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Waiting For Key Senate Vote On Trump's Agenda Bill; Interview With Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD); Trump Praises Court Decision That Expands His Power; Biden, Harris Attend Funeral of Slain Minnesota Lawmaker; Jury to Begin Deliberations On Monday; Jury To Begin Deliberating Sex Trafficking, Racketeering Case Monday; Storms, Hail Put 50 Million People Under Alert. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired June 28, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:28]

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I am Omar Jimenez in New York. Jessica Dean has the day off.

We are following breaking news out of Washington. Senators are in session this evening as Republican leaders are trying to get a final version of President Donald Trump's massive policy bill to his desk, ideally by his terms by July 4th.

We are waiting, though, on the first major hurdle, a procedural vote. Republicans need that to pass first before moving to formally debating the bill on the Senate floor.

Democrats are already planning ways to slow the debate process down, which could include clerks reading the entire 940-page bill out loud. Still, whether the legislation has enough support to pass is yet to be decided.

Now, as for the timing on this procedural vote, it was supposed to start, as we were told at 4:00 P.M. Here is what Senator Amy Klobuchar told me last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): They seem to be having trouble because the vote was supposed to be at four. We had 40 Democrats sitting out there on the floor waiting for them, and now we've still got a number of Democrats out there. I guess, we like each other because they are nowhere to be found. So it makes me think that they maybe don't have the votes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: I want to bring in South Dakota Republican Senator Mike Rounds, who joins us now.

So, Senator, you just heard from Senator Klobuchar. I mean, is that the case? Do you all not have the votes? I mean, where are you on the procedural vote process right now? SEN. MIKE ROUNDS (R-SD): I think the most recent information that we have is that we have a commitment for the votes, but in order to get to that commitment, there are some amendments that some people want to make sure that they can offer.

But anytime you make an amendment to a bill like this, you've got to know what the score is. And I think what is going on is, is they are trying to make sure that the scores on their amendments are appropriate and that they will fit within the confines that the bill calls for.

So no cause for alarm for those average American homeowners out there that are concerned about the loss of a $2,400.00 tax credit that they have coming, otherwise. But that's the big issue here right now for most of us is for most families in South Dakota, if we don't pass this bill, their taxes will go up by about $2,400.00 next year, and that is what is pushing this whole issue.

So for us, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is critical. We want to get it across the finish line. There are other things that go along with it, which is the debt ceiling extension, so that we don't have a shutdown to government. And in the meantime, we've got a lot of folks on the other side of the aisle that want to see some reforms made to Medicaid.

But it takes amendments. We look forward to an open amendment process that will take a long time to get through, because I think Republicans and Democrats alike are going to want to make amendments once we get on the bill.

JIMENEZ: And, you know, for context as well, for, you know, if you look at the score, so to speak there, essentially you can't afford to lose more than three Republicans at this point. And we do know at least Senator Thom Tillis, Senator Rand Paul, Senator Ron Johnson all seem to have issues at the moment for their own various reasons.

But one major sticking point, as you as you pointed out are some of the proposed changes to Medicaid, and the Senate version does go a step further than the House version. That bill has exemptions for all parents and caretakers. Your exemption is only for parents with children under 14.

Why do you believe that change is a necessary addition to what the House has already passed?

ROUNDS: I think part of it was to identify if somebody has got kids that are 16, 17 or 18 years old, should they be expected to be working if they can? And I think, you know, if you ask the average American out there that sees $36 trillion, $37 trillion in debt, should we find a way to reduce the increased costs that we see in Medicaid? Should someone go back to work? And I think most taxpayers would say, look, I am working full time. I've got kids in school. If you're not employed right now and you've got kids that are over the age of 14 and we need those workers back in the workplace, we want you to go back to work.

And I think that's really where it is all -- it is just a matter of defining at what age they should go back to work. The important part on this is, is that if you're taking care of someone with a disability and so forth, we don't expect that. If you've got a young child under the age of 14, we don't expect you to be working.

But I think most taxpayers out there say, look, there is a reasonableness to this. And our point here is, is we are not actually cutting Medicaid. What we are doing is, is significantly slowing down the increase in growth in Medicaid over the next 10 years, and that's our goal. We've got to get it survivable.

And in the meantime, we've got to get this economy rolling again.

[18:05:10]

And we don't want to have a significant increase in the taxes that average Americans pay. And there is a tax increase coming if we don't pass this Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. That's why we want to make it permanent. Right now, it expires at the end of next year.

