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Kremlin Says Witkoff-Putin Meeting "Constructive and Useful"; House Committee Subpoenas Clintons, Others in Epstein Case; Top Trump Officials to Discuss Epstein Strategy; Medecins sans Frontieres Says Attacks on Kyiv Becoming More Frequent; Tourists and Business Travelers from Zambia and Malawi Liable for Visa Bond; Combs Team Approached Trump Administration about Pardon. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 06, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN London, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and a warm welcome to our second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Christina
Macfarlane in London.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is in Moscow today. He just wrapped up his meeting with the Russian president. The Kremlin says their meeting was,
quote, "constructive."
President Trump says Israel will decide how to handle Gaza. This comes after the Israeli prime minister spoke of taking full control of the
enclave.
And the latest on the Epstein saga, vice president Vance is holding a high- level dinner to discuss how to handle the release of the files.
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MACFARLANE: We're learning more details on the meeting between Russian president Vladimir Putin and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. The Kremlin
is describing the talks as, quote, "constructive and useful."
Russia's leader appears to be making an effort to avoid punishing new sanctions by the United States. The threat made by the U.S. president,
Donald Trump, if Moscow fails to reach a peace deal with Ukraine by this Friday. CNN's Kylie Atwood is following this from Washington, D.C.
Kylie, any sense yet from the Americans on how this meeting went?
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely none at this point. I spoke with a U.S. official in the last hour who said that senior
administration officials are still waiting for a readout of this meeting that went for about three hours, according to Russian state media, between
Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin.
This is the fifth time that the two are meeting. But as you well know, the situation, the dynamics at this moment, compared to the last time that they
met, are incredibly different.
President Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with President Putin after a lack of movement on Russia's part to actually end the Ukraine war.
He has called the continued Russian attacks on Ukraine "disgusting."
He has said that his conversations with Putin have proved to be meaningless. And so, earlier this month, he took that action to back a new
move to get U.S. weaponry to Ukraine that would be paid for by NATO allies. That was a significant policy pivot for the Trump administration.
And then we heard from president Trump that there would be sanctions on Putin, on Russia, if there wasn't actually movement to end the war. And so
that deadline is looming. It's on Friday.
President Trump said that this meeting between Steve Witkoff and Putin would determine whether or not those sanctions went into place. Of course,
we would be looking particularly at the sanctions that he said would be on people, countries -- excuse me -- who are importing Russian oil.
India and China being the major players there. I spoke with administration officials this week, who said that there are moves to draw up those
sanctions, to actually put them into place if president Trump decides that that is the direction he is going to go.
However, they also say that it is highly likely that he could opt out of doing that if the Russians offer some substantive move here, potentially a
ceasefire or something that could actually draw an end to the conflict.
Though over the course of the last few months, we have seen no such movements on Russia's behalf. So we'll have to watch and see what Trump
does when they get the readout of this meeting.
MACFARLANE: It was interesting because we did see some footage of Witkoff, apparently walking in the gardens with Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's envoy for
Investment and Economic Cooperation.
I mean, what can we perhaps read into that as we wait and see if the U.S., as you say, do press go and pulling the trigger on those secondary
sanctions?
ATWOOD: Yes. Well, Kirill Dmitriev is someone that has been effectively the primary interlocutor between Witkoff and President Putin on the Russian
side. He has come to Washington, where he has met with Witkoff and the secretary of state, Marco Rubio.
Here he has been in regular contact with Steve Witkoff early on in the Trump administration. They discussed potential U.S. investments in Russia,
if there was an end to the Ukraine war.
So Dmitriev is someone that Trump administration officials initially viewed as an effective interlocutor, someone who was actually discussing ideas
that the two countries could work on together. However, in recent months, as president Trump's tone on Putin soured dramatically.
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It's an open question as to how U.S. officials feel about Dmitriev, if he was just gaslighting them or if he was actually putting ideas out there
that Russia was prepared to move on. We really don't know.
