Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' faces Republican family feud as Senate reveals its final text

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  • Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' faces Republican family feud as Senate reveals its final text</p>

<p>Alex MillerJune 27, 2025 at 10:55 PM</p>

<p>Senate Republicans unveiled their long-awaited version of President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," but its survival is not guaranteed.</p>

<p>Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., revealed the stitched-together text of the colossal bill late Firday night.</p>

<p>The final product from the upper chamber is the culmination of a roughly month-long sprint to take the House GOP's version of the bill and mold and change it. The colossal package includes separate pieces and parts from 10 Senate committees. With the introduction of the bill, a simple procedural hurdle must be passed in order to begin the countdown to final passage.</p>

<p>When that comes remains an open question. Senate Republicans left their daily lunch on Friday under the assumption that a vote could be teed up as early as noon on Saturday.</p>

<p>House Conservatives Go To War With Senate Over Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'</p>

<p>President Donald Trump on June 18, 2025.</p>

<p>Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Fox News Digital that he had "strongly encouraged" Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to put the bill on the floor for a vote Saturday afternoon.</p>

<p>Read On The Fox News App</p>

<p>"If you're unhappy with that, you're welcome to fill out a hurt feelings report, and we will review it carefully later," Kennedy said. "But in the meantime, it's time to start voting."</p>

<p>But Senate Republicans' desire to impose their will on the package and make changes to already divisive policy tweaks in the House GOP's offering could doom the bill and derail Thune's ambitious timeline to get it on Trump's desk by the July 4 deadline.</p>

<p>However, Thune has remained firm that lawmakers would stay on course and deliver the bill to Trump by Independence Day.</p>

<p>When asked if he had the vote to move the package forward, Thune said "we'll find out tomorrow."</p>

<p>Top Trump Health Official Slams Democrats For 'Misleading' Claims About Medicaid Reform</p>

<p>But it wasn't just lawmakers who nearly derailed the bill. The Senate parliamentarian, the true final arbiter of the bill, ruled that numerous GOP-authored provisions did not pass muster with Senate rules.</p>

<p>Any item in the "big, beautiful bill" must comport with the Byrd Rule, which governs the budget reconciliation process and allows for a party in power to ram legislation through the Senate while skirting the 60-vote filibuster threshold.</p>

<p>Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks during a news conference following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on June 17, 2025, in Washington.</p>

<p>That sent lawmakers back to the drawing board on a slew of policy tweaks, including the Senate's changes to the Medicaid provider tax rate, cost-sharing for food benefits and others.</p>

<p>Republican leaders, the White House and disparate factions within the Senate and House GOP have been meeting to find middle ground on other pain points, like tweaking the caps on state and local tax (SALT) deductions.</p>

<p>While the controversial Medicaid provider tax rate change remained largely the same, a $25 billion rural hospital stabilization fund was included in the bill to help attract possible holdouts that have raised concerns that the rate change would shutter rural hospitals throughout the country.</p>

<p>On the SALT front, there appeared to be a breakthrough on Friday. A source told Fox News that the White House and House were on board with a new plan that would keep the $40,000 cap from the House's bill and have it reduced back down to $10,000 after five years.</p>

<p>But Senate Republicans are the ones that must accept it at this stage. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., has acted as the mediator in those negotiations, and said that he was unsure if any of his colleagues "love it."</p>

<p>"But I think, as I've said before, I want to make sure we have enough that people can vote for than to vote against," he said.</p>

<p>Still, a laundry list of other pocket issues and concerns over just how deep spending cuts in the bill go have conservatives and moderates in the House GOP and Senate pounding their chests and vowing to vote against the bill.</p>

<p>Republican leaders remain adamant that they will finish the mammoth package and are gambling that some lawmakers standing against the bill will buckle under the pressure from the White House and the desire to leave Washington for a short break.</p>

<p>Once a motion to proceed is passed, which only requires a simple majority, then begins 20 hours of debate evenly divided between both sides of the aisle.</p>

