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Trump Says He Doesn't Want to Hurt Peace Talks With New Russia Sanctions; Stylist Says He Heard Combs Threaten Ventura Multiple Times; LAPD Officer, Arson Expert Detail Incidents Involving Kid Cudi; Cassie Ventura Reportedly Welcomes Third Child; Axios Reports Stephen Miller, DHS Secretary Noem Demanding Immigration Agents Seek to Arrest 3,000 People Per Day; Georgia College Student Mistakenly Pulled Over Speaks Out Days After Being Freed From ICE Custody. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired May 28, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:42]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": -- about rapper Kid Cudi's burned out Porsche as a stylist testifies that Combs frequently threatened his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura's career.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": And then later, her case has divided the small Georgia town where she was raised. We're going to talk to the teenager who is facing deportation despite officials admitting she was initially arrested by mistake. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

SANCHEZ: Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon. I'm Boris Sanchez alongside Brianna Keilar in our nation's capitol. And happening right now, sanctions are on hold despite President Donald Trump recently saying he was "absolutely open to new sanctions on Russia." after its record setting assaults across Ukraine. Today, the Trump, the President, I should say, appeared to take a step back, listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What stopped you from imposing new sanctions on Russia?

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Only the fact that if I think I'm close to getting a deal, I don't want to screw it up by doing that. Let me tell you, I'm a lot tougher than the people you're talking about, but you have to know when to use that. If I think it's going to hurt the deal --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Let's go now to CNN's Kristen Holmes at the White House. Kristen, the president gave a new timeline for when he says he'll know that Putin is serious about peace, two weeks. Do we know why? KRISTEN HOLMES, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We don't know why he used that number, but one caveat I can give you is that he's used that number time and time again, and it has been much longer than two weeks, particularly in the context of the Ukraine and Russia war. He used two weeks when he was asked, is Ukraine doing enough? He said, he'll know in two weeks. He was asked, do you trust Putin at one point, he said he would know in two weeks. And now, of course, the question was, when will you know? Or do you still believe that Putin wants peace? And this is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe the Russians are being disrespectful when they say that your criticisms of Putin are simply an emotional response? And do you still believe that Putin actually wants to end the war?

TRUMP: I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks. Within two weeks, we're going to find out very soon. We're going to find out whether or not he's tapping us along or not. And if he is, we'll respond a little bit differently, but it'll take about a week and a half, two weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: So two things to note here. One, he ignored those questions about the Kremlin kind of goading him. They have said that Trump's responses are just emotional. He ignored that part of the question. But the other part of this is that there is a bit of a difference now than when he has answered this question and used this two weeks in the past, which is Donald Trump, we know behind closed doors is growing increasingly frustrated with Vladimir Putin. We know that sanctions are on the table.

Of course, he says now that if they are close to a deal, he will not issue any additional sanctions, but that he would if it seems that it's not going in that direction. But the other part of this that we know is that Vladimir Putin made commitments to Donald Trump in that two-and-a-half hour long phone call that they had. He committed to drafting and sending what he called a 'Memorandum of Peace,' which would list out Russia's requirements for a ceasefire in the Ukraine war.

We also know he promised that he would do that quickly. It has been over a week since the two leaders sat down, and that itself, with the escalation in attacks that we have seen in Ukraine at the hand of Vladimir Putin, both of those things are adding to Trump's frustration. So, we'll see if that has anything to do with this timeline.

KEILAR: Yeah, maybe in two weeks. Kristen Holmes, thank you so much for that. So after President Trump accused Russia's Vladimir Putin of playing with fire, Russian state media is now making fun of President Trump. RT, formerly Russia Today, posting on X, "Trump's message leaves little room for misinterpretation until he posts the opposite tomorrow morning." CNN Military Analyst, Retired Major General James "Spider" Marks is with us now.

