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U.S. Citizen Charged For Attempting To Attack U.S. Embassy In Tel Aviv; Russia Launches Largest Air Attack On Ukraine; Five Years After George Floyd's Murder, Still No Police Reform; Resistance To Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill In The Senate; Man Charged With Kidnapping And Torture For Crypto Password; Testimony Resumes In Federal Sex Trafficking Trial; Patrick Snell Reports On English Premier League And EFL Championship Playoff Final. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired May 25, 2025 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:02]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: We also want to say thanks to all the men and women continuing to serve this nation along with their families. And speaking of families, how about this one? Look at these dynamic symbols of America. Bald eagles representing strength, freedom, and courage.

Meet the newbies. They are the ones at the bottom with the darker hair, Sunny and Gizmo. California's famous bald eagle siblings. They are the eaglets of proud parents Jackie and Shadow. We're not sure which one is right there, kind of on the higher branch. Sunny -- or, I mean, Jackie or Shadow.

Born in March of this year those newbies, and you can see their treetop home high above Big Bear Lake there. What a view. Since 1782, bald eagles have been part of the great seal of the United States. Celebrated on coins, flags, and documents. May these bald eagles continue to soar and inspire.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Alright. Welcome, everyone. You're in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Omar Jimenez in New York. Jessica Dean has the night off. We've got a lot of news to get to, including new tonight, the FBI has arrested a man who was allegedly plotting to throw Molotov cocktails at the U.S. embassy in Israel. That's according to the Justice Department.

And it comes amid heightened tensions over the ongoing conflict in The Middle East. Just days ago, two Israeli embassy staff members were shot and killed in Washington, D.C. The DOJ investigating the incident as an act of terrorism and a hate crime. Now in response to the shooting, Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem, is traveling to Israel, and she landed there just hours ago. I want to bring in CNN correspondent, Julia Benbrook, who joins us now. So, Julia, what more do we know about this foil plot against the U.S. embassy?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are learning new information from a Department of Justice press release. The DOJ has unsealed charges against a dual American and German citizen who they say plotted to throw a Molotov cocktail at the United States Embassy in Israel. That man, 28 year old Joseph Neumeier, was deported from Israel to the United States today, and he was arrested at a New York airport.

We're learning that he had walked by the United States embassy in Tel Aviv last week and spit on an embassy guard unprovoked. He was not detained at that time, but he left behind a backpack that they searched and found three Molotov cocktails. Authorities also went back and looked at his social media, and they found posts that said that he had plans to burn down that embassy. He also had posts that said death to America, death to Americans, and some that threatened President Donald Trump.

Now here's what Attorney General Pam Bondi said in that press release. She's quoted saying, "This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack, targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to America and President Trump's life. The department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law." Omar?

JIMENEZ: Julia Benbrook, really appreciate you bringing us that new reporting. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is condemning what he calls America's silence as Russia steps up its attacks. Overnight, Russia launched its largest aerial attack of the three year war, firing a record 367 missiles and drones across 22 locations in Ukraine, killing at least 12 people.

It was the second night in a row of large scale strikes where Russia this weekend ramping up attacks despite the largest prisoner swap of the war taking place. More than 600 prisoners of war were freed today in the final stage of a deal negotiated last week in Istanbul that has seen a thousand POWs exchanged on each side. Joining us now is retired Air Force colonel CNN military analyst, Cedric Leighton.

So, Cedric, I just want to get your thoughts on -- let's just start with the latest aerial assault here. We're showing some of the numbers on screen. Sixty-nine missiles, 298 drones, as far as we understand, fired at Ukraine. What do you read from that, especially at this stage in the war?

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah, Omar, this is, actually, statistically pretty significant in that it shows that the Russians have the capacity to launch a considerable number of missiles and drones against Ukrainian targets. Now what is also interesting to me is the locations where these missiles and drones were launched from. A lot of them came from Russia, the border areas near Ukraine, but some of them also came from airborne platforms such as Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers, as well as ships in the Black Sea.

