Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Senate Holding Rare Saturday Session As GOP Pushes Trump Agenda Bill; Public Pays Respects To Minnesota Lawmakers Killed In Assassination; Hundreds Of Thousands Gather For State Funerals In Tehran; Republican Senator Tillis To Vote Against Advancing Trump Megabill; Big Finale Of Three-Day Italian Wedding Of Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez; Jury To Begin Deliberations On Sean "Diddy" Combs Case; Missing News Anchor Cold Case; Residents In L.A.'s Tehrangeles Share Conflicted Loyalties. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired June 28, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: They can only afford to lose three votes in today's expected procedural vote. And just moments ago, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis told CNN he remains a no on this bill.

And earlier, CNN spoke with two other holdout senators who now say, at least one is saying they're voting in favor of advancing the bill. Another actually likes the content of the bill. But at this hour the bill's future remains uncertain.

We've got a team of correspondents covering today's developments. Betsy Klein is at the White House. Let's begin with Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill.

So it's really very complicated about supporting the bill, the measure or supporting moving forward on discussing it further, right?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, the first critical vote, we expect could begin sometime this afternoon. Multiple senators telling us they believe that this could begin as early as 4:00 p.m. This is an opportunity for lawmakers to decide whether or not they want to continue with this process.

Now, once they go forward with voting on this motion to proceed, as it's called, then lawmakers will begin this very lengthy debate before they can even get to this bigger vote-a-rama, which is a marathon voting series that can take place, that can go on through the night. It can go on through the day. It goes on as long as Republicans and Democrats want to keep it going. The bill could change throughout that process. That's always a possibility.

Then at the very end, lawmakers will have a decision to make on whether they want to support the final product. But that first vote is really critical because if they do not get the majority of Republican supporting it, then they cannot continue moving forward. Right now, we know that Thom Tillis is voting against that procedural vote. He just told us that a short time ago. We also know Ron Johnson is voting against that procedural vote.

John Thune, the Republican leader, can only afford to lose three members. He cannot afford to lose four. So obviously that gets them very close on the math right now. This is really a developing story. So many moving parts in this moment. And that Republican lunch is still ongoing for many of these members.

WHITFIELD: All right, Lauren, keep us posted on that.

Let's go to the White House now.

Betsy Klein, so how is all that information being received at the White House?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think there's some cautious optimism. They are aware of all of the hurdles and uncertainties and those razor thin margins in the Senate with the Republican Party, and as well as this very real self-imposed time crunch here. The president says he wants this bill on his desk by the 4th of July. But this is mission critical for this White House. They say that failure is not an option here.

This tax and spending package is going to be very critical to unlocking the president's domestic agenda. And they want to get this done while Republicans hold control of the House and the Senate. So for that reason, President Trump, as well as Vice President JD Vance have been working the phones over the last 24 hours or so with multiple senators asking some of them to come here to the White House and the president spending a very rare weekend here in Washington to intensify the pressure on these Republican lawmakers, scrapping a planned trip to his New Jersey golf club.

And he arrived at his Northern Virginia golf club around 9:00 this morning. And we have learned that he actually spent some of that time hitting the links with some key constituents here. Some Republican senators, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, as well as Eric Schmitt of Missouri, both of them posting on social media.

I want you to see what Schmitt said first. "Big week for President Trump. And he crushed it on the golf course this morning as well. Onward." Graham, for his part, said, "Looking forward to beginning the one big beautiful bill soon. Started the day with POTUS and thanked him for his leadership. Let's go."

But the reality is there are deep divisions within the Republican Party on this bill. That size and scope and how to pay for it, as well as concerns about potential cuts to Medicaid. The White House, as I mentioned, has been pushing toward getting this done by the 4th of July. The president appearing to soften on that deadline yesterday, he said, quote, "It's important, but it's not the end all."

And of course, this is far from the last step. Once this passes, and if this passes the Senate, all of those changes then have to be approved by the House of Representatives before it can go to the president's desk. So the White House now watching all of this extremely closely.

