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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

End of U.S. Government Shutdown Looms As Senate Democrats Concede to Funding Deal; FAA Cuts 10 Percent of Flights Amid U.S. Government Shutdown; Major League Baseball Reeling After Indictment of 2 Players for Their Alleged Roles in a Scheme to Rig Bets on Games. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired November 10, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

BRIAN ABEL, ANCHOR, EARLY START: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world, I am Brian Abel, thank you so much for being with us. It is Monday, November 10th, 5:00 a.m. here in Washington D.C., and straight ahead on EARLY START.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are now one major step closer to ending this government shutdown and getting the federal government reopened.

SEN. ANGUS KING (I-ME): This agreement is a win for the American people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thousands of flights canceled or delayed. That's the most since the FAA mandated those flight reductions in place.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's unfortunate that we can't get this together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Major League Baseball is just reeling after the indictment of two players for their alleged roles in a scheme to rig bets on games.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, this is very significant news in the world of sports, and whether you can trust the game that you're watching.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: U.S. Senators are preparing to reconvene in the coming hours after taking a major step towards ending the week's long government shutdown. They voted to break a Democratic filibuster on government funding legislation. Senate Republican leader John Thune says he hopes the bill passes early this week.

It will still have to go to the House for a vote before heading to the U.S. President's desk. A group of Democrats and one Democrat-aligned- independent defending their decisions to reopen the government in exchange for a future vote on extending Obamacare subsidies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: As I assessed it, there was zero chance of dealing with the ACA issue as long as the shutdown continued. Now, I don't know, 50-50, but there's a lot better chance now than there was this morning.

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): I understand that not all of my Democratic colleagues are satisfied with this agreement, but waiting another week or another month wouldn't deliver a better outcome. It would only mean more harm for families in New Hampshire and all across the country.

SEN. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO (D-NV): I expect Republicans to be at the table in the next few weeks. I expect the White House to be at the table, and if they do choose not to come to the table, they can own the disastrous premium increases that will continue to rise. They will own the fact that Americans across this country are going to lose access to health care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Now, Democratic senators who voted against advancing the deal vowed to keep fighting to make health care more affordable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN HICKENLOOPER (D-CO): I mean, I voted no just because I was so pissed off. I'm just frustrated. We gave them every chance to negotiate it, a moderate doesn't have to put the whole thing back, and they wouldn't do it. So, I mean, we tried, and now we're going to use every other tool. We're not going to quit.

There's not one person in the Democratic caucus who doesn't believe that we need health care for everybody. Everybody should have a medical home somewhere. Every single person in that caucus believes it, and everyone in that caucus when we left the room was united that we're going to continue working on this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Senator Thune is committing to holding a vote on extending Obamacare subsidies by the second week of December. And CNN's Manu Raju is following these latest developments from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The longest government shutdown in American history now is coming to an end, to the relief of so many Americans who have been hurt in different ways by this very damaging standoff of 40 days.

It could take another couple of days before it finally becomes law. But a bipartisan deal led to a breakthrough that now will end this bitter impasse. Now remember, this all started after Democrats insisted that health care premiums must be addressed in any sort of negotiation to reopen the government, and they have leverage in the United States Senate, it requires 60 votes to pass any piece of legislation.

And there are 53 Republicans, 47 Democrats, one Republican consistently voted against it, meaning eight Democrats was the magic number to get to. And for 14 times, Democrats blocked a Republican bill to reopen the government because they wanted an extension of expiring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

[05:05:00]

Because millions of Americans rely on those, and they say that their health care premiums will skyrocket without a plan to extend those. Republicans were opposed to that plan and did not want to negotiate at all with them over this issue until the government was reopened.

Ultimately, there were some negotiations that happened in the rank- and-file, and that led to a deal on Sunday evening. As part of that deal, the government would reopen up until January 30th, also, it would prevent Trump administration officials from firing, doing mass firings of federal employees, would allow some federal employees who were fired in the past to get their jobs back.

But it does not include language to extend those subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Instead, those ACA -- that ACA issue will be dealt with later as a separate vote. Democrats want an assurance from the Senate Republican leader, John Thune, to schedule a vote by the second week of December on an ACA specific bill, an Affordable Care Act specific bill.

But there is no guarantee that, that will become law. In fact, it is almost certain not to become law. It probably won't pass the Senate, much less the Republican-led House or get signed into law by Donald Trump. So, a lot of Democrats are upset with their colleagues for cutting this deal, including Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic leader who plans to fight this in the House.

The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, also opposes this plan, as well as Senator Brian Schatz, who is poised to be the next second- ranking Democrat in the next Congress. But there were enough Democrats who -- appropriators, some are retiring senators and the like who decided it was time to reopen the government.

And they believe that they fought hard enough and it was time to move on, and this is the best deal they were going to get as so many Americans were facing the prospects of food stamps drying up, already facing that happening, and now this deal would extend food-stamp benefits through part of 2026.

So, some relief there for people who need that, and also relief for so many federal employees, hundreds of thousands who are without paychecks have been furloughed, but now can go back to work once this eventually becomes law. The House does need to come back into session and finally pass this bill.