[17:05:02]

Up until, you know, fairly recently, we were looking at the Black Sea as kind of a not quite a Ukrainian lake, but they basically had decimated the Black Sea Navy. This may show the possibility that, Russia has at least a potential capacity to launch more attacks from the Black Sea, and that could be very dangerous for Ukraine. So from that standpoint, it's both statistically and locationally significant. JIMENEZ: And, you know, at this point, again, it comes within the

context of a number of things. We're seeing that POW exchange. We've seen at least at different points, the president of The United States trying to say to Vladimir Putin, stop it, though we don't know exactly what -- how far in-depth they're going behind the scenes to follow-up on what we've seen posted publicly.

But Zelenskyy bottom line is condemning America's silence as he described it after these attacks saying in the Telegram post it only encourages Putin. Does the public posturing of the United States so far encourage that statement?

LEIGHTON: I think it does, actually, Omar. And, you know, when you look at this, the one thing that, you know, there were many faults in previous administrations when it comes to Ukraine, but one of the things that did seem to work is when the U.S. administration, coupled with European, governments would actually condemn Russian attacks. And sometimes it would take a while, but there are diplomatic aftereffects of something like that, especially if they condemn, these attacks, you know, with a unitary message, a unified message.

And the lack of that unified message, especially from the United States, does have a significant impact on what is happening in Ukraine, and it can also show that the Russians at least may think at this particular point in time that the Americans aren't going to be standing by Ukraine or at least not standing by Europe, and that could be a significant issue.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, international pressure against Russia, has been rising with increased sanctions. That sanctions playbook is obviously one many western allies have used, historically in regards to Russia. But is there more the U.S. could be doing to get Putin to agree to a ceasefire or any -- let's just start there with the ceasefire.

LEIGHTON: Yeah. So I think the answer is yes. One of the things that we're looking at here, Omar, is, you know, the lack of use of the military presence in Europe. We have a significant number of troops in Europe, especially in places like Poland and Romania. Those could be a move closer to the frontier with Ukraine.

That could be a message to the Russians that we are looking at this as a very serious issue and that the Russians need to stop doing this. And if you want to go even further than that, the U.S. could potentially advocate the implementation along with its NATO allies of a no fly zone in Ukraine.

That is something that was talked about at the very beginning of this war, but since that time has not really been discussed. It'd be very difficult to do logistically, but that kind of a threat would probably give pause to the Russians. I don't see the administration doing something like that, but it would certainly be something that could be done in order to send a message to the Russians.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, through throughout the presidential campaign, President Trump has said that as soon as he got into office, he would have this issue sorted in short order. Obviously, that did not happen, and it has not happened to this point. We're going into the summer now. We're more than three years into this war. What are you anticipating from Russia? I mean, does Putin have the manpower for more frontal assaults, and does their assessment of the battlefield change in the year ahead under a President Trump than maybe it was under President Biden a year ago?

LEIGHTON: Yeah. I think the assessment of the Russians has changed when it comes to the battlefield. And, under President Biden, they looked at it at least, with the question mark, you know, that the United States could potentially engage itself in, you know, some more decisive actions. With President Trump there, not as sure that that could happen. And in this particular case, I think what the Russians are planning to do is, yes, they can ramp up some of the manpower that they have. They have increased recruitment efforts in various regions in Russia.

They are also planning some operations in the Eastern part of the country as well as in the North near Kharkiv and potentially near the Sumy regions of Ukraine. So that could have a significant effect. If they move in the East, what that could mean, Omar, is that, they would move into areas that so far have not been occupied by Russian troops.

But the area around places like Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk could potentially be areas where the Russians want to advance. They're clearly making moves in those areas right now, and they're probably gearing up for a summer offensive.

[17:09:59]

So I definitely expect an attempt at a Russian summer offensive. Whether or not that actually happens and how successful it will be, of course, is another matter because they've had a real difficult time moving forward at this point.

