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Biden To Deliver Morehouse College Commencement; IDF Retrieves Bodies Of Israeli Hostages; Israeli Defense Minister Challenges Netanyahu On Gaza's Future; Ukraine Controls Entry Routes In Kharkiv Region; Biden Draws Contrast With Trump At African American Museum; Sean Combs Seen Assaulting Former Girlfriend In 2016; Storms Kill At Least Seven In Houston; PGA Championship; Musk's Brain Chip Startup Seeks New Human Trial Subject. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired May 18, 2024 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
President Biden hoping that a commencement address in a battleground state will help build support with one key group. We'll have details. Plus how the university says it will deal with potential protests.
A temporary pier built by the U.S. military finally bringing desperately needed aid to Gaza as Israeli forces continue to strike throughout the enclave.
Plus CNN obtained footage of a violent incident involving rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs. How this could impact the pending legal cases he's named in.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Joe Biden heads to the battleground state of Georgia later today for a campaign fundraiser. Then on Sunday, he will give the commencement address at Morehouse College here in Atlanta, one of the nation's preeminent historically Black colleges and universities.
Biden has been working to shore up support among Black voters who were key in his 2020 election victory. But there are concerns about protests over the Israel-Hamas war. The school will allow silent demonstrations but warns that the ceremony will be stopped if protesters become disruptive.
And some Morehouse students say they don't want that. Here's Nick Valencia.
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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When you talk to Aylon Gipson about his upcoming college graduation, you can see he's excited.
COVID canceled his high school commencement in 2020. So this one is extra special.
AYLON GIPSON, GRADUATING SENIOR, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: I think most are like me, that are a little bit enthusiastic. But most just want a peaceful graduation without protests.
VALENCIA (voice-over): For the 21-year-old Morehouse senior, getting President Joe Biden as the commencement speaker is, in his words, "pretty cool," even if he does see why some of his peers think the choice was controversial.
GIPSON: I personally don't agree with some of the things that the White House has done.
(CROSSTALK)
VALENCIA: But you still want him to come here.
GIPSON: I still do want him to come because I agree with his full body of work.
COLIN ROYAL, MANAGING EDITOR, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE SCHOOL NEWSPAPER: There's been mixed reactions, some for, some against.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Morehouse student newspaper managing editor Colin Royal says mostly the invitation created confusion on campus.
ROYAL: The fact that we weren't really in the loop for that was kind of concerning, especially when we have somebody of that magnitude and somebody that's been involved in a lot of things that students have protested against.
VALENCIA: Who would you guys much rather have as a commencement speaker?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am inclined to say Andre 3,000.
(LAUGHTER)
VALENCIA (voice-over): They joke but Marc Reagans (ph) and Noah Collier (ph) had been on the front lines as two of the most vocal critics at Morehouse to Biden's invitation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I exist as more than a prop for a photo op.
Draped in keffiyehs, the pro-Palestinian activists tell us about what they call U.S. imperialism, which they say Biden has amplified by his armed support for the war in Gaza while at the same time overlooking their concerns as Black men.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He completely dismissed us by calling us violent, by calling us anti-Semitic and --
VALENCIA: Are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, in no way shape or form are any of us anti- Semitic because, if we, where we would not be engaging in these protests. The idea of anti-Semitism does -- it completely contradicts and conflicts with the values that we move with.
DAVID THOMAS, PRESIDENT, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: Was part of my calculus that he would say yes to us because he's in this presidential race. Absolutely.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Morehouse president David Thomas invited Biden to be the commencement speaker back in September. Today, he defends the decision, as well as the school's choice to give Biden an honorary degree.
THOMAS: What I want them to walk out thinking is the President of the United States came to give the commencement speech at Morehouse College because Morehouse College matters in the world.
And therefore, what I do with the privilege of having gone to Morehouse means I should matter in the world.
VALENCIA (voice-over): In the longstanding tradition of Morehouse's student-led activism, Thomas says he will give space for protests on Sunday but will take a hard line if protests are disruptful (sic).
Gipson was among a small group that met with the White House ahead of Biden's visit. From that conversation, he says, it's clear.
