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House Debating Trump's Megabill, Final Passage Expected Soon; Liverpool Star Diogo Jota Dies In Car Crash; Combs Denied Bail After Jury Convicts On Two Charges; Source: Hamas Leaders To Consider Latest Gaza Ceasefire Plan. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired July 03, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:42]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

MIN JUNG LEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. I'm MJ Lee. It's Thursday, July 3rd, 5;00 a.m. here in Washington, D.C.

We begin with breaking news. Reports are coming in that star football player Diogo Jota has been killed in a car crash in northern Spain. That's according to the Portuguese Football Federation.

Jota was a star forward for the Liverpool Football Club and the Portugal national team. He was part of the Liverpool team that won the English Premier League in May. Jota's brother was also killed in the accident. Diogo Jota was 28 years old. We'll have much more on this in just a moment.

We're also following breaking news out of Washington, where the House of Representatives is expected to vote soon on President Donald Trump's sweeping domestic agenda bill.

You can see there on your screen the House floor, where the top Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, is speaking, and Speaker Mike Johnson says Republicans have the votes to approve it. The bill was stalled on a procedural hurdle overnight, but GOP leadership managed to convince all but one holdout to change their votes.

The bill would extend President Trump's 2017 tax cuts, which he says will jumpstart economic growth. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects the bill will add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the next decade.

Live now to CNN's Brian Todd, who is at the Capitol.

Brian, you just spoke with the House speaker about what we can expect in the next few hours. What did he tell you?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, MJ, he said that a final vote on passage of this bill could come. He said maybe around 6:00, 7:00 or 8:00, as you just mentioned, Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, is engaging in what they call his magic minute. It goes longer than a minute. This is a chance for each leader of the house to speak on a particular

bill. This is the period of debate that they're engaging in. We're told that Hakeem Jeffries just started a couple of minutes ago. Now, his speech could go a little bit longer. Mike -- Mike Johnson, the House speaker, has said that his own speech will not go as long, probably as Hakeem Jeffries, but we're going to see how long Mike Johnson speaks on the House floor coming up.

So, after this debate, of course, we go to the full vote on House passage of this bill. And it has been a long few weeks, and especially an excruciating couple of days for the House speaker, Mike Johnson. His leadership skills, his ability to negotiate this have really been put to maybe their most sternest tests ever during his time as House speaker, he had to wrangle some votes at the last minute just to get five Republican holdouts to turn and get that procedural rule vote passed.

Four out of those five did turn. Those were congressman Thomas Massie, Andrew Clyde, Victoria Spartz and Keith Self. They were the holdouts, along with Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. Four out of those five did come to the House speaker's side and voted yes for passage.

Brian Fitzpatrick was the lone holdout, voting no. He's a moderate Republican from Pennsylvania, concerned clearly about his district and how this may play out in the midterm elections, which, of course, all these members are concerned with. Given the controversy surrounding this bill.

But it looks like Speaker Mike Johnson is just about there at the finish line, very close to it. After weeks of wrangling and the last few hours being especially tough in that regard, MJ.

LEE: A lot of concern about reelection next year.

Brian Todd in Washington, thank you so much.

And we're turning now to breaking news from Spain. The tragic passing of football star Diogo Jota.

CNN's Amanda Davies joins me now from London with more.

Amanda, what more do we know?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Good morning, MJ.

Yeah, some really, really tragic news emerging from reports in Spain that the 28-year-old Liverpool and Portugal striker Diogo Jota has been killed in a car accident alongside his brother Andre, who is also a footballer, having played his football for a league two side in Portugal. A statement from Spanish authorities said a car was reported to have been in an accident and a vehicle was on fire in Zamora in Spain.

And the deaths have been confirmed now by the head of the Portuguese Football Federation, Pedro Proenca, saying the Portuguese Football Federation and all of Portuguese football are completely devastated by the deaths of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva this morning in Spain.

[05:05:15]

He goes on to say much more than an amazing player with almost 50 international caps for the national side, Diego Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all teammates and opponents. Someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community in itself.

Jota is a player who has played his football at Liverpool since moving from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020. Such an integral part of Liverpool's Premier League title winning side, part of those celebrations that we saw in Liverpool just a few weeks ago and helping his country Portugal to nations league success against Spain just last month as well.

Even more tragically, this news comes just two weeks after Diogo married his longtime partner Rute, the mother of his three children. It was just less than 24 hours ago, he posted a video with the tag, yes to forever.

LEE: Gosh, a very sad day in the world of football.

Amanda Davies, thank you so much.

Entertainment mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has been denied bail after a jury returned a split verdict in his federal criminal trial Wednesday. Combs was cleared of the most serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, but he was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Prosecutors accused combs of leading a criminal enterprise and using employees to commit criminal acts, including forcing combs former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, and another woman into drug fueled sex acts.

Sherrell Hubbard has more details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS, MUSIC MOGUL: I take full responsibility.

SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bail denied. Music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs awaits his sentencing behind bars after a jury found him guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The judge, citing Combs history of violence as one reason why he declined to release Combs.