WHITFIELD: All right, Betsy Klein and Lauren Fox, thanks to both of you, ladies. Appreciate it. All right. Let's go now to Minnesota, where hundreds gathered today to

say goodbye to former State House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. The couple killed earlier this month in what's being described as a politically motivated attack. They were eulogized today by the state's governor, Tim Walz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D), MINNESOTA: All of us are searching for some kind of meaning, some kind of lesson that we can learn to help ease our loss. And maybe it is this moment where each of us can examine the way we work together, the way we talk about each other, the way we fight for things we care about. A moment when each of us can recommit to engaging in politics and life the way Mark and melissa did. Fiercely, enthusiastically, heartily, but without ever losing sight of our common humanity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Julia Vargas Jones is following all of this for us -- Julia.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, the governor's words there highlighting the political nature of all of this, of today's events, of the tragic deaths of both Mark and Melissa Hortman. He also presented to their children after that eulogy the flags of the state of Minnesota and of the United States that have been flown above the Minnesota capitol on June 14th, the day that they were killed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (voice-over): Beneath the capitol dome in Minnesota, a rare and somber moment of tribute. State flags lowered, uniformed guards standing watch and at the center of the rotunda, two wooden caskets.

Speaker-emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were honored as they lay in state, the first woman in Minnesota history to receive that distinction. But they were not alone. Laid to rest beside them, their golden retriever, Gilbert.

Gilbert was trained as a service dog before the Hortmans adopted him, but he too was shot and later euthanized due to his injuries.

On Friday, mourners paid their respects, including former President Joe Biden. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar met with the Hortmans' two children, saying, "Sophie and Colin were strong and determined to make sure everyone carries on their parents' legacy of public service and goodness."

Just a few miles away in federal court, the man accused of killing the Hortmans appear before a judge. Vance Boelter wore a green padded smock typically used for inmate safety. His attorney told the court Boelter has been sleep deprived due to jail conditions and communication has been difficult. The judge granted a delay and his next hearing is now set for July 3rd. Boelter faces state and federal charges, including murder, firearm

offenses and stalking. Authorities say the June 14th shooting was a politically motivated assassination and that Boelter could face the death penalty if convicted. He allegedly went to the Hortmans' home dressed as a police officer and opened fire when police showed up, then fled, triggering the largest manhunt in the state's history.

Before the Hortmans, authorities say Boelter went to the homes of three other Minnesota state politicians. At one of them, police say he shot State Senator John Hoffman and his wife multiple times. Both are making a recovery but say they are, quote, "lucky to be alive."

According to court documents, authorities later searched Boelter's vehicle and found at least three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9-millimeter handgun and as well as a list of names and addresses of other public officials, most of them Democrats or figures with ties to the abortion rights movement.

There have been questions about what Boelter's wife, Jenny, knew and when. Investigators say she was initially not forthcoming with information but later became cooperative. On Thursday, Jenny Boelter spoke out for the first time, saying she and her children are absolutely shocked, heartbroken and completely blindsided.

She called the attack a betrayal of everything we hold true as tenets of our Christian faith, adding that from the start her family has fully cooperated with investigators and they're grateful to law enforcement for apprehending her husband and preventing further harm.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES (on-camera): And this attack, Fred, comes as we know there is a historic rise of political violence and division in America. But the message from today's events was to have hope. The father that conducted the mass said that the best way to honor the memory of Mark and Melissa Hortman would be to do something for a community, to make it a little bit better -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Vargas Jones, thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, hundreds of thousands of people turn out for state funerals in Tehran. The message Iran is sending to the U.S. And 30 years ago, a local television news anchor vanished. But even after all this time, police are still investigating news tips into this cold case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:14:42]

WHITFIELD: Happening today in Iran, senior Iranian officials were among tens of thousands who filled the streets of Tehran. They were part of funeral processions for dozens who died in recent Israeli airstrikes.

CNN's senior international correspondent, Fred Pleitgen, was there. [15:15:04]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a gigantic procession right through the heart of Tehran. There are thousands of people here who are trying to touch the caskets. They're trying to give the folks who were on the caskets' items, to rub on the caskets.

Now, there are 60 coffins in total that are going through this city. Among them, Iran's top military leadership. You have the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami. The head of Iran's missile program, Ali Hajizadeh. Many others as well, including nuclear scientists, but also civilians. There's also women and children whose caskets are in this procession right now.

People here say that they're honored to pay their final respects to those who were killed, but they're also vowing to continue to stand up for both the U.S. and Israel.

(Voice-over): "Death to America, death to Israel," she says. "God willing, they'll be destroyed soon."

