Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Appeals Court Pauses Ruling That Blocked Trump's Tariffs; Soon, Combs' Ex-Assistant and Alleged Victim Mia Returns to Stand; Knicks Force Game Six With 111-94 Win Over Pacers. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired May 30, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Tariff whiplash round a million, just hours after one court puts his tariffs on hold, a higher court puts a hold on that hold, letting the tariffs continue for now. The administration already looking for a plan B in case plan A is rejected by the Supreme Court.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are standing by for a new alleged victim to take the stand in the sex trafficking trial of Sean Combs, this as Suge Knight named again and again in testimony, call CNN from prison to respond.

And a stark warning that AI could cause mass unemployment within the next five years.

Sara is out this morning. I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: They were off and now they're on again. And, yes, we are talking tariffs and nothing short of the American economy, American business, the American consumer, and the president's agenda all at stake. A federal appeals court has now reinstated President Trump's sweeping tariffs against dozens of America's trading partners on a temporary basis. That twist comes less than 24 hours after the turn of a lower court halting most of Trump's tariff regime, saying that the president overstepped his authority.

Trump applauded the appeals court's decision and called on the Supreme Court now to step in. He also attacked the three-judge panel behind the earlier unanimous ruling blocking his tariffs, even asking where did they come from. Well, one of the two Republican appointees on that panel came from him. Trump himself appointed the judge.

Well, this all plays out a pretty consequential admission now from the treasury secretary that the trade talks with China are stalled.

CNN's Alayna Treene is at the White House. She's got much more for us. What could happen today, that is the unknowable. But what now, Alayna?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. Look, Kate, I mean, after a day of really allowing his advisers to speak for him. We did hear from the president directly on this, lashing out about this court decision, even though we saw the federal appeals court quickly step in and kind of revive the tariffs that the Court of International Trade had initially blocked.

Now you mentioned this, but he was particularly irked. You could see this in his very lengthy post on social media that one of the judges on that three-judge panel who decided this ruling was someone that he had pointed himself back during his first term. He argued he was newer to Washington. I would argue he was actually two years into his first term when he appointed that judge, and blamed others for telling him and recommending that judge to him.

But, look, he also asked that the Supreme Court step in immediately to decide this case. He argued that if he had allowed Congress to approve these tariffs initially, they would've sat around, he said, and decided weeks on what these type of levies should be.

Remember, this is the reason that the court said that he did not have the authority to impose these sweeping tariffs. They said he could not go around Congress by declaring that national economic emergency. And you also highlighted that point when he said backroom hustlers, a quote from him, should not be allowed to destroy the nation.

But while the president kind of was stewing over this all day yesterday, Kate, we did see many of his economic advisers go out, kind of do a tour on the media networks to try and make sense of these different rulings. And one of those people we heard from was Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He said essentially, quote, that the president has the right to set the trade agenda for the United States. But then he also argued that the legal setbacks weren't impacting the trade negotiations with a series of different partners.

However, one of the United States biggest trading partners, China, is one where he said some of the conversations have been stalled. I want you to listen to how he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: I would say that they are a bit stalled. I believe that we will be having more talks with them in the next few weeks.

This is going to require both leaders to weigh in with each other. They have a very good relationship. And I am confident that the Chinese will come to the table when President Trump makes his premises known.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:05:00]

TREENE: So, as you could hear there, not really projecting a lot of confidence in some of the talks with China. That comes after, of course, they had announced a couple weeks ago a broader trade agreement between the United States and China, trying to avoid some of the steepest tariffs that the president had placed on them. Now, it's down to 30 percent tariffs on China, but still not exactly looking like an optimistic picture of how those negotiations are going. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Yes. And also a little bit confusing that the president's preferences are not yet known. because that's what Bessent said. When they are known, they'll come to the table.

So, Alayna, thank you so, much more to come from the White House today. John?