Not only does Morehouse matter but, he says, on Sunday, Biden has a chance to show the men of Morehouse that they matter more than every four years.
GIPSON: I don't want him to hit come here and campaign.
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I know he's going to tout some of his accomplishments. I know he's going to talk about some things he's going to do for Black people. I'm expecting to hear that.
But I also want to hear authentic speech about why he's here for us.
VALENCIA (voice-over): And perhaps why they should be there for him come November.
VALENCIA: This week, Morehouse faculty voted in support of giving President Biden an honorary degree. Meanwhile, student activists have taken to social media to encourage graduates on Sunday to turn their back on President Biden during his commencement address.
They say, as Biden has turned his back on Palestine -- Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.
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BRUNHUBER: The Palestinian ministry of health in Gaza says new Israeli strikes have killed at least 31 people there.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): This is the aftermath from an airstrike in central Gaza, that left at least four people dead. They were inside a school that shelters displaced Palestinians.
SOLIMAN DARWISH, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN (through translator): This is what happened. It was 1:00 am. We suddenly saw a missile coming down. We were surprised. Four stones fell from above. It smashed the whole house and the neighbors here and there, as you can see.
We appeal to the world to stop these massacres, to stop this war as soon as possible. We don't want aid. We want to stop these massacres and this aggression on our people.
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BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, 17 American doctors who were stuck in Rafah have now been evacuated. The doctors were trapped when Israel closed the Rafah border crossing. A source tells CNN, the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem helped get them out through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Now along Gaza's coast, the first aid has been delivered by ship through the floating pier the U.S. built there. The United Nations says the pier can supplement land crossings into Gaza but can't replace them.
And the U.S. is hoping to revive the stalled ceasefire and hostage talks. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan will be in Saudi Arabia and Israel. He plans to meet with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The IDF says it has recovered the bodies of three hostages in Gaza. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has their stories but we just want to warn you that his report does contain some disturbing images.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They managed to escape Hamas' terrifying rampage of the Nova Music Festival on October 7 but they did not survive the day.
Hamas terrorists killed Shani Louk, Amit Bouskila and Itshak Gelernter 10 miles down the road from the festival, according to the Israeli military. Their bodies taken into Gaza and held hostage.
DANIEL HAGARI, IDF SPOKESMAN: Last night, the Israeli Defense Forces and ISA forces rescued the bodies of all hostages.
DIAMOND: The Israeli military now says their bodies are back on Israeli soil. Return to families who have endured more than seven months of uncertainty and anguish.
HAGARI: Our hearts go out to them, to the families at this difficult time. We will live no stone unturned. We will do everything in our power to find our hostages and bring them home.
DIAMOND: Twenty-three-year-old Shani Louk seen here at the Nova Festival hours before her death.
This image of her body being hauled into Gaza, embodying the brutality of Hamas' attack.
Her family learned in late October she had been killed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We cannot do really real funeral.
DIAMOND: Her father now, telling Israeli media, they can find peace.
NISSIM LOUK, FATHER OF SHANI LOUK (through translator): This was like a present for Shabbat for us. And now shell be able to find a place in the cemetery. We can put a bouquet.
DIAMOND: For the two other families, a different type of closure. For months, the family of Amit Bouskila, a 28 fashion stylists, had no information on civilian.
NATALIE AMOUYAL, AUNT OF AMIT BUSKILA: We know nothing about her. Not one person has seen her and is capable of telling us anything about her or any of the others, really nothing.
DIAMOND: The Israeli military operation also confirming for the first time the death of Itshak Gelernter, a 58-year-old father of four and grandfather of two.
In Israel, reaction pouring in from across the political spectrum, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the news heartbreaking, vowing we will return all of our hostages, the living and the deceased alike.
But there is no clear path to securing their return with ceasefire negotiations at a standstill. The families of the remaining 125 hostages, cleaning in only two hope and fear -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
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BRUNHUBER: Israel has refuted accusations before the top U.N. court that it's committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel blamed Hamas for starting the war with its attacks on October 7th and defended its growing military operation in the city of Rafah, where 600,000 people have fled the fighting in recent days.
