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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

U.S. House Set To Vote On Epstein Files; Trump To Welcome Saudi Crown Prince; U.N. Approves U.S.-Backed Plan For Gaza. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired November 18, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:24]

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.

It is Tuesday, November 18th, 5:00 a.m. here in Washington, D.C.

And straight ahead on EARLY START.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN HOST: The House of Representatives will finally vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's really a Democrat problem. The Democrats were Epstein's friends. They've been a great ally.

MICHAELSON: The White House prepares to welcome the Saudi crown prince.

MICHAEL WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Today's resolution represents another significant step towards a stable Gaza.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The core of all of this was really about keeping the ceasefire going in Gaza.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

ABEL: After weeks of delay because of the government shutdown and repeated attempts by President Trump to downplay the issue, the House of Representatives will finally vote on a bill today to force the Justice Department to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. The measure is expected to get broad support from Republicans after a complete 180 by President Trump, who now says he will sign the measure if it lands on his desk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: So, I'm for any -- I don't -- they can do whatever they want. You would sign, give them everything. Sure, I would. Let the -- let the Senate look at it, let anybody look at it. But don't talk about it too much because honestly, I don't want to take it away from us.

It's really a Democrat problem. The Democrats were Epstein's friends, all of them. And its a hoax. The whole thing is a hoax.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: A White House official tells CNN. Trump has not directed the Justice Department to stand in the way of turning over any of the files to Congress, but Trump has asked the DOJ to open a criminal investigation into various high profile figures connected to Epstein, most of them Democrats, which might have kept the department from turning over the files.

Meanwhile, Epstein's accusers have released a new video calling for the release of all of the files.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was 14 years old.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was 16 years old.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was 16.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seventeen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fourteen years old.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I met Jeffrey Epstein.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is me when I met Jeffrey Epstein.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's time to bring the secrets out of the shadows. It's time to shine a light into the darkness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: We have more now from CNN's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju on Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After months of trying to kill this bipartisan bill to release all of the Jeffrey Epstein case files, finally, this issue coming to the House floor and a big reversal, it's expected to be approved by a wide bipartisan majority, significant, overwhelming majority, maybe even north of 400 votes in the United States House. This after President Trump himself flip flopped on this bill. He had for months been trying to kill it, saying that this is a hoax and criticizing many of the people who are supporting this plan.

But late Sunday night, he made a big change. He said he was going to support this bill. Now urging Republicans to vote for it. Why? Because a trove of Republicans are indicating they were planning to vote yes, and very likely could have gotten to a veto proof majority in the United States House.

So, Trump ultimately decided to capitulate of sorts, backing the Republicans in the House and agreeing on them moving forward. I asked one of the chief sponsors about Trump's reversal, what it means, and whether he believes Trump will ultimately release these files or will try to block him.

REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): Well, the speaker, the attorney general, the FBI director, the president and the vice president could have saved us all this time. And embarrassment, frankly, for our own party, if they'd just done the right thing four months ago.

RAJU: You think they will try to block it?

MASSIE: Well, they will, I'm afraid they're going to try to use a provision of the law that allows you not to release these materials if they're the subject of an ongoing investigation and would harm the release of which would harm the ongoing.

RAJU: What do you think this is all just a personal nature of this? I mean, again, he goes after you, your wife, calls Marjorie Taylor Greene a traitor.

MASSIE: To be clear, he went after my late wife and my current wife.

RAJU: What do you think about that?

MASSIE: I think it's a new low for him. But again, we laughed it off. It's more to his detriment than mine that he, you know, put something like that out. But I think it was beyond the pale.

RAJU: Now, the big question after this house vote, what will the Senate do? Because the Republican leader there, John Thune, has previously thrown cold water on moving ahead, saying he didn't see a reason why they should actually take up this bill.

