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Donald Trump Kicks Off Middle East Visit In Riyadh; Donald Trump Announces Plan To Lift Sanctions On Syria; U.S. Inflation Slows To Lowest Rate In Over Four Years; Zelenskyy Insists Peace Talks Must Involve Putin Himself; Combs' Ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura to Resume Testimony; Defense Attorneys Admit Combs Has Been Violent With Romantic Partners; Gaza Officials Say at Least 56 Killed in Overnight IDF Strikes; 200 Rescued From a Maryland Elementary School With Boats; Brothers Eligible for Parole After Re-sentencing for Parents Murder; Sauna Song Sees Sweden Secure Spot in Final of Eurovision 2025. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired May 14, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:33]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max, I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, pomp and pageantry mixed with plenty of wheeling and dealing, Donald Trump receives a warm welcome on the first stop of his Gulf state tour.

The U.S. and China paused their trade war, and now the U.S. President says he could possibly negotiate directly with Xi Jinping.

Plus, shocking and graphic testimony from the ex-girlfriend of Sean Diddy Combs.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us, and we begin in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where U.S. President Donald Trump will soon begin the second day of his visit to the Middle East. He's expected to be joined again by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who rolled out a lavish royal welcome for President Trump on the first major international trip of his second term.

This time, the two will attend a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council where Donald Trump is expected to informally greet Syria's president one day after announcing plans to lift sanctions on Syria in a major change in U.S. foreign policy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The sanctions were brutal and crippling and served as an important -- really an important function, nevertheless, at the time, but now it's their time to shine. It's their time to shine. We're taking them all off. I say, good luck Syria. Show us something very special.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Donald Trump's announcement was celebrated in Syria with fireworks and even a billboard thanking both the U.S. president and the Saudi Crown Prince for lifting the sanctions.

CNN's Becky Anderson has more details now from Riyadh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): A royal welcome for U.S. President Donald Trump as he touched down in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The gulf state putting on a lavish reception to greet America's self- styled deal-maker in chief. This is Trump's first major overseas trip of his second term, and the guest list made clear, business deals are top of the agenda. Tech CEOs and leaders of large U.S. firms joining Trump's top political team in Riyadh.

TRUMP: We have the biggest business leaders in the world here tonight, and they're going to walk away with a lot of checks for a lot of things that you're going to provide.

ANDERSON (voice over): This is Trump's chance to prove himself a major deal-maker on the global stage. He suggested two million U.S. jobs could be created as part of his visit.

MOHAMMED SOLIMAN, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: The region is the new Europe in the mindset of President Trump. Clearly, he sees this region as a big priority area for his own economic agenda when it comes to securing deals for American companies that want to make sure that they have access to overseas markets.

ANDERSON (voice over): While the fanfare was obvious, the finer details of what was signed not immediately clear, multiple economic, trade and defense agreements, including the White House says, a $600 billion commitment from Riyadh to invest in the United States. Officials here, who have huge economic ambitions themselves insist this is no blank check, saying the deals will bear fruit for both sides.

TRUMP: And I used trade to --

ANDERSON (voice over): In his keynote speech on Tuesday, Trump highlighted what he described as he, quote, "modern Middle East".

TRUMP: Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts of tired divisions of the past and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos, where it exports technology, not terrorism, and where people of different nations, religions and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other. ANDERSON: It was a welcome message to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; the gulf state's de facto ruler and a key Trump ally since the President's first-term in office. His visit here is the first on a four-day tour of energy rich gulf Arab nations.

TRUMP: Getting bigger and bigger --

ANDERSON: Next stop, Qatar and the UAE also keen to cast themselves as indispensable business partners and key intermediaries in conflicts from Gaza to Ukraine.

[02:05:09]

Becky Anderson, CNN, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Sanam Vakil is the director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House, and she joins me now live from Berlin. Appreciate you being here.

