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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Israel Identifies Two Deceased Hostages Returned Thursday; Airlines Call On Congress To Reopen Government; Virginia Candidates In Last Push Before Gubernatorial Ballot. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired October 31, 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]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: A ceasefire is formally in effect in Gaza but for many Palestinians the truce is still a matter of seeing is believing. More than two million have been displaced by the war with many now living in camp cities like this one.

This past Tuesday when Israeli strikes reportedly killed more than 100 people, it was the deadliest day since the ceasefire began, and some Palestinians say they don't have much faith that the truce will hold.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FATHI AL-NAJJAR, DISPLACED GAZA RESIDENT (through translator): We're scared that another war will break out because we don't want a war. We have suffered two years of displacement. We don't know where to go, where to come.

By God, I didn't sleep all night. I heard the planes bombing. Every time they bomb there are hundreds of martyrs. Nobody is looking for us. The whole world is watching us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Israel has identified two deceased hostages from Gaza that Hamas returned on Thursday. Twenty-five-year-old Sahar Baruch lost two family members in the October 7 attack and was later killed during a failed rescue attempt in Gaza, and 84-year-old Amiram Cooper was reportedly killed in captivity last year.

Salma Abdelaziz is keeping an eye on those developments, and she joins us now from London -- Salma.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and we've heard from the families of these two deceased hostages. Again, just as you said, they came from Kibbutz Nir Oz, which is perhaps the hardest hit community on October 7. And there is hope, of course, that this brings their families some closure.

And there is hope also that this sustains the ceasefire. You would be forgiven for thinking that earlier this week with an Israeli soldier killed at Raffa with these punishing strikes that Israel carried out on Gaza that killed more than 100 Palestinians, including 46 children -- you'd be forgiven for thinking that the fragile ceasefire had broken.

But this is sort of the new reality we're seeing here in Gaza is a ceasefire that is both fragile and durable. Because shortly after that outbreak of violence -- the next morning, essentially -- both Hamas and Israel said that they were committed to the ceasefire deal.

We heard President Trump speaking out as well, and he said here "Nothing is going to jeopardize that ceasefire deal." He went on again threatening Hamas as he has done in the past.

And we've seen what's just taken place yesterday. The Red Cross transferring those two deceased hostages yet again another sign that the machinations -- the diplomatic workings are still happening behind the scenes.

But if you speak to any mediator, Brian, they will say that these outbreaks of violence which unfortunately are, of course, causing a huge loss of life on the ground, will continue until this deal is pushed into a more permanent or a more stable phase. And that means phase two, which is exactly what negotiators are working on. But there are huge challenges -- huge obstacles to pushing into a more long-term peaceful transition on the ground in Gaza.

So the concern is, yes, this ceasefire is fragile, but mediators will point to what's happening today and say it is working but we need to continue to push these parties into a more lasting peace -- Brian.

ABEL: All right, CNN's Salma Abdelaziz for us from our London bureau. Salma, thank you.

Still to come, we will take a look at the latest headlines from the business sector, including why Amazon is laying off 14,000 employees. That's ahead.

Plus, as the shutdown continues in Washington airlines are calling on Congress to reopen the government. Their reason, next.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:38:08]

ABEL: Welcome back to EARLY START.

Checking some of today's business headlines Disney pulled its channels from YouTube TV after the companies failed to reach a new carriage agreement. The blackout began at midnight and impacts all content from Disney networks, including ESPN and ABC.

YouTube insists Disney's demands would raise prices on the channel's TV subscription. Disney says it wants fair value for its content offerings. The two companies are still in talks but neither has indicated when programming might resume.

Apple says it's been a record year for sales of the iPhone 17 series even though they came in lower than expectations. iPhone sales in the fourth quarter hit $49 billion, which is up from last year. Overall, revenue for Apple exceeded $102 billion. Apple says both numbers are records for fourth-quarter earnings.

Amazon is laying off 14,000 employees and it's citing culture as the driving force behind the decision. After announcing the cuts, Amazon said it had hired too many people, which weakened the ownership of other employees over their work. The retail giant originally said the layoffs were meant to keep the company "nimble" in case of future developments by AI.

As the shutdown continues in Washington airlines are now calling on Congress to reopen the government. This comes as air traffic controllers and TSA agents have been working without pay leading to delays in flights due to people calling in sick.

