Sean “Diddy” Combs can’t go home from jail to await sentencing on his prostitution-related conviction, a judge said Monday, denying the rap and style mogul’s latest bid for bail.

Combs has been behind bars since his September arrest. He faced federal charges of coercing girlfriends into having drug-fueled sex marathons with male sex workers while he watched and filmed them.

He was acquitted last month of the top charges — racketeering and sex trafficking — while being convicted of two counts of a prostitution-related offense.

In denying Combs’ $50 million bond proposal, Judge Arun Subramanian said the hip hop impresario hadn’t proven that he did not pose a flight risk or danger, nor shown an “exceptional circumstance” that would justify his release after a conviction that otherwise requires detention.

Combs’ arguments “might have traction in a case that didn’t involve evidence of violence, coercion or subjugation in connection with the acts of prostitution at issue, but the record here contains evidence of all three,” the judge wrote.

Prosecutors declined to comment on the ruling. Messages seeking comment were sent to Combs’ lawyers.

The conviction carries the potential for up to 10 years in prison. But there are complicated federal guidelines for calculating sentences in any given case, and prosecutors and Combs’ lawyers disagree substantially on how the guidelines come out for his case.

The guidelines aren’t mandatory, and Subramanian will have wide latitude in deciding Combs’ punishment.

The Bad Boy Records founder, now 55, was for decades a protean figure in pop culture. A Grammy-winning hip hop artist and entrepreneur with a flair for finding and launching big talents, he presided over a business empire that ranged from fashion to reality TV.

Prosecutors claimed he used his fame, wealth and violence to force and manipulate two now-ex-girlfriends into days-long, drugged-up sexual performances he called “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.”

During the trial, four women testified that Combs had beaten or sexually assaulted them. Jurors also watched video of Combs hurling one of his former girlfriends, R&B singer Cassie, to the floor, repeatedly kicking her and then and dragging her down a hotel hallway.

His lawyers argued that the government tried to criminalize consensual, if unconventional, sexual tastes that played out in complicated relationships. The defense acknowledged that Combs had violent outbursts but said nothing he did came amounted to the crimes with which he was charged.

Since the verdict, his lawyers have repeatedly renewed their efforts to get him out on bail until his sentencing, set for October. They have argued that the acquittals undercut the rationale for holding him, and they have pointed to other people who were released before sentencing on similar convictions.

Defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo suggested in a court filing that Combs was the United States’ “only person in jail for hiring adult male escorts for him and his girlfriend.”

Agnifilo also raised concerns about squalor and danger at the Metropolitan Detention Center, the notorious federal lockup where Combs is being held. The judge wrote Monday that those conditions were a “serious” consideration, but he said Combs hadn’t shown that unique circumstances –- such as advanced age or medical issues –- would warrant his release.

The defense’s most recent proposal included the $50 million bond, plus travel restrictions, and expressed openness to adding on house arrest at his Miami home, electronic monitoring, private security guards and other requirements.

Prosecutors opposed releasing Combs. They wrote that his “extensive history of violence — and his continued attempt to minimize his recent violent conduct — demonstrates his dangerousness.”

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Lil Tay, the internet provocateur once crowned “the youngest flexer of the century,” is once again at the center of online debate, this time for her explosive debut on OnlyFans. The 18-year-old claimed she earned over $1 million in just three hours after launching her account on the adult content platform, days after celebrating her milestone birthday on July 29.

The announcement, made to her 5.7 million Instagram followers, came with characteristic bravado. In a video posted on August 3rd, Tay appeared triumphant, saying:

“$1 million in a couple hours. I’m still the youngest one doing it for all the grown ass haters who’ve been hating since I was nine years old, look at me now.”

The clip was accompanied by a screenshot reportedly showing $1,024,298.09 in earnings, pulled in via subscriptions, tips, and private messages. The caption?

“not bad for 3 hours 🤩 we broke the fuck out of that onlyfans record 🥰🥰🥰”

But as with everything in Lil Tay’s career, the news ignited immediate backlash and a fair share of skepticism.

Social Media Reacts: Praise, Criticism, and Déjà Vu

While Tay’s fans applauded her financial flex, critics swiftly voiced concerns over the nature of the platform, which is largely associated with sexually explicit content, and the speed at which her account exploded.

On X (formerly Twitter), one user remarked:

“i fear men will always repeat history; ONCE she turned 18, bhad bhabie made $1M within hours of her OF and lil tay has apparently done the same . insane.”

