The Morning: Biden’s cancer diagnosis

lunes, 19 de mayo de 2025

Plus, the Diddy trial and a call between Putin and Trump. View in browser | nytimes.com May 19, 2025 Good morning. Biden has been diagnose...
Plus, the Diddy trial and a call between Putin and Trump.
The Morning
May 19, 2025

Good morning. Biden has been diagnosed with cancer. Trump and Putin are expected to have a high-stakes call today to discuss the war in Ukraine. We're also covering the latest from the federal trial against Sean Combs.

Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. speaking from behind a lectern.
Joe Biden, in April. AJ Mast for The New York Times

Biden's cancer

Former President Joe Biden has an aggressive form of prostate cancer. It is Stage 4, the most deadly stage for the illness, and it has spread to his bones. It cannot be cured.

However, his doctors may be able to manage the disease and extend his life. Research backed by the National Institutes of Health has improved survival rates. Some men whose prostate cancer has spread "can live five, seven, 10 or more years," a doctor at Duke said. Read more about the disease.

Diagnosis: Doctors found the cancer late last week after Biden, 82, attended an appointment to check on urinary symptoms. They discovered a small nodule on his prostate.

Treatment: Biden will likely take a drug or injections that limit his testosterone.

Responses: President Trump said on social media that he was saddened to hear of the diagnosis. Kamala Harris called Biden a "fighter."

His state as president: More details have emerged recently about Biden's declining health in office, in a new book and in audio that reveals how frail he sounded late in his presidency. Listen to the audio, which was The Morning's most clicked link yesterday.

Family health: This isn't the first public diagnosis for Biden. In 1988, he battled two brain aneurysms that threatened to end his political career. His son Beau died in 2015 from an aggressive form of brain cancer. As vice president, Biden led a "moonshot" initiative to find a cure for cancer.

A lawyer speaks to reporters outside a courthouse.
Douglas Wigdor, the attorney for Cassie Ventura.  Jefferson Siegel for The New York Times

The trial of Sean Combs

Author Headshot

By Julia Jacobs

I have been reporting from the courthouse in Manhattan for the past week.

Sean Combs, the rapper and producer known as Diddy, will return to a courtroom in Manhattan this morning. The charges he faces, which include racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, could put him in prison for life.

The trial this week will focus on the testimony of former employees and other witnesses who were privy to Combs's violent outbursts. But its most dramatic revelations may have emerged last week during the testimony of Casandra Ventura, a singer also known as Cassie who dated Combs on and off for 11 years.

At the core of the case are "freak-offs," voyeuristic sex marathons with male prostitutes that prosecutors say Combs coerced Ventura and another woman to participate in. Combs's lawyers have argued that the government has twisted consensual sex with long-term girlfriends into serious federal charges.

Though the trial is expected to last about seven more weeks, several early moments are likely to stick with jurors. In today's newsletter, I'll tell you about them.

A relationship on trial

Ventura, who is eight and a half months pregnant, took the stand over four grueling days. She recounted the heady beginnings of her relationship with Combs and read aloud affectionate and sometimes sexually explicit texts she wrote to him throughout their relationship. But she also described a pernicious pattern of beatings that she said left her in a state of fear, as well as drug-fueled sex marathons that she said she participated in to avoid his anger or retaliation.

"I just felt like it was all I was good for to him," Ventura testified.

A photo of Cassie Ventura in a large coat.
Cassie Ventura in March. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Paramount+

'Disgusting' and 'overwhelming'

In a particularly arresting moment on the stand, she described an episode in which Combs — who she said was the sole director of freak-off activity — told an escort to urinate on her.

Ventura: It was disgusting. It was too much. It was overwhelming. I choked. There couldn't have been anything on my face that was reading that I wanted to be doing that. I was kind of just laid on the floor in a position that I couldn't easily get out of, so —

Prosecutor: Were you able to tell the escort to stop?

Ventura: I just kind of put my hands up and eventually Sean saw and he told them to stop.

Reams of text messages

The jury saw a mountain of communications between the couple, some of which the defense presented as evidence that Ventura was a willing participant in the freak-offs.

Two text messages between the couple ahead of a freak-off in 2016 were parsed at length.

"So what you gonna do so I can plan the rest of my night," Combs wrote to Ventura.

"Baby, I want to FO so bad," Ventura replied, using an abbreviation for freak-off. She wrote that she was conflicted because she did not want to mess up her body before an important movie premiere.

The prosecution hopes her testimony will convince jurors that her outward enthusiasm was something of a facade to maintain calm in a relationship plagued by violence and control.

An engaged defendant

Dressed in a revolving set of crew-neck sweaters, his hair graying, Combs has appeared actively engaged in his own defense, writing notes to his lawyers on green Post-its. His family — including his mother and six adult children — have come to support him.