CNN's aviation correspondent Pete Muntean has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: With just a few weeks until what could be the busiest Thanksgiving air travel period ever airlines are now pleading with Congress to pass a continuing resolution to reopen the government so air traffic controllers and TSA agents can get paid.

[05:40:00]

Immediately after a White House roundtable with Vice President J.D. Vance and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says, "It is time to pass a clean C.R."

Delta Air Lines is also calling for a continuing resolution saying in a new statement, "...to immediately pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government so that our air traffic controllers, TSA, and CBP officers charged with the safety and efficiency of our national airspace can collect the paychecks they deserve." The statement continued. "Missed paychecks only increases the stress on these essential workers, many of whom are already working mandatory overtime to keep our skies safe and secure."

Thursday was a tough day for air travel with bad weather on the East Coast and delays crept into the thousands. The FAA reported air traffic control staffing shortages at control towers at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas and Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., and delayed flights to keep things moving safely.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Pete, thank you.

Virginia's race for governor is coming down to the wire and history is on the line. How both candidates are making their final push to be the state's first female governor when we return.

Plus, the governor of Illinois asked for the kids of Chicago to be allowed a Halloween holiday without ICE agents on the streets. Just ahead we will hear DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's response.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:45:50]

ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Here are some stories we are watching today.

Britain's King Charles said Thursday he is stripping his brother Andrew of his royal titles and evicting him from his royal residence at Windsor. Now this comes after a posthumous memoir by Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre who accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her as a teenager. Andrew has repeatedly denied the accusations.

President Trump is urging Senate Republicans to end the weekslong government shutdown by eliminating the filibuster. That's the 60-vote threshold needed to pass legislation. Senators left Washington for the weekend amid the political gridlock. Nearly 42 million Americans are set to lose access to federal food assistance on Saturday as funding expires.

South Korea hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit (APEC). Heads of state and senior officials from 21 APEC member nations are expected to attend, including China's Xi Jinping. He met with Japan's new prime minister and Canada's prime minister a short time ago.

And we are learning that Donald Trump's own advisers were caught off guard by his announcement that the U.S. would resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time in decades. And the president himself refused to provide any details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Any details around the testing, sir? Like where, when?

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, we have -- well, it'll be -- it'll be announced. You know, we have test sites. It'll be announced.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Trump said he instructed the Pentagon to resume nuclear testing after a 33-year pause citing other nations, including China's and Russia's own capabilities. However, neither China nor Russia have conducted a nuclear test in decades, though China has worked rapidly to expand its arsenal.

CNN's Alayna Treene has more from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Donald Trump, on Thursday, vowed to begin testing nuclear weapons on an "equal basis with Russia and China" -- potentially threatening to upend decades of United States policy at a time when tensions are continuing to grow between the world's greatest nuclear superpowers.

Now, there are a lot of unanswered questions about what exactly the president meant when he said this. I would not that the United States have not testing a nuclear weapon since 1992.

But I do think the context for when he said this and where he said this is, of course, very notable. It came -- and just to set the scene, it unfolded when the president was onboard Marine One flying to the South Korean airport to have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. That meeting was really about trying to get back on the same page and have a more open dialogue with the Chinese and particularly between the two leaders. And so the president might have, you know, upended that goal a little bit by doing this.

But I would add that he then was answering questions about it again when he was flying on Air Force One back to the United States and still didn't offer any clarity for whether he meant actually testing nuclear weapons or potentially nuclear-capable missiles. Because a lot of what we've now heard from people kind of trying to predict what the president was saying -- trying to read between the lines -- was that perhaps this is in response to what we saw Russia do. And essentially, they ran a test last week of a nuclear-capable cruise missile and torpedo.

And that came after the summit that was supposed to take place between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary fell apart.

And then there was this, and this was fortunate timing for a lot of reporters -- was that the Vice Admiral Richard Correll -- he is nominated to oversee the United States nuclear arsenal. He was speaking before the Senate Armed Services committee today and he essentially said that he was not reading anything into the president's comment.

Instead, he said that he would presume that the president's words did not mean nuclear testing and that's because China and Russia have not actually tested nuclear weapons -- essentially, dropped nuclear bombs -- in several decades. Again, neither has the United States.

So we're waiting to learn more about what this could actually mean moving forward.

