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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

U.S. Lawmakers To Launch Bipartisan 2n Strike Investigation; CNN: Tennessee Republican Van Epps Wins U.S. House Seat; Winter Storm Dumps Snow Across Northern States; No Compromise On Plan For Ukraine After Putin Talks; Israeli Parliament Expected To Vote On Gaza Peace Plan Today; Pope Leo ON U.S.-Venezuela Tensions, Middle East Peace. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired December 03, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:23]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all round the world. I'm Brian Abel. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

It is Wednesday, December 3rd, 5:00 a.m. here in Washington, D.C.

And straight ahead on EARLY START.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: There is a clear focus during the presidents ninth cabinet meeting on the growing scrutiny and concern over a double-tap strike.

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Prepare yourself. The winds will pick up the wind, chills will drop like a rock, and it's going to feel very winter like.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've lived in the Northeast, so we're used to this. This isn't anything out of the ordinary.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Fifty Cents' highly anticipated docuseries about Sean "Diddy" Combs is officially here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It really revealed the side that sometimes was the darkest parts of the prosecution's case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: We begin this hour with the controversy on Capitol Hill surrounding a secondary U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean in early September, the chair and vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee are scheduled to meet with Admiral Frank Bradley on Thursday. He is the head of U.S. Special Operations Command and the man the White House now says was responsible for ordering that double-tap strike.

Both President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continue to distance themselves from the incident on Tuesday, insisting they were not aware of the second strike order. Hegseth claims he left the room before it happened, but defended Bradley's combat decision.

But lawmakers are voicing their concern over what appears to be conflicting narratives around the incident and a potential war crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Ultimately, we are a country of laws, and when there are survivors clinging to the side of the boat, obligation is to rescue them.

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: I think the Trump administration and the peace through strength policies that they are employing around the world are making our country safer. And so, Secretary Hegseth is a part of that.

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): I don't have a lot of faith in Secretary Hegseth. And if there's no problem there, why not release the unedited video?

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Ultimately, Hegseth trying to shift the blame and make Admiral Bradley the fall guy ought to be reason to ask for his resignation or fire him. He should be gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: CNN's Alayna Treene is tracking all of these developments and brings us the latest from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: There is a clear focus on Tuesday during the president's ninth cabinet meeting, when a large majority of the questions that were asked were centered on the growing scrutiny and concern over the decision for there to be a double-tap strike, as they call it, on a boat traveling off the Venezuelan coast back in September.

Now, we heard from both the president and his Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, who was seated to the presidents left during that cabinet meeting trying to offer a defense of the strikes that were carried out.

But the president said that neither him nor Hegseth had actually knew that there was a second strike. We then heard Hegseth go again into a defense, particularly of Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley. He is the one that the White House and the Pentagon have repeatedly said was the person who actually directed that that second controversial strike be carried out.

But in a different breath, despite defending him, he also continued to point fingers at Bradley. Now, one of the key questions that was asked about was that the day after that September 2nd strikes, those two double-tap strikes on that boat were carried out, Hegseth had said that he had watched the whole thing. So, a reporter brought that question to Hegseth. Listen to his answer.

HEGSETH: I watched that first strike live. As you can imagine, at the Department of War, we got a lot of things to do. So I didn't stick around for the hour and two hours or whatever, where all the sensitive site exploitation digitally occurs. So, I moved on to my next meeting.

A couple of hours later, I learned that that commander had made the which he had the complete authority to do. And by the way, Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat.

TREENE: So Hegseth referred to the fog of war, but was really notable is that he said that he was not in the room to see that second strike take place. And the reason that is so significant is because the key concern that lawmakers have, you've heard some Democratic lawmakers argue that this could have amounted to a war crime. You've heard some Republicans say they need more information.

