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The Source with Kaitlan Collins

Trump Defends Plan To Accept Jet From Qatar; U.S., China Agree To Drastically Roll Back Tariffs For 90 Days; LAPD Officer Who Responded To 2016 Distress Call After Combs Assaulted Cassie Ventura Called As First Witness. Aired 9-10p ET

Aired May 12, 2025 - 21:00   ET

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

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Meanwhile, two other senior Justice Department officials were appointed by the President for other roles, at the Library. They were denied access to the building, this morning. Person familiar with what happens at the Library, which is part of the legislative branch, is waiting for guidance from Congress on how to proceed.

That's it for us. Thanks so much for watching. I'll see you, tomorrow night.

"THE SOURCE WITH KAITLAN COLLINS" starts now.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: We are live, in Saudi Arabia, where in just hours, President Trump is set to land. What to expect out of his first major foreign trip since returning to office.

I'm Kaitlan Collins. And this is THE SOURCE.

Good evening from Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, where it's just past 04:00 a.m., and the Kingdom is awaiting the arrival of the President of the United States.

President Trump is set to begin his first major foreign trip of his second term here, with a three-country swing through the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: So, we'll be heading there, and we'll be seeing three primary countries. You know all about that. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: If it's anything like his first visit to the Kingdom, in 2017, President Trump's trip will be full of pageantry, maybe even sword dances, his face projected onto the side of hotels. The royal families of the Gulf certainly know how to impress President Trump.

And this trip will stand certainly in stark contrast to the last U.S. president to visit Saudi Arabia, when President Biden's aides were worried over whether or not he should even shake the Crown Prince's hand upon greeting him. The success of this trip may be measured by the combined price tags of any agreement that President Trump puts his signature on.

But even before he's arrived in the region, his hosts are bearing gifts. Trump's second stop will be in Doha. And CNN has confirmed that the Qatari royal family is going to gift the Trump administration, a Boeing jet, with an estimated value of $400 million, which will then be converted into Air Force One for President Trump's use. It would be one of the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the U.S. government. When Trump leaves office, he confirmed to reporters today, that it will go to his eventual presidential library.

The gift and the giver is not sitting well with some of even his biggest MAGA backers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN SHAPIRO, HOST, "THE BEN SHAPIRO SHOW": Taking sacks of goodies from people who support Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Jazeera, all the rest -- that's not America First. Like, please define America First in a way that says you take -- you should take sacks of cash from the Qatari Royals who are behind Al Jazeera. It just isn't America First, in any conceivable way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: When he himself was pressed, on the ethical and legal implications of accepting such a lavish gift from a foreign government, before he left Washington today, the President told reporters that only stupid people would reject such a gift.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think it's a great gesture from Qatar. I appreciate it very much. I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person, say, No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane. But it was -- I thought it was a great gesture.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now, all of this stands in contrast to what the President said about Qatar, the last time he was in office, when he accused them of being a sponsor of terrorism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism, at a very high level. And in the wake of that conference, nations came together, and spoke to me, about confronting Qatar over its behavior.

So we had a decision to make. Do we take the easy road? Or do we finally take a hard, but necessary action? We have to stop the funding of terrorism. I decided, along with Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, our great generals and military people, the time had come to call on Qatar to end its funding. They have to end that funding. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And we start tonight with CNN's Jeff Zeleny, joining me here, in Riyadh.

And Jeff, obviously, we were covering the White House the last time when President Trump made this his first visit. I don't think anyone can forget the image of him, and the other leaders, gathered around the orb, as he was in the ceremonies when he's here.

But this trip is going to look different, even if the pageantry and the pomp is still here, this time around.

[21:05:00]

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It will look different.

And just looking back at what the President said at that point, and how he was received. President Trump is different. At that point, he was introducing himself to the world, particularly this part of the world. Now they know who he is. They are very well-aware of that. But the world is also in a very, very different place. So I think those two things are really going to be hanging over all of this.

But for how he's going to be treated. He has chosen the Middle East for a reason, because he wants to make deals. This entire trip is more economic-in-focus, if you will, than a diplomatic-in-focus. There are not going to be any protest in the streets. He will be celebrated here. There's no doubt.

But I was thinking back to that trip in 2017. He also came with a bit of tough medicine, if you will, and he called on Muslim leaders to rid their -- their foot soldiers of evil, and he called out wicked ideology. I do not expect him to do much of that.

