Sean Combs’ jury has been selected. The trial is officially underway.
On Monday, the prosecution and defense in the Sean Combs sex trafficking trial successfully narrowed down the jury pool to the 12 people who will serve on the trial, plus six alternates. Jurors were sworn in immediately after, and opening statements were conducted during a morning session.
Jury selection began last week and faced delays over fears that jurors would back out of serving on the high-profile case. For several days, Judge Arun Subramanian questioned the jury pool on a number of topics, ranging from their feelings towards law enforcement to what kind of music they listen to. He reminded jurors that Combs — who faces charges of sex trafficking, transporting to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy — is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
With Combs, his attorneys and prosecutors sitting in the courtroom, the judge thoroughly asked nearly 100 jurors whether they had seen, posted or liked any online content related to the case and whether they could form opinions based solely on the evidence presented during trial. He also reminded the jury that they will be watching and hearing testimony that might be graphic in nature. For several days, potential jurors who said they might be biased towards Combs or his alleged victims were dismissed. The final group affirmed that they would remain impartial and would avoid reading, researching or discussing the case outside of the courtroom.
The trial is expected to last eight weeks.
Trump says U.S. will resume sending weapons to Ukraine after pausing last week
With Russian attacks escalating, Ukraine is dependent on air defense systems and munitions supplied by western allies to protect Ukrainian cities.
100 years after evolution went on trial, the Scopes case still reverberates
One hundred years ago, the small town of Dayton, Tenn., became the unlikely stage for one of the most sensational trials in American history, over the teaching of Darwin's theory of evolution.
RFK Jr.’s vaccine policy sparks a lawsuit from the American Academy of Pediatrics
AAP and other leading health organizations allege that the health secretary violated federal law when he took the COVID vaccine off the list of recommended shots for pregnant women and healthy children.
Sea lions are released after toxic algae bloom in California
Marine mammal researchers are investigating how sea lions were affected by the longest toxic algal bloom on record off the coast of Southern California. Some sea lions are now being released back into the wild.
The health of U.S. kids has declined significantly since 2007, new study finds
A new study in the journal JAMA finds the health of America's children has worsened across several key indicators over the last two decades. That includes the number of children with chronic diseases.
The U.S. has millions of old gas and oil wells. Here’s what it takes to plug them up
There was a circle in Maria Burns' yard where grass wouldn't grow and trees died. She knew what it was: An old natural gas well, plugged when she was a little girl, starting to leak again.
