Diplo may face criminal charges for sexual misconduct
THE BIG STORY
Diplo may face criminal charges for sexual misconduct  Diplo attends the American Music Awards on Nov. 24, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic via Getty Images) This story contains descriptions of sexual violence.
The Los Angeles city attorney's office is considering criminal charges against celebrity DJ Thomas Wesley Pentz — more commonly known as Diplo — following a police investigation into sexual misconduct allegations.
The investigation into the 42-year-old performer stems from a complaint made with the LAPD in October 2020. In it, a 25-year-old woman accuses Pentz of recording sexually explicit videos of her without her permission, distributing at least one without her consent, and knowingly infecting her with chlamydia. The woman also told police that Pentz had raped her in his Las Vegas hotel room after one of his concerts. No criminal charges have been filed in relation to that alleged incident.
The city attorney's office told BuzzFeed News it is considering charges of invasion of privacy and intentionally giving someone a sexually transmitted infection.
Pentz has denied the charges and secured a temporary restraining order against her. He's sued her for stalking, trespassing, and distribution of private materials. Lawyers for Pentz did not answer detailed questions for this story, but sent BuzzFeed News a letter reiterating the staunch denials of all allegations that they have previously made in public statements and court documents. They said the letter could not be quoted. STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
How Huntington Beach is recovering after a major offshore oil spill California officials have been racing to contain a major oil spill off the coast of Orange County that occurred when a ruptured pipeline sent at least 126,000 gallons of crude into the water.
Officials said Monday that the size of the spill may rise to 144,000 gallons of crude, which has reached shorelines and state parks. As oil slicks intrude into wetlands and preserves, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency to assist with cleanup efforts. Here's a closer look at the disaster and how people are trying to contain it:  Cleanup contractors deploy skimmers and floating barriers on Oct. 3 to try to stop further oil crude spread into the Talbert Marsh wetlands. (Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP)
 A cleanup contractor uses a skimmer after the oil spill in Huntington Beach, Oct. 3. (Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP)
 Dr. Duane Tom of Oiled Wildlife Care Network, UC Davis, inspects an oiled Sanderling shorebird in Huntington Beach on Oct. 4. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
 An an aerial view, shorebirds feed amid oil contaminating Huntington State Beach after the oil spill. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) SNAPSHOTS
Dave Grohl hinted that Nirvana might "alter" the cover of Nevermind after the band was sued for alleged "child pornography." Spencer Elden — who appeared naked as a baby on the album cover — claims that he has suffered a number of "lifelong damages" as a result of the artwork, including "extreme and permanent emotional distress," "interference with his normal development and educational progress," and "medical and psychological treatment."
Emma Chamberlain said some people "aren't ready" to accept influencers in the fashion world, weeks after she faced criticism for her Met Gala appearance. "I think some people are not ready to accept it as a new form of celebrity, which I totally understand because it's like mixing something new with something classic and it can feel wrong."
POWER OUTAGE
Small business owners who depend on social media are exploring other options after the Facebook outage From sponsored posts to Instagram's storefront, various tools built into Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp have become embedded in business plans and budgets for even the smallest enterprises.
And after the Monday outage left many businesses with no way to generate revenue or speak with customers for hours, owners told BuzzFeed News it made them question how much they should rely on Facebook products.
"Without social media, I wouldn't have a business," jewelry designer Alex Rankin said. "I plan to have my own website soon so people can order off that. I cannot control Instagram."
VALAR MORGHULIS
The first trailer for the Game of Thrones prequel is officially here  Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen (HBO Max/via youtube.com) Almost two years after the beloved (and then, after the finale, not-so-beloved) fantasy series concluded, HBO Max confirmed that its prequel, House of the Dragon, was officially in the works. And on Tuesday, fans got a glimpse of a brief and dimly lit teaser trailer for the new show, which centers around the House Targaryen during a civil war set 200 years before GoT.
The new trailer spends most of its run cutting between agonized close-ups of new characters and sword fighting scenes, and reveals few details about what to expect from the series. But don't take our word for it. Watch it for yourself — and decide whether you'll be ready to love Westeros again by the time the show drops in 2022. Ready to love again? Alexa 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Alexa Lee and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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