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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Salvadoran Journalist Deported After Streaming ICE Raids; Hundreds Escape After Storm Strands Trekkers On Everest; Ex- Quarterback Mark Sanchez Stabbed And Charged With Felony. Aired 5:30- 6a ET
Aired October 07, 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]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Immigration authorities took notice and reopened his immigration case and detained him for nearly four months. He says an agent confronted him while in custody.
MARIO GUEVARA, JOURNALIST DEPORTED FROM U.S. TO EL SALVADOR: Mario, why are following us? You are -- you give us a hard time. I tell him don't take it personally. It was my job. I try to inform my community. It was nothing against you.
VALDES (voiceover): He was deported last week. And as he finds again the city he grew up in, food is helping him deal with the change.
GUEVARA: (Speaking foreign language).
VALDES (voiceover): He lost 30 pounds while detained so for now he's allowing himself to regain some of it back.
Sharing the experience with the family he left behind, he says he was ready to comply with the judge's order to return to El Salvador in 2012, but immigration authorities told him he could stay. Now he wonders if it would have been better if they hadn't.
GUEVARA: They have to be honest. They have to tell you have options. You don't have a choice to stay here. You will lose the case. You will lose the case, and you will be deported. You only waste time and money. Don't do it.
VALDES (voiceover): He admits he likes some of the ideas put forward by Donald Trump because the ideas of the Republican Party align more with his Christian faith. But he regrets dismissing Trump's message on immigration.
GUEVARA: But I never imagined it would be something like he's doing now. He's doing something terrible against our community.
VALDES (voiceover): This week he gets to enjoy time with his two sons who came to visit and deliver equipment so he can go back to being a reporter -- a journalist who says his stories about the immigrant experience will now be different.
GUEVARA: I think it's more human because I will understand more than before because now I'm sure what they -- I'm sure what they told me.
VALDES (voiceover): For the people who are thinking about migrating to the U.S. he has a message -- don't do it. It's not worth it right now.
GUEVARA: The only thing I can say is President Trump, be fair with all this. It does not matter the color of the skin.
VALDES (voiceover): Gustavo Valdes, CNN, San Salvador.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: And as we got to break we do want to show you live pictures from the Nova Music Festival site in Israel. It's been two years since Hamas stormed the area near the Gaza border. Crowds have been visiting and grieving at the place where hundreds were killed on October 7, 2023.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:37:15]
ABEL: Welcome back to EARLY START. It is time for the business breakout.
So far, Wall Street seems largely unfazed by the ongoing government shutdown. Let's take a look. At this hour, the Dow, the Nasdaq, and the S&P 500 are all basically flat, pointing to a slightly lower open.
And checking some of today's other business headlines, if you are ready to get into the holiday mood -- well, Spirit Christmas is coming soon. Starting early next month 30 new Spirit Christmas locations will open in the northeastern U.S. and Great Lakes regions.
You can find decorations and gifts, plus get your picture taken with Santa. Some stores will open in preexisting Spirit Halloween locations. Spencer Gifts owns Spirit Halloween and launched the first eight Spirit Christmas stores last year.
And some good news for streetwear fans. Adidas has launched a collection of pet clothes. They include the company's iconic tracksuit as well as t-shirts with the company's logos. No news yet about a line of Adidas pet sneakers though.
Some of the clothes -- they have a more practical component like a water-resistant hoodie to protect pets from the rain, but fashionistas outside of China will have to wait. That's a great vest. Their clothes are reportedly exclusive from the Chinese market with no immediate plans to expand.
And say hello to Starbucks' newest team member. Starting November 6 it's coffeehouses in the U.S. and Canada will feature Hello Kitty merchandise, including plush toys, coffee mugs, and tumblers. That's also the date Starbucks will roll out its holiday season menu. Offerings will include my favorite, peppermint mocha as well as caramel brulee latte, iced sugar cookie latte, and iced gingerbread chai.
President Trump delivering a TikTok message aimed at younger people on Monday in his first official post on the platform since being re- elected.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To those young people of TikTok, I saved TikTok, so you owe me big. And now you're looking at me in the Oval Office. And some day one of you are going to be sitting right at this desk and you're going to be doing a great job also.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: A White House official said the administration views the platform as a way to further communicate with Americans and added that the public should expect a bit of a different tone on TikTok posts versus other White House and team Trump social accounts. They also made clear that a personal device was used for the account as the app is still banned on federal devices.
[05:40:00]
A rare October blizzard strands hundreds on Mount Everest and exposes just how little we know about weather on the world's highest peak. That story just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL)
ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Here are some stories we are watching today.