This is so much more about making deals, about cutting deals. So he has grown obviously, in the presidency. He's a far different person. But again, the region is so, so different. And those differences really will also, I think, determine if this trip will be a success or not.

Look at Gaza. Obviously look at Ukraine. This is exactly where, here in Saudi Arabia, is where the first peace talks were. He had once hoped to meet Vladimir Putin here--

COLLINS: Yes.

ZELENY: --that did not happen.

COLLINS: And also his suggestion to take over Gaza, as he referred to it, the Riviera of the Middle East, that did not sit well with leaders here that he's going to be meeting with.

Jeff Zeleny, we'll see what happens.

Also joining me tonight is Axios' Global Affairs Correspondent, Barak Ravid.

And Barak, it's great to have you here.

Because as we look at this, Jeff's point about this being very focused on business and deals. I mean, the President is coming here, saying he wants to get a trillion dollars in investment from Saudi Arabia, which is, if you look at their GDP, that is the total GDP of an entire year for the Kingdom.

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL & GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST, GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT, AXIOS: Yes, Kaitlan.

And I think that, at the beginning, when Donald Trump assumed office for the second time, the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, called him and said, I'm going to invest $600 billion over the next four years in America. And when Trump heard that MBS wants him to, once again, come to Saudi Arabia, as his first foreign visit, he said, Well, you know, $600 billion is not enough. You need to step it up and go to a trillion.

And look, I don't know how many or how much money will really be invested by Saudi Arabia, or Saudi companies, in the U.S. I don't think anybody will be able to check in the next four years.

But I'm pretty sure that we will hear a lot of announcements, tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after, about a lot of deals and the lot of millions and billions and trillions that will be invested. The question will be, how much of that will actually happen?

COLLINS: Yes, and I think when you look at that, though, yes, it will be worth noting what's repackaged, what's actually a new announcement.

But you also can't ignore the President's own personal business dealings, or that of the Trump Organization, that are happening here. With the golf course that they're building in north of Doha, which is his second visit, his second stop of this trip, the two towers in Jeddah and Riyadh that are going to be bearing his name.

I mean, all of that is also kind of looming over this, as we're going to see him sitting down with these Gulf leaders, at a summit here, tomorrow, in Riyadh.

RAVID: Yes, but when I thought about it, and I tried to look back, I think that over the last few years, or maybe even decades, every American -- almost every American president, found himself coming to the Gulf, and making it a key area for both money and diplomacy.

And when you look at what Trump has been doing, you see that it's not very different than what the Biden administration did. By the way, there are some Biden administration officials, who are doing business in the Gulf, these days.

And so, I think that while obviously, I don't think any president had projects under his name, in Gulf countries, like Donald Trump is going to have, it is still something that for years, U.S. presidents have put a lot of emphasis into the Gulf, both economically and diplomatically.

COLLINS: Yes, though the issue of human rights, of course, hung over Biden's visit here with -- after U.S. intelligence found that the Saudi Crown Prince directed the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. We'll see if that's brought up this time.

Barak Ravid, Jeff Zeleny, thank you both for that reporting.

[21:10:00]

My next source tonight is the Republican congressman, Rich McCormick, of Georgia. He's a member of the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees.

And so, it's great to have you here, Congressman, as we're waiting for the President to arrive, here in Riyadh.

On what we mentioned at the top of the show, and that CNN confirmed yesterday, this major gift that the United States is going to be accepting from Qatar, a free luxury jet, is that something that you personally are comfortable with?

REP. RICH MCCORMICK (R-GA): It's just kind of something that new came up. I haven't really evaluated it in a historical concept. I know that it's a bigger gift than, I think, than we've ever gotten before, but I'm sure that we'll run it through the legal course, to make sure that it's not going to be something nefarious.

Each country is going to try to woo us in different ways. I think this is just an offer of friendship. But I'm sure it'll have to be legal, if we're going to accept it.

COLLINS: You think it's ethical for the President to accept a $400 million plane from the Qataris, who, you just heard in his first term, he accused them of sponsoring terrorism?

MCCORMICK: Well, I haven't heard that exactly. But I can tell you that if it's unethical, that will be up to the people to decide, or the President to decide. But it's a matter of if it's illegal, if it gives undue influence.

