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Text Messages, Audio Recordings Played In Court Friday; "Jane" Testifies About Sex Acts, Drug-Fueled "Hotel Nights"; Abrego Garcia Facing Criminal Charges After Return To U.S.; Officials: Chicago Police Officer Accidentally Kills Fellow Officer; Manhunt Underway In WA For Man Accused Of Killing His Kids; Washington, D.C. Celebrating 50th Anniversary Of Pride Festivities. Billboards Thanking President Trump Appear All Over Damascus; Panthers Even Series with Oilers After Double-OT Thriller; Coco Gauff Wins French Open with Thrilling Comeback; "Good Night, and Good Luck" Live on CNN Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired June 07, 2025 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[13:00:08]
EVA LONGORIA, AMERICAN ACTRESS AND FILM PRODUCER: So one thing I got to do was go back to Asturias, which is where the Longorias are from.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Tell me about that.
LONGORIA: Yes, I got to go back to my ancestral home that is centuries years old and share --
BERMAN: Like 11 generations or something?
LONGORIA: Yes, 13. 1603 was when the Longoria left Asturias and went to the New World. There's a town called Longoria that --
BERMAN: Oh, really?
LONGORIA: Yes, that we got to visit. I got to eat in our family home, in our ancestral family home. The family crest of Longoria is above the door. It's a really beautiful country rural area, but it's hard living. It's mountainous, it's cold, it's hard land to work.
They're known for their dairy, their milk, their cheeses. They make cheeses that could rival the best of France. And my favorite dish in Spain is fabada, which is this bean stew. It's very hearty, made with faba beans, these big white beans that only grow in Asturias. And they cook it in a broth of four different cuts of pork fat, which makes this wonderful broth.
BERMAN: Yes.
LONGORIA: And it's my favorite meal. And it's only in Asturias. And, you know, in ancient Asturian language, there's no word for fork, because they ate so many stews and caldos and soups. It's because it's a cold region, and so fabada is one of them.
So this is very typical of Asturias.
BERMAN: OK.
LONGORIA: This is Sidra, which is cider, and it's made from the apples in Asturias --
BERMAN: Grown-up cider.
LONGORIA: Grown-up cider. It is a bit alcoholic. It's very fermented, but you have to tilt your glass like that -- I'm going to make a mess. And you pour it because you want to oxygenate.
BERMAN: You're getting some of it in the glass.
LONGORIA: That's all you do. And you drink it, not like a shot, but like a shot. That whole thing. You know, yes.
How is it?
BERMAN: It's really good.
LONGORIA: Well, look, I made it mostly in the cup.
BERMAN: You made it mostly in the cup, but it made it mostly into my belly.
LONGORIA: I'm going to try this one. Because you want the oxygen to make it fuzzy.
Am I getting you wet?
BERMAN: It's OK. It's worth it.
LONGORIA: That's what you want it to look like, like the fizziness.
That is Asturias.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Such a tough assignment for John Berman.
A new episode of "Searching for Spain" airs tomorrow at 9:00 p.m.
Hello, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Bianna Golodryga in for Fredricka Whitfield.
We begin this hour with another shocking day in court at Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial. The jury hearing from another ex- girlfriend Friday. The woman testifying under the pseudonym of Jane gave explosive details alleging she endured multiple drug-fueled sex parties known as hotel nights or freak-offs at the direction of Combs.
Jurors also heard audio messages from the music mogul, including this one after the two allegedly had an argument.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
SEAN "DIDDY COMBS, ACTOR: Hey, I really don't know what's going on with you, but I just wanted to give you a heads up that I'm about to really disappear on you. You feel me? I'm not going to be playing these games with you at all, at all. So I don't know, you think you sounding treating me.
And you think I'm going to be, nah. You'll have a rude awakening. You'll just have silence, and ain't nobody threatening you, and I don't trying to go back and forth with no woman. You know what I'm saying?