So General Marks, Russian state media doesn't just unilaterally make fun of the president of the United States. We've heard recently from the spokesman for the Kremlin, calling, saying that Trump was having emotional overload. There's this tone that is being used that is a little different right now. How are you viewing this?

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I would say that the Editor of RT probably is Putin himself, and I'm not being facetious. I mean, things are not going to be stated publicly that will not get his approval, at least in advance, or at least the confidence that it won't get some type of punishment if it's not -- it doesn't accord with what he wants. I'm looking at all of this and I realize that the president is, as he stated, getting frustrated with Putin, but Putin in the vernacular, he has blowing him off.

There is nothing that this administration has indicated that it will then step up some degree of an incentive for Putin to stop what he's doing. Sanctions, there are ways around sanctions. Economic sanctions can be very powerful, but they always have a much longer horizon in terms of how they affect decision makers.

[14:05:00]

So, economic sanctions at this point may have an effect six, eight, 12 months down the road. Good, let's start that. But in the immediate timeframe, if you're looking for some type of a result in 14 days, whatever that period is, there has to be some significant pain that Putin and his military feels on the ground, so that the military turns around and says, look, we're running out of airspeed and altitude here. This is very difficult.

KEILAR: And we should note, this is a significant development that European allies and the U.S. have given Ukraine the go ahead to fire long-range missiles into Russia. Germany is also going to be helping Ukraine develop new long-range weapons that can hit targets inside of Russia. You've heard Russia's response. They say this is dangerous, and that is in a way, that's sort of Putin's way of reminding people that Russia is a nuclear power. But I wonder if this ability, this OK that has been given to Ukraine, changes the dynamics of the war, or does that just allow Ukraine to maintain, essentially a stalemate.

MARKS: It can maintain -- it can really change the dynamics. Ukraine can maintain what it has right now, but it can also increase the punishment against the Russian forces as they continue to feed into the fight. Look, long-range fires go after logistics sites. They go after -- they go after forces that are forming before they're deployed. It's going after communications, headquarters, et cetera. That is all fair game in terms of engagement.

Ukrainians should not waste any of that capability going after strategic targets, political targets. Don't go beyond the theater of operations and force Russia to make a decision in terms of how they're going to prosecute this war. That's the quickest way to getting a discussion about what a ceasefire might look like. KEILAR: Reuters has three Russian sources saying that Putin's conditions for ending the war in Ukraine include a demand that Western leaders pledge in writing to stop enlarging NATO eastwards and lift a chunk of sanctions on Russia. Is that -- I mean, how do you view that? Is that an opening salvo? Is that a poison pill?

MARKS: Well, I think it is a negotiation tactics, right? Our president understands that very well. Look, these are statements that Putin wants to establish as minimums, but we have told -- we told Putin in the past, we were never going to expand east that NATO would not go east. Well, it did. And so, he views us through a very skeptical filter. It's OK to enter into the discussion and say, we understand that you don't want any more expansion and that you need some type of guarantees that there will be a peace process moving forward.

I don't know that that's a poison pill at all. What it is, is a statement of what he's looking for. We move into a period where we can have a discussion of what that in-state looks like. Look, it could look much different than just a peace accord or an armistice, maybe a division of Ukraine, not unlike Berlin, Post-World War II. These are all options that need to be discussed.

KEILAR: Trump was asked by a reporter earlier today what had stopped him from imposing new sanctions on Russia. And he said, only the fact that if I think I'm close to getting a deal, I don't want to screw it up by doing that. Any indication to you that he is close to getting a deal here with Russia?

MARKS: There's nothing that I see that indicates that Putin is of the mind that he now is incentivized to stop doing what he's doing. He enjoys where he is. He's the leader of a nation that's being -- that an aggrieved nation, historically, that's always been aggrieved, that's at war right now. He is in the catbird seat, and I think he's got the momentum. There has to be some real punishment that he feels immediately to change that perspective.

KEILAR: All right. General "Spider" Marks. Thank you so much for the analysis. We do appreciate it.

