Diddy Do It? Diddy’s Sex Trafficking Trial, Explained

+ Hasan Piker was interrogated by border agents, and do you want the book club podcasts back?

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OMG I’ve just realised that I totally forgot to mention that all my lil newsy headers are GIFS now - and guess who animated them for us??? LIV!!!!! One thing about my friends is that they’re the most creative goddamn people on the planet, so whenever I need something done for SYSCA I literally don’t need to look any further than my best mates because they always KILL it. Anyway, so cute to have Liv back working on some lil SYSCA things, hope u love the lil gifs as much as I do!!!!

In other cute news, Ruby’s little brother Harry dropped his first album yesterday and it’s a VIBE. I’m totally biased, but my little brother Ben features on my favourite song, and his verse is all about my late little brother (and Ben’s older brother) Jimmy, who you’ve all heard me talk about a bunch.

It makes me cry every time I listen to it, so beware of tears, but you should go have a listen:

My fave part is:

”Still picture you when I see the Odyssey,

Last week I saw you on Cuba street, honestly

Had my first line and I danced with you

That was back in 22, you were three years blue”

Then Normy wanted to be a part of it too, so he sent us this:

boomer language smh

Anyway it’s really cute and the rest of the album slaps too xxxxx

Hasan Piker Interrogated by Border Agents Over His Political Commentary

Over the weekend, political commentator and streamer Hasan Piker was detained and interrogated by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at a U.S. airport.

On Sunday, Piker posted a photo to X with the caption, “It happened.” He later confirmed he’d been stopped by CBP and held for questioning. On his Monday livestream, he shared more details - including the fact that the interrogation lasted over two hours.

And this wasn’t a standard “where are you flying from” interaction. According to Piker, the agent who questioned him knew exactly who he was and repeatedly asked about his work, specifically:

• “Do you talk about the news?”

• “Do you talk about the war?”

• “Do you talk about Trump?”

Piker, who is known for his vocal criticism of U.S. foreign policy, the war in Gaza, and Trump, pushed back on the relevance of the questions, asking, “What does this have to do with anything?”

He also revealed that agents asked about the behaviour of users in his Twitch livestream chat - even referencing his bans from the platform. Which is... not something you'd expect to come up at border control.

“The reason for why they’re doing that is, I think, to try to create an environment of fear,” Piker told his audience. “To try to get people like myself - or at least like others that would be in my shoes that don’t have that same level of security - to shut the fuck up.”

This incident doesn’t just raise questions about freedom of speech. It raises concerns about how state power is used to monitor and possibly intimidate people for their politics, particularly when those politics challenge dominant narratives.

And when someone like Hasan, with a big platform and legal support, is being questioned like this, it’s worth asking: what happens to the people who don’t have those same protections?

This section is written by

☆ book club abby ☆

, SYSCAs designer and leader of the cutest book club on the internet!!! Each week she pops in here to let you know what we’re up to, and to remind you to become a paying subscriber to join the book club xx

Kia ora bookies!!!

In the cutest book club on the internet, we’re deep into reading Babel by R. F. Kuang and it is SO GOOD - dark academia meets magical fantasy in the best way. If you haven’t started yet, we’re reading it chapter by chapter all through May, so there’s time to catch up (or just come chat in the club lobby anyway hehe).

Also, we have a quick question…

The one where we give our unhinged opinions about our monthly reads, dissecting and analysing every main character??

Come join us, read along, and vote in the poll!!! 💌

Book Club Abby xxx

Diddy Do It? Diddy’s Sex Trafficking Trial Has Begun

This week, the federal trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs began in New York - and it is shaping up to be one of the most significant abuse cases the music industry has ever faced.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges including sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transporting individuals to engage in prostitution. But the allegations - and now the testimony - paint a brutal picture of control, coercion, and violence.

Prosecutors say Diddy used his fame, money, and inner circle to run what they’re calling a “criminal enterprise,” centred around the abuse and sexual exploitation of women. One of the central figures in the case is his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura.

At the centre of it all is a now-viral surveillance video from a Los Angeles hotel in 2016, where Combs is seen assaulting Cassie - dragging her by the hair, kicking her, and throwing something at her. The footage was released by CNN in May 2024 and is now being used as evidence in court. You can view that video here (but please know it contains graphic violence and may be very distressing): Watch via CNN

The first witness, hotel security guard Israel Florez, testified that he responded to a “woman in distress” call that day. He found Cassie in the hallway, clearly injured. He says she wanted to leave, but Combs told her she couldn’t. He also says Diddy later tried to hand him a wad of cash, which he took as a bribe to keep quiet.

Then came Daniel Phillip, a man who says he was paid by Combs to have sex with Cassie while Combs watched - sometimes for up to 10 hours, sometimes while under the influence of drugs. He described multiple occasions of physical violence, including one instance where Combs allegedly dragged Cassie by her hair while she screamed, “I’m sorry.” Phillip says he feared going to the police, believing Diddy had too much power.

The defence, meanwhile, claims that Diddy’s behaviour was part of a consensual “swinger” lifestyle, not a criminal operation. His lawyer even described Cassie and other women as “strong, capable women” who made choices….

The trial is expected to keep going this week so I’ll obv keep you in the loop!

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