8 h. ago My mother was a famous feminist writer known for her candour and wit. But she was also a fantasist who couldn’t be bothered to spend time raising me

When Fear of Flying, her autobiographical novel about women’s sexual desires, came out in 1973, Erica Jong was suddenly big news. But growing up as her only child, I had a very different experienceIn August 1978, I was born in a hospital in Stamford, Connecticut. I came out with red hair. This was proof to my mother that I was special. The fantasy of my specialness continued my entire life. I was special even though I was dyslexic. I was special even though I got kicked out of college. I was special even though I was a drug addict. I was special despite my fatness. I was special despite all the evidence to the contrary. I was special because I was a piece of her.I read an interview with my mother in which the interviewer described me as a “stout” toddler. “Stout” means “kind of fat”. I never thought of a toddler as being able to be fat, but there it was. Continue reading...

Politics

50 h. ago Another ex and alleged victim of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs testifies about ‘freak

‘Jane’ said Combs rebuffed her requests for condoms during drug-fueled sexual encounters with male escortsThe federal sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs resumed on Friday with testimony from a former girlfriend and alleged victim, identified as “Jane”.The woman, described by prosecutors as a single mother who met Combs in 2020, testified on Friday that Combs denied requests that escorts wear condoms during the drug-fueled sexual encounters with male escorts at hotels known as “freak-offs” or “hotel nights”, which she claims Combs orchestrated and watched as she took part. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Admitted lies, emojis and a dehydrator: Erin Patterson spars with prosecutor as fatal mushroom lunch deconstructed

Murder accused cross-examined in Victorian supreme court trial over beef wellington lunch that left three in-laws deadWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?There were times in Erin Patterson’s fourth day in the witness box where it seemed as if her lies she has admitted in her testimony, like the mushrooms she prepared for the beef wellington, were being cooked down as much as possible.Had she pretended to have cancer at the fateful lunch or had she not? What, exactly, were the reasons for her repeated lies to Gail Patterson about a lump in her elbow? How about the lies she told to police? Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago P Diddy trial LIVE: Ex to testify about 'abusive freak offs' and horror sex trafficking claims

Sean "Diddy" Combs's ex-girlfriend is set to testify after a woman claims she was abused during the music mogul's marathon sex sessions, known as "freak-offs"

Events

4 d. ago Male escort breaks silence on Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ‘freak offs’ and defends Cassie

One of the male escorts who had sex with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs' ex-girlfriend of 11 years, Cassie Ventura, has broken his silence after being named in court

Politics

4 d. ago ‘Is that how you poisoned my parents?’: Erin Patterson tells mushroom trial husband confronted her over dehydrator

Triple murder accused, who denies deliberately poisoning anyone, tells court she dumped dehydrator used to dry foraged mushrooms due to feeling ‘scared’ of child protection officers seeing itWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Erin Patterson has told a court her estranged husband asked her if she had used a dehydrator to poison his parents, and admitted resetting her phone out of fear police would discover photos she had of foraged mushrooms.In her third day in the witness box, Patterson also said she thinks there is a “possibility” that foraged mushrooms were unintentionally added to her beef wellington mixture as she tried to improve its “bland” flavour, and lied to her lunch guests about having cancer because she was embarrassed about planned weight loss surgery.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson tells court she felt ‘scared, responsible’ after husband asked if she poisoned his parents using dehydrator

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder over a fatal 2023 beef wellington lunch. Follow liveErin Patterson explains health lies, food issues and how she made mushroom lunch as murder trial continuesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Erin Patterson says it was ‘a possibility’ foraged mushrooms were in containerMandy turns to preparations for the meal.I cooked that for a very long time.You’ve got to get almost all of the water out so it won’t turn your pastry soggy.I decided to put in the dried mushrooms which I bought from the grocer which I still had in the pantry. Continue reading...

Society

4 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson tells court ‘I shouldn’t have lied to’ lunch guests about having cancer

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder over a fatal 2023 beef wellington lunch. Follow liveWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Erin Patterson says it was ‘a possibility’ foraged mushrooms were in containerMandy turns to preparations for the meal.I cooked that for a very long time.You’ve got to get almost all of the water out so it won’t turn your pastry soggy.I decided to put in the dried mushrooms which I bought from the grocer which I still had in the pantry. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Australia mushroom trial live: Erin Patterson agrees text messages with mother

Victorian woman, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder over a fatal 2023 beef wellington lunch. Follow liveWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Mandy takes the jury to messages from June 2023 between Patterson and her mother-in-law Gail.In the messages, Gail asked Patterson about a medical appointment. Patterson later replied and said she had a needle biopsy conducted.I must have told them I was having a medical appointment that day.I think I just said I was having a problem or a lump on my arm checked out.Were those lies?Yes.The issue started to resolve and I felt a bit embarrassed I had made such a big deal about it. I didn’t want their care of me to stop so I just kept it going.I shouldn’t have done it.I became aware of death caps quite early in this period.I don’t specifically remember doing that day but it’s possible it was me.It’s possible that’s part of the process I went through to see if t...

