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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Storm In Gaza Region Sparks Fear Of Widespread Flooding; New Film Examines Rise And Fall Of Fitness Icon Susan Powter; Police Investigate Rep. Nancy Mace For Airport "Spectacle." Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired December 10, 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: An Israeli security official says the government will reopen a border crossing with Jordan to allow goods and aid in. The Allenby crossing is considered a major route for bringing food, tents, and other goods destined for Gaza. It's been closed to shipments since September when an aid truck driver killed two Israeli military personnel. Israel says it has tightened screening for drivers and truck cargo. And the crossing is also the only gateway for more than three million Palestinians in the West Bank to reach Jordan and other places.
CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us live from Abu Dhabi with all the latest on Israel and Gaza. And Paula, there's also some fears within the enclave of a passing storm. What can you tell us there?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Brian. This is Storm Byron. It has been passing through Greece and Cypress. It's caused damage and misery in those places. And we know that it will be hitting the Gaza Strip as well as Israel and the West Bank and other close areas.
But, of course, those in Gaza who are living in tents -- we're talking about hundreds of thousands of people here -- are particularly vulnerable to any flooding. There is expected to be significant rain attached to this particular storm.
Now we've been hearing worries from the United Nations -- from OCHA -- saying that about 850,000 people are currently sheltering in about 750 different displacement sites. These are tents. They are tarpaulins over to belongings and the sleeping areas of the displaced so certainly, they cannot withstand this kind of onslaught of rain.
And the concern is as well from the U.N. and from officials is that most of the wastewater networks have been either destroyed or significantly damaged by Israel during the two-year war. And so there are significant fears of this rain mixing with the wastewater and pushing that into living areas. And, of course, waterborne diseases would be the concern immediately after that.
Now we have heard from the U.N. that they believe about 1.3 million Palestinians need urgent shelter for winter, which is upon us already and in Gaza with this storm coming, but a fraction of those tents have been allowed into Gaza at this point. We're also hearing from UNICEF about malnutrition among children. They said that in October 9,300 children were treated for malnutrition. That is down from a high of 14,000 in August. And there is significantly more food being allowed into the Gaza Strip.
We did hear from the spokesperson of UNICEF, Tess Ingram, saying, "It's still a shockingly high number," pointing out that it is not coming down quickly enough -- this -- the numbers of malnourished children in the Gaza Strip. Pointing out that there are still significant concerns about getting aid into the Gaza Strip. She talked about delays and denials at crossings, route closures, and, of course, the ongoing security challenges within the Gaza Strip -- Brian.
ABEL: Yeah, supplies certainly not yet meeting the demands in the enclave.
Paula Hancocks for us in Abu Dhabi. Paula, thank you.
After much speculation, Venezuelan opposition leader and this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado, will not be attending the Nobel ceremony. Machado is in hiding because of security concerns. Venezuelan authorities have warned that traveling to Norway for the awards could make the opposition leader a fugitive.
CNN's Pau Mosquera is in Oslo with the latest for us. Pau, what can you tell us?
PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Brian.
Well, the latest we know is that Maria Corina will finally not attend the ceremony that will start here at 7:00 a.m. Eastern time. Her team just confirmed a few minutes ago saying that she will not be able to get in time, but they expect her to get here for the rest of the events that will happen through the day.
And we are talking about Brian, for example, the torch march that will happen in the afternoon. That is a march that has been organized since middle-century in the 20th century to commemorate the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. And after that the dinner that is offered by the Norwegian authorities.
So being that she won't be able to attend the ceremony, it will be her daughter, Ana Corina, the one to receive the award. So the situation will be the same as we have seen in previous occasions that every time that an institution has recognized her work -- for example, the European Parliament in 2024 -- Ana Corina was the one to get on stage and read the statement in the name of her mother.
Here, right now, the expectation as you can imagine, Brian, is very high because during this last 24 -- 84 hours, most of the journalists that we have come and traveled here to cover this very important moment, we've been continuously asking the Nobel Institute -- Machado familiars that are already in the hotel -- if she would made it. Now the attention is whether she will be able to get here in the afternoon or not, Brian.
[05:35:10]
ABEL: All right. Pau Mosquera for us in Oslo where it looks like there's a lot of excitement around you. At least it sounds that way as well. Pau, thank you.
Still to come, a look at a new documentary on the life of fitness and wellness guru Susan Powter and what's shaping up to be her long overdue comeback.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:40:10]
ABEL: Welcome back to EARLY START. This is your business breakout.
We are keeping an eye on U.S. stock futures ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street. And right now, all three indices are starting the day down in the red.
