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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Trump Meets With European Leaders & Zelenskyy At White House; Louisiana Governor Sends National Guard Troops To Capital; Comer: Justice Department To Begin Providing Epstein Files Friday. Aired 5- 5:30a ET
Aired August 19, 2025 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:23]
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Danny Freeman. Rahel Solomon is off.
It is Tuesday, August 19th, just about 5:00 a.m. here in Atlanta.
And straight ahead on EARLY START.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: President Trump says he's working to arrange a two-way meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe a peace agreement at the end of all of this is something that's very attainable.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Republican governors from West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio and Mississippi have announced they are sending additional national guard troops to Washington.
MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER (D), WASHINGTON, D.C.: This doesn't make sense. You know what doesn't make sense.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump declaring that he'll lead a movement to eliminate mail-in ballots.
TRUMP: You can never have a real democracy with mail in ballots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
FREEMAN: Our top story today. U.S. President Donald Trump says he's already working to arrange another meeting amid a push to end the war in Ukraine. But this time, it would be between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
That word came as Trump hosted the Ukrainian president and key European allies for talks at the White House three days after the U.S. president sat down with Putin himself, Russian forces did not pause their assault on Ukraine while those leaders gathered in Washington. They launched the heaviest aerial attack on Ukraine since July. Ukraine says 270 drones and ten missiles were fired, killing at least eight people over a 24-hour period.
Now, Trump stepped away from Mondays talks to phone the Russian president. A kremlin aide said the call was candid and constructive, but stopped short of confirming Putin had agreed to any bilateral meeting.
Zelenskyy, though, says he's ready to talk with the Russian leader under any format.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: If Ukraine starts creating conditions for a meeting, even fair ones for a ceasefire and such, the Russians will come up with 100 conditions for their part. So, I believe without any conditions, we should meet and think about how we can develop this path towards ending the war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREEMAN: Zelenskyy says security guarantees were discussed on Monday, and the British prime minister says negotiations will continue today.
Here's the U.S. president's take on that topic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: In a very significant step, President Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine, and this is one of the key points that we need to consider. I'm optimistic that collectively, we can reach an agreement that would deter any future aggression against Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREEMAN: CNN's Clare Sebastian is following this from London and joins us now live.
Clare, maybe light on details, sure, but the optics of those European leaders and Zelenskyy and President Trump all standing shoulder to shoulder. I mean, that's -- that's something pretty positive for Zelenskyy. No.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. This was as good as it could have got, I think for Zelenskyy in terms of the optics and the mood. They definitely banished those images from late February of that showdown in the oval office between Trump and Zelenskyy. That was so damaging, frankly, for Ukraine. And I think, look, Zelenskyy taking his place, as you see there with that family photo among those European and NATO leaders, this is what Ukraine is fighting for, to be able to take its place as a European country, part of the European security architecture, so that all very welcome. I think, in terms of substance. Look, security guarantees, as you say, was a really big part of this. And we know now that this morning discussions are going to continue with the Coalition of the Willing, that grouping of European countries willing to contribute to Ukraine's future security. They are going to be speaking in around an hour or so, time to try to add some flesh onto the bones of what is still a pretty vague outline of what they're planning. President Trump coming out of that meeting, really only said that Europe is going to front most of these guarantees with the U.S. coordination.
So we don't exactly know what that means yet. We don't even know from the European side, really, exactly what the contours of how they plan to deter future Russian aggression looks like. So that will continue as they're trying to build on that momentum. When it comes to the other key issue of what the next steps will be, a bilateral meeting is now on the table between Putin and Zelenskyy.
And this is something where the Europeans broadly agree with Trump that this is necessary, but it's when it comes to how they do it, the sequence of events, several of them sat down in that -- in that meeting and still were pushing to see a ceasefire first. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: To be honest, we all would like to see a ceasefire. I can't imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire.
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: Your idea to ask for a truce or a ceasefire, at least to stop the killings, as we discussed, is a necessity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:05:09]
SEBASTIAN: Well, Trump is still saying he doesn't think that is necessarily needed. And I think there's an even bigger obstacle to that. And that is Russia. The Kremlin, coming out of that conversation that happened between Putin and Trump on Monday, saying that, yes, the idea was discussed, that it would be appropriate to study the opportunity. This is a kremlin aide of raising the level of representatives of the Russian and Ukrainian sides.
