Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with Rahel Solomon
CNN Poll: Americans Frustrated, Angry With Politics; Putin Announces Three-Day Ceasefire In Ukraine Next Week; Trump Policy Shifts Pose Possible Conflicts Of Interest. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired April 29, 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]
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, RICE UNIVERSITY: And then most presidents -- like we talked about, the first 100 days of FDR -- well, he had 77 legislative bills produced in that period of time.
And you see Trump ignoring Congress and going this executive power route saying essentially, I'm the most powerful man in the world and then jacking tariffs up so high for countries that it's been -- you know, it's pure fantasy.
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, yeah.
Speaking of Congress -- and I do want to get to the executive orders in just a moment -- but speaking of Congress one thing that stood out to me Doug that was in this new CNN polling is that although Trump may be seeing his poll numbers fall people don't exactly seemed thrilled with Congress either. I mean, Democrats especially. Some 72 percent of respondents say -- 72 said that they disapprove of the way that Democrats leaders in Congress are handling their jobs.
What does that say about this period and how it be -- it will be remembered? I mean, people seem really angry and really unhappy with Washington at large.
BRINKLEY: Absolutely, and there's -- institutions don't get high marks anymore. I mean, including in journalism, which the days --
SOLOMON: Yeah.
BRINKLEY: -- of Walter Cronkite could be at 70 percent to now they're at 20 percent or -- you know, Congress is so much lower than Trump's ratings are, and Trump's are abysmal for the first 100 days of a president where you usually get a little bit of a honeymoon. It tells you there's massive dissatisfaction among American voters and non- voters with government.
We feel that the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer in America. And we're living in this oligarch world where a handful of people with billions of dollars seem to be representing what the United States is all about; not rank-and-file public servants or schoolteachers, or nurses -- SOLOMON: Yeah.
BRINKLEY: -- or construction workers.
SOLOMON: Yeah, yeah, no. It's such an interesting point.
One person who doesn't seem unhappy is the president. He did this interview with The Atlantic and the reporters wrote that the president seemed exhilarated by all he's been able to accomplish so far, and that he said, "I'm having a lot of fun considering what I do." He said, "You know, what I do is such serious stuff."
So Douglas, you've made the point here that everything he's been able to do so far is by executive order. I mean, how much does that threaten to undo everything that's already been done so far?
BRINKLEY: That's the problem with EOs. The next president could just wipe them off the map. And so unless he does an executive order that's genuinely popular things will change.
For example, rechanging the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The AP wouldn't fall with that, but in other media outlets. But more to the point, if a Democrat gets in the White House a few years down the line they very will just get rid of the Gulf of America and go back to the Gulf of Mexico.
So a lot of things you're claiming you've done suddenly disappear and you lose a lot of legacy.
And also it hurt President Trump's first 100 days. He said right out of the gate "I will end Gaza-Israel. I will end Ukraine-Russia." And alas, they're both still going on in largescale ways.
SOLOMON: Yeah.
BRINKLEY: So where it's hard to see in this first 100 days where he's scored wins but, boy, has he been able to own the media cycle and blow things up in Washington, D.C. and keep people in a chaotic mode off guard. And he tends to think that serves him well when people are fearful of what's going to happen the next day, and he can control the media world.
SOLOMON: Yeah, it's really interesting on ending the war in Ukraine, which he said he would be able to do within his first 24 hours. More recently he said I was just exaggerating. People knew that.
When he talked about lowering prices he then went and spoke with Time and said, "Well, you know, these things take time."
So it's just really interesting to sort of see the difference --
BRINKLEY: Yes.
SOLOMON: -- and sort of his tone now that he's in office.
Douglas Brinkley, appreciate you being here. Thank you. BRINKLEY: Thank you.
SOLOMON: All right. Ukrainian officials skeptical after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a unilateral three-day ceasefire. Coming up, we'll look at the motivations behind Moscow's announcement.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:38:52]
SOLOMON: Welcome back.
Power has been restored to tens of millions of people across Spain and Portugal. That's after the entire Iberian Peninsula and briefly, part of France lost their electrical supply.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Cheers when power is restored.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Cheers there erupting in Madrid around dusk Monday as the lights flickered back to life.
The Spanish prime minister says that authorities have yet to figure out what caused the massive blackout, but his Portuguese counterpart said that Spain was to blame. European leaders have cautioned against jumping to the conclusion that it was a cyberattack.
Some trains in Spain are still out of commission or running at a reduced capacity, including the high-speed rail network. But services are returning to normal at Spain's airports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a unilateral three-day ceasefire in Ukraine beginning next week on May 8. Now, it coincides with Russia's 80th annual Victory Day parade commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
The Kremlin says that the temporary truce is based on "humanitarian considerations."
