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Pres. Trump Unveils Plan for Golden Dome; New Intel on Israeli Strike; Sec. Noem Incorrectly Defines Habeas Corpus; Alyse Adamson is Interviewed about the Fmr. Gov. Cuomo Investigation. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired May 21, 2025 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:30:54]

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: Still going on Capitol Hill. Live pictures inside the House Rules Committee. They have been talking about the president's so-called big, beautiful bill since 1:00 a.m. Eastern because there are more than 500 amendments proposed that still need to be debated.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. Thank you for joining me on CNN THIS MORNING.

It's half past the hour. And here's what else is happening right now.

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, according to a source. He is accused of lying to Congress about his administration's Covid response. Cuomo is currently running for New York City mayor.

And a large and destructive tornado ripped through the Huntsville, Alabama, area. The violent weather took roofs off of homes, downed trees and power lines, and pelted cars with golf ball sized hail. There are no reports yet of serious injuries.

And in just a few hours, South Africa's president heads to the White House. This comes after 59 white South Africans arrived in the U.S. after getting refugee status. President Trump claims they were being prosecuted -- they were being persecuted at home. South Africa's president denies that.

Here's Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: If there was a subset of people that are easier to vet, who we have a better understanding of who they are and what they're going to do when they come here, they're going to receive preference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: So, the two presidents are also expected to talk about the agreement that allows South Africa to export some goods to the U.S. tariffs -- tariff free.

President Trump lays out an ambitious plan to protect the U.S. from foreign attacks with his so-called golden dome. Now, it's inspired by Israel's iron dome, which is a missile defense program that protects populated areas from short-range threats. President Trump's plan wants to take it up a notch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Once fully constructed, the golden dome will be capable of intercepting missiles, even if they are launched from other sides of the world, and even if they are launched from space.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The president laid out the cost and timeline in the Oval Office on Tuesday. $25 billion has been set aside in the budget bill for construction. The White House estimates it will cost a total of $175 billion, and they hope to have it done by the end of his term.

I want to bring in CNN global affairs analyst Kimberly Dozier.

Kim, thanks for being here this morning.

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Absolutely.

CORNISH: First, just looking at that picture behind him with that kind of golden image over the entire United States. I understand that this is inspired by Israel's iron dome. Israel is about the size of New Jersey. Like, this is just a much smaller landmass.

DOZIER: Yes.

CORNISH: So, talk about how this is possible. What's the thinking?

DOZIER: Look, the kid in me that grew up in the "Star Wars" generation, with sci-fi as the backdrop, I want this to work. As an American who knows that China has a successful hypersonic missile system, that China and Russia are testing space-based weapons, and that Russia may have even armed some of its satellites, I can see the need for this. But weapons experts say it could cost as much as $500 billion, not 175. Finishing it in three years. You're talking about creating new technologies, new systems to control them, integrating them into our existing command and control and weapons system, and covering this huge, vast area. So, great idea, but executing it this cheaply and this fast, probably not.

CORNISH: You mentioned "Star Wars," which there's going to be a generation of people who think you're talking about "Star Wars," when I actually think we are both thinking about the Reagan-era missile defense system proposed.

And here's how CNN reported it back then.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DANIEL SCHORR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (March 23, 1983): The president, in terms so vague as to be almost bewildering, adopted some of the high frontier language about a future in which the military balance will be dominated from outer space, that is to say, high technology in its most literal sense.

[06:35:05]

We've heard before some of this talk of missile and satellite destroying laser beams, but never before have we heard it in an official speech by a president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: The late Daniel Schorr there.

You know, it is interesting, though, the same questions being raised of kind of like, this seems vague. This seems expensive. This seems like, is this really going to happen? But is this kind of already happening in terms of there being an arms race?

DOZIER: There's absolutely an arms race. And there's a gray area in terms of what you can put it in the atmosphere. There was a 1967 treaty for outer space that says you can't put weapons of mass destruction up there, like nuclear weapons, et cetera. But the problem is, once you weaponize space and you've got satellites that can target each other, that can create the kind of space debris that renders whole sections of space unusable. And --

CORNISH: You're saying once it's weaponized.

