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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

President Trump Marks 6 Months in Office; Japan's Prime Minister Vows to Stay; Pat Tillman's Brother Rams a Vehicle into a Post Office. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired July 21, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

MJ LEE, ANCHOR, EARLY START: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world, Rahel Solomon is off, I'm MJ Lee. It's Monday, July 21st, 5:00 a.m. here in Washington D.C., and straight ahead on EARLY START.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump is looking to celebrate his six-month mark in office. It has been an eventful half a year for the President.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a huge political earthquake in Japan. The Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, he is refusing to resign right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I looked out my window and the post office was in flames.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're assuming that all the mail that was in the building at the time is burned up. Gone. It does not look like an accident so far.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: U.S. President Donald Trump is boasting six months of winning halfway through the first year of his second term in office. And the White House claims it is, quote, "the most successful first six months in office for any President in modern American history". But polls show Americans are growing more disenchanted with his actions by the day.

A CNN poll shows just 42 percent of Americans approve of the way Trump is performing his job as President. He's pushed through massive domestic and international policy changes since his re-election, cracking down on federal spending, immigration and international trade. President Trump threw many countries for a loop as well when he announced major tariffs earlier this year.

Speaking with "CBS" on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick says the President's view is that, quote, "it seems fair that other countries should pay to do business with the U.S."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD LUTNICK, SECRETARY OF COMMERCE, UNITED STATES: Look, if you're willing to open yourself up and really open your economy to American business, to ranchers, fishermen, farmers and businesses, then of course, we'll make a better deal with you. But if you're going to keep your tariffs and your tariff barriers, holding us down, then of course, it seems fair that you should pay a tariff to do business with the greatest customer on earth, the American consumer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: CNN's Kevin Liptak has more on the President's second term and the week ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIPTAK (on camera): President Trump is looking to celebrate his six- month mark in office. And certainly, I think everyone would agree that it has been an eventful half a year for the President. He's notched some significant wins in Congress, at the Supreme Court, on the world stage. But polls do show that Americans are starting to sour on some of his biggest priorities.

And this matter involving the Jeffrey Epstein files has, in a lot of ways overshadowed the President's accomplishments, at least, over the last week. Members of the President's political base agitating for the administration to release more information in the President working to tamp down on the discontent.

Now, earlier Sunday, the President chose to mark the moment by writing on Truth Social, "wow, time flies. Today is that six-month anniversary of my second term. Importantly, it's being hailed as one of the most consequential periods of any President. In other words, we got a lot of good and great things done, including ending numerous wars of countries not related to us other than through trade and/or in certain cases, friendship."

The President concludes, "happy anniversary". So, the President, clearly eager to make the most of the day. He also in an earlier post, referenced that Jeffrey Epstein matter, saying that since that controversy began bubbling up, that his approval ratings among his supporters had actually been increased.

Now, according to a CNN poll that was released last week, the President's approval among Republicans stands at 88 percent. But overall, the President's numbers remain underwater. He's at 42 percent approval overall, and when you look at some of the critical issues that have been central to the President's six months in office, the poll finds that more Americans disapprove of the President's handling than approve.

So, on taxes, which is critical, the President passing that enormous bill that extends the tax cuts he signed first term in office, he's at 44 percent.

[05:05:00] On immigration, of course, the President pursuing a hardline

immigration agenda. The President stands at 42 percent, on the economy, he's at 40 percent, and on foreign affairs also at 40 percent. And so, while the six-month mark is a moment to look back, it's also a moment to look forward. And this week, the President will continue pursuing a number of issues that are critical to his agenda.

At some point, he will sign that bill that was passed by Congress last week that claws back funding for certain public broadcasters and on foreign aid. The President will host the Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. here at the White House. On Monday, there's a critical hearing in Massachusetts on the administration's attempts to strip federal funding from Harvard.

