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Trump's Middle East Trip Promises Financial Deals, Upends U.S. Policy; Defense Attorneys Grill Cassie Ventura in Diddy Trial; Coach Bill Belichick's May-December Relationship in Spotlight. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired May 16, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Oversees FEMA. In a statement, it called the story grossly out of context. We'll continue to watch it.

[06:00:08]

Thanks so much for joining me here on EARLY START. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Stay tuned. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: It is Friday, May 16, and here's what's happening right now on CNN THIS MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Somebody is going to be taking the credit for this. You remember, press, this guy did it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: President Trump's moves in the Middle East. Big business deals. No peace pacts, at least not yet. As he heads home, was it a success?

Then, freak-offs and baby oil. That's what we've heard so much about. But there's a charge against Sean "Diddy" Combs that could cost him his whole empire if he's convicted.

And --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People's roofs are getting blown off. Houses are collapsing.

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CORNISH: Multiple tornadoes sweep through the Midwest, flattening homes. The risk is not over yet.

And this. Everyone is talking about it. Bill Belichick and his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson. What started as tabloid fodder. Now turning into something bigger. It is the -- It's 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. Here's a live look at

the White House as President Trump prepares to head home from the Middle East.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for waking up with me.

Now, President Donald Trump is about to depart. That trip to the Middle East. He just arrived at the airport in Abu Dhabi, where he's going to board Air Force One, and that's going to end his three- country tour.

He started his final day with another business roundtable, where he touted the future investment deals he signed this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I will say I did that. And everyone will say, but somebody's going to be cutting a ribbon and say, well, we're going to be finished long before that. Yes, but somebody's going to be taking the credit for this. You remember, press, this guy did it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: So, the president seemed to feel right at home. He was greeting royal families and business leaders across the region. He also made a flurry of announcements, which in some cases upended decades of U.S. foreign policy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good. Make it a freedom zone.

I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.

I would like to see if we could solve the Iran problem in an intelligent way, as opposed to a brutal way.

Far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it's our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Joining me now in the group chat, Isaac Dovere, CNN senior reporter; Rob Bluey, president and executive editor at "The Daily Signal," and Antjuan Seawright, Democratic strategist.

Welcome, you guys. Happy Friday.

OK. This trip has wrapped up, and it's got a couple deals, right? Like, at least in memorandum, military cooperation agreement, $600 billion investment. When it comes to Syria, vowing to lift U.S. sanctions, which obviously is a major reversal of the last decade or so.

And then this Boeing order with Qatar.

So, we have talked so much about Trump using deals as his foreign policy in places where it feels uncomfortable: Ukraine, minerals deal; Gaza, resorts. Like, but here it feels like maybe it worked?

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't truly know yet. We have announcements of deals. I think we have a long tradition in American foreign policy and -- and in Donald Trump's presidency of things being announced that don't actually come to be. We'll see.

But there's a lot of money that's being talked about, a lot of investment. It could lead to a lot of jobs and a lot of economic development.

CORNISH: Yes. You know, I want to play a clip of him from earlier in the week when he was basically setting the table for, like, here's how I want to approach things in terms of leadership in the Middle East and sort of how the U.S. looks at it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts of tired divisions of the past and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other out of existence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:05:11]

CORNISH: It feels like all these years after 9/11, we have arrived, right, at a very different position for the U.S.

ROB BLUEY, PRESIDENT/EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "THE DAILY SIGNAL": We -- we certainly have. And for the Republican Party and a Republican president to say that is certainly a break from the past.

And so, I think, regardless of where you are in the political spectrum, hopefully, you will want peace in the Middle East. I mean, after thousands of years of fighting, what Donald Trump is trying to do here is significant.

Now, Isaac said, I mean, this is -- this is going to need to materialize over the course of the coming months. There's a lot of work to do. Obviously, Israel is a key component here.

CORNISH: Yes.

BLUEY: And they weren't involved in some of these conversations that were taking place, Audie.

And so, somewhat, you know, risky move on the part of Trump. But at the end of the day, it could really play out well in his favor.