<p>'Baby Steps': Leader Thune Details His Work To Corral Republicans Behind Trump's Legislative Vision</p>

<p>House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol Building on April 1, 2025, in Washington.</p>

<p>Democratic lawmakers are expected to spend the entirety of their 10 allotted hours, while Republicans will likely clock in well below their limit. From there starts the "vote-a-rama" process, when lawmakers can submit a near-endless number of amendments to the bill. Democrats will likely try to extract as much pain as possible with messaging amendments that won't actually pass but will add more and more time to the process.</p>

<p>Once that is complete, lawmakers will move to a final vote. If successful, the "big, beautiful bill" will again make its way back to the House, where House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will again have to corral dissidents to support the legislation. It barely advanced last month, squeaking by on a one-vote margin.</p>

<p>Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hammered on the importance of passing Trump's bill on time. He met with Senate Republicans during their closed-door lunch and spread the message that advancing the colossal tax package would go a long way to giving businesses more certainty in the wake of the president's tariffs.</p>

<p>"We need certainty," he said. "With so much uncertainty, and having the bill on the president's desk by July 4 will give us great tax certainty, and I believe, accelerate the economy in the third quarter of the year."</p>

<p>Original article source: Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' faces Republican family feud as Senate reveals its final text</p>

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Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' faces Republican family feud as Senate reveals its final text

<p>- Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' faces Republican family feud as Senate reveals its final text</p...

NYT Mini Crossword Answers, Hints for Saturday, June 28, 2025

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  • NYT Mini Crossword Answers, Hints for Saturday, June 28, 2025</p>

<p>Kenn BivinsJune 27, 2025 at 11:35 PM</p>

<p>The New York Times</p>

<p>NYT Mini Crossword Answers, Hints for Saturday, June 28, 2025 originally appeared on Parade.</p>

<p>If you're anything like me, the day is not complete until I finish all of the free word games from the New York Times. Working on the daily Connections, Wordle and Strands is a whole ritual for many of us. And we can't forget about the NYT's The Mini Crossword, too!</p>

<p>Although the NYT is known for "The Crossword," a larger puzzle for paid subscribers, The Mini has quite the fan-following as well. This particular game resets at 10 p.m., unlike some of the others that start over at midnight.</p>

<p>So, if you're working on today's Mini on Saturday, June 28, 2025, and need some help (I've been there), get ready to read the clues and solutions for each line. We have them separated into hints first for both "Across" and "Down" words, followed by "Across Answers" and "Down Answers," so be careful if you want to avoid spoilers as you scroll!</p>

<p>🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬</p>

<p>Hints for NYT's The Mini Crossword on Saturday, June 28, 2025</p>

<p>Here are additional clues for each of the words in today's Mini Crossword.</p>

<p>NYT Mini Across Hints</p>

<p>1 Across: Detachable parts of a dress form — HINT: Ends with the letter "S"5 Across: Catering container containing caffeine — HINT: Starts with the letter "T"8 Across: Climbing structure offered in pet stores — HINT: Starts with the letter "C"9 Across: Gets into town — HINT: Ends with the letter "S"10 Across: Fredric Chopin or Ray Charles, notably — HINT: End with the letter "T"11 Across: They don't hold water — HINT: Start with the letter "S"12 Across: ____-jerk reaction — HINT: Ends with the letter "E"</p>

<p>Related: 16 Games Like Wordle To Give You Your Word Game Fix More Than Once Every 24 Hours</p>

<p>NYT Mini Down Hints</p>

<p>1 Down: With some chance of failure — HINT: Ends with the letter "K"2 Down: Prepare for a new job, maybe — HINT: Starts with the letter "R"3 Down: Midday Broadway showing — HINT: Starts with the letter "M"4 Down: Goal of a noted reality show set on an island — HINT: Ends with the letter "E"6 Down: Witherspoon who portrayed June Carter in "Walk the Line" — HINT: Starts with the letter "R"7 Down: Lodgings for larks — HINT: Ends with the letter "S"8 Down: Souvenir from a baseball game — HINT: Ends with the letter "P"</p>

