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President Trump Gives West Point Commencement Speech; Sources: 100-plus National Security Council Staffers Put On Leave; Interview With Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC); Minneapolis On The Eve Of 5 Years Since George Floyd's Murder; 5 Years After George Floyd's Murder, Trump's Justice Dept. Rolls Back Police Reform Agreements; NYT: Several Guests At Trump Memecoin Dinner Say They Went To The Event Aiming To Influence Trump; Chinese Crypto Mogul Holds $20M In Trump Memecoin, Invested $75M In Trump Family Crypto Company; Seventh Arrest Made In Mass Jailbreak. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired May 24, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:42]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I am Omar Jimenez in New York in for Jessica Dean.

Today, President Trump gave the commencement address at West Point, calling the new graduates winners and welcoming them to what he says is the Golden Age of America's military and he said the Golden Dome missile defense system will be ready in just a few years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We are building the Golden Dome missile defense shield to protect our homeland and to protect West Point from attack, and it will be completed before I leave office.

(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 REPORTER: 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 is 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 has put through. That's a record figure, about a 13 percent increase from the current funding levels, talking about the Golden Dome, that 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, really appreciate the reporting.

We also have new reporting tonight on a staffing shakeup at the National Security Council. The White House putting more than a hundred officials on administrative leave, as sources tell CNN and the move is reportedly part of a restructuring under interim National Security Adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the sources say.

CNN correspondent, Julia Benbrook joins us now.

So, Julia, what more do we know about this?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 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 the NSC, typically, it serves as a group that really helps coordinate the President's foreign policy agenda.

And specifically, you know, it has really been diminished during Trump's term and with these reductions in the labor force, will likely be even less influential to this White House.

[18:05:10] But the staff is typically made up of foreign policy experts from various U.S. departments. And here is what we know about those cuts. More than 100 staffers have been placed on administrative leave, and among those placed on leave are career officials, as well as political hires during the Trump administration.

And there was an e-mail that went out on Friday. The Friday before this long holiday weekend, after 4:00 P.M., at 4:20 to be exact and it told those that were being dismissed that they had about 30 minutes to gather their things and leave. And if they were working off campus, that they could write in and schedule a time to come pick up their belongings, as well as drop off their devices.

The subject line of that e-mail was: Your Return to Home Agency, indicating that most of those affected were detailed to the NSC from various other departments.

One official who spoke with our team described how all of this happened, how quickly it happened in that e-mail before the holiday weekend, specifically as unprofessional and reckless -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Julia Benbrook, really appreciate the reporting.

All right, a lot to talk about in the news this week. Joining me now, Republican Congressman Greg Murphy of North Carolina.

Congressman, really appreciate you being here and taking the time. I want to start with what you all were able to do this week. You all were able to come together to pass this spending bill on the House side.

REP. GREG MURPHY (R-NC): Yes.

JIMENEZ: But of course, still a big hurdle on the Senate side. So I guess, how confident are you with its prospects in its current form? And where do you believe the Senate may pick at first, I guess?

MURPHY: Yes, Omar, this was a very, very difficult process, really culminating really a couple of years' worth of work, and then, you know, we put all our bill out to the entire conference, and then of course, we have some folks that will pick at it, and they picked at it. And the Speaker did, really a maestros job in trying to thread needles here, trying to get different ends of the conference, those who are a lot more SALT minded, those who didn't want SALT at all, really to try to pull together.

We had a couple of people that were going to vote no regardless. So having this win by just the one-vote margin, I think one person actually slept through the thing was a real tremendous success. It flips over to the Senate, and there are some things that the Senate probably is not going to like. They are not a big fan of SALT. There are a few other things that need to be done.

What is hopeful is that they're going to get all of this done, get things worked out in a conference report, and have it on the President's desk by July 4th. JIMENEZ: And, you know, Senator Ron Johnson has been among those who actually has looked at around $1.5 trillion in spending cuts that has come from this bill and says, you know what? That's not enough.

Do you think there is room to cut more? And if so, in what categories?

MURPHY: I think there is possibly room to cut more and I also think there is room to do some of the tax issues. Because, you know, we came forth with a bill with a lot of different constituencies, but the good thing about this is that the Speaker and Senator Thune have been working together during this entire process. So I don't think it is going to be really as radical change as some people may suggest or want.