DOVERE: But I think even seeing how it plays -- how it plays against things that he's said already. Now this week, he says we're going to have a freedom zone in Gaza. I'm not sure exactly what that means. I don't know that he's made clear what that means. A couple of months ago, he was talking about America taking over Gaza and --

CORNISH: Yes.

DOVERE: Right?

ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, that's the challenge of Trump. He speaks in the headline. And so, we very seldom get details about what it actually means.

And as we say down South, the devil is often in the details. And sometimes when we find out the details and how it impacts this country, our country, and from a long-term perspective, it does not work out on our behalf. And then we spend decades and years trying to redo, in a more healthy way, what Donald Trump has undone in many ways.

CORNISH: What's interesting about that point is he also did some deals around A.I. And there are some people who are saying, well, wait a second, are you kind of giving away the store here in terms of an industry that the U.S. is trying to grow?

The other thing I want to mention is the idea that the Arab nations had something to gain here, right? They want to be involved in whatever Iran deal comes next. Do you think this has laid the groundwork for any of that?

SEAWRIGHT: Well, we don't know. The challenge is with this trip, and I think all of the things we're learning about this trip is he's making this about Donald Trump, not about the United States of America.

And I think that's where you get, in many cases, Republicans quietly saying, wait a minute, let's slow down. We don't know if that will work.

And then Democrats, you give them an opportunity to really highlight the -- the challenges of the Trump presidency.

BLUEY: When it comes to Iran, I think one of the important things is moving quickly. We know that every day that passes, Iran is getting closer to 00 to building those nuclear weapons. And so, we want to have quick resolution to that issue.

I think the other thing is there are implications here for Russia and Ukraine, because if you bring down the cost of oil, that takes away some leverage that Vladimir Putin then has in terms of bringing in more resources to Russia.

CORNISH: Yes. Never mind that they are also trying to outfox and outmaneuver China in the region, which previously had this kind of treatment. We're actually looking at the airport in Abu Dhabi right now, because the president is expected to be heading home.

Group chat, stay with me. We're going to keep an eye on that door. And we've also got a lot to talk about.

Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, peace talks, as we mentioned, today between Russia and Ukraine. Why President Trump doesn't think anything will come of it.

Plus, a date has been set when the Menendez brothers could find out if they will walk free.

And what's the plan to fix delays and cancellations in Newark? This problem is so big the FAA and the airlines are having to meet for three days straight.

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JIMMY FALLON, HOST, NBC'S "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JIMMY FALLON": The Denver Airport was recently hit with an outage, and some pilots couldn't contact air traffic control for six minutes. Meanwhile, Newark Airport was like, "Six minutes? Please. Call us when you hit six days." That's --

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[06:13:08]

CORNISH: Today, star witness Cassie Ventura will face another day of cross-examination by Sean "Diddy" Combs's legal team. Now, she was on the stand for more than five hours yesterday, answering questions about their texts, their sexual relationship, and jealousies.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has the key takeaways from her testimony.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASSIE VENTURA, EX-GIRLFRIEND OF SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS: Each character and each actor that came into the project brought their own thing to the table.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A 21-year-old Cassie Ventura in 2008, promoting the film "Step Up 2."

VENTURA: Oh, my gosh. It was an overwhelming experience but exciting all at the same time.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): During day one of cross-examination, she was asked about her budding relationship and emails with Sean Combs from that same year.

When Combs said, "I love you, I miss you. Can't wait to hold you," Ventura responded, "I'm a very lucky woman. I miss you so much. I'd fly wherever you needed me."

The defense building its case that Ventura was a willing participant and enjoyed the so-called freak-offs, or long, drug-fueled sex sessions involving male escorts she says were orchestrated by Combs.

In 2009, when Combs messaged, asking if she wanted to "freak off," Ventura replied, "I'm always ready to Freak Off, lol. I just want it to be uncontrollable," Ventura said, referring to sex with the escort.

"I can't wait, that's why I wanna see," Combs responded.

