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Trump Hosts Private Dinner For Investors In His Crypto Coin; Multiple People Dead After Plane Crashes Into San Diego Neighborhood; HHS Secretary: Chronic Diseases Report Is Diagnostic, Solutions To Follow. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired May 23, 2025 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Democrats called it an "orgy of corruption" with mystery guests buying access to the Oval Office, but the White House says nothing to see here. Trump was doing it in his own person time.

With us now is Alyssa Farah Griffin, CNN political commentator and former Trump White House communications director.

So I spoke to a New York Times reporter who covers cryptocurrency yesterday and our own Jeff Zeleny also looked at this, and this is basically on its face just a money-making enterprise for Trump family businesses. It's like what I like to call a single entendre. It's one thing and sort of one thing only, Alyssa.

How far do you think that President Trump is willing to take this?

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Yeah, this is really hard to justify even among the president's supporters because it feels to blatant. And frankly, he was somebody who got a lot of support from sort of the cryptocurrency community during the campaign. But then when he came out with this meme coin a lot of them were really disappointed in him because it felt like it undervalued the argument around the move toward crypto.

And listen, in the first term obviously there was Trump Hotel and a lot of reporting of people staying at his Washington hotel to kind of curry favor. That was one thing because he is a real estate mogul. That's always been the family business. This feels a lot more direct pay to play because it's something he created in the leadup to going into the White House. He's offering perks and access to the White House.

So I think even with Republicans it's kind of hard to defend.

BERMAN: Yeah. Look, Lisa Murkowski, often a critic of President Trump, says, "I don't think it would be appropriate for me to charge people to come into the Capitol and take a tour."

And then Cynthia Lummis, Republican from Wyoming who is not a frequent critic of the president, says, "This is my president we're talking about, but I am willing to say that this gives me pause."

And you talked about pay to play. I mean, this is also just pay to pay. I mean, this is just flat out a way to inflate meme coin offering tours of the White House.

GRIFFIN: Yeah. And I would note Sen. Lummis was also the chair of the crypto caucus within the Senate. She's a big supporter of crypto herself. So I think there's also probably a policy element of that with her criticisms of it's kind of a silly and unserious thing -- these meme coins -- and people who care about that within that community really don't like that he's doing this.

But, I mean, that's very clearly what it is. It's about access. It's about pay to play. And I think it speaks to the fact that Donald Trump doesn't really feel held back by some of the ethical standards that perhaps those around him wanted to enforce in the first term. He feels very empowered that he's going to do things his way. He's not going to be as concerned about the good old-fashioned norms we used to talk about.

And the question I always come back to is, like, does the American public care? Does it break through in the news cycle that we live in? And unless it does in a major way it sometimes feels like it may just be noise.

BERMAN: Yeah, it is interesting. You do start to hear some people on the right in the media -- you know, some of these conservative podcasters and the like raising questions, although they do it in every friendly ways about this type of activity. This is something they think goes too far. Whether they're willing to drum up and make it a bigger deal, I guess that's what remains to be seen.

On a separate front, though I guess somewhat related, we had this moment inside the Oval Office where President Trump really ambushed the leader of South Africa and played this video. Inside the video the president claimed there were these burial mounds or funeral locations from what he claimed to be dead white farmers in South Africa. Well, Reuters is reporting that those pictures aren't even from South Africa. They're from Congo.

Which, again, it just begs the question, Alyssa, do you think the White House even cares about getting this right?

GRIFFIN: I mean, I think it speaks to the flow of information to the president -- to the most powerful man on the planet.

I looked back and in 2018 he did kind of push this sort of myth around South African farmers and there being a genocide but he kind of never spoke about it again. He had Mike Pompeo put out a statement about it. And it kind of was tamped down in the first term but this has kind of been a repeated refrain in this second term. I'm sure the Elon Musk of it is a factor.

I think it just goes to show that there's a way to get information to the president that may not be vetted. That may not be accurate. And that I'm uncertain if he -- if he cares or not because I just don't know. Has somebody -- has a staffer gone to him and said, "Hey, this isn't accurate. It's actually -- these are not -- you know, this is not the right information." I don't get the sense that there's as much of an appetite in this term from advisers around him to be the bad guy and go in and just (audio gap).

BERMAN: All right, Alyssa Farah Griffin. We appreciate you. Thank you so much for being with us this morning -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning the NTSB is in San Diego investigating what caused a small business jet to crash into a San Diego neighborhood early yesterday. Six people were on board the flight -- six people were on board the flight and police say at least two of them are now confirmed dead. They also don't believe anyone else on board survived.

