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Jury Could Be Seated in Sean Combs' Criminal Trial; Trump Signals Possible Cut on China Tariff from 145% to 80%; Retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter Has Died; Leo XIV, The First American Pope, Delivers His First Homily. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired May 09, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And new this morning, Trump thinking out loud on social media saying 80% tariffs on China seems right. After imposing 145% tariffs on China, Trump clearly softening his stance as his Treasury Secretary is set to meet with Chinese officials this weekend.

[09:00:17]

And a court hears from a DUI victim after he was killed how AI helped his family confront his killer.

I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This is CNN NEW CENTRAL.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening right now, we're going to show you a live look, possibly, of outside the New York courthouse where just getting underway right now is what is expected to be the final day of jury selection in the federal criminal trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs. The pool of prospective jurors down to 45 now. That needs to be whittled down to 12 jurors and six alternates.

And that means today is about the defense and prosecution taking turns executing preemptory strikes on jurors that they want eliminated, removing them from the jury pool without needing to give a reason. Prosecutors will have six strikes. Combs is defense team will have 10. And with that, the jury could be seated today.

The music mogul is a reminder is facing federal charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He's pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face a sentence of life in prison.

Joining me right now to talk about what today and really also Monday will mean is Kelly Hyman. She's a trial attorney. It's great to have you here. Thank you so much for being here.

Let's -- I was thinking, let's look through this today through the lens of the prosecution and the defense kind of separately. For the defense, what are the kinds of things that you would think they're looking for? Or the kind of qualities that they might be looking for in the jurors that they will be using these strikes on? Do you think so? KELLY HYMAN, TRIAL ATTORNEY: Each side wants someone that's going to help support their case. So when we look at it from the defense perspective, what is their defense? Their defense is this is his private life. He had a lifestyle and that it was consensual.

So from that standpoint, the defense wants potential jurors that are open minded, that understand that people have different types of relationships that maybe has been married a few times that has different jobs and can understand this perspective and also potentially that idolizes someone like him from the prosecution standpoint of who they want. They would want someone with a more traditional lifestyle that has the same type of job that has been with the same kind of partner for 35 years.

But it's also important to remember that they need jurors that are fair and impartial because that is really key. He is innocent in the court of law until proven guilty. And so someone can't go into the court and already made up their mind and say, yes, he is guilty or yes, he's not guilty based on the facts and evidence presented by the prosecution and make a determined based on that.

BOLDUAN: They don't have to give a reason for why they choose to strike whomever they do from the jury pool. How much of it is on -- how much research is -- how much research is it based on? How much is it based on just gut instinct and experience on the part of both sides?

HYMAN: Tremendous amount of research as someone who's worked on cases representing victims of human trafficking and working on trials. There is a lot of work behind the scenes. So it's important to remember from the juries that came up, they were given questionnaires beforehand. So they had all that information.

Diddy has a jury consultant and they go through all that information, find out about where people work, what they post on social media, what kind of news do they listen to? What kind of music do they listen to as well?

So when they're going in today into the courtroom, they are very well prepared. They know who they want and who they do not want on the jury because ultimately one person could change the result of this trial.

BOLDUAN: 100%. And let's assume that they get seated today. Then that would mean that Monday would be expected when the trial really gets underway with opening statements.

What is a successful opening going to look like for prosecutors and -- and -- and comes as defense team. You're talking about kind of what his defense is. What does that look like in openings? How do you do that successfully?

HYMAN: They tell their story. So from the prosecution's perspective, most likely they are going to give a timeline from start to finish of what happens.

Now, it's important to remember in these opening statements, they are not evidence.

BOLDUAN: Right.

HYMAN: But usually 80% of their jurors, according to some legal scholars, have already made a determination after opening statements of whether someone is guilty or innocent. So this is definitely going to be key.

[09:05:01]

So for the prosecution, they're going to talk about the allegations, the racketeering, the criminal enterprise, the sex trafficking, the transportation for prostitution and paint that story.

From the defendant standpoint, they are going to try and poke holes at that story, say that this is his personal life, that these are adults that they consented and poke holes at the witness because the key witness for the prosecution is going to be Ms. Ventura.

BOLDUAN: Yeah, which is Combs' ex-girlfriend that there's this video from 2016. That is obviously a lot of people have seen, which has kind of been part of the whole discussion of who's on the jury and who's not. But opening statements coming Monday, this is going to be a key day to kind of set the stage for it. It's good to see. Thanks for coming in.

John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, breaking this morning, President Trump appearing to signal a major concession in his trade war with China. The president posted this just a short time ago, quote, "80% tariff on China seems right." Exclamation point. Actually, no, just a period right there. 80% tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B.

