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Dozens of Cases of Victims Being Terrorized by ICE Impersonators; Sean Diddy Combs Expected to Address Court Before Sentencing; White House has List of Agencies It's Targeting with Mass Firings; Taylor Swift Release 12th Studio Album The Life of a Showgirl. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired October 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]

MIGUEL ARIAS FRESNO CITY COUNCILMEMBER: Actual ICE engaging in legitimate enforcement activities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going back to Mexico.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's imposters and moments like these blurring the lines between who has real authority, who is an official agent, and who is looking to take advantage of people's genuine fears.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH (on camera): We reached out to ICE and a spokesperson tells us ICE officers and agents always have credentials visible and clearly announce who they are. ICE strongly condemns the impersonation of its law enforcement officers or agents. This action is not only dangerous but illegal.

Assaults on ICE officers are up more than 1,000 percent since this time last year. The brave men and women of ICE choose to wear masks for safety, not secrecy.

And earlier this week, Ilya Kukar, the defendant you saw in the Ukrainian market case was in court. He and prosecutors agreed that the charge against him will be dismissed in two years if he doesn't violate any criminal laws and apologizes to Emish Market. His attorney also tells us this began as a joke. He's a good kid who did something very politically charged and regrets how it got interpreted -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Kyung Lah, thank you.

A brand new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

All right, very shortly, sentencing for Sean Combs. We've got details of his letter to the judge pleading for mercy as one of his victims says she fears he will come after her as soon as he gets out.

White House insiders say announcements on mass firings could come as soon as today. The new moves in the government shutdown. And then how about this for a class trip? They're heading to the Vatican to meet the Pope this after this elaborate staged enclave. What a journey this will be.

Kate is out. I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: We're standing by right now this morning as Sean Combs prepares to learn his fate. Just a short time from now, the embattled music model is set to be sentenced after his conviction in July on two prostitution related counts. Combs is expected to speak in court before the sentence is handed down.

And new this morning, we're getting a look at the pre-produced video his attorneys plan to play in court that attempts to portray Combs in a more positive light. We're also getting an idea of what he might say to the judge. On the eve of this morning's hearing, he sent a letter to the judge pleading for leniency, saying that in part he has been, quote, humbled and broken to his core.

We should note that Combs was acquitted on the most serious charges of racketeering, conspiracy and sex trafficking.

CNN's Kara Scannell is live outside the federal courthouse for us. We know we're going to also hear victim impact statements.

What are you learning about what will happen this morning? I see the crowd is already showing up behind you.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Sara, this crowd started forming even last night as people were trying to get a seat inside the courtroom to witness Sean Combs' sentencing. And we are learning that these presentations from both the prosecution and the defense are expected to take hours. So this sentencing could last all day and it's possible it could even continue into Monday.

And that is because both sides are pushing for strong sentences. The prosecution saying that they're hoping that the judge will sentence Sean Combs to 11 years in prison to reflect what they say is the physical violence that was all part of this transportation for prosecution scheme. He was acquitted of the sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, but the prosecutors are arguing that his violence and his history of violence and his lack of remorse is something that the judge should consider.

They are going to call one of the women who testified at the trial, a former employee of Combs, Mia, who was expected to give an impact statement to say what this has meant to her life as she's trying to recover from what she said was years of physical and sexual assault. Her time speaking is about to last about five minutes. We are not expecting to see Cassie Ventura today, the former girlfriend of Combs, who is at the heart of this case.

She wrote and written a letter to the judge in which she said she fears for her family's safety and she is trying to live a private and quiet life as she tries to deal still with all the turmoil. But Sean Combs' lawyers, as you said, they're already putting forward

some of this presentation to soften his image, to say he's a changed man. They put out a video compilation that they submitted with the judge that they're hoping to play today that's about 15 minutes long, kind of a This Is Your Life montage.

But also, Combs is expected to address the judge. He filed a three and a half page letter to the judge last night in which he was telling him that he is a changed man from his time in jail.

