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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Ukraine Agrees To U.S. Proposal For 30-Day Ceasefire; CNN Poll: 56 Percent Disapprove Of How Trump Handles U.S. Economy; House Passes Republican Funding Bill, Moves To Senate. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired March 12, 2025 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00]
BOBBY GHOSH, SENIOR EDITOR, BLOOMBERG: Saudi Arabia's outreach to the global south has changed a great deal. There are now people who look at Saudi Arabia in a very different way than they did 10 years ago. So yes, the rebrand is working.
But underneath all of this is an economic reality that Saudi Arabia needs to move away from its dependence on fossil fuels -- gas and oil -- in the long term to create an economy that is not entirely dependent on things coming out from under the ground. It needs to create an economy that is capable of sustaining its population. Sustaining the level of wealth that it has accrued over the years.
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Um-hum.
GHOSH: And that's the larger picture here. That's what MBS, the crown prince, is trying to achieve. He has a vision -- a global vision to 2025 I believe it's called.
SOLOMON: Um-hum.
GHOSH: And not all of those goals have been achieved so far. But when it comes to positioning Saudi Arabia as a place where these kinds of talks can take place it has been a smart strategy. It's one of the few places where Putin feels that he or his representatives can go and not be treated as pariahs --
SOLOMON: Um-hum.
GHOSH: -- and there won't be the risk that they -- that the ICC -- the criminal court judgment will be imposed upon them. They feel that if they go to Saudi Arabia they are respected, and they will be treated as an important player in world affairs.
So, yes. To that extent the rebranding is certainly working.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And just to add another example to it -- I mean, Trump said three weeks ago or so that the expected meeting between him and Putin might, in fact, also happen in Saudi Arabia just to give you a sense of how many of these conversations are happening there on the ground.
Bobby Ghosh, great to have you this morning. Thank you.
GHOSH: Anytime, Rahel.
SOLOMON: All right, this just into CNN. An investigation is underway after shots were fired earlier this morning at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. It happened outside terminal two. The Chicago Police Department says that officers were dispatched to the airport to respond to a call for assistance because of an altercation between multiple people.
Police say that a 25-year-old man was shot twice. He is now in stable condition at a local hospital. A second person is currently being interviewed by detectives.
And still ahead for us more on that new CNN polling just out this hour revealing how Americans really feel about President Trump and which issues matter most to them.
We'll be right back.
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[05:37:03]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think this country --
REPORTER: Do you think there will be a recession?
TRUMP: I don't see it at all. I think this country is going to boom. But as I said, I can do it the easy way or the hard way. The hard way to do it is exactly what I'm doing, but the results are going to be 20 times greater.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: President Trump there pushing back against suggestions that the U.S. may be headed for a recession. But as a new CNN poll released this hour shows, not all Americans believe that he's the best authority on the subject. Just 44 percent of Americans approve of how the president is handling the economy. That's lower than any point during his first term.
A slightly higher margin of Americans approve of how things are going in his second term so far. That number matches the highest ratings that he previously achieved in the White House.
A lot to discuss. So let's bring in Tia Mitchell, the Washington bureau chief for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Tia, great to see you this morning. Good morning.
What I thought was interesting --
TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, THE ATLANTA JOURNAL- CONSTITUTION: Good morning.
SOLOMON: -- is that it's not just that a majority of Americans disapprove of the job he's doing on the economy; it's that in the same poll 42 percent of respondents said that the economy is still their top issue.
What's your read on this? I mean, this has to be worrying to Republicans. What do you think?
MITCHELL: Yeah, I think it's worrying to Republicans much more broadly than just about Donald Trump's approval ratings because Republicans are already thinking about the next election. They're already thinking about how what everything that's being done today and throughout this year -- how that's going to affect many of them when they're on the ballot in 2026. Not just members of Congress but any Republican governors who may be on the ballot.
SOLOMON: Um-hum.
MITCHELL: State legislators.
SOLOMON: Yeah.
MITCHELL: So the economy -- even though there are Trump Republicans who will stick with him no matter what, they know that's not the majority of U.S. voters. And those voters in the middle, those voters who are persuadable, those voters who helped give Donald Trump the presidency -- they are voting on issues. They are voting on what he says and what he does. And right now there are some early signs starting to worry about Trump's --
SOLOMON: Um-hum.
MITCHELL: -- economic agenda.
SOLOMON: Yeah. I mean, and to that point, I mean, I spoke to a prominent economist yesterday on the program who said look, investors are getting really worried that there may not be some grand plan here in terms of the economics of it all.
When you're talking to lawmakers is there a sense, based on what you've heard Tia, that there at least might be some grand strategy politically?
