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Trump in Saudi Arabia; Ventura to Testify in Combs Trial; Trump and Crown Prince Signing Ceremony; Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is Interviewed about Trump Visiting the Middle East; Johnson Attempts to Hold Together Coalition. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired May 13, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: And that's what the conclusions of this book are based on.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and much more to come, as you're saying, Alex. Thank you so much. Look forward to learning more and reading more about the book.

Your -- Alex's book, along with Jake Tapper, it's called "Original Sin." It is out May 20th. We'll be learning much more in the coming days for sure.

Alex, thank you.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And breaking this morning, a royal welcome for President Trump as he arrives in Saudi Arabia, as questions swirl about ethics and Democrats hurl charges of corruption.

We're standing by for what could be the most critical testimony in the federal sex trafficking case against Sean Combs. His former girlfriend takes the stand. She is in the horrific video we've all seen from a hotel hallway.

And, quote, "I absolutely thought I was going to die." Kim Kardashian testifies in court about the men who tied her up, held her at gunpoint, and robbed her of more than $10 million.

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

BOLDUAN: All right, the breaking news that we're following throughout this morning. Soon we're expecting to hear from President Trump and hear him speak at an investment forum being hosted by -- in and hosted by Saudi Arabia. It's the first country in his -- stop in his four day sweep through the Middle East. It also seems clear that his goal for this trip is not only a show of friendship in the region, but also to get some deals done, in his view. Attending a lunch today with Elon Musk. But Elon Musk, this time in his role as CEO of Tesla, along with other CEOs of some of the biggest companies in the world. Next on his itinerary is Qatar. That's the country, of course,

offering to give the president and the administration a $400 million luxury jet to possibly use as Air Force One, raising all sorts of ethical, legal and security questions.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins, traveling with the president, joining us now from Riyadh.

Kaitlan, what has happened so far?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate, if you're wondering where I'm standing, I'm at the Saudi Investment Forum. It's being held in a conference center here in Riyadh, though it's not your average conference center. There's many more chandeliers and its much more opulent than one that one might expect.

But in the stage behind me, we've been hearing from a lot of CEOs and people who are part of the investment project that is happening here in Saudi Arabia. But soon we will hear from President Trump, when he makes his first really public remarks of his second -- his first major foreign trip of his second term. He's been speaking and meeting with the Saudi crown prince. We heard from them briefly earlier today during a moment where they had a bilateral meeting and a huge lunch that they had earlier as soon as he touched down here in Riyadh. And so, we'll see what the president says.

This room is essentially crawling with businesspeople who are here from all different sectors, entertainment, AI, nuclear arms and nuclear energy as well, who are here waiting to hear what President Trump has to say. And he's been meeting behind closed doors in this massive lunch that was attended by some of the biggest CEOs from the United States, Kate. You were looking at the names here. A lot of the people who are joining the president here either have a vested interest in what he is saying about AI, what they are saying about tariffs. A lot of matters up for discussion as the president is here. People like Elon Musk, the CEOs of OpenAI and Nvidia, all of them are either here on stage speaking or were inside that lunch with President Trump earlier as he is seeking to get what he wants as $1 trillion in investments in the United States from Saudi Arabia during his second term.

Now, so far we've heard the Saudi crown prince say that they are willing to do $600 billion in investments. But the president again in that meeting pushed for $1 trillion. Economists have said they're not even sure that can happen. The GDP of Saudi Arabia, for one year, is roughly $1 trillion. And, obviously, they're making their own investments here.

And so, questions about that, but also questions, Kate, about the president's own personal business footprint and what that looks like. This plane that is being gifted to the Trump administration by Qatar has only raised questions about that as people have noted that there is a golf course from the Trump Organization that is being built north of Doha, where the president is headed tomorrow. Also, two skyscrapers here in Saudi Arabia that are going to be bearing his name. The cryptocurrency deal that is backed by Abu Dhabi, where he's going to make his third stop of this trip. So, a lot of questions about just how much there's an expansion of his family's business portfolio as he is here seeking to expand the investments into the United States, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, absolutely. There is a lot of, let's call them crosscurrents, which a lot of people see as conflicts that you're -- you laid out right there.

