Tag Archives: Testimony

Entertainment

8 Must-Watch HBO Max Sports Documentaries on Right Now (February 2026)

Maravi Post Reporter

HBO Max is likely the best streamer when it comes to sports content.

In fact, sports documentaries have become just as crucial to the platform’s success as its many prestige television shows. Exploring legends such as Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods and Magic Johnson, these docs feature human narratives that are truly cinematic.

This January, Watch With Us has added two excellent sports documentaries to its master list. First, LFG chronicles the fight for equal pay in women’s soccer.

You can also check out Being Serena, which takes a look at the life of the iconic tennis player.

One of the Best Sci-Fi Remakes Ever Made Is Leaving HBO Max Soon

‘LFG’ (2021)

Three months before the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, a lawsuit was leveled against the U.S. Soccer Federation by the players for pay discrimination. LFG (which stands for the US women’s soccer team’s rallying cry, “Let’s f–king go”) follows Megan Rapinoe, Jessica McDonald, Becky Sauerbrunn, Kelley O’Hara, Christen Press, Sam Mewis and Julie Foudy as they seek to gain equal pay, while the documentary interweaves their demanding and impressive athletic careers in addition to their record-breaking 2019 World Cup victory. However, these ladies have plenty of courage and resilience in addition to physical strength, and LFG explores what it’s like for them to be at the center of radical social change.

Whether you’re a soccer fan or you aren’t, LFG is a captivating documentary about a fascinating piece of modern sports history. The movie is as charismatic as the courageous women at the center of the narrative, and while the film careens towards an unavoidably frustrating conclusion, the path to getting there is riveting and invigorating. The film features exciting sports footage, news coverage and revealing interviews with the players themselves.

‘Being Serena’ (2018)

Serena Williams is a living legend on the tennis court, having won four Olympic gold medals, 39 Grand Slam titles and the most women’s singles matches in Grand Slam history. However, the celebrity athlete had managed to keep coverage around her private life relatively low-key until she announced the pregnancy of her first child in 2017 with then-fiancé Alex Ohanian. Thus, the five-part Being Serena gives viewers an intimate look at Williams like never before, exploring her pregnancy, motherhood and marriage, which she somehow manages to balance with being a sports icon and businesswoman.

Being Serena is an engrossing and refreshingly “warts and all” portrait of a star athlete learning to find herself again in her new identity. The film features intimate footage of Williams adapting to being a wife and mother after mounting an incredible career in sports. However, Being Serena is also honest about the immense struggles that Williams faced during her traumatic pregnancy, birth and postpartum, but ultimately she defied the odds and mounted a successful comeback merely ten months after the birth of her daughter, Alexis.

‘Alex vs. ARod’ (2025)

The polarizing career of baseball’s Alex Rodriguez is told in this riveting, three-part documentary comprised of intimate interviews with Rodriguez himself. At only 18 years old when he was drafted, Rodriguez soon seemed poised to take over the game of baseball when he hit the majors in 1994. He signed a record-high contract to join the Texas Rangers in 2000, but turned to steroids after he joined the Yankees in 2004. When it was discovered, he was exiled — though not without trying to lie his way out first.

A self-described “recovering narcissist,” Alex vs. ARod is a very honest interrogation of Rodriguez’s drug use and public deception as opposed to a sterling celebration of his career highlights. With the needling of director Gotham Chopra, Rodriguez ultimately gets refreshingly candid about his choices and where they stemmed from. Alex vs. ARod is a fascinating and illuminating look at failure and recovery.

‘Charlie Hustle and the Matter of Pete Rose’ (2024)

Baseball player Pete Rose was banned from Major League Baseball in 1989, when it was discovered he was betting on games while he was the manager for the Cincinnati Reds. Since then, Rose has attempted to lobby against his ban but has not seemed penitent for his actions. Charlie Hustle and the Matter of Pete Rose is an illuminating look at the star and all-time hits leader’s career in the sport while it searches for Rose’s own path to redemption.

This four-part documentary includes never-before-seen interviews with the late Rose that depict him as a man who is still far too unwilling to atone for his sins even over thirty years later, and director Mark Monroe catches him in several lies, going as far as to interrogate him over his statutory rape allegation. It’s a sobering, but compelling, portrait of fame, desperation and denial.

‘What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali’ (2019)

Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), this documentary chronicles the life and legacy of boxing star Muhammad Ali. The film charts Ali’s rise to heavyweight greatness, through the height of his career as a champion boxer and leading into his later life as an icon and social activist. Through his many challenges, clashes, victories and setbacks, Fuqua paints a portrait of a man who became a legend and ultimately a symbol of humanity and peace.