The comparison to Bhad Bhabie, the viral “cash me ousside” star, was immediate and inescapable. Bhad Bhabie famously launched her OnlyFans the day she turned 18 and claimed to have grossed over $1 million in six hours. The move was controversial then, and Lil Tay’s near-identical trajectory has drawn the same ire.

Another tweet echoed this frustration:

“Lil Tay joins Bhad Bhabie as the second person to not give life a chance 💀”

Some users called out the public’s hypocrisy:

“Everybody mad about lil tay doing OF but didn’t say shi when bhad bhabie did the same thing the minute she turned 18?”

A Pattern or a Problem?

While some see Lil Tay’s move as savvy branding in the age of monetized virality, others argue that it underscores a troubling pattern: viral female stars entering the adult content space the moment they reach legal age.

“This lil tay situation reminds me of the bhad bhabie situation ts is so sad 😕,” one tweet read, echoing growing concerns over how some men tend to hyper sexualized teenagers.

Related

Texas Democrats on Monday prevented their state’s House of Representatives from moving forward, at least for now, with a redrawn congressional map sought by President Donald Trump to shore up Republicans’ 2026 midterm prospects as his political standing falters.

After dozens of Democrats left the state, the Republican-dominated House was unable to establish the quorum of lawmakers required to do business. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has made threats about removing members who are absent from their seats. Democrats counter that Abbott is using “smoke and mirrors” to assert legal authority he does not have.

The Republican-dominated House quickly issued civil arrest warrants for absent Democrats and Abbott ordered state troopers to help find and arrest them, but lawmakers physically outside Texas are beyond the jurisdiction of state authorities.

“If you continue to go down this road, there will be consequences,” House Speaker Rep. Dustin Burrows said from the chamber floor, later telling reporters that includes fines.

The Democratic revolt and Abbott’s threats ratcheted up a fight over congressional maps that began in Texas but now includes Democratic governors who have floated the possibility of redrawing their own state maps in retaliation, even if their options are limited. The dispute also reflects Trump’s aggressive view of presidential power and his grip on the Republican Party nationally, while testing the longstanding balance of powers between the federal government and individual states.

At the center of the impasse is Trump’s hope of adding five GOP-leaning congressional seats in Texas before the upcoming midterms. That would bolster his party’s chances of preserving its U.S. House majority, something Republicans were unable to do in the 2018 midterms during Trump’s first presidency. Republicans currently hold 25 of Texas’ 38 seats. That’s nearly a 2-to-1 advantage and already a wider partisan gap than in the 2024 presidential election, when Trump won 56.1% of Texas ballots, while Democrat Kamala Harris received 42.5%.

Speaking Monday on the Fox News show “America’s Newsroom,” Abbott essentially admitted to the partisan power play, noting the U.S. Supreme Court has determined “there is nothing illegal” about shaping districts to a majority party’s advantage. He even acknowledged it as “gerrymandering” before correcting himself to say Texas is “drawing lines.”

More than 1,800 miles away from Austin, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appeared with Texas Democrats and argued that their cause should be national.

“We’re not going to tolerate our democracy being stolen in a modern-day stagecoach heist by a bunch of law breaking cowboys,” Hochul said Monday, flanked by several of the lawmakers who left Texas. “If Republicans are willing to rewrite rules to give themselves an advantage, then they’re leaving us with no choice: We must do the same. You have to fight fire with fire.”

Texas Dems say they are ‘in this for the long haul’

Abbott insisted ahead of Monday’s scheduled session that lawmakers have “absconded” in violation of their sworn duties to the state.

“I believe they have forfeited their seats in the state Legislature because they are not doing the job they were elected to do,” he said in the Fox News interview, invoking his state’s hallmark machismo to call the lawmakers “un-Texan.”

“Texans don’t run from a fight,” he said.

Democrats said they had no plans to heed the governor’s demands.

“He has no legal mechanism,” said Texas Rep. Jolanda Jones, one of the lawmakers who was in New York on Monday. “Subpoenas from Texas don’t work in New York, so he can’t come and get us. Subpoenas in Texas don’t work in Chicago. … He’s putting up smoke and mirrors.”

A refusal by Texas lawmakers to show up is a civil violation of legislative rules. As for his threat to remove the lawmakers, Abbott cited a nonbinding legal opinion issued by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton amid an partisan quorum dispute in 2021. Paxton suggested a court could determine that a legislator had forfeited their office.

Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate, said on X that Democrats who “try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.”

University of Houston law professor David Froomkin cast doubt on Abbott’s and Paxton’s interpretation, saying it’s “baseless” to claim the lawmakers in question have abandoned their seats when their absence is clearly tied to the current legislative debate.

