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President Trump Gives West Point Commencement Speech; Trump Threatens European Union And Apple With Tariffs; 100 Plus National Security Council Staffers Put On Leave; Five Years Since George Floyd's Murder; At Least 13 Killed Across Ukraine In Major Russian Attack; Testimony Resumes Tuesday In Federal Sex Trafficking Trial; Flash Flood Risk Taking Shape Through Memorial Day. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired May 24, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: A special thanks to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country this Memorial Day weekend.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Omar Jimenez.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York. Jessica Dean has the day off.

President Trump is back at West Point today for his first commencement address to the military academy since returning to office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Congratulations to the West Point Class of 2025. You are winners. Every single one of you. You will become officers in the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known. And I know because I rebuilt that army and I rebuilt the military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And the president also criticized the military's diversity policies under President Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The job of the U.S. Armed Forces is not to host drag shows, to transform foreign cultures or to spread democracy to everybody around the world at the point of a gun. The military's job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America anywhere, anytime, and any place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: CNN's Kevin Liptak has more on the president's commencement speech from West Point.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Omar, in a lot of ways, the president's rounded hour long speech here at West Point was a traditional commencement speech. He gave his advice. He told the graduating cadets to do what they love. In other areas it was pretty political. The president talking about his election victory last year, going after people who had investigated him during his time out of office.

It's always interesting to see how those political lines land outside of a rally setting. The crowd certainly very receptive, but maybe not as raucous as the president is sometimes used to. I think the real substance of this speech, though, was the president's discussion of his attempts to really reframe the U.S. Military, talking about his investments, of this trillion-dollar budget request that he's put through.

That's a record figure, about a 13 percent increase from the current funding levels. Talking about the Iron Dome, the -- I'm sorry, the Golden Dome, the missile protection system that the president has requested, building new ships, new planes in the United States. But also talking about this effort to remake the military's diversity initiatives, to essentially eliminate DEI from the military, but also from service academies like West Point.

And so the president talked about getting rid of what he called the absurd ideological experiments that he said had been put in place by previous administrations. He said that he had liberated the troops from diversity trainings. And he talked about how he had taken out men from women's sports. And that has been something of a controversial topic at West Point, this elimination of DEI.

You've seen a number of different affinity groups disbanded from the campus here. The Black Engineers Group, the Latin Cultural Club, just to name a few. At other service academies, you've seen books removed from the libraries that didn't necessarily comport with the president's directives.

You know, I was watching the faculty as the president was making those particular remarks. They didn't belie any expression as the president was speaking. But at least one faculty member has actually resigned from West Point over these initiatives. There are also some protests here today not on campus, but for example, in boats on the Hudson River protesting some of these objectives.

And so the president certainly very much embracing that as part of his speech, saying that he was returning the military to its core mission of lethality, talking about the idea of strength through peace, and really informing these 1,002 new second lieutenants in the U.S. Army that he would have their back as commander-in-chief -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Kevin Liptak, appreciate it.

Now President Donald Trump again is threatening massive tariffs, this time against Europe and Apple. And Trump posted that he's now recommending 50 percent tariffs on products from Europe, calling the bloc, quote, "difficult to deal with." And then separately telling Apple to manufacture its iPhones in America or face tariffs of at least 25 percent. CNN correspondent Julia Benbrook joins us now.

So, Julia, just what kind of reaction did we see after the president's posts on this?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, no doubt this is a topic that is top of mind for the president.

[16:05:01]

Even during that commencement address that Kevin was reporting on, he said that he believes that the U.S. has not had fair trade, that we have been taken advantage of. And just yesterday we saw back-to-back social media posts announcing those tariff threats that you just mentioned. So starting with Apple, he said that he had had conversations with Tim Cook and that he wants Apple to move its manufacturing to the United States or face a 25 percent tariff.

He said that that would also apply to other smartphone manufacturers. Of course, not just an easy overnight switch. But he says that 25 percent tariff is the next possible step. Then he had a post about a 50 percent tariff on goods coming from the European Union that would go into effect on June 1st, and he cited a lack of effort on their part when it comes to trade negotiations. Just saying that they weren't getting anywhere there.

