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Trump Speaks to Russian President Putin About War in Ukraine, Iran; GOP Senators Downplay Musk's Ability to Tank Trump Agenda; Senators Aim to Pass Trump Bill Before July 4 Deadline; Cassie Ventura's Friend Testifies Against Music Mogul. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired June 04, 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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[14:00:56]

ERICA HILL, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": President Trump says Vladimir Putin told him he will respond to the Ukraine drone attack on the Russian Air Force. Details on that high stakes call just ahead.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Plus, in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial, another accuser takes the stand testifying about Combs allegedly dangling her over a 17-storey balcony. Plus, as if dating wasn't already hard enough, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico is warning American tourists about using dating apps while on vacation after they say several people were kidnapped and their families extorted for money. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

HILL: We begin this hour with the breaking news. President Trump speaking today by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a call that according to President Trump, lasted more than an hour. Although he did say that it would not lead to, in his words, immediate peace. Writing on social media, the president said, Putin did say and very strongly, he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields. Of course, a reference to Ukraine's attack over the weekend.

New footage of those attacks shows the impact and frankly, the surgical precision with which the Ukrainians struck. This video, which was released by Ukraine's security agency shows the drones approaching dozens of planes across several airfields as Russian aircraft burn around them. CNN's Kristen Holmes is with me now. So in terms of this call, Kristen, what more do we know about what was discussed?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, so Donald Trump providing a readout of this call as he's begun to do. We usually used to at least get these from the White House official. Now, we're getting them from Donald Trump himself. He posted that they talked about two big things, the two big things that are of interest to both the United States and the world, one being the war, Russia-Ukraine war, and then the other is the Iran deal.

So first of all, as you noted, Donald Trump saying that Putin said that he is going to retaliate against Ukraine for those attacks. He also said that this conversation made it clear that there was no immediate peace. That was really the extent of it when it comes to Ukraine and Russia. The reason why we had been following this so closely is because of those talks earlier in the week, the first real direct talks between Ukraine and Russia. And the White House had said they were kind of just letting those unfold, but there's no real advancement here and it certainly doesn't seem as though those are moving in the direction that he had said they would, which was eventual peace.

Now, the other part of this was of course, the Iran deal, and he is essentially saying here that Putin said he also doesn't want Iran to have nuclear weapon or nuclear capabilities, and that he could help with the actual negotiations with Iran. Donald Trump saying that he believed Iran was slow walking on this acceptance of a deal and that Putin suggested he could step in. One thing to note, Erica, we have seen this on the world stage with Russia and Iran growing closer and closer as this Ukrainian-Russian war has played out. Now clearly, Putin using this as some kind of perhaps bargaining chip or piece of leverage to offer to help Donald Trump when it comes to getting in a deal with Iran.

HILL: Yeah. Kristen, really appreciate the reporting. Thank you. Also, just to do -- I think we do have another minute, just to ask you, in terms of those discussions with Iran, where do things stand, especially when we look at the calendar? What's next?

HOLMES: Well, look, that's a big question right now. We know that over the weekend, that the Middle Eastern Envoy presented a deal to Iran. Now, there's a lot of questions about this because a lot of outlets have been reporting that this deal said that Iran would be able to enrich a little bit of uranium. Shortly after that, Donald Trump posted that he has said time and time again that there is no capabilities -- that Iran should have no capabilities to enrich any sort of uranium. So where exactly this stands right now is a question.

It's clearly something that's been bothering Donald Trump, but clearly something again that Putin feels like he can insert himself into and say to Trump that he can help him with that.

[14:05:00]

I mean, just saying here it says, I stated to President Putin that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and on this, I believe that we are in agreement. He suggested that he will participate in the discussion with Iran and that he could perhaps be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion. The other thing I want to talk about here, because we're talking about these two separate things, but at the end of the day, we're talking about the relationship between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. One that has been of extreme interest for really the better part of a decade.

And Putin clearly understands Donald Trump because there are two things here that I see. One, you look at what he's talking about with Ukraine and Russia. We know that Zelenskyy did not give the White House a heads up before those attacks. Here you have Vladimir Putin essentially trying to rectify that on his side by giving Donald Trump a heads up of what they're planning to do. Understanding that that gets you further with Donald Trump.

