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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Israeli Military: Remains Of Last Hostage Ran Gvili Recovered; Winter Storm Snarls Air Travel With Delays And Cancellations; Former Olympian Ryan Wedding Pleads Not Guilty In Drug Case. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired January 27, 2026 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well look, Rahel, all sides involved in this sort of latest spate of talks in this trilateral format seem willing to keep them going. U.S. officials are saying that they will restart on February 1, which is this coming Sunday. So it seems that there is still momentum.

But I think for Zelenskyy -- look, he talked about Ground Hog Day in his speech in Davos and this is really what he's grappling with -- these constant barrages, almost every night to varying degrees, of missiles and drones. This effort by Russia to dial up the pain for Ukrainian civilians to attack essentially the fabric of society and the economy with these energy strikes to the point in which Ukraine cannot go on, and in the meantime to slowball the diplomatic process.

We heard on Monday from Peskov -- Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, saying there is still significant work ahead. So those are the signals that the Kremlin are sending -- slow balling the diplomatic process in the hope from Russia's perspective that the U.S. gets frustrated and puts more pressure on Ukraine. So that is where we are. President Zelenskyy says that the security guarantees document agreed with the U.S. is ready, but it hasn't been signed off yet.

And meanwhile, until they can reach a deal on territory, particularly the territory in Ukraine's east, Russia is still demanding -- as you noted, from the post from Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's top negotiator, is still demanding that Ukraine withdraw from territory it controls in the Donbas region until they can reach some agreement on that. Security guarantees are frankly hypothetical.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: OK. Clare Sebastian for us in London. Clare, thank you.

The U.S., meantime, is fortifying its position in case of a potential strike on Iran. Two sources tell CNN that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is now in the Indian Ocean. President Trump has threatened military action over Tehran's crackdown on antigovernment protesters. Riots groups report that at least 5,500 people have been killed with an additional 17,000 deaths still being reviewed. Allies are urging the U.S. not to strike. Tehran says that any attack will be met with force capable of destabilizing the entire Middle East. All the hostages once held in Gaza have now been returned and that's

raising questions about when the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt will reopen. The Israeli prime minister had said that the reopening in phase two of the ceasefire would start after the remains of the last hostage are recovered, but then he added some conditions.

The body of the last hostage was recently returned to Israel. Ran Gvili was taken into Gaza after he was killed in the October 7 attacks.

Let's bring in CNN's Paula Hancocks who is tracking this live from Abu Dhabi for us. Paula, talk to us about Ran Gvili. What do we know?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Rahel, this was a 24-year-old policeman in Israel. We understand from his family and from the missing persons and hostage forum that he went to the scene of the attack when he heard about the October 7 attacks and engaged Hamas. It was there he was killed and his body was taken into Gaza.

He is the final hostage of those 251 that were taken on that day to be returned to Israel, so closure certainly for his family. But it's also closure for the state of Israel. This was a collective trauma for Israel that this October 7 attack had happened and that hostages were taken into Gaza.

So we have heard from the family itself saying that he is coming home a hero. They say that they finally have the closure they were looking for. We've also heard from the missing persons and hostages forum saying that the clock in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv -- this was a countdown clock, really, that was counting the days, the hours, and the minutes that hostages had been held -- that will finally be stopped today. It was 843 days since October 7 -- saying that this is the first time since 2014 when Israel is waking up without any hostages in Gaza, Rahel.

SOLOMON: Yeah. Finally some closure for his family.

Paula, what does this mean for peace plans in Gaza? Where does that go from here?

HANCOCKS: Well, what we're looking at now is that key Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Israel had put conditions on the opening of this crossing, saying that not until the final search had been exhausted for the final hostage would they consider opening it.

Now, of course, that last hostage has been returned. We understand from Israel that they have now said it will not be fully opened, only partially. It will be for passengers -- for pedestrians, excuse me, only. It won't be for commercial use. It won't be for humanitarian aid.

[05:35:00]

But it is key because what it means is that there could be a far higher number of injured inside Gaza who are desperate for treatment outside Gaza to be able to leave the Gaza Strip. Now we know there are countries around the world that have offered to take these patients. We know many of them are critical, but they simply haven't been able to get out of Gaza in any significant numbers.

