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Mounting Problems At Home As Trump Returns From Mideast; Manhunt Underway For Seven Escapees From New Orleans Jail; Tornado- Spawning Storm System Kills At Least 25 In Missouri And Kentucky; AP: Explosion Reported At California Fertility Clinic; First Week Of Testimony Wraps Up In Sean "Diddy" Combs; Worcester Residents Try To Block ICE Agents From Making Arrest. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired May 17, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: When they got engaged, the bride-to-be went to TikTok to ask the company if they wanted to be part of this very special day. And Dairy Queen went all in, treating them to an engagement photo shoot and customed merch for the bachelor and bachelorette parties, including a one-of-a-kind Mrs. Blizzard jacket. You see it right there. A very sweet way to start that marriage.

Congratulations, and thank you so much for being with me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Jessica Dean.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in New York.

And tonight, President Trump is back in Washington after his trip to the Middle East. And he's now facing several immediate issues. The war in Ukraine number one, rising prices on store shelves in America, and his big beautiful agenda bogged down in Congress.

In a major development, Trump announced plans to hold a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, hoping for what he said was a, quote, "productive day" and a ceasefire to finally end the war in Ukraine. This coming just days after the Russian leader skipped a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Turkey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He is at the table and he wanted this meeting. And I always felt there can't be a meeting without me because I don't think a deal is going to get through. There's a lot of hatred on both sides. I have a very good relationship with Putin. I think we'll make a deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Also tonight, the president picking a fight with Walmart over rising prices after the company's CEO made it clear earlier this week Walmart would raise prices to cover Trump's tariffs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DOUG MCMILLION, WALMART CEO: We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible, but given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren't able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Now, the president today said Walmart should, quote, "eat the tariffs" instead of raising prices, adding, quote, "I'll be watching."

All of this coming as Republicans on the hill scramble to get Trump's agenda over the finish line, with Trump warning them, quote, "We don't need grandstanders. Stop talking and get it done."

More now, though, on that anticipated call between Putin and Trump. The Kremlin confirming preparations for that very important conversation are now underway. And Julia Benbrook is joining us now with more on this.

What kind of preparations and what are they hoping that they can get done and achieve with this phone call -- Julia.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Donald Trump is outlining several discussions next week that will be focused on ending the war in Ukraine. Just a few hours ago, he announced that he would be having a direct phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday at 10:00 a.m. and he says that following that call, he plans to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and various NATO members.

He outlined his goals in that post. He said, quote, "Hopefully it will be a productive day. A ceasefire will take place. And this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end."

Now these phone calls are coming just days after representatives from Ukraine and Russia met for face-to-face talks for the first time at any level in three years. And during those talks, there was a lot of confusion before the talks, excuse me, about who would actually attend. There was speculation that we could see Zelenskyy, Putin and maybe even Trump in the room together, but instead those talks took place at a lower level.

Zelenskyy sent his defense minister to lead his team. And then he criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for not sending any real deal-makers to the table. Now they were able to come to an agreement, the two delegations, on a prisoner swap, but did not see any big breakthroughs on a ceasefire agreement. The White House have maintained that there won't be any major breakthroughs until Trump and Putin can have a conversation. That conversation is scheduled for Monday.

Now, in an interview with Bret Baier that aired on FOX News last night, Trump praised his team and the negotiations so far, but reiterated that he believes he's the only one who can get this done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm tired of having other people go and meet and everything else. And with that being said, I think Steve Witkoff has done an incredible job, but it's a very tough job and it's a job that because of the position that I think I'm the only one that's going to be able to do that one. And I think we'll do it fast, too. I think Putin is tired of this whole thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, European leaders and the U.S. have been putting pressure on Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire for a while now. And following those direct talks, Zelenskyy emphasized that pressure on Russia must be maintained -- Jessica.

[16:05:00]

DEAN: All right. Julia Benbrook at the White House, thank you so much for that.

And joining us now, former National Security adviser under President Trump and a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton.

Mr. Ambassador, thanks so much for being here with us this afternoon. I want to start first there with that anticipated call between President Trump and Putin. Do you think that's the best way forward? Do you think having that phone call is the right thing? And do you think it can actually move the ball forward?

