By MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, took the witness stand in his sex trafficking trial on Tuesday, a day after prosecutors showed jurors video of the music mogul beating her in a hotel in 2016.

Testimony from Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, is central to prosecutors’ attempts to portray Combs as used his status as a powerful executive to orchestrate a deviant empire of exploitation, coercing women into abusive sex parties he called “freak-offs” and becoming violent if they refused.

Sean Diddy Combs listens during opening statements on the first day of trial in Manhattan federal court, Monday, May 12, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Lawyers for three-time Grammy winner argue that although he could be violent, Combs never veered into sex trafficking and racketeering, telling jurors the sexual acts were consensual. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. Testimony in the trial began Monday.

Cassie told the jury Tuesday that her relationship with Combs ran the gamut from good times to arguments and physical altercations.

“If they were violent arguments, it would usually result in some sort of physical abuse and dragging, just different things,” Cassie said. Asked how frequently Combs became violent with her, Cassie softly responded: “Too frequently.”

Cassie sued Combs in 2023 alleging years of abuse. They met in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37. He signed her to his Bad Boy Records label and, within a few years, they started dating.

A surveillance video made public last year showed Combs beating her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. CNN aired the video last year, leading Combs to apologize. The video, which was played for jurors Monday, shows Combs wearing only a white towel, punching, kicking and dragging Cassie in a hotel hallway.

Israel Florez, a former security officer at the hotel, testified Monday that he came across Combs while responding to a call about a woman in distress, and found Combs sitting in a chair with “a devilish stare.” Florez said Combs offered him a stack of money and said “Don’t tell nobody.”

Florez said he refused the cash and told Combs, “I don’t want your money. Just go back into your room.”

Earlier Tuesday, the trial resumed with Combs’ lawyer questioning Daniel Phillip, a male stripper who says he was paid to have sex with Cassie while Combs watched. Phillip testified on Monday that he stopped seeing the couple after Combs assaulted Cassie.

Defense lawyer Xavier Donaldson pointed to Phillip’s past statements to federal prosecutors as he attempted to show inconsistencies in his recollection of events. Donaldson finished his cross-examination after suggesting that Phillip had developed a crush on Cassie and wanted to isolate her from Combs so he could be with her romantically. Phillip denied that, but admitted: “I was attracted to her. If she ever gave me the chance to date her, I absolutely would have.”

In opening statements Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson said Combs beat Cassie often and with little provocation and threatened to ruin her music career by releasing videos of her engaging in sexual acts with male escorts during encounters he arranged.

Johnson said Combs sexually exploited and beat other women, including a woman identified only as Jane, who Combs is accused of attacking after she confronted him about the “freak-offs.”

Cassie’s lawsuit against Combs was settled within hours but it was followed by dozens of similar legal claims and touched off a criminal investigation.

An attorney for Combs, Teny Geragos, told the jury Combs’ accusers were after his money, adding that jurors might think he’s a “jerk” and might not condone his “kinky sex,” but that “he’s not charged with being a jerk.”

The Associated Press doesn’t generally identify people who say they are victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has done.

Judge Arun Subramanian says he’s inclined to grant a request by media organizations to view what a defense lawyer described as pornographic videos that will be shown to the jury as evidence in the case. But he’s giving the parties another day to make submissions on the matter.

Combs has been jailed in Brooklyn since his arrest in September. If convicted, he could get at least 15 years and up to life in prison.

Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

All the rumors about the Vikings playing back-to-back across the pond are true.

In an unprecedented move, the NFL announced on Tuesday morning that the Vikings will play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 28 at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, then the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 5 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.

Not only is this the first time an international game will be played Dublin, Ireland, it’s also the first time a team will play international games on consecutive weekends in different countries.

“Our experiences in London have always been memorable, so to return in 2025 as the first team to play in back-to-back international games in different countries was something we could not pass up,” Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf said in a release. “UK fans have a history of showing up and embracing the Minnesota Vikings, creating what often feels like a homefield environment, and we are hopeful that is what we see again in 2025.”

Though there will certainly be some challenges with staying abroad for so long, the Vikings could have an advantage getting to acclimate to the time change. They can also take solace in the fact that they have never lost across the pond.

Most recently the Vikings defeated the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In that game during the 2024 season, Vikings edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel memorably intercepted Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, then raced the other way for a touchdown.

Technically, the Vikings will be the road team for both games, which means they will avoid a road game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, as well as a road game at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland. They also won’t have to give up any home games at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The full schedule for the 2025 season will be released on Wednesday night.

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The Timberwolves are one win away from their second consecutive Western Conference Finals appearance.

But Minnesota’s Game 4 win in San Francisco wasn’t the only major happening across the NBA on Monday evening. Taking place hours earlier was the draft lottery, which left the league stunned as Dallas, who had a 1% chance of nabbing the No. 1 overall pick, got the top spot and is now in position to select Duke’s Cooper Flagg on June 25.

But what about Minnesota? The Timberwolves currently own the No. 17 pick — Detroit’s selection —which they acquired in their trade with the Knicks back in September.

Who is Minnesota projected to select in the first round of next month’s draft? Here’s who the experts suspect may soon be joining the organization:

ESPN: Michigan forward Danny Wolf

The skinny: Leaning into the versatility of an out-of-the-box prospect such as Wolf, who shouldered significant playmaking responsibilities for Michigan as a 7-footer, could be interesting. Wolf’s skill level, creativity and overall instincts on both ends of the floor give him a higher ceiling than your typical 21-year-old prospect, especially with the development trajectory he has been on the past three years.

NBA intel and fit: The Pistons breaking through and making the playoffs conveyed this pick to the Timberwolves, who have a nice opportunity to add talent after having traded away most of their draft capital since Tim Connelly took over as president. Wolf would give them a versatile frontcourt player capable of contributing sooner than later.

