Rapper Kid Cudi to testify at Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial Thursday

Rapper Kid Cudi is set to testify at the New York sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs after one of the music mogul's ex-aides finishes testifying about abuse he says he witnessed. A prosecutor says Cudi's turn on the witness stand will come on Thursday, immediately after a former personal assistant to Combs finishes his testimony. R&B singer Cassie testified last week that Combs threatened to blow up Cudi's car and hurt him after he learned she was dating the rapper and actor. Combs has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering.

Before the word ‘transgender’ existed, there was Bambi, the dazzling Parisian icon

PARIS (AP) — The moment that changed queer history occurred on a sweltering day in early 1952 in Algiers. An effeminate teenage boy named Jean-Pierre Pruvot stood mesmerized as traffic halted and crowds swarmed around a scandalous spectacle unfolding in the conservative city streets as Coccinelle — the flamboyant star of Paris’s legendary cabaret, the Carrousel de Paris — strutted defiantly down the boulevard, impeccably dressed as a woman, sparking awe and outrage and literally stopping traffic. What Pruvot — who would soon become famous as Bambi — witnessed was more than mere performance: it was an act of resistance from the ashes of the Nazi persecution of the LGBTQ+ community.

Kim Kardashian dons a graduation cap and marches closer to becoming a lawyer

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Kim Kardashian is a step closer to following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a lawyer. Her representative said Wednesday that she has completed a legal apprenticeship and is now eligible to take the California bar exam. The entrepreneur and reality TV star posted an Instagram Story from a small private ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where she smiled as she donned a graduation cap. California allows people to study under a lawyer or judge as an alternative to law school. Kardashian could become a licensed lawyer if she passes the state’s notoriously difficult bar exam.

Springsteen doubles down on political criticism with a digital EP that includes anti-Trump comments

New recordings, and a golf ball “striking” Bruce Springsteen. The latest political culture war shows no signs of easing. Springsteen on Wednesday released a digital recording of four songs played during a concert in England last week, along with two sets of remarks he made denouncing President Donald Trump. He opened his latest concert with “No Surrender,” and its pointed line “no retreat, baby, no surrender.” Other rock stars have taken sides. For his part, a clip posted on Trump's social media account on Wednesday showed the president taking a swing on the golf course and his “ball” hitting a stumbling Springsteen in the back.

Kermit the Frog to deliver commencement address at the University of Maryland graduation

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Kermit the Frog is set to address the University of Maryland’s class of 2025 as their commencement speaker. Muppets creator Jim Henson graduated from Maryland in 1960 after majoring in home economics there. The university says he fashioned the original frog puppet from one of his mother’s coats and a ping-pong ball cut in half. A bronze statue of him and Kermit sitting on a bench is a well-known feature of the College Park campus. Kermit was created in 1955 and became the centerpiece of the Muppets franchise. The graduation ceremony is Thursday evening.

Natalie Portman and John Krasinski embark on a globe-trotting adventure in ‘Fountain of Youth’

The spirit of Indiana Jones is baked into the essence of the new movie “Fountain of Youth.” This lighthearted, globe-trotting heist from Guy Ritchie, debuting on Apple TV+ on Friday, stars Natalie Portman and John Krasinski as estranged siblings attempting to piece together historical facts in hopes of finding the mythical spring. The quest takes them to far-flung places from the streets of Bangkok, Vienna and to the pyramids, as they try to evade capture by the authorities and a shadowy operation intent on stopping the search. Krasinski says he's been looking to watch a movie like this for years.

Spike Lee on the collision of his two passions, the Knicks and cinema, in Cannes

CANNES, France (AP) — Some of Spike Lee’s most deeply felt passions — filmmaking and the New York Knicks — have collided at the Cannes Film Festival. The premiere of “Highest 2 Lowest,” a Brooklyn-set reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s “High to Low,” came shortly before the Knicks begin their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Indiana Pacers. Everywhere Lee has gone at the French Riviera festival, he’s gone in blue and orange, including a pinstripe suit on the red carpet. In an interview, Lee spoke about his love for the drama of sports and cinema.

Fictional fiction: A newspaper's summer book list recommends nonexistent books. Blame AI

NEW YORK (AP) — There's another artificial intelligence blunder impacting news organizations. The content distributor King Features said it was firing a writer who produced a recommended summer reading list that contains non-existent books. The writer admitted to using AI to help him on the story, and took full responsibility for the mistake. His feature was carried in special sections that were included during the past week in the Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Inquirer. The newspapers involved said they're stripping the special section, titled “Heat Index,” from their digital editions and investigating to see whether it contained any other false material.

Chris Brown freed on $6.7 million bail in assault case, allowing him to start world tour

LONDON (AP) — Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown has been released on $6.7 million bail while facing allegations he beat and seriously injured a music producer in a London nightclub in 2023. A judge in Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday allowed Brown's release, which will allow him to start his world tour next month. His performances were cast in doubt when a different judge last week ordered him held without bail after he was charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Brown would have missed at least two dates on his upcoming tour starting in Amsterdam if he had been held until a June 13 hearing.

George Wendt, who played beloved barfly Norm on 'Cheers' and found another home onstage, dies at 76

NEW YORK (AP) — George Wendt, an actor with an Everyman charm who played the affable, beer-loving barfly Norm on the hit 1980s TV comedy “Cheers,” has died. He was 76. Wendt in later life crafted a stage career that took him to Broadway in “Art,” “Hairspray” and “Elf.” Despite a long career of roles onstage and on TV, it was as gentle and henpecked Norm Peterson on “Cheers” that he was most associated, earning six straight Emmy Award nominations for best supporting actor in a comedy series from 1984-89. The series was centered on lovable losers in a Boston bar and starred Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, Kelsey Grammer, John Ratzenberger, Kirstie Alley and Woody Harrelson.