[05:05:08]

But now that the president has changed course and the House is expected to approve this on a huge vote, that's going to put huge pressure on the Senate also to figure out what to do here. And then if it gets passed by the Senate, Trump, if he signs it into law, will he actually release the case files? You heard what Thomas Massie said there. His concern is that the Trump administration may cite an ongoing investigation and not release additional documents. That's going to be a fight for a later day. But at the moment, this effort to push this bill through after weeks and months of battling resistance from Trump, resistance from Speaker Mike Johnson ultimately getting over the finish line in the House, the first hurdle passed in this push to release all of the case files involving Jeffrey Epstein, the sex offender.

Manu Raju CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: In the coming hours, the White House will welcome the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, ahead of their meeting, president Trump announced that he plans to sell F-35 fighter jets to the Gulf country. Experts say the move could disrupt the current balance of military might in the Middle East, with Israel worried about maintaining its aerial superiority.

On Monday, President Trump told reporters Saudi Arabia is a great ally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: No, I am planning on doing that. They want to buy. They've been a great ally. They've got to like us very much.

Look at the Iran situation, what we did in terms of obliterating, you know, their -- we obliterated their nuclear capability. Yeah. I will say that we will be doing that. We'll be selling F-35s. Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: And you may remember, MBS is accused of ordering the killing of a journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.

CNN spoke with the widow of Jamal Khashoggi, ahead of the crown prince's U.S. visit. In her conversation with my colleague Jim Sciutto, Hanan Khashoggi says she hopes the U.S. will uphold its role as a leader for human rights, and she wishes her husband could have had the chance to share his ideas for Saudi Arabia with the crown prince before the journalist was killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANAN ELATR KHASHOGGI, WIDOW OF JAMAL KHASHOGGI: It is very painful for me. It's very painful for me. It will be better if Jamal was here and receiving the crown prince by himself, and meet with him and share with him his vision and mission and all of his idea, because this what Jamal wished in the last visit of crown prince in the beginning of 2018, Jamal actually was waiting for an invitation from the crown prince and wished to have the space to be heard by the crown prince because only he have a good idea for his country.

I hope they look at the American value for a human rights and democratic besides the economic ties and selling weapon or any kind of deal. It has to be -- also, there is something missing there which is looking for the real justice and applying the human rights and the value of the U.S. We look at U.S. like the leader of this great values.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: The United Nations is giving the green light to President Trump's 20-point plan that aims to implement a more sustainable peace in Gaza. On Monday, the U.N. Security Council passed the U.S.-backed resolution that includes the establishment of a board of peace as a transitional authority.

Let's bring in CNN's Nic Robertson now, joining us live from Jerusalem.

And what will this board of peace be doing specifically, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, it'll be doing it for a period that's expected to be two years. It will be under President Trump's leadership, but will have a senior international figure once mooted to be the former British prime minister, Tony Blair. Not clear if he's still in line for that job, and it's going to have a massive role because it's going to oversee the international stabilization, the security force that's going to go into Gaza. And one of their roles, it appears, will be the demilitarization of Gaza. It will oversee the training and implementation of a Palestinian police force inside of Gaza, their specific remit and what weapons they'll carry, if any, what their role will be, the police.

All of that is unclear at the moment and how the international stabilization force interacts with the police, all of that is unclear. They will also the border police also have a role, it appears, in overseeing the transformation, the changes in the Palestinian Authority that are going to be required for the sort of opening of a way for a dialogue about the possibility of a Palestinian state, which is contentious for the Israeli prime minister. But it's also contentious for Hamas. Hamas feels that this resolution doesn't go far enough.

[05:10:03]

And on the issue of the board of peace and its role, I think this is where we see the biggest differences and the potential. Even though the resolution has passed, for it to sort of fall down at an implementation level, Hamas is saying this board of peace is an international oversight body over us. Its role in trying to enforce demilitarization is wrong, that they should just be simply peacekeepers under a un mandate and should see oversee the retreat and removal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, whereas Israel, and we heard this yesterday from the Israeli ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon. We heard it from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu as well, really putting the emphasis here not on the parts of the resolution they object to a pathway to a Palestinian state. Implication. But they put the pressure, if you will, and the expectation on that board of peace to bring about Hamas's demilitarization.

