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CTV News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Fake AI videos of R. Kelly, pope spread cult of Burkina junta chief
R. Kelly turns to exit during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court building, in Chicago, Sept. 17, 2019. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP) Abidjan, Ivory Coast -- If you believe the viral videos online, R. Kelly and Pope Leo XIV agree on one thing -- that Burkina Faso's junta chief, Captain Ibrahim Traore, is a fantastic leader. The images are AI-generated propaganda, part of what experts have called a vast disinformation campaign spreading the 'personality cult' of the west African country's strongman. Beyonce and Justin Bieber are among the other celebrities to have their faces and voices altered through artificial intelligence to shower praise on Traore. In one video, attributed to R&B star R. Kelly, the lyrics praise Traore, who seized power in a 2022 coup: 'for the love of his people, he risked it all... bullets fly but he don't fall... he's fighting for peace in his motherland.' Kelly is serving a 30-year-prison sentence in the United States, yet the song generated by artificial intelligence has been viewed more than two million times since it came out in May. The images have been widely shared on west African social media. It follows a wave of coups not only in Burkina Faso but also in Mali, Niger and Guinea, while the region is further destabilised by jihadist attacks. 'These are influence and disinformation campaigns aimed at extending the personality cult surrounding Captain Traore to Burkina Faso's English-speaking neighbours,' said an American researcher who spoke on condition of anonymity. Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore speaks in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. (Angelos Tzortzinis/Pool Photo via AP) Restoring control After seizing power in a coup in September 2022, Traore pledged to quickly restore control in Burkina Faso, which has been plagued by violence from jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Three years later, jihadist attacks have continued, causing thousands more deaths, and have even intensified in recent months. Several officers accused of attempting to stage a coup have been arrested and comments attributed to then head of US Africa Command General Michael Langley, accusing Traore of using the country's gold reserves for personal protection, sparked anger and protests. Around that time, a series of videos exalting Traore started mushrooming on social media. 'Information manipulation has become a lever for retaining power and legitimizing the junta's presence,' said a Burkinabe specialist in strategic communication, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons. 'Digital army' Viral campaigns mixing propaganda and AI-generated content have been shared by activists and English-speaking influencers, notably to denounce Langley and glorify Traore. While some are riding the wave for their own financial gain, others are working for the junta's cyber propaganda entity called Rapid Communication Intervention Battalions (BIR-C), the Burkinabe source said. 'They truly operate like a digital army,' the source said, adding it was led by US-based activist Ibrahima Maiga, ruling out any 'direct links with foreign Russian influence.' But the group's anti-imperialist narrative, 'presenting Captain Traore as the one who will save Burkina and Africa from Western neocolonialism... suits Russia, which amplifies it in turn,' the source said. Russian connections But the American researcher noted 'some reports have established Russian connections in the recent surge of these disinformation operations', particularly in campaigns targeting Ghana and Nigeria. 'Destabilising the Nigerian government would have significant regional effects,' he warned. Nigerian journalist Philip Obaji, who specialises in Russian influence operations, agreed, adding that 'media in Burkina and Togo have accepted money from agents linked to Russia to relay these campaigns'. Meanwhile, Burkina's junta has expelled international press that had been working in the country, while local outlets self-censor in fear of arrest and deployment to the front lines against jihadists -- already a fate for some journalists. While the Burkinabe diaspora has attempted to fight back against the pro-junta narrative, including promoting jihadists' attack claims, commenting on or sharing posts is considered glorifying terrorism, punishable by one to five years imprisonment.