Let's check some of today's business headlines now.
The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates again when it wraps up its December meeting this week. Most analysts are predicting a quarter-point cut, but the central bank remains divided over whether it should prioritize support for the slowing job market or controlling inflation.
French lawmakers have narrowly approved a new Social Security budget facing a fragile minority government. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu included a pause on the pension reform in the bill, delaying it until 2027 to secure enough votes and keep his government in place. President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular plan introduced two years ago raises the retirement age from 62 to 64.
Author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated just over $7 billion to nonprofits this past year. In an essay on her website she wrote that any dollar amount is only a fraction of the care being shared in communities. Scott, formerly married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has a net worth of about $33 billion, according to Forbes. She has now donated more than $26 billion since 2019.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN POWTER, EXERCISE AND FITNESS GURU: People don't know I don't see one penny. Where's it going? You are walking back from having spent the whole day in a welfare office and you're walking back to the welfare weekly that you live in.
JAMIE LEE CURTIS, ACTRESS, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "STOP THE INSANITY: FINDING SUSAN POWTER": How much of the downfall is someone's responsibility and how much is it bad actors?
POWTER: I never said show me the damn bank balance. I should have.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ABEL: That was a clip from the documentary "STOP THE INSANITY: FINDING SUSAN POWTER." The film produced by Academy Award winner Jamie Lee Curtis, that you saw in the clip, follows the rise and fall of the '90s pop culture icon. The documentary just came out on streaming platforms.
CNN's Elex Michaelson spoke to Powter about walking away from the empire she built and what the future holds.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POWTER: I literally fired everyone in one paragraph because I found out the truth about how things were being managed. In the '90s, it was a different time, different game. You know, huge corporations -- Time Warner, Simon & Schuster, managers, lawyers, the whole thing. I did not ask questions that I should have asked. I was working -- I was working like a racehorse, to be honest with you.
And the bottom line is I left. I just left. I had another baby that nobody knows about -- my 27-year-old son. And America grew up with the first two sons and they don't know. And I just left. And I went back to my roots. I started teaching aerobics. I taught cooking classes.
But then things changed. I didn't go from Hollywood to Harbor Island. Things change when you're 60, 62. People don't hire -- they don't -- insurance. That's when it gets frightening. And that's -- the movie is about what is happening to millions of people. It happened to me but it's happening to millions of people.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Currently you've been working as an Uber Eats driver, right?
POWTER: I'll deliver -- I delivered food two days ago.
MICHAELSON: Yeah, right.
POWTER: No, I do, and I'm proud to.
MICHAELSON: Right.
POWTER: I've never stopped working.
MICHAELSON: Right.
POWTER: I'm proud. The privacy -- a lot of people understand I've died a million deaths behind the wheel of that car. You know, it hasn't been easy, but I've always paid my bills and my -- you know, whatever. I do what I need to do. But it's kind of ironic because guess who's delivery your food, kids?
MICHAELSON: Right.
POWTER: I know quite a bit about it. So --
MICHAELSON: Right.
POWTER: -- you know, it's kind of --
MICHAELSON: Right.
POWTER: -- like wow, you know.
MICHAELSON: Right. And so -- but now you have this -- because of this potentially a new choice and a chance.
POWTER: Well, I have a book. I have a movie. I have a book. I have speaking engagements.
MICHAELSON: Yeah, so when -- so all that's -- so all that's coming now.
POWTER: I have a chance to work and do really good work, and I can do it properly. And I'm proud and grateful. It's like living gratitude for real.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: Police say what started as a minor airport miscommunication turned into a profanity-laced spectacle launched by Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace. We'll hear what she has to say ahead on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:48:50]
ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Here are some stories we are watching today.
President Trump is trying to convince Americans that the economy is improving. During a speech in Pennsylvania he blamed the Biden administration for inflation. The president said he's bringing prices down and once again claimed the affordability crisis is a Democrat hoax.
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote Thursday on a Republican alternative to the Democrats' health care plan. The GOP version expands health savings accounts for Americans to help pay for some coverage, but it does not include any extension of Obamacare tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of the month. That's making it a nonstarter for Democrats.
Australia's new ban on social media for children under 16 is now in effect. The new law comes after years of concerns about the potential negative impacts on mental health. Most of the 10 banned platforms say they will comply with the law using age verification technology.
[05:50:00]
Outgoing House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene tells CNN she feels very sorry for President Trump. Greene has announced she's resigning from Congress next month and told CNN it's in part due to toxic politics, which the president has had a big hand in, in her view.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I feel very sorry for President Trump. I genuinely do. It has to be a hard place for someone that is constantly so hateful and puts so much vitriol, name-calling, and really tells lies about people in order to try to get his way or win some kind of fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: The Georgia Republican was previously a staunch supporter of President Trump and the MAGA movement, but she says she and her family have received hundreds of death threats since she first criticized him.