But I also think it's important, as we looked at those images today of Steve Witkoff, sitting down at the table with President Putin, that was put
out only by Russian media, we should note that Witkoff did have next to him a woman, who presumably is an American translator.
Early on in these meetings, Steve Witkoff was known to go into the meetings without a U.S. translator, relying on the Russian translator to actually
understand what was being said on the Russian side. So it is a market change.
He did that in his last meeting but in earlier meetings he didn't. And so we'll watch and see, you know, what this readout looks like with the
knowledge that Trump administration officials are increasingly wary of Russia making commitments that they might not actually live up to.
MACFARLANE: Yes, I think it's remarkable, actually, that he didn't have a Russian translator, American-Russian translator in the first place. But
it's an interesting context. Kylie, thank you.
Now the Kremlin is preparing for another high-stakes visit tomorrow. The president of the United Arab Emirates is expected to meet with Vladimir
Putin on Thursday. A statement released by the Kremlin says the pair will discuss bilateral cooperation and international issues, including the
situation in the Middle East.
Israel's security cabinet prepares to meet Thursday to discuss the prospect of a full military takeover in Gaza. We're hearing gripping accounts of the
anguish felt by Palestinians who have endured almost two years, two years of nearly unrelenting war.
Here's how one woman described the aftermath of an overnight bombing near an evacuated UNRWA clinic.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We went out screaming. We were in the streets until 2 am and the children were running with no clothes.
This is not a life.
What do they want from us?
This is enough. We ask the entire world to give us comfort. This is enough. They've done enough to us.
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MACFARLANE: U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in on Tuesday about reports Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is poised to push for a
full Israeli takeover of Gaza when the security cabinet meets.
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TRUMP: We are there now, trying to get people fed. That's what I'm focused on. As far as the rest of it, I really can't say. That's going to be pretty
much up to Israel.
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MACFARLANE: Well, I talked to senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman last hour about the president's comments and what could happen next
in Gaza.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, earlier this week, Israeli media was reporting that President Trump had
given a green light to Prime Minister Netanyahu's intention to so called reconquer Gaza. Well, if I mean that looks like that sounds like a green
light to me from the U.S. administration.
And if the last 22 months are anything to go on, this means that the United States has given the green light for Israel to intensify its military
operations in Gaza, which inevitably will be accompanied by huge civilian casualties and even more destruction to Gaza, which, of course, we've seen
in recent aerial video shot by journalists, is that much of Gaza has been reduced already to a lunar landscape.
Now President Trump, in his statement, also stressed American efforts to get food to the people of Gaza but the United States has basically stood
by as Israel has impeded the United Nations from doing what it has done for decades, which is provide the people of Gaza with the food they need to
survive. The United Nations earlier this week, said that they had 6000 trucks all loaded ready to go on the outskirts of Gaza but Israel is not
letting them in.
Instead, the Israelis, along with the Americans, have been running this so called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has just a handful of
distribution points, which are very difficult for people to actually get to the scenes we've that have taken place outside those areas just looks like
dog eat dog, the law of the jungle, where we know that at least 1000 people have been killed, shot, either by Israeli forces or by the GHF armed
personnel or others.
We don't know, because, of course, Israel is not allowing journalists into Gaza and has not allowed them for the last 22 months. So the whole stage
is set for an even darker chapter in this very dark war.
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MACFARLANE: All right, still to come, sources say top Trump officials are meeting tonight to discuss their strategy in the Jeffrey Epstein case.
We're closely following that story, next.
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MACFARLANE: We have new CNN reporting on the controversy that will not go away for U.S. president Trump, the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Sources tell CNN that top administration officials will gather in the coming hours at vice president JD Vance's residence to discuss their
strategy and response to the handling of the late sex offender's case.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, attorney general Pam Bondi, deputy attorney general Todd Blanche and FBI director Kash Patel are among the
high-profile officials expected to attend the meeting.