There are a few things, honestly, I would like thrown out there. Some of the tobacco rebate issues that are affecting North Carolina tobacco farmers that I want thrown out. But you know, I think as we move forward, I think this gets done. I think it is good for America. We avoid a massive tax hike.

I think, you know, this is going to be a very pro-growth bill or law as we move forward and something that the American public desperately needs.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, one of the biggest concerns at this point comes over the sure adding to the deficit in some cases, but also the cuts to Medicaid here. Senator Lisa Murkowski, for one, has said there are provisions in there that are very, very challenging, if not impossible for us to implement, those are her words.

Do you expect changes to your current modifications? And are you concerned with where you all ended up on the Medicaid front?

MURPHY: Well, I think one thing we have to look at, and Omar, I think if you can just put one word as far as what's happened with this administration, it is about accountability. We haven't done this in 250 years of government. We haven't stepped back and said, what are we doing right? What are we doing wrong? We may have done it piecemeal here and there, but this has been an administrative push.

Medicaid is a system, Omar, I still see a lot of patients primarily on Medicaid because I have to do it essentially pro bono. But there are a lot of things that are going on within the Medicaid system that need to be dealt with. There is a lot of fraud, waste and abuse. It really happens. I've seen it personally as a physician.

We also, truth be told, we don't need all the folks who have come in the country illegally taking benefits away from those who actually fit eligibility benefits, who are true Americans. We also have to look at a program that is expected to rise between five and six percent as we grow and grow and grow this.

Fifty-two percent of the births in the state of North Carolina are born to women on Medicaid. That's a staggering statistic if you think and you follow that down the road, there has to be something done fundamentally to stop this from occurring and growing at such a rate. [18:10:21]

So yes, maybe it will be tinkered with and probably does, but I think in the end, this is just one isolated saver, Medicaid. It is obviously one that carries a lot of emotions, but there will be other ones interested in different categories as we work out something with the Senate.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, the long term goals are obviously, you know, things that you want to push for, but it sounds like you have first- hand experience in dealing with the Medicaid system.

MURPHY: Yes.

JIMENEZ: North Carolina does have a higher than average enrollment in Medicaid just among all states than the average.

MURPHY: Yes.

JIMENEZ: So just from what I am hearing, it sounds like you don't necessarily worry that these Medicaid cuts are going to affect your constituents in a disproportionate way.

MURPHY: Well, you know, sadly enough, we do have a lot of -- we have a lot of young women who are having children with no way of providing for them, no husband around to do with it. It is a real problem nationwide, and this this is a systemic issue, really started in 1965 with the Great Society Programs.

So continuing to throw more and more money at a system, at a program that really is not getting to the individuals that it needs to help, we have to have reform, and no one going to be thrown off the Medicaid system per se, that -- we are not taking benefits away. We are slowing things, slowing the growth down. Were also, you know, people who are not eligible should not be eligible under those systems.

And we have certain states that are putting people on Medicaid rolls, those who are in the country illegally, and if they do so, they will have to pay more of their state share on the expansion population.

But, you know, this is a program that is supposed to be for the impoverished, the child, the disabled and the impoverished senior. Let's strengthen the program for the individuals who need it, rather than giving it to individuals who really should be back in the workforce.

You know, Omar, there are estimates that anywhere that three to seven million individuals since the pandemic who are of working age and ability have come out of the workforce. We need these individuals to come back in. Workers need them -- get a job, get their health insurance through the job, become productive members of society, and that actually strengthens the Medicaid program.

JIMENEZ: There are some though that worry that even if they do qualify, that the changes in how they report work requirements could lead to gaps, just truly dealing with applications and government bureaucracy. But you know what? We will see what happens and if any changes come on the Senate side.

I want to ask you about tariffs before we go.

MURPHY: Sure.

JIMENEZ: Because obviously we are seeing this new tariff threat from the President Trump on the E.U. threatening about 50 percent or so. Obviously, the President has said he is trying to get the best deal possible as part of this.

MURPHY: Sure.

JIMENEZ: But look, I mean, it is a strategy that's come with tariffs being on, scaled down, paused, threatened. I guess the question is clearly a negotiating tactic. But do you worry about losing the credibility behind those threats given what we've seen to this point?

MURPHY: You know, Omar, I really don't.

