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The Situation Room

Sean Comb's Former Assistant Testifies; Warning from Climate Scientists; Trump Makes Case for Policy Agenda. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired May 20, 2025 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, the former assistant to Sean Diddy Combs is back on the stand for day two of his testimony in the music mogul sex trafficking trial. Combs' defense attorney is cross- examining David James right now. James testified about a conversation he had with Combs as ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, and what she said she couldn't get out of the relationship because Combs controlled everything in her life, that was according to his testimony. The jury also saw photos of injuries prosecutors say the rapper inflicted on Ventura. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

And just a note for you, as you see right here on the left side of your screen, you'll see information from our reporter's right inside that courtroom.

So, let's go live now to CNN's Leigh Waldman in New York. Leigh, what were the biggest takeaways from yesterday's testimony?

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pam, good to be with you. So, we know that Cassie Ventura is often seen as the prosecution's star witness in this case. The witnesses who were called yesterday and even this morning are seen as corroborating witnesses, adding more details to experiences that they witnessed between Ventura and the defendant, Sean Diddy Combs.

[10:35:00]

Dawn Richard was called to the stand and she testified she frequently saw incidents of physical violence between Combs and Ventura, talking about an incident where Ventura was cooking eggs for combs when morning. Combs was upset. Things took too long, and apparently it took a swing at her with a frying pan with those eggs that she was cooking.

Now, the defense is pushing back on this story saying Richard's details and recounting of this story have changed several times before she came to the stand to testify. Also bringing up the fact that she filed a civil suit against Combs himself. We also heard from a former best friend of Cassie Ventura, Kerry Morgan, who, again, also talked about two instances of physical violence that she witnessed herself, including one from 2013 in Jamaica where Combs was upset Ventura was taking too long, allegedly in the bathroom. And she heard and saw Cassie Ventura being pulled by her hair, dragged on a hallway and described the screams as guttural. They stopped being friends in 2018 when Morgan testified that Ventura became physical with her. She said that -- that rather comb became physical with her saying that Combs put his arms and his hands around her neck and hit her with a wooden hanger.

BROWN: Tell us who else we're expected to see on the stand this week.

WALDMAN: Well, this week we're expecting to hear from Ventura's mother, Regina Ventura, who says that back in 2011 when her daughter started dating Rapper Kid Cudi, she alleges that Combs was upset and demanded a payment of $20,000 from Ventura's mother, which she had to take out a loan to pay. Now, a few days later, that money was placed back into her account. The prosecution is saying that they need -- the jury needs to hear this to see the course of nature of the relationship between Combs and Ventura and her family.

We're also expecting to hear from a male escort who was involved in some of these alleged freak offs and a former personal chef of Combs.

BROWN: All right. Leigh Walman, thanks so much. Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. And there's more news we're following, including this, a warning from climate scientists. How tracking major natural disasters here in the United States could be impacted by the Trump administration's cuts. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:00]

BLITZER: Just a few moments ago GOP Congressman Dusty Johnson spoke about what President Trump's message has been behind closed doors to Republican lawmakers as he pushes for his sweeping legislative agenda. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you feel the president made a convincing case to hold outs today?

REP. DUSTY JOHNSON (R-SD): The president made an incredibly convincing case. He was as passionate on those policy issues that I've seen him. He was emphatic. We need to quit screwing around. That was the clear message. You all have tinkered enough. It is time to land the plane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what was the reception? I mean, how did you feel the holdouts received that message?

JOHNSON: I mean, 98 percent of that conference is ready to go. They were enthused. They were pumped up by the president. And I think with the holdouts, he did move them. I don't know that we are there yet, but that was a hugely impact meeting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But it's time to land the plain message? Because that mean we shouldn't expect significant changes to the text, that's going to rules?

JOHNSON: I mean, the speaker's still doing a really good job of making sure what are the fatalities from the Senate parliamentary process, what do we need to do to get this bill right? I'm not saying there aren't going to be any ratchets turned. I would say the president's message fundamentally is quit monkeying around. Like we have got to deliver this for the American people. And there were a lot of nodding heads in that room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is the understanding on what constitutes waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid?

JOHNSON: The presidents seem to be very comfortable with where the bill is at today. I think he understands that we got to do a better job with eligibility. We need to do a better job of making sure that people who can work, do work. He -- it was really an unvarnished and enthusiastic endorsement of the bill as it stands today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does that mean a 30,000 cap on salt? What -- did he give any specificity?

JOHNSON: The president says we got a quick messing around with salt. I don't know. I mean, I'm sure he would be open to the speaker bringing a slightly different number to him, but it was pretty clear to me the president has grown frustrated with all of the continuing messing around with these various policy issues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Congressman.

JOHNSON: Yes, you bet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Congressman.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks Congressman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: All right. So, that was Rep. Dusty Johnson. President Trump, as we know, has been on Capitol Hill today trying to get Republicans unified to go ahead and vote in favor of what he has deemed this big, beautiful bill. Now, Congresswoman Boebert is saying that salt has been a key sticking point and that Donald Trump was very serious about the state and local tax deduction saying he was, quote, "very serious about salt. We are subsidizing bad radical leftist governors."

