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Diddy Jury Deliberations to Continue after Reaching Partial Verdict; Soon: Congress Takes Up Senate Version of Trump's Spending Bill; Body Positivity in the Era of Popular Weight Loss Drugs. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired July 02, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

M.J. LEE, CNN ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: -- for fellow American Pegula means they've made unwanted history. It's the first time in the Open era that two of the top three women's seeds lost in the first round of a major.

[06:00:24]

Thanks for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm M.J. Lee in Washington, D.C. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN ANCHOR: It's Wednesday, July 2, and here's what's happening right now on CNN THIS MORNING.

The jury in the case against Sean Combs will continue deliberating today after coming to a partial verdict. The charge they are deadlocked on.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Hopefully, we're voting on this by tomorrow or Thursday at latest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Gallego.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: President Trump's agenda back in the House. But it's not the same bill they passed before. We're taking a deeper look at the changes to A.I. and Medicaid.

And in the age of Ozempic and GLP-1s, is the body positivity movement dead, or can these two trends coexist?

Six a.m. here on the East Coast. And here's a live look at the Capitol, where there will be another busy morning.

Hello, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. I want to thank you for waking up with me. And we are going to start today with that trial of Sean Combs. It's almost over. The jury in the case reached a partial verdict, meaning on almost every count against the rap mogul. After more than 12 hours of deliberation, the jury then told the judge

that they've made a decision on four of the five counts, including sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

They seem to be deadlocked on the most serious charge: racketeering conspiracy, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison.

Now, in a note to the judge, the jury writes, "We have jurors with unpersuadable opinions on both sides." The judge told them to keep at it, and they will be back in a few hours to do that.

Joining me now to talk about all of this, Elise Adamson, former federal prosecutor.

Elise, we're almost there. We're almost there.

ELISE ADAMSON, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It's been a long time. Almost two months.

CORNISH: Is it wild to have a partial verdict?

ADAMSON: So, I wouldn't say wild. I've seen this before when I was trying cases. It's rare.

There's a lot of charges here. And as you just noted, the racketeering conspiracy was the most serious. But it was also the most complicated.

And as we've discussed previously, we knew the jury might struggle reaching this racketeering conspiracy, because it was a novel use of this charge. And there was a lot of evidence in this case.

So, I would say not surprising that the jury is struggling a bit with this top count.

CORNISH: So, yesterday the judge was, like, maybe you go back and try some more. But I hear there's a more formal way to make that instruction, and that could come if they continue to struggle. So, help me understand.

ADAMSON: Yes, that's right. The jury is only deadlocked on this first, most serious charge. All the other counts they've indicated they've reached consensus.

But when a jury deadlocks -- and usually to your point, it's not usually just one charge; it's usually the -- the entire set of charges -- the judge wants to encourage a consensus.

Nobody wants a retrial, really. It's not efficient. It leaves uncertainty to the defendant. Both sides have an interest of finality.

So yesterday, what happened was the judge did something called a modified Allen instruction. And what an Allen instruction is, is it's a formal charge to the jury that encourages them to reach consensus. It's to prevent a mistrial.

There is criticism about using this particular charge. Some in the legal community find it coercive because of its language, which basically instructs the jury to go back and to reexamine their beliefs.

So, the judge didn't do that yesterday. Like you said, he basically said, can you guys go back and just try to continue deliberating and reach consensus?

But if they come back this morning, and they say, Judge, we continue to be hopelessly deadlocked, you might see the judge go ahead and issue that more formal language to encourage consensus in this case.

CORNISH: And then, we're looking there at the number of jurors: women, majority men. Is there a sense of -- I mean, most of us only know this stuff from "Law and Order: SVU," so we don't have a sense of how real jury deliberations break down.

What are the things that Diddy's attorneys might be worried about? What are the things that the prosecution might be worried about with these jurors?

ADAMSON: Well, Audie, quite frankly, if I was Diddy's attorneys, I'd be extremely concerned right now. And here's why.

The only charge they're deadlocked on is that racketeering conspiracy. And let's just think about what that note said. It says, "Jurors," plural, "are unpersuadable on both sides."

So, we know some jurors want to convict on that racketeering.

[06:05:02]

The purpose of that conspiracy was to facilitate these -- the sex trafficking. All right? So, if you have some jurors that are indicating that they are going to convict on this serious and complicated count that -- where sex trafficking is underpinning it, most likely, we're going to see a conviction on sex trafficking charges.

Because you need to have found one to find --

CORNISH: Yes. Don't make any predictions, yet, because we have a long morning ahead.

ADAMSON: And I know. I know that.

CORNISH: Yes.

ADAMSON: And I mean, we said before, you don't want to -- it's very hard to read a jury. I'm just saying why Diddy's attorneys are likely very nervous right now. Because that is what it could mean.

There was not a straight acquittal. They have been out for 13 hours. So, we know that, at the very least, the government put on a very persuasive case.