I think Qatar has been a good actor, in some ways, in negotiating with foreign entities, both on our side, against us, and basically being that conduit to try to get hostages back. I think they want to be friends. I think they want to be economically advantageous to both of us.

If you look at President Trump, and what he's done foreign policy- wise, I'd argue that he's probably one of the most effective people in actually a peace process, mainly the Abraham Accords, what he's done for the Middle East and the peace process, economically, militarily. I think you could make arguably, a case, that he's been the most effective foreign policy president in the Middle East.

COLLINS: But to the heart of this matter. I mean, you can make that argument. Obviously, the Abraham Accords were a defining moment of the first Trump term. But are you, as a sitting member of Congress, personally comfortable with this notion? Regardless of whether it violates the Emoluments Clause, or if it's ethical, you personally, if this came up for a vote in Congress, would you say yes to it?

MCCORMICK: I don't think it's going to come down to a voting. It's not either see -- going to be a legal or illegal. I don't think -- Congress, by the Constitution, is in charge of a budget, not in which gifts the president can accept. I think that's a lawyer. I'm not a lawyer. I'm a doctor. I'm in Congress. We're not going to vote on this. They'll come up. Whether it's acceptable or not, that's going to be -- remain to be seen.

What I'm really worried about is the peace process. What's going on in Israel? Why it happened? How do we mitigate that from happening again? How do we tie ourselves economically to countries that will be friendly with us for generations to come? That's really important to me.

COLLINS: But Congressman, actually, if you read the Emoluments Clause, it says, No Person holding any Office... shall, without the consent of Congress, accept of any present... of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

I mean, it actually does directly have to do with the consent of Congress, sir.

MCCORMICK: So historically, I'm curious, you're the reporter, could you tell me if every gift we ever received from the Middle East have been voted on? Because I don't remember that at all. So I'm just asking for--

COLLINS: I'm saying this is the Emoluments Clause.

MCCORMICK: --for general purposes.

COLLINS: I mean, typically, presidents are not supposed to accept--

MCCORMICK: I get it. I get it. So, is there--

COLLINS: --gifts from foreign leaders.

MCCORMICK: But I know -- I know we have, though, historically, we've accepted gifts from all over the world. The question is, is there a monetary value on that? I don't know. I'm not a lawyer. I'm sure we'll look into it. But if it's illegal, we won't do it.

COLLINS: Can you remember--

MCCORMICK: Like I said, we got bigger problems in the Middle East. I promise you.

COLLINS: --one situation from a past U.S. president, Democrat or Republican, who has accepted a gift this large from a foreign government? I can't.

MCCORMICK: Oh, never this large. Of course not. But that's not the question. The question isn't how large it is. Is it legal? Is it something we voted on before? Is there a precedent?

But you're avoiding the question, which is, what is a bigger deal right now? Is it the peace process? Is it the economic tying of Israel to Arab countries that are friendly to the process? They're going to be our allies into the future. They're going to have this, this incredible impact on getting hostages back, in settling what's going on in Gaza. Those are the bigger issues.

The plane will settle itself. I mean, that will work itself out. I'm not going to make a big deal out of it, because we -- that's something new. We haven't even really considered yet. But I'm really worried about the peace process, and what we do economically going forward.

COLLINS: Yes, I don't think the peace process has to do with whether or not the Qataris are gifting the United States, a plane to the tune of $400 million.

MCCORMICK: Exactly. Thank you for agreeing with me on that. That's--

COLLINS: Certainly it hasn't--

MCCORMICK: That's exactly -- that's exactly my point. Yes, that's exactly my point. Yes, thank you.

COLLINS: I'm saying it's not impeding it. My question is separate, is whether or not you are OK with it.

MCCORMICK: I got it. I think I answered that question pretty clearly though. I think--

COLLINS: Congressman Rich McCormick, clearly, that is not something that's a problem for you.

MCCORMICK: I think -- I think we'll decide over time. I'm sure there'll be lawyers to take a look at it, make sure there's nothing wrong with it, nothing illegal. If we have to vote in, we'll vote on it, and then we'll see.

[21:15:00]

But I think it's something that's new, it's a concept that, yes, $400 million aircraft, that's an expensive gift, I get it. But also, it's not on the taxpayer. Will it be something that's going to have nefarious software on, or something like that? That's going to have to be accepted or evaluated. But right now, it's just not the forefront of this issue.

COLLINS: Is that a concern that you have?