SANAM VAKIL, DIRECTOR OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAM, CHATHAM HOUSE: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So, President Trump starts the second day of his high stakes Middle East trip after making major trade deals Tuesday, the primary focus of this trip. But how significant was Trump's Tuesday announcement to lift sanctions on Syria, and then, of course, to greet informally, that country's new leader today?

VAKIL: It's very important announcement, really, also the meeting that will come, perhaps in a few hours, will be important for the United States to lift these sanctions will give Syrians immediate economic relief and an opportunity to rebuild the country that was battered by over a decade of war, corruption from a brutal leader, Bashar al- Assad, who is watching all of this from Moscow, where his family lives in exile, and by greeting Ahmed al-Sharaa, the new Syrian leader, this also shows that he can be welcome in all capitals. Perhaps other countries will follow suit, lifting sanctions.

And a third point that is really important is that the United States is lifting sanctions off of an entire country. This will take a long process, perhaps even but it shows that lifting sanctions are actually possible. The United States has imposed thousands of sanctions on many countries around the world, and this will be a really good case study for what that looks like.

CHURCH: And Israel's Prime Minister can't be happy with what he's seeing. First, President Trump bypasses Benjamin Netanyahu to make a deal with Hamas to release the last American hostage. Then Trump visits Saudi Arabia, then he'll go to Qatar and the UAE instead of Israel, and extends an olive branch to Iran to end its nuclear program. He also lifts the sanctions on Syria, as was just discussed, and says that the people of Gaza deserve a better future.

So, what message is President Trump sending Netanyahu with this?

VAKIL: I think this is a very direct message to the prime minister in Israel that the way the military dynamics that he is pursuing are not heralding this new Middle East that President Trump spoke about in Riyadh.

Moreover, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is just horrifying, and the fact that the Prime Minister, if not the Israeli government and beyond, are complicit, and I think generational trauma is something that Israel -- the Israeli leadership really needs to digest. President Trump is very overtly isolating one of America's traditional allies, and it will be important to see how, if at all, Prime Minister Netanyahu adjusts.

CHURCH: And also, President Trump, touted a $600 billion investment commitment from Saudi Arabia, which includes an agreement to buy $142 billion of American military equipment. What do these -- what do these significant trade deals indicate to you?

VAKIL: These deals are important for the Trump administration that has a world view or a vision that American economic engagement globally goes hand in hand with security engagement.

And so, by penning and formalizing these investments, the United States will be a long term active, engaged partner for the Gulf states, and in this case for Saudi Arabia in particular. This is important because the Gulf states have long complained that the United States is an unreliable security partner, and they've been looking to anchor and strengthen those security ties in a region that has been unstable and rife with significant conflict for some time.

CHURCH: And Sanam, when President Trump arrives at his next stop, Qatar, the world will, of course, be watching to see if he accepts their gift of a luxury jumbo jet. Right now, we're seeing broad opposition to this gesture of a presidential gift, even extending into Trump's most ardent Republican supporters who worry about national security.

So, how likely is it that Trump will accept this gift, and what are the risks and the optics if he does?

[02:10:08]

VAKIL: Well, thus far, the president has indicated that he will accept the gift, and this was a plane by Qatar that has been a longtime ally of the United States that hosts U.S. Central Command in Qatar, and has renewed that relationship.

This was an effort at building even personal ties with the president, at a time where Qatar has played a role mediating between Hamas but other also adversarial players internationally.

And that role, that mediation, role that Qatar plays, has attracted criticism from internal us outlets, but also from Israel itself, accusing Qatar of facilitating Hamas and other terrorist groups.

CHURCH: Sanam Vakil, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

VAKIL: Thank you.

CHURCH: The Israeli military launched a strike on a hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday, killing at least six Palestinians and wounding dozens more, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The IDF claims it carried out a strike on, "Hamas terrorist in a command and control center located beneath the hospital, but it did not identify the target of the strike."

However, sources tell CNN the military attack was targeting Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar. Sinwar became the militant group's de facto leader after the IDF killed his brother Yahya Sinwar last October. The brothers are believed to be among the main planners of the October 7th terror attack on Israel.