President Trump has been firing off insults at Greene for some time now, and that continued in an interview earlier this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've watched stupid people like Marjorie "Traitor" Greene, or some people call her Taylor Greene. Some people call her Taylor Brown because green sometimes turns to brown, which isn't nice. But I've watched her say that he spends too much time on foreign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: For the first time we are getting a look a security camera footage showing an episode between South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace and TSA agents at the Charleston airport. This video from late October is part of an internal investigation released by airport police. And investigators say what started with a minor miscommunication escalated into a profanity-laced tirade launched at law enforcement.
Our Tom Foreman has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): "I'm sick of your (bleep). I'm tired of having to wait. You guys are always f-ing late. This is f-ing ridiculous."
The newly obtained Charleston airport investigation report says Republican Congressmember Nancy Mace repeatedly insulted security officers when her car was not met, and she was not immediately escorted to her plane in late October.
REP. NANCY MACE (R-SC): Did I drop an f-bomb? I hope I did. Did I call them incompetent? If I didn't, they absolutely earned it.
FOREMAN (voiceover): Mace's office called the report a "full exoneration" even though it says she blew a minor miscommunication into a spectacle.
MACE: You're giving other cops a bad name. And I'm coming for you, so you need to know that.
FOREMAN (voiceover): But Mace is grabbing headlines for more than that. In a New York Times opinion piece this week she ripped her own party for avoiding votes on popular ideas such as term limits and banning stock trades by lawmakers.
She insisted Democrat Nancy Pelosi was a more effective House Speaker than any Republican this century, including current Speaker Mike Johnson.
And she added a warning to her party. "If we fail to pass legislation that permanently secures the border, addresses the affordability crisis, improves healthcare, and restores law and order, we will lose this majority. And we will deserve it."
MACE: How many more decades are going to go on where we elect people to do a job and they become corrupt?
FOREMAN: Mace, who is running for governor of South Carolina, is among a small cadre of Republican congresswomen who have strongly supported the MAGA movement --
MACE: I support President Trump.
FOREMAN (voiceover): -- but who have also pushed back on some of Trump's apparent wishes. For example, calling for full release of the files around sexual predator and one-time Trump friend, the late Jeffrey Epstein.
It's all been enough to make at least one of her staffers quit and accuse her of turning her back on Trump, while another associate suggested she is having a breakdown. Mace rejects it all.
MACE: Being anti-corruption, anti-rape, anti-murder, anti-illegal -- if that makes me crazy, sign me up.
FOREMAN (voiceover): Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: And our Kaitlan Collins sat down with Mace hours after that airport video was released to get her reaction. Mace categorically denied having used the profanity that police described.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Are you saying that you never said any of these quotes? That every single one is a lie?
MACE: I -- you have to read it to me again. I did not say that.
COLLINS: F-ing idiots, f-ing incompetent.
MACE: I did not call them idiots.
COLLINS: -- and that you're an f-ing representative. MACE: I didn't. I did not say that. I did not call --
COLLINS: And you didn't say I'm sick of your shit and I'm tired of having to wait. I should not have to wait. You guys are always f-ing late.
MACE: No.
COLLINS: This is f-ing ridiculous.
MACE: No. I mean, no. I didn't -- I have never called a cop an idiot. That is a remarkably false statement.
COLLINS: But you're saying these police officers are lying then -- who spoke to investigators.
MACE: I am -- I am absolutely saying that report was falsified -- 100 percent fictious, falsified.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:59:15]
ABEL: There is new video showing the harrowing moment when a small plane made an emergency landing on a Florida highway. Let's take a look a driver's dashcam that captured the incident. You can see the small twin-engine plane there. It comes swooping down and crashed on top of a car in central Florida on Tuesday.
Now, authorities say the driver of that car only had minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital. The plane's pilot and passenger were not injured. Good news there.
[06:00:00]
The McCormick spice company believes we'll be seeing black currants everywhere next year. They have designated the berry as 2026's "Flavor of the Year," predicting it will be a major trend on restaurant menus and in kitchens in 2026. Black currants haven't been as popular here in the U.S. as they are elsewhere in the world thanks to a century- long ban on commercial cultivation. Well, that ban is over now, and more Americans are enjoying the tart fruit in cocktails, jam, and even in savory dishes.
I guess I'll have to take a try at that.
Thanks for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington, D.C. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.