Despite being nearly three hours, the film never feels excessive. Using archival footage, Ali is allowed to tell his own story through numerous interviews, which plainly reveal the professional and personal contradictions of a man who is easy to mythologize, but was ultimately just a man — and one whose ego occasionally threatened to overtake him. Thus, his larger-than-life status is both humanized and immortalized in this engaging story of a captivating life.

‘Tiger’ (2021)

Based on the 2018 biography Tiger Woods, Tiger is a two-part miniseries that examines the iconic golfer’s rise, fall and ultimate return to the green. The documentary examines Tiger Woods’ relationship with his father and how it affected his career, as well as his 2009 cheating scandal. Tiger paints a portrait of a gifted athlete whose dedication and craft brought him untold fame and also untold excess, leading him down a dark spiral that he managed to triumphantly return from with his win at the 2019 Masters.

Instead of featuring testimony and perspective from the man himself, Tiger utilizes interviews with people in Woods’ orbit. This includes his former caddie Steve Williams, his ex-girlfriend, Bryant Gumbel, Nick Faldo, and even Rachel Uchitel — the journalist and media personality involved in Woods’ cheating scandal. Even though Tiger lacks Woods’ voice, it is no less an exceedingly in-depth and revealing look at the golf celebrity, one that reveals his flaws in a way that exposes his own humanity.

‘Magic and Bird: A Courtship of Rivals’ (2010)

Beginning at the 1979 NCAA championship game, star athletes Magic Johnson and Larry Bird established their years-spanning rivalry. After Johnson’s team, the Michigan State Spartans, defeated Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores in 1979, Johnson got drafted to play with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Bird went to the Boston Celtics, eventually clinching the “Rookie of the Year” title. For years, the Celtics and the Lakers tossed the NBA Championship title back and forth between each other.

Ultimately, both men’s careers would be cut short by physical ailments: an HIV diagnosis for Johnson and a back injury for Bird. Magic and Bird: A Courtship of Rivals charts the two athletes’ rise to fame and competition with one another to their retirement and current status as real-life friends. The Peabody Award-winning documentary examines their heydays as well as the racial tensions that bolstered the rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers, crafting a riveting story of two men vying for greatness, both ultimately undone by their own vices.

‘Fists of Freedom: The Story of The ’68 Summer Games’ (1999)

This sports documentary from 1999 surrounds the 1968 Olympic Games that took place in Mexico City, one of America’s most culturally and socially important moments. With racial tensions flaring from a year that took the lives of both Martin Luther King Jr. and President John F. Kennedy, the games culminated with the historic “Black Power” salutes by winning athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos while on their victory stand.

11 Best Prime Video Sports Documentaries on Right Now (January 2026)

Using rare archival footage in addition to interviews with Smith and other athletes like Lee Evans and George Foreman, plus activist Harry Edwards, Fists of Freedom: The Story of The ’68 Summer Games takes viewers back in time to a pivotal moment in the 20th century, and the events both before and afterwards. In the end, the two men were not welcomed back home after their defiant gesture, and it endures as a revealing portrait of respectability politics and civil rights issues that are still ongoing to this day.

Entertainment

Will Taylor Swift Be a Witness in Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively’s Trial?

Maravi Post Reporter

Taylor Swift has found herself connected to the It Ends With Us legal drama thanks to her friendship with Blake Lively — but will Justin Baldoni ask her to take the stand if the case goes to trial?

A source connected to Baldoni’s legal team tells Us Weekly that it would be “next to impossible to serve” Swift, 46, with a summons. The insider adds that the recently released text messages between the pop star and Lively, 38, “speak for themselves, so they won’t need her as a witness.”

Us Weekly has reached out to Baldoni and Lively’s team for comment.

Lively and Baldoni, 41, costarred in the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us, which released in August 2024. Lively later accused Baldoni, who was also the film’s director, of sexual harassment and orcastrating a smear campaign against her that December. Baldoni vehemently denied the allegations and subsequently filed a countersuit, which was then dismissed in June 2025.

Blake Lively Asks to Strike ‘Baseless’ Taylor Swift Claims From Legal Record

Lively’s lawsuit remains ongoing, and is currently scheduled to head to trial in May. Documents unsealed on Tuesday, January 20, and obtained by Us, revealed various depositions, emails and text messages surrounding the legal case, including Lively’s correspondence with longtime friend Swift, whose song “My Tears Ricochet” is featured in the movie.