I'm telling you, I ain't got no time for -- games where my life is at right now. I don't have no time for no games, baby girl. Me and you could be mad. I have a spat. We could have whatever, then after that, you better get on your job. That's really -- that's all it is. Because you got me on my job.
Nah, it ain't going to -- it ain't never going to work like that over here. You know what I'm saying? I was trying not to leave this message, but you have left me no choice. So how do you -- you go in the direction of like moving on like that, or you like -- just like have me keep moving?
Ain't no threat, I'm just being clear. I can't do this -- with you every time you get upset.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN Correspondent Kara Scannell brings us the details from outside the courthouse.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sean Combs' former girlfriend was testifying under the pseudonym Jane, was on the stand all day Friday. In emotional testimony, she told the jury about how she'd taken several trips to New York, Miami, Turks and Caicos, under the promise of romantic weekends with Combs. She said she thought they might go shopping and out to dinner, but she said in every one of those trips, it turned into those hotel nights where they used drugs and she had sex with other men.
She told the prosecutor that she never would have gone on the trips to Turks and Caicos if she knew that that was going to happen. This all fits into the prosecution's theory of the case that she was sex trafficked by fraud, by these promises that they say were never meant to happen. They were just intended to lure her into having sex with these men in the hotels.
They also showed the jury a text message that she sent Combs in 2023, where she said she didn't want to have these hotel nights anymore.
[13:05:07]
She text Combs," I feel like it's the only reason why you have me around and why you pay for the house." Because Combs is paying $10,000 a month for the home she lives in and he's still currently paying that rent.
Jane also testified about drugs. She said she'd had used drugs only twice before she met Combs, but now in these hotel nights she said that she was taking ecstasy multiple times in these nights. She said also to the jury that Combs had asked her to travel with drugs, that she'd arranged with his security and his personal assistant to bring a package to Miami, and that was her traveling with those drugs for Combs.
Another part of this case is the transportation for prostitution. That's one of the counts in the charges. She testified that she helped arrange travel with one of Combs' travel agents to move some of these men to meet up with them for these hotel nights.
Now, Jane is expected to be on the witness stand for most of next week, and testimony resumes on Monday.
Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.
GOLODRYGA: Thanks to Kara for that report.
I'm joined now by Michael Bachner, criminal defense attorney and former Manhattan assisted district attorney. In the 2001 trial, he represented Anthony Jones, Diddy's co-defendant and bodyguard.
So, Michael, a lot of emotion on the stand this week. How might that affect the jury?
MICHAEL BACHNER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, this witness, as I understand it, came across as an extremely sympathetic individual. She cried often on the stand. She sniffled loudly into the microphone. The jurors reacted to that.
I think it's going to be a very hard argument for the defense to make that this woman is fabricating that she's lying. It's interesting, she didn't testify that she was beaten the way Cassie Ventura testified to, and she could have lied about that if she was trying to set Combs up, which is what I'm sure the prosecution will argue.
So her testimony was really moving, really riveting, talking about having 11 different men that she was having sexual escapades with, these debaucheries, these hotel nights. She checked all the boxes in the RICO case, in the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization charge.
She talked about moving drugs, which was one of the predicate acts in that charge, across state lines. She talked about the prostitution. She talked about the fraud. She is a very significant witness.
GOLODRYGA: And she testified about these hotel nights with Combs and hired male sex workers happening across the country from Los Angeles to New York, Miami. Why are these locations so significant to the case? BACHNER: For the government to prove the prostitution charge, they have to show that people were moved for purposes of prostitution across state lines and that money was transacted, number one. So that's why that is so significant for her to testify to.
She also put in receipts during the course of the trial, and those receipts reflected payments that she would make for the travel that she was reimbursed for by Combs. And she's going to argue that this was -- the government will argue that this is all part of the RICO enterprise.
Money would be paid out. She would be reimbursed. When the drugs were trafficked, according to her, from Los Angeles to Miami, she was told apparently by one of Sean Combs' bodyguards that, don't worry, I do this all the time. So therefore, also interjecting the fact that this is how the enterprise ran and the moving of narcotics across state lines for these freak offs.