Alayna Treene, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:50:00]

ABEL: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker had a request for the federal government: Please pause immigration enforcement activities for the Halloween weekend so that children in Chicago can trick-or-treat without fear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOVERNOR JB PRITZKER, (D) ILLINOIS: Can we at least agree that our children should not be victims, especially on Halloween? Can we agree that there is no imminent threat that should disrupt their holiday? No child in America should have to go trick-or-treating in fear that they might be confronted with armed federal agents and have to inhale tear gas. I honestly can't even believe that I have to make this plea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Pritzker asked for the pause after reports that families at a children's parade last Saturday were confronted by armed federal agents and tear gas was fired.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem gave her response Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTI NOEM, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: No. We're absolutely not willing to put on pause any work that we will do to keep communities safe. The fact that Governor Pritzker is asking for that is, um, shameful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: The Department of Homeland Security says since Operation Midway Blitz got underway in September it has resulted in more than 3,000 arrests.

We are now in the home stretch of the race to see who will become the next mayor of the largest city in the United States. New polls suggest that New York Democrat Zohran Mamdani has a double-digit lead over former governor Andrew Cuomo. Republican Curtis Sliwa trails in third.

Early voting is underway ahead of Tuesday's election and voters are turning out in this race. Almost twice as many people have early voted so far compared to this period four years ago.

Mamdani is poised to become the first muscle mayor of New York, but he has yet to be backed by one of his party's top figures. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York hasn't made any endorsement, but Mamdani says he isn't worried about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you believe national Democrats are afraid of you, and Schumer has not endorsed you?

ZOHRAN MAMDANI, (D) NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: I believe that national Democrats are holding the line right now to actually call the question on the Trump administration, which ran a presidential campaign on the premise of cheaper groceries and is now using the power that they won to make it even harder to afford those groceries.

And to hear someone try and pin this on me when what we've actually seen is that Americans just want their health care -- they just want to be able to afford their groceries, the day-to-day lives -- it shows how out of touch the Republican Party is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: And in the state of Virginia the candidates for governor there are in their final push, staging their last campaign rallies before next week's Election Day. One of them is set to make history, regardless of what happens, as the state's first woman governor.

CNN's Eva McKend has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVA MCKEND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With just a few days left until the votes are tallied in this pivotal off-year election in Virginia, the Democratic nominee for governor Abigail Spanberger making her case. And Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate, making her case here in Rockingham County -- a departure for her from the cultural issues that she typically elevates and instead a focus in the closing days on the economy. She talked about eliminating the car tax and keeping Virginians' taxes low.

LT. GOVERNOR WINSOME EARLE-SEARS, (D) VIRGINIA: I want my taxes. I don't want you to keep taxing me to death -- that simple. And that's another reason why we are finally going to get rid of the car tax. We're going to get rid of the car tax. It's time. Don't let them fool you. I will repeal the Virginia Clean Economy Act because all it's doing is cleaning out our pocketbooks. We can't afford them.

MCKEND: And it's not been the final week on the campaign trail that Earle-Sears has really wanted because she is the lieutenant governor and has to preside over the state Senate in Richmond. She has had to participate in that effort. The Democrats -- state Democrats have taken up to begin the process of redistricting. She lamented that being pulled off of the campaign trail for what, in her view, is partisan reasons.

Still though, Republicans are hoping that the text message scandal involving Democratic nominee for attorney general Jay Jones -- violent text messages that he sent in 2022 that were unearthed -- will pull down the entire Democratic ticket.

Eva McKend, CNN, Rockingham County.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Thank you, Eva.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:58:50]

ABEL: It is Halloween today, but the spooky celebration kicked off a bit early at the White House. President Trump and first lady Melania Trump handed out candy to children on Thursday. You see him here. The first lady's office says the kids were members of military and law enforcement families, as well as kids of administrative staff.

One boy certainly played to his audience. You see him here with another red hat. He showed up dressed as the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Clip from Netflix "STRANGER THINGS."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Is Vecna not one of the great villains? That's a new trailer for the fifth and final season of "STRANGER THINGS," which drops November 26. It will wrap up with an episode on Christmas Day and the finale on New Year's Eve.

And if that's not enough, Halloween eve saw the release of another spooky trailer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Clip from Paramount Pictures "SCREAM 7."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:00:00]

ABEL: "SCREAM 7" -- it reunites stars Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox. The plot involves Campbell's Sidney who has built a new life for herself and her daughter. Not the first time in the series she's had to build a new life but no surprise it doesn't go well. The movie hits theaters in late February. We look forward to that as well.

Thank you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington, D.C. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.