"My message to Trump is, God willing, you will die," he says, "because you attacked Iran. And be sure the people will take revenge for the blood of these martyrs soon with the obliteration of Trump, Israel, and the United States."

All this comes as Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has lashed out at both the United States and Israel, saying he believes Iran's military campaign against the Israelis was victorious, and that also the U.S. had gained nothing from bombing Iran's nuclear installations. At the same time, the Iranians are vowing to be defiant, saying that their nuclear program will continue. Of course enrichment will continue as well.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's get more on the state of affairs in Iran and beyond. Joining us right now is Joe Cirincione. He's a national security and nuclear proliferation analyst and author of the book "Nuclear Nightmares."

Great to see you, Joe. So how, you know, do the U.S. strikes, in your view, on Iran set the stage for a path to diplomacy with Iran? In other words, is it plausible?

JOE CIRINCIONE, VICE CHAIR, CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICY BOARD OF DIRECTORS: It's possible. I don't know if it's plausible. It's been a very difficult road, especially with President Trump, who has a very low tolerance for the kind of extended negotiations you need to contain a program like this. It's made more difficult, of course, by the fact that this bombing campaign, while it set back Iran's program, may have actually accelerated parts of it, including their ability to make nuclear weapons and perhaps created the intent to make nuclear weapons now, which was clearly not part of the Iranian calculations before this.

You see, the kind of nationalist fervor that is now sweeping through the nation. Bibi Netanyahu's strategic objective in this campaign was to overthrow the regime. He may have unintentionally strengthened it. All of this makes negotiations fraught and extremely difficult. It will be a tough road ahead.

WHITFIELD: And you have said that the U.S. military action was strategically brilliant, but now it's back to where Iran, Israel and the U.S. were two weeks ago. So do you think, ahead of these strikes, Iran had moved much of its critical material?

CIRINCIONE: Well, I said that the strikes were strategically or tactically brilliant, but strategically ineffective. No other country in the world could have done what we did with that bombing attack on Fordow. The Israeli military was incredible in its first days of strikes, but the net result is that, while we have damaged the extensive infrastructure for enriching uranium, we did not apparently, there's no evidence that we have so far, we did not take out the stockpile of enriched uranium gas.

Some 8,000, 9,000 kilograms of enriched uranium, 400 kilograms of which are near bombs grade already. It doesn't take many centrifuges to enrich that uranium for the chorus of bombs. Those centrifuges apparently are still intact. We know there are many sites in Iran that were not hit. We know they have secret underground facilities that we do -- cannot locate. And it appears that they were able to move the gas from some of these sites before they were hit.

At least that is what the IAEA reported to the U.N. Security Council last Sunday. Nothing has contradicted that so far, except some statements from the president, but they're not backed up by any evidence. So can you trust what the president is saying? So far, most analysts are still waiting for further damage assessments.

WHITFIELD: How long before you think there will be some more concrete information, intelligence, evidence?

CIRINCIONE: Well, I think there's intelligence now about what happened. The problem is it's not coming to the surface. We're not knowing about it.

[15:20:03]

I mean, you see what happened to the DIA, which came out with their initial assessment based on the Central Command's intelligence, the people closest to the attacks, the people who have been monitoring the attacks. Their assessment was that the program was only set back six months. That agency is now in deep trouble. I'd be surprised if the head of that agency survives.

And what you're seeing is a deep politicalization of the U.S. intelligence apparatus. You can imagine the kind of pressure that is on the other agencies to conform with what President Trump has said, rather than an objective analysis. So I don't know if we're ever going to get a statement we can trust from this intelligence apparatus so heavily politicized by the president of the United States.

WHITFIELD: And I wonder, in your view then, what does Trump mean when he says Iran needs to agree to a deal? What would the deal be that is different or better than the JCPOA deal that Iran agreed to back in 2015, including inspections from the International Atomic Energy Agency?

CIRINCIONE: Well, the original deal, which had stopped all of Iran's pathways to a bomb, it was working. It had the strictest inspection regime ever negotiated anywhere in the world. I've been doing this for a long time. I've never seen a deal this good. President Trump pulled out of it for different reasons, not because it wasn't working.

So what can you get now? Well, if President Trump sticks with his plan to go to zero enrichment, that will be extremely difficult for the Iranians to agree to. But there is a possibility of a compromise, very limited enrichment, maybe even a suspension of enrichment, embrace of a goal of eventually giving up enrichment in exchange for the kind of sweeteners the Trump administration is dangling before the --

WHITFIELD: Inspections, too? Including those inspections?

