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Laura Coates Live

Newark Mayor Arrested At ICE Facility; Trump Involved In Talks To Potential Suspend Habeas Corpus; Trump Blinks In Trade War Right Before China Talks; Columbia Student Freed After ICE Arrest Speaks Out; Cassie Expected To Testify Against Diddy. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired May 09, 2025 - 23:00   ET

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

[23:00:00]

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN HOST: Thanks for watching "NewsNight." We'll see you tomorrow morning, 10 a.m., with our conversation show "Table for Five." You can catch me any time on your favorite social media platforms X, Instagram, and TikTok. "Laura Coates Live" starts right now.

LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: Well, tonight --

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-- a mayor is arrested at an ICE detention facility. It says the administration weighs suspending habeas corpus for migrants. Is a battle over deportation reaching a very dangerous tipping point?

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Plus, the Columbia student detained during a citizenship interview is now released on bond, and he's speaking out. He tells me why he thinks the whole thing was a setup.

And did President Trump just blink right before a critical trade talk to China? Fareed Zakaria joins me to talk all about it tonight on "Laura Coates Live."

Well, the battle over President Trump's deportations is hitting a dramatic new flash point, the arrest of a sitting mayor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Stop shoving!

UNKNOWN: That's enough!

UNKNOWN: Get off of me! Get off of me! Get your hands off me.

UNKNOWN: Enough! Enough!

UNKNOWN: I know.

COATES: That man in the brown jacket, that's Newark, New Jersey Mayor Ras Baraka. He was detained at a federal immigration detention center in his own city tonight. He has now been released after being charged with federal trespassing. Mayor Baraka had been at the facility multiple times this very week arguing it shouldn't even be opened because of permitting issues.

But things got ugly today. Witnesses say that he was trying to join three Democratic members of New Jersey's congressional delegation, who wanted to inspect the facility, but federal officials wouldn't let him in.

One witness says a heated argument broke out before the mayor returned to the public side of the pub -- building's gates. Shortly after that, the witness says Baraka was swarmed by officers and arrested.

Now, the mayor says he was past the front gate for a while waiting to attend a press conference with the lawmakers.

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MAYOR RAS BARAKA, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: I came to attend the press conference as I was asked to. You know, obviously, I -- you know, ICE made -- after a while, made determination after somebody came and said that we shouldn't be there and began to -- after they told us to leave, we left and they began to arrest -- try to arrest me. I shouldn't say us. They targeted me and came after me specifically and arrested me.

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COATES: Now, we first learned about the mayor's arrest from this post. It's from Alina Habba. Now, remember, she used to be President Trump's personal lawyer, and she is currently the acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey. Here's what she says happened.

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ALINA HABBA, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY FOR NEW JERSEY, FORMER PERSONAL LAWYER OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP (voice-over): There is a reason these Congress people are standing out there running amok and running their mouths as usual.

But however, I will tell you this. The mayor was inside, was told he was going to be under arrest inside when he refused to leave after several obligations, several notifications that he should remove himself, chose not to do so, and then was placed under arrest when he walked out of the facility.

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COATES: Now, the mayor of Newark says she's wrong.

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BARAKA: She doesn't know what happened. Clearly, that is not the context of what happened. I was there for over an hour in that space, and nobody ever told me to move.

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COATES: Now, all of this is unfolding as the White House is trying to ramp up deportations.

And tonight, we're learning President Trump is involved in talks to potentially suspend habeas corpus. That's the part of the Constitution that says you can't be locked up without a good reason, essentially. Top Trump aide, Stephen Miller, is publicly saying they're looking into it.

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STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR POLICY: The Constitution is clear. And that, of course, is the supreme law of the land that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in a time of invasion. So, it's an option we're actively looking at. Look, a lot of it depends on whether the court should do the right thing or not.

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COATES: With me now, Democratic Congresswoman from New Jersey, LaMonica McIver. She was at that ICE facility with Mayor Baraka when he was arrested. Congresswoman, welcome. You were caught in this very tense moment.

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And you say that you were assaulted. Describe that moment.

REP. LAMONICA MCIVER (D-NJ): So, it was a time when they were arresting the mayor for no apparent reason, and ICE officers were very aggressive to me as well as Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman and Congressman Bob -- Rob -- Rob Menendez.