And he escalated this rhetoric while signing executive orders in the Oval Office, saying that there's no deal to be done here, that the deal is there's going to be a 50 percent tariff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's time that we play the game the way I know how to play the game. I'm not looking for a deal. I mean, we've set the deal. It's at 50 percent. But again, there is no tariff if they build their plant here. Now, if somebody comes in and wants to build a plant here, I can talk to them about a little bit of a delay. But, you know, while they're building their plant, which is something I think that would be appropriate, maybe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: The E.U. trade chief did respond to this tariff announcement, saying that any sort of agreement between the E.U. and the U.S. on trade will have to be done in mutual respect and not in threats.

JIMENEZ: And Julia, CNN is also reporting a shakeup at the National Security Council. Two sources telling CNN that the Trump administration has put more than 100 officials on leave. Do we have any more details on that?

BENBROOK: Well, President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who is also his acting National Security adviser, have ordered a major overhaul of the National Security Council. And we are learning that more than 100 staffers were placed on administrative leave. Those placed on leave include career officials as well as political hires during the Trump administration.

And the NSC plays a key role in coordinating the president's foreign policy agenda. They have had a diminished role in the Trump administration, and this overhaul will likely reduce that role even further. But we heard from an administration official that this all happened on Friday, the Friday before this long holiday weekend. After 4:00 p.m., there was an e-mail that went out telling those staffers who were being dismissed that they had 30 minutes to collect their things and leave. And if they were off campus at the time, that they could ride in and set up a time to come get their things and to pick up devices.

Now the headline, though, of that e-mail, Omar, said, your return to home agency, indicating that most of those who were affected were detailed to the NSC from other agencies and different departments.

JIMENEZ: All right. Julia Benbrook, really appreciate it.

For more on this, I want to bring in national politics reporter for the "Washington Post," Sabrina Rodriguez, and politics reporter for Axios, Brittany Gibson.

Good to see you both.

Sabrina, I want to start with you. What do these latest tariff threats, I guess, signal about President Trump's progress in making deals before this self-imposed 90-day deadline is up? I mean, is it indicative that it's just not going the way he had hoped?

SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Absolutely, Omar. I mean, I think this really shows us it's going back to Trump's impulses. Trump for decades has been a big proponent of tariffs. We saw during his first term how much, you know, he sought to impose them. He went through sort of the motions of different negotiations and successfully was able to renegotiate the U.S.-Mexico- Canada agreement.

But we've seen in this second term, you know, he's less reined in. He's leaning in more to wanting to do these tariffs. You know, he went for that 90-day pause just given what he was seeing happening with the markets and sort of the response across the country. But that 90-day pause, you know, we're halfway through right now. It would expire at the beginning of July. He doesn't have very much to show for it.

You know, they talked about, oh, 90 days, 90 countries. We don't see very much to show for. So you're starting to see the president feel very frustrated and sort of go back to his original standpoint here, which is to move forward with tariffs.

JIMENEZ: And Brittany, on that point, I mean, the president, he was asked about it in the Oval Office, but he's saying that he is not looking to make a deal with the E.U. after threatening a 50 percent tariff. That that's essentially what's on the table, that they're not pushing forward on their end. But regardless, we have seen him back track and change his mind before. Is there any indication that that these countries or that others are taking these statements and posturing with a grain of salt?

[16:10:03]

BRITTANY GIBSON, POLITICS REPORTER, AXIOS: I think they'd be fair to consider that, the case, especially because we've seen so much fluidity when negotiations do, you know, they are actually taking place when different, you know, representatives for the president are meeting with their counterparts from other nations and working to make progress.

I think even though there haven't been, as Sabrina said, 90 deals in 90 days, the conversations have been ongoing and there has been progress with nations like the U.K. or Japan, even if it's happened in fits and starts.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, one of the thresholds he's really moved into now is not necessarily going after countries, but president also going after Apple and Samsung for not making smartphones here in the United States.

And Sabrina, the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, was -- look, I mean, he was one of the many tech billionaires who donated to and attended Trump's inauguration as well. Does this to you give any indication that maybe some of the inroads these tech leaders thought they had made in the lead up to his inauguration aren't quite as concrete in practice as they maybe thought they were? I just wonder how you analyze this moment.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes, it's, you know, this is showing, though, again, Trump at the end of the day will do what Trump wants to do, regardless of what necessarily those relationships look like. You know, this this situation with Apple is a perfect example of the moving targets that Trump puts in place. Trump has talked so much about trade as him wanting to, you know, bring American jobs back into the country.