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, I think it's what both Putin and Trump want, although for very different reasons. In fact, I think what both of them really want is a meeting. And maybe one outcome of this phone call, as Trump said in the Middle East, will be to try and get a meeting together as soon as possible.

Trump wants the meeting because he'll be the center of attention. And what better place could he be? Putin wants the meeting for several reasons. He thinks he can manipulate Trump. He believes he has manipulated him successfully since Trump's inauguration. And there are other advantages, too. No pesky Volodymyr Zelenskyy. No pesky European leaders. Just Putin and Trump.

That is exactly the scenario that Putin wants. Ex-KGB agent that he is. It's not a guarantee Putin will succeed, but that is the scenario he has been looking for.

DEAN: And so where does this lead or leave the European Union that made that 30-day ceasefire? Or the members from Europe, the European leadership that made that ceasefire threat about the sanctions? And where does it leave Vladimir Zelenskyy in all of this?

BOLTON: Well, for the moment, they're both on the sidelines. Now we'll see what comes out of the call with Putin. I think from Putin's point of view, he should want a ceasefire. I think he needs time to rebuild the Russian army. If he gets a ceasefire along the front lines, he's still got 20 percent of Ukraine under his control. But that's not the way he sees it. He apparently believes momentum on the battlefield, slow and indistinct as it is, is in his favor.

But in order to keep Trump onside, he could well agree to negotiations. Direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia that could go on for weeks and weeks and not accomplish much, which again allows him to continue to control the momentum.

DEAN: I do want to ask you, too, about the Middle East so much coming out of that region. The president, I want to start in Iran, where the president says Iran has a former nuclear deal proposal from the U.S. What key components do you think need to be in this deal? Do you think they can actually get this over the finish line? There seems to be some optimism from the administration that they can.

BOLTON: Well, they're always optimistic. I mean, this is the art of the deal. You got two real estate dealers dealing with the ayatollahs. It's just something, that's the way they do things. I don't think there's a chance of a deal that the United States should accept that there. I think what Iran wants is to buy time. It's in a very difficult position. It's worried about an impending Israeli attack on its nuclear program. So just keeping the discussions going is a plus for Iran.

If Trump comes back with simply an Obama deal 2.0, I think that's very potentially damaging for him politically in the United States. That's what it appears to be based on news reports. I don't think that's going to make a lot of people in the Republican Party happy.

DEAN: I am curious, too, just, obviously, the Iran of right now, in this moment in 2025 versus an Iran of even a year ago, five years ago, much less during the Obama era. How different is it there right now? How different are the dynamics at play or are they?

BOLTON: Well, I think internally the regime of the mullahs has never been in more trouble. I think large parts of the population are alienated. I think particularly now after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, one of Iran's key allies, also a state sponsor of terrorism. There have been lots of reports of finger-pointing and recriminations about who lost Assad, about the pummeling that Hamas and Hezbollah and the Houthis have taken.

And I think the regime is worried that it faces a lot of internal dissent. The ayatollahs in his mid-80s, he's not in good health. If he were to pass on, that would leave them potentially in a real regime crisis right at the top. So for them, they just need relief from further threats from Israel. And I believe they see that continued negotiations with the United States buys them time that they desperately need.

DEAN: I also want to ask you about Syria. During his visit to Saudi Arabia, of course, the president announcing these plans to lift sanctions on Syria. He also met with the country's new leader, a former jihadist that helped lead that rebellion that toppled the Assad regime. Saudi Arabia seems quite happy with this very major change in support from the U.S.

What do you think are the implications of lifting these sanctions on Syria?

[16:10:04]

BOLTON: Well, Saudi Arabia has legitimate interests here that are shared by the United States. We're very happy the Assad regime is gone. As I said, it was one of the principal props for Iran's efforts in the region as a whole. And the Saudis, as the U.S. should be, are concerned about Turkish efforts by President Erdogan to gain influence or even control of parts of northern Syria. So I understand why the Saudis asked President Trump to lift the sanctions.