Israel's deputy attorney general argued, quote, "calling something a genocide again and again doesn't make it genocide."
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GILAD NOAM, ISRAELI DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: There is a tragic war going on but there is no genocide.
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BRUNHUBER: Israel criticized South Africa for not mentioning Hamas during an emergency hearing at the International Court of Justice and says the city of Rafah remains a Hamas stronghold.
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NOAM: Rafah, in particular, is a focal point for ongoing terrorist activity. It is a stronghold for Hamas' operatives, with several battalions belonging to the Rafah brigades entrenched in the area.
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BRUNHUBER: Lawyers for South Africa argued Rafah is the last refuge for civilians amid Israel's ongoing military operation. They made their allegations against Israel at the court on Thursday.
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BRUNHUBER: Yossi Mekelberg is an associate fellow with the Chatham House Middle East and North Africa program and he joins us now from London.
Thanks so much for being here with us.
So just to start there, what effects, if any, do you think the ICJ will have on Israel?
I mean, they seem to have pretty much ignored it in practice, at least thus far.
YOSSI MEKELBERG, CHATHAM HOUSE: Hello, thank you for having me.
I think from (INAUDIBLE), since there is no decision by the ICJ, beyond the fact that Palestinians have the right to be protected from genocide. But there's no decision whether the account situation constitute a genocide or no.
By symbolically, we look at the way that the war from October 7 until now (INAUDIBLE) is from fruit (ph) sympathy for what -- and rightly so -- for what Israel and deal to the fact that Israel facing the ICJ and there is the danger of the ICC issuing arrest warrants against politicians.
And military personnel, Israeli military personnel, which shows you the way that the Israel conducted the war. It lost public opinion. It doesn't achieve its military objective and instead of it, it said potentially suspected of genocide.
And this, what the Israeli government, what is do after seven months. BRUNHUBER: Yes, I want to ask you about some of those objectives a
little later but I want to ask you here about some of the latest developments, the tragic discovery of the bodies of three hostages. I imagine that is putting more pressure on prime minister Netanyahu to get a hostage deal done, to prioritize that instead of going into Rafah.
MEKELBERG: Just imagine what the families of the hostages going through over the last seven months, what the hostages themselves are going through. You know, it's difficult to say, in particular, please, right now.
But there is a sense of relief that, at least they know the disclosure to the families and they can be varied. (INAUDIBLE) back in Israel. But the pressure is on. The question that we all ask ourselves, whether read the Netanyahu government behave differently and accelerated the negotiation with Hamas.
Many more those suggest could have returned alive. Right now, we don't know how many of those (INAUDIBLE) life, what their condition. And it became obvious that for Netanyahu, and his far right partners in government, the hostages are not a priority, definitely not the top priority in this government.
While the other priority (INAUDIBLE) which question completely the direction that this government is taking the country.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, on that, I mean, Netanyahu is facing pressure not just from his own citizens, from the U.S. and now from within the war cabinet, with defense minister Yoav Gallant openly questioning Netanyahu's lack of a day-after plan.
Why do you think he spoke out now?
And what do you think it'll mean?
MEKELBERG: It's a good question. He probably should have spoke out back in December, January, when it became apparent that restoring (ph) Hamas is not (INAUDIBLE) objective of the war.
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And we see all that in places that have been evacuated by the IDF, Hamas is returning to them. And then the IDF as a result of fate (ph), resume the fight against Hamas in these places, while the threat of an Israeli offensive in Rafah is still, is still a real one.
And for the military people, bearing in mind the defense minister was also a general. And together with the other generals in the Israeli government, like Benny Gantz and (INAUDIBLE) the chief of staff, the commanders of the army, really instead of actually achieving military objective, which government should think actually about the political objectives.
Israel is become more and more isolated. The Biden administration, probably one of the friendliest administrations in the council's (ph) history, already banned certain decision by the United Nations Security Council of cease-fire well decided.
So this is what Israel is becoming isolated, won't be able to actually deal with its future security challenges. And I think Yoav Gallant found this is the time to take and accelerate also the departure of Netanyahu from Israeli politics.
