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Pope Leo XIV Began First Homily In English; U.S. And China To Hold Key Trade Talks In Switzerland This Weekend; Today, Jury Could Be Seated In Sean Diddy Combs Trial. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired May 09, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: A historic day at the Vatican, the first American ever elected pope celebrating his first mass as leader of the Catholic Church. Pope Leo's message this morning starting off in English.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Critical meeting in Switzerland, top Trump officials preparing to sit down with their Chinese counterparts, as the president's trade war begins to hit home for both countries. Are the two sides ready to cut a deal?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: An unprecedented moment in the courtroom, a man fatally shot in a road rage incident able to confront his killer from beyond the grave, how A.I. gave a voice to the victim.

I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: Pope Leo XIV, the first American elected pontiff, celebrating his first mass since being chosen and starting off with another first, the first time, a pope has addressed the cardinals at the start in English.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE LEO XIV: through the ministry of Peter. You have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission, and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Delivering his first homily to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics who are now just getting to know him. The world's first American pope is a Chicago native, seen by some as the least American among the cardinals from the United States. He holds dual citizenship in both U.S. and Peru. He lived and worked in Peru for two decades, then moving on to lead a powerful office inside the Vatican.

The name he chose could indicate his commitment to the poor. The last pope to take that name, Pope Leo XIII, was a pope who defended the rights of working people and stood up for the poor.

On that front, the new pope appears to be in line with his predecessor, Pope Francis. But Leo is seen as a centrist, leaning progressive on social issues, like migration and poverty, but moderate on other issues. There's a lot to learn of the new pope, a lot to get to and a lot to see what's been going on in St. Peter's Square this morning.

CNN's Erin Burnett is there. And, Erin, it's already been quite a morning with this first full day on the job. What's it been like there?

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: You know, it has been a solemn and busy constantly, I'd say a low hum in the square. Many people coming here, Kate, whether tourists or Catholics, just to bear witness to the first mass that was officiated by Pope Leo XIV in the Sistine Chapel that you were just talking about.

A couple of things from it, you mentioned that he spoke in English. That is the first time that has ever happened in the Sistine Chapel by a pope. It has never happened in history. So, yet again, history made. And at the Vatican puts out a rundown to use our terms, but he they put out the mass so we could see everything that was going to be said. They actually released the homily transcript, but that was the part in Italian.

So, the English part, Kate, was adlibbed, and you could see that. It was almost -- it stood out for the casualness with which he presented himself when he spoke in English. And it came from the heart, it seemed. You saw him very relaxed in that moment, choosing to make that statement to speak in English.

Another thing that stood out from the mass, Kate, is that the first two readings of three were read by women. And that is -- could potentially be extremely significant. One of the biggest issues facing the church is the role of women, whether that is a statement from Leo XIV, that he is going to continue to push forward by increasing the role of women, particularly with whether women can be deacons, which has been a huge desire among progressive Catholics, that remains to be seen. But nonetheless, everything that he did today was a statement and he did have two women do the readings. He spoke in English. Now, he and the cardinals are having lunch, and he continues with his first day as making history.

Kate, you point out, though, what will he be, what is the significance of this name, Leo XIV? And that's what we don't know. What is going to fill that space? We know prior popes with that name. We know that history of social justice.

[07:05:00]

How will he define that? Will he take on a more political role, as it seems he might be willing to do when it comes to issues of migration, talking about building bridges with a very clear implication as opposed to building walls? But we just don't know. But here in the square a calm a piece and many pilgrims coming to bear witness to history being made. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And it's so important and wonderful to have you there to capture it all. Erin, thank you so much. John?

BERMAN: I got to say, what a moment. Yes, so much history and still so much to learn about this new American pope.

Also new this morning, final preparations for a big meeting. Top administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, head to Switzerland to meet with Chinese representatives. This is the highest level discussion since the president's huge tariffs went into effect.

New data shows that China's exports to the US fell 21 percent year- over-year in April, so you can see the impact the tariffs are having.

Let's get right to CNN's Alayna Treene at the White House for the anticipation on these meetings.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right. This is going to be a very consequential weekend, John, because this comes after weeks of really tense back and forth about who would blink first, Washington or Beijing, when it came to actually coming to the table and reaching out to the other side to begin talks.

We know and we heard from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent earlier this week when he testified before Congress that Trump administration officials have not been having meaningful or substantial conversations as it relates to trying to deescalate the trade war with China. So, again, this is going to be a very big moment and hopefully one where the Trump administration will learn if there is a way out of this.