[05:40:00]
But it's not enough for President Trump who again called for a "permanent ceasefire in Ukraine." And Ukrainian officials themselves say that they're skeptical of Putin's motives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Yet again, another attempt at manipulation or some reason everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire just to provide Putin with silence for his parade. We value human lives, not parades. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: OK, let's get to CNN's Clare Sebastian who joins us from London for more on this. Clare, good morning to you.
Clearly, plenty of skepticism here. What's the likelihood that this -- that this holds? That the ceasefire holds?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, no ceasefire has held yet. We've had, so far, the 30-day moratorium on strikes on energy infrastructure that expired in mid-April. Both sides accusing each other of violating that. And then the 30-hour ceasefire that Russia unilaterally declared over Easter, which both sides accused each other of violating thousands of times.
So I think the only difference here if you're looking at it charitably is that there's longer to prepare. We have now over a week until this ceasefire is supposed to kick in. But so far from Moscow no discussion of terms. No discussion of any independent monitoring that might have some chance of turning this into a competence building measure rather than just what seems to be on the surface a publicity stunt to try to prove to the Trump administration that Russia is committed to peace and that it's Kyiv that's standing in the way.
And Russian efforts to do that continue. This morning Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, speaking to state media, said that it's clear from the fact that there's been no response from Kyiv so far to what he called this goodwill gesture from Putin -- that it's becoming clear, he said, who really wants peace and who is an apologist for war.
I think perhaps also, Zelenskyy suggested Russia felt that it stood to gain from timing this to coincide with the 80th anniversary celebrations of Victory Day because, of course, we have seen that Ukrainian long-range drones are more than capable of reaching Moscow and they are expecting a lot of foreign dignitaries and foreign leaders in the capital for this event.
But look, either way, so far, if Russia's goals were to 1) prove its commitment to peace to the Trump administration and 2) deter Ukrainian strikes, it doesn't seem like they've succeeded in either of those. The Trump administration has made it very clear this isn't good enough. And as we said, Kyiv has not committed to joining in with this ceasefire as of yet.
SOLOMON: Yeah, as the administration makes clear that the president may be sort of ending his patience with both sides and maybe nearing walking away, according to the administration.
Clare Sebastion in London. Clare, thank you.
All right. Coming up next from the classroom to the cabinet. How potential conflicts of interest at the very top of the Trump administration are keeping these kids in the cold. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL) [05:47:15]
SOLOMON: Welcome back. I'm Rahel Solomon, and here are some of the stories we are watching for you this morning.
Four people, including children, were killed when a car crashed through an after-school camp in Illinois. Police say that the vehicle drove through a building hitting people in its path. Those who died are believed to be between the ages of just four and 18. The driver has been taken to the hospital for evaluation.
Canada's Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, has won the country's federal election and will form a new government. It is a stunning political comeback for the liberals who were down by 20 points to the conservatives in just January.
And a new CNN poll shows that Americans are souring on the state of politics today. At least 60 percent say that they're frustrated or disappointed. Only 28 percent say that they're optimistic. Additional polling shows that 59 percent believe that Trump's policies have made economic conditions in the U.S. worse.
And as the Trump administration marks its first 100 days in office CNN's Kyung Lah looks at the actions taken by some of Trump's cabinet secretaries who are increasingly facing questions about conflicts of interest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Where are we going in?
BRENT FOSTER, PARENT AND VOLUNTEER, MOSIER COMMUNITY SCHOOL: We're going into the boiler room here.
LAH (voiceover): Through this door sits the impact of the Trump administration's first three months says parent Brent Foster.
LAH: Is there a date on this thing?
FOSTER: It is very old. It's a diesel-powered fuel oil boiler. You know, this is 100-year-old technology.
LAH (voiceover): That's why you may not recognize that this is a heater. It's an inefficient gas-guzzling relic. It's as old as Mosier Community School in Oregon, a public school in a building constructed in 1920. It sits 2,700 miles away from the White House.
But the problem with this heater --
FOSTER: It is directly related to the decisions that are happening in Washington.
LAH (voiceover): Throughout the school many of the original windows are cracked. Holes in classrooms sealed with tape. The K-8 students hold gym class underneath gigantic vents that violate national standards. This was all scheduled to change when the Department of Energy under the Biden administration awarded the school an $870,000 infrastructure grant funded by Congress.
FOSTER: To get that federal funding it was just like -- it felt like a miracle. At the same time when the funding got froze a month ago it was kind of equally devastating.
LAH: Are you hearing anything from Washington?
FOSTER: Right now I'd say there's not much more than uncertainty.
LAH: How did this stall so suddenly?
Enter Chris Wright, President Trump's new Secretary of the Department of Energy.
[05:50:00]
CHRIS WRIGHT, SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY: The Trump administration will end the Biden administration's irrational, quasi- religious policies on climate change.