Now we heard from the Ministry of Health just today saying that at least 20,000 people with medical referrals already confirmed are waiting to be able to leave. They say there are some 4,000 cancer patients. They also point out that more than 1,200 died in Gaza while waiting to be allowed to leave. We've heard this from the United Nations as well -- from NGOs saying that there are many desperate cases that are waiting to be able to leave from the Rafah Crossing.

This was closed by Israel during the war back in May 2024, so it has made leaving the Gaza Strip extremely difficult. The hope, of course, is that this week -- maybe later this week it will be opened. Israel saying that there will be Israeli security checks on the Rafah Crossing to see who is going in and out -- Rahel.

SOLOMON: OK. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi. Paula, thank you.

This weekend's massive winter storm triggered major flight delays and cancellations across the country. Coming up next, we'll have the latest on what travelers can expect in the days ahead.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:40:10]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. The time now is 5:40 and this is your business breakout.

Let's start with a quick check of U.S. futures ahead of the opening bell. Dow Futures pretty much flat. The S&P and the Nasdaq set to open higher, at least at this point.

A few things for investors to watch this week. Later today we have consumer confidence. We have the Fed meeting kicking off today and the press conference tomorrow. And then it is a big week for the big tech earnings. So lots to watch and digest for traders and investors.

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

President Trump says that he is raising tariffs on South Korean goods from 15 to 25 percent. In a Truth Social post he claimed that South Korea is not living up to a trade deal reached in July. South Korea's presidential office says that it received no formal notice or explanation of the details and that its trade minister will travel to Washington for talks.

Global trade tensions have sent gold prices soaring to record highs. They topped $5,000 an ounce for the first time late Sunday. Gold is seen as a safe haven in times of market uncertainty. Gold prices have already jumped 15 percent this year after record gains last year as well.

And social media giants Meta, TikTok, and YouTube are heading to trial in Los Angeles. A lawsuit brought by an unidentified 19-year-old and her mother alleges that the companies knowingly created addictive features that impacted the teens' mental health. The outcome could influence other cases being brought against the social media companies on similar grounds and possibly force the companies to change their platforms.

The winter storm has had major impacts on air travel causing the most flight cancellations since the height of the pandemic. Tracking site FlightAware reports more than 6,000 flights were canceled on Monday, but it looks like operations could return to near normal levels today.

CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean filed this report earlier from Reagan National.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Airlines' recovery from this massive snowstorm and their schedule meltdowns not going as smoothly as they'd hoped. The issue here is that so many planes and crews are out of position and that has led to so many flights being canceled.

In fact, this is the line here for the ticket counter at Reagan National Airport for American Airlines because so many people had their flights canceled.

Over half of all flights here at Reagan National Airport canceled. Usually we see about 440 flights in total flown. We've only really seen about a handful of that by comparison.

Come look at the departures board here. You can see all the orange and the yellow here on this board signifying cancellations in orange, delays in yellow. It's kind of hard-pressed to find much of anything really on time here today.

This is the story playing out across the country. Some major hubs impacted by this storm -- places that typically do not see snow. We're talking places like Dallas and Atlanta, and Charlotte. But topping the list on Monday of the airports that were the most impacted -- New York, JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, and Boston. So many people left in the lurch here.

And the Federal Aviation Administration says one of the biggest problems has been the airports. That's been a really piece-by-piece kind of thing and crews have been working overtime trying to clear the ramps and the tarmacs, the taxiways and the runways to make sure things can move smoothly.

But even here at Reagan National Airport on Monday the delays at one point reached almost four hours for flights coming into here. So we are not totally out of the woods yet.

The good news is that cancellations starting off for Tuesday are only in the hundreds. We'll see if airlines can keep it that way.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Reagan National Airport.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SOLOMON: Still to come, some Minneapolis protesters are channeling their anger into song after the deaths of two American citizens killed by ICE agents. We'll show you how their song is spreading throughout the city after the break.

[05:45:12]

(COMMERCIAL)

SOLOMON: Welcome back. I'm Rahel Solomon. And here are some of the stories we are watching for you today.