GOLODRYGA: And during her testimony, we just heard that audio that was played in the courtroom alleging that Combs was yelling for her to do her, quote, "job". Why is that important for the prosecution? And how do you expect the defense will respond to that?
BACHNER: Well, they're going to be arguing. She sent texts to Combs complaining, saying, I don't want to do this anymore. On her birthday, there were sexual acts that she said were non-consensual. So the fact that she's complaining and Combs interestingly says, I'm not threatening you, the government's going to argue, the reason he's saying I'm not threatening you is because exactly what he was doing, threatening her, paying for her apartment, which he continued to do.
And it's interesting as well, these acts, according to her testimony, occurred in August and July of 2024, only weeks before Combs was arrested. And while he knew he was already under investigation. So the government's going to argue that this was ongoing conduct and that her testimony about this being non-consensual. She also testified that she had infections as a result of the sexual escapade she was involved in and Combs would not give her time to even get better.
That he refused to let her -- that he refused condoms to be worn, saying that's not going to happen. That this was a witness who was talking about the way that Combs controlled and they will argue the enterprise controlled her conduct completely. And a very moving, I think very important witness in corroborating Ventura in many ways as well.
[13:10:13]
GOLODRYGA: Moving and disturbing details presented for the jury.
Michael Bachner, thank you so much.
BACHNER: You're welcome.
GOLODRYGA: Well, the manhunt for a former Arkansas police chief who escaped from prison is now over. On Friday, Police Captain Grant Hardin -- captured Grant Hardin about 2 miles west from the prison grounds. Police say tracking dogs picked up his scent in the area and he was apprehended a short time later.
The 56-year-old was on the run for more than 10 days after escaping wearing a makeshift law enforcement uniform. He is serving a 30-year sentence for murder and two 25-year sentences for rape. Police say he's been transferred to Supermax State Facility.
Well, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, is now back in the United States. After his sudden return on Friday, he appeared in court in Tennessee, where he is facing federal criminal charges. His return is a striking about-face from the Trump administration, which had long maintained that he would not be brought back to the U.S. Well, now the acting ICE director is saying Abrego Garcia will be deported after he faces these charges.
CNN's Rafael Romo is in Nashville for us. And, Rafael, this is more back and forth from the administration. However, a significant move to bring him back to the United States after defiance from this administration that they would not. What more are we learning?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Bianna. We had heard that he was not coming back regardless of what would happen. And now, according to federal officials, Kilmar Abrego Garcia faces two charges of unlawfully transporting thousands of undocumented aliens for legal gain over nearly a decade. He made his first court appearance last night here at the federal courthouse in downtown Nashville.
He's also been accused by Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Trump administration officials of being a member of the violent MS-13 street gang and domestic violence. Interestingly, Bianna, none of that is included in the indictment. The indictment was unsealed Friday. And it only says that Abrego Garcia conspired with several other people to move undocumented aliens between Texas and Maryland and other states more than 100 times.
But Abrego Garcia and his family say he fled gang violence in El Salvador and have denied allegations he's associated with MS-13. Attorney General Bondi and others in the Trump administration had said multiple times that it was up to the government of El Salvador and not to them to bring Abrego Garcia after immigration authorities acknowledged he was mistakenly deported two months ago.
What changed? This is what Bondi had to say about it during Friday's briefing to announce his return.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL: What has changed is Donald Trump is now president of the United States and our borders are again secure. And thanks to the bright light that has been shined on Abrego Garcia, this investigation continued with actually amazing police work. And we were able to track this case and stop this international smuggling ring.
