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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

At Least One Detainee Killed In ICE Facility Shooting; Sources: DOJ Seeking To Indict Former FBI Director Comey; Zelenskyy: Must Not Let Russia Make War The New Normal; Abbas To Address U.N. Via Video Message In Coming Hours. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired September 25, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:22]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. Thank you so much for being with us.

I'm Danny Freeman. Rahel Solomon is off today. It is Thursday, September 25th, 5:00 a.m. here in New York.

And straight ahead on EARLY START.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In Dallas, Texas, an ICE facility was opened fire upon by a violent left-wing extremist.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): This has very real consequences. Your political opponents are not Nazis.

REP. MARC VEASEY (D-TX): You have to condemn violent rhetoric and divisive rhetoric from the left and the right. Let's all tone it down.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, FORMER CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: We are wasting our time if we talk about and analyze Donald Trump here, we are not enough listening to one another. We are just shouting at one another.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop subway surfing, ride safe, keep it cute and keep it moving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

FREEMAN: And we begin here this morning with the debate over gun violence in America once again taking center stage.

Some Texas lawmakers are calling for an end to divisive rhetoric after a shooter killed at least one detainee at an immigration facility in Dallas on Wednesday. Two more detainees are in critical condition after they were shot from a nearby rooftop while awaiting transfer to a larger facility. Investigators are still searching for a motive. FBI Director Kash Patel says an initial review of evidence shows the

attack may have been motivated by the shooters alleged ideologies. Bullet casings showing anti-ICE messaging were found on scene, according to the department of homeland security. Those bullets were enough to prompt U.S. President Donald Trump to lash out at the radical left for inspiring the attack and demonizing law enforcement.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tells CNN. It appears the shooter had no clear focus, but wanted to cause as much damage as possible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: They're currently assessing the building. We know that there was bullet holes all over the building. It wasn't just targeted at one specific area or through a window that he showered the building with bullets, and was very much focused on hitting anyone that he could inside and making sure that they were victims of his attack.

The indication and the evidence that has been revealed to the public so far indicates that it is someone who is very much against our ICE officers and the work that they were doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: We have more now from CNN's Ed Lavandera in Dallas.

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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Federal law enforcement officials described the gunman as a sniper who shot three immigrant detainees in ICE custody. The attack happened just before 7:00 a.m. at an ICE field office in Dallas.

Denise Robleto was outside in a van waiting for her mother. She says her mother, an immigrant from Nicaragua, was checking in for an early immigration appointment. She showed us a video and we could hear slow, methodical gunfire. As many as seven shots.

Robleto said she could hear screams coming from the facility. Dallas police were called to the scene around 6:40 a.m. local time.

DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT: This is going to be a sniper on top of the roof.

CHIEF DANIEL COMEAUX, DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT: DPD was -- quickly was able to locate the shooter who was deceased.

LAVANDERA: Law enforcement officials say the gunman died of a self- inflicted gunshot wound.

The FBI says they are investigating the attack as an act of targeted violence.

JOE ROTHROCK, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: Early evidence that we've seen from rounds that were found near the suspected shooter contained messages that are anti-ICE in nature.

LAVANDERA: FBI Director Kash Patel posted a photo of an anti-ICE message written on one of five unused bullets at the scene. Even though officials say this was an anti-immigration officer attack, no ICE officials or members of law enforcement were hurt. But DHS officials say one immigrant detainee was killed and two other detainees were wounded.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says the shooter fired, quote, indiscriminately at the ICE building and at a van.

Investigators say the shots came from a higher position at an adjacent building. Investigators searched a car outside that building. The vehicle had a sign posted on the rear panel showing a United States map that read "radioactive fallout from nuclear detonations have passed over these areas more than two times since 1951". There's no confirmation yet if this is the suspect's car.

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The gunman's elevated location is similar to the shooting of Charlie Kirk just two weeks ago, and the political nature of the engravings also draw comparisons to similar evidence found at the Kirk shooting scene. This shooting took place at an immigration facility where detainees are processed before they are transferred to a detention center.