The other part of this, looking at something that Donald Trump needs, we know that Donald Trump wants to make a deal with Iran. He is clearly here kind of pushing to the side this expectation of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, and instead saying, how about I help you with this, with Iran? I can actually insert myself and maybe be of use to you on this. So, this is just another look at how their dynamic plays out as these two world leaders, this is the second time they've talked in two weeks, this time an hour and 15 minutes, last time two and a half hours, that gives you insight into their dynamic.

HILL: And that Putin also understands that flattery will get him further with President Trump and so, that obviously part of it as well. Kristen, really appreciate it, for real this time, thank you. Boris?

SANCHEZ: On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are firing back after a blistering condemnation from Elon Musk about President Trump's domestic policy bill. Senate leaders are scrambling to pass the bill before a self- imposed deadline of July 4th. Billionaire Musk joined the fray, blasting the bill as a disgusting abomination and a frenzy of social media posts announcing its price tag. Today, a nonpartisan analysis projected the bill would add another $2.4 trillion to the nation's deficit over the next decade.

Let's take you now live to Capitol Hill with CNN's Lauren Fox. Lauren, the bill is facing some headwinds over there.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, certainly. I mean, there's frustration among House conservatives that Elon Musk waited until after they voted to voice these kinds of public concerns that the bill did not cut enough federal spending. And then in the Senate, this is coming at a really critical time as lawmakers are trying to find a path forward to move ahead with the House passed bill. And they're really trying to work through their own issues in that chamber with this bill.

They have members who believe that there aren't enough spending cuts, agreeing with Musk. Then they have some members who are arguing that essentially, the cuts already have gone too far. I would note that in conversations I have had throughout the day and our colleagues have had up here on Capitol Hill, many Republican Senators say two things. One, they think Elon Musk is a smart businessman. Two, they don't believe that he's certainly going to have that much influence over how they're thinking about this piece of legislation because at the end of the day, this is Trump's agenda. If Trump still supports this bill, then that carries a lot more weight for these members. Here are a couple Republicans reacting to Musk's tweets.

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SEN. CYNTHIA LUMIS, (R-WY): Well, it just doesn't matter. I think we're immune now to some of the threats that become, or just harsh statements. It just doesn't matter.

SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE, (R-AL): He looks at it a different way than we have to look at it because, again, we're the ones have to vote for it. And we're -- you also have to look at the good, along with the bad. Nothing's perfect.

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FOX: Overall, the momentum in the Senate right now from the Majority Leader John Thune is that failure is not an option. They are going to have to find some path forward to pass Trump's agenda. Republican Senators are meeting right now behind closed doors in an extended lunch conversation to try to talk about how exactly they are going to change the House's bill, what they want to do, what their vision is. And then after that meeting, members of the Senate Finance Committee that have broad jurisdiction over this piece of legislation, they're actually going to head to the White House to have that conversation and continue it with the president and top aide.

So, that just gives you a sense of the work that's still happening on Capitol Hill today, despite Musk's tweet saying that he doesn't think the House bill did enough.

HILL: Boris?

SANCHEZ: Lauren Fox, thanks so much for the update. Still to come, the jury in the Sean "Diddy" Combs racketeering and sex trafficking trial is hearing from a witness who accused the rap mogul of dangling her over a balcony some 17 storeys above the ground. We'll bring you the latest from inside the courtroom. And the U.S. embassy in Mexico says, American tourists have been kidnapped after falling prey to scams on dating apps.

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That and much more coming your way in just a few minutes.

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SANCHEZ: Turning back to our two top stories now. President Donald Trump speaking on the phone to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. And on Capitol Hill, the president's top domestic priority, the Big Beautiful Bill as it's called, a huge part of his agenda facing opposition not only from Elon Musk, but also from Republican Senators.

