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Hamas Announces Imminent Release of U.S. Hostage; Trump to Visit Three Countries in Middle East; U.S., China Tout 'Substantial Progress' in Trade Talks; Zelenskyy: 'Ready' for Peace Talks with Putin; Pope Leo XIV Calls for Peace at First Sunday Blessing; Sean 'Diddy' Combs Heads to Court Monday. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired May 12, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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

BEN HUNTE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello. Wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN NEWSROOM with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you here.

[00:00:38]

Coming up on the show, the last known living American hostage held in Gaza is set to be released. His parents, now en route to Israel.

President Trump is leaving for the Middle East in a few hours. It's all diplomacy and business ahead.

And the criminal trial of rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs begins. Our expert digs deeper into what we can expect.

Welcome. As U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to head to the Middle East for the first state visit of his second term, the last known living American hostage held in Gaza could be coming home.

Hamas has announced the imminent release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander. Mr. Trump called it monumental news and a step taken in good faith toward bringing an end to the war in the region.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more from Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: The last living American held hostage in Gaza is now set to be released. Hamas announcing on Sunday night that it will release Edan Alexander, an Israeli soldier who was taken captive on October 7th.

I'm told by a source familiar with the matter that Alexander will be released either on Monday or Tuesday of this week in what is being described as a, quote, "goodwill gesture" on Hamas's part, one that is intended to try and jumpstart additional negotiations to ultimately end the war in Gaza and secure the release of all of the remaining hostages held in the Gaza Strip. At least that is the intention.

But for now, at least, this will mean the release of Edan Alexander. DIAMOND (voice-over): His parents, who -- who live in the United

States, have been waiting, of course, for 19 months now to see their son return home to them.

Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, who has been intimately involved in the negotiations that are now going to lead to Alexander's release, I'm told that he will be traveling to Israel on Monday morning in order to be on hand for Alexander's release, to be able to personally welcome him as he takes his first steps into newfound freedom.

This agreement comes days before President Trump is set to arrive in the region, and that certainly does seem to have been a major pressure point to get this deal to happen at this very moment, with one source familiar with the matter telling me that this simply would not have happened without President Trump and the pressure that his visit to the region is indeed bringing to bear.

It also comes as Israel has threatened to escalate its military campaign in Gaza, and also as Israel's total blockade of Gaza now stretches more than two months, with not a single truck of food or any other kind of aid entering the Gaza Strip.

And so, the hope now --

DIAMOND: -- is that Alexander's release can, indeed, trigger these broader negotiations to get aid into Gaza, to perhaps lead to some kind of a ceasefire. And, of course, the release of additional hostages.

DIAMOND (voice-over): The Israeli prime minister's office confirming that it was informed of this deal by the United States, also noting that it will not be releasing any Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Alexander.

That is, of course, because this is a goodwill gesture and a deal with the United States, not a deal with Israel.

DIAMOND: But the Israeli prime minister's office also confirming that the United States conveyed that this will lead, or is expected to lead, to additional negotiations for the release of additional hostages held in Gaza. We will see, of course, how that evolves in the coming days and weeks.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: President Trump is set to depart in the coming hours for his visit to three of the world's richest nations. He'll arrive in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, followed by visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The three countries have pledged to invest heavily in the American economy and buy U.S. weapons systems. Well, for more, we go live now to CNN's Becky Anderson in Riyadh,

Saudi Arabia. Thank you so much for being with me. Becky, what can we expect out of the president's trip?

[00:05:02]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think we should consider this week in the Gulf a pivotal opportunity to completely reimagine U.S.-Gulf relations in a new era.

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, can see real opportunities and advantages in working very much more closely in the future with Saudi Arabia, with Qatar, and with the UAE.

Look, these are countries who have personal relationships with Donald Trump and his family; have pledged trillions of dollars in investment into the U.S. economy; and have set themselves up as key intermediaries and partners when it comes to a whole host of files that Donald Trump wants sorting out, not least that of Gaza, but of course, others, including Ukraine and Russia.

So, this trip here could be, to use a term that Donald Trump has used just in the past 24 hours, on the release of Edan Alexander, monumental.

So how is it going to work? Well, he arrives here on Tuesday morning and will attend a U.S.-Saudi investment forum. At that forum will be CEOs from some of the biggest organizations in America, including some of the biggest hedge and investment funds. And then, the key stakeholders here in Saudi Arabia.

They will be looking at opportunities across energy, across minerals. We are talking about a multi-trillion-dollar mineral opportunity here in Saudi Arabia for all things like rare earth minerals for the E.V. and green economy and transition going forward.

And then other clear business opportunities across digitization, A.I. and tech.

He will also, while he is in Saudi, attend the Gulf U.S. Summit. This is a meeting between Donald Trump and the GCC leaders. Now during that event, we should expect to see conversations had and maybe agreements being scored out on Syria, for example; on Israel, Palestine, for example.

