The Algorithm Age

Of the five charges Sean 'Diddy' Combs faced trial over, he was only found guilty of two — and they were the least serious ones. A relieved Combs celebrated in court and told his family he would be home soon, but the matter is not over yet. And the verdict is not the end of the road for alleged victims, with dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse which are yet to be dealt with. Here's what happens next. What was Diddy found guilty of? Two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution These were the least serious charges against Combs. What was Diddy found not guilty of? One count of racketeering conspiracy Two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion One of the trafficking charges was related to Combs's ex girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura. The other trafficking charge related to another ex-gir...

One of OJ Simpson’s attorneys has explained how a single “smart move” made by Sean “Diddy” Combs’s defense team may have been why the rapper was found not guilty on two of the more serious charges in his sex trafficking trial. Alan Dershowitz, part of the Simpson “Dream Team” that got the late disgraced athlete acquitted in the killing of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994, said Combs’s defense team was right not to put him on the stand. “Ultimately, the smart decision was not putting OJ on the witness stand. The smart decision here was not putting Combs on the witness stand,” Professor Emeritus Dershowitz told Fox News Digital. “The difference is we want a complete victory. They got a partial victory, but an almost complete victory, so I commend them for excellent work.” “I think this was a good day for justice today, and it showed the power of juries to stand up against the federal government,” he added. “And that's a nec...

Footage appears to show Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents urinating on the grounds of a Los Angeles public school, which they described as a “deeply disturbing” incident. Members of the El Rancho Unified School District Board wrote to the Department of Homeland Security to complain about the alleged incident and accused the ICE agents of risking “exposing themselves to minors.” It follows a period of heightened tension in LA and Southern California as communities push back against ICE and the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation agenda. The school board claimed the agents urinated against a storage container beside the playground of the Ruben Salazar High School in Pico Rivera on the morning of June 17. It was also close to where students were in session. Footage shared by the school appears to confirm the claims, as one by one the agents walk toward the storage container and stand for a few moments. The DHS did not respond to questions abo...

Political and news cycles often work in a certain and predictable way. Issues flare like bushfires, then rage for weeks or even months, until they are finally extinguished by action or fade by being overtaken by the next big thing. On two very different fronts this week, we’re reminded how these cycles work. During the last term, the opposition constantly hammered the government over its handling of the former immigration detainees released after the High Court found they couldn’t be held indefinitely. These included people who had committed murder, child sex offences and violent assaults. On Sunday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke admitted in a television interview that the legislation the government passed to re-detain some of these people was, in effect, impossible to use. Burke’s comments attracted only limited attention. The other reminder of an old story came when the Federal Court ordered a militant Muslim preacher to remove inflammatory lectures from the internet...

Sinn Féin called on the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Tracy Kelly, to explain the decision to remove a portrait of President Michael D Higgins from Belfast City Hall. Following a social media post by Ms Kelly, Sinn Féin councillors were quick to notice that a portrait of Mr Higgins had been removed from a reception parlour in the building. Sinn Féin has now called on Ms Kelly to explain the decision to remove the portrait. The portrait had been placed in the reception room by Sinn Féin’s Ryan Murphy when he was lord mayor. The picture was put up after Mr Murphy received a portrait of King Charles and decided to place the two side by side. This was then followed by a formal event to mark the occasion. The portrait’s disappearance prompted Mr Murphy to question its whereabouts in a council meeting on Tuesday. Belfast City Council confirmed that the portrait, despite no longer being on display, is being safely stored at City Hall, ‘at the requ...

The world had been waiting with bated breath to hear the fate of disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Across three days, a 12-member New York jury spent 13 hours deliberating before returning a verdict. The jury, which consisted of eight men and four women, found Combs guilty of prostitution-related crimes, but acquitted him of the most serious charges that could have placed him behind bars for life. Celebrities, singers and rappers have responded to the verdict, calling it a failure to deliver justice and sympathising with Cassie Ventura, while others praised the verdict, calling it a "a great day in hip-hop". Outside the courtroom, supporters of Combs even went as far as to douse themselves with baby oil in celebration — a reference to evidence presented in court of Combs's excessive use of the product. 'Start normalising accountability' Diddy's former protégée Aubrey O'Day, who rose to fame on Com...