<p>Answers to NYT's The Mini Crossword for Saturday, June 28, 2025</p>

<p>Don't go any further unless you want to know exactly what the correct words are in today's Mini Crossword.</p>

<p>NYT Mini Across Answers</p>

<p>1 Across: Detachable parts of a dress form — ARMS</p>

<p>5 Across: Catering container containing caffeine — TEAURN</p>

<p>8 Across: Climbing structure offered in pet stores — CAT TREE</p>

<p>9 Across: Gets into town — ARRIVES</p>

<p>10 Across: Fredric Chopin or Ray Charles, notably — PIANIST</p>

<p>11 Across: They don't hold water — SIEVES</p>

<p>12 Across: ____-jerk reaction — KNEE</p>

<p>NYT Mini Down Answers</p>

<p>1 Down: With some chance of failure —AT A RISK2 Down: Prepare for a new job, maybe —RETRAIN3 Down: Midday Broadway showing —MATINEE4 Down: Goal of a noted reality show set on an island — SURVIVE6 Down: Witherspoon who portrayed June Carter in "Walk the Line" — REESE7 Down: Lodgings for larks — NESTS8 Down: Souvenir from a baseball game —CAP</p>

<p>NYT Mini Crossword Answers, Hints for Saturday, June 28, 2025 first appeared on Parade on Jun 28, 2025</p>

<p>This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.</p>

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NYT Mini Crossword Answers, Hints for Saturday, June 28, 2025

<p>- NYT Mini Crossword Answers, Hints for Saturday, June 28, 2025</p> <p>Kenn BivinsJune 27, 2025...

Legendary '60s Rock Band Shelved a Wild Experimental Album You've Never Heard

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  • Legendary '60s Rock Band Shelved a Wild Experimental Album You've Never Heard</p>

<p>Isabella TorregianiJune 27, 2025 at 11:48 PM</p>

<p>Chris Walter/WireImage</p>

<p>Legendary '60s Rock Band Shelved a Wild Experimental Album You've Never Heard originally appeared on Parade.</p>

<p>Rock fans all know Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here — but what if there was a secret, more experimental album that never saw the light of day?</p>

<p>That album was Household Objects, and yes, it's exactly what it sounds like.</p>

<p>Following the success of their 1973 album, the legendary band set out to create something even riskier — a project built entirely from sounds made by everyday items.</p>

<p>The idea actually dated back to the late '60s, during the Atom Heart Mother era, but didn't take real shape until a few years later.</p>

<p>Eventually, they stepped into the studio with engineer Alan Parsons and began recording. Tracks like "The Hard Way," which used a rubber band for a bassline, and "Wine Glasses" — you can probably guess how that one sounded — started to come together.</p>

<p>As groundbreaking as the idea was, it didn't quite land as the group quickly returned to their instruments.</p>

<p>In a 2007 BBC documentary, Richard Wright remembered telling Roger Waters, "Roger, this is insane!" David Gilmour agreed, saying much of it just sounded like "plonky noises" and ultimately felt "unsatisfying."</p>

<p>Despite that, Household Objects kept resurfacing whenever the band hit a creative block. Waters even teased to Zigzag magazine that their household-made music was "turning into a really nice piece."</p>

<p>For weeks, they experimented — scraping broomsticks, hitting wood with axes — trying to turn things around them into their next big hit.</p>

<p>Eventually, they shelved the project, and it's hard to argue with that decision.</p>

<p>After abandoning Household Objects, Waters turned his focus to the theme of loss — which would become the foundation for Wish You Were Here. An album, now considered one of the greatest of all time, with over 20 million copies sold worldwide.</p>