During the trial, the jury heard from 34 prosecution witnesses, including two of Combs' former girlfriends, Cassie Ventura, and a woman testifying under the alias Jane. They testified Combs coerced them to engage in sexual encounters referred to as freak offs or hotel nights.

DOUG WIGDOR, CASSIE VENTURA'S ATTORNEY: We would have liked to have seen convictions on the RICO charges and the sex trafficking charges, but Cassie, prompted this investigation by the Southern District. And now, Sean Combs stands before the court as a convicted felon. HUBBARD: The jury delivered a mixed verdict, acquitting Combs of the

most serious charges sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.

Supporters outside the court sported t-shirts that read "a freako is not a RICO".

MARC AGNIFILO, SEAN COMBS' ATTORNEY: Today is a win. Today is a victory of all victories for Sean Combs, for Sean Combs and our legal team.

HUBBARD: Combs and his defense team celebrating the partial acquittal. Combs family members waving to cameras while leaving the courthouse.

Ventura's attorney also marking the end of a chapter in her life.

WIGDOR: She's moving on with her life.

HUBBARD: I'm Sherrell Hubbard, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEE: Joining me now to discuss the trial is Misty Marris, a defense attorney.

Misty, it's great to have you. You know, seven-week trial that included so much emotional, graphic and riveting testimony. And the jury has now spoken. They were not convinced that Sean Combs treatment of his girlfriend amounted to sex trafficking, or that there was a racketeering conspiracy. At the end of the day, what do you think were probably the biggest hangups for the jury on those charges?

MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yeah. So as far as the racketeering conspiracy, it's pretty clear that the jury was hung up on whether or not there was actually a criminal enterprise. And ultimately concluded with this not guilty verdict on that charge, that there was not.

And I say that that's pretty evident because the jury did convict on the Mann Act. That's transportation to engage in prostitution on two counts. So that would serve as what we call the predicate crimes for that first charge, RICO, which requires establishing that two crimes were committed in furtherance of a conspiracy. So those two crimes would have been satisfied. But guess what? Element would not be, whether or not there was a conspiracy and an enterprise.

So, very clearly, that did not gel for the jurors.

[05:10:02]

And then the defense really presented a lot of documentary evidence, text messages, which undercut the prosecutions' case on sex trafficking, which required force, fraud or coercion to engage in a commercial sex act with respect to Cassie Ventura and Jane and the defense really couched this as it's not a sex trafficking operation. It is romantic relationships that are full of domestic violence and jealousy. But they are just that. They are personal relationships and not

something more. And the jury absolutely came to that conclusion with this verdict.

LEE: And let's talk about the upcoming sentencing. Each count of transportation for prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. So, the maximum total could be 20 years.

What factors would the judge take into account about Combs? And from the case in deciding the sentence? And do you suspect that he is more likely to get the lower end of that range, or the higher end?

MARRIS: So, the judge is going to have a lot of discretion when it comes to handing down a sentence. The judge has a lot of power on this front.

And, MJ, it's important to remember the judge has sat there through the entirety of the trial and has made only evidentiary decisions, but now will hold the power when it comes to sentencing.

That being said, it's not unfettered. He's not going to hand down any sentence he wants to. There are federal sentencing guidelines that will be at play here, and the judge is going to look at those.

So, some of what he will be taking into consideration is, number one, these are crimes on transportation to engage in prostitution. There's a certain sentence, even though there's a maximum. Maximums are really the exception, not the rule. So there's a certain amount of time that's going to fall within those guidelines.

He's also going to look at Combs as a first time offender. He also will be able to take into consideration what's called relevant conduct. And that means other things that came out during the trial that may be pertinent for the purposes of sentencing.

And we saw a little bit of this yesterday in a bail hearing where the defense asked for combs to be released on House arrest pending the sentencing. Both sides laid out their positions, and the judge ultimately found that Combs had a violent past and would remain behind bars until sentencing.

That's something that could be taken into consideration at sentencing as well. Lastly, there's a federal probation office. They're going to make a recommendation as well. So, those are all the factors the judge is going to consider.

LEE: And, Misty, after the verdict was read yesterday, the judge thanked the jurors. And then he told them the choice of whether to speak to others about the case and your personal views is up to you. This has been such a high profile case about one of the biggest celebrities in the world.

Do you think it's only a matter of time before we start to learn more about the jury's deliberations and what some of the jurors were privately thinking throughout all of this?

MARRIS: MJ, I think you're absolutely right. It is only a matter of time.

Some jurors are not going to want attention. They're not going to want to talk to the media. They're not going to want to make their identities known. Remember, we only know a little bit about their profiles. We don't know their names or any other identifying information, but others in a high profile case like this, there's going to be a lot of people who want to hear from that jury and about what exactly motivated them to come to this conclusion.

I think you're going to hear from at least one or some of the jurors to give us that insight. As a trial lawyer, I always like speaking to jurors. It's very interesting to see what really moves the needle in that jury room.

LEE: All right, Misty Marris, thank you as always.

MARRIS: Thank you.

