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Kid Cudi Testifies that Combs Broke into His House; Key Hearing for Detained Columbia Grad Student Mahmoud Khalil; NOAA Predicts Above-Average Storm Season. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired May 22, 2025 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Just a short time ago, the jury in Sean Diddy Combs' sex trafficking trial was dismissed. To the court is dark until Tuesday in observance of Memorial Day, which gives jurors five days off.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Today, they heard from multiple witnesses with a variety of backgrounds. Among them, Grammy award-winning rapper Kid Cudi, who you see walking into the courtroom. He testified about his brief relationship with Sean Combs' ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. Cudi describing the time when he says that Combs broke into his home.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister joins us now live outside the courtroom. Elizabeth, a dramatic day in court, Kid Cudi describing Sean Combs as trying to appear as a Marvel supervillain at one point.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: He did. So Kid Cudi, of course, aside from Cassie, becoming the celebrity witness of this trial. So he took the stand, as you said, Boris, to testify about his brief relationship with Cassie Ventura towards the end of 2011.

He testified that Diddy broke into his home in Los Angeles and then a few weeks later blew up his car. He said that he blew up his car with a Molotov cocktail. Now the jury was actually shown photos of his car, which was a Porsche. And you see a gaping hole in the roof of the car, smoke damage inside on the driver's and passenger seat and also on the door. Now, Kid Cudi said the damage was so bad that the car could not even be repaired.

But on cross-examination, Combs' defense challenged him, saying, you have no idea who actually blew up this car. There is no proof of who did it. But when it comes to that home break-in, Kid Cudi actually said that Capricorn Clark, who was one of Combs' employees, who has come up repeatedly through testimony from various witnesses, that she actually called Kid Cudi and Cassie to say, Sean Combs and one of his associates is in your house right now. He has physically forced me to come with him.

So Kid Cudi let that detail as some proof. Now, let me get into this Marvel super villain quote that you brought up, Boris. Kid Cudi testified that after these two alleged incidents, that him and Diddy, they got together because Kid Cudi finally said, this is getting a little crazy. We just need to talk because this alleged violence and this drama has to end. He was asked what he remembers about when he saw Diddy. And he said that he was standing looking outside a window with his hands behind his back, standing there like a Marvel super villain.

That was just one of those moments in court that really had people shocked. People were actually laughing in the room that I was in. So he definitely was a very strong, crucial witness.

But I have to tell you some obvious wins there for the prosecution when he's talking about this alleged violence from Combs, but also some wins from the defense on cross examination because they asked Kid Cudi if he felt like Cassie was being honest in her relationship with him. And he agreed that he felt like he and Sean Combs were being played. So defense, they're obviously trying to paint Cassie not as a victim, but actually as an unfaithful woman. Back to you.

SANCHEZ: Elizabeth Wagmeister, outside the courthouse in New York. Thank you so much.

Ahead, there's a key hearing going on right now for detained Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. A judge could decide whether he is going to be deported or whether he could reunite with his family. We'll discuss with Khalil's attorney after a quick break.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Right now, Mahmoud Khalil is in court for a pivotal hearing that could determine his future in the United States. He's the Columbia University graduate who's been in ICE custody since March because the government says that his actions on campus are against U.S. interests, despite the fact that he's not yet actually been charged with a crime. Ahead of the hearing, Khalil got to meet and hold his newborn baby for the first time after a federal judge blocked immigration officials efforts to keep him and his family separated by plexiglass.

Joining us now is one of Khalil's attorneys, Ramzi Kassem. He's also a law professor at the City University of New York and a co-director of Clear, a legal nonprofit and clinic that represents Khalil. Sir, thanks so much for being with us.

What do you know about the hearing so far? Is there any indication that the judge is going to grant any motion for relief from deportation or at least allow him out of detainment as his legal proceedings move forward?

RAMZI KASSEM, ATTORNEY FOR MAHMOUD KHALIL: Thank you for having me, Boris. The immigration court proceedings in Louisiana are ongoing.

[15:40:00]

The immigration judge began by denying a government motion that would have prevented Mr. Khalil from raising an asylum claim. And then she proceeded to hear witness testimony presented by our side on behalf of Mr. Khalil in support of his various claims and defenses. The expectation, as the immigration judge made clear at the start of the hearing this morning, the expectation is that she will rule today at the conclusion of the hearing or tomorrow, if it goes that long. She intends to rule on the removability charges, second removability charges that the government has alleged.

And she wants to also make a ruling on whether or not he's entitled to any form of relief, like asylum or anything that would enable him to remain in the country. And so that's our expectation for this hearing.

