guests expected in attendance are Vice President JD Vance, wife Usha Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Leo, formally Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected the 267th pontiff on May 8. The Chicago native is the successor of Pope Francis, who died on April 21.

Leo started to emerge as a front-runner for the papacy in the days before the start of the conclave, according to the Rev. James Martin, a papal contributor to ABC News.

The new pontiff was the only U.S. cardinal on a short list of potential candidates for pope, also known as “papabiles,” compiled in the aftermath of Francis’ death by The Associated Press.

ABC News’ Phoebe Natanson and Christopher Watson contributed to this report.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial day 9: Ventura spars with defense lawyers during final day of testimony

May 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Cassie Ventura concluded four days of often painful and intimate testimony on Friday, as she sparred with attorneys for her former boyfriend, Sean “Diddy” Combs, over the consistency of her testimony and the harm she allegedly endured at the hands of the rap mogul.

Ventura’s testimony, coming right at the start of the much-anticipated Combs criminal trial, appeared to lay a foundation for the prosecution’s racketeering and sex-trafficking case against Combs. They allege Combs subjected Ventura to regular violence and blackmail threats to keep her in line so she would fulfill his sexual desires by arranging days-long sex parties called “freak offs” and “wild king nights.”

Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy, and his lawyers, through two days of cross-examination, attempted to reframe Ventura as a willing sex partner who enjoyed a swinger’s lifestyle and contributed to an admittedly toxic relationship. His lawyers have acknowledged that Combs was violent with Ventura but argued his actions do not amount to sex trafficking or racketeering, as federal prosecutors have alleged. They also highlighted episodes when Ventura was violent toward Combs in order to prove their point that the ugliness that marked their relationship went both ways.

Ventura largely maintained her composure across two days of defense questioning, even as attorneys confronted her with text messages and emails replete with graphic sexual details, and some jurors appeared to lose focus during the at-times meandering and disjointed cross-examination. When his attorney Anna Estevao concluded the cross-examination, Combs embraced Estevao in court and appeared to thank her for the intense questioning.

When questioned by prosecutors one final time on Friday, Ventura broke down in response to questioning about how she suffered following the allegedly regular beatings from Combs, telling jurors that she felt “worthless, just like dirt, that I didn’t matter to him, like I was nothing.” Ventura told the jury she would return the $20 million civil settlement she received from Combs in 2023 if it meant she never had to participate in a freak off.

“I’d give that money back if I never had to do freak offs. I would have agency and autonomy,” she said through tears. “I wouldn’t have had to work so hard to get it back.”

Defense lawyers attempt to recast moments of violence at the center of Ventura’s testimony

Defense attorneys focused on two central moments described by Ventura during her direct examination: a 2016 assault at a Los Angeles hotel and an alleged rape near the end of their relationship. During cross-examination, Combs’ lawyers attempted to use those episodes to cast doubt on Ventura’s credibility.

Asked about the 2016 hotel assault, Ventura said she believed Combs was intoxicated during the encounter. On Thursday, during Ventura’s third day of testimony, defense attorneys tried to suggest the drugs he was taking at the time contributed to his violence.

“When you get f—— up the wrong way you always want to show me you have the power and knock me around. I’m not a rag doll. I’m someone’s child,” Ventura wrote in a text message after the incident that was entered into evidence Friday.

Defense attorney Anna Estevao also probed Ventura about her recollection of how her relationship with Combs ended. The once-up-and-coming singer testified earlier in the week that Combs raped her after a dinner she said they planned as their relationship was coming to a close.

“You don’t say anything to the effect of, ‘the last time we saw each other you raped me,'” Estevao said of Ventura’s messages with Combs at the time.

Earlier, the defense showed Ventura transcripts of her interviews with law enforcement agents, pointing out that she told them the night of the alleged rape Combs was acting “nice but strangely.” The defense also pointed out how Ventura wondered whether the alleged attack occurred because of Combs’s bipolar disorder, the first time such a diagnosis was mentioned at trial. Combs has previously said he is not bipolar but has mood swings.