While speaking about Lively’s potential next steps in December 2024, the singer allegedly called Baldoni a “bitch” who “knows something is coming because he’s gotten out his tiny violin,” with an attached People article titled  “Justin Baldoni Reveals He Was Sexually Traumatized by an Ex-Girlfriend When He Was ‘Hoping to Save Myself for Marriage.’”

The text was allegedly sent as Swift was on her way to meet with Lively and Baldoni, who were both present at the Gossip Girl alum’s home, to endorse a revised version of the script. Following the alleged meeting, the twosome texted about how things went, with Lively saying Swift was “so epically heroic today” and that she “recapped every moment” to husband Ryan Reynolds.

Elsewhere in the documents, a conversation between the pair seemingly confirmed that the lawsuit had caused a rift in their relationship.

“I have no reason to ask, but I donno [sic], I’ve been feeling like I should … is everything OK? I felt like a bad friend lately because I was such a sad sack who only talked about my own s*** for months,” Lively wrote in one text message to Swift in early December 2024. “You were generous to not only be the key person there for me during all of it, but also to let me off the hook for being so in it.”

Acknowledging that Swift, who was on her worldwide Eras Tour at the time, was “busy and taxed,” Lively explained that she always wants the “opportunity to be a better friend if there’s something I unintentionally did.” She added that she didn’t expect “anymore” from Swift “ever.”

Swift replied that Lively was “not wrong, but it’s also not a big deal,” agreeing that she is “exhausted in every avenue of my life.” She did, however, note that she had been “feeling a little bit of a shift” in the way Lively spoke to her.

“Yes there has been a lot of Justin [Baldoni] stuff but I’ve been through things like this before and I know how all consuming it is,” Swift continued. “I feel really bad saying anything about this because your texts have been so nice in their intent but your last few … it’s felt like I was reading a mass corporate email sent to 200 employees. And it feels awful to be in any way critical of any way you process what you’ve been going through but I just kinda miss my funny, dark, normal-speaking friend who talks to me as herself.”

Lively said she didn’t “notice” until Swift “pointed it out” that she had been texting like she was writing, not talking, and that she’d become “digitally paranoid” amid the ongoing lawsuit.

“On top of that, I’m over packaging simple things bc I’ve felt so deeply misunderstood that I don’t trust my judgement of myself anymore,” Lively added. “This f***ing guy and what he did to me gave me an identity crisis. Legitimately.”

She noted that she was “spooked” most not by Baldoni, but the amount of friendships she’d lost amid the legal battle.

“My lifelong friends -allies to women- who quietly dipped,” she told Swift. “And so I’m probably being over the top with my friends who stayed because I’ve never felt more alone.”

A source previously told Us about a potential rift between Swift and Lively in May 2025, revealing that the twosome’s friendship “is not what it used to be.” Swift was subpoenaed about the case that same month.

“Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film,” a rep for the singer told Us at the time. “She did not even see It Ends With Us until weeks after its public release, and was traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.”

Taylor Swift Called Justin Baldoni a ‘Bitch’ in Alleged Blake Lively Text

The subpoena was dropped in September 2025.

As for Lively, the actress’ attorney Sigrid McCawley told Us in a Tuesday statement that she remains dedicated to the case as only her “claims against the defendants remain.”

“The newly unsealed evidence contains never-before seen testimony, messages and evidence from numerous eyewitnesses backing the claims in Ms. Lively’s lawsuit,” McCawley continued. “The evidence includes Ms. Lively’s own testimony describing the harassment she faced, as well as new evidence from numerous women describing their own disturbing experiences. The newly unsealed evidence shows the concerns of Ms. Lively and others were documented in real-time as early as Spring 2023.”

AMA, Health

Senegal transforms the childbirth experience through WHO‑recommended care models

MaraviPost

Geneva, Switzerland, 20 January 2026-/African Media Agency(AMA)/-In less than a decade, Senegal has reduced its maternal mortality rate by more than 50%, from 392 deaths per 100 000 live births in 2015 to 153 in 2023. Behind this progress, however, a more complex reality persisted: in many health facilities, women continued to experience childbirth marked by fear, lack of information and impersonal health care.

Tina, 32, a mother of three, remembers her first two deliveries as moments filled with anxiety: limited explanations, minimal communication with health staff and a feeling of being alone in the face of pain. “They were very difficult births for me. After my first experience, I carried that fear with me during every pregnancy,” she says.

Tina’s experience is far from unique. Her story reflects the reality faced by many women in Senegal, despite the significant progress made in maternal health outcomes.

To address these challenges and ensure that every birth is a positive experience, the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene (MSHP), with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and a major donor, introduced the Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) initiative. This approach aims to place dignity, emotional well‑being and women’s choices at the centre of health care practices, going beyond survival alone.