So he's mixing up the punctuation there. We'll discuss if there's news of that. He did say it was up to the Treasury Secretary who will be in Switzerland this weekend to meet with Chinese officials. These are the highest-level talks since this all began.

Now, 80% tariffs. It's a big cut from the current 145% tariff the president has slapped on China. The Chinese responded with 125% tariffs on U.S. goods.

Let's get right to the White House. CNN's Alayna Treene is there. 80% a lot less than 145%. Still big, but a lot less. What's going on here?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Absolutely, a huge jump. I'm also curious that this is something that the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and the United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who are in Geneva, currently meeting with their Chinese counterparts this weekend, are happy about because, of course, going into negotiation, you don't always want to show your cards fully. And this is kind of the response I got when I caught up with Kevin Hassett, the White House's director of the National Economic Council. We asked him, you know, what does this mean? This 80%? You know, new tariff, perhaps, you know, a drop to 80% from 145% on Beijing. Is that something that they are seriously, you know, considering and wanting to walk away from these talks with China having? And he played it coy. He said, you know, any negotiations are going to happen tomorrow. Any news on anything that could come out of these meetings we will hear after the fact.

And that's kind of how, from my conversations with senior administration officials, they've been trying so far to frame these talks with China. One, of course, their note its significance, given this is the first kind of face-to-face meetings they are having and really the first significant, substantial negotiations on a way to try and deescalate the trade war with China.

All since this started before this, they really haven't been having any talks related to trade. So that's why this weekend and these meetings are so consequential. But through all of that, Trump administration officials are trying to downplay really what to expect from this.

When I talk to different officials, they argue that they're under no illusion that they're going to walk away, come back from Geneva with some big trade deal in hand. Really, they're trying to frame this as a good first step and a way to deescalate the situation, something we've heard Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent say publicly.

Now, we also had another post from the president this morning kind of signaling what else he would like from China after these talks. He said, quote, "China should open up its market to USA -- would be so good for them. Closed markets don't work anymore."

And so this is another area where you see the president is kind of putting his finger on the scale, seeing what he hopes they can get out of an ultimate trade agreement.

One other thing that's also very notable is what the president said yesterday, which was when he was asked, do you expect to come down from 145% on a tariff on China? How much do you expect that? He said, of course, it's going to come down. Essentially, you can't go any higher. And so, again, I think that gives you a clear indication of where the president's mind is on this.

John?

BERMAN: Yeah, when he says 80%, that's a pretty clear indication he's thinking about 80%. You know, Kevin Hassett tries to downplay it there. You know, the top guy is saying that before these negotiations. Alayna Treene at the White House, thank you very much for being with us.

Sara?

SIDNER: All right, joining me now is Natasha Sarin, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy and Counselor at the Treasury Department. She is also the President and Co-Founder of the Budget Lab at Yale, which has crunched the numbers on the impact of President Trump's tariffs.

First of all, I just want to get to the news of the morning, which is President Trump seemingly thinking out loud, going on social media and saying, hey, 80% tariff seems right when he has already enacted 145% tariff, which is currently in place. What does this signal to you?

[09:10:03]

NATASHA SARIN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC POLICY & COUNSELOR, TREASURY DEPARTMENT: So at 145% tariffs are incredibly high, but 80% tariffs are also incredibly high. And I think what all this signals is that where the administration is currently is they are contemplating tariff rates that we haven't seen in this country, effective tariff rates on our allies and adversaries alike that are at the highest level that we've seen in the last century.

And so even at this 80%, if that's where the world lands, what we kind of need to understand is we're talking about thousands of dollars of price increases for Americans. You're talking about double digit price increases on consumer electronics, things like your iPhones, things like your laptops. And you're talking about double digit price increases on things like textiles and on strollers and on literally everything that the American people buy.

So I think the challenge here is that these are still incredibly high rates. And another challenge is that it is really difficult. We're talking about the news of the day based on a truth social post that came this morning about a tariff rate.

Like how exactly are businesses supposed to plan in an environment where there's so much volatility about where this all is going to land? And I think that is an internal struggle. And it's an internal struggle in this man-made crisis, because of course the trade war didn't drop from the sky. It's something that this administration sought and pursued.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about this, sort of putting this out on social media, sounding like he's kind of thinking through it while posting. Does it give you a sense that he's talking to anyone about this, or that he's just kind of coming up with these numbers on his own?

SARIN: You know, I don't want to try to guess at exactly the psychology that's driving some of this, but what I will say as an economist is that this type of attempt to move towards de-escalation is kind of exactly what you would expect if you were looking at how the market is reacting to this trade war.