Him saying, you know, there isn't a level playing field. We need to level the playing field. And we've heard, you know, Apple CEO Tim Cook talk about wanting to do dramatic investments to increase the amount of production of iPhones and other Apple products to be happening in the United States. Of course, that is not something that happens overnight. That's something that can take years.

And, you know, Tim Cook has been talking about this. So to see President Trump now come out and be threatening tariffs really raises a question about, again, what are the targets in his negotiations, what are the targets in the conversations if something like what Cook is proposing is not satisfactory.

JIMENEZ: And you know, one of the other targets that has been clear even outside of tariffs is Harvard University. Yesterday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from banning Harvard's enrollment of international students.

But, Brittany I mean, look, whether it's Columbia, whether it's Harvard, clearly, the Trump administration has tried to go after some of these universities in various aspects. But in this latest one, Trump is definitely singling out and going after Harvard University here. Why do you believe that is? What is the ammo that they're going after?

GIBSON: Well, I think in the case of Harvard, you know, and they've been targeted before for other reasons. You know the antisemitism investigation task force.

JIMENEZ: Sure.

GIBSON: They have been the most resistant to the Trump administration and some of the demands. They've been willing to risk their federal grants and federal fundings the way some other universities haven't. And I believe that's a major reason why there's been this escalation, because they have been less compliant than other universities, at least so far. There might be other universities that follow more in Harvard's track here.

But it is a big hit to the university to be excluded from the system that allows them to enroll foreign students. A judge gave them relief in that case yesterday. So basically the administration's decision to exclude them is on pause, but I saw some reports that roughly 25 percent of their student enrollment. And, you know, you think of the number of world leaders that attend Harvard, it's pretty significant.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And it's something the "Wall Street Journal" even has come out against at this point.

Sabrina Rodriguez, Brittany Gibson, I've got to leave it there. Thank you both for being here.

GIBSON: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right. Still ahead, this weekend marks five years since the killing of George Floyd. And it comes as the Department of Justice is ending police reform agreements in Minneapolis. We're going to go there live to see how the city is remembering him. And we're going to talk to the police chief who is in charge when Floyd was murdered. Plus Russia launching a major attack on Ukraine's capital. At least 13 people have been killed. And it comes just hours after the biggest prisoner exchange since the start of the war.

And an explosive week of testimony in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial. Rapper Kid Cudi claims Combs broke into his house, unwrapped his family's Christmas presents and held his dog hostage. We're going to have the details ahead.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[16:19:18]

JIMENEZ: Welcome back, everyone. Tomorrow marks five years since George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis. Memorials are expected all weekend to honor Floyd's life. Now five years after an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Now starting. it started one of the largest protest movements in American history.

Five years later, ex-officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted. He's serving a 22-year sentence in prison. And while there have been attempts at police reform, just this week, the Justice Department rolled back some of those efforts.

I want to bring in CNN anchor and senior national correspondent Sara Sidner, who joins us now from Minneapolis, from George Floyd Square.

And Sara, you know, you led CNN's coverage from Minneapolis after the killing of George Floyd.

[16:20:03]

I remember being there with you. What is it like being back there and what is the mood today?

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, it's a real homecoming. And I think for a lot of people, there are people from all over the country that have come here, many on the other side of me, as they're putting on different programs for people to just come, enjoy themselves, and to remember. And not just to remember, but to again demand change.

I do want to give you a look, though, because it's so unique. And, Omar, I know you and I covered this from basically the day after George Floyd was killed all the way through the trial of Derek Chauvin and the other officers. And what is remarkable about this, as we have covered so many of these police shootings, when you look at what is happening here, there is nothing quite like it for any of the other people who experienced police violence.

In this particular case, this community said, we never want to forget and we want to remember what happened here in our community so that we can remember to ask for and demand changes. And there's a lot of concern about what is happening with the Trump administration when they hear about the reversal of these consent decrees, the pulling the federal government away from policing the police in a place where the police admitted that they needed some reform, the police chief himself demanding that of his officers.