Still, the Republican response is accelerated compared with the 2021 dispute, when weeks passed before the GOP majority opted for civil arrest warrants. Froomkin said Abbott could be using the mere possibility of legal wrangling over their jobs to intimidate lawmakers into returning to Austin.

The state of the vote

The lawmakers who left declined to say how long they will hold out.

“The magic of a quorum break is you never telegraph the how long or what you’re going to do,” said Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, who has served in the Legislature since 2001. “We recognized when we got on the plane that we’re in this for the long haul.”

Texas House Democratic Caucus leader Gene Wu said his members “will do whatever it takes” but added, “What that looks like, we don’t know.”

Legislative walkouts often only delay passage of a bill, including in 2021, when many of the same Texas House Democrats left the state for 38 days to protest new voting restrictions. Once they returned, Republicans still passed that measure.

Lawmakers cannot pass bills in the 150-member Texas House without at least two-thirds of them present. Democrats hold 62 of the seats in the majority-Republican chamber, and at least 51 left the state, said Josh Rush Nisenson, spokesperson for the House Democratic Caucus.

The Texas Supreme Court held in 2021 that House leaders had the authority to “physically compel the attendance” of missing members, but no Democrats were forcibly brought back to the state after warrants were served. Republicans answered by adopting $500 daily fines for lawmakers who don’t show up for work as punishment.

The governor, meanwhile, continues to make unsubstantiated claims that some lawmakers have committed felonies by soliciting money to pay for fines they could face for leaving the state to deny a quorum.

Disaster aid and presidential politics are part of the argument

The lack of a quorum will delay votes on disaster assistance and new warning systems in the wake of last month’s catastrophic floods in Texas that killed at least 136 people. Democrats had called for votes on the flooding response before taking up redistricting and have criticized Republicans for not doing so.

On Fox, Abbott attempted to turn that issue back on Democrats, suggesting their efforts to break a quorum would become the reason for a delayed flood response.

Beyond Texas, some Democrats want to leverage the fight.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender and outspoken Trump critic, welcomed Texas Democrats to Chicago on Sunday after having been in quiet talks with them for weeks. Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another potential 2028 contender, held public events about the Texas fight before the quorum break.

“This is not just rigging the system in Texas,” Pritzker said Sunday night. “It’s about rigging the system against the rights of all Americans for years to come.”

The Texas House is scheduled to convene again Tuesday afternoon.

26

Sabrina Carpenter is riding a high after headlining Lollapalooza with a dreamy, crowd-roaring performance that featured legends Earth, Wind & Fire and a surprise cameo from K-pop icons TWICE. But just hours after the lights dimmed in Chicago, the pop princess pivoted the spotlight to her next big moment, unveiling the exclusive Spotify picture disc for her upcoming album Man’s Best Friend, due out August 29.

The vinyl features Carpenter lounging on a grassy field in a vintage-inspired sundress, soft sunlight draping her like an early 2000s Polaroid dream. It’s the kind of aesthetic her fans have come to adore: feminine, playful, and slightly retro. But as with nearly everything on the internet, the images sparked an immediate and fiery debate.

Social Media Reacts: From “Lolita Aesthetic” Claims to Fierce Defenses

Almost instantly, fans and critics alike took to Twitter with clashing opinions about the visual direction. Some accused the singer of leaning too far into controversial territory, while others rushed to defend her.

One user tweeted, “The lolita aesthetics…” while another rebutted, “I know touching grass is an odd concept to most of yall but that doesn’t mean she’s referencing lolita”

Another fan chimed in with, “Sorry but if you find this provocative or revealing in any way, then YOU are the problem,” echoing a sentiment that many felt that the accusations said more about the audience than the artist.

Others pointed to recurring themes in Carpenter’s visuals: “She’s referencing lolita again even though she knows the character is a 14 year old girl lol disgusting.” Another user added, “Always using the Lolita nachos but she denies it LMAOOOOOO.”

But perhaps the most cutting responses came from those defending Carpenter’s agency and intent. “At this point we need to get weirded out at the people who automatically think of lolita when Sabrina does anything. Maybe yall are the ones obsessed with it.” And in the same vein: “We’ll have to open the melon of why every time you see a girl on the grass you think of a pedophilia story instead of absolutely nothing, which is normal.”

Post-Lolla Glow: A Pop Star Who Knows Her Power

The controversy hasn’t seemed to shake Carpenter in the slightest. On Instagram, just hours after the reveal, she poured her heart out about the Lollapalooza performance that marked a milestone in her career.

