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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Ex-Girlfriend Cassie Ventura To Resume Testimony; Menendez Brothers Eligible For Parole After Resentencing For Murder Of Parents; Trump Departs Riyadh, Headed To Qatar For Next Leg Of Trip. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired May 14, 2025 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): But eventually she tried to escape the abuse after feeling disgusted and humiliated.

During testimony Ventura dabbed her nose and eyes but broke down in tears when asked by the prosecutor if she enjoyed anything about the freak offs. "The time spent with him," she said of Combs, who she admits she loved early on -- "As sad as it was, I thought it was the only time I could get."

Cassie Ventura's husband was there in the courtroom to support her throughout her testimony, and Sean Combs had the support of is entire family -- the first day his family was there. But I have to tell you during some graphic testimony on day one, his daughters walked out of the room. Today, during the incredibly detailed, disturbing, graphic testimony of Cassie Ventura, they stayed. And tomorrow Cassie will be back on the stand.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right, our thanks to Elizabeth Wagmeister there.

Joining me now is Imran Ansari. He's a former prosecutor, trial attorney, and criminal defense attorney here in New York. Imran, great to have you this morning.

Just your takeaways legally from day one of Cassie's testimony. How damaging was it, in your perspective, to the defense in terms of the actual charges here?

IMRAN ANSARI, FORMER PROSECUTOR, TRIAL ATTORNEY, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I mean, certainly a strong day for the prosecution. Cassie Ventura's testimony was not only shocking, it was salacious, but it also made out the elements of some of the crimes that Diddy is charged with. And the prosecution wants to do that. They want to bring in a powerful

witness like Cassie Ventura to testify before the jury about a pattern of conduct as alleged against Diddy and also coercion, control, and abuse. And that's going to really differentiate what the defense is going to be coming at and saying that these were consensual acts or motivated later by civil lawsuits.

But it was a strong day for the prosecution, and I think we're going to see that continue with Cassie Ventura's testimony today.

SOLOMON: And Imran, I'm curious. The jury has already seen -- and we're just days into this trial -- the surveillance video of Cassie being attacked at least five times.

Does the prosecution run the risk of desensitizing the jury to that video by showing it so much?

ANSARI: I don't think so. We saw a similar use of a video in the George Floyd trial. That jury saw the video of George Floyd's interaction with those officers time and time again. And I think it was a powerful move in that trial, and I think it's a powerful move in this trial.

It also corroborates the witness' testimony. So Cassie Ventura's testifying about all that abuse and is corroborating those allegations, corroborating her testimony.

And it's a strong piece of evidence and it's disturbing to watch. So it's going to be buttressing the prosecutions' theme as they move to proving their case before that jury while also corroborating the witness' testimony about Diddy in terms of the allegations of abuse.

So I think the jury will see it. They may be desensitized in some sense by the end, but I think the prosecution is going to be able to tie it back in with the charges against him. And it's a powerful piece of evidence so I'm not surprised that they're showing it over and over again.

SOLOMON: Yeah. Cassie -- we know when she's back on the stand today she may also face cross-examination.

Would do you expect here from the defense? I mean, we know that one of the defense lawyers -- one of the women defense lawyers -- one of the female defense lawyers is expected to actually question Cassie. But I imagine -- I mean, she's very pregnant. She's in her third trimester. It's a -- it's a sort of sensitive kind of line they have to toe here. They're defending their client -- their client obviously but the situation at hand is also a very sensitive one.

What's the strategy there from them?

ANSARI: Absolutely. So the defense, with their cross-examination -- on one hand, they have to represent Diddy zealously. They have to poke holes in Cassie Ventura's testimony. But when you have a witness like Cassie Ventura not only from an optics standpoint -- she's pregnant, she's been emotional on the stand -- but also from the allegation standpoint in her testimony. You have to treat a witness like that very lightly in some sense, meaning you have to be sensitive. You don't want the jury to be put off by the cross-examination.

And I'm not surprised that Diddy's defense team chose a female defense attorney to cross-examine Cassie Ventura because sometimes when you have allegations of sexual abuse and allegations of abuse like Cassie Ventura is making against Diddy, it's more effective or more palatable to a jury to have a female defense attorney cross-examine that witness rather than a male defense attorney. Because it may come across a little misogynistic or the message to the jury may be taken the wrong way.

So they have to treat Cassie Ventura with some sensitivity in a cross- examination but at the same time they have to zealously advocate for Diddy and poke holes in her story, and attack her credibility as a defense --

[05:35:10]

SOLOMON: Yeah.

ANSARI: -- as a defense attorney would do.

SOLOMON: Imran, can we go over some of the charges here? So he's charged with five counts that include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

We've talked a lot about the video. They've shown the video a lot. One point that we know the defense is expected to make is he -- you may see this video and he hasn't been an angel for sure, but that's not what he's on trial for. He's not on trial for domestic violence.