That is, the representatives said, taking part in the mentioned direct talks. No mention of either of the leaders names, no mention of anything going up to the level of national leader, frankly. So I think file that as a classic obfuscation. They are, at the very least not ready. And may never, may never, maybe never will be for that kind of meeting -- Danny.
FREEMAN: Clare Sebastian in London, thank you so much for breaking that all down for us.
All right, now let's go live to Kyiv, where were joined by Kira Rudik, Ukrainian member of parliament and the leader of the Holos Party.
Thank you so much for being here with us today to talk about all of this.
Listen, I imagine you've had some time now to process yesterdays meeting here in the states. Tell me, what is the feeling on the ground in Ukraine today? And really, what are you feeling for the prospects of peace?
KIRA RUDIK, UKRAINIAN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: Hello, Danny, and thank you so much for having me. Well, I will start, perhaps, with the personal feeling. Yesterday was the first time since the beginning of full scale invasion, when I allowed myself to have an illusion that at some point the war may be over, because we have seen all the meetings, handshakes and President Zelenskyy did perform very well in the Oval Office, I think much better than the previous time and better than anybody anticipated.
So, it was all very hopeful and very positively emotional. Right. But if you look at it after a night of a good sleep, us is that generally nothing has changed here on the ground. So, Russia keeps attacking us and the massive attacks are happening in different cities of Ukraine.
They keep pushing at the front line. They have escaped sanctions. They have not yet agreed to a meeting with President Zelenskyy, and they have not agreed to a ceasefire that President Trump was pushing for. So, though, we treat this meeting as very positive, and I'm so glad that the word security guarantees were finally being discussed. And this is the track that we have been said since the day one, that the war cannot be over until Ukraine knows what are the security guarantees, what are the ways to ensure that Putin would not attack us again?
However, we do not have a confirmation that Putin will not be dragging his feet from the meeting with President Zelenskyy. We do not see any proper mechanisms of pressuring Russia to the ceasefire, and it seems right now that the starting the severe sanctions are completely off the table from President Trump. So though positively, things didn't change much here on the ground.
FREEMAN: I appreciate you giving that reality in terms of the perspective of many. I imagine, in Ukraine right now. I want to ask you a question about this, though, because again, yesterday's image was striking. Seeing President Trump and so many European leaders and then also knowing that he took this call with Vladimir Putin to update him in real time.
Do Ukrainians or do you trust President Trump in this mediator role between NATO, Ukraine and Vladimir Putin?
RUDIK: We think that the goal to end the war is mutual, so that Ukraine has this goal and President Trump is sharing it. However, we also understand that in geopolitics, every country has its own interest. And we believe that President Trump will be always acting in the interest of himself or United States, but not necessarily in the interest of Ukraine. We do not know specifically what was discussed at the meeting with,
dictator Putin when he was in Alaska. Perhaps there are better, and more important deals with Russia that Putin, that Putin and Trump wants to put together and Ukraine is just a part of this bigger discussion and bigger map.
What would happen when Ukraine will be the obstacle for President Trump to get the Nobel Prize for peace or to get good deals with Russia? We do not know. But we certainly respect and appreciate the time that President Trump is obviously making for the war to end and for Ukraine, to be at the table of negotiation.
FREEMAN: Kira, last thing I want to ask you. It was really incredible watching so many of these European leaders say out in public very clearly at the table with President Trump, we need a ceasefire in this war. Can you just break it down for us? What would a ceasefire literally mean to the Ukrainians who live in some of these extremely vulnerable areas?
[05:10:08]
RUDIK: It's not only the vulnerable areas, it's throughout Ukraine. You see, like every night when we are going to bed, we have no guarantee that we will wake up in the morning because at night, Russia is usually attacking us with the swarms of drones. The majority of the nights this summer we spent in the bomb shelter with our loved ones, because this is the only place where you and your family can feel safe.
If it's getting closer to the front line, then there is another threat of artillery shelling and people simply are constantly distracted, sleep deprivated and with the risks to their and their loved ones' lives. We have seen that just on Monday, Russia has attacked, the city of Kharkiv and have launched a ballistic missile onto a residential building, killing seven people, including two children.
