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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Israeli Settlers Burn Mosque In Latest West Bank Attack; OpenAI, Microsoft Partner With States On AI Safety; Chinese Astronauts Successfully Return To Earth. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired November 14, 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]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: This the sort of the powers that the police have to detain administrative detentions have been taken away from them by the defense minister late last year when he came into his position. That there has been because there aren't those controls, because the focus has been elsewhere a real push on these Palestinian villages.

And what we were hearing about the attack last night was pointed out and I think this is significant here that villagers pointed out -- look, they didn't attack the houses and cars as we've seen in other places; they went for the mosque. And they described it -- the Ministry of Religious Affairs in the West Bank describes that as a -- as a heinous attack because it obviously goes to a very central point of -- for the -- for the community.

And I think the tone and style of the attack, as well as the attack on the dairy -- one that was due to expand its operations -- that these attacks have been coordinated, potentially in some way, specifically targeting the community. The racist abuse sprayed on the walls -- "Mohammed is a pig" -- specifically designed to enrage and anger the local population there.

The U.N. -- the spokesperson for the U.N. secretary-general has been very clear in his and the U.N.'s condemnation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANE DUJARRIC, SPOKESPERSON, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Regarding the West Bank, I can tell you that we are deeply disturbed by the attacks by Israeli settlers who set fire overnight to a mosque in a West Bank village. Such attacks on places of worship are completely unacceptable. We have and will continue to condemn attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: And I think just briefly one of the quick takeaways from that overnight attack last night was again the graffiti sprayed on the wall. The IDF -- the Israeli Defense Force have been strong in their language -- stronger than they have been in the past condemning the acts of violence by the settlers. And there was sprayed graffiti saying "Avi Bluth," the name of the IDF

commander for that region -- "We're not afraid of him." That's the settlers' message to the powers of authority here in Israel and I think that is always a significant takeaway here.

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it is. All right.

Nic Robertson for us in Jerusalem. Appreciate that update, Nic. Thank you.

The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees is warning that they don't have enough time, money, or supplies to adequately help the people of Gaza. The UNRWA chief says the need for aid goes beyond food and includes access to clean water, health care, mental health support, waste management, and emergency repairs. UNRWA says it has about 6,000 aid trucks waiting in Egypt and Jordan.

Meanwhile, UNICEF and its partners are organizing a vaccine catch-up campaign aimed at reaching more than 44,000 Palestinian children who have missed vaccinations and other routine health care because of the war. Vaccines for measles, polio, and pneumonia are being administered.

Our business breakout is just ahead but one story is more like a business breakdown as a Russian robot gets off to a rough start in Moscow.

Plus, how some of the biggest names in artificial intelligence are teaming up to make sure the technology is safe for everybody.

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[05:38:00]

ABEL: Welcome back to EARLY START. This is your business breakout.

And Wall Street is hoping to recover today from its worst showing in a month. The Dow fell nearly 800 points on Thursday. The Nasdaq dropped more than 500 points. Here's where the U.S. futures stand ahead of the opening bell. You see the S&P 500 also down.

Checking some of today's business headlines now.

The government shutdown -- it may be over, but employees of the Social Security Administration will have to wait to get their full backpay. An email to staffers viewed by CNN says partial payments will go out no later than Monday and employees should get their full balance by next Friday. The vast majority of the agency's employees had to work without pay during the shutdown.

A new Russian AI robot had a rocky debut in Moscow. Let's go to the tape. The humanoid machine emerged from the wings at a tech event staggering and frankly looking a little bit drunk. Then it stopped, lifted its arm to wave, and fell flat on its face. Yeah, there is it. Russian media quoted the CEO of the firm that made it saying he hoped this mistake will turn into an experience. And here's an iPhone accessory for Apple lovers who spare no expense. The iPhone pocket sock goes on sale today. You can stick your phone in it and sling it over your shoulder, I guess. It comes in various colors and two sizes, and it's pricey for synthetic knitwear -- $149 and $229. I bet Etsy is about to get a flow of similar looking items.

Artificial intelligence is playing a greater role in everyone's lives these days from homework to jobs and even relationships, but there's not a whole lot of oversight. So OpenAI and Microsoft are teaming up with states to develop some basic safeguards.

[05:40:05]

CNN's Clare Duffy has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: Yeah. The idea here is to bring together the developers within tech companies who are building AI technology with state attorneys general who, of course, are the top law enforcement officers within states, to try to develop and recommend basic safeguards that AI companies should be implementing into their technology, and then to continue to track emerging risks as AI technology develops, and to do all of this in a bipartisan fashion.