MITCHELL: Well, there are Republican lawmakers who are still willing to give Trump time. I think in the -- at the core of what Trump is trying to do -- you know, reduce the size of federal (audio gap). Require foreign countries to play nicer with the U.S.
SOLOMON: Um-hum.
MITCHELL: Incentivize manufacturing of goods and U.S. (audio gap).
[05:40:00]
I think many Republicans are on board with that but they're not necessarily on board with how Trump has carried out that agenda -- the details of it. Republicans are trying to give him time. They're trying to take a wait-and-see approach.
SOLOMON: Um-hum.
MITCHELL: (Audio gap) term in these recent weeks they've been nervous about how things have played out. We've seen it (audio gap) they're hearing it from constituents. So they're hoping that they'll be able to point to things Trump has done and said OK, it was painful for a little bit but (audio gap). But eventually they may run out of patience.
SOLOMON: Um-hum, um-hum. And I think that is really the question of it all -- sort of how long of an on-ramp does he have both with his own party but even the American people as you see polling like this.
Tia Mitchell, we appreciate your time this morning. Thank you.
MITCHELL: Thank you.
SOLOMON: All right.
And still to come, House Republicans narrowly pass a government funding bill but approval in the Senate so far from certain with the clock ticking toward a possible government shutdown.
Plus, why are we talking about Jalen Hurts? Well, because the Philadelphia Eagles say that they will celebrate their Super Bowl victory at the White House. And, I mean, who doesn't want another reason to talk about the Eagles? We're going to have the details on the plans later this hour.
Stay with us.
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[05:45:50]
SOLOMON: Welcome back. Five-forty-five on a Wednesday morning. I'm Rahel Solomon. And here are some of the top stories we're watching for you today.
Ukraine has agreed to a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire and now the pressure is on Russia to also sign onto the deal. The temporary truce pauses fighting by land, air, and sea. And the U.S. has vowed to immediately resume intelligence sharing and security assistance to Ukraine.
President Trump's 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports is now in effect. There has been swift reaction from the European Union already this morning, which announced just hours ago that it is responding by imposing duties on $28 billion worth of U.S. goods.
And it's the end of an era. Southwest Airlines says it is ending its 60-year tradition of free checked bags. Starting May 28 you'll have to pay to check your luggage unless you're in the airline's loyalty program, you have a Southwest credit card, or travel on a business fare.
The Trump administration is making its first move in its plan to eliminate the Department of Education. On Tuesday it announced that it is cutting nearly half of the 4,100 people who work for the department.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROTESTERS: Save our schools! Save our schools! Save our schools! Save our schools! Save our schools!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Now, opponents say that closing the education department will have far-reaching consequences for many families. But education Sec. Linda McMahon described the layoffs as "eliminating bureaucratic bloat."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST, "THE INGRAHAM ANGLE": Is this the first step on the road to a total shutdown?
LINDA MCMAHON, SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: Yes, actually, it is because that was the president's mandate. His directive to me clearly is to shut down the Department of Education.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): First of all, it is especially helpful when it comes to student loans. And I don't know what they plan on doing and what havoc we will see when that's the lifeblood for so many of our students. Number two, people in rural areas really depend on the Department of Education for help. And then number three, kids with disabilities. Wait until those parents and those families find out about these cuts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Employees were required to leave the building on Tuesday. The offices are expected to reopen on Thursday.
Another victory for President Trump on Tuesday as House Republicans narrowly passed a bill that would fund the federal government through September. It was a high-stakes gamble by House Speaker Mike Johnson who got a late push Tuesday from the president and the vice president, as well as members of Donald Trump's cabinet, all pressing lawmakers to support the bill. But as usual, Democrats and Republicans still don't see eye-to-eye on the bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: The House Republican spending bill is an attack on everyday Americans.
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We did our job today and it's shameful that they will stop at nothing -- they will suggest that this bill is something that it's not and they will run out the clock to shut down the government in a desperate attempt to stop the America First agenda.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: The Senate has less than three days to get the bill approved or face a potential government shutdown. At least eight Senate Democrats have to side with Republicans to pass the measure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Woman trapped in car films tornado hitting Central Florida.
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SOLOMON: A woman in Florida was trapped inside her car during a destructive tornado and lived to tell the story. She captured this video showing three limbs flying through the air and debris slamming into her windshield.
Weather officials say that the storm carried winds of up to 115 miles per hour and it is the strongest tornado to hit the county in more than 25 years.
All right. Straight ahead, police in the Dominican Republic examine new surveillance video of a missing U.S. college student. We're going to have those details straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:54:12]
SOLOMON: Welcome back.