Later that year, when Combs emailed, "I want to be nasty for you," Ventura replied, "In order for me to be more open with the things we do in bed, I need to feel safe, like home. This is my husband, and this is THE ONLY man that will ever have this aggressive/sexual side of me."

When asked by the defense if this showed open communication between the two, Ventura said, "I would say."

[06:15:02]

But the prosecution says this video from 2016 showing Combs assaulting Ventura as she says she tried to flee a freak-off proves the relationship devolved into abuse and control.

Still, a year after that assault, the defense noted Ventura sent this to Combs in 2017: "I love our [Freak Offs] when we both want it." Ventura saying on the stand that the text was just words at that point, echoing her previous testimony of feeling trapped and afraid of Combs's rages.

The defense also argued that jealousy played a role in the volatile relationship, with Ventura writing, "I'm nervous that I'm just becoming the girlfriend that you get your fantasies off of, and that's it."

SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS, ON TRIAL FOR SEX TRAFFICKING AND RACKETEERING: I just miss Kim, y'all. You know what I'm saying?

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Combs's time with the late Kim Porter, the mother of four of his children, and other women also came up, Ventura testifying she "has some jealousy of Ms. Porter," because Combs would spend holidays with her, even though they had split up.

Their fights over infidelity were "a little scary," she said.

In 2011, she dated rapper Kid Cudi while on a break from Combs. "I thought it would be way too dangerous to tell him about that," she said.

But Combs lunged at her, she says, after finding Kid Cudi's name in her phone during a freak-off, which still went on during breaks in their relationship, because it was a job, Ventura said.

WAGMEISTER: Now, there was actually a heated moment in court when the judge reprimanded the defense, essentially for taking too long with their cross-examination.

The judge said that there was a pre-arrangement of sorts, that Cassie Ventura would be done with her testimony by end of this week. The reason? Well, she's pregnant, and she's very pregnant. Cassie Ventura can literally go into labor any day now.

So, the judge said that, by end of day Friday, cross-examination and redirect from the prosecution has to be wrapped up.

Now, Combs's defense said she is the most critical witness, and this is a very important case. The client, of course, is facing life in prison if convicted.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CORNISH: Thanks so much, Elizabeth. And we're going to be keeping an eye on this. Of course, we're going to be talking more about some of the legal issues at play.

Now, straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, what will the Supreme Court decide? The conservative justice that could be the key vote when it comes to the court's ability to limit the president's power.

Plus, they're the new "it" couple of the moment, but has all the talk about Bill Belichick and his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, become too much of a distraction?

And we're monitoring New Jersey Transit workers on strike right now. They hit the picket line overnight, snarling morning commutes for hundreds of thousands of people.

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[06:22:09]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every piece of Bill Belichick business goes through her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's still, age-wise, a little creepy, but in college football, old Bill needs this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Belichick's yums, I'm not here to yuck any of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK, I want to go off-script for a moment and dig deeper into what you just heard there, because why? Seventy-three-year-old Bill Belichick, of course, one of the most storied coaches in football history, and his girlfriend, 24 year old Jordon Hudson.

It's not like we haven't seen a relationship like this before. I don't totally get why it's generating so much interest in the sports world, but I do know it was kicked off by this CBS interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BELICHICK, UNC HEAD FOOTBALL COACH: Never been too worried about what everybody else thinks. Just try to do what I feel like is best for me and what's right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did you guys meet?

JORDON HUDSON, GIRLFRIEND OF BILL BELICHICK: Not talking about this.

BELICHICK: No.

HUDSON: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: So, the college football season starts in a few months, and now there are questions about how involved she might be in his new coaching gig at UNC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BELICHICK: That's, you know, really off to the side. It's a personal relationship, and she doesn't have anything to do with UNC football.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK. Is it just tabloid fodder, or are there legitimate concerns about professional boundaries, public perception? I know the person to help me figure it out is CNN contributor Cari Champion, who woke up super early to talk to us here on CNN THIS MORNING.

OK. So, people have this perception of the coach as like, stoic and dominating. And here is this relationship somehow rocking that perception. Why? Why has it been so easy?

