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The criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is now in its sixth week of testimony — and interest among influencers and YouTubers is still soaring, as online personalities flock to the Manhattan federal courthouse to livestream their musings.Every day, it’s the same routine: content creators on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube rub shoulders with legacy media organizations as they set up cell phone tripods and stage their shows, enthusiastically relaying their hot takes. The trial of Combs, once a titan of the music industry who faces life in prison if convicted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, can’t be broadcast. The federal courthouse doesn’t allow cameras, laptops, phones or even wireless headphones inside.So, alongside the many journalists covering the trial, influencers hustle in and out of the courthouse throughout the day to recount the proceedings beat by beat, dropping off and picking up their electronics at security each time.One woman who goes by the TikTok name “KealoHalika” said in the first two days of testimony she earned an estimated 10,500 followers; her account now has 40,500 followers.”It was like craziness,” she told AFP outside the courthouse. “It’s been a lot of moving pieces. It’s definitely changed my life.”Combs is incarcerated and doesn’t enter or exit the courthouse publicly. But some of the high-profile attendees and witnesses do, including members of the music mogul’s family and figures like Kid Cudi, the rapper who testified that Combs’s entourage torched his car.These paparazzi-esque arrivals and exits are catnip for content creators to in turn feed their followers.The brief cameo of Ye, who stopped by to lend his “support” to Combs amid the proceedings, was a particular field day for the chronically online.Donat Ricketts, a 32-year-old artist from Los Angeles, was a regular at the high-profile Tory Lanez and A$AP Rocky trials in California. He told AFP he makes between $8,000 and $10,000 a month, including through YouTube’s ad revenue program and fan donations.”This is my first time traveling to another state to cover a case,” said the creator with about 50,000 YouTube subscribers. “It feels like vacation, plus I’m being able to work and make money from YouTube.”Ricketts didn’t study journalism — but he thinks his “big personality” and ability to relate to online viewers sets him apart.”This case is the turning point where mainstream media knows that the ‘independent journalists’ are a force to be reckoned with,” he said.- ‘Personal narrative’ -According to a 2024 Pew Research Center study, one in five Americans get news from influencers online; for people under 30, the share jumps to 37 percent.Reece Peck, a professor of political communication and journalism at the City University of New York, called the competition among content creators “Darwinian.””They’re so scared of losing their clientele or their audience. And so with that logic, that you have to constantly create content, the news cycle is such an attractive source of material,” Peck told AFP.And the Combs trial is a fount, he said: “It’s sex, it’s violence, and it’s celebrity.”Emilie Hagen said she does have a journalism degree but these days publishes via her Substack, also putting out content on Instagram and TikTok.”I’m there every day providing humorous updates,” she told AFP of the Combs trial.Dozens of traditional media outlets are providing coverage and analysis of the trial. But Hagen said she’s “able to go down rabbit holes that they’re not allowed to go down.””I don’t have to stick to the daily recap,” she said. “I can insert a personal narrative.”Many of her most fruitful videos are of “me interacting with all of the wild people that come to the trial outside the courthouse,” she added.Hagen said she’s notched 12,000 more Instagram followers and 10,000 more on TikTok since proceedings began.She said some fans have donated, which recently allowed her to hire a linesitter. Getting into the main courtroom, as opposed to overflow rooms with video feeds of the trial, can require either arriving overnight or the day prior, and many influencers along with media outlets like ABC News and The New York Times hire people to hold spots.But even with the deluge of news updates from media outlets and content streams from influencers, some people still want to see the trial for themselves.Val Solit, a teacher from Los Angeles on vacation to New York, dropped by the proceedings after having lunch in nearby Chinatown with her partner.”I like crime and dramas,” she told AFP, likening the hype to the 1990s-era trial of O.J. Simpson. “It was kind of fascinating to come and see it.””It’s history in the making.”