Reuters
03-07-2025
- Reuters
Sean 'Diddy' Combs back in Brooklyn jail ahead of sentencing
NEW YORK, July 3 (Reuters) - Despite being found not guilty on the most serious counts at his sex trafficking trial, Sean "Diddy" Combs will spend months awaiting sentencing at a notoriously understaffed and violent Brooklyn jail where the music mogul has lived through nearly ten months of lockdowns and fights. Combs, 55, has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center since his September 2024 arrest. The facility, which has also held convicted sex traffickers like British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and rhythm and blues singer R. Kelly, is a far cry from the luxurious Los Angeles and Miami mansions Combs called home until last year. After the verdict was read on Wednesday, Combs' lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian to release him on $1 million bond ahead of his sentencing, expected to take place by October. "I understand that you don't, that Mr. Combs does not want to go back to the MDC," the judge said. Combs shook his head. His hopes of returning to one of those homes and the embrace of his family after being cleared of the more serious charges were soon dashed. The judge denied Combs' request for bail, citing evidence of his violent behavior presented during the trial. In recent years, MDC has been plagued by persistent staffing shortages, power outages and maggots in inmates' food. Two weeks after Combs' arrest, prosecutors announced criminal charges against nine MDC inmates for crimes including assault, attempted murder and murder at the facility in the months before Combs arrived. In January of last year, a federal judge in Manhattan declined to order a man charged with drug crimes detained pending trial at the MDC, calling the conditions there an "ongoing tragedy, opens new tab." Last August, another judge said he would convert an older defendant's nine-month jail term to home incarceration if he were sent to MDC, citing the jail's "dangerous, barbaric conditions, opens new tab." The U.S. Bureau of Prisons, which operates MDC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The bureau has said it takes its duty to protect inmates seriously. During the eight-week trial, U.S. Marshals transported Combs to and from the courthouse in Lower Manhattan each day from the facility in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood, which has also housed former cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried and Luigi Mangione, accused of killing a health insurance executive. Bankman-Fried has since been moved to a low-security prison in California and is appealing his fraud conviction and 25-year sentence. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to murder charges. A jury found Combs not guilty on Wednesday on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, sparing him a potential life sentence, but convicted him on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution that could land him in prison for several years. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges. Combs' defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in court on Wednesday that Combs had been housed in "a very difficult part of the MDC" where there have been fights. His lawyer Alexandra Shapiro said in a November 2024 court filing that frequent lockdowns at the facility had impaired Combs' ability to prepare for trial. On Wednesday, Combs' lawyers praised MDC staff, who they said had facilitated their access to him during the trial. "Despite the terrible conditions at the MDC, I want to thank the good people who work there," defense lawyer Teny Geragos told reporters after the verdict.
CNN
03-07-2025
- CNN
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs was convicted on prostitution transportation charges under the Mann Act. Here's what to know about the 1910 law
After seven weeks of intense, emotional and sometimes graphic testimony, Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted Wednesday of the most serious charges in his sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial trial. The hip-hop mogul, however, was convicted on two lesser prostitution-related charges under the federal Mann Act. The Mann Act, enacted in 1910 and originally known as the 'White-Slave Traffic Act,' criminalizes transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution. Its language, which legal scholars have defined as vague, has led to controversial prosecutions, including against Black champion heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson in 1913. It was more recently used in high-profile cases, including against R&B singer R. Kelly and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime confidante of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Here's what we know: According to the original text of the Mann Act, an individual could be convicted for transporting a woman or girl across state lines 'for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.' But the original language around an 'immoral purpose' was considered vague – and meant the law was used to punish consensual sexual activity and common sex work, often against Black defendants. It was removed from the act by an amendment in the 80s. The law's broad wording and subsequent Supreme Court interpretation once allowed prosecutors to bring cases against 'unlawful premarital, extramarital, and interracial couples,' according to Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute. In 1913, an all-White jury convicted Johnson under the Mann Act for transporting a White woman – reported to be his girlfriend – across state lines. Johnson served just under a year in prison, and the conviction derailed his career. President Donald Trump posthumously pardoned him in 2018. The Mann Act has since been amended several times and now criminalizes transporting any person across state lines 'with intent that such individual engage in prostitution, or in any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense.' Combs' defense argued in February the Mann Act has a racist history, claiming he was targeted for being a powerful Black man. 'What was racist in its inception has often been racist in its operation,' his attorneys said in a court filing, claiming no White person had faced a similar prosecution. Prosecutors denied allegations of racism, arguing that most of Combs' accusers are people of color, the Associated Press reported. 'He baselessly accused the government of engaging in a racist prosecution,' one of the prosecutors told the judge at an October hearing, adding that the accusations posed a 'serious risk' for a fair trial. The aim of the mogul's attorneys was to get the transportation to engage in prostitution charges dismissed. In 2021, Maxwell was convicted under another provision of the Mann Act for transporting minors with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. She was also found guilty of charges including sex trafficking of a minor and three other charges relating to conspiracy. Maxwell, who helped set up a scheme to lure young women into sexual relationships with Epstein, is currently serving a 20-year sentence. R. Kelly, the disgraced R&B singer who is currently serving a 30-year sentence, was also convicted in 2021 of eight counts of violations of the Mann Act, after he was found guilty of using his fame to ensnare victims he sexually abused. He was also convicted on one charge of racketeering. CNN's Dakin Andone, Lauren del Valle, and Nicki Brown contributed to this report.