So I want to let you listen to one of the Minneapolis residents who is here, who has been here on this square since 2020, and what he sees is happening with the Trump administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUISE BOWIE, ACTIVIST: That's really just a symptom of a bigger problem. We the people didn't have black people as fully human. They didn't have native as people. Women couldn't say nothing. So this is just the same old administration from 400 years ago, still operating exactly how it was designed to operate. A lot of people think the system is broken, but it's not. It's working. It just doesn't -- it wasn't all inclusive from the beginning. So for us to be frustrated, as if something different is happening, that's on us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: That was Marquise Bowie with Agape. He's sort of here and sort of here as security for the area here in the square dealing with if there's any incidents which there have been. There was just down the street, there was a sound of gunshots going off today. So there are a lot of big feelings here, if you will, as people try to get through what was such a tragedy because in slow motion over nine minutes, the residents here actually witnessed a murder happen.

And then the world witnessed it because of a 17-year-old with her cell phone streaming it live as it was going on as people around here. They were standing right here. This is the area, as you know, Omar, where George Floyd's body laid as Officer Derek Chauvin at the time had his knee in his neck and Floyd was begging to be able to breathe, eventually calling for his mother and saying, they're going to kill me over and over again -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Yes. And you mentioned that cell phone video. If Darnella Frazier had not filmed it, where would this case have been? And to see the memorial there, even all these years later. Thank you for being there in Minneapolis, Sara Sidner. I really appreciate the reporting.

I want to bring in former Minneapolis police chief, Medaria Arradondo. He was the chief when George Floyd was killed there. And he's written a new book, "Chief Rondo: Securing Justice for the Murder of George Floyd."

Chief, thank you for being here. As you know, ex-officer Derek Chauvin is serving more than 22 years right now. And in your new book, you write, quote, "I felt that Chauvin's state and federal convictions delivered a sense of justice for George Floyd. I also knew that much more work needed to be done, work from a justice standpoint, and also work for our city to heal and repair.

Five years later, where does that work stand today?

MEDARIA ARRADONDO, FORMER MINNEAPOLIS POLICE CHIEF: Thank you, Omar, for having me. I think even in Sara's report there and listening to Mister Marquise, it's still not -- we're still not there. And Omar, I'm reminded of a conversation I had with a young black man in north Minneapolis, during the weeks of unrest after Mr. Floyd was killed. And he simply said, Chief Rondo, we're tired of slow justice. So that's a part of that equation.

While I do believe that some incremental progress is being made I think it's clear that more needs to be done. And while I'm disappointed that the Department of Justice has basically paused or stopped its efforts to help support the city move forward with some enforcement action and also bring in some resources. I do believe, Omar, that the people of Minneapolis have the solutions, the community and the leadership there.

They're working with urgency and purpose to make sure that a mutual agreement that helps to keep their community safe, that shows police officers as guardians to their communities, will outlast any administration.

[16:25:13]

JIMENEZ: And, you know, just more broadly, you know, I was out there covering all of the aftermath of what happened in really what began in the hours after Floyd was killed. How do you reflect on that time more broadly? And are there things you wish you had done differently in that moment as you reflect back five years later?

ARRADONDO: Yes, Omar, when I reflect back as my time as chief during the aftermath of Mr. Floyd's killing, yes, things I would have done differently. I certainly, Omar, would have pushed harder and stronger at trying to dismantle some of the toxic culture within the MPD that even allowed the indifference to exist that Derek Chauvin had that day on May 25th, 2020. I certainly would have invested more time in elevating the voices in the community who had been pleading with the police department over decades for us to listen and change.

And so I also would have, you know, it's important to educate our officers on the tactics of policing, but more importantly than that, to educate them on the humanity of policing. And so looking back in reflection, Omar, absolutely. Those are some of the things that I would have certainly done differently. But I will tell you this. During my time as chief, I led with my full heart.