MCCORMICK: How many times are you going to ask me the same question? I think I've answered that question thoroughly now.

COLLINS: You raised the question, Congressman, about whether or not it was something you'd have to be concerned about, once it's turned over to the Defense Department.

Congressman Rich McCormick, thanks for your time tonight.

MCCORMICK: Thank you.

COLLINS: My next source helped broker a temporary trade truce between the United States and China. Did the President score a victory? Is this just temporarily a problem solved, that was created by the administration's tariffs? We'll speak with his Trade Representative, right after this.

[21:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Tonight, a deep sigh of relief for a lot of American businesses. Even if it's just a pause, news of an unexpectedly dramatic de-escalation of the tariff fight, that was underway with China, has delivered the market reaction that President Trump might have been hoping for.

Word that both sides were pulling back, even if temporarily, sent stocks surging, as you can see here. Goldman Sachs says the deal cut the chances for a recession by more than a third.

Although, the President wasn't exactly clear today about what happens, when this 90-day pause is up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: If a longer term deal is not reached with China at the end of these 90 days, can the American people expect those tariffs to go back up to 145 percent?

TRUMP: No, but they would go up substantially higher.

REPORTER: OK. And then on--

TRUMP: You know, the 145, you're really decoupling, because nobody's going to buy. But they can go -- they got very high because of additional tariffs I applied during the course, because of fentanyl and other things. But no, but they go substantially higher.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Even after accounting for this breakthrough, The Budget Lab at Yale found that the President's tariffs overall will cost the typical middle-class household more than $2,200 this year. There are questions about that, and also how this detente with China was reached over the weekend in Geneva.

And my next source tonight was in the middle of those trade talks. The U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Jamieson Greer.

And Ambassador, it's great to have you here.

Because you were in the room for those conversations, what was said in that meeting that ultimately led to this major reduction in the tariffs, between the United States and China?

JAMIESON GREER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: Kaitlan, it's great to be here.

I think it's important to understand that there was a lot of groundwork laid in the weeks before, communicating back and forth with Chinese counterparts. So when we were -- so when we were in Geneva, we were able to very quickly scope out the areas for discussion.

There are a lot of complaints from the United States to China, and China to the United States, but we were able to scope things narrowly and precisely to the tariff issues and countermeasures at hand. And I think scoping in really quickly helped us focus and have an outcome quickly.

COLLINS: Yes, and we had heard from Secretary Bessent, going into that, saying, this was just an agreement to actually talk. I think people may look at this and say, We heard what President Trump was saying in the Oval Office in the days before.

Was there any one thing that led President Trump himself to saying, yes, it's OK to reduce the tariffs by this large of an amount?

GREER: Well, the thing to keep in mind is, when President Trump imposed his tariff program on April 2nd, on the world, the tariff he imposed on China was 34 percent. Other countries had 20 percent, 25 percent, depending on the severity of the problem. So there was never any intent on the part of the United States to go above and beyond that, necessarily.

And pretty quickly, we went to 10 percent with countries that were willing to negotiate. China was the only one that retaliated and started to escalate, and so we had to escalate as well. So, it always made sense to be ready to talk to the Chinese, if they were willing to deal. And now they are. And so we're talking.

COLLINS: Last week, the President argued that, that having virtually no trade with China, in his view, was a good thing. He said it meant the U.S. was no longer losing money, as he put it, inside the Oval.

Some people may look at this and say, What about an agreement to just continue talking, was enough to warrant such a reduction? What would you say to that?

GREER: Well, I think it's important to remember the context of our trade relationship with China.

In 2018, President Trump put 25 percent tariffs on most imports from China, which was substantial. Actually, the bilateral trade deficit with China has gone down, over the past five years, because of those tariffs.

President Trump imposed more tariffs regarding fentanyl, earlier this year, and then he has the reciprocal tariffs. So there are substantial measures in place that allow us to both deal with the deficit issue, but also talk in good faith with the Chinese about ways to have opening in their market or more beneficial -- more beneficial trade relationship.

[21:25:00]

COLLINS: Well, I ask because given over the last month, obviously American businesses, American consumers, have been looking at this trade war with China in particular, and asking what it means for them in their bottom line. And if there were no major concessions made in Geneva by the Chinese officials, some businesses may ask, Was this last month worth the pain that it caused?