So, you can imagine people just living their normal life and their life just end because somebody launched a missile. So, of course, getting rid of it, having it stopped would mean a huge deal for all of us. Because while we know that we want a peace, we know that not all of us will survive until the end of this peace negotiation. And this is the drama of the situation.
And this is why the ceasefire is the most important. And the topmost thing on the agenda of all European leaders of President Zelenskyy. And we hope it will be for President Trump.
FREEMAN: Well, we'll see if President Trump listens to your words and also to the words of so many of these European leaders as well.
Kyra Rudik in Kyiv, thank you so much for your perspective this morning. Really do appreciate it.
Back here in the States, Louisiana's governor has deployed more than 100 members of the state's national guard to Washington, D.C. In a statement on Monday, he said the state was proud to, quote, return safety and sanity to Washington.
Six states, all led by Republican governors, have now dispatched troops to the nation's capital amid President Trump's so-called crackdown on crime in the city.
But local officials say the response is overblown.
CNN's Brian Todd has more from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER (D), WASHINGTON, D.C.: This is not about D.C. crime.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser growing more frustrated over the escalation of federal agents and National Guard troops on the streets of the nation's capital.
BOWSER: You know, it doesn't make sense. The numbers on the ground in the district don't support a thousand people from other states coming to Washington, D.C.
TODD: Republican governors from West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio and Mississippi have announced they are sending additional National Guard troops to Washington in response to President Trump's call to increase law enforcement on the streets.
TRUMP: We went from the most unsafe place anywhere to a place that now people, friends are calling me up. Democrats are calling me up, and they're saying, sir, I want to thank you. And you did that in four days.
TODD: But Mayor Bowser does not seem to share that sentiment.
BOWSER: Why the military would be deployed in an American city to police Americans? That's the question.
TODD: Around the Capitol today, D.C. National Guard troops could be spotted near national monuments and major transportation hubs.
Have they told you anything about your mission? Like what you're supposed to be doing around Union Station at least?
NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER: Just helping out with local law enforcement.
TODD: Are you carrying any firearms?
NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER: No.
TODD: A White House official had previously told CNN that National Guard troops in Washington may now be armed, but a Defense Department official tells us that so far, Guardsmen on the street in D.C. are not armed and have not been requested to carry firearms. The official says they'll be prepared to arm if they get the order.
Not everybody agrees that National Guardsmen should be sent in from other states. One Republican governor, Phil Scott of Vermont, turned down a request from President Trump to deploy its National Guard troops to D.C. to help Trump in his mission, the governor's office saying in part, while public safety is a legitimate concern in cities across the country, in the absence of an immediate disaster, and unless local and regional first responders are unable to handle such an emergency, the governor is opposed to utilizing the National Guard for this purpose.
Some popular right wing media figures are saying that even the current escalation of law enforcement in Washington, while controversial, still isn't enough.
CHARLIE KIRK, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: We need full military occupation of these cities until the crime desists, period. We need a desisting of crime in our cities. We're not going to put up with it. I want to be able to walk Magnificent Mile in Chicago.
TODD: Data from the restaurant reservation company OpenTable shows a 25 to 30 percent drop in reservations since the surge. But one week since Trump's announcement of federalizing the D.C. police, he's already claiming victory.
TRUMP: All I want is security for our people, but people that haven't gone out to dinner in Washington, D.C. in two years are going out to dinner.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (on camera): A Defense Department official tells CNN, West Virginia is sending about 350 of its National Guard troops to Washington.
[05:15:03]
That official says some of those troops from West Virginia have already arrived.
Now, we did not see them on the streets in D.C. today, but that official says that those troops from West Virginia will be integrating with the other forces soon. That same official says that troops from Mississippi, South Carolina, and Ohio will be here in the coming days. And we just heard from Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry that he is sending about 135 of his state's national guard troops to Washington.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
FREEMAN: Thank you, Brian, for that. All right. Coming up, two gunmen have been identified in Sundays mass shooting in Brooklyn, New York. Next, well tell you what the police know so far.
