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Judge Temporarily Pauses International Student Ban At Harvard; President Trump Addresses Graduating West Point Cadets; Harvard Sues Over International Student Ban; Rare Nor'easter Will Bring Gloomy Weather For Holiday Weekend; Iranian Lawmaker: "Enrichment Has To Take Place On Iranian Soil"; Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN), Is Interviewed About GOP Spending And Tax Bill Includes Deep Cuts To Medicaid, Food Stamps; Testimony Resumes Tuesday In Federal Sex Trafficking Trial. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired May 24, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ISRAA SAED, RAHAF'S MOTHER (through translation): I wish those kids could get out and get treatment like Rahaf. And many children are still under the rubble. I see how it affects my children. How they just talk to Rahaf and they see her holding bread and eating. They ask about it. Of course this hurts me so much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anything is possible for Rahaf. She has healthy food and she has clean water and she has wonderful medical care. This girl is thriving. We have to do this for all kids because they all deserve that.

MEENA DUERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meena Duerson, CNN, New York.

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[12:00:42]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Memorial Day weekend. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, we begin this hour with President Trump's escalating battle with Harvard University and the other top colleges and universities across the country. Friday, a federal judge dealt the Trump administration a legal setback, temporarily halting its ban on international students, which make up more than a quarter of Harvard's student body.

In a blistering lawsuit, Harvard calling the Trump administration's move arbitrary, capricious, unlawful and unconstitutional. The Trump administration's ban on international students at Harvard is punishment for the university's refusal to bow to the White House policy demands.

CNN's Kevin Liptak is joining us now from West Point, where the President just delivered the commencement speech there to military graduates. He was wearing his campaign slogan baseball cap, telling graduates they are the first of his slated golden age of America, while pledging a completion date of a golden dome missile defense system over the United States.

Kevin, bring us up to speed.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, in a lot of ways, this was something of a traditional commencement speech. You heard the President address these cadets who are about to become commissioned second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, providing them advice, that classic one of do what you love.

In other ways, it was a more political speech, the President kind of going off script to use some of the lines that he uses in his campaign rallies, talking about his election victory, going after people that he said investigated him during his time out of office.

But I think the real substance of the speech, and I think what was most interesting perhaps to the 1,002 graduates of West Point, was his discussion of how he is trying to remake the U.S. military. He's trying to rebuild it in one way. He's talked about this new budget request of a trillion dollars for the Pentagon. That's a record number.

It's about a 13 percent increase from the current funding levels. He talked about the golden dome. As you mentioned, he talked about these efforts to build ships and planes in the United States. So that, in one way, is how he's trying to remake the military.

He also talked about trying to remake it in an ideological sense, trying to rid the military of what he called absurd ideological experiments, talking about his efforts to rid all kinds of institutions within the government, but in particular the military, of diversity initiatives. And you've seen that play out here at West Point.

You know, clubs that had been associated with particular affinities have been disbanded. You know, the Black Engineers Club, the Latin Culture Club, all of them sort of disbanded after the President's directives. Listen to more of how the President kind of described his approach here at West Point.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've liberated our troops from divisive and demeaning political trainings. There will be no more critical race theory or transgender for everybody forced onto our brave men and women in uniform or on anybody else, for that matter, in this country.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

LIPTAK: So that effort here at West Point has not been met without controversy, and I was keeping an eye on the faculty as the President was talking about that. You know, they didn't belie sort of any emotion as the President was speaking, but at least one faculty member has resigned in resistance to some of these efforts. And so it's a controversial effort, but certainly the President -- well, one that the President was ready and willing to tout today as he spoke to these cadets who are now set to join, as the President called it, that long gray line, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.

All right, so now to the Trump administration's battle with Harvard University. Despite a federal judge temporarily halting the Trump administration's move to ban international students from Harvard, students there are still in limbo.

CNN's Jason Carroll went to the Cambridge campus and found an atmosphere of fear.

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JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For many international students at Harvard, being accepted and coming here is a dream come true, a dream many now fear is coming to an end.

[12:05:09]

LEO GERDEN, HARVARD STUDENT FROM SWEDEN: I came to this place because I love this country and I love the values that it stands for and its openness to people of different backgrounds. And I truly believe that that is still America. But right now, Trump is attacking all of those values.

