MxM News

Quick Hit:

Jurors delivered their final verdict Wednesday in the federal trial of hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, acquitting him of the most serious charges that could have led to life in prison.

Key Details:

• Sean “Diddy” Combs was found not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges, which carried potential life sentences.
• He was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution, which carries a maximum 10-year sentence.
• Prosecutors accused Combs of running a decade-long criminal enterprise involving violence, threats, and sexual exploitation of women.

Diving Deeper:

Jurors reached a final decision Wednesday in Manhattan federal court after deliberating on the fate of Sean “Diddy” Combs, who faced five counts in total. The rapper and music mogul was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion – charges that carried minimum sentences of 15 years to life imprisonment if convicted.

Combs was convicted on a lesser count of transportation to engage in prostitution, a federal offense carrying a maximum 10-year prison term. The jury reportedly deadlocked on some counts Tuesday but ultimately resolved all charges by Wednesday.

Prosecutors alleged Combs used his fame, power, and wealth to operate a criminal enterprise that controlled and manipulated women – including his longtime girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie Ventura. Testimony described alleged drug-fueled sex marathons that prosecutors said were orchestrated through intimidation, threats, and violence. However, jurors did not find sufficient evidence to convict him on the racketeering or sex trafficking charges.

The counts against Combs included two for racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, each carrying potential life sentences, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The jury returned guilty only on one of the prostitution counts.

The verdict marks a significant legal outcome for Combs, whose public image has collapsed under allegations of sexual exploitation and criminal conspiracy. While he avoids life imprisonment, the guilty verdict on prostitution transportation ensures legal consequences remain. Sentencing is expected to be scheduled in the coming weeks.

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs” by Nikeush licensed under (CC BY-SA 4.0)

MxM News

Quick Hit:

UPenn will strip Lia Thomas of women’s swimming titles and apologize to impacted athletes in a Title IX settlement with the Department of Education, following a Trump-led investigation and funding freeze.

Key Details:

• The Department of Education announced Tuesday that UPenn will restore all Division I swimming records, titles, and recognitions to the biological women who earned them prior to Lia Thomas’s participation.
• The university will also issue personal apology letters to each affected female swimmer and release a public statement affirming that biological males will no longer be allowed to compete in women’s sports.
• The agreement follows a Trump administration order in March that froze $175 million in federal funding to UPenn pending a Title IX investigation. UPenn’s total federal funding exceeds $1 billion annually.

Diving Deeper:

On Tuesday, the Department of Education announced that the University of Pennsylvania had entered into a formal resolution agreement to address violations of Title IX, the federal law barring sex-based discrimination in education. The action stems from UPenn’s decision to allow Lia Thomas, a male athlete who identifies as transgender, to compete in women’s collegiate swimming events—an action the Trump administration deemed unlawful under Title IX protections.

According to the Department’s statement, UPenn will be required to restore “all individual UPenn Division I swimming records, titles, or similar recognitions” to the female athletes who were displaced by Thomas’s participation. The university must also send “a personalized letter of apology to each impacted female swimmer” and issue a broader public acknowledgment of its policy change: biological males will no longer be permitted to compete in women’s athletic programs.

The move marks the latest step in a months-long standoff between the Ivy League institution and the Trump administration. In March, the administration placed a hold on $175 million in federal funding allocated to UPenn, pending the outcome of an investigation into the school’s compliance with Title IX. That funding freeze was part of a broader executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February, which mandated that federal funds be withheld from schools allowing transgender athletes to compete against women.

Former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan, who was part of the team during Thomas’s controversial tenure, praised the outcome. “As a former UPenn swimmer who had to compete against and share a locker room with a male athlete, I am deeply grateful to the Trump Administration for refusing to back down on protecting women and girls and restoring our rightful accolades,” she said. “I am also pleased that my alma mater has finally agreed to take not only the lawful path, but the honorable one.”

Riley Gaines, a prominent women’s sports advocate and former NCAA swimmer, also applauded the agreement. “From day one, President Trump and Secretary McMahon vowed to protect women and girls, and today’s agreement with UPenn is a historic display of that promise being fulfilled,” Gaines said. “This Administration does not just pay lip service to women’s equality: it vigorously insists on that equality being upheld.”

The totality of UPenn’s federal funding—around $1 billion annually—could have been at risk had the university refused to comply. Instead, the school has agreed to the terms laid out by the Department of Education and will now be expected to implement new compliance policies to ensure continued eligibility for federal funds.

This resolution is one of the first high-profile enforcement actions under Trump’s revised Title IX policy, and it sends a clear signal: schools that violate protections for women’s sports face real consequences.