Respectful Maternity Care is built on three essential pillars: birth preparedness for pregnant women; use of the Labour Management Guide by health workers and psychological support for women throughout pregnancy and during childbirth.

“The goal goes far beyond survival,” explains Dr Ousmane Dieng, Maternal and Newborn Health Expert at the WHO Country Office in Senegal. “It is about offering every woman a positive experience in which she feels heard, informed and fully involved in her childbirth.”

At the Yeumbeul Reference Health Centre, in the suburbs of Dakar, the RMC approach has been implemented for two years. Every other Wednesday, women who are six months pregnant or more meet with midwives for birth preparation sessions. These sessions follow a comprehensive curriculum covering the biological aspects of pregnancy, danger signs, simulations of childbirth positions, breathing techniques, mobility exercises and newborn care.

Following a pilot phase conducted between 2019 and 2023 at the Yeumbeul reference hospital, the initiative has been scaled up since November 2023 to all health facilities in the health district of the Yeumbeul North and South municipalities. To support effective implementation, 45 midwives in the district have been trained in this approach and more than 430 women have received support.

For her third pregnancy, Tina participated in the programme. Aware of her previous experiences, the midwives reassured her and taught her techniques to better manage pain, understand the different stages of labour, and prepare mentally for childbirth. Sitting in the postnatal ward of the Yeumbeul hospital, Tina gently cradles her newborn as she recounts her story. “During labour, I was assisted by the same midwife who had guided me during the preparation sessions. Together, we practiced the exercises again and it allowed me to experience the birth of my son differently—with more confidence and calm,” she says.

This birth‑preparation approach, combined with the use of the new Labour Management Guide, helps reduce preventable maternal and neonatal deaths. The guide simplifies the monitoring of labour and enables early detection of complications, while promoting a more humane approach to care. WHO has supported the training of 2700 midwives in its use across the country. 

“Before, midwives were very focused on complex charts, sometimes at the expense of continuous support,” acknowledges Dr Alassane Tall, Head of the Gynecology Unit at Yeumbeul Hospital. “Today, the tool is more intuitive and allows more time for listening to women and adapting care accordingly.” 

To support this shift, WHO has also assisted in the adaptation and dissemination of a complementary module on stress management for midwives, with 235 health professionals trained. Beyond technical procedures, the emphasis is placed on communication, adaptation to each woman’s needs and the well‑being of midwives, thereby strengthening the quality of care. 

“The preparation sessions with pregnant women allow us to better anticipate their needs and build a relationship of trust by integrating listening and emotional support into care, beyond technical acts alone,” says Gnima Sonko, Senior Midwife at the Yeumbeul Health Centre, trained with WHO support. “The modules focused on strengthening our own mental health help us work with greater peace of mind, which directly improves the quality of support we provide to pregnant women.”

This integrated approach is transforming the childbirth experience. “Every woman deserves to experience childbirth in dignity and safety. This is a fundamental right, not a privilege,” stresses Dr Michel Yao, WHO Representative in Senegal. “Collaboration between the Ministry of Health, health districts and WHO is essential to scaling up these good practices.”

For Tina, the change was tangible: “My baby was born in joy, not fear. I am leaving with a light heart.” A testimony that shows how humane health care transforms lives — one pregnancy, one birth, one family at a time.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on World Health Organisation

The post Senegal transforms the childbirth experience through WHO‑recommended care models appeared first on African Media Agency.

Entertainment

What Religion Did Andrea Yates Follow? Inside the Killer’s Religious Beliefs

Maravi Post Reporter

After Andrea Yates was arrested for drowning her five children to death, it was revealed that she was a member of an alleged cult led by extreme religious leader Michal Woroniecki.

While Woroniecki has denied claims that his group was a cult, he has been open about sharing his Christian values with his followers, which included Andrea and her then-husband, Russell “Rusty” Yates.

Following the release of Investigative Discovery’s The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story, viewers have been left wondering what religion Andrea was at the time of the murders. Wonder no more.

What Religion Was Andrea Yates?

After Andrea and Rusty got married in 1993, she left her job as a nurse to be a full time mother and focus on the religious practice that had become important to her family’s lives, according to Time.

Mom Claims Son Was ‘Growling’ at Her Before She Killed Him, Shot Siblings

Prior to their marriage, Rusty followed the teachings of non-denominational Christian leader Woroniecki. At the time, Woroniecki traveled to college campuses and large events to spread his teachings and gain new followers.