And now, to the latest in the Sean "Diddy" Combs racketeering and sex trafficking trial. Right now, the jury is hearing some more of this explosive testimony actually from a stylist who worked for Combs and Cassie Ventura, Comb's ex-girlfriend. Moments ago, that stylist, Deonte Nash described a physical altercation that he says he saw back in 2013 or 2014 when he says, Combs attacked Ventura during a fight that, ultimately, led to Ventura needing stitches.

SANCHEZ: Nash testified that he and Combs' then assistant, who's being identified as Mia in this trial, saw Combs hit and kick Ventura until she hit her head on the bed frame. The stylist then saying that Combs didn't stop until he saw Ventura bleeding, adding that Combs "panicked" when he saw the blood. Nash says that's when Combs told him, "Look what y'all made me do." With us now as Attorney and Legal Affairs Commentator Areva Martin. Areva, thanks so much for being with us. So, Deonte Nash is back on the stand. What stood out to you so far from his testimony?

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AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Well, Boris, what Deonte Nash has done is, he's corroborated the kind of violence that Cassie Ventura and others have testified to in this trial. He's also buttressed the claim of force and coercion. We know he's also testified that he witnessed Sean "Diddy" Combs threaten to withhold releasing a mixtape, mixtape that was very important to Cassie Ventura's career. So, he is corroborating the prosecution's case that Sean Combs used force and coercion to compel Cassie Ventura to engage in freak offs. And he used them to threaten her career in a way that forced her to stay in this violent relationship.

KEILAR: He also testified that Combs threatened to get Cassie Ventura's parents fired from their jobs. And that's not the first time that at least one of her parents has entered into the scene in this testimony. I wonder though, Areva, is that enough? Is that expansive enough to get to the heart of coercion, racketeering, that kind of thing?

MARTIN: Well, Brianna, that one piece of testimony by itself may not be sufficient to get to the burden of proof that the prosecution has as it relates to the racketeering charge. But you have to look at the cumulative nature of the testimony that's been provided, from all of the witnesses. And we are hearing testimony from these witnesses that Sean "Diddy" Combs used his empire, his music empire to threaten, to intimidate, to bribe, and to harass a range of individuals including Cassie Ventura's mother. So I think that testimony, again, is a part of that cumulative testimony that's very damning to Sean Combs' defense in this case.

SANCHEZ: And earlier today, we heard from Los Angeles Fire Arson Investigator Lance Jimenez. They talked extensively about the arson of Kid Cudi's car. Why is that such an important part of the case and does it speak solely to the idea that Diddy was dangerous and -- or at least the implication that he was dangerous? Or is this part of a bigger picture in terms of trying to advance that RICO charge?

MARTIN: Oh, absolutely, Boris. We know that there were several crimes cited in the indictment, and it include sex trafficking and arson. So, the testimony from this fire investigator goes directly to that arson charge. Now look, the police department, the fire department, no one has been able to specifically tie Sean Combs to that arson, to that blowing up of Kid Cudi's car. But there is enough circumstantial evidence, there's enough inferences that can be drawn from the testimony that I think will leave many jurors, if not all of them, concluding that Combs had something to do with the fire that was set in the rapper's car.

KEILAR: We should also note, and this is just coming out now, that Cassie Ventura has welcomed her third child according to reports.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, this is reporting from Lisa Respers France of CNN. She was obviously a central witness in this case. She's given birth to her third child. This is being reported by multiple outlets. Obviously, her husband, Alex Fine was featured in this trial as well as defense attorneys try to keep him out of the courtroom and they try to prevent the jury from seeing her as being -- as pregnant as she was during her testimony. Areva Martin, always appreciate the perspective. We appreciate you joining us. We'll, of course, keep track of the case and continue to have a conversation.

MARTIN: Thank you, Boris. Thank you, Brianna.