Creative Australia’s decision earlier this year to rescind the selection of artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino as Australia’s 2026 representatives at the Venice Biennale sent shockwaves through the arts sector. For many artists and arts workers, it reinforced concerns around participation and access for those from culturally and racially diverse backgrounds. This week’s reinstatement of the artistic team offers some comfort. However, the entire incident has reinforced that, while diversity in the arts is celebrated, inclusion at the highest level can’t be taken for granted. Some worrying stats Our 2024 survey of more than 900 visual and craft artists, and visual arts workers (who we define as workers who support the visual arts sector), revealed several concerning findings in relation to opportunity and inclusion for culturally and racially diverse creatives. The first key finding was more than 67% of artists and 78% of arts workers felt there wer...

For nearly two years, a nearly nonstop parade of allegations and revelations has ravaged and unraveled Sean “Diddy” Combs’ carefully cultivated reputation as an affable celebrity entrepreneur, A-list party host, Grammy-winning artist and music executive, brand ambassador and reality TV star. It culminated in a verdict Wednesday that saw Combs acquitted of the most serious sex trafficking charges, though guilty of two lesser ones. The stratospheric heights of his previous life may be impossible to regain, but the question remains whether a partial conviction could mean a partial public rehabilitation, or if too much damage has been done. “Combs managed to avoid becoming the next R. Kelly,” said Evan Nierman, CEO and president of crisis public relations firm Red Banyan, referring to the R&B superstar convicted of similar sex trafficking charges as those that Combs beat. Combs, 55, has yet to be sentenced and faces the likelihood of prison time, but he no longer faces th...

Real Housewives of Miami star Lisa Hochstein took to Instagram to respond to allegations Larsa Pippen made against her boyfriend, Jody Glidden , on the Wednesday, July 2, episode — and insiders who were present during the evening in question have exclusively backed Hochstein’s story to OK! . During the episode, Pippen claimed Glidden was aggressive and screamed at her at a Philipp Plein dinner when they all were in Milan for a fashion show. She even went as far as to get the man from the show on a call via FaceTime, where he corroborated her story. They Weren't 'Best Friends' "Let me set the record straight," Hochstein shared. "Larsa keeps saying we’ve been best friends for 15 years. That’s just not true. We’d see each other at events, but we didn’t actually become friends until four years ago — right before the reboot — when we started texting and talking. That’s how it really started." Hoch...

Fox News commentator Jason Chaffetz tossed a stunning accusation at Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday, claiming the New York City mayoral candidate “just wants to eradicate Jews” and “doesn’t believe in them.” The inflammatory assertion by Chaffetz – a former Republican congressman from Utah– comes as conservatives and centrist Democrats have widely smeared Mamdani as “antisemitic” – largely over his “refusal to condemn” the pro-Palestinian slogan “globalize the intifada.” While saying he doesn’t use the phrase or endorse it , Mamdani has added that his role as “the mayor is not to police language” while arguing that the term can mean different things to different people. He’s also vowed to tackle the “crisis of antisemitism” in the city, pushing for a significant increase in funding for anti-hate crime prevention. During an interview with The Bulwark, for instance, he said that while he sympathized with those who feel “intifada” is associated with violence against Isra...

Kanye West can no longer visit his wife Bianca Censori 's home country of Australia. Officials from Down Under revoked the controversial rapper's valid visa as a result of West's frequent antisemitic and offensive remarks — specifically ones made in connection to his new song "Heil Hitler." Kanye West Has Australian Visa Revoked During a recent appearance on ABC's Afternoon Briefing , Immigration Minister Tony Burke revealed West is blocked from entering the country in an effort to prevent the promotion of hate across the nation. "He’s made a lot of offensive comments that my officials looked at again once he released [that] song ," Burke explained. While West's visa wasn't specifically obtained for concert purposes, "officials still looked at the law and said if you’re going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism, we don’t need that in Australia," the minister noted. The...