In The Cult Behind the Killer, Woroniecki’s former followers referred to themselves as “survivors” and claimed he exerted control through sermons, handwritten letters and cassette tapes in order to present himself as a spiritual authority.

Rusty confirmed in the docuseries that he and Andrea were in regular contact with Woroniecki. However, he did not share specific examples of Woroniecki’s religious teachings.

Who Is Moses Storm?

Moses Storm is Woroniecki’s nephew and one of his former followers who appeared in The Cult Behind the Killer. In the docuseries, Storm called out media coverage for not placing more emphasis on Woroniecki’s alleged involvement in Andrea’s killings.

“When I watch news coverage and documentaries about Andrea Yates, it doesn’t do it for me,” he said. “They are missing a huge part of the story: Michael Woroniecki.”

Storm said that Woroniecki acted as a spiritual teacher for both his family and the Yates’. “A huge part of his teachings was the impending doom of judgment day. God was going to end the world in a matter of 46 minutes right now. It was that intense,” he said.

9 Burning Questions About ‘Scamanda’ Answered

“He said there would be a thunderstorm that would prompt my mom to get on her knees and pray, ‘God please save us, save our kids.’ It gave me nightmares,” Storm recalled of Woroniecki. “My older sister would have these visions and she would start hitting her body just to stop.”

Michael Woroniecki Denied Involvement in Andrea Yates’ Killings

After Andrea was arrested for killing her five young children in 2001, many people speculated that Woroniecki was somehow involved in the decision.

Woroniecki publicly denied having any involvement in the murders during a 2002 appearance on Good Morning America.

However, he did say that he was Andrea and Rusty’s spiritual leader and added that he “shared Jesus with them.”

“I hold him responsible [for the drownings] but I also hold Andrea responsible. God knows what we shared with those people,” Woroniecki added.

Andrea Yates Found Guilty of Killing Her Kids

Andrea was initially convicted of capital murder in 2002. She was then sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.

However, a major development in the case took place when the verdict was overturned on appeal after it was revealed that forensic psychiatrist Park Dietz gave false testimony during the trial.

The case was retired in 2006 and a Texas jury found that Yates was not guilty by reason of insanity.

Entertainment

‘The Cult Behind the Killer’: What to Know About Andrea Yates True Crime Doc

Maravi Post Reporter

Andrea Yates shocked people around the world when it was revealed that she drowned her five children in a bathtub in June 2001. More than two decades later, the reasoning behind the crime will be explored in Investigation Discovery’s latest docuseries The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story.

Us Weekly breaks down everything you need to know about the new true crime docuseries, including what it’s about, when it premieres and more about the tragic case.

Who Is Andrea Yates?

After Yates drowned her children, it was discovered that she was suffering from postpartum depression and psychosis. While the information about her mental illness informed the public on how Yates could have killed her children, it was later revealed that she was heavily influenced by the extreme teachings of rogue preacher Michael Woroniecki.

Woroniecki and his followers have never publicly identified themselves as a cult, though his group has been described as having a cult-like influence throughout the media.

The Most Shocking True Crime Docs of 2024: ‘Quiet on Set’ and More

Yates was convicted of capital murder in 2002, and she was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after forty years, according to History.com. However, the verdict was overturned on appeal due to a false testimony by forensic psychiatrist Park Dietz.

The case was retried in July 2006, where a Texas jury found that Yates was not guilty by reason of insanity, per the Death Penalty Information Center.

What Is ‘The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story’ About?

In The Cult Behind the Killer, the film team will peel back the layers of Yates’ case and expose the sinister influence that the alleged cult had on her. It’s been speculated that the group’s influence was so powerful that they potentially could have led to her killing her children.

“This is one of the most notorious cases of the last 25 years, yet a critical part of the story has gone largely underreported. Andrea Yates wasn’t the only person influenced by this group, and that raises an urgent question: what other families could still be at risk? At ID, we’re committed to uncovering the deeper story behind the headlines, and exploring this element that shaped Andrea’s life and mindset felt essential in telling the full story of the Yates tragedy,” President of ID Jason Sarlanis said in a statement about the project.

The Cult Behind the Killer will feature interviews with those closely connected to the case, including Andrea’s ex-husband, Rusty Yates, and cult survivor David De La Isla. Additionally, Woroniecki’s own nephew and fellow survivor, Moses Storm, will also be interviewed for the project.

Freeform True Crime Doc ‘How I Escaped My Cult’ Addresses Warren Jeffs, More

Throughout the docuseries, viewers will learn more insight about Woroniecki and his teachings, as well as his connection to Yates. Additionally, the project will shed light on how Woroniecki’s tactics and teachings drastically altered the lives of his followers.