A federal US judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to resume issuing passports to transgender Americans with “X” as their gender designation, a practice suspended since Donald Trump’s return to the White House.Following Trump’s executive order in January, the State Department said it would only recognize two genders — male and female — ending official policies that recognized a third gender, denoted by an “X” on US passports.In April, US District Judge Julia Kobick in Boston issued a preliminary injunction against that policy, but that ruling applied only to six transgender and non-binary people who had sued the government over the passport policy. The State Department appealed that move Friday.On Tuesday, Kobick went further in her ruling by extending it to all transgender and non-binary Americans affected by the policy change and ordered the State Department to resume issuing these passports pending a judgment on the merits of the case or a decision by a higher court.The State Department first issued such a passport in October 2021 under President Joe Biden, with the X gender marker reserved for non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming individuals.In his inauguration speech at the US Capitol, Trump said “as of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.”

Calm appeared to be returning to protest-hit Los Angeles on Tuesday as the mayor lifted a nighttime curfew, while President Donald Trump battled to keep control of California troops he deployed to the city.A fraction of the sprawling US city had been off-limits from 8pm to 6am to most people for a week after instances of looting and vandalism during demonstrations against Trump’s immigration raids.Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the curfew had been “largely successful in protecting stores, restaurants, businesses and residential communities from bad actors who do not care about the immigrant community.”However, she added that, “as we continue quickly adapting to chaos coming from Washington,” she was prepared to reissue a curfew if needed.Bass and other California officials have accused Trump of inflaming tensions by sending 4,000 of the state’s National Guard troops — as well as 700 Marines — to the second-largest US city. In a show of political muscle, Trump ignored the objections of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who would usually oversee the Guard.A judge said Thursday that the Republican president’s actions were “illegal” and ordered that he return control of the force to Newsom.But a higher court paused that ruling after the Trump administration lodged an appeal and slammed the judge’s order as an “extraordinary intrusion on the President’s constitutional authority as Commander in Chief.”- ‘Extreme measure’ -At an appeals hearing Tuesday, the Justice Department argued that Trump needed to keep control of California’s troops to ensure federal immigration officers could carry out arrests without threats from the public.”Unfortunately, local authorities are either unable or unwilling to protect federal personnel and property from the mob violence ongoing in Los Angeles today,” said Brett Shumate, representing the Trump administration.California officials have rejected that charge, insisting that Trump’s use of the military has escalated demonstrations that Los Angeles that law enforcement could have handled.Samuel Harbourt, representing Newsom and California, pointed out that local authorities in Los Angeles have made around 1,000 arrests during the disorder.”Are we in a world that’s so different from normal conditions as to justify an extreme measure like militarizing the situation and bringing in the National Guard?” he said. Harbourt urged the San Francisco court to lift the pause on the original order, meaning Trump would have to concede control of the Guard. “Every day that this order remains in effect it is causing harm for our nation’s broader democratic tradition of separation of the military from civilian affairs,” he said. That, he added, “sets a precedent for this president, and future presidents, to take similar actions going forward.”- ‘Totally lost control’ -The fatigue-wearing guardsmen have been tasked with protecting federal property in Los Angeles, stationed outside buildings with helmets and large shields.US law restricts them from arresting citizens, though some guardsmen have fired tear gas and non-lethal rounds towards protesters, according to local media.It is the first time since 1965 that a US president has deployed the National Guard without the express wishes of a state’s governor.Trump has been unrepentant, taking credit for making Los Angeles “safe” and declaring that Newsom — a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 — had “totally lost control.”The dispute mirrors multiple other tussles over Trump’s attempts to expand the limits of presidential power, but is the first to involve troops.Like other cases, it could go all the way to the Supreme Court, where conservative judges hold a 6-3 majority. Many in Los Angeles are angry about immigration raids carried out as part of Trump’s ambition to deport vast numbers of undocumented migrants around the country.Outrage at the use of masked, armed immigration agents has also sparked protests in other cities, including San Francisco, New York, Chicago and San Antonio, Texas.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday demanded “unconditional surrender” from Tehran and warned the United States could easily assassinate its supreme leader as Iran and US ally Israel traded devastating fire for a fifth day.The comments fueled questions over whether Washington will join Israel’s attacks after insisting it had no hand in the campaign.Israeli warplanes targeted drone and missile sites with at least two waves of strikes in western Iran on Tuesday, the military said.It also said it had killed senior Iranian commander Ali Shadmani in an overnight strike on a “command centre in the heart of Tehran”, just four days after his predecessor, Gholam Ali Rashid, was killed in Israel’s initial surprise attack.The new attacks drew retaliatory fire from the Islamic republic, with explosions heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and air raid sirens sounding around Dimona, a southern town home to a nuclear power plant. There were no immediate reports of hits.Days after a senior US official said Trump had told Israel to back down from plans to assassinate top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the US president appeared to reverse course.”We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.Warning Iran against targeting US interests, he also posted: “But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin,” he added, later posting a message saying: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”Trump and his National Security Council met on Tuesday to discuss the conflict, ending after an hour and 20 minutes with no immediate public statement.