JIMENEZ: And of course, that would be a continuation of the temporary tax cuts that were put in place back in 2017.

ROUNDS: Correct.

JIMENEZ: And whether it is a decrease in the rate of increase on Medicaid, bottom line, it is expected to affect over eight million people over the next decade, with some, including one mother of five who wrote to Senator Josh Hawley, for example, who argued Medicaid was critical to keeping her nine-year-old daughter alive. And I've heard from Republicans who say, look, these changes will just focus coverage down to those who really need it. But do you also worry that there are people who could slip through the cracks here and be left in an untenable situation?

ROUNDS: We've done our best to let that happen, and so the coverages that we have in Medicaid for that lady that has five kids and so forth, there are two parts to it. Number one is we want to make sure that for an individual like that has kids that may have disabilities and so forth, that's what Medicaid was intended for. We understand that, we want to maintain that. But there is another piece to this as well, that young mom may very well have refundable tax credits that are included in this bill that she would not get and that is cash coming back directly to her that she would lose if we don't pass that portion of the bill as well.

So we are trying to balance this. We know we've got $36 trillion, almost $37 trillion in debt. And yet at the same time, for those working individuals that are out there, we want to make sure that they keep a little bit more of their money as well, and I think that this lady that was talking about it, number one, yes, we don't want to have anybody fall through the cracks. We are going to do our best not to have that happen.

We don't believe that any of the provisions that we are putting in would let that happen, but most certainly, we also want to make sure that in terms of just cash in their own pocket, with the refundable tax credits that they have those available as well. And sometimes we don't do a very good job of talking about that either.

JIMENEZ: You know, another reason we are seeing some hesitation, at least for Republican support, is over the addition to the national debt, at least as projected by the Congressional Budget Office. We've heard those concerns from Senator Ron Johnson, specifically.

Are you as concerned with adding to the national deficit here as Senator Johnson seems to be with this, because the CBO analysis does say they take into account the economic effects that this legislation would, in theory, bring as well. But it seems like you and Senator Johnson, for example, aren't on the same page in regards to that front.

ROUNDS: Yes. Look, Ron is bright. He is a businessman. He understands a ton of this. He really does have a concern that we should be making more cuts, that we should be going more deeply into a lot of the programs and actually taking more time to ferret out more areas that we can reduce.

We are simply out of time for doing that in terms of making more cuts and the other piece on it, though, is in the past, the CBO, when they make their estimates, they don't use a program called dynamic scoring. We are using some of the same people that did the dynamic scoring back in 2017. They are scoring was better than the scoring coming out of CBO and that's the point that we are trying to make is that when you extend this and you do some more things, like allowing families to have a bigger child tax credit, they spend that money in the economy and they continue to let that economy grow.

We are also making some changes in the regulatory aspects that impact businesses that will bring more businesses back into the United States and hopefully allow them to grow faster. That's our goal, is to grow this economy faster than what our debt is growing, while slowing down the increases that really have driven that portion of the debt.

Nobody on my side of the aisle wants to hurt people. What we want to do is to try to get this on a sustainable level long term and this is the one opportunity that we have to do it. We do look forward to working with our Democrat colleagues when it comes to an appropriations process, where Congress actually has a chance with 60 votes in the Senate to do the appropriations across the floor of the Senate this year and that is a chance for us to really get in debate and decide which programs we want and which programs, you know, we are going to cut this coming year as well, but it will be bipartisan in nature at that point.

JIMENEZ: And, Senator, just as you've been speaking, we have been showing live images of the Senate floor. It doesn't seem to be that crowded right now. What kind of night are you preparing for? Are you preparing to vote in the next two hours, or are you thinking this is going to go much later?

ROUNDS: No, I think what will happen is we will have one vote, probably within the next, you know, any time now. We thought it might be 5:30 or 6:00. Now I am assuming they will probably extend it out another 15 to 20 minutes. They are waiting for some scores on some amendments so that folks feel comfortable on voting to the motion to proceed.

[18:10:08]

Once that happens, I think it will be either 50 or 51 votes on the motion to proceed. I think we will be successful and once that is complete, then our Democrat colleagues can decide, are we going to make the staff stay overnight and read the entire 900-page bill? Or will they say, look, let's take that time that they would normally be reading it, let our staff go home, get a good night's sleep, and then allow our staffs to be able to actually read through, because there is a lot of stuff there to read, 900 pages, and we started on it last night, going through, just checking, dotting I's and crossing T's. And I think that the Democrats can do the same thing if they want.