Politics

4 d. ago Diddy escort who was named at trial breaks silence to share harrowing details of Cassie's Freak Off claims

Shawn Dearing was among the more than 10 men hired by Cassie Ventura to perform at Diddy's freak-off parties. He has broken his silence to give 'some credence' to her testimony.

Politics

5 d. ago Erin Patterson accepts beef wellington served at fatal lunch contained death cap mushrooms, triple murder trial hears

Murder accused also tells jury she was never diagnosed with ovarian cancer and feels ‘ashamed’ of Facebook messages she wrote about her familyWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Erin Patterson has told a court that the majority of the mushrooms in a beef wellington dish served in her Leongatha home came from a local supermarket, but says she also accepts the dish contained death caps.Patterson also said in evidence that she wishes she never said to her Facebook friends in a private group chat “this family I swear to fucking god” in relation to her in-laws, saying she felt ashamed but hoped that sharing her frustrations would mean she had a “big cheer squad” for her problems. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago ‘They didn’t deserve it’: emotional Erin Patterson tells murder trial of shame over messages about family

Murder accused also tells jury she was never diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had history of ‘consulting Dr Google’Erin Patterson trial LIVEWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Erin Patterson has told a court she wishes she never told her Facebook friends in a private group chat “this family I swear to fucking god” in relation to her in-laws, saying she felt ashamed but hoped that sharing her frustrations would mean she had a “big cheer squad” for her problems.Patterson also told the jury in her triple murder trial that she was never diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had a history of “consulting Dr Google”, and hoped to bring her family back together despite a formal separation with her estranged husband, Simon, seven years earlier. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Diddy trial live: Combs rape accuser ‘Mia’ to return to stand after gruesome ‘freak off’ testimony

Ex-assistant will face futher direct questioning from the government Friday in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s sex trafficking trial

Events

9 d. ago Erin Patterson given voice as interview with police fills in some blanks: week five in court

As much as any moment, the video shown to the Victorian supreme court helped give the murder accused shape after weeks of silenceWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Erin Patterson watched herself on a screen, her voice filling court room four of the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell.She had done little but stand up and sit down, and watch on silently, throughout the first 20 days of her triple murder trial, as more than 50 witnesses catalogued their own role in her story.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Lead detective denies police errors in mushroom lunch investigation as Erin Patterson trial continues

Defence argues photos taken by police inside Patterson’s home appear to show computers and a phone that were not seized during searchWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?The detective in charge of the investigation into the deadly beef wellington lunch served by Erin Patterson has denied police made several errors in the case, including failing to seize electronic items during a search of her house and wrongly identifying her son on CCTV footage, a court has heard.Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to poisoning her four lunch guests – relatives of her estranged husband, Simon Patterson – with a beef wellington served at her house in Leongatha, Victoria on 29 July 2023. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Key moments from the Diddy trial: Female assistant alleges rapper took her at gunpoint to Kid Cudi's home

Here’s a rundown of the case against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs as prosecutors call “Mia” to testify this week

Politics

1 week ago What police found on Erin Patterson’s computer and text messages with mother

Detective also tells mushroom lunch trial that phone records indicate a sim card was switched while police searched murder accused’s homeWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Electronic records taken from a computer seized by police from Erin Patterson’s house indicated that it had been used to visit webpages listing sightings of death cap mushrooms, a Victorian court has heard.The court also heard on Wednesday that Patterson sent multiple text messages to her mother-in-law, Gail Patterson, about health issues and medical appointments that police found no record of having ever occurred. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Future of Maradona trial in doubt as judge steps down over TV show role

Julieta Makintach accused of behaving ‘like an actress’ after shooting documentary about trial of footballer’s medical teamA key judge in the trial of the late Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona’s medical team has stepped down after it emerged she had been shooting a racy miniseries about the months-old trial, potentially breaking a string of ethics rules.Julieta Makintach, 47, who has been called the “judge of God”, recused herself after she was accused on Tuesday of violating her impartiality, influence-peddling and bribery over her role in the documentary miniseries Divine Justice, casting doubt on the future of the high-profile trial. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Protester accosts judge as Erin Patterson trial hears how officials tried to find source of deadly mushrooms

Health department witness tells Victorian supreme court of efforts to glean information from Patterson in days after fatal mushroom lunchWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastErin Patterson spent days after the beef wellington lunch speaking with a department of health official in detail about sourcing the mushrooms for the meal from an Asian grocer and Woolworths, a Victorian court has heard.Day 19 of Patterson’s trial at the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell was also interrupted by a protester, who shouted accusations at Justice Christopher Beale before being escorted out of the room by police.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago London fox cub coated in bitumen ‘one of most horrific cases seen’

Rescuers used baby oil and WD-40 to soften and dissolve the tar-like substance

Politics