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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Biden Diagnosed With "Aggressive Form" Of Prostate Cancer; House Republicans Advance Trump's Big Beautiful Bill; Trump And Putin Set To Discuss Ukraine War in High-Stakes Call. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired May 19, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

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[04:00:28]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining us from the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Rahel Solomon. It is Monday, May 19, 4:00 a.m. here in New York. And straight ahead on Early Start.

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UNIDENTIED FEMALE: Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His treatment decisions will be impacted mostly now by the fact that cancer has spread to his bones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whatever your political persuasion, this is a good and decent man and we're all pulling for him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Donald Trump is set to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin later today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've set this up with enormous stakes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Former President Joe Biden is reviewing treatment options after a diagnosis of cancer. In a statement, his personal office calls it an aggressive form of prostate cancer and says it has spread to his bones. CNN's Arlette Saenz has more now from Washington.

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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The 82-year-old Biden was at his home in Wilmington, Delaware when this news was made public and his family is now working to determine what treatment options will look like going forward. The statement from his office said, quote, "Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms."

On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer characterized by a gleason score of 9 Grade Group 5 with metastasis to the bone. While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone sensitive, which allows for effective management.

Biden and his family are reviewing treatment options with physicians going forward, we're still trying to learn where exactly President Biden might be treated after receiving this diagnosis.

But this all comes as questions about Biden's physical and mental capacity while he was in office have returned to the public spotlight. Our colleague Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson are about to roll out a new book which details some signs of decline in the former president while he was serving as commander in chief.

But setting that aside for the Biden family, this is just the latest in a long history of them dealing with some tragedy and some personal setback backs. Biden himself lost his daughter and wife in a car accident when he had just been elected to the U.S. Senate. And then in 2015, his son Beau Biden passed away from brain cancer. In fact, Biden's diagnosis comes about two weeks before they were about to mark the 10th anniversary of Beau Biden's passing.

And Biden as president also did a lot of work on what he called the cancer moonshot trying to boost funding for cancer research as he had really zeroed in on that as a key issue in his presidency. But right now for the Biden family, this is something a very difficult moment that they are going through and for many aides as well.

I've heard from many who are simply devastated by this news of this cancer diagnosis for the former president. But now we will be waiting to hear what the next steps will look like as his family is evaluating the treatment options at this time. Arlette Saenz, CNN, Washington.

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SOLOMON: All right. Joining me now to discuss from Atlanta is Dr. Jayne Morgan. She's a cardiologist and also vice president of medical affairs for Hello Heart. Dr. Morgan, always a pleasure to have you. Good morning. Hoping you are going to explain it. Good morning.

DR. JAYNE MORGAN, VP OF M EDICAL AFFAIRS, HELLO HEART: Good morning, Rahel.

SOLOMON: Good morning. Hoping you can explain a bit more about what we heard in Arlette's piece there. So when doctors say that the cancer has a gleason score of 9, what exactly does that mean? What do you hear in this statement?

MORGAN: And so what I hear is they look at two different sections of the prostate looking at the cells in those sections, and they are assigned a score. And it really depends on how well or poorly differentiated those cells are. So this is a pathologic staging.

And so they look at those two and when they add them, they can add up the score. The score goes from 1 to 9, 9 is the highest, meaning it's fairly poorly differentiated. And we can expect it to be aggressive.

SOLOMON: And so aggressive, but also appears to be hormone sensitive, according to the statement, which allows for effective management.

[04:05:05]

Dr. Morgan, what does management or what do treatment options look like here?

MORGAN: And so, you know, there has really been an explosion of treatments, really, in the last few years, thanks to research. And we see prostate cancer really benefiting from that. When we talk about these androgen sensitive tumors, it wasn't long ago that we really treated these by removing the man's testicles because what were really trying to do is block the testosterone.

Now we can do that chemically through medications, not only block the testosterone, but also then block further synthesis or the production of these androgens in this testosterone. And so it appears that will be at least one avenue of therapy that they will pursue for President Joe Biden.

SOLOMON: Yes, I mean, do you have a question about. I mean, he's the former president, presumably has access to the best doctors in the world. Why this wasn't caught sooner?

MORGAN: You know, that's an excellent question, Rahel. And sometimes you can have normal or mid-range PSA values and then have an aggressive tumor that rapidly accelerates in the one year between your PSA checks. This certainly could have been what happened with the president. We certainly don't know as well if he had been monitored along those lines.

Additionally, there are some forms of prostate cancer where you really don't get an elevated PSA, a prostate specific antigen, nothing that would rise to a concern. And he also may have one of those subtypes as well.

SOLOMON: And then what would you say the survival rate is? I mean, based on what we know, and obviously the caveat is there's a lot that we don't know. But based on what's been released so far, what's the survival rate like?

MORGAN: Yes, you know, with these bone mets that is automatically a stage four, we have a TNM system of staging. So tumor nodes metastases, these metastases to the bones automatically elevated to a stage four. And the survival rate is generally about five to seven years, maybe even moving out to 10 years, especially when we think about the availability of clinical trials.