DOZIER: Yes.

CORNISH: I mean don't other countries have weapons already, or is everyone just at kind of the starting line?

DOZIER: We don't know for sure. We've had -- we've seen the Chinese test things where they use one satellite to hit and take out another satellite, but we're not certain that anyone has got a laser or something similar in space. So, it is fraught with complications, but also second and third order effects, like there are nuclear weapons treaties that are dependent on the countries watching ground based stuff to see which side --

CORNISH: Who's going -- yes.

DOZIER: You know, what -- what the trust is built into, what they can see.

CORNISH: The red phones. Yes.

DOZIER: And once you've got a layer of weapons in space that you think might just be satellites, but might be something else, all those treaties could go out the window.

CORNISH: Well, it's a fascinating area, especially because the Space Force is so new, right?

DOZIER: Yes.

CORNISH: So, like, they're going to be doing something.

DOZIER: Yes.

CORNISH: And we're going to be figuring out over time what that is.

CNN global affairs analyst Kimberly Dozier.

All right, this morning, there is actually new intelligence that suggests Israel might be preparing a possible strike on Iranian nuclear sites. That's according to U.S. officials. This is coming as the White House is working to reach a diplomatic deal with Tehran, and as western allies turn up the pressure on Israel to stop its latest round of fighting and allow aid into Gaza.

CNN's Nada Bashir joins me now from London.

Nada, good morning.

And I was wondering if you could start by giving us a sense of the credibility of some of this intelligence. How are U.S. officials thinking about it?

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Audie, according to officials and sources familiar with this intelligence, concerns have stemmed from public and private messaging between Israeli officials, intercepted Israeli communications, and also observations of Israeli military movements, which could suggest that some sort of strike or attack may be imminent, including the movement of Israeli ammunitions and the completion of an air exercise.

But it is important to underscore that officials have cautioned that it's not clear at this current point in time whether or not any sort of final decision has been made by Israeli officials. There is also deep disagreement, according to officials and sources within the U.S. government as to whether or not they credibly believe that Israel would actually act and take action to attack Iran's nuclear facilities directly. And, of course, as we've seen in the past, this could also be a tactic to try to ramp up pressure on Iran.

This comes, of course, as the Trump administration continues to pursue diplomatic efforts to secure a nuclear deal. They've called on Iran to halt its uranium enrichment, although officials in Iran have described this request and demand as unreasonable.

But again, of course, as you mentioned, Audie, there is also mounting pressure on Israel from its international allies. A strike on Iran's nuclear facilities could push the -- could push the region into another broader regional war. That is something the U.S. does not want to see, as well as Israel's other international allies.

And that pressure is mounting also when it comes to the war in Gaza. As you mentioned, concerns around humanitarian aid getting into the Gaza Strip. We heard on Sunday, of course, Israeli officials saying that they would allow a basic amount of food into the Gaza Strip. According to COGAT (ph), the Israeli agency which oversees the shipment of aid into Gaza, 93 trucks containing humanitarian aid did pass into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening. But humanitarian organizations, including the U.N., have warned that there are huge logistical challenges ahead and that it could take days to get that humanitarian aid to those most in need.

And, of course, important to underscore, more than 2 million people, almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip, said to be at risk of famine as a result of that weeks' long blockade imposed by the Israeli authorities.

Audie.

CORNISH: That's CNN's Nada Bashir. Thank you.

We're going to turn now to an interesting moment on Capitol Hill. So, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was speaking to a Senate committee when she was asked to explain the legal term habeas corpus.

[06:40:05]

And here was her answer.

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SEN. MAGGIE HASSAN (D-NH): So, Secretary Noem, what is habeas corpus?

KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country and suspend their right to --

HASSAN: No, let -- let -- no, let me -- let me stop you, ma'am.