(END VIDEOCLIP) ROMO: Abrego Garcia's legal team said in a statement that the government disappeared Kilmar to a foreign prison in violation of a court order and that due process was also violated in their client's case. In an interview with CNN, one of those attorneys for Abrego Garcia told CNN how the legal team found out he was returned to the country.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
SIMON SANDOVAL-MOSHENBERG, ATTORNEY FOR KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA: We learned about it on TV just like the rest of the country. What's clear -- this just makes crystal clear what we've been saying frankly for the past two months is that they've been playing games with the court. It just goes to show that they've been more interested in dragging his name through the mud than in actually sort of going through with proper court proceedings just like it's been since day one.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
ROMO: And yet another development in the case, CNN has learned that the chief of the Justice Department's criminal division here in Nashville has resigned apparently over the Trump administration's decision to prosecute Abrego Garcia.
And finally, Bianna, the Salvadoran national is scheduled to appear once again here at the federal courthouse in downtown Nashville next Friday for an arraignment and detention hearing. Bianna?
GOLODRYGA: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you.
And still to come for us, the warning from police over the search for a father accused of killing his three young daughters.
And here, why one Middle Eastern country is praising President Trump on billboards all over its capital.
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[13:19:38]
GOLODRYGA: Chicago police are confirming that one of their officers accidentally shot and killed another officer while on duty. They say Officer Krystal Rivera was part of the team chasing an armed suspect Thursday night when she was shot. She was 36 years old and a mom.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON, CHICAGO: Keep this officer's family in your prayers, along with our entire police department. Her young, energetic, and bold approach towards keeping us safe is the memory that we will honor. And I will assure that our police department has everything that it needs in order to render justice.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
[13:20:29] GOLODRYGA: The suspect in the chase is in custody, and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
To Washington State now, where authorities are looking for a man suspected of murdering his children. The mother of the three girls, ages nine, eight, and five, reported their father did not return them after a planned visit earlier this week. Their bodies were later found near his truck. Police saying their wrists were tied and believe they died of asphyxiation. Authorities are now asking the public to help track down Travis Decker, saying that he is a former Army officer with extensive training.
Natasha Chen has the details.
NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The search continues for Travis Decker, a search that now requires closing a large recreational area in Central Washington around Icicle River, popular with campers and hikers. Authorities are also still warning people in remote areas of Central and Western Washington State to lock their doors.
Decker, they say, has extensive wilderness survival skills where he could last for days, if not weeks. Investigators found his abandoned truck on Monday about 40 miles from Wenatchee, where he picked up his daughters from their mother's house.
The girls' zip-tied bodies were found nearby. Police believe they were asphyxiated. Their mother, Whitney Decker, has said there were no warning signs that he would ever harm their children, though he had struggled deeply with his mental health after serving in the military with at least one tour in Afghanistan. Her attorney told CNN he wasn't able to get help through Veterans Affairs.
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ARIANNA COZART, WHITNEY DECKER'S ATTORNEY: The system failed, Whitney's babies, and that's one of quotes she gave is, is the system failed us all so much. And if it weren't for the system that failed her, those babies would be alive.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
CHEN: She also says the state's AMBER Alert system needs to be improved. There was never one sent out when Whitney Decker reported the situation to police. Washington State Patrol told CNN there was believed to be no imminent threat to the children's safety. An endangered person's alert was issued the next day.
GOLODRYGA: Such a heartbreaking story.
Our thanks to Natasha Chen for that.
And just ahead for us, pride celebrations in Washington will look very different from years past. We'll have a live report. That's next.
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[13:27:11]
GOLODRYGA: Millions are flocking to the nation's capital this weekend to celebrate world pride and honor the LGBTQ plus community's fight for equality. D.C. is also celebrating its 50th anniversary of hosting pride events.
Joining me now is Julia Benbrook who is following the pride parade route. And Julia, can you set the scene for us? What can we expect?
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so we are actually at the block party right now. I'll walk around so you can get a little bit of the scene. And then we're going to head over to the parade route in a little bit. It starts in about 30 minutes.
But as you mentioned, this is the 50th anniversary of pride celebrations here in Washington, D.C. And according to the Capital Pride Alliance, back in 1975, during that first event, they had about 2,000 attendees. And in recent years, that has grown to hundreds of thousands of people.