Not expecting to get any really big news on that, but certainly, that will be a file that is going to be very closely watched.

He will have supper with the -- the de facto leader here, Mohammed bin Salman, who is a very different person since the last time Donald Trump was here back in 2017.

This is a man who is very comfortable in his skin as a leader here, as his country completely transforms. Remember, the Saudi vision launched in 2016, which would revolutionize this country by 2030. And that is very much on its way. Some of it is not as advanced as the

crown prince here would hope. But ultimately, this is a country completely transformed since Donald Trump was here back in 2017.

That was, of course, his first state trip in his last administration. This now the first big state trip for Trump.

He will then go on to Doha. Qatar has been very much involved in the mediation efforts on Israel and Gaza. The Qataris have mediation as an incredibly important pillar in their foreign policy. So, it's not just Israel-Gaza. They will be involved behind the scenes in what is going on with Iran. Also with Russia, Ukraine, Afghanistan and others.

So, the Trump administration will be keen to reinforce their support for Qatar, which of course, also hosts the biggest U.S. airbase in this region.

And then on to the United Arab Emirates, where the focus will be very much on A.I. and advanced tech investments, along with some real estate and some energy.

The UAE looking to invest $1.4 trillion in the U.S. economy over the next decade, also looking to itself become a global hub for A.I. and technology as it weans itself off its dependency in hydrocarbons.

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And I live in the UAE, and you live and breathe that transition as a resident there. They are very fast becoming not just a deployer of A.I., but a developer of A.I.

They expect to bring some of what they are investing in the United States back to help grow the advanced technology economy that they have a vision for by 2031. That vision is to become a global leader in A.I. and tech by the beginning of the next decade.

So, that's the sort of broad brush, Ben, on what we can expect from this trip. It is geopolitics, statecraft, business, and investment, with a keen eye for Donald Trump, a transactional president, on how his very transactional approach to foreign policy can be nailed by these key allies in the Gulf -- Ben.

HUNTE: Love it. Thank you so much. That was a broad brush indeed. We got everything. Everything. Thank you for that. We appreciate it. We will come back to you within an hour, Becky. Speak to you in a bit.

U.S. stock futures are climbing after U.S. officials said substantial progress was made in trade talks with China. Both countries, in fact, are touting the negotiations in Geneva over the weekend.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says details will be released on Monday, and this could bring much-needed relief in a global trade war triggered by President Trump's tariffs.

Well, you know, I want to dig deeper on this. So, CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us live from Hong Kong. Kristie, thank you for being with me again.

Both the U.S. and China are hailing constructive trade talks in Geneva. But according to Chinese, what progress was made?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ben, we are thin on details as we await the release of a joint statement by both sides in Geneva later today.

The U.S.-China trade talks in Geneva wrapped up over the weekend on a very positive note. You have U.S. officials saying, quote, "substantial progress was made," even touting a possible trade deal with the Chinese.

And Chinese officials saying that they managed to reach, quote, "an important consensus."

Now, after the talks on Sunday wrapped up, we heard from the Chinese vice premier, He Lifeng, and he told reporters that these talks were candid. They were in depth. They were constructive, as well.

He also said that this consultation mechanism was set up, which would facilitate future trade talks. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HE LIFENG, CHINESE VICE PREMIER (through translator): The two sides agreed on establishing a consultation mechanism for trade and economic issues, identified the lead persons on each side, and will carry on further consultations relating to trade and economic issues of their respective concerns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: He Lifeng also said there will be a joint statement to be released in the hours ahead.

This was the first high-level, face-to-face meeting between the U.S. and China ever since the trade war, the latest one, escalated in March.

It was back in March when U.S. President Donald Trump hiked up tariffs on some Chinese goods to an eye-watering 145 percent. China retaliated with tariffs on U.S. imports, 125 percent, while also limiting U.S. film imports and limiting exports of rare earth minerals into the United States.

The trade war has been damaging. It has roiled global trade, stock markets, the bond market. It has upended global supply chain. It has also raised the risk of recession.

The stakes are so high here. And analysts, they point out it's because of the stakes. It added a sense of urgency to these two-day talks. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOSH LIPSKY, CHAIR, INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS AT THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL: The global economy is not a light switch. You can't just turn off and off [SIC] the U.S.-China economic relationship and then expect there's not going to be some short circuiting. And I think that's what's happening right now.

So, we need some stability. We need some certainty, and we need some clarity going forward. And we hope we get that within the next day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: You know, investors have been welcoming news of progress. But we do need clarity. The devil is in the details. We're going to get that in the hours ahead.

Back to you.

HUNTE: All right. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thank you for joining me. Appreciate it.