So, of course, that has been a sticking point. We're expecting Representative Lawler from New York to join us on the show hopefully soon to talk about that because he has been one of the more moderate Republicans holding out with a yes vote over that issue.

BLITZER: And Democratic Congressman Jared Moskowitz is going to be joining in on that conversation.

BROWN: Yes.

BLITZER: We're anxious to hear what they both have to say. And take a look at this extraordinary moment in Oklahoma. Watch this.

Security camera footage, capturing that lightning strike. Fortunately, no one was in the police car when it was hit. It happened during yesterday's very severe storms out there.

[10:45:00]

And there are growing concerns that the same scientists who are tracking and preparing for devastating natural disasters are being let go right now. The Trump administration's sweeping cuts are gutting departments critical to getting the U.S. ready for natural disasters.

BROWN: CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir explains.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: We have been hearing from scientists in all corners of federal agencies living in this culture of fear after the meat acts, layoffs from DOGE, and now the new so- called big, beautiful bill, which threatens even deeper cuts right now. And especially for those people who spend their nights worrying about the biggest disasters, like a 9.0 earthquake on the West Coast. FEMA predicts that would kill over 13,000 people and injure a hundred thousand. So, for emergency managers, that is the big one.

But experts tell us now as a result of these cuts and the lumen cuts, the United States is less prepared than ever before in modern times to prepare for it. Harold Tobin, who runs the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and also the Shake Alert system, explains that these seismographs, there are hundreds of them in the west. They're up at the end of logging roads and on top of mountains and need to be maintained. That network is what gives scientists and the National Weather Service and then the public early warnings of coming quakes or big ones that have just happened or tsunamis and the critical minutes it takes to warn people before tsunami waves reach shore where people live.

Corina Allen was just laid off. She was the tsunami program leader at the National Weather Service. She told my colleague, Ella Nelson, were already under prepared for these events and now being able to detect these sorts of things, literally save hundreds if not thousands of lives. That is the impact. That is the risk we face by reducing the capacity of work at NOAA.

The U.S. Geological Survey, who also monitors volcanoes in places like Hawaii and Alaska says they remain committed as well, but they have lost a lot of their early warning systems and personnel around these and folks who study solar storms. That whole set of scientists is moving to a different agency, adding confusion and a culture of fear there as well. Of course, solar storms can upset our telecommunications and a lot of the modern economies that rely on electronics right now.

But bottom-line, Pam and Wolf, this is yet another cry from the scientific community trying to warn the public that the guardians who are keeping an eye out on these physical events that can have devastating effects are being stripped back and the public is all the less safe for it. Wolf, Pam. BLITZER: All right. CNN's Bill Weir reporting for us. Bill, thank you very, very much.

BROWN: And we should note, Wolf, later in the show, we have Governor Bashir of my State of Kentucky to talk about these cuts and all the severe weather that's hit Kentucky and there's more severe weather on the way. So, stick around for that

Also, as you see right here, look at this. These are some of the images right there from Kentucky that -- from storms that ripped through the commonwealth, killing at least 19 people. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

BLITZER: President Trump's meeting with Republicans up on Capitol Hill has just ended and he's speaking about how he -- it went from his perspective. Watch this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Andy Paris (ph) said that you didn't adequately convince enough people to vote to the bill the House Freedom --

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: You mean after this speech? You mean --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After this speech. That's how --

TRUMP: Oh, yes. You think so. Well, why do we see at the voters? I think it was a great talk. It wasn't a speech, we talked about things. Who do you work for?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Notice.

TRUMP: Who?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Notice?

TRUMP: I don't even know what the hell that is. You got to get yourself a real -- let me tell you. I think we have unbelievable unity. I think we're going to get everything we want and I think we're going to have a great victory and this man has done a great job. And I think this was a tremendous session. You may want to say something.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), HOUSE SPEAKER: Yes. It was a great meeting. The party is unified. The House of Republican Conference is excited, multiple standing ovations. They love this president. The people back home love what he's doing. It's historic and everybody understands the scope and the meaning of this. If we do not accomplish this mission, every one of you, all the American people are going to have the highest tax increase that you've ever had.

Among the debt ceiling clip that's approaching and all the other problems, this is the bill to do it. I think we're going to get it done, Mr. President.

TRUMP: The Democrats want to raise your taxes if this doesn't work, if this doesn't get the numbers that the Republicans want, then I think it does. I think it's all Republican votes. The Democrats are going to be raising your taxes by 68 percent and they will not do the -- we're going to have an 85 percent cut in drug costs. 85 percent cut in drug costs. The Democrats, the drug prices are going to go up.

