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Firebombing Suspect Charged with 16 Counts of Attempted Murder; Interview with Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO): Bipartisan Senate Push for New Sanctions Against Russia; Testimony Resumes in Sex Trafficking Trial of Sean Combs; Auto Industry Braces for Higher Steel Tariffs. Aired 8- 8:30a ET

Aired June 03, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: By the way, another good comparison, you mentioned tradecraft and espionage. It was the Israelis' use of beepers to take out the entire leadership chain of Hezbollah, an incredible act of tradecraft. I would put this alongside that.

So in one sense, warfare is ancient. It never changes. And look at Ukraine today. It's still trenches, artillery, tanks, hand-to-hand combat, blood and guts. But increasingly, John, your point, that rheostat of warfare is dialing toward this new form. And I'd say it's unmanned vehicles of all kinds. It's cyber. It's artificial intelligence. It is the use.

Those four things together are the new face of warfare. We're seeing a good example of it here.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And it's happening again before our eyes. And one wonders what happens next. Admiral James Stavridis, always great to speak with you. Thank you very much.

Brand new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, the suspect accused of carrying out the horrific anti-Semitic attack in Colorado, now charged with a federal hate crime and attempted murder. The FBI now saying he had planned it for a year.

And next hour, a former security guard expected to take the stand in the trial of Sean Diddy Combs, expected to be questioned about that surveillance video that captured Combs assaulting Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway.

And first responders race to save three people on board a single engine plane that crashed off the coast of Florida into the Atlantic Ocean. Those stories and more ahead.

I'm Sara Sidner with John Berman and Kate Bolduan.

This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. BERMAN: This morning, chilling new details in the anti-Semitic attack in Boulder, Colorado. The suspect now charged with a federal hate crime and 16 counts of attempted murder. Officials say he used a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to set people on fire during a peaceful event in support of the hostages held in Gaza. At least 12 people now, we are told, were injured.

Court documents say the suspect planned the attack for a year. He left little doubt as to the alleged motive after he was heard on camera yelling, quote, Palestine is free and end Zionists.

After the attack, the district attorney says 16 unused Molotov cocktails were recovered. The suspect is an Egyptian national, made his first court appearance. Homeland Security says he was in the U.S. illegally. We are also learning from the arrest warrant that he tried to buy a gun but was rejected. The FBI initially labeled it as a targeted terror attack, but as of now, no terror-related charges have been filed. Let's get right to CNN's Whitney Wild, who is on the ground in Boulder where new details keep emerging -- Whitney.

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: John, what we've learned is that the Department of Justice has charged this man with a hate crime. That's in addition to a very long list of state charges. There's more than 40 charges total.

As you mentioned, the 16 for attempted murder alone and then a long list of charges related specifically to the Molotov cocktails. In total, the state charges could result in a very long sentence if he hits the maximum. We're talking more than 400 years on paper. That is virtually a life sentence.

The same goes for the Department of Justice -- homeland. The hate crime charge, John, when that hate crime charge is charged with an attempted murder, that could also result in life behind bars.

There's much more detail coming forward from law enforcement, both on the federal side and the local side. It really paints a picture of how this all happened. Law enforcement says he planned this attack for a year.

As you mentioned, he tried to get a gun. He went as far as taking a concealed carry class and learned how to shoot, but then when he went to buy the gun, he was denied because he is not a citizen. He waited until his daughter graduated high school to actually carry out this attack. She graduated Thursday. We know he carried out this attack on Sunday.

He learned how to make these Molotov cocktails again because he was rejected from buying the gun. He turned to Molotov cocktails and he learned how to make them basically by watching videos online.

He also learned about this group online, John, and he was able to get so close to them because he posed as a gardener. He dressed as a gardener. He bought flowers. He was able to approach this group without much suspicion at first until, again, as we know, he carried out this horrific attack. He threw two Molotov cocktails at that group, 16 more he left. You know, he didn't detonate those. And law enforcement was able to get quite a bit of detail out of him. He said that he threw the first two, but then he got scared because he'd never hurt anyone before.

[08:05:00]

But even with that, John, he expressed no remorse. He said he would do it again and he had planned to die.

We are also learning more about the victims. We know that they are between 52 and 88 years old. Horrifyingly, one of those is a Holocaust survivor. The total number of victims now stands at 12.