So, on the one hand, Israel saying border peace, demilitarize Hamas. Hamas, on the other hand, is saying, no, that's not going to happen. So there's still huge gaps in all of this. ABEL: Yeah. Nic Robertson showing us that divide still so much to be

decided in Gaza. Nic Robertson in Jerusalem for us. Thank you.

Fear and resentment spread as federal agents are sent into Charlotte, North Carolina. The details when we come back.

Plus, a window for diplomacy is opening up amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela. We'll have the latest reactions from Presidents Donald Trump and Nicolas Maduro.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:16:18]

ABEL: The mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, says federal immigration agents are there now and will be conducting operations today. A source says it's likely to be a smaller operation than in Charlotte, where they've encountered protests and resistance amid an immigration crackdown. The Trump administration says they're doing a good job, but local officials and residents say violent tactics are spreading fear and resentment.

CNN's Dianne Gallagher has more from Charlotte.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWD: ICE out of Charlotte now!

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Protests in Charlotte as tensions escalate in North Carolina's largest city. At least 130 people arrested so far by Border Patrol agents and Homeland Security's latest immigration crackdown, dubbed Charlotte's Web.

Video obtained by CNN shows Gregory Bovino, Trump's top border official who also recently spearheaded a controversial operation in Chicago with other federal agents as they detained an individual outside a grocery story.

Over the weekend, federal agents smashed a car window and briefly detained a man who says he's been an American citizen for six years and showed officers he had a real ID. He was later released.

In a statement, DHS said, "During an enforcement operation in Charlotte, this individual became erratic, refused lawful commands and had to be removed from his vehicle. DHS law enforcement followed their training to remove him."

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Some local officials, still in the dark, say they don't feel safe.

JD MAZUERA ARIAS, CHARLOTTE CITY COUNCIL-ELECT: I went through the right process. I became a legal U.S. citizen, and even I cannot feel safe, especially after seeing the footage of a U.S. citizen being detained.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Homeland Security releasing this wild video, claiming the driver of a white van, a U.S. citizen, tried to ram into law enforcement, quote, "While they were conducting an operation on Sunday." After a high-speed chase, the driver was eventually arrested. DHS says firearms were found inside the vehicle and one officer was injured in the incident.

VIC MARTINEZ, CHARLOTTE RESIDENT: They got masks on. Come on. I mean, you're not going into a war zone.

GOV. JOSH STEIN (D), NORTH CAROLINA: Everyone wants to be safe in their communities, but the actions of too many federal agents are doing the exact opposite. In charlotte, we've seen masked, heavily armed agents and paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Though police data shows a 20 percent drop in violent crime, Charlotte was thrust into the national spotlight a few months back after 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was stabbed to death on the city's light rail train. The man charged in her killing is a U.S. citizen.

MANUEL "MANOLO" BETANCUR, OWNER, MANOLO'S BAKERY: I decided not to risk my customers, not to risk my employees, and not risk myself or my family.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Many businesses have closed up shop like this popular Colombian bakery, which shut its doors for only the second time in 28 years after federal agents were seen chasing down community members.

BETANCUR: It's still risky and I don't want to carry my shoulders. The heaviness of maybe a kid to lose their father or their mother because they were on their way to the bakery.

GALLAGHER (voice-over): Dianne Gallagher, CNN, Charlotte.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: The U.S. and Venezuela are signaling they are open to dialogue as a potential conflict in the Caribbean looms over both countries. President Trump has said he will be talking directly to President Nicolas Maduro at a certain time. The Venezuelan leader responded on Monday, saying any talks should be face to face. He also confirmed he sent a letter to President Trump requesting a dialogue with the U.S. back in September.

