Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Combs' Ex-Girlfriend Breaks Down in Tears While Testifying; Combs' Ex-Girlfriend Details Alleged "Freak Off" Encounters to Jury; WH: U.S. Secures $600B Investment Pledge from Saudi Arabia; Trump Announces He will Lift U.S. Sanctions on Syria; Johnson Tries to Hold Together GOP Coalition Ahead of Key Notes; Some MAGA Allies Criticize Trump's Plan to Accept Qatari Jet; Today: Key House Panels Vote to Advance GOP Spending Bill. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired May 13, 2025 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:42]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Emotional testimony in court from the ex- girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs as she takes the stand in his criminal trial, describing their relationship in detail, including allegations of horrific abuse. CNN's reporters are covering the trial inside the courtroom minute by minute.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And President Trump visits Saudi Arabia, making some big deals and a big announcement - a plan to lift sanctions on Syria.

And does a cocktail before bed make it easier or more difficult to sleep? CNN's Randi Kaye visited a sleep research lab to find out the answer.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: We're following breaking news right now into CNN. Cassie Ventura, the former girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs, is taking the witness stand in his federal sex trafficking trial. At one point, she broke down in tears, testifying in graphic detail about the sexual encounters that he orchestrated, known as "freak-offs."

KEILAR: Ventura said that she participated in those freak-offs because she felt like she couldn't say no. She testified, quote, "If that's something Sean wanted to happen, that's what was going to happen. There wasn't another way around it."

Areva Martin is with us now. She's an attorney and legal affairs commentator. We're also joined by Bob Bianchi. He's a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor.

Bob, how does the defense handle the things that we are hearing, which, by the way - and we are on a short break here from court - but are incredibly graphic? BOB BIANCHI, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY & FORMER PROSECUTOR: Yes, so the defense tried to address this and get ahead of it in their opening statement. And essentially, what they're trying to say is that this is a guy who's done some bad things. He may have been abusive, but this is not part of a criminal enterprise or sex trafficking operation, but rather an individual who's got a bad temper and has done some really horrible things.

And so, you know, we sometimes tend to sensationalize these cases and say he's a really bad guy and he should be convicted of everything. But these laws, these federal laws, are very specific - that just mere domestic violence is not enough in order to be found guilty. And that's where prosecutors have to surround this into the context of promoting engaging in sex trafficking as part of an enterprise, which is where the hard part of their case is going to come in - saying Sean Combs is a bad guy and an abuser. They're definitely going to be able to prove that, but that's not enough.

SANCHEZ: To the point that they have to prove, Areva, that Cassie Ventura was not consenting in many of these acts that he was orchestrating, the prosecution asked her about some of the details, including even the lighting that he was setting up in the room, things that he would have her wear, et cetera. At one point, they asked her about Combs himself urinating on her, demanding that other men in the room urinate on her as well. She describes it as disgusting, as too much, as being overwhelming, saying that she was humiliated. And yet, during one point in her questioning, she specifically says that she had trouble asking him to stop this behavior, that she broached the subject and was very scared when she did, that she only brought it up, I believe, in emails. What do you make of that in her testimony?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Wow. Very powerful testimony from Cassie Ventura today. And I agree with Bobby. This isn't about Sean Combs being violent or being a domestic abuser. But we heard so much more today. This wasn't just about domestic abuse. This was about coercion. This was about control. This was about a man who was obsessed, obviously, with Cassie Ventura and used his power - used his power as a music mogul, his power over her career, his power over pretty much every aspect of her life - to force her to engage in this very humiliating conduct with escorts that were transported across state lines.

[15:05:06]

So, we heard a lot more today than just about the ugliness of Sean Combs. And this wasn't just sex. This wasn't just consensual sex. This was coercive sexual acts that she did not want to participate in. We heard about the violence, and we had seen the video, Boris, but we did not know the details of the frequent beatings that she had to endure - bruises all over her body, knots on her head, black eyes - and just the level of violence that accompanied these kinds of coercive sexual encounters that she had to endure for many, many years, starting as young as 22 years old.

