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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Consumer Confidence Falls Amid Labor Market Concerns; French Police: Four More Suspects Detained In Louvre Robbery; Viral VW Bus Gets Makeover After Surviving Palisades Fire. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired November 26, 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]
BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Tensions erupting on the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota as federal agents clashed and sprayed a crowd that was gathered to protest an ICE operation. Look at this. The Department of Homeland Security says a Honduran man in the country illegally was arrested and witnesses say he wasn't the only person taken into custody.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've seen them aggressively arrest at least four people since we've been standing here that were doing nothing but --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Standing here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- shouting too loud, maybe. So that's not a crime. It's -- I didn't think we'd see it in this neighborhood and as soon as we found out we rushed here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we were here holding a line, trying to support the family and the people inside the house. They told us move west, move west -- that was it -- and they indiscriminately starting tear gassing us earlier today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: Video also captured the crowd in St. Paul pushing back federal agents. You see that here.
Tuesday's operation is the second one in the Minnesota state capital in less than a week.
And we are now learning Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made the decision to keep deportation flights headed to El Salvador back in March despite a judge's order to turn the planes around. That acknowledgement from the Justice Department came in a new court filing as the judge resumes his criminal contempt inquiry to determine which Trump administration officials were responsible for ignoring his orders.
Noem's decision led to migrants spending months in a notorious mega prison where human rights groups have claimed the detainees were subjected to abuse.
Affordable health care has become a key political issue in the U.S. ahead of midterm elections. After saying he doesn't want to extend health care subsidies, President Donald Trump is now conceding an extension may be necessary. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Are you planning to extend those subsidies? Those --
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'd rather not. Somebody said I want to extend them for two years. I don't want to extend them for two years. I'd rather not extend them at all. It may be some kind of an extension may be necessary to get something else done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: President Trump has vowed to deliver a better alternative to the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies relied on by nearly 22 million people.
Sources say the White House postponed its rollout of a new proposal to address health care costs amid harsh blowback from an array of Republican lawmakers.
The man charged in a deadly shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic a decade ago is now dead. The Federal Bureau of Prisons say Robert Dear died of natural causes at age 67 while in federal custody. Prosecutors say he blasted his way through the door of the clinic with several guns, propane tanks, and 500 rounds of ammunition. Three people were killed; nine others injured. Dear's prosecution had been stalled because he was repeatedly deemed incompetent to stand trial.
New economic data is painting a picture of how the U.S. economy is doing as we head into the busy holiday shopping season. That's just ahead.
And later, President Trump pardons not one but two turkeys in the annual ceremony. Meet the birds who escaped becoming the main course at Thanksgiving dinner.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:37:50]
ABEL: Welcome back to EARLY START. This is your business breakout.
Let's take a look at where U.S. futures stand ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street. Analysts say weaker than expected data on the U.S. economy has investors thinking the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next month and that is pushing stocks higher, all starting the day in the green.
All right, let's check on some of today's business headlines now. Computer maker HP is planning to cut up to 6,000 jobs globally by fiscal year 2028. The company says it's part of a plan to streamline operations and adopt artificial intelligence. HP is hoping the cuts will create more than $1 billion in savings over the next three years.
President Trump has signed an executive order to bolster artificial intelligence research. The new Genesis Mission is designed to allow data sharing between government agencies, tech companies, and academic researchers. The aim is to use AI to bolster research in health, energy, manufacturing, and other fields.
The original agreement that created the Apple computer company is going up for auction in January. Founder Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ron Wayne signed the three-page document on April 1, 1976. Christie's is auctioning it off early next year and estimates the agreement, along with a second document, could fetch up to $4 million.
Well, the mood surrounding the U.S. economy seems to be souring amid growing concerns about the labor market and a new survey finds consumer confidence has plunged this month to its lowest level since April.
CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich breaks down the latest data.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: We have really been hungry for economic data, and we got three new pieces, although two of them are backwards looking.
Let's take a look at producer prices right here. This is -- these are the prices or price increases that producers have been experiencing. Up 0.3 percent in the month of September, up 2.7 percent annually. That is moving farther away from that two percent inflation target that we normally like to see.
