By LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Hip-hop producer Sean “Diddy” Combs wants a federal appeals court to quickly consider the legality of his conviction on prostitution-related charges and his more than four-year prison sentence.

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His lawyers filed papers with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, asking that oral arguments in his appeal occur in April.

The lawyers noted that Combs has already served 14 months of his 50-month sentence and that he may earn reductions in time behind bars because of his participation in a substance abuse treatment program and a program established by the First Step Act to improve an inmate’s return to society.

Combs wants his appeal to be considered soon enough that he can benefit from a reduction of time spent in prison if the appeals court reverses his conviction, his lawyers said.

Combs, 55, was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fueled sexual encounters in multiple places over many years. However, he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life.

Apologetic at his sentencing for what he described as his “disgusting, shameful” behavior, the Bad Boy Records founder was sentenced to four years and two months in prison by a judge who praised the courage of the women who testified against him.

Combs is scheduled to be released from prison on May 8, 2028, assuming he gets credit for good behavior behind bars. He has been incarcerated since his arrest in September 2024, when he was taken into custody at a Manhattan hotel.

In a letter to the judge before he was sentenced, Combs said he has gone through a “spiritual reset” in jail and was “committed to the journey of remaining a drug free, non-violent and peaceful person.”

His lawyers told the judge that Combs’ arrest and conviction have destroyed his businesses, forcing the layoffs of more than 100 employees who struggled to find new jobs because of their past association with the music mogul.

He also still faces dozens of lawsuits filed against him since his arrest.

By JOSH FUNK, AP Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — American farmers welcomed China’s promise to buy some of their soybeans, but they cautioned this won’t solve all their problems as they continue to deal with soaring prices for fertilizer, tractors, repair parts and seeds.

The Chinese promise to buy at least 25 million metric tons of soybeans annually for next three years will bring their purchases back in line with where they were at before President Donald Trump launched his trade war with China in the spring. But the 12 million metric tons that China plans to buy between now and January is only about half the typical annual volume.

“This is a very good thing. I’m very grateful,” said Iowa farmer Robb Ewoldt, who is a director with the United Soybean Board. “I don’t want to sound like a ungrateful farmer, but it doesn’t cure everything in the short term.”

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said China also agreed to remove all its retaliatory tariffs on American ag products, which should open the door for sales of other crops and beef. Plus, China promised to resume buying U.S. sorghum, which is another crop largely used for animal feed that depends on that market. More than half the sorghum and soybean crops are exported every year with much of that going to China.

Having these promises from China should make it easier for farmers to get the loans they need heading into next year, but Ewoldt said “I hope the administration doesn’t think that this solves everything in the next 6 to 8 months or ten months.”

Trump had promised to offer farmers a significant aid package this fall to help them survive the trade war with China, but it’s been put on hold because of the ongoing government shutdown. Rollins said that aid package is still in the works, but she promised the administration is ready to “step in the gap” and address any sort of harm the trade war has caused farmers.

“We’ll see what the market does and we will be ready to continue to step in if in fact, we believe it’s necessary,” Rollins said.

China is the world’s largest buyer of soybeans. It had been consistently buying about one quarter of the American crop in recent years. China bought more than $12.5 billion worth of the nearly $24.5 billion worth of U.S. soybeans that were exported last year.

China quit buying American soybeans this year after Trump imposed his tariffs. Yet it had been steadily shifting more of its purchases over to Brazil and other South American nations ever since Trump’s initial trade war with China in his first term.

Last year, Brazilian beans accounted for more than 70% of China’s imports, while the U.S. share fell to 21%, World Bank data shows. Argentina and other South American countries also are selling more to China, which has diversified to boost food security.

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Farmer Caleb Ragland, who is president of the American Soybean Association trade group, said this agreement lays the foundation for restoring China’s traditional purchases of 25 million to 30 million metric tons of American soybeans.

“This is a meaningful step forward to reestablishing a stable, long-term trading relationship that delivers results for farm families and future generations,” said Ragland, who farms near Magnolia, Kentucky.

Indiana farmer Brent Bible said this deal with China sounds good— as long as they actually do what they promised, unlike what happened with the trade agreement China signed with the United States in 2020 after Trump’s initial trade war. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted trade between the two nations just as the agreement went into effect. In 2022, U.S. farm exports to China hit a record, but then fell.

“If we see actionable purchases and follow through by China, then it’s great,” Bible said.

A former dance instructor from Lakeville who repeatedly sexually assaulted a teen student has been given two months in the Dakota County jail and seven years of probation.

Timothy Mark Olson Jr. (Courtesy of the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office)

Timothy Mark Olson Jr., 36, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty in August to the sole count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct for acts that authorities say took place with a teenage girl at his home from June 2022 through the end of that year.

The victim went to Lakeville police in November 2023 and reported Olson sexually assaulted her at his home approximately five to eight times in the summer and fall of 2022, while she was under the age of 18.

She said Olson was her instructor at a dance studio beginning when she was in ninth grade and that her parents began paying him to teach her individual lessons when she was an 11th-grader. Olson started contacting the girl through Instagram messages, which “started out innocuous but progressed to asking Victim to come to his residence in Lakeville,” the criminal complaint said.

Olson made a straight plea to the charge — meaning no agreement was in place with the prosecution — and faced a presumptive three-year stayed sentence under state guidelines.

Olson’s attorney asked Judge Krista Marks for no additional time beyond the one day he had served after his arrest, or, in the alternative, 180 days on house arrest.

His 60-day jail sentence will begin Feb. 16, court records show. His sentence includes a stay of imposition, which means the felony conviction will be considered a misdemeanor if he successfully completes probation.

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By ANDY WONG

JIUQUAN, China (AP) — China said Thursday it’s on track to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 as it introduced the next crew of astronauts who will head to its space station as part of the country’s ambitious plans to be a leader in space exploration.

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“Currently, each program of the research and development work of putting a person on the moon is progressing smoothly,” said Zhang Jingbo, spokesman for the China Manned Space Program, citing the Long March 10 rocket, moon landing suits and exploration vehicle, as fruitful efforts of that work. “Our fixed goal of China landing a person on the moon by 2030 is firm.”

China is also preparing to send up its latest rotation of astronauts who make up part of the ongoing mission to complete the Tiangong space station, part of its broader space exploration plans. Each team stays inside the station for six months, conducting research.

The latest crew joining others on the station will be made up of Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang. They will take off from the Jiuquan launch center Friday at 11:44 p.m. in China. Zhang was previously part of the Shenzhou 15 mission to the station. For Wu and Zhang, this will be their first time in space.

The astronauts will also carry four mice with them on this trip, two male and two female. They will study the effects of weightlessness and confinement on the animals.

China began work on the Tiangong, or “Heavenly Palace,” after the country was excluded from the International Space Station over U.S. national security concerns over the Chinese space program’s direct link to the People’s Liberation Army.