The President continues to pursue his trade agenda. He'll be sending out more of those tariff letters to U.S. trade partners as we approach that August 1st deadline to strike new deals. And then at the end of the week, the President will be in Scotland visiting his golf courses, but also meeting with the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in part to discuss the trade deal that they struck earlier this year.

And so, clearly, the President a lot on his plate at the six-month mark. But the President also looking forward to the next 42 months that he has left in office. Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEE: And Savannah Behrmann is a Senate correspondent for "National Journal", she joins us from Alexandria, Virginia. Savanna, it's so good to have you this Monday morning. So, President Trump has been hyping the six-month mark of his second term. He wrote on Truth Social yesterday that the last six months are being hailed, quote, "one of the most consequential periods of any president. Six months is not a long time to have totally revived a major country."

I know you closely covered the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill, so, let's start there. A significant legislative win for the President, but also potentially a big political liability for Republicans heading into the midterms. What do we know about how Americans so far view the Big Beautiful Bill?

SAVANNAH BEHRMANN, SENATE CORRESPONDENT, NATIONAL JOURNAL: Yes, MJ, thank you so much for having me on. So, just like you noted, President Trump had a really hard time and a really difficult time getting this bill across the finish line. But really, his challenges are just beginning as it is for Republican lawmakers who are now having to go home to their constituents and kind of explain what's in this Big Beautiful Bill.

Now, we know that the top of both campaign arms are encouraging lawmakers to go back home to their states, and to really highlight specific provisions in the bill, because the entire package as it stands, is pretty unpopular in their communities, and especially if you look back at the rural communities that many of these Republican lawmakers support. I believe that there was a Yougov poll yesterday that found that 6 in

10 Americans kind of view the Big Beautiful Bill unfavorably. So, it's a big uphill battle that they face.

LEE: And what about the Rescissions package? The $9 billion in spending cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting that got approved last week? You know, that was another legislative priority for President Trump. And Republicans in Congress got that done by using this obscure presidential budget law to circumvent the Senate filibuster basically. What did that process do you think show about the sway that the President has over his party?

BEHRMANN: I think it shows that President Trump has significant sway over his party. I mean, if you look back at the town halls that Republican lawmakers were going to just a few months ago where they were facing pretty rowdy crowds over some of those DOGE cuts, now that Rescissions package basically makes those DOGE cuts more concrete.

So, we know that Republican lawmakers are going to go back to their states and back to their districts in August, go to some of these town halls, go to these constituent events, and have to face those very same people. Now, about legislation that was simply codified -- some of those DOGE cuts.

And we know that those were pretty unpopular across the board. People were losing their jobs, and now with the defunding of "PBS" and "NPR" and some of these global aid programs like PEPFAR, those are going to be hard things that they have to sell to their constituents. But I think it shows undeniable sway of the President over Republican lawmakers.

LEE: Yes, absolutely, let's talk about immigration, too. This is a major domestic priority so far for Trump's second term. And a new CNN poll finds that Americans largely oppose his administration ramping up deportations, with the growing majority saying that the President has gone too far on this front. How concerning is that?

I'm curious for the Republican sources that you're talking to on Capitol Hill. It's an issue that they have to confront day-in-and-day- out.

[05:10:00]

BEHRMANN: Absolutely. I mean, not only has the President made hardline immigration one of the pillars of his presidency, but it was also one of the pillars of this Big Beautiful Bill Act that they just pushed through Congress. So, this is something that they are having to go back and explain to their constituents of, not only is this something that President Trump is executing through executive orders and through his powers as the President, but it's something that we have now codified into law.

It is something that we have now legislated on. And it's -- some of these provisions in the Big Beautiful Bill regarding immigration aren't popular with constituents, and a lot of people feel like President Trump, especially with these raids and all of the footage that we saw coming out of Los Angeles, and with Senator Alex Padilla being tackled to the ground during that Kristi Noem press conference.

This is something that's been kind of landing a little bumpy along voters. So, it's something that Republican lawmakers are going to have to smooth their messaging out for sure.