Here is a local rabbi who says six members of his congregation were among the victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RABBI MARC SOLOWAY, BONAI SHALOM SYNAGOGUE: It's just shattering that, you know, some of that dream has been smashed in this horrific attack. They were violently and brutally attacked by fire and it's like brings up horrific images of our of our past. You know, just the idea of someone who's literally got their body on fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: He is still in custody in Boulder County Jail. Now he makes his next court appearance on Thursday -- John.

BERMAN: Again, it is remarkable how much was discussed voluntarily by this suspect. Just part of what they are learning about the plans here. Whitney Wild, thank you very much -- Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us right now is Democratic Congressman from Colorado Jason Crow. Congressman, thanks for coming in. I mean, it's already horrible enough and the fact that we're now learning it could have been worse with 16 more Molotov cocktails that were recovered.

He tried and failed to purchase a gun, and according to police, said he'd do it again if he could, meaning the attack. I mean, there's no sense to make of it, but the question doesn't -- why Colorado? Why Boulder?

What does this represent when you see such an anti-Semitic attack?

REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Well, we all need to stand up and loudly and strongly condemn this surge of anti-Semitism. The Anti-Defamation League is reporting close to a fourfold increase in anti-Semitic attacks and incidents around the country.

This is real. It's growing. It's deeply disturbing. And it's time that America, everybody, stand up across America and condemn it and say it's intolerable. That's number one.

Number two, what's clear here is that this gentleman tried to -- this attacker, tried to purchase a firearm and he was denied. So background checks do actually work. And we're glad that in Colorado we have background check systems in place that actually prevent incidents like this.

And then, you know, our heart goes out to the victims. You know, Colorado has borne a disproportionate burden of shootings and attacks and incidents like this. And we're all going to come around the Boulder community and the Jewish community in Colorado and provide whatever support is necessary at this time.

BOLDUAN: Yes. The attorney general says that they're going to prosecute that man to the fullest extent of the law. The president condemned the attack and then turned and blamed Biden, saying in part of his social media post about it, Congressman, saying that this man came in through Biden's ridiculous open border policy.

I mean, the suspect, according to DHS, is here illegally, applied for asylum, denied, and then overstayed a visa. What's your reaction to the president's take here? I mean, what do you think needs to happen now?

CROW: Well, President Trump routinely just attacks his opponents when terrible things happen. And that's not leadership. That's not the type of leadership that the president needs.

Of course, we need answers. We need answers about the visa overstay. And a visa overstay is not -- has nothing to do with a border. You know, I believe in border security. We need border security. But in this incident, it doesn't look like that is what is at play here at all.

And we need to enforce the laws. There's no doubt about it. But President Trump has been president for nearly six months now. And I want to know why an attack that had been planned for the entirety of that time was missed.

You know, what should have been seen? What were the warning signals? What did the FBI know? What did the FBI didn't know? We do need some answers to all of these questions.

BOLDUAN: Some important questions I have not really heard raised quite yet that you are raising now. Important questions as part of a lot that still needs to be answered around all of this, Congressman.

I do want to ask you as well about what does seem momentum building in Congress around a bipartisan sanctions bill against Russia. Something also on the president's plate where he said he could solve it on day one. Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, they've co-sponsored this measure that would slap a 500 percent tariff on any country purchasing Russian energy. The way Graham talks about it is that he says this bill puts Russia on a trade island.

But the president has yet to endorse the sanctions bill. You have been one of the strongest speaking out against Russia and in support of Ukraine. What do you want to see happen with this bill?

Do you want to see it move in the House if it would pass the Senate?

CROW: Well, what's very clear to anybody who understands this conflict, understands Russia, understands the nature of Vladimir Putin and what's going on here is that tough talk and tweets and True Social media posts by Donald Trump mean nothing to Vladimir Putin.

Nothing has changed since Donald Trump has come into office that is going to put more pressure on Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table. Putin thinks he's winning this war.

He's grinding it out. He thinks he can wait out the United States and our allies. There's nothing changed in his book.

So what needs to happen is there actually has to be serious pressure. That pressure can come in the form of primary and then what are called secondary sanctions, sanctioning, you know, the purchasers of energy and oil. And in addition to that, there's almost $300 billion of seized Russian assets in U.S. and European banks. It's time for us to take that money. It's frozen money. It's time for us to seize it, put it into a trust fund for the benefit of Ukraine reconstruction, Ukraine security, Ukraine military support.