- ‘Punitive operations’ -Despite international alarm, neither side has backed off from the long-range blitz that began Friday, when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities.Iranian media reported several explosions Tuesday in the central city of Isfahan, home to nuclear facilities. Blasts were also heard across Tehran.The Iranian armed forces warned residents in the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa to evacuate “for the sake of their lives”, warning of “punitive operations” to come.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had launched an attack targeting Israeli air bases.Residential areas in both countries have suffered deadly strikes since the fighting broke out, and foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens.A cyberattack on Tuesday crippled Sepah Bank, one of Iran’s main state-owned banks, the Fars news agency reported.Fearing the violence, many residents have fled Tehran.On Tuesday, long queues stretched outside bakeries and petrol stations as the remaining residents rushed to stock up on fuel and basic supplies.Trump late Monday warned on social media that the entire population of Tehran should evacuate “immediately,” without offering any explanation.US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States was deploying “additional capabilities” to the Middle East, with a US aircraft carrier reportedly heading to the region.China accused Trump of “pouring oil” on the conflict, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of being “the biggest threat to the security of the region.”- ‘Direct impacts’ -After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel said its surprise air campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran denies.The UN’s nuclear watchdog said there appeared to have been “direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls” at Iran’s Natanz facility.Israel has maintained ambiguity regarding its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says it has 90 nuclear warheads.The conflict derailed a running series of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, with Iran saying after the start of Israel’s campaign that it would not negotiate with the United States while under attack.French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump had a critical role in restarting diplomacy with Tehran and that attempts at regime change would bring “chaos.”Since Friday, at least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds wounded, according to Netanyahu’s office.Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then.burs-sms/dw

Group of Seven leaders, holding talks Tuesday at a summit in Canada, promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fresh support as Russia stepped up attacks on its neighbor.US President Donald Trump, who has had a volatile relationship with Zelensky, had been due to meet him but left the summit early to return to Washington over the Israel-Iran conflict. Zelensky arrived at the remote resort venue in the Canadian Rockies after Russia hit Kyiv with one of the worst bombardments since it invaded in February 2022, killing at least 10 people in the capital.Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed Zelensky and announced Can$2 billion ($1.47bn) of military support, including drones and helicopters, for Ukraine.”This underscores the importance of standing in total solidarity with Ukraine,” Carney told him, calling for “maximum pressure against Russia.”Carney also joined Britain in tightening sanctions on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of ships used to circumvent international sanctions on its oil sales.Britain said it wanted to ramp up economic pressure to show Russian President Vladimir Putin it was in his interest to end the war.”These sanctions strike right at the heart of Putin’s war machine, choking off his ability to continue his barbaric war in Ukraine,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.- US holding out -US lawmakers have also drafted a package of new sanctions on Russia but Trump has been hesitant to give his support, saying he wants to preserve relations with Putin, whom he spoke to by telephone on the eve of the G7 summit.Trump infamously berated Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28, saying he was ungrateful for US aid, but has since voiced disappointment that Putin has rebuffed a US proposal for at least a temporary ceasefire.Zelensky, his voice choked with emotion, told Carney that the latest Russian attack was a “big tragedy” for Ukrainian families and it showed the need for allies’ support — and made clear that he still backed Trump-led calls for negotiations.”It’s important for our soldiers to be strong in the battlefield, to stay strong until Russia will be ready for the peace negotiations,” Zelensky said.”We are ready for the peace negotiation — unconditional ceasefire. For this we need pressure.”French President Emmanuel Macron accused his Russian counterpart of exploiting global focus on the Middle East to carry out the deadly attack on Kyiv.”It shows the complete cynicism of President Putin,” Macron told reporters at the summit.- Tough trade talks -The G7 — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — was holding its first summit since the return to power of Trump, who openly questions longstanding US alliances.Trump appeared in relatively good spirits before pulling out early.”Obviously with Trump gone the discussions might be a bit smoother, but they also have less impact with the most powerful nation not there,” a diplomat from a G7 nation said on condition of anonymity.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained to represent the United States at the summit, where discussions have also concentrated on Trump’s attempts to radically overhaul the world’s trading system.Trump has vowed to slap sweeping tariffs on friends and foes alike on July 9, although he has postponed once.The US president, speaking to reporters on his way back from the summit, complained that the European Union was not yet offering a “fair deal” on trade.”We’re either going to make a good deal or they’ll just pay whatever we say they will pay,” he said.European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she still hoped for a negotiated solution and that talks were “intense and demanding.”Trump’s negotiators have already sealed a deal with Britain and, outside of the G7, reached an agreement to lower tariffs with rival China.Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he had “frank” discussions with Trump on Monday but made clear the importance of automobile exports to the world’s second-largest developed economy.”We have not reached an agreement on the package as a whole,” Ishiba told reporters.

