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Special Agent Testifying About 2024 Raid On Sean "Diddy" Combs' Miami Beach Home; Trump Pushes GOP Holdouts On Capitol Hill To Pass "Big, Beautiful Bill"; Some GOP Lawmakers Still Oppose Budget Bill After Meeting With Trump; Noem Incorrectly Says Habeas Corpus Gives President the Right "To Remove People From This Country"; L.A. Atty. Gen.: Arrested Worker Possibly Involved Over "Multiple Days"; Rubio Faces Grilling From Lawmakers Over Trump Admin Policies; Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) Discusses About Prediction Of Potential Collapse In Syria. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired May 20, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Plus, during a visit to Capitol Hill, President Trump warning House Republicans, telling them not to F with Medicaid. Also insisting, though, that they cut out waste and fraud and figure out how to pass his "big, beautiful bill."

And sticking to his day job, in a new interview, Elon Musk saying that he expects to spend more time in charge of Tesla and spend significantly less amounts of money on politics.

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Happening now, a brand-new witness taking the stand in Sean "Diddy" Combs' racketeering and sex trafficking trial moments ago. The prosecution calling the special agent who was in charge of the raid on Combs' Miami home last year to testify.

SANCHEZ: Now, earlier today, jurors also heard more testimony from Combs' former assistant, then the mother of Combs' ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, took the stand. And after that, a male escort testified about his sexual encounters with both Ventura and Combs.

CNN Anchor and Chief Legal Analyst, Laura Coates, joins us now live outside the courtroom.

Laura, this special agent on the stand right now is the prosecution's 10th witness of the trial. Walk us through the importance of this testimony and other key moments over the last few hours.

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: You know, we're finally getting into, essentially, more evidence about the search that we saw executed on one of his homes, this one located in Star Island, the infamous and notoriously wealthy area in Miami, accessible by this two-road, two-way road and an island off of Miami for the elite.

We're hearing about what that raid looked like, the execution of it, 80 to 90 agents who were there, which was atypical, but given the security protocols they believed to be in place, they arrived on the scene.

We are getting confirmation and, of course, corroboration of the types of items that were located at that home, and a lot of them track what was located at the house or the apartments and the hotels in these various so-called "freak-offs." Baby oil, different lubricants, cash on hand, drugs, even parts of AR-15s and serial numbers on some of these parts scratched off, making it difficult to find out the actual owner or the location of where they originated.

But we also heard from an assistant of Sean "Diddy" Combs earlier today. This is important for the prosecution's case to try to develop this so-called enterprise. Remember, the prosecution is saying that there is an enterprise, an inner circle surrounding Sean "Diddy" Combs, including high-level employees, assistants, trusted advisors, people who are bodyguards that all comprise this enterprise with a goal towards trying to facilitate these freak-offs, these sexual, nonconsensual encounters between the victims listed, including Cassie Ventura.

We also heard from Cassie Ventura's mother. And one thing she talked about was a surprising moment, you guys, where Sean "Diddy" Combs allegedly contacted her, angered about her relationship with a person we all know in the world as Kid Cudi, asking her for essentially money back in the amount of $20,000 for money he had spent on her daughter.

Fearing for her safety and her daughter, she then wired this money after getting a home equity line of credit of some sorts that was later returned to them. But they made a big point in talking about this moment. This is one of the few witnesses where the cross did not occur. Mr. Agnifilo, who is the lead attorney in this case, said to his - her mother, thank you for being here. I have no questions for you.

This is quite the afternoon, now the 10th witness, and we're inching closer and closer to the elements that are required to be proven by the prosecution, and of course, the defense staying strong, hoping to undercut every single link.

KEILAR: Laura, what else does the prosecution have to do to do its job to prove that Combs is guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking?

COATES: Make no mistake, Brianna, we are in a marathon of sorts. They have a long way to go to prove each and every critical element. We've got five felony counts, all very serious. If he is convicted of all of them, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. We are just the 10th witness in, which should be an eight to 10-week trial, give or take how the defense may or may not choose to present their case.

But you have to essentially prove that there was this enterprise, this criminal enterprise, a kind of a mob working towards a criminal operation. That operation, they say, were these non-consensual sexual trafficking activities, including two victims, one Cassie Ventura and one with a pseudonym. Those sex trafficking incidents have to have force or coercion or threats as a part of it. They have to prove each and every one of those things, including engaging in prostitution across interstate lines for those second or fourth and fifth charges as well. This is all part of the case.

Now, remember, the prosecution said they're going to hear a lot of information. It will not be chronological, but that's what the closing is going to be for.