Well, for more on this, let's bring in CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elliot Williams. Also joining me is CNN Politics senior reporter
Stephen Collinson.
Great to have you both with us.
Stephen, I just want to begin with you, because, as we look to that meeting tonight, I mean, the irony of all of this is that Donald Trump and his
administration have made repeated efforts to put distance between themselves and Epstein.
But with this Republican-led panel, now the subpoena list, they're looking at months of negotiations and lengthy legal battles.
This is this just going to run and run, isn't it?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think so. What happened with the House Oversight Committee is they issued subpoenas to a
bunch of prominent people, including former president Bill Clinton, former attorneys general from both parties.
I think what that is is a clear attempt to blur the fact that Donald Trump had a longstanding friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, dating to the 1990s and
2000s. It will be noted that Trump wasn't included in that subpoena list.
So the idea that this is trying to find out exactly what happened all about the Epstein case doesn't seem to be very credible and this doesn't seem
like it will be a fully comprehensive investigation.
It's interesting that the White House key figures are going to meet at the vice president's residence today.
What has happened in this saga, which was manufactured by Trump and his aides, some of whom are now senior officials -- Pam Bondi, the attorney
general; Kash Patel, who you mentioned as the head of the FBI -- everything they've done to try and get out of this mess has tended to make it worse.
And to some extent, I think that's the nature of conspiracy theories. If they now go ahead and release what they say could be a redacted transcript
of the interview between the deputy attorney general and Ghislaine Maxwell, that is only going to cause even more conspiracy theories.
So it's been clumsy from the start and I don't think there's much reason to believe that they can make this go away.
MACFARLANE: Elliot, just on that list, walk us through what is likely to happen now, especially as we have the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton
included.
You know, will these high profile individuals push back against these subpoenas?
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What will happen when they do?
ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, they have less latitude to push back against the subpoenas because they're all now private citizens.
It would be much different if they were still in government but certainly a number of these officials are being called on account of their former work
in government.
So for instance, Eric Holder, the former attorney general of the United States, has been called to speak about his time as attorney general.
The Justice Department, under normal circumstances, would meet with the former attorney general and lay out what he could and could not testify to
when he appeared in front of Congress.
The problem is that these really aren't normal circumstances. And so it's hard to know exactly, one, what the nature of his communications would be
with them and, two, how hostile the Justice Department would be toward these former officials.
But in general, there would be some negotiation over the terms of their appearance -- how long they would appear for, what they would testify
about, what they could not testify about, when and where it would happen.
Is it a transcribed interview or a deposition?
These are all legal terms in the United States. But you know, to the point that -- of your first question -- and Stephen and touched on this a little
bit -- you're talking about weeks, if not far more likely, months of negotiations between the committee in Congress and these very high-profile
former government officials.
MACFARLANE: Yes.
And, Stephen, you touched on this before, that there are some noteworthy omissions to this list. I mean, chief among them are the victims
themselves.
And, you know, they are quite rightly worrying for their safety, their privacy, their dignity upon the release of this information.
However, is any of this likely to lead to the transparency that they have been calling for?
COLLINSON: It's difficult to say. So there are two things going on.
There is the possibility that the Justice Department will release a transcript of an interview between the deputy attorney general, Todd
Blanche, and Ghislaine Maxwell. That would have to be redacted to protect victims, potentially witnesses.
There's also an attempt to -- by the Department of Justice to unseal grand jury testimony in the Epstein case. That also would have to go through a
similar process.
The problem here is that the Justice Department is not a disinterested observer in this whole issue.
So I think there is a great deal of concern among victims, who, for a lot of this drama over the last few weeks, until at least they've started to
raise their voices, have been rather forgotten among people who are just seeing this as another Beltway scandal.
The deputy attorney general, he went to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, the associate of Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sex trafficking and is
serving a 20-year prison. That is the government using its authority and power to pursue something that is going to be potentially very helpful to
the president politically and personally.
