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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Newly Released Photos Show 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard; Delta Announces New Route To Saudi Arabia; Red Cross, Hamas Meet To Locate Bodies Of Hostages In Gaza. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired October 27, 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)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Investigators have now pinpointed the critical window in Melodee Buzzard's disappearance, releasing new images they hope will help explain what happened on that trip with her mother. This has narrowed down the timeline of her disappearance and investigators say that they found evidence that she was with her mother as recently as October 7. That's when these pictures were taken.

She was at a car rental business in Lompoc about an hour northwest of Santa Barbara. And in those images, she's wearing a hoodie sweatshirt and what appears to be a wig of darker and straighter hair than her natural hair.

According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office Melodee's mother Ashlee Buzzard rented a car day that and then drove from California to Nebraska with a stop in Kansas along the way. She then returned to Lompoc on October 10 without her daughter.

Four days later, after a school administrator reported Melodee hadn't been in class for months, sheriff's deputies began their investigation and attempted to contact Melodee and Ashlee at their home. Melodee wasn't there, and then no clear explanation was given for her whereabouts. That's when investigators say that the mother stopped cooperating.

Now the FBI is helping local detectives retrace that three-day trip, giving renewed hope to members of her family who gathered on Friday night. Take a listen.

LILLY DENES, MISSING GIRL'S GRANDMOTHER: If she's listening, we love you. We're here for you and we just want you to be happy and call me, please.

BRIDGETT TRUHITTE, MISSING GIRL'S AUNT: We just can't stop thinking about this and I hope -- I hope something good comes out of this.

JONES: For now detectives say they remain hopeful that perhaps Melodee could be with someone who just doesn't realize that she's missing. She's nine years old, about four-foot-six, 60 pounds, with brown, curly hair and brown eyes. And anyone with information is urged to contact the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office or submit an anonymous tip through sbsheriff, org.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Still ahead, U.S. airline delays could get worse as this government shutdown stretches on. We're now on day 27. Just ahead what one key airline CEO has to say about what's he seeing and also impacts on the airline's plans to expand.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:36:50]

HILL: We have some new video to share with you coming in just moments ago to CNN. You see President Trump here. He is arriving for his meeting with the Japanese emperor at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The president making this his first stop after landing in Japan just a short time ago. He was, of course, the first foreign leader to meet Naruhito after he ascended the throne in 2019. The emperor's role is purely symbolic.

President Trump is expected to hold talks with Japan's newly-elected conservative prime minister though during his stop in Tokyo as well.

Be sure to stay with CNN for our continuing coverage of President Trump's trip to Asia.

And as we continue a look here on EARLY START how about your business breakout -- a look at U.S. futures ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street. As you can see, all in positive territory here. Futures making some gains over the weekend after news of a prospective trade deal -- some framework for a deal between the United States and China.

Taking a closer look at today's business headlines U.S. officials say that potential trade deal with China is a "substantial framework" to avoid additional tariffs. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says it lays the groundwork for talks between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. They are expected to meet in South Korea on Thursday.

Nearly a month into the U.S. government shutdown the Trump administration warning it will not tap into billions in contingency funds to cover food assistance benefits next month. That could affect more than 40 million people.

The transportation secretary says flight delays, meantime, and cancellations will only continue to rise.

If the shutdown passes 34 days, it will become the longest in U.S. history.

Spanish police seizing four tons of cocaine from a ship off the coast of the Canary Islands. Police boarded the Tanzanian flagship on Wednesday and arrested all nine crew members. That operation was triggered by a tip from U.S. authorities.

The CEO of one of America's biggest airlines telling CNN the longer the U.S. government shutdown goes on the more impact it will have on the business. Ed Bastian was speaking to Richard Quest at the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh. Delta has just announced plans for a new route to Saudi Arabia with flights from Atlanta to Riyadh beginning next year.

Here is some of their interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED BASTIAN, CEO, DELTA AIRLINES: And when you're on the ground here in Riyadh and you see the vibrancy, you see the development, you see the growth in this marketplace, I think it's going to be a great route and not -- it will not be the only flight that we're having to Riyadh.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": What is the purpose of the flight? Is it for O&D (origin and destination) or is it ultimately to build out through connectivity?

BASTIAN: Well, I think it's to bring U.S. consumers, business, leisure travelers to Saudi Arabia and to Riyadh specifically.

QUEST: And within that you have, of course, got the deal. I mean, you've already got SkyTeam which, of course, has got Saudi Air in it, which is Jeddah and elsewhere.

BASTIAN: Yeah.

QUEST: And now you've got the arrangement with Riyadh there which just started flying yesterday.