CARI CHAMPION, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think for so long, Bill Belichick, anybody who knows anything about his coaching legacy and/or his time with the New England Patriots knows he's a very stoic, serious coach. And his legacy, for lack of a better word for me to use here, was already written in stone in so many ways.

So, the reason why people are so concerned, I think, and fascinated, obviously, the 50-year age difference is pretty significant.

But the way in which Bill Belichick is comporting himself now than what we've actually seen over the history of his career is very different. He's -- there's pictures of him frolicking. He's on the beach. He's doing yoga. He's joining social media.

And this -- this girlfriend of his seems to have control over how he is moving in a space that seems just so rare to her, but yet familiar to him.

This is the guy that told Tom Brady, We don't need you anymore, Tom. And now this young 22 -- three, four year old -- we're all guessing --

has, in some way, worked her way into his life and seems to be controlling him. And it's just fascinating for us to see in real time.

CORNISH: Yes, I mean, she's -- she's 24. She's an adult. Is there some sexism at play here? I mean, there's something strange about this kind of like, what's the girlfriend up to? And all this, like, internet sleuthing about who she is and her intentions. Like he is a grown man, right? He's, like, at another level of his career.

[06:25:18]

CHAMPION: You're absolutely correct. You -- you speak very -- so much truth. It is truly none of our business.

But Bill has -- and as has Jordon -- made it our business when we see her everywhere he is when it comes to his job.

He's now the head coach at UNC, and she's on the football pool [SIC] -- football field with him. And some -- and we're hearing reports that they were, like, can she not be in the facility? And then he comes out and says, well, that's just not true.

She's starting to insert himself [SIC] -- herself into his professional life. So now, it's become conversation.

And you mentioned her age. Yes. She probably is 24. There have been reports of different ages, because people don't really know. So -- and they've been very strict about how they met. Their business, not ours.

But now people are saying that are close to Bill and within his camp. These are all just reports -- reports -- that they're concerned about him, because they've never seen him act this way before.

It's a May-December romance, but -- but it really, truly is impacting his -- his coaching. I don't want to say his legacy. I'm going too far.

But for a man who considers himself the most private, and we didn't know much about him for -- for the better part of 40 years, we're all -- we're all thinking in the sport world, how is this happening to Bill Belichick of all people?

And again, you're right, Audie. It's -- it's his prerogative. It's her prerogative. They can do whatever they want. But now it's starting to bleed over into his professional career. So, that's why these questions are being asked.

CORNISH: He's getting tips from players. Gronk, of course, who played for Bill Belichick, told "People," "There is only one way to stop all this chatter. Bill has to produce. And I'm going to be tuning in, and I want to see him win some games. Because if he wins some games, he'll shut everyone up."

Not wrong. CHAMPION: -- Listen, this story is still evolving. If -- if anything

is true, from what I am hearing, Pablo Torre, who works at -- really -- he's a really good friend of mine, a colleague. He is known for getting to the bottom of things.

And Pablo Torre is reporting that he's hearing that UNC feels very, very unsafe with what's going on. They didn't pay for Bill Belichick and Jordon. They paid for Bill Belichick. Put your head down. Do your job.

June will be a date that everyone is looking for, because there are real stories about perhaps will he even finish the year if she is so, so implanted in his workspace?

People are concerned. She's there. She's making decisions. She's suggesting what he does, who he should talk to, how he should do media.

All of that is a little disturbing for someone who just appeared on the scene, and a man who's controlled his career for the better part of, for what we have seen, himself for -- for all of this time.

CORNISH: All right, Cari, thanks for explaining it. I'm still like, what? Leave this man alone. Cari Champion, host of "Naked Sports with Cari Champion." Thank you for being with us.

CHAMPION: You kind soul. Kind soul.

CORNISH: Next on CNN THIS MORNING, say goodbye to some rollbacks. For now, Walmart is getting ready to raise prices. So, when is it going to hit your wallet?

Plus, President Trump wrapping up his trip to the Middle East. But is there a conflict of interest for his A.G. over that luxury jet offer from Qatar? We'll discuss that and more when we lawyer up with Elliot Williams.

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