And in fact, this relationship started when she was 19; he was 37. And we know how undeveloped the mind is of a 19-year-old, and the level of power that someone like Sean "Diddy" Combs had. And so, I - her testimony today definitely lays the foundation for the case that the prosecution is building.

KEILAR: And they are - and the defense is going to say she was an adult, right, Areva, and that this was consensual. But I wonder, as you're looking at this burden that the prosecution has to prove, and she's saying that these things, you know, these would become a weekly occurrence at times, and that she would be awake for days in the course of them. Are they meeting their burden, as you see it, or not? And how not?

MARTIN: Well, I think the prosecution absolutely is meeting its burden of establishing that this wasn't consensual. Look, the concept of someone being an adult and being able to get up and walk away - that's an antiquated notion. We know more now about sexual assault victims. We know more now about domestic violence victims and how difficult it is for them to leave abusive relationships. We know the kind of manipulation; we know the kind of control that abusers like Sean "Diddy" Combs, you know, the kind of power that they have over their victims. And we're seeing that testimony laid out by Cassie Ventura, and then it will be backed up by experts who will remind jurors that we do know now that it's not as simple as saying, "I'm a 22-year-old and I can get up and walk away from this relationship." He literally controlled every aspect of her life during the time period that they were together.

So, this notion that somehow she could just leave I think will be - the jurors will be disabused of that notion when we hear from other experts who will testify in this trial.

SANCHEZ: And we just learned seconds ago that she's now back on the stand. So, we presume that the questioning will continue.

Bob, I wonder how ultimately the prosecution is going to use her testimony to connect this to the racketeering charge, because she was asked specifically about how aides were helping to orchestrate these scenes, these freak-offs. But there is a legal definition that needs to be met. And that could be complex, even given the awful nature of the testimony that she's giving.

BIANCHI: Yes, and that's the hard part for the prosecutors here. I mean, the idea that she can't consent - let's keep in mind, she may not have been able to; she may have been coerced - but the law requires that he's acting knowingly, not how she felt, but what he knew at the time. That's the mental state that's required. And on the racketeering charge, you have to show that he's working in coordination with other people in order to commit these crimes.

So, this is not your typical, you know, racketeering or criminal enterprise case. To be honest with you, I was surprised that this was brought in federal court in the first place. It's a great state court prosecution. But is the prosecution overreaching when they bring in these racketeering and enterprises, and they're basically saying, in the indictment itself, it was to protect his reputation. And I don't think that that's a crime. Many people that are high-level people try to protect their reputation. And people may feel coerced to be with them sexually, whatever, but doesn't mean that they knowingly are committing these kind of racketeering offenses. That's where the prosecution is going to have its difficulty.

KEILAR: All right. Bob, thank you. Areva, thank you as well.

President Trump is getting the royal treatment on the first leg of his first major foreign trip since returning to the White House. The President attending several lavish ceremonies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. But besides the fanfare, we've also heard a number of significant foreign policy announcements as well.

SANCHEZ: Yes, the President says he'll be lifting sanctions on Syria. He's also set to have this informal greeting with Syria's new president tomorrow. That's according to a White House official. Trump also securing a $600 billion investment pledge from the Saudi government, including an arms deal worth $142 billion.

CNN's Kylie Atwood has been tracking the President's visit.

[15:10:02]

And Kylie, the President made a big splash on the international stage today, his first foreign trip outside of Pope Francis' funeral. This sends a statement to the world.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, it does. And in terms of numbers and in terms of visuals, he clearly want to be seen as a dealmaker. The White House announcing the $600 billion new investment in the United States from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince saying he's going to work to get that to one trillion because that's what President Trump wants.

But then you also have this major policy announcement when it comes to Syria. As you said, President Trump says that they plan to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria. Obviously, those went into place more than a decade ago after Syria entered into its civil war.

And President Trump is also expected to have an engagement, to have a hello - according to a White House official - with the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. We should note that he is someone who helped to overthrow the Assad regime, but he was also leading a group that was affiliated with al-Qaeda. So there have been questions about him and his potential ability to lead the country.