I don't think you could see or find a more overt example of the government weaponizing the justice system or using the Justice Department for the
political and personal aspirations of a president, which is one of the key things a lot of people have been worried about.
That's why the victims are worried, because they don't trust that this is going to be transparent and it's going to be done in their interests rather
than the interests of the president.
MACFARLANE: And on that point about that meeting, Elliot, which we know happened between the deputy AG and Ghislaine Maxwell, for what, over some
10 hours or so, we know it is highly unusual for someone of his stature to meet with an imprisoned, convicted child sex offender.
But for then after that, for her to have been moved from a mid-level security prison to a low-level security prison, how unusual is that?
And what might the exchange of information have been there to warrant such a move?
WILLIAMS: Lord knows. If I had an answer for that, I would give it. The problem -- it's so unusual. All of this is remarkably unusual. One, like
you use the word stature. He's an individual who runs 115,000-person entity that's global.
Why is he conducting what is, in effect, a jailhouse interview?
So right there, that is very odd.
Number two, people are incredibly suspicious across America about her movement to a lower, you know, a lower security facility.
Now look, there might have been some legitimate circumstance for moving her; if had she been threatened, had her safety been at issue, perhaps that
was the reason.
But the problem is, based on the nature of her crimes and the kinds of prisons that people get put in the United States when they have committed
and been convicted of those crimes.
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There's very little reason to justify moving an individual to a lower security prison, particularly the day after she meets -- or a few days
after she meets with the deputy attorney general of the United States.
And so anyone around the world with questions about this is, well, you know, has a strong basis for wondering what's going on here. And I think,
you know, to Stephen's point, every time the administration in the United States has tried to fix this, they've just made it worse and led to more
questions. And I think they're going to keep coming.
MACFARLANE: And to that point, Elliot, let's just have a listen to what Donald Trump had to say when our Kaitlan Collins put that to him in a press
conference yesterday.
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KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: Were you aware of and did you personally approve the prison transfer for Ghislaine Maxwell, that your Justice
Department --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: I didn't know about it at all. No, I read about it just like you did.
COLLINS: And do you believe that she is --
TRUMP: It's not a very uncommon thing. I --
COLLINS: Do you believe that she's credible to be listening to your deputy attorney general sat down with her recently?
TRUMP: Well, he's -- let me tell you, he's a very talented man. His name is Todd Blanche. He's a very legitimate person, very high up, just a very
highly thought of person, respected by everybody. And I didn't talk to him about it. But I will tell you that whatever he asked would be totally
appropriate.
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MACFARLANE: Stephen, what is your response to the president's constant denials of any involvement or knowledge of this?
COLLINSON: Well, to start with, we should remember that Todd Blanche used to be the president's personal lawyer. He was by his side during some of
those legal dramas when he was running for president. And he was indicted four times.
So his insistence that he's not talked to Todd Blanche about any of this does strain credulity. This is not exactly a president who's maintained the
firewall that is supposed to exist between the Justice Department and the White House.
That aside, the problem here is that, every time the president talks about this, he creates more questions and more fuel for controversy and
conspiracists and genuine questions about people who are wondering what is going on.
He has also failed to rule out the possibility that he could offer a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell or commute her sentence in some way. He's been
repeatedly asked about this, even on conservative media and he's not scotched a lot of these questions.
So it leads to the suspicion that a negotiation is taking place between somebody, Ms. Maxwell, who has the capacity to help the president, and
someone, Trump, who has the capacity to give her something in return.
MACFARLANE: Well, we will wait to see if we glean any insights from that meeting happening later today. For now, Stephen, we really appreciate it.
Elliot Williams, thank you so much.
Both for being with us.
Now president Trump is touting a win for his America First economy agenda, as Apple agrees to invest another $100 billion in the U.S. Mr. Trump is set
to announce the news at the White House in the coming hours.
