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Jane Testifies About Forced Sex Acts, Drug-Fueled Hotel Nights; Russia Launches One of Its Biggest Air Attacks Days After Ukraine Op; Matt Vogt, Dentist and former Caddie, Headed to U.S. Open. Aired 1:30- 2p ET

Aired June 06, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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

[13:30:00]

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... Another problem that the mom and attorney are bringing up is the lack of an Amber Alert here because when they first called police about the girls not returning home, authorities felt that there was no imminent threat to their safety, no imminent threat of danger. And so there's a lot of confusion about that right now of what is required for an Amber Alert. Authorities say you have to see that threat existing there.

But it is a question of how much his mental health struggles were obvious to everyone as they were trying to put out this alert and find these girls.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: All right, Natasha Chen with the latest on that. Thank you very much for that reporting.

Let's check in now on the Sean Diddy Combs trial. The third and final alleged victim is expected back on the stand after the lunch break. She is the rap mogul's former girlfriend who's testifying under the pseudonym Jane to protect her anonymity. And this has been emotional testimony detailing drug-fueled, often forced sexual encounters with multiple men during what she calls hotel nights.

Others have called those sessions freak-offs. They all say they were orchestrated by Combs.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN HOST: The witness, Jane, was sobbing as she described Combs bringing in one escort after another to have sex with her on what she thought was her birthday celebration. And she's made it clear that she hated the sexual encounters.

Joining us now is Court TV anchor and former prosecutor Julie Grant. Julie walk us through the impact of such emotion coming from the witness stand. How does that impact a jury?

JULIE GRANT, COURT TV ANCHOR AND FORMER PROSECUTOR: Danny and Jessica, good afternoon to you both. That's a really important question and it really all depends on whether the jurors are feeling something from this. If you can get members of the jury to feel some kind of way about the testimony, it can be good or bad depending upon which side you're on. So looking at it from the side of the government here, Jane is important for counts four and five. The sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and the transportation to engage in prostitution. If this jury believes her, if they are feeling that she was in fact in this situation where she was coerced to have sex with these men who were procured by Sean Diddy Combs to have these hotel nights to take drugs to get through them, if she felt like she did not have a choice and was made to do those things, then she largely substantiates the government's case.

If jurors on the other hand are looking at her and maybe not feeling that the tears are genuine and maybe questioning where they're coming from because she was getting a lot of money from Sean Diddy Combs, she was aware of the Cassie beating video. As a matter of fact, she stayed with Diddy until his arrest in this case. So they may be skeptical of what she's saying as well.

So one of those things that kind of depends on the perspectives of those jurors as they come in to hear the case, Danny and Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, and Julie, on that note of, of jurors really feeling emotional and feeling the emotion one way or the other, they -- we know they heard this audio of a hotel night. We're calling a hotel night -- where Combs was dismissive of a request from Jane to have the men he directed to have sex with her, to wear a condom.

How does hearing Combs own voice in an audio recording like that? What does that mean to the jury in terms of trying to elicit some of that emotion?

GRANT: That's really key, Jessica. It's really key because we know that on one hand, his team may be trying to distance him from some of this and saying that people were interested in engaging in the freak- offs, the parties, the lifestyle, all of it. But when you actually hear his voice, his words, him perhaps engaging in coercion here, right?

And coercion is one of the elements that the government must prove if they want to prove that Jane was in fact trafficked. And if she felt that she was being provided to have sex with these sex workers that he paid. So there we have the commercial value.

That's the other element that must be present. And she was saying, I really want to protect myself and my health and wellbeing. And he was telling her that he preferred it the other way. And she knew that things wouldn't go so well in their relationship and she wouldn't get the affection that she wanted or the Sean that she wanted from him. If she didn't comply, then that can satisfy that coercive element. So I think it is really key.

And also, especially if we don't hear Diddy testify, who knows if we will, hearing his voice could be really impactful for that audio, Jessica and Danny.

FREEMAN: Just another incredibly intense and impactful day in court. Julie Grant, thank you so much for that. Appreciate it. Turning to this, Russia launches one of its largest aerial attacks on

Ukraine after Vladimir Putin promised to retaliate for Ukraine's drone strikes last weekend. We have the latest on the conflict coming up in a moment.

[13:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEAN: Russia just launched one of its biggest air assaults on Ukraine since Vladimir Putin's invasion began three years ago. At least three Ukrainians were killed, but it's not clear if Russia's 450-plus drones and missiles make up the official retaliation to Ukraine's brazen Spiderweb operation that happened about less than a week ago, which Ukraine says wiped out 41 Russian aircraft. The Ukrainian Air Force said today it downed most of what Russia launched overnight.