Now, as you mentioned, we are going to have Bessent there in Geneva this weekend meeting with his Chinese counterpart, but also the United States trade representative, Jamieson Greer. And I can tell you from my conversations with Senior White House officials that they're trying to keep the expectations for this weekend low. There is no anticipation. They say they're not under the illusion that they're going to walk away with a trade deal, but they're trying to frame it as a good first step.

Now, we did hear the president himself addressed this yesterday while in the Oval Office. He said he thinks it's going to be a very good weekend with China, and he also was responding to a question about whether he thinks he would be willing to lower tariffs if these talks go well. Listen to his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I think that we're going to have a -- I think we're going to have a good weekend with China. I think they have a lot to gain. I do think they have far more to gain than we do in a sense, but we're going to have a good -- I think we're going to have a very good weekend. I mean, we're going to see right now you can't get any higher. It's at 145, so we know it's coming down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, as you heard the president say that you can't get higher than 145 referring to the 145 percent tariffs the United States has on China. So, it's got to come down, I think signaling, you know, that that is the ultimate goal here. They do want to strike some sort of deal.

And now just to be clear, again, getting back to what I was telling you about the expectations for this weekend, Bessent himself has said that this is really about de-escalation, deescalating the really high tensions right now between the United States and China. And, of course, a broader goal is to see whether this helps kind of ease some of the economic turmoil as well. John?

BERMAN: So we will see what comes out of it and how the two sides interact with each other.

Alayna Treene at the White House, great to have you, thank you very much. Sara?

SIDNER: Today is likely the day that a jury will be seated in the federal sex trafficking trial of Sean Combs. We will be live inside court with all the details.

President Trump's new trade deal with the U.K. will actually lower tariffs on super luxury car brands. Why no other consumer goods received the same treatment.

And what happened when the man charged with stalking Jennifer Aniston appeared in court yesterday, and he wasn't wearing a shirt.

Those stories and more ahead.

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SIDNER: This may be the final day of jury selection in the criminal trial of Sean Diddy Combs. With a pool of prospective jurors narrowed to 45, a jury likely will be seated today. Many of these prospective jurors said they had seen some media coverage or had seen the hotel surveillance video of Combs dragging and kicking his then girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. Opening statements set to begin on Monday if a jury is seated today.

Joining me now, CNN Legal Analyst and Criminal Defense Attorney Joey Jackson here with us, love to see you.

The fact that several of the jurors have already seen that awful video of Sean Combs beating his girlfriend, which is part of the prosecution's evidence, would it be surprising if those who have seen it are let on this jury?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So, you know, what happens, Sarah, good morning to you, always good to be with you, it's not really the issue of whether someone has seen something, right? People are exposed to a lot in general, right? People consume social media, people consume media in general. The issue is whether you formulated such an opinion, which is so intense and, really, you're wedded to that, that you're not open to anything else.

And so in questioning, you want to ensure that if you've seen the video, does that automatically make you presume he's guilty, or could you still be open to the context of the video and still be open to hearing other evidence which may weigh to his guilt or his innocence? And so if you answer that question, yes, and there are other follow up questions, Sara, that you have to answer, which seem to indicate that you can have an open mind, you get impaneled.

Having said that, certainly it's damning evidence, it's troubling, and the defense will have to put it in context, explain it, and overcome it when the case moves forward.

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SIDNER: All right. So, there are a host of allegations, a host of charges here, and the trial's expected to go fairly long, up to eight weeks, two months. How does that affect the ability to see the jury and who you actually end up with on the jury, someone that can spend two months doing this every day?

JACKSON: Yes, without question. As we look at the counts there, there are five of them. One related to him, of course, overseeing a criminal enterprise. Prosecutors will say that he used for his own sexual gratification, the other two relating to either, one, coercing, you know, activity relating to sex, right, and trafficking or prostitution, so big issues to decide.

Now, what happens is that you'll ultimately end up with a jury of 12, but you'll have 6 alternates. And so what ends up happening is if some of the jurors are zoned out, those jurors could be replaced. If some things come up where a juror cannot serve during that long period of time, they'll be replaced. And that's why, Sara, you select six alternate jurors so that you have enough in case it's whittled down to still move forward and still reach a verdict.

So, there'll be a challenge, there'll be hearing a lot of information. I suspect it'll be quite an interesting trial. There'll be a lot of information with regard to surveillance, other witness testimony, et cetera. But I think they have enough with a team to have a panel who can reach an ultimate determination, which we call a verdict. It has to be unanimous, right, in terms of either guilt or lack thereof.