Apple has already committed $500 billion to growing its domestic footprint. Trump has been pushing for tech firms to make their products in the U.S.
instead of relying on facilities elsewhere.
We'll be back after this quick break. Stay with us.
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MACFARLANE (voice-over): Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Christina Macfarlane. Here are your headlines.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin for over three hours today, according to Russian state media. The Kremlin described the meeting
as constructive and useful. U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening further sanctions on Moscow if it doesn't reach a peace deal in Ukraine by
Friday.
Sources say top Trump officials will get together in the coming hours to discuss their strategy and response in the Jeffrey Epstein case. The
administration is considering releasing the audio recording and transcript from last month's Justice Department interviews with Epstein's partner and
coconspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Israel's security cabinet will now reportedly meet Thursday to consider a full military takeover of Gaza. On Tuesday, prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahu met with several top security officials to discuss strategy.
President Trump weighed in, saying whatever happens next militarily in Gaza is up to Israel.
MACFARLANE: And returning now to our top story today. As we wait for more details to emerge from Steve Witkoff meeting with the Russian president on
the ground in Ukraine, at least six people have been killed by Russian strikes in the last 24 hours.
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MACFARLANE (voice-over): You are looking here at video of the Zaporizhzhya region, the aftermath today of a deadly bombing on the recreation center
there.
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MACFARLANE: My next guest is Christopher Stokes. He's the Doctors without Borders emergency coordinator for Ukraine. His teams work as medical staff
in the war-torn country and evacuate patients from hospitals along the front lines to safer locations.
We're really grateful, Chris, for you being with us today, especially as we are hearing now, on almost a daily basis, how Russia's summer offensive is
gaining ground; that Kyiv is coming under constant bombardment now from drone warfare and that these attacks are, you know, they're indiscriminate.
They're against homes, hospitals, schools. I know you've just returned from Ukraine.
How is the situation now compared to some of your previous visits?
CHRISTOPHER STOKES, EMERGENCY COORDINATOR, MSF UKRAINE: Yes. Hello. You're right to describe the change, certainly in Kyiv, as being a worse situation
than it was before.
You basically have nearly nightly bombardments, drones flying overhead and you never know which building it's going to hit next. Most of the targets
do seem to be civilian and we've also had attacks on hospitals. This has happened in Kyiv itself.
But it's happening very often along the front line, 54 (INAUDIBLE) 50 kilometers from the front. Many, many attacks on hospitals. And Russian
missiles or drones or artillery strikes landing three in which we've been working only in the last four weeks, actually.
MACFARLANE: Yes. I mean, you were -- a part of your work is to evacuate war wounded civilians from the front lines, military personnel as well.
How has your work been affected impacted to do that?
I mean, are you still able to evacuate people to hospitals or has that slowed?
STOKES: Well, from the beginning of the war, we've moved around 30,000 people, evacuated from mainly hospitals that are not far from this 1000-
kilometer, 600-mile front line. I'd say that it is getting harder.
One of the problems is that even the hospitals you refer them to -- so further, further into the country, which are safer and maybe have more
specialized care, are -- can themselves be a target.
A few weeks ago, when I was in Ukraine, we evacuated a 17-year-old girl from Sumy. She was a wounded attack. She had a cerebral hemorrhage, 30
percent burns across her body. We took her in the ambulance and we drove her to Kyiv.
Her mother couldn't come with her because her mother was attending the funeral of her own son. The father was still believed to be under the
rubble. And the hospital we referred her to was itself attacked last year in a in a Russian missile attack on Kyiv itself.
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So one of the difficulties is working along the front lines as the drones come deeper and deeper. And secondly, even into supposedly safe hospitals
where you refer to, deeper into the country, you're not -- yes. You're not immune from an attack there as well.
MACFARLANE: One of the more shocking recent statistics that I've read just in the last week, is that there has been a threefold increase in the number
of children getting injured and killed in just the past three months.