They have been out of session since September 19th amid this crisis, but they'll finally be coming back to work in the Capitol, giving a green light to this issue after Democrats, some of them relented, cut a deal, and now the government could reopen in just a matter of days. Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: In just a matter of days. I want to bring in Brett Bruen, now President of the Global Situation Room and former Director of Global Engagement for the Obama White House. Joining me live now from Bilbao, Spain, thank you for being with us this morning, for all of those that endured furloughs, reductions in force, going without pay, desperately waiting in food bank lines and the stress of SNAP benefits potentially expiring.

To all of those people impacted by this shutdown, what can you tell them about where their sacrifices -- what their sacrifices were for? What was actually accomplished here during these 40 days?

BRETT BRUEN, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL SITUATION ROOM: Well, I think for them, for Democrats, they will have shown a level of callousness on the part of the Trump administration and many Republicans, that they were willing to let so many 42 million Americans go without food. And that, I think, was really quite alarming to the extent that the Trump administration even was appealing, fighting in the courts the ruling that they had to give those Americans their food benefits.

They had to tap into emergency funds. And so, look, this is not a win for Democrats. It is unfortunate that you saw so many Democrats in the Senate cave and give in to Republican, to Trump demands. But at the end of the day, obviously, their humanity, their empathy was what prevailed upon them to make this vote.

ABEL: Let's dissect that caving in for a moment. Brett, what in your estimation, actually ended this gridlock because Democrats were really leaning on their recent election wins as momentum to keep up this fight, and now here we are.

BRUEN: Well, first and foremost, I think it does come back to those tens of millions of Americans who will not have received those food benefits. They already, these last few days, since the food benefits expired, were struggling. They were, you know -- there were reports of parents having one meal a day, of children going without meals.

So, all of that, obviously is going to make an impression on senators, on any of us Americans who are looking around at the richest country in the world, and we cannot find a way to ensure that people are not going hungry in the millions in our country. I mean, that's just unacceptable. But, you know, again, I think it does come back to the willingness of the Trump administration and Republicans to push over what are quite frankly, third rails.

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You know, the notion that you wouldn't put in risk, and it hasn't been in risk in any other shutdown, the food benefits that Americans receive. ABEL: And Brett, would you agree with Senator Catherine Cortez Masto

that Democrats would not have been able to get a better outcome in the coming weeks or months if they continue to hold their ground?

BRUEN: I don't agree with the senator from Nevada. I think, quite frankly, that Democrats had momentum. We had just won local and state elections in a big way. The Supreme Court was indicating that they would claw back some of the powers that Trump is claiming he has on tariffs. And you saw Republicans coming out and saying, this is unacceptable, that we're not paying for those basic food needs of Americans.

So, it's unfortunate, but look, 40 days, this is the longest that either party has withstood a shutdown, and the political pressure was mounting.

ABEL: This seems to be, Brett, further fracturing from congressional Democrats. Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer is opposed. House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, for example, vowing to fight this in the House, as you heard Manu mention in his piece. How does this dynamic play out moving forward? And do we end up here all over again come the end of January when this funding again runs out?

BRUEN: Yes, this is the problem that Democrats have faced for the last year. We don't have a leader, and I don't believe that whether it's Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries in the House, Minority leader Chuck Schumer in the Senate, that we're getting the kind of leadership that we used to have under whether it was President Biden or Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, where you could keep Democrats disorderly, Democrats in line.

And so, we are going to continue to struggle with this, at least until next November when there is an election, legislative election that will decide control. And then even on top of that, I think it really will be not until we have a nominee for President, the democrats will fall back in line, firmly behind one candidate, one message, one way to go.

ABEL: All right, Brett Bruen, appreciate your time and your insight. Thank you.

BRUEN: Sure thing.

ABEL: Well, the shutdown deal in Congress is also good news for the airline industry. According to tracking website, FlightAware, thousands of flights were either canceled or delayed in the United States on Sunday. Major airlines have also announced reduction in flights in compliance with an FAA directive, though no word on when those measures will end.

Severe staffing issues have plagued airports due to some workers being forced to work without pay because of the shutdown. In another story out of Washington that we are following, President Trump has pardoned a long list of his political allies for their support or involvement in alleged plans to overturn the 2020 presidential election. That's according to the Justice Department's pardon attorney. The

list, that contains dozens of names including high profile figures like President Trump's former lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, and the President's former Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows. Each of them were charged with election interference in the state of Georgia, but presidential pardons only apply to federal charges, not state or local charges.

The pardon also explicitly states that it does not apply to President Trump. Syria's President will be the first in that country's history to visit the White House in the hours ahead. We'll have the latest on what he's expected to discuss with President Trump after the break. Plus, we are now one month into the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement.

But questions remain on whether the deal will hold. The latest developments just ahead. And an arctic blast is bringing chilly temperatures to parts of the U.S. How cold it might get this week. That's next.

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ABEL: In the hours ahead, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is set to visit the White House, the first Syrian head of state ever to do so. His meeting with President Trump comes just days after the U.N. Security Council voted to lift sanctions on al-Sharaa, and the U.S. removed his status as a specially-designated global terrorist.