Then on top of that, this is world pride. So organizers are hoping to see more people from more places for this event. And as I've been speaking with some of the people here, there have been a couple things that have come up. That's community, acceptance, and respect. But also with an emphasis of wanting people who are visiting Washington, D.C. specifically to feel those things.
So a couple of interviews that I wanted to highlight. One from a D.C. resident who explains what pride means to him. And another from a couple who's visiting from Dallas, Texas. They told me that they had booked their flights to come to world pride over a year ago before they knew who would be in the White House. And that they considered canceling those plans. But they changed their mind, and they explain why.
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TYLER WONG, D.C. RESIDENT: Pride means being able to express yourself fully without being scared of repercussion. And where it's feeling like you need to be covert or secretive about who you are and who you want to love.
THOMAS DOAN, TRAVELED WITH HIS HUSBAND FROM DALLAS, TX: Well, we bought our tickets a year ago before we knew who the administration was. So we actually -- after Trump won, we thought we were going to cancel. We weren't going to come. But then we thought, why let them win, you know, when we -- we're here. You know, we're not going away no matter what they do, no matter what they say. And we had to be here.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
BENBROOK: And so that parade that I mentioned starts right at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. It's going to come from 14th and T Street Northwest, for those who know the area. And then it's going to end near the White House. And decisions that are being made in the White House about the LGBTQ community are top of mind right now.
With moves to eliminate diversity and inclusion programs, to ban transgender members from serving in the military, and to restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth. So a lot of those topics are top of mind. But the key thing here today, for the attendees I spoke with, was to celebrate. And to celebrate who they are and the inclusion of all people.
After that parade, there is a free concert that's downtown. It features first runner-up to American Idol, back a little while ago, David Archuleta, who rose to fame when he was a teenager, as well as Cynthia Erivo, who I'm sure many people know from starring as Elphaba in "Wicked."
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: A full day of celebrations. And Julia, as you just touched on the LGBTQ+ community here in America, is really concerned about seeing some of their rights stripped away right now from the current administration. Are you hearing anything from those who have come to celebrate today on those issues, in particular?
BENBROOK: We are.
In fact, as we ask, what does Pride mean to you? What does it mean to be here in Washington, D.C. today? Those themes came up repeatedly. Like that couple that we heard from. They said, we thought about not coming because we are frustrated with what is going on. And then we realized that it was even more important to be here and to have our voices heard.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Julia Benbrook for us. A full day packed of celebrations and activities. They're live on the route for us. Thank you so much.
And still to come, the signs celebrating Donald Trump in a somewhat surprising setting of the Middle East. Thats next.
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[13:35:53]
GOLODRYGA: Billboards thanking President Trump are popping all across Syria's capital of Damascus. They began showing up after the U.S. lifted sanctions on Syria.
CNN's Clarissa Ward met the woman behind the campaign and discovered her connection to the U.S.
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dotted around the streets of Damascus, billboard after billboard of U.S. President Donald Trump.
WARD (on camera): Oh, there's another one. There's another one. Look, look, look, look. That is now the sixth poster billboard that we have seen since arriving here thanking President Trump. WARD (voice-over): They're thanking him for lifting punishing sanctions and normalizing relations between the U.S. and Syria.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you, Trump. I love you, Trump.
WARD (voice-over): In small letters in the right-hand corner, a Syrian-American lobby group, Global Justice, co-founded by Maissa Kabbani.
MAISSA KABBANI, CO-FOUNDER, GLOBAL JUSTICE: I want to show you this one.
WARD: Wow.
KABBANI: Which is after the liberation, it was our new slogan, Make Syria Great Again.
WARD (voice-over): When the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad fell, Kabbani began shuttling back and forth from her home in Philadelphia to Damascus. She met with President Trump and Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, pushing for that historic meeting between the two presidents. For President Trump, she had her sales pitch ready.