The strikes they got through, though, terrorized Ukrainians, as video from the last in Northwest Ukraine shows. And a warning for you, this clip is disturbing. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(VIDEO OF AIR STRIKES ON UKRAINE)

(BOMBINGS AND SOUNDS OF SCREAMS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:40:00]

CNN's Frederick Pleitgen is joining us now. Fred, look, listening to that video, it is clear how harrowing those strikes were for Ukrainians. Is it clear at this point what Russia was targeting here?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Russians keep saying that they only target military installations. They also claim that the strikes last night were a retaliation, as they put it, for what they call terrorist activities by the Ukrainians. That, of course, begs the question about whether or not these strikes were in retaliation for the Ukrainians hitting a bunch of Russian airfields on Sunday.

The Ukrainians, of course, saying that they destroyed several of Russia's strategic bombers. So Russia's sort of been quite coy about what exactly was destroyed. However, the Russians also said that there were rail links that were attacked, as well as the Russians, in any case, saying that this was retaliation and claiming that these were military targets, even though that clip that we just saw there, those were Ukrainian Olympic athletes who say that their hotel was hit by one of those Russian strikes.

In total, you're absolutely right, a complete blitz by the Russians. 400 drones, more than 400 drones, the Ukrainians say, and more than 40 ballistic and cruise missiles making life very difficult for Ukrainian air defenses. I also want to listen in to one survivor of these strikes and how she

faced that night.

Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLHA, UKRAINIAN IN KYIV (through translator): We had a terrible night. It's very difficult not to sleep all night. But if the enemy thinks that this will break us, they are very much mistaken.

It didn't break us at all. The morale is as high as it was. We strongly believe in our armed forces and in our victory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: You see that woman there saying that the Ukrainians will hold out. There apparently were a bunch of residential buildings that were damaged throughout the Ukrainian capital in Kyiv, also some cities in the north of Ukraine, hit pretty hard as well. As the Ukrainians say, by and large, their air defenses worked fairly well.

But again, the big question that Ukrainians are asking right now is whether or not this was it for Russia's promised massive retaliation for those strikes on Russian airfields, or whether or not there could be further nights like the ones that Ukrainians witnessed last night to come in the not-too-distant future -- Jessica.

DEAN: Yes, and Fred, are you getting any indication, are we hearing anything from Russia, from Putin, about what the answer to that might be or anything to kind of read between the lines with?

PLEITGEN: Yes, well, it's quite interesting because Vladimir Putin held a meeting earlier today where he did talk about Russian drones and some of the things that people were seeing on the battlefields and the Russians knew the answer, he said, to all those drones that were coming.

One of the things that we know about the Russians is that they apparently have drastically expanded their use of drones, but also their production of drones as well. And those drone strikes that we saw last night certainly is a massive uptick in what we've been seeing in the past.

Those 400-plus drones is something that is very rare and certainly speaks to the fact that the Russians really seem to be increasing those drone strikes. It really is unclear, though, from the Kremlin's point of view, whether or not this was it or whether or not they are in generally going to scale up their aerial campaign, which of course has been substantial in any case.

The big question, of course, there also is what about their strategic air force? How capable is that still if those strikes that the Ukrainians conducted last Sunday were really as effective as the Ukrainians claimed they were -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right, Frederik Pleitgen there in Berlin for us, thank you so much for that.

Well, by day he's a dentist, but next week he'll be teeing it up with pro golfers at the U.S. Open. And for amateur golfer Matt Vogt, this will be an emotional homecoming.

We'll talk to him, that's next.

[13:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREEMAN: A dentist has stunned the golf world by qualifying for the U.S. Open which will be played next week on the same course where this dentist once worked as a caddy. Matt Vogt finished 8 under par during the U.S. Open's grueling 36 hole qualifying stage dubbed, Golf's Longest Day, where hundreds of golfers compete for a spot in the third major of the PGA Tour season. Vogt's victory comes just two months after the loss of his biggest supporter, his father.

Matt Vogt is joining me now. Matt, first of all, congratulations on this incredible achievement. This has got to be such a wild full circle moment for you. Tell me, how are you feeling?

MATT VOGT, DENTIST WHO QUALIFIED FOR U.S. OPEN: Yes, this has been the craziest week of my life. Thank you for having me on. I'm feeling all sorts of things, but now that, you know, the event's getting closer, you know, we're getting closer to next week, I'm feeling just pure excitement and joy, ready to get out there and, you know, just ready to get back to Oakmont, honestly. It's truly a dream come true.

FREEMAN: Yes, in a lot of ways, get back to home. We'll talk about that in a moment. But I got to ask, you're going to be playing among some of the best golfers really in the world. Is there anyone in particular that you are looking forward to playing with? Someone, frankly, who may have inspired you to get to this point?

VOGT: Yes, I mean, you know, a lot of those guys, I hope that -- I don't really have any friends who are on tour. You know, if you're playing -- a lot of the time when you're playing like a lot of tournaments or high-level amateur golfer, you're trying to, you can sometimes rub shoulders with guys like that.

But no, I mean, I'm honestly excited to just hopefully see and meet some people that I, you know, see on TV and honestly say thank you, because you can pick and choose a lot of the good things that they do and try to add that into your own golf game, so that's what I'm kind of most excited about.

I've learned a ton from guys like Bryson and the content that guys like him put out or even, you know, stuff that they have on social media. So I'm excited to just kind of shake a bunch of hands and say thanks and be one of the guys for at least a week.