MARC HVIDKJAER, HARVARD DOCTORAL STUDENT FROM DENMARK: I'm in limbo and, you know, the government has showed its hand here and it's showed to what lengths it is willing to go.

CARROLL (voice-over): Hvidkjaer and students like him are now faced with big decisions. Do they stay and hope the courts permanently block the Trump administration's order banning Harvard from admitting international students or not take the risk and leave?

ABDULLAH SHAHID SIAL, HARVARD STUDENT FROM PAKISTAN: Right now, we're not sure. No one is sure if we are legally allowed in the U.S. or not.

CARROLL (voice-over): Abdullah Shahid Sial is Harvard student body president and a sophomore studying applied mathematics.

CARROLL: Do you feel confident that you will be able to come back and study in the fall?

SIAL: Not at all. Not even close. I'm not confident about that.

CARROLL (voice-over): The administration says its efforts are in part an effort to get Harvard to do more to stop anti-Semitism on campus. This international student from Israel says while the university could take more action, she does not believe the Trump administration's decisions are helping.

GENIA LUKIN, HARVARD STUDENT FROM ISRAEL: This specific measure targets a population that is not actually in position to fight any of it and that is also going to include among others Jewish and Israeli students who have been experiencing this anti-Semitism and hostile environment for the past two years and now are also experiencing this mess.

CARROLL (voice-over): Harvard Professor Ryan Enos says even if the courts ultimately decide in Harvard's favor, the damage may already be done.

RYAN ENOS, GOVERNMENT PROFESSOR, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: I am not sure I can look to a student now with a straight face and say I can guarantee what's going to be in the future for you, and that's a really sad thing.

CARROLL (voice-over): Jason Carroll, CNN, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: And in the last month, the Trump White House has canceled or frozen nearly $11 billion in federal grants at several universities, largely in retaliation for campuses not adopting White House policy demands.

The first Jewish president of Wesleyan University spoke with CNN last night about his concerns over how these policies targeting America's top universities could impact their independence and America's competitiveness.

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MICHAEL ROTH, PRESIDENT, WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY: America has the freedom of inquiry and freedom of research and expression that is attractive to talented students from all over the world. And it's a mystery to me why the administration would want to take on such a successful aspect of the American economy and the American culture.

But I guess what they want to do is make everybody a little afraid that if they don't follow the leader's views, that they're going to be in trouble and that they can be attacked via their students or via their research funding. So I'm afraid not just for Wesleyan, but for the fate of colleges and universities and of freedom in the civil society.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: You know, to that point, you have been one of the most vocal, if not the most vocal critics of some of these moves by the Trump administration targeting universities. Why take that risk?

ROTH: Well, I think I'm just saying the things that most Americans believe, that is that you should have the freedom to pursue your profession if you're working in a university or working anywhere else. If you're a journalist, you should be free to publish the things you want to publish and do the kinds of inquiry you are paid to do. These are basic American freedoms.

And I think I'm just saying the obvious things that Americans have said for -- since the founding, really, which is that the federal government, especially the executive branch, shouldn't tell people what to think or how to teach or what to learn, just like they shouldn't tell people where to go to church or where to go to the store.

And this notion that the executive branch could push people around just because it has the power to do so has been already labeled by judges as lawless, as overreaching. And I think we have to speak out against it if we value our freedoms.

HILL: Part of what the administration has said when it comes to a lot of the moves that have been made specifically in higher education, I'm thinking specifically of Columbia and Harvard, the administration has said --

ROTH: Yes.

HILL: -- this is part of an effort to combat anti-Semitism. You're the first Jewish president of Wesleyan University. Do you believe these efforts are having a meaningful impact on the way schools are dealing with anti-Jewish hate on campus?

ROTH: I do not. I think that this is a bogus reason. It has nothing to do with curbing Jewish hate. Hatred of Jews is real. We saw these poor kids gunned down yesterday, not because they work at the Israeli embassy or anything. That's nonsense. They were gunned down because they were at a Jewish event.

Anti-Semitism is real and it's violent in America, but it's not confined to college campuses.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

[12:10:12]

WHITFIELD: All right, joining me right now to talk more about these developments is Laurence Tribe. He is a university professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus at Harvard Law School. Professor Tribe, great to see you.