<p>Still, not everyone was ready to let go. Parsons later admitted, "I was rather disappointed it never came to anything."</p>

<p>Legendary '60s Rock Band Shelved a Wild Experimental Album You've Never Heard first appeared on Parade on Jun 28, 2025</p>

<p>This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.</p>

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Legendary '60s Rock Band Shelved a Wild Experimental Album You've Never Heard

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Birthright citizenship remains law of the land — for now — despite SCOTUS ruling

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  • Birthright citizenship remains law of the land — for now — despite SCOTUS ruling</p>

<p>David PropperJune 27, 2025 at 6:24 PM</p>

<p>President Trump giving a press conference.</p>

<p>Birthright citizenship remains a fact of life in the US — for now — following the Supreme Court's ruling Friday limiting judges' ability to issue universal injunctions halting executive action.</p>

<p>Moments after the 6-3 ruling, the Trump administration announced plans to move forward with the president's Day One executive order redefining the 14th Amendment's promise that "[a]ll persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."</p>

<p>"Thanks to this decision, we can now promptly file to proceed with numerous policies that have been wrongly enjoined on a nationwide basis, and some of the cases we're talking about would be ending birthright citizenship, which now comes to the fore," President Trump said during a rare appearance in the White House briefing room.</p>

<p>The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling did not judge the birthright citizenship question on its merits. Eric Kayne/ZUMA / SplashNews.com</p>

<p>"That was meant for the babies of slaves. It wasn't meant for people trying to scam the system and come into the country on a vacation."</p>

<p>"Yes, birthright citizenship will be decided in October in the next session by the Supreme Court," Attorney General Pam Bondi affirmed moments later, even though the high court has yet to finalize its argument schedule and no cases related to the executive order have been picked for review by the justices.</p>

<p>In an opinion authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the court ruled that the practice of a single district judge issuing a nationwide ruling "likely exceed" the authority laid out by the Judiciary Act of 1789.</p>

<p>Notably, the court did not decide whether Trump's actual order was constitutional.</p>

<p>"If there's a birthright citizenship case in Oregon, it will only affect the plaintiff in Oregon, not the entire country," was how Bondi explained the ruling.</p>

<p>Trump's order would limit US citizenship to children who have at least one parent who is a US citizen or lawful permanent resident.</p>

<p>The action was enjoined three days after Trump signed it by a Seattle federal judge, who called the move "blatantly unconstitutional."</p>

<p>President Trump said the administration now can go forward with "numerous policies that have been wrongly enjoined on a nationwide basis." ZUMAPRESS.com</p>

<p>On Friday afternoon, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a fresh class-action lawsuit challenging the birthright citizenship order, a legal maneuver which must meet certain requirements before getting a hearing.</p>

<p>"This new case seeks protection for all families in the country, filling the gaps that may be left by the existing litigation," the organization said in a press release.</p>

<p>The 22 Democrat-led states that challenged Trump's order also expressed confidence that it would never be enforced.</p>

<p>"We have every expectation we absolutely will be successful in keeping the 14th Amendment as the law of the land," said Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, "and of course birthright citizenship as well."</p>

<p>Locally, a City Hall spokesperson confirmed to The Post that Friday's Supreme Court ruling has no effect on New York City at this time.</p>

<p>With Post wires</p>

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Birthright citizenship remains law of the land — for now — despite SCOTUS ruling

<p>- Birthright citizenship remains law of the land — for now — despite SCOTUS ruling</p> <p>David...