KEILAR: And still to come, one of the world's top A.I. developers issues a blunt and frankly scary warning. Hear why he's predicting a white collar bloodbath as soon as next year, plus the Education Secretary speaking out about President Trump's attacks on Harvard. She says universities will be able to continue their search as long as they're "in sync with the Trump administration."

SANCHEZ: But first, Ximena Arias-Cristobal's parents brought her to the U.S. when she was just four years old, and now 15 years later, she's facing deportation. We're going to talk to this Georgia teenager, whose case has divided Trump voters in her rural Georgia town. That and much more coming up on "CNN News Central." Don't go anywhere.

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SANCHEZ: New today, key Trump administration officials reportedly want to ramp up the pace of his immigration crackdown to 3,000 arrests per day. Sources telling Axios that during a tense meeting last week, Stephen Miller and HHS Secretary Kristi Noem demanded that agents triple the number of daily arrests that they were making despite recent border crossing numbers plummeting.

Immigration advocates are warning that this push could lead to more wrongful detentions and also, the deportation of undocumented immigrants with no criminal record, who have lived in the United States for years and who are otherwise contributing members of their communities. One such case has made headlines in Georgia where a college student who is wrongfully pulled over, wound up detained by ICE for weeks over her undocumented status.

Ximena Arias-Cristobal is now out on bond and she's speaking out after she was accused of making an improper turn and lacking a driver's license earlier this month in Dalton, and she was arrested. Following a review of dash cam footage though police determined that, Ms. Arias- Cristobal's vehicle appeared similar to the offending vehicle, but was not the vehicle that made an improper turn. The citations against her were dropped, but the 19-year-old remained in detention for two weeks because of her legal status.

[14:20:00]

Coincidentally, in the same detention center as her father who's also undocumented. Both were later released on bond and then reunited with their family. But where things go from here is uncertain. Born in Mexico, Ximena came to the United States with her parents at four- years-old. Her attorneys are now exploring options for her to stay in the country, including an investigation they hope could lead to what's known as a U-visa, a type of visa set aside for victims of certain crimes, who've suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.

False imprisonment, we should point out, is listed as one qualifying criminal activity. We're joined now live by Ximena Arias-Cristobal. Thank you so much for being with us, Ximena. First and foremost, just how are you doing through all this?

XIMENA ARIAS-CRISTOBAL, DETAINED BY ICE AFTER MISTAKEN TRAFFIC STOP: I'm doing OK through everything, but it's hard

SANCHEZ: And I understand that you are scared in part to leave your home. I wonder what advice your attorneys have given you about what you should be doing at your activities as these proceedings play out in court.

ARIAS-CRISTOBAL: They've advised me to stay at home as much as I can, and if I do go out, because they know some people have to go out at times, to be very careful and just be very cautious of my surroundings and know that not everybody has the best interest.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. I want to kind of step back and get a better understanding for the circumstances in which you find yourself in. When did you first learn that you were undocumented?

ARIAS-CRISTOBAL: I think I was around -- it was very early on. I was probably around six or seven. My parents made it very clear and ever since then, I've known.

SANCHEZ: Had they taken steps prior to all of this to attain legal status? Had that been something ongoing?

ARIAS-CRISTOBAL: Yes, it was. I know a lot of people think we've been here 15 years, we had enough time to obtain citizenship. But to be honest, it's very, very hard to obtain citizenship or residency. We tried various times. We hired lawyer after lawyer, asking what's the pathway to citizenship, residency or a permit. And they just told us, you have to wait for something to change or you have to wait for Ximena to get older and get married, or have U.S. citizen children. There was never a clear path for us.

SANCHEZ: And I just want to make sure, had you ever been arrested before? Had you ever been accused or charged of any crime?

ARIAS-CRISTOBAL: No, absolutely not. I had never been in any type of problem anywhere.

SANCHEZ: So, what do you say to the Trump administration and those who argue that by simply being here, you're breaking the law?