They've already decided they're not going to vote for it anyway. So it will be more Republicans reading the fine print than they will be. But this is their right, they can delay it. If we make a deal and we say, let our staff go home and we will wait 15 hours before we begin, that might be a possibility.

Once that happens, then that part of it is complete. Then we have 20 hours of debate equally divided. I don't think Republicans will take their time, it may take a few hours. Democrats can take all of their time, which means you add 10 more hours onto it before you get into the vote-a-rama itself.

The vote-a-rama is unlimited amendments. You start and you don't quit until people are exhausted. And during that time, the Republicans will have amendments to put in, Democrats will have amendments to put in, it will be back and forth. And when we are all done with that, then you have a final vote on the bill up or down.

So we've got a long couple of days ahead of us yet, but we will be successful in the end. That's my prediction.

JIMENEZ: And Senator, just before we go, I want to get your input on President Trump calling off trade talks with Canada, just because I know that they are your biggest trade partner there in South Dakota. Do you have any concerns on that front, especially as we approach that July 9th deadline for reciprocal tariffs?

ROUNDS: Yes. Look, I think the president is a good negotiator himself. He has mentioned several times with regard to our Canadian friends, they are nasty negotiators. But I suspect that he would love to have them negotiating for him instead of against him at times as well.

We will work that through. We will get it taken care of, and this will get back on target again. But they are our best friends, they are our allies. We will work through these. And, you know, they put a little tax in there on some of our technical companies and so forth, and it is time to maybe visit that a little bit and make them come back around, but make a deal with us.

He is just notifying kind of that shadow of the bow that he didn't like it and we want to get it straightened out right now. So trade as usual with some guys who are really good negotiators on their own part as well.

JIMENEZ: All right, Senator Mike Rounds, really appreciate you taking the time. Best of luck with that -- with that marathon ahead.

ROUNDS: Thank you. Appreciate it.

JIMENEZ: All right, I want to bring in CNN senior reporter, Annie Grayer, because Annie, you know, as we heard from the Senator there, he seems confident that they are going to be getting the votes, but also laid out sort of that long process ahead.

What has changed over the past several hours since we got last night's version of the bill?

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, Omar, there is a lot of moving parts, and we are still not sure that we even have the final version, which just shows you how much is up in the air and is all contributing to this delay of why we haven't seen senators start voting yet.

So the big issue that has been overhanging this whole process has to do with how deep to make Medicaid cuts. Republicans like Senator Josh Hawley, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski have all been talking about this. So one of the changes that came through in this latest bill overnight is providing a fund for rural hospitals that will help them ease some of this burden, so that was one change.

Another had to do with the provider tax. The new version of the bill decreases the rate that provider taxes will be getting, so that also is easing the burden of some of these Medicaid taxes, and after those changes, we saw Republican Senator Josh Hawley, who had been a big holdout, come out in support of this bill. That was a big get for President Trump and the GOP.

Now, the third change that we saw overnight has to do with reducing State And Local Taxes. This has been an issue that specifically Republicans in the House have been pushing for.

So after a lot of negotiations between Republicans in the House, Republicans in the Senate and the Treasury Department, lawmakers put out a new deal that so far, it seems a lot of Republicans are happy with.

But these are just some of the examples of things that are changing and again, it is a moving target and Republicans can only lose three votes on this bill.

And a lot of senators have different reasons for why they are against the legislation. So that is what leadership is dealing with and that is what President Trump is in D.C. making calls to lawmakers is also confronting.

JIMENEZ: Yes, fun Saturday night plans. Annie Grayer, appreciate the reporting as always. [18:15:01]

All right, meanwhile, President Trump is calling it a giant win for his presidency, not so much the vote just yet, he hopes, but a Supreme Court ruling that changes the balance of power between the White House and the courts that will have lasting political implications long after Trump leaves the Oval Office.

We're going to talk about it coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Well, this was a big one, wasn't it? This was a big decision. An amazing decision, one that we are very happy about.

This morning, the Supreme Court has delivered a monumental victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:20:20]

JIMENEZ: That is President Trump celebrating a major win for him and his administration as a Supreme Court ruling expands his executive powers, limiting the ability of lower courts to strike down White House policies. A lot of implications here. Let's talk more about this with our panel, AXIOS senior contributor, Margaret Talev and "New York Times" White House correspondent and CNN political analyst, Zolan Kanno-Youngs. They join us now.