We were being pushed, shoved. I mean, there was one ICE officer when I was entering back into the gate to the facility where he was literally using his elbows, shoulders, everything pushing against me, not to let me in.

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It was just honestly an unbelievable situation. I could not believe what we all were witnessing and going through right then and there when we were literally just there to do our jobs as Congress members.

COATES: Have you spoken to Mayor Baraka since his arrest and what you saw?

MCIVER: Yes. Absolutely. We were there when Mayor Baraka was released finally. We spoke to him. You know, just asked how was he treated, what -- what -- is he okay? I mean, obviously, checking on his well- being. He just was talking about how the whole ordeal was super painful, you know, and just, you know, definitely unnecessary. But he was in, you know, good spirits and a lot of -- there were a lot of people who showed up to support the mayor, a lot of protesters, a lot of organizations, and residents of the largest city of New -- in New Jersey who were there to support him. But definitely, it was just an unbelievable situation to watch unfold in front of us.

COATES: We're watching it on the screen, as you are speaking.

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And DHS says -- quote -- "Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities."

So, that's their statement. Why were you there in the first place? I'm assuming it was not to be legally break into a facility.

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MCIVER: Absolutely not, Laura. I -- me along with my colleagues, we have done this before in the past. We've done this with a facility just a couple of miles from there. That is ICE facility as well in New Jersey where we performed an oversight visit.

As congressional members and members of Congress, we have the right to do so. We can show up to a location, act to -- you know, be let inside via statue, and we were able to do that. I mean, this is something we've done before. This is not anything new just because of this facility.

We've had a lot of issues, you know, in New Jersey with ICE, with immigration, and literally, we were there just to check on the facility, see if it was up to par. This facility started receiving detainees as of May 1st. They have over 100 detainees already, and we wanted to go there and make sure everything was okay, speak to the detainees that were there to make sure they were okay.

So, we were just simply there, Laura, to do our jobs. Like, we are congressional members. Our job is oversight, you know, and we were there to do that. That's simply it. We did not come there to try to break people out. We did not come there to cause chaos or cause any trouble. We came there to literally do the job that the people of New Jersey has -- has elected us to do. That is simply it.

COATES: Congresswoman, you know, Mayor Baraka --

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-- is running for the democratic nomination for governor of New Jersey. Well, the acting New Jersey D.A., of course, Alina Habba, who has already made statements about this, says that Democrats are simply grandstanding. So, what is your response to those who claim this is all a political stunt?

MCIVER: I mean, honestly, it's kind of a joke. Right? The mayor has been speaking out against these facilities for quite some time, way before we had a governor's election. We -- you know, all three members of Congress, I'll speak for myself, we've been speaking out against, you know, ICE facilities in our communities and the things that we've seen happen over the last couple of months, you know, underneath this administration, with people being harassed and, you know, student visas being canceled.

All of these, you know, immigration, you know, hatefulness happening underneath this administration, we've all been very, very vocal about. This has nothing to do with the governor's race that is coming up. This simply has to do with our right to show up to this facility and do our job, literally.

Nothing else. I mean -- and honestly, grandstanding. I would say that they were grandstanding. I mean, this is the mayor of the largest city who has been going to this facility every day, every morning because there apparently was some violations, according to the city, with this facility opening up fire inspections and thus more. And he had been showing up there to make sure that things were taken care of at this jail and asking for access.

So, at the end of the day, I mean, how is he grandstanding, you know, doing his job as the mayor?

COATES: Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, thank you for joining me.

I want to bring in a former federal prosecutor, Shan Wu, and senior legal affairs reporter for "Politico," Josh Gerstein. Shan, let me begin with you. Was Mayor Baraka's arrest legal?

SHAN WU, DEFENSE ATTORNEY, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It may have been legal. But from a prosecutorial standpoint, this was either enormous incompetence on the part of the prosecution and ICE, or it was deliberately decided ahead of time, if we see the mayor there, we're going to make a big show and try and arrest him in a very rough manner, because you just don't do that with elected officials.

I mean, at DOJ, when I was there, you would have to run this so many times up the chain of command to do something like that. And the way it took place, the differing stories, sheer incompetence or an abuse.