CIRINCIONE: Of course inspections. Any deal has to be verifiable. We're not talking about trusting somebody here just on their words. There has to be a rigorous inspection regime. Iran agreed to it before in 2014. They can agree to it again.

WHITFIELD: So is it returning to the old deal?

CIRINCIONE: It would be the old deal, plus or minus. And depending. You know, the Iranians are trying to entice Trump into this by talking about U.S. investment in rebuilding Iran's energy infrastructure, including its nuclear infrastructure. That's pretty enticing for businessmen like President Trump and his negotiator, Steve Witkoff. They might have the inside track on billions of dollars' worth of contracts.

That's the way you have to look at this, not just what's in the best interest of U.S. national security, but how does Trump benefit from this deal the way he's benefited from the other deals he's made so far.

WHITFIELD: All right, Joe Cirincione, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much for being with us.

CIRINCIONE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Still to come, Senate Republicans making a big push right now to secure enough votes to move President Trump's agenda bill toward a floor vote. Of course, you're seeing Democrat Amy Klobuchar right now. Will the overall effort by Republicans succeed? A live report from Capitol Hill, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:27:34]

WHITFIELD: All right. This just in to CNN. A setback for Senate Republicans trying to get President Trump's agenda bill across the finish line.

CNN's Annie Grayer is on Capitol Hill.

Annie, what's happening?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, Republican Senator Thom Tillis, a key vote here, has come out and said he is against this bill because of the deep cuts that it makes to Medicaid and how it impacts the state. But Tillis isn't even the most recent Republican to come out. Just in a matter of moments ago, Republican Senator Sheehy came out against the legislation because of its inclusion of the sale of public lands, which is really big for his state of Montana.

So it just shows you how so many different senators here have different issues with this bill and why it's so difficult to bring Republicans together. On top of these two you have Republican Senator Ron Johnson, who said consistently that this bill doesn't make enough spending cuts. So Republicans are currently meeting behind closed doors. They want to start voting on this bill as soon as 4:00 p.m. We're waiting to see if that actually happens.

Meanwhile, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance have been working the phones and trying to convince senators up until this last minute. We know that the president has stayed at the White House this weekend to try and pressure Republicans on Capitol Hill. He even played golf with some Republican senators this morning. But a lot is up in the air right now. The clock is ticking. President Trump wants this on his desk by July 4th.

And keep in mind, the House Republicans have their own version of this bill. House Republicans just met on a phone or having a phone call as we speak, talking about their strategy here because what's being discussed in the Senate is very different than the House. So there's a lot of concerns happening. And again, we are getting down to the wire here.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And getting down to the nitty gritty on it. All right. Annie Grayer on Capitol Hill. Thank you so much. Keep us posted.

All right. Up next, a look at what's next for the world's most famous newlyweds in the middle of -- and they're actually, like, ending their three-day party in Venice. And boy, is it extravagant and fun.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:34:17]

WHITFIELD: All right. Happening right now in Venice, Italy, the third and final day of a very extravagant wedding celebration for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and now wife Lauren Sanchez-Bezos. Earlier, I talked to our Melissa Bell, who had a front row seat on the water of course, right alongside the newlyweds in their boat there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're in fact just in that boat right ahead, were in a sort of speed chase with the paparazzi. They had come out of their boat to wave to everyone, but they've now gone back inside sadly, Fredricka, just before we started chatting. It's the boat just ahead. This is the happy couple now heading to their final party.

[15:35:00]

It is the third day of celebration of course, and it has been an extravagant party. No expense has been spared. And whilst this is an unusual scene, insofar as we're actually, very many of us, following us, what you have seen over the course of the last few days is these vaporettos full of paparazzi, they've been on the shore, they've been in the boats just hoping to catch a glimpse either of the happy couple itself or many of their A-list celebrities.

So it has been something quite spectacular for many bewildered tourists who found themselves here over the course of the weekend, either to see this sort of spectacle, and again, we're right up alongside it, Fredricka. This is the boat of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez-Bezos now, carrying them to their final party. You can see them there just through the window, waving at people. They're waving at us.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. I mean, Melissa, I said --

BELL: It Is heading to their last party.