Because the fact that this is going to be the most inflationary policies pursued in my lifetime, the fact that this is going to mean higher interest rates for the American people in the long term because of all the increases that we're going to see to the deficit, the fact that you're in a situation where on the heels of an election that meaningfully was about inflation and price increases for the American people, you're going to then give them thousands of dollars of price increases in the largest tax hike we've seen in modern history with these tariffs, of course that impacts how you react to these rates and kind of pushes in the direction that we're seeing across the board, which is, is there some off-ramp and is there some way to de-escalate?

SIDNER: Well, talks will happen today with his Treasury Secretary or over the weekend. We will see if that comes out with anything concrete. Natasha Sarin, thank you so much for being here and talking us through that.

John?

BERMAN: All right, imagine your former houseguest being elected pope. The man who knows Pope Leo as Father Bob. And in a courtroom first, a man confronts his killer from beyond the grave thanks to artificial intelligence.

And we are getting some breaking news. We have just learned the former Supreme Court Justice David Souter has died.

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[09:17:59]

BERMAN: All right, breaking news. We just learned that retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter has passed away at the age of 85. Let's get right to CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic.

Stepped down from the court in 2009 after 19 years, but I think held a significant role in the history toward the end of the century.

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN SUPREME COURT ANALYST: Oh, absolutely, John. I think it's a very sad day in the court world. The Supreme Court is a tight family in many ways. You know, they're all appointed for life. And David Souter remained close to many of his former colleagues. He was a gem of an individual, a real Yankee from New Hampshire, a very reserved style that just warmed the hearts of his colleagues.

But let me tell you what was important about him to the country. George H.W. Bush appointed him in 1990 to replace liberal icon William Brennan. And here was this conservative, or at least this reputed conservative, coming onto the court.

And George H.W. Bush's chief of staff at the time said, oh, he'll be a home run for conservatives. Turned out that he was everything but that. He ended up quickly moving over to the liberal camp, voting to uphold abortion rights, voting to uphold affirmative action, being a real voice of due process and individual rights on the court.

And so much so, John, that he inspired a mantra among conservative firebrands, which was no more suitors. And they started being much more attentive to screening candidates for the right wing.

But he was, as I said, he was very beloved among his colleagues. He was known as someone who would be just as happy eating a little bit of yogurt and apple in his office than sometimes joining them at their group dinners. And the minute the court was out for the summer, he would get in his little, I think it was a VW Rabbit, and speed away for his home in New Hampshire.

[09:20:00]

And let me just tell you what Chief Justice John Roberts said as he revealed his death yesterday at his home in New Hampshire. He said, "Justice David Souter served our court with great distinction for nearly 20 years. He brought uncommon wisdom and kindness to a lifetime of public service." After retiring to his beloved New Hampshire, it certainly was, in 2009, he continued to render significant service on our bench by sitting regularly on the Court of Appeals. And that's what he did.

He had a wonderful spirit about him, both a public spirit and a warmth to his colleagues. And I'm sure they'll really miss him. Even though he's been gone from the court for -- you know, since 2009, succeeded by the first Hispanic justice, Sonia Sotomayor, but a great contribution to American life and the law in our country, John.

BERMAN: I remember being surprised when he stepped down at a relatively young age back in 2009.

BISKUPIC: I think he was only 69 at the time, John. Very young for a justice to leave the bench, yeah.

BERMAN: And as you said, his name will forever be associated with, I think, the enhanced, the incredibly high level of screening that now goes into presidents nominating judges.

Joan Biskupic, great to see you. Thank you so much.

Kate?

BOLDUAN: Also, news from the Vatican announcing this morning that the new pope will hold his inaugural public mass just over a week from now in St. Peter's Square. So that is to come just as Pope Leo began his first full day as pope today, celebrating mass in the Sistine Chapel and beginning his homily 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: The first time that has happened, the first American pope, of course, we've been talking about the history making nature of his selection, is still settling in around the globe among the world's 1.4 billion Catholics and beyond. Growing up in Chicago, spending much of his career in South America, serving as a bishop in Peru and most recently leading a powerful office within the Vatican.

We're going to show you a live look inside Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, where they are holding a special mass in honor of the pope. The cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Joining us right now is someone who has known the Pope for years with

some amazingly unique perspective. I mean, I was saying in the break, this is former Florida congressman and former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Francis Rooney. I was saying, congressman, ambassador, that this is an aspect of your life that I've covered for years that I did not know about. I mean, you have known Pope Leo for years. How did you get to know him?

FRANCIS ROONEY, FRIEND OF POPE LEO XIV: Well, our kids attended an Augustinian high school in Tulsa, and I was on the board and Father Bob, as we called him back then, used to come down to the monthly board meetings. And, you know, he came every month for several years. And then when he got to be head of the Midwest Augustinians, I took a bunch -- a group of the Augustinian priests from Tulsa up and we went to his installation.

