Were some of Diddy's charges dropped?

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After multiple false starts, a rare day in court without jurors saw all sides setting the stage for the climax of Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial.

During a June 25 charge conference, prosecutors, defense attorneys and Judge Subramanian went back and forth over the instructions that would be given to jurors as they deliberate whether to convict the 55 year old.

This will act as guidelines for jurors to follow when determining whether Combs is guilty of criminal acts beyond a reasonable doubt. U.S. attorneys, for example, want jurors to "adequately understand the law" when it comes to the nuances of sex trafficking and forced labor charges.

What happened to the charges against Diddy?

In a court filing, Prosecutors simplified their case against Combs by asking the judge to instruct jurors to no longer consider the claims in the indictment that Combs engaged in racketeering by attempting kidnapping and arson. This is seemingly related to an alleged Molotov cocktail that exploded in Kid Cudi's Porsche.

This doesn't change the fact that Combs is still accused of two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering.

As lawyers debated the minute details of the jury instructions, my colleague Aysha Bagchi observed that Combs, at times, appeared interested. She also saw him nodding as one of his lawyers argued for a specific change to the instructions.

The prosecution's closing arguments will take place June 26, followed by the defense on June 27. Jurors could begin deliberating as early as June 27, but will likely congregate beginning Monday, June 30.

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