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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Zelenskyy In France To Seal Air Defense, Warplane Deals; Federal Agents Make 81 Arrests In Charlotte; New Storm Threatens More Flooding, Mudslides In California. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired November 17, 2025 - 05:30   ET

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

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[05:31:33]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. He arrived in France a short time ago and the visit comes as Ukraine seeks to bolster its military capabilities. The two leaders are expected to close deals that would give Ukraine fresh air defenses, warplanes, and missiles.

And to give us more information on that, CNN's Clare Sebastian is live in London for us. And is this a case, Clare, of going to the U.S. first and not getting what they needed, so now they're going to France?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, yeah, to an extent, Brian. I think this is Europe stepping in to fill the void essentially left by the fact that the U.S. is not longer directly supplying to Ukraine and really wants Europe to pick up the slack.

So what we're hearing now from the Elysee in the last half hour or so is that Ukraine is set to order up to 100 French Rafale fighter jets. These were actually parked on the tarmac at this air base as Zelenskyy and Macron met. You can see the Rafale there in the middle also flanked by the SAMP/T air defense -- missile defense system, and a radar system as well. And we're hearing as well that they could be buying anti-air defenses and drones as part of this deal.

So look, I think this is clearly Ukraine trying to, over the long- term, ramp up its air force. We saw it sign a deal with Sweden as well last month for its Gripen fighter jets. That was also a long-term partnership.

And it comes, of course, at a very urgent point in this war. We're seeing Russian attacks escalate, particularly targeting the energy sector by also civilians clearly coming under fire as well. We saw a major attack on Friday night and then overnight into this morning Kharkiv was hit by a missile as well as the Odesa port.

So a very urgent time. And I think for Zelenskyy this was a very welcomed moment. He also spent a large part of his weekend as he embarked on this European tour, really sort of mopping up the damage from this massive corruption scandal that penetrated uncomfortably far into his inner circle overhauling the energy sector and announcing new management and things like that.

So this visual -- this powerful visual of French support -- those weapons systems laid out as he arrived, I think will have been a very welcomed moment and a way to show Ukrainians back home that he is really delivering the kind of support they need at this time, Brian.

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: And Clare Sebastian for us in London. Clare, thank you.

Still to come, as the rising cost of food is due to send Thanksgiving costs soaring, some can't even look past where their next meal is coming from. More on the growing need for food assistance in the U.S., next.

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[05:38:50]

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

U.S. futures are in positive territory ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street. The Dow, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq all up.

Let's check some of today's other business headlines.

President Trump confirmed that Republican lawmakers are working on a bill that will impose sanctions on any country doing business with Russia -- specifically, on countries buying Russian oil and gas or international firms operating in Russia's energy sector. The president also said Iran could be added to the list.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says, "We will see about a potential payout to Americans over tariffs." President Trump has repeatedly suggested the government should issue rebate checks of $2,000 to most Americans, but Bessent says Congress needs to pass legislation for it to happen.

President Trump also says his administration is working to lower the price of goods amid the ongoing tariffs. He says shoppers will see some pretty good price reductions on goods like bananas and coffee after those tariffs were rolled back. It comes amid high-end economic anxiety among many Americans, which the president talked about but has often downplayed.

[05:40:05]

Lowering prices on some food items will help Americans but recent demand for help from food pantries and charities has surged across the country. The Conversation reports calls to a U.S. national hotline for food assistance quadrupled at the end of October and those needs are expected to be even greater approaching the holiday season.

CNN's Jenn Sullivan reports.

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JENN SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER/PRODUCER (voiceover): Outside the King Center in Atlanta long lines of cars as people wait for free food to be handed out at this Thanksgiving food drive.

MS. WILLIAMS, FOOD DRIVE RECIPIENT: This is going to make a tremendous difference --

SULLIVAN (voiceover): Ms. Williams works part-time but she says it's not enough to put food on her table. And it's not just Thanksgiving she worries about.

WILLIAMS: It's every day. It's tonight. I need dinner for tonight.

SULLIVAN (voiceover): Her story is like so many others as the cost of food continues to rise.

