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Soon: Trump To Depart White House Amid Feud With Musk; Republicans Caught In The Middle of Trump-Musk Feud; Soon: Suspect In Boulder Antisemitic Attack Due In Federal Court; "Jane" Testifies About Forced Sex Acts, Drug-Fueled "Hotel Nights". Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired June 06, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

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JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: A very public feud between the President of the United States and the richest man in the world. Elon Musk endorsing a social media post calling for Trump's impeachment. As the President tells CNN he won't be speaking with Musk for, in his words, a while. We have the latest on this feud.

Plus, a warning about miscarriages. One prosecutor is saying state laws in West Virginia may mean any woman who miscarries could face criminal charges.

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN HOST: And a tech revolution is underway as A.I. takes hold. We'll tell you how it could change the way wars are fought.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right now to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

DEAN: We are standing by for President Trump to leave the White House this hour. He could depart at any moment with all eyes on whether or not he will stop for reporter questions and say anything new about his feud with Elon Musk.

FREEMAN: Now, earlier today, President Trump told CNN, quote, "I'm not even thinking about Elon." Adding, quote, "He's got a problem. The poor guy's got a problem." CNN Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny is with us now.

Jeff, President clearly wanting to take control of this narrative this morning, personally calling major networks, one by one, including CNN. How rare is that for him to get on the phone to set the record straight in his eyes?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Even for Donald Trump, it's pretty rare. He says he's not thinking about it, but boy, he's sure talking about him a lot. He called Jon Karl at ABC this morning and he described Elon Musk as the man who's lost his mind. He called Bret Baier at Fox News. He said, "Elon's totally lost it." And he called our Dana Bash and he said, "He's got a problem. The poor guy's got a problem." So, he's been spending much of the day talking about Elon Musk, trying

to get this narrative back under control. We'll see if he addresses this. So, when he leaves the White House for a weekend in Bedminster, New Jersey, his golf club there.

But look, the bottom line here is the White House has been rattled by this. The President has been rattled by this. And the reason sort of goes beyond just the schoolyard fight, if you will, because Elon Musk has been hitting at substance. The substance of the big legislative bill, the substance of the trade war. Some personal insults in there as well about wearing makeup in the Oval Office and things.

But this has really, you know, been striking to Donald Trump because few people have the bandwidth and the wealth and things to fight him like this. But look, at the end of the day, the President is the President. He's elected and he's the one who, you know, has the following here.

So, I'm not sure we know what the actual implications are if both men dial it back. If they don't, if Elon Musk supports other Republicans in the midterms next year or decides to go against the President's agenda, that's a problem.

DEAN: Yes, that's going to - and that, I think, is such a big question about kind of what happens going forward. I also want to ask you about some news we're getting that President Trump is telling us in a post that there is a date for trade talks with China.

ZELENY: Right. Starting on Monday in London, we're told. This would be a continuation of the beginning of the discussions with China about a month or so ago in Geneva, Switzerland. And this, of course, is to try and negotiate some type of a deal to really move beyond the impasse with China.

The President spoke with President Xi Jinping for the first time this week. President Trump has been quite literally waiting for that phone call. So, they're hoping that this meeting with the Treasury Secretary and Commerce Secretary in London on Monday continues the trade discussions. But they still have not reached negotiations on all these specific ...

DEAN: Yes.

ZELENY: ... tariffs, so I look for that on Monday.

FREEMAN: Yes. Jeff Zeleny, busy Friday. Thank you for bringing all this.

ZELENY: Good to see you, guys.

DEAN: Nice to see you, too.

FREEMAN: Good to see you, too.

All right. Joining us now is Larry Sabato. He's the director of the Center for Politics at University of Virginia. And he's the editor of a new book coming this July, titled "Campaign of Chaos: Trump, Biden, Harris, and the 2024 American Election."

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Also joining us is Kate Conger. She's a reporter for The New York Times who has covered Elon Musk extensively. She's also the co-author of a book, "Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter."

Thank you both for being here. A lot to talk about. Let's start with the news today. President Trump telling our Dana Bash he won't be speaking with Elon Musk for a while.

Kate, I'll throw to you first. Does Musk have any interest, does it seem, in reconciling this argument with the President?