NOEM: To suspend their right to --

HASSAN: Habeas corpus -- excuse me. That's -- that's incorrect. Habeas corpus --

NOEM: President Lincoln used it.

HASSAN: Excuse me. Habeas corpus is the legal principle that requires that the government provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK, let me add to that. Habeas corpus is -- it's Latin for, you have the body. It's the legal principle that allows people who believe they're being unlawfully detained or imprisoned to petition for their release in court. You literally have to show, hey, we have this person, and here's what we're charging them for. Obviously, this raised a lot of concerns about her grasp of a key constitutional concept.

And the group chat is back to talk about this.

The reason why she was asked this question, obviously, is because she's the head of Homeland Security, where you are often wanting to detain people. You're looking at law enforcement and you're dealing with the courts a lot.

Was this a gotcha moment?

MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING: No, it shouldn't have been. But clearly she's not capable of doing the job. I mean, I think we all knew that, that she wasn't -- this isn't -- she's not qualified to do this job, and she clearly isn't being staffed properly, that she didn't know some basic terms that every -- most Americans know. So --

CORNISH: I don't think most Americans know what habeas corpus is.

HAYS: Sorry, I think that -- I think the Homeland Security secretary and people who work in the Homeland Security Department know what habeas corpus meant. Clearly, the senators know. Members of Congress know. We know.

CORNISH: Charlie, was it a gotcha?

CHARLIE DENT (R), FORMER PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSMAN: It turned into one. Yes, it sure did. I mean it turned into one. Yes. Yes, this is the great writ, you know, going back to the magna carta, the founders of the country. You know, are very worried about the way people were detained. You know, to --

CORNISH: Yes.

DENT: You know, with a tyrannical king, you just get picked up and thrown in jail and you don't know why. And so, yes, this is a -- that was a problem. And there have only been about four or five times in the nation's history where this has been suspended for one reason or another.

CORNISH: Yes. And that's actually what I noticed, right. Like the thing she did get correct is when it was suspended. And at one point, yes, President Lincoln was doing that during the Civil War. Essentially, you had thousands of people who were detained without trials because they were like trying to escape the draft or trying to be involved in the rebellion. So, she definitely got the part right about when to suspend it.

Is this -- does this reflect kind of the approach of this DHS in a way? I mean we're talking about -- I think someone's being challenged -- challenging in the courts, being sent to South Sudan, right? There's this sense that they are very aggressive with some of these legal concepts.

DENT: Well, yes, look, they're trying to remove all sorts of people from this country, and there are all sorts of legal impediments that make it difficult, you know, for --

CORNISH: Right. In some cases known as due process.

DENT: Yes, exactly.

CORNISH: Yes.

DENT: And -- and it's very difficult sometimes even to remove people who have valid removal orders against them. Their home countries won't repatriate them.

CORNISH: Right.

DENT: So, they have all -- so they're trying to find ways to move them to third countries from where they're not from, and so -- so they're -- so I think the administration is desperate to get people out of the country, but they have to still respect the laws and due process rights of people who are here, whether they're citizens or not.

CORNISH: OK, group chat, stick around. We're going to talk more in this hour.

Up ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, there are actually more revelations in the trial of rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. We're going to bring you the latest as the mother of his ex-girlfriend takes the stand.

Plus, Googling something on the internet may be changing for good. How the tech giant plans to use AI to supercharge your search bar.

Of course, more from our friends in the chat after this.

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[06:48:20]

CORNISH: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo now facing a Justice Department investigation, according to a source. At issue, House Republicans are accusing him of lying during an investigation into his administration's response to the Covid pandemic. He's already trying to make a political comeback as he runs for New York City mayor.

In response, his personal office said, in part, "this is lawfare and election interference plain and simple. Something President Trump and his top Department of Justice officials say they are against."

Joining me now to discuss, Alyse Adamson, a former federal prosecutor.