BERMAN: All right, with us now, CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig. So, one of the cases paused at the appeals court level, the White House kind of wants to skip that middle level and take it right to the Supreme Court. What about that? Can that happen?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, John. It can happen. It's fairly rare. It's a process called direct review, where if you are the losing party, as at current, the White House actually is, even though there's a pause, they've technically lost at the district court level, you can say to the Supreme Court, we want you to skip that middle level court of appeals and take this case directly.

Now, you have to show some -- urgency because we need this tariff issue resolved. We -- all of us. However it's going to come out, I think people agree that we need a resolution. And I think it's worth noting, John, that direct review is rarely granted, but this current Supreme Court has granted it way more frequently than any recent Supreme Court. So, I think it's in play here.

BERMAN: Oh, that's interesting. So, this court does it more than others have in the past. So Elie, just to complicate things even more here, there's not just one, but there are actually two cases where the president's tariffs have been paused, or at least judges have ruled against them.

HONIG: Yes. Just to boggle the mind a bit more, Donald Trump has now lost two separate rulings on the merits, the one that we talked about before in the Court of International Trades. However, in both cases, those rulings are on hold. So, there's the first case, which is in the Court of International Trade, Donald Trump lost, but the court of appeals put that loss on hold, meaning the tariffs are still standing.

There's a separate case that came down yesterday from a separate federal court in Washington, D.C., where, again, Donald Trump lost on a slightly different legal basis. But that district court judge said, I'm ruling against Donald Trump, but I'm putting my own ruling on hold for 14 days as well to allow this court of appeals to rule it.

So, the current standing is Donald Trump has lost both cases, but both of those rulings are on hold. And as we sit here at 7:05 A.M. on Friday, May 30th, Trump's tariffs do still stand.

BERMAN: Yes, it's 7:07 now. They've made it those last two minutes past 7:05 to 7:07, Elie. No, but my point is who knows what's going to happen by 7:09. And on that point, I'm going to put you on the spot here. Do you think that that courts were ruled definitively, I suppose, would be the Supreme Court by say, July on this, or is that too soon?

HONIG: Oh, yes, I think so. I think courts are allowed to and need to take reality into account. We cannot have a situation where you have different rulings, potentially competing rulings. Look, we could get different rulings out of the Court of International Trade and the D.C. Court, which would be a total mess. Imagine if one said the tariffs are legal, the other said, tariffs are illegal. This is why we have a Supreme Court. This is why we need a Supreme Court. The financial markets, domestic policy, foreign policy, all need an answer here. So, yes, I do think we're going to get an answer by July.

BERMAN: All right, full employment act for CNN legal analysts in the next month. Elie Honig, thank you very much for your help here. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Don't worry, we'll always find more for him.

BERMAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, a CNN exclusive DHS Secretary Kristi Noem celebrated the arrest of an undocumented migrant who allegedly sent a letter threatening to kill President Trump. And now investigators believe that the man was set up.

Also, former rap mogul Suge Knight speaking to CNN from prison, urging his longtime rival, Sean Diddy Combs, to take the stand in his federal sex trafficking trial.

And tens of thousands of people now ordered to evacuate as massive wildfires are exploding and burning out of control across Canada and the threat of the dangerous and hazardous smoke reaching down into the United States.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

BOLDUAN: So, soon, the federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial of Sean Diddy Combs will resume with one of his alleged victims returning to the stand. Yesterday, the court heard really gut- wrenching testimony from a former assistant of Combs who is granted anonymity and known only to the public as Mia.

She testified that Combs sexually abused her and raped her. She broke down on the stand recalling what she described as violent outbursts and blackmail threats from Combs. And she also said that she witnessed Combs abuse Cassie Ventura and recalled one instance where she said she feared for Cassie's life.

Here's what she said in court, quote, I just saw him pick her up and I just thought he's actually going to kill her, and he slammed her head into the corner of the bed.

Joining me right now, CNN Legal Analyst and Criminal Defense Attorney Joey Jackson. Joey, really emotional testimony from this woman, talking about allegations of sexual abuse and the way our team in court described what they could see from her is worthy of repeating here. The way our team described her demeanor is this.