[08:05:00]

He said to the judge, I lost my way. I got lost in my journey, lost in the drugs and the excess. My downfall was rooted in my selfishness. The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn. Prison will change you or kill you. I choose to live.

He also apologized for the harm and the pain that he has caused the victim. It's the first time he has done that since all of these allegations came to light. He said, and specifically to Cassie Ventura, where the jury had seen many times the video of Combs kicking and dragging her on that hotel surveillance tape.

He said of Cassie, The scene and the images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily. I'm sorry for that and always will be. My domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry.

Now Combs will be speaking to the judge, laying out what his position is. He is hoping to get a sentence of time served, essentially be let out after being in jail for about 12 months since his arrest. His family is expected to be here to support him as they have throughout the trial.

But then there will be argument from the attorneys as they're both trying to jockey for their positions. The prosecution wants to send a message. They want to reinforce that they think that Combs is a violent person and should not be walking out of the courthouse anytime soon -- Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, the wide array of what's being asked for prosecutors asking for 11 years. His attorney is asking for 14 months. We will see what happens. I know you will be there. I think, Kara, you spent more time in court than most lawyers. You know your stuff. Really appreciate it -- John.

BERMAN: All right, joined by CNN legal analyst and defense attorney Joey Jackson. This video produced by Combs' team, the letter he wrote to the judge. How much of a difference does this kind of stuff really make?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So, John, good morning. I think it makes a significant difference, and this is why.

If you look at sentencing, what are the cores? The cores are punishment, deterrence, and rehabilitation. Now, how do you get there is you want to know if he's going to speak, that is Combs, is he owning it?

What are the three factors there? Are you contrite and remorseful with regard to what you did? Do you recognize what you did and its impact on others?

Are you then accountable for what you did, and are you saying you're accountable without blaming anybody else? No, it wasn't anybody else. It was you. I think the letter does that.

And then the last component is about the rehabilitation. What have you done in jail to suggest that you're rehabilitating yourself, and what is your focus outside of jail?

And so this, in addition to the video suggesting who he is as an individual could make a difference, the issue, as you know, is how big of a difference it'll make, because a judge not only has to balance what he says, the judge has to evaluate, the conduct has to evaluate the issues with regard to the victims that were victimized by him and come to a just and appropriate sentence, which is going to happen today.

BERMAN: It's interesting that Combs seems to address the violence head-on here, because that, we understand, is what the is going to lean into when they're asking for the higher end of the sentence, even though the crimes he was convicted on aren't in and of themselves violent crimes.

JACKSON: So that's a very core point, and let's talk about why briefly. What happened is is that prior to last year, you were allowed, if you were a sentencing judge, to consider what's called acquitted conduct. That is, you went to trial, things were spoken about, the jury didn't convict, but the judge can still say, hey, I'm going to consider that anyway.

No more. Under the guidelines, which are simply guardrails, a judge isn't bound by that, but it's for uniformity in sentencing, you don't want disparate sentences, so you have these guidelines. And so as far as that's concerned, the big issue here is, will the judge consider it?

Briefly, here's what I mean. You can make the following argument. The judge can say, his prosecutor's argument, look at Diddy, look at all he did, his domestic violence, his drug use, you know, all the bad things, and arson, and this and that.

Now, he was acquitted of that. Those were the racketeering charges. The judge could say, well, I'm going to factor that in, not because it's conduct that he was acquitted of, but it goes to the nature, the background, the history, and his characteristic as a defendant.

So look for whether the judge limits the sentencing to what he was convicted of, right, those two charges relating to transportation for prostitution, or whether the judge is really all-inclusive with regard to all these other issues that he was not convicted of.

BERMAN: Kara Scannell reporting this could drag into Monday at this point, but it all gets started very soon. Joey Jackson, counsel, you'll be here for all of it.

Thank you so much.

JACKSON: Thank you.

BERMAN: Sara.

SIDNER: All right, ahead overnight, a fire erupts at one of California's largest oil refineries, sending flames ripping into the sky there.