If the American public truly understood how badly other countries have tariffed the United States. I mean, India, for example, 150 to 200 percent against us, prior to any of this, tariff movement by the President, I think people would understand how our markets, our products have been kept out of other countries.

He is a negotiator. He starts from A, goes to Z, hopes to end up in the middle. And so this tactic has worked. But you have to be forceful. You have to be strong, really, to get a fair and balanced playing field for American exports, as well as the imports that come into our country.

You can either do it one of two ways. You can either do it militarily, which no one wants or economically, and he is trying to do it economically, which is much better for the American people.

JIMENEZ: Congressman Greg Murphy, really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for being here.

MURPHY: Thank you, Omar. Have a good evening.

JIMENEZ: All right, you too.

All right, still ahead, 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. We will bring you those details, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:18:55]

JIMENEZ: At least 13 people were killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight. Russia firing 14 ballistic missiles and 250 attack drones, according to Ukraine's air force, who say the main focus of the strikes was on the capital, Kyiv.

Now the nighttime attack comes as Russia and Ukraine freed hundreds of servicemen in a prisoner exchange. CNN's Paula Hancocks has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've been seeing some very emotional scenes from some former Ukrainian prisoners who have been released this Saturday, the second day in what is expected to be a three-day phase. It is expected to be the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine since the war began back in February 2022.

Now, we have seen some of these former prisoners draped and wrapped in Ukrainian flags, being reunited with their loved ones. We've heard from the Ukrainian leader, President Zelenskyy, saying he thanks everyone involved and that all of the prisoners will be released.

Let's hear what he said after day one of this exchange.

[18:20:09]

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 are 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.

HANCOCKS: Now, this is really the one tangible success that could be taken from the meeting last week in Istanbul, where Russian and Ukrainian officials met for the first time since shortly after the war broke out.

We have heard from the U.S. President Donald Trump, posting on social media, saying this could lead to something big, followed by question marks, but what we have been hearing from officials on the ground is that is a very positive development. The exchange itself, it is not expected at this point, though, to develop into anything beyond this.

This is the fifth exchange that we've seen this year and the 64th that we have seen since the war started. In fact, we have been seeing some renewed drone and missile attacks from Russia into Ukraine overnight Friday into Saturday.

We saw, according to officials, some 250 strike drones and 14 ballistic missiles. Now, many of them were intercepted, but those that were not were deadly. Over a 24-hour period, there were some 13 killed and more than 50 injured and this was across the whole of Ukraine. There were more than half a dozen districts and regions that were affected. We heard from Zelenskyy saying it was a difficult night for all of Ukraine.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Thank you, Paula.

Now, let's go to developments in the U.S. and the U.S. nuclear talks with Iran. Two Iranian sources telling CNN a deal appears unlikely. A fifth round of high level talks in Rome ended on Friday, with limited progress.

The major sticking point remains Iran's enrichment program, which the U.S. is insisting be dismantled.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports from Tehran.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Iranian negotiators participating in the talks in Rome say that those talks were held in what they call a professional atmosphere. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, coming out afterwards and saying he believes that the U.S. side, at the very least, now has a better understanding of Iran's position.

Now, of course, one of the things that still is very difficult is uranium enrichment by the Iranians, and whether or not the two sides are going to be able to come to terms over that.

Here in Tehran, though, there does appear to be a lot of pessimism. I was able to speak to a senior Iranian lawmaker, and here is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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 provide it for us. That's why, for the sake of the people, we cannot 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 VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So as you can see, Omar, that was the view from the ground here in Tehran as those prayers were going on. At the same time, the U.S. side has also come out with a statement saying they believe that progress continues to be achieved at those talks, but they also acknowledge that there is still work to be done.

Of course, first and foremost, around that question of Iranian nuclear enrichment. At the same time, the two sides are saying they want to meet again in the not too distant future -- Omar.

JIMENEZ: Fred Pleitgen, really appreciate the reporting from Iran.

Meanwhile, Israel's military campaign in Gaza is entering a new phase as frustration grows from some allies about how Israel is fighting the war there.

[18:25:07]

Today, some of the very limited food and energy supplies being allowed into Gaza were looted. The United Arab Emirates Aid Campaign is blaming the Israeli military for insisting delivery trucks use what it says are, "unsafe routes."

I want to bring in Elise Labott, an Edward R. Murrow press fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and the host of "Cosmopolitics" on Substack. Thank you for being here.