JOSHUA JOHNSON, ACTING DIRECTOR, ICE DALLAS FIELD OFFICE: This is the second time I've had to stand in front of you and talk about a shooter at one of my facilities. And I think that the takeaway from all of this is that the rhetoric has to stop.

LAVANDERA: Law enforcement and Republican officials blame the shootings on increasingly volatile political speech they say is coming from the far left.

In a statement, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said this shooting must serve as a wake-up call to the far left that their rhetoric about ICE has consequences. Comparing ICE day in and day out to the Nazi, Gestapo, the secret police and slave patrols has consequences.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): Look, in America, we disagree. That's fine. That's the democratic process. But your political opponents are not Nazis.

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LAVANDERA (on camera): An immigration attorney tells CNN that the immigrant detainees that were already at this facility in Dallas have been moved to another detention facility, and that other immigrants who have appointments here Thursday through Sunday can come in on Monday while investigators continue to work the crime scene here.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

FREEMAN: Ed, thank you for that. Vice President J.D. Vance doubled down on the president's attack on

the left, claiming the media and some Democratic politicians are creating an environment that fuels political violence.

Here's part of the vice president's remarks from Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANCE: In Dallas, Texas, an ICE facility, an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement facility was opened fire upon by a violent left-wing extremist, a person who wrote anti-ICE messaging on their bullets. And there's some evidence that we have that's not yet public, but we know this person was politically motivated. They were politically motivated to go after law enforcement.

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FREEMAN: Other lawmakers, though, say everyone needs to tone it down. U.S. House Democrat Marc Veasey represents the area where that ICE facility is located. He told CNN both major parties are guilty when it comes to harmful rhetoric.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VEASEY: And right now, we need for all of our elected officials on the Democratic and Republican side to offer words of comfort instead of trying to do, you know, one-up-ism, to try to see whose fault this is. Some of the rhetoric that's been happening since this morning is appalling and sickening.

We have got to condemn it, whether were Democrats or Republicans. You have to condemn violent rhetoric and divisive rhetoric from the left and the right, and it has to occur in both parties. This cannot be one-up-ism to see who's going to get over on the other, because too much is at stake and too many lives have already been lost and things are becoming even more dangerous. Let's all tone it down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Here's an interesting one, a video on the Department of Homeland Security's X page featuring comedian Theo Von, has been removed after some complaints. Von is a popular podcast host. Now, he interviewed President Trump and attended the inauguration.

The video used footage of the comedian to brag about deportations. Take a listen to a part of it.

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THEO VON, COMEDIAN: Heard you got deported, dude.

(MUSIC)

VON: Bye.

(END VIDEO CLIP) FREEMAN: Okay, so you also saw on your screen right there Von's response he posted online saying he did not approve the use of his likeness, adding in part, quote, when it comes to immigration, my thoughts and heart are a lot more nuanced than this video allows. It's unclear if DHS removed the video or if the platform itself took it down.

All right, switching gears now. U.S. federal prosecutors are looking to indict former FBI Director James Comey on perjury charges. That's according to people familiar with the Trump administration's investigation. Prosecutors have until Tuesday to bring a charge.

Here's more now from CNN's Katelyn Polantz.

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KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The clock is ticking for the Justice Department here. And there is an open investigation that could be put before a grand jury for a possible indictment of the former FBI director, Jim Comey, someone who has been a political foe of Donald Trump, the president, for many, many years since he served in that position.

What they are looking at is testimony that Jim Comey gave under oath to the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 30th of 2020. So that's next Tuesday will be five years to the day of that. That means that's essentially the last date that we understand through our sources that an indictment against Comey related to that congressional testimony could be brought.

And so, what the Justice Department is doing right now, what federal investigators are doing is looking at whether they have the case and potentially taking it before a grand jury.

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Our understanding is this would be in the eastern district of Virginia. So that is northern Virginia, Richmond, the Tidewater area of Virginia, in a federal court, potentially.