Washington Post editor on leave after DOJ charges him with possessing child pornography

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  • Washington Post editor on leave after DOJ charges him with possessing child pornography</p>

<p>Joseph A. WulfsohnJune 27, 2025 at 6:24 PM</p>

<p>An award-winning editor from The Washington Post has been placed on leave after the Justice Department charged him with child pornography possession.</p>

<p>The DOJ announced that 48-year-old Thomas LeGro, The Post's deputy director of video, appeared in court Friday after being arrested Thursday as his home was searched by authorities.</p>

<p>"During the execution of the search warrant agents observed what appeared to be fractured pieces of a hard drive in the hallway outside the room where LeGro's work laptop was found," the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington D.C. said in a press release.</p>

<p>Washington Post Bashes Socialist Zohran Mamdani As Potential Disaster For New York City</p>

<p>A Washington Post logo is displayed at the newspaper's editorial headquarters on May 17, 2025 in Washington, DC.</p>

<p>According to the filing, "several devices" were seized from LeGro's home, including a laptop computer that "contained 11 videos depicting child pornography."</p>

<p>The filing also linked LeGro to a prior Fbi investigation from 2006 of E-Gold, a digital currency platform used by child pornography websites, alleging LeGro was an E-Gold user.</p>

<p>Read On The Fox News App</p>

<p>The charges were announced by interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Burrell and Janani Iyengar.</p>

<p>A spokesperson for The Post told Fox News Digital, "The Washington Post understands the severity of these allegations, and the employee has been placed on leave" and declined to comment further.</p>

<p>Washington Post Admits That 'Trump Is Right' When It Comes To One Issue About Europe</p>

<p>Interim US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced child pornography charges against Washington Post editor Thomas LeGro.</p>

<p>LeGro began working for the Post in 2000 and left in 2006 for a stint at "PBS NewsHour" before returning to the Post in 2013, according to his LinkedIn page.</p>

<p>Notably, LeGro was among the Washington Post journalists who earned the paper a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for its investigative reporting of failed Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, several of whom said they were minors at the time. Moore denied the allegations mentioned in The Post's reporting.</p>

<p>Original article source: Washington Post editor on leave after DOJ charges him with possessing child pornography</p>

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Washington Post editor on leave after DOJ charges him with possessing child pornography

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Vital hurricane satellites to go dark weeks into Atlantic storm season— and NOAA rips media for causing panic

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  • Vital hurricane satellites to go dark weeks into Atlantic storm season— and NOAA rips media for causing panic</p>

<p>Anna YoungJune 27, 2025 at 6:34 PM</p>

<p>An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows A woman views weather data on multiple computer screens, Image 2 shows A meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center monitors weather patterns on multiple computer screens, Image 3 shows NOAA logo on a blue and white surface</p>

<p>Vital hurricane-tracking satellites are expected to go dark just weeks into the Atlantic storm season — and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is pointing fingers at the media for fueling panic behind the shutdown while clarifying that crucial data will still be gathered.</p>

<p>The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), jointly owned by NOAA and the Department of Defense and responsible for collecting critical environmental and weather data, will cease operations Monday amid a string of federal cuts to the administration, the agency announced Wednesday.</p>

<p>"The service change and termination will be permanent," officials stated in the announcement without providing a reason for ending the service or information about a possible replacement.</p>

<p>A NOAA spokesperson clarified that a microwave instrument on another satellite will still provide crucial readings. REUTERS</p>

<p>A NOAA spokesperson, however, was quick to cast blame on newscasters for "criticizing" scientists and reporting the service change in a way that could incite public outrage — later clarifying that a microwave instrument on another satellite will still provide crucial readings.</p>

<p>"The DMSP is a single dataset in a robust suit of hurricane forecasting and modeling tools in the NWS portfolio, which also includes microwave sensing data via the recently launched WSF-M satellite, which was the planned replacement for the DPSM program," Kim Doster told The Post Friday.</p>

<p>"The routine process of data rotation and replacement would go unnoticed in past administrations, but the media is insistent on criticizing the great work that NOAA and its dedicated scientists perform every day."</p>

<p>A meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center monitors weather patterns. AFP via Getty Images</p>

<p>Despite the terse explanation, experts remain concerned that limited data will hinder efforts to track hurricanes, detect changes in storm structure, and accurately predict a storm's path in real-time.</p>