LAURENCE TRIBE, HARVARD CONSTITUTIONAL LAW PROFESSOR: Great to see you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, I wonder, are you as perplexed as the Wesleyan President Roth about the White House's goals or motivation here?

TRIBE: I'm not perplexed at all. I agree very much with President Roth that the President's claim, President Trump's claim, that he's fighting anti-Semitism is bogus. Of course, anti-Semitism is real, it's pervasive, but Harvard is doing its part in fighting it.

The President is just using his anti-Semitism trope as a fig leaf for doing what he wants. And what he wants is to bring everyone to heel, to prove that he doesn't need the law behind him in order to crush individuals. You've heard those poor students who don't know what their fate is going to be, and to crush universities, especially Harvard as the sort of the emblem of intellectual excellence.

The fact is that these students have reason to fear. I have absolutely no doubt that Harvard will win a permanent injunction against this lawless action. I've looked at the law, there's no basis for it.

But the fact that people keep winning in court against the Trump administration doesn't prevent it from inducing fear throughout the country. If you look at the cases in which the Trump administration has been involved in the month of May, it has lost more than 95% of them. That doesn't stop them.

It's a catch-me-if-you-can approach. That is, even though these students are going to win, and Harvard is going to win in the meantime, they have no basis other than the prediction of legal experts like me, and the opinions of courts about what the law is.

But they know that we now have a president who doesn't, frankly, care at all about the law. He's made it clear. He simply wants people to bend the knee. And those who do, those who kowtow and kiss the ring, live to regret it, because you can't make a deal with a monstrous tyrant.

He won't keep his side of the bargain. So what we are confronting, I'm afraid, is a long reign of terror. And it's a reign that can be interrupted by judicial decisions, but cannot be entirely stopped.

WHITFIELD: So then to follow up on, while you do believe Harvard has merit to win in court, even if the Trump administration loses, you are also consequently saying it wins because it is invoking fear. And we're hearing it from students. And even with this, as you put it, this continued reign of terror, what is your concern about how it will impact the student body, the institutions of learning, the pursuit of excellence?

TRIBE: It compromises them profoundly. At Harvard, we have a quarter of the students who are from abroad. They are the very core of the intellectual enterprise. They enliven everything for everybody.

They are among the people who make the key discoveries that help cure disease and that help improve our productivity. With them gone, Harvard has a much more difficult time achieving its purposes. And those are the purposes of the nation.

Once he's done it to Harvard, he can do it to anybody. And if he brings everyone down, he's essentially ruining the country. There is no rational reason for any of these policies other than to prove to the world that he is boss of everyone.

That's a dangerous place to be. It's not a place that our legal system tolerates, but it's not a place that the law can easily catch up with.

WHITFIELD: So you just underscored it's not just about Harvard. It's not just other Ivy League schools, but learning institutions across the country need to be, I guess, bracing for what comes next. You don't believe. I think I'm hearing you say the White House is kind of finished here. [12:15:10]

So under the auspices of penalizing universities for not taking a better stand, a bigger stand on anti-Semitism in this country, you are Jewish, you have been very outspoken, what is the feeling in your community and even on campus about whether universities should or could be doing more in response to the kind of pressure that the White House is applying?

TRIBE: Well, if by doing more, you mean caving in, the feeling among all the people I know is that we are proud that Harvard has not joined those who have basically bowed before naked, lawless power. We know that it's going to exact the price, not only from us, but from the country.

It's obvious that his lawless activity, even with respect to the tariffs, has no rational justification. It's going to make the economy weaker. It's going to make our productivity less. It's going to increase inflation and risk recession at the same time.

All of these destructive actions, which have no sufficient basis in law, that are based on claimed emergencies that don't exist, weaken the country. And it's very hard to know why anyone would look at this and say, this is what we voted for.

People have a way of convincing themselves that things will be better in the long run. We've heard that before in the past.

WHITFIELD: Fear of retribution is a reason why many choose not to speak out and criticize the White House and this approach. This is now at least the second time you and I have spoken about this very issue in terms of Harvard being targeted by the White House in recent days, weeks.

Why do you lack fear in speaking out? Why do you feel like it is worth speaking out and voicing your opinion?