So when we look at these types of tumors, it could be that his survivability would be that he would die with it as an 82 year old male, as opposed to dying from it. But the survivability could be as high as seven to 10 years.

SOLOMON: Dr. Jayne Morgan, thanks for being here this morning. Thank you.

MORGAN: Thanks, Rahel. SOLOMON: All right. And Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis is being met with

well wishes from those who served alongside the former president and even from those who have opposed him. That includes President Donald Trump, who took to social media to write, Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden's recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.

Former President Barack Obama is also sending his support and says that he is certain Biden will, quote, will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace.

A similar sentiment from Biden's former vice president Kamala Harris, who called him a quote, fighter who will face this challenge, quote, with the same strength, resilience and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership.

CNN chief political analyst David Axelrod, who worked in the Obama White House, spoke Sunday about this development.

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DAVID AXELROD, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: He's not a stranger to medical crises. He dealt with two brain aneurysms earlier in his life and almost lost his life as a result of that and was able to soldier through that. He obviously has experienced a lot of tragedy in his life as well, with the loss of two children, one by car accident, his wife, his first wife, and of course, the death of his son, Beau.

He's, you know, Joe Biden is the unluckiest, lucky man on the planet. He's lived an incredible life of service, 50 years of it. But he's also experienced untold tragedy. And I just, you know, whatever your political persuasion, whatever your feelings are about how his career ended, whatever you think, this is a good and decent man who has served his country and we're all pulling for him.

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SOLOMON: All right, we're going to have more on Biden's diagnosis and the reaction to the news ahead this hour.

President Trump's sweeping tax cut bill has made it out of the House Budget Committee. Some Republicans had previously blocked the bill from advancing on Friday.

[04:10:00]

They had demanded adjustments on certain provisions in the bill regarding Medicaid and tax credits. Lawmakers worked through the weekend to tweet the bill, but some say there is still more work to be done.

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MIKE JOHNSON, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: There's a lot more work to do. We've always acknowledged that towards the end there will be more details to iron out. We have several more to take care of. But I'm looking forward to very thoughtful discussions, very productive discussions over the next few days. And I am absolutely convinced we're going to get this in final form and pass it in accordance with our original deadline. And that was to do it before Memorial Day.

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SOLOMON: All right. Next, the bill moves to the House Rules Committee where it is expected to hit more opposition despite calls from the president to, quote, stop talking and get it done.

U.S. Treasury Secretary says that tariff rates will soon return to reciprocal levels for countries that do not reach a trade deal with Washington. Scott Besant telling CNN that President Trump is putting trade partners on notice, saying that they must either negotiate in good faith or watch tariff rates ratchet back up to April 2nd levels.

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SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: We have a 90-day pause. There are 18 important trading partners, probably another 20 strong relationships. President Trump has put them on notice that if you do not negotiate in good faith that you will ratchet back up to your April 2nd level. I can tell you that with a few exceptions, the countries are coming with very good proposals for us.

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SOLOMON: President Trump announced this slate of so called reciprocal tariffs on what he called Liberation Day. He later paused those levies for 90 days, lowering rates to a baseline of 10 percent. Now asked about the whiplash and the uncertainty caused by the tariffs, Bessent said that he is confident that the American people, workers and businesses will better off in the long run.

Let's take a look at the markets pre market now about 411 before markets get underway and it is solidly lower across the board. The Dow off between about eight-tenth of a percent. The S and P and the Nasdaq up or lower, excuse me, as much as 1.6 percent. The Dow off, let's say 350 points right now, as I said again, the Nasdaq off 1.6. And very early pre-market trading to start off the week. We'll see how the day shakes out.

All right. Still ahead for day for us days after intensifying airstrikes in Gaza, Israeli forces are beginning an extensive ground operation in several parts of the enclave. Details of those operations coming up next.

And later, police have identified a man they believe was responsible for the bombing of a fertility clinic in California. Those details coming up on Early Start. We'll be right back.

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[04:17:12] SOLOMON: Welcome back. President Trump is set to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone today to try and convince him to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. It will take place the day after Russia launched its largest yet drone attack on Ukraine. Many of those targeted the Kyiv region.

Ukraine's parliament leader says that the attack shows just how sincere Vladimir Putin is about pursuing peace. Let's get to Salma Abdelaziz, who joins us live this morning from London. Salma, good morning to you. So what more do we know about today's call between the two leaders?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So this will be yet another attempt by President Trump to jumpstart peace negotiations. He's made no secret of the fact that he wants this war over yesterday. But those attempts to start those talks have faltered time and time again, especially last week when President Putin responded to a European Demand for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine by proposing a direct face to face meeting but then deciding he did not want to attend it himself.

Although President Trump offered multiple times to go to Turkey himself to attend those talks, that episode left President Trump feeling that only he, the dealmaker as he sees himself, could make these talks start. Take a listen to how his envoy, Steve Witkoff put it ahead of this call.

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STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: The president has a force of personality that is unmatched. I think it's important his sensibilities are that he's got to get on the phone with President Putin and that is going to clear up some of the logjam and get us to the place that we need to get to. And I think it's going to be a very successful call.