[07:35:05]

The images coming out of the aftermath are astonishing. Jet fuel spilled all over the street, setting fire to homes and cars all along the way. Eight people on the ground were injured. It seems remarkable that no one living in that neighborhood was seriously injured or killed.

CNN's Stephanie Elam is in San Diego following all of this. Stephanie, this -- the story started coming out in the middle of our show yesterday and the video coming in and the stories from what really happened, it's really astonishing and shocking.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's beyond miraculous that no one on the ground was killed, Kate, especially when you look at this house behind me and you see how impacted it is. I can tell you that according to law enforcement officials neighbors were helping neighbors to get out of this house -- out of these houses, including this one here.

But keep in mind it's 3:45 in the morning. Everyone's sound asleep. It's quiet in this suburban neighborhood of all military families who are -- have someone in the family who is in the Navy. They're asleep. One person saying they heard a big boom and then another one, and then they jumped into action.

We know that this plane, just to back it up here, took off around 11:00 p.m. from Teterboro Airport, which is outside of New York City in New Jersey. It refueled in Wichita, Kansas before flying here to San Diego where it was coming to land at this Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport about two miles away from where I am now.

We know that it was foggy. I can tell you it was foggy when I was driving down here from Los Angeles yesterday. The weather conditions were not great, and it was in the middle of the night.

In fact, take a listen to the air traffic control call between the pilot of the plane and the tower talking about the weather. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CONTROLLER: For 0955 Zulu with wind calm. Visibility one half and indefinite ceiling 200.

PILOT: All right. That doesn't sound great, but we'll give it a go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: So what we know is that the plane came in from this direction. In fact, this tree over here I can tell was clipped by it. It came in this way, hit some power lines on the street behind this house -- these row of houses where I am. A wing is actually in the street. We could see that. I saw that yesterday. It came across this way, hit this house, and then the jet fuel spread down the street setting these cars on fire. It's really just this block that's deeply impacted, but there's a larger debris field.

I did ask the NTSB yesterday. They said they're working. They do believe there's a flight data recorder that they will try to get off of the plane to learn more about it. They're hoping to move that fuselage of the plane this weekend to continue their examination of it.

But we do know that nobody else died here. It is amazing, it is miraculous. And what we have learned that while no one on the street here died, people on the plane died. And we're learning more about that now that this group Sound Talent Group, according to the Associated Press, is saying three of their employees lost their lives, including one of the co-founders of the company, Dave Shapiro, who also owned that plight and was -- that plane and was a pilot. Just unclear at this point whether or not he was flying, Kate.

BOLDUAN: It's just so sad.

Stephanie, thank you so much. Much more to learn from that investigation for sure -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. The day after delivery an emotional tribute to his wife Hailey while accepting the NBA's Most Valuable Player award. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played like an MVP on the court in last night's game two against the Timberwolves. He led the Thunder to another big win over Minnesota.

CNN's Amanda Davies joining us now. What a week he's having. But I've got to say that speech to his wife and that emotion -- every woman was, like, now that's the way I want my husband to treat me.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ANCHOR: Can you imagine what his wedding speech would have been like if that was his MVP speech, Sara? I mean, it was so hard not to be touched, wasn't it, by that incredibly emotional MVP winning speech.

And from that, on Thursday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander channeled the emotion onto the court and showed exactly why he's been given the honor of Most Valuable Player this season, tying his career playoff high score with 38 points. The Oklahoma City Thunder take victory in game two of the Western Conference Finals over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He's now scored 30 or more points in five straight games, tying the longest streak in franchise playoff history.

But you wonder how game two of the Pacers-Knicks series lives up to what we saw in game one at Madison Square Garden. Has everybody recovered yet? I don't know.

The four-seed Pacers with that improbable comeback that say Tyrese Haliburton channel a bit of the great Reggie Miller of his setback game-tying shot from 23 feet at the buzzer as they took victory. The tension is high and so are the stakes as they look to make it 2-0 heading back to Indiana.

[07:40:08]

And even as she focuses on the Fever's WNBA campaign, Caitlin Clark admitted it's impossible not to get swept up in the excitement around this series.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAITLIN CLARK, GUARD, INDIANA FEVER: I videotaped myself -- like, the final play -- and I have my reaction in real time. And it's a pretty iconic video. Maybe one day everybody will see it but, no, not right now. It's great being in Indianapolis right now. People are loving basketball. But it's always been a basketball state so it's fun to be a part of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: Well, that was Caitlin Clark speaking before an unusually disappointing night for her on court. Her first game in 1,225 days without scoring a three-pointer dating all the way back to January of 2022. And you could see her frustrations. This exchange with Atlanta Dream player Rhyne Howard. Clark finished on just 11 points on four for 11 shooting. But the Fever got the win against the Dream 81 points to 76.