But we have other considerations. This guy, Al-Sharaa, the current leader, some years back was named a specially designated foreign terrorist. It's a pretty unique role to show how critical he was in the in the al Qaeda offshoot, the Al-Nusra Front in Syria. Whether he and his group, now known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have really renounced terrorism fully is not clear. I would have asked for performance, not just rhetoric, before lifting the sanctions.

There are a long list of things they need to do. Clear up the Assad hostage taking issue. Clear up the Assad efforts at chemical and biological weapons. Tell us what the Assad regime did with Iran on the Deir al-Zour nuclear reactor that the Israelis destroyed in September of 2007, under construction by North Koreans in the Syrian desert. If Al-Sharaa really wants to show he wants foreign contacts, foreign trade and investment, the support of the United States, as I say, I want to see performance before just rhetoric.

DEAN: Do you think he'll be under pressure to perform in some of those ways?

BOLTON: Well, I certainly hope he is because if he doesn't perform, I would put the sanctions right back on. I think this is a point we should stress to the Saudis. I don't think they disagree with us. I think their perspective is focused understandably on Turkey and Iran. But the U.S. has other equities that we need to see implemented.

DEAN: I also just want to ask you more broadly about that region following the president's trip. There are so many -- the dynamics there are changing it appears quite rapidly and they are shifting around, and Iran, it appears, seems to find itself more and more isolated. Would you agree with that? How would you categorize the dynamics of the Middle East today versus not that long ago?

BOLTON: Yes, I think Iran is more and more isolated. I attribute that largely to the pounding it and its terror surrogates have taken from Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7th in 2023. I think the real success of Trump's mission was that he reinforced, really, 35 or 40 years of American policy to draw the oil producing monarchies in the Gulf closer to the United States.

We saw a long string of announcements of investments and joint ventures and deals that are being done, many of which were on the table long before the visit. But this is what presidents do when they go overseas. And I think that's critical, not just with respect to Iran, but to minimize Chinese efforts to gain influence in the region and efforts by the Russians as well.

So I think the closer we tie the Gulf Arabs to us, the better off we are, the better off Israel is, and the greater the chances that there will ultimately be regime change in Iran when the people finally get to express themselves.

DEAN: All right. Ambassador John Bolton, thanks for your time. We appreciate it.

BOLTON: Glad to be with you.

DEAN: Thanks.

Breaking news, a group of Louisiana inmates still on the loose after a mass breakout from jail that sparked an urgent manhunt to find them, and an investigation into how they managed to escape. Plus, millions across the central United States now facing the threat of deadly weather tonight as several states clean up after a tornado outbreak that killed at least 25 people. And the star witness in the Diddy trial, Cassie Ventura, wrapping up days of very emotional testimony. What her time on the stand has done for both sides in this case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:18:49]

DEAN: Breaking news as a manhunt now underway in the New Orleans area for seven men still at large after breaking out of a jail on Friday morning. Authorities found and arrested three already and sent them to a state facility. The local sheriff's office says the inmates breached a wall behind a toilet and possibly had some help from the inside.

Rafael Romo picks it up from there -- Rafael.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, the escaped inmates range in age from 19 to 42 years old and face a wide range of charges. Several have been charged with murder. Authorities say they made it out of the jail around 1:00 a.m. on Friday, after breaking open a door and then breaching a wall behind a toilet. They appeared to have left graffiti messages above the hole they crawled through. The message said, quote, "We innocent," and the words "Too easy, LOL."

Another video released by officials shows the inmates running across Interstate-10 into a neighborhood where authorities say they found clothing. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office announced three of those inmates who escaped Friday morning have been recaptured, including 21- year-old Robert Moody, 24-year-old Kenan Dennis and Kendell Myles, who is 20 years old.

[16:20:02]

The sheriff's office said Moody was caught thanks to a tip and are still asking the public to provide information to help them capture the rest of them.

As you can imagine, people in New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana are both concerned and outraged about the massive jailbreak, something that became evident last night during a press conference that turned confrontational.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So no one was watching live video all night at the jail?

MAJOR SILAS PHIPPS JR., ORLEANS PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE: I won't say no one was watching live video. But --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And how did nobody see them --

PHIPPS: There are over 900 cameras.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How did nobody see them leaving the jail?