President Donald Trump faces potentially the hardest choice of his time in the White House, as he weighs up whether the United States should join Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran.Trump fueled speculation about a US intervention as he dashed back from a G7 summit in Canada, warning Tuesday that the United States could kill Iran’s supreme leader, but would not “for now.”The choice is a monumental one for a president who has vowed throughout both his first and second terms in the Oval Office to get the United States out of its “forever wars” in the Middle East. “It’s a major political and military choice that could define his legacy in the Middle East,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told AFP.As Trump met his National Security Council in the White House Situation Room on Tuesday, there were already hints that he was considering abandoning what was until recently his preferred diplomatic route.The most likely option under consideration by Trump would be the use of giant US “bunker-buster” bombs against Iran’s deeply buried Fordow nuclear facility that Israel’s bombs could not reach.US officials said dismantling Iran’s nuclear program — which Western countries say Tehran is using to seek a nuclear weapon — remained Trump’s priority.- Fluid situation -Trump also implied that the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is back on the table, just days after a US official said he had waved off such a move by Israel.US officials stressed that Trump had not yet made a decision and was keeping all options on the table, with the situation fluid and changing “hourly.” The Axios news site said Trump was even considering a new meeting between his top negotiator Steve Witkoff and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.A game-changer however would be any Iranian attack on US forces in the region, with an official saying that Trump would not tolerate a “hair on the back of an American” being harmed.Trump’s change of tone is remarkable for coming less than a week after the US president — who has openly talked about wanting to win the Nobel Peace Prize — called on Israel to avoid strikes.But amid frequent phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Netanyahu’s own hints about pursuing regime change in Iran, Trump has pivoted.Trump has ordered the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier to the region along with a number of US military aircraft, raising questions about whether he will act.- ‘Decisions on your shoulders’ – A further hint that action may be on the cards came from the White House’s apparent efforts to see off any backlash from his own Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.There has been growing opposition to any Iran intervention from the isolationist wing of his base, who hold him to his pledge to keep the United States out of wars like those in Iraq and Afghanistan.Vice President JD Vance defended his boss, saying Trump had “earned some trust” on the issue and “may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian (uranium) enrichment.””Having seen this up close and personal, I can assure you that he is only interested in using the American military to accomplish American people’s goals,” the Iraq veteran said, in a nod to MAGA skeptics.Trump himself meanwhile hinted at his mood as he mulled his critical decision.He reposted a comment by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, saying God had “spared” Trump from an assassination attempt last year.”The decisions on your shoulders I would not want to be made by anyone else. You have many voices speaking to you Sir, but there is only ONE voice that matters. HIS voice,” Huckabee said.