Well, meanwhile, the United Nations is warning that Gaza is edging closer to famine. According to a U.N. backed report, one in five people there are facing starvation. And this comes as aid organizations say the situation has deteriorated since Israel renewed its assault on Gaza in March. A top U.N. humanitarian official is blasting the U.S. and Israel's aid distribution plan for the Enclave.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FLETCHER, U.N. UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: We have a plan. We have shown we can deliver with tens of thousands of trucks reaching civilians during the cease fire. We have lifesaving supplies ready now at the borders, we can save hundreds of thousands of survivors. We have rigorous mechanisms to ensure our aid gets to civilians and not to Hamas.

But Israel denies us access, placing the objective of depopulating Gaza before the lives of civilians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: No humanitarian aid has been delivered to Gaza since March 2nd, the report says the enclave is experiencing acute food insecurity, and the territory is at high risk of famine.

And in Israel, the families of hostages in Gaza continue to make their voices heard, protesting in front of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, they're calling on the U.S. president to help release the remaining hostages. The demonstrations come just one day after Hamas released Edan Alexander, the last known, living American hostage. His release was the result of several days of talks between Hamas and the U.S. bypassing Israel.

A U.S.-China truce in Donald Trump's trade war. Investors are welcoming it, but economic uncertainty and the threat of a recession remain, we will check the latest data, that's next.

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[02:18:15]

CHURCH: J.P. Morgan Chase is the latest Wall Street bank to walk back its recession odds following the trade war truce between the U.S. and China. Its economists say that while recession risks are, "Still elevated," they have now dropped below 50 percent, that marks a significant fall from early April, when J.P. Morgan warned of a 60 percent chance of a recession due to the alarmingly high tariffs.

Meanwhile, inflation numbers for April show tariffs have not yet caused prices to spike in the U.S. The consumer price index rose at an annual rate of 2.3 percent, that is the lowest rate in more than four years.

The trade deal between the U.S. and China is now in effect, with both sides temporarily slashing their mutual tariffs. The U.S. president told Fox News it's possible he might get personally involved in negotiations over a longer term deal with China.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: Do you foresee yourself dealing directly with President Xi on the final details of this deal?

TRUMP: Yes, I could see that. I mean, I'm not sure that it will be necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Both countries agreed to lower tariffs by 115 percentage points for 90 days following marathon talks in Geneva over the weekend. Not long after the trade deal was announced, Chinese leader Xi Jinping took a veiled swipe at the U.S. While speaking at an economic summit in Beijing, he warned bullying will only backfire.

I want to bring in Dan Ives, who's the Global Head of Tech Research at Wedbush Securities. Great to have you with us.

DAN IVES, GLOBAL HEAD OF TECH RESEARCH, WEDBUSH SECURITIES: Great to be here.

CHURCH: So, President Donald Trump was happy to tout news of inflation falling to its lowest level in four years while he was in Saudi Arabia. Now this comes despite the president's global tariffs dipping to 2.3 percent and comes on top of Trump reaching that sudden trade deal with China, slashing tariffs for both countries for 90 days, making the markets very happy, of course.

[02:20:20]

What does all this signal for the economic future of the U.S. and the world, and could a recession be averted, do you think?

IVES: Look, I mean, if you go back five, six weeks ago, Liberation Day started. It was an Armageddon scenario that was really unleashed, especially not just because of inflation, but when you look at tax and what that was going to do to recession odds. I'd say recession odds called 75 percent before this past weekend, now probably goes to 40 percent.

And I think, look, this is a tight wire act, because Trump is obviously trying to get trade deals, trying to, you know, go for the hard deal, but you risk going into sort of inflationary as well as recessionary issues.

And the Fed, they're caught between rock and a hard place. They're not going to cut right now. I think we are in a much better spot than we were a few weeks ago, but still more wood to chop, especially when it comes to the details of what these trade deals are going to look like.