CARLA STOKES, EXECUTIVE PASTOR OF MINISTRIES AND OUTREACH, NEW BIRTH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH: We've seen an increased need. We've seen seniors coming that need assistance. We've seen families.

SULLIVAN (voiceover): The government shutdown put a strain on already busy food banks with millions of food stamp recipients not receiving assistance through the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as SNAP and hundreds of thousands of federal workers not getting paid. But rising food costs are making groceries more expensive for everyone.

MICHELLE SINGLETARY, PERSONAL FINANCE COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: For many families they're still struggling to put food on their table and keep that roof over their heads.

SULLIVAN (voiceover): Average grocery prices are up nearly three percent from last September, according to the latest Consumer Price Index report. Prices for key Thanksgiving staples like potatoes, meat, fresh vegetables, and bakery products are all up. And tariffs have caused the price of many imported items like wine to jump. One wine store says prices are five to 12 percent higher this year.

This is some good news. On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that retroactively lowered tariffs on beef, tomatoes, coffee, and bananas, as well as other products coming from agricultural imports.

I'm Jenn Sullivan reporting.

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ABEL: Still ahead, Charlotte, North Carolina is the target of a sudden surge of U.S. federal agents in a new immigration crackdown.

Plus, Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene tells CNN why there's a growing rift between her and President Donald Trump.

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[05:46:50]

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

U.S. President Donald Trump is now encouraging House Republicans to vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. On Sunday night he posted on social media that "We have nothing to hide and it's time to move on from this Democrat hoax perpetrated by radical left lunatics." The move marks a stark reversal from his previous attempts to discredit the effort.

Donald Trump says Venezuela would like to talk amid rising tensions with the U.S. It comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he's designating the country's Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization. President Trump suggests this new label could allow the U.S. to strike inside of Venezuela.

The FAA is ending an order for some airlines to reduce their operations during the government shutdown. It was originally made to counter major staffing shortages across the industry, but the FAA reports only one staffing issue on Sunday. That is down from more than 80 just a week ago.

Federal agents say they have arrested 81 people since arriving in Charlotte, North Carolina for a new immigration crackdown.

CNN's Rafael Romo has more on a move that's largely unwanted by local officials.

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There was no prior announcement by the federal government about any plans to send immigration agents to Charlotte, North Carolina. Word on the move came from Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden's office, who told CNN in a statement on Thursday that two federal officials had told him enforcement personnel would arrive as early as this weekend in North Carolina's largest city.

And then the operation started, including one encounter with border patrol agents caught on a cellphone camera by a man while he was driving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language). Breaking car window.

ROMO: That's the voice of Willy Aceituno asking an agent why he broke his pickup truck's window. The Honduran-born man who says he's a U.S. citizen later told CNN affiliate WCNC that he was getting breakfast before going to work when he was stopped twice by border patrol agents.

WILLY WENDER ACEITUNO MEDINA, U.S. CITIZEN WHO WAS DETAINED: He broke, opened door, and too hard to take out to me up, you know. And second, I go to the ground like this.

ROMO: In a statement to CNN, CBP said that Aceituno "acted increasingly erratic, escalated the situation, and refused to comply to lawful commands by officers."

Border patrol agents have been spotted around Charlotte over the weekend stopping people suspected of being in the country illegally and making arrests while traveling in vans and SUVs and covering their faces, as this video obtained by CNN shows.

In a post on X, top border patrol official Gregory Bovino said agents arrested 81 people in Charlotte on Saturday during a search of immigration enforcement the Department of Homeland Security has dubbed Operation Charlotte's Web. The arrests, Bovino said, took place during a span of about five hours, adding that those arrests that had "significant criminal immigration history and are off the streets."

[05:50:00]

The agents' presence in Charlotte has already prompted residents to take to the streets with the goal of sending two messages: Telling federal agents they're not welcome in their city and supporting immigrants.

JENNIFER ROBERTS, CHARLOTTE PROTESTER: I'm here to tell the immigrant community that I stand with them, along with thousands and thousands of others who know that they have been contributing to our community, to our culture, to our education, to our business community.

ROMO: The Trump administration has defended unprecedented federal enforcement operations in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago as necessary for fighting crime and enforcing immigration laws.