Israelis are marking two years since Hamas' deadly October 7 attack. Commemorations are being held in communities in southern Israel and Tel Aviv. The anniversary comes as indirect talks are being held in Egypt between Israel and Hamas. Delegations are working toward a final deal based on President Donald Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan.
[05:45:00]
President Trump suggests he could invoke the Insurrection Act if courts continue to block his efforts to send troops to U.S. cities. Oregon and Illinois are fighting the deployment of the National Guard amid weeks of protests against the administration's immigration enforcement campaign.
Canada's prime minister is set to meet with U.S. President Trump in the White House later today. It will be Mark Carney's second visit to the White House. And it comes as Trump's tariffs have taken a toll on the Canadian economy. The prime minister's office says the visit will focus on the two countries' shared priorities.
More now on the U.S. government shutdown now in its seventh day with no real sign of progress towards a deal between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans in Congress remain adamant they will not make a deal with Democrats to extend subsidies in the Affordable Care Act. And Democrats are ensuring a GOP stopgap funding bill continues to fail.
But we are seeing indications that federal workers going without pay, the stress is building. The U.S. Transportation secretary says a number of air traffic controllers calling out sick has increased since last week. Staffing shortages caused at least one control tower in California to close Monday afternoon causing hours of delays.
Three people are in critical condition after a medical helicopter crashed on a California highway Monday evening. You see some of the video here. The helicopter went down in Sacramento scattering debris across multiple lanes of traffic. But rescuers say it's remarkable that the number of victims wasn't higher. One person was reported trapped beneath the wreckage and bystanders had to lift part of the aircraft to free them.
Rescue operations are winding down now near Mount Everest after an unseasonably intense blizzard left hundreds of trekkers stranded on the Tibetan side of the mountain.
The rare October storm underscores how little is known about the weather on Mount Everest and how challenging it is to predict.
CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voiceover): Yaks clearing a path for hundreds of hikers stranded on the Tibetan side of Mount Everest. Firefighters carrying some hikers to safety after a heavy snowstorm pummeled the Himalayas leaving experienced mountaineers trapped in knee-deep snow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think this was a big surprise that caught a lot of people off guard.
VAN DAM: October is favorite month for trekkers to visit Mount Everest because of its typical dry and stable weather patterns. But that wasn't the case this weekend as a tropical-infused area of low pressure moved across the region and the Himalayas effectively acted as a wet sponge being pushed against a wall, wringing out all the available moisture in the form of heavy snow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's critical to have a station here on the glacier.
VAN DAM (voiceover): The lack of weather information on Earth's highest mountain has always been a challenge.
BAKER PERRY, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER, NEVADA STATE CLIMATOLOGIST: We know more about the weather on Mars than we do on the highest peaks of the Himalaya here on our planet. VAN DAM (voiceover): That's why Dr. Baker Perry and a team of scientists installed weather stations on Mount Everest in 2019 to gain more insight. He says this is the biggest storm observed since they installed the instruments, and these snowfall rates are similar to some of the highest we see in the western U.S.
The blizzard leaving some still waiting for rescue.
This same storm system hit Nepal. Heavy rains triggered landslides and flooded farms killing at least 44 people with some still missing.
Derek Van Dam, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: And Taylor Swift is climbing the music and box office charts with the release of her latest album "The Life of a Showgirl." A behind-the-scenes film about the album pulled in more than $50 million worldwide over the weekend, according to Box Office Mojo.
Swift talked about the inspiration for the album's title track with comedian Jimmy Fallon during her first appearance in three years on his late-night show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER-SONGWRITER: And this I wanted to be the character of the showgirl, which is like other aspects of a person's personality where you're like -- you're like funny and feisty and, like -- and like having a blast and flirty. And sort of tongue-in-cheek and a little scandalous and like --
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, NBC "THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON": Yes!
SWIFT: -- friendly.
FALLON: Yes! We're feeling all of it.
Uh, by the way, I have to say -- because I'm getting blinded -- congratulations on your engagement.
SWIFT: Oh, thanks.
FALLON: Yeah.
SWIFT: Thanks.
FALLON: Yeah. Wow!
SWIFT: Yeah, it's --
FALLON: Can I see it?
SWIFT: Yeah, of course.
FALLON: Oh my lord. Look, just -- (END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:50:00]
ABEL: Yeah, that's a real tiny engagement ring there given to her by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The two haven't quite yet announced a wedding date.