KABBANI: I told him our new slogan is Make Syria Great Again, and hopefully, we're going to see Trump Tower in Damascus soon. So he was laughing. So, I don't know, I felt that we can do it. And I felt that, you know, this is the way how we're going to approach President Trump.
You know, his personality actually is different than any other president. And we need to talk to the people based on what they'd like to hear. And he likes to hear that.
WARD (voice-over): And she wasn't kidding about Trump Tower.
WARD (on camera): This is an early sketch of what Trump Tower in Damascus might look like. And as you can see, it is still a very long ways away. This abandoned construction site is just one of the places that people here are speculating could be the site for this proposed Trump Tower.
And we spoke to the head of Tiger Group, that's the property development company that is behind this proposal. They told us they have put in for government permissions. They're waiting for those. And from there, the next step is to approach the Trump Organization.
WARD (voice-over): Whatever it took to get to this point was well worth it in the eyes of many Syrians.
WARD: What was the reaction here when it was announced that the sanctions would be lifted?
KABBANI: Oh, my God. Did you see that -- you know, the same day as the Liberation Day, people went to the Amawiyin Square and they are happy. They were dancing. You know, they were chanting about Trump, chanting about President al-Sharaa. And we want to make Syria a land of opportunity, too. So you can see now everybody's coming back to Syria. WARD (voice-over): Outside the U.S. ambassador's residence, the American flag raised last week for the first time since 2012, another sign of a warming relationship few could have imagined.
Clarissa Ward, CNN Damascus.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: And just ahead, American Coco Gauff reigns at The French Open. We'll have the details.
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[13:43:48]
GOLODRYGA: And the CNN original series "My Happy Place," six celebrity hosts show us the places where they go to escape and feel most at peace. This week, award winning actor Simu Liu takes viewers to Bangkok, Thailand, where he goes on a spiritual, cultural and culinary trip and meet some exciting people along the way.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIMU LIU, ACTOR: OK. Here we go. I'm pinching it and I'm going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Simu, how do think about the Bangkok? Did you like it?
LIU: What do I think about Bangkok?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. How did you like it?
LIU: I love it. You know, there's something about Thailand, the culture and the food as I understood it. That just seemed very welcoming to me. Like, I always felt like the Thai people and the Thai society was very unpretentious. And you know, what I imagined that trip was going to be 10 years ago was the exact same as what my trip ended up being. And I just thought that -- that -- that's something that I really, really just appreciate about the country and why I think I'll keep coming back time and time again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: A new episode of "My Happy Place" with Simu Liu airs tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. only here on CNN.
Well, the Florida Panthers win an overtime thriller to even the Stanley Cup Final at a game apiece.
Andy Scholes is here with the highlights. Hi, Andy.
[13:45:03] ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Bianna, Florida and Edmonton went seven games last year and so far in this series, both games have gone to overtime. It's the first time that's happened since 2014. Only the sixth time ever.
In game two last night, actually needed double overtime. Pick it up in the third period. Florida up four three in the closing seconds. Edmonton desperately trying to find the equalizer and Corey Perry coming through. He scores with 17 seconds left. This is the latest tying goal in Stanley Cup history.
Oilers fans rejoicing as we go to overtime and in double OT, though Brad Marchand, the hero for Florida. He scores on this breakaway, getting a nice bounce through Stuart Skinner's legs.
Panthers win 5 to 4 to even the series and here was Marchand afterwards when asked about his game winning goal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRAD MARCHAND, FLORIDA PANTHERS LEFT WINGER: You know, to be honest, I blacked out. I don't even know where it went.
(LAUGHTER)
So. But yes, it's just obviously a fortuitous bounce and we'll take it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: That series now shifts to Florida for game three on Monday in Oklahoma City.
Meanwhile, it was the winner-take-all game three between Texas and Texas Tech in the Women's College World Series.