LAH (voiceover): Wright jumped into this job from founding and leading a $2 billion fracking company, which is regulated by the Department of Energy -- meaning, in his new role he oversees the industry he just left. Under Wright, the department has been boosting business for fossil fuel corporations. At the same time the department has been slashing green energy efforts opposed by oil companies. Caught in the middle, energy efficient grants like the one for Mosier Community School.
Wright is not the only uber-wealthy cabinet secretary or adviser to Trump overseeing the industry they came from, posing potential conflicts of interest.
LAH: A CNN review of his actions over Trump's first 100 days found many of the changes made by this administration could directly enrich the president, his advisers, or their former companies.
LAH (voiceover): Trump's cabinet and advisers are the wealthiest in modern American history. These billionaires and multimillionaires now call the shots in Washington, and some of them even oversee their former industries.
DANIELLE CAPUTO, SENIOR LEGAL COUNSEL, CAMPAIGN LEGAL CENTER: You have these titans of industry -- these extremely wealthy people who are not just the top one percent but the top .1 percent who are working within the administration.
The industry itself is not what you should be focusing on as an administration official. You should be focusing on what's best for the public.
LAH (voiceover): Elon Musk, not an official member of the cabinet, known for Tesla --
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I love Tesla.
LAH (voiceover): -- and also Starlink, Musk's internet company.
LAH: Trump's administration changed the rules clearing the way for Starlink to win new government contracts -- some potentially worth billions.
And then there's Howard Lutnick, billionaire and commerce secretary.
TRUMP: Yesterday I signed an executive order officially creating our strategic Bitcoin reserve.
LAH (voiceover): That move by Trump a potential windfall for Lutnick's former financial firm now controlled by his son, which launched a cryptocurrency business last year.
HOWARD LUTNICK, COMMERCE SECRETARY: We're going to use digital assets to pound forward.
LAH (voiceover): Disclosures show at least seven of Trump's top officials made significant investments in crypto.
Mosier Community students may not care or even know what a cabinet secretary is. They do know this.
STUDENT 1: Yesterday the heaters went out.
STUDENT 2: It was kind of cold some of the days.
FOSTER: The idea that the federal government would sign a contract to essentially bring your school up to just very basic minimum and then pull the rug out from under us is difficult to understand, and I hope it's not how it ends.
LAH: We reached out to the Department of Energy to ask about this grant and Mosier Community School. This is a grant that also impacts dozens of public schools across the country.
An energy spokesperson says the department is completing a full review of its activities and to make sure that it is aligned with the Trump administration's priorities. An energy spokesperson says in regards to Secretary Wright, he follows all of the department ethics and disclosure rules.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: OK. We'll take a short break and we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL)
05:57:40]
SOLOMON: From diving for your fries to squawking incessantly, seagulls have a bad reputation, but an unusual competition on Belgium's north coast is helping to change that. Introducing the fifth annual European Seagull Screeching Championship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Contestants screeching like seagulls.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Maybe now what you expected to see on the news this morning. Around 60 participants flocked -- well done, guys -- from 14 different countries to impress a professional jury with their best imitations on Sunday. And Denmark's Anna Brynald won first place. She said that she used TikTok and a mirror to refine her screeching.
That wasn't on my bingo card for this morning.
But from seagulls to eagles. The Philadelphia Eagles got a chance to celebrate their Super Bowl victory at the White House on Monday at the invitation of President Trump. But they did it without their MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts, apparently due to a scheduling conflict.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm here on the South Lawn of the White House where the president is hosting the Philadelphia Eagles to celebrate their Super Bowl victory.
There's a lot of players who aren't here, including star Saquon Barkley. He actually flew with President Trump to Washington yesterday after first playing a round of golf with him here.
There is one player who is missing though. That is the MVP of the team, Jalen Hurts, a University of Alabama alum who is not here at the White House we are told, according to a White House spokesperson, because of scheduling conflicts. When he was on a red carpet in New York last week he was asked whether or not he was coming to the White House for this. He was noncommittal in that.
REPORTER: Are you planning on visiting the White House next week?
JALEN HURTS, QUARTERBACK, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Um --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has no boundaries, so I --
REPORTER: Got it. Thank you so much -- yeah.
COLLINS: Of course, this harkens back to 2018 after the Eagles last won the Super Bowl when famously a lot of the players said they weren't going to come to the White House when President Trump was in office. He ended up sparking his ire. He actually uninvited them.
This time around it's much different. President Trump became the first-ever sitting president to actually attend the Super Bowl in person. Quickly after the Eagles won the Super Bowl, President Trump invited them here to the White House. (END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: All right, our thanks to Kaitlan Collins there.
And our thanks to you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. Stay with us. "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.