JIMENEZ: Yeah. A lot to monitor. We will keep an eye on that. Colonel Cedric Leighton, really appreciate the time and perspective.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Omar.

JIMENEZ: Alright. Still to come. How George Floyd's family is keeping his memory alive and pushing for change even five years after his killing.

Plus, allegations of kidnapping, assault, and torture in a luxury Manhattan townhouse for weeks. We're gonna tell you what that's about and what it has to do with cryptocurrency. Wait until you hear this story. That's ahead in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:15:00]

JIMENEZ: Welcome back, everyone. It's been five years since George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis. Five Years since the world witnessed an officer kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes, sparking one of the largest protest movements in American history, Black Lives Matter. Five years later, ex officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted. He's serving a 22-year sentence in prison.

Today, though, is a somber day of remembrance in Minneapolis, and our Sara Sidner was there five years ago and joins us now from George Floyd Square. And, Sarah, what's the mood today?

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPNDENT & ANCHOR: Omar, five years on, there is a sense of community here that has sticked together, and you can see it reflected in the memorial for George Floyd. Take a look at what's happened here. The community has kept this up all this time, keeping the flowers growing, and making sure it is all centered around right here where George Floyd lied begging for his life and his breath and eventually begging for his mother.

But Derek Chauvin, then officer had his knee on his neck for nine minutes, and this community experienced seeing live and in person someone being murdered in slow motion. Five years on, the family is here saying they come back to Minneapolis because they can feel the love that has grown here. But there are a lot of concerns and a lot of questions about what is happening with the current administration and how it is rolling back all of the things that this family had asked for and this community had asked for, for police reform.

Here's what the family had to say about being here five years after seeing George Floyd killed here in the street.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: There's so many people that have showed up, showed up out here. Their kindness, their love, their support. You know, it brings a certain amount of peace and joy.

SIDNER: What do y'all think about what's happening with the current administration rolling back all of these reforms?

UNKNOWN: We didn't do that. We are not politicians. We're humanitarians. So all we could do is wish and hope that they do their job, you know, and making it equal for our races.

SIDNER: So you hear that sentiment there, the feeling the love here, but you are also seeing another side to this story. And the other side of this is the rolling back, for example, of DEI, which has happened across companies and across the government with the Trump administration. You were also seeing the racist vitriol over and over again online on this very day as a family continues to mourn and the community continues to remember.

And even someone who has Donald Trump's ear, Laura Loomer, hosting this, congratulations to George Floyd for being five years sober, the nastiest vitriol. And think about what that means to the family who is still mourning, who will never ever get over seeing their family member killed in the streets live on television. So you're seeing the divisiveness that has happened in this country and really a lot of the rollbacks of all of the things that had come and that people had hoped for after George Floyd was murdered by then officer Derek Chauvin. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Sara Sidner, really appreciate the reporting. Joining me now to discuss the legacy of George Floyd and the impact his death made is Dominik Whitehead, the Chief of Field Membership Growth and Unit Sustainability at the NAACP. Thanks for being here. Your organization posted this earlier today.

Five whole years have passed since George Floyd was murdered and Congress still hasn't passed a single piece of legislation to address this country's policing crisis. People are dying every day as they fail to act. Enough is enough. Black lives matter always. Pass the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act. What would meaningful change look like to you?

DOMINIK WHITEHEAD, CHIEF OF FIELD MEMBERSHIP GROWTH AND UNIT SUSTAINABILITY, NAACP: Thank you, Omar, for that. And meaningful change for the NAACP and for us will look like exactly what you just said. It is truly passing the George Floyd Policing Act at the federal level. We're continuing to see across the country rollbacks, in states and cities across the country around police reform in this country. So for us, being able to pass that one will show that one, this administration, this Congress understands and know the importance of what police reform looks like in this country. But most importantly, it will show and really show a piece around standing up for black and brown Americans who's mostly impacted around police reform in this country.