SANCHEZ: Walk us through some of the specific legal arguments that you're presenting to challenge his potential deportation, because the argument from the government is that they can revoke his green card based on his presence being averse to U.S. interests.

KASSEM: Well, our position, Boris, is quite simple, that by invoking this rarely used provision of immigration law and claiming that somehow just by exercising his free speech rights here in the United States, speaking up in defense of Palestinian rights and lives, that that somehow makes them deportable and not a permanent resident or a green card holder, that's absurd. That's unconstitutional. It's an attempt, an unsuccessful attempt at that to silence people who speak up in defense of Palestinian human rights.

Mr. Khalil has been very clear about this from the first immigration hearing. He has no expectation that he will receive due process in this immigration proceeding because the immigration judge is not an independent judge. She's an employee of the Department of Justice. She serves at the pleasure of the president. She's subject to political pressure by the government.

And so, you know, we're hoping that Mr. Khalil's constitutional claims in his habeas corpus case in a federal court in New Jersey will vindicate his right to free speech and frankly, the First Amendment more broadly for all of us who live in this country and believe in the right to speak freely.

SANCHEZ: Ramzi, I wanted to clarify something because last time we spoke, I'd asked you about some of the claims coming from the White House that Khalil had been propagating Hamas rhetoric on campus, that he'd been sowing chaos, that he was helping to incite harassment of students. Has the government presented any of that as evidence during these proceedings?

KASSEM: None whatsoever. And I'm very grateful to you, Boris, for asking that really pertinent question. It's an important question to put to the government because they've presented absolutely no evidence, whether it's an immigration court or in federal court, that would support these sorts of baseless claims.

Mr. Khalil is known as a defender of human rights. He rejects all forms of racism and anti-Semitism. He believes in the rights of Palestinians to live freely. He's stepped in as a mediator between protesters at Columbia University and the administration, often at the request of the university administration. He's been outspoken in his demands that Columbia as a university divest from the Israeli war machine that is costing so many Palestinian lives, mostly women and children. But that's who he is. And the government has presented no evidence in support of its baseless rhetoric, which which really leads us to just pay attention to what they are saying in court.

And we've been able to respond to that. And the federal judge has so far ruled in Mr. Khalil's favor.

SANCHEZ: Well, it's interesting to see sort of what they're putting out there in the court of public opinion versus the argument that they're actually making in court. Are you saying that they are strictly relying on this provision that allows the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to revoke either a student visa or a green card, as he says, for anti-American activities? Is that essentially the core of their argument?

KASSEM: In support of their lead charge of removability, they are relying purely on that Rubio memo. And by the way, Secretary of State Marco Rubio does not have the authority to take away someone's green card. The most he can do is put someone in removal proceedings or ask the Department of Homeland Security to put someone in removal proceedings based on that sort of memo.

And of course, Mr. Khalil remains a U.S. permanent resident until a court says otherwise. And so they've only relied on the Rubio memo for that charge. And then for the other charge, they have bizarrely put in a number of tabloid articles, unverified accounts as opposed to government reports.

They've actually just relied on newspaper articles from various tabloids, which we've responded to. And this is why this is part of the reason why Mr. Khalil does not expect any due process from the Immigration Court, which is only an administrative court. It's not a real court.

[15:45:00]

And of course, he's made his constitutional arguments before a federal court, before an independent judge who does not answer to the president. And we're waiting for the judge to rule on a number of motions. And, of course, the judge has been actively in New Jersey, the federal judge has been actively engaged in Mr. Khalil's case. And we anticipate some rulings on some of his motions, including a motion for release.

SANCHEZ: And lastly, were you able to speak with him after that in- person meeting, the first time that he was able to actually be in person with his wife and his newborn son? Did you get any word from him on what that was like?

KASSEM: I have not been able to speak to him since that meeting occurred. It's really unfortunate that we had to go to a federal court yesterday to make that meeting happen. That should be the most fundamental thing, that he should be allowed, and others in immigration detention should be allowed, to meet with their spouses, to see their newborn babies, to hold those children.

This was Mr. Khalil's first chance at holding his newborn child, who was born a month ago. And it's really sad that we had to go to court to get that. And that for somebody who is a civil detainee, immigration detention is not criminal, it's not supposed to be punitive, it's supposed to be civil.

The fact that the government's position is that you are not entitled to touch your spouse, to hold your child, is simply put, cruel. And it's really unfortunate we had to go get a court order to make that meeting happen. We're happy that that meeting happened, that there was a legal meeting that included his wife and their child.

And I'm sure that it was a bittersweet moment, I would imagine, because they remain apart until hopefully Mr. Khalil will be set free and returned home to New York City by a federal court.

SANCHEZ: Ramzi Kassem, we appreciate the update. Please keep us posted on what comes next.