Let's hear what the president -- Kaitlan will be bringing it to us when the president does speak at this forum. It's great to see you, Kaitlan. Thank you so much.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, we'll bring that to you live as it happens.

[09:05:00]

Now, we are moments away from a pivotal day in the prosecutor's sex trafficking and racketeering case against Sean Combs. Today, Combs' ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, is expected to take the stand. She is the woman he is seen attacking in that hotel hallway in surveillance video from 2016. Prosecutors yesterday accused Combs of running a criminal enterprise to coerce women into sex, and Cassie Ventura is central to their case.

Here's what her lawyer said this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is she ready?

DOUGLAS WIGDOR, CASSIE VENTURA'S ATTORNEY: She's very ready and confident. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Prosecutors plan to show the jury video of what Combs called freak offs, drug fueled, days long sexual performances. Combs' lawyers argued the videos will show consent, not coercion. One of his lawyers saying, quote, "the evidence is going to show you a very flawed individual, but it will not show you a racketeer, a sex trafficker or somebody transporting for prostitution."

With us now, CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Jennifer Rodgers, and defense attorney Misty Marris, both here for us today. Thank you for being here.

I want to start with you, Jennifer.

What did the prosecution try to establish with the first witnesses and how will they use Cassie Ventura in this case? How will she be used as a storyteller, I -- I suspect, for the jury.

JENNIFER RODGERS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, she's really the key here. You know, sometimes prosecutors put on an FBI agent, for example, to be kind of the narrator of what happened here. But in this case, Cassie Ventura is that narrator. They need to show that this was not just sex, right? This was coercion. This was a concerted plan involving, not just him, but a lot of other people, including people who worked for him, to bring people across state lines for these big sex parties, and that it was not voluntary.

So, that's really what she needs to establish here. And the other witnesses you talked about, the two that we've seen so far, and a bunch of stuff that is to come is to corroborate her, to add to that story, to make sure, to the jury to make clear that it is coercive and not voluntary. We have other women, too, who will be adding to that story too.

SIDNER: Yes.

Misty, we heard the defense lay out its version as well yesterday. The first day was -- there was a lot going on. We not only heard opening statements, but we got to see two witnesses. What did the jury hear about the defense in this case?

MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE AND TRIAL ATTORNEY: Well, this is all about coercion versus consent. So, the defense was really laying out what the jury was going to hear and why they should view it with some skepticism. So first, it's Cassie Ventura. She's in an over decade long relationship with Combs. And so, she might have motivations outside of -- outside of just telling the truth and being honest in court with respect to the criminal trial. And some of those motivations they pointed to are monetary, that she brought a civil lawsuit, which she received a compensation, and also that they had a relationship that was tumultuous. It was fraught with domestic violence. They had to fall on the sword there, Sara.

But it simply isn't sex trafficking. The defense knew that the jury was going to see that terrible video from the intercontinental hotel in 2016.

SIDNER: Right.

MARRIS: And what the defense tried to do was put that in a box and basically say, this is an isolated incident fueled by jealousy. It doesn't have anything to do with a broader conspiracy or sex trafficking. And then they pointed to the other victims that will be heard, one again in a -- in a personal relationship with Combs. Another his longtime assistant. And they tried to lay skepticism right from the get go.

SIDNER: And I imagine prosecutors, Jennifer, will use that video to say she was frightened. She was trying to do something. And this is how he acts when you don't do what he says.

Curious, though, how difficult it is to try a case like this. Racketeering and sex trafficking. I mean, it is very, very, very hard to prove. You've got to have a lot of evidence for a jury to see this beyond a reasonable doubt, do you not?

RODGERS: Yes, it's technical. And the other issue is, usually in a racketeering conspiracy, the object is obviously illegal, right? You're trying to defraud people of money, you're trying to extort people for money. This is like, you're trying to coerce people for sex. But sex is also a private thing. I mean Combs' defense is, this wasn't about a conspiracy for illegal purposes, this is about my private sex life. And domestic violence, as Misty said, is a separate box.

So, prosecutors have a pretty tall hill to climb here to convince the jurors that this behavior that they're going to see, that the defense is admitting, actually goes to the criminal elements of the case. So, I think it's not a slam dunk for sure.

SIDNER: Misty, I'm just curious how the -- how the defense will go about cross-examining Cassie Ventura. She is visibly pregnant. She is going to, I'm sure, share some very emotional testimony. How do they go about this?