Defense lawyers focus on Ventura’s alleged infidelity

During cross-examination, the defense introduced scores of text messages that contained a mix of affection, sexually-charged banter, domestic negotiation, bickering and jealousy. Jealousy first emerged as a central tenet during the defense’s opening statements, when Combs’ lawyers told the jury the case against their client is about “love, jealousy, infidelity and money.”

Ventura recounted how Combs would grow jealous if he suspected she was seeing another man, and on multiple occasions, took her phone from her to learn about the suspected infidelity.

“Mr. Combs was insanely jealous?” defense attorney Anna Estevao asked. “He was upset with you when he suspected you of cheating?”

Ventura responded, “When I was with anyone else. I don’t know if I would call it cheating.”

Estevao said, “You understood he thought it cheating?”

Ventura responded, “That’s a technicality. We weren’t married.”

Defense attorneys attempt to show different side of Ventura

Jurors heard a dramatic audio recording of a March 2014 conversation in Atlantic City between Ventura and a man called Sugit, who had told her he had seen her in a sexually explicit video taken during a “freak off.” Multiple jurors appeared attentive and took notes during the testimony, as they heard a markedly more aggressive version of Ventura than had appeared on the stand, who herself seemed amused by the reaction captured on tape.

“Tell me what exactly you saw,” Ventura is heard telling Sugit. “You told me somebody else was in there f——- me.”

A moment later, her voice is heard rising. “You have it? Why didn’t you show me?” Ventura asked.

“Because I’m not disrespectful,” Sugit is heard answering meekly.

“You’ve had it the whole time?” Ventura said. “It’s my f****** life and I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you if you don’t show me. Pull it up. If you have it, pull that s— up or I’m going to kill you!”

Ventura acknowledged the aggressiveness in her voice, having testified on direct examination about a constant fear that Combs might release the sex tapes from freak-offs that would destroy her career and her reputation. Ventura testified that Combs had shown her the videos and used them as blackmail, threatening to release them if she disobeyed him.

“I was just sick about it and was feeling pressure from Sean,” Ventura told jurors, adding that Combs directed her to speak with Sugit.

At the conclusion of her testimony, Ventura, through a statement read by her attorney Douglas Wigdor outside court, thanked her supporters for their kindness and vowed to never forget what she said Combs did to her.

“I hope that my testimony has given strength and a voice to other survivors and can help others who have suffered to speak up and also heal from abuse and fear. For me, the more I heal, the more I can remember, and the more I can remember, the more I will never forget,” she said in a statement.

Prosecutors call federal agent, Dawn Richard of Danity Kane to witness stand

Federal prosecutors called two additional witnesses on Friday after the conclusion of Ventura’s testimony.

Special Agent Yasin Binda of Homeland Security Investigations told jurors about a search of Combs’ hotel room at the time of his arrest in 2024, when his lawyers said he traveled to New York to surrender to authorities. Binda testified that agents seized $9,000 in cash, substances that later tested positive for ketamine and MDMA, multiple bottles of baby oil, and a device used for “mood lighting,” which Ventura alleged were the kind of items Combs would use during freak offs. Jurors were able to touch and examine some of the materials seized from Combs’ room.

For their fifth witness, prosecutors called Dawn Richard, a singer-songwriter who, in a civil lawsuit, has accused Combs of sexual assault, forced labor and forced imprisonment. A former member of the girl group Danity Kane, Richard allegedly witnessed multiple instances when Combs abused Ventura, including an incident she described in her testimony. Combs had broadly denied the allegations in that case.

Richard testified that she witnessed Combs beat Ventura in Los Angeles in 2009, describing how Combs had a violent outburst while Ventura tried to cook breakfast.

“He came downstairs angry. He said, ‘Where the f—- is his eggs?'” Richard testified. “He took the skillet with the eggs” and took a swing at Ventura, adding that Ventura dropped to the ground, “literally trying to hide her face or her head.”