And then come 2005, the president asked us to move to Rome and be the ambassador. And Father Bob was already over there. He was head of all of the Augustinians at that time. And so we saw a lot, and he came over to the house all the time. Our house was only about a half a mile from where he was living in the Augustinian residence.

BOLDUAN: So, I mean, you've known each other since the 90s. Your careers have landed you in the same cities. It's a pretty remarkable thing. I mean, when was the last time that you saw him and spent time with him?

ROONEY: Well, that's an interesting question. He came by with another Augustinian last winter when they were here for an Augustinian meeting at the Ritz-Carlton. And we spent a couple hours in our living room with him.

BOLDUAN: I mean, I'm sure you're looking back at that kind of hangout amongst friends a little differently now that you're talking about, you know, your friends of the Pope.

ROONEY: It's pretty amazing. And our kids all know him well, too. I mean, all the kids are just, you know, super excited.

BOLDUAN: It's really amazing. Some of the way, there's a lot of, you know, we're talking about the world getting to know Pope Leo, right? And how people are describing Pope Leo so far as I've seen is so many ways. A prudent person will likely be a mere image of Francis. Cares very much about people. Centered, not about the drama. Calm, not a showboat kind of person. A unifying figure.

Congressman, is that all accurate? I mean, how do you describe him as a good friend of his?

ROONEY: I think all that is very accurate. I think he's very judicious in what he says and how he conducts himself. He's been very effective as a result of that.

[09:25:06]

I think he'll be able to get out a lot of the same messages of Pope Francis about marginalized people and problems in the world. But he'll do it in a much more -- I would say, I want to say not casual, but people and problems in the world. But he'll do it in a much more, I would say, I want to say not casual, but a more deliberate way. And I think he'll be very effective.

So far he's been Pope one day and he's already spoken publicly in three languages.

BOLDUAN: Yeah, I've noticed that his grasp of language is one of many, I'm sure, things that are very impressive about him.

You know, with the perspective that you gained as ambassador to the Holy See, I'm just curious your thoughts on the fact that the cardinals chose an American. It's a statement of the qualifications that they see in Pope Leo, for sure. Do you also think that there is a message in that that the church is trying to send to America more broadly?

ROONEY: Well, you know, the Catholic Church is supposed to be universal, the universal church. But when it comes to the United States vis-a-vis Europeans and even especially the Italian base of the church, it hasn't been that way. They've had a bit of a resentment for the impact of the United States in the world at times. And I think this puts all that to rest. I think it's really great that they reached out and picked the person who's so international yet is so American.

BOLDUAN: Yeah, all of that time that he spent in Peru, like most of his career spent there, it really was described as he's like the least American of the American cardinals that were over there, which is exactly just so international. I'm sure you have seen the fun and celebration that has been happening amongst many in Chicago, especially. That is kind of like the viral memes that have taken off on social media about his Chicago roots.

My favorite, and I watched it a million times, we'll play it for everyone. And I -- if you don't have a monitor, I can explain it. But it's this one. Watch this.

So, of course, someone adding the Bulls starting lineup intro song to the moment when Pope Leo walked out on the balcony for the first time yesterday. I couldn't think of something more fitting for a Chicago native. Just your view and perspective on that.

ROONEY: Absolutely. And only in Chicago would they be concerned about whether he was a Cubs or White Sox team. That's been going on all morning here.

BOLDUAN: Exactly. I mean, like, truly, it's been on like every aspect of it. Your final thought, your wish. This is a friend of yours. And now your friend has a to say as a huge responsibility on his shoulders is a vast understatement. Just your kind of perspective on as the world's about to get to know him a lot better. And he begins what is a huge, critical role at a time when the world is clearly not a great place in so many respects right now. ROONEY: Yeah. And that's where his judicious ability to communicate and analyze will come in handy. And I think his organizational background will come in handy as well.

You know, the Augustinians have had a pretty clean house as far as religious orders go. And they haven't had the problems that a lot of others have. That's because they've had good, strong leaders like Father Prevost and his predecessors or Cardinal Prevost at the time.

And that organizational skill is really needed in the Vatican right now. You all have reported about their financial situations and some of the scandals that happened under Pope Francis. And I think that Pope Leo will take care of a lot of that.

BOLDUAN: Well, Congressman, Ambassador, it is good to see you. I can't wait to see what comes of all of your next best friend. It's going to be really interesting to watch.

ROONEY: It'll be hard to top that one.

BOLDUAN: It sure is. Good to see you. Thank you.

Sara?

SIDNER: I see a pope is my best friend as a book going forward.

BOLDUAN: Of course.

SIDNER: That's what I think.

All right, a man was killed in a road rage incident. But thanks to A.I., he addressed his convicted killer in court. We speak with that man's sister about all this coming up.

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