In fact, there's something like a 200 percent increase. I think we have some stats we can show our viewers about the impact on children. I mean,
this over three years of war but it does appear to be intensifying of late.
Is there a particular reason for that or is it just the war itself?
STOKES: From what we're understanding, the production of drones and missiles has increased in Russia. And so the amount launched on cities
increased.
But I agree with you. We have noticed as well we've had quite a few children. I mentioned a 17-year old we moved last week. We've had quite a
few children killed in some of these attacks.
One of the problems is they seem to be totally indiscriminate. So there's an element of targeting, for example, against hospitals, it would appear.
But there's also a haphazard quality to these -- quality is the wrong word -- but to these events.
Where basically you can be in the playground, you can be in your house, you can be in a supermarket and you can be hit at any moment.
Also, for ballistic missiles, you've got very, very, very small window. If it's a drone -- I mean, when I was in Kyiv, we'd have -- maybe we'd have
enough time to go to a safer place. These missile attacks have been increasing and you have a very short notice, maybe a few minutes, when the
sirens ring in Kyiv or in Dnipro or in Odessa.
You've only got a few minutes to get to safe -- and if you're in a front line city, in Zaporizhzhya, for example, the missiles only give you a few
seconds so you won't have time to move your children or your families.
MACFARLANE: I mean, it is a real dire situation for all in Ukraine right now but especially on those front line areas. And, you know, we hope and we
pray that the work you're doing there can continue, Chris. We really appreciate your insight today. Thank you.
STOKES: Thank you.
MACFARLANE: Now the Trump administration will soon require citizens from two African nations, Zambia and Malawi, to pay up to $15,000 deposit for
some visitor visas.
It's part of the State Department's new visa bond pilot program that's meant to target countries with the highest visa overstay rates. CNN's Larry
Madowo is covering this story for us from Lagos.
And Larry, rightly, this is getting quite a lot of attention because, you know, many people just can't pay this high, high fee.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that's why this is seen as effectively a visa ban imposed by the U.S. on these two southern African
nations.
The reality is that most people in Zambia and Malawi cannot afford to deposit $5,000, let alone $15,000, to get a U.S. visa. But that's what they
will be required to do starting two weeks.
That will be determined by the visa officer interviewing you if you go to apply for a visa in Zambia or Malawi. Or if you hold nationality anywhere
else in the world, it could be $5,000 or $10,000 or $15,000.
And it's only refundable if you leave the U.S. within the allocated time or your visa expires, that you go into the U.S. or you are refused entry into
the U.S. And there's even more complications. These nationalities from Zambia and Malawi can only enter the U.S. using three airports: Boston
Logan, New York's JFK or Washington Dulles.
They have to enter and leave through one of these three airports, so you can see how this is an extra difficulty. Getting a U.S. visa as an African
is already hard enough without all these extra bottlenecks that are being introduced.
And the other thing is, Zambia and Malawi don't even have the highest visa overstay rates in Africa, let alone in the world. But here's how the State
Department is justifying adding these two countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAMMY BRUCE, SPOKESPERSON, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: Beginning August 20th, nationals of Malawi and Zambia applying for B1, B2 business and tourist
visas will be required to post a bond of up to $15,000.
This targeted, common-sense measure reinforces the administration's commitment to U.S. immigration law while deterring visa overstays.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: These are some of the world's poorest nations. Malawi is the fourth poorest nation in the world. Most people live below a dollar a day.
They cannot afford that extra, extra benefit.
[10:35:00]
And they come to the U.S. for tourism, for business. And many of them just cannot afford to do that right now, Christina. That's the reality. And that
will be the effect of this extra regulation.
MACFARLANE: It does seem somewhat unjust. Larry Madowo there from Lagos, thanks, Larry.
And we'll be right back after this quick break. Stay with us.
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MACFARLANE: Well, take a look at these pictures out of Hawaii. It is the Kilauea volcano erupting.