Thanks for being here.

Margaret, I mean, can you just put into context, I mean, how big of a win is this for the White House? What does this clear the path for them to be able to do?

MARGARET TALEV, AXIOS SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Omar, it stops judges at the district court level from injunctions against things that seem blatantly unconstitutional that you know, courts around the country have or legal experts have agreed would be.

And so, this forces a new situation where you could potentially see this administration and future administrations, presidents of both parties, have test cases in multiple jurisdictions. Because now, just because a judge in one place says that, it can't hold there with that particular plaintiff, there could still be a floodgate of tests in other states.

It means, probably people will need -- everybody will need to lawyer up. It means that you may see movements towards more sort of class action, where judges may try to find a way around this. It just opens up a Pandora's Box of both uncertainty in what is expected to be a huge empowerment of the President. And in some sense, the Supreme Court is saying, yes, the judiciary can serve as a check on the executive, but really, only the Supreme Court can serve as a check on a President.

JIMENEZ: Sure, and Zolan, I mean, look, the opportunity -- there are many different opportunities and avenues at this point that this ruling clears the path for, but practically speaking, has the Trump administration actually said anything about how they plan to enforce some of these rulings, or I guess, use this opportunity?

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Wow. I mean, this is a huge decision and you saw the President and his Attorney General come to the White House yesterday and say that in the wake of this, that they want to move with haste to implement policies that were previously blocked by some of these nationwide injunctions, that includes a proposal to end birthright citizenship. Now, that won't take immediate effect, right? The Supreme Court did not rule on the merits of the constitutionality of that proposal.

The Attorney General said that will probably be left to the next term, but you will see it take effect in now 28 states. Really, that's what Margaret was getting at before. Now, we have a hodgepodge situation where some of these proposals might take effect in some states, but not other states because of the lack of nationwide injunction.

However, that policy still wouldn't take effect for about 30 days, so it wouldn't be immediate. You also have other policies, such as cutting federal funding to sanctuary cities as well. Just to zoom out, I mean, there haven't been a whole lot of checks and balances in Trump 2.0. And really, the Judiciary Branch and nationwide injunctions was really one of those last, you know, checks on this Executive Branch, on this President that did campaign on coming to office and consolidating executive power.

You know, Congress hasn't really been a check. You've seen Congress really capitulate to the Executive Branch. The Justice Department has had loyalists installed throughout it. So then you have the judiciary branch and these nationwide injunctions. That's now eroded as well.

So all of this amounts to a President and administration really consolidating power within the White House without much accountability around them.

JIMENEZ: Yes, so that's obviously a dynamic we are going to keep watching and we will see. I mean, we've had so many tests at many federal district levels, whether it is over matters of deportation, even prior to that, we just had major rulings on that front as well.

Margaret, I want to turn to the other story we are following today, because obviously the Senate is debating President Trump's massive agenda bill right now. But there is a balance here because, I mean, how do lawmakers balance pleasing the President, which, again, would be passing this bill, he obviously wants that to happen.

But it is one that has a few largely unpopular elements in them. Among them cuts to Medicaid. I mean, Trump is not going to be the one who is on the ballot next election. TALEV: Yes, and this is a -- it is a real concern for Republican senators in many states.

[18:25:06]

What we've seen in the early polling, there has been a lot of polling over the month of June on the BBB, the Big, Beautiful Bill, and, you know, with slight variation, what the numbers show pretty consistently is that more than half of Americans are opposed to what they understand this legislation to be right now, and just shy of a third are for it. So you've got a lot of Americans who aren't sure, more than half who are like, eh, I like this.

And some of the reasons why and again, I am talking about a collection of polls, but these are major polls, some of the reasons why are real concerns about what cuts to Medicaid could mean in terms of services that people in rural areas, as well as cities rely on. And the second is that while everybody likes the idea of a tax cut when it benefits them, the general public understanding, and this is accurate based on the legislation as it is stood until now, would actually shift wealth towards the wealthier as a result of the continuation of these policies.

And so a win would definitely help President Trump to say, I get things done. I said I was going to do it and I am going to get it done. And a win would please large parts of the constituency and there are some businesses and other folks who definitely support it, but the challenge for some of these Republicans is that a win for Trump might actually create headaches for them in the midterms.

And so that's why you're seeing a lot of this last minute discussions, whether it is what to do about the SALT tax or whether to delay various provisions, because there is a real understanding that there is going to now be another sales job at an effort to change the narrative if they do have success with passage in the next few days.