WHITFIELD: Oh, hello, people. I mean, Melissa, I said last time you find yourself in the middle of it all and here you are. I mean, really in the middle of it all. You have, you know, closer access than anybody right now to the Bezos. And I'm talking about your closer than even their guests are to the Bezos.

So wait a minute. So I saw them all wearing pajamas, lingerie, a very fun kind of post-party wear. What's the theme here? Where are they going? What's going on?

BELL: Well, they had this last bash, had been due to happen at a place called the Misericordia. It's a beautiful sort of venue in Venice, where they often hold parties, a sort of Medieval structure. It had to be moved. So the newlyweds that you're seeing now are on their way to the Arsenale, which is this sort of big shipyard, also Medieval, where they're going to hold their final bash, and where it's simply going to be easier for authorities to keep, not just us and the paparazzi currently involved in this high speed chase.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

BELL: Down the canal as we try and follow their boat. But also, of course, the protesters. As when we spoke last time, Fredricka, we were in the middle of them. That protest has now wrapped up, but the protesters have been very clear. Their plan had been to disrupt this wedding as much as they could in order to have the world hear their many different claims. And there were a number of them that they were arguing for.

So this is the last you're going to see of the newlyweds because they're going to be at the Arsenale. It's going to be very hard for anyone to get there. And what we've also seen over the course of the last three days is really the guests respect those NDAs. You'll have seen very little in the way of pictures from inside the actual venues. We, the press, the paparazzi have been kept at bay.

The protesters have been kept at a safe distance and in the end, this, when you consider the cost, eye-popping, the expensive wedding has gone on without a glitch. I mean, they've gone from venue to venue. The celebrities came, the dresses were admired, the crowds swooned and never actually did the protesters manage to get close to them or disrupt any of the events while they took place. So I think for the organizers of this wedding, this finale will come as a huge relief -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. OK, so everyone else has been denied access, but not you, Melissa Bell. You are there in the center of it all. Oh, my gosh. So now what about -- look at these folks here. They get a surprise glimpse right alongside you in that boat that just went by. So the general public has just -- and then I see people on the bridge there. The general public tourists are getting like a bonus. If they see them --

BELL: I mean, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Tell me about that. That's incredible.

BELL: Imagine, I've spoken to so many people (INAUDIBLE) holiday months ago. I had no idea they were booking it during the weekend of this wedding extravaganza. They'd been a little worried. In fact, Venice has gone about its business, but there would have been many of bewildered tourists who came across either a protester or a scene like this one, and-or passing Tom Brady in the streets of Venice.

I mean, that's not bad, right? You come for a weekend --

WHITFIELD: Not so bad.

BELL: -- and you happen to bump into Tom Brady. I mean, I would go for it.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Me too. I wish I were there and, you know, maybe the next time any number of us plan something in Venice or Paris or something like that, there'll happen to be an extravagant wedding just like this one that unfolds before our very eyes.

Oh, my gosh, Melissa, well, what a great vantage point. And what wonderful moments of happenstance that you happen to take us for along the ride. We're living vicariously through you, and congratulations to the Bezos who are on that beautiful boat right there now that they have -- yes, just really carried off this incredible three-day extravaganza, but it's not over yet. And Melissa is going to let us know what happens next as they wrap it all up.

Melissa Bell, you're amazing, there in Venice along the Canal. Arrivederci. For now. Ciao.

BELL: Arrivederci.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you, Melissa.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:44:30]

WHITFIELD: All right, this breaking news out of Louisiana. Police have released new images of the fugitive who was recently captured after escaping from a New Orleans jail. Antoine Massey was one of 10 inmates who broke out of the Orleans Justice Center more than a month ago. Police arrested the 33-year-old at a rental property a few miles away from where he escaped. Massey was most recently charged with domestic abuse and car theft. Convicted murderer Derrick Groves is the last remaining inmate still on the run.

[15:45:05]

And deliberations in the criminal sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs are set to begin on Monday. Jurors will get the case after hearing two marathon days of closing statements that wrapped up Friday. Defense attorney Mark Agnifilo insisted the government failed to present evidence of Combs' alleged crimes, and in a fiery 80-minute rebuttal, prosecutors said the defense team was focused on victim blaming, telling the jury, quote, "It is time to hold him accountable, find him guilty," end quote.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: The case is almost in the jury's hands in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial. Closing arguments coming to an end on Friday, with the defense saying this is a tale of two trials. The trial of the evidence and the trial that the prosecution is presenting.