“Lollapalooza🤍 I just kept looking into that sea of a crowd thinking how lucky I am to sing for you,” she wrote. “Getting to bring out the legendary @earthwindandfire who have raised me on the greatest songs of all time, true soul-moving timeless music — that was and will always be one of my favorite memories of my life!”

She also gave love to TWICE, who appeared onstage and were humorously “arrested” as part of the show’s playful choreography: “My beautiful Juno arrestees who I’ve been fans of for the longest time @twicetagram 🥲 I love you girls!”

Rounding out the post was a heartfelt shoutout to her band, dancers, and crew: “I am so grateful to them and so grateful to Chicago for the turnout and that popcorn you guys are famous for. I love you so so much. Performing is my favorite thing in the world.”

What to Expect on August 29th

If Lollapalooza and the picture disc are any indicators, Man’s Best Friend promises to be an era-defining record for Carpenter. Fans are already speculating about themes of friendship, identity, and feminine power, all wrapped in the nostalgic-meets-modern aesthetic she’s mastered.

Despite the controversy, one thing is clear: Sabrina Carpenter is unapologetically steering her vision. And love her or not, she knows how to command the conversation.

August 29 can’t come soon enough.

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Noir Nation, the summer heat in NYC turned deadly this week when 27-year-old Shane Devon Tamura opened fire inside a Midtown skyscraper near the NFL headquarters, killing four people before turning the gun on himself.

The chaos erupted Monday morning at 345 Park Avenue, a high-rise home to major companies including Blackstone and the NFL. Dressed in body armor and armed with a military-style rifle, Tamura—who traveled from Las Vegas—stormed the lobby and unleashed gunfire.

Among the victims:
🔸 Officer Didarul Islam, an off-duty NYPD cop and father-to-be
🔸 Aland Etienne, a beloved security guard
🔸 Julia Hyman, 27, a rising talent at Rudin Management
🔸 Wesley LePatner, top Blackstone exec

Tamura then shot himself on the 33rd floor.

4

A Texas sheriff’s deputy is under internal investigation after a controversial TikTok video in which she implied a lack of sex influenced her professional conduct went viral and sparked outrage.

The now-deleted clip, originally posted to TikTok by Harris County Precinct 5 deputy Jennifer Escalera, shows the uniformed officer writing in a notepad beneath a suggestive caption:

“Didn’t get cracked last night so everyone is getting a ticket…”

In popular slang, “cracked” is often interpreted to mean having sex, a detail that didn’t go unnoticed by social media users or department officials.

Internal Affairs Steps In

Escalera‘s badge number was not to be found in the video but her name plate was. Her identification was later confirmed by a number of sources, including The Houston Chronicle and AOL, though the department has not officially identified her.

Following public outrage, Harris County Precinct 5 Constable‘s Office released a statement to Fox 26 Houston regarding the following regarding the fact that the incident is now under investigation:

“Our administration is aware and internal affairs has opened an investigation. We have no other comment at this time.”

It remains unclear whether Escalera has been placed on leave during the investigation or whether any formal disciplinary action is imminent.

A Pattern of Uniformed TikToks

Before she had her account deleted, Escalera supposedly posted several other videos on TikTok while in uniform. There were funny and casual ones covering everything from motherhood commentary to reflections on being a law enforcement officer.

While it is not clear if those other videos are being investigated, numerous critics have challenged the professionalism and ethics of speaking on the record in uniform, especially when they include personal or sexual references.

Community Reaction: ‘Unprofessional’

The public reaction in the Houston community has been swift, with residents expressing outrage overwhelmingly at what they see as a betrayal of the public‘s trust.

“It’s very unprofessional,” one Precinct 5 resident told Fox 26. “You shouldn’t be doing things like that. When you’re a professional, you carry yourself a certain way.”

Another local, Alex Fitch, echoed the sentiment:

“It makes them look unprofessional when they start posting videos like that. You can’t take them seriously… Then they wonder why people don’t respect them.”

Policy and Perception in the Digital Age

Police forces around the nation grapple with how to handle officers’ social media lives, particularly when uniforms or badges are included in personal posts. Videos like Escalera‘s blur the line between personal life and professional conduct, raising difficult questions about how officers project themselves publicly.

While Escalera joined the Harris County Constable‘s Office in September 2021, as reported by The Chronicle, its impact on her future in the agency is yet to be seen.

Precinct 5 has thus far remained silent on commenting further, and Escalera‘s social media accounts have been erased. 

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