[05:05:00]

That is because the question is whether that the Trump administration, but specifically those who are watching this operation be carried out, if they had known that after the first strike, there were still two survivors. So, there were 11 people on board after that first strike, nine people were killed, and two people seem to be holding on to some of the ships wreckage. But then a second strike was ordered that took out and killed all 11 people who were on board.

And that is the question that many members of Congress are going to be posing to Admiral Bradley when he travels to Capitol Hill on Thursday for a briefing before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

Alayna Treene, CNN, at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Republicans are celebrating from Nashville, Tennessee, to Capitol Hill this morning. CNN projects Republican Matt Van Epps will defeat Democrat Aftyn Behn for the seventh district U.S. House seat. His nine-point margin of victory is much closer than a year ago, when Donald Trump scored a 22-point victory in the district.

Van Epps is a former Army helicopter pilot. He got strong endorsements from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP.-ELECT MATT VAN EPPS (R-TN): What a night, what a night. We did it. Thank you. Thank you all. This is just an incredible win. An incredible win.

Tonight, you've sent a message loud and clear. The people of middle Tennessee stand with President Donald J. Trump. And stood firmly behind our campaign. I am humbled beyond belief to stand before you tonight as your next representative.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: A fast-moving winter storm has dumped several inches of snow and freezing rain across parts of the U.S., creating havoc on some roadways. And more cold weather is on the way. There's this video here from West Virginia that shows cars stranded on the side of the road from the snow, drivers struggling to make it down the steep hill covered in icy slush. Elsewhere in West Virginia, a semi-truck driver lost control.

The cab skidded over the highway and dangled off the side of a bridge. Emergency crews, you see them working here, were able to rescue that driver. Meanwhile, New Jersey's governor declared a state of emergency in five different counties and is urging all residents to be careful while driving.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam has the latest forecast for the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, our latest snowstorm in our winter blitz that's impacted the eastern half of the country, has now departed. So generally, in its wake, it's left a lot of snow, at least away from the coastline, right? So, this is the scene on Tuesday from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

We know the northern interior of New England got hit the hardest with the heaviest snowfall. It was mainly a rain event across I-95 and the most populated parts of the eastern seaboard. But the people who got the snow certainly had their work cut out for them. Not only plowing the roads, but also trying to navigate the difficult and slippery conditions. This storm has been responsible for hundreds of weather- related car accidents, stretching from the central plains right through the Ohio River Valley and across the Northeast.

You can see where the snow is the deepest across Upstate New York into Vermont and New Hampshire. But right along the coastline, that I-95 corridor. Again, this was a cold rain. And so there's really just no snow to speak of there. But you don't have to go that far inland to start seeing the changeover and where the snow fell and where it will continue, because the other big story now down the line is the cold air that will lock in the snowfall on the ground. So we're going to cool off significantly behind this system. Another reinforcing shot of cold air will come in behind it and really keep our temperatures below where they should be this time of year.

So, prepare yourself. The winds will pick up the wind, chills will drop like a rock, and it's going to feel very winter like. Even though officially the winter season doesn't begin until the second half of December, right?

So, here are the forecast. Wind chills on Wednesday morning. We're talking below zero across the upper plains and into the upper Midwest. That's just incredible.

Single digits. Lower teens for the great lakes. It goes down from there as we advance this cold front Thursday into Friday, it is going to be downright chilly across this region, and eventually the east coast will feel the impacts of this reinforcing shot of cold air as well. You see the temperatures dropping significantly for Boston, New York, as well as the nation's capital staying well below average for Chicago, only a high of 22 degrees forecast on Thursday.

So, prepare and bundle up. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: All right. Derek, thank you.

Donald Trump's top negotiators have not closed a deal with Russia's president to end his so-called special military operation in Ukraine. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner, sat with Vladimir Putin in a meeting that lasted nearly five hours.

[05:10:04]

A top Kremlin aide says those talks were, quote, constructive and highly substantive. But there are other points that, quote, do not suit us.

Now, NATO foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels. Many member countries pledging more support for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and to put Kyiv in a stronger position for future peace negotiations.