They say that the trial of the prosecution is one that is, quote, "badly exaggerated." But they say that the evidence, well, what it shows is a lifestyle of choosing, and that lifestyle includes being swingers or having threesomes. But even though, if that may be a peculiar choice, it is not criminal.

Now, Combs' defense attorney Marc Agnifilo really taking in like Cassie Ventura, the star witness of this trial. She of course, is Sean Combs ex-girlfriend of 11 years, who she claims that she endured a decade-plus of abuse by Sean Combs. Well, he said that she's no victim, that she is not naive. She is a strong woman, and that is actually why Combs fell in love with her. He actually said that Cassie Ventura is the winner of this trial. Why? Because of money. The federal investigation into Combs all began with Cassie Ventura's

civil lawsuit that she filed back in November of 2023. Well, that bombshell lawsuit was settled in 24 hours between Cassie and Combs. So, today, during closing arguments, here is what his attorney had to say to the jury. He said, quote, "Cassie is nobody's fool. Cassie is sitting somewhere in the world with $30 million. Combs is in jail. Cassie won."

Now, the prosecutors got the final word, of course, with their rebuttal. And they said that the defense's closing argument to call these women liars was nothing but victim-blaming. They said it was ridiculous. It is nonsensical. It is preposterous. They said that Sean Combs has committed crimes and gotten away with it because of his inner circle, that enterprise for 20 years. They ended it by saying that Sean Combs believed that he was a god among men, but he's not a god in this courtroom, there are no gods. There are only people and they implored the jury to find him guilty.

Now, on Monday, the jury will return. They will get their instructions and then deliberations will begin.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much.

All right. This week marks 30 years since an Iowa journalist disappeared. When 27-year-old Jodi Huisentruit didn't show up to anchor the morning news, her news director figured she had overslept. She called her at home, and Jodi said she'd be right in. But then Jodi never arrived and has not been heard from since that morning, June 1995.

It's a chilling mystery that CNN's Randi Kaye has been following for decades.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JODI HUISENTRUIT, MISSING TV ANCHOR: June 15th already, I'm Jodi Huisentruit.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jodi Huisentruit had never missed a show until June 27th, 1995 when the morning anchor didn't show up for work at KIMT in Mason City, Iowa. Around 7:00 a.m., the station alerted police and filed this request for a welfare check obtained by CNN.

CAROLINE LOWE, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: When police got to the scene, there Jodi's -- no sign of Jodi, but her car was there. We're not going away.

KAYE: Investigative Journalist Caroline Lowe has covered Jodi's case for nearly three decades.

LOWE: There were definite signs of a struggle because the bent key indicated that she was probably attacked from behind and there's a lot of force used. And then on the ground, you see her stuff strewn, like her red heels, her blow dryer, earrings.

KAYE: Authorities searched Jodi's apartment and the surrounding area using dogs, but came up empty. On Jodi's car, a possible clue.

But you can confirm there was a palm print?

JEFF BRINKLEY, MASON CITY POLICE CHIEF: We've got a palm print in evidence.

KAYE (voice-over): That was all Mason City's Police Chief Jeff Brinkley would say about that. He's the fourth police chief since Jodi disappeared.

Coming up on 30 years, what's the biggest obstacle for you with the case?

BRINKLEY: People's memories decline.

KAYE (voice-over): Investigators figure it would've taken Jodi about 30 seconds to get from her apartment to her car.

So, was someone watching her?

LOWE: Her information where she lived, her phone number, home address, were in the phone book.

KAYE (voice-over): In the months before she disappeared, Jodi feared she was being stalked.

[15:50:03]

Nearly nine months earlier, Jodi filed this police report regarding a suspicious subject who was following her, driving a small, white, newer pickup. The day before she vanished, she told people she might change her phone number.

Jodi's disappearance became the top story.

AMY KUNS, HUISENTRUIT'S FORMER KIMT PRODUCER: It's now been nearly two and a half days since the person who usually sits in this chair disappeared.

KAYE: No witnesses, no security cameras, investigators struggle to piece it together.

JACK SCHLIEPER, FORMER MASON CITY POLICE CHIEF: At this point, we are focusing on probably less than a dozen people.

KAYE: Including this man.

JOHN VANSICE, FRIEND: Honestly, she's alive somewhere.

