The rising threat of synthetic opioids
The family of a woman who died in a drug overdose hopes her death will be a warning to others about the dangers of synthetic opioids.
Nitazenes are many times more powerful than fentanyl and are often laced into recreational drugs with deadly results. Norman Hermant reports.
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ABC News
15 hours ago
- ABC News
Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Harvey Weinstein cases test the limits and legacy of #MeToo movement
It started with a viral tweet that swept the globe — but now, some are wondering if the #MeToo movement is in its dying days. For the last two months, two separate trials in New York have offered a pulse check on the phenomenon, which exposed rife harassment and abuse in the entertainment industry and beyond. Earlier this month, a jury convicted the man who catalysed the movement, filmmaker Harvey Weinstein, of one of the top charges in his sex crimes retrial. But it acquitted him of another and was unable to reach a verdict on a third. It was a split result that both sides could paint as a win. Now, a different New York jury is about to begin deliberating on the fate of rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs in his sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy case. While the movie mogul started the movement, the charges against the music mogul are an indirect result of it. And just up the road from the Weinstein retrial, crowds have gathered every morning over the past seven weeks for the Combs case. Among them is a small number of #MeToo advocates like Andreea Gray. As she spoke to the ABC outside the Manhattan court, a pro-Diddy TikToker yelled over the top of her, claiming the case was all a cash grab. "I thought I would see more women and allies … here, just protesting the atrocious crimes committed against the survivors," said the New Yorker, who has been following the case from day one. In 2023, Combs's former girlfriend Casandra Ventura took advantage of a new law, which gave alleged victims of sexual violence a 12-month window to file civil claims even after the statute of limitations had lapsed. It was among several law changes sparked by #MeToo, and Ventura cited it when she sued Combs for years of alleged abuse. "With the expiration of New York's Adult Survivors Act fast approaching it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak up," she said. The civil case was settled within 24 hours for $US20 million ($30 million). Months later, surveillance video emerged showing Combs grabbing, shoving, dragging and kicking Ventura in a hotel hallway in California in 2016. The rapper's homes in Los Angeles and Miami were later raided and police found guns and ammunition, drugs and large amounts of baby oil and lubricant related to alleged days-long sex marathons dubbed "freak offs". Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Prosecutors alleged that over almost two decades, he abused, threatened and coerced women "to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct". Like many advocates, Gray fears a not guilty verdict would have a chilling effect on survivors and work to further suppress their voices. When the long-whispered accusations about Weinstein were made public back in 2017 in a blockbuster investigation by The New York Times, a movement began which quickly took on a life of its own. Days after the allegations were published, actor Alyssa Milano tweeted: "If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet." When the hashtag went viral, no-one could have predicted the dam that would then burst. Women were emboldened to come forward with stories of sexual harassment, abuse and assault. Powerful men fell. A system of tacit acceptance of misconduct was turned on its head. But eight years later, as Weinstein faced a New York jury in the retrial of his rape and sexual abuse case, many of those gains had been lost. And some women are left wondering if the #MeToo moment is over. Or if it even really happened at all. As they closed their case earlier this month, Weinstein's lawyers portrayed him as the falsely accused "poster boy, the original sinner, for the #MeToo movement". It's true that the accusations against him helped spark the movement and opened the floodgates for a slew of allegations against powerful men in all corners of public life. Within weeks of The New York Times report, actor Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct and NBC fired TV host Matt Lauer over harassment accusations against him. The following year, comedian Bill Cosby was jailed for drugging and assaulting Andrea Constand, one of his scores of accusers, and actor Amber Heard published an article in The Washington Post speaking out about domestic abuse. But as quickly as it began, the movement soon began to unravel. In 2021, the Philadelphia Supreme Court overturned Cosby's conviction and freed him. The following year, Heard lost a $US10 million defamation case to her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, in a trial widely seen as undermining the #MeToo movement. The year after that, Spacey was acquitted of sexual assault charges in the UK. And last year, Weinstein had his conviction overturned on appeal — hence the recent retrial. Jennifer Mondino from the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, an organisation launched in 2018 to support survivors who don't have access to the media or the money to file a lawsuit, describes the retrial as "a travesty". "I think there was a serious error in legal judgment with the courts, and I wish that the survivors didn't have to be telling their stories again," she told the ABC. Regardless of the retrial outcome in New York, Weinstein was always going to remain a convicted sex offender in California, where he was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2022. "It doesn't change what has already happened here," Mondino said. "Which is that all of these very brave people spoke out about their experiences with harassment and abuse by Harvey Weinstein and a jury believed them — and people all across the country believed them." Accusations of sexual misconduct are no longer political kryptonite either. In fact, arguably the most powerful man in the world, who was once caught on tape bragging about grabbing women "by the pussy", is back in the White House. A year after Donald Trump was found liable for sexual abuse in a civil trial in 2023, the American people elected him for a second time. In New York City, where the Weinstein retrial and Diddy trial took place, two of the contenders for mayor have faced accusations of sexual misconduct. The incumbent, Eric Adams, was accused in a lawsuit of sexually assaulting a colleague in 1993. In 2021, Scott