JIMENEZ: And some of the major tenets of the act would be things like restricting choke holds, no knock warrants, changing how qualified immunity for police officers are interpreted as well. But your organization has also pointed to the rollbacks coming from the Trump administration where just days ago, the DOJ dismissed police reform agreements in Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky where Breonna Taylor was killed.

[17:20:02]

The mayor of Minneapolis says his city will move forward with reforms anyway. But how important is it for the federal government to be a part of the police reform process?

WHITEHEAD: It's extremely important for the federal government to be a part of the police reform process. When we think about what is happening, you know, policing is happening locally, across this country. About the federal government coming in, it shows a different level of transparency. It allows us to truly reform this from a federal level. But most importantly, it'll allow this country to see things that we'll continue to see rollback, like DEI, etcetera.

And so making sure the federal government is engaged in this process and been involved in this process, we're sure of Americans across this country. The federal government understands what's happening on the ground, in states across the country like police reform that's needed.

JIMENEZ: George Floyd's cousin spoke to CNN's Rosa Flores a few days ago, and she talked about his legacy and the work that still remains to be done. Take a take a quick listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAREEDUH MCGEE, GEORGE FLOYD'S COUSIN: He was a catalyst for this huge movement all over the world. And so I just want people just to continue to stay engaged, you know, in whatever way they can to make sure they're working with us to make sure he's not forgotten.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And, you know, the energy now is different than the energy was in the days after George Floyd was killed back in 2020. But what is the NAACP doing to keep people active, to keep people engaged, so the world not only never forgets, but also is able to push for something meaningful in the wake of his killing?

WHITEHEAD: Yeah. As an advocacy organization, NAACP is gonna stay on the forefront of one, continue to advocate for federal policy reform such as the George Floyd police -- policing reform bill. But most importantly, engaging locally and community on the ground. You know, NAACP, we have units and branches across the country in every city, every state.

And so our goal is to continue to engage locally, to continue to listen, directly, continue to push Congress to move out of D.C. and move into the states directly and to listen to constituents around the issues that matter most importantly to them, particularly police reform.

Folks want safe neighborhoods. Folks want good policing. And so it's the only way to get that done is making sure that our elected officials are hearing constituents on the ground. So NAACP will continue to be a catalyst and or a vehicle to ensure advocacy for our communities is at the forefront.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, as I look at some of the latest Pew research, 72 percent of those polled say the increased focus on race and racial inequality after Floyd's killing did not lead to changes that improve the lives of black people. And I wonder just five years on now, what do you see as the enduring legacy of that chapter, and why do you think the findings of that study from Pew were the way that they were?

WHITEHEAD: I think the findings on that study from Pew Research, one, are the way they were or where the where they were. There's a couple of reasons. One, when I think about democracy, we think about this country, we know black folks and black people are at the center of that. And so when we think about policy, when we think about changes that need to be made across the country, we know for a fact when policy and good policy is made for black folks, right, it is typically good for the entire country.

And so when we look at that data and we look at that research, I think it's imperative for elected officials and imperative for advocacy organizations to take a moment, look at that data, and actually build true policy around that. So I think if we want to see, the legacy of not only George Floyd, but Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, the list goes on, we have to use that data. We have to look at that data and really listen to folks on the ground to really build out what we want to see.

JIMENEZ: Dominik Whitehead of the NAACP, thank you for being here. Really appreciate the time.

WHIEHEAD: Oh, thank you.