This task force is being formed by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson and Utah -- who is a Democrat -- and Utah Attorney General Derek Brown who is a Republican.

And this, of course, comes as concerns around AI safety risks have only continued to escalate as we've seen these reports of users saying that AI caused their delusions or self-harm. It also comes as we've seen little action from Congress to create broad regulations around artificial intelligence.

And North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson told me that he doesn't have a lot of faith that Congress will move quickly to regulate AI, especially after Republicans pushed for a provision in Trump's big, beautiful bill earlier this year that would have banned states from regulating AI for 10 years. That was ultimately removed.

But here is what Jeff Jackson told me about why this is so important. He said, "They did nothing with respect to social media, nothing with respect for internet privacy, not even for kids, and they came very close to moving in the wrong direction on AI by handcuffing states from doing anything real. Congress has left a vacuum, and I think it makes sense for AGs to try to fill it."

Now they do also expect that more tech companies in addition to OpenAI and Microsoft will join this task force, as well as other state attorneys general.

And while the recommendations -- the guardrails that they come up with here will technically be voluntary, Jeff Jackson told me that another benefit of this group is going to be bringing together state attorneys general to track AI risks and potentially take joint legal action if they recognize that tech companies are harming users.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Clare Duffy, thank you.

Coming up, an apology to the president. The BBC and the controversy that has led to presidential threats of a billion-dollar lawsuit.

And a British journalist is back home after being detained for more than two weeks by U.S. immigration agents. That story and much more after the break.

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[05:46:50]

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

Kyiv is reeling from what Ukraine described as a Russian mass attack on a city. Officials say at least three people were killed and 26 others wounded in overnight strikes on Ukraine's capital. A number of buildings caught fire, and officials are warning that power, water, and heat may be out in some areas.

As the federal government reopens, airports across the U.S. are feeling the lingering effects of the shutdown. Many flights are delayed or canceled across the country still. More than 1,000 flights were canceled in the U.S. on Thursday. Officials say the shutdown's impact may last for years. Air traffic controller shortages are also causing problems. The U.S. has a shortage of more than 3,000 controllers.

House Republican leaders bracing for mass defections in a vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Speaker Mike Johnson says that vote will come next week. Democrats in the Oversight Committee have released a number of emails in which Epstein mentions Trump several times.

The BBC has apologized to President Trump over an editing blunder in a documentary that aired in 2024. Trump's attorneys have called the piece "false and defamatory" and threatened to sue for a billion dollars.

In the documentary sections of the speech Trump made on January 6, 2021, were misleadingly stitched together. He told Fox News that the edits changed the entire tone of the speech on the Ellipse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They defrauded the public and they've admitted it. That's a pretty sad event. They actually changed my January 6 speech, which was a beautiful speech, which was a very calming speech, and they made it sound radical. And they actually changed it. And what they did was rather incredible. They're showing me the results later on -- the results of what they did and how they butchered it up. But it was very dishonest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Now the BBC says it has no plans to rebroadcast the documentary but is rejecting the claim that it was defamatory. Two executives have resigned amid this controversy.

The border patrol official tasked with carrying out Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in the United States -- in U.S. cities is reportedly heading to a new town. A source familiar with the plan says Gregory Bovino has left Chicago with his immigration agents. It follows weeks of aggressive clashes there with protesters that have prompted several lawsuits.

Bovino is said to now be heading to Charlotte, North Carolina. Police there say they are expecting border patrol officers to arrive as early as Saturday. They also say they have not received specific details about the operation.

British journalist and pro-Palestinian commentator Sami Hamdi is back in London after being detained for 18 days by U.S. immigration authorities. Hamdi was taken into custody at San Francisco's airport last month after he spoke at an event for the Council on American Islamic Relations. Agents told him he had overstayed his visa. Hamdi and his legal team insist his visa was valid and say he was detained for speaking out against Israel's war in Gaza.

[05:50:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMI HAMDI, BRITISH JOURNALIST/COMMENTATOR: This wasn't just an attack on me; it was an attack on the freedoms of ordinary Americans and citizens worldwide. It was an attack on their freedom to speak the truth in the face of hatred. I think that the reason that my visa was targeted was not because of anything that I was saying but because Americans were listening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Meanwhile, the U.S. carrying out its 20th strike on an alleged drug boat this week. Defense Department officials tell CNN that strike killed four people.

