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Jury Sends Note to the Judge Shortly After Starting Deliberation in Sean Diddy Combs Trial; Canada Scraps Digital Services Tax that Infuriated Trump; Protests Grow as Florida Prepares to Open "Alligator Alcatraz". Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired June 30, 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]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: After nearly seven weeks of testimony, jury deliberations in the Sean Diddy Combs federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial have begun. Eight men and four women ranging from age 30 to 74 will decide the music mogul's fate.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Combs is charged with racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He's pleaded not guilty to all five counts, but he does face up to life in prison if he's convicted of the most serious charges.
Let's go to Manhattan now with CNN anchor and chief legal affairs analyst Laura Coates. She's outside the federal courthouse for us where deliberations have now been going on for about two hours, Laura. And the jury has already sent a note to the judge, right?
LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, they have. And I'm looking at it right now. So first of all, it was about an hour or so into deliberations. We learned they had a note. Here's the note.
The note says we have a juror number 25 who we are concerned cannot follow your honors instructions.
The foreperson also asked to speak with the judge or that juror to be interviewed. Let me tell you something. Why this is such an important point. As you know, it has to be a unanimous decision from these 12 jurors. They've already dismissed the alternates temporarily.
They could come back into the fold, of course, but they are told to be on standby. They can leave the courthouse for any reason. If they are called back in, they can't talk to friends or family or press and otherwise.
But this idea of not following the judge's instructions. Here are some of those instructions, Boris. Some of them include you're not to bring in your own views. You're supposed to bring in your common sense and, of course, follow the evidence, the witnesses and be your own fact finder. You are also not to share your notes with one another. You have to use your notes for only your same purpose. You're supposed to follow the idea that the prosecution cannot be judged for their decision to charge or prosecute or the investigators methodology of how they investigate this case. And again, the job of a juror as a fact finder is to follow the law, not to essentially go rogue for whatever reason and say, for example, I know what you told me to do. Let me do my own thing here.
Now that could be a possibility we're hearing now. We have no other explanation. Sean Diddy Combs is in that courthouse behind me looking through things as well, probably wondering what this means for his overall fate.
Could this be a juror who is saying they will not engage in substantive deliberations outside their already preconceived notions or views? Or could it mean the opposite? The truth is, Boris, this is our justice system where it's in the hand of the peers of Sean Diddy Combs, and they will have to decide.
But suffice to say, after seven weeks of a trial, it sounds like somebody in that jury room is a little bit of a person onto themselves.
KEILAR: Yes, that is -- I mean, how unusual is that, Laura?
COATES: Yes, well, I'll tell you something. Remember, for the past seven weeks, these jurors are not to talk amongst themselves. This is their first day when they're really now talking about this case.
They may have had no prior notice of who might be somebody who would not follow the instructions, who might be somebody who is persona non grata. There's a famous Norman Rockwell painting, right, of the one juror at the end of the table with her arms head back. There's, of course, all sorts of movies that talk to you about what happens behind those closed doors to be a fly on the wall.
Well, it's actually quite common to know that people are deliberating, and at times they will butt heads. That does not mean they cannot ultimately come to a conclusion of guilt or innocence. But for right now, we know day one, they've now officially met one another, and there's already somebody who is by themselves.
SANCHEZ: Really interesting. Laura Coates, thank you so much.
Let's discuss with jury consultant and attorney Alan Tuerkheimer. Alan, thanks so much for being with us. This note from the jury. We have a juror number 25 who we are concerned cannot follow your honors instructions.
What do you read into that?
ALAN TUERKHEIMER, JURY CONSULTANT/ATTORNEY: Well, there's a wild card on this jury, and that is significant. It happened incredibly quickly. There's a lot of give and take back and forth.
Deliberations can get incredibly heated, and that's part of the process. And in my experience, whenever there's a hung jury or the jury is fully split and they can't move on, it's because one juror says something to the effect of, look, I've made up my mind, and there is nothing anybody can say to me that's going to make me change my mind, period. End of story.
I don't know if that's exactly what happened, but for the jurors to say that one juror is not going to follow the judge's instructions, that is quite notable, especially at this early stage of the process.
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KEILAR: Can you talk to us a little bit, Alan, about what happens now? Because the foreperson has asked to speak to the judge or that the juror be interviewed. What is that process like? And let's also remind ourselves that a juror has already been removed for being less than candid in the initial interview about where they lived. So there's been some jury drama when it comes to this case.
TUERKHEIMER: Absolutely. The judge has a lot of authority now, and there's going to be an interview, and this juror is most likely going to be told what the other jurors had to say and what they feel about it. And they're going to have to answer some questions.