Lawyers for R. Kelly said in recent court filings that the criminally convicted R&B singer suffered an “overdose” of medication at the hands of prison officials.Kelly is currently serving a 30-year-prison sentence at a facility in North Carolina. He was found guilty of myriad crimes including federal racketeering and sex trafficking of minors.His lawyers alleged in a flurry of filings Monday and Tuesday that Kelly was in solitary confinement when prison staff instructed him to take an “overdose quantity of medication” on June 12.The 58-year-old became “faint” and “dizzy” by the next morning, the filing alleges.”Mr. Kelly tried to get up, but fell to the ground. He crawled to the door of the cell and lost consciousness,” his attorneys said.The court papers say Kelly was taken in an ambulance to Duke University Hospital and that he was under treatment for two days.Queried by AFP, the Bureau of Prisons declined to comment.”For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual, including medical and health-related issues. Additionally, the Bureau of Prisons does not comment on pending litigation or matters that are the subject of legal proceedings,” the office said in a statement.Kelly’s lawyers had previously filed an emergency motion for release to home detention, saying that the once-famous artist was the target of a murder plot orchestrated by prison officials.In opposing the request, government attorneys called the accusations “fanciful” and “theatrical.”The request “makes a mockery of the harm suffered by Kelly’s victims,” the Chicago federal lawyers said, adding that it wasn’t filed in the correct court with the jurisdiction to even entertain the accusations.Kelly was convicted in 2021 in New York federal court for using an enterprise to systematically recruit and traffic teenagers and women for sex.The singer known for hits including “I Believe I Can Fly” was then convicted one year later in Chicago federal court in a separate trial, in which jurors found him guilty of producing child pornography and enticement of a minor.He is currently serving the New York prison sentence, and will serve almost all of the Chicago sentence concurrently.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the European Union had yet to offer a “fair deal” on trade, as Washington negotiates tariff agreements with friends and foes alike.”We’re talking but I don’t feel that they’re offering a fair deal yet,” Trump said of the EU, speaking to reporters on board Air Force One before arriving back in the United States from a G7 summit in Canada.”We’re either going to make a good deal or they’ll just pay whatever we say they will pay.”Shortly after taking office, Trump upended the global economic order by accusing the United States’ trading partners of unfair practices and he announced huge global tariffs.Trump imposed a blanket 10 percent tariff on most US trading partners and unveiled higher individual rates on dozens of economies, including India and the European Union — although he swiftly paused the elevated rates.The pause on those higher duties is due to expire on July 9, though the White House has indicated it could extend the deadline for countries that it believes are negotiating in good faith.The US president also imposed additional sector-specific levies on cars, steel, and aluminum that have hit many US trading partners hard, including the EU.World leaders at the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Monday pushed Trump to back away from his punishing trade war, arguing that it posed a risk to global economic stability.The US president left the G7 talks early, citing the crisis between Iran and Israel, and was back in Washington on Tuesday morning.Before his departure, Trump and EU Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen met for a few minutes on the sidelines of the G7 in what the European leader told reporters was a “good and intensive discussion” on trade.”Of course, it’s complex, but we are advancing and that is good,” von der Leyen said after Trump’s criticism of the EU’s position.The EU chief added that negotiations between the US and Europe were ongoing, including on the sidelines of the G7 on Tuesday, and that both sides were working hard to strike an agreement by the July deadline.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stayed behind after Trump left, spearheading negotiations on trade with the other G7 countries. “From the very beginning, I have been very clear that a negotiated solution is my favorite solution,” she said, though adding that the EU was ready to retaliate with countermeasures if talks broke down.