Plus, police in Philadelphia on the search for a driver who fled the scene after crashing into this home. Look at the damage there. The driver of another vehicle who was hit now in critical condition. We'll have the latest on the search in that case.

And Taylor Swift, done it yet again. Rave reviews coming out for the Life of a Showgirl. It's not all love songs. Who she's calling out this morning?

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[08:10:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR SWIFT, LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL: Something wicked this way comes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Right now, on top of the hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed, thousands more federal employees are wondering if they'll lose their jobs by the end of the day permanently. As sources tell CNN, the mass firings President Trump has been threatening could happen as soon as today.

Now we're hearing from sources also that the White House has already put together a list of agencies they intend to target with these cuts, mainly because those agencies don't align with the priorities of President Trump.

And as it stands right now, there is virtually no chance the shutdown is going to end today. In hours, Senate Democrats are expected to vote down the Republican short-term spending plan, a move that would almost guarantee that this shutdown extends into next week.

CNN's Alayna Treene is live from the White House with the very latest. Do we have any clue as to if these layoffs will indeed be announced today?

[08:15:00]

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, the latest I heard, Sara, from my conversations with people at the White House has been that they are ironing things out, as you mentioned, from my conversations with them. They said that they have a list. They actually held up a couple pieces of paper to me, but they wouldn't divulge the specifics of which agencies they're actually targeting, only that they know where they want these cuts to be. And part of that, of course, is because Russell Vought, the White House's budget chief, he's had his eye on several agencies for months now. He knows exactly the places in the government that he wants to cut.

And that's not only people that they want to fire, essentially, which we now know is in the thousands, but they're also looking at programs that they want to slash. And from what we've heard from the president himself, but again, in some of the conversations I'm having with people throughout the administration, a lot of them are targeting Democratic priorities. At least that's how people in this White House are describing it.

And one thing, again, I need to make clear is just how rare this is. It's not even just rare, it's unprecedented. In no other shutdowns that we've looked at, we've dug into the data, has any previous president or administration used a shutdown in this way to try to enact widespread cuts to the federal workforce and to these types of programs?

And look, I mean, from what they're trying to argue for the reasoning for a lot of this, we keep hearing the president himself call this an unprecedented opportunity that he couldn't believe Democrats gave him. They're arguing that if the Democrats had agreed to that short-term funding bill, the CR as they call it, then this could have been avoided, that they could have negotiated a budget together.

But now, since the government is shut down, they essentially can move forward with some of these cuts without congressional approval, and also that essentially the White House is going to take the budget into their own hands as they look to triage, you know, where should we be putting the money that we have already.

Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, took major issue with that kind of thinking. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: The Trump administration has been firing thousands of federal employees outside of the context of a government shutdown since January 20th. Literally, they've been engaging in mass firings, the Trump administration, since January 20th. This is extraordinary stuff. This is what they've been doing prior to this shutdown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So the point that Jeffries is making there is one, of course, that we've seen these firings, these mass firings before. It reminds you that a lot of the first few months of this Trump administration, the conversations we were having, Sara, were about all of the firings that they were conducting. Mainly then it was under DOGE and under the leadership of Elon Musk. But he has a point that this has happened before. And of course, the Trump administration is now trying to blame Democrats for what they're saying they're doing with these firings, all to say they could start as soon as today, could potentially go into the weekend. But the administration is looking to make these cuts very quickly while the shutdown is still in effect.

SIDNER: Yes, and we should be really clear that this isn't just a furlough where you would get your jobs back once the shutdown happened. These are permanent firings that they are warning they are going to do. Thank you so much, Alayna Treene, live from the White House for us.

All right, newly released body camera footage of country music star Morgan Wallen's arrest last year for -- remember this -- tossing a chair off the roof of a Nashville bar? Why he's claiming he didn't do anything wrong.

And Taylor is tortured no more. No, she's in love. The showgirl's infectious joy and confidence all over her new album full of love songs and maybe a diss track or two.