After a series of objections, the judge adjourned court until Monday while he considers potentially striking portions of Richard’s testimony.

Woman found alive after being missing 3 weeks in California mountains speaks out

May 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(FRESNO, CA) — Tiffany Slaton, 28, said she has always had a love of foraging, gardening and outdoor adventures.

But her survival instincts and knowledge of nature were put to the test when she was lost in the mountains of Fresno, California, for nearly three weeks and was finally found alive on Wednesday.

Slaton spoke to reporters during a press conference on Friday about her experience that started out as a three-day solo camping trip and ended as a survival mission.

“I may never do a vacation longer than three days ever again,” she said on Friday.

Slaton, from Jeffersonville, Georgia, was first reported missing by her parents on April 29 after they had not heard from her for nine days, officials said.

At the start of her camping trip, she recounted to reporters how she had fallen off a cliff and became unconscious for two hours, injuring both of her legs in the process. Slaton, who is a trained horticulturist and “pre-Olympian” in archery, then proceeded to splint one of her legs and “pop another knee back into place,” she said.

Due to a recent avalanche, she was unable to get back onto the main road and was unsuccessful in reaching 911 due to a lack of cell service.

Thus, she began her “long arduous journey” of attempting to get back to civilization, which included fighting off animals, surviving on leeks and boiled snow, hiking peaks up to 11,000 feet high and suffering through 13 heavy snow storms, she said.

“Nature is quite terrifying. Once you start finding things that are scary for you, you do your best to keep moving and get over it.” Slaton said.

Although she began her “vacation” with a tent, two sleeping bags and her bicycle, she was only able to hold onto a lighter and a knife for most of her journey.

Throughout her time alone in the wilderness, she kept thinking she would rather “live than have to deal with my parents seeing that I failed in such a dumb way” and that she was determined to be reunited with her family before her birthday, which was on Thursday.

From May 6 to May 10, officials conducted search and rescue efforts looking for the 28-year-old, police said. But with a search spanning nearly 600 square miles and no confirmed sightings of her since April 24, police said they had decided on Tuesday to scale back their efforts.

Then on Wednesday, her parents, Bobby and Fredrina Slaton, received a phone call from none other than their daughter Tiffany, saying, “Dad, I’m alive.”

The missing camper had fought through a blizzard and found shelter in an unlocked cabin at a resort near Lake Edison, officials said.

Officials said resort owner Christopher Gutierrez had “left a cabin unlocked as a precaution for this exact situation where someone who is lost could seek shelter and increase their chances of surviving the outdoor elements and harsh weather.”

When she came across this cabin, Slaton said she thought she was hallucinating and that she had “managed to make it to the North Pole.”

“When the door opened, I saw the best sleeping bag in the world,” Slaton said.

Gutierrez discovered Slaton when he arrived at the resort to open up the place for the summer, he told reporters on Wednesday.

“As soon as I saw her, she didn’t say a word, just ran up and all she wanted was a hug. It was a pretty surreal moment,” Gutierrez said.

Slaton said, “If he hadn’t come that day, they would have found my body there.”

Gutierrez said he knew that there had been a missing hiker in the area and called the sheriff’s office to say he had found Slaton.

Slaton told Gutierrez that “all she wanted was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

Deputies confirmed the woman was Slaton, who was then examined by medics and treated for dehydration, according to officials.

Officials said that Slaton, who they described as a “fighter,” was found approximately 45 miles from where she was last seen.

Slaton, who was wearing sunglasses during the press conference, said she has experienced eye damage due to the snowy conditions along with a few minor cuts and burns. She also said she had lost about 10 pounds after being in the wilderness for 20 days, yet her blood work came back “perfect” due to her foraging skills.

Fredrina Slaton said she is “very proud” of her daughter’s survival, but “will be prouder when she gets a GPS.”

Tiffany Slaton will travel back home to Georgia with her family as she continues to recover. She said she journaled the whole adventure and plans on going through that documentation as she adjusts back to reality.

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