When Does ‘The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story’ Premiere?

The Cult Behind the Killer will premiere on Tuesday, January 6, from 8 to 11 p.m. ET on Investigation Discovery. Those who miss the episodes in real time will be able to stream them on HBO Max.

Entertainment

Diddy Trial Jurors Explain Their Split Verdict in 50 Cent’s New Docuseries

Maravi Post Reporter

Two of the jurors in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs spoke out about their reasoning in 50 Cent’s new Netflix docuseries about the disgraced mogul.

“I do feel it’s important that we let the public know from the jurors’ standpoint just kind of how we reached the verdict,” Juror 160 said in the first episode of Sean Combs: The Reckoning, which premiered Tuesday, December 2. “It’s not everything that the media has put it out to be.”

Later in the series, Juror 160 admitted that she knew the public would be upset by the split verdict. (In July, the jury found Diddy, 56, guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted him of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.)

“When we were in the deliberation room and [we’d] come to an agreement and we’re only saying that he’s guilty for these two counts, my words exactly were, ‘Oh, [spells out s***],’” she recalled.

Diddy Trial Alternate Juror Claims Freak Off Videos Were ‘Pretty Tame’

A second jury member, referred to as Juror 75, told the filmmakers that he “100 percent” thinks justice was served, adding, “We saw both sides of it and we came to our conclusions.”

The jury reached their verdict on July 2 after two days of deliberation. The trial began in May following Diddy’s September 2024 arrest. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied all of the allegations against him.

In October, Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced him to 50 months, or just over four years, in prison, with five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $500,000 fine.

Sean Combs The Reckoning
Netflix

In the docuseries, executive produced by 50 Cent, Juror 75 explained that he had trouble understanding why Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassie (full name Casandra Ventura) kept going back to him amid the alleged abuse. During the trial, forensic psychologist Dr. Dawn Hughes testified as an expert witness about the dynamics of abusive relationships, but Juror 75 still questions Cassie’s motives.

“That was a very, very interesting relationship,” Juror 75 said. “It was two people in love — they are, like, overly [in] love. You cannot explain [why] she wanted to be with him. He took her for granted, he never thought that she would leave, so it’s like both hands clapping together: You cannot clap with one hand. [You need] both hands … then you get the noise.”

Juror 75 went on to note that the defense exhibits of loving text messages between Cassie, now 39, planted further doubts.

“The very next day, the following day, you see how they are getting back together, exchanging text messages like nothing ever happened,” he told the filmmakers. “So, now we are confused: What’s going on here? … If you don’t like something, you completely get out. You cannot have it both ways. Have the luxury and then you complain about it, I don’t think so.”

Juror 160, for her part, acknowledged that Diddy “can be” violent “based on that InterContinental video.” The video in question was published by CNN in May 2024 and showed Diddy assaulting Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016.

How Diddy’s Trial Jury Will Be Chosen When Everyone Has Seen Cassie Footage

“Unforgivable, honestly. You can’t beat that small girl like that the way he did,” Juror 160 added before noting that she was considering only the crimes for which he was being tried. “You can say he was a terrible person, but domestic violence wasn’t one of the charges.”

Juror 160 went on to address reports that Diddy was nodding at the jury and attempting to communicate with them during the trial. While she confirmed he did sometimes nod at them, she denied the claim that he was trying to sway them with his facial expressions.

“There were times where he would feel strongly … and he would nod, but that’s pretty much all it was. It wasn’t anything crazy,” she explained. “It wasn’t like he was trying to sway us. I think it was more of just him as a person reacting to whatever was being said and forgetting where he was at the time. It’s funny, because I remember that nod watching Making the Band — like, he would do that often. I think that’s just his go-to. If he felt it was something that he wanted, I guess, approval on, he would look toward us and be like, ‘You heard that?’ and sometimes look over to us like, you ‘Can you believe they said that?’”

She added that she sometimes “had the same facial expressions” as Diddy did when a witness was saying something “that didn’t make much sense.” When asked by an off camera filmmaker to give an example, Juror 160 cited the testimony of Capricorn Clark.

“She’s remembering these events more than a decade ago, and with the emotion attached to it, maybe the details are skewed, but the problem is that that just leaves room for doubt,” said Juror 160. “That’s where her credibility became an issue, I think.”

Clark, who worked as an assistant for Diddy off and on from 2004 to 2018, claimed in her testimony that Diddy kidnapped her at one point, which he denied. She also appeared in the docuseries and pushed back against the idea that the jury members weren’t swayed by Diddy’s star power.