[08:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, this morning, the most anticipated album in forever is out. Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl.

For the last several hours, millions of fans have no doubt been pouring over all 12 tracks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR SWIFT, THE LIFE OF A SHOW GIRL: Thank you for the lovely bouquet I'm married to the hustle And now I know the life of a showgirl, babe And I'll never know another Pain hidden by the lipstick and lace (Lipstick and lace) Sequins are forever and now I know the life of a showgirl, babe Wouldn't have it any other way ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The reviews are in. Rolling Stone gives it five stars. Swift hits all their marks from new, exciting sonic turns to incisive storytelling.

The New York Times writes, On Showgirl, Taylor Swift has a lust for love and her foes.

With us now, CNN entertainment reporter Lisa Respers France.

I'm sure you haven't slept a wink because you've been listening on a full loop since midnight. LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Constant loop. Happy Tay Day to you. I'm wearing my friendship bracelet.

You know, heartbroken Taylor can't come to the phone right now. I mean, this album had fans standing in line at Target waiting to buy physical copies. And that's remarkable in the age of streaming.

And she promised us, Bops, and she promised us that we'd get a glimpse behind the curtain of the Eras tour. And we absolutely got all of that. And we got all the love that she has for Travis Kelce, which is a lot.

We got a little TMI with the Wood song, which let me try to keep this family friendly, is a testament to Travis's moves off of the field, shall we say. And she has a special song, which a lot of people are saying is probably his favorite, because it is about, you know, it plays on his birthstone, which is the opal. And it's called Opalite, which, you know, is truly a love song to Travis.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR SWIFT, OPALITE: But my mama told me It's alright You were dancing through the lightning strikes Sleepless in the onyx night But now the sky is opalite Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:25:00]

FRANCE: Love it. I mean, it's a bop. And she promised us that there'd be some jams. It's just a fun, pop forward album, John, really enjoying it. I've been listening to it over and over again.

BERMAN: It has some very singable pop songs on it. There's more than just background music. Now, the phrase diss track might not mean much to much of our older audience. It's mean stuff said about someone else. That's what that means. And apparently there's some mean stuff said about someone else on this album.

FRANCE: Well, a lot of people thought, John, even before the album dropped, that her song Actually Romantic was about Charlie XCX -- I mean Charlie XCX -- yes.

And that's because Charlie had a song called Sympathy is a Knife. And it's really about her insecurities, but it's about her insecurities being triggered by a more successful artist than her. And a lot of people thought that that was aiming at Taylor.

So Taylor comes out with Actually Romantic. And people think it's a bit of a play on Charlie XCX's song Everything is Romantic. And, you know, she's coming a little hard. I mean, she's got a wicked pen game. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR SWIFT, ACTUALLY ROMANTIC: I heard you call me "Boring Barbie" when the coke's got you brave High-fived my ex and then you said you're glad he ghosted me, Wrote me a song sayin' it makes you sick to see my face, Some people might be offended.. But it's actually sweet ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCE: So people think that the ex that she's referring to is Matty Healy of the band The 1975. And his fiance is a really good friend of Charlie. So people are just connecting the dots, John.

BERMAN: I mean, it's just obvious. It's just so obvious, I think, to the millions of people out there hearing it for the first time. Lisa France, thanks for explaining it so well.

SIDNER: Don't go away, Lisa France. Listen, I came out here just to say I wanted to play around. And like you got Lisa and I wanted to be a part of it.

So I'm adding this small bit nugget for you. The father figure song, George Michael. That was his song in 1987. Right? He just -- his estate just wrote they are delighted to have Taylor Swift interpolate the song.

BERMAN: We're always happy to hear from the estate of George Michael. Sara, thank you very much. And Lisa, our thanks to you.

SIDNER: Bye, Lisa.

BERMAN: A huge explosion seen for miles at one of the biggest refineries on the West Coast, how firefighters are battling to contain the blaze.

And FBI sources say that Director Kash Patel has fired a longtime bureau employee for displaying a pride flag in the workplace.

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