For the latest on all of these talks, we go to CNN's Salma Abdelaziz live from London.

And, Salma, what more do we know?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, about five hours of talks. We have received positive comments from the kremlin, which says that there is, of course, no deal, no agreement reached, but that some parts of the deal could potentially be acceptable, but essentially that more work needs to be done.

Now, let me just remind our viewers why we're here. There was a 28- point peace plan put on the table by President Trump. Many critics saw that as essentially a concession to Russia. It included some of its maximalist goals, including Ukraine's ceding territory that it currently controls, including its surrendering parts of the country that it is currently fighting over. And it included Ukraine denouncing any ambitions to join NATO.

Now, throughout this process, European allies and Ukraine have, of course, raised the concern that President Donald Trump's plan simply speaks too much to Russia's needs and demands and leaves Ukraine in the dust. I want you to take a listen to what the NATO secretary general said, just as these talks were happening. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Russia missiles keep causing death and destruction, and winter is here. Ukraine needs our support more than ever. We all want the bloodshed to stop. And I strongly welcome President Trump's continued efforts to end this war.

Meanwhile, we must accelerating our contributions to PURL to get urgently needed equipment to Ukraine so that it can defend itself today and prevent aggression in the future

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now, after that 28-point peace plan was proposed by President Donald Trump. Of course, there were further negotiations with the Ukrainian delegation in Geneva, and after those negotiations, it seems that there were some revisions or some proposals made on the Ukrainian side, which Mr. Kushner and Mr. Witkoff carried back to the Kremlin.

Now, what was their response? What are these revisions? What concessions have been made? Will this continue back and forth? We won't know until we hear from both Ukraine and the United States. So, watch out for that.

ABEL: All right. Salma Abdelaziz for us in London -- Salma, thank you.

Ahead, the Trump administration zeroes in on Minnesota and Louisiana for federal immigration raids. How local leaders and residents are responding to the planned operations.

Plus, why the U.S. is pausing immigration applications from almost 20 countries.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:17:29]

ABEL: Minnesota's twin cities are bracing for new federal immigration raids targeting undocumented Somali immigrants. The planned operation comes as the White House ramps up attacks against the Somali community in Minneapolis and St. Paul, with President Trump and his allies citing an alleged $300 million fraud scandal.

The case centers around a nonprofit organization and a COVID program meant to provide meals to hungry children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Somalians ripped off that state for billions of dollars, billions every year, billions of dollars, and they contribute nothing. I don't want them in our country. I'll be honest with you, okay? Somebody would say, oh, that's not politically correct, I don't care. Their country stinks and we don't want them in our country. I can say that about other countries, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: The president went on to call Somali immigrants garbage, specifically referencing Somali-American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Minnesota's Democratic Governor Tim Walz called the federal operation a PR stunt that indiscriminately targets immigrants.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is also sending federal agents to Louisiana with plans to arrest 5,000 people there, according to a federal law enforcement official. The Louisiana operation is expected to begin this week and could span the whole state.

The mayor-elect of New Orleans says residents fear being separated from family and worry the federal raids are more about racially profiling than going after violent criminals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HELENA MORENO, MAYOR-ELECT OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: What they're seeing on TV and reports that they're seeing is not that Border Patrol is going after the most violent criminals. You know, it's not -- that's not what they're seeing. What they're seeing is what appears to be racial profiling of brown people. And then going after these individuals and treating them like they are these significantly violent offenders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: The U.S. is pausing immigration applications for people from 19 countries, what the Trump administration calls nations of concern. They include Afghanistan, Iran, Venezuela and Somalia. Immigration officials say requests from those countries will undergo a comprehensive review. People from those nations already can't travel to the U.S.

The homeland security secretary is now recommending that the administration expand that list. A source says Kristi Noem wants to add about a dozen more countries to the travel ban.