“Whenever they looked over at Puff, it was, like, buddy-buddy,” she said. “They were starstruck. I never looked at him once.”

Diddy slammed the docuseries in a statement shared with Us Weekly via his spokesperson on Monday, December 1.

Celebrities React to the Diddy Verdict: From 50 Cent to Kesha

“Netflix’s so-called ‘documentary’ is a shameful hit piece. Today’s GMA teaser confirms that Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never authorized for release,” the statement read. “As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story, in his own way. It is fundamentally unfair, and illegal, for Netflix to misappropriate that work. Netflix is plainly desperate to sensationalize every minute of Mr. Combs’ life, without regard for truth, in order to capitalize on a never-ending media frenzy. If Netflix cared about truth or about Mr. Combs’s legal rights, it would not be ripping private footage out of context — including conversations with his lawyers that were never intended for public viewing. No rights in that material were ever transferred to Netflix or any third party.”

The statement continued, “It is equally staggering that Netflix handed creative control to Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson — a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta who has spent too much time slandering Mr. Combs. Beyond the legal issues, this is a personal breach of trust. Mr. Combs has long respected Ted Sarandos and admired the legacy of Clarence Avant. For Netflix to give his life story to someone who has publicly attacked him for decades feels like an unnecessary and deeply personal affront. At minimum, he expected fairness from people he respected.”

Director Alexandria Stapleton previously said she had acquired the footage legally.

“It came to us, we obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights,” she claimed to Netflix’s Tudum last month. “We moved heaven and earth to keep the filmmaker’s identity confidential. One thing about Sean Combs is that he’s always filming himself, and it’s been an obsession throughout the decades.”

Sean Combs: The Reckoning is now streaming on Netflix.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

Lifestyle

Birthright Citizenship Arguments, Trump’s Mideast Trip, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial

Maravi Post Reporter

The U.S. Supreme Court seemed divided as justices heard arguments debating how lower courts should handle President Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship. Trump heads back to Washington after four days of pomp in the Middle East. The first week of the federal criminal trial of Sean Combs featured testimony alleging a pattern of control and violence.

Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Krishnadev Calamur, Jacob Ganz, Roberta Rampton, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ana Perez, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Lifestyle

Seesawing Tariffs, Trump’s Middle East Agenda, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial

Maravi Post Reporter

Companies are rushing to import merchandise while a temporary trade deal between the U.S. and China is in place, but what happens after the 90-day arrangement expires is unclear. As President Trump visits the Middle East, economic opportunities and security issues top the agenda. Jurors hear often graphic testimony on the first day Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial.

Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Carrie Kahn, Jacob Ganz, Rafael Nam, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ana Perez, Nia Dumas and Chris Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Lifestyle

Burkina Faso forces killed 100 civilians in March – HRW

Maravi Post Reporter

At least 100 civilians were killed by Burkina Faso government forces in March near the western town of Solenzo, Human Rights Watch said Monday.

According to victim testimony and videos shared on social media gathered by the rights group, the attackers were Burkina Faso special forces and members of a pro-government militia, the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland.

The victims were all ethnic Fulani, a pastoralist community that is widespread across the region, which the government has long accused of supporting Muslim militants.

An earlier report from Human Rights Watch stated that the government’s involvement was likely, because of video evidence on social media, although the findings were not definitive.

The government issued a sharp denial when first reports surfaced, saying in a statement it “condemned the propagation, on social media, of images inducing hate and community violence, and fake information aimed at undermining social cohesion” in the country.

“The viral videos of the atrocities by pro-government militias near Solenzo sent shock waves through Africa’s Sahel region, but they told only part of the story,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Further research uncovered that Burkina Faso’s military was responsible for these mass killings of Fulani civilians, which were followed by deadly reprisals by an Islamist armed group. The government needs to impartially investigate these deaths and prosecute all those responsible.”

Burkina Faso authorities did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the group’s new report.

The landlocked nation of 23 million people has symbolized the security crisis in the arid Sahel region south of the Sahara in recent years. It has been shaken by violence from extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, and the governments fighting them.

The military junta, which took power in 2022, failed to provide the stability it promised. According to conservative estimates, more than 60% of the country is now outside of government control, more than 2.1 million people have lost their homes and almost 6.5 million need humanitarian aid to survive.

The attack in the western Boucle du Mouhoun region, including Solenzo and other towns, began on Feb. 27 and lasted until April 2, involving hundreds of government troops and drones, according to eyewitnesses quoted in the report.