TRIBE: Because that's the whole purpose of my life. It's to do things that improve the lot of others, my family, my friends, the country that has adopted me and that I love. What would be the point of just breathing if you do nothing to stop the powerful tyranny of the wannabe dictator?

It's sort of part of my fabric. Of course, I'm scared from time to time. I get threats, but I'm not going to cave into them. And I know a lot of other people who are braver than I am. So, you know, I think that if I can be an example of doing the right thing rather than pursuing sort of the objects, sort of wealth and power, so be it.

WHITFIELD: Harvard University Professor Laurence Tribe, pleasure talking to you. Thank you so much for being with us today.

TRIBE: Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, a record breaking number of people expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend. Plus, a Molotov cocktail explosion and a home break-in, part of the dramatic new testimony in the Sean "Diddy" Combs sex trafficking trial.

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[12:23:36]

WHITFIELD: All right, the holiday weekend is set to be one for the record books. AAA says more people will be traveling over Memorial Day than ever before. We're talking about more than 45 million Americans venturing more than 50 miles from home and nearly 40 million travelers expected to travel by car this year. A spokesperson for AAA shared these tips for staying safe on the road.

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AIXA DIAZ, AAA SPOKESPERSON: You want to leave as little of a chance as possible because there are so many things you can't control when you're on the road. Other drivers, construction, the weather.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WHITFIELD: All good advice. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam has the latest holiday forecast from the CNN Weather Center.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: If this was the middle of February and we're talking about a nor'easter across New England, we'd be also mentioning over 1 foot of snow for some of these coastal locations but it's the end of May, so a completely different type of weather pattern but it is certainly bringing cool, damp and breezy conditions to many of the locations across the northeast through this extended holiday weekend.

So Portland, Maine, Boston, Massachusetts into Burlington, upstate New York could see those on and off again showers. One thing's for sure, this is going to lock in below average temperatures for many of the locations across the northeast. Places like the Big Apple down to Philadelphia towards the nation's capital, were running 5 to 15 degrees below where we should be this time of year.

Also want to give you a heads up on the potential of a flash flood risk going forward throughout the central and southern plains as well as the Ozarks. Look at all the rain lighting up our futurecast radar going forward.

[12:25:10]

We could pick up anywhere from 4 to locally 6 inches of precipitation right through Memorial Day. So heads up, Little Rock into Oklahoma City, Dallas. Of course with the cool weather in place, we stay below average anywhere you see these shades of blue and purple extending east of Denver all the way to the nation's capital temperatures will remain below average going forward into the early parts of next week.

Enjoy.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Derek Van Dam. All right, a senior Iranian lawmaker says there isn't much hope for a nuclear deal with the U.S. after the latest round of meetings wrapped up. Are the comments just a negotiating tactic? We'll go live to Tehran for the latest straight ahead.

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[12:30:17]

WHITFIELD: Sources are telling CNN that Iran does not believe a nuclear deal with the U.S. is likely. A fifth round of talks between the U.S. and Iran wrapped up in Rome on Friday. The biggest sticking point remains Iran's enrichment program. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Fred, you've been speaking with the senior Iranian lawmaker, and what are you learning?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, it's been quite interesting because Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, he came out of those talks that happened, of course, in Rome. And he said at the very least, he believes that the U.S. administration, the Trump administration, now understands Iran's position better than they did before. And, of course, one of the things that the Iranians have said is that, for them, nuclear enrichment is a red line. They're not willing to step away from it. They're not willing to give it up.

But, of course, there are officials in the Trump administration who have said that they want to demand exactly that. And I did, indeed, speak to a senior Iranian lawmaker today who said, so far, he's been somewhat disappointed in the Trump administration's negotiators. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EBRAHIM REZAEI, MEMBER OF IRANIAN PARLIAMENT (through translator): Especially given the recent statements by American officials regarding zero enrichment, I got disappointed and do not have much hope that the negotiations will lead to a deal. We are preparing for plan B.

PLEITGEN: Do you think that there is room for a way forward?

REZAEI (through translator): If the Americans are merely seeking to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, a deal may be reached. But if they are seeking no enrichment, a deal will definitely not be possible. We need 20 percent enrichment in order to provide radiological medicine for cancer patients.

We had to produce it ourselves because no one provided for us. That's why, for the sake of the people, we could not forego 20 percent enrichment.