I want us to listen to what Trump said when he announced that these sanctions would be coming off during the event today in Saudi Arabia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Oh, what I do for the Crown Prince. The sanctions were brutal and crippling and served as an important, really an important function, nevertheless, at the time. But now it's their time to shine. It's their time to shine. We're taking them all off. And they're going to have - I think they're going to have, based on the people and the spirit and everything else that I'm hearing about. So, I say, good luck, Syria. Show us something very special like they've done, frankly, in Saudi Arabia. Okay, they're going to show us something special.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ATWOOD: Now, other countries have been showing an openness to engaging with the new president, al-Sharaa. But what's interesting there is that he said, oh, the things I do for you - to Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

I think that tells us everything we need to know about just how close the Trump administration-Saudi relationship is going to be. The fact that he went there for his first trip is of no mistake. He clearly wants to go there and shore up that relationship even more.

KEILAR: Yes, the personal relationships are what prevails so much for Trump.

We're also learning, Kylie, some new details about the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, who Hamas released on Monday. Tell us what you've learned.

ATWOOD: It's really interesting. So, after this release happened, President Trump came out and thanked the intermediaries - being Egypt and Qatar. But what we're learning today is that there was a American who was actually helpful in facilitating this conversation between Hamas and U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. This is someone who led a group during the 2024 presidential campaign, Arabs for Trump. He tried to essentially rally the Arab American community to vote for Trump.

And he was reached out to by Hamas, I'm told, to - according to a source familiar with these conversations - about a month ago. And they said that they had an offer for Steve Witkoff. They want to get in touch with Witkoff. There has been - there then was a lot of dialogue between Bachba (ph) and this Hamas leadership. And that is one of the - one of these conversations that actually led to this release, because it was that conversation that then was able to turn this release into an actual release. Not just an idea, Hamas saying that we're considering this, but an actual release of Edan Alexander, which we saw yesterday.

SANCHEZ: All of this with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu watching from the sidelines, essentially.

ATWOOD: And Israeli officials not aware that this back channel was actually working, as far as we know, which is really interesting.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Kylie Atwood, thanks so much for the reporting.

Still to come, Qatar's offer to give President Trump a luxury Air Force One replacement is now getting strong pushback from some of the President's biggest supporters. Plus, on Capitol Hill, President Johnson working hard to bring together House Republicans to help pass the President's spending bill. There are some significant holdups, though. We'll talk about it.

KEILAR: And Kim Kardashian testifying that she thought she would be killed when she was robbed. We have a live report on what she's saying after her testimony in a Paris courtroom.

That and much more here on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:46]

KEILAR: On Capitol Hill, President Trump's agenda is facing a major test today as three key House committees are set to vote on the President's giant tax and spending cuts bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: No tax spending. No tax spending. No tax spending. No tax spending.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: As you see here, one of those committee meetings got off to a raucous start minutes after getting underway. The chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee had to ask Capitol Police to escort out protesters in wheelchairs who were shouting "No cuts to Medicaid." Of course, this is the committee that's set to oversee some $800 billion in cuts to government programs.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is scrambling to hold his Republican conference together and prevent any factions from sinking his party's sweeping agenda. And his efforts do come amid some infighting within the Republican Party over sticking points in their newly unveiled tax plan.

CNN's Lauren Fox is following the developments for us on Capitol Hill.

Lauren, a lot of this has to do with SALT, right?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, there's so much tension right now, Boris, and it's really unclear how the Speaker is going to muscle this bill to the floor by next week. That is, of course, his self-imposed deadline.

[15:20:03]

He wants the House of Representatives to have acted by that Memorial Day recess.

But right now, this is the nuts-and-bolts work that has to happen in order for them to advance this bill to the floor. Like you noted, there are three key committees who are going to be working potentially through the night this evening: House Ways and Means, House Energy and Commerce, expected to go into tomorrow as they continue to debate this bill.

And already, you saw a raucous start to the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing. Here at the House Ways and Means Committee, there's delay tactics that Democrats are putting up to try to slow-roll this process. But again, at the end of the day, these committees are going to have to vote to advance this legislation out of their committee. Once they do that, the House Budget Committee is going to cobble it all together.