CHURCH: Yes, we are missing those specifics, aren't we? Donald Trump said China-U.S. trade deal on tariffs has, of course, allowed the market to essentially recover what's been lost since Liberation Day when the President first announced his reciprocal tariffs.

But has any lasting damage being done to the economy, and how do you expect the Federal Reserve will likely respond to this new economic landscape, but when they next meet?

IVES: Yes, it's great questions, because look, I mean the Fed backs against the wall. Powell's not cutting till they have a better understanding what these tariffs are actually going to do from an inflationary perspective.

And I think we probably get one, two cuts later this year, but, but they need to be in a wait and see mood, despite what you know, where Trump says about Powell.

Look, I think you know, when you think about where everything's heading right now, it all comes down to like, it's a very tricky spot, because you got to get these trade deals on the table, you got to see what they ultimately look like. And there is some damage. There's damage done in the near term and potentially in the long term.

But look, to sell America sort of thesis that was going on the investing side, that's definitely been reversed. But you need to continue to go down this path. You can't get all hawkish, like maybe we've seen from Navarro and some others, that would probably be the fear of the market. Right now, we definitely have come off the cliff, but we need to see more deals ahead.

CHURCH: And of course, I know you've been monitoring President Trump's first major overseas trip to the Middle East, and on his first stop in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, American business leaders waited in line to shake his hand and make some deals. The most significant coming out of that was news that Nvidia will sell chips to Saudi Arabia. What did you make of that?

IVES: In Beijing, you know, they're not happy hearing that, right? Because the reality is like there's one chip in the world fueling the A.I. revolution. And that's Nvidia. And that's, of course, Jensen Huang.

If you look what's here, it's a clear tone change, right? When it comes to Saudi Arabia, it's doubling down. I mean, they're looking to really create an AI revolution in Saudi and

the Middle East, but you can do that without the chips, and they know that, and that's why the Nvidia deal, that was for the headline from I think -- you know, from today, and probably from even from this trip.

But it's also shot across the bow of China, basically showing like, look, we'll sell these chips. You got to play ball.

CHURCH: And despite the more positive economic landscape, many small American businesses are struggling, aren't they, to adapt? And some will go out of business. With a new survey showing small businesses are losing faith in Trump's tariff policy. What will happen to many of these businesses if more long term and specifics don't come out on these trade deals?

IVES: Well, a lot of it's tariff driven -- look, even when you look at 30 percent on China and still high for small businesses, you see it with cargo, with the inventory that's coming out, small businesses are vulnerable, and I think that's why, like, they almost had to sort of deescalate when it comes to China.

But this is very tricky, because what Trump administration is trying to do, it's a tight wire act, and small businesses are the ones that are hurt, consumers are the ones that are hurt, and they definitely need to make sure that you basically keep the U.S. out of recession, because you don't want to burn the house down just to meet the firefighters.

CHURCH: Dan Ives, great to speak with you. Thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

[02:25:03]

IVES: Thank you.

CHURCH: The push for peace talks, Ukraine's President calls on allies to be ready to impose strong sanctions on Moscow if it rejects a cease fire deal, details just ahead.

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CHURCH: Ukraine's president is challenging Vladimir Putin to follow through on his offer of direct peace talks.

[02:30:00]