Comey has not been charged yet. However, and what we do understand, too, is that he stands by his testimony, both from 2017 after he was fired by Donald Trump as president and also in 2020, when he told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he was standing by his earlier testimony and that he wasn't leaking to the media.

We do think that there's a possibility this could relate to a leak investigation, but at the end of the day, what our understanding is right now is that Jim Comey is potentially facing an indictment or a possible indictment related to perjury or making false statements to Congress in 2020.

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FREEMAN: Moving to weather now. Tropical storm Humberto has formed in the Atlantic, and there might be another storm to come. Humberto is forecast to become a hurricane by the weekend, but it's unclear whether it poses a threat.

Meteorologists are also watching a patch of thunderstorms near the Dominican Republic. They say it could become a tropical storm or depression in the coming days.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Typhoon Ragasa has been downgraded to a tropical storm as it moves through southern China. Two million people were forced to flee their homes before the storm reached southern China back on Wednesday. Typhoon Ragasa toppled trees and smashed shop windows in Chinas tech hub of Shenzhen. Taiwan is also cleaning up after the enormous storm killed at least 14 people.

Now, take a look at this. Here's an aerial view of the devastation in one town after floodwaters ripped through the streets on Tuesday.

All right. Still to come, a warning to the U.N. Why Ukraine's president predicts Russia will expand the war further unless it is stopped.

Plus, there's no question the U.S. is becoming dangerously polarized by political beliefs and values. We'll talk to former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for his take on how to bridge that divide.

Plus, with her team scarf and her unbridled love of the game, Sister Jeanne became a March Madness icon, rooting for Loyola Chicago basketball. Well, now, after decades on the sidelines, the legendary team chaplain is calling it quits. We have those details ahead.

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FREEMAN: This just in to CNN. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been found guilty on some, but not all charges at his corruption trial in Paris. Prosecutors said. Sarkozy cut a deal with the late Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi to receive millions of dollars in campaign contributions for his 2007 presidential run. In return, prosecutors said, Sarkozy agreed to support Libya on the international stage.

Now, the court has yet to announce the sentence, but prosecutors have asked for seven years in prison. Sarkozy has denied all charges, can still appeal the verdict. Again, you're looking at a live picture there from Paris.

And to this now a day after the U.S. president said he thinks Ukraine can win back all of its territory from Russia, the Kremlin is calling that claim deeply mistaken. The U.S. State Department says Secretary Marco Rubio called on Moscow to take meaningful steps to end the war during talks on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly here in New York.

But Russia's foreign ministry says Sergey Lavrov told the U.S. secretary of state that Ukraine is determined to prolong the fighting. Well, when asked about the meeting, the Russian foreign minister replied with a thumbs up.

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REPORTER: Mr. Lavrov, how was your meeting? Are you concerned about the shifting tone from Trump? Has he turned his back on Russia?

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FREEMAN: Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president told the U.N. General Assembly that the world must stop Russian occupation now, rather than risk escalation.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Whether you help peace or continue trading with Russia and helping Russia to fund this war, it depends on you whether prisoners of war will be freed, whether abducted children will come home, whether hostages will be free. It depends on you.

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FREEMAN: CNN's Ben Wedeman is following all of this live from Rome.

Good morning, Ben. What can you tell us?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the fourth time, Danny, that President Zelenskyy has addressed the U.N. General Assembly since the war began in February of 2022.

And it comes at a rather interesting time. First of all, of course, it comes just a day after President Trump -- Trump seems to have completely reversed his position on Ukraine, now saying contrary to what he and other officials in the Trump administration had said before, that he thinks that Ukraine can regain all of its lost territory, lost to Russia, and hinting that perhaps they could do even more than that.

And it also comes after weeks of incidents that are its believed that Russia is using drones to test western resolve by sending those drones into NATO airspace. So, President Zelenskyy, coming out of this rather strange time, said that Ukraine continues to depend on its friends and allies, particularly the United States, at this critical moment.

