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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

America Votes: NYC Mayor, New Jersey & Virginia Governor Up For Grabs; Day 35: Shutdown Ties With Longest In American History; Two Men Charged In Alleged "ISIS-Inspired" Terror Plot; IDF'S Former Top Lawyer Arrested Amid Criminal Investigation; U.K. Lauds Heroic Actions Of Train Driver And Worker. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired November 04, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:25]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to our viewers, joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Brian Abel. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

It is Tuesday, November 4th, 5:00 a.m. here in Washington, D.C.

And straight ahead on EARLY START.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: It's election day here in the United States with some major races on the ballot.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK MAYORAL CANDIDATE: Let us leave everything out there on the field, my friends. Let us do it together.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESOPNDENT: Now we are poised to see the longest government shutdown ever.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: They refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, and they're hurting their own constituents.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: The president had spent a lot of time and attention talking about Nigeria.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me say this, Nigeria is a very complex country. The situation is very difficult and needs careful thought.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

ABEL: It is election day across the U.S. with races from New York to California serving as a referendum on the first nine months of Donald Trump's second term as president. New Jersey and Virginia are voting for governor, and polls show Democrat Zohran Mamdani leading in the race for New York City mayor. But President Trump is urging voters to choose Andrew Cuomo. He says,

whether you like him or not, you really have no choice. He is capable of doing the job. Mamdani is not.

Mamdani says Trump's endorsement of Cuomo is no surprise, and that the former governor would be Trump's puppet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAMDANI: It's written out for the entire world to see. This is the man that Donald Trump wants to be the next mayor of New York City, and not because he's good for New Yorkers, but because he'll be good for Donald Trump. And New Yorkers are exhausted of this agenda in Washington. They don't want to see a mimic of it. Come here to city hall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Cuomo is pushing back, saying Trump is not endorsing him, but rather opposing Mamdani.

Next door, New Jersey polls show Democratic Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill in the lead. She's a moderate who's served 10 years of active duty as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy. Her opponent is businessman and former state lawmaker Jack Ciattarelli, endorsed by President Trump. The state hasn't had a Republican governor since Chris Christie in 2018.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK CIATTARELLI (R), NEW JERSEY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: We need a change. So tell people what's at stake. If you come across people who aren't thinking about voting, get them to vote, okay? We can win this race, but we got to turn it out.

REP. MIKIE SHERRILL (D-NJ), GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: New Jersey's not a purple state. New jersey is a blue state. And so New Jersey, when we vote, we win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: And President Trump is urging voters in Virginia to vote Republican in the governor's race there.

But in a tele-rally late Monday, he stopped short of endorsing Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears for the job.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny reports from the capital city of Richmond.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Even before polls open on election day here in Virginia, more than 1.4 million voters have already cast early ballots. That could be about half of the total number of voters that turn out on election day. In a history making moment for Virginia poised to elect its first woman governor, Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger, a former member of congress, is running against Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. The winner will certainly become the first female governor of Virginia. Neither candidate has talked about that at all in the race, but voters certainly have, as they watch both of the candidates.

Now, Democrats believe they are in strong command of this race. They are viewing it as a referendum on the Trump administration, the policies, the actions of the first nine months or so of the White House.

Spanberger said on the eve of the election, she hopes to send a message.

ABIGAIL SPANBERGER (D), VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I'm excited because I plan on sending an extraordinary message to the rest of the country. I plan on ensuring that we don't just win tomorrow, but that we crush it.

ZELENY: Spanberger went on to say, as Virginia goes, so goes the nation. She's looking ahead to the midterm elections next year, when, of course, voters across the country determine who controls Congress.

But for now, at least, Democrats in Virginia are confident of the governor's race, but also competitive races down the line for lieutenant governor and attorney general, as well. There is no question this is one of the first big referendums for President Trump, one year after taking office.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Richmond, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:05:03]

ABEL: And in California, voters must decide whether to support Democrats' fight against the GOP's redistricting spree.

In San Francisco, two political heavyweights, Governor Gavin Newsom and House Democrat Nancy Pelosi, rallied for the ballot measure known as Prop 50 on Monday. The initiative is part of Democrats' efforts to win back control of the House next year.

Newsom, the face of Prop 50, praised the former speaker's efforts to get it passed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: Some people go off and they talk about the way the world should be, but they don't do anything to manifest it. The difference is Nancy Pelosi doesn't go out to try to make points. She makes a difference. And we are building that legacy with Proposition 50.

So, Nancy, thank you for your inspiration. Thank you for your work. Thanks for allowing us to build on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: The U.S. government shutdown now in its 35th day, officially tying the longest shutdown in American history. That was during President Trump's first term in office.

U.S. Senate Republican leader John Thune says he's optimistic lawmakers could reach a deal this week, but isn't necessarily confident, while Republican Senator John Kennedy fears political backlash if the government doesn't reopen soon, he hopes Democrats will fold to Republican demands and while House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says his party is willing to talk, there are no signs they're ready to back down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFRIES: We will sit down with any Republican who is prepared in good faith to find a bipartisan path forward to reopening the government, to entering into a spending agreement that actually makes life better for the American people, not worse. And that decisively addresses the Republican health care crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: CNN's Manu Raju has more from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On Tuesday, the government shutdown will be tied with the longest ever in American history. Remember, the longest one was from 2018 to 2019. That was a partial government shutdown.