COATES: I mean, Josh, you've obtained the mayor's criminal complaint, I understand.

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And it says that he was arrested for trespassing. Trespassing. How do you think the judge is going to view this?

JOSH GERSTEIN, SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS REPORTER, POLITICO: I think it's going to go away fairly quickly. I -- I don't think it will linger very long. I think what's interesting is after they arrested him, normally, as you two know, you don't really want to get arrested on a Friday afternoon by federal authorities because in most cities, that means you're going to spend at least three days and sometimes four days in jail before you actually go in front of a judge.

And yet somehow, they took him to another facility. They managed to get him in front of a video, in front of a federal magistrate at about 7:15 p.m. at night, which is something --

COATES: Right.

GERSTEIN: -- I've just never heard of happening, and the situation was sort of resolved and he was released. So, I think this is a big show at this point and, obviously, a pretty dramatic step to arrest the mayor of the largest city in the state.

But in terms of this being like an ongoing legal saga, I kind of doubt it. And it's a pretty trivial charge. It's like a petty offense in New Jersey, to trespass on property under these circumstances. And so, I -- I don't think it's something that's going to stick around very long.

COATES: Well, here's an area people thought was going to stick around, the area of habeas corpus. It's mentioned in the Constitution, as -- as you know. It allows people to challenge their federal detention and it's part of due process in a very real way.

Shan, we are learning there are -- the president is involved in discussions about suspending habeas corpus. What would that mean?

WU: The first thing it means is they really have to ask Congress about that. It's not up to him to just, like, wave a magic wand and suspend it.

I mean, I get Stephen Miller's frustration with this because all the losses they're suffering in these deportation-type cases where people are being disappeared, snatched up, are via the vehicle of habeas corpus. So, I get why they would like to do away with that, because it's egg on their face.

But the whole problem here is exactly in the process. The administration likes to say these are bad people, different names they call them. That's the point of the process, is for there to be an objective determination of, are they bad people? Have they done something wrong? That's why you can't suspend habeas corpus.

COATES: And, of course, he's mentioning the word "invasion," which hearkens back to their use of the Alien Enemies Act, which is already something that is supposed to or has been used in wartime and for invasions. The administration has tried to suggest that those who are a part of Tren de Aragua are part of a government-backed military invasion. So, we'll see how this comes back again.

But Josh, this is incredibly rare. It has really only been done, what, four times, including during the Civil War, after the attack on Pearl Harbor as well. I mean, he says that they are actively looking into it, Stephen Miller. Is that bluster or will they try to make a sound legal argument to support their want to do so?

GERSTEIN: I mean, I think it's designed to try to intimidate the judges and get them --

COATES: Hmm.

GERSTEIN: -- to try to render different decisions that are more to the Trump administration's liking.

COATES: But why would that do be the vehicle to do that? Why would that intimidate the judges?

GERSTEIN: Well, I think just the talk that they might try to take all these issues away from the federal courts is -- that's what they're trying to do. And in -- Stephen Miller said as much. He basically said, we'll have to see how judges handle these cases.

And that is not the reason that habeas corpus is supposed to be suspended under the Constitution. It's supposed to be suspended when there's a general threat to public safety or when the courts can't operate in a certain part of the country because there's such a level of chaos.

Whether you think there's an invasion or not an invasion going on or gang activity is certainly the case that federal courts are operating relatively normally.

That's actually the problem as far as the Trump administration is concerned at the moment, is that judges are hearing these cases and are rendering decisions that they don't like. And I'm not sure suspending habeas corpus is, you know, what was supposed to happen under those circumstances.

COATES: If the administration tried to do this in spite of what you've said, what would happen next in terms of the courts? The Supreme Court would obviously want to weigh in on something like this.

WU: It would work its way up to there, and I think they would keep losing in court on this point. And I think the Supreme Court would have a tough time with this. I mean, there's already a legal precedent saying that it doesn't really fit the Alien Enemies Act. There is no invasion. The Intelligence Community itself is saying this is not a foreign-backed operation, whatever you're calling this street gang going on. So, I think they'll be in for a big loss in court.