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MACFARLANE (voice-over): You can see the lava here, creating fountains on your screens, some spectacular images coming in to us. We've seen episodic
eruptions from this particular volcano since December of last year, driven by changes in pressurization and increase in magma.
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MACFARLANE: Well, the U.S. is hitting out at Russia through a major trading partner. President Trump has just issued a new executive order that
imposes an additional 25 percent tariff on India.
The order specifically references the fact that India is directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil. Trump has threatened to
implement secondary sanctions as he's grown more frustrated with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Putin was just meeting hours ago with special envoy, Steve Witkoff. That meeting described by the Kremlin as constructive.
All right, turning now to a CNN exclusive. As Sean Diddy Combs sits in a jail cell in Brooklyn, we've learned that his lawyers are exploring a new
way to get him out. A member of the music mogul's defense team revealing they've reached out to the White House about a potential pardon.
CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister conducted that exclusive interview and she joins us now.
So Elizabeth, tell us more about what you learned for this request for clemency for Combs.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So this was a wide-ranging interview. It was actually the first interview that a member
of his defense did since his conviction.
So we spoke about that conviction. We spoke about the legal strategy. But as you said, the big piece of news here is that they told me that they have
indeed reached out to the Trump administration regarding a possible presidential pardon. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WAGMEISTER: Have people in Sean Combs as orbit, have they had conversations with the Trump administration?
NICOLE WESTMORELAND, ATTORNEY FOR SEAN DIDDY COMBS: Yes. My understanding is that. We have reached out.
WAGMEISTER: Reached out is one thing. Having a conversation is another. Do you know if there have been active conversations about a pardon?
WESTMORELAND: Yes. We've -- it's my understanding that we've reached out and had conversations in reference to a pardon.
WAGMEISTER: President Trump, when he was asked about this pardon, he said, quote, I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great. And he
seemed like a nice guy. I didn't know him well but when I ran for office, he was very hostile.
[10:40:00]
And the president indicated that a pardon is likely not on the table because of that break in his relationship with Mr. Combs years ago.
How is he feeling now about the chances of a pardon given the president's commentary?
WESTMORELAND: I think that Mr. Combs is a very hopeful person and I believe that he remains hopeful.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WAGMEISTER: Now our team reached out to the White House and here is what they told us.
They said that they, quote, "will not comment on the existence or nonexistence of any clemency request."
So we shall see. As we know, anything can change in a heartbeat these days. But for now, Sean Combs and his defense, they are focusing on his
sentencing, which is set for October 3rd.
MACFARLANE: Yes, that is quite remarkable. You also got some interesting perspective, I believe, from the defense team's perspective and on Combs'
mindset.
What do they tell you?
WAGMEISTER: Yes. So that attorney, Nicole Westmoreland, who I sat down with, she is one of the few people in Sean Combs' inner circle who's
actually visiting him at that Brooklyn jail, the Metropolitan Detention Center. She says that the conditions are not good. It's a rough place to
be.
Of course, he was one of the most powerful, rich, famous men in the world. And now he's sitting in a jail cell. So he says -- she says that he remains
hopeful, that he does feel remorse and that he is grateful that this jury has given him a second chance at his life because he was acquitted on the
most serious charges.
Now he is facing up to 20 years for the two charges that he was convicted on. But most legal experts say that he likely will not be facing anywhere
near that amount. Probably looking at a very short term, relatively speaking.
MACFARLANE: Well, Elizabeth, this is interesting but important reporting, too. We appreciate you bringing it to us. Thank you.
WAGMEISTER: Thank you.
MACFARLANE: And we are marking a moment on Broadway. The Tony award- winning show "Hamilton" is celebrating its 10th anniversary on the Great White Way with two special performances today. The musical tells the story
of Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the U.S.
Actor Thayne Jasperson will be on stage. He's the only remaining original cast member left in the show.
Still never got to see it.
Thanks so much for watching us here on CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with us. CNN "MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST" is up next.
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