CNN
03-07-2025
- CNN
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs was convicted on prostitution transportation charges under the Mann Act. Here's what to know about the 1910 law
After seven weeks of intense, emotional and sometimes graphic testimony, Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted Wednesday of the most serious charges in his sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial trial. The hip-hop mogul, however, was convicted on two lesser prostitution-related charges under the federal Mann Act. The Mann Act, enacted in 1910 and originally known as the 'White-Slave Traffic Act,' criminalizes transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution. Its language, which legal scholars have defined as vague, has led to controversial prosecutions, including against Black champion heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson in 1913. It was more recently used in high-profile cases, including against R&B singer R. Kelly and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime confidante of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Here's what we know: According to the original text of the Mann Act, an individual could be convicted for transporting a woman or girl across state lines 'for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.' But the original language around an 'immoral purpose' was considered vague – and meant the law was used to punish consensual sexual activity and common sex work, often against Black defendants. It was removed from the act by an amendment in the 80s. The law's broad wording and subsequent Supreme Court interpretation once allowed prosecutors to bring cases against 'unlawful premarital, extramarital, and interracial couples,' according to Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute. In 1913, an all-White jury convicted Johnson under the Mann Act for transporting a White woman – reported to be his girlfriend – across state lines. Johnson served just under a year in prison, and the conviction derailed his career. President Donald Trump posthumously pardoned him in 2018. The Mann Act has since been amended several times and now criminalizes transporting any person across state lines 'with intent that such individual engage in prostitution, or in any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense.' Combs' defense argued in February the Mann Act has a racist history, claiming he was targeted for being a powerful Black man. 'What was racist in its inception has often been racist in its operation,' his attorneys said in a court filing, claiming no White person had faced a similar prosecution. Prosecutors denied allegations of racism, arguing that most of Combs' accusers are people of color, the Associated Press reported. 'He baselessly accused the government of engaging in a racist prosecution,' one of the prosecutors told the judge at an October hearing, adding that the accusations posed a 'serious risk' for a fair trial. The aim of the mogul's attorneys was to get the transportation to engage in prostitution charges dismissed. In 2021, Maxwell was convicted under another provision of the Mann Act for transporting minors with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. She was also found guilty of charges including sex trafficking of a minor and three other charges relating to conspiracy. Maxwell, who helped set up a scheme to lure young women into sexual relationships with Epstein, is currently serving a 20-year sentence. R. Kelly, the disgraced R&B singer who is currently serving a 30-year sentence, was also convicted in 2021 of eight counts of violations of the Mann Act, after he was found guilty of using his fame to ensnare victims he sexually abused. He was also convicted on one charge of racketeering. CNN's Dakin Andone, Lauren del Valle, and Nicki Brown contributed to this report.
Washington Post
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
For Sean 'Diddy' Combs, could a lesser conviction mean a greater public rehabilitation?
