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High Winds Cause Damage in St. Louis and Chicago; Full Audio of Former President Joe Biden's 2023 Interview with Former Special Counsel Robert Hur Released; Ukrainian Officials Say Nine People Killed by Russian Drone Strike on Bus in Ukraine's Northern Sumy Region; Pope Leo XIV Offering to Mediate Peace Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine; Social Media Influencer in Mexico Murdered during Livestream in Suspected Femicide; Sean Diddy Combs's Former Girlfriend Cassie Ventura Testifies in His Criminal Trial; Attackers Attempt to Kidnap Pregnant Daughter of Cryptocurrency Company Executive in Paris. Aired 2-3p ET.

Aired May 17, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: -- officials, rather, can continue in their cleanup and assessment efforts. A curfew will be imposed in St. Louis tonight beginning at 9:00 local time.

And in Chicago, take a look at this incredible timelapse footage showing a rare dust storm covering Chicago. The National Weather Service says winds of up to 70 miles-an-hour blew over from dry farmlands blowing right into the windy city.

CNN correspondent Julia Vargas Jones is in hard hit St. Louis, Missouri.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, this is the extent of the devastation here in this residential neighborhood in St. Louis. We're here in this residential area. This building behind me used to have a whole other floor to it, a neighbor told me, before this tornado came through. And this is an alleyway behind a row of houses. All of them have some kind of damage. And we're seeing here entire downed power lines, trees, pieces of these homes out here on this alleyway. Now we see bricks.

The extent of the damage is also so random. We see some homes hit so heavily, and you can see exactly the path that this tornado took as it tore through the city of St. Louis. We are hearing that at least five people died here, two others in other parts of the state. And we did hear from both the mayor and the governor on this hour. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR CARA SPENCER, ST. LOUIS: We are obviously still grieving. The governor I just got done surveying some of the hardest hit areas here. The devastation is truly tremendous.

GOV. MIKE KEHOE, MISSOURI: We're putting all hands on deck to make sure that we can assist the city and local authorities as much as possible. I would echo the mayor's response, or comments, that our first responders, both in fire and police, have been incredible heroes in this moment. And this is when you really see the goodness of Missouri, when you see these men and women step up and help their friends and neighbors that they've never met, just try to restore some essential services.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And that's exactly what we're seeing in this area. A lot of people coming out with their kids, even picking up brooms and rakes, trying to pick up some of the debris. We are seeing also big machinery coming through and getting those large trees out of the way as people are trying to make their way across the city. There's so much traffic here and police is directing them around these heavily damaged areas. Authorities also telling people to please not go out and try to clear roads on their own, to coordinate with law enforcement, Fred, as it could still be dangerous. We are expecting a curfew tonight from 9:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning because of those dangers, as, of course, this storm dies down here and it moves south. Another system forming just a couple states south of here. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Julia Vargas Jones, thank you so much in St. Louis there.

All right, the threat for severe weather is not over this weekend as another system is developing around Texas and the deep south. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam has the latest forecast. Derek, what are you seeing?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It has been a devastating and, unfortunately, deadly past 24 hours across the mid-south, and it's all thanks to this storm system that has fueled severe weather. And we're not done yet. We're actually in the midst of a multiday, severe weather outbreak. And this has produced nearly 30 confirmed tornadoes just in the past 24 hours. But look at all the wind and hail damage reports from the system as it roared across the southeastern U.S.

So where do we have the chance of severe weather for the day today? The storms that brought the severe weather to the mid-south really starting to lose their punch. But we do anticipate more severe weather to develop later this afternoon across central portions of Texas. So heads up Dallas. Also an area, slight risk across the interior of New England. So that's an area we'll monitor very closely as well.

Here's a look at the timeframe, check by this evening. Dinnertime in and around Dallas, the Fort Worth region, we could see those thunderstorms roll through. The potential there for tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds certainly exist. And then that moves eastward. But this just continues our multiday severe weather threat tomorrow across the mid plains.

Then we look towards Kansas City, Wichita, and Oklahoma City for Monday, the start of the workweek, and that chance of severe weather shifts to, once again, the deep south as we head into Tuesday of next week. This is certainly living up to the busiest time of the year for tornadoes. You can see climatologically speaking may is the most active month for tornadoes. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: Derek Van Dam, thanks so much.