[07:15:02]

As she answered the prosecution's questions, Mia kept her head down for many of them. Her face was barely visible, looking up only a handful of times. And as she left for a short, midday break, her shoulders were hunched forward in a way that made her appear smaller, described as barely being able to get her voice above a whisper because of just how hard this was.

What impact can that, does that, will that have on a jury?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So, Kate, good morning. The answer is huge, right? Because remember, when you're testifying, the issue of credibility is so important with every witness. And now you add not only what you say and what you know, but to your demeanor and comportment, you're emotional, right? You're really reliving the experiences. And so from that perspective, it's huge.

From the perspective of what she had to say, even more so. Why? Because what happens is this is a long time employee. She's been there for eight years. Who would know better than the sobbing Mia? But more importantly, what did she say, Kate? I couldn't say no. You couldn't say no. And that goes to the issue of coerciveness, which goes to the issue of her corroborating and supporting Cassie, the star witness, who, about sex trafficking, really felt she had to do it.

So, really compelling, really important witness that checks a lot of boxes.

BOLDUAN: Yes. I mean, describe even in getting to that, describing how she, in getting pulled over, just saying that she worked for Diddy, got her out of ticket, I mean, there was a lot that they worked through on that.

So, then there's also Suge Knight. This is quite a moment. We've got Suge Knight, who's in prison, speaking with CNN's Laura Coates by phone yesterday. The two rappers, longtime known rivals.

The reason this is quite interesting and relevant is Suge Knight's name has come up over and over again --

JACKSON: It has.

BOLDUAN: -- in court, former staffers talking about how the rivalry was often discussed. From prison, Suge Knight then is offering advice to Sean Diddy Combs. Let me play this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUGE KNIGHT, : I feel if he do tell his truth, he would really would walk. If Puffy go up there and say, hey, I might have did weirdo things, I did all the drugs, I wasn't -- you know, I wasn't in control of my life at the time.

And he can, he can humanize his own self and the jury might give him a shot. But if they keep him sitting down, it's like he's scared to face the music.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Suge Knight says, show his advice again from prison, his advice is that he should -- that Diddy should take the stand. I mean, the number of times I've asked you what your advice would be, I don't know if you've ever said that a defense --

JACKSON: Should take.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Someone in trial should take the stand, but what do you say there?

JACKSON: So, it's a risky proposition, right? But let's say a couple of things. The first thing is that we have to keep our eye on the prize. This is an enterprise corruption case. It's a RICO case. What does that mean. So far, we've heard a lot of testimony about Diddy's horrific behavior. The fact that a jury could say, look, he's like, not human. This guy's a monster. That's compelling. But when you look at the statute, who were his underbosses? Who was he co-conspiring with to do it? We haven't seen it. And so the issue becomes, is his individualized behavior going to be enough to carry the day as it relates to RICO? Why is that relevant to your question?

Now, when you put a defendant on the stand, it just becomes about him. Do we like him? Do we believe him? There's been so much bad behavior about that. So, the defense can make the argument, look, this guy's a horrible guy, but is he a racketeer, right? Was he engaged in a continuous course of conduct that makes him a criminal of an underboss? Like is this what we're talking about? So, that's going to be the problem. And that's why you may want to keep him off. He'd have a lot of explaining to do if he was on the stand.

BOLDUAN: Almost like you can be a monster and also not be guilty of these charges that he's facing. And that would be exactly what they'd be up against.

JACKSON: That's the summary.

BOLDUAN: Let's -- no, you say it always better than I. I mean, I can barely ask a question. It's great to see. Thank you so much.

JACKSON: Thank you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Coming up still for us, Elon Musk set to appear with President Trump for what is being called his last day at the White House. And the president saying that Musk, quote, will always be with us, as he heads back to Tesla after pressure from his board.