BRUNHUBER: We shall see. Really appreciate your analysis. Yossi Mekelberg, thank you so much for speaking with us.
MEKELBERG: Thank you.
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BRUNHUBER: Russia has made gains in its military push in northern Ukraine. But the French president says his country still holds the key to stop further Russian advances. We will explain.
Plus the Russian and Chinese presidents embrace for the cameras, sending a message directly to the West. We'll have more on that all coming up, stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the country's main defense line is still holding, despite Russian gains in the Kharkiv region. He says Russian forces have advanced as far as six miles or 10 kilometers since launching their cross-border offensive last week, where he says Ukraine still controls the entry routes for further Russian advances.
A Ukrainian lawmaker told us earlier that people in Kharkiv are determined to defeat the invaders. Here she is.
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VIKTORIA KINZBURSKA, UKRAINIAN MP: You know, we call our city unbroken, Kharkiv. Our people are extremely brave and morale in the city among people remains high. People got used to the war and I've continuous (ph). I understand that it's hard to realize but this is our reality.
And, of course, this is just a semblance of normal life. The city is unsafe. But we don't give up and don't lose heart because this is our home.
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BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, Ukrainian investigators say Russia is using about 40 people as human shields in the town of Vovchansk, which is now contested. They are mainly elderly residents, who were captured while trying to evacuate. CNN can't independently verify that claim.
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BRUNHUBER: All right. For more we're joined now by former CNN NEWSROOM Moscow bureau chief Nathan Hodge and he's speaking to us from London.
Good to see you again.
So just to start, how precarious is the situation around Kharkiv for Ukraine right now?
NATHAN HODGE, FORMER CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Kim, it looks like Russian forces and in some ways are seizing a window of opportunity. It was only just last month that the U.S. Congress passed a very crucial aid bill to deliver more weaponry and supplies to the Ukrainian government.
And those supplies are now being rushed to the front. And that's crucially needed ammunition for the fight. And this is now coming at a time when it's putting pressure, additional pressure on Ukraine by opening up this new axis of advance just north of the city of Kharkiv, which has been for months under pretty intense bombardment.
And this has been something that citizens of Kharkiv have had to endure for many months. Now Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that the objective here is not for Russia to capture this area of Kharkiv.
Now Ukrainians, I think, would be skeptical about any kind of claim made by Putin, who has quite publicly in the past said for instance, that he believes that Ukrainian cities such as the port city of Odessa, are in fact Russian.
The fact that he even questions the right of Ukrainians to exist as a nation I think would lead to a lot of skepticism about this. But this is, of course, happening at a time when Ukraine has really been trying to both shore up its manpower at a time when you've had a grinding war of attrition in the Donbas region for going on over two years now.
And just today, a Ukrainian mobilization law is now taking effect. But what we've got is kind of a race of time, Kim, between sort of the manpower base of Russia and that of Ukraine, as well as their industrial race to keep ammunition flowing.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, let's talk about that specifically because, as you say, Ukraine's not only out gunned but outmanned as well. It just passed that mobilization order you referenced there.
So concretely, what effect will that have?
And how quickly might those reinforcements be introduced to the front lines?
HODGE: Kim, I think the big question here is what this latest advance by Russian forces in the northeast north of Kharkiv means. And will it divert crucially needed resources from Ukraine, which has been trying to hold down about a 1,000-kilometer long front line in the east and at fairly high cost?
And I think that it's not a secret that Ukrainian forces have been fighting constantly, that there's a certain level of exhaustion. And of course, the delay in delivery of supplies from Western backers, particularly from the U.S., has been -- it's been a morale blow for Ukraine.
So I think at this point in time, this is a fairly perilous moment although we did see U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken visiting Ukraine, just this past week.
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Sort of sending a message that the U.S. is resolutely behind Ukraine. But at the same time on the geopolitical sort of stage, Russian president Vladimir Putin has just visited Xi Jinping in China. Basically showing that he has a strong ally.
But of course, the hope of the Ukrainians is that somehow behind the scenes that China might be able to use its influence, perhaps to bring some kind of negotiated end to this conflict which has been going on, well, the full-scale -- following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, just over 2.5 years ago.