GREER: So again, Kaitlan, I would just point out, it's the Chinese that really caused this pain. Every other country in the world, and we imposed tariffs, understood we're trying to deal with a $1.2 trillion trade deficit, the largest in human history that we inherited from the Biden administration. It was only China that decided to escalate. And therefore, we had to escalate as well.

And now we got to a position with the Chinese where we understand each other much better. They understand our problem, we understand their views. So we can get back to the normal program we're having with these other countries who are negotiating with us, which is to have a 10 percent baseline with the possibility of the tariffs going back up if we don't reach an agreement. So now, they're just coming into the fold with the rest of the countries.

COLLINS: So if there is no agreement in the next 90 days, should American businesses and consumers expect those tariffs to go back to where they were, before your talks in Geneva?

GREER: Well, that's certainly a possibility.

The reality is, doing business in China, or being so reliant on China for imports, has become a much higher risk option for businesses over the past six, seven, eight years. This is not -- this is not a new thing, where trade relations between China and the U.S. are so fraught. President Trump imposed tariffs. President Biden kept them in place. President Trump has escalated them again, to deal with issues.

So, I think any serious businessperson who's doing business in China has to calculate whether it's worth the uncertainty of doing business there, or finding another source, or just bringing it back here.

COLLINS: Yes. We're here in Riyadh. I was watching CNN International earlier. There was a businessman from New Jersey who was on, who was saying, this is making them rethink their relationship with China in terms of producing their products.

But in terms of what this means for American families, right now. Because, bottom line, there are a lot of consumers who buy a lot from China. Even after accounting for this breakthrough over the weekend, the President's tariffs are still going to lift prices by about 2 percent in the short run. And one analysis says that is going to cost the average middle-class household over $2,200 per year.

What do you say to families who are worried about this squeezing their budget? GREER: Well, I would say that in the first term, the President imposed substantial tariffs on China, and inflation actually went down during that same period. So when I see these projections from the same people, back then, who projected inflation and we didn't have it? Folks who project it now? I'm going to wait and see on that.

We've also -- we also had a very strong jobs report. We really haven't seen inflation going up. Obviously, it's something we watch. But we have these structural issues in our relationship with China and, frankly, with other countries, and we need to address them, or else it will only get worse.

COLLINS: And when it comes to what this looks like in the immediate aftermath, are you expecting a surge in imports at ports, as a result of what happened in Geneva this weekend?

GREER: Well, I would say a few things. One, those ships have to cover a lot of territory across the Pacific. There's a finite number of ships. So there may be some interest in trying to take this opportunity.

But at the same time, remember, we have approximately 50 percent duties on China, if you stack up all of the duty programs that are there. So, for some companies, this may still be an option. For others, may be more cautious. So I'm not sure we'll see a surge, for a variety of reasons, although it is possible.

COLLINS: OK. We'll see what happens at the ports.

Ambassador Jamieson Greer, thank you for your time tonight.

GREER: Thank you.

COLLINS: Up next, Ryan Calkins is joining me. He is a Commissioner at the Port of Seattle, which is where the majority of imports come from China.

And it's great to have you here.

Because you heard what Ambassador Greer said there, in response to what to expect at ports. What are you expecting? Does it align with what he said there?

RYAN CALKINS, COMMISSIONER, PORT OF SEATTLE, MANAGING MEMBER, NORTHWEST SEAPORT ALLIANCE: I do anticipate that we're going to see a surge in cargo as a result of the announcement today. And I think genuinely, it's a good thing to hear that there is a 90-day pause. It's going to give retailers an opportunity to restock some inventory that they've been drawing down, as a result of the disruption over the last month.

But we're still facing long-term uncertainty. And quite honestly, ports and the whole distribution ecosystem work best when we can work smoothly. And pendulum swinging between surges and droughts is not the ideal way to run a port operation, I'll tell you that. COLLINS: Well, and when the Ambassador says that maybe at the end of this 90-day period, if no deal is reached, that we could see the tariffs go back up, I wonder, what your reaction to that is, when you hear that?

[21:30:00]

CALKINS: Well, my concern is for, let's say you're an Iowa soybean farmer, and historically, China has been one of your largest export markets. Do you plant now in anticipation of there being a fall harvest that you can export to China?

Or if you're a manufacturer, who's seeking to export to China, like our -- here in my home state of Washington? If you're Boeing, how are you planning your long-term forecasting?

And of course, we've got a lot of retailers who are trying to stock up now for the fall, including the big holiday rush.