US retail sales declined more than expected in May, government data showed Tuesday, dragged by a slowdown in auto sales as consumers pulled back after hurrying to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.As Trump’s levies begin to take effect through the country, analysts are keeping a close watch on how consumers — a critical driver of the world’s biggest economy — respond to resulting uncertainty and any price increases down the line.Last month, overall sales fell by 0.9 percent from April to $715.4 billion, according to data released by the Department of Commerce. It was the largest decline since the start of the year, and bigger than the 0.6 percent drop expected by a Briefing.com consensus forecast.From a year ago, retail sales were up 3.3 percent, still a slowdown from the 5.0 percent rate in April.Analysts said consumers likely brought forward major purchases like cars in anticipation of Trump’s tariffs — the president imposed a sweeping 10 percent levy on almost all US partners in April.Trump also separately slapped steeper tariffs on imports of steel, aluminum and automobiles, fueling concern that these would push inflation up in the coming months.Excluding autos and parts, retail sales in May were still 0.3 percent down from the prior month.Sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers slumped 3.5 percent on-month, while those at restaurants and bars fell 0.9 percent.Declines in spending were also seen at electronics and appliance stores, grocery stores and gas stations, the report said.- ‘Overly reassuring picture’ -For now, there are “few signs” in key sales components that consumer demand for imported goods is collapsing, said Oliver Allen, senior US economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.Despite declines elsewhere, sales were still up at furniture and clothing stores.But underlying sales volumes could drop in the coming months as tariffs are passed on, he said.Economists anticipate a more notable hit to consumer costs once businesses run down on existing inventory.”Tariffs haven’t hit domestic prices in earnest yet, so these data paint an overly reassuring picture,” said Nationwide financial markets economist Oren Klachkin. “We expect to see a larger impact in the summer when the levies will pass through into consumer prices,” he added.Currently, Klachkin said, the consumer “isn’t spending lavishly and is understandably price sensitive.”A key question this week is how a weaker-than-expected retail sales report might influence the Federal Reserve’s deliberations as the central bank opened its two-day policy meeting Tuesday.The Fed has been cautious when it comes to lowering interest rates further despite Trump calling for larger rate cuts in the face of benign inflation data.Policymakers are watching for the effects of tariffs on prices and the jobs market before acting further.The bank is widely expected to keep rates unchanged for a fourth straight meeting, while releasing its economic projections as well on Wednesday afternoon.Separately, US industrial production edged down unexpectedly in May as a drop in utilities output outweighed slight increases in manufacturing and mining.

When director Cristina Costantini started making a documentary about the first US woman in space, she thought it would be looking back on the “sexism and homophobia of yesteryear”.But the story of astronaut Sally Ride, whose queer identity was a secret when she blasted off more than four decades ago, took on a “completely different meaning” after the re-election of President Donald Trump, Costantini told AFP.”When we started making the film, it didn’t seem all that political to celebrate queer love or women astronauts,” said the director of “Sally”, which started streaming on Disney+ in many countries on Tuesday. “Just a few years ago, there was a pride flag that flew in space, and (NASA) had vowed the next person on the Moon would be a woman.”But that vow has now been removed from NASA’s website, just one of many changes at the US space agency since Trump returned to the White House in January. “Employees have been asked to remove symbols of gay pride, pride flags, trans visibility flags,” Costantini said. Now, the director hopes the documentary “serves as a reminder that these rights are not guaranteed, that they were hard fought and they were won by people like Sally” and her partner Tam.”It’s our responsibility to carry the torch and continue the fight for equality.”- ‘It was hard on her’ -After boarding the Challenger space shuttle on June 18, 1983, Ride became the first US woman to fly to space. It was two decades after Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova made the voyage.NASA only started allowing women to apply as astronaut recruits in 1977.Ride, who had a PhD in astrophysics from Stanford University and was an accomplished tennis player, was one of six women selected out of more than 8,000 applicants in the class of 1978.Ride received the same training as male astronauts, but was treated quite differently. Journalists asked whether she cried when facing difficulty. NASA engineers asked about what make-up she would need in space. They even worried whether 100 tampons would be enough for her six-day journey into space.”I felt the women hadn’t paid their dues like we had,” Mike Mullane, another astronaut in the class of 1978, said in the documentary.When Ride returned to Earth, the image of the 32-year-old in her blue jumpsuit, curly chestnut hair, piercing blue eyes and confident smile was seen around the world.But Ride struggled to come to terms with her new status as icon.”It was too much for her,” Tam O’Shaughnessy, who was Ride’s partner for 27 years, told AFP. “She was an introvert and it was hard on her.”The two women founded a nonprofit dedicated to teaching girls science. But the world would only learn they were in a relationship until after Ride’s death from pancreatic cancer at the age of 61 in 2012.”Sally did not like labels,” O’Shaughnessy said.”She was a queer woman. And so I think it’s great that she’s sort of become a part of the (LGBTQ+) community after death.”O’Shaughnessy expressed concern at reports that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants to change the name of a Navy ship currently named after famous gay activist Harvey Milk.”There’s a research vessel called ‘Sally Ride’ and it crossed my mind that might change, too” she said.”It’s just shocking. All of this is hard to swallow.”