LEE: And let's finally turn to the Epstein files and the growing pressure that President Trump has come under for more transparency. You know, this has been such an interesting political space to watch because it's been really this rare example of real cracks in the support that Trump enjoys inside of his MAGA base. What is your sense of where this story is headed politically for the President, and how real the damage has been so far?

BEHRMANN: You know, the Epstein file controversies is going to be something that will be really fascinating to watch, kind of unplay on Capitol Hill over the next few weeks, because we've seen similar controversies pop up in President Trump's political career before, but we haven't seen those move the marker a lot like the "Access Hollywood" tape. Definitely, he's still the President, right?

So, it'd be -- it will be interesting to see how those Epstein controversies really land on Capitol Hill, especially as congressional Republicans are wanting more information about the files. I mean, we see -- we saw House Republicans last week calling for more information from the Department of Justice.

And that's a reflection directly from the MAGA base and from some of President Trump's strongest supporters getting him elected the second time, largely based on wanting more information about these Epstein files and more information from the Department of Justice. So, this definitely is exposing a crack within the MAGA base, and it's just going to be interesting to see if that crack widens or not.

LEE: Yes, definitely. Savannah Behrmann, thank you so much for joining us.

BEHRMANN: Thank you for having me.

LEE: Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is vowing to stay on the job to deal with trade negotiations with the U.S. That's despite his party's poor performance in Sunday's election. Here's what he said at a news conference earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIGERU ISHIBA, PRIME MINISTER, JAPAN (through translator): We received an extremely harsh judgment. It is a matter of deep regret that the seats were not taken by the LDP and Komeito's most talented comrades. As President of LDP, I offer my deepest and most sincere apologies. We must accept the results with humility and sincerity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Ishiba's liberal democratic party and coalition partner Komeito needed 50 seats to keep a majority in Japan's Upper House, but they only secured 47. It comes after the Prime Minister already lost control of the more powerful Lower House in October. And temperatures are on the rise in parts of the U.S.

Extreme heat is expected to spread into the Midwest and southeast this week. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar has the forecast.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, METEOROLOGIST: More than 50 million people are under some type of extreme heat alert across much of the eastern U.S. for much of the upcoming week. Now, we start with Monday. You'll see a few pockets here of the orange color, but as we progress this map forward, you'll start to notice that orange area really starts to expand, and especially into some newer areas like the northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Midwestern portion of the U.S. where those temperatures are really going to be on the rise, especially by the back half of the week.

Let's take a look at some of these temperatures. Tallahassee, for example, it's Summer, we know it's normally warm. Their average high this time of year is 92. But they're going to be in the upper 90s for the next couple of days before we finally start to see those temperatures dropping back just a little bit.

Here's another look at Dallas, for example. The average high this time of year is 96. We are going to be flirting with triple digits by the end of the week. Now, interestingly enough, Dallas, Texas, has actually not hit 100 degrees so far this year, even though some cities way farther north actually have, including New York, Boston and Philadelphia all hitting those triple digits back in June.

But this is likely to change as Dallas is forecast to hit those triple digits by the end of the week. They're not the only one that's going to see those temperatures well above average. Saint Louis, for example, normal high this time of year of 90, we're going to be looking at nearly 10 degrees above average for the back half of the upcoming week.

[05:15:00]

And even northeastern cities also looking to see those temperatures jumping up. New York's average high is about 85, they'll be pretty close to that the next few days, maybe even perhaps slightly lower than that. But once we get into the back half, that's when we start to see those temperatures rise into northeastern cities as well.

LEE: Crews in Vietnam are searching for three missing people after a tourist boat capsized Saturday with 49 people on board. State media reports the body of a six-year-old boy has just been recovered, Vietnamese officials say at least 36 people died and ten were rescued. The boat was carrying tourists in Ha Long Bay when a sudden storm caused it to capsize.