After more than four years and over 1,300 submissions, Australia's first Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry has handed down its final report. It has found the First Peoples of Victoria have endured crimes against humanity and genocide since the beginning of colonisation in Victoria — and they are still being impacted by systemic injustice today as a result. The report has outlined 100 recommendations aimed at redressing these injustices. Here are some of the key takeaways. What did Yoorrook find? The commission concluded that colonisation in Victoria involved widespread massacres, cultural destruction, forced child removals and economic exclusion . "Yoorrook found that the decimation of the First Peoples population in Victoria … was the result of a coordinated plan of different actions aimed at the destruction of the essential foundations of the life of national groups," it said. "This was genocide." Th...

Each week, Dr Kirstin Ferguson tackles questions on workplace, career and leadership in her advice column, Got a Minute? This week: handling difficult feedback, threats for failing security tests and redundancies for part-time contractors. I’m a senior manager in a job I really enjoy. However, it is very difficult to keep my boss happy. I get called out on many things that seem really minor, and my confidence has taken a beating. Recently, she gave me feedback that my team has felt disempowered and belittled by my management style, and that they don’t find me sincere. I found this devastating and humiliating. She said it was salvageable and that we could work together to rectify things. This is the first time I have been made aware of the issue and I wonder if there has been a bit of mud scraping in the background. I want to succeed in this role, but feel completely reduced by it. What should I do? How do I stop feeling so upset and taking it all so personally...

As rumors swirl that Real Housewives of New Jersey star Melissa Gorga would not be able to film her new show Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition after a legal letter surfaced online, Kim DePaola exclusively told OK! the truth. According to the note, which was sent by lawyer William J. Rush to Judge Darren T. DiBiasi in New Jersey, Joe Gorga and Melissa alleged the borough of Franklin Lakes, where they reside, was delaying issuing them a permit allowing them to film. 'Wrongfully Witholding' Joe and Melissa From Filming “Plaintiffs are alleging that Defendants are wrongfully withholding reality television performers and are under contract to film at their residence on June 6, 2025,” the letter reads. “In order for filming to take place… the application and all other permits have to be filed with the Borough Clerk by May 30, 2025.” The note requested the court hear this order at their “earliest convenience,”...

Boycotts, protests and even a hunger strike. These are not events normally associated with the aftermath of winning a World Cup. But for Spain, triumph was overshadowed by controversy. What should have been a moment of celebration - the team's historic triumph at the 2023 Women's World Cup - turned into something else entirely. Instead of celebrating their first major trophy, the squad found themselves at the centre of a sexism scandal. Nearly two years later, the dark cloud over Spanish football seems to have shifted. But have things changed for the better in Spain? And are the world champions entering a new era as they begin their pursuit of a European crown? How did we get here? Just as Spain were getting ready to lift the World Cup trophy, Luis Rubiales - the country's football federation president - kissed striker Jenni Hermoso on the lips. It was a kiss that Rubiales said was consensual, but Hermoso said was not. What followed was a storm o...

George Brandis is drawing a rather long bow to even include Sussan Ley and Gough Whitlam in the same column (“ What Ley can learn from Whitlam ”, June 30) but I’m assuming his intention is to bestow some kind of importance on Ley that has so far been elusive. Despite her impassioned narrative about her past, and her determination to “modernise” the Liberal Party, good luck with that – Ley is, in reality, a compromise leader who will be lucky to be leading by the next election, given the predatory nature of her predominantly male colleagues. That said, behind the beaming smile, her responses to questions on policy remain the same as any other politician, and certainly not Whitlamesque. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne For just a moment I thought Brandis had seen that “it’s time” and embraced Labor great Whitlam. But, alas, they are still as far apart as their surnames are in the alphabet. His overly verbose text really comes down to merely arguing that all Sussan Ley has ...