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Investigators Give Update on Ship that Struck Brooklyn Bridge; Cassie Ventura's Former Best Friend Testifies in Sean Combs' Trial; Investigators Search for Motive in Palm Springs Blast. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired May 19, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Moments from now, the NTSB is scheduled to hold a news conference about the investigation into that Mexican Navy training vessel that struck the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday night. Two people were killed and more than a dozen were injured. Officials say there was likely a mechanical issue and the ship lost power.

Video shows the ship's three masts crashing into the bottom of the bridge, all three of them snapping off on impact.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is near the bridge in New York. So, Gloria, what are you learning about where the investigation stands right now?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, all morning and all afternoon here we've been watching as members of the NTSB have been going in and out of the ship. We've also just learned in the last few minutes that 94 crew members actually remain on board the Cuauhtemoc. They remained here overnight after several other crew members actually flew home to Mexico last night.

Boris, I want to give you a look right up at the top of this ship. You can see the broken mast here behind me. The Cuauhtemoc was towed to this pier where we are standing now after the incident on Saturday night.

And you can see just how damaged the top of that mast is. You can see all of the mangled metal and wood and the ripped sails that are all mangled across it and wrapped across those masts.

Now, we have been seeing those really just horrific videos. You can see that the boat appears to lose control as it is heading directly towards the Brooklyn Bridge.

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And as it gets closer and closer, the top of that mast hits the bottom of the bridge.

Now, we've been told that the mechanic reported a loss of power. When the loss of power happened, it caused an issue with the rudder. And when you have an issue with the rudder, that means that the ship cannot be steered. Now, we are also told that the currents of the East River might have

played a significant role in actually helping to push that boat in the completely wrong direction. And that's why it ended up going in the direction that we see in that social media video.

Sadly, two people were lost. We have learned their names in the last several hours. They have been identified by Mexican officials as America Yamilet Sanchez and Adal Jair Maldonado.

We have heard from the family of America. They are asking for answers about exactly what happened here. We've also heard from Mexico's president, President Scheinbaum, earlier today expressing her condolences for the family and for those two that were lost, saying that Mexico is standing behind its navy and offering all the support while this investigation gets started.

We are hoping to learn new information later this afternoon when we hear directly from NTSB officials to try and figure out if this was purely a mechanical issue or if there was any sort of human error that might have helped cause this tragedy -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Gloria Pazmino reporting live near the Brooklyn Bridge. Thank you for the update -- Jessica.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: Let's take a look at some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.

19 people are now dead in Kentucky after a violent tornado outbreak barreled through the central United States Friday. Cars were mangled, homes leveled, and what Governor Andy Beshear called one of the deadliest storms to hit the state.

In Missouri, a rare EF-3 tornado stretching a mile wide tore through St. Louis, killing at least seven people there, and two storm-related deaths were reported in Virginia.

Also, Trump's top law enforcement officials are changing their stance over the 2019 death of Jeffrey Epstein. In 2023, then-podcaster Dan Bongino was adamant that there was a cover-up, and now as the FBI deputy director, he says he's reviewed the case, and along with FBI Director Kash Patel, said this in an interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: You know a suicide when you see one, and that's what that was.

DAN BONGINO, FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: He killed themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Their long-awaited interview a blow to conspiracy theorists who believe the government has been hiding information.

And for the second time in a month, legendary rock and roll band The Who are cutting ties with their drummer. Was he fired? Well, that depends on who you ask. Guitarist Pete Townsend said this split was mutual, but Zack Starkey, who is Ringo Starr's son, claims he was fired after what he called weeks of mayhem. It's unclear why the decision to reinstate Starkey was reversed. CNN has contacted representatives for the band for comment.

Still to come this afternoon here on CNC, at the trial of Sean Diddy Combs, the jury hears testimony from the former best friend of Cassie Ventura. She tells the court what she allegedly saw Combs do to his ex-girlfriend. That's next.

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DEAN: Happening now, the defense in Sean Diddy Combs' federal sex trafficking trial is cross-examining Cassie Ventura's former best friend. Kerry Morgan testified she was Ventura's best friend for years, until 2018. But that friendship ended after Morgan was allegedly assaulted by Combs.

Morgan recalled the aftermath following the March 2016 incident at the Intercontinental Hotel where surveillance video captured Combs grabbing, kicking, and dragging Ventura in an elevator lobby.

SANCHEZ: Morgan testified that police came to Ventura's apartment after the incident because of banging on the door. She said that Combs had been there yelling and hitting the door with a hammer. She said that Ventura had a black eye and was wearing a hoodie at the time.

Morgan also said that she could not remember if she told police about Combs using a hammer. Let's get some insight from legal analyst and trial attorney Mercedes Colwin. Mercedes, thanks so much for being with us.

So week two of the trial underway. What has stood out to you so far in court from this testimony? One, a business associate, former business associate of Combs, and one, a former close friend of Cassie Ventura.

MERCEDES COLWIN, LEGAL ANALYST AND TRIAL ATTORNEY: Great to be on with both you and Jessica, Boris. It really is about the corroboration of the violence that Cassie Ventura endured at the hands of Combs. She had testified last week masterfully about the abuse, the kicking, the punching, the dragging.

And now you have Kerry Morgan, her former best friend, come forward and say that Cassie lost her spark, that she was subjected to punching, to being dragged on the floor by Combs. She even testified that she begged Cassie to leave Combs, but Cassie said that she was unable to because of the level of control that Combs had over her life, that she controlled every aspect of her finances, her apartment, her car, and frankly, her career.

