Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs are demanding an investigation into whether federal authorities leaked evidence of the racketeering and sex trafficking case to the media, including the infamous surveillance video of Combs assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie in 2016.

In a scathing court filing late on Wednesday (Oct. 9), Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo claims there has been “a series of unlawful government leaks, which have led to damaging, highly prejudicial pre-trial publicity that can only taint the jury pool and deprive Mr. Combs of his right to a fair trial.”

Agnifilo calls the leak of the Cassie video the “most egregious example” of the problem, but says it was just “one of a long and documented history of leaks and false statements made with one purpose: to savage Mr. Combs’ reputation prior to trial.”

“While the government’s misconduct in this case is particularly egregious, it is unfortunately part of a trend in this district — the government has learned that it can strategically leak information with impunity,” Agnifilo wrote.

The filing asks the judge overseeing the case to order a hearing into the allegations and to allow Combs’ lawyers to seek out evidence of such leaks from prosecutors and law enforcement. It also asks the judge to issue a gag order barring any further leaks, and to prevent prosecutors from citing any leaked evidence during the eventual trial.

Combs, also known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, was once one of the most powerful men in the music industry. But last month, he was indicted by federal prosecutors over accusations of sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery. If convicted on all the charges, he potentially faces a sentence of life in prison.

Prosecutors allege that Combs ran a sprawling criminal operation aimed at satisfying his need for “sexual gratification.” The charges detailed “freak offs” in which Combs and others would allegedly ply victims with drugs and then coerce them into having sex with male sex workers, as well as alleged acts of violence and intimidation to keep victims silent.

“For decades, Sean Combs … abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,” prosecutors wrote in the indictment. “To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources and the influence of his multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled.”

That indictment was preceded by repeated media reports that a federal criminal probe of Combs was underway, as well as well-publicized law enforcement raids on his Miami and Los Angeles homes. In the filing on Wednesday, Agnifilo said that media coverage had been fed by “a steady stream of false and prejudicial statements” and leaks from federal agents at the Department of Homeland Security.

The filing also alleges that government employees had “repeatedly leaked grand jury information and materials to the press to raise public hostility against Mr. Combs.” Agnifilo pointed specifically to the Cassie video, which showed Combs striking his then-girlfriend in the hallway of a hotel and made headlines when CNN released it in May

“The videotape was leaked to CNN for one reason alone: to mortally wound the reputation and the prospect of Sean Combs successfully defending himself against these allegations,” Agnifilo wrote. “Rather than using the videotape as trial evidence, alongside other evidence that gives it context and meaning, the agents misused it in the most prejudicial and damaging way possible. The government knew what it had: a frankly deplorable video recording of Sean Combs in a towel hitting, kicking and dragging a woman in full view of a camera in the hallway of the hotel.”

Karol G claims a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart as “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” rules the chart dated Oct. 19. The single enters a tie with Luck Ra and KHEA’s “Hola Perdida” for the fourth-most weeks at the summit in 2024.

Here’s a recap of the songs with the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart this year:

Weeks at No. 1, Song, Artists
11, “Hoy,” Valentino Merlo & The La Planta
10, “Una Foto (Remix),” Mesita, Nicki Nicole, Tiago PZK & Emilia
5, “Bésame (Remix),” Bhavi, Seven Kayne, Milo j, Tiago PZK, KHEA & Neo Pistea
4, “Hola Perdida (Remix),” Luck Ra & KHEA
4, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” Karol G

Valentino Merlo and The La Planta’s “Hoy” remains at No. 2 for a fifth week, after the song’s 11-week domination which began as the song jumped 2-1 on the July 6-dated ranking.

The Hot Shot Debut of the week goes to Lali’s “Fanático,” which opens at No. 5, for her second top 10 among 22 chart performances. Lali last landed in the upper region through “N5” in 2022.

Omar Courtz and De La Rose join for their second collab and highest-charting visit as “Qué Vas A Hacer” debuts at No. 30.