And afterwards, as is now seemingly becoming a little bit of a tradition, Clark giving her shoes to another young fan as a special memento. There are some incredible videos of these doing the rounds on social media.

But you wonder how much money people would pay for that video of her watching game one of the Pacers the other night.

SIDNER: Listen, these games are just so exciting, and I love to see how incredible the WNBA has become over these many years.

Amanda Davies, thank you so much.

John, I don't want to put salt in the wound but I'm going to because it's Friday and I can leave and run away, and you can't be mad at me. But if you have not seen -- which I don't think you have -- this speech by Shai to his wife you should go watch it and then just copy exactly the words and tell that to your wife. You will have the best weekend ever.

BERMAN: I say that every day and every night. I don't have to have an MVP speech to deliver them. Now you feel bad.

SIDNER: I do.

BERMAN: What I was going to say is that we should start, you know -- maybe because Caitlin Clark gives her shoes away, maybe we give our socks away after each show --

SIDNER: Ooh, that would be disgusting.

BERMAN: -- to people -- to people waiting outside the studio here.

SIDNER: Yes.

BOLDUAN: That is so gross.

BERMAN: But genius at the same time. All right.

SIDNER: Yeah, sure.

BERMAN: Thank you very much.

This morning do not trust the medical experts who say don't give away your socks. The new message from Health Secretary Robert Kennedy.

And a break-in, a dog held hostage, and ravaged Christmas presents. The explosive new testimony in the criminal trial of Sean Combs.

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:46:53]

BOLDUAN: A commission was formed by the president and a report was promised. And yesterday, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again commission unveiled their findings laying out what it says are the causes of a rise in chronic illness in the United States arguing as part of this report ultra processed foods, environmental toxins, and over-medicating our -- what are driving childhood -- a rise in childhood chronic illnesses, especially in children. The report now calls for new studies, including into childhood vaccines.

On CNN last night, the HHS secretary explained it all this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: This exercise was really a diagnostic exercise. And it's important because this has never happened in the federal government where you have all the agencies recognizing we have a chronic disease crisis.

This was just the diagnostics. Sixty days from now we put out the prescription. So we will put out a series of policies to address this issue and to eliminate the chronic diseases.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BOLDUAN: Joining me right now is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, Dr. Ashish Jha. He's also the former White House COVID-19 response coordinator. Dr. Jha, thank you for being here.

I want to read for you the way that Dr. Peter Lurie, the president of an influential nonprofit consumer advocacy group, put it to The New York Times.

"It binds together [this report] in a glossy report the ideas that the secretary had before the report was written." And he called the document a "...cherry-picked recapitulation of the secretary's own pet peeves." Adding, "...to the extent that it has good ideas, this administration seems hellbent on making them difficult to implement."

You saw this report. What do you make of it?

DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, FORMER WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE COORDINATOR (via Webex by Cisco): Yeah. Well, first of all, Kate, thanks for having me back.

Look, first of all, the report talks about how chronic disease is as bad as ever. It fails to mention that childhood mortality -- the thing we probably care about the most -- is as low as ever largely because of vaccines.

The second is it's great to see the secretary talking about chronic disease. Many of us in public health have been talking about eating healthier and more exercise.

The problem here is that the words don't match the action. While he's talking about these things, he eliminated the office of Chronic Disease Prevention at the CDC. They're gutting research into these issues.

So I appreciate the secretary's words that these are important issues. We, of course, in public health agree. But the actions really don't match what he's saying.

BOLDUAN: Dr. Jha, one of his focuses is -- we have seen for a long time is rehashing established science around autism and also focusing and finding a root case of it. And when he was speaking to Kaitlan Collins yesterday, he said in six months they are going to "know the answers" of the cause of autism.

But this is part of -- I think of it -- maybe I'm using the wrong wording but a circular logic problem with Secretary Kennedy. He continues to say don't trust established science, a la vaccines and autism, so they're going to retest it all.

[07:50:05]

But then he says don't trust the experts. That you should do your own research. The experts being, you would assume, some of the people conducting said research.

Let me play this for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNEDY: Trusting the experts is not a feature of science. It's not a feature of democracy. It's a feature of religion and totalitarianism. The -- what we should do is trust the science. And we are going to do the science, and the science is going to be reputable and it's going to be gold standard. People should not be taking medical advice from somebody who is not a physician, but they should -- and they should also be skeptical about any medical advice. They need to do their own research.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: What do you think of that message?