LEE: Still ahead, crucial air defenses for Ukraine are now on hold. The Pentagon confirms a review of U.S. military aid and spending. Details on why the Kremlin is welcoming that decision from the Trump administration.

Plus, there is a glimmer of hope for a ceasefire in Gaza. But at least one major hurdle still needs to be cleared before it becomes a reality.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:19:01]

LEE: And returning to our breaking news out of Washington, where debate is underway in the House on President Trump's domestic policy bill after it cleared a key procedural hurdle earlier. The bill advanced after a group of Republican holdouts reversed course, leaving just one GOP no vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson says he expects final passage of the bill in just a matter of hours.

The Pentagon confirms that the U.S. is reviewing military aid to Ukraine in what could have significant consequences for Ukraine's ability to defend itself from Russian attacks. The Trump administration has paused some weapons shipments to Ukraine, including air defense missiles. The Defense Department says it's part of a review of military spending and U.S. support to other countries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN PARNELL, U.S. CHIEF PENTAGON SPOKESPERSON: We see this as a commonsense pragmatic step towards having a framework to evaluate what munitions are sent and where.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:20:00]

LEE: A top Ukrainian presidential official says it would be, inhumane for the U.S. to stop supplying missiles to Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his government is seeking answers from the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Technical level discussions between Ukraine and the U.S. are ongoing to clarify all details related to the delivery of defense aid, especially air defense components.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Russia welcomed the Trump administration's decision to pause some weapons shipments to Ukraine. The Kremlin says the move will help bring the end to the war sooner.

Meanwhile, Russian artillery strikes on a hospital in Kherson wounded nine people, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Top Hamas leaders are expected to meet today to decide whether to accept the new U.S. ceasefire plan for Gaza. That's according to a source who said that if Hamas agrees, it would quickly move on to further talks with Israel. The Israeli government is already on board with the proposal, which reportedly offers Hamas stronger assurances about reaching a deal to end the war. The plan would reportedly lead to the release of at least some hostages held in Gaza, and more humanitarian aid.

But the U.S. State Department now says Gaza can never receive enough aid as long as fighting is going on.

Paula Hancocks is watching developments from Abu Dhabi.

Paula, what more are you learning about this latest cease fire proposal that's been accepted by Israel? And do you expect that Hamas is going to accept these latest terms?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, MJ, we know that Hamas will be discussing it today, this Thursday. We know top officials within the group are going to be discussing whether or not to accept it. Now, what we've heard from a source familiar with these negotiations is that what this updated proposal effectively is, is it gives more U.S. assurances that there will be a push towards this permanent end to the war.

Now, this is something that Hamas has wanted for many months now. This has been one of the key sticking points in these negotiations, that Hamas wants a permanent end to the to the war. And Israel resisted that, wanting a temporary one so that it was able to go back militarily into Gaza if it saw fit.

So, it appears as though the U.S. has stepped in to give further assurances on this. This key point. We know that Ron Dermer the Israeli minister for strategic affairs and a key ally of the Israeli prime minister, was in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. He met with Trump administration officials. And that is we understand where he agreed to this latest proposal, which led to the U.S. president saying that Israel had accepted the conditions for finalizing this deal.

Now, we know that the U.S. president has been very vocal about his desire to see an end to this war. So, certainly, that would put more pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu.

Now, within this deal, we understand from a source that it would also allow further humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza. But more crucially, it would be going through the U.N.-run humanitarian channels as opposed to the controversial GHF group, which was U.S. and Israeli backed, which has led it -- we have seen hundreds of Palestinians being killed around those sites trying to get aid -- MJ.

LEE: Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, thank you so much.

Coming up, were keeping an eye on the U.S. Capitol there, where the House is expected to vote soon on President Trump's sweeping domestic agenda bill.

And later, a federal judge blocks efforts by the Trump administration to limit asylum claims at the southern border. Those details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:28:24]

LEE: Welcome back to EARLY START.

A final vote could come in the next few hours on President Trump's massive tax and spending bill. The measure cleared a procedural hurdle in the house just a few hours ago, after several Republican holdouts switched their votes from no to yes. Speaker Mike Johnson says his party does have the votes needed for final passage. The Senate narrowly approved the bill earlier this week after making some significant changes. Changes that the House decided to leave in place.

And access to government-funded health care will become much stricter under the bill. Officials predict millions of Americans will no longer be entitled to it. New work requirements for both Medicaid and SNAP benefits will make it tougher not only to apply for benefits, but also to keep them. Some people will also have to pay more out of pocket to cover for co-pays at the doctor's office.

A preliminary estimate from the Congressional Budget Office says nearly 12 million people will lose their health insurance by 2034. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries admonished supporters of the bill a short time ago, saying it would lead to unnecessary deaths.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): And as a result of the lack of health care that will result directly from this one big, ugly bill, people in America will die unnecessary deaths. That is outrageous. It's disgusting. That is not what we should be doing here in the United States House of Representatives.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEE: Joining me now is Jocelyn Guyer, senior managing director at Manatt.

Jocelyn, thank you very much for being here.

I want to start with.