So having said that, you also have the corroboration by Dawn Richard, who also said that she witnessed the abuse by Combs on Cassie Ventura.

These are two very compelling witnesses. And at the end of the day, you also have Kerry Morgan saying that she had to terminate this long friendship with Cassie Ventura because she herself suffered an assault by Combs.

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DEAN: And Mercedes, Kerry Morgan's testimony, and you just noted, talks a lot about the control that Combs had over Ventura. Legally, why is the prosecution continuing to get at control and how he controlled her and tried to control those around her?

COLWIN: Great question, Jessica. It all goes back to the sex trafficking. And we already heard from Cassie Ventura that she was a recording artist that had signed a contract with Combs and then ultimately became a sex worker.

And that means when you look at those charges of sex trafficking, it's force, coercion, violence. That's why talking about the violence and the level of control continues to solidify those specific charges against Combs, which is why the prosecution keeps honing back and trying to rehabilitate some of the issues that have come up because many people are questioning why did Cassie Ventura stay in this abusive, horrific relationship? And the defense also brought up those text messages between Cassie Ventura and Combs that were loving.

She even said in 2017, in one of her text messages, she talks about how she loves the FOs, meaning the freak-offs, when we're both into it. So those are ways that the defense will keep going back and circling back and trying their best to dismantle it.

One witness I do want to point out for your audience that's coming up, she will explain -- This is Dr. Dawn Hughes. She testified in the Weinstein trial. She's going to come forward and testify that there's a reason why there's such a psychological hold that abusers have over their victims.

She's not allowed by court to testify to domestic violence, and frankly, domestic violence is not really the core issue here. It's about the sex trafficking, the control, financial, by threats, by coercion. And Dr. Hughes will come forward and really explain to the jury that when individuals are abused to the level that Cassie Ventura was abused, sometimes they stay in these unbelievably violent relationships.

So that's how the prosecution will try to shore up some of the deficiencies that they feel the jurors are going to really question. Why would Cassie stay in this relationship if it was that abusive?

SANCHEZ: I just want to note for our viewers, we're getting updates from our reporters in the courtroom. David James is apparently the next witness. He's a former assistant to Sean Combs. He worked for him between 2007 and 2009. Mercedes Colwin, we have to leave the conversation there. Always appreciate the analysis. Thanks for being with us.

COLWIN: Thanks for having me. SANCHEZ: Still to come, investigators are praising first responders for saving every embryo after an explosion at a fertility clinic in California over the weekend. Really stunning effort by these first responders. Stay tuned. Find out more.

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SANCHEZ: A firefighter and an FBI agent are being hailed as heroes after an explosion at a Palm Springs fertility clinic. Officials say they rushed inside that collapsing building to save embryos, restoring power to incubators, and preserving medical records. Officials have now identified the suspected bomber as 25-year-old Guy Bartkus. They say he died in the blast, which injured four people.

CNN's Josh Campbell is in Los Angeles reporting on this story. So Josh, tell us more.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're learning a lot about this suspect. The FBI issuing that photo that they want people to look at because they want to know anything people may know about this individual.

The police chief there in Palm Springs spoke with CNN just a short time ago. And he said that he believes that there are people out there who should have recognized warning signs regarding this individual well in advance. They should have called police. Specifically, he said that this individual had a prolific online presence, including on YouTube, discussing explosives and the like.

So we're getting that picture of this individual. As you mentioned, he was believed to be the sole attacker who died in that blast. I'm also told from a law enforcement official that investigators are aware of an audio recording out there where someone is talking about wanting to target an IVF facility.

They describe himself as anti-life. I mean, to be honest, it's quite rambling, at times incoherent. But I'm told that that is what authorities are investigating.

So they're digging into him as much as they can while they also continue to process this very large crime scene you're seeing on your screen right now. Take a listen to the top FBI agent there in Los Angeles describing this massive explosion.

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AKIL DAVIS, FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE OF LOS ANGELES FIELD OFFICE: This is probably the largest bombing scene that we've had in Southern California. This does eclipse the bombing matter in Aliso Viejo. It's that big.

And just for reference, to throw pieces of vehicle hundreds of feet in the air and then several blocks away, you can usually imagine how big that bomb device was. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: And the police chief tells us that they believe that the attacker was the lone perpetrator there at the scene, but they're continuing this investigation to see if anyone knew what may have been predicted to occur there -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: And, Josh, even though, as we just heard from officials, this was a massive explosion, there is good news for the families that were receiving treatment at this facility, right, thanks to a couple of heroes.

CAMPBELL: That's right. You and I don't often get to talk a lot of good news in these types of situations, but we are learning that it was the work of an FBI agent and a firefighter rushing into that smoldering building that allowed those embryos to be preserved. We're told that they went in to try to restore electricity because these embryos obviously are there on incubators.

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These two men also went into another part of the building that was collapsed to gather medical records so that families still receiving treatment could continue their treatment. Take a listen here to the police chief talking on CNN just a short time ago about this heroic effort.

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CHIEF ANDY MILLS, PALM SPRINGS POLICE: They went into buildings that were completely compromised in order to ensure that the electricity was still running so that the incubators were still working, that completely hazardous, completely unsafe. But they did it because they realized the importance of giving these families hope.

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CAMPBELL: And we're now finally learning, Boris, that all four people that were injured in that blast, they have now been thankfully released from the hospital.

SANCHEZ: Glad to hear that. Josh Campbell, thank you so much for the update there.

Still to come, the manhunt for a group of inmates still on the run after a dramatic escape caught on camera.

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