Elise --

ELISE LABOTT, EDWARD R. MURROW PRESS FELLOW AT THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Thank you, Omar.

JIMENEZ: I want to analyze this, this moment because we appear to be seeing a shift in attitude right now towards Israel, even among western allies, but I guess the question is, even with these tensions, is it going to change anything?

LABOTT: I don't know that it is going to change anything, and I mean, obviously this horrible attack that happened on this Jewish center in Washington this week, I think, made everybody take a little bit of pause and it will be interesting for me, I am looking to see what happens now, because a lot of the rhetoric around the French, the British, they were, you know, taking a lot of steps.

The British said that they were going to halt trade talks with Israel. The French were possibly talking about some sanctions. Canada has been very tough. And after that attack, you kind of saw Israel say, well, your rhetoric is really what is causing this to happen. I don't necessarily agree with that. I think you can criticize Israel's policy on one hand and not be antisemitic and launch an attack at a Jewish center on the other hand. But I do think it is going to maybe cause these countries, they are not going to give up their opposition to how Israel is prosecuting the war in Gaza, but I do think the way that they talk about this, I think it has made everybody, you know, take a pause, at least, at least for the time being, as the war continues and as Israel continues to, you know, have civilian casualties in Gaza.

I don't think it is going to let up and more and more countries are saying that they are going to recognize a Palestinian state, that they are going to take actions against Israel. Now, that doesn't really do anything for Palestinians, because the state is land and it is, you know, a certain amount of autonomy. But the international community is certainly growing increasingly frustrated with the way Israel is prosecuting this war.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, AXIOS reporter and CNN analyst, Barak Ravid is reporting that Trump told his aides to tell Netanyahu he wants the war in Gaza wrapped up. But obviously, conflict over Gaza has been going on for decades.

Is there room for a political solution in this moment even without, I guess, solving the decades of conflict that led up to October 7th, for example.

LABOTT: Well, there could be a political agreement, you know, right now, while we're on the air, if Hamas was going to release the remaining hostages, I think that would be some space for a political argument.

I might say, and you know, obviously, Barak has the best sources and if Trump did, you know, likely did say that to his aides. You may remember, though, that he did say that before the war. He said that to -- when he was -- excuse me, before the election, he said to Netanyahu, and certainly in that period, while after the election, before the inauguration, he said, wrap it up, do what you've got to do. I am paraphrasing here, but said he wanted this war ended by the time that he started.

And there was a lot of work by the incoming administration to try and get a ceasefire going. So I think President Trump really does want to see an agreement. He is willing to put his political capital towards that. But if Netanyahu is not and Hamas are not going to kind of take the actions that either one needs, if Hamas isn't going to release the hostages and Israel isn't going to allow more aid to get in and, you know, stop some of the assaults, certainly it is going in the wrong direction.

JIMENEZ: Yes, and we have seen that attitude from Trump, even with the Russia-Ukraine war as well, hoping that it would get done within the first few days of him being in office, which obviously has not happened.

I want to get your take on the U.S. Iran nuclear talks right now as well, because the U.S. is insisting Tehran dismantle its nuclear program, which Iran says it will not do. How likely is it just based on what we know so far? How likely is it that there will be a deal? And do you think we will have any substantive differences from the JCPOA negotiated, I guess, a decade -- over a decade ago to this point?

LABOTT: Well, the JCPOA allowed Iran to enrich to a very high. I don't exactly remember the exact level, but it was certainly a lot higher than even Iran is talking about now.

I mean, you need to enrich uranium at a pretty high level to get the minimum amount of enriched uranium. Now, Iran is talking about 20 percent. You'd need a lot of enriched uranium at 20 percent to get a nuclear weapon.

So I feel like maybe, you know, Trump -- President Trump always starts with his maximalist approach.

JIMENEZ: Sure.

LABOTT: And then he goes a little bit lower. I can see an agreement where maybe Iran would be able to enrich to a tiny amount. I may say that, you know, both sides, according to reports, are considering this interim framework rather than a comprehensive deal, because there are and I know, CNN has even reported that there is some intelligence that Israel is trying to, you know, look for a strike if these talks don't produce anything. So maybe an interim framework could buy a little time.