[15:05:01]

At the culmination of the government's case in chief, they're going to try to take different parts of everyone's testimony, draw a through line to connect all of these dots.

But I want to tell everyone, this is not law and order. This is not when you've got a crime occurring, a suspect identified, a defendant on trial, then 47 minutes later, you walk down the courthouse steps with the verdict. Each and every time you have a witness come on or each and every time you've got any evidence or exhibit shown to a jury, they've got to follow a pretty bland protocol. They have to establish that this particular document is what it is supposed to be before it shows to the jury. And every time, it slows the momentum down of the questioning.

So, you find these jurors in a bit of a lull as they're trying to connect the dots themselves, hear testimony, and frankly, stay alert. But make no mistake, this is the trial that's going to be the long haul, and the prosecution has to continue to meet their burden of proof.

SANCHEZ: Laura Coates, live for us outside the courthouse in Manhattan. Thank you so much for the update there.

On Capitol Hill, President Trump is trying to push through his so- called "big, beautiful" budget bill, but he is facing some stiff opposition from members of his own party. In a closed-door meeting in the Capitol this morning, the President warned Republican lawmakers they need to get in line, end negotiations, and pass his sweeping spending plan, which would pay for his domestic policy agenda.

KEILAR: But that bill, as it stands now, could mean big changes to Medicaid and food assistance programs while actually raising the deficit. And some Republicans, they're just not on board with the proposal, even after meeting with the President.

CNN's Manu Raju is on the Hill for us.

Manu, was Trump able to sway any of these Republican holdouts? It seems like a lot of them are holding fast to their opposition.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's still a number of holdouts. And at the moment, if this bill were to come to the floor right now, it almost certainly would fail because of opposition from both moderate members and conservative members. And the Speaker right now is working behind the scenes, really around the clock, to try to cut a deal and win over these sparring factions that - within his conference that are offering different solutions that are frankly in contradiction of one another. And one group of members from the Northeast, mainly New York Republicans, pushing for greater deductions of state and local taxes. That is something that they believe their constituents have been hammered by. And they want a greater cap for the amount that their voters can actually deduct those taxes. But what they have been offered so far, they say, is insufficient.

And then on the conservative side, they are pushing for deeper spending cuts. And they oppose that effort to increase the amount that people can deduct on those state and local taxes.

And catching up with members, including some on the right and some in the middle of their conference, they're making clear that they plan to vote no unless there are serious changes made.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Does the Speaker not bring this to the floor by Thursday?

REP. ANDY OGLES (R-TN): Well, that's up to the Speaker. But I would say that if the vote were held right now, it dies a painful death.

RAJU: You're concerned about what the Freedom Caucus is pushing for right now?

REP. DON BACON (R-NE): Well, yes. We have to defend against it, because they're, in a sense, putting poison pills in that won't pass. That's what the president's saying. So, I hope they heed the President, I hope they listen to him.

RAJU: He said you said you should lose your seat. He's the President of the United States, the leader of your party.

REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): Well, that's a step up. I mean, like, in 2020, you want to be thrown out of the GOP.

RAJU: It's not going to force you to fall in line?

MASSIE: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: And that last comment coming from Congressman Thomas Massie, whom Trump said should lose his seat over his opposition to this bill. But as you heard right there, Massie is undeterred, plans to vote no on this proposal when it comes forward.

And Speaker Johnson can only afford to lose three Republican votes on a straight party-line vote. And he wants this passed as soon as Thursday, which is why these negotiations - frantic, behind the scenes - at the moment, it's unclear if he'll get there. But horse trading is now taking shape as the speaker is trying to get - fulfill Donald Trump's promises. Guys.

KEILAR: Yes. Thursday. That is happening very fast.

Manu Raju, thank you so much.

Today, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem got a grilling on Capitol Hill about potential White House plans to suspend habeas corpus, which is a legal procedure that allows people to challenge their detention in court.

Listen to this exchange she had with Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MAGGIE HASSAN (D-NH): So, Secretary Noem, what is habeas corpus?

KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the President has to be able to remove people from this country and suspend their right to --

HASSAN: Now, let me stop you, ma'am. Habeas corpus - excuse me. That's incorrect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: CNN Senior Reporter Daniel Dale is here to give us a flashback to civics class.

Daniel, does habeas corpus give a president - any president - the right to remove people?

DANIEL DALE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: It doesn't. And it's not like the secretary was offering some fringe interpretation like that. Like, that's just wrong. It's like if someone held up a picture of a giraffe and she said, "That's a table." Like - just completely inaccurate.