[05:40:00]
One category that's a little bit obscure but one that we're paying very close attention to is final demand trade services. It essentially shows the margins that businesses are experiencing -- whether they're shrinking or they're growing. So in the month of September we saw that these margins shrunk by 0.2 percent. That's similar to what we saw in the month of August. That signals that businesses are taking home less profit and they're absorbing more of these price increases and not passing them down to consumers.
Speaking of consumers, retail sales up 0.2 percent -- again, backwards looking in the month of September. It's a bit of a slowdown though from the summer when we saw pretty robust spending here.
Also just going back a quick second if we could and do a little math. If you subtract consumer price increases in the month of September, which were up 0.3 percent but we're subtracting that from retail sales, you actually get a decline in retail sales of 0.1 percent for the month of September. So consumer confidence also came out in November, but this is very
recent -- not the September backwards-looking data we just spoke about. Lowest level since April. People are concerned about a few categories: tariffs and trade. Also, prices and inflation, which we just talked about. Yet, consumers say that they're still planning to spend discretionarily on restaurants, at bars, and they're still going to do takeout. And discretionary spending is usually where people cut back first, so it's a positive sign that they're still willing to spend.
So what you see is a bit of mixed picture. You see confidence shaken, but you also see some resiliency in the U.S. consumer, which is what we've seen for months now. How that all comes together for the holiday season is anyone's guess but a clear picture that the consumer is willing to spend a little bit but being a little more cautious.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: Vanessa Yurkevich, thank you.
Up next, double the suspects. Authorities are questioning more people in the Louvre jewelry heist.
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[05:46:30]
ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Here are some stories we are watching today.
Authorities in Hong Kong say at least four people have been killed in a high-rise fire at a massive housing complex. Several people are believed to be trapped inside. Some firefighters have also suffered injuries. The fire is still burning, and authorities have declared it the second-highest level of severity.
President Donald Trump says he is sending his special envoy to Moscow for talks on the Ukraine peace plan. Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin while Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll is expected to meet with the Ukrainians. Trump says there are only a few remaining points of disagreement between Ukraine and Russia on the deal.
States across the eastern U.S. are preparing for a drop in temperatures as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. A cold front moving east is causing thunderstorms and snowstorms with millions of people under winter storm and blizzard warnings. Not the right time for that.
The U.S. president used his pardon powers to spare two turkeys from becoming Thanksgiving dinner this week, but the event experienced some interruptions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: Today we continue a time-honored American tradition.
WADDLE AND GOBBLE, PARDONED TURKEYS: (Gobbling).
(Laughter)
TRUMP: Boy, that's a well-trained turkey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: Right on time.
Gobble and Waddle received the honor this year. The annual pardon ceremony featured a few political jokes as well with Donald Trump taking jabs at former President Joe Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He used an autopen last year for the turkeys' pardon. So I have the official duty to determine, and I have determined that last year's turkey pardons are totally invalid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: Now this year's turkeys hail from North Carolina and were only hatched in July. And Gobble actually won the competition hosted by the first lady's office to appear at the ceremony, but Waddle was ultimately given a pardon as well.
Pope Leo is encouraging gratitude ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE LEO XIV: I would encourage all people especially with this beautiful feast that we have in the United States, which unites all people, people of different faiths, people who perhaps do not have the gift of faith, but to say thank you to someone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: His comments come as he prepares for his first trip abroad as pontiff. The pope is set to kick off his travels on Thanksgiving Day, visiting Turkey and then Lebanon. He is expected to call for peace in the region.
French authorities have detained another four people they say were involved in that shocking jewelry heist at the Louvre last month.
As CNN's Max Foster reports, these new suspects join four others already in custody.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It was the heist of the century, the theft in broad daylight of France's crown jewels. Now more than five weeks since the audacious robbery of the Louvre Museum in Paris, four more suspects have been detained, French authorities announced on Tuesday without releasing further details about possible charges.
The new suspects, two men, age 38 and 39, and two women, 31 and 40, all from the Paris region. They were detained by police as part of the investigation into the heist and are now to be questioned by investigators, the Paris prosecutor said on Tuesday.
[05:50:00]
CNN affiliate BFM TV reported that one of the suspects is the alleged fourth member of the gang that carried out the heist. Authorities say that four suspects stole more than $100 million worth of jewels in just seven minutes. But they left many clues behind. Not just the equipment they used to get in, like this angle grinder, and the truck witnesses say they tried but failed to burn as they fled. But also a glove, a helmet, and one of the scooters they used to make their escape.