MARRIS: Sara, this is going to be a real tough tightrope for the defense to walk because on one hand she is the prosecution's star witness. Not only is she going to tell her story in detail, they've seen the video, she's going to talk about other similar acts that happened to her over their ten year relationship.

[09:10:03]

Not -- and she's going to expand upon that and say, well, this also applies -- this is the type of thing he did to get people in line in the criminal conspiracy and to get people to participate in these freak offs. So, she's so key.

The defense is really going to have to go after her hard. But you point out a great thing, she's eight months pregnant. She's going to be on the stand. Optically, that's really tough in front of the jury. They also know she's at least a victim of what they saw in that video. And they saw that video four times yesterday.

So, it's going to be something the defense needs to get this information on the record about what -- to raise that skepticism, but also wants to avoid being a victim blamer. Because even if you don't believe he's -- it's sex trafficking conspiracy, there's at least a domestic violence element that is obvious and conceded by the defense.

SIDNER: Yes, the fact that it's conceded by the defense, this domestic violence incident. The way in which the defense is -- is sort of going hard to say, yes, this happened, but, does that sit well with the jury, you know, as the jury is watching these pictures of what's happening here, when she will probably testify, likely expected to testify, that this is how he kept people in line. That's a pretty hard thing for the defense to deal with, is it not?

RODGERS: Yes, well -- well, they had to do it, right, because of the video.

SIDNER: Yes.

RODGERS: But they also do gain credibility. When you admit things and concede things, then the jury says, oh, OK, well, they're not pushing back on every piece of evidence. They're admitting some of it. So, that makes it more credible when they push back on other things. So, it was the obvious path here given the evidence of the videotape.

But it's a smart path too. And, you know, like I said, given the kind of mismatch between the typical racketeering conspiracy and this case, it could have some traction. We'll see how it goes.

SIDNER: Misty Marris, Jennifer Rodgers, this is going to go on for, I think, about eight weeks. So, we've got a long bit of evidence and cross-examination to go through on a daily basis. But I do appreciate you being here this morning on this Tuesday morning.

John Berman.

BERMAN: All right, let's go right to Riyadh now. That is where President Trump is with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and they are signing some kind of a deal.

Let's listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful, your royal highness, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, crown prince and prime minister, the honorable Donald J. Trump, president of the United States of America.

Your highnesses and excellencies, warm greetings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With your permission, we shall now begin the signing ceremony of the strategic economic partnership -- begin the signing ceremony of the strategic economic partnership between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Signing on behalf of the kingdom, his royal highness, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, crown prince and prime minister. Signing on behalf of the United States, the honorable Donald J. Trump, president of the United States of America.

[09:15:56]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in foreign language).

BOLDUAN: All right, so we've been watching the signing ceremony happen -- we've been watching the signing ceremony happening in Riyadh. It is unclear what the president and the crown prince were actually signing. We are trying to gather more guidance on exactly what we all just watched, but I'm sure we will get it. And when we do get details on what they were signing, we will bring that to you.

In the meantime, about this whole trip to the Middle East, let me bring in right now, joining me is the Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. She is the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

And as part of this trip, the next stop, Senator, will be to Qatar, which is the country offering to give President Trump this, what could be the most expensive gift any president has ever received of this luxury jet he says he will use as Air Force One. This has raised a whole host of legal, ethical and security concerns. And you've actually reached out to the White House Counsel's office about this. What do you see here?

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): Well, first of all, I think it's an important trip to the Middle East, the Middle East is a central ally, those countries for the United States. Unfortunately, while I think the economic agreement is a good thing, we -- he seems to be missing the two biggest threats in the Middle East. One is from Iran and the terrorism that they continue to support, their effort to get a nuclear weapon, and the other is the war in Gaza. This is an opportunity to engage the other Arab nations in helping to see what the long term future is to address Gaza and Israel.

With respect to Qatar and the plane, I think there are serious constitutional questions about this, but there are also questions about national security. And sadly, the president doesn't seem to be too concerned about national security. He's been willing to allow his secretary of defense to engage in classified discussions over unclassified channels. He has, again, looking at take -- accepting this plane without thinking about what the implications would be. We don't know what kind of bugs might be put in that aircraft.