Now, before the game, ESPN reported that the first million-dollar player in softball history, tech pitcher NiJaree Canady, was going to return to the red raiders next season on another seven figure NIL deal. And she had pitched every single pitch for Tech at this World Series, but it did not go her way last night.
The Longhorns getting to her for five runs, and Texas then got a grand slam from Mia Scott to put the game away. Longhorns would win 10 to 4 to claim their first ever softball national title. And Bianna, congrats to you because I know you must be smiling as a proud Longhorn grad.
GOLODRYGA: Oh yes. Hook 'em. Hook 'em Horns. Very proud here indeed.
And a thrilling comeback on the court at the French Open as American Coco Gauff pulls off a win in the women's final.
CNN's sports anchor Coy Wire is here. Coy, you're going to give us an all access look at Roland Garros later this hour. But first, wow, big win for American Coco Gauff. COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Huge win. Huge, huge win for coco. She has just become the first American to win the French Open since Serena Williams a decade ago. She was facing world number one Aryna Sabalenka who raced out to a huge lead in this one. All of her shots were money, but the match would quickly show promise of being all that we thought it could be.
Coco would fight back. She would force a tie breaker, but Sabalenka really would up her game and took the first set seven-six. But the second set totally different story. Coco fired up making a statement with a dominant comeback, powering her way through wild and whirling wind conditions on the court. Sabalenka said afterwards they were some of the worst she'd ever seen.
Coco ends up winning the second and third sets, and she eventually would fall down to the court, realizing she just won her second Grand Slam title. First ever French Open six-seven, six-two, six-four. She had been oh and four, Bianna, against world number ones in majors coming in.
You can see the emotion. You can see the clay all over her face. Look at the respect between the two athletes there and a great moment here coming up. You can see her. She said afterwards that she didn't really -- she was in disbelief that she could actually pull this off. But she did. She threw heart hands to her mom. Her dad up there, they're so proud.
Bianna. Here is the moment after the match when Coco gave some gratitude to the fans. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COCO GAUFF, AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER: You guys were cheering for me so hard. And yes, I don't know what I do to deserve so much love from the French crowd, but I appreciate you guys, so merci beaucoup.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Now, Coco just turned 21, Bianna, a few months ago, and her youth shows. She's making a video on her cellphone for social. And look at the top of the trophy. Fell off as she was just saying. Oh, the lighting is horrible in here.
(LAUGHTER)
Oh my gosh. Remember, Bianna, it was earlier in this tournament. She showed up to a match. She forgot her rackets. They weren't in her bag. Her team had to go get them. But she is so fun, so funny, so well respected as well, Bianna.
Remember, despite being a youngster, she was chosen to be team USA's flag bearer alongside LeBron James at the Summer Olympics.
Congratulations to Coco Gauff on winning her first ever French Open, her second Grand Slam title of her career. There's Spike Lee in the house and some of the best hugs and loving that she could get right there from the people who helped her make it all happen, mom and dad.
GOLODRYGA: Mom and dad, they're cheering her on. She has got an amazing future ahead of her. So many there in that crowd cheering her on. So happy for that win.
Coy Wire, thank you. And you can catch all access at Roland Garros. A CNN sports special at 2:30 Eastern right here on CNN.
And still to come, as CNN prepares to take you to Broadway tonight, we will set the stage on the historical backstory of the Tony nominated play "Good Night, and Good Luck."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:54:43]
GOLODRYGA: A live Broadway play has never before been broadcast and televised, but that all changes tonight. In a historic live event, CNN will air the five-time Tony Award nominated Broadway show "Good Night, and Good Luck."
George Clooney plays Edward R. Murrow in the 1950s. The play, written by Clooney and Grant Heslov, follows the showdown between the -- the showdown between the famous broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow and then Senator Joseph McCarthy during a time period in America most remembered by the growing fear of communism and the paranoia surrounding McCarthyism.
[13:55:20]
Clooney gave our Anderson Cooper a behind-the-scenes peek at how the show will be brought to television.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: So, you know, here's what we do. This is a total bluff. We put this here, but these are all made of wood.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Wow. Oh, wow.