All right, "Axios" has now released the full audio of then President Joe Biden's 2023 interview with former special counsel Robert Hur. The tapes, lasting more than five hours, were part of the now closed probe over Biden's handling of classified documents. The interview led her to describe Biden as an elderly man with a poor memory.

[14:05:3]

Transcripts of those discussions were released last year, but these are the first audio recordings of the interview to be made public. CNN's Arlette Saenz is joining us right now with more on all this. Arlette, what are you learning?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, these newly released audio recordings that were obtained by "Axios" really provide a fuller picture of President Biden's interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur in the fall of 2023.

Now, in total, these recordings total more than five hours. That interview took place over the period of two days. And while Hur did not charge Biden in his investigation into his handling of classified documents, he did describe him as a well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory, which really raised a lot of questions about the presidents age and mental capacity at the time.

Now, Biden had initially exerted executive privilege over these audio recordings, but now "Axios" has obtained these recordings, which in some instances do show Biden engaged, but in others show some memory lapses where he is fumbling to remember some dates. Here is one instance where he brought up his son, Beau Biden, and his passing in response to a separate question from Robert Hur.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT HUR, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL: Where did you keep papers that related to those things that you were actively working on?

JOE BIDEN, (D) FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I, I, I don't know. This is what, 2017, 18, that period?

HUR: Yes, sir.

BIDEN: Remember, in this timeframe, my son is either been deployed or is dying. And, and so, it was --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now in that audio, the former president is speaking slowly. He's a bit meandering. And he talks about his son, Beau, who had actually passed away in 2015. Now, Hur had included in his report that Biden had forgotten -- had been unable to identify exactly when Beau had passed away. That is something that Biden really had pushed back on when this report was released, saying that the Hur's characterization was unfair and inaccurate. A Biden spokesperson, reacting to these new recordings that were released, said, quote, "The transcripts were released by the Biden administration more than a year ago. The audio does nothing but confirm what is already public."

But this is all coming to light just as our colleague Jake Tapper and "Axios" reporter Alex Thompson are set to release this new book that details some signs of decline in Biden while he was in the White House. And it is raising a lot of questions for the Democratic Party. There have already been several potential 2028 contenders who have been asked if they ever saw signs of decline. So they're having to answer for this period of time, really at a moment when the Democratic Party is eager to move past the 2024 election, eager to move past all of these issues with Biden to instead try to focus on Trump and rebuilding their party for the path forward.

WHITFIELD: All right, Arlette Saenz, thanks so much.

All right, still to come, how can Pope Leo bring about peace to the Russia-Ukraine war? Plus, an in-depth look at the prosecution strategy so far, setting the stage in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:13:24]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back.

Ukrainian officials say nine people were killed today when a Russian drone hit a bus in Ukraine's northern Sumy region. Seven others were reported injured. The attack comes just hours after the two countries sent negotiators to Istanbul, Turkey, for the first face-to-face talks in three years. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is tracking the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: This Russian drone strike clearly on a civilian minibus not far from the Russian border in Sumy region, claiming at least nine lives. And President Zelenskyy referring to how amongst the dead were a mother, a father, and a daughter. Separately, local officials putting names to this growing toll of civilians from the daily Russian barrage against Ukraine, Ihor (ph) and Olena (ph) Yevtushenko (ph), a railway worker and a teacher, among the dead there.

And this, I think, coming to as we hear more from the Kremlin about their conditions for future diplomacy. There were, I think it's fair to say, slim results from the talks in Istanbul on Friday. A large prisoner swap agreed, certainly. But Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, saying that there would have to be certain processes, conditions met for a meeting between Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy has offered that meeting pretty much unconditionally on Thursday, and it was rejected by the Kremlin.

Peskov went on to say, too, that they would soon exchange documents about conditions for a potential ceasefire. That's not an unconditional ceasefire, just to explain here, that's been demanded by the United States, Europe and Ukraine.