PLEITGEN: There are some countries in the region, like, for instance, Oman, also Saudi Arabia, who talk about possibly enriching uranium together for a consortium or something that Iran would maybe work with Saudis and with others. Do you think that those could be a way forward out of this impasse? REZAEI (through translator): We would welcome the formation of a consortium and have no problem with that. But we insist that enrichment has to take place on Iranian soil and that the material be kept on Iranian soil. This is a red line, and naturally, we will not back away from it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN: Meanwhile, a senior official from the Trump administration, Federica, has said that the Trump administration believes that there was progress made at those talks, but at the same time, they also acknowledge there still is a lot of work to be done. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes, indeed. All right. Fred Pleitgen in Tehran, thank you so much.

And we'll be right back.

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[12:37:40]

WHITFIELD: President Trump's so-called Big Beautiful Bill is on its way to the U.S. Senate after narrowly passing the House this week. It's expected to face many changes now that it's in the Senate's hands. The massive package includes several controversial measures that would deeply cut Medicaid and food stamps, which are two of the nation's key safety net programs.

It would also make permanent essentially all of the trillions of dollars of individual income tax breaks contained in the GOP's 2017 tax cuts. I'm joined now by Indiana Republican Congressman Marlon Stutzman. He is a member of the House Budget Committee. Congressman, great to see you.

REP. MARLIN STUTZMAN (R-IN): Good afternoon. Great to be with you.

WHITFIELD: All right, so the Congressional Budget Office is estimating that this bill will add $3.8 trillion to the nation's debt over the next decade. Why are you comfortable with adding to the national debt and raising the debt ceiling?

STUTZMAN: Well, first of all, not comfortable raising the debt. But, you know, the -- the Congressional Budget Office scores the bills in Congress on a static basis rather than a dynamic basis. We need a growing economy. We have seen an economy over the last five years that has seen inflation skyrocket, has seen interest rates go up. And, you know, I'm in the Midwest where we've seen manufacturing continue to struggle and slide over the past several decades.

And President Trump has a plan to grow. And that's what's really important. If we have a growing economy, then people are working. People are able to support their families. The need for assistance isn't as great as it is with a -- in an economy that's struggling. We need to get back to that 3 percent growth rate and higher. And I believe that President Trump's plan is to do that. WHITFIELD: In the long term or in the -- what -- what can your constituents expect in the more immediate or long term?

STUTZMAN: You know, I think it's going to happen fairly quickly, even, you know, within the next six months. It's obviously been a little rocky with the tariff implementation. But countries are coming to the table and negotiating with the Trump administration. We're seeing, you know, the investment that President Trump, you know, had committed while he was in the Middle East this past week, which was remarkable.

And, you know, we're seeing GM committing to job growth here in Indiana. We're seeing, of course, the U.S. steel deal that was just announced yesterday, keeping them here. That's a big deal. Manufacturing is such a critical part of our economy. And, you know, we're also seeing here in Indiana, and I'm bragging a lot on Indiana because a lot is happening, but the Golden Dome defense system, parts of that is going to be built here in Indiana, where we're -- we're combining technology and manufacturing together. That's creating jobs. And I think it's going to be good for all of America, not just Indiana, in the long run.

[12:40:25]

WHITFIELD: OK. And we heard the president make reference to that Golden Dome during the commencement address at West Point today. So, you know, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as of 2023, about 24 percent of people in your state of Indiana are enrolled in Medicaid. So what do you say to residents who fear that they are going to be losing benefits because of this bill? Because it's no secret there is going to be a chipping away of that benefit.

STUTZMAN: Well, you know, states are going to have to start deciding. You know, Medicaid is a state-run program by each state. And the -- the federal government reimburses states to the tune of almost anywhere between $5 to $9 for every dollar that states put in. For example, California's reimbursements for just Medicaid alone is almost $160 billion. Just to compare that to the state of Florida, their entire state budget in Florida is $140 billion.

WHITFIELD: But if I'm on Medicaid and I'm in your state, do I need to worry about whether I will continue to have that benefit?

STUTZMAN: No, I don't believe so, unless you're an able-bodied adult who is on it, that is -- is not going and getting work. If you're -- if you're here illegally, you should be concerned. But for the -- the single mom that I know, in fact, have plenty of -- of friends in my circle who are in those circumstances, that count on Medicaid. Medicaid is designed for those who need it.