And how do you spell victory, friends? Well, it depends on if you're John Berman, because you should see his spelling. The National Spelling Bee Champion was crowned last night in a dramatic comeback victory.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BERMAN: All right. To paraphrase the immortal words of Monty Python, they're not dead yet. The Knicks still have at least one basketball game to play this season.

CNN's Andy Scholes is with me this morning. They were dominant last night, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, they certainly look good, John. You know, the Knicks, though, they're 0-15 all-time when down 3-1 in his series. So, is this finally going to be the time they break through and pull off the epic comeback? Well, Knicks fans certainly hope so. And all the stars we're out once again for this one. Ben Stiller, Timothe Chalamet and, of course, Spike Lee all court side for game five, and they got to watch another fabulous game from Jalen Brunson, Knicks' star setting a tone from the start. He would score a game high 32 points.

Tyrese Haliburton, on the other hand, after that amazing game four, just eight points on seven shots. The Knicks never trailed. They win 111 to 94 to force a game six Saturday in Indy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS, NEW YORK KNICKS CENTER: We have no more room for error. You know, it's our backs against the wall and, you know, every game is do or die.

JALEN BRUNSON, NEW YORK KNICKS GUARD: Yes, I mean, everybody's backs against the wall. So, I mean, we got to give everything we got.

TYRESE HALIBURTON, INDIANA PACERS GUARD: As a group, I feel like we approached day the right way, but I feel like it could have been a lot better. So, you know, put it on me and, you know, I'll be better in game six.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right. The Oilers meanwhile eliminating the Stars and set up the 12th rematch in Stanley Cup finals history with the Panthers. And Connor McDavid showing why he's the best player in the world here with this incredible move for the goal.

[07:25:01]

Edmonton would win 6-3 to take the series in five.

Now, afterwards, McDavid, he touched the Clarence Campbell Bowl trophy, and it's a huge superstition in hockey to not touch the conference finals trophies and Edmonton fans, well, they were freaking out at the watch party.

So, McDavid said he didn't touch the trophy last year and they lost, so he was changing it up. But, man, look at the fans, they were certainly distraught seeing him touch that trophy. Look at that guy. The Softball World Series, meanwhile, it is underway. Oklahoma's the four time to defending champs, but they were in trouble in their first game. Last inning, down two, two on, two outs, their star, Ella Parker, crushes this one to center for the walk off three run home run. It was her second homer of the game. She was so happy she was in tears after scoring. O.U. wins 4-3 for a successful start to their quest for five straight titles.

All right, finally, we have a new spelling bee champion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your word is eclaircissement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eclaircissement, E-C-L-A-I-R-C-I-S-S-E-M-E-N-T, eclaircissement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Face-on is confident as they come spelling eclaircissement, a word none of us have ever heard, but he certainly knew it right away. The 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, avenging his laws from last year when he finished as the runner up.

Berman, I mean, how often do you use eclaircissement during the show and when you're writing scripts?

BERMAN: I'm pretty sure it's a made up word, Andy. I think they made up the word on the spot. They just put some different syllables together to see if he can spell it correctly, and he did. Like I can't spell my own name, so I'm very impressed when someone can spell a word longer than four letters-long. That's pretty amazing.

BOLDUAN: Do you know what it means?

BERMAN: Pretty, pretty amazing.

BOLDUAN: You know what it means?

BERMAN: What? I have no idea. What does it mean? Do you know? I don't know.

SCHOLES: Are you kidding? It means a to clear up of something obscure.

BOLDUAN: Exactly. It's perfect.

BERMAN: To clear up something obscure, like the spelling of the word itself.

SCHOLES: Eclaircissement, yes. We'll try to work it into the show next week at some point.

BERMAN: Yes, rating ratings will spike, no question. Andy Scholes, great to see you this morning. Thank you, as always. And I should say the spelling be winner who spells these obscure made up words will be with us later in the broadcast.

All right, his last day but not really. President Trump teasing a press conference today at the White House with Elon Musk.

And a, quote, white collar bloodbath, a new warning that artificial intelligence can wipe out half of all the entry level jobs in this country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:00]