JHA: Yeah. So look, Kate, if you got cancer tomorrow you would go and get an opinion from an oncologist -- an expert. You absolutely should do that. It's also totally reasonable to go get a second opinion from a second oncologist. No one says you should have blind faith in whatever experts tell you. Getting a second opinion is completely reasonable. But asking some random guy down the street, "Hey, what kind of cancer treatment do you think I should get?" is not actually how do we do this.

I think what Secretary Kennedy is doing is undermining expertise. Expertise, actually, for these complicated issues does matter. It's important to have a debate. It's important to get second opinions. But he is really trying to undermine people's confidence (PH) in the entire enterprise, and that's hugely problematic from a health point of view.

BOLDUAN: And it's one thing when he said it when he was a private citizen with a bold-faced name. It's another thing when he is the secretary of Health and Human Services, which is a whole different ballgame.

Before I let you go, I want to ask you about the Trump administration's move banning Harvard from enrolling international students now. You went to Harvard Med School. You worked at Harvard.

I'm seeing researchers like Dr. Michael Mina, who I follow very closely, kind of draw a real line here from this move by the Trump administration to now threatening science, like what we were just talking about.

Michael Mina wrote a remarkable -- called this "A remarkable escalation by Trump blocking international students from Harvard. For many labs, including the one I led, many of the most advanced research is done by international students and trainees. They are the core to Harvard's research."

What is your reaction to this?

JHA: Yeah. And, you know, it's Harvard today and it's going to be all American universities in the weeks and months ahead. This is hugely destructive and let me explain why. You know, there is

a great quote from a German physicist who won the Nobel Prize. And when Germany was going to recruit him back, he was asked why don't you go back to Germany. And he said look, if I go back to Germany -- a great country -- I'll have the brightest minds of Germany working up and down the hall. When I work at MIT, I have the brightest minds in the world working up and down the hall.

That's what made American science great. That's what the Trump administration is trying to destroy, and it's very, very harmful to the American people. So we have to push back on this.

BOLDUAN: Dr. Jha, it's really good to see you. Thank you for coming in -- John.

BERMAN: All right. This morning a Georgia teenager has been granted bond and reunited with her family after being held at an immigration detention center. Ximena Cristobal was pulled over for allegedly making an illegal right turn on red and arrested for not having her international or Georgia driver's license. And investigation into the case showed the police pulled over the wrong car. All traffic charges have been dropped though the state continues to pursue an immigration case against her.

This morning a family is safe after a group of teenagers saved them from a fire. Four New York teenagers were headed home from their junior prom when they saw the detached garage burning. They stopped their cars and one of them ran to the front door of the house to make sure no one was inside. Video shows him knocking on the door while the flames burn next to him. Two young girls opened the door in tears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AIDEN KANE, HELPED RESCUE FAMILY: Your house is on fire! Your house is on fire! It's on fire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know. My dad's calling the police.

KANE: You've got to get -- you guys have got to get out. Yeah, get out. Come on, get out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: A representative -- a family representative says the two girls, their father, and their dog were able to escape safely.

This morning heartbreak for fans of the penny. The U.S. Treasury is moving forward with plans to kill the one-cent coin. Officials say the U.S. Mint has made its final order of penny blanks and plans to stop producing the coin when that supply runs out.

You can still use pennies at the store and I'm sure retailers just love it when you show up with a bucket of them. There are currently about 114 billion pennies in circulation in the United States -- about half under couch cushions. That isn't an official estimate by the way. Some accounting notes here. Pennies cost more than three cents each to

produce. Nickels, though, are even worse. They cost nearly 14 cents apiece.

SIDNER: Oh.

BERMAN: So, math, Sara.

SIDNER: I'm going to have to turn in all my pennies. Maybe I can get three cents on the penny. What do you think?

BERMAN: No, no.

SIDNER: I don't think --

BOLDUAN: I like that shopping --

[07:55:00]

BERMAN: Try that.

BOLDUAN: -- a lot.

SIDNER: Hmm.

All right. The jury --

BOLDUAN: That's shocking.

SIDNER: -- in Sean Combs sex trafficking trial is on a break for the holiday weekend, but before hearing dramatic testimony from multiple witnesses Thursday.

Probably the most dramatic, rapper Kid Cudi. He testified about his brief relationship with Cassie Ventura. He said Ventura told him Combs assaulted her and that they broke up because Combs was so violent they were worried about their safety. He said they had a good reason to be because after Combs found out the two were dating, Kid Cudi testified Combs broke into his home, locked is dog in the bathroom, and opened some of his Christmas gifts. Then Cudi says his Porsche was later set on fire. He believes Combs is behind that too.