And you got to wonder a little bit, there's sort of a disconnect going on in the administration. I mean, you have Miller out there blustering this way. What purpose does it really serve? To Josh's point, trying to intimidate the judiciary. Maybe it plays the base. I don't think judges are going to be very intimidated by this. They're going to be, like, okay, fine, bring it on, we'll just decide it one case at a time.

COATES: If the precedent is the Civil War attack on Pearl Harbor, it's hard to imagine why this would meet that moment. Shan Wu, Josh Gerstein, thank you both.

Up next, he is the Palestinian student who has been accused of antisemitism and being a national security threat. The administration detained him for 16 days while they tried to kick him out of the country.

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Well, tonight, he's out and still fighting to stay in the country. He's with me one-on-one for his first cable news interview.

And later, Trump appears to budge in his trade war on China, throwing out a new idea, and suddenly delegating the deal making to someone else.

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COATES: Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi speaking out after he was arrested at his immigration interview, an interview that was supposed to be about finalizing his U.S. citizenship.

And you remember, Mahdawi was arrested because the administration argued that he spearheaded pro-Palestinian protests on campus, helping to foster antisemitism.

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And now, Mahdawi is arguing his arrest was staged. We asked DHS about that, and they say -- quote -- "The department does not stage interviews or any other type of adjudication. If an alien is seeking a benefit, they will almost assuredly be interviewed. If the alien is subject to detention, that alien is almost assuredly be detained. One has no bearing on the other. Illegal aliens do not have a right to roam freely in our country, nor do they have a right to elude federal authorities" -- unquote.

But Mahdawi now has a new mission. He's helping launch a $1 million fundraising campaign to help other immigrants facing deportation in his home state of Vermont. And later this month, he'll be attending his graduation at Columbia.

And Mohsen Mahdawi joins me now. Mohsen, welcome and thank you for joining me. I want to talk about the legal fight in just a moment because I'm very intrigued by it. But I want to begin with how all of this started and why your name is known by so many people at this point.

You helped lead and organize Columbia campus pro-Palestinian protests until March of last year. And some have called the rhetoric threatening. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that your presence in this country -- I want to read for you -- would have -- quote -- "serious adverse foreign policy consequences and would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest."

And then "The New York Times" even sort of found a memo and identified it and suggested that Rubio said that you could undermine the Middle East peace process by reinforcing antisemitic sentiment. Can you share your reaction to these words?

MOHSEN MAHDAWI, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT RELEASED AFTER ICE DETENTION: My activism on Columbia's campus did not come out of nowhere. I am not that -- my activism was not about the news that I read or I watch on T.V. It's my real-life experience being born and raised in a refugee camp and being burned by the fire of the injustice, which the Israeli occupation imposed on me and on my family. So, I was moved. Actually, I was shocked by what I was seeing unfolding in Gaza and in the West Bank as well, and I lost a number of my family members during -- during the second intifada and after October 7 as well.

So, it's the feeling of pain and loss and the sense of grief that one might feel and the urgency to stop the war, the bloodshed that was not helping anyone, whether they are Israelis or Palestinians.

COATES: But given your experience and how deeply personal it was, what is your reaction to the accusations that your feelings were translated into antisemitism and violence and harassment?

MAHDAWI: It's really a betrayal to all of the efforts that I have been investing into peacemaking and into advocating for justice and peace. If the secretary of the state, Marco Rubio, has a peace plan, let his -- let him present his peace plan and see which -- what kind of threat I do impose on such foreign policy.

COATES: There is the irony I see that you're pointing out. But I -- I want to point out that on the campuses, because I know you're very tight -- closely tied, too, obviously, as a -- as a student yourself there, protests have continued.

And in spite of what you're articulating, the NYPD arrested, I think, 80 people this week alone at Columbia's campus library. And the acting university president, Claire Shipman, said in a statement, "Violence and vandalism, hijacking a library -- none of that has any place on our campus."

How do you think the continued protests should be viewed, and do you agree with the tactics?

MAHDAWI: The protest mainly was peaceful. Myself, I don't prefer my -- my method is nonviolent method. And myself, I don't prefer taking over buildings. But I understand when students -- when all doors are closed for students, that the university is pushing them further and further.