What's happened over the past decade is that Obamacare has pushed more people into Medicaid. And it's no longer just the -- those folks who are at the poverty level and below, it's for people that there's a lot of people that are above the poverty line that have no other options with health insurance and are forced to go on to Medicaid.

That's why I really believe we've got to tackle the cost of health care. President Trump has done that already with pharmaceuticals, on price caps for pharmaceuticals. I think you're going to see more of that in the cost of health care going forward because the health care system just isn't doing it itself.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk about higher education. Are you in agreement with the Trump administration on Harvard and other universities, potentially that, you know, international students through the student and exchange visitor program certification, those international students should be banned?

STUTZMAN: Well, I -- I think it, you know, right now, the way that the -- the -- the behavior that we have seen on these campuses and the way that Harvard in particular has behaved, I -- I do agree with them. This is going to force a conversation that has needed to happen for a long time.

We can't have anti-Semitic dialogue on our college campuses here in the United States. We have got to be sure that people are safe, that people are there to actually get an education. We, you know, need professors to be open minded and -- and let dialogue happen on both sides.

WHITFIELD: So it's not the issue of individual students who perhaps have participated or been found guilty of -- of -- of violating policies or even the law that would be banned, but blanket all of them?

STUTZMAN: Well, I think that that's going to force that dialogue and find out who is Harvard taking. And I, you know, my suspicion and any, you know, if I wouldn't have a problem with the Trump administration saying not just Harvard, but what about Columbia? What about other schools where we have seen this sort -- this sort of behavior on campus?

Again, we want to make sure that our students are going to school and are able to study and have an open dialogue that's respectful of one another, not where one group of people has to be afraid. And, you know, what we saw happen in -- in Washington this past week with the murder of two Israeli diplomats should never happen on the streets of the United States.

But I think that's going to be even -- that's going to be at the -- the forefront of these conversations. So -- so why is a person like that willing to drive or travel from Chicago to D.C. to -- to take two people's lives that he disagrees with? That's not what America is about. America is truly about open dialogue, respecting one another and realizing that we may not always agree, but we can still get along.

WHITFIELD: Congressman Marlin Stutzman, thank you so much for being with us today.

STUTZMAN: Thank you.

[12:44:43] WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, rapper Kid Cudi's shocking testimony in the Sean Combs sex trafficking trial. What he said about a home break-in, unwrapped Christmas presents and a Porsche set on fire.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The Sean "Diddy" Combs sex trafficking trial is now adjourned until next week. But this week saw more shocking testimony and photo evidence presented by the prosecution against the former music mogul, including accusations of arson.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has been following the developments.

[12:49:57]

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As the jury enjoys a long holiday weekend, they have a lot of testimony to mull over before court is back in session on Tuesday. The jury has heard from a number of witnesses this week. Many of whom corroborated pieces of Cassie Ventura's account. The jury heard from everyone from her mother to former employees of Sean Combs.

In fact, we heard from two former assistants of Sean Combs. One of them took the stand on Thursday and Friday and told the jury that he had to leave Combs Enterprises because he had witnessed violence from Sean Combs against Cassie Ventura and another girlfriend.

He actually said that on one instance, he witnessed Sean Combs violently assaulting Cassie Ventura on his private plane. Another time with another girlfriend named Gina, he said that he witnessed Sean Combs throwing apples at her and throwing them very hard. So that was just one of the people that the jury heard from.

We also heard from a hotel worker who was the manager of a luxury hotel, the La Armitage in Beverly Hills, which was a hotel that Sean Combs would frequent over the years. The hotel manager was shown a series of hotel logs that had notes from when Sean Combs would stay there. And I want to read a few of them to you.

One of them said, please monitor outside his room down the hall to spray air freshener. Another one said always spills candle wax on everything and uses excessive amounts of oil. Place the room out of order upon departure for deep cleaning.

Another note said to authorize an extra thousand dollars every time the guest stays because they have to cover room damages. Now, why is this important? Well, because the prosecution has alleged that these so-called freak offs, these drug-fueled sex parties where Sean Combs would allegedly coerce women like Cassie Ventura into having sex with male escorts, the prosecution alleges that these freak offs are at the center of this criminal case. And they have gone into great detail since the trial began about some of these freak off supplies, which would include candle wax and baby oil.