And then it's really up to the judge to decide, all right, I don't know if this juror could continue to deliberate, but they've already started. So there's already good grounds for any type of appeal by the defense should there be a conviction. So this is really a possible mess and a major headache at this early stage of the game.
SANCHEZ: Talk to us about that. How exactly would the defense appeal this sort of thing?
TUERKHEIMER: They are allowed to have a jury of their peers deliberate. It has to be unanimous. And these are the jurors that they've chosen. They used their strikes, there were peremptory that were used, and this is the jury that ultimately was seated for this case. I know there was that one juror that was excused earlier, but once they have the 12 starting deliberations, there's no resetting that. Now, there are alternates and there are reasons maybe that you can have a juror come in and take over for deliberations, but maybe not something like this.
We just don't know exactly what it is about this juror that's keeping them from being deliberating and what's causing fellow jurors to have a real issue. This note was just so incredibly swift. It's hard to imagine they really were that substantive in the deliberation process up until the point of discovering that there's a juror that's not willing to follow the judge's instruction.
KEILAR: Is this an unusual level of juror drama for a case that we've seen here?
TUERKHEIMER: Yes, it is. Usually it goes seamlessly, and you do have alternates for a reason. So it's not unheard of that you might try to dip into the alternate pool, and there might be something that requires a juror to come in. And look, maybe the judge will call this juror in. There'll be some Q&A, and it'll be resolved, and it'll just be a little bump in the road.
I'm not so sure. That's quite likely. I wouldn't exactly bet on that, given how quickly it happened and the fact that it's not following the judge's instructions. There are all sorts of reasons why a jury might say, well, I'm not comfortable with one juror or another, or I think maybe things have to change.
Whatever it is, this is significant. So it could be rectified. It just depends on how the follow-up goes.
But again, this is a real wild card and a real stumbling block to move things along in the deliberation process.
SANCHEZ: Another twist in a case rife with drama. Alan Tuerkheimer, thanks so much for the analysis.
TUERKHEIMER: Thank you. Good to be here.
SANCHEZ: If the Trump administration is aiming to keep its own promises, they have just nine days left to cut 90 trade deals. We're going to take a look at where things stand right after this.
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KEILAR: Stocks trading a little bit higher after the U.S. confirms trade talks are back on with Canada. Late last night, the Canadian government said that it would cancel a tax on digital services that would have hit American tech companies, and that is bringing the U.S. back to the table after President Trump blasted the tax and threatened to call off talks.
CNN's Matt Egan is with us now with more. Matt, President Trump is working to make these deals ahead of his own July 9th deadline. How are the negotiations going?
MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Brianna, the clock is ticking ahead of next week's self-imposed deadline. And look, this is very, very complicated stuff. We're talking about negotiations with dozens of different countries over many significant issues.
There are so many different minefields that could potentially blow up any of these discussions. We look at what just happened with the U.S. and Canada. President Trump surprised many people on Friday by just abruptly ending those trade discussions over his frustration with Canada's digital services tax.
Now, this is a 2 percent tax that was supposed to go -- 3 percent tax that was supposed to take effect today on online services. U.S. tech companies would have been on the hook for billions of dollars because the tax would have been retroactive to 2022.
And what happened was last night, Canada blinked. They're rescinding this digital services tax. And now, thankfully, it does look like U.S.-Canada trade talks are back on course. But when you think about it, the U.S. has really only reached trade
frameworks with two different countries so far, the United Kingdom and China. And even though there is this framework with China, U.S. tariffs on China remain very high. And there are significant issues that remain outstanding before they can reach some sort of comprehensive trade agreement. And meantime, there's still dozens of countries there where there is no trade agreement.
And Trump officials have made clear that if these talks do not progress, then they could end up just dictating tariff levels to those countries, possibly as high as those April 2nd Liberation Day tariffs. Those, of course, are the ones that freaked out investors and sent stocks plunging.
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Now, take a listen to what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said about that topic.
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SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: We have countries that are negotiating in good faith, but they should be aware that if we can't get across the line because they are being recalcitrant, then we could spring back to the April 2nd levels.
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EGAN: Now, I think the bottom line here is investors and business leaders, they really crave certainty when it comes to tariffs. But I think that it's clear that this is just not going to be easy to get all of these deals done on time.
KEILAR: And Matt, President Trump really going after the Fed chair again, as he has done so often. What's the White House saying?