And also, the university has actually incited violence. I mean, if you see how students were brutalized and sent to -- to hospitals yesterday is something that is heart-wrenching.

So, I see Columbia University is actually, especially the administration, is basically has agency and has pushed students too far by refusing to acknowledge the genocide and refusing to divest it from war and to invest in peace.

[23:25:09]

COATES: I want to talk about what happened last month with you in particular. You were detained during a citizenship interview. In fact, to call it that would give it short script. You were prepared to swear an oath of allegiance to the United States as sort of the final step to becoming a citizen. And you now believe that that appointment was a setup. Now DHS, they insist that -- quote -- "The department does not stage interviews or any other type of adjudication." Why do you believe it was a setup?

MAHDAWI: The reason I feel and I believe that it was setup, the timing of the appointment. This is one. It came during a timing when I was sheltering in place after the detainment of a number of students.

And second, the orchestration of it. When I went to my interview, the agents were hiding behind closed doors in the -- in the lobbies of the -- of the office that I was interviewed in, and others were hiding in cars as well.

COATES: Hmm.

MAHDAWI: The third part is the timing of it. During -- during the interview, I get through my interview, I passed the test, and I was asked if I am willing to take the pledge of allegiance to protect and defend the Constitution of this country. And I said yes, and they said sign this document that says you are willing to do so. And all of a sudden, the agents come in, and they told me I am under arrest. So, you can see those -- those steps.

And the last step is their plan was to transfer me within an hour from the time that I was kidnapped, not only arrested, I was kidnapped. They had printed tickets to put me on an airplane and ship me to Louisiana.

COATES: You're now free after those 16 days in prison. Are you confident that you'll be able to prevail and remain in the country and continue towards citizenship? What argument are you and your team going to make to the judge?

MAHDAWI: I am counting on the kindness and the consciousness of the people and on the principles that hold democracy together in this country. I believe that justice will prevail, and I believe that I will continue my path for education and for peacemaking in this country.

COATES: Mohsen Mahdawi, thank you.

MAHDAWI: It's a great pleasure. Thank you, Laura.

COATES: Still ahead tonight, the trade war with China. Major talk set for this weekend just as Trump flowed to potential (INAUDIBLE). But is Xi willing to play ball or is this about to get a whole lot worse? Well, my next guest is one of the few people who can make sense of it all. And tonight, he is warning of a perfect economic storm that might be brewing. Fareed Zakaria is next. Plus, the new salvo and the feud between Bill Gates and Elon Musk.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COATES: Well, here's a concession we didn't see coming. Hours after U.S. officials got on a plane for tomorrow's high-stakes trade talks with China, the president of the United States took matters into his own hands, posting to social media, saying -- quote -- "80% tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B." Scott B., of course, referring to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

He is leading tomorrow's talks in Geneva with his Chinese counterparts despite Trump seemingly already making the first move with that pretty significant reduction from the current 145% tariffs that he placed on China about a month ago.

So, what's Trump's endgame when it comes to these talks? Well, one former Trump official calling it -- quote -- "Trump's whale. White whale. Think of it like his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize -- a huge China deal is the economic version of that."

With me now, CNN's Fareed Zakaria, host, of course, of "Fareed Zakaria GPS." So glad to have you this evening, Fareed. I mean, that percentage change from 145 to 80 surprised a lot of people. What is the strategy of President Trump and will it work?

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST: It's -- it's the most bizarre strategy, negotiating strategy I can imagine where you, first of all, jack these tariffs up to insane levels. Largely, remember why he jacked them up, because he was taking them off every other country in the world, and so wanted to still seem tough. And so, he jacked them up on China, then he sends Scott Bessent to meet with the Chinese, and meanwhile, pre-negotiates a reduction to 80%.

The whole thing is still, however, in the -- in the realm of symbolism because 80% is still effectively going to bar, I don't know, 90% of all goods from China. It makes them unaffordable.

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And it produces a catastrophic problem for Americans because, remember, it's Americans who pay the tax and a tariff is a tax. What this means is of the half trillion dollars-worth of goods that Americans buy at Walmart, at Costco, at Target, there is going to be an 80% tax on them.