New surveillance video has emerged showing a U.S. college student just hours before she disappeared during a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic. Authorities say that 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki was seen heading to the beach in Punta Cana with seven other people last Thursday.
CNN's Danny Freeman picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): This is some of the last known footage of 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki before she disappeared in the Dominican Republic. The new surveillance video shows Konanki and her group of friends walking away from their hotel in Punta Cana early Thursday morning. You can see Konanki and a young man embracing each other on the hotel path.
This video part of an evolving investigation into what happened to the young University of Pittsburgh student.
[05:55:00]
For days, the Dominican National Police has been using drones and canines to comb the Punta Cana beaches and coasts for signs of Konanki.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
FREEMAN (voiceover): Police telling CNN Tuesday more than 300 men and women are now helping with the search, including members of the Dominican Army, Navy, and Air Force. Law enforcement officials expanding their search area and reinterviewing witnesses to try and figure out if this was a tragic accident or if there was foul play involved.
On Tuesday, police updated the timeline of events. At around 4:15 on Thursday, March 6, after drinking with her friends in the hotel's lobby, Konanki and her group were seen on camera heading to the beach with two men. Initially, police said the group returned to the hotel about two hours later but that changed after a closer examination of the recovered surveillance video.
Now police say the group came back from the beach just 40 minutes after they left at 4:55 a.m. but this time without Konanki and one of the men. That man, who has not been publicly identified, then left the beach alone at around 8:55 a.m.
This young man told authorities he and Konanki both went into the ocean, but he got sick, came out of the water, and fell asleep on a lounge chair. He said Konanki may have been swept away by a wave.
While the man is not considered a suspect at this time a law enforcement source told CNN Tuesday he's being kept in a hotel room under police watch as the investigation continues.
Konanki's family, now on the ground in the Dominican Republican, told ABC News they met the young man.
SUBBARAYUDU KONANKI, FATHER OF MISSING STUDENT: We walked to the beach along with the boy and the boy helped us and he was demoing (PH) us kind of like what really happened.
FREEMAN (voiceover): Back stateside, officials from Konanki's home of Loudoun County, Virginia are helping in the search and holding out hope.
SHERIFF MIKE CHAPMAN, LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA: We are going on the presumption that she's still alive. We want to make sure that we're exhausting every possible lead that we can.
FREEMAN: Now, late Tuesday a law enforcement official told CNN that the young man believed to have been the last person seen with Konanki before she disappeared is not in police custody, is still not considered a suspect, and that there were no significant inconsistencies in the recounting of what happened the night that Konanki disappeared.
Authorities, meanwhile, continue to search for Konanki primarily in the water. This specific source telling CNN that they will only know more answers when they're able to find Konanki herself.
Danny Freeman, CNN, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: Federal officials are recommending major safety changes for the skies above Washington, D.C. following that deadly midair collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter in January. It's part of the board's preliminary report into the incident that killed 67 people.
The NTSB is recommending that helicopter traffic should be banned over the Potomac River when flights are landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: The existing separation distances between helicopter traffic operating on route four and aircraft landing on runway 33 are insufficient and pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety by increasing the chances of a midair collision at DCA.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Now, the report did not identify the probable cause of the incident. The U.S. Transportation secretary has agreed to adopt the board's recommendations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN DUFFY, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: At best, we're in a situation where we're threading a needle allowing helicopters to fly down the same airspace as landing aircraft. And why this information wasn't studied and known before January 29 is an important question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: OK. Before we go, the Philadelphia Eagles have accepted an invitation to visit the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl victory. The Birds defeated the Kansas City Chiefs last month in a blowout win 40-22, claiming the team's second NFL championship title. The White House says that plans for the visit are in the works.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I can confirm that the Philadelphia Eagles will be here at the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl victory. I know there was a lot of fake news about an invitation that wasn't sent or was sent. We want to correct the record. We sent an invitation. they enthusiastically accepted, and you will see them here on April 28.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: All right. And when the Eagles won in 2018, you might remember they decided not to celebrate with President Trump who was in his first term at the time. That decision sparked criticism from the president who uninvited the team.
Last month, Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson told Sportico that the decision whether to visit this time would be a team vote.
A zoo in southern Germany just revealed the name of its recent furry addition. The 4 1/2-month-old polar bear cub will now be known as Mika. The zoo took suggestions for a name and then put it to a public vote. The staff says that Mika is doing great so far, just spending a lot of time playing with his mom when he's not sleeping.
And in the U.K. this baby lemur is giving zoogoers a reason to dance.