And I think the question is why not? Is it just because this is a federal trial or -- help us understand, sort of, some of the charges here.

ANSARI: Sure. So a domestic violence charge would typically be something that would be handled on a state level. So here in New York it would be handled by the district attorney's office, and it would be a charge of domestic violence between a spouse -- spouses or a boyfriend-girlfriend, boyfriend-boyfriend, or what have you.

Here we have racketeering charges -- federal charges and sex trafficking charges. What gives the federal court jurisdiction over that is that there's allegations of interstate incidents. And then, of course, they're alleging racketeering conspiracy against Diddy and that he didn't operate his business or his music empire as a business or a corporation, or what have you, but rather a criminal enterprise.

And the prosecution is trying to get that out by showing evidence of having support from his employees or staffers in order to further some of the freak offs and these illegal activities that he's alleged to have gotten into.

So that's what differentiates it from a standard or state level domestic violence case. But the defense is going to be trying to argue to the jury that this

is nothing more than domestic violence. The acts -- the sexual acts were all consensual. And I expect the defense to try to embrace the sort of ugliness of that video that we saw and say it's domestic violence but it's certainly not federal sex trafficking or racketeering conspiracy charges.

SOLOMON: Yeah. I mean, we will certainly see that on display likely when they cross-examine Cassie Ventura.

Imran Ansari, great to have you this morning. Thank you so much for the perspective and insights.

ANSARI: Thanks for having me.

SOLOMON: Yeah.

All right. Still ahead, decades after going to prison for killing their parents, Erik and Lyle Menendez have received new sentences and also the possibility of getting out of prison. We'll have the details straight ahead.

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[05:42:17]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

After spending 35 years in prison for killing their parents, Erik and Lyle Menendez will now be eligible for parole. They were convicted for the 1989 murders of Kitty and Jose Menendez and were originally sentence to life without parole. Well, last fall, a former Los Angeles County district attorney recommended resentencing the brothers but his successor, Nathan Hochman, was against it.

Listen to what he had to say earlier on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATHAN HOCHMAN, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Our position is not no or it's not never; it's not yet. And the reason we said that is that the Menendez brothers have failed to come clean with the full extent of their criminal conduct, their coverup, their lies and their deceit over the past 30 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: But the judge apparently disagreed with that. And CNN's Nick Watt explains what led the judge to his decision.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Erik and Lyle Menendez are now eligible for parole. When they were sentenced, they were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. They were never getting out. They had no hope. Now the judge has sentenced them to 50 years to life. Under California

law they are immediately eligible for parole. There's going to be a clemency hearing June 13. It is up to the parole board and the governor as to if and when Erik and Lyle Menendez walk free.

So what happened at this hearing? Well, we heard from family members. We heard from a cousin who said that the family now has universally forgiven the brothers. The family says 35 years behind bars is enough, they have paid their debt, and they deserve a second chance at life.

Now, the judge, in making his decision - he said the key factor were the letters that he received in support of the brothers from correctional officers. One lieutenant, he said, had served for 25 years and said he had never written a letter like this but was moved to do so for the Menendez brothers.

We heard from the brothers themselves. They are being held down near San Diego. They appeared by a video link. And they've been silent in every other appearance they've made. Today they were given the chance to speak before the resentencing took place.

Lyle, very emotional. Apologized for the crime. Apologized to his family for the trauma he's put them through. Both brothers said they'd made terrible choices, and they have no excuses for those choices. They also said -- apologized for lying to detectives immediately at the scene and afterwards. Very emotional, as I say.

So the judge could have sentenced them just to time service, in which case they could have walked. He did not do that. He sentenced them to 50 years to life. So the parole board and the governor decide if and when Erik and Lyle Menendez will walk free.

[05:45:03]

Their lawyer, the ever effusive Mark Geragos, said that he believes 2025 -- this year -- will be the year that Erik and Lyle Menendez do walk free.

Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: And ABC reports that Erik Menendez issued a statement after the ruling, saying that "My goal is to ensure that there are more people -- or no more people spending 35 years in prison without hope. That possibility of having hope -- that rehabilitation works -- is more important than anything that happened to me today."

All right. Right now, Donald Trump is on his way to Qatar. He just left Saudi Arabia as he continues his Middle East tour. It's expected to be about a 90-minute flight from Riyadh to Doha.

He announced a significant change, meantime, to U.S. foreign policy on his visit to Riyadh. We'll have details on his visit with regional leaders coming up next.

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[05:50:15]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. I'm Rahel Solomon, and here are some of the stories we are watching for you this morning.