So, if you're buying a toy for, you know, the -- the famous toy he's talking about, the $80, the $100 toy is now $180. That is not affordable. You know, the stores are not going to stock that. They know consumers are not going to accept essentially doubling prices.

So, we're still in the realm of symbolism. Whether we can get from here to a real deal, where the numbers go way down from 80%, remains to be seen.

COATES: We'll see, of course. I wonder if he was hoping to take credit in advance. But as you articulate it, this is not a lot to take credit for. There's still a huge economic consequence even at that 80%.

But you published a really compelling and fascinating op-ed in "The Washington Post." And in it, you were warning that the United States could be heading towards -- quote -- "a perfect economic storm," Fareed, between tariffs on nearly every country and proposed tax cut that could actually add trillions to the debt. So, can you explain the full scope of what's at stake here?

ZAKARIA: So, first, we're doing the tariff policy which, remember, we have just decided to do. There was no crisis. There was no reason to do it. We have essentially decided that we're going to place a tax on American consumers for all imported goods. You can see with the British deal that the minimum is now going to be 10%. So that's tens of billions of dollars Americans will have to pay in taxes.

Then you have what's going on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue in Congress. They're -- they're putting together a budget, which is going to extend all of Trump's 2017 tax cuts, which blew out the budget when he did them, plus no tax on Social Security, plus no tax on tips, plus no tax on overtime. The total of all this adds $9 trillion to the -- to the debt over 10 years.

And what a lot of economists are -- are wondering, and one very famous one in particular, Ken Rogoff, is, are markets finally going to say, we've had enough? You can't -- you can't just keep borrowing like that. And what that means is interest rates go up. It means interest rates on your -- on your credit card debt, on your car loans, on your mortgages, and most importantly, on the U.S. government's debt.

Remember, we're borrowing a trillion dollars a year. That's the deficit. If that goes up to a trillion and a half or a trillion or a quarter, those are huge numbers.

COATES: You know, now, the question of how to course correct becomes the now trillion-dollar question on that, Fareed. And, you know, you sat down with Bill Gates this week. You asked him for his thoughts on -- on many topics, but also on Elon Musk, on DOGE speaking about a number of issues. I want to listen to some of that exchange.

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BILL GATES, BUSINESSMAN, PHILANTHROPIST: Well, I think if you show up and say in a few months, you can cut $2 trillion out of a $7 trillion budget, you aren't -- you're not going to succeed. And so, you go for the softest things and, you know, things that are overseas that you can mischaracterize, like, you know, characterizing it as (INAUDIBLE) for Hamas, didn't have one iota of truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COATES: A great conversation in full we'll have to hear more of. But he was pretty critical of Musk. What does he really think?

ZAKARIA: Oh, I -- I think that, you know, he -- he takes the -- the cuts on to USAID, to America's public health, very seriously because, look, this is a guy who has devoted himself and his entire $200 billion fortune, you know, trying to help the poorest people in the world live better lives, live in the first place, save their lives, live better lives. And to watch Elon Musk callously and cruelly shut down these programs, claim that they're criminal, claim that they won't have any effect when immediately you're seeing the effects in countries like, you know, places like Africa where, you know, literally millions of people are going to die as a result of this.

And, you know, the question is, why did Elon Musk choose the USAID first? And as Bill Gates is suggesting, it's because it's -- it's easy -- it's -- it's a cheap target. You know, nobody likes spending on foreigners. They all think we spend 10% of the budget on foreigners when, in fact, we spend 1% of the budget and that the money is mostly very well spent.

In another part of the interview, he said he has watched these USAID workers in the poorest countries in the world, and he said they're heroes, they're going and living in the -- in the most places in the world to try and help people, not getting paid a lot, not getting any glory.

[23:40:02]

And it's very sad, you know, that the richest man in the world would decide, you know, to play political games, which affect all these people's lives.

COATES: Fareed Zakaria, thank you so much. And I want everyone to be sure to check out "Fareed Zakaria GPS" Sunday at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m.

Up next, the blockbuster trial coming for Sean "Diddy" Combs. The prosecution's star witness, Cassie, expected to be among the first to take the stand potentially as early as Monday, and now learning the defense has a plan to challenge her story. It's a major development tonight, and we'll have it for you next.