These are videos of some of the earlier strikes which have now killed a total of 80 people. Some experts and U.S. allies are questioning the legality of the attacks.

The U.S. has deployed more than a dozen warships to the Caribbean, including its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford.

The White House says it's going after drug traffickers, but Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says the U.S. is preparing to overthrow his government. A safe touchdown on Earth for three Chinese astronauts. Still ahead,

we'll go live to Beijing to find out what was unusual about their return from space.

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[05:55:35]

ABEL: Three Chinese astronauts have safely returned to Earth after being temporarily stuck in space. The crew touching down in China's Inner Mongolia region just a couple of hours ago nine days after they were supposed to return.

This is the spacecraft they launched in back in April, which took them to the Chinese space station, but the capsule sustained damage from what Chinese state media called "tiny space debris." China had to put a backup plan in motion and the astronauts ended up taking a different spacecraft back down here to Earth.

CNN's Mike Valerio has more from Beijing. And Mike, they made it back safely. And unlike a not too long ago American mission with this nine- day delay, it kind of seems like that backup plan was implemented pretty quickly here.

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, there are some differences from when Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were onboard the International Space Station and they had to stay there for an extra nine months. So the difference here was that there was a crack in one of the windows rather than a possible malfunction with this spacecraft coming back to Earth, which was the case with the International Space Station.

Basically, what we had here -- the Chinese space station -- incoming astronauts and outgoing astronauts. There are two spacecrafts. And then it's discovered a couple of days ago that the original spacecraft had been hit with what was most likely space debris.

So thank goodness, Brian, there was a second spacecraft because essentially, ground control said you know what, let's not chance it. We don't want to engage in any kind of risk here -- undue risk. Take the second spacecraft down to Earth. So they were able to do that.

The big question though is what's going to happen with the astronauts who are still on that space station and they have the spacecraft that has the crack in it? They don't have a spacecraft that can take them back down to Earth. So what we are expecting here in China is a new spacecraft to be launched back up to China's space station much faster than was originally planned.

So the good news is that there is a plan to get everybody back down to Earth who needs to be. Those three astronauts certainly got back to Earth safely.

And it's the larger question, Brian, of with all of this debris in low-Earth orbit, what are we as humans going to do to start cleaning it up because this is happening more and more often, Brian. ABEL: Yeah, and I also wonder about that cracked window. Will they try to repair it up there or will they just bring it down and call it a loss, you know, if that happens. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Mike Valerio in Beijing for us. Mike, thank you.

Let's stay with space light for a moment. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has launched a landmark mission to Mars. The towering new Glenn rocket took of Thursday from Cape Canaveral, Florida after several delays. It was carrying a pair of satellites that have started their long, winding trip now to the red planet.

Blue Origin also landed the first stage of its rocket back on a seafaring platform for the first time -- another major milestone in making new Glenn reusable.

And many Americans are getting a light show they rarely have a chance to see. Check out this brilliant display -- the Northern Lights over Arizona's Bell Rock. The Northern Lights have been visible across large parts of the U.S. this week as far south as Texas, Florida, and Alabama. That's because of an especially strong solar storm interacting with Earth's geomagnetic field.

And it's already the festive season at London's famous Kew Gardens. It's lighting the night up as part of its Christmas celebrations. Look at this. The Gardens head of commercial activities says there's something for everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM THOW, HEAD OF COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES, KEW GARDENS: This year we've got eight world-exclusive installations as part of the event. That includes bespoke things like the Palm House show behind me. We've put a bridge over the Palm House pond. We have an orchestra made of lights. We've got balloons blowing in the air, mycelium networks reaching out from under tree trunks, and the most amazing show outside the Temperate House, which is going to blow everyone's mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Yeah, it looks amazing. This is the 13th year of Christmas at Kew. It started as a way to get people to visit during the Gardens' quietest time of the year and now 300,000 people show up over the 49 nights of festivities.

[06:00:00]

For cheese lovers. This was a tasty treat, getting to judge the world's best cheese this year. Five thousand cheeses from dozens of countries competed at the World Cheese Awards in Switzerland. More than 260 judges sniffed, crumbled, and tasted before deciding.

The winner, an aged Swiss Gruyere made from cow's milk at a small dairy in western Switzerland. One judge described its flavor as butterscotch, caramel, savory, some fruit funk notes, and some slight burn on there like charcoal. It sounds all right. Thank you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington, D.C. The terrific Erica Hill is up next when "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.