[14:15:01]

And also, too, Peskov going back to an old Kremlin talking point and saying that the validity of any future peace agreements would be dependent on who the Ukrainian signatory to those documents was. And that is another way of Russia trying to raise again their belief that, their claim that Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is somehow illegitimate despite the fact he won a legitimate election in 2019 and still has high opinion poll ratings during a wartime martial law here where you can't hold a vote under Ukrainian law.

The issue now where this sits with the White House, European leaders and Zelenskyy sat around a telephone talking to U.S. President Donald Trump, presumably updating him on the slim results from the Istanbul talks. Trump, though, keen for a bilateral meeting and appears to think that no progress can occur until those two leaders meet, really throwing the timing and the scheduling and the casting of this peace process back towards the Kremlin for them to dictate it, and potentially buying Russia yet more time. Many say here for the weather to improve, the ground to harden, to enable them to launch a significant summer offensive.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: And then just a short time ago, President Trump announced that he is planning to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Monday. That followed earlier comments by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He is in Rome ahead of the Pope, Pope Leo's inaugural mass tomorrow. Rubio says the Vatican could have an important role to play in creating peace in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We thank the Holy See for its willingness to be involved in this process. Obviously, there are a number of countries that have offered that as well, but we think it would be -- we'll talk about that, the status of the talks, the updates after yesterday and the path forward.

It certainly is a place that I would think that both sides would be comfortable coming. So we are grateful for their longstanding efforts, not simply on trying to broker peace, but on the exchanges of prisoners. There are children that are currently being taken from their homes that the Ukrainians would like to see returned, and the Holy See has been very involved in that regard. So we'll talk about that and all of it. And obviously always grateful for the willingness of the Vatican to, to play this constructive and positive role.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Vatican has long sought to play the role of peacemaker between Russia and Ukraine. And essentially, the offer from Cardinal Pietro Parolin is that the Vatican could be neutral territory for talks to take place.

Of course, there was an extraordinary moment just before the funeral of Pope Francis where President Zelenskyy and President Trump met in Saint Peter's Basilica. Amazing images of that meeting. And apparently the talks were constructive.

Pope Leo XIV said on Wednesday while addressing eastern Catholic church leaders that the Holy See is always ready to bring enemies together for talks for peace. And he has also spoken with President Zelenskyy, who has said he welcomes the Holy See's offer to try and mediate in this war, to try and help bring about a ceasefire.

Now, of course, the main challenge for the Vatican has been that it's been hard for the Holy See to engage with Russia, and the Kremlin hasn't been clear that they've had a very high level of dialog with the authorities in Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church. But a Russian official telling me that they will consider the Vatican's offer. They've been considering it as it's been on the table for some time. But it, of course, depends on the details, and the officials saying, goodwill from the Ukrainian side.

But clearly the Vatican, Pope Leo seeking to try and offer what they can to try and bring about peace and an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, just ahead, a murder caught on a livestream. Why police believe the motive behind the killing of a social media influencer was her gender.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:23:42]

WHITFIELD: A horrific murder seen live on TikTok. Social media influencer Valeria Marquez was livestreaming from her beauty salon in Mexico when she was shot and killed. The 23-year-old's death has sparked outrage in and beyond Mexico, and authorities are investigating the murder as a possible femicide. That's when the killing of a woman or girl is motivated by her gender.

CNN's Gabriela Frias has more on this tragic story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

GABRIELA FRIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Valeria Marquez giggling just seconds before she was shot dead during a livestream on TikTok. The 23-year-old beauty influencer was addressing followers when a male intruder entered her beauty salon in the city of Zapopan, state of Jalisco in central Mexico. Authorities are now investigating it as a suspected femicide, the killing of a woman or girl for gender-based reasons.

"We are working to find those responsible and determine the motive behind this situation," Mexico's president said. "Obviously, we express our solidarity with the family during this unfortunate situation."

Earlier on in the live stream, Valeria, who came on the scene after winning the Miss Rostro, or Miss Face, beauty pageant in 2021, shares with fans that someone had come to the salon while she was out with, quote, "an expensive gift for her."

[14:25:12]

"Were they going to take me or what?" She asks.