KAYE: John Vansice and Jodi were in the same social circle despite him being 22 years older. He told police Jodi was at his place the night before she disappeared, watching videos from her recent birthday party.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Have the police indicated whether or not you're a suspect?

VANSICE: No, they haven't given me any indication. They've interviewed me twice, but they haven't given me any indication I'm a suspect.

LOWE: He absolutely consistently denied he had anything, any involvement in Jodi's abduction.

KAYE: More than two decades after Jodi disappeared in 2017, police put GPS trackers on two cars related to Vansice, according to this partially unsealed search warrant CNN obtained. He was also ordered to appear before a grand jury in Mason City and asked to provide palm prints and a DNA swab.

Why track Vansice's car so many years later, 22 years after Jodi disappeared?

BRINKLEY: No comment.

KAYE: Do you know if John Vansice has been officially ruled out as having anything to do with Jodi's disappearance?

BRINKLEY: I don't have any comment on any of that at this point.

KAYE (voice-over): John Vansice died last year. This double murder suspect from Wisconsin, Christopher Revak, has also been on police radar since 2009 when he hanged himself in jail. Last December, Mason City Police met with authorities in Wood County, Wisconsin, after learning that Revak's first wife, who is not a suspect, had lived in Mason City at the time Jodi disappeared.

Is he still being considered as possibly being involved with her disappearance?

BRINKLEY: We've got investigators that are reviewing that.

KAYE (voice-over): No official suspect in three decades but Chief Brinkley says Jodi's case has not gone cold. Tips are still coming in.

BRINKLEY: Under the right circumstances, it could be any day, whether it's DNA, whether it's confession.

KAYE: Fellow journalist Caroline Lowe says it's time for Jodi to come home.

LOWE: She's one of ours, and I feel we owe it to her as part of our family that I want to help bring her home.

KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:57:16]

WHITFIELD: As the world watched Iran and Israel trade drone and missile strikes, it created a unique set of concerns for residents of one neighborhood in Los Angeles because many of them are Jewish and Persian.

CNN's Nick Watt reports from the Los Angeles area known as Tehrangeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RABBI TARLAN RABIZADEH, AMERICAN JEWISH UNIVERSITY: Now that all of my countries are involved in this war, all of them. Israel, Iran, and now the USA, it is just all-consuming and terrifying. I want to say that first and foremost people dying is the last thing that I want.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rabbi Tarlan Rabizadeh is among the 20,000 or so Persian Jews living here in L.A. So is the mayor of Beverly Hills.

DR. SHARONA R. NAZARIAN, MAYOR OF BEVERLY HILLS: There are a lot of people that are very concerned. They have family members in Iran. They have family members in Israel, and they are all being impacted by this.

WATT: News from the old country plays in a grocery store in a neighborhood known as Tehrangeles.

RABIZADEH: We care about Israel surviving because it's our homeland, but so is Iran. And I wish people would understand that.

Iranian Jews have lived in Iran for 2500 years since the time of Queen Esther.

WATT: The biblical Jewish queen of a Persian king.

RABIZADEH: The country was originally Zoroastrian. People were forced to convert to Islam, and Jews thrived there.

WATT: Religions had coexisted for maybe 2,000 years. Then most Jews fled around the time of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Mayor Nazarian was just a little kid.

Have you ever been back?

NAZARIAN: No. We were persecuted for our religion, that we were exiled.

WATT (voice-over): This week, Persian Americans in L.A. demonstrated their desire for the end of the ayatollah's regime.

I mean, you are in some senses the ayatollah's worst nightmare.

RABIZADEH: Maybe. I don't have enough followers for that, but yes.

WATT: You would like an Iran free of the current regime. RABIZADEH: Absolutely. And I would say that the majority of the

Iranian people would feel the same way. I am not going to apologize that I would love to be able to go back to a free Iran and see where my ancestors came from.

NAZARIAN: My community is very hopeful that they're going to be able to see peace in their time and be able to visit.

RABIZADEH: I remember when we invaded Iraq and my family kept shaking their heads at the television and saying, wrong country, man. We wasted a lot of lives there, though, and Americans are really scared about putting our soldiers at risk again. And I don't blame them.

NAZARIAN: This is going to be something that is going to have to happen at the hands of the Iranian people themselves, with their own courage,

their own strength to be able to see freedom.

WATT: Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)