And Iran is also proposing that the U.S. builds nuclear reactors in Iran and gives the U.S. skin in the game in an Iranian civil nuclear program. So I think that there are a lot of ways that there could be a deal. That's probably a little bit tougher than the JCPOA, but certainly not, you know, this maximalist position that President Trump is looking for right now.

JIMENEZ: Sure. Elise Labott, I really appreciate the conversation on a number of fronts.

LABOTT: You bet.

JIMENEZ: We hit a lot today. Thanks for being here.

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 are going to go there live to see how the city is remembering him.

[18:31:19]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:40]

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

Now, 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.

And Sara, you know, you helped lead CNN's coverage from Minneapolis after the killing of George Floyd. You're back on the scene today at George Floyd Square. What is it like?

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, it is much more peaceful. It is much more quiet. But actually, this square, throughout the protests around the world and across Minneapolis, was mainly a place that was peaceful, where people came to remember, to commemorate, to mourn the life of George Floyd. And that's still happening to this day.

And what is remarkable about this, because you, Omar, were here as well with me, and have been to many of the places where people were slain by police officers unjustly. And this is different. And part of that is because this community decided they wanted to make sure they had a living memorial. And by that, I mean, there are gardeners that come on a daily basis to make sure that the flowers and plants here survive. They make sure that this stays clean and pristine so that people can come here in a place of calm and cleanliness.

But this is the area right here where you see George Floyd's face and all of those roses lying there, which say Remembrance 2025. That is where Derek Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd's neck. Police officer eventually murdering George Floyd and being convicted for that.

Now, what's changed? There are several things that have changed. While this is still very much here, the streets are still closed off. Cup Foods - what used to be Cup Foods - now calling itself Unity Foods. They are the ones that called police on George Floyd.

And then, you have this neighborhood. And the issue here for a lot of people is they feel that the reforms that they wanted have not come to fruition. And so, this isn't just a day about remembering and just a day about feeling sorrow, but also feeling hope. It is a day about demanding change, the change they want to see. And in so doing, what they are seeing from the Trump administration is the opposite, where he is rolling back the federal oversight on police departments.

Here's what one longtime resident here of Minneapolis, who's been here from the '60s, here's what he had to say upon hearing what the Trump administration is doing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBY HULL, MINNEAPOLIS RESIDENT: In this neighborhood, we want police reform. I want to know that my grandchildren go down the street and a cop isn't going to just kill him because he's dark. Okay, my family is Creole, and I'm probably the lightest, brightest in the whole of my family. Thank you.

But at the same time, I have children and nephews, nieces, with dark skin and nice hair, very nice hair, okay? But it's not safe out here. You don't get a ticket and a bullet at the same time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: So, you hear the sentiment there, and that is shared by quite a few people here. However, in talking with the mayor, the mayor is saying, look, we are still going to make those reforms. We are still working through those reforms, even though the dissent decree from the Trump administration from the federal government has been pulled back, they are still working towards making a better community-oriented police department.

And so, you're - you see that same tension that's here, but there is also a great deal on this day of love here. People feel like this is a homecoming, and they're coming from all over the country. We've met someone from Kansas City, somebody who came in from New Orleans just to be here, just to remember the moment that the world saw happen because a 17-year-old livestreamed it.

[18:40:02]

And of course, the Floyd family also mourning their brother, mourning their cousin, mourning their uncle here today in Minneapolis.

JIMENEZ: Sara Sidner there at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, really appreciate the reporting.

All right, still ahead, new details about the crypto dinner Trump didn't want the world to see, including what we know about the Chinese billionaire who says he's Trump's top fan. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:45:06]

JIMENEZ: All right, welcome back. New details about President Trump's crypto dinner at the White House Thursday night. The New York Times is reporting several of the dinner guests in interviews with the New York Times said that they attended the event with the explicit intent of influencing Mr. Trump and U.S. financial regulations.

Now, the black-tie dinner was a special reward for the top 220 holders of the President's personal meme coin among the attendees, Justin Sun, a Chinese-born crypto billionaire who happens to be the top holder of the President's personal meme coin. The 34-year-old was facing civil fraud charges until recently. CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fight, fight, fight. JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A winning night for crypto billionaires and for Donald Trump. A rare look tonight inside the private black-tie dinner with President Trump and more than 200 wealthy investors at the Trump national golf club near Washington. It was closed to the public and press, but wide open to those investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the Trump family's cryptocurrency accounts.