Can you talk about this in the context of Cuomo being the latest Democrat to have this flag waved in front of them of like, hey, we're probably going to investigate you?

CNN's Stephen Collinson was writing this, that critics warn that while Trump claims he's weaponizing law enforcement, he's weaponizing it as never before. I can't imagine what it's like to be a prosecutor in the middle of all this.

ALYSE ADAMSON, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Yes, Audie, it optically does not look good because there's legal reality, which we can discuss in a second, but then there is like the optic reality. This is the same Justice Department that was just in turmoil and lost career prosecutors because they dismissed the Eric Adams indictment a few months ago. And that was a case that had been fully investigated, indicted by the grand jury. That's just normal people who find probable cause. They're not, you know, political folks who have an ax to grind. And the Department of Justice saw fit to get that indictment dismissed. And now we hear that this same Department of Justice is seeking to investigate the leading candidate for the New York City mayor. So, it just doesn't -- it's not a good look, as the kids would say.

[06:50:00]

CORNISH: I want to turn -- speaking of the kids -- I want to turn to this trial of Sean Combs, also out of New York. The latest witness to testify is the parent of Cassie Ventura, who, of course, has been at the center of all of this, his ex-girlfriend.

So, on Tuesday, she told the court about a couple of incidents, including the time that Sean Combs, basically, she claims, threatened to release sex tapes and demanded that the mom pay $20,000. And she also talked about actually taking her -- photos of her daughter for bruises to kind of document the time that she was harmed.

First, can we talk about this idea of him demanding money? Because fundamentally, its RICO charges, right? He's being accused of being the head of kind of a criminal enterprise that did this, like, trafficking and sexual abuse. So, is the money significant?

ADAMSON: Yes, I think it's the conduct that's significant. I mean what we saw there, it's blackmail. It's kind of like an extortion attempt. But what we are seeing is this pattern of conduct from Combs controlling Cassie, like you said, you said the key word, threat. Because, remember, prosecutors have to demonstrate for the sex trafficking charge that there was coercive conduct, that it was not consensual. And now we have Combs reaching out to Cassie's mother blackmailing her. And I think that is really key evidence there.

It's also evidence that could go to that RICO charge. We were talking before we came on air about, I'm not necessarily seeing the RICO right now.

CORNISH: Yes.

ADAMSON: But that $20,000, Audie, it was paid to one of Sean Combs' companies. So, it's no longer Sean Combs the individual acting. Now we're bringing in the company, which we have to.

CORNISH: In the enterprise, so to speak.

ADAMSON: The enterprise.

CORNISH: OK.

ADAMSON: We have to prove a corrupt enterprise. CORNISH: The other thing -- I've been waiting to hear about this for a

while. Kid Cudi on the witness stand. He was the rapper who also dated Cassie Ventura for a short time. And I recall in the reporting from "The New York Times," he confirmed to them that Combs had blown up his car, I think. What information are prosecutors trying to show?

ADAMSON: Yes, again, this is one of the more shocking allegations, and he has confirmed it. I -- I look forward to hearing his testimony on the stand. I think they used a Molotov --

CORNISH: Right. Under oath.

ADAMSON: Under -- a Molotov cocktail, probably arson because, remember, there's these predicate offenses that need to be proved in the RICO, arson being one of them. So, they need to bring out that testimony.

I'd also like to know whether or not other people were involved. Is -- is the allegation -- because I don't think Sean Combs put the Molotov cocktail in on his own, because they need to prove this enterprise and other people were acting illegally at Combs' direction. I want to hear what -- what threats were said to Kid Cudi. The reporting was that there was this meeting after the car blew up, and apparently Combs said, what car? What vehicle? So, prosecutors are going to need to elicit more and -- and make a more fulsome account for the RICO.