FREEMAN: I think some of these guys are going to be excited to shake your hand too. OK, so let's get back to this hometown feel here. You caddied for six

years at Oakmont Country Club. That's going to be the place where this year's U.S. Open is going to be hosted. So I'm assuming that because you caddied there, you know every trick to have your advantage, right?

VOGT: I know a lot, yes. I've been around that golf course, you know, hundreds of times. I haven't seen the recent restoration work that they've done. They made some tweaks around there, and they look fantastic, but I haven't seen them in person. So I definitely need to study those. But Oakmont's still hard. Like you can know what you're getting into, but it's still going to be really, really hard.

[13:50:00]

So, you know, I'm just excited to get out there and kind of see what things look like, and I'm excited that I know where everything's at. You know, there's already a ton of nerves. You know, obviously, this is just insane what's going on, but at least I'll know where the locker room's at, where the range is at, you know, where the pro shop's at. So at least I can feel as comfortable as maybe I could playing in the U.S. Open, so we'll see.

FREEMAN: Hey, you'll take any advantage. I appreciate it. Matt, before I let you go, I really want to take a moment to reflect here, because I understand that your dad was, of course, a big part of certainly your life, but also your golf career, and I understand you sadly lost him a few months ago.

Can you just reflect on what he would think of this moment and what you're going to experience next week?

VOGT: Yes, I mean, you know, my dad, he was my biggest fan, like I've said a number of times. He was the one who was always tracking me when playing in tournaments, you know, following along, and we shared a very special bond over our love for Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh sports. So he would be over the moon, you know, and I know he's watching, but again, our bond was Pittsburgh and where we were from and sports. And so I think -- I wish he could be there and share in the moment, but you know, he was affected by cancer. He had a colon cancer diagnosis last year that caused his passing, and I know he's in a better place. And I hope that I can bring strength to other people who are affected by cancer throughout all this, because, you know, it's something that's obviously affected my family, and yes, I just say a prayer for everyone else who's affected by cancer, and I hope I can just make Dad proud, you know, because I know he's watching.

FREEMAN: Well, I think you've already done so much to make your dad, his memory, and the larger Pittsburgh community very proud just by stepping up to the team next week. Matt Vogt, hit him straight. Thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.

VOGT: Thank you so much, guys, for the support. And I really appreciate it.

DEAN: That's really sweet. All right, let's go to the French Open now. Right now, Novak Djokovic

is facing Jannik Sinner in the men's semifinal at the French Open, and earlier defending champ Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the final after his opponent retired due to injury during the fourth set in that match.

CNN's Patrick Snell is joining us now, and Patrick, it's been a day of excitement and disappointment. There's been a lot happening.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, there's a lot going on, I'm telling you. We're tracking it all. Carlos Alcaraz, just 22 years of age, and the young Spaniard continuing to make history.

Carlitos is now the fifth youngest man ever to reach five Grand Slam singles finals, and here's the good part. As far as he's concerned, so far at least, he's won all four finals he's reached. He'll have to work for it, though, I will say, on Friday during this French Open semifinal against Lorenzo Musetti, who started this match brilliantly.

The Italian powering his way to the opener, six games to four, giving Alcaraz plenty to think about. Now, the second set was equally close and compelling as the man from Murcia continued his quest for back-to- back titles. First, Alcaraz breaking for a 6-5 advantage.

He's all fired up there, but then tensions rising. Musetti immediately breaking back to force the tiebreaker. Alcaraz was dominant in that, and he would close out the breaker to level the match.

He also won the third to love, and it was during that set that Musetti was battling an apparent leg injury for which he did need treatment. Concerning scenes here, the problem then only appearing to get more troublesome for him in the fourth, and he was down by two games to love in that fourth set when Musetti decides he just cannot continue. A massive disappointment for the Italian who looked so good at the start of this match, but it's the second seeded Alcaraz who advances to a second straight French Open final.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLOS ALCARAZ, SPANISH TENNIS PLAYER: It's not great, you know, getting through or, you know, I win the match, you know, like this. It's been three intense weeks, but it's just one step to make. I mean, I'm feeling great.

I'm feeling that I'm playing a great tennis. I have a lot of confidence right now, so I'm just going to give everything on Sunday. But as I said, I've been doing great things in this tournament, and right now it's time to give everything, to give my hundred percent and go for the final on Sunday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: He'll take some stopping, and in that final on Sunday, Alcaraz will face either Novak Djokovic or Italy's world number one Jannik Sinner. Their semi-final started a short while ago. It is in progress at this hour.

[13:55:00]

And Djokovic also with more history in his sights as well as he eyes up a standalone 25th Grand Slam singles title, taking him past the Australian great Margaret Court, where he's got to get past Sinner. That won't be easy. Back to you.

DEAN: All right, more to come. Patrick Snell, thanks so much for that update.

And when we come back here, President Trump speaks to CNN about the very public feud with his former close advisor, Elon Musk. Much more on what he said. Just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END