And I would hope that we have to make sure that this is not some anomaly, that we just look at this as a fire to be extinguished and we move on. I think police chiefs and police departments across America saw the reverberations of what happened there. And I think we're looking for a pathway forward with our communities.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, you touched on it a little bit. But, you know, this week, the Trump's Justice Department announced that it's rolling back the police reform agreements that were reached in Minneapolis, but also Louisville, Kentucky, where Breonna Taylor was killed. And while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has announced the city would move forward with their agreements and reforms anyway, how important is it to actually have the federal government be a part of that reform process?

ARRADONDO: Well, you know, and I look at the history, you know, the federal government, particularly its civil rights division, when we think about some of the killings of civil rights workers and peace workers back in the late '60s they played a role. The FBI played an important role in investigating those, whether it was helping to desegregate school systems. There is a historical role that the federal government has played. And it's been helpful in many respects to our communities.

These DOJ consent decrees can offer resources and assistance that many city departments and quite frankly city budgets don't necessarily have. And more importantly, for communities, it brings an enforcement mechanism through the courts to make sure that the agreement is not just spoken in word, but is abided by in writing. And so those are important. Those are important measures. But Minneapolis and other cities now that will not have that tool, well, I believe will just have to be, you know, dig in deep and work with their communities in collaboration and make sure that these agreements outlast any administration.

JIMENEZ: Yes. You know, since the killing of George Floyd, and as I look at some of the latest Pew research, 72 percent of those polled by Pew say the increased focus on race and racial inequality after Floyd's killing did not lead to changes that improved the lives of black people. This is five years on. But more broadly, I wonder, what do you see as the enduring legacy of that chapter that emanated from Minneapolis?

ARRADONDO: The enduring legacy that I saw from that was that it galvanized our country to at least explore seriously this issue of race and policing in America. And I think that for so long, we've tiptoed around it, we certainly have seen it play out historically in our cities, in our country. And it really brought it front and center.

You could not, Omar, turn away from what you saw on that video. And so I just hope that again, we use this as a teaching moment. But more than that, our young people, particularly in this country, they want action on this matter. And again, I do believe that police chiefs around this country want that as well, so that we can better come together and work for our community's best interests. And we have to see each other as necessary.

JIMENEZ: The book is "Chief Rondo: Securing Justice for the Murder of George Floyd," former Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo. I really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.

ARRADONDO: Thank you, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Of course.

All right. Still ahead, Russia bombards Kyiv, killing at least 13 people. We're going to have more on the massive attack that came just hours after Ukraine and Russia exchanged hundreds of prisoners.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:34:28]

JIMENEZ: Russia overnight launching a major attack on Kyiv, firing 14 ballistic missiles and 250 attack drones at Ukraine, according to the country's Air Force. At least 13 people were killed in the strikes. Now, the nighttime attack came as Russia and Ukraine freed hundreds of servicemen in a prisoner exchange.

I want to bring in CNN's Paula Hancocks, who joins us now. Paula, so Russia launched -- launched this attack just after the first phase of this swap happened. What more can you tell us?

[16:35:00]

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Omar, we've now seen the second phase today that's happened. So, hundreds more prisoners have been released, 307 Russian, 307 Ukrainian reunited with their families.

Now, we saw some emotional reunions on the Ukrainian side a little earlier today. We saw people wrapped in Ukrainian flags being reunited with families that in some cases they hadn't seen for years. We heard from the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanking everyone involved, saying that he would work to make sure everybody that is being held in Russia is released.

Let's listen to what he said after day one of what is expected to be the largest prisoner exchange since the war began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The main thing of today is that the exchange took place. This is the first stage of the largest exchange that was agreed upon in Turkey. It was the only significant result of the meeting in Turkey, and the Russians are blocking everything else. They are blocking it for now.

But the return of our people is exactly what we're always working for. We will definitely return everyone, every one of our citizens, every Ukrainian military and civilian, all Ukrainian hostages held in Russia. We must free them all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: So, this was really the one tangible success that we saw from that meeting last week in Istanbul that he referred to there, this first direct meeting between the Russians and the Ukrainians since soon after this war started. And what we heard from the U.S. President Donald Trump, he posted on social media saying this could lead to something big, followed by question marks. But what we're hearing on the ground is that this is a very positive development, the fact that the prisoners are being released.