CORNISH: I -- I feel like -- it's not like I'm going into the weeds randomly, because what the -- prosecutors want RICO. And prosecutors love the RICO charge, right, because they get to say this big, important person is head of a criminal enterprise and using all of the tentacles of that enterprise to commit crimes. And what we're hearing now is this, you know, Kid Cudi being able to talk about a threat of violence. We're going to be hearing about Cassie Ventura's mom talking about this black male concept, right, and the money going to the company. Why, to you, is it still not totally clear how the RICO element comes into play?

ADAMSON: Yes, I think it's -- so, to be clear, I -- I see where prosecutors are going with this. But remember, prosecutors --

CORNISH: Yes, they're trying to show, like, he could use his company and his power to do what he wanted.

ADAMSON: That's correct. But in the RICO conspiracy, you have to demonstrate that it's Sean Combs and more than one person. You see that in the indictment. It says individuals known and unknown. They mentioned senior leadership in the Combs enterprise who were involved in bringing about this criminal activity. And I think prosecutors are getting there. It's just like a slow drip of testimony. They need to demonstrate that other individuals were also engaging in this conduct. And again, they're -- they're -- they're getting to the line. We've heard some --

CORNISH: Yes. But in the meantime, the defense just has to prove over and over again with whomever, you wanted to be there. You were into this, whatever the "this" is. It feels like a very kind of different approach or legal strategy.

ADAMSON: That's right, that it's -- it's consensual and that this is really Sean Combs, the man, acting out of, you know, a toxic, abusive relationship. But he is not sitting atop some kind of criminal enterprise.

CORNISH: All right, we're going to be watching this testimony more over the next couple of days.

Alyse, thank you, as always, for explaining it.

ADAMSON: Thanks so much, Audie.

CORNISH: OK, guys, it is now 54 minutes past the hour. Here are a few more headlines in your morning roundup.

Pope Leo holds his first general audience at the Vatican. He rode around in the popemobile, greeting people and blessing babies before speaking to a crowd of thousands.

And a fifth inmate who escaped from a jail in New Orleans is back in custody this morning. That means five others are still on the run.

[06:55:00]

A jail maintenance worker was arrested on Tuesday, accused of helping them break out last week. According to an affidavit, that worker claims one of the inmates had threatened him.

For decades, Google has been the leader in searching online. But AI is changing things. So now Google is rolling out AI mode, which will look at your search history to personalize answers. It will also answer questions chatbot style instead of using those blue hyperlinks we've all come to love.

And during the Covid pandemic, one of the big points of contention was, can the government make you get the vaccine? Well, now, don't worry about it, the FDA announced new guidelines for approving the drug with updated Covid shots. That could cut back on who's eligible. Now, it could end up just being older adults and people at risk of serious infection.

The group chat is back.

We are now many years past the initial Covid lockdowns. A lot has changed. How significant do you think this moment is?

HAYS: I mean, I think it's important that people have more of an understanding of what vaccines they are taking. We -- I think that people forget when Covid first happened how scared everyone was and how people were dying to have -- people were legitimately dying, but also very anxious to get a vaccine. So, I do think that this is just a change in policy. I think one from the government, but I also think, two, of where we are as a country, as a whole, and our mentality about it. CORNISH: Yes, things are very different. Like, very much like make

America healthy again. The anti-vaccine movement borne out of the Covid era has completely rocked the public health community.

HAYS: Yes.

DENT: Well, I'm -- I'm still a bit staggered by RFK Jr.'s performance in the committee hearing the other day where he couldn't give a full- throated endorsement of polio vaccines and measles vaccines. I'm kind of old school. I kind of thought that --

CORNISH: Yes, but so is he. He's an old school person, suspicious of vaccines. Like, he's been at this a long time.

DENT: No, I'm kind of old school that the science of vaccines has been settled and that it works. They work, you know, for polio and for the measles. Why wouldn't we just encourage people to do this? And -- and -- and that's a problem when you have people in leadership positions who aren't standing up and advocating for public health. And he said it's really not my role to advise. Bout, yes, it is your role.

CORNISH: Yes, and that is the difference we're talking about, right? It's encouraging versus mandating.

DENT: Yes.