[14:15:00]

Let's talk about this with one of the folks actually working through this bill right now. Joining us is Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota. Senator Rounds, thank you so much for joining us. I do want to start with the conversation between President Trump and Vladimir Putin. a few weeks ago, you were on CNN speaking to my colleague Kaitlan Collins. She asked you whether you thought that President Putin was sort of plotting Trump along, specifically when it came to bringing peace to Ukraine. You said, we'll see. It's been about two weeks. After this conversation, what's your assessment? Do you think Vladimir Putin is just kind of dragging this out? Is it time for the U.S. to install more sanctions on Russia? SEN. MIKE ROUNDS, (R-SD): I do think he's playing it out. I think he has no intentions of participating in the peace process, but President Trump wanted to try to avoid war. He wanted to find a path forward that would reduce the killing and so forth. And I don't fault him for that, but I simply don't believe that Mr. Putin has any intentions of finding a peaceful solution to this. I think the best thing that we can do is throw our full support behind the Ukrainian people and their fight for freedom. And in trying to stop the killing that goes on there by providing them the resources they need to protect themselves against this Russian aggression.

SANCHEZ: On that note, Senator, what's your response to President Trump saying that President Putin said very strongly that he has to respond to these recent drone attacks on airfields? Is that the way that the American president should be responding to what appears to be a threat from Putin?

ROUNDS: Look, I don't -- I'm not aware of that part of it, but I can just tell you that we should be doing everything we can to help protect the Ukrainians against any act of aggression from Mr. Putin and the Russian Army in general. And so, look, if he's telling us upfront that he has to do something, my response is, and we should be defending Ukraine. Ukraine is fighting for their life. They want to join and they want to have Western values. It's their country. We're the ones that actually agreed with them that they would give up their nuclear weapons back in 1995, and Russia did as well. In return for that, we had assured them of the sovereignty of their borders. Clearly, Russia has violated that and that should not go unnoticed. We need to stand with Ukraine. That's just all there is to it.

SANCHEZ: Senator, focusing on the bill that you are working through as we speak, the president just moments ago on social media called for lawmakers to eliminate the debt limit altogether, urging both Republicans and Democrats to "do this." This bill already contains one of the largest debt ceiling increases ever, at $4 trillion. Do you think it should be eliminated?

ROUNDS: Look, it's kind of like saying, should we always agree to pay our bills, regardless of whether or not we've promised ourselves that we won't. And the bottom line is, the debt ceiling, the reason why it's there is it makes us actually face the fact that we're spending more than what we're taking in. And so in that regard, it's a healthy activity for us to have it on a regular basis and to commit to finding a path forward that improves our economy. So, at this stage of the game, I think it serves as a useful purpose, but it also means that we have to recognize that we will pay our bills.

That way people understand that we're not going to walk away from them. We're not going to shrug. We're not going to do anything that would be irresponsible in terms of the debtors or us as a debtor nation. So, those individuals that have invested in us know that we'll always pay the bills. Right now, it's simply an exercise that we use to try to find a path forward that reduces that debt. We all know we've got to reduce the debt on a year to year basis.

SANCHEZ: To that point, Senator, this bill, the way it stands now, according to the Congressional Budget Office, would add to the bills that the United States has to pay some $2.5 trillion, it's estimated to add to the deficit. Are you concerned that this bill is fiscally irresponsible?

ROUNDS: Look, I view this bill as doing exactly the opposite. First of all, the CBO doesn't use dynamic scoring. They reject the idea that if you continue the existing tax rate at their current structure, which is what this bill does, that we'll have an improvement in the economy. We already know that we're going to get an improvement in the economy just by improving the confidence of investors that we're going to have a long-term permanent tax rate in place.

The second piece on it is that if you grow the economy, you will bring in more revenue than if you don't. And finally, when they talk about this debt going down, what they're saying is, yes, if you raise the average tax on an American family by $2,400 a year, I'm most certain that those folks would love to be able to claim that they're happy to pay a part of the debt down. Bottom line is, American families can't afford another $2,400 increase in their taxes. That's on a per family basis in South Dakota.

[14:20:00]

No, we're not going to do that to the American public. We're going to continue this existing tax rate at the current tax rate it is, and in doing so, we will grow this economy. Of that, we are convinced we are right.

SANCHEZ: I do have a question for you on taxes, but specifically, your view that the Congressional Budget Office is off with these estimates. Your website cites the Congressional Budget Office something like nine times, and you've talked about supporting, a balanced budget amendment to add to the Constitution so that the government could balance its books. You're saying that you don't trust the CBO at all, even though your website cites it numerous times and that you do not believe that this bill would make the situation worse?