JIMENEZ: And Zolan, obviously, the President keeping a close eye on this. Have you been hearing anything from sources or otherwise about how the President is trying to whip votes on this?

KANNO-YOUNGS: Yes, you know, we initially thought that the President might be might be actually traveling this weekend to his home in Bedminster, but he stayed in Washington and I think this is the primary reason, because you still do have, you know, some senators -- some Republican holdouts as well.

Today, he spent the day -- you know, he didn't move his schedule too much, he spent the day golfing in the area. But I thought it was interesting that Senator Rand Paul, who has pushed back on this, was with the President, as well as Senator Lindsey Graham, too.

So you are seeing the White House keep and pay close attention here. Also, the administration did issue almost their official endorsement of this Senate bill from OMB, from the White House and they reiterated the self-imposed deadline to get this bill passed by July 4th, but also said that those who did not support this legislation, they characterized that as a betrayal.

So you're seeing the White House also ramp up the pressure here on Republicans, as there are still some uncertainty with this bill. We had some added provisions in recent days as well. So there is still a lack of clarity on the overall cost for this. But you're seeing the White House really say that this is yet another test of loyalty to the party and to the administration.

JIMENEZ: Sure. Margaret, Zolan, appreciate you both. Thanks for being here.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Thank you.

TALEV: Thanks, Omar.

JIMENEZ: All right, leaders and loved ones alike are paying tribute to a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband, weeks after officials say they were both assassinated. We are going to bring you those details coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:33:05]

JIMENEZ: Welcome back. Family and friends packed the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis today for a private funeral service for Melissa and Mark Hortman. Melissa Hortman, a Minnesota State Representative and former House Speaker, was assassinated in her home along with her husband on June 14th. Now, the funeral was attended by leaders, including former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz served as a pallbearer as well. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A funeral with the highest state honors in the country's first Basilica, Minnesota, in mourning. Governor Tim Walz presenting the children of Mark and Melissa Hortman with the flags flown above the Capitol on the day their parents were killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Remember your servants, Melissa and Mark.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: The political nature of their tragic deaths, the undeniable backdrop for the day's events.

(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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: In attendance for mass, former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. On Friday, mourners paid their respects as the Hortmans laid in state at the Minnesota Capitol.

Melissa, the first woman in state history to receive that distinction. Laid to rest beside them, their golden retriever, "Gilbert."

Just a few miles away in federal court, the man accused of killing the Hortmans appear before a judge. 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.

[18:35:04]

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 9mm handgun, 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 Omar, this attack comes at a time of historic rising threats against public officials and of division in America, but the overall message from today's service, both from Governor Walz as well as from the pastor who said mass earlier today, is that there is a way to mend those divisions. They shared a message from the kids of Melissa and Mark Hortman, where they say if you want to honor the memory of our parents, plant a tree, pet a dog, try a new hobby, anything that you can do to make your community just a little bit better. Omar? JIMENEZ: Julia Vargas Jones, really appreciate the reporting. Thank you.

All right, just ahead, we're going to hear how the defense and prosecution in the Sean Combs sex trafficking case used their final moments before the jury as those 12 men and women prepare to decide Combs' fate. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:42:18]

JIMENEZ: After weeks of testimony, the jury in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial is set to begin deliberations on Monday. Jurors wrapped the week after hearing two days of marathon closing arguments from the defense and the prosecution. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more.

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 that may be a peculiar choice, it is not criminal.

Now, Combs' defense attorney, Marc Agnifilo, really taking aim at 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.

JIMENEZ: All right. Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you for that reporting.

Joining me now to talk about it all is Misty Marris, a defense and trial attorney.

[18:45:04]

So, Misty, the case nearing its end goes to the jury Monday. I know you've been in court for much of the trial, I mean, what are your thoughts here? Let's start with the prosecution. Do you think they made an effective case against Sean "Diddy" Combs here?

MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes. Omar, I've been in a lot of the trial and I was in the courtroom for closing arguments and two diametrically different styles going into the close of the prosecution, very clinical going through element by element of each of the charges and applying the evidence to those elements and the defense, more of a narrative, more of a story.

From the prosecution's perspective, the manic, that's transportation to engage in prostitution. There's a lot of evidence on that. Sex trafficking, the case relating to Cassie Ventura, that's one count. And then there's a case relating to Jane, that's another. The critical question, force, fraud or coercion.