Plus, Shakira captures her second entry as a soloist, unaccompanied by any other act, with the No. 31 launch of “Soltera.”

Elsewhere, Billie Eilish takes the weekly Greatest Gainer honors –awarded weekly to the song with the largest jump among the 100 songs on the tally– as “Birds Of A Feather” climbs 42 spots, from No. 93 to No. 51.

One other song debuts this week, Sebastian Yatra’s “Los Domingos” at No. 89, for the Colombian’s 28th career entry.

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The quest for the best deals takes some deep diving. After scouring Amazon’s October Prime Day, Walmart’s Holiday Deals event and other seasonal sales, we found a price cut on PlayStation 5 Slim.

Act fast to score Sony’s coveted PS5 Slim (digital edition) for under $400. The console is on sale at major retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy and via PlayStation Direct.

PlayStation 5 Digital Edition (slim)

$399 $449.99 11% off

Buy Now at walmart

Buy Now On Amazon

Buy Now at target

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The limited sale, which launched a couple of days before October Prime Day and Walmart’s Holiday Deals, ends on Oct. 15. The discount applies to the digital edition and the regular PS5 Slim currently on sale for $449 (reg. $499).

Fall Prime Day – otherwise known as Prime Big Deal Days — is an exclusive sale for Prime members with deals as low as $5.

Walmart’s Holiday Deals event runs a few days longer than Prime Day. The sale ends on Oct. 13, and it’s open to all shoppers, no membership needed. However, Walmart+ subscribers get to shop sale events like Holiday Deals and Black Friday before everyone else. Want to join Walmart+? Launch your free 30-day trial now, to save yourself the time of signing up before Black Friday. This way, you can test out the service for free and draft a game plan for the holiday shopping season.

If there’s a gamer on your gift list, get a PS5 bundle on sale at QVC. The retailer is offering a select number of early, Black Friday deals and lots of other discounts on gaming consoles and more. Right now, QVC shoppers can save $100 on the PS5 Slim Digital Console 1TB Console, $90 on the PS5 Slim Digital 1TB bundle and extra controller, and $120 on the PS5 Slim Disc TB Console bundle with four games.

PS5 Slim Digital 1TB Console with Extra Controller

$699.99 $789.99 11% off

Buy Now at qvc

The PS5 Slim Digital 1TB console bundle includes an extra DualSense wireless controller (available in blue, black, gray, purple, red and white), a dual charging dock, wired headset and voucher. New customers can score an additional 20% off at QVC with code: WELCOME20.

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Sony’s PS5 price cut comes on the heels of the tech giant announcing the new PS5 Pro and a limited-edition 30th anniversary PS5 console out next month.  

Who knew Drake was an outdoorsman with a propensity for fly fishing?

The Toronto rapper will be featured on the Fall cover of The Drake: For Those Who Fish — a magazine dedicated to the great sport of fly fishing. The Denver-based mag unveiled the rapper on their cover via Instagram. He’s standing in the middle of a river dripped in fishing gear with a rod in his hand as he looks on in concentration.

The caption that accompanies the said cover photo is a rundown of what’s to expect in their upcoming issue and it reads: “Headed your way: The Babine, Boise, albies, musky, Champagne Papi, carp, Owyhee Canyonlands; backcountry Sierra, smallmouth; Susitna, South Carolina, sea-run brown trout, and the Atlantic salmon legacy of Bill Taylor.”

The comments are a mix of people being shocked and pure amusement. “We finally got THE drake on the drake magazine. what a time to be alive,” read one comment. Another ask, “Hold on is that the boy?” Others had new nicknames with one referring to Drake as “Bass Master Drizzy” and another calling him, “The Trout Papi.”

There aren’t too many details available just yet, but you can either purchase the issue in their store once it drops or you get a subscription for just $38. Founded in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in 1998, The Drake publishes quarterly with the 2024 Summer and Spring issues having been released already. You can cop them in the shop for $15.

We will be sure to give an update on the cover story once the issue arrives. You gotta tip your cap at the good folks over at The Drake. They must’ve been trying to get him on their cover for years.