ROUNDS: First of all, we do use the Congressional Budget Office when they talk about dollars and cents. But in this case, they're talking about a projection and the projection that they use is not using dynamic scoring. In other words, what they're saying is, it doesn't matter whether or not you reduce tax rates. They don't think that actually improves the economy. And yet, there is clear evidence that it does. We take a dynamic scoring approach when it comes to improving revenue.

The question is, do we have a rate that will allow the economy to continue to improve? We think it will. And in fact, in the 2017 tax bill that we're extending right now, we saw that. We saw one of the strongest economies we've ever had in 2017 when President Trump proposed this in the first place. We want to continue it. We want the existing tax rates that are in effect today to continue on. We might be able to make some improvements in it, but if doing this on a permanent basis improves our economy, it will bring in more revenue.

The CBO does not use that approach. What they look at is, if the economy stays the same and if you get to collect just as many taxes, if you just increase the taxes on American families, they just say it won't drop the economy, it won't hurt anything. And you will have brought in more revenue that will go against the debt. We simply reject that as being inappropriate when it comes to their revenue projections. We still use them when we estimate other things in terms of expenditures.

SANCHEZ: One nonpartisan analysis, not the Congressional Budget Office, found that after the new tax breaks and cuts to benefits go into effect, those in the lowest income groups in this country would see their incomes fall while the highest earners would enjoy an income boost. A lot of these tax breaks that are being discussed are also temporary. While for high earners, the biggest boost to their income would be permanent. How do you justify that kind of move, taking away snap benefits and Medicaid benefits, while also giving these enormous tax breaks to the wealthy?

ROUNDS: Well, first of all, we're not increasing additional tax breaks. We're simply continuing on with the existing tax structure that is in effect, and that's the part that gets missed in this. They talk about it, because it would expire if we don't extend it. So I'm going to come right back down to it again, American families don't want to have an average tax increase of $2,400 a year. And that's what we're going by.

Now, what about small businesses? We use the 199A and we're going to extend that on a permanent basis. That's what a lot of small businesses use for their tax rates. Once again, it's in effect now. We want it to continue on. So, when those individuals that are opposed to this say we're having huge tax reductions for everybody, they're saying that versus if these were to allow to be expired. But what they're not telling people is we're simply extending what's already in effect.

And that's the message that we're trying to get across to the American public. The other side of this is, they're assuming that if we ask somebody to actually go back to work, if they're on Medicaid, that that's going to make them get off Medicaid and thus lose Medicaid. And we're saying no, we want you to go back to work. We think it's healthy. And the vast majority of Americans would say, you know what? If I'm paying the healthcare bill for somebody who is over the age of 18 and they're healthy, and they're getting Medicaid today, we think that they ought to pay us -- that they ought to be going to work as well.

And you know what if they do? They'll actually feel better about themselves and they will also help grow our economy. Now, there's some limitations put into it that we'll continue to allow. On our Native American reservations, we've got really high unemployment. This doesn't apply to those individuals that are on Native American reservations. So, we're trying to build those in. We're trying to be reasonable in that approach. But we do think the American public would agree, if you can work and you're over the age of 18, you probably ought to go back to work if you want to have the rest of the taxpayers subsidize your healthcare.

SANCHEZ: Senator, Mike Rounds, we have to leave the conversation there. Appreciate you joining us.

ROUNDS: All right. Thank you. Appreciate the opportunity.

SANCHEZ: Sure. Coming up, stunning new testimony in Sean "Diddy" Combs racketeering and sex trafficking trial. We're going to bring you the latest from court when we come back.

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[14:29:35]

HILL: We are hearing more bombshell testimony today in the Sean "Diddy" Combs criminal trial. On the stand right now is a woman who claims Combs once groped her while dangling her over the edge of a 17th floor balcony. She says that happened in 2016. That woman is Bryana Bongolan who's a friend of Combs' ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. Moments ago, she talked about how she still has nightmares about that balcony incident and also talked about the lawsuit that she has filed seeking $10 million.

SANCHEZ: She told the jury that incident left her bruised and injured her neck and back.