So, as you said, habeas corpus gives people the right to challenge their detention in court.

[15:10:01]

It's a hundreds-year-old legal principle, dating back to the Magna Carta - or even before that. It requires the authorities to have the body or produce the body, bring this detained person to court, and outline the reason for their detention. And again, from the perspective of the detained person, allow them to contest the validity of them being continually confined.

Now, I want you to listen to something else the Secretary, Noem, said at this hearing today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NOEM: President Lincoln executed habeas corpus in the past with retroactive action by Congress. I believe that any president that was able to do that in the past, it should be afforded to our current-day president. This president has never said he's going to do this. He's never communicated to me or his administration that they're going to consider suspending habeas corpus. But I do think the Constitution allows them the right to consider it. SEN. ANDY KIM (D-NY): Do you know what section of the Constitution, the suspension clause of habeas corpus is?

NOEM: I do not. No.

KIM: Do you know which article it is in?

NOEM: No, I do not, sir.

KIM: Okay. Well, it is in Article I. Do you know which branch of government Article I outlines the tasks and the responsibilities for?

NOEM: Yes.

KIM: Which one?

NOEM: Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DALE: So, that's correct. This power to suspend the writ of habeas corpus is in Article I of the Constitution, which outlines and provides limitations on the powers of Congress, not the president. Now, the clause doesn't specifically say that it is Congress or the president that has the power. It kind of leaves this undefined.

But it is not just me who says - or sorry, it's not just most legal scholars who say that it is Congress who has the power. A certain judge named Amy Coney Barrett, who of course went on to be appointed to the Supreme Court by President Trump, wrote in an article on the National Constitution Center website. She said, "The Clause does not specify which branch of government has the authority to suspend the privilege of the writ, but most agree that only Congress can do it." So, this is a pretty widespread consensus.

Now, I think it's also worth noting the actual text of this so-called suspension clause. It says, "The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it."

So, one, it requires rebellion or invasion - very much unclear, to be generous, we are under rebellion or invasion - and number two, it says even in those cases, public safety needs to require it.

So, does it currently require it when the president is boasting that the border is basically closed and no one is getting in? That's a pretty high hurdle to clear in the courts.

SANCHEZ: Daniel Dale, appreciate you walking us through that. Thanks so much.

DALE: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: So, the acting president of Columbia University, enduring a chorus of boos after taking the stage for a commencement address today. Here is what happened when Claire Shipman (corrected) tried to begin speaking at Columbia College, the university's liberal arts school.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAIRE SHIPMAN, ACTING PRESIDENT, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Good morning, Class of 2025. I know that many of you feel some amount of frustration with me, and I know you feel it with the administration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Some attendees also voicing frustrations over the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, the student protest leader who was detained by immigration agents earlier this year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALL: Free Mahmoud. Free Mahmoud. Free Mahmoud.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: They're screaming, "Free Mahmoud" there.

This outcry at Columbia also comes just days after police arrested a group of protesters who stormed a school library before finals. CNN reached out to the university for comment but has not received a response yet.

Still to come, Secretary of State Marco Rubio grilled by lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the Trump administration's policies on Syria, Gaza and Ukraine. We'll discuss with Democratic Congressman Jason Crow.

SANCHEZ: Plus, a sheriff's office employee arrested for allegedly helping 10 inmates make their escape from a jail in New Orleans, with details on his alleged role in the hunt for six escapees still on the run.

And later, Elon Musk says he's done enough and is planning to spend, quote, "a lot less on politics." Hear directly from the head of DOGE when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:43]

KEILAR: A jail maintenance worker is now under arrest, accused of helping 10 New Orleans inmates escape. And the Orleans Parish Sheriff says additional arrests are possible.

The Louisiana Attorney General says 33-year-old Sterling Williams turned off the water in a cell where the inmates broke open a wall behind a toilet. The escapees were then able to reach a loading dock door.

The state AG just spoke to Fox News about the worker's arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LIZ MURRILL, LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Because obviously, when they cut through those pipes, it would have flooded the cell and that would have alerted people to a problem as well. So, we think that it was more than just that night. And I can't really give all the details of times and dates, but we believe this person had multiple days of involvement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: According to the affidavit, Williams told authorities one of the inmates threatened to shank him if he did not turn off the water. That inmate is one of six escapees still on the run.

Joining us now is retired FBI Special Agent Rob D'Amico.

Rob, this is - these details are pretty stunning here. What do you think about this arrest? And do you think that we'll see more? Because the sheriff did mention individuals - plural - inside the agency aiding escapees.