The state prosecutors said it was that same man who returned later and killed the young woman, who was buried Thursday. The Jalisco attorney general's office says they're investigating the case as a possible act of gender-based violence, another heartbreaking example as Mexico continues to grapple with attacks targeting women.

Just two days earlier, another woman, Yesenia Lara Gutierrez, a mayoral candidate from the ruling party in the state of Veracruz, was also gunned down during a livestream alongside three other people, two murders that have sent shockwaves through a country with one of the highest femicide rates in the world, with 847 reported cases nationwide last year alone, and a poor track record of bringing perpetrators to justice.

Gabriela Frias, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, joining me right now to talk more about all this is Maniza Habib, a sexual and reproductive health rights researcher. Maniza, great to see you, sadly, on these kinds of circumstances, however. So are we talking about a type of crime that is becoming more common, these femicides?

MANIZA HABIB, RESEARCHER, POPULATION INSTITUTE: Thank you so much for having me. And I think you posed quite a great question. It's true that this brutal killing is not an isolated incident. It's part of a worldwide epidemic. The last U.N. report on femicide reported that a woman is murdered by her partner or family member every 10 minutes. And despite how much we don't want to admit it, that it's a problem here in the States, it is. The Americas have the world's second highest femicide in the world, and the United States holds one of the highest among all high income countries. Roughly 70 percent of the femicide that occurs in high income countries happens here. And it happens in all communities of all religious and ethnic backgrounds.

But I would also be remiss to not note that men are murdering black women and girls at a rate almost three times higher than white women, and Native American and Alaskan native women follow close behind. WHITFIELD: So what are you learning about the motives? I mean, is

there a commonality in the motives? And are we are we talking about these crimes mostly being carried out by people that these women have had interaction with, or are these just complete strangers who are targeting women simply because of their sex, that they're women?

HABIB: So the sad truth is, a woman is more likely to be victimized in their home than anywhere else. So femicide doesn't happen in a vacuum. It's a deadly end of a spectrum of abuse that we are ignoring and continuing to ignore. It's historically been used as a means of control and dominance and even conquer.

And there's a lot of intersecting factors at play that drive femicide. One of the huge causes is toxic masculinity. And this is really entrenched in every society and harms both men and women. More simply put, when men are taught to see women as property and not people, violence becomes a way to assert power.

WHITFIELD: So talk to me more about this toxic masculinity. In what form and how is it becoming more prevalent? How are people seeing it? Maybe they don't know how to identify it as such. But it is a terminology you're using.

HABIB: Yes. Well, basically, toxic masculinity is all these norms that we have that assert the dominance of masculinity over femininity. It upholds the structured patriarchy that encourages gender-based violence as a means to assert dominance and control. It might not be something that we always can see explicitly, but it's this idea that women owe something to men and that women are -- men are meant to be on top.

WHITFIELD: What are some of the solutions, if we could put it that way, that are being discussed, I mean, or remedies, or a response to this?

HABIB: Yes. I mean, that's a great question. It's true that these problems are solvable and femicide is absolutely preventable, but it's not going to be a walk in the park. There's a lot of different things at play that contribute to the prevalence of femicide and why it's rising.

Well, first, we need better data collection to even understand what the different protective factors are to make an intervention work, and then take that information to advocate for laws that will actually respond to survivor needs. For example, in the United States, gun control laws can have a profound impact on reducing femicide.

[14:30:01]

Another more preventative measure is something like comprehensive sexuality education, which isn't just about teaching kids about the biological components of sex, but also about how to have healthy and nonviolent relationships, what bodily autonomy is, and how to communicate with each other that honor all genders and all types of people. WHITFIELD: All right, Maniza Habib, thank you so much for the work

that you're doing in helping to spread awareness and education. I appreciate you being with us today, too.

HABIB: Thank you so much for having me.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, the star witness in the sex trafficking trial against Sean "Diddy" Combs, wrapping up her testimony, telling the jury she was basically a sex worker. Shocking moments from Cassie Ventura's testimony next.

