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The sex trafficking trial against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is set to begin May 5, a judge announced Thursday.

The trial is expected to last about a month, but prosecutors said the length could change if more charges are added.

Combs is already charged with sex trafficking by force, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors allege he ran an “enterprise that he engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor or, kidnapping, arson and other crimes,” according to the indictment unsealed last month.

Read more here. 

In its covert form, abuse is as treacherous as carbon monoxide poisoning — invisible, inodorous, fatal for the heart and the brain. It can lurk in crowded buses, empty hallways, anonymous browsers, and in the secrecy of bedrooms. Abuse denies agency to its survivor while arming the abuser with the violence of power.

But what happens when it’s directed at a three-year-old child who understands little about agency or violation? What happens when familial abuse unfolds in places and objects a child least expects — a doll, a parent, language learning, or a lesson in morals?

I met Jessica (pseudonym), a survivor of familial sex trafficking, and Audrey Baedke from the nonprofit REST (Real Escape from the Sex Trade) to understand the invisible reality of child abuse. REST offers support services to stabilize, recover, and reclaim the lives of over 800 survivors each year across the Greater Seattle area.

Read more here.

Learn more here. 

Make a plan today. Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area. Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated. Establish a family meeting place that’s familiar and easy to find.

Make a Plan. 

Helene tore a deadly path through the mountains of western North Carolina, dumping extreme rainfall and causing catastrophic flash flooding. Several locations received 20 inches of rain or more over a four-day period. Some towns are in ruins. There are toppled trees everywhere; roads, bridges, and driveways are washed out; homes and businesses have been destroyed by flooding and landslides. Many homes remain without power or running water.

At our sites across North Carolina, we are doing tree work, mudding out homes, removing debris, and tarping roofs. Heavy equipment is being used to clear private driveways and private roads. In some areas, we are also offering water and potable water to the community.

Numerous communities in the rugged mountains of North Carolina and far eastern Tennessee are cut off by Helene’s devastation. Samaritan’s Purse is coordinating airlifts to some of these locations—delivering basic necessities to those in dire straits using our own helicopter as well as the aircraft of other organizations. We praise God that, through more than 30 flights so far, we have been able to deliver food, water, medical kits, and other relief to those isolated by the storm.

Learn more and find out how you can help.

This report brings together expert research and data, industry perspectives, and the voices of survivors, providing a unique view into the scope and impact of financial crime – and the scale of coordination needed to address it. We should be discussing THIS nonstop. In 2023, an estimated $3.1T in illicit funds flowed through the global financial system. Money laundering accounted for trillions of dollars funding a range of destructive crimes, including an estimated $346.7B in human trafficking and $782.9B in drug trafficking activity, as well as $11.5B in terrorist financing.

Learn more here.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has seen an increase in illegal online pharmacies selling and shipping counterfeit pills made with fentanyl and methamphetamine to unsuspecting customers in the United States who believe they are purchasing real pharmaceutical drugs such as Oxycodone, Adderall, Xanax, and other drugs from legitimate pharmacies.

As Americans increasingly turn to online pharmacies to purchase necessary medications[1], DEA is issuing this Public Safety Alert to warn of an increase in illegal online, often foreign-based websites that are deceptively targeting American consumers. DEA has identified websites being operated in India and the Dominican Republic. Many of these sites purport to be legitimate, U.S. based or FDA approved sites, but are actually working with drug traffickers to fulfill online orders with fake pills. These website operators are going to great lengths to make the websites look like legitimate online pharmacies – they offer 24-hour customer service, post online reviews and safety facts, and offer deep discounts to deceive customers into believing they were buying from a reputable business.

Often these illegal, online websites use U.S. website addresses and professional-looking designs to appear legitimate when, in fact, they are not. These companies operate illegally, deliberately deceiving American customers into believing they are purchasing safe, regulated medications when they are actually selling fake, counterfeit pills made with fentanyl or methamphetamine.  Fake medications can lead to serious health risks, including harmful side effects, ineffective treatment, and even death.

Read more here.

A photo of an almost unrecognizable 15-year-old Natalee Cramer shows her sitting in the back of an Oklahoma City police car in April of 2022, nearly two weeks after she disappeared from the American Airlines Center during a Mavericks game.

Cramer said she vividly remembers the day the photo was taken. An Oklahoma City police officer had found and rescued her after she said she had prayed and begged God for help.

“I had braces at the time, and I was punched in the mouth by one of the guys,” Cramer said of the picture. “My whole cheek was just scratched. My braces were like inside my cheek.”

In the photo, her shoes were off, sitting on the seat next to her.

Read more here. 

Sean “Diddy” Combs is set to face lawsuits from more than 100 people for allegations of sexual abuse and sexual assault.

Texas-based lawyer Tony Buzbee announced the pending civil lawsuits during a press conference Tuesday. The attorney revealed he’s representing 120 accusers, who are bringing allegations of “violent sexual assault or rape,” “facilitated sex with a controlled substance,” “dissemination of video recordings” and “sexual abuse of minors” against the embattled music mogul, among other offenses.

“We will expose the enablers who enabled this conduct behind closed doors,” Buzbee said. “We will pursue this matter no matter who the evidence implicates.”

Buzbee added: “It’s a long list already, but because of the nature of this case, we are going to make damn sure that we’re right before we do that. But the names that we’re going to name … are names that will shock you.”

Read more here.