Aurelia Butler

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    At the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial, Jurors Are Ready to Deliberate

    The panel of 12 will be asked to decide whether the music mogul is guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.A jury in the federal trial of the music mogul Sean Combs will begin deliberating on Monday after receiving legal instructions from the judge in the complex sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy case.The panel, made up of eight men and four women, heard closing arguments from the government prosecutors on Thursday, followed by a presentation by the defense and a final rebuttal from the government on Friday.Judge Arun Subramanian, who is overseeing the trial, then opted to send the jurors home for the weekend so they could “come back fresh on Monday morning” to receive his directions. The judge estimated it would take him a few hours to go over the fine points of the laws at the core of the government’s case, a process known as “charging the jury,” before the jurors could start deliberations.The anonymous group was not sequestered throughout the trial and spent the weekend at home following the passionate final pleas from both sides last week.“You’ve heard the closing arguments, but I will ask you to continue to keep an open mind about the case,” Judge Subramanian told jurors on Friday, before adding the standard instructions he has given throughout the trial: “Do not speak with each other about the case. Do not speak with anyone else about the case. Do not read or research or look up anything about the case.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Beyoncé Pauses Houston Concert After Car Prop Malfunction Left Her Dangling Over Crowds

    She was singing “16 Carriages,” as she sat in the back of a red convertible prop high above the crowds on Saturday, when it suddenly slanted in the air.The superstar singer Beyoncé gave thousands of fans a scare during a concert in Houston on Saturday, as a car prop in which she sang high above the crowds suddenly tilted sharply to one side in an apparent malfunction.The moment, which was caught on video, showed Beyoncé wearing a white cowboy hat with an American flag by her side performing her song “16 Carriages” from the back of a red convertible when it slanted in the air over the crowds.“Stop. Stop, stop, stop, stop. Stop,” the singer calmly announced as she paused the performance over the roaring crowd, which called for her to be brought down.The car and Beyoncé were harnessed to cables and she could be seen gripping one as the vehicle continued to dangle over concertgoers, who held up their illuminated smartphones like candles.In April in Los Angeles, Beyoncé appeared in a car similar to the one that malfunctioned on Saturday in Houston.The New York TimesThe singer, 43, was slowly lowered to safety, much to the joy and relief of her fans who cheered her.“OMG she scared me,” one fan shared in a video.In another clip when she was back onstage, Beyoncé told the crowd, “If ever I fall, I know y’all would catch me.”It was not clear what led to the mishap. Parkwood Entertainment, the singer’s management company, said in an Instagram post that “a technical mishap caused the flying car, a prop Beyoncé uses to circle the stadium, and see her fans up close, to tilt.” The company said, “She was quickly lowered and no one was injured.” A representative for the stadium did not give further details.In a compilation of images from the show, the company also included one of Beyoncé performing from the dangling prop.The concert was held at the NRG Stadium in Houston, her hometown, and was the first of two shows there this weekend.The concerts are part of her international Cowboy Carter Tour, which opened in April in Los Angeles, to support her 2024 album “Cowboy Carter,” which won album of the year at the Grammys this year. More

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    What to Stream After You’ve Seen ‘F1’

    Once you’ve spent some time on the track with Brad Pitt, steer your way toward these other suspenseful racing movies and shows.For racing fans, Brad Pitt fans and those in between, the drama “F1” has made its way to theaters. Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, an aging driver enlisted to save a failing team fronted by a young hot shot (Damson Idris). The fast-paced movie aims for authenticity with help from a notable pro: Lewis Hamilton — the face of Formula One and a seven-time world champion — advised on technical details and has a producer credit. For those who have seen “F1,” and are looking to get their next full-throttle fix, these movies and shows, all available to stream, are worth a spin.‘Grand Prix’ (1966)James Garner in “Grand Prix.”MGMStream it on Watch TCM. Rent or buy it on major platforms.Heralded as the lead car to which all racing films follow, John Frankenheimer’s movie broke ground with its innovative use of vehicle-mounted cameras, jarring real-life footage and quick-jump editing (now a staple in the genre). “Grand Prix” throws viewers into the action with first-person driver perspective; the camera cars reached nearly 200 miles per hour during shoots. The film’s star, James Garner, drove in every race and even caught fire during a filmed crash. Viewers would be forgiven for fast-forwarding through the sleepy love stories to skip right to the action, which earned “Grand Prix” three Oscars in technical categories. This racing-movie primer checks many boxes: speed, glamour, drama and a slick opening sequence in Monaco, F1’s undisputed Valhalla.‘Senna: No Fear. No Limits. No Equal.’ (2011)Ayrton Senna in the documentary “Senna.”Universal PicturesStream it on Netflix.No documentary captures the heart of F1 better than “Senna,” which won two BAFTAs and masterfully weaves the story of Ayrton Senna da Silva, the Brazilian racer who figures prominently on F1’s Mt. Rushmore. Including never-before-seen footage from the Formula One archive, along with personal footage, the doc follows young Ayrton, seemingly born to race, as he relocates to Europe, battles discrimination and later, battles Formula One itself for driver safety. The model-handsome Senna typified the daring nature of F1 as he quickly became unstoppable in the rain, which can debilitate drivers. His three world championship wins made him a one-word brand and put Brazil on the racing map. Sadly, Senna’s determination to keep drivers safe was marked by his own tragic death in a 1994 crash. Poignant and powerful, “Senna” transcends racing as it documents a worldwide icon gone too soon.‘Rush’ (2013)Chris Hemsworth, center, as James Hunt in “Rush.”Jaap Buitendijk/Universal PicturesRent or buy it on major platforms.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Kneecap Brings Pro-Palestinian Politics Back Onstage at Glastonbury