BRUNHUBER: Yes.
All right. We'll have to leave it there. I appreciate your analysis. Nathan Hodge in London. Thank you so much.
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BRUNHUBER: As Nathan referenced there, President Zelenskyy says he would like to see China at the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland next month, he says, engaging China's crucial because of its close relations with Russia. Here he is.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): That's why I would like to see China involved in the peace summit.
Why is it so important to work to engage global players?
Even if they see the world differently?
Because they have all kinds of influence, whether its defense, arms, trade or economics. They have influence on Russia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Russia hasn't been represented at any of the four private international peace talks so far and won't be participating this year. China has only attended one and Chinese president Xi Jinping conveyed
his support for an international peace conference on Ukraine during Vladimir Putin's visit this week. The Russian president wrapped up his two-day state visit on Friday. Xi and Putin hugged each other in front of the cameras at one point.
The two leaders challenged the U.S. led world order and vowed to deepen their partnership amid growing friction with the West.
Slovakia's prime minister is said to be conscious and able to speak but is still in very serious condition. Robert Fico underwent another surgery on Friday after he was shot earlier in the week.
The country's deputy prime minister said doctors will have a better idea of how Fico is recovering in the coming days. A 71-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder in the shooting. Officials are describing the suspect as a lone wolf with political motivations.
A U.S. House Democrat and Republican trade barbs in Congress.
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REP. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX): If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody's bleach blonde, bad built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?
UNIDENTIFIED CONGRESSMAN: What now?
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BRUNHUBER: We'll have all the details about the brutal back-and-forth plus reaction from one of the representatives involved after the break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Preparations are underway for U.S. President Joe Biden's commencement address Sunday here in Atlanta at Morehouse College, one of the nation's preeminent historically Black colleges and universities. Biden has been working to consolidate support among Black voters, a key part of his winning 2020 coalition.
On Friday, Biden marked the 70th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark Brown versus Board of Education ruling, which declared segregated public schools to be unconstitutional.
At the National Museum of African History and Culture, Biden drew a sharp contrast with his presumed election rival. Here he is.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All the progress we've made is still have more to do and there's still groups who are trying to erase it.
My predecessor and his extreme MAGA of friends are responsible for taking away other fundamental freedoms, from the freedom to vote to the freedom to choose.
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BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump took a break from the courtroom in his criminal trial in New York on Friday and hit the campaign trail. He traveled to Minnesota's capital for a Republican fundraiser after attending his son, Barron's, graduation in Florida.
Trump told the crowd he wants Joe Biden to take a drug test before their first debate next month. Here he is.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I just want to debate this guy but you know, and I'm going to -- I'm going to demand a drug test, too, by the way. I am. No, I really am. I don't want him coming in like the State of the Union. He was high as a kite.
I said, is that Joe up there, a beautiful row?
And by the end of the evening, he's like, well, it was exhausted, right?
Now we're going to demand a drug test.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Even though Minnesota leans slightly Democratic, Trump's team has indicated he could have a chance to win there in the election in November.
A tense argument between U.S. House representatives devolved into personal attacks on Thursday. The quarrel mainly involved Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Texas Democrat Jasmine Crockett. But New York's Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez jumped in to defend her fellow party member.
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REP. JASMINE CROCKETT (D-TX): You know, we're here about --
(CROSSTALK)
CROCKETT: Well, you don't want to talk about --
(CROSSTALK) REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I think your fake eyelashes are messing up.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Order.
Mr. Chairman --
(CROSSTALK)
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): I have a point of order. I would like to move to take down Ms. Greene's words. That is absolutely unacceptable.
How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person?
GREENE: Are your feelings --
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Her words down.
GREENE: Aww.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Oh, oh, girl, baby girl.
GREENE: Oh, really?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Don't even play.
CROCKETT: If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody's bleach blonde, bad built butch body, that would not be engaged in personalities, correct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What now?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
The interaction startled reactions from other House members during the back-and-forth quickly went viral on social media. On Friday, Crockett said Greene's initial comment about her lashes stemmed from racism. She told CNN she has no regrets about her response. Here she is.