PHIPPS: There are over 900 cameras in this facility.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I know. It's just, how did no one see a massive jailbreak? But it's your job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Some Louisiana officials are not mincing words about what happened, especially after Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson acknowledged that she believed the inmates received assistance in their escape from individuals inside their department. Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams calls the escape of the 10 inmates a, quote, "complete failure of the most basic responsibilities entrusted to a sheriff or jail administrator."

Officials say all the inmates should be considered armed and dangerous. New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Ann Kirkpatrick said her officers have leads of the escapees still at large, and 200 agents and officers are currently looking for them.

Jessica, back to you.

DEAN: Rafael, thank you.

And some breaking news now into CNN as police and firefighters are on the scene of an explosion at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California. This is reporting that's coming from the Associated Press. The city of Palm Springs says in a social media post that the explosion took place around 11:00 this morning.

And you see that it was there, a person who runs, the doctor that runs the fertility clinic where the explosion happened saying, telling the Associated Press that it damaged the practices office space but left the IVF lab and all of the stored embryos unharmed there.

We're still working to find out if anyone was injured, but more information on this. Again, an explosion in Palm Springs, California, that we're keeping a very close eye on.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:26:42]

DEAN: A violent storm system that tore through parts of the Midwest is now being blamed for at least 25 deaths in two states. Large tornadoes were reported in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and Missouri. A St. Louis man capturing this video of a tornado approaching his house.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm in a tornado, man. We're in the tornado. Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Wow. More than half a million homes and businesses across several states are now without power. And this system is not finished yet. The storms are part of a multi-day system of severe weather that is expected to stretch into the early part of next week.

Julia Vargas Jones has more now from St. Louis -- Julia.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 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. You know, 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 (R), 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, 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.

DEAN: Julia Vargas Jones, thanks for that report.

And what we learned from the first week of dramatic testimony in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial, and what we can expect during week two. We'll talk through all of it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:34:36]

DEAN: And we are following breaking news out of Palm Springs, California. Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on an explosion at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs. We know police and firefighters are on the scene. Palm Springs saying in a social media post that the explosion took place around 11 a.m. local time this morning.

The doctor who runs the American Reproductive Center's fertility clinic where it happened told the "Associated Press" in a phone interview all members of his staff are safe and accounted for. And while the center's office space was heavily damaged, the IVF lab and where the embryos are stored, all of the stored embryos, all of that was unharmed.

[16:35:16]

I do want to bring in CNN Correspondent Josh Campbell, who's joining us now. He's a former FBI supervisory special agent. Josh, thanks so much for jumping on with us.

This, of course, breaking news. There's a lot of questions still around what exactly happened. But I think you tell us for law enforcement as they start to assess this, I would imagine, number one, is where did this bomb come from or what caused this explosion, right?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, absolutely. That's the first question is to try to get to the heart of the source of that explosion. We know that Palm Springs police immediately responded. I mean, this is a small community, but they have a very experienced police force. And so we know that their investigators were there first to arrive, as well as the local fire department.

We're also told that the ATF, which is obviously very adept at investigating types of arsons, types of explosives. We know those investigators are now on the way. And what they're going to try to do initially when they arrive is look for any of the, you know, many different signatures that often exist when you have some type of what they call an incendiary device that's involved in some type of explosion to try to rule out whether this was something that was actually intentional. This was something that was manmade. Or, you know, for example, still on the table, was this some type of accident? Was this some type of ghastly?

I spoke with a law enforcement source just a short time ago who said that they had not yet determined whether this was indeed intentional, whether this was accidental. That is certainly something that they would be looking to -- to try to -- try to understand.

You know, one thing that's interesting about this facility, and obviously when we first heard that this was some type of reproductive facility, the first question that comes to mind obviously is this, you know, potentially something anti-abortion that appears as though this wasn't an abortion clinic, but more a fertility clinic helping people with fertility issues. So, then that's just an interesting data point there.

Again, far too soon to tell right now whether this was intentional or not, but certainly something that has rocked that community in just a few hours, you know, east of where I am here in L.A., a small community, you know, that's often known for its resort vacation spots and the like, but we're told just based on witnesses they heard this explosion from miles away.

