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1 Details On Diddy's Indictment Revealed
The indictment against Sean “Diddy” Combs has been revealed. The music artist and business mogul was arrested on Monday…but it wasn’t confirmed why. This arrest followed his homes being raided by the government back in March which were believed to be connected to a federal sex trafficking investigation at the time. Now its been revealed Combs has been formally charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. In the unsealed indictment, Combs was described as the boss of a criminal group that abused women and forced them to participate in drug-fueled sex parties called Freak Offs. The indictment also says women were threatened with violence as well as the loss of financial support if they refused to participate. If found guilty, it's possible the artist could be behind bars for the rest of his life. Combs, who pled not guilty, has been denied bail despite offering a $50-million bond while seeking in-home detention. Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky instead ordered that Combs be detained while he awaits trial. The artist’s lawyers say they will appeal the denial of bail. No trial date has been scheduled yet.
2 Exploding Pagers Kill Nine Hezbollah Members And Injure Thousands More
Eleven people were killed and around 4,000 injured yesterday when pagers used for communication by the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah exploded in Lebanon. The group claimed shortly thereafter that the explosions were part of an attack by Israel, and The New York Times reported yesterday that Israel hid explosives inside a batch of 5,000 pagers ordered from the Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo and a switch to detonate them. CNN also reported late yesterday that it had learned that the operation was a joint effort by the Israeli military and Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service. The explosives were planted next the the battery in each pager with the switch to detonate them embedded as well. The switch was triggered by a message sent to the pagers, which made them all explode simultaneously. Hezbollah has moved toward being as technology-free as possible, with one leader telling members that cell phones “are as good as collaborating with Israel.” Members would reportedly receive a message on the pagers to alert them that they need to call for instructions from a secure landline.
3 US Retail Sales Slightly Up Last Month
As the Federal Reserve starts its meeting, a small glimmer of good news was reported by the Commerce Department yesterday. Retail sales rose 0.1-percent from July to August, with online retailers, sporting goods stores, and home and garden stores all reporting higher sales. Fed Chair Jerome Powell will address reporters this afternoon with the decision of the body, which is expected to cut interest rates from the current rates of around 5.3-percent, which is a 23-year high. Gas stations and auto sales reportedly dropped 1.2-percent.