I can't imagine a Democrat not voting for this. I think the Democrats, if they don't vote for it, that means they're voting for an increase in drug prices. Think of that, versus an 80 to an 85, maybe 75, but it could be an 85 percent cut in drug costs. OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you need to reach out to individual members? Do you need to make a pitch to individual members --

TRUMP: I don't think so. No. That's what I did. It's really what we did today. I think it was a really great -- that was a meeting of love, let me tell you. It was, that was love in that room. There was no shouting there. I think it was a meeting of love. There were a couple of things that we talked about specifically where some people felt a little bit one way or the other, not a big deal, and I covered them. And It wasn't so much a speech. I covered certain points.

[10:55:00]

And I think there was -- I'd be very surprised.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You told them you --

TRUMP: No, I didn't tell. Who told you I said I'm going to --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what we heard inside the room.

TRUMP: It's a lie. Wait a minute. Wait, wait. Who's told you that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we heard from people inside the room.

TRUMP: Oh, really?

JOHNSON: It's not true.

TRUMP: I never used the term. I didn't say losing. I didn't even talk about it. In fact, it's the opposite. I think we're getting into that -- I'm not losing patience. We're ahead of schedule. Anybody that told you that is a liar. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I never mentioned the word losing patience because I'm not losing patience. We're ahead of schedule.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why I asked you.

TRUMP: Why don't you go back to your source and tell them they're liars if the source even exists.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- passes the House.

TRUMP: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senators are already talking about making a number of changes --

TRUMP: Sure. Always have.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that OK?

TRUMP: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want them to --

TRUMP: Yes. In some cases, they have things that I like even better. No, it always happens. There'll be some changes. John Thune and Mike have been very closely aligned about this. They've been moving it up together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, apparently you said don't ask with Medicaid (INAUDIBLE), you did say in the room. There is some concern among some Republicans, including Senator Josh Hawley that this could impact benefits and they can be amount to hidden tax on the --

TRUMP: Here's what I said.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm wondering if you're --

TRUMP: Here's what I said -- you want to hear what I said?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you say those members who are worried about blow back?

TRUMP: Waste, fraud, and abuse for Medicaid. If you find waste or fraud or abuse, we want to strengthen Medicaid. We want to strengthen Medicare. Waste, fraud, and abuse. The Democrats will let illegals be on. They'll destroy it. It will be destroyed. They want to have illegal immigrants be on. And if you do that because that's not -- it wasn't designed for that. Waste, fraud, and abuse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you guarantee that your voters who supported you on election, working class voters will not lose health insurance under this bill?

TRUMP: Oh, they won't lose health insurance. Not only that, remember, I'm cutting drug prices by 85 percent. And right now, I've -- I'm saving it. I'm saving the whole thing because I did something that nobody was willing to do. Other countries pay a tiny fraction of what we do, and I instituted favored nations. We're now going to pay the lowest in the world. We're going to be the equivalent of the lowest country in the world.

People go to London, they go to Canada, they go to other countries, many other countries because they want to buy their pharmaceutical products, their drugs at a fraction of the cost. Now, we're going to have the lowest cost anywhere in the world, and nobody else would do that but me. And that might be an election by itself, it might be election winning.

Now, when you add that in, when you put that into Medicaid and Medicare, we've just strengthened Medicare and Medicaid, and the Democrats won't do that. You know why? Because they're taken care of by the drug companies. And the ones that are taken care of are hard line. Some Republicans get money from drug companies. And that's OK because they're OK with it. I talked about it.

The drug companies take care of everybody. It's the biggest lobby, most powerful lobby in the world. There's no lobby like that, but the Republicans are OK with it. Not only OK with it, they love it. It was time. So, we're going to cut drug prices by -- from 75 to 85, in some cases, even more than that.

You know, I was telling the story that -- and some of you were at that news conference. I gave a news conference where I was the first one in 18 years to cut drug costs for the year, and they were like a quarter of a point to half a point less, and I was very proud of that. Now, I'm cutting them by 80, 85 percent because I stopped the scam.

This was a scam between the middleman and the drug companies. This was a giant scam. And by the way, and other countries, because other countries fought for this. This was a giant scam. And we're not going to have it.

So, remember this, go back and tell your people, if you'd like to, that the Republican Party is cutting the cost of drugs by as much as 85 percent, not 8 percent, not 5 percent, not 1 percent, 85 percent. And you're going to have the lowest drug prices anywhere in the world because I'm doing favored nations and it's all done. I signed it. And the Democrats will unsign it and the drug prices are going to go up. And I think on that issue alone, you can't lose an election.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- DOJ weaponizing with the arrest of a congresswoman, Democratic congresswoman.

TRUMP: Oh, give a break. Did you see her? She was out of control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you address --

TRUMP: You know, those days are over. The days of woke -- no, I didn't. The days of woke are over. That woman. I don't -- I have no idea who she is. That woman was out of control. She was shoving federal agents. She was out of control. The days of that crap are over in this country. We're going to have law and order.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, thank you very much. You campaigned on lowering the price of groceries.

[11:00:00]