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COATES: Next week, disgraced music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs faces the music in his federal sex trafficking, prostitution, and racketeering trial. Opening statements are expected to begin on Monday.

And right after that, one of the star witnesses for the prosecution could take the stand, Cassie Ventura Fine. She was in a relationship with Combs for a decade. And her decision to sue Combs in November of 2023 helped lead to many of the accusations that he faces today.

There's also the hotel security video that's so disturbing and difficult to watch. It shows Combs allegedly beating Cassie in L.A. in 2016. And that tape is expected to feature prominently in the trial, and many potential jurors say they have already seen it. Diddy has pleaded not guilty, and he absolutely denies any wrongdoing. Two former federal prosecutors join me now, Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, and Mimi Rocah, former district attorney for Westchester County in New York.

Mimi, I'll start with you. Thank you to both of you for being here. But what do you make of the decision to bring Cassie Ventura to the witness stand at the beginning of what they say is going to be an 8 to 10-week trial? Would you have her go relatively early in this trial?

MIMI ROCAH, FORMER WESTCHESTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY, FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY FOR SDNY: Well, Laura, I mean, I think it's definitely a matter of strategy. And with your sort of crime witness, like, victim witness, you're either going to put her probably at the beginning or at the end. And I think, you know, that's a strategy call.

I don't know exactly what their other evidence is, and will be. So, it's a little hard to say if it's the right call. But, you know, these are very experienced prosecutors who've done a lot of trials. I'm sure they have good reason for doing that. And as you mentioned, there is the tape. Right? The video, the very disturbing video.

And so, having her testify early on, you're not -- she's not going to be forgotten. Right? Her testimony is going to kind of permeate the whole trial, and the video can be shown later and separately.

And she's going to get cross examined and attacked, of course. I mean, that's what a defense attorney should do and will do. And the rest of the trial can be largely about corroborating her and shoring her up and, you know, connecting to other pieces of evidence.

COATES: You have to wonder as well. I know she announced her pregnancy on her Instagram page earlier this year. You have to wonder if that's going to play a role in the timing and scheduling of what would be this 8 to 10-week trial as well and the optics of this particular witness.

Diddy's attorney, Defense Attorney Marc Agnifilo, Neama, gave a glimpse into how the team is going to respond to her expected testimony by claiming there was -- quote -- "mutual violence," that's their term, in that relationship. Will that strategy play well?

NEAMA RAHMANI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, PRESIDENT OF WEST COAST TRIAL LAWYERS: I don't think it will, Laura, but I think it's the only strategy because the best defense is a good offense. Diddy has assembled his own dream team. And just like O.J. went after LAPD, this team is going to go after the victims. They are going to go after them aggressively.

And like you and Mimi said, Cassie Ventura is very pregnant, and the last thing you want for the prosecution is to potentially lose her if she goes into labor early. And we know that she's the government's star witness. She was with Combs the longest, more than a decade. And that video that CNN obtained, it is so powerful.

So, the reason the defense is going and admitting physical conduct, but not sexual, is they have to. But they're trying to say that this was a domestic violence relationship, there was toxicity between the two, Cassie was violent because they have to. We've all seen that video.

Let's not forget, Diddy denied the allegations in November 2023 when Cassie filed that lawsuit, even after he settled the next day. When his homes were raided in May of last year in Los Angeles and Miami, Diddy continued to deny it in March of last year. Only in May of last year, when CNN got a copy of that video, Laura, did Diddy admit on social media that he had done something wrong.

The defense has to admit the physical part of the case. They're going to deny the sexual because, of course, domestic violence and assault, they're not charges in the case.

COATES: Right.

RAHMANI: They can be RICO predicate act, those charges of sex trafficking, prostitution, and racketeering.

COATES: And Mimi, on that point, I think it is important people understand what he is being charged with and what he is not being charged with.

[23:49:53]

And as Neama mentioned, the RICO predicate act, fancy way of essentially saying that they're going to use that evidence, it seems, to suggest that there was fraud or intimidation or abuse to coerce someone to engage in sexual trafficking, prostitution or anything that was nonconsensual.

Now, this is going to be very important. You have a jury, as you well know, Mimi, who may be well-versed in the defendant and, of course, well-versed in that video. How would you balance what is being charged versus what they have seen?