CLOONEY: That one's fake. There's no lenses on it, but we have a real one hidden over here.
COOPER: Oh, that's how you do it.
CLOONEY: Yeah, that's interesting.
COOPER: But it is so, I mean, there's so much video.
CLOONEY: Yes.
COOPER: It's so interesting, the staging of it, because at times, you know, depending where you're sitting, you can't necessarily see your face --
CLOONEY: Yes. COOPER: -- but you see it on this monitor.
CLOONEY: Yes, that giant, those monitors that come down. And then we have, that camera is an actual real working camera. You see it's hooked up. But it's -- it's -- but it's working not as a -- not as a actual old-fashioned camera.
You know, these cameras, when you see them like this. These had four lenses on them, and they would have a handle right here, and you would turn it, and the thing would turn depending on how close you wanted to be.
So we didn't do that, but inside here, we just have a video camera like you're using here that we use. And then we shoot all of that stuff live. So it's pretty fun.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Amazing. Well, here to discuss the themes in the show is "New York Times" reporter Clay Risen, author of the new book, the "Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America."
Clay, thanks so much for joining us. So your book, "Red Scare," takes a deeper look at the same themes that we've seen in the play and we will see tonight once again in "Good Night, and Good Luck." What was the ultimate propaganda and driving force behind McCarthyism in the 1950s?
CLAY RISEN, REPORTER, "NEW YORK TIMES": Yes. The -- ultimately what they were trying to do, McCarthy and others who were involved in this sort of fomenting the Red Scare was really to use the onset of the Cold War to essentially carry out what I think, you know, sort of a culture war to go after progressives, people on the left, and also just the new deal itself. And really to call into question a lot of the advances that American society and politics have made in the previous couple of decades.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Can you give some examples reminding viewers of how the Red Scare affected larger social and political movements in the country, everything from civil rights to education and even elections?
RISEN: Yes, I mean, the labor movement was split in half by -- by fights over the Red Scare, both from the outside and also within the movement itself. This was not a partisan fight so much as one that split people on both sides of both parties. But you also had pretty vicious attacks on progressives or let's say, Hollywood generally. I think a lot of people remember or know about The Hollywood Ten and the HUAC hearings, but that's all part of this as well.
And -- and it happened at the local level. I -- you know, I -- I account for, you know, hundreds of examples of people who -- they lost loans on their farms. They were fired from their jobs as postal workers because there was some suspicion about some connection to communism in their past.
GOLODRYGA: Do you see any parallels in society today here in the U.S.? (LAUGHTER)
RISEN: Sorry to laugh, but yes. No, I mean, having a book come out like this right now, it's weird because every day there's kind of an echo where I feel or someone says, hey, isn't this just like that thing in your book? And -- and it is. I mean, there are so many examples whether it's using, the, you know, deportation powers to get rid of, people who are "suspect," quote unquote. You know, going after academia Harvard, for example, was a -- was a centerpiece of McCarthy's attacks against academia in the 1950s, using a lot of the same tactics -- tactics that we see today. Trump using against -- against Harvard and academia.
GOLODRYGA: But as you noted, this transcends party lines as well. You've written about the concept of cancel culture, and that actually is not a recent term. It was invented in the time of McCarthy. So talk about it then, as it relates to the cancel culture that we now know and have covered most recently.
RISEN: Yes. I mean, I think that, look, there's cancel culture as an idea is something that's been around for a long time. And whether it's in the context of, you know, today's very hyper partisan social media driven environment or back in the 40s and 50s, when people on both sides felt like there were things that they couldn't say.
In Hollywood, there are a lot of conservatives who felt like, hey, I can't speak out and criticize communism because of all of these progressives around me. The tables switched pretty quickly to the point where a lot of people who are on the left felt like they couldn't speak their own mind about issues like civil rights or women's rights, because those were suddenly being canceled.