JIMENEZ: Alright. Now, it wasn't easy for Republicans to push President Trump's so called big beautiful bill through the House. It is officially named that. Now it looks like getting it through the Senate may be just as difficult. We'll explain coming up. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:25:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): I think we have enough to stop the process until the president gets serious about the spending reduction and reducing the deficit.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): I think the cuts currently in the bill are wimpy and anemic, but I still would support the bill even with wimpy and anemic cuts if they weren't going to explode the debt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Alright. So some signs of trouble at the very least, some work ahead for President Trump's so called big beautiful bill. Senate Republicans strongly pushing back against the sweeping tax and spending bill that was passed in the House on Thursday. Speaker Mike Johnson, though, is warning those lawmakers against any significant changes to the bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON, HOUSE SPEAKER: And I encourage them, you know, to do their work, of course, as we all anticipate, but to make as few modifications to this package as possible because remembering that we've got to pass it one more time to ratify their changes in the house. And I have a very delicate balance here, a very delicate equilibrium that we've reached over a long period of time, and it's best not to meddle with it too much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Joining me now is the director for the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, Larry Sabato. So, Larry, look, we're hearing one thing from Senator Ron Johnson. We're hearing another thing from Speaker Mike Johnson. How do you see this playing out?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Oh, eventually, something will pass. Look, we've seen this movie so many times under Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush and Trump in his first term, and it follows the traditional pattern. It does produce a big bill.

[17:29:59]

Now beautiful, well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But for most Republicans, it's exactly what they want. It is beautiful. But it has lots of problems in it, which they recognize. Some of them recognize at length deficit reduction. Get real. I mean, we've been through this.

The deficit reduction is always in the out years, but the tax cuts, you know, the ice cream comes first. And then you never quite get all those cuts that were promised.

So, the ones who are objecting like Ron Johnson and -- and Ron -- and Paul, Senator Paul from Kentucky are really absolutely correct in that the deficit reduction is blue smoke and mirrors or at least a lot of it is. This is going to add probably $3 to $4 trillion to the national debt, and we already have a massive debt.

Now, what -- what's going to happen, Omar, is they have to pass it because it's got the entire Republican and Trump agenda in it. They don't have a deadline of July 4, which some of them have been repeating, at least that date. They could go longer if they want or they could reach some kind of deal privately all while protesting and whining and complaining about what isn't in there that they wanted if they had written the bill. And apparently, that's good enough for most Americans from these districts and states. That's good enough.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, some of the sticking points on top of the -- on top of adding to the deficit is around adding work requirements to Medicaid as well. But just to stay on -- on the deficit for a bit, this is -- some of the Senate GOP hang ups that we have on the screen, which includes an increase of state and local tax deductions.

But on the deficit, you know, the Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill could increase the nation's deficit by -- by almost $4 trillion here. The speaker has criticized those estimates, calling them -- quote -- "dramatically overstated."

But even if it's not that high, what would be the impact of adding to the dip -- deficit during a time when we're already seeing Moody has downgrade the credit rating of the United States? And when many are worried about whether -- what the yields in the bond market are going to look like because America might not be as trustworthy to lend. I mean, is there an outsized danger with adding to the deficit this time around that maybe there has been in years past?

SABATO: Absolutely, simply because the problem has been getting worse through Democratic and Republican administrations alike. The debt keeps growing. The promises to reduce it never really happen. And as a consequence, we're going to continue to see, and I'm sorry to say it, America's decline.

This can't last forever, and yet every time the Congress and the president have a chance to address it, this is the outcome. And there's no denying it. Just -- just look in the past. Why is this going to be different than the other times that I mentioned? And the answer is it's not going to be different.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, another thing that -- that senators are -- are warning about to this point, Democrats included, are warning against those changes to Medicaid. We've also heard some concerns from Republicans. Lisa Murkowski for one, Susan Collins saying she needs to see what kind of language comes from this, but bottom line saying -- the Democrats at least saying these steep cuts will have a devastating impact on rural Americans -- Americans, many of the communities that actually voted for President Trump.

So, as Republicans, many of them are insisting that this is a fair bill, that this, you know, roots out the -- I believe waste, fraud, and abuse is how they've said it, in those exact terms and that exact phrase. Do you anticipate this turning into a problem for Republicans in the midterms?

SABATO: Well, it could, especially when combined with the effects of the tariffs, whatever they turn out to be. But they're not going to be helpful to the economy. And -- and most of the mainstream economists think at the very least, we will have a significant reduction in the growth in the American economy, maybe an outright recession.