All right. Now to a CNN exclusive surveillance video from 2016, obtained by CNN, shows rapper and business mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs violently assaulting his then girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hotel. What happens in the video appears to match Ventura's allegations in a federal lawsuit, which has now been settled.
CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has details. We want to warn you, the video in the report is disturbing.
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ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New surveillance footage obtained exclusively by CNN appears to corroborate some of the allegations of abuse against music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs.
The video captured on multiple cameras shows Combs wearing only a towel assaulting his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hallway at a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016.
A lawsuit filed by Ventura in November last year and settled the next day referenced actions that seem to match those seen in this video.
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There is no audio.
According to the complaint, Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye, which, according to the lawsuit, prompted Ventura to try and leave the hotel room.
The surveillance video obtained by CNN begins as she enters the hallway.
The complaint says, as she exited Mr. Combs awoke in, began screaming at Ms. Ventura. He followed her into the hallway of the hotel while yelling at her. The complaint goes on to say he grabbed her and then took glass vases in the hallway and threw them at her.
In the surveillance video, Combs can be seen grabbing Ventura and throwing her to the ground. As Ventura lies on the ground, Combs then kicks her twice and attempts to drag her on the floor back to the hotel room.
Ventura is seen picking up a hotel phone. Comb seems to walk back to the hotel room, then returns and appears to shove her in a corner. Moments later, he can be seen throwing an object in her direction.
According to Ventura's now settled lawsuit, the pair began dating several years after they met in 2005. They parted ways in 2019.
Combs' attorney said the decision to settle was in no way an admission of wrongdoing.
Ventura declined to comment on the video but her attorney told CNN the gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.
The video hasn't been seen publicly before and comes on the heels of a series of civil lawsuits alleging Combs involvement in sex trafficking and sexual abuse, allegations Combs has repeatedly denied.
Authorities searched Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami in April, as part of an ongoing federal investigation carried out by a team that specializes in human trafficking crimes.
In a December 2023 statement, Combs responded to the claims and some of the lawsuit saying: Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear, I did not do any of the awful things being alleged.
WAGMEISTER: Clearly, very disturbing footage and violent actions that we are seeing coming from "Diddy," who up until this point has denied many of these allegations from all of these lawsuits that he is facing.
Aside from this lawsuit from Cassie, what she settled back in November 2023, he is facing five separate lawsuits and he has been fighting back through his lawyers.
In fact, just last week, we reported on a motion that he filed to dismiss a lawsuit from a Jane Doe that claimed she was 17 years old, a minor at the time of her allegations. And just a few days before that, he filed a motion to dismiss a portion of an entirely different claim.
It'll be interesting to see now how this may impact all that Diddy is facing. But we have yet to hear directly from him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: More than 50 million Americans are under a severe weather threat as deadly storms that tore through Texas continue throughout the Southeast. We'll have the details after this break, please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: In Houston, Texas, at least seven people are dead and more than 0.5 million homes and businesses are still without power after a destructive complex of storms tore through the area.
The powerful winds caused significant damage to multiple skyscrapers, blowing out windows and covering the streets of downtown Houston in broken glass.
The U.S. National Weather Service classified the line of storms as a derecho, a long-lived windstorm that causes devastating straight-line wind damage. Wind speeds in this event were as high as 100 miles per hour in downtown Houston, equivalent to a category 2 hurricane.
Meanwhile, authorities warned restoring power could take weeks, which can be dangerous because temperatures can soar into the 90s and humidity rises.
On Friday, Texas governor Greg Abbott announced that President Biden partially approved his major disaster declaration request for Texas counties impacted by the recent string of severe weather events.
It now allows qualifying Texans to apply for federal emergency funds to assist with disaster-related costs, like temporary housing, emergency home repairs as well as medical and funeral expenses. More details now from CNN's Ed Lavandera, reporting from downtown Houston.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It might be tornado season but the storm system that ripped through Southeast Texas on Thursday evening left damage that was more reminiscent of a hurricane.