DEAN: Yeah, it is. And just underscoring, I didn't mean to misspeak earlier. We really don't know yet, as you just laid out, what this was. Was it an accident? Was it intentional? That's what they're trying to sort through right now.

And I think you do make a good point, which is this is a place where people are trying to have children. You know, a lot of people who might be suffering from infertility, so people on edge. And unfortunately, that could have been filled with a lot of people. Thankfully, it sounds like, though, no one inside -- he said the staff, was accounted for, which is really good news that everybody that's on staff there we know is OK.

CAMPBELL: No, absolutely. And that was a great interview with the "Associated Press," you know, with the doctor there, who I believe what he said is that this was a day where they didn't actually have any patients. And so, there is obviously, you know, a big question for investigators trying to look at if this was indeed some type of target. What was the motive? What was the outcome? What was someone potentially trying to do?

Now, it's not always clear. Sometimes, you know, if it does turn out that this was something that was intentional, which, you know, again, as we've discussed, we don't yet know that that's the case. You know, oftentimes we're trying to make sense of things that may not actually make any sense to the logical person. And so, we've seen just in past, you know, incidents where it was intentional that people had some type of motive. They had some type of plan. In other instances, you know, it was something that, you know, was potentially not well thought out. So, a lot of work ahead for investigators.

But again, as you and I have discussed, the first thing that they need to do is try to determine that initial cause that will be done by the forensic examiners once they get there on scene. And I imagine that they would just, you know, having worked past bomb investigations and law enforcement and obviously covering them now in journalism, that's not going to take a lot of time.

I mean, they'll do swabs. They'll do analysis to try to see if there's any type of residue that is incendiary in nature that, you know, is some type of explosive or, again, working with the local utilities, try to determine whether this was some type of gas explosion. But obviously, a lot of questions that residents there want answered.

DEAN: For sure. Josh, we are going to stay in contact with you. I know you're going to be talking to your sources. We will continue to follow this breaking news.

Josh Campbell, thanks so much for joining us. We will talk with you very, very soon.

We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:44:23]

DEAN: The world getting a glimpse into the long-time relationship between Sean "Diddy" Combs and his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, as Ventura took the stand this week at Combs' racketeering and sex trafficking trial. She testified for nearly 20 hours over four days, answering questions about alleged threats, drug use, and violence during their time together.

Legal experts telling CNN, prosecutors hope Ventura's testimony will set the stage for their claim that Combs not only sexually trafficked Ventura, but also led a broader criminal enterprise with help from associates.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has the latest.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: For a second day in a row, the government star witnessed Cassie Ventura facing tough questions from Sean Combs' 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.

[16:45:22]

"Not a good vibe. We need a different vibe than Friday," Ventura texted. "F(..)k 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:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WAGMEISTER: But Ventura stayed with Combs, as the defense highlighted Combs was intoxicated during the assault. "When you get f(..)ked 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 rag doll. 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' 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?" "Yeah," 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' 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.

DEAN: Elizabeth, thank you. And Criminal Defense Attorney David Oscar Marquez joins us now. Dave, thanks so much for being here. First, I just want to ask you, now that we have this full week behind us, what stood out to you from Cassie Ventura's testimony?

DAVID OSCAR MARKUS, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hey, Jessica. So many fascinating things from week one. I mean, one of the fascinating things is how week one was dominated by women. On the government side, you had two women prosecutors doing most of the speaking, Maureen Comey and Emily Johnson.

And for the defense, you had Teny Geragos and Anna Estevao. If I had told you recently that you would have Geragos versus Comey, you know, Geragos being the well-known criminal defense lawyer and Comey being the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, you would think it was Mark Geragos and James Comey, not their daughters. But it's fascinating to see them playing such a lead role.

Also, you know, Diddy made the choice to have Anna Estevao, a former public defender, do the cross-examination of Cassie. And that was a wonderful strategic choice by Diddy.

Public defenders, of course, have a lot more cross-examination experience than do prosecutors. So, I thought that was an interesting choice as well for week one and a good one.

DEAN: Yeah. Do you think that with this testimony that prosecutors did enough to at least lay kind of the foundation for these racketeering and sex trafficking charges?