But now, we are poised to be -- see the longest government shutdown ever come Wednesday, because there is simply no path to end the shutdown at the moment. Now, there are some talks that are happening among some rank-and-file senators to try to figure out if there's a way forward, to try to come to an agreement on longer term spending bills, maybe deal with the Democratic demands on health care, which has been central to all of this. Democrats demanding an extension of those expiring subsidies under Obamacare warning without an extension, people's health care premiums will skyrocket.

But Republican leaders and the White House have been clear. They've said no negotiations on that issue until after the government is reopened. How is that square? That is still an open question. Can their deal be reached? Another question can that deal pass the United States Senate and the U.S. House? And at what point will that happen to allow the hundreds of thousands of furloughed workers, the federal government, to go back to work, finally get paid again, and people to get their benefits, including SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps.

Now, one of the things that Donald Trump has been demanding for some time has been at least increasingly demanding is to get rid of the Senate's filibuster rule. That is the rule that requires 60 senators to advance legislation, if not, the bills will fail. As we have seen happen 13 times in the United States Senate. Democrats filibustering the Republican bill to reopen the government. Trump has called for changing that. So simple majority of senators can advance legislation.

But Republicans have rejected that demand, including Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, who told me on Monday evening that he spoke with President Trump about this and made it clear that he would not go along with changing the filibuster.

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): When he called me, I explained to him, I said, Mr. President, the job of a senator is not just to advance good ideas. The job of a senator is also to kill bad ideas.

RAJU: How did he take your response?

KENNEDY: Well, like you would expect.

RAJU: Unhappy?

KENNEDY: Well, he didn't -- he wasn't unhappy. I mean, the president didn't yell or anything. Of course, he's never yelled at me. There's always a first time, you know, but he doesn't agree with me.

And sometimes reasonable people disagree. But my personal opinion, I could be wrong, but I doubt it. We're not going to change the filibuster or the blue slip while we're in charge. During your or my natural lifetime.

RAJU: So that ultimately means there has to be some sort of bipartisan deal to reopen the government.

[05:10:00]

Can they get there? The big question will be if the Tuesday elections changes, how Democrats approach this, or even Republicans approach it. That's one of the things that senators are talking about here in the Capitol.

But so many federal workers, so many Americans waiting for this historically painful government shutdown to finally come to an end.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: The longer the shutdown goes on, the more it impacts SNAP benefits and other federal programs, giving food assistance to low- income families.

The Trump administration says they will fund only half of this month's benefits after it looked like families would receive none. Officials say they are using more than $4 billion from the program's contingency fund after being ordered to do so by federal judge. The administration said in court papers they decided against pulling other funds to provide full benefits. All the while, lawmakers continue to point fingers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFRIES: All Republicans care about is the opinion of one man, the puppet master of the Republican Party, Donald J. Trump. They don't care about anything else. How else can you explain the fact that they are weaponizing hunger?

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The president is desperate for SNAP benefits to flow to the American citizens who desperately rely upon it. He has bent over backwards, as you know, to get the troops paid to keep WIC funding going. He's found creative solutions.

So, what the president said logically was, okay, your honor, if you're saying we can do it, I'll go for that because I want SNAP to go to the people. It's the Democrats that stopped it, not us. So, tell me how to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Nearly 42 million people. That's about one in eight Americans receive food stamps. Households received just over $350 a month on average, according to recent data.

The U.S. is nearing its busiest travel season of the year amid the shutdown, and airport delays are getting worse. Houston's airport warning passengers that security wait times could hit three hours due to staffing shortages, and there were at least 17 reports of air traffic controller shortages across the U.S. on Monday. These issues are resulting in massive flight delays totaling in the thousands every day.

And federal prosecutors in Michigan have filed terrorism charges against two men accused of plotting a, quote, ISIS inspired attack over Halloween weekend. The FBI's handling of the case is facing scrutiny after Director Kash Patel announced the arrest and alleged plot on social media, sparking calls for transparency and fears of backlash among Michigan's large Muslim community.

CNN's Leigh Waldman has the latest from Detroit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Days after a possible terror attack was thwarted by the FBI here in Michigan, we're getting our first look at two of the men who have been arrested in connection with this plot. They're both 20 years old. Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, they were brought into the courthouse behind us, shackled, still wearing their street clothes. They didn't say much and glanced several times at the packed gallery inside of that courtroom.

The criminal complaint that was filed, details that these men bought AR-15 style rifles and more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition. Authorities allege that they were planning an ISIS-inspired Halloween attack, possibly on the scale of the 2015 Paris terror attack that left at least 130 people dead. That criminal complaint goes on to state that these men had scouted out locations in Ferndale, Michigan. Bars and clubs that, quote, intentionally attract members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Now, if they're found guilty of these terrorism related charges, they could face a maximum of 15 years behind bars and a fine of a quarter million dollars.