ROCAH: Well, I mean, certainly, during jury selection, some of that, I think, has been dealt with and weeded out and instructions given by the judge, and there probably will be further instructions when the video is shown.

You know, it's not only that they have to show the nonconsensual coercive part in addition to what they're going to -- what the jurors are going to see on the video and the -- the sort of violence part of it. They're also going to have to link it to -- I mean, this is a racketeering case, so they have to link it to, essentially, an enterprise. And, you know, there -- there are other technical elements of this charge that are important.

And, again, you know, these prosecutors are very -- this is all mapped out by them. That doesn't mean there won't be that -- this is an easy trial by any means and there's very skilled defense counsel, but they know the elements that they need to prove.

I really think they're going to keep their eye on that ball and not get sort of caught up in the soap opera part of this, which there is a real soap opera part of this, and that is a danger with high-profile dependents like this, that the jury almost holds them on a -- on a -- to a higher standard because of their publicity, and you want to be very careful of that.

COATES: Very important point. And, of course, we don't have the final jury even yet. Neama, prosecutors are claiming that the celebrity defense attorney, Mark Geragos, is consulting with the defense team. He apparently has been admonished for calling the prosecutors a -- quote -- "six-pack of white women," that was on a podcast, and said he'll be listening to it going forward.

What is the role of Geragos in this courtroom and why do you think he's being identified by this judge now?

RAHMANI: That's the question, Laura. Mimi used to practice in the Southern District Of New York. They have the strictest rules when it comes to these extrajudicial statements. You can't say anything that may prejudice that jury pool. And we're in the middle of jury selection.

So, what is Mark Geragos doing? Is he on the case? Well, hasn't noticed, at least not yet. Is he there as a jury consultant? So, the judge in the case, Subramanian, wants to rein him in because we know that this case is not only being tried in the courtroom, but outside that courtroom.

Everything the defense is doing, from having Combs's children there every day, from making these types of statements, is to try to influence that jury pool because this is a unique case. Jurors aren't coming in with a blank slate. Everyone in the country, in the world, knows who Diddy is. Everyone has seen that video.

So, they're trying to send a message to those jurors, both the potential ones and the 12, plus six alternates that are ultimately going to be on that panel.

COATES: Neama, Mimi, thank you both so much.

A quick programming note, starting Monday, we're going to have special coverage of the Diddy trial right here on "Laura Coates Live." I'll be in court all day, so make sure you follow me on X, Instagram, TikTok, and across CNN's digital platforms.

Up next tonight, a trailblazer fired by the administration. It's a story that went under the radar until now.

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[23:55:00]

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COATES: Well, tonight, it's time for a mocktail where the news will have you wondering if this is real. So, I'm old enough to remember the Dewey Decimal System and little cards in the back of the library book where you stamp the due date. I remember some of the first books I ever checked out. In fact, I still keep some of them in my office to this day.

I'm also old enough to remember when the first woman, an African- American, was sworn in as the librarian of Congress, the very Library of Congress founded in 1800 by President John Adams, and expanded to a copyright office, a congressional nonpartisan think tank, a preserver of books, a repository of the papers of Supreme Court justices, top- secret military records, audio recordings, photographs, artifacts like the continents -- the contents that President Abraham Lincoln pockets the night he was assassinated, the largest flute collection, to a vellum copy of the Gutenberg Bible, even a secret list of names of POWs written by those captured on toilet paper during the Vietnam War, a piece of the World Trade Center. And that I am old enough to remember.

Then one day, no one will be old enough to remember the stories that defined every facet of this country, not with an eye towards politics, but preservation. It's precisely why the librarians of Congress are intended to serve 10-year terms.

But this librarian of Congress is a now political casualty, fired in a two- sentence email a year before the end of her term. Why? Because --

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KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We felt she did not fit the needs of the American people. There were quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI.

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COATES: Well, here's how Dr. Carla Hayden described her pursuit in the library. "The Library preserves and provides access to a rich, diverse and enduring source of knowledge to inform, inspire and engage you in your intellectual and creative endeavors."

And that's a bad thing? Thanks for watching. "Anderson Cooper 360" is next.