Those decisions are being made right now. And if you don't have certainty about what the tariff rate will be, when those goods finally arrive at our ports on the West Coast, it's really hard to do business planning, and you need to bake in that kind of uncertainty.

And so, I'm hearing that from lots of different wholesalers, car dealerships, even small mom-and-pop shops that order -- you know, you think about a coffee shop. Their merchandise, their stir sticks, their cups, lot of that stuff comes from China. And you're having to make a decision, Do I wait and hope that the tariff goes down permanently, or do I buy now and pay a slight premium, but in hopes that I avoid a big tariff later, if they don't come to resolution?

COLLINS: Yes, a lot of questions over these next 90 days.

Ryan Calkins, thanks for joining tonight.

CALKINS: Always a pleasure. Thanks so much, Kaitlan.

COLLINS: Up next here for us. The last known living American hostage in Gaza is free, reunited with his family in Israel. My source tonight spoke to the family of Edan Alexander on almost all of the more than 580 days that he was held captive.

[21:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Tonight, Edan Alexander, the last known living American, held by Hamas, is free.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(VIDEO - ISRAELI-AMERICAN HOSTAGE EDAN ALEXANDER'S EMOTIONAL REUNION WITH PARENTS)

(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: The world saw and heard Edan's emotional reunion with his parents after 19 months in captivity. He had been serving in the Israeli military, near the Gaza border, when he was captured by Hamas during the October 7th attack.

Hamas said it agreed to free the 21-year-old, as part of an effort to reach a ceasefire and also resume the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. This deal was made between the group, and the United States, without Israel's direct involvement. That alone is notable.

But I should also mention that as President Trump is traveling here to the Middle East, where we are tonight, he's not expected to stop in Israel, or meet with the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

My next source tonight is the Democratic senator, Andy Kim, who has relentlessly pushed, I should note, for the release of Edan Alexander, who is a New Jersey native, to be released.

And it's great to have you here, Senator.

Because I know, you've been in touch with his parents, almost every day, since he was captured, not knowing that this was going to be the end result. Have you heard from them today? I wonder -- I wonder what they've said to you.

SEN. ANDY KIM (D-NJ): Well, thank you.

I mean, I have to say they -- that video footage you showed, I mean, it's incredibly powerful.

I had the chance to be able to talk with his mother, Yael, before she was reunited with Edan. And she just described it to me as, really, like the best Mother's Day gift she could ever imagine, and she started laughing. And I realized that in all the times that I've talked to her, I've actually have never heard her laugh before. I mean, just the change, as a mother--

COLLINS: Wow.

KIM: --with that sense. I mean, it was incredibly emotional talking to her. And seeing this footage right now, as a father of a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old, it just makes me hold them a little closer.

But I'm grateful that the Alexander family is reunited. A lot of people have worked towards this, including Witkoff, and Trump, and others, to get to this point. I know a lot of the people back in Tenafly, New Jersey, can rest a little easier tonight.

COLLINS: Yes. I mean, it's obviously a huge relief to them, and clearly, certainly very grateful, I'm sure they are, to the Trump administration, and the huge role that the President has played in this.

In terms of how this was done, though, and kind of going around Israel to get this done. I wonder what that says to you about this moment that we are in, with this war, and what this -- what this looks like. KIM: Well, I think first and foremost, Edan is an American citizen, and we have to make sure that we are taking care of our own by any means.

And this was something, where there was bipartisan support for having this trip be a place, where we can exert the kind of leverage necessary, to be able to get Edan out. That is something I made very clear to the White House, to the Trump administration. I think, across the board, we felt like this was a moment. And in general, right now, I've talked to numerous ambassadors throughout the Middle East, this past week, ahead of the trip.

I really do think that a lot of people, not just in the United States, see this as a moment, right now, to not just to get Edan out, but to try to bring a more durable peace to the region, to try to move forward, to try to end this blockade of humanitarian assistance, and try to bring about an end to this war and the release of the other hostages. I think there is a real feel that perhaps this moment can try to set it on a different trajectory.

[21:40:00]

Meanwhile, we continue to hear from Prime Minister Netanyahu that he wants to continue to escalate the violence in Gaza. He has continued to hold back on the humanitarian assistance. So hopefully, we can have that change in the coming days.