The immigration crackdown comes in the aftermath of the shooting of the two national guard members by an Afghan national in Washington last week. Twenty-nine-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal appeared virtually from the hospital bed in his first court appearance on Tuesday, and pleaded not guilty to all charges, including first degree murder and assault. He was ordered to be held without bond before trial.

Lakanwal came to the U.S. in 2021 after working with U.S. forces, including the CIA, in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was granted asylum earlier this year by the Trump administration.

Israel's parliament is due to vote on the U.S. brokered Gaza peace plan in the coming hours. We will have a live report from the region next.

Plus, Pope Leo weighs in on U.S.-Venezuela tensions and the fear of immigrants of different faiths. We'll have details after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:25:24]

ABEL: The Israeli parliament is expected to vote on whether it will accept and adopt the U.S.-brokered peace plan in Gaza. Today's crucial vote comes just hours after Israel said the latest remains handed over by Hamas are not those of the last two hostages in Gaza. The return of all hostages, living and deceased, is a key requirement of the first phase of the ceasefire deal that went into effect in October.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us live from Abu Dhabi with the very latest on the Gaza peace plan -- Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brian, there will be this vote in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, later this afternoon. And it is effectively being brought by the opposition leader, Yair Lapid. He is saying that it needs to be a bill that's passed to show support for this 20-point peace plan by the U.S. president, Donald Trump.

Of course, it could also be seen as an attempt to embarrass the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. And Lapid would like this to show support for the U.S. president. But we know that there are many within Netanyahu's coalition. In fact, including Netanyahu himself, who do not agree with all of the peace plan.

For example, one of the points pointing out that there should be a, quote, credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood. We've heard the Israeli prime minister say consistently that he does not want to see a Palestinian state being created. So that's one vote to look out for in the coming hours.

And also, there was a vote on Tuesday, which was significant. This was the U.N. general assembly, which passed a resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from the occupied Golan Heights.

Now, this is an area that Israel took over and seized in 1967 during the Six-Day War. It then annexed it in 1981, but it hasn't been internationally recognized as part of Israel, with the exception of the United States. With the U.S. president in his first term.

It is seen as occupied territory, and the U.N. General Assembly now saying that Israel should pass it back to Syria. Now, the Israeli ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, has rejected it, saying that the assembly is, quote, disconnected from reality and that they will not send this, they will not give this, this territory back. But that's certainly a very interesting vote that was carried out in the United Nations on Tuesday -- Brian.

ABEL: We'll see how Israel's parliament ends up voting.

Paula Hancocks for us in Abu Dhabi. Paula, thank you.

Pope Leo has returned to Rome after the first overseas trip of his papacy. The pontiff spent nearly a week in the Middle East, saying his visit to Turkey and Lebanon underlined that dialogue and friendship between Muslims and Christians is possible.

CNN's Christopher Lamb has more on the pope's remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well Pope Leo, for the first time, has shared his thoughts on what it was like to be elected pope in the conclave earlier this year.

Speaking on board the plane, taking him from Beirut to Rome, he said that when he realized that he was going to be elected, he took a deep breath, turned to God and said, you're in charge, you lead the way. Leo even joked that just a year or two earlier, he'd been thinking about retirement.

Now, Leo was speaking after his first international trip to Turkey and Lebanon, where he had focused on peace and building harmony between different faiths. Leo saying that he was considering further trips to Algeria, where he would continue to build relations with the Muslim world and to Latin America. Of course, Leo was a missionary in Peru for many years.

Leo also talking about tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela, urging against any kind of military incursion by the U.S. and saying that dialogue was the way to handle the problems.

He also said that Western countries needed to be less fearful of immigrants from different religions, he held up Lebanon as an example of where Christians and Muslims live together harmoniously. Leo said he's also struck by the faith of the young people in Lebanon, he said it was awe inspiring to see Leo clearly relishing and enjoying his first trip abroad.

Now, the pope is back in Rome. He's going to have some rest.