And a manhunt underway in Louisiana after a massive jailbreak in New Orleans. Three inmates recaptured, seven others still on the run. The sheriff now saying it might have been an inside job.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:40]

WHITFIELD: Cassie Ventura, the ex-girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs, finished four days of graphic testimony describing years of repeated physical and sexual abuse by the music mogul. After Ventura wrapped up nearly 20 hours of testifying, a former member of a musical group founded by Combs took the stand. Dawn Richard testified that she saw him attack his former girlfriend in 2009. Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and sex trafficking.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more on the explosive testimony from this first week.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: For a second day in a row, the government's star witness Cassie Ventura facing tough questions from Sean Combs's defense team, who suggested Ventura still wanted to stay in a relationship with Combs even after this 2016 assault, which Ventura said happened when she tried to escape a freak- off, a drug fueled sex session with Combs and a male escort.

"Not a good vibe. We need a different vibe than Friday," Ventura texted. "F Friday, lol." Combs replied, "I don't even want to do that again." "Lol, true," Ventura said. When Combs said he loved her, Ventura replied, "Love you." The 2016 hotel assault allegedly happened just a day after Ventura promoted her latest movie, telling CNN --

CASSIE VENTURA, ACTRESS AND SINGER: When it comes to relationships, I think that you always need to be confident walking into the situation. And if you're not happy, it's not the place for you.

WAGMEISTER: But Ventura stayed with Combs, as the defense highlighted Combs was intoxicated during the assault. "When you get f-ed up the wrong way, you always want to show me that you have the power and you knock me around," Ventura said to Combs in a message read in court. "I'm not a ragdoll. I'm someone's child."

Ventura's husband, Alex Fine, left the courtroom before the defense challenged her claim that Combs raped her in Malibu following a dinner in 2018. Ventura also confirmed she voluntarily saw Combs the next month at a friend's party and had consensual sex with him, even though she was dating her future husband.

Later that year. After the memorial for Combs's former partner, Kim Porter, Ventura wrote Combs, "You posted that Kim was your soulmate. What was the 11 years all about?"

The prosecution downplayed loving exchanges between Ventura and Combs. "Were there periods during which Sean was kind and loving? Yes," Ventura said. "Did those periods ever last? No," Ventura said, adding that Combs mood swings "affected my whole life, my career, my self- worth. I was basically a sex worker," she said.

In wrapping its cross-examination, the defense highlighted Ventura's canceled 2023 music tour and the $20 million settlement Ventura got from Combs a day after filing her civil suit against him. "As soon as you saw that you were going to get the $20 million, you canceled the tour because you didn't need it anymore, right?" "That wasn't the reason why," Ventura replied, later saying she felt overwhelmed and wanted to be with her kids.

Combs's attorney asked, "Do you hate him now?" "I don't hate him," Ventura replied. "I have love for the past and what it was."

After Cassie Ventura finished her four day testimony, her attorney came just out here outside of the courthouse to praise his client and how proud he is of her. He also read a statement from Cassie Ventura. She said that this week was challenging and that she is glad to put this chapter of her life behind her, but she also says that she hopes her testimony gives power and strength to other survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Now, next week, we are expecting to hear testimony from Cassie's mother, and also from a former best friend of Cassie's who came up in a lot of her testimony, so we can anticipate that she will corroborate much of Cassie's account. Back to you.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much.

All right, joining me right now for more perspective on all of this is entertainment attorney Lisa Bonner. Lisa, great to see you. So I mean, it's early, but in your view, has the prosecution done a good job of laying out the framework to support these charges? Because it is a very complicated case.

[14:40:06]

LISA BONNER, ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEY: It's a very complicated case, and it's important to remember that there are three counts. Theres RICO, there is the sex trafficking, and the transportation for the purposes of prostitution.

So we had week one, and that is it. And it's a framework, but we don't really see a lot of the RICO charges unfolding because sex trafficking is a part of the RICO case, but it is also a separate and distinct claim from RICO case. So in the RICO case, they're going to try to prove kidnaping, arson, bribery, obstruction of justice. So there is a lot more to this. And that's why people are getting really mired down in all the noise of the salacious testimony of Cassie, when that's just a very, very small part of the case.

WHITFIELD: The Cassie portion. But the reason why, perhaps, the prosecution found it was important that she, as part of the opening salvo, is that A, she's a powerful witness. People's minds have been colored already by the surveillance video that came out of showing Sean "Diddy" Combs, you know, abusing her. That's influential. She's very pregnant, right. And where she is in the term of her pregnancy, it's very volatile. It's important for her to be at the beginning of the case.