That is sort of a clash, I think, of visions right now. And I think President Trump and other leaders are trying to use this moment as a pivot. And I certainly would hope, and I would believe that there will be bipartisan support for us to try to move in a different way, to try to bring about--

COLLINS: Yes.

KIM: --a sense of peace.

COLLINS: And especially after the deal that the President announced, when it comes to the Houthis and not striking in Yemen anymore, if they're not hitting U.S. ships.

I do want to ask you Senator, before we go, because we heard from a Republican congressman, at the beginning of the show, Rich McCormick of Georgia, about the President's plans to accept a luxury jet from Qatar.

I wonder, do you have concerns about that, and whether or not it violates that clause of the Constitution that says that public officeholders cannot accept gifts from foreign governments.

KIM: Yes, look, I really do think that when all is said and done, the American people know that this is wrong, that it is wrong to be able to accept a gift, certainly of this magnitude. I mean, I think about how I got into this Senate seat is because of, you know, about foreign donations, gold bars, when it comes to foreign governments and elected officials in the United States, we know it's wrong. The President knows it's wrong.

And I just wish there was a commonsense here, where people can recognize that, and that's across the political spectrum that people are recognizing, that we shouldn't have foreign governments be able to give those types of donations, and certainly shouldn't have the President, which is basically a mobile West Wing of the White House, flying around in an aircraft not built by an American company that has the security parameters.

I mean, everyone knows this is wrong, and that's why I just find this all absurd. And hopefully, we can move past it, and be able to show that, yes, we shouldn't have anything that resembles corruption, and that's what the American people are sick and tired of. I've saw just in my own Senate race. We see it right now with what the President is doing.

COLLINS: Do you believe it constitutes bribery?

KIM: Well, look, I don't know all the context, when it comes to what is being asked for. But certainly, it's just wrong in terms of that level of influence and that idea of that kind of transaction.

When I receive a gift, I think what -- I can't even -- I don't think I can even receive more than a cup of coffee in the U.S. Congress, in terms of gifts, and certainly from foreign governments, that's all the more sensitive. So again, just commonsense, the American people know this is wrong. I wish the President would just recognize that.

And, frankly, it's casting a shadow on otherwise productive things that are hopefully going to happen, like the release of Edan Alexander. It's undermining the President's own agenda, when he's going about it in a way that so clearly shows that he is open for business, for anybody who wants to have transaction with him, and his family's business, what we saw with the cryptocurrency, and other things that are happening. Again, these are the types of things that are very much undermining trust from the American people, on what this President is doing.

COLLINS: Senator Andy Kim, thank you for your time tonight.

KIM: Thank you.

COLLINS: Meanwhile, President Trump's latest executive order aims to cut drug prices in the United States. The question is, what does this mean for you? Does this mean drug prices go down, and when? My source tonight has been in the middle of similar negotiations inside the White House.

[21:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: As President Trump signed a new executive order today, aimed at the cost -- aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs, in the United States, he singled out weight loss drugs as part of his inspiration. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: A friend of mine who's a businessman, very, very, very top guy. Most of you would have heard of him. Highly neurotic, brilliant businessman, seriously overweight, and he takes the fat -- the fat shot drug.

And he called me up, and he said, President -- he calls me President -- he used to call me Donald. Now he calls me President.

President, Could I ask you a question?

What?

I'm in London, and I just paid for this damn fat drug I take.

I said, It's not working.

He said -- he said, I just paid $88. And in New York, I pay $1,300. What the hell is going on?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Quite a story there. As the President said, he now wants Most Favored -- the Most Favored Nation rule where drugmakers have to offer U.S. patients the lowest price that a peer country would pay.

U.S. prices across all drugs, both brand name and generics, are nearly three times as high as those and other countries that you can compare. Adjusted for inflation, the spending on retail drugs per capita, in the United States, has jumped from an average of $101 in 1960, to over $1,100 in recent years.

[21:50:00]

My source tonight is Dr. Zeke Emanuel, who's the former Health Policy Adviser to President Obama.

And it's great to have you here, sir.

On just what the President is trying to do here. I think everyone agrees, they would like for this to be less expensive when they have to go to the pharmacy. But does the President have the legal authority to lower them, this way?

DR. ZEKE EMANUEL, VICE PROVOST OF GLOBAL INITIATIVES, UNIV. OF PENNSYLVANIA, WHITE HOUSE HEALTH POLICY ADVISER UNDER PRES. OBAMA: Well, you're asking the wrong guy. I'm not a lawyer. But I don't think he's got the legal authority. And the last time he tried this, during his first administration, the courts threw it out because he hadn't gone through the right process.