But it is not expected to lead to -- to anything further at this point. In fact, it's the fifth prisoner exchange that we've seen this year alone. It's the 64th exchange that we have seen since the start of the war.

And we have been seeing devastating attacks on a number of different Ukrainian districts. More than half a dozen across the country were impacted overnight, Friday into Saturday. We heard from Zelenskyy saying it was a difficult night for all of Ukraine, some 250 drones, 14 ballistic missiles were told by authorities. Most were intercepted, but those that weren't were particularly deadly. Thirteen killed and more than 50 injured over that 24-hour period.

Omar.

JIMENEZ: Paula Hancocks, really appreciate the reporting. Thank you.

Still ahead, a break in, a dog held hostage and ravaged Christmas presents. We're going to bring you the testimony in the trial -- in the criminal trial of Sean Combs. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[16:42:35]

JIMENEZ: The Sean "Diddy" Combs sex trafficking trial is now adjourned until Tuesday, but this week saw even more shocking testimony and photo evidence from the prosecution against Diddy, including accusations of arson by rapper Kid Cudi.

CNN Entertainment Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister has the latest.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT 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 L'Ermitage 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.

[16:45:16] 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.

JIMENEZ: Elizabeth Wagmeister, appreciate it.

I want to bring in Legal Affairs Commentator Areva Martin, who joins us now. She's also a civil rights attorney. So, Areva, I mean, how impactful was this week's testimony compared with, let's say, the lengthy testimony by Cassie Ventura last week?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think it was very impactful, Omar. What the prosecution did this week was to continue to build on the foundation that was laid through the testimony of Cassie Ventura. They brought in corroborating witnesses.

So, to the extent that jurors weren't believing the horrific nature of the testimony provided by Cassie Ventura, these witnesses this week were there to provide that corroboration. Everything from the use of the baby oil, the candle wax, these choreographed scenes that were created for these freak offs to the violence that was used not only against Cassie, but that was threatened against other people.

One of the things that Kid Cudi testified to was that he broke off the relationship with Cassie Ventura because Sean Combs threatened him and he felt that there was the possibility of him suffering some kind of violence that Sean Combs broke into his home. He believes he also set his car afire. And we heard Cassie testify earlier that Combs had threatened to do harm to Kid Cudi and to blow up his car if she didn't break off the relationship with him. So, the prosecution is just building on his theme of coercion, of threats and intimidation against Cassie Ventura by Combs.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, I want to -- let's talk about Kid Cudi's testimony, because he did testify about that car bombing or the Molotov cocktail being lit and thrown into his car, along with other alleged threats from Combs. But Combs was never formally charged in connection with the car incident. So, I guess how much weight do stories like those carry with a jury when, again, they might not necessarily be the crux of the charges? What's the strategy there?

MARTIN: Well, here's one thing that's interesting, Omar. Is Sean Combs going to take the witness stand to deny that he blew up Kid Cudi's car? Because the jury can determine that Kid Cudi is a credible witness. They can determine that based on all the other evidence that they've heard, that in fact, Combs was involved with the bombing of his car, with the break in of his home. Because in this moment, there's no one to refute the testimony of Kid Cudi. So, we'll have to wait and see what the defense does in terms of trying to refute that testimony. But jurors are free to believe the testimony that has been provided by Kid Cudi.

JIMENEZ: We will see what happens when -- when court gets back in session next week. But for now, Areva Martin, really appreciate it. Thank you.

MARTIN: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right. Still ahead, it may be a gloomy Memorial Day weekend for parts of the country. We're going to take a look at your forecast ahead.

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[16:53:30]

JIMENEZ: There's a growing flood threat across parts of the Ozarks and the Mississippi Valley this holiday weekend. Repeated waves of rain and storms are expected over the already saturated area. And that's not the only part of the country expecting a soggy Memorial Day weekend.

I want to bring in Meteorologist Derek Van Dam, who has the latest holiday forecast from the CNN Weather Center.

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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 a 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. We're 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 future cast radar going forward.

We could pick up anywhere from four to locally six 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.

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JIMENEZ: All right, Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.

Still ahead, Trump reignites his trade war, issuing new tariff threats against Europe and Apple. How this could impact what you pay for an iPhone. You're on the CNN NEWSROOM.

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