Stringer was accused by two women of sexual harassment. A third candidate, former governor Andrew Cuomo, who was just knocked out of the Democratic primary, resigned from office four years ago after an investigation found he sexually harassed 11 women. All three men deny the accusations against them. Advocates for the #MeToo movement argue it has brought about real change for survivors and say reports the movement are dead are grossly overstated. Mondino says, since launching in 2018, the Time's Up legal fund has supported 430 workplace harassment cases and connected more than 5,000 people to lawyers for similar matters. "I would say that the MeToo movement is absolutely alive and well and going forward," she said. "And the reason that I know that to be true is because we have survivors coming to us every day, getting connected to attorneys in our legal network." Outside the court during the first week of the Combs trial, prominent #MeToo lawyer Gloria Allred said the case was another sign the movement was far from over. "People keep saying to me the MeToo movement is dead," she told the ABC. "I don't know why they say that. There's no evidence of that and I say, to the contrary, it's alive and well and living in this country and in many countries." Allred has represented accusers against Weinstein, Cosby and now Combs, and points out there are also many confidential settlements that are never made public. "Women are coming forward. They're … not going to be silenced anymore if they believe that they have been the victims of injustice … by rich, powerful famous men." However, the rate of criminal convictions following sexual assault accusations in the United States remains low. For every 1,000 reported assaults, fewer than 30 people are convicted. Mondino admits the movement has had some setbacks but believes that's the nature of social change. "It isn't a perfect straight line. There is always going to be some victories and some losses and some blowback," she said. "When there is blowback like this, it means it's working. It means that people are really paying attention. "And so I take it not as a sign of the movement being dead, but the movement actually gaining traction."
News.com.au
18 hours ago
- News.com.au
'Not a god': arguments end in Combs trial ahead of jury deliberations
Sean "Diddy" Combs's lawyer aimed Friday to skewer the credibility of the music mogul's accusers, saying in closing arguments they were out for money while rejecting any notion he led a criminal ring. But in their rebuttal -- the trial's final stage before jurors are tasked with deciding the verdict -- prosecutors tore into the defense, saying Combs's team had "contorted the facts endlessly." Prosecutor Maurene Comey told jurors that by the time Combs -- once among the most powerful people in music -- had committed his clearest-cut offenses, "he was so far past the line he couldn't even see it." "In his mind he was untouchable," she told the court as the case came to a dramatic close. "The defendant never thought that the women he abused would have the courage to speak out loud what he had done to them." "That ends in this courtroom," she said. "The defendant is not a god." For most of Friday's hearing defense attorney Marc Agnifilo picked apart, and even made light of, the testimony of women who were in long-term relationships with Combs, and who said he had coerced them into drug-fueled sex parties with paid escorts. Agnifilo scoffed at the picture painted by prosecutors of a violent, domineering man who used his employees, wealth and power to foster "a climate of fear" that allowed him to act with impunity. Combs, 55, is a "self-made, successful Black entrepreneur" who had romantic relationships that were "complicated" but ultimately consensual "love stories," Agnifilo said. In his freewheeling, nearly four-hour-long argument, Agnifilo aimed to confuse the methodic narrative US attorney Christy Slavik provided one day prior. She had spent nearly five hours meticulously walking the jury through the charges and their legal basis, summarizing thousands of phone, financial, travel and audiovisual records along with nearly seven weeks of testimony from 34 witnesses. Central to their case is the claim that Combs led a criminal enterprise of senior employees -- including his chief-of-staff and security guards -- who "existed to serve his needs." But Agnifilo underscored that none of those individuals testified against Combs, nor were they named as co-conspirators in the indictment. "This is supposed to be simple," the defense counsel told jurors. "If you find that you're in the weeds of this great complexity, maybe it's because it just isn't there." "It takes a lot of courage to acquit," he said in closing. If convicted, Combs faces upwards of life in prison. - 'Brazen' - Casandra Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane described abuse, threats and coercive sex in excruciating detail, for days. Combs's defense has conceded that domestic violence was a feature of the artist's relationships, but that his outbursts did not amount to sex trafficking. The defense insisted the women were consenting adults making their own choices. Prosecutor Comey snapped back that they were being "manipulated" into "brazen" acts of sex trafficking, reiterating once again for jurors what the government says are the clearest-cut examples. Agnifilo pointed to Ventura's civil lawsuit against Combs in which she was granted $20 million: "If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it would be Cassie," he said. Comey called that notion insulting: "What was her prize? Black eyes? A gash in her head? Sex for days with a UTI?" Agnifilo also pointed to a violent episode between Combs and Jane, when she says she struck him in an argument before he brutally beat her, struck her down in the shower, and then forced her into giving an escort oral sex. "Jane may have started that fight, but he finished it with a vengeance," Comey said, calling that incident the most obvious sex trafficking case and saying he had "literally beaten her into submission." Throughout the trial, jurors were shown voluminous phone records, including messages of affection and desire from both women -- and Agnifilo emphasized the love and romance once again. Both prosecutors said taking those words literally, and in isolation, doesn't paint the whole picture. They also referenced testimony from a forensic psychologist who explained to jurors how victims become ensnared by abusers. "The defense is throwing anything they can think of at the wall, hoping something will stick," Comey said. On Monday, Judge Arun Subramanian will instruct jurors on how to apply the law to the evidence for their deliberations. Then, 12 New Yorkers will determine Combs's future.