But then the real work begins for House Speaker Mike Johnson, because, like you noted, he has to hold together a number of New York Republicans who are upset right now about the fact that they believe the state and local tax deduction should be higher than the $30,000 cap that was offered to them by the Ways and Means Chairman, Jason Smith. Meanwhile, conservatives really frustrated with the fact that they don't think the Energy and Commerce Committee did enough to reform the Medicaid program.

Boris, Brianna?

SANCHEZ: Lauren Fox, live for us on Capitol Hill. Thank you so much.

This budget battle is playing out as President Trump faces growing bipartisan backlash over his plans to accept this luxury jet - a potential replacement for Air Force One - as a gift from the Qatari royal family.

KEILAR: Today, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced he's placing a blanket hold on all Justice Department political nominees as he seeks answers related to Trump's plan to accept that luxury jet to use as Air Force One.

We're joined now by Frank Luntz. He's a pollster and a communication strategist.

I also think we should note about this plane, Frank, that his plan is to use it through his term and then take the plane and put it in the Trump Presidential Library - not to fly around on it - but obviously, that would be quite a thing to see there.

You have Senate Majority Leader John Thune saying there's lots of issues with the gift. What do you make of this blowback?

FRANK LUNTZ, POLLSTER AND COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIST: Can we look at the messaging and communication? Can we take steps slightly wider? I want to point out your tax segment just before this. The public desperately wants to pay less, and if this gets framed as a tax increase, if the Democrats are successful, that is the best way for the Republicans to frame it - not who benefits, but who will be punished.

Similarly, I looked at the communication of National Security. The difference between a wall, which is what Trump calls it, and a security barrier, which is what the public actually wants. And a third element, which gets to this: Trump keeps talking about a deal rather than an agreement. And I've said this to members of Congress on both sides of the aisle: a deal is something that Monty Hall used to do 50 years ago. A deal is something that's insignificant, and it comes and goes. An agreement is something real, it's concrete, and it's long- term.

And I look at these politicians, and I wonder why they continue to speak badly to the American people. For - another example is this whole concept of DEI - diversity, equity, inclusion - when the public is asking for mutual respect. Respect from their employers. Respect from the communities that they serve. If you offer them respect, they will embrace you. If you do DEI, it's political.

I say this because this whole discussion of that jet is missing the point. These Arab countries are about to invest huge amounts of money. And as big as Saudi Arabia's investment, which is $600 billion, or this jet from the Qataris, the biggest investment of all, which was offered several weeks ago, comes from the UAE. But it's just not being communicated as effectively. For them, it's a trillion dollars over a 10-year period. That's permanent. And we're seeing some impressive --

KEILAR: So, the - but if he gives the - if the jet thing kind of takes over that messaging, that's a problem, isn't it?

LUNTZ: It's not a problem. It's actually a failure of the administration to set priorities. The jet is something flashy. It's something that we're all going to talk about, but it doesn't really matter. These multi-hundreds of billions of dollars - even a trillion dollars - that's a big deal. Those are serious jobs. They're long- term. They're 10s of thousands of Americans who'll be employed. And that's what the public wants.

It's the same thing with the tariffs. The President never explained why this was necessary. And the changes that are happening - the success with China is a big deal, but he's not going to get credit for it because he doesn't communicate it well.

SANCHEZ: I totally understand what you're saying about, in contrast to a trillion-dollar deal, this jet being something insignificant.

LUNTZ: A trillion-dollar agreement.

SANCHEZ: Agreement.

LUNTZ: You just did it.

SANCHEZ: Agreement. Yes, yes.

KEILAR: He loves the word deal, though. Trump does --

SANCHEZ: I am a deal guy.

KEILAR: Trump does.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I know. I know.

KEILAR: But Trump loves the word deal.