Plus, the House Oversight Committee presses former U.S. officials for answers on the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. We'll tell you what they found out on the first day of testimony.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:20:21]
FREEMAN: Two more people who are injured in a shooting at a Brooklyn nightclub on Sunday have checked into the hospital. It means at least 14 people are now known to have been injured. On Monday, New York's mayor hosted a vigil for the victims.
Police say two of the three people who died were involved in an exchange of gunfire there. They say surveillance video captured the two men speaking briefly outside the venue, and shortly afterwards, one man approached the other and opened fire. The other man returned fire. Then two other gunmen fired shots. They remain at large. Police say the shooting was gang related.
Across the country, authorities in Utah say two police officers were shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call Sunday night. A sheriff's deputy and a police dog were also shot and wounded.
Police say one officer was sent to the home after someone called 911 multiple times, but kept hanging up. The officer was speaking to someone at the home when a man came out with a gun and opened fire, killing the officer. A second officer who arrived was also shot and killed.
Now, the suspect was arrested on charges of aggravated murder. Now a community is in mourning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHAD REYES, BRIGHAM CITY, UTAH POLICE CHIEF: Tragedies like these rocked the entire community, state and even nation. These officers and their families served their community every day and will forever be remembered as heroes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREEMAN: Just awful there.
Meanwhile, the head of the U.S. House Oversight Committee, James Comer, says the Justice Department will begin providing records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation this coming Friday.
Now it comes after former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr appeared before the committee on Monday. He's one of several former high- ranking officials subpoenaed by comer to testify about what they know, if anything, about the sex crimes committed by Epstein.
CNN's Evan Perez has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Jim Comer is, you know, being forced really to do these depositions because Republicans want some answers. And Mike Johnson, the speaker, had delayed an effort that was made in the house to actually force these records to be coming out. And so now you have Bill Barr, who came in. He was in there for several hours. Among the things that he emerged from this was that obviously, you know, Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide.
That's what the Justice Department has been, has found that remains the finding. And according to this deposition, that's what Barr knew from his own investigation. He also said that he didn't find anything when he reviewed these files. Anything to indicate that Donald Trump did anything wrong as part of his long, longtime friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Listen to Chairman Comer talk about this.
REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): Barr said he's never seen any information that that showed that he was in the files and that he would -- he would be shocked if there was anything pertaining to President Trump that was negative, that the Biden administration wouldn't have leaked out prior to the -- to the presidential election.
Look, no big surprises from Bill Barr. And we always anticipated that he had very limited information about what is in these files. And so, you know, the pressure still is on for these files to be turned over to the Republicans there who have who have subpoenaed it, and also for the public eventually, perhaps, to see some of this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREEMAN: Thanks, Evan, for that.
In 2023, "Friends" star Matthew perry was found dead in his Los Angeles home, an overdose of the anesthetic ketamine was ruled the primary cause of death. Well, now, the woman accused of selling him that fatal dose of the drug has agreed to a guilty plea.
Known as the "Ketamine Queen", Jasveen Sangha became the fifth and final defendant to settle with federal prosecutors. She faces up to 45 years in prison. Now, Perry struggles with addiction dating back as far as his time on "Friends". He was using ketamine as an off label treatment for depression, but sought more than his doctor would prescribe.
Coming up in just a moment, a high stakes gathering at the White House ends with cautious optimism on Ukraine and the possibility of another meeting. We'll have those details ahead.
Plus, Donald Trump has some big changes in mind for the way Americans vote. His plans for mail in ballots and electronic voting machines coming later this hour.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:29:11]
FREEMAN: The Ukrainian President is pushing for an unconditional meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia suggested two way talks with Ukraine, followed by a trilateral meeting with President Donald Trump. Now, this comes as seven European leaders met with President Trump in the Oval Office, insisting that a ceasefire must precede talks with the Kremlin.
Their discussions will continue today with the Coalition of the Willing. That group of European countries willing to contribute to Ukraine's future security.
Meanwhile, Russia launched its heaviest aerial attack on Ukraine since July. At least eight people were killed and 54 wounded within a 24- hour period. CNN's Jeff Zeleny is following all the developments from the White House.
(BEGIIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So at the end of a long day of meetings here at the White House, the bottom line is there could be more meetings this time, potentially with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That is what President Trump announced on his truth social, social media.