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
‘Fake': Explosive Diddy defence claim as criminal trial wraps up
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' defence team began closing arguments on Friday as the seventh week of the rapper's sex trafficking and racketeering trial comes to a close. Marc Agnifilo, Diddy's lawyer, accused the prosecution of bringing a 'fake trial' against the Last Night rapper as the government went after his 'private sex life.' Diddy's defence claimed none of the prosecution witnesses testified to engaging in racketeering. Agnifilo pointed out the disgraced music mogul's former employees all described working for him as hard, but also said it was like 'going to Harvard Business School.' 'That's the fake trial I'm talking about,' Agnifilo told the jurors, claiming the prosecution failed to prove the government's theory of racketeering. Agnifilo then brought up the raids on Diddy's homes, pointing out the seizure of Astroglide and baby oil. There was nothing about the rapper's businesses to make this a criminal case, the defence lawyer stated. 'Where is the crime scene? The crime scene is your private sex life,' Agnifilo said. According to Diddy's defence, this case was about money. He noted the investigation into Diddy came about after his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, sued the rapper for US$30 million (A$46 million). Agnifilo claimed Cassie wouldn't have sued if Diddy didn't have millions. 'We're here because of money,' he stated to the jury. Agnifilo claimed what happened between Diddy and Cassie was domestic violence, not sex trafficking. 'Owning the domestic violence, we own it,' he said in court. 'That's not charged.' According to the defence lawyer, Diddy did not do the things he's charged with. The rapper didn't commit racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, Agnifilo argued. He also claimed the disgraced music mogul didn't obstruct justice or commit bribery. Ahead of closing arguments, Diddy walked into the courtroom wearing a beige sweater. He gave a small wave, did a thumbs ups and made a heart motion with his hands. The rapper then hugged Agnifilo, before sitting down. There was a short delay in the start of court due to a transportation issue with one juror. While waiting for the jury, Diddy made a prayer gesture with his hands. A few of his lawyers made the gesture back to him. For their closing arguments, Diddy's defence team allegedly planned to invoke the Iran conflict during closing arguments, according to TMZ. The government seemingly objected to this strategy after court Tuesday. 'Given that the attorneys who will be giving summations won't be here tomorrow, I wanted to put something on the record that I hope will not be necessary, but my hope is that we don't have to object during defence summation,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey said. 'I really don't want to do that. So I just wanted to put on the record that we think it would be objectionable and crossing a line for any summation to bring up politics or current events or the propriety of this prosecution and the use of government resources. I would hope that Mr. Agnifilo would not cross over those lines, but I just wanted to say that if he did, I would object in the middle of his summation and ask the Court to instruct the jury to disregard any comments like that. So I just wanted to state that in advance of summations and the hope that it's not necessary.' The prosecution noted this issue had been brought up in one of the government's motions in limine. 'I believe at that time there was an agreement by the defence not to engage in any of that type of argument,' Judge Arun Subramanian said. 'But, Mr. Agnifilo, anything to worry about here?' 'Nothing to worry about, Judge,' Agnifilo responded. Prosecutors gave closing arguments Thursday. The government explained how the trial testimony proved each charge against Diddy – two counts of sex trafficking, racketeering and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution – over the course of roughly four hours. The government emphasised in their argument that Diddy ran the alleged criminal enterprise with full control. The prosecution pointed out that the jury heard testimony, saw texts, viewed bank records and heard audio showing the Last Night rapper committing crime after crime for decades. According to the prosecution, the government showed Diddy didn't take no for an answer. Up until today, Diddy was able to get away with crime because of money and power, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Slavik said. 'That stops now.'