STOUT: Thank you.

HUNTE: Pope Leo delivers his first Sunday blessing at the Vatican. We'll tell you how the new pontiff is starting off his service.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I will be in Turkey this Thursday on May 15th, and I expect Putin in Turkey, personally, and I hope that this time Putin will not look for reasons why he cannot do something. We are ready to talk to end the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Ukraine's president saying clearly he is ready for peace talks with Vladimir Putin. Volodymyr Zelenskyy originally wanted the Russian president to agree to an immediate 30-day ceasefire before starting talks.

But a social media post by U.S. President Donald Trump may have derailed that demand. CNN's Julia Benbrook explains exactly what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, let's take a step back and look at the discussions that have happened in recent days.

European leaders and the U.S. have been trying to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a month-long ceasefire. The question now is, did a social media post from President Donald Trump undermine those overall efforts? On Saturday, we saw several European leaders meeting with Ukrainian

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. It was a strong showing of support. And they had a strong message for Putin: accept a 30-day ceasefire agreement starting on Monday or face massive new sanctions.

The European leaders presented this plan, they said, with the backing of the White House.

Then, in an overnight address, Putin did not directly address that ultimatum. Instead, he presented talks, direct talks between Russian officials and Ukrainian officials.

And this is where that social media post from Trump comes in. Trump urged Ukraine to accept those talks, even if there wasn't a ceasefire agreement. He said this.

He said, quote, "President Putin of Russia doesn't want to have a Cease Fire Agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH. Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY. At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders and the U.S. will know where everything stands and can proceed accordingly."

He ended that post in all caps, saying, "HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!"

Zelenskyy has said that he is willing to meet directly with Putin. Now if that meeting happens -- it's still unclear if it will -- but if it does, it would be the first time that these two leaders have met since well before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Reporting in Washington, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Opening statements in rapper Diddy's federal criminal trial are expected to start in just a few hours. Coming up, a legal breakdown of what to expect in court once things get underway.

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[00:26:30]

HUNTE: Welcome back. I'm Ben Hunte. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

Hamas has announced the imminent release of American hostage Edan Alexander. Donald Trump called the gesture monumental news and a step taken in good faith towards ending the war.

The president is about to set off for the Middle East, his first state visit of his second term. He's scheduled to stop in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, followed by Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

U.S. and Chinese officials say substantial progress was made over two days of trade talks in Geneva. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says details will be released on Monday.

It comes after President Trump imposed 145 percent tariffs on most Chinese goods last month.

In the coming hours, Pope Leo XIV is set to host his first audience with journalists since his election. It comes after another first for the new pontiff: his Sunday blessing at the Vatican.

He invoked the words of his predecessor, Francis, by calling for an end to war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV, LEADER OF CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): And today's dramatic scenario of a third world war being fought piecemeal. As Pope Francis said, I, too, turn to the world's leaders with an ever timely appeal. Never again war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Pope Leo's comments drew massive crowds in Vatican City, and even larger crowds are expected for his installation mass next Sunday.

CNN's Christopher Lamb has more details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there was a celebratory atmosphere in St. Peter's Square for Pope Leo XIV's first Sunday prayer and address.

LAMB (voice-over): There was a cacophony of noise as the bands from different parts of the world processed into the square and a sea of color, adding to the sense of joy for this occasion.

Around 150,000 people in the square to hear from Pope Leo. They heard him sing the regina caeli Sunday prayer. That was a surprise. No one was expecting that, and it brought another sense of connection with the pope, because people were able to join in with the singing.

Now, Pope Leo gave a strong appeal for peace in the Middle East, in Ukraine, also praising the truce between India and Pakistan, saying he hopes that holds.

Also encouraging young people to consider a vocation to the priesthood and religious life, saying do not be afraid.

Of course, this Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday, when the Catholic Church tries to pray and encourage vocations.

Pope Leo, really connecting with the crowd, singing, as I said, but also calling out pilgrims from different parts of the world, including those from Dallas, Texas. That was a special moment, given it came from the first American pope.

So, Pope Leo really leading a prayer that was full of celebration and joy here in St. Peter's.

LAMB: Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Sean "Diddy" Combs heads into a New York court for opening statements in his criminal trial. But some may not recognize him. Just ahead, our legal expert on how the music mogul is changing his image.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:34:25]

HUNTE: Opening statements happen on Monday in music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs's criminal trial. He has pleaded not guilty to five federal counts, including racketeering and sex trafficking.

Combs's former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, is expected to be a key witness for the prosecution. She filed a lawsuit against Combs, claiming rape and physical abuse.

That suit was quickly settled, but disturbing surveillance video surfaced later and opened a floodgate of accusations.

Let's dig deeper with law professor Jessica Levinson. She's also the host of the "Passing Judgment" podcast. Thank you so much for being with me. How are you doing?