For nearly two years, a nearly nonstop parade of allegations and revelations has ravaged and unraveled Sean 'Diddy' Combs' carefully cultivated reputation as an affable celebrity entrepreneur, A-list party host, Grammy-winning artist and music executive, brand ambassador and reality TV star. It culminated in a verdict Wednesday that saw Combs acquitted of the most serious sex trafficking charges, though guilty of two lesser ones. The stratospheric heights of his previous life may be impossible to regain, but the question remains whether a partial conviction could mean a partial public rehabilitation, or if too much damage has been done. 'Combs managed to avoid becoming the next R. Kelly,' said Evan Nierman, CEO and president of crisis public relations firm Red Banyan, referring to the R&B superstar convicted of similar sex trafficking charges as those that Combs beat. Combs, 55, has yet to be sentenced and faces the likelihood of prison time, but he no longer faces the prospect of spending most of the rest of his life behind bars. While the law allows for a prison sentence of up to 10 years, the lawyers in the case said in court filings that guidelines suggest a term that could be as short as 21 months or last more than five years. 'This is a very positive outcome overall for him. And it does give him an opportunity to try to rebuild his life,' Nierman said. 'It won't be the same, but at least he's likely going to be out there in the world and able to move forward.' The case had a broad reach across media that made Combs a punchline as much as a villain. Talk shows, 'Saturday Night Live' and social media posters milked it for jokes about 'freak-offs' and the voluminous amounts of baby oil he had for the sex marathons. 'There are definitely terms which have now become part of the popular lexicon that never existed pre-Diddy trial, including things like 'freak-off,'' Nierman said. 'The images that were painted in the trial and some of the evidence that was introduced is going to stick with him for a long time.' Danny Deraney, who has worked in crisis communications for celebrities as CEO of Deraney Public Relations, agreed. 'The jokes will haunt him forever,' Deraney said. Managing public narratives — something Combs has previously excelled at — will be essential. He could cast himself as a tough survivor who took on the feds and came out ahead, or as a contrite Christian seeking redemption, or both. 'It's a powerful thing for the hip-hop mogul to go public and brag that he beat the rap and that the feds tried to come after him and they failed,' Nierman said. 'I could definitely see him leaning into that.' Nierman said the fight 'now will become part of the Sean Combs mythology.' Combs fell to his knees and prayed in the courtroom after he was acquitted Wednesday of sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The moment by all accounts was spontaneous but could also be read as the start of a revival narrative. 'No matter what you're accused of, it's what you do to redeem yourself on the way back,' Deraney said. 'Is he redeemable? Those are still heavy charges he was guilty of. It's tough to say; people have had these charges hanging over their heads and were able to move on.' Combs has been behind bars since his September arrest and will remain jailed while he awaits sentencing. His long reputational fall began when his former longtime girlfriend and R&B singer Cassie , the criminal trial's key witness, sued him in November 2023, alleging years of sexual and physical abuse. He settled the next day for $20 million, but the lawsuit set off a storm of similar allegations from other women and men. Most of the lawsuits are still pending. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie, born Casandra Ventura, has. The revelation last year of a major federal sex trafficking investigation on the day of a bicoastal raid of Combs' houses took the allegations to another level of seriousness and public knowledge. The later revelation that feds had seized 1,000 bottles of baby oil and other lubricant entered the popular culture immediately. Fellow celebrities were called out for past Diddy associations — though no others were implicated in the criminal allegations. The May 2024 leak of a video of Combs beating Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway eight years earlier was arguably just as damaging, if not more, than the initial wave of allegations. It brought a rare public apology, in an earnestly presented Instagram video two days later. Nierman called the video, shown at trial, 'something people aren't just going to forget.' Shortly after Combs' apology, New York City Mayor Eric Adams requested he return a key to the city he'd gotten at a ceremony in 2023 . Howard University rescinded an honorary degree it had awarded him and ended a scholarship program in his name. He sold off his stake in Revolt , the media company he'd founded more than a decade earlier. Combs is not about to get the key, or the degree, back. But he could pick up the pieces of his reputation to salvage something from it. Deraney said it may require 'some kind of come-to-Jesus moment where he owns up to it.' 'Really what it's going to come down to is if he goes to prison, will it change him?' Deraney said. 'Has he changed at all during this whole processes? I don't know.'