Joining me now with the latest, live from Abu Dhabi is CNN's Paula Hancocks. And Paula, what should we expect from this meeting at the White House?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brian, it's hard to overstate the significance of this meeting between the two leaders. We have seen over the weekend some remarkable footage, which just shows how far Syria has come, how far this one man has come, and we see that Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Jihadist who 20 years ago was fighting the U.S. military on the battlefield, is now playing basketball with the head of U.S.CENTCOM, the Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper there.

So, it just shows how significant and how fast the change has been. It has not yet been a year since Bashar al-Assad was toppled in Syria and al-Sharaa took control. So, what we are expecting to see is a meeting between President Trump and President al-Sharaa. Now, they have met before back in May, when President Trump was in Saudi Arabia.

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The crown prince at that point did set up a meeting between the two. Saudi Arabia is being very supportive of Syria and trying to get it back on its feet, following half a century of Assad's regime rule. So, what we are expecting here is al-Sharaa is going to want to secure the lifting of all the sanctions against him and against his country. Now, we know back in May, that President Trump did lift some of those

sanctions by executive order, but some of the more key ones need congressional approval. So, that is one of the reasons that he is there to try and secure that approval. Also, we know that he would be keen for President Trump to pressure Israel to stop attacks against different Syrian targets over recent months. And this is really an effort by the Syrian President to lift the isolation that Syria has been under for many years. Brian?

ABEL: Paula Hancocks live for us in Abu Dhabi. Paula, thank you. It is now one month into the first phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Israel still awaits the return of all hostages which Hamas is required to do under the first phase of the agreement. In Tel Aviv, Israelis continue to protest their government's handling of the war and the hostage situation.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, aid has resumed flowing into the enclave since the ceasefire took effect, but the scale of need eclipses what could be provided at the moment. A United Nation's agency warned that hundreds of thousands of Palestinian families remain at risk of facing a Winter without protection from the elements. CNN's Oren Liebermann has the latest from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF (on camera): It was one month ago on October 9th, that the U.S. announced a ceasefire would go into effect, ending nearly two years of war in Gaza. And since then, it has largely held, it has certainly been tested on two separate occasions in October, it was severely tested.

And yet, here we are, and it has held to this point, even as the processes and the conditions within the ceasefire agreement itself brokered by the U.S. have continued to play out. One of the key elements of the first phase that is still ongoing here is the return of the remaining deceased hostages in Gaza. And we have seen Hamas continue to transfer the remains to Israel.

In fact, five times over the course of roughly the past week, they transferred the remains of deceased hostages to Gaza, including over the weekend when we saw the transfer of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, the longest-held hostage in Gaza who was killed at the end of the 2014 Israel-Hamas war. His remains were in Gaza for more than 11 years before they were returned and confirmed over the weekend.

And that leaves the remains of four deceased hostages held in Gaza. Meanwhile, the U.S. is working on transitioning from the first phase of the deal into the second phase, and this is where it gets incredibly difficult. This requires a mandate for and the creation of an international stabilization force to deploy to Gaza, not only to secure the battered territory, but also to ensure the disarmament of Hamas.

And that's where there have been disagreements. Some have been voiced publicly between the Arab and Muslim states that are supposed to take part in this. Meanwhile, the countries who are or may be involved are looking for a United Nations mandate under which to operate. The U.S. is trying to push that process forward, having circulated a draft resolution among Security Council members.

That's a key element here, and the U.S. is trying to make sure there is progress even if some of the key details here are still being worked out. Still, one month into the ceasefire, it has proven durable, it has proven resilient even as it has been tested. Oren Liebermann, CNN in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Still to come, a light at the end of the tunnel for the U.S. government shutdown. More on a deal made in the Senate just ahead.

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ABEL: The U.S. Senate has voted 60 to 40 on a key step toward reopening the government. Eight Senate Democrats helped advance a funding deal in exchange for a future vote on extending health care subsidies, the main sticking point Democrats have been fighting for. Senate Republican leader John Thune has committed to a health care vote no later than the second week of December.

The House must still approve this deal before it heads to President Trump's desk. And the reopening of the government, it can't come soon enough for U.S. food banks. They've been struggling to keep up with the demand wrought by the stop and SNAP food aid better -- payments, rather, which are typically given out monthly to 42 million needy Americans.

Food banks had already seen a spike in visitors after the government shutdown left many unpaid federal workers looking for help to feed their families. Now, many facilities are struggling to keep up with demand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL MANNING, DIRECTOR, ST. CHARLES SERVICE MINISTRY: We are tremendously impacted right now because of the SNAP, people not getting their SNAP benefits. It's just amazing. I mean, we had so many new clients, so many people calling, you know, do you serve food? These are just unprecedented times. People are hungry, and you can see also sometimes in a kid's eyes, you can see their fear because they're afraid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Meanwhile, parts of the U.S. are seeing snow already as temperatures plunge in some areas. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar explains how an arctic blast is bringing some chilly weather.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Roughly 40 locations could end up having record lows Monday and Tuesday of this week, and a few areas could have those records.