<p>Forecasters depend on polar-orbiting satellites equipped with microwave sensors to track winds speeds and other data connected to intensifying tropical storms and hurricanes — especially at night when other observation methods are limited.</p>

<p>"This is an incredibly big hit for hurricane forecasts, and for the tens of millions of Americans who live in hurricane-prone areas," Michael Lowry, a hurricane specialist in South Florida, told the New York Times.</p>

<p>While the military satellites with remain in orbit, their data will not longer be processed by the federal government. REUTERS</p>

<p>"The nightmare scenario is going to bed with a tropical storm and waking up to a hurricane," he added, explaining that soon-to-be suspended satellite streams are key to preventing a jarring "sunrise surprise."</p>

<p>With microwave observations also allow meteorologists to locate a storm's center, Lowry warned that being off by even a few miles can have "huge ramifications."</p>

<p>While the military satellites with remain in orbit, their data will not longer be processed by the federal government.</p>

<p>NOAA logo on a blue and white surface. AFP /AFP via Getty Images</p>

<p>"We don't want to have less data for no reason," Andy Hazelton, a hurricane modeling expert at the University of Miami, told the outlet.</p>

<p>"We already don't get as much microwave data as we'd like to see operationally."</p>

<p>The news of the program's suspension came just two days after Tropical Storm Andrea, the first named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, formed in the central Atlantic Ocean Tuesday morning.</p>

<p>Hurricane season typically lasts through the end of November.</p>

<p>The White House and Department of Defense did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.</p>

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Vital hurricane satellites to go dark weeks into Atlantic storm season— and NOAA rips media for causing panic

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Inside Sean 'Diddy' Combs' all-star defense team

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  • Inside Sean 'Diddy' Combs' all-star defense team</p>

<p>Kara Scannell, CNNJune 27, 2025 at 9:42 PM</p>

<p>Sean "Diddy" Combs with his team of attorneys during his sex-trafficking trial in New York City on June 12. - Christine Cornell</p>

<p>Nine attorneys – five men and four women – fill two tables in the courtroom for Sean 'Diddy' Combs.</p>

<p>Some are confrontational cross examiners, others take a softer approach to witnesses and a handful are focused solely on making legal arguments to try to get certain exhibits in and others out.</p>

<p>But they all answer to one person: Combs himself.</p>

<p>On Friday, Combs embraced his lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, after he finished an impassioned closing argument urging the jury to acquit Combs and "return him to his family."</p>

<p>Over nearly five hours Agnifilo, who paced back and forth, argued to the jury there was no conspiracy or crime. He said the case was about personal drug use and a "lifestyle" the women agreed to participate in. Agnifilo suggested prosecutors targeted Combs because of who he is, drawing a complaint by prosecutors, which prompted the judge to tell the jury who the government investigated and who a grand jury indicts is not their concern.</p>

<p>Weeks earlier, as another lawyer questioned Combs' former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, whose allegations are at the center of the criminal case, Combs scribbled on Post-It notes and passed one after another to Agnifilo.</p>

<p>The stakes are high.</p>

<p>Combs has pleaded not guilty to five counts, including one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted of the most serious charges, Combs could face as much as life in prison and a minimum sentence of 15 years.</p>

<p>During six weeks of testimony, the jury reviewed dozens of text messages and financial records and saw photos of injuries sustained by Ventura that were allegedly caused by Combs. Jurors also viewed graphic materials, which included sexually explicit videos during direct and cross examination of a witness.</p>

<p>Prosecutors called nearly three dozen witnesses. Two accusers testified that Combs forced them into having sex with male escorts. At least six people who worked for Combs testified about working long hours, getting drugs for Combs, being reimbursed for Combs' personal expenses and setting up and cleaning up hotel rooms where authorities allege sex trafficking took place.</p>