A woman in a blonde bob in front of a black car.
Janice Combs, Sean Combs's mother, outside court in Manhattan. Jefferson Siegel for The New York Times

When court adjourned on Friday, the judge declared to a weary group of lawyers, "We made it through the first week." Combs raised his right fist and shook it from the defendant's chair.

What's next

With Ventura, their star witness, off the stand, prosecutors will now look to build their broader racketeering case, in which they allege that Combs acted as the kingpin of a criminal enterprise that helped him commit kidnapping, arson, drug violations, bribery and other crimes.

Prosecutors say that an inner circle of bodyguards and high-ranking employees conspired to abet Combs's crimes over a 20-year period. The defense denies the existence of any criminal conspiracy.

We'll also hear from at least two other witnesses whom the government says Combs had coerced into sex. That could mean more emotional testimony about how the music mogul treated women.

THE LATEST NEWS

War in Ukraine

More International News

A tank kicking up dust as it moves.
An Israeli military vehicle near the border with Gaza. Ariel Schalit/Associated Press
  • Israel said its forces have expanded ground operations in Gaza. It also said it would allow a basic amount of food into the enclave, weeks after halting aid deliveries.
  • A centrist won Romania's presidential election, defeating a Trump-aligned nationalist. The victory is an upset for surging nationalist forces in Europe.
  • Britain and the E.U. struck a deal to lower trade barriers and increase military cooperation, a British official said.

Trump Administration

Other Big Stories

A brightly colored mural adorns the ground, with George Floyd's face in black and white at the center, set off by Floyd's name in cursive text. Surrounding the mural are flowers and various gifts left by visitors to the shrine.
On George Floyd Square in Minneapolis. Joshua Rashaad McFadden for The New York Times
  • A makeshift shrine remains on the corner where a police officer murdered George Floyd. Here's what officials, residents and his relatives believe the site should become.
  • New Jersey's first statewide transit strike in more than 40 years ended with a deal. Full service resumes tomorrow.
  • Parts of the Midwest face strong winds and large hail today, as a result of a storm system that produced more than 20 tornadoes in the Great Plains yesterday.
  • Surgeons in California performed the first human bladder transplant, a potentially life-changing procedure.
  • The suspect in a bombing outside a Palm Springs fertility clinic died in the explosion, officials said. The authorities described him as having "nihilistic ideations."

OPINIONS

Hiring federal workers across the United States, not just in Washington, is a good idea. But Trump is doing it wrong, David Fontana writes.

Porn has a negative effect on society. Progressives should be allowed to admit it without being seen as right-leaning, Christine Emba writes.

Here's a column by Tressie McMillan Cottom on the tension at the heart of country music.

More ways to share, more ways to connect.

Find an article you want to share? You can easily post it to your Instagram story or share it as a free-to-read gift article. Learn more.

MORNING READS

Two girls grapple in wrestling gear in a gym.
In the Bronx. Victor J. Blue for The New York Times

Grit and pride: The Bronx is a haven for high school girls' wrestling. For some students, the sport offers class mobility.

Fashion history: In the 1960s, Khadejha McCall dressed stars like Nina Simone. Now, her legacy sits in a storage unit.

The A.I. future: Schools are embracing chatbots.

So many meals: A Times restaurant critic wanted to know what her job had done to her gut. So she consulted some scientists.

Metropolitan Diary: Formal attire on the Q train.

Trending online yesterday: People were interested in the Mexican ship that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge. Read about what went wrong.

Lives Lived: The makeup artist Greg Cannom pulled off some of the most striking movie magic in recent decades — helping Christian Bale to turn into Dick Cheney in "Vice," and Brad Pitt to age backward in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Cannom died at 73.

SPORTS

N.H.L.: The Panthers routed the Maple Leafs, 6-1, in Game 7.

N.B.A.: Oklahoma City advanced to the conference finals with a surprising blowout win over Denver, thanks to a swarming defense.

W.N.B.A.: The league is investigating allegations of hateful comments from the stands against the Sky center Angel Reese during her game against the Fever.

ARTS AND IDEAS

Animations of warm-up routines including writing, drum playing and blowing into a bottle.
The New York Times

The Times asked several creative people, including actors, comedians and musicians, about how they warm up before their gigs. The Emmy-winning actor Jeff Daniels says "budda-gudda" a lot. Sarah Sherman of "Saturday Night Live" listens to some David Bowie. And Gene Simmons of Kiss enjoys the sounds of 1960s girl groups to get into his "Demon" alter ego. Read about more rituals here.

More on culture

THE MORNING RECOMMENDS …

A pan filled with halloumi, cherry tomatoes and white beans.
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Judy Kim.

Broil crispy, chewy halloumi with creamy white beans and cherry tomatoes.

Find peace in an anxious world.

Travel without your phone.

Give your pet their pills. Here are some tricks.

Take our news quiz.

GAMES

Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangrams were gainful, unfailing and unflagging.

And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands.

Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow.

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Editor: Adam B. Kushner

News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti

Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson

News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu

News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar

Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch

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