That will bite down very hard on Vladimir Putin and send a strong message that we are behind Ukraine to the end. And you know, I believe that this has to be negotiated at a negotiating table. There must be an end to this. It has to be a negotiated end in my view.

But that's simply not going to happen until Vladimir Putin believes that we are committed to this and he is forced to that table.

BOLDUAN: Forced does not seem to be what he is feeling right now that kind of pressure. At least that's what he's giving off.

You have many things under your purview right now, including you've been tapped to help recruit more Democrats to run in the midterms.

And I was thinking about this because Harry Enten brought to us yesterday this new poll out, some new polling data from CNN that came out on a critical question, which is the question of asking voters, Americans, which is the party of middle class? And the data that's coming out in the CNN polling is that Republicans now tie Democrats. And Harry put together this, looking back, 1989, Democrats led by 13 on that question.

And in 2016, Democrats led by 17 on that question. And now, who represents the middle class? Republicans now tie Democrats.

How big of a problem is that for Democrats right now? And where do you think the party went wrong on this?

CROW: Well, of course it's a problem, right? You can't lose 90 percent of American counties, lose the House, the Senate, the White House last fall, and say that we're doing what needs to be done.

You know, politics is binary. You win or you lose. And if you lose, you don't have power to do the things you need to do. You know, I grew up in a working-class family. I worked minimum wage jobs starting when I was 15. I worked construction to put my way through college. I'm a Democrat because Democrats are the party of the working class.

We're the party of, you know, fairness, of a level playing field. I don't want government to answer all my problems, to fix all my problems for me, but I want a fair shake. And I want some common rules that we can all compete and live by.

You know, that is what the Democratic Party is about. So clearly, we need to go back out and do a better job of connecting with rural and working-class voters. We need to go back into those communities.

And I'm the co-chair recruiting in part because I believe so firmly that candidate quality matters, right? Somebody with deep ties to a community, somebody with a lived background and story, you know, our combat veterans, our nurses, our doctors, our small business owners, our parents, people that have actually lived lives outside of politics that know how hard it is to raise a family and to build a life in modern America that can take that experience to Washington, D.C. and push for the change that we need. You know, I'm passionate about that, and I'm going to continue to do that job.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Long, long, long yet short road when you talk about election politics ahead of you, but a very busy job ahead. Congressman, thank you very much for coming in today -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right ahead, we are just moments away from another day of testimony and the federal sex trafficking trial against Sean Combs. Who we expect to take the stand today?

And renew tariff tensions. Thanks to President Trump's surprise announcements on steel and aluminum imports, how investors are now responding to that.

Plus, DOGE cuts are heading to Congress. Will GOP lawmakers approve some of those controversial moves in the package? Those stories and more ahead.

[08:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: All right, in the next hour, court is picking back up in the Sean Combs sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial. Prosecutors expected to call new witnesses today, including a former hotel security guard who will testify under an immunity deal and a video expert.

Now, Monday wrapped with Mia, a former employee, finishing three days of testimony where she said that Combs abused her for years. The defense pushing back, asking why she stayed and pointed to messages where she said she, quote, loved him.

Kara Scannell is live outside court. What can we expect? And today, we know we've got a couple of different witnesses that could have a big impact on this jury.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Sara. Yes, today's focus with these witnesses is back to the freak offs and back to the hotel rooms.

The first witness that the prosecution is going to call is a security official. He was the head of security at the Intercontinental Hotel. That is the video that we have seen that CNN first obtained of Combs kicking and dragging Ventura, which prosecutors say occurred after she was trying to leave one of these freak offs. So he will be the second security guard testifying in the trial about that day.

Now, after he testifies, they're going to call -- the order here is fluid. The prosecutors underscored that.

[08:20:02]

But other people that they expect to call today will be someone who worked in finance, one of the top finance officials at Bad Boy and Combs' enterprise business. That person is relevant to this case because prosecutors' theory is that this was a racketeering conspiracy and that Combs' business was a criminal enterprise because it funded the sex trafficking, the alleged other charges in this case.

So he's going to testify about how the money flowed to direct the jury to what was funded by Bad Boy that relates to these alleged criminal acts.