SIDNER: The prosecutors and the defense both have these preemptory strikes, where they can just say no to a juror for whatever reason, but they only have so many. If they run out of them, can the judge decide this juror does not belong on this jury at some point?

JACKSON: So, what ends up happening, Sara, is you have challenges for cause, which are unlimited. Now, this juror, this prospective panel, has really reached that hurdle where they can really deem to be fair. And so when you say for cause in English, that means, hey, I don't like Diddy. I can't serve, you're gone. I don't, you know, like the FBI, you're gone. I love celebrities and I can't wait because I think you should be acquitted, right? You're gone. You have to be fair. So, with the peremptory strikes, now that you've gone through those challenges for cause, you can excuse someone for any reason or no reason, as long as if you're the prosecutor, it's not predicated upon discrimination.

And so it's challenging to do that, but at the end of the day, I suspect they'll be able to do that. And if issues arise where a juror can't be fair, they'll be excluded as well. So, it's an imperfect process, Sara, but it's the process we have. It generally works. And we'll see whether the jury can hear the evidence and reach a conclusion at the end of the day, the eight to ten weeks that it's expected to take.

SIDNER: All right, we may be starting those opening statements on Monday. We will see if they see the jury today.

Joey Jackson, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Rolls Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, if that's how you want to say it, what do these luxury brands all have in common other than Sara and I would like one of each? They are soon looking at lower tariffs. It's all part of the framework of a trade deal that President Trump announced with the U.K. We've got much more on that.

And Chicago-born Pope Leo, the first ever American Pope, a big burning question this morning. Is he Cubs or White Sox?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: So, in his first trade agreement since launching his global trade war, President Trump says the framework of the deal with the U.K. includes a break on tariffs for U.K. autos. We're talking luxury car makers like Aston Martin, Rolls Royce, Jaguar. These brands will now face a lower import tax than other popular, more affordable cars made in other countries.

CNN's Matt Egan is here with the details on this. Okay, walk us through this one. What we do know about it?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, we know that in the last few days the president has been making this case about self-sacrifice, right, kind of questioning how many yes dolls kids need to have, and so what if they cost a few bucks more. But that message of personal sacrifice apparently does not extend to cars, at least not luxury cars. Because, yes, this new framework, this U.S.-U.K. trade framework includes some details on auto tariffs.

So, auto tariffs are at 25 percent for most nations. But as part of this framework, there are 10 percent on cars that come from the U.K. for the first 100,000 vehicles. Now, coincidentally enough, basically, all the cars that come from the U.K. are higher end luxury, if not super luxury brands.

BOLDUAN: That's like super high. EGAN: Aston Martin, Jaguar, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Land Rover.

Now, the president made the point yesterday that, look, we're not getting a lot of vehicles from the U.K. And he's right, right? Only less than 1 percent of the vehicles sold in the United States last year came from the U.K., about 90,000 vehicles. But what we did get were very expensive. The average price of those imports $135,000. So, that means that Trump has essentially made it less expensive to import cars that very few Americans do buy, let alone can afford, and yet has kept those high import taxes on the more affordable cars that are actually purchased at a high rate.

BOLDUAN: The case that I heard them making in the Oval Office, and as Keir Starmer, the prime minister, was phoning in, was that what this meant is jobs for the Brits. That was what this was about.

[07:25:00]

This was saving jobs on their end of it. So, that's that part. But you make a really important point about the like austerity measures versus the Jaguars.

EGAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Of how things are going.

Quickly on -- you have a new warning from Goldman on the trade war and how expensive tariffs are going to be.

EGAN: Yes. Goldman is warning that, essentially, the tariffs are going to unwind a lot of the progress when it comes to the war on inflation. So, Goldman says that, look, we've got this key inflation metric core PCE. They think that it's going to go from 2.6 percent, the most recent reading in March, to almost 4 percent by the end of the year, and they're warning of massive price increases for a range of items, everything from, yes, new cars, but also clothing, used, cars, appliances, computers, and medicine, again, all because of tariffs.

BOLDUAN: Okay, yet another warning to stack on the others.

EGAN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much, Matt.

EGAN: Thanks, Kate.

BOLDUAN: John?

BERMAN: All right. A dead man brought back to life by A.I. in court. The message he had for his killer.

And Trump administration, the Trump administration, fires the librarian of Congress, the first African-American and first woman to hold the post. This morning, there is outrage.

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