So how might she, her testimony also lend an opening to where the prosecution is going? Because she certainly established, you know, her willingness, the coercion of her relationship, that she was also an instrument into these many allegations that now Sean Combs is facing.

BONNER: Right. And it's important to remember this is an eight-week trial. So the prosecution has to prove coercion. They have to prove allegations of forced labor and things, so concealment of weapons, transportation of narcotics with the intent to distribute. So what she said, yes, we procured cocaine. I held a gun for him. So these are things that they are trying to establish.

And again, it's not to get mired down in the noise of the domestic violence, because that's -- the domestic violence. Everybody has owned it, and that's not a charge in the federal crime, in the federal case, in the federal indictment. Nothing to do with it. So she is laying the groundwork for other charges and other allegations that we are going to see coming forward, supposedly.

WHITFIELD: And that might be part of a deal sort of made, right, even with her, because even though she received a $20 million settlement from him, she got another $10 million settlement from the hotel, from the surveillance, et cetera. And most likely with the settlement with him, she probably had an NDA.

BONNER: Oh, she absolutely had an NDA.

WHITFIELD: But why is that no longer -- how is it prosecutors were able to get her to testify knowing that there was that arrangement? Because she is now telling all. And she's also establishing that in in parts, too, she's kind of an accomplice, but she is escaping charges herself as a result.

BONNER: Right. So with respect to the NDA, the nondisclosure agreement, in every nondisclosure agreement and confidentiality provision, there is a clause that has an exception for subpoena or a court order. And so that, even though she signed the civil suit, yes, the civil suit, which included a confidentiality provision, there was an exception in there where she could talk. And you cannot contract around that. So that's very important. That's how she was able to lend herself and be victim and testify as victim number one.

WHITFIELD: Wow, it's fascinating. And so what's expected now as we enter week two?

BONNER: They're going to start talking about the allegations. We are expecting Cassie's mother to talk, to testify and talk about how she tried to escape. I saw her with bruises. She was at my house, perhaps. And so she's going to be laying out what Cassie was saying, that this was not my choice. I tried to leave. Her mother is going to establish that. Her best friend that we're looking for that might testify is also going to allegedly, and most likely testify to that, because consent is principle in any kind of sexual relationship, and certainly in sex trafficking. What they're saying is, I may have consented at some point, but look at the totality of the circumstances.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it's very complicated.

BONNER: Right.

WHITFIELD: Because victimized as well. I mean, clearly very much victimized. But of course, the prosecution wants to say, wait a minute. She was a willing participant.

BONNER: Correct. But how willing -- right. How willing was she? If I tried to escape and you sent your goons to bring me back. And that is one of the things that we have heard and that has been alleged, that Diddy sent people to go and retrieve her when she stopped talking to him and would not return his calls. Allegedly, people from Sony, the record label, came and said you must return Seans calls. If you do not --

BONNER: Oh, my gosh. So this opens the door for the other kinds of witnesses. They're calling her the star witness. But wait a minute. When you're talking about others in the industry now who might be complicit and know of, et cetera, they too are going to be called into this, besides --

[14:45:07]

BONNER: Correct, a part of the criminal enterprise.

WHITFIELD: Right.

BONNER: So we're going to see this unfold. And there is so much to talk about, and I always say everybody is going to get a lesson in criminal procedure during this trial.

WHITFIELD: This is just the tip of the iceberg.

BONNER: This is just the tip of the iceberg, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Incredible. We'll have you back.

BONNER: Thank you. I'm looking forward to it.

WHITFIELD: Thank you, Lisa Bonner. BONNER: Thank you, good to see you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:50:01]

WHITFIELD: A brazen attack in broad daylight in Paris. Take a look at this video showing the horrifying moment when the pregnant daughter of a cryptocurrency company executive, accompanied by her two-year-old child right there, narrowly escaping a kidnaping attempt. Thats what you're watching. And you can see her desperately trying to fight back her assailant.