KATE CONGER, NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER; HAS COVERED ELON MUSK EXTENSIVELY: You know, the only sign that I've seen so far of Musk backing off is he sort of backpedaled last night on his comments about decommissioning Dragon and allowing NASA to continue to use that rocket. But other than that, Musk seems like he is ready to stay the course. And that's typical for him. He gets into these online feuds and he really never backs down. Sometimes he'll apologize a little bit initially and then later come back and double down and say, you know what, I was right the whole time.

DEAN: Yes. And that's - and we have two men that really like to double and triple down on things.

Larry, at the core of this, this all started over Trump's - the Republicans bill that's going through Congress. Musk says that that bill isn't fiscally responsible. Obviously, of course, Musk was in charge of DOGE and cutting the government, the government spending. That was very important to him.

He's accusing Republican leadership, Trump, the House Speaker, the Senate Majority Leader and others of going back on their promises to cut spending. I guess the question is, does Musk have a point that's going to actually resonate with anyone whose vote is going to matter here?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Musk has a point. He is correct for the most part. And in the end, it will have almost no effect on the final vote. And the bill - the "Big, Beautiful Bill" or ugly bill, however you want to put it, is still likely to pass because Republicans have no alternative. They're not going to sink their entire agenda and Trump's entire agenda.

And, you know, you can be right and lose simultaneously. A lot of candidates can tell you about that. But look, Musk and Trump are, in a sense, two of a kind. They're both mercurial. They're both volatile. They're both valuable. And so, you put those characteristics together and they're going to fight like cats and dogs.

And then all of a sudden, overnight, they'll make up a little bit and then maybe more. And then maybe they'll fight again. You know, the kind of couple where you hire a lawyer for the prenup agreement and you hire another lawyer to draw up the divorce papers. And that's pretty much what everybody thought from the beginning.

FREEMAN: Kate, there's been something that has been on my mind a lot since this Twitter X eruption all occurred. President Trump claimed Musk only developed the problem with his "Big, Beautiful Bill," in his words, after he found out that there was this cut to the EV mandate, the electrical vehicle mandate. What's your reporting about this? Because Musk has said, no, that had nothing to do with it at all. Can you give some clarity here into what's true and what's not?

CONGER: Yes, so Musk has, in fact, talked in the past about not being too terribly concerned about these mandates for EVs. And so, I think he's telling the truth that it wasn't his major objection to this bill. I think he's been more outspoken about the fact that he feels like the bill is erasing his legacy with DOGE. He really wanted to leave a mark that - and show that he was able to cut all of these costs from federal government. And it seems like he feels very frustrated that his time in government is being erased.

He's also expressed a lot of frustration over Trump pulling the nomination for Isaacman to become the head of NASA. Musk and Isaacman were closely aligned, and I think Musk felt blindsided by the fact that Trump decided to pull that nomination.

DEAN: Yes. And Larry, so there's the legislation, and we talked about what you think will happen with that. Then, there's the fact that Musk may be threatening to primary people in the midterms that - or he could conversely support them and pour a lot of money into their campaigns. What does this look like if you're a member of Congress looking ahead to the midterms and you might have wanted that backing or felt like that might be important to you?

SABATO: Well, it's not good, obviously, assuming Musk would actually have followed through and given the money. I think he kind of burned out on politics, at least temporarily. So, it may not have happened in any event.

And remember, the Republicans control everything. They have everything. And therefore, when you have everything and you're the party in charge, you really don't have that much difficulty raising money from other sources when one source, even a big source, dries up. So, I would still say Republican congressmen, incumbents, senators, and so on, they'll be fine. They'll have their money. As far as whether or not Musk would come up with primary opponents.

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Let's remember how poorly he did in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race where he got involved, he was the major figure trying to defeat, essentially, the Democratic nominee and elect the Republican nominee. He was all over that state, spent a bloody fortune on it, and the Democrat won easily.

So, I don't think he necessarily knows how to spend money in politics, or he's very effective at it. He's very effective at the things he does, that he's an expert in. But politics actually is not one of them. And you can't do politics just because you do other things well. It comes as a shock to a lot of people.

DEAN: All right. Larry, Kate, thank you so much to both of you. We appreciate your time.

And still to come, Mohamed Soliman, the Egyptian man accused of carrying out an anti-Semitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, is set to appear in federal court this afternoon. He is facing hate crime charges, and if convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.

FREEMAN: Plus, explosive new testimony in the sex trafficking trial for Sean "Diddy" Combs, how one of his accusers described the drug- fueled sexual parties she endured during her relationship with the music mogul.