BASTIAN: Yeah.

QUEST: How does that fit in?

BASTIAN: Well, we can work with both of them. Riyadh will be the global airline for the kingdom. And I think when you look at the growth aspirations and the investment that PIF is making into Riyadh Air, it's clear that will be the international of the two airlines. Saudi Air is a great partner of ours. They'll probably be for more local reasons.

[05:40:10]

QUEST: Would you like to see Riyadh Air in SkyTeam or is that a separate issue?

BASTIAN: I think that's a separate issue. We have -- we have done many deals over the last decade where -- including Virgin -- where we didn't -- we're not requiring that they join SkyTeam. If they decide it benefits them, we're happy to support that, but we're not going to require that.

QUEST: Air traffic control issues in the U.S. at the moment -- you're a victim like everybody else in a sense with the government shutdown. There's nothing much you can do about it other than hope it ends soon.

BASTIAN: I hope so. I hope so. Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks. It has to.

QUEST: Are you being badly affected in all your hubs?

BASTIAN: We're not being affected in a meaningful way, but the longer this goes I think it will start to have some impact.

QUEST: Are you seeing any reluctance inbound to the U.S. of people who do not want to travel to the U.S. either because they fear an unfriendly arrival experience or they just simply -- you know, based on geopolitics they don't want to visit America?

BASTIAN: We've seen some avoidance this year.

QUEST: I mean besides Canada, which is obviously --

BASTIAN: Yes, right -- no. We've seen some avoidance. We have backfilled it with more Americans heading out because the desire and the demand for the U.S. to go abroad is high. Eighty percent of our point of sales turning into be U.S. point of sale for international. But yeah, we've seen some of that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Still ahead here, as the fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza, Israel is demanding Hamas return the bodies of 13 Israeli hostages. Where that stands after the break.

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[05:46:15]

HILL: Welcome back. I'm Erica Hill. Here are some of the stories we're watching today.

U.S. President Donald Trump is meeting with the Japanese emperor this hour after arriving in Tokyo a short time ago. He is also set to hold talks with Japan's newly-elected prime minister. The president is expected to visit U.S. troops and also meet Japanese business leaders during the second leg of his Asia tour.

Hurricane Melissa is now a category 5 storm and could intensify even more before making landfall in Jamaica. The National Hurricane Center is warning destructive winds, storm surge, and catastrophic flooding will continue to get worse throughout the day and into the night.

Argentina's President Javier Milei is ready now to push ahead with his reforms after his party won a significant victory in the country's midterm parliamentary elections on Sunday. An increased number of seats in the National Congress will now give him more leeway to push through his legislation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will choose which countries can take part in the new International Stabilization Force in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We control our own security and we have made clear that in regard to international forces Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us. And that is how we act and will continue to act. This is, of course, accepted by the United States as well as its most senior representatives made clear in recent days. Israel is an independent state. We will defend ourselves by ourselves, and we will continue to control our fate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The Stabilization Force would handle security efforts in Gaza under the U.S.-backed peace plan. Sources say Netanyahu told U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance he objected to Turkish troops going into Gaza.

Meantime, two hostages were released from the hospital on Sunday, welcomed home by a cheering crowd. Evyatar David and Segev Kalfon were among the 20 hostages released by Hamas this month at the beginning of the ceasefire.

All of this, of course, unfolding as Red Cross officials were meeting with Hamas on Sunday to discuss finding the remains of 13 Israeli hostages. Israel says Hamas is violating the ceasefire by not returning those bodies.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is joining us now live from Abu Dhabi. So Paula, what more do we know about these remains and how much is known about where they are?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, what we have been seeing is, for example, on Sunday evening we understand that the Israeli military pulled back -- retreated from a small area where it had agreed to be as part of this ceasefire proposal inside Gaza so that Hamas and the Red Cross could search that particular area.

Now, we understand they believed that an IDF soldier who was killed back in 2014 -- his remains were in that area. Israel has made the return of his remains part of the overall ceasefire deal.

And we have also been seeing images of masked gunmen alongside Red Cross workers trying to work towards locating some of these bodies. Now, Israel has been frustrated and angered by what it believes is Hamas dragging its feet on trying to send these remains back.

Now we did see that Egypt was allowed by Israel to send in heavy equipment. To send in a specialized team who is able to try and locate the remains and we understand that they are operating. We've seen images in Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip of that team working.

[05:50:00]

We heard over the weekend from the U.S. president. He also voiced frustration at Hamas, saying that they need to work quickly and pointing out that the bodies of two Americans are among those that have yet to be handed back to Israel. He also did point out though that he understands that some are hard to find, but he echoed Israel's lines and Israel's sentiments by saying that he believes Hamas knows where a number of them are and simply has not handed them back.