    The band landed in trouble over anti-Israel statements, and a member faces a terrorism charge. But at Britain’s biggest music festival, tens of thousands cheered it.About 20 minutes into Kneecap’s set at the Glastonbury music festival on Saturday, the Irish-language rap group stopped the show to discuss a topic that has made it one of Britain’s most talked about — and infamous — pop acts.“I don’t have to lecture you people,” Mo Chara, one of the band’s rappers, told tens of thousands of onlookers at the festival. “Israel are war criminals,” he said.He then led the crowd in a chant of “Free, free, Palestine.”Kneecap’s set at Britain’s largest music festival on Saturday was so popular that organizers had to shut access to the arena to stop overcrowding. But it came after two head-spinning months for the group.In April, Kneecap lost its U.S. visa sponsor after making anti-Israel statements at Coachella. The police in Britain then charged Mo Chara with a terrorism offense for displaying the flag of Hezbollah, the militant group based in Lebanon, onstage at a London show. Several festivals and venues dropped the band from their lineups.The Board of Deputies of British Jews wrote to Glastonbury urging it not to give Kneecap a platform that could make the band’s views appear acceptable, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer said last week that it was “not appropriate” for Kneecap to play at the festival, or for the BBC to broadcast the performance. (The BBC, which provides live coverage from Glastonbury, did not broadcast Kneecap’s set, and the festival press office did not respond to a request for comment.)Yet unlike lawmakers, Jewish groups and prosecutors, few in the crowd on Saturday appeared to have concerns about the band or its politics. Amy Pepper, 46, a health worker from Northern Ireland, said the band was “really inspirational, particularly for my kids.” She had seen Kneecap live several times before, she said.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    ‘Rust’ Crew Members Settle Civil Suit With Producers, Court Papers Show

    The lawsuit accused the producers of negligence in the fatal shooting of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the movie’s set in 2021.Three crew members who worked on the Western movie “Rust” reached a settlement this week in a lawsuit arising from the 2021 fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the film’s set, according to court documents and lawyers.They were seeking compensation from the producers of the movie, including Alec Baldwin as the lead actor and co-producer. The suit accused the film’s producers of negligence and failing to follow industry safety rules, allegations that the producers denied.The full terms of the settlement were not immediately available. Lawyers for the producers did not comment or were not immediately available on Saturday.The three crew members were independent contractors in New Mexico, where “Rust,” which was released last month, was filmed on a set outside Santa Fe. One was a dolly operator responsible for building and operating the apparatus for camera movement; another was the costumer; the third managed all the nonelectric support gear.All three were on the set when Mr. Baldwin positioned an antique-style revolver for the camera on Oct. 21, 2021. Mr. Baldwin had been told that the gun was “cold,” meaning it had no live ammunition.But as he practiced drawing the gun — in a scene in which his character was cornered by the authorities in a small church when he decides to shoot his way out — the revolver went off, discharging a live bullet, which killed Halyna Hutchins, the movie’s cinematographer, and wounded the director Joel Souza.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Audience Report: Celebrating 50 Years of ‘Jaws’ on Martha’s Vineyard

    It was Day 3 of “Amity Homecoming Weekend” on Martha’s Vineyard, and like thousands of other “Jaws” superfans celebrating the movie’s 50th anniversary on the island where it was filmed, David Scanlon was living his dream.Scanlon, 30, of Savannah, Ga., has loved “Jaws” since his first viewing, at age 3, from which he somehow emerged more enchanted than petrified. At 10, he begged his mother to take him to Martha’s Vineyard, seven miles off Cape Cod in Massachusetts, for the 30th-anniversary festivities. “Not this time,” she had told him. “We’ll go for the 50th.”People lined up to jump off “Jaws Bridge,” on Martha’s Vineyard, to escape the heat.And so it was that Scanlon and his mother — along with his sister, brother-in-law and 15-month-old nephew, Georgie — sat by the sparkling harbor on Sunday afternoon, steps from a replica of the Orca, the fishing boat where the movie’s terrifying climax unfolds, savoring an experience two decades in the making.“It’s a perfect film,” Scanlon said, “and from a very young age, you understand that — long before you have any technical understanding of why.”The anniversary festivities included V.I.P. meet-and-greets, book signings, film screenings, and lectures about sharks.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    What Happened in the Closing Arguments of the Sean Combs Trial

    The jurors will begin deliberating on Monday. The music mogul has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.The federal government and Sean Combs’s defense team presented their closing arguments this week after extensive testimony in which the music mogul’s ex-girlfriends said they were pressured to have sex with male escorts in drug-dazed marathon sessions.Mr. Combs is charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution, and has pleaded not guilty, saying the sexual encounters were consensual. Jurors are expected to begin deliberating on Monday, which will mark the eighth week of the trial in Federal District Court in Manhattan.Here are some key observations from the closing arguments:The ChargesSex TraffickingThe federal prosecutor who delivered the government’s closing argument on Thursday, Christy Slavik, emphasized to jurors that convicting Mr. Combs of sex trafficking required only one example of him coercing his girlfriends into sex with prostitutes.For examples of such coercion, Ms. Slavik pointed to Mr. Combs’s 2016 assault on Casandra Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel that was captured on surveillance video, and a fight between “Jane” and Mr. Combs in 2024 before he directed her to have sex with another man.Jane, who was identified by a pseudonym, testified that she repeatedly said “I don’t want to” before Mr. Combs asked, “Is this coercion?”The next day, the defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo argued that Ms. Ventura, the singer known as Cassie, was a willing participant in the frequent sex sessions that Mr. Combs called “freak-offs.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More