They're also expected to call a friend of Ventura's who we've heard a lot about so far in the case, both by Cassie Ventura herself and by other witnesses. This person, according Ventura, was dangled over the balcony by Combs at Cassie Ventura's apartment. So she is expected to take the stand. She's also filed a civil lawsuit against Combs.

Now, this all comes on the heels of the former personal assistant who testified under the pseudonym Mia. She was on the stand for cross- examination for most of yesterday. And during her cross, Combs' attorneys confronted her with about a dozen text messages she sent Combs after she no longer worked for him.

I mean, these messages from May 2020, she says, I'll always be here for you in any capacity. August 2020, she says, I love you with all my heart and I'm still here for you forever. And July 2022, she texts, I love, love, love you.

So Combs' lawyer asked her kind of incredulously, why were you sending these messages? If this is the man who raped you, if this is the man who tormented you. And she said that she was still brainwashed at the time and she didn't fully understand what would happen to her until recently -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right, Kara Scannell, with a lot of details that will come out today in court. Thank you so much. Appreciate it -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: This morning, opening statements are expected to begin in the defamation trial against MyPillow CEO, Mike Lindell. The Trump loyalist who pushed many a conspiracy theory around the 2020 election is expected to take the stand in his own defense.

And a small plane crashes off the coast of Florida. Three people were pulled from the water. We have an update on how they're doing this morning.

[08:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: President Trump's new ramped up tariffs on steel imports are set to take effect tomorrow. And the president is vowing to double the tariff in an effort to revitalize U.S. manufacturing. The decision sent steel stocks sharply higher to start the week.

But there's more. CNN's Matt Egan tracking this one for us. What is the steel industry saying about this?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Kate, the steel industry is loving it, right? Because the president is essentially tripling down on using his favorite weapon, tariffs, to revive the Rust Belt. So we did see steel stocks skyrocket yesterday.

We saw a 10 percent gain for Nucor, 10 percent gain for Steel Dynamics. Cleveland Cliffs, 23 percent increase yesterday alone. That was the biggest one day increase for that stock in almost a decade.

And just to remind you of where we are on steel tariffs, because it's a little confusing. The president did put a 25 percent tariff on steel in February. And then on Friday, he vowed to double it to 50 percent starting tomorrow.

And look, he's got a point here. The steel industry is certainly in decline, right? Production is down massively. Employment is down dramatically from where it was. This has really been very painful for a lot of communities.

And look at U.S. steel. It used to be the most valuable company on the planet. Now it's kind of a struggling afterthought in this modern economy. And analysts do say that 50 percent steel tariffs, if they stick, which is a big if, but if they did, that could encourage more steel production in the United States.

But here's the problem. It's also expected to increase prices of steel. And the ironic part here is that there's more people who work at companies that use steel as an input than who actually work in the steel industry itself.

Obviously, autos is the big example here, right? We saw auto stocks fall yesterday because they use steel, and now their input costs are going to go higher.

Former Obama economic official Larry Summers and Clinton Treasury Secretary, he's warning that these steel tariffs will backfire. Take a listen to what he said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LAWRENCE SUMMERS, FORMER DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: The net effect of this is going to be to destroy manufacturing jobs. The net effect of this is going to be to push up consumer prices to make, for example, our automobile industry less competitive than it would otherwise be. This is ready fire aim kind of policy.

It doesn't follow from any kind of coherent economic logic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

EGAN: And given how volatile the tariff strategy has been, Summers also said he thinks it's extremely unlikely that this is really going to persuade companies to move production back to the United States. And we don't need to look back that far in history to see how this can go.

Back in 2018, the president did put steel tariffs in place, and research does show that steel employment did go up, but only slightly, by 1,000. And look at this. Manufacturing jobs at companies that use steel went down by 75,000.

BOLDUAN: That's telling. That's a graphic. That's something to pay attention to.

EGAN: Right, and we don't know how it's going to work this time, Kate.

BOLDUAN: We also don't know if they're going to stay in place. I mean, the uncertainty of it all.

EGAN: For more than a few hours. We don't really know. Right.

But history does show that this can be a risky strategy.

BOLDUAN: Risky. I would say so. It's good to see you.

EGAN: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you -- John.

BERMAN: All right. This morning, the White House is vowing no cuts to Medicaid, except for those who, according to the administration, do not deserve it.

As Politico notes this morning, aides to the president are saying their plan, quote, will shield deserving Medicaid recipients, like the elderly and disabled.

[08:30:00]