[15:20:00]

ROB D'AMICO, RETIRED FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Yes, I think this one's big. I think it's the first one. And I think there's going to be others to come, because I think they're going to look at everything that had to be done in this escape to get them out and then figure out who did it.

So, one of them obviously was turning the water off. But I'd also read that the only way that that toilet could be removed was from the outside - somehow the bolts, how they were holding it in. So, if he didn't do that too, then someone else helped on that.

So, I think they're going to take every piece of this escape, figure out who could have helped them, and then start looking at camera footage and going back and seeing it. Like this one, they know he went and shut the water off a couple times. It wasn't the first.

So, they have camera footage that went back and figured that out. So, I think you're going to start seeing more arrests, too.

KEILAR: Yes, I'm sure that - he's saying he was threatened. I'm sure there's some dispensation for someone who is threatened and then does something illegal. But I assume that evaporates when there's multiple days of involvement, as it was put there.

What should this employee of the prison have known when he was being told to do something apparently on multiple days?

D'AMICO: Well, this is common. So, it's a policy that if you get threatened to do something, that there's a whole reporting procedure and there's safety measures that are taken, because it goes without saying that people in prison may threaten guards to bring stuff into them and do other things like that's happening here.

So, they have a policy about that. Obviously, he didn't follow it. And doing it multiple times showed it wasn't just one time and he went and did it and ended it there. So, he violated policy. It may come into, if he goes to court, into the sentencing, that they take it a little bit easier if they find out that, in fact, it was true that he was threatened. But that's always going to be the go-to - that I was threatened by one of the inmates to do this. And that's why I did it.

KEILAR: The Louisiana Attorney General is asking her counterparts in Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Tennessee - so a lot of states - to alert their law enforcement agencies because these escaped inmates may now have crossed state lines.

It's potential - there's a potential for them going in various different directions, obviously.

How difficult and dangerous is the search for them right now?

D'AMICO: It's always dangerous when you're looking at putting someone back in jail that could be facing life and they got out. So, there's that whole complication that they don't want to go back. They kind of know what it's like. They're facing, especially the one that was convicted of murder and other ones that were on trial for murder, that they're going to go back and they're never going to get out. So, they're going to be desperate.

And when you corner someone desperate, they can do desperate things. So, every time they get a lead on one of these guys that - that's out there, they have to be really careful because, again, that person is knowing what he's facing. So, when I - the fugitives all the time, you looked at the charges and thought, hey, if this guy's going to go away for the rest of his life, he may not have anything to lose when he confronts you.

KEILAR: Yes, it's a scary thought.

Rob, thank you so much for your insights. We really appreciate it.

D'AMICO: Thank you.

KEILAR: Coming up, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issuing a dire warning about Syria, saying it may be on the brink of a full-scale civil war of epic proportions. We'll discuss next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:28:06]

SANCHEZ: Secretary of State Marco Rubio facing some tough questions on Capitol Hill today about multiple Trump administration policies.

At a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio defended the President's decision to not increase sanctions on Russia as the European Union just did today. Those E.U. penalties coming after the President's phone call with Vladimir Putin failed to secure a ceasefire with Ukraine.

Rubio telling lawmakers that threatening Russia with additional sanctions could drive Putin further away from any potential peace deal.

Rubio also told the committee that Syria's transitional government is perhaps weeks away from collapse, possibly leading to a full-scale civil war.

That stunning assessment coming just days after Trump met with a new Syrian leader and announced the U.S. would end years of sanctions on Damascus.

Let's discuss with Democratic Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado.

Congressman, thanks so much for sharing part of your afternoon with us. Let's start there on this prediction of a potential collapse in Syria, even with sanctions lifted. What do you think needs to be done there?

REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Boris, if there is a Syria policy, I sure would like to see it. Just like if there were a Russia-Ukraine policy, I would like to see that. If there's a China policy, I'd also like to see that.

This administration doesn't actually have policies. What they have is just a week-by-week, sometimes day-by-day of, you know, whim of what Donald Trump wants to tweet out or what he wants to say when he's in front of a microphone. It's obviously no way to run a country. It's put Secretary of State Rubio in a terrible position. Actually, he put himself in this terrible position. But he has to actually answer before Congress, as we saw, and is having a hard time doing that.

So, you know, this is a very dangerous time. There's no cohesive policy for Syria, or anything else for that matter, and America deserves better.

[15:30:00]

SANCHEZ: If the U.S. has mostly stayed out of Syria's civil war, why would the U.S. need to step in right now?