Leigh Waldman, CNN, Michigan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Sill to come, Israels former top military lawyer is embroiled in a scandal over a leaked video allegedly showing a detainee being abused at a notorious military prison.

Plus, how Donald Trump's claims of a Christian massacre in Nigeria may have actually come from Fox News. And we are learning new details about that daring daylight heist at the Louvre. What investigators are saying about the suspects they describe as petty criminals.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: Israel's former top military lawyer is now at the center of a national scandal. She was arrested on Sunday as part of a criminal investigation into the leak of a video showing alleged abuse of Palestinian detainees in a notorious IDF prison.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the leak the worst P.R. disaster in Israel's history.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is joining us now live from Abu Dhabi.

And, Paula, the prime minister, putting the focus on the P.R. damage here, not the alleged abuse.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brian, just to give you some context of what we're seeing is this political storm now in Israel. It was back in July of last year where the IDF launched an investigation into the alleged abuse of a Palestinian detainee.

Now, this was after video was leaked of the state military prison, a notorious military prison in Israel. In this video, you see a number of Palestinian detainees lying face down. And what appears to be an alleged abuse, including sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the hands of Israeli soldiers. Now the investigation is ongoing.

We know five soldiers were indicted in February of this year due to -- to those allegations, but this has really exploded in the past week. The top lawyer of the IDF, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi. She was suspended on Wednesday of last week. A couple of days later, she then resigned and said that she had approved this video to be released to show the serious allegations surrounding this IDF investigation.

Then on Sunday, she disappeared for a number of hours and was found by the military on a beach in Tel Aviv. She was arrested and she now faces a number of charges, including fraud, breach of trust, abuse of official power, obstruction of justice. Now, she has said in the past that as soon as she started that

investigation, there was a smear campaign started against her. We did see the right wing of the country saying that these soldiers should not be facing investigation. There were protests outside the military prison as well.

And what we're seeing now is the right wing of the coalition. In fact, much of Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition pushing back against what this has done to -- for the P.R. of the country, as you say, Netanyahu saying it's the worst P.R. disaster in Israel's history, saying the release of this video is an enormous reputational blow. Even the defense minister saying that there will be all the sanctions brought against the former top lawyer, that can be. So this is really the focus on the former, the military advocate general being arrested in overshadowed the investigation itself. It's overshadowed the video of this alleged abuse as well.

We also know that that particular Palestinian detainee has been sent back to Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal. So, adding another complication to the entire investigation -- Brian.

ABEL: All right. Paula Hancocks for us in Abu Dhabi -- Paula, thank you.

Still ahead, the U.K. gives thanks to railway workers who saved lives during a terrifying knife attack on a train.

Plus, the U.S. defense secretary just wrapped up his visit to South Korea. Coming up, what this trip means for the U.S.-Korea alliance?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: In the U.K., praise for railway workers for their heroic response to the knife attacks on a train Saturday and the alleged attacker has now been publicly identified.

Nic Robertson has more from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the British police have now named the suspect, the alleged attacker, they say, is Anthony Williams, a 32-year-old British born male. They have charged him, they say, with 10 counts of attempted murder and one count of actual bodily harm to passengers on that train.

The British home secretary, speaking in parliament, said that there were heroes aboard the train, not just the train driver or engineer if you like who called into authorities what was happening, who got the train onto a slower rail line where he was able to stop at Huntington station.

But she also spoke about the extreme bravery of one of the staff on the train, who was defending passengers from the knife attacker.

SHABANA MAHMOOD, U.K. HOME SECRETARY: I would like to draw particular attention to one member of the onboard crew who ran towards danger, confronting the attacker for a sustained period of time and stopped his advance through the train. He put himself in harm's way, suffered grievous injuries as a result, and remains in hospital today in a critical but stable condition. On Saturday, he went to work to do his job. Today he is a hero and forever will be.

ROBERTSON: More details also emerging about the alleged attacker, police say they are charging him with another attempted murder this earlier on Saturday. Also, a knife attack on a train in London 100 miles away.

Police in Cambridgeshire, that's where Peterborough is, where he got on the train on Saturday evening, are also investigating some other sightings and attacks by a knife. Somebody wielding a knife on Friday evening and again on Saturday morning in Peterborough. That being investigated and a question asked of the home secretary and parliament by the shadow home secretary if she had the same information, he said he was privy to that the police in London had had from the attack there, had identified the attacker. He asked if that had been communicated to the Cambridgeshire police essentially in a timely way. She didn't answer that question.

She was also asked by the shadow home secretary if the attacker was known more broadly, not in counterterrorism or terrorism circumstances, but known more broadly to the police or to the mental health services. She also declined to answer that, on the grounds that there was a potential that it could prejudice the trial against him, and she urged anyone to refrain from speculation about the case.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Nic, thank you.

The U.S. defense secretary is heading back to Washington after wrapping up his trip to South Korea. Pete Hhegseth and the South Korean defense minister.