There have been some remarkable reports from the survivors, including from a ten-year-old boy who was able to survive by finding an air pocket in the submerged part of the ship. Still to come, the suspects charged in the murder of an American professor in Athens are in court today to offer their pleas. We'll bring you the latest on the case including the leaked confession from the alleged shooter. Plus, the brother of late NFL player, an Army Ranger Pat Tillman, is being accused of driving a car into a California Post Office on purpose. Those details ahead. And later, Coldplay turns the camera on the audience again, but this time with a word to the wise. We'll show you how the band is trying to avoid another viral moment.

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[05:20:00]

LEE: Five suspects are expected to submit their pleas in court today over the murder of an American Professor in Athens, Greece. Przemyslaw Jeziorski was shot multiple times at close range as he was walking to pick up his children from his ex-wife's house as per their custody agreement.

The alleged shooter is the ex-wife's new partner, and police say he and three other male suspects confessed to the murder, and those confessions have also been leaked to the media, giving insight into a crime that has shocked the country. The victims ex-wife is also charged as a moral accomplice, which she denies. Journalist Elinda Labropoulou joins us now from Athens. Elinda, tell us more about these new details that have just been leaked to the press.

ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: Well, at the moment, we've just had the first plea completed. So, we're just getting new information coming in. But if when -- as we understand the statements that have been leaked, the police statements that have been leaked seem to show that the boyfriend of the ex-wife is behind the murder.

He has actually confessed, and his lawyer has also confirmed that to CNN that he has confessed to the murder. Now, he said that he did this for his partner because he was worried that the professor, the ex- husband would take the children away. This is a very interesting case because the Professor and his children held both U.S. and Polish nationalities, while the ex-wife only has Greek nationality.

So, during his custody battle that's been ongoing between the two of them, she had full custody, but he had one month a year that he could take the children away. And as we understand from this emerging leaked information, the real concern here was what happens if he left Greece with the children. This seems to be at the core of how this crime evolved, and it is a crime that has really shocked Greece, largely because of how it took place in plain daylight, at very close range it seems to have been.

There was an appointment between the two partners for the father to pick up the children, the murder happened just outside his ex-wife's house. Now what we're waiting to find out today is whether the five or some of the five will be remanded in custody pending trial. And this is extremely crucial because the mother until now, had custody.

But if she is remanded in custody, she will -- she will not be able to claim the children's custody anymore, and we understand that the Polish family of the victim is ready to claim full custody of his children. So, really, a family drama that's evolving here in Greece. LEE: Yes, Elinda Labropoulou in Athens on that dramatic story, thank

you so much. The reported brother of the late NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger, Pat Tillman, was arrested Sunday for allegedly driving a car into a U.S. Post Office in northern California. According to local affiliate "KNTV" in San Francisco, Richard Tillman told police that he live-streamed the crash on social media, and that he was Pat Tillman's brother. The car subsequently caught fire, burning parts of the building. Officials say the act was intentional.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT NORFLEET, U.S. POSTAL INSPECTOR: Postal inspectors are investigating as an intentional act. It will, of course, be determined in a court of law whether or not it was. But it does not look like an accident so far. We do believe the same person who -- whose car that was caused the fire and put the graffiti up. The meaning of it is not known certainly to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Officials say about 50 Fire Department personnel responded to the post office fire. Bystanders and San Jose residents say they were stunned by what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSIE MACFARLANE, SAN JOSE RESIDENT: It's very sad that someone would do this. This is our neighborhood post office.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This happened in our neighborhood, and impacts all of our friends and family who live in the area, so it's really upsetting. I'm really glad no one was in the building at the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:25:00]

LEE: Richard Tillman is being held without bond. His brother Pat made headlines for turning down a multi-million-dollar NFL contract to enlist in the U.S. military following the September 11th terror attacks. He was later killed in Afghanistan by U.S. soldiers who mistook him for the enemy.

Russia claims it's ready to move quickly on a peace deal with Ukraine, but Moscow's latest assault on the country seems to suggest otherwise. More on that just ahead.

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LEE: Ukraine faced a new wave of attacks overnight.