And I doubt that even if he went through a process, that he would have the legal authority, to require drug companies to reach the same price or equivalent price, as is paid in other countries, like Canada, or Britain, or Germany, or France. COLLINS: So, what do you believe it would take to bring down drug prices for Americans?

EMANUEL: Well, first of all, the problem of this Most Favored Nations pricing, so that you ask what Germany or France does, is you basically outsource your pricing to them, and you trust them to have made a good deal, which may or may not be true.

The second thing is, as we know, in America, there's no single price for a drug. Some people pay less. Medicaid gets less, the VA gets less, commercial insurance, or those of us who have private insurance pay the most. And same thing in Europe. Governments negotiate with drug companies. They get discounts that are confidential. And so exactly what the price is, and what you're comparing to really matters here, and the President has been totally vague about that detail.

The last point I would make is drug companies are not stupid. This was announced, and all of their stocks went up 5 percent or 6 percent today. Why? Because they know that there are ways of getting around this.

Let me give you one. They get a new drug approved in the United States, but it hasn't been approved anywhere else. Not in Britain. Not in France. Not in Germany. What's the price you're comparing it to? So they can manipulate how they get drug approvals to ensure that they get good pricing in the United States, because the United States is where they make most of their profits.

COLLINS: Dr. Zeke Emanuel, we will see what they do next. It's great to have you. Thank you.

Up next here. The shocking allegations that were laid out in day one of testimony in Sean Diddy Combs' trial back in New York. Our CNN Anchor and Chief Legal Analyst, Laura Coates, spent the day inside that courtroom, and she'll tell us what she saw and heard.

[21:55:00]

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COLLINS: Graphic testimony and stunning allegations were at the heart of day one of Sean Diddy Combs' federal criminal trial, as we saw prosecutors call their first witness to the stand, including the LAPD officer who responded to the 2016 distress call, after that video, obtained exclusively by CNN, that captured Combs physically assaulting Cassie Ventura, and a man who had testified that he was paid by Combs to have sex with her, all while Combs watched, directed and recorded it.

CNN Anchor and Chief Legal Analyst, Laura Coates, was in the courtroom as all of this unfolded.

Laura, what did you -- what did you hear and what stood out to you, from what seems to be a pretty graphic day -- first day of trial?

LAURA COATES, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST, CNN HOST, "LAURA COATES LIVE," CNN ANCHOR: Extremely graphic, extremely elicit testimony as well, with 14 of his family members, Diddy's family members, in the courtroom, find a very grayed and aging Diddy Combs.

Many people know him, of course, from his Bad Boy era, and of course, as a music hip hop mogul. But today, we saw a very different man. And prosecuting lay out the case against him, suggesting that he had a public persona, and the one that no one knew about, except those he victimized by violence and other tactics.

You had the defense take a very different tactic today too, Kaitlan. Instead of saying, No, he's not that man. They said, Listen, he is a domestic abuser, he is a drug user, and he had a horrible temper. But he's not being charged with those things. He's not a racketeer, a trafficker, or somebody who engaged in prostitution.

And you watch very closely, the family responding to that now infamous video, where you had on the stand, a then-security guard, now an LAPD officer, who testified about his time as a security guard in that Intercontinental Hotel, where he described meeting Sean Combs and, of course, seeing Cassie Ventura later and -- recognizing her later on in that incident.

Then you had the person who allegedly was paid for sex with the two of them, while Diddy looked on. They are building a case against Diddy. And if he is convicted, it is a lifetime in jail.

COLLINS: Yes, obviously, a lot of questions to see what happens next here. I know the trial is going to resume, tomorrow morning.

COATES: Yes.

COLLINS: And you'll be there.

Laura Coates, thank you so much for that.

COATES: Thank you.

COLLINS: And don't forget to tune in. There is a special episode of "LAURA COATES LIVE" tonight, at 11:00 p.m. Eastern, where she will lay out everything that she saw and heard in court, what it means from a legal perspective, and also what happens next.

[22:00:00]

Thank you so much for joining us. We'll see you back here, tomorrow night, from Riyadh, on President Trump's first major foreign trip abroad.

"CNN NEWSNIGHT" is up next.