According to AH Datalytics, homicides, rapes, robberies, and motor vehicle thefts fell by more than 20 percent in Charlotte this year compared with the same time period in 2024.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

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ABEL: Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN on Sunday and apologized for her role in spreading toxic rhetoric. Take a listen.

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REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I would like to say humbly I'm sorry for taking part in the toxic politics. It's very bad for our country. And I've -- it's been something I've thought about a lot, especially since Charlie Kirk was assassinated is that we -- I'm only responsible for myself and my own words and actions. And I am going -- I am committed -- and I've been working on this a lot lately -- to put down the knives in politics. I really just want to see people be kind to one another.

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ABEL: Greene's change of heart comes amid a growing rift with Donald Trump that has spilled into public view. The U.S. president has attacked the Georgia Republican while Greene has criticized Republicans on a number of issues, including the party's handling of the government shutdown.

Historic preservationists are suing President Trump over his plans to paint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building -- the EEOB -- that sits next to the White House. The president has talked about painting the 19th century building white, but the lawsuit argues changes could result in irreversible damage to the building completed more than 130 years ago. Conservation groups say any changes made to the Gilded Age landmark must go through a review process.

The president has already paved over the Rose Garden at the White House and knocked down the East Wing to make room for a massive ballroom.

Record rainfall, flooded streets, and another storm on the way for waterlogged California. We'll bring you the latest forecast after the break.

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[05:57:00]

ABEL: In the face of record rainfall in Southern California, these kids in Long Beach jumped at the opportunity to have a bit of fun, spending the wet weekend kayaking down their flooded neighborhood streets.

Some California cities saw more rain in 48 hours than they usually get in the entire month of November. And unfortunately the wet weather isn't letting up just yet. California is bracing for yet another storm today.

Our meteorologist Allison Chinchar has the forecast.

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ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The last thing California needs is more rain, especially after record rainfall fell across the state over the weekend but unfortunately, we are going to start the week off with a new storm that's going to be sliding across the Golden State throughout the day today.

Here you can see early into the hours here the main focus is going to be northern and central California. But by Monday afternoon, and especially into Monday evening, we really start to see more of that rain funneling into Southern California -- places like Los Angeles and into San Diego.

We're still also going to see some pretty heavy snow up into the Sierras. Not out of the question to get an extra one to three feet at some of those highest elevations.

Because of all of the rain though, especially now that it's shifting a little bit farther south, the main focus of excessive rainfall on Monday is going to be across Southern California. Places like Fresno, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, even down to San Diego. Even Death Valley could end up seeing a significant amount of rain in the area throughout the day today.

Most of these locations are looking at an extra one to three inches. I know that may not sound like all that much but keep in mind it's the cumulative effect of all of the rain that they saw over the weekend. And now we're going to be adding rain on top of it, which could lead to not only the potential for flooding but also mudslides and debris flows, especially over burn scar locations where they had wildfires earlier this year.

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ABEL: Thank you.

In the NFL, two of the league's heavyweights in the NFC squared off on "SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL." The Lions, my team, taking on the Eagles in Philadelphia and this was a defensive battle. Each team scoring just a single touchdown on the night, including this tush push here by Philly quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Eagles added three field goals, winning this one 16-9 as they eye another possible Super Bowl run.

And over on the AFC a huge divisional matchup between the Broncos and Chiefs in Denver. This one, too, a defensive struggle. Denver's Jaleel McLaughlin broke a 6-6 tie in the third quarter with this four-yard touchdown run. Later, it was Bronco's kicker Wil Lutz providing the heroics -- a last-second field goal for a 22-19 Denver win, their eighth-straight victory.

The Chiefs fall to 5-5 and the third place in the AFC West.

Now some might say it's too soon, but thousands of people lined one of the most famous boulevards in the world all for a single moment when the Christmas lights were switched on along the Champs-Elysees. The dazzling display a reminder of why Paris is the City of Lights, especially at this time of year.

[06:00:07]

Other major cities, like London, have also turned on their holiday lights with only 38 shopping days left until Christmas. A beautiful sight.

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.