Your Morning: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ attorney calls search ‘witch hunt’

‘The whole bridge just fell down’: A search for the bodies of six construction workers resumed Wednesday after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore early Tuesday morning. A cargo ship lost its steering capabilities and crashed into the bridge. Within about 90 seconds, police officers stopped vehicle traffic over the bridge, and one officer said he was going to drive onto the bridge to alert the construction crew, but it was too late. The vessel rammed into one of the bridge’s support pillars. “The whole bridge just fell down,” a frantic officer told a dispatcher. “Start, start whoever, everybody … the whole bridge just collapsed.” Here’s a timeline of the bridge collapse >
 
Search: As the bridge collapsed, at least eight people plunged into the water below. Two people survived, but the construction crew of six are now presumed dead. The construction crew had been filling potholes on the bridge. Among the missing bodies were people from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, according to diplomats from those countries. The Honduran man was identified as Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandova. The latest >
 
The aftermath: Federal and state authorities said the crash appears to be an accident. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. Ship traffic entering and leaving the Port of Baltimore has been suspended indefinitely. How the bridge collapse will impact the shipping industry >

What’s going on: Sean “Diddy” Combs broke his silence Tuesday following raids on two of his properties. Combs’ attorney, Aaron Dyer, released a statement saying any speculation about the raids “leads to premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.” Federal Homeland Security agents searched two properties belonging to Combs in Los Angeles and Miami on Monday as part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation, NewsNation affiliate WPIX reported. Aerial videos show investigators moving into the Los Angeles house and placing multiple people in handcuffs. It’s unclear if Combs was home at the time of the raids. Combs’ attorney said as the search warrants were executed, “there was a gross overuse of military-level force.” Dyer continued: “There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated. Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities. Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way.” Full report >
 
Inside look at the music mogul: “Karma” is the word former Bad Boy Records artist Mark Curry used to describe the investigation involving Combs, adding that his best advice for the rapper is “to grow up.” Curry and Combs’ former publicist Rob Shuter joined “CUOMO” on Tuesday to speak about the raids. Watch >
 
Lawsuits: While the specific reason for the raids was not immediately made clear, they come after a number of lawsuits filed against Combs in the past few months over alleged sexual misconduct. Here’s a timeline breaking down the lawsuits >

What’s happening: Attorneys are asking a U.S. appeals court in Georgia to toss the hate crime convictions of three men who used pickup trucks to chase Ahmaud Arbery through the streets of a Georgia subdivision before one of them fatally shot Arbery while he was running in the neighborhood. What to know >
 
Background: In February 2020, father and son Greg and Travis McMichael spotted Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, running in their neighborhood outside of Brunswick and drove in pursuit of him with guns. William “Roddie” Bryan joined the chase in his own truck and recorded video of Travis McMichael shooting Arbery. Greg McMichael said he recognized Arbery from security camera videos allegedly showing him entering a neighboring home under construction. None of the videos showed Arbery stealing, and he was unarmed and had no stolen property when he was killed. More than two months went by without arrests in the case until graphic video of the shooting leaked online, sparking public outcry. In late 2021, all three men were convicted of murder in a Georgia state court. In a second trial in early 2022 in federal court, a jury found them guilty of hate crimes and attempting kidnapping. Prosecutors said trial evidence against the trio showed “longstanding hate and prejudice toward Black people.” What to expect from the appeal >

Jackpot: The winless lottery streak is over. Someone in New Jersey is waking up a billionaire after the $1.1 billion winning Mega Millions ticket was sold in the Garden State. The prize is the eighth biggest in U.S. lottery history. The latest >