Minnesota will also consider using this pick to improve its roster as it pushes to contend around an ascending Anthony Edwards.

SBNation: Alabama guard Labaron Philon

The skinny: Philon started for an elite team all year as a true freshman and made big contributions despite not having a reliable outside jumper yet. The 6’4 guard has one of the better handles in the class, and he does a tremendous job manipulating pace to punch holes in the opposing defense. He’s a solid live-dribble passer who can kick out to teammates for threes, and he has a developing mid-range/floater game to score even when he doesn’t make it all the way to the rim. Philon’s defense is also intriguing with quick hands that generated the most steals on the Crimson Tide by a big margin. The catch with Philon is he isn’t a great outside shooter yet (31.5 percent from deep) and he has trouble finishing over length. If the shot comes around, his game feels built for the playoffs.

Yahoo: Colorado State wing Nique Clifford

The skinny: Clifford is a tough-as-nails wing who does it all. He defends multiple positions, crashes the boards and scores from everywhere. The Timberwolves could use that type of dynamic ability from a role player, since Clifford can offer some creation and passing on top of his foundational skills. And plus with Nickeil Alexander-Walker set to hit free agency, Minnesota might need someone who’s ready sooner than later.

USA Today’s For The Win: Colorado State wing Nique Clifford

The skinny: In our last mock draft, we had Colorado State senior Nique Clifford projected to the Timberwolves and we are sticking with that instinct. Clifford is the oldest player we have projected in the first round but he looks ready to contribute to an NBA rotation. He led an upset over Memphis in the first round of the NCAA tournament and averaged a productive 18.9 points. 9.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game during his final collegiate campaign.

Bleacher Report: French guard Nolan Traore

The skinny: Nolan Traore is in the midst of one of his best stretches of the season. He’s going to enter the draft with the field’s highest assist percentage regardless, but now he’s confidently stepping into three-point makes and creating for himself with visible decisiveness.
Shooting struggles and inefficiency caused by athletic limitations had scared scouts off. But the bar was awfully high entering the season. And now the 18-year-old has looked highly effective generating offense as a starting point guard in Pro A.

The Athletic: Georgetown forward Thomas Sorber

The skinny: The Timberwolves have some questions forthcoming in the frontcourt over the next couple of years. Julius Randle has starred in the playoffs but has a player option this summer. Naz Reid is a free agent. Rudy Gobert turns 33 in June. Sorber is an absolutely massive body that I think would tick some boxes for head of basketball operations Tim Connelly. He’s fluid and coordinated at 6-9 to 6-10, but moreover possesses a mammoth wing span that I wouldn’t be stunned to see land in the 7-4 range. His frame is massive with broad shoulders

Beyond that, he has this innate feel for the game as a passer and playmaker that Connelly has tended to value in his big men going back to even Denver, when he selected Nikola Jokic. It’s easy to see Minnesota valuing Sorber as a big man with real feel for the game as a developmental project next year who could hopefully step into a more substantive role in his second and third seasons.

By ILLIA NOVIKOV, Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he will be waiting for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Turkish capital this week to conduct face-to-face talks about the more than three-year war.

Putin hasn’t yet said whether he will be at the talks, which U.S. President Donald Trump has urged the two sides to attend as part of Washington’s efforts to stop the fighting.

Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv that he will be in Ankara on Thursday to conduct the negotiations. He plans to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the two will wait for Putin to arrive, he said.

Zelenskyy said that if Putin chooses Istanbul to hold the meeting, then both leaders will travel there.

“If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian leader added that European and U.S. leaders should follow through with threats of powerful sanctions against Russia, if Putin doesn’t show up for talks.

Overnight, Russia launched 10 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said, in its smallest drone bombardment this year.

The Kremlin hasn’t directly responded to Zelenskyy’s challenge for Putin to meet him in person at the negotiating table.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused for the second straight day Tuesday to tell reporters whether Putin will travel to Istanbul and who else will represent Russia at the potential talks.

“As soon as the president considers it necessary, we will make an announcement,” Peskov said.

Russia has said that it would send a delegation to Istanbul without preconditions.

Washington has been applying stiff pressure on both sides to come to the table since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January with a promise to end the war.

Military analysts say that both sides are preparing a spring-summer campaign on the battlefield, where a war of attrition has killed tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said Monday that Russia is “quickly replenishing front-line units with new recruits to maintain the battlefield initiative.”

Zelenskyy won’t be meeting with any Russian officials in Istanbul other than Putin, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said Tuesday on a YouTube show run by prominent Russian journalists in exile.

Lower-level talks would amount to simply “dragging out” any peace process, Podolyak said.

European leaders have recently accused Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts, while he attempts to press his bigger army’s battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land.

Russia effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire demanded by Ukraine and Western European leaders from Monday, when it fired more than 100 drones at Ukraine. Putin instead offered direct peace talks.

But the wrangling over whether a ceasefire should come before the talks begin has continued.

“Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations with Russia, but a ceasefire must come first,” Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said Tuesday.

Negotiations are impossible while “the Ukrainian people are under attack by Russian missiles and drones around the clock,” Yermak said in a video address to the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2025.

Putin has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government, especially Zelenskyy himself, saying his term expired last year. Under Ukraine’s constitution, it’s illegal for the country to hold a national election while it’s under martial law, as it now is.

In a further complication, a Ukrainian decree from 2022 rules out negotiations with Putin.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke Monday with the senior diplomats from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland, who were meeting in London, to assess “the way forward for a ceasefire and path to peace in Ukraine,” spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Those European countries had pledged further sanctions on Russia, if Moscow didn’t comply with a full ceasefire that Ukraine had accepted from Monday, but they made no announcement of additional punitive measures.