One guest of honor, Justin Sun, a Chinese crypto billionaire and one of Trump's best customers, showing off his prize of a $100,000 watch. On X, he wrote: As the top holder of Trump, I'm excited to connect with everyone, talk crypto, and discuss the future of our industry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What a nice place. Did you get to see the helicopter?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY (voice over): The investors, many of whom flew to Washington from outside the country, dined on Trump organic filled green salad, filet mignon and pan seared halibut, followed by warm lava cake. U.S. law prohibits foreign nationals from making political contributions, but no such rules apply to crypto investments.

For Sun, it's the latest act of a high-flying life, well-documented on social media. He's perhaps best known for a $6 million banana duct taped to a wall, which he bought and ate. Two years ago, during the Biden administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Sun with fraud and market manipulation. After Trump returned to office, the legal action was paused.

Sun's publicity stunts include paying $4.6 million for a charity lunch with Warren Buffett, before canceling at the last minute. He ponied up $28 million for a seat on one of Blue Origin's first manned space flights, but canceled that, too.

Sun holds more than $20 million in the Trump meme coin, and invested $75 million in World Liberty Financial, a Trump family crypto company.

The White House did not release a list of guests, saying it was a private dinner and the President was attending in his personal time.

Nicholas Pinto, a social media influencer and investor, was among those posting videos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICHOLAS PINTO, SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER: There's a leaderboard here, so I get to see what I see online in person. I found myself and I just signed it.

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ZELENY (voice over): Amid an outcry of protests and accusations of corruption, the White House defended the event.

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KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The President is abiding by all conflict-of-interest laws that are applicable to the president. It's absurd for anyone to insinuate that this president is profiting off of the presidency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY (voice over): Yet that's precisely what the dinner was intended to do, benefit the President rather than the GOP or a political committee. Like most fundraising dinners do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: Fund our kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY (voice over): Democrats called the dinner a major conflict of interest.

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SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): In effect, he's putting a "for sale" sign on the White House. It is truly putting this president on a Mount Rushmore of corruption.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JIMENEZ: Jeff Zeleny, thank you for the reporting.

Still ahead, a seventh person arrested, accused with helping the fugitives in that New Orleans jailbreak. New details on the technology police are using to track them down. We'll tell you about it coming up. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[18:53:26]

JIMENEZ: Welcome back, everyone. We're following some new developments in the New Orleans jailbreak. Authorities have arrested a seventh person in connection with the escape of 10 inmates a little more than a week ago. Now, the number of arrested accomplices now actually surpasses the number of captured escapees. Police are using new facial recognition technology to find the remaining five inmates. CNN's Clare Duffy explains how it all works.

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CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes, this facial recognition technology has already been involved in locating two of the five inmates who have been recaptured since that Friday jailbreak. Of course, the city is hoping that it will help them find the other five inmates that remain at large.

Now, what's interesting about this is that these facial recognition cameras are not actually operated by local law enforcement. They are run by a nonprofit called Project NOLA. Project NOLA has 5,000 cameras around New Orleans. 200 of them have this facial recognition technology.

I spoke with Bryan Lagarde. He's the executive director of Project NOLA, and he declined to tell me what AI model, what third-party company provides the technology to do that facial recognition. But he said essentially how it works is that they take law enforcement be on the lookout alerts. They pull the photos of wanted suspects out of those things like crime scenes, surveillance images, mug shots. They plug them into their system, and then when their camera spots one of those people on the street, law enforcement will get an automatic alert.

So, this situation does mark a win for Project NOLA, but this technology is not without controversy. Critics have for years raised concerns about law enforcement use of facial recognition because of issues like individual privacy.

[18:55:05]

And we've also seen a number of false arrests in other cities because of inaccurate matches by facial recognition systems. In particular, people of color are most at risk from the failings of this technology because we know from research that facial recognition systems are worse at identifying women and people of color than, say, a white man. But when I asked Lagarde about these concerns, he said that Project NOLA really is a community endeavor. He said that they place their cameras on private homes, businesses, schools, and churches with the agreement of those property owners and that they could take the cameras down at any time if they disagree.

Clare Duffy, CNN, New York.

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JIMENEZ: Thank you, Claire. President Trump's so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill" has gotten through the House, but what chance does it have in the Senate? We'll get into it coming up. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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