Well, you -- when you combine that with the negative aspects of this big kind of semi-beautiful bill, you're going to end up having economic problems that could easily oust the Republicans from control in the House. They probably won't lose the Senate, but the House is right on the knife's edge, anyway. So, there are very real consequences for them.

But what's the solution, Omar? They're going to end up giving carrots to the moderates and then carrots to the conservatives and coming up with promises that somehow reduce the debt but -- which never happened in those out years. That's the way they've done it before. They've had the same conflicts before. That's the way they're doing it this time. And that's what we're going to see in the future.

And as far as the debt is concerned, you know, when it really goes to a critical point, everybody says it'll be in the early to mid-2030s. Well, guess what? Most of these people will be out of office by then.

[17:35:00]

JIMENEZ: All right. Larry Sabato, beautiful analysis as always, and the beauty is not in the eyes of the beholder. I think we can both agree --

(LAUGHTER)

-- to this beautiful analysis.

SABATO: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: Appreciate the time. (LAUGHTER)

SABATO: Thank you.

(LAUGHTER)

JIMENEZ: All right. Coming up, prosecutors are expected to call up another former employee of Sean Combs to the stand this week. So, what can we expect in week three? We'll talk about it next. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:40:00]

JIMENEZ: Officials say a man was beaten, shocked, and held against his will for weeks in a luxury New York City townhouse until he managed to escape, and that it was all part of a plot to steal his Bitcoin. Prosecutors charged a 37-year-old cryptocurrency investor with kidnapping the man and torturing him into giving up his Bitcoin password.

CNN correspondent Gloria Pazmino joins us now. So, Gloria, can you just explain what is going on here? What happened here?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a bizarre set of details, Omar, and a really disturbing account from both police and prosecutors since this man identified as John Woeltz was arrested on Friday evening after, you said, the man who he had been keeping hostage inside that luxury Manhattan apartment managed to escape.

Now, here's what police tell us. The man actually came here to New York City from Italy early in May. And since, he was kept inside of that apartment by this man, John Woeltz. That's according to police and prosecutors. Now, they say that all of this was part of an elaborate plot to get the man to give up his Bitcoin password.

Now, John Woeltz is a cryptocurrency investor, and police officials say that over the last several weeks, he kept the man who has yet to be identified inside the house torturing him, at one point tying him up with chicken wire, holding a gun to his head, and threatening to cut off his limbs by using an electric saw if he did not give up the password.

Now, there was a brief moment of time on Friday when the man, believing that he was going to be shot and killed, actually gave up the password, managed to run out of the apartment, flagged down a traffic cop, and was finally able to get away.

Now, John Woeltz has been charged with kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment as well as criminal possession of a firearm. He has been held in custody without bail. Prosecutors telling the court last week that they believed he had the means to escape if he was allowed to be out on bail. So, he was remanded into custody and is expected back in court later this week. Omar?

JIMENEZ: And, you know, Gloria, prosecutors are also alleging there were other people involved in this plot. What do we know about that?

PAZMINO: Yeah, that is part of what they're still looking into. The police say that there is still an un-apprehended male, meaning that person has not been taken into custody yet, that was allegedly involved in this scheme for the past several weeks. So, we're waiting to learn more about both the identity of that person and if police actually are able to detain them.

JIMENEZ: Gloria Pazmino, really appreciate the reporting. Meanwhile, it's a long weekend for lawyers and jurors in the Sean Combs sex trafficking trial. The trial will resume on Tuesday. And the prosecution has already brought key witnesses to the stand, making for some, at times, dramatic testimony. This week, a former assistant for Combs is expected to testify along with witnesses from the LAPD and the L.A. Fire Department.

I want to bring in CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson, who is here with us now. So, Joey, I mean, as a defense attorney, how would you be adjusting your defense, right, at the very least planning your defense, after the testimony from the past two weeks?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yeah. Omar, good to be with you. So, any defense is going to be predicated upon what you're charged with and what you have to refute. Remember the narratives here.