CNN senior field producer Saskya Vandoorne went to the scene of the attack to get more details.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SENIOR FIELD PRODUCER: This is the spot where on Tuesday morning, four masked men attempted to kidnap the daughter and grandson of a prominent French crypto boss, according to police. And it was all caught on camera.

(SHOUTING)

VANDOORNE: The video shows them fighting back and screaming for help. You can hear the woman shouting "Aidez moi!" "Help me!" As she grabs an object that appears to be a gun and throws it in the street. It turned out to be a fake. According to BFMTV. A shopkeeper now being hailed as a hero, ran out with a fire extinguisher, forcing the attackers to flee in a white van. The family was treated for minor injuries, according to BFMTV.

Police believe the attackers were targeting them because of their ties to cryptocurrency. AFP reports the woman's father is the CEO of Paymium, a French crypto exchange. The Paris prosecutor has opened an investigation into attempted kidnaping by an organized gang, aggravated assault, and criminal conspiracy.

This is the fourth attempted crypto-related abduction in France in just six months. In one case, a victim's finger was severed. The interior minister is holding an emergency meeting with crypto entrepreneurs on Friday as officials now race to respond to this escalating threat.

Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come, newly released audio of President Biden raising more questions about what the White House staff knew in the months before he dropped out of the race.

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[14:56:48] WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. A park nearly destroyed by the Eaton wildfire will reopen in Altadena, California, today. The devastating fire scorched neighborhoods across Los Angeles back in January, killing at least 30 people and leaving thousands more homeless. The L.A. County Parks director says what would have normally been an 18 month rebuild of the park was actually done in less than six months thanks to community support.

Tomorrow night, Eva Longoria takes viewers through San Sebastian and the beautiful Basque Country in northern Spain. CNN anchor John Berman sat down with her and discussed the rich culture, history, language, and longstanding traditions from this region over a meal of Basque pigs toast and wine. I don't even know what that is, but I'm about to find out.

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EVA LONGORIA, ACTRESS: Oh, my God. So now were in the Basque Country. I fell in love with Chacoli, which is the grape and the wine that is made in the Basque Country. You really can't get it anywhere else outside of the Basque Country. I'm so excited. I haven't had a Chacoli since I got back.

(LAUGHTER)

LONGORIA: Cheers.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Cheers.

LONGORIA: Spain, geographically, is located in a perfect spot for gastronomy. It has so many oceans that surround everything, and that ecosystem really provides a breeding of so many different fish and seafood and amazing marine life. So this is a pincho. Usually a pincho served on a piece of bread with a stick through it. And then of course, this sheep's milk cheese that is from the Basque Country as well.

BERMAN: Pincho is different from tapas how?

LONGORIA: Yes. A pincho has evolved into a more gourmet bite in San Sebastian specifically, or Bilbao in the north. Each bar has their own special pincho. And so you do like a bar crawl, and you'll have one pincho and one vermouth at this bar, and then you move on to the next, because this bar is known for certain pincho and a different drink, and then you move on to the next. And so they're only -- they're that big. It's not, it's not filling. You have to have many.

BERMAN: And the Basque region of course, could you understand anything anyone was saying?

LONGORIA: No. It is very difficult. Nobody knows the roots of that language. Its not a Latin language. It's not a romance language. It's not a Germanic language. It's its own beast of a language.

(LAUGHTER) BERMAN: And talk about proud. I mean, the Basque region, everyone -- all over Spain people are proud of their home region, but in the Basque region, like fiercely proud.

LONGORIA: What a lot of people don't understand is Franco had a dictatorship for so long, and he had such a strong hold over one Spain, one flag, one identity, that he really squashed and suppressed the regional identities. And so what happened during the dictatorship was so many of these regions, they could not speak their language. And so once Franco died and the dictatorship was over and the country opened back up, these regional identities came back with a resurgence of energy and celebration.

BERMAN: The food is an expression of liberty and identity and self that was, what, like suppressed for generations.

LONGORIA: Yes. Well, when you talk about the food of a country, you're talking about its people. And when you're talking about the people of a country, you're talking about, you know, centuries of history, centuries of history. And so how the Basque region, you know, held on to the, to the language and held on to the tradition was a struggle worth storytelling.

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