Now, in the initial ceasefire proposal -- the deal that was agreed by both sides -- this was to be done -- this handover of remains and all living hostages -- within 72 hours. But there has been an acceptance and acknowledgement certainly on the U.S. side -- maybe less so on the -- on the Israeli side -- that it is a very difficult task given the absolute destruction in Gaza.

We did see on Saturday night though in hostage square in Tel Aviv many people coming out to show their support, once again rallying to push for all the remains and all the hostages to come home.

HILL: Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi with the very latest. Paula, thank you.

With diplomatic relations faltering between Washington and Moscow, President Vladimir Putin says Russia has successfully tested its latest nuclear-powered weapon. Russia's top general claiming the long- range cruise missile traveled 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles) during last Tuesday's test and stayed in the air for about 15 hours. Moscow will now work to deploy the new missile, which it describes as invincible and able to evade missile defenses with an unpredictable flight path and nearly unlimited striking range.

In the meantime, Ukraine's capital is reeling from yet another barrage of Russian attacks. Officials say three people were killed and dozens injured after Moscow launched more than 100 drones toward Kyiv overnight into Sunday.

Speaking with reporters earlier on Air Force One, President Trump criticized his Russian counterpart, suggesting President Putin focus on ending the war instead of testing new missiles.

There is a chemical hazard sparking fires across the U.K. and it could be hiding in your household waste. Up next how one startup's high-tech solution could stop this danger before it ignites.

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[05:56:40]

HILL: New video shows a dramatic scene in Texas on Thursday. Officers -- so you can see from video here they're racing to the scene of an overturned car but trapped under that car a small child.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(Child crying)

POLICE OFFICER 1: Yes, cry -- yes, yes, cry, cry, please.

POLICE OFFICER 2: When we got here, she was under.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: It's so good to hear those cries. Initially, officers had pulled the unconscious infant from the car. They began performing CPR but then the child did wake up and was able to be taken to the hospital. Both the child and a woman were thrown from the car when it crashed. Officials say they are both expected to make a full recovery.

As battery-powered devices become more common so do the potential environmental and safety hazards in our trash. In the U.K., one recycling plant is now turning to artificial intelligence to help spot the dangers before the ignite.

Here is CNN's Allison Chinchar with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voiceover): At a recycling plant in Sittingbourne, England workers are tackling a danger in everyday trash -- fires erupting from the debris. The cause is batteries but one type in particular found in phones, toys, power tools, and vapes. Lithium ion batteries are the source of the flames.

SCOTT BUTLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MATERIAL FOCUS: And here you see a range of different types of batteries -- all the different chemistries. But this one is particular new type that's causing a lot of challenges. These are the lithium ion batteries that charge vapes, and in the U.K. alone we're seeing eight million of these binned or littered every week.

CHINCHAR (voiceover): The highly-flammable batteries can ignite when crushed, setting fire to surrounding waste.

BUTLER: We're seeing in the U.K. significant increases in fires associated with vapes, and batteries, and hidden batteries inside electricals.

CHINCHAR (voiceover): The U.K. startup Lion Vision thinks AI could help stop the fires before they start. The group has developed a camera-led tool that scans the debris flying through the conveyor belts, spotting and removing the lithium ion batteries before they spark trouble.

GEORGE HAWKINS, MACHINE LEARNING ENGINEER, LION VISION: So we're using a camera system mounted above a belt, and that is connected to a computer that is running an AI machine-learning system that is scanning those images and looking for batteries and hazardous objects that we've trained the AI algorithm to detect.

CHINCHAR (voiceover): When the system identifies one an air ejection bar fires a jet of compressed air to knock it safely out of the waste stream. And Lion Vision says with every pass the system gets smarter.

HAWKINS: We're always looking at the data that we're collecting, detecting, and how we can improve that so new batteries might come through different brands that we would then build back into our training data in order to deploy new models that can detect different brands of batteries.

CHINCHAR (voiceover): A high-tech fix for a growing waste problem -- one that could make recycling safer and smarter for the future.

Allison Chinchar, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[06:00:00]

HILL: Take a look at this massive Day of the Dead exhibition in Mexico City's main square. So this is to commemorate the city's 700th anniversary. Some of the statues here are 10 meters tall. Mexico City was once an ancient Aztec capital. The towering display is inspired by the mythical journey of the Aztecs to settle in what is now Mexico City.

Thanks so much for joining me here on EARLY START. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Stay tuned. "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.