[15:25:03]

SANCHEZ: Being facetious aside, there are a lot of Americans out there that are struggling, to your point about higher prices and the effect that these tariffs might have that might become inflationary. I do wonder how you think it sits with the American people that the President might be willing to accept this huge jet from this foreign government, aside from National Security implications. It is arguably the most lavish gift that any American president has ever received, and it seems to be one that he's taking personally. He's not going to, like, give it up so that others - so the - like, the public's not going to be able to ride on this plane, right? So, I mean, doesn't that land poorly with the American people?

LUNTZ: So, let me give you another example that stretches this out a bit. He's trying to broker a deal between Hamas and Israel. If he's successful, if the hostages get returned and they get a ceasefire, that's significant. He's trying to do the same thing with Russia and Ukraine. He's trying to win a Nobel Peace Prize. I don't think those voters will ever vote for him. I don't think this is something that's possible. But in Trump's eyes, this is significant.

Why are you not focused more on getting this American hostage released? Why are you not focused on things that really matter to the public and really matter to National Security? This is a mistake. This is a shift in focus. And once again, we're talking about something that really doesn't matter when these things are happening, and they are significant. And it's his own failure. Here, the policy is working, and yet he's discussing something else. And I don't know if people tell him this, and Congress is doing exactly the same thing.

Chuck Schumer should be focused on Israel and Hamas, Russia and Ukraine, and not on this stupid plane.

KEILAR: Even after the China agreement.

LUNTZ: Which is a ...

KEILAR: I see - yes.

LUNTZ: You got it.

KEILAR: ... to - bringing it down to 30 percent, right? The Yale Budget Lab says that Trump's tariffs could still cost middle-class households $2,200 a year. You can't really hide that from people, right?

LUNTZ: You're correct. But if it shows that China is now treating American products, American services, and most importantly, the American workforce fairly - an even playing field - that's a big deal. If Trump is able to get and force American products onto the Chinese soil and break these barriers that the Chinese have produced, he'll get credit for that. And that's exactly the point for that administration.

Obviously, the Democrats don't want him to get credit, and they want to debate this. This is a significant success for the Trump administration, and he's missing the narrative. He's missing the story.

KEILAR: Well, we'll have to see if he does get those jobs ...

SANCHEZ: And we're - we were told to wrap by our producers, but I have one more question for --

LUNTZ: Sure.

SANCHEZ: -- Frank, if you'll let me.

Last week, Donald Trump floated raising taxes on the wealthy. That goes against Republican doctrine going back generations and generations. But this is another example, not only of him remaking the Republican platform, but of saying things that the party utterly disagrees with, and then blaming Democrats for not letting that happen.

He's just - it's almost a philosophical question. He's just able to say things, and people will accept it, even though it's not in line with any policy or any reality. How is that possible?

LUNTZ: Because he's different than any person who's ever served in office. I think you'd have to go back to Andrew Jackson to find a president as outside the mainstream as this one. And we never saw Jackson speak, so we don't really know what he was like.

But what really matters in the end is what people see and feel and touch and hear. If he succeeds with China, if he succeeds, that'll be a tremendous success. But is he going to go get carried away with something else that doesn't matter?

With this tax thing, it's not about raising taxes. Yes, it'll help him to say, "I'm going to raise taxes on the rich," because the public agrees with that. It'll hurt his Republicans in Congress. But in the end, if they fail to pass this tax cut, if he blames the Democrats for causing every American to pay more, that'll propel him.

In the end, the Democrats are lucky that he isn't on message, because what he should be saying is, "This administration is trying to give you a break, and the Democrats are trying to prevent it."

And the Democrats are all focused on yelling at Trump. That protest that happened that you just showed your viewers, that doesn't help them. They look like children. We saw this at the State of the Union address. The Democrats are so off message, and so is the White House, and you wonder why Americans hate politics.

KEILAR: Republicans do control both chambers, we should note. But his messaging - often successful despite facts, so, there's that.

[15:30:02]

Frank, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

SANCHEZ: (INAUDIBLE) the conversation (INAUDIBLE) ...

LUNTZ: I surrender.

KEILAR: Always a great conversation with you, Frank.

SANCHEZ: Thank you. Thank you.

KEILAR: And still to come, the Sean "Diddy" ...