Donald Trump has met informally with the new president of Syria. That came one day after the U.S. president announced plans to lift sanctions on Syria in a major change in U.S. foreign policy. President Trump is now headed to Qatar, the second stop of his Middle East tour.

U.S. Republicans in the House of Representatives are holding marathon overnight budget hearings as they try to push through President Trump's signature legislative package that he calls his "big, beautiful bill." It would extend and enhance tax cuts approved in 2017 and provide $350 billion for Trump's mass deportation plans.

And the newly elected pope -- Pope Leo XIV -- held an audience with pilgrims of Eastern Catholic Churches just a short time ago. Thousands had descended upon the Vatican as part of the Jubilee of Eastern Churches, which runs through today. The Vatican says that countries from around the world are represented, including Lebanon, Syria, and Armenia.

As we just pointed out there, President Trump on his way to Doha, Qatar for the next leg of his Middle East tour, which also includes a visit to the UAE. He is seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in foreign investments from Gulf allies to offset his tariff-led strategy to reinvent the U.S. economy.

The trip is a window into his second term underscoring that his America First agenda is as much an economic strategy as it is foreign policy. Attention on the Gulf States also highlights the region's rise to geopolitical and economic influence.

Yesterday, President Trump seemed so taken with the Saudi crown prince that he told investors -- he told an investors forum that he wants to make their relationship closer, stronger, and more powerful than ever before.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are rocking. The United States is the hottest country, with the exception of your country, I have to say, right? I won't -- I'm not going to take that on. No, Mohammed, I'm not going to take that on. Wouldn't that be a terrible thing if I made that full statement? But I will not do it. You're hotter. At least as long as I'm up here you're hotter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Meantime, the trade deal between the U.S. and China is now in effect with both sides temporarily slashing their mutual tariffs. The U.S. president told Fox News that it's possible that he might personally get involved in negotiations over a longer-term deal with China. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEW HOST, "THE SEAN HANNITY SHOW": Do you foresee yourself dealing directly with President Xi on the final details of this deal?

TRUMP: Yeah, I could see that. I mean, I'm not sure that it will be necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Now, both countries agreed to lower tariffs for 90 days following marathon talks in Geneva over the weekend. Beijing's tariffs on U.S. imports have now been reduced to 10 percent, and U.S. levies on the vast majority of Chinese products are down to 30 percent, at least for now.

Let's talk a look. U.S. stock markets hitting a milestone, at least for the S&P, erasing all of this year's losses as investors embraced the trade deal between the U.S. and China that rolls back tariffs. The Dow and the Nasdaq are still off on the year.

But let's take a look at the Asia-Pacific markets, which are -- closed mixed. The NIKKEI closed lower, although the others closed higher between, let's call it, nine-tenths of a percent, rounding up for the Shanghai to about 2.3 percent for the Hang Seng.

And taking a look at the markets in Europe, which are all lower across the board, between one-tenth of a percent for the FTSE to six-tenths of a percent for the CAC 40 in France.

And taking a look at where U.S. futures stand ahead of the opening bell, again, that milestone for the S&P. I mean, what a year it has been for the S&P, erasing all of this year's losses and now up fractionally -- every so fractionally on the year. But green is green.

The Dow and Nasdaq still of, as I said, off between about one percent for the Dow for the year, and the Nasdaq is off about 1.5 percent.

But looking at futures this morning at just about 6:00 a.m. and they are all off fractionally again. It's the key word this morning -- fractionally -- when talking about the markets.

All right. Still ahead for us, they were banned from baseball for decades but now Shoeless Joe and Charlie Hustle are reinstated making them eligible for the Hall of Fame. But why now?

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:59:00]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

The 78th Cannes Film Festival kicked off on Tuesday and the stars of the silver screen didn't shy away from flaunting dazzling floor-length gowns on the red carpet during the opening ceremony.

Hollywood icon Robert DeNiro received the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award, and he used his acceptance speech to call for protests against President Trump's threat to impose 100 tariffs on films produced outside the U.S. and for his cuts to funding for the arts.

Major League Baseball has reinstated two legendary players, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Pete Rose had been banned for decades for gambling on the game. Well, now the league says that those punishments should end once a player has died. Both are now eligible for baseball's Hall of Fame.

Rose, the league's all-time hits leader, confessed to betting on every Cincinnati Reds game while he was the team's manager. "Shoeless" Joe was one of eight Chicago White Sox players accused of conspiring with gamblers to lose the 1919 World Series. He maintained his innocence and was acquitted. He was later immortalized in the movie "Field of Dreams."

[06:00:10]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN COSTNER, ACTOR: What are you grinning at, you ghost?

RAY LIOTTA, ACTOR: If you build it, he will come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: All right. That's going to do it for us today. It's been a busy few hours but thank you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Rahel Solomon, live in New York. I will see you tomorrow, but CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.