Entertainment
Diddy Goes After Federal Prosecutors Over Leaked Assault Video
By Matthew Swigonski
| Published
It’s no secret that Sean “Diddy” Combs has had a tumultuous year in the courtroom, with new lawsuits coming in weekly and a criminal case that could possibly lead to him being behind bars for the rest of his life, but that hasn’t stopped the disgraced music mogul from trying every trick in the book to plead his innocence. In early October, Diddy and his legal team accused federal prosecutors of leaking footage of Diddy physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, to news outlets. However, on October 30, prosecutors firmly denied the allegations, claiming that Combs’ defense lawyers did not provide evidence that proves that any information or video of the assault was leaked.
In May 2024, CNN released footage of Diddy’s 2016 assault of Cassie inside the hallway of the now-closed Intercontinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles. In the video, Cassie can be seen as she exits a hotel room and walks toward a bank of elevators before Diddy, holding up a towel around his waist, sprints down a hall after her. He can then be seen forcibly grabbing her by the back of the neck and throwing her to the floor.
The assault continues as Diddy turns around and kicks Cassie several times as she lies motionless on the floor, before briefly dragging her by her sweatshirt toward a room before eventually walking away. It is not clear how the copy of the video managed to go undetected until it was acquired by CNN. According to federal prosecutors, they “had been unsuccessful in obtaining any video of the assault,” and investigators were unable to obtain footage of the 2016 hotel attack until CNN aired the Diddy assault video.
Various People Could’ve Had Copies
Federal prosecutors claim that Intercontinental Hotel’s server had been wiped clean during their investigation, offering them little hope of acquiring the Diddy assault video. In their response to Diddy’s legal team and their allegations, prosecutors pointed to the fact that a number of individuals had direct access to the security video, including hotel employees, security personnel, and members of Diddy’s staff, all of whom could have been the source of the leak.
On October 9, Diddy’s defense team, led by attorneys Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, accused the government of perpetuating a series of unlawful leaks. In their filing, Agnifilo and Geragos argued that the leaks, including the publishing of the Diddy assault video, “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.” On October 25, Diddy and his legal team were unsuccessful when attempting to compel Judge Arun Subramanian to impose a gag order prohibiting federal employees from disclosing evidence to the media.
In November 2023, Cassie filed a lawsuit against Diddy in the United States District Court Southern District of New York, alleging that her ex-boyfriend had been responsible for over a decade of violent behavior and disturbed demands, which resulted in a cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking.
Just one day later, Diddy and Cassie reached a settlement, with Cassie stating that she wanted to “resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control.” In her initial filing, Cassie and her legal team made a reference to the 2016 Diddy assault at the Intercontinental Hotel, where she claimed that Diddy then paid $50,000 for the hallway security footage.
Source: USA Today
Entertainment
Last chance to score the latest Visual Studio Pro for just $43
TL;DR: Visual Studio 2026 brings AI-assisted coding, real-time collaboration, and cross-platform development into one powerful IDE, and it’s on sale only through today.
$42.97
$499.99
Save $457.02
Modern development demands more than just a code editor — it calls for a smarter, faster, and more collaborative environment. And Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 is designed to simplify things in a very real way.
This latest version leans heavily into what modern developers actually need: speed, flexibility, and smarter tooling. Built as a fully 64-bit IDE, it handles large solutions and complex workloads without the usual slowdowns, which is especially noticeable when you’re working across multiple projects or environments.
Mashable Deals
One of the biggest upgrades here is how seamlessly AI is integrated into your workflow. Instead of feeling like an add-on, features like IntelliCode actively learn from your codebase to suggest entire lines or blocks of code, help refactor on the fly, and reduce repetitive tasks. It’s less about replacing your workflow and more about quietly speeding it up.
On the cross-platform side, Visual Studio 2026 keeps things flexible. You can build everything from .NET MAUI mobile apps to web apps with Blazor, and even target Linux or container-based environments — all without jumping between tools. Add in hot reload, and you can make changes in real time without breaking your flow.
Collaboration also gets an upgrade. With Live Share, teammates can jump into your session, edit, debug, and test code together without needing to clone repos or configure their entire setup. It’s a small shift that can make a big difference in how quickly teams move.
Then there’s CodeLens, which surfaces insights like test status, commit history, and code references directly in your editor, so you’re not constantly context-switching just to understand what’s going on.
Don’t miss this 2026 upgrade while it’s on sale. Get Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 while it’s just $42.97 (reg. $499.99) through April 19.
Mashable Deals
Grabbing this offer? Once your cart hits $100+, add Microsoft Office 2021 and apply GWP4MAC (for Mac) or GWP4WIND (for Windows) at checkout to get a lifetime license for free. Ends April 19.