And if you are the defendant, and you are potentially looking at life in prison --

CORNISH: Right.

ADAMSON: -- you're going to be very, very nervous.

So, I think the -- the defense is -- would, I think, would welcome a mistrial at the end of the day. It's better than the conviction, because racketeering conspiracy carries a potential for life in prison.

I think if you're the prosecution right now, you're concerned because, you know at least some jurors do not believe.

CORNISH: Still have doubts.

ADAMSON: They have doubts.

CORNISH: Yes.

ADAMSON: And they don't believe that you have proved that case. And as we've said, a lot of people were saying it was a potential overcharge for the facts of this case.

CORNISH: All right. Elise Adamson, thank you so much for explaining it. Big day ahead in that trial.

Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, that spending and tax bill just passed a key committee. And its next step is to the president's desk when it could advance to the full House floor.

Plus, a plea deal on the table for the man accused of killing four college students in Idaho. We're going to talk about what's in that agreement.

And is Elon Musk about to get DOGEd? President Trump says it's not off the table.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you going to deport Elon Musk?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't know. I think we'll have to take a look. We might have to put DOGE on Elon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:11:30]

CORNISH: President Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill now before the House. It barely got out of the Senate, thanks to a tie-breaking vote by the vice president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I don't know what's going to happen in the House. They're going to take it up pretty soon. Do they have the votes to pass exactly what we did? I don't know. I just think we delivered for the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: And overnight, the legislation passed a key committee in the House. And it's an important step towards that full House vote.

But what does the Senate version of the so-called Big, Beautiful Bill deliver for Americans?

Well, according to the Congressional Budget Office, nearly 12 million more Americans will be uninsured by 2034. Fewer Americans will be able to receive Food Stamps, and it will be more difficult to enroll in the Affordable Care Act.

CNN's senior politics writer, Zachary Wolf, points out that all Americans will feel the impact of this bill in its current form. He writes, "Just because you aren't on Medicaid doesn't mean your health care wouldn't be affected by this bill. Hospitals are warning that the steep cuts to Medicaid could force some hospitals, especially in rural locations, to close."

So, joining me now in the group chat, Zach himself, author of the "What Matters" newsletter; Sabrina Rodriguez, national political reporter for "The Washington Post"; and Kristen Soltis Anderson, CNN political commentator, Republican strategist and pollster.

Welcome back, you guys.

So, Zach, I want to start with you, because I remember covering Congress. And all those last-minute deals are what get you the votes you need.

Murkowski voted for this bill. She's someone who people wondered, like, is she going -- is she not? What do you think happened there?

ZACHARY WOLF, CNN SENIOR POLITICS WRITER: Well, we know what happened. They gave Alaska a bunch of stuff. You know, exemptions from SNAP cuts. They gave -- you know, there are more money for Alaskan rural -- rural hospitals than for those in other states.

And even -- I was reading, you know, very specific tax deductions for, you know, boat captains in Alaska.

It was very simply the way politics used to work on Capitol Hill. And it feels a little -- a little gross these days.

I mean, I'm old enough to remember when, after they passed Obamacare, and there was the cornhusker kickback, there was a lot of outrage. It probably cost, you know, Ben Nelson, his job, the senator from Nebraska at the time.

But there doesn't seem to be the same kind of outrage now, just because Murkowski is this sort of, you know, very unique lawmaker.

CORNISH: And caring about her state. Yes.

But I want to turn to you, Kristen, because in a way, we're kind of talking about winners and losers. Who are the people who kind of win, so to speak, out of this bill? Who, less so? What do you see in that?

KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: So, the argument that Republicans are making is that when you talk about who's going to lose health care, who's going to lose benefits, the argument that Republicans on the Hill are making is that the people who are going to lose benefits are folks who are not legally authorized, allowed to be in the country, or folks who are able-bodied, working age, and are not working.

And the real test is going to be, is that accurate? For things like work requirements for programs like Medicaid, is the paperwork too onerous? And therefore, people who ought to qualify for these benefits just unable to get through the bureaucratic system to get it?

Those are the sorts of things that, 18 months from now, I think are going to play a big role in whether there is true negative political impact from this bill among the very voters that Donald Trump brought to the --

(CROSSTALK)

CORNISH: Right. You mentioned those Medicaid work requirements, also adding veterans and former foster youth to the work mandate for Food Stamps.

And one that interests me: a cap on student loans for kids and their parents who also take out loans.

[06:15:02]

You know, the House Republican from Kentucky, Tom Massie, who's been kind of a thorn in the side of the caucus, opposes the bill still. And the president is threatening to primary him. And here's what that sounds like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, I just don't think he does a good job for the country. He's always a "no." I call him Rand Paul Jr. He's always a "no." Nothing constructive at all. At all. I mean, just terrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: Are you seeing people head for the exits -- I don't know if there's anyone left to head for the exits -- under the threat of primary? Are we actually going to see any real opposition here?

SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": I mean, I think in the case of Massie, he is a very strong conservative. He -- this is not a case of, like, a moderate who doesn't really know what to do with Trump.

CORNISH: You're talking fiscal conservative.

RODRIGUEZ: Fiscal conservative. You know, he, in the last iteration of his back and forth with Trump, he was saying, you know, I've always been America first. I've been MAGA before MAGA.

So, in his case, it's going to be interesting to see. He represents a very conservative district, and Republicans still haven't figured out exactly who they would have primary him.

We've seen that Elon Musk has said he's going to throw a lot of money into that race. So, that will be an interesting one to watch.

But I think for folks that were trying to work with bipartisanship, who believe in, like, the old days of, oh, lets negotiate and let's try and reach an agreement, that's a lot harder to come by.

CORNISH: Yes.

RODRIGUEZ: I mean, we saw Senator Thom Tillis announce that he's not running for reelection. You know, Don Bacon, as well.

So, for figures who were in that camp of, OK, I want to try and work across the aisle, that's certainly not the popular demand today.

CORNISH: Yes. And in the meantime, leaving kind of where we started, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who was asked about her "yes" vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Paul said that this was -- that your vote was a bailout for Alaska at the expense of the rest of the country.

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): Oh, my.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what Senator Paul said.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- was easy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator, we've got the --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't say it, ma'am. I'm just asking for your response.

MURKOWSKI: My response is, I have an obligation to the people of the state of Alaska. Do I like this bill? No. Because I tried to take care of Alaska's interests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK, group chat. Stay with me. We've got a lot more to talk about in this legislation later.

And you can actually read more of Zach's writing in the "What Matters" newsletter. It publishes on Monday through Friday. You can sign up now on CNN online. I am a subscriber. You be, too.

Ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, it's official: Zohran Mamdani is the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City. President Trump is already making false claims about him.

Plus, body positivity and Ozempic. Is fatphobia on the rise because of all the new weight loss drugs?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:22:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My insurance won't cover my Ozempic. I don't know how to get it.

I started Tirzepatide in December of 2022, where I weighed over 300 pounds. Today I weigh about 173.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORNISH: OK, you might be among those who are planning to get those popular weight loss drugs like an Ozempic or Wegovy. Well, then you might want to check with your insurance plan first, as well.

Some health insurers say they no longer plan to cover them as pharmacies get flooded with generic medications that are available at much lower cost.

So, what happened to body positivity? Or, in a rush to get these drugs, is all of that kind of over now?

This is what I talked about with Virginia Sole Smith. She's author of "Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture." I spoke to her recently on "The Assignment." Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VIRGINIA SOLE SMITH, AUTHOR, "FAT TALK": You know, I think there is a co-opting of fat liberation rhetoric happening. And --

CORNISH: Meaning what? Like, what kind of rhetoric?

SMITH: Oh, the rhetoric of, like, weight's -- like, your weight's not your fault. Like that weight stigma is real.

You know, when Oprah sits down with a whole bunch of folks on a special and -- and has people talk openly about experiencing weight discrimination, that's huge in terms of a cultural moment. That's giving voice to something very real that millions of Americans have been living with.

And yet, then her solution is, well, don't worry. We can make you thin, so you don't have to experience that anymore. And the problem with that being the solution is it doesn't erase the

underlying bias. It only codifies the bias, because it says, well, we'll just -- we'll just make it -- you know, you just won't be visible as a fat person anymore. Now you won't experience the bias.

But nobody had to actually change their minds about how they felt about fat people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CORNISH: All right. You can look for new episodes of "The Assignment" every Thursday on that conversation and more.

Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, we're going to talk about the jury in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial. They're deadlocked on one count. Can they reach a verdict when they reconvene in just a few hours?

Plus, a setback in the Senate for the Trump administration in the battle to regulate A.I.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:29:06]

CORNISH: Good morning, everybody. I'm Audie Cornish. Thank you for joining me on CNN THIS MORNING. It's about 28 minutes past the hour here. Here's what's happening right now.

House members racing back to the Capitol as GOP leaders try to get President Trump's agenda over a final legislative hurdle. House Speaker Mike Johnson says he hopes to get the Senate version of the bill voted on no later than Thursday.

And a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza remains in limbo. Israeli sources tell CNN they have not agreed to a plan to end the conflict for 60 days, in exchange for hostages.

President Trump had said Israel had, quote, "agreed to the necessary conditions" to finalize the deal.

And in just a few hours, a jury will resume deliberations in the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs. They've reached a partial verdict on four of the five counts but remain deadlocked on the most serious charge of racketeering conspiracy.

So, what is next in the trial for the rap mogul? Well, the judge is pressing the jury to keep deliberating, even as the jury told the court they have, quote, "jurors with unpersuadable opinions on both sides."