The rapper testified after all that he set up a meeting with Combs because things were "getting out of hand."

Joining me now CNN legal analyst Joe Jackson. So good to see you.

All right. This Kid Cudi testimony -- it reads like something out of a novel.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Um-hum.

SIDNER: He opened his Christmas presents. He was in the house. He had his dog basically a hostage in the bathroom. But it's actually very scary when you think about someone in your house doing all these strange things -- and this is his testimony, and the jury is sitting there listening to it.

What kind of impact -- what's the jury thinking when they hear this? How does this really help the prosecution's case?

JACKSON: Yeah, Sara. Good morning to you.

So obviously, it's major, right, and there's things for everyone in this.

Let's talk about the prosecution's perspective. Now we're firmly in RICO. What is RICO? It's racketeering. It's bad behavior. It's conspiring with others to do bad things. You're the king --

SIDNER: Intimidation, right?

JACKSON: Absolutely, and criminal activity. You're the head of this enterprise.

And so now you have a situation where he's engaging, by implication -- wasn't arrested, wasn't prosecuted -- but impliedly you're breaking into someone's home. You're taking the security cameras out. You're engaging in arson.

And there is a variety of pattern acts that prosecutors have to establish with respect to Diddy being the head of this enterprise. So for them, it's ginormous, right?

But defense will tell you not so fast. Number one, as I noted, he wasn't prosecuted or otherwise convicted of these things, so you're drawing a huge gap to say he did it. Number two, he's involved in this relationship and he told you, right -- that is, the Kid Cudi and Cassie relationship.

You heard about issues of abuse. Did he ever tell you anything about sexual abuse? No. Why? Tat goes to the issue of conspiracy, right? It goes to the issue of the coercion between --

SIDNER: Yeah.

JACKSON: -- the two, et cetera.

SIDNER: And the sex trafficking and all of that.

JACKSON: Yes, it does -- et cetera.

So what ends up happening is there's something for both sides. Prosecutors are going to take this to show and dirty Diddy up. Defense attorneys are going to say that he was just a jealous, raging lunatic and that doesn't make him a criminal. So that's how it plays.

SIDNER: Yeah. I mean, one of the lines that really stood out to everybody is that Kid Cudi sort of described what happened after the car fire and why he thinks that Combs was behind it. But as you point out there is no criminal action. There was no arrest or no charges against Sean Combs.

But he says, "Sean Combs was standing there staring out the window with his hands behind his back like a Marvel supervillain."

JACKSON: Yeah.

SIDNER: These are things that are going to ring in the jury's head for quite some time before the defense really ever gets its chance to put its case on, right?

JACKSON: Correct. And that's why, Sara, in cross-examination you want to elicit certain things, right? You want to elicit the fact that hey, you know what, there was no police report. There was nothing to indicate -- to connect him.

SIDNER: And why didn't you do that, et cetera?

JACKSON: Exactly right. You want to say hey, well, she was dating you, right? So clearly, the implication is she was well enough to date you. She had an out if she didn't want to be with Diddy. And by the way, were you aware that she was dating me as well, right? That's the issue.

And so if not, that's a level of manipulation. She didn't tell you. And, in fact, Cudi said he felt played. So what is the defense going to say in closing argument? Playing, right, that's manipulation. So was Cassie manipulating you, ladies and gentlemen, right, in terms of saying that she was coerced into this, or was it of her own free will?

So there's something for everyone. How both sides use it is going to be really the core issue. But what you see with Cudi is that prosecutors are getting into the RICO -- the racketeering, the criminal enterprise. And that's significant --

SIDNER: Yeah.

JACKSON: -- because that's count one.

SIDNER: Yeah, and it tends to be the harder thing to prove as you look at some of these RICO cases.

Thank you so much, Joey Jackson. I can see why you're an attorney. You're real good at this. You're really good at this.

JACKSON: You are very kind. Thank you, Sara.

SIDNER: Happy Friday. All right.

JACKSON: Always.

SIDNER: Kate.

BOLDUAN: Any moment now we are expecting to hear a verdict out of Paris in the trial of the group accused of that armed robbery against Kim Kardashian back in 2016. Some of them face up to 10 years in jail if convicted on all of these charges.

Let's get to Paris. CNN's Melissa Bell with much more. What are we standing by to learn? What are you hearing? MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kate, we heard from the 10 accused this morning. They all appeared in court. Now the jury has gone off for its deliberations and we expect it to be a few more hours before we hear what the sentences will be.