So they're trying to set a scene here to show the jury that these freak offs were happening in many locations over the years. Now, one last witness that I want to tell you about, the jury also heard from rapper and actor Kid Cudi, who is an ex of Cassie. They dated briefly. And he says that when Sean Combs found out that they were dating, that he was so jealous that he blew up his car and broke into his home.

Now, the jury was actually shown photos of his car. It had a gaping hole on the top and had a ton of smoke damage to the point where Kid Cudi testified the car could not be repaired. He alleged that a Molotov cocktail was thrown into that car. He says he believes it was Sean Combs doing and he believes it was intentional. Back to you.

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

Let's get more analysis now in this trial. Lisa Bonner is back, an entertainment attorney. And boy, you are really analyzing this top to bottom. I mean, the details are getting more intricate. Kid Cudi testifying about the car bombing. It -- it was a case in which Sean "Diddy" Combs never saw a charge. However, it's still admissible. Why is this important and how does this help build perhaps the racketeering charges?

LISA BONNER, ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEY: That's a great question, Fredricka. So with respect to Kid Cudi, one of the allegations of the RICO case is arson. And they are alleging that -- that the employees had a hand in this and the fact that his car was broken into and a Molotov cocktail was thrown into that. And there -- RICO is used to establish, I'm sorry, arson is a -- an element of RICO. And so they're using Kid Cudi's testimony, one, to say that there was an element of arson.

And the next week we will also see corroborating evidence allegedly from one of Combs' other employees who actually called Kid Cudi to tell him that Sean was in his house. And then that corroborates Kid Cudi's testimony about the break-in that we -- we also heard him talk about.

WHITFIELD: So this boils down to kind of a he said, he said though, right? I mean, why is this powerful testimony?

BONNER: Because just like Cassie was saying, what happened to me? This is what happened to me. So you can talk about what happened to you. And then if you don't have someone else to corroborate it, it does become a he said, she said. But that is why it is important to bring in other people from Combs' enterprise to show the elements of RICO that people under his employee, people under his direction came in and called him and told him, for instance, that Combs was in his house. And -- and people will also talk about the arson. And -- and -- and flesh that -- that out.

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WHITFIELD: Yes. And -- and you really said last week, this is what it's going to be about.

BONNER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I mean, you know, there is the foundation, the pillars, and there's a building on. And that's what we're already starting to see.

BONNER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: We also heard testimony from a Homeland Security special agent on Sean Combs' use of this alias Frank Black on medication bottles. Combs also using it for hotel reservations as a profile on a laptop. Why is all that important?

BONNER: It is so important in terms of the Frank Black moniker. And I'm so glad you asked about that. Frank Black, one, was -- is a nod to Frank White, Biggie's, from the former rapper. But what's really important to establish the possession of narcotics. That is another element of RICO, the possession with the intent to distribute. So one of the things Cassie talked about was, I was plowed with drugs.

And some of these drugs were opiates that were prescribed to a Frank Black. So that is important. Also the Homeland Security was important because they talked about guns, weapons charges. That is another element of RICO. And in the -- in the house in Miami, they actually found magazines to AR-15s, the upper and lower portions of the AR-15s.

And so that -- that lends itself again to more elements of RICO that the prosecution is starting to establish and paint that picture that we talked about last week.

WHITFIELD: And I guess in the category of alleged cover-up, an alias might be a part of that.

BONNER: Right. Because -- right. It is highly unlikely that Diddy will take the stand. So you have to connect the dots, right? And if you are in possession of drugs, and when you also, they found -- when they arrested him in his room in New York, you -- you had Frank Black, the pills in his house. You had the pills in the hotel room, all under this element and this moniker of Frank Black. So that's why that's important to connect that to the RICO. So you can't say, was it me.

WHITFIELD: Right.

BONNER: And allegedly it was.

WHITFIELD: We're still -- we're still in under two weeks or so.

BONNER: There's so much more to talk about, and we're going to see it all unfold.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll have you back.

BONNER: I look forward to it.

WHITFIELD: Lisa Bonner, thank you so much.

BONNER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it. And we'll be right back.

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