JESSICA LEVINSON, LAW PROFESSOR: Good. Great to be here.

HUNTE: Great to have you here. Let's get into it.

The start of this -- I want to go through -- is a disturbing video aired by CNN, showing Diddy physically assaulting his ex, Cassie Ventura. How significant is that video and her testimony for the prosecution's case?

LEVINSON: Well, I think they are both significant. I mean, you're disturbed by seeing it. I'm disturbed by seeing it. And that means the jurors will likely be disturbed, as well.

Now, seeing somebody behave in a reprehensible way on a video does not mean that the prosecution can prove every element of the crimes that are charged here.

But it does mean that it's an important part of the case, and of course, that it's not going to do Sean Combs any favors with the jury.

So, I think it's going to be powerful, what Miss Ventura says, and what she testifies to, and whether or not she helps the prosecution build the case for the racketeering charges and the sex trafficking charges. All of that could potentially be vital for the prosecution.

HUNTE: Mm-hmm. Meanwhile, Diddy is required to be in the courtroom during his criminal trial. And that means that we're going to see some sort of visual of him. Last week we saw him looking a lot different. Some would say he was

dressed less like a rapper and more like a professor. Why do you think that is?

LEVINSON: Well, because I think everybody knows that what the jury sees matters. So now, it doesn't mean that the jury will look at him dressed like maybe a professor and think, oh, there's no way he could have done it.

But even if, subconsciously, members of the jury look at him and think, was he really running a sex crime operation? Look at how he's dressed now. That's helpful to the defense.

I know we're going to talk about the Menendez case. There's a reason that, in the trials, they were dressed like preppy young men with their tennis shirts and sweaters. And this is all part of conveying an image to the jury.

HUNTE: And this is just his criminal trial, right? So, Diddy also faces more than 60 civil lawsuits, and that number could rise. Could you just explain to us what that means for him after this trial is over?

LEVINSON: Yes, it's a really important question. Of course, the criminal case -- at the end of a criminal case, you could face time in prison. This is a federal criminal case. So, we're talking about federal prison time.

For the civil cases, we're talking about monetary damages. So, what this could mean for Sean Combs after the criminal trial is that he still could be on the hook for a good deal of monetary damages, either because he settles those cases, which he has settled some of them in the past, or if those accusing him of various torts are successful.

HUNTE: I do want to talk about the Menendez brothers' resentencing, because the hearing is happening this week.

Do you think that this case could open the door for other historic convictions to be revisited and looked at with what we now see as a modern understanding of trauma and abuse?

LEVINSON: It's another really good question. I think that, with respect, at least to the resentencing, this probably won't open the floodgates, in part because the resentencing isn't necessarily based on the idea that they were abused, that the Menendez brothers were abused by their parents.

But more to the fact, that they have been, according to the defense, model prisoners. It's also based on a California law dealing with sex offenders and the idea that if they are -- excuse me, dealing with youth offenders.

And the idea that, if they were under 26, when the -- when the crimes were committed, which they were, then they could be potentially eligible for parole if they're resentenced to first degree murder. So, for that reason, I think maybe other things that the Menendez

brothers are asking for -- the habeas petition -- that deals more with our changing understanding of trauma and the impact of sexual abuse.

But I think probably the resentencing, that doesn't open the floodgates for other cases.

HUNTE: Interesting.

And because we're packing everything in today and this week, Kim Kardashian is expected in court this week, too, in that high-profile Paris robbery trial. What impact do you think her testimony could have?

LEVINSON: Well, it's been largely reported that both sides think this might be pivotal.

Now, this is not going to look exactly like an American courtroom. But we know the or we remember the basics of this particular case, which is the allegation that there were a group of more than a dozen people who claimed that they were police officers, stormed into her hotel suite, bound and gagged her, and stole upwards of $10 million of jewelry.

So, because this happened to her personally, and because her allegations will be central to the prosecution's case, I think that her testimony will be quite important.

[00:40:02]

HUNTE: We shall see. What a week. It's all happening. Jessica Levinson, for now we appreciate it. Thank you so much for joining us. Speak to you again soon.

LEVINSON: Thank you.

HUNTE: This year's Eurovision song contest kicked off on Sunday in a big way. Check out this huge parade in Basel, Switzerland. You can see the stream of flags and costumes.

Basel hosts the Eurovision semifinals on Tuesday and Thursday, two. On Saturday, up to 12,000 fans will watch the final in person, but not me. Didn't get tickets.

Last year, 163 million viewers worldwide watched Switzerland's Nemo win Eurovision. The year, the group K.A.J., representing Sweden, are favorites to win.

Okay, that's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me in the team. Ben Hunte in Atlanta. It's been so real. Let's do it again in 20 minutes. See you in a bit.

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