Gift with $100+ purchase promo ends April 19, 2026. Exclusions apply. Only one promo code applicable per order. Prices subject to change.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Get 56% off this 8-in-1 portable keyring
TL;DR: Charge On the go with 56% off this 8-in-1 keyring cable when you get the GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable for just $21.99 (Reg. $49.99).
$21.99
$49.99
Save $28.00
Whether you’re an experienced adventurer or a newbie to the outdoors, there are certain tools you need, including (but not limited to) adequate hydration, proper gear, and backup power options for your phone. With the GoCable, 8 features are combined into one portable tool that might optimize your outdoor experiences.
Despite its tiny and discreet design, the eight features included in this versatile cable include:
-
Portable charging: 100W fast charging to speed up how long it takes to juice up your devices.
-
Universal compatibility: Type-C to Type-C + Apple Lightning connectivity.
-
LED display: Track your charging status with real-time visibility
-
Magnetic cable consolidation: Manage your cables with a discreet design and magnets that prevent tangles.
-
Bottle opener: Conveniently placed bottle opener for opening drinks on the go.
-
Hidden cutter: Sleek and sharp cutting tool, tucked away for safety.
-
Carabiner clip: Secure attachment with a clip-on carabiner.
-
Fast transferring and processing: High-speed file transfer capability.
This portable keychain is just as at home on your backpack or on your desk. Unify all of your charging tools with this one streamlined tool, which doesn’t sacrifice charging speed for efficiency.
Whether you need to charge a device quickly while transferring files or you need an extra boost of charge on the go, this portable charger and keyring consolidates your convenience devices and your tech tools.
And with the carabiner, you can clip this keychain onto anywhere — from your clothes to your bags.
Get the GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable for just $21.99 (Reg. $49.99).
Mashable Deals
Grabbing this offer? Once your cart hits $100+, add Microsoft Office 2021 and apply GWP4MAC (for Mac) or GWP4WIND (for Windows) at checkout to get a lifetime license for free. Ends April 19.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
BookCon 2026: Authors Rachel Reid, Stephanie Archer talk hockey romance and how it could change the sport for the better
With the fervor of Heated Rivalry, there’s a fierce desire among book readers for even more hockey. On Sunday, April 19, at BookCon, the “You Had Me at Hockey: A Look at One of Sports Romance’s Hottest Genres”, authors Rachel Reid (Heated Rivalry, Game Changer), Emily Rath (Pucking Around), Ngozi Ukazu (Check Please), Stephanie Archer (The Wild Card), and Kate Cochrane (Wake Up, Nat & Darcy) were joined by moderator and fellow author Bal Khabra (Collide) to discuss the rise and continued success of hockey romance.
Khabra kicked off the panel, asking just how hockey became so popular. Ukazu joked that it was as if the genre “escaped containment,” like when the Omegaverse went mainstream, while Reid described the mystery around hockey, saying, “what [the players] are doing seems impossible.” Archer also added that the sport itself is exceptionally hard on the body, and the celebrity around players, especially in Canada, is fun to play with.
But there’s more to the genre’s success than the tropes. “It has to be said,” Rath argued, “that the cornerstone of why this is so popular in publishing is racism.” She went on to say that straight, white women’s voices dominated the romance genre for so long, pointing out that hockey is also the whitest sport. Among major league sports, the NHL is the most predominantly white. In 2022, ESPN reported that 83.6% of league players and staff were white, compared to the NFL, where 25-27% of players are white, or the NBA, where white players make up 17.5% of the league.
Mashable Top Stories
Zooming into the genre, the authors also spoke about the writing process. They dove into the deeper aspects of their work, even the smut. Rath said, “I think the least sexy thing you can ever do is write a sex scene.” A similar sentiment came up during Reid’s Saturday panel, where she described using the sex scenes to further the emotional arc. When readers ask authors if they can skip the spice, Archer says of her own books, “No, you can’t skip the sex scenes. You’re missing so much character development if you don’t go on the journey with them.”
The panel turned to the future, too. Many of the authors write BIPOC and queer representation into their novels, in a genre that often centers on whiteness and homophobia. “We’re writing the world as we want it to be,” Rath said.
Reid has found that there is progress toward a future that these authors and their readers want to see, saying that the NHL is interested in working with them. “People on the inside, they really want to work toward change and want to make this happen.”
With the hockey fandom at an all-time high, there’s a whole team behind these authors ready to drive change.
WTA roundup: Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek both upset at Stuttgart
Illinois G Andrej Stojakovic announces return for 2026-27 season