MARKUS: You know, it's interesting, right, because the defense opened on, listen, you're going to see domestic violence, you're going to see domestic abuse. That's not racketeering. And you would expect after week one, the government calling it Star Witness, it's their first week, would be way ahead in the trial. And, of course, the video is -- is a devastating video. But it's a lot closer than people thought it was going to be.

[16:50:13]

I think in part because the defense has all those text messages and text messages right after a video is the next most powerful bit of evidence that the defense could have. And so they've been using it effectively in week one of trial. And remember, it's not about, do you believe Cassie or do you not believe Cassie? The prosecution has to prove that Cassie's testimony is believable beyond a reasonable doubt.

And so the defense just has to poke holes, show doubt in her testimony, does not have to say, which do you believe more, Cassie or the defense? That's not the question for the jury. DEAN: I'm also curious, you're a working criminal defense attorney. When you have a case like this with so much public interest and it is so much in the media and people, the public is, is listening to this, responding to this, reacting to this. How does that play into any of this? Or if you're those attorneys, are you just tunnel visioned in that courtroom?

MARKUS: You know, many attorneys will tell you that they're tunnel visioned and don't read the press. They're lying. They all read the press. They all watch TV at night. And it's too bad that the -- that the trial is not televised. I mean, if you remember back to some of the biggest trials, OJ, of course, those trials were televised in federal court.

We have to rely on these sketches and -- and people telling us about what happened in court. It's really not fair. We should be able to see what's happening with TV, but I guarantee those lawyers sneak a peek at night at the news coverage and want to hear what -- what folks are saying. They're human just like the rest of us.

DEAN: Yeah. All right. David Oscar, Markus, it's always good to see you. Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

MARKUS: You too, Jessica. Thank you. Thank you.

DEAN: We are getting a new look from police body cam video of residents trying to stop ICE agents from arresting a woman earlier this month in Worcester, Massachusetts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got to step back, you've got to step back, you've got to step back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And you can see some residents there using their bodies to physically block an ICE vehicle. Two people were arrested in that incident, triggering a lot of anger in the community. CNN's Gloria Pazmino is tracking the latest developments.

Gloria, what was going on here? Who were ICE agents trying to arrest?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, I think what we are seeing here is a municipality sort of struggling to respond after this very chaotic incident. And part of the reason why they have released this new video is to try and add some transparency to what's been a very chaotic situation.

Here's what we know. This happened on Thursday of last week, and according to LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts, ICE arrived at a home to arrest a woman who was not there at the moment. There was a 16-year-old, another woman, and an infant who were inside the house. Then the woman who was the target of the ICE arrest arrived. And when that woman arrived, ICE officers moved in to arrest her. And that's sort of when the chaos erupted. The 16-year-old, who is the daughter of the woman who was going to be arrested, trying to prevent the officers from arresting her mother, at one point she was holding the infant in her arms and blocking a police vehicle. And that is what made the situation escalate to the level that we are seeing here in the video, where the community kind of came out. They were trying to block this arrest. They were screaming at the police officers.

And that prompted the response from local police, because in Worcester, Massachusetts, like in many other jurisdictions, local police does not help enforce immigration law. That's what the ICE officers were there to do.

Now, we have a response from the Worcester City Manager, Eric Batista, who said, quote, "I want to reassure our community that the municipality will never target individuals based on their immigration status and reaffirmed that the city of Worcester and Worcester Police Department does not assist with ICE civil detainments, according to Massachusetts state law, but may not interfere with it."

And that last part there is key. They are essentially saying if ICE shows up to do immigration enforcement, we cannot interfere with it in the way that the public did here in this instance. They say that people were putting those officers in danger. Two women, including the 16-year-old, were arrested. One woman was charged with assaulting a police officer. And the woman who they were there to arrest was eventually taken into custody.

But on the whole, I think it illustrates this struggle that some of these municipalities are having as the local communities are trying to voice opposition to this kind of law enforcement plan, while federal immigration authorities are moving in to make some of these arrests.

[16:55:04]

Jessica?

DEAN: All right. Gloria Pazmino, thank you very much.

And we are still following this breaking news out of Palms Springs, California. Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed after an explosion damaged a fertility clinic there. Authorities are working to figure out the cause.

We're going to have more on this breaking news straight ahead.

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