Top border patrol official Greg Bovino is expected to depart from Minneapolis today. This comes amid the fallout over the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti this weekend. The White House has appointed border czar Tom Homan to manage ICE operations in the city moving forward.

[05:50:00]

Bitter cold is gripping states east of the Rockies. Right now more than 200 million people are under alerts amid the frigid temperatures left behind by a massive winter storm. At the same time, more than 500,000 utility customers in several states are still without power.

Sources say that a U.S. carrier strike group is now in the Indian Ocean in case of the need for military action against Iran. President Trump has said that he's considering options in response to Tehran's brutal crackdown on antigovernment protesters. Allies are urging the U.S. not to take military action.

Voices channeling sadness, fear and anger -- but at the same time evoking hope for change in the U.S. These singing crowds continue to grow on the streets of Minneapolis. They call themselves "The Singing Resistance" and they're using their gifts to teach others the new songs of protest.

CNN's Anderson Cooper reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voiceover): The singing first started four days after the killing of Renee Good. Some 300 people gathered in a neighborhood to encourage those hiding in homes nearby.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's turn and sing it to the neighborhood.

COOPER (voiceover): They marched in frigid temperatures -- many learning the songs for the first time. Six days later, some 600 people showed up, double the numbers, double the courage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Singing) I am not afraid. I am not afraid. I will live for liberation cause I know why I was made.

We've been singing that line in English and in Spanish. It's by a group called the Peace Poets. COOPER (voiceover): This is one of the organizers of Singing

Resistance. She didn't want to be identified out of concern for her safety.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Song is a vehicle for us to grieve. It's a vehicle for us to feel rage. It's a vehicle for us to strengthen ourselves. Like, we -- that song "I Am Not Afraid" that I sang -- we're not singing it because we're actually not afraid. Like, we are afraid. It is terrifying what is happening and it's a way to gather our courage.

COOPER (voiceover): Courage, it seems, is contagious. Last Saturday, hours after Alex Pretti was shot to death by border patrol agents, some 1,400 people came to the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church to sing.

Elizabeth MacAuley is the pastor.

ELIZABETH MACAULEY, PASTOR, HENNEPIN AVENUE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: It has been a time when it's been pretty tempting to feel so disempowered and where is the voice of sanity and hope in the midst of community. And we all did it together.

And the leaders of The Singing Resistance movement were beautiful, and they brought out the hope, and the grief, and the rage, and the beauty.

COOPER: Do you think song makes a difference?

MACAULEY: I know song makes the difference.

COOPER: Songs do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd like to think that more and more people are waking up. They want us to go about our lives while our neighbors are stolen from their families. And what I've seen is that after Renee Good's murder, after Alex Pretti's murder, more people were out in the streets the next day.

The everyday acts of deep love and courage that I see my neighbors, my community members taking -- that's the world that we want and we're practicing it every day here.

COOPER (voiceover): Anderson Cooper, CNN, Minneapolis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:58:58]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

Former Olympic snowboarder-turned-FBI's most wanted Ryan Wedding has pleaded not guilty to charges that he ran a billion-dollar drug trafficking ring that also orchestrated multiple killings. Authorities say that the Canadian athlete who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics trafficked as much as 60 tons of cocaine across Colombia, Mexico, Canada, and Southern California under the protection of one of Mexico's most powerful cartels. Wedding is currently being held without bond, and he is due back in court next month.

And as China gets ready to welcome the Year of the Horse next month, one toy for the lunar new year -- it's already making waves. Nicknamed "The Crying Horse" -- as you can see why -- by online shoppers, the toy was designed as a smiling new year's decoration, but a manufacturing error gave it this sad expression instead. The store owner who sells the toys says that she initially offered a refund after discovering the issue, but the horse's mournful face actually made it a viral hit with customers saying that it reflects the mood of today's white-collar workers in China.

[06:00:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZHANG HOUQING, TOY SHOP OWNER (through translator): A lot of customers like it, and they say it makes sense. That it suits the spirit of today's corporate slaves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: All right. The store's owner says that she plans to keep producing the toy ahead of the holiday, which starts February 17.

And that's going to do it for us here today. Thank you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.