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ZELENSKYY: We count on the United States. I appreciate the support we are receiving. Yes, much depends on the G7 and G20, but -- but in the end, peace depends on all of us, on the United Nations.

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So don't stay silent while Russia keeps dragging this war on.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WEDEMAN: And he accused the Russians of committing genocide, of using chemical weapons, of endangering not just, of course, Ukraine itself. But the wider world as well.

And we heard the Russian response to this was pretty prompt. Russian media calling it just more propaganda. And the foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, saying that really, this was all just an elaborate plea by Zelenskyy for more money for Ukraine -- Danny.

FREEMAN: CNN's Ben Wedeman in Rome, following all the developments at the UNGA, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it.

All right. Coming up, the Trump administration presents a 21-point peace plan to end the war in Gaza. The reaction from regional leaders, that's coming up next.

And a smash and grab robbery at a jewelry store in California. Look at this. This is crazy video. Details of the brazen theft and the latest on the investigation coming up later this hour.

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[05:25:45]

FREEMAN: In the coming hours, the Palestinian Authority president is expected to deliver a prerecorded speech to world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly. He won't be there in person, though, because the Trump administration refused to grant Mahmoud Abbas a visa to travel to New York for the U.N. meeting. His remarks will come just days after a number of Western countries formally declared their recognition of a Palestinian state.

It's all part of an effort to revive a two-state solution and provide a pathway to peace in the Middle East.

Now, the Trump administration is hopeful for a breakthrough in the Gaza war. After proposing a 21-point peace plan to regional leaders. The U.S. plan calls for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages, and offers a framework for how Gaza can be governed without Hamas. It also includes a proposal for Israel to gradually withdraw from the enclave.

For more on this, let's go live now to CNN's Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi.

Good morning. Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Danny.

Well, what we're hearing from the Trump administration is a lot of positive signs. We've heard from Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Middle East envoy, who has said he believes that there will be a breakthrough in days when it comes to this plan. Now, we have heard that many times from the Trump administration. Certainly, they are the most optimistic when it comes to the effort to try and secure this permanent ceasefire, the release of all the hostages. And up until now, it has remained elusive.

So, this 21-point plan, what we're hearing from regional sources, from senior administration officials, is that it was largely accepted by Arab and Muslim leaders that they did have some provisions, though, that they wanted to add. They wanted to add the fact that there should be a huge amount of humanitarian aid that is sent to Gaza. They also wanted to make sure there was no annexation of the occupied West Bank by Israel, something we've heard many members of the Israeli prime ministers far right cabinet say they want to achieve. And also they want to address Israels illegal settlements.

Now, we have seen the settlement plan, in over decades has been increasing, but certainly in recent weeks, after the European countries and other countries within the G7 have formally, recognized the state of Palestine. Now, we also heard from the French prime minister, Emmanuel Macron, speaking to French media. He also said that he believes that annexation of the occupied West Bank by Israel is a red line for the United States. He says that he believes European countries and the United States are on the same page when it comes to this issue, also saying that this would end the Abraham Accords.

Now, this was one of the successes of the first Trump administration, he mentioned where the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries normalized relations with Israel. We have heard from the UAE that that this would be a serious red line for them as well.

So, looking forward to what we can expect later today, we know in the coming hours we will hear from the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. It will be a remote address, as you mentioned, as the -- the State Department refused him a visa to visit the United Nations. Also, his entire delegation, which is against the nature of what is expected from the United States being the host of the United Nations.

It's a very controversial decision and an unexpected one to have a personal decision by the Trump administration to prevent them from coming to the general assembly. Now, what we heard from the State Department at the time was they said that the P.A. was taking steps that contributed to the breakdown of talks and Hamas's refusal to release its hostages, something the P.A. has sharply rejected.

It will be a significant speech, though, from the Palestinian Authority president, especially given the sheer number of countries that have in recent days and weeks formally.