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will travel to Turkey on Thursday to speak personally with Russia's president, and only to him, not his envoys. President Zelenskyy spoke with reporters on Tuesday, including CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy very clear he will be going to Turkey to wait for Russian President Vladimir Putin initially in the Turkish capital alongside the president there, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and maybe even moving on to Istanbul if Putin decides to fly there. Wherever Putin is, he'll go, but he set some minimal goals for that meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATON WALSH: If this meeting does go ahead and does not result in an immediate 30-day ceasefire, will you consider that to have been a failure?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Now, of course, it means that Russia is not ready for diplomacy. It's been only one side, it's only about Russia. What has been, if they will not come -- if Putin will not come or if ceasefire will not be supported by Russians, by Putin, exactly by him. So it's been only one thing that Russia is not ready for any kind of negotiation. No time for playing games on the technical level and et cetera. This means only one thing that we need to be more strong, united and tough on them. And today, I see only one thing, sanctions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PATON WALSH: Now, sanctions really are key here because after the deadline from European powers and Ukraine for Russia to accept an unconditional ceasefire for 30 days, that kind of expired on Monday, there were threats of severe sanctions. Then, they seem to have been delayed to see if Russia will send Vladimir Putin to this meeting in Turkey. The question really is, where does President Donald Trump fit in all of this? Will he back those harder sanctions? Will he go to any meeting in Turkey? And does any of this process change his ultimate feelings about whether Moscow wants peace?

CHURCH: European leaders are casting doubt on whether Russia is sincere about pursuing peace talks or even peace at all. The E.U. Foreign Policy Chief, Kaja Kallas, says Russia is "playing games."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAJA KALLAS, E.U. FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: I think it's a good move if they sit down. I think it should be between Zelenskyy and Putin, but I don't think he dares, Putin, I guess. It only takes one to want war. And we see Putin has shown very clearly that he still wants war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Kallas also says Ukraine has showed a good faith effort by agreeing to ceasefire two months ago, noting that Russia has not done the same. She says, further sanctions against Moscow are on the table.

Well, back on the stand a key witness in the trial of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs gets ready to resume her explosive testimony. We will have the details after a short break. Stay with us.

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[02:37:25]

CHURCH: This just into CNN, Israeli strikes in Northern Gaza killed at least 56 people overnight. That is according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The majority of those killed were women and children from the Jabalia Refugee Camp, a nurse at one of the hospitals receiving the bodies told CNN. And we will bring you more on that story next hour.

Well, about 200 people, including 150 children, have been rescued from a Maryland elementary school after heavy rains resulted in flash floods. The Emergency Services Department says about 15 rescue boats were used in Tuesday's rescue operations as floodwaters began to reach the second floor. Officials say everyone is safe and there were no injuries reported.

In the hours ahead, the ex-girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs is expected to continue testifying in his racketeering and sex trafficking trial in New York. Cassie Ventura gave emotional testimony for the prosecution on Tuesday, accusing the music mogul of physical and emotional abuse, as well as using violence, drugs, and other forms of intimidation to coerce her into group sex parties that he called freak offs.

Ventura also testified that Combs beat and kicked her in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 when she tried to leave a freak off before it was over. That surveillance video was shown to the jury. Here's what Ventura's attorney had to say about her testimony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you feel after today?

DOUGLAS WIGDOR, ATTORNEY FOR CASSIE VENTURA: It's not for me to decide how we feel. It's up to the jury. But we're very confident.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How's Cassie doing after it all? How is she feeling? I know it must have been a lot to kind of, you know, recount all the experiences.

WIGDOR: It was a long day. I'm just super proud of her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Defense attorneys acknowledged that Combs has been violent with romantic partners, but they argue the women consented to the sexual arrangements. Also, arguing that domestic violence doesn't mean he committed racketeering or sex trafficking.

After spending 35 years in prison for killing their parents, two brothers will now be eligible for parole. Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted for the 1989 murders of Kitty and Jose Menendez and were originally sentenced to life without parole. On Tuesday, a California judge re-sentenced the brothers to 50 years to life in prison, making them immediately eligible for parole.

[02:40:00]

The State Parole Board and governor must now decide whether to grant parole. Well, this year's Eurovision Song Contest held its first semi-final on Tuesday and Sweden's song about saunas saw the favorites make it through to Saturday's final, no sweat. Against fans' predictions. Belgium was sent packing by viewers worldwide, while Iceland and Portugal squeezed through. The second semi-final will be held on Thursday.

I want to thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is coming up next. Then I'll be back at the top of the hour with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stay with us.

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