This is a popular dance club in downtown Houston. The winds were so ferocious, hurricane strength winds that ripped through here, it ripped away the back wall of this dance club, dropping almost three stories' worth of bricks onto a parking lot and crushing a car here.
The devastation and the damage throughout downtown Houston has been extensive, windows blown out from high-rise buildings. Several people killed by falling trees and a crane that was blown over. As I mentioned, it was hurricane strength winds.
And now city officials are saying that it could be several weeks before power, electrical power is fully restored across Harris County here in Houston and in many parts of Southeast Texas.
At the peak it was nearly 1 million people who were left with (ph) power. And the bulk of that will take, to get those people back online, we are told, is going to take several days and now officials are saying it could be several weeks for all of the power is restored.
It will be in the days after Hurricane Ike, a terrible hurricane system that struck here in the Houston area years ago. As I mentioned, this has been a deadly storm. The ferocious winds that ripped through here were incredibly intense, especially in the downtown area of Houston.
But we have seen power lines, trees, the devastation really just kind of extensive. But what is coming this weekend is also rather troubling with so many people out of power. The temperatures are supposed to go up and heat indexes approaching 100 degrees this weekend.
So that combination with tens of thousands of people without power will make it for a very difficult time here in the Houston area, as well as many parts of Southeast Texas -- back to you.
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BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll be right back.
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BRUNHUBER: In sports, world number one golfer, Scottie Scheffler faces four criminal charges after what he called a big misunderstanding with the police in Louisville, Kentucky. "CNN SPORT's" correspondent Carolyn Manno joins me now with the latest.
So Carolyn, I mean, this all happening while Scheffler still trying to compete at the second major of the year, the PGA Championship, right?
CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And doing quite well. Kim, I mean, he described the day as chaotic and there's really no better way to put it.
ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington was outside Valhalla Golf Club just after 6:00 am on Friday morning when Scottie Scheffler was placed in handcuffs after police say he disobeyed an officer who was on the scene of a deadly crash near the course.
Authorities are saying that the officer attached himself to Scheffler's car when he was trying to go around all of the confusion, suffering minor injuries. Now Scheffler's attorney refuted the police account as the 27-year-old is now facing second degree assault of an officer, among other charges, a felony.
He later shared how he handled being behind bars while still preparing to potentially play a round of golf.
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SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, GOLF PRO: I feel like my head is still spinning. I can't really explain what happened this morning. I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell. That was a first for me.
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MANNO: Scheffler arriving to the course just under an hour before his round was scheduled to start and then getting a roar of applause from fans at the first tee, who were clearly aware of what had happened to him.
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Somehow incredibly or maybe not incredibly, considering who we're talking about here and how well he's been playing as of late, Scheffler went out and at 3:30 in the afternoon, 9.5 hours after his ordeal began, he finished off around the 500 par tied for fourth.
And he is squarely in contention entering the weekend. Now Scheffler and everybody else chasing this man, Andrew Schauffele, after a record tying first round. Schauffele followed that up with a solid day on Friday, four birdies against just one bogey to finish at 12 under and taking a one-shot lead.
He looks to finally break through and win his first career major. In the meantime, Tiger Woods will not be around for the weekend in Louisville, missing the cut after shooting six over on Friday, including triple bogeys on two of his first four holes, making that 11 straight rounds at majors in which he has not broken even par.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TIGER WOODS, PRO GOLFER: the week was, it was a great week being here, being here at Valhalla. And unfortunately, the scores did not indicate how the other people treated me and what a great week I had.
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MANNO: In the NBA playoffs, the home team has won every game so far in this series between the Knicks and the Pacers and that was true again on Friday night after getting run out of Madison Square Garden in game five, Indiana bouncing back at home with the style of play that has worked so well for them all season long.
Six Indie players scoring in double figures, led by 25 points from Pascal Vincent as the Pacers force a winner-take-all game seven back at MSG on Sunday.
In hockey, the Dallas Stars back in the NHS final four for a second consecutive year, being the avalanche in a double overtime filler to do it. Matt Duchene, the hero for the Stars, sending the old team packing in the process just as second goal of the playoffs.