And later, why one West Virginia prosecutor is warning that the state's broad-ranging laws could mean people that have a miscarriage could face criminal charges. That and much, much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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FREEMAN: Moments from now, the man charged in an anti-Semitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, is set to appear in federal court for the first time. Mohamed Soliman faces a federal hate crime charge after police say he used a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to burn a group of Jewish people who were supporting Israeli hostages in Gaza. Soliman could see life in prison if convicted. CNN's Whitney Wild has been monitoring the developments in this case.

Whitney, Soliman was in state court just yesterday. What can we expect from today's hearing?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is going to be a pretty short hearing. Usually, these first appearances are he may enter a plea. At this moment, CNN's Jeremy Harlan, our producer in Denver, is in that courtroom, so we will bring you the very latest from that as soon as we get that information.

As you pointed out, Danny, he was in state court yesterday. He is now facing in state court alone 118 charges. That's in addition to the hate crime charge being filed by federal officials. So, when you couple all of these things together, just in the state charges alone, if he reaches the maximum sentence for those, we're talking about hundreds of years behind bars.

The U.S. Attorney - the Acting U.S. Attorney in Denver said that if he receives the maximum sentence for that hate crime charge coupled with an attempted murder charge, that could also result in life behind bars. This case is continuing to move very quickly. Sources are telling CNN that authorities are looking into a notebook he left behind. And actually, Soliman told law enforcement where to find that notebook.

Further, they're looking into videos he left. He recorded videos, according to sources in both English and Arabic. We do know - speaking of which, we do know that inside that courtroom, he is asking for an Arabic translator. So, there are still, Danny, things that law enforcement is trying to work out. Namely, you know, more details about how he came upon that group in Boulder, why that group, why that day.

Even still, Danny, the biggest open question is about his immigration status. The White House and the Department of Homeland Security has made very clear they believe he was in the United States illegally. This administration has made very clear deportation is a top priority for them.

So today - excuse me, yesterday, Boulder County District Attorney was asked about this, is there a potential for a deportation, what would that mean for the state case. Here is what the Boulder County District Attorney said about that, Danny.

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MICHAEL DOUGHERTY, BOULDER DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I am absolutely committed to making sure the defendant is fully prosecuted. So obviously, making sure he remains in the country is a top priority so that he can be fully prosecuted and held fully responsible. And I know the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Boulder Police Department, not to speak for them, but I think we're all equally committed to that goal.

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WILD: Danny, the other thing that Boulder County has said over and over and over is that the speed of this case, the list of charges, the robust evidence they've been able to collect already is solely the result of their partnership between the state officials, the local officials and the federal officials. They think that partnership is absolutely crucial to moving forward here. And then finally, Danny, there is a big open question regarding his family.

He has a wife and five children. They have been transferred from Colorado to Texas. The White House had made clear earlier this week that they believed they were going to be deported quickly. At this point, a federal judge has stopped that. And then finally, an attorney speaking out for the first time for that family through court filings said that his wife was absolutely shocked by what she saw. So still a big question about what may happen for them in the future, Danny.

FREEMAN: A lot of new developments. Whitney Wild, thank you very much for that.

All right, we turn now to the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial. His former girlfriend has been on the stand all day. Now she's testifying under the pseudonym Jane. And it's been very emotional during her detailed accounts of having drug fueled sexual encounters with multiple men at the direction and often the insistence of Combs.

DEAN: Jane calls these encounters hotel nights. Others in the trial have called them freak offs. Joining us now, CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister.

And Elizabeth, I know you've been inside the courtroom for weeks now for these proceedings. As we end another full week, what is your takeaway today?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: You know, what really sticks out from Jane's testimony, remember, this is a very recent girlfriend.

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She dated Combs from 2021 all the way up to his arrest in 2024. And she testified today that she had a freak off with him, or as you said, what she called a hotel night just weeks before his arrest. So that just shows the frame of mind that Combs was in.

Remember, his attorney at the time said that he came to New York because he knew he was going to get arrested, but he was still engaging in this alleged conduct. Now, as you said, Jane has said numerous times in many different ways on the stand yesterday and today that she did not want to have sex with other men. She said that at times she agreed to it because she essentially wanted to placate Combs because she loved him and she cared for him. But she did say that she communicated with him many times that she did not want to do this.

