Kim Kardashian West has said her family is “in shock” after eight people died at a Travis Scott concert in Texas.
Hundreds of fans were injured at the Astroworld festival in Houston on Friday when the crowd rushed the stage, squeezing people so tightly they could not breathe, police said.
We are keeping all of the victims, families and loved ones impacted in our prayers for healing – as well as Travis who we know cares so much about his fans and is truly devastated. 🙏🏽💔🕊
Kardashian West, 41, whose sister Kylie Jenner is in a relationship with Scott, tweeted: “Absolutely heartbroken for the lives who were lost and anyone who was hurt at Astroworld. Just like all of you, our family is in shock by the tragedy.
“We are keeping all of the victims, families and loved ones impacted in our prayers for healing – as well as Travis who we know cares so much about his fans and is truly devastated.”
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Another member of the Kardashian-Jenner family, supermodel Kendall Jenner, 26, also shared a statement on the tragedy.
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She wrote on Instagram: “I’m still at a loss for words over the news from Astroworld. I’m truly broken for the families that have lost loved ones and my prayers go out to everyone involved.
“Sending everyone who has been affected all of my love and wishing them strength during this incredibly devastating and sensitive time.”
Canadian rapper Drake performed alongside Scott and the two men are being sued after it was alleged they “incited mayhem”.
Writing on Instagram, Drake said: “I’ve spent the past few days trying to wrap my mind around this devastating tragedy.
“I hate resorting to this platform to express an emotion as delicate as grief but this is where I find myself.
“My heart is broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives and for anyone who is suffering.
“I will continue to pray for all of them and will be of service in any way I can. May God be with you all.”
Kylie Jenner, 24, attended the festival and said in a statement that she and Scott, 30, did not know what was happening in the crowd during the performance.
Scott, who is from Houston, has offered to pay funeral costs for the victims of the crush while promoter Live Nation said full refunds would be offered to all attendees.
The US House Oversight Committee has issued subpoenas for depositions with former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton relating to the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
The Republican-controlled committee also subpoenaed the Justice Department for files relating to the paedophile financier, as well as eight former top law enforcement officials.
Donald Trump has denied prior knowledge of Epstein‘s crimes, claiming he ended their relationship a long time ago.
Image: Mr Trump and Mr Epstein at a party together in 1992. Pic: NBC News
The US president has repeatedly tried to draw a line under the Justice Department’s decision not to release a full accounting of the investigation, but politicians from both major political parties, as well as many in Mr Trump’s political base, have refused to drop their interest in the Epstein files.
Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, and since then, conspiracy theories have swirled about what information investigators gathered on him and who else may have been involved in his crimes.
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee initiated the subpoenas for the Clintons last month, as well as demanding all communications between former president Joe Biden’s Democrat administration and the Justice Department about Epstein.
The committee previously issued a subpoena for an interview with Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who had been serving a prison sentence in Florida for luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. She was recently transferred to another facility in Texas.
Mr Clinton was among those acquainted with Epstein before the criminal investigation against him in Florida became public two decades ago. He has never been accused of wrongdoing by any of the women who say Epstein abused them.
Mr Clinton previously said, through a spokesperson, that while he travelled on Epstein’s jet, he never visited his homes and had no knowledge of his crimes.
The subpoenaing of former president Bill Clinton is an escalation, both legally and politically.
Historically, it is rare for congressional oversight to demand deposition from former presidents of the United States.
Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and accomplice, had already been summonsed.
But the House Oversight Committee has now added Bill and Hillary Clinton, several former Attorneys General and former FBI directors to its list.
It signals bipartisan momentum – Democrats voting with Republicans for transparency.
The committee will now hear from several people with known ties to Epstein, his connection with Bill Clinton having been well-documented.
But the subpoenas set up a potential clash between Congress and the Department of Justice.
Donald Trump, the candidate, had vowed to release them. A government led by Mr Trump, the president, chose not to.
If Attorney General Pam Bondi still refuses to release the files, it will fuel claims of a constitutional crisis in the United States.
But another day of Epstein headlines demonstrates the enduring public interest in this case.
The subpoenas give the Justice Department until 19 August to hand over the requested records.
The committee is also asking the former officials to appear for depositions throughout August, September and October, concluding with Hillary Clinton on 9 October and Bill Clinton on 14 October.
Although several former presidents, including Mr Trump, have been issued congressional subpoenas, none has ever appeared before members under compulsion.
Last month, Mr Trump instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release information presented to the grand jury that indicted Maxwell for helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls.
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been in contact with Donald Trump about a pardon, a source close to the rapper’s legal team has told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News.
A White House spokesperson said it “will not comment on the existence or nonexistence of any clemency request”.
The sentence will likely be much shorter than that, however.
In July, he was found guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution – but cleared of more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking, which carried potential life sentences.
During an interview with news channel Newsmax last Friday, Mr Trump said “they have talked to me about Sean” but did not announce any decision.
Image: Combs reacts after the verdicts are read out in court. File pic: Reuters
The president seemed to cast doubt that he would grant a pardon, however.
“You know, I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great. And seemed like a nice guy, I didn’t know him well,” Trump said. “But when I ran for office, he was very hostile.”
“I don’t know,” Trump said. “It makes it more – I’m being honest, it makes it more difficult to do.”
Trump was then asked, “more likely a ‘no’ for Combs?”
Trump responded: “I would say so.”
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4:43
How the Diddy trial unfolded
Combs, who co-founded Bad Boy Records and launched the career of the late Notorious BIG, was for decades a huge figure in pop culture, as well as a Grammy-winning hip-hop artist and business entrepreneur, who presided over an empire ranging from fashion to reality TV.
Now, as well as the criminal conviction, he is also facing several civil lawsuits.
A woman charged with selling Friends actor Matthew Perry the dose of ketamine that killed him will go on trial next month.
The trial of Jasveen Sangha, allegedly known as the Ketamine Queen, will begin on 23 September after an order from a Los Angeles judge on Tuesday.
She is the only defendant standing trial over Perry’s death after four others reached plea agreements with prosecutors.
The 42-year-old, who has pleaded not guilty, is charged with five counts of ketamine distribution, including one count of distribution resulting in death.
Sangha’s trial has been postponed four times after her lawyers said they needed longer to go through the prosecution’s evidence and to finish their own investigation
Perry died in his home in October 2023, aged 54, after getting ketamine from his regular doctor for treatment of depression, which is an increasingly common use for the surgical anaesthetic.
The actor was taking ketamine six to eight times a day before he died, according to court documents.
Prosecutors say Perry illegally sought more ketamine from his doctor, Salvador Plasencia, after he wouldn’t give him as much as he wanted.
They allege he then sought more from Sangha, who allegedly presented herself as “a celebrity drug dealer with high-quality goods”.
Perry’s assistant and friend admitted to buying large amounts of ketamine for him from Sangha, including 25 vials for $6,000 in cash, a few days before his death.
Prosecutors allege that purchase included the doses that killed Perry.