“The VDPs shot at us like animals, while drones were flying over our heads. Many women and children died because they could not run,” said a Fulani herder, 44, from Solenzo, referring to the pro-government militias.

After the attack, hundreds of Fulani residents fled across the border into neighbouring Mali, the report said.

“Today, in the whole province, there are no more Fulani — they all fled or were killed or taken hostage,” said a 53-year-old man from Solenzo. “But the other (ethnic) communities remain.”

After the government forces left, the report said that jihadist fighters from a group known as JNIM reentered the towns and carried out reprisal killings against residents, targeting the men whom it considered to be military collaborators.

“All the men had been executed in front of the health center,” said a 60-year-old woman who witnessed JNIM abuses in Tiao village, a town to the northeast of Solenzo on April 5. “I counted up to 70 bodies.”

According to analysts, the junta’s strategy of military escalation, including mass recruitment of civilians for poorly trained militia units, has exacerbated tensions between ethnic groups.

It it impossible to get an accurate picture of the situation in the country since the military leadership has installed a system of de facto censorship, rights groups said, and those daring to speak up can be openly abducted, imprisoned or forcefully drafted into the army.

Source: Africanews

Lifestyle

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial begins with jury selection

Maravi Post Reporter

The federal sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, the hip-hop entrepreneur whose wildly successful career has been dotted by allegations of violence, began on Monday in New York City with jury selection that could last several days. Opening statements by lawyers and the start of testimony are expected next week.

Several dozen prospective jurors got a brief description of the sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges against Combs from the judge, Arun Subramanian, who reminded them that Combs had pleaded not guilty and was presumed innocent.

As the judge spoke, Combs sat with his lawyers. He wore a sweater over a white collared shirt and gray slacks, which the judge had allowed rather than jail clothing. Combs, 55, has been held in a grim federal lockup in Brooklyn since his arrest last September. His hair and goatee were almost fully gray because dye isn’t allowed in jail.

Unlike other recent high-profile celebrity trials, Combs’ court case won’t be broadcast live because federal courtrooms don’t allow electronic recordings inside — meaning courtroom sketch artists serve as the public’s eyes in the courtroom.

The trial is expected to take at least eight weeks. If convicted, he faces the possibility of decades in prison.

Several prospective jurors indicated they had seen news reports featuring a key piece of evidence in the case: a video of the hip-hop mogul hitting and kicking one of his accusers in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. One prospective juror described a still image she saw from the video as “damning evidence.” That woman was rejected from consideration.”

The 17-page indictment against Combs — which reads like a charging document filed against a Mafia leader or the head of a drug gang — alleges that Combs engaged in a two-decade pattern of abusive behavior against women and others, with the help of people in his entourage and employees from his network of businesses.

Combs and his lawyers say he’s innocent and any group sex was consensual. They say there was no effort to coerce people into things they didn’t want to do, and nothing that happened amounted to a criminal racket.

Prosecutors say women were manipulated into drug-fueled sexual performances with male sex workers that Combs called “Freak Offs.” To keep women in line, prosecutors say Combs used a mix of influence and violence: He offered to boost their entertainment careers if they did what he asked — or cut them off if they didn’t.

And when he wasn’t getting what he wanted, the indictment says Combs and his associates resorted to violent acts including beatings, kidnapping and arson. Once, the indictment alleges, he even dangled someone from a balcony.

Combs has acknowledged one episode of violence that is likely to be featured in the trial. In 2016, a security camera recorded him beating up his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel. Cassie filed a lawsuit in late 2023 saying Combs had subjected her to years of abuse, including beatings and rape.

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, did.

Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, has said Combs was “not a perfect person” and that there had been drug use and toxic relationships, but said all sexual activity between Combs, Cassie and other people was consensual.

The trial is the most serious in a long string of legal problems for Combs.

In 1999 he was charged with bursting into the offices of an Interscope Records executive with his bodyguards and beating him with a champagne bottle and a chair. The executive, Steve Stoute, later asked prosecutors to go easy on Combs, who pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and took an anger management class.

Later that same year, Combs was stopped by police after he and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, fled a nightclub where three people were wounded by gunfire. Combs was acquitted of all charges related to the episode at a 2001 trial, but a rapper in his entourage, Jamal “Shyne” Barrow, was convicted in the shooting and served nearly nine years in prison.

Then in 2015, Combs was charged with assaulting someone with a weight-room kettlebell at the University of California, Los Angeles, where one of his sons played football. Combs said he was defending himself and prosecutors dropped the case.

Source: Africanews

https://video.euronews.com/mp4/ED/14/08/41/00/ED_PYR_1408410_20250506050825.mp4