In fact, today, the jury has listened to and seen numerous messages, text messages between Jane and Combs where she expressed that she wanted nothing to do with this. I want to read you one of those text messages. She wrote, quote, "It's not me you miss or want." She said, quote, "It's not me that you want. It's these nights," referring to those hotel nights.

Now, she also would write in her notes app on her phone, so she would essentially journal in real time. And I want to read you something else that the jury heard that came from Jane's notes app. She said, "Hey, I don't know why you're calling me for, but I'm sorry, I don't want to do drugs for days and days and have you use me to fulfill your freaky wild desires in hotel rooms."

Now, on one occasion, Jane testified that Combs had her have sex with three men in one night. She also said that she was used essentially as a drug mule, that Combs on two separate occasions had her pick up drugs for him at his home in Beverly Hills and fly with them to Miami. And his security is the one who gave them to her. And the chief of staff knew. So again, getting this pattern that members of Combs' staff were aware of all of this alleged conduct.

DEAN: All right. Elizabeth Wagmeister, there outside the courtroom in New York. Thank you so much for that update.

Joining us now, former litigator, Lisa Bonner. Lisa, thank you for being with us as well to kind of break down some more of this. Walk us through the narrative, the prosecution's trying to build with Jane's testimony today. Elizabeth was talking about how they're trying to make this case on these sex trafficking and racketeering charges. LISA BONNER, ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEY & FORMER LITIGATOR: Good

afternoon. Yes, the prosecution is going bit by bit and text message by text message, day by day almost to really connect the dots in the weaker part of the sex trafficking in terms of the fact that Jane participated in these hotel nights through coercion.

Basically, that she was coerced, that she maintained time and time again, that she did not want to participate in these hotel nights, but for the fact to keep him happy and she also talked about that when she expressed her displeasure with that, Sean got very - allegedly, got very irritated, got just very dismissive of a lot of her complaints. And so, they are really trying to connect the dots through the coercion part.

The other interesting thing that we need to point out here is that the prosecution is really talking about the drug trafficking in various states. And this is important as well, because this goes to the RICO charge, the predicate crime of drug trafficking in the distribution of narcotics. So that is a very important tie in as well. And for the criminal enterprise part, they are really talking and tying in his security in terms of the security procuring the drugs and Kristina Khorram, his chief of staff, who was also allegedly procuring these drugs for Sean. So, a lot of strong allegations are coming out from Jane's testimony today.

FREEMAN: Lisa, can you talk a little bit more about this dynamic of Jane's testimony, specifically when it comes to not just pushing back on Combs and saying, I'm done with this, I don't want to do this anymore. And Combs' reaction, which was at times, I think the word that they used was defensive and you noted as well. What is what is the prosecution gain from this particular element of this testimony?

BONNER: Yes, that's a great question. They are really tying in the coercion part, because in order to meet the bar for the sex trafficking part, you need to show that she was sex trafficked in different states, that's the trafficking part, through force, fraud or coercion. So, the fact that she's saying, listen, I did not want to participate in these freak offs - excuse me, hotel nights in her instance - but I did this to keep him happy. But I was also high on various drugs, right, from (INAUDIBLE) in her testimony.

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So, the coercion part is very strong that the prosecution is tying in. Now, the coercion also goes into the other part of the other two counts in the indictment. There's a separate sex trafficking part for victim number two. This is Jane and the transportation of prostitution. And a lot of this was done through the coercion, through the coercive - through the efforts, excuse me, of "Diddy," allegedly.

DEAN: And just quickly, before I let you go, this idea that these hotel nights that Jane says that these happened in various locations, L.A., Miami, New York, why did the various locations matter? What's the importance of pointing that out?

BONNER: The importance of pointing that out is because in order to have a RICO charge, you have to have the effects of interstate commerce. So, if this had just happened in New York, per se, this might not have been a federal case. So, in order to meet that bar of RICO, it has to affect interstate commerce.

And so, what they are saying is that the sex trafficking happened in various towns and various cities across the United States, which is the nexus to meet the RICO charge of coercion, sex trafficking, forced part of coercion in various states. So that's very important that it's happened in several states and internationally as well, because internationally is mentioned in the indictment.

DEAN: Lisa Bonner, thank you for your thoughts on this. We really appreciate it.

Coming up, the future of warfare, how advances in artificial intelligence could reshape the battlefield.

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