EGAN: Yes, Brianna. Well, the White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, started her press briefing this afternoon by holding up a note that the president was sent to the Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. And Trump also put out a message on True Social about this, where he again called Powell "Too Late."
And he said that both Powell and his entire board should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen to the United States. Of how high interest rates are in the United States. He said they have one of the easiest yet most prestigious jobs in America and they have failed.
And what's noteworthy to me here is not necessarily the attack on Powell, right? The president's been going after his handpicked Fed chairman all year, increasingly attacking him on personal terms. But what's notable is that he's actually broadened that criticism to the entire board at the Federal Reserve.
Now, a lot of people focus only on Powell, but really this is a consensus driven board. And they voted unanimously two weeks ago to keep interest rates unchanged because they're concerned about all the uncertainty caused by the president's tariffs and the risk that eventually those tariffs could end up worsening inflation. And I think the president is making clear that he's not only upset with Powell, he's really frustrated with all of those Federal Reserve officials.
And one last point here, Brianna, I should note that some Fed officials in just the last few weeks have sounded a bit more open to the idea of potentially cutting interest rates as soon as next month's meeting. Back to you.
KEILAR: All right. We'll be watching. Matt Egan thank you for that.
Next, it is dubbed Alligator Alcatraz. We are going to take a look at Florida's controversial plan to house thousands of migrants on an abandoned airport runway in the Everglades and use the swamp's deadly creatures as security.
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SANCHEZ: Protests and demonstrations are growing as Florida gets set to open a highly controversial immigrant detention center in the middle of the Everglades, dubbed by state leaders "Alligator Alcatraz." The White House just confirmed that President Trump will be there for tomorrow's formal opening. Florida officials are hyping the sprawling facility as a place no one will escape because of the dangerous wildlife that surrounds it, including alligators and python snakes.
But native tribes and environmental activists see the construction as an encroachment on sacred and protected lands.
Let's get the latest from CNN's Priscilla Alvarez. Priscilla, explain the plans for this Alligator Alcatraz.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, this stems from a desperate need by the Trump administration to build up the number of detention beds that are available to them. Right now, they are over capacity when it comes to how many people they can hold in ICE custody. This has become a major concern for Trump officials that I've spoken with, including White House borders czar Tom Homan.
And now they are relying on their allies, in this case, Florida, to build up those number of beds and this Alligator Alcatraz. Now, it earned that name because of where it is in the marshy Everglades. And Florida officials have said that they would save on costs because it is surrounded, as you mentioned, by alligators and pythons, among other wildlife that would dissuade anyone from trying to escape from detention.
Now, the goal here is to have it open in early July and have up to 5,000 beds, temporary structures that include, for example, heavy duty tents and trailers. And just moments ago, the White House formally announced that the president will be visiting alongside Florida officials tomorrow. Take a listen.
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KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Tomorrow, President Trump will travel to the great state of Florida to attend the opening of a new illegal alien detention center located at Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport alongside Secretary Kristi Noem, Governor Ron DeSantis, Congressman Byron Donalds and other state and local leaders. The facility is in the heart of the Everglades and will be informally known as "Alligator Alcatraz."
There is only one road leading in and there is -- the only way out is a one way flight. It is isolated and surrounded by dangerous wildlife and unforgiving terrain. The facility will have up to 5,000 beds to house, process and deport criminal illegal aliens.
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ALVAREZ: Now, as you mentioned, Boris, there has been wide opposition to this detention center, including from migrant rights groups who say these are going to be inhumane conditions and environmental groups who have also filed a lawsuit trying to halt its construction.
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SANCHEZ: And Priscilla, the president has sort of floated this idea before that he would find a way to help certain business owners and even farmers who have had some issues with keeping their businesses running because of these deportations. He's actually floated the idea of special exemptions for migrants hired by farmers.
Tell us about that.
ALVAREZ: There haven't been any details about this yet. And the White House press secretary was asked to elaborate on what the president has said, and she similarly said she had nothing to read out. But it has been a consistent theme over the course of the president's second term about what to do for those industries that are reliant on migrant workers.
Now, I have talked to some people in those industries who say that they are between a heart -- a rock and a hard place. They just don't know how they can proceed and how they can meet their own goals, including on manufacturing, without relying on these migrant workers. So this continues to be a problem.
It is also illustrative of the delicate balance the president needs to strike when it comes to his key constituencies, but also when it comes to his immigration crackdown. Still, though, a lot of questions unanswered.
SANCHEZ: Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much for that reporting.
Still to come, see the moment that crews rescue a father and daughter from the middle of the ocean after she falls off a cruise ship and he dives in trying to save her.
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