<p>A security officer for the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles, where Combs was seen physically assaulting Ventura on a 2016 surveillance video first published by CNN, testified that Combs paid him $100,000 to obtain what he thought was the only copy of the footage.</p>

<p>Sean "Diddy" Combs and Cassie Ventura are seen in security video in 2016. - Obtained by CNN</p>

<p>Prosecutors alleged Combs, aided by security guards, personal assistants and others at Bad Boy Entertainment, was involved in a racketeering conspiracy that involved forced labor, kidnapping, arson, sex trafficking, bribery, obstruction of justice and drug offenses.</p>

<p>Combs' defense made a strategic decision not to call any witnesses when it was their turn to present their case.</p>

<p>Instead, like most defense teams, they were trying their case since the start, attempting to cast doubt on the prosecution's case by challenging the credibility of the government's witnesses.</p>

<p>"You can't wait until your case to propagate your theory, you have to do it in their case, so every witness furthers your narrative" said Joey Jackson, a criminal defense lawyer and CNN legal analyst. "It's very difficult to defend against all of this horrific behavior," Jackson added.</p>

<p>To reach a guilty verdict, the jury of eight men and four women must find Combs reached an agreement with someone and at least two of those so-called predicate acts were committed within 10 years. The jury must be unanimous on the acts. Combs is also accused of sex trafficking Ventura and a former girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym "Jane" by force, fraud or coercion.</p>

<p>Combs' lawyers have pushed the opposite theory – that while he did physically assault Ventura and was a bad boyfriend, the sex acts were part of a consensual kinky lifestyle called "Freak Offs," "king nights" or "hotel nights." They sought to show the jury that Bad Boy was a legitimate business and Combs' wild side was part of his personal, not professional, life.</p>

<p>"Every single witness has to have a clear objective. I don't think it's about meandering or grandstanding, you have to get in and out," Jackson said.</p>

<p>The Legal Team</p>

<p>Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, who have known Combs for years, are leading his packed defense team.</p>

<p>Agnifilo started as a local and federal prosecutor but has spent most of his career in criminal defense.</p>

<p>Attorney Marc Agnifilo, left, and Teny Geragos, right, for Sean "Diddy" Combs, arrive at Manhattan federal court, Thursday, October 10 2024, in New York. - Yuki Iwamura/AP</p>

<p>He is currently representing Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, with his wife Karen Friedman Agnifilo.</p>

<p>For nearly two decades, he worked closely with criminal defense attorney Ben Brafman, who previously defended Combs in a case related to a shooting at a nightclub, and together they represented Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund who faced sexual assault charges but were later dropped.</p>

<p>Agnifilo has handled the cross-examinations of some former Bad Boy employees and law enforcement officials and is taking the lead when addressing the judge.</p>

<p>Geragos, the daughter of celebrity attorney Mark Geragos, left Brafman's firm to join Agnifilo, when he opened his own firm last year. They are an experienced trial duo, teaming up in past years to represent Nxivm founder Keith Raniere and former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng.</p>

<p>At the Combs trial, Geragos delivered the defense's opening statement and handled the days long cross-examination of "Jane."</p>

<p>Appellate specialists Alexandra Shapiro and Jason Driscoll are handling legal arguments over evidence, and Anna Estevao, who crossed examined Ventura, who until May worked at a law firm that is defending dozens of civil lawsuits against Combs that were filed in the wake of Ventura's 2023 lawsuit. Combs has denied any wrongdoing.</p>

<p>Brian Steel, attorney for Sean "Diddy" Combs, arrives at court for Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial at U.S. court in Manhattan, in New York City, May 29. - Eduardo Munoz/Reuters</p>

<p>On the eve of trial, Combs brought in three more attorneys to his team - Xavier Donaldson, a criminal defense lawyer in New York, and two trial attorneys from Atlanta, Steel and Nicole Westmoreland, who recently represented rapper Young Thug and a co-defendant in a criminal racketeering trial.</p>