So Dallas is going to face either Edmonton or Vancouver in the Western Conference finals.
And the Florida Panthers now four wins away from making it back-to- back Stanley Cup final appearances. Game tied three minutes left in regulation. And who else but the captain, Alexander Barkat, taking one for the team, literally a slop shot from David posture, not kidding him, square in the left palm, preventing the goal.
Those gloves might be heavily padded but not right there. His sacrifice rewarded though because 1.5 minutes later, Gustav Forsling winning it, beating Jeremy Swayman- off the rebound and breaking Boston hearts.
The Panthers advanced to play the New York Rangers, the best team in the league all season long.
I wonder who you're pulling for, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Well, as a Canadians fan, I have no skin in the game but, you know, two high scoring teams should be plenty of firepower of entertaining series, I'd say.
MANNO: Yes, absolutely.
BRUNHUBER: All right, I'll leave it there. Thank you so much, Carolyn. Appreciate it.
All right.
Well, they say some of the world's best ideas started with a scribble on a napkin. And it couldn't be truer for this napkin, which changed football forever.
Now it contains the promise by the Spanish club Team Barcelona to assign Lionel Messi when he was just 13 years old.
The modest document has sold for nearly $1 at the auction house Bonhams. It comes with a sentiment and priceless backstory.
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MARK SANDS, CMO, BONHAMS: It was signed at a lunch. And one of the three signatories decided to keep it for posterity's sake. It was never legally binding but emotionally it represents the deep link or the beginning of the deep link that Messi had with Barcelona. And he just kept it and 20 years later brought it to market.
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BRUNHUBER: Of course, Messi became one of the Catalan club's greatest players and their all-time leading scorer with 672 goals.
Well, if you think of a Michelin star restaurant and you have visions of haute cuisine, elegant waiters, tiny, fussy portions and a huge bill, well, not at the humble El Califa de Leon taco stand in a working class part of Mexico City.
It just won the coveted Michelin star. Michelin guide was wowed by a taco named for a famous bullfighter: thinly sliced beef, salt, a squeeze of lime for just $5. Chef Arturo Martinez said the secret is its simplicity.
Michelin called it elemental and pure. So good, you won't need the salsa.
Wall Street is ending the week on a historic high, the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 40,000 for the first time in its 139- year history.
The recent gains have been fueled by easing inflation and renewed hopes of rate cuts from the Federal Reserve.
Elon Musk's brain implant startup Neuralink is looking for a second test subject for its device. In a post on X on Friday, the company invited quadriplegics to apply for another trial. And the request comes five months after Neuralink implanted a chip into its first human subject.
And just a week after the company admitted its device had experienced an issue with the threads connecting it to the participant's brain. Neuralink's device is meant to collect electrical signals sent out by the brain and interpret them as actions.
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And that could help blind people see or paralyzed people control phones and computers.
Well, less than a decade ago, women in Saudi Arabia had to wear a body covering abaya. On Friday, the country hosted its first ever swimsuit fashion show. Models strutted the most that partly exposed the shoulders and midriffs in a variety of styles and designs.
The collection is by a Moroccan designer and she says she knew this would be a historic moment.
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YASMINA QANZAL, MOROCCAN DESIGNER (through translator): It's bizarre, it's weird and it's also an honor at the same time. It's true that this country is very conservative but we tried to show elegant swimsuits which represent the Arab world.
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BRUNHUBER: Now the groundbreaking show was part of the St. Regis Red Sea Resort's inaugural fashion week.
Well, he is certainly a rich man. At 81 years, old Paul McCartney is now the first billionaire musician in the U.K. The milestone was announced in the "Sunday Times'" annual Rich List, which put The Beatles alum's net worth at $1.3 billion.
The newspaper attributed the number to his longevity and continued appeal with fans. McCartney headlined England's biggest music festival in 2022. Now he's famously saying he doesn't care too much for money. He's likely to see more of it after a live and often played down from his band, Wings, officially releases in June.
All right, that's it for me. I'm Kim Brunhuber. For our viewers North America, "CNN THIS MORNING" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "AFRICAN VOICES: CHANGEMAKERS."