We get more now from CNN's Stefano Pozzebon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro revealed that he had written a letter to the U.S. President Donald Trump as early as the beginning of September, and that that letter was delivered to the White House on September 6, almost nine weeks ago, he said in his weekly TV show here in Caracas.

[05:20:18] The letter had been rumored and reported on in the past, but it's the first time that the Venezuelan government confirmed its existence at such a high level. And this revelation comes less than 24 hours after the president of the United States, Trump, announced that he was ready to open discussions with Maduro. And on Monday, he even said that he would be open to speak with Maduro directly.

In his weekly TV show, Maduro had once again words that appeased Trump and called on his deal-making ability and suggested that he would be open to finding a deal.

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): War? No. Never, ever war. Those who wish to engage in dialogue will always find among us people of their word, decent people, and people with the experience to lead Venezuela.

POZZEBON: At the same time, the White House accuses Maduro of being the leader of a narco-trafficking cartel called the Cartel de los Soles. And on Monday, Trump reiterated his intention to declare the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization. Maduro has, of course, denied his involvement in drug trafficking, but analysts believe that behind this designation could be paving the way to more forceful actions in Venezuela from the United States military.

I think that in the last few hours, the United States has resorted to a tried and tested tactic when it comes to Venezuela, which is the carrot of opening the door to a diplomatic solution with direct talks between the White House and the Miraflores presidential palace here in Caracas, but also envisioning what the alternative would be, a much more forceful and perhaps military direct action here in Venezuela.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Meanwhile, President Trump seems willing to ramp up tensions with other Latin American countries.

He's not ruling out strikes on drug facilities in Mexico and Colombia if he thinks that's necessary. Just last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would not send troops into Mexico, but would potentially provide them support if they requested it. Now, Trump is sending a much more aggressive message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? It's okay with me. Whatever we have to do to stop drugs, Colombia has cocaine factories where they make cocaine. Would I knock out those factories? I would be proud to do it. Personally, I didn't say I'm doing it, but I would be proud to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: A Harvard professor and former cabinet secretary is under fire for his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. How Larry Summers is responding to the criticism.

And a judge flags what he says is a disturbing pattern in the case against former FBI Director James Comey. Why the indictment could be on shaky ground. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:27:52]

ABEL: Welcome back to EARLY START, live from Washington. I'm Brian Abel.

The House of Representatives will vote today on a bill requiring the Justice Department to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. It is expected to pass with broad Republican support after President Trump reversed his stance over the weekend. Trump now says he will sign the measure if it lands on his desk.

Epstein was convicted of two prostitution charges in 2008. In 2019, he was charged with sex trafficking of minors and died by suicide while awaiting trial in prison.

CNN's Elex Michaelson spoke earlier with Epstein accuser Alicia Arden and her attorney Gloria Allred, who represents numerous Epstein survivors. He asked them why they want the files released and what they hope comes from it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALICIA ARDEN, EPSTEIN ACCUSER: I've always wanted the truth, and I have always said that the time when I did file the police report, if it would have been more investigated, I feel that I could have saved the victims from going through what they went through. So now, I want the files to be released because I think we all need saving. And it's the truth that that has to come out. It's been going on too long.

Everyone should be investigated, whether its Democrat or Republican. Like Reid, Summers, the Clintons and all of Morgan Stanley. Everyone should be investigated. It doesn't matter what side you're on. Everyone should be investigated. How they knew Jeffrey Epstein and why did they go? And if they went to travel with him and what were -- how were they friends with him.

GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY FOR EPSTEIN ACCUSER: And did any of them enable or assist or conspire with Jeffrey Epstein and/or Ms. Maxwell to sexually abuse young girls, sex trafficking them and so forth? These are very important questions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is taking aim at one of the men with ties to Epstein. She says Harvard University should sever ties with Professor Larry Summers. Recently released emails show years of correspondence between Summers and Epstein, including Summers making sexist comments. Summers says he plans to step back from public appearances but

continue teaching at Harvard. He goes on to say, quote, "I am deeply ashamed of my actions."