First, you're going to look at the RICO. And if you're the defense, the prosecution's narrative is that Sean Combs was running a criminal enterprise, and that was predicated upon conspiring with others and doing a variety of illegal things. If you're the defense, you're going to hold true with every witness that this is a person who gained extraordinary success, not because it was a criminal enterprise, but because he was a seasoned businessperson.

And to the extent that he might have engaged in an unconventional lifestyle in his private life, that certainly does not, if you have the defense, go to any issues related to criminality.

And to the extent that you could connect him to arson, as Kid Cudi did when he testified, and to the extent you could connect him with any other bad behavior, people may do bad things, it doesn't mean they're a kingpin as a monster.

As it relates, Omar, to the charges of sexual trafficking, again, the narrative is going to be coercion on the one hand because of his brat (ph) abusive behavior versus consent on the other, which the defense will continue to pound away that this is an issue of consent, unconventional lifestyles, doing again bad things, but it was about rage and jealousy, it was not about coercion and sex trafficking.

So, I think you'll see that narrative brought out by the defense with regard to every witness who testifies moving forward.

JIMENEZ: So, let's talk about those charges because he is on trial for racketeering, sex trafficking, and transport -- transportation to engage in prostitution. Has the testimony we've heard so far matched the charges, and how will Combs's defense respond to it?

[17:45:02]

JACKSON: So, no one witness, Omar, is going to carry the day, right, for the prosecution. It's about putting together a variety of charges. As it relates to the racketeering that he was a kingpin, we've heard a lot of charges about bad behavior, we've heard about drugs, we've heard about money, we've heard about guns, we've heard about assaults, we've heard about arson as it relates to the Porsche, again, with Kid Cudi. And so, they'll continue to do that, but they are trying, prosecutors are.

And again, the defense, in attempt to coop that narrative, is sticking true to the fact that this was a person he might have been jealous and so was, in fact, right, Cassie, but that's because they had a loving but really tortured and complex relationship. And so that's to that.

In terms of the sex trafficking, when you bring up the charges, sex trafficking is about being compelled to engage in activity that's sexual. It's about being coerced, and you hear again the narrative because the prosecution brought in a psychologist to talk about how women respond to that and this coercive behavior.

And since you don't have this explicit no, you don't have this explicit, I'm not doing that, in fact, you have the contrary, which are text and emails from Cassie saying, hey, I can't wait, the psychologist is explaining that's because it was a coercive abusing relationship.

So, you're going to continue to see testimony by prosecutors pointing out these pattern and variety of criminality by Diddy, you're going to continue to see the defense suggest that listen, this is not about a kingpin, this is about a flawed individual, and you're going continue to see the battleground of coercion saying there was nothing coerced, this was how they lived their life, it was predicated upon consent.

Which one of those battles wins the day is going to be up to a 12- member jury who ultimately will decide the case.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, obviously, this case deals with a lot of very sensitive issues, including, we learned Friday, that the person identified as victim three is not expected to testify in the case as was previously expected. She's described as an e-girlfriend of Combs and was referenced in the government's superseding indictment as part of the racketeering conspiracy count.

But will her absence impact where the prosecution goes from here, and is that a risk with -- with some of the expected witnesses from the prosecution that they might just decide, you know what, I don't want to get involved in this case anymore?

JACKSON: Yes. So, you know what, Omar? It is always trials are about quality of testimony, not really about quantity. Having said that, you always want support for what another witness says. You want corroboration. You want to know, right, if you're the government, that this is a person who -- excuse me, has engaged in a pattern of bad behavior.

So, to the extent that you have a witness who can come out and suggest and say that I was coerced as well into this whole sexual activity, that it's -- this was not what I was about, he was forcing me to, I think it would be helpful. The government doesn't have that, and so I think it does arm the case.