ARIAS-CRISTOBAL: I'm -- my family and I were aware that we broke the law by being here without the proper documentation. But I think we tried to take the steps to do so, and the system didn't really allow us to. So, I would just tell them to be a little bit understanding, be a little bit compassionate towards people in my situation who truly don't have a criminal record, who are working, who are a great example of what a citizen should look like. They should give us an opportunity and find a way for us to be able to be here legally.

SANCHEZ: I remember watching the dash cam video of your arrest. It was startling for you, I could tell, because at one point when the officer said that you were under arrest, you responded with that you couldn't miss final exams. You're majoring, I understand, in finance at Dalton State where you were in scholarships to attend. I wonder with that in context, what would it mean for your future to be deported and to return to Mexico?

ARIAS-CRISTOBAL: I'm not 100 percent sure, but it would be very hard for me to start college in Mexico. Although, I am fluent in Spanish and I'm able to read it, it'll be very difficult being -- having to write and just go into college where it's full Spanish. And I just think it'll be very hard to be able to take that up again if I was in Mexico.

[14:25:00]

SANCHEZ: Have you made any contingency plans, in case you do get deported, do you have any family or a support system there? Or would you essentially be moving to a place that you don't really know?

ARIAS-CRISTOBAL: Essentially, I would be moving to a place I don't really know, although I do have family in Mexico. It's not family that I'm close to, so most of them I haven't met. So I would be moving to a place I'm not familiar with.

SANCHEZ: I understand that your attorneys are now investigating your arrest in the hopes that it could help you attain this U-visa, which is meant for crime victims. A skeptical person might say that people get pulled over by mistake all the time. I wonder why you think it is that what happened to you qualifies as a crime?

ARIAS-CRISTOBAL: I'm not 100 percent -- I couldn't really speak on that because I'm not very educated on that topic. But just because it was a false arrest and they did pull over the wrong vehicle, it falls into the category. So fortunately, for me and my family, if that is the step we can take, then it will be best for us. But I'm not quite sure. I can't really speak on it as much because I'm not really sure.

SANCHEZ: Sure. Understood. I do wonder what it's like to be in your community right now because I know that 70 percent of Whitfield County where you're from voted for President Trump and also about one-third of the people in your community are immigrants. Many of them I imagine in similar circumstances, not having papers. Do you see the community as having changed since all of this happened? What have you heard from folks around you? Neighbors.

ARIAS-CRISTOBAL: I do. We have a lot of friends around here and we've just heard that Hispanics are taking a lot more precaution being out and just being a lot safer with what they're doing. As for people that voted for Trump, I think my situation in some way opened some of their eyes because I think whenever they voted for Trump, they thought, OK, we're going to get all the criminals out. And then they see that I got arrested, somebody that was in college, volunteered in the community and they saw what had happened to me, and it kind of made them feel a different way towards them voting for Trump.

SANCHEZ: And Ximena, there's an untold people -- there's an untold number of people, I should say, in this country that are in your same situation. There are young people who fear they may be deported despite having built their lives in the United States. What would you say to those folks?

ARIAS-CRISTOBAL: I'd say to be very cautious with how they go about their everyday life. But I would also want them to know that, that piece of document doesn't define them as a person. And that with the voice I have right now, I'm going to try to spread awareness about the situation a lot of people face. And hopefully, there's some kind of movement in the system that can help people like us who really are contributing to the United States and not breaking any laws.

SANCHEZ: Ximena Arias-Cristobal, we are so grateful that you've shared your story with us. Please keep us posted on what comes next and we wish you good luck.

ARIAS-CRISTOBAL: I will. Thank you so much for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Next, one of the world's top A.I. developers says the technology is going to cure cancer, but also could cause an unemployment rate of 20 percent. We'll look at how people feel about A.I. and what it could mean for our society. And you submitted questions about Singer Billy Joel's rare brain diagnosis. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here to answer them. Stay with us.

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