KASSEM: Thank you for having me, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, a forecast of another very active hurricane season, while critical relief agencies are in turmoil following President Trump's budget cuts.

Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL. Much more ahead.

[15:50:00]

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KEILAR: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is out today with its forecast for the upcoming hurricane season, and it is ominous. Forecasters say they expect a busier season than average, and that could include 13 to 19 named storms, 6 to 10 of which could become hurricanes. And of those, 3 to 5 could be Category 3 or stronger. And of course, hurricane season just 10 days away now.

Here to discuss, we have Rick Spinrad. He's the former NOAA administrator under President Biden.

First off, if you could just put into context how accurate these forecasts are usually.

RICK SPINRAD, FORMER NOAA ADMINISTRATOR: Well, each year they're getting accurate, more and more accurate. And in fact, last year, we had an extraordinarily accurate set of predictions. And if you look at the outlook from about a year ago and then look at how the season turned out, it was very, very close. So I think we can put a lot of faith in the forecast that we've seen today.

KEILAR: So last year was brutal, right? We had a couple of just doozies that affected places, specifically in North Carolina, where we're just not used to seeing that kind of damage in that kind of place. Do you anticipate something more like that this season? SPINRAD: Well, I think we could see storms not unlike Helene and Milton. And rest assured, the weather service and the staff of NOAA will perform heroically, as they always do. The problem, of course, is that they are grossly understaffed, almost down 30 percent from where they were last year.

So even if the storms are the same, I think we can expect to see some real challenges for the service to be able to provide what the public has come to expect.

KEILAR: Talk about that, because at this point, the Trump administration cutting around a quarter of NOAA's budget, NOAA doesn't currently have a confirmed administrator. The job is being filled by a chief of staff who is the acting head of NOAA. What kind of holes does this leave and how does that play out when you're dealing with a huge storm?

SPINRAD: So I appreciate that the weather service and the acting administrator are putting a brave face on the situation right now, but the fact of the matter is that about half of the weather forecast offices around the country are operating at less than 80 percent full staffing. A quarter of those offices don't have meteorologists in charge. Some 60 technicians have left.

The ability to fly the hurricane hunters is precariously on a narrow margin in that if there is any kind of unexpected development, including somebody showing up sick, they may not be able to fly through the hurricanes. Since those flights, for example, account for about a 15 percent improvement in the forecast, it would not surprise me to see that in some cases we will see degraded forecasts. And don't forget, even with the best technology and capabilities, at the end of the day, it's about having that forecaster working closely with the emergency manager.

And I would note in today's announcement, for the first time in my memory, there was nobody from FEMA on the dais with the spokespeople from the state and from NOAA. So I worry a lot about how thin the situation is and the ability to get information across during what could be a very active season.

KEILAR: Yes, certainly some huge concerns that you are highlighting that are broadly shared. Richard Spinrad, thank you so much for being with us.

SPINRAD: Thank you.

KEILAR: Still to come, an Albany, New York anchor hosts a three hour morning show while in labor. We'll have that next.

[15:55:00]

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KEILAR: Well, this next story gives the phrase the show must go on a whole new meaning. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIA DUNN, WRGB ANCHOR: We do have some breaking news this morning. Literally, Olivia's water has broke. That's and she is anchoring the news now in active labor.

KEILAR: All right. Albany, New York's WRGB TV says its anchor, Olivia Jaquith. I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly because she deserves a lot of props here.

Went to labor right before they went on the air yesterday. She was two days past her due date. She just kept anchoring the show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLIVIA JAQUITH, WRGB ANCHOR: I'd rather be at work than at the hospital.

DUNN: Something you'll never hear come out of my mouth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: They got to do something about leave policies at this station. And let her let her relax for a moment. Jaquith with co- anchor, thinks it's too quick. She really does deserve it.

KEILAR: She does deserve it.

SANCHEZ: Her co-anchor, Julia Dunn, also happens to be expecting and gave her partner in crime some well-deserved props.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DUNN: But that's three and a half, three hours of news.

JAQUITH: That's right.

DUNN: In contractions. I think that's a first for CBS.

JAQUITH: All right. Well, hopefully I don't see you tomorrow, but make sure you join Julia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:00:00]

KEILAR: All right. What a super mom. Julia -- no, that was Olivia. Julia is her co-anchor. But make sure you join Julia. Olivia Jaquith, unbelievable.

SANCHEZ: Incredible, but also --

KEILAR: The hospital is boring to sit around in, though.

SANCHEZ: Yes but also like you're going to stay a three. We do a three hour show. It's tough. I'm not pregnant and I constantly am thinking about running away. KEILAR: Fact check. True. He's not pregnant.

And "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

END