We know that Air Force One is more than just a plane. It's also got secure communications. It needs to be refueled in the air, as so many of your guests have said this morning, because of the national security implications should the president have to stay in the air. And also, there's a medical -- a fully equipped medical operating room in Air Force One. And none of those features are available in this plane. And to put those in would be significant costs and raise real concerns.

But then there's the other question of corruption. And I think that's what the American people should also be concerned about. This is a president who has, between his coin -- crypto coin scheme, his investments in Qatar for a golf course, taking this plane, it all raises questions about who his commitment really belongs to. Does it belong to the American people and the United States, or does it belong to himself and all of the -- the dollars that he can bring in to himself and his family?

BOLDUAN: Is there something that Congress can do about this?

SHAHEEN: Well, I think right now we're looking at options. One of the things that I think we're going to hear is that there will be holds placed on any judicial nominees for moving forward until we get some answers from the attorney general. I think we're looking at whether there's other legislation. I would hope that we would see more of our Republican colleagues stepping up. We saw Senator Paul raising concerns about this.

[09:20:03]

I think everybody should be worried about what the implications of this are.

BOLDUAN: Now that -- then that would be news if -- if holds on political appointees in any regard is a move that -- that you and your colleagues will be making, that would be a significant move by one -- one of the few, I guess, being in the minority that -- that Democrats can do right now.

Senator, thank you very much for your time. I really appreciate you sticking around to speak with us on the heels of this trip.

SHAHEEN: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

We're following a lot of breaking news this hour. President Trump expected to speak. We are still standing by for that.

We have -- testimony has just resumed in the federal trial, of course, of Sean Combs.

Kim Kardashian testifying against the men -- the people who are accused of robbing her by gunpoint in Paris. She is testifying in a Paris courtroom as we speak.

Stay with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:25:29]

BERMAN: All right, new this morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to hold his Republican conference together and prevent any small factions from sinking his party's sweeping agenda. His efforts come amid warning signs from both hardliners and moderates as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill today.

Let's get right to CNN's Lauren Fox, who joins us now with some new reporting.

You know how much we love new reporting, Lauren, what have you learned?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, it's really go time for several of the Houses key committees as they begin to move forward with Donald Trump's agenda. They're going to hold key hearings today on Capitol Hill in the powerful Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as in the Agriculture Committee. And they are going to be looking at making some sweeping changes to the country's food stamp program, to Medicaid, as well as making sure that some of Donald Trump's signature items from the 2017 tax bill are renewed alongside some new proposals, including a temporary effort to try and stop taxes on tips and taxes on overtime. So, those are the kinds of policies that they're going to be moving forward with today.

But the task ahead for the House Speaker is one that is going to be massive, and that is because he is really trying to hold together a very fragile coalition in the House of Representatives. He has conservatives who are unhappy with this proposal, arguing that they need to see significant changes. They're very disappointed with the fact that they think leadership should have gone further in some of the Medicaid cuts.

This is one of those conservatives, Chip Roy, of the House Freedom Caucus. He said, "I remain open minded because progress has been made based on our forceful efforts to force change, but we cannot continue down the path we've been going down, and we will need significant additional changes to garner my support."

Meanwhile, the speaker is also trying to work with some New York Republicans who have been adamant that they want to see a bigger increase in the state and local tax deduction for their constituents back home in a state like New York, which has a lot higher taxes locally, they are arguing that the 30,000 cap that they want to increase, the 10,000 cap too, is not high enough. And they are willing right now to stand in the way of this effort. So, the committees are going to be doing their work today, likely through the night into the morning tomorrow. Then we expect at the end of the week the Budget Committee could cobble this all together. Then next week is that true test when this could go to the floor for a vote.

I did talk to the speaker a few minutes ago. He said that he was very optimistic they are going to stay on track this week. So, we'll see.

John.

BERMAN: He's got a lot to do.

All right, Lauren Fox, thank you for sharing your reporting on that.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, Kim Kardashian is in court, reliving the moment she was tied up and robbed in a Paris hotel room. We are live there with a full report.

And dozens of white South Africans are welcome to the U.S. as refugees, but not everyone agrees that they should get that status because there is no genocide happening in South Africa according to the United States and everyone else. Those stories, ahead.

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