Well, about six hours from now basketball superstar LeBron James will make some kind of announcement. He posted this cryptic tease on his social media: "The second decision coming soon." The first decision was back in 2010 when James announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign with the Miami Heat.
Some NBA watchers are wondering if the 40-year-old will say he's retiring after this season. Others suspect a marketing gimmick. James collaborated with Amazon earlier this year and today happens to be one of Amazon's prime sale days.
Either way, we'll find out at noon Eastern time.
A Monday night matchup goes down to the wire. Highlights from the Chiefs-Jaguars game in Jacksonville right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:55:24]
ABEL: The former New York Jets quarterback and current NFL analyst Mark Sanchez is facing a felony battery charge after an altercation in Indianapolis. A man more than 30 years older than Sanchez stabbed him several times and was also seriously injured.
CNN's Coy Wire has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Former NFL quarterback-turned Fox analyst Mark Sanchez recovering after he was stabbed on Saturday in Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis Police Department then announced that the 38-year-old was arrested at the hospital originally with three misdemeanors for his role in an altercation. But the prosecutor said at a press conference Monday morning that a level five felony charge was added for battery involving serious bodily injury. That contains a potential penalty of one to six years in prison.
Sanchez allegedly approached a 69-year-old man in a loading dock area of a hotel and escalated a dispute regarding the man's parked vehicle. Sanchez was in Indy as he was scheduled to call the Colts-Raiders game which was Sunday.
Now, Sanchez was the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft, selected by the New York Jets, out of USC. He spent four years there before joining a few other teams. In his first two seasons Sanchez won four playoff games with the Jets, reaching back-to-back AFC championship games.
Lots of fans remember Sanchez for an infamous fumble in 2012 on Thanksgiving Day when he played for the Jets.
As Marion County, Indiana prosecutor Ryan Mears said at the press conference, "You have the allegations of a 38-year-old man becoming involved in an altercation with a 69-year-old man who sustained significant, very severe injuries as a result of that altercation." Mears added, "We are literally talking about people fighting over a parking space and/or a dispute about where people are parking, and it resulted in some incredibly significant injuries."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: All right, Coy Wire. Thank you.
Let's take you to Jacksonville now with the Jaguars hosting Kansas City on "MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL."
The Chiefs taking an early lead on a two-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to tight end Travis Kelce. Mahomes would strike again early in the second quarter with a nine-yard run to the end zone. Chiefs with a 14-point lead.
But it all came down to this play. Thirty seconds left in the game, Jacksonville down by four. Trevor Lawrence takes the snap, falls down, and down again, and still somehow manages to cross the goal line for the win.
The Jaguars are now 4-1. The Chiefs falls to 2-3.
Mattel says Barbie is celebrating International Day of the Girl by introducing a coalition of four role models and professional rugby players that will make up Team Barbie. The players are England's Ellie Kildunne, U.S. Olympic medalist Ilhona Maher, New Zealand's Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, and France's Nassira Konde. The company says it hopes these athletes will encourage girls to own their confidence proudly.
The players will all be immortalized in doll form, though Maher is the only doll that will be for sale starting next year. The company says the doll will have an all-new body sculpt designed to reflect the build of many strong athletes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CYNDI LAUPER, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Singing "Girls Just Want To Have Fun."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: If for some reason you don't know this song, that's Cyndi Lauper's 1983 hit "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," and she's bringing the fun to Sin City. Lauper just announced her first-ever residency in Las Vegas, which is happening at the Coliseum at Caesar's Palace next year. Tickets will go on sale this week. Lauper complimented -- completed, rather, her farewell tour this summer and now she's saying on Instagram the Vegas shows will be an opportunity for fans who missed the tour.
Lauper will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November.
Well, stargazers around the world are lifting their eyes to the skies to witness 2025's first supermoon. The larger, brighter display is a phenomenon occurring when a full moon coincides with the moon's closest approach to Earth. And two more supermoons are forecast to appear in the coming months this year.
In Brazil, crowds gathered along Rio's iconic beaches to photograph the supermoon. Look at these images. And this was the view over in Pakistan. This particular full moon is often referred to as the harvest moon in the northern hemisphere due to its close proximity to the autumn equinox.
[06:00:00]
The Nobel Prize in Physics has just been awarded to a trio of scientists -- an American, a Brit, and a Frenchman. They are John Clarke, Michael Devoret, and John Martinis. The men were recognized for their groundbreaking work in the highly specialized field of quantum mechanical tunneling and they will share the prize.
That does it for us. Thank you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.