CORNISH: And now we're, in a way, kind of treating it more like the flu shot. Something that's encouraged but not mandated.

HAYS: But I also think it's important to recognize, there is a huge difference between a Covid and a flu shot and a measles vaccine or a polio vaccine. Those are very different things for public health, but also for personal choice here. If you -- if you don't want to get a flu shot or a Covid vaccine and you're OK getting sick, at this point in time it's very different than it was in 2020 and 2021.

CORNISH: Yes.

HAYS: Measles and polio, we -- I mean, we eradicated those disease. And to see measles coming back in the same way. So, I think that they're just very different choices for the American public. And I do think it's -- it's unfortunate that our leadership is questioning those vaccines that the science has been tested on.

CORNISH: OK, I -- it's the middle of the week. It's hump day, right? So, like, what are you looking forward to? What are you keeping an eye on?

HAYS: Well, I am excited about the NBA Knicks-Pacers playoff game because I would like --

CORNISH: We -- we need to show this.

HAYS: I would like to --

CORNISH: She's not the only one. HAYS: Yes. I would like -- I would like to --

CORNISH: Oh, wait, wrong one. Sorry.

HAYS: I mean I would like --

CORNISH: It's Knicks mania and are you -- is that where your head is at?

HAYS: Yes. I mean, I just -- I think it's nice to have a break. I think sports is a great break for the American people from Congress and all the other things that are --

CORNISH: Although we should know, this headline is split. It's like the top half is sports and the bottom is Congress.

HAYS: Yes.

CORNISH: So, everyone is just crawling through the week, trying to get to that other news.

HAYS: Kind of where we're at.

CORNISH: Yes.

DENT: My things too. You know, sports is a great distraction.

HAYS: Yes.

DENT: The Phillies are in first place in the national league east, OK, but --

CORNISH: Did you just pound your fist, Charlie Dent?

(CROSS TALK)

CORNISH: We've talked about so many things, and that is the first time I've seen you pound your fist.

DENT: Well, that -- well, that's important. And the other thing, of course, Congress. I'm -- you know, we're all focused on this whole reconciliation process. I'm still, as an appropriator, a former appropriator, I watch how they're going to fund the government. It's going to be a really interesting spending cycle this year, given what we've been through with DOGE. And that's just starting to get heated up. So, just watch that over the next few weeks and months.

CORNISH: I'm going to be curious what is in this bill. Like, the truth is, we talked about hundreds of amendments. They're probably still talking about it right now. I don't think anyone can say with any confidence that they know exactly what is in this bill, that they have read every page. There's too much going on. And that is usually a time for reporters where you got to dig a little bit and figure out, like, what are the things we're not noticing that aren't about Medicaid, that aren't about all these other ideas. DENT: Well, there are a lot of things in this bill that deal with, you know, student loans, for example, that are pretty damn impactful. Watch that.

CORNISH: Yes.

DENT: You know, there are taxes on universities, endowments. There are other things that, you know, nobody's really talking about but are in here that are really consequential.

CORNISH: Yes.

HAYS: But if reporters aren't even having an opportunity to -- to dig into it, these members also aren't having an opportunity to dig into it because they're in these committee hearings and they haven't gotten the full bill public yet.

CORNISH: Right. So, you got the rules committee sitting here, still flipping through page by page.

HAYS: Yes.

[07:00:00]

CORNISH: But most other people don't actually have the devil from the details.

DENT: They don't. And that's the challenge with this. This is such a -- this is such a -- I hate this reconciliation process because it's so partisan.

CORNISH: Yes, lawmakers never liked it.

DENT: And there's so much stuff in here. And -- and to go through all this, to vote for a bill that's going to be totally gutted in -- in -- in the Senate is just -- it's got to be really painful for a member.

CORNISH: All right, you guys, thank you so much for being with me today.

HAYS: Thank you.

CORNISH: It was good hanging out with you.

Thank you for waking up with us. I'm Audie Cornish. And "CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now.

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