JIMENEZ: Yeah.

JACKSON: And as a result of that, they have to put on other witnesses potentially who could otherwise suggest and compel the jury to understand that this was about sex trafficking. It was about coercion. It was not about the freaky lifestyle that the defense would suggest to you.

And so, again, these are the narratives that the jury has to consider. If the jury comes home saying it wasn't a racketeering enterprise, it was just how he lived his life, you get one verdict. If the jury comes back saying he engaged in all this underlying behavior because he was a kingpin of a horrific organization that just did this, then you have another verdict to be sure.

JIMENEZ: All right. Joey Jackson, always appreciate the analysis. Thank you for being here. And everyone else, we'll be right back.

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JIMENEZ: All right, welcome back. Summer vacation will be short for some of the world's best soccer players. Today, the Premier League season wrapped up. And CNN sports Patrick Snell joins us now. There was still a lot to play for in the final day of the season. What were we looking at?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, certainly was. Yeah, we got the FIFA Club World Cup, Omar, starting in mid-June. So, it will be a short break for some of them.

But qualification for the UEFA Champions League, that's always a lucrative pot of gold for any team aspiring to dine at the top table of European club footy.

On Sunday, there were still five teams competing for the final three spots up for grabs in the top flight of English football as the Premier League. Two of them clashing as Nottingham Forest and Chelsea went head-to-head at the city ground.

Forest, you know, they've had such a really good season overall. But they fall behind here, Omar, early in the second half. It's the young English player Levi Colwill at the far post who guides the ball home for one nil Chelsea, the only goal of the match, and Chelsea booked their spot in the top five. They'll be in the Champions League for next season. That's a massive financial windfall. Aston Villa were another side also in the mix for a top five finish as they travel to face Man United. The visitors dealt a blow, though, late in the first half as their World Cup winning goalie, Emiliano Martinez, is sent off for this reckless foul on United's young Danish player, Rasmus Hojlund, who gets absolutely clattered straight red for the Argentine goalie.

The 10 men of Villa, though, think they've taken the lead when Morgan Rogers puts the ball into the back of the net, but it's chalked off due to an alleged infringement on United's goalie, Altay Bayindir. Villa far from happy, and they have a strong case there.

And then just moments later, United go down the other end. And right in front of the (INAUDIBLE), Amad Diallo puts United ahead.

[17:55:01]

Villa miss out on goal difference. United win it two nil. Villa missing out on goal difference to Newcastle, who reached the top five despite losing at home on Sunday. Man City are also through, but Aston Villa will be very, very upset with that controversy in that game there.

Now remember the name, the teenage sub for Sunderland, Tom Watson. No, not the world-famous golfer. The 19-year-old striking in the 95th minute. That's the fifth minute of stoppage time in the championship playoff final win over Sheffield United. His last game for the club, too.

This season, Sunderland reaching the Premier League. It's a goal worth, we worked out, around 200 million pounds. That's about 270 million U.S. dollars. Yes, reaching English top flight is that lucrative.

And it is Arsenal, Omar, who are celebrating victory in the Women's Champions League for the second time in their history. The Gunners won their winners over previously all conquering Barcelona this weekend. The Catalans were going for a third straight title, but they would concede and they would be shocked. Sixteen minutes from time with Stina Blakestenius. Finishes superbly. Only goal of the match. Wonderful moment for the Swede. Our congrats to Arsenal.

A busy, busy weekend, Omar, on the international football scene and a lot of financial implications as well. Back to you.

JIMENEZ: And perhaps the Premier League, a future destination for one Luka Modric. We will see. We will see after the --

SNELL: No predictions. No predictions.

JIMENEZ: We will see. I'll hold you to that.

(LAUGHTER)

Thanks, Patrick Snell. Really appreciate it. All right, just in, we're going to tell you what the head of the European Commission told President Trump tonight that might help restart trade talks as 50% tariffs loom over the E.U. We're going to take you to the White House next.

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