With more than 150 DNA traces left at the scene of the crime a match was soon established. But whilst investigators now believe they know more about the suspected thieves who they say were known for targeting jewelry stores, questions remain about who might have masterminded the operation.
And still at large the jewels that were stolen. The tiaras, necklaces, earrings, and brooches of the royalty of 19th century France.
Max Foster, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: Femicide, the killing of a woman or girl, has official become part of Italy's criminal law. Those found guilty will now face stronger measures, including life in prison, after Italy's Parliament approved the legislation on Tuesday. It also cracks down on gender- based crimes like stalking and revenge porn. This comes after a string of killings in Italy, including the 2023 murder of university student Giulia Cecchettin.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni applauded the progress but added, "We must continue to do much more every day."
When we come back an incredible update on one of the sole structures to survive the devastating L.A. wildfires earlier this year. Stay with us.
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[05:56:15]
ABEL: A viral moment becomes a symbol of hope. This vintage Volkswagen bus -- you see it here in blue -- was spared from the L.A. fires even as the rest of the neighborhood around it was decimated. The bus has since undergone a full remodel and is getting some newfound love and national attention.
CNN's Nick Watt reports from Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): So many people saw hope in this picture. The little blue miracle, a 1977 VW microbus among the grays and blacks of destruction and despair.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR, "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT": This went through the fire. You see the burnt headlight.
WATT (voiceover): "OUTFRONT" was on the case. This was back in January. Find the bus and --
BURNETT: So we wanted to know who owned it to get the story here and we found them.
MEGAN WEINRAUB, OWNER OF VW BUS: Wow, it is magic.
WATT (voiceover): Current owner Megan Weinraub, Malibu surfer.
WEINRAUB: I'm speechless to see all the houses burned and I can't believe that Azul, the bus -- that's what we named it -- survived. Like, it's -- I'm just in shock.
WATT (voiceover): Now more shock -- good shock. The magic bus has had a makeover and now reunited with her owner.
WEINRAUB: She's beautiful.
WATT (voiceover): How did this happen? Well, Volkswagen folks also saw that viral pic of the little singed survivor and they asked if they could help, picked Azul up, and got to work.
GUNNAR WYNARSKI, VEHICLE TECHNICIAN, VOLKSWAGEN: We found the car with the busted rear windows. We had ashes inside. We had embers inside and nothing combusted. And we drained 11 gallons of fuel out of the car. Why didn't it burn? I don't know.
WATT (voiceover): They worked on Azul for 2,000 hours to bring a bus back to life. Every part was restored. That eye-catching blue paint had to be custom mixed.
But what about the Palisades then, now? Nearly 7,000 structures destroyed. So far, only one home has been completely rebuilt. A certificate of occupancy was issued just last week.
Azul is now back, charm intact and even better than before. Can we hope for the same for the Palisades?
WATT: Azul is now on display at the L.A. Auto Show. It's been interesting hearing what people say when they come up. A lot of people still obsessed with just how Azul survived. An act of God? Who knows?
Anyway, also the detail people have. One guy said, "Oh yeah, I remember. That was the light that was busted."
They have done a job on this. I was just told that one part for the engine they found had been sitting in a warehouse for 40 years in France and they shipped that in and put it in Azul.
So Azul was a symbol of survival. Now people say to me Azul is a symbol that you can rebuild, you can restore, you can come back.
Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: After more than two months on the sidelines Joe Burrow is back. The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback confirmed he will start Thanksgiving night against the Baltimore Ravens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BURROW, QUARTERBACK, CINCINNATI BENGALS: I'm not going to ever go to somebody and say yeah, I'm healthy but, you know, I don't think -- I don't think I should go out there and play. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I'm not going to live my life and play this game scared of something happening. Like, yeah, something's going to happen. It's football.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: Burrow was injured in the season opener against Jacksonville and had surgery on his toe. Since then the Bengals are 1-8 with Jake Browning and Joe Flacco at quarterback. They need all the help they can get with Burrow being back.
[06:00:00]
L.A. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani says he will shut up -- suit up, rather, for Japan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. The announcement comes on the heels of his fourth Major League Baseball MVP Award and his second-straight World Series title. Ohtani will be looking to repeat history after helping his home country win the WBC Championship game against the U.S. in 2023. Next year's tournament is scheduled to start March 5.
Thank you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.