<p>As the trial was underway, yet another lawyer appeared: Jonathan Bach, a colleague of Shapiro, to exclusively handle the cross examination of a government expert witness, psychologist Dawn Hughes. He's since been absent from the courtroom.</p>

<p>Cross examination: BFF and the 'Perry Mason' moment</p>

<p>Each lawyer on the team has their own style. Some are more aggressive in their cross examination, while others tapped into what some legal analysts call the "best friend" approach.</p>

<p>As Estevao cross-examined Ventura, who was more than eight months pregnant at the time of her testimony, the attorney asked about Ventura's accomplishments at age 21 when her relationship with Combs was starting.</p>

<p>"Fair to say that you were a celebrity in your own right?" Estevao asked, before adding, "And you're very beautiful and charming?"</p>

<p>Lawyer Anna Estevao cross examines Casandra "Cassie" Ventura as Judge Arun Subramanian presides during Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City on May 16, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. - Jane Rosenberg/Reuters</p>

<p>Those type of questions can be disarming and lower the guard of witnesses, making them more agreeable, attorneys say.</p>

<p>Ventura testified it was "always in the back of my mind" that Combs could physically hurt her if she didn't participate in certain sex acts or try to blackmail her by threatening to release videos of the "Freak Offs." When Estevao asked Ventura if part of the reason she participated in "Freak Offs" was to make Combs happy, she agreed.</p>

<p>"The school of thought can be a female can go a bit harder because in a sense optically, it's not a man crossing that line of what may be victim shaming," said Misty Marris, a criminal defense attorney.</p>

<p>Of the Ventura cross examination, she said, "It's more gentle, more conversational and inviting somebody to be open."</p>

<p>"Sometimes that's very effective because the guard is let down from the witness," she said.</p>

<p>The lead attorneys have used a similar approach. Agnifilo sounds almost apologetic when introducing himself to the witness he's about to cross-examine, advising them if they don't understand his question, they should tell him. And Geragos, who has a mastery of the lengthy exhibits, speaks in a casual, approachable manner, sometimes poking fun at herself.</p>

<p>Westmoreland is more direct when casting doubt on witness testimony. She challenged Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Ventura who testified that Combs dangled her over a 17-story balcony and threw her onto furniture, causing her injuries.</p>

<p>Combs defense attorney Nicole Westmoreland cross-examines Bryana Bongolan on June 5. - Christine Cornell</p>

<p>Prosecutors showed the jury a photograph of a large bruise on Bongolan's leg that she testified was taken "the same day" as the injury and showed the jury the image's metadata for the photo, indicating it was taken on September 26, 2016.</p>

<p>On cross examination, Westmoreland used a government exhibit of Combs' hotel invoice from the Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York that showed him staying at the hotel from September 24 through September 29, 2016.</p>

<p>"You agree that one person can't be in two places at the same time?" Westmoreland asked.</p>

<p>"In, like, theory, yeah," Bongolan testified.</p>

<p>Outside the presence of the jury, Judge Arun Subramanian called the cross a "real Perry Mason moment" that, he said, "blew a hole through the direct testimony of Ms. Bongolan."</p>

<p>Lawyers caution that long cross examinations can backfire and bore the jury. For several witnesses, Comb's team's cross examination went as long or longer than the prosecution's questions.</p>

<p>One tactic that Comb's lawyers have used repeatedly in questioning government witnesses is to repeat evidence that bolsters their defense.</p>

<p>Geragos, in opening statements, said the case is about "voluntary, adult choices made by capable adults and consensual relationships."</p>

<p>To further her argument, Geragos asked a law enforcement officer called by prosecutors to re-read some of Ventura's messages to Combs.</p>

<p>In one of those messages, Ventura wrote, "I'm always ready to freak off LOLOL."</p>

<p>CNN's Lauren del Valle, Nicki Brown and Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this report.</p>

<p>A previous version of this story was published on June 23.</p>

<p>For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com</p>

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