Now, prosecutors did a good job of laying that all out. They said that you don't have to find that they were coerced in every instance that they engaged in this commercial sex act or the freak-offs, only some. Now, in my view, on one hand, that makes it a little easier for the jury to convict. On the other hand, if the jury thinks that it's not all sex trafficking, will that influence their decision?

And then last, we have RICO. And to me, that has fallen flat. And the defense was actually able to capitalize that. Prosecutors say this is a criminal enterprise spanning 10-plus years, but it's really a criminal enterprise of one, named co-conspirators. However, Omar, we never heard from those co-conspirators in the courtroom. So that one is really the weakest of the prosecution's charges.

JIMENEZ: Sure. Look, you heard before, defense attorneys say Combs' behavior was part of a lifestyle. Prosecutors say it was criminal activity. I mean, how hard could it be for some jurors to sort of see past the details here, which I think for the person - any normal person, I guess, would look at some of the details and focus on those?

MARRIS: Absolutely. The violence, the video from the 2016 InterContinental incident and testimony corroborating that violence among not just the two victims, Cassie Ventura and Jane, but others in his sphere, his employees. It's very difficult to get over that conduct. And you heard that the defense really concede that he's a flawed man and he engaged in some violence. And you're absolutely right. That's a hurdle the defense has to overcome. And I'll tell you, being in the courtroom with a lot of people who have watched the trial the whole way through, there are diametrically different views of this case. But the question really is whether or not it fits into the federal charges that are brought against Combs and the most serious being sex trafficking and RICO. I think you're going to see the jury grappling with these issues.

Now, the defense and that story that we spoke about before, this says that this is about taking someone's private life. And you might not agree with it and you might think it's strange, but it's criminalizing it, even so far as to say it's putting crime scene tape on your bedroom door.

So, the defense did what they needed to do. Prosecution also did an excellent job. So, this is not an easy one for the jury.

JIMENEZ: Misty Marris, appreciate the insight as we get to the close of this trial.

MARRIS: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: Of course. All right. Meanwhile, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos waving to the camera hours after he tied the knot in Venice. What is at the very least one of the most spectacular spectacles of the year in terms of wedding is wrapping up tonight in Italy. We'll bring you the details. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[18:53:22]

JIMENEZ: New tonight, a tropical storm warning out for parts of Mexico, with Tropical Depression 2 forming in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is expected to get strong enough to get its own name before it makes landfall sometime tomorrow night.

Meanwhile, there's a threat of severe storms across major cities in the Midwest and the Northeast tonight. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar has details on what to expect.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: More than 50 million people are under the potential for severe storms today across two separate areas. We're looking at the Northeast as well as portions of the Midwest.

Now, the threats themselves remain the same. The biggest threat is going to be the potential for damaging wind gusts up around 60 to even 70 miles per hour. But we also can't rule out the potential for some large hail and even an isolated tornado or two. Places like Minneapolis stretching back to Rapid City and even across portions of the Northeast.

Now, the timeline for these storms is going to be a little bit different. We'll already see a lot of the storms developing late afternoon into the early evening across portions of the Northeast, but it's going to be much later into the Midwest. We really don't see the strongest thunderstorms develop until after about eight, nine o'clock this evening. They'll continue through the overnight hours. So even two, three, four o'clock in the morning, you're still going to have these strong thunderstorms making their way across portions of the Midwest.

And then, as we head into Sunday afternoon, you're still going to see the potential for some strong to severe thunderstorms. There's also the concern for flooding across some of these areas. So, anywhere you see the green color here has the potential for excessive rainfall. This even includes areas outside the potential for severe thunderstorms. Especially across the Ohio Valley, Mississippi Valley and portions of the Southeast.

[18:55:04]

Won't necessarily have the bigger threat for severe thunderstorms but still have the potential for some flooding. Once we transition into Sunday, we're still looking at the potential for some severe thunderstorms. It's just mainly going to be focused across the Midwest at this point, so Minneapolis, Marquette, Green Bay, stretching back into Omaha and North Platte. But the threats themselves remain the same tomorrow that we're seeing today.

JIMENEZ: Allison Chinchar, really appreciate it.

Now, meanwhile, senators are gearing up for a potentially long night as they try to hold a key vote for advancing President Trump's agenda bill, they're supposed to start a few hours ago, by the way, but as you can see, not a lot of activity just yet. We're going to be live from Capitol Hill, straight ahead.

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