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ABDELAZIZ: So while President Trump thinks that he can clear up the lockjam, as you heard there, European leaders and Kyiv are highly concerned that President Putin is not even serious about peace and is simply running down the clock for the technical details here on this call. It's going to occur at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. He is then scheduled President Trump is then scheduled to speak to President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, of course, and talk to various NATO leaders.

Now it's important who's speaking first here, which is President Putin, which means that there may be some conclusions drawn, some issues talked about that will only then be relayed to his European counterparts.

Those European counterparts have been laying the groundwork, Rahel, over the last several days, emphasizing that need for a 30-day ceasefire, something that they see as a litmus test of President Putin's true intentions here.

And again, you mentioned those 270, more than 270 drones fired at Ukraine over the weekend. That's according to the Ukrainian Air Force, the largest drone attack the country has seen since the start of the conflict.

[04:20:01]

Something that President Zelenskyy is now pointing to say, look, he's not acting in good faith when it comes to President Putin's intentions around these negotiations. The other fear that European leaders are going to convey to President Trump in these calls is that Ukraine must be included at the table. There have been indications in the past that they could be cut out.

So it'll be important to emphasize that to President Trump. What could we see, what results could we see out of this call? Well, one of the things that President Trump said he wants to see occur as quickly as possible is a face to face meeting. Could we potentially get more information on a summit that would take place? We'll find out. 10:00 a.m. Eastern time.

SOLOMON: Yes. Certainly a lot to watch. Salma Abdelaziz in London. Salma, thank you.

All right. Investigators here in New York are trying to figure out why a Mexican navy ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday. Coming up, the latest on what they've learned so far.

Also, seven inmates still on the run days after a jailbreak in Louisiana. The latest on how they escaped and where authorities think they may be now. We'll be right back.

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SOLOMON: Welcome back to our viewers joining us from the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Rahel Solomon in New York. You are watching Early Start.

And more now on our top story this hour. Former U.S. President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with what his office calls an aggressive form of prostate cancer. While a serious concern, this type of cancer can be treated and managed and the Bidens are currently reviewing those options. A doctor who is not involved with Biden's case tells CNN that while there is no cure, new therapies can extend the lives of patients.

And cancer has long been a personal issue for Biden. His son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015. President Obama tapped Biden in 2019 to lead a task force aimed at curing cancer, something that he later reestablished during his own presidency.

In 2019, Biden spoke about his belief that a cure was within reach.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. FORMER PRESIDENT: The fight against cancer, the fight to eliminate racial disparities in cancer and outcomes is a fight we have to be unwilling to postpone. I am convinced as we make significant progress in cancer, the only truly nonpartisan issue facing this country that the rest of the nation is going to say, damn it, we can do anything. This is the United States of America. This is fully, thoroughly, totally, completely within our wheelhouse.

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SOLOMON: There has been an outpouring of bipartisan support on Capitol Hill following Biden's cancer diagnosis. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it sad news, saying that his family will be joining the countless others who are praying for the former president.

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene also offering prayers and saying, quote, cancer is truly awful. My dad passed away in 2021 with cancer.

And Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren writing on social media, quote, Joe Biden has worked for years to advance the cause of beating cancer and now we have his back in this fight.

And Biden's health was very much in the news even before the cancer diagnosis was announced on Sunday. That's because of a new book by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios journalist Alex Thompson.

CNN's chief media analyst Brian Stelter looks at the controversy that the book is already generating ahead of its release on Tuesday.

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BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: The timing of former President Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis is certainly dramatic, coming on the eve of a blockbuster new book about his health and his time in the White House. That book is original sin by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson. The book has been getting a lot of pre- publication publicity and buzz and as well as a lot of pre orders because of the damning new details it contains about Biden's time in office and his decision to seek reelection in 2024.

At its heart, this is a book about mortality, about aging, about sickness, and it is framed by the authors as a tragic story. So we'll see if that has more resonance in the wake of this cancer diagnosis news. The book has also dredged up a lot of debate about Biden in the 2024 election.

If you search his name on social media, you'll see what I mean. Many progressives defending Biden saying that this is unfair to him and saying they don't want to hear about the past. Many conservatives saying they knew all along about Biden's infirmities and arguing there was a cover up by the Biden White House.

Now it'll be interesting to see if this book is received in a new light now that this cancer diagnosis is public. I'm sure some observers will say that the reporting in the book is even more important now and that the diagnosis underscores the reporting. Others might say it's unwelcome or unpleasant and unfair for the

Bidens. It is notable that nothing in the book should be surprising to the Biden family since everyone mentioned in the book was asked for comment ahead of time.

On Sunday night on CNN, David Axelrod said that conversations about Biden and about what the Democrats did in 2024 should be, quote, more muted now. He said those should be set aside for now. And as Biden is struggling through this health crisis.

I've certainly seen others on social media making those same kinds of comments. And yet there are already conspiratorial ideas taking shape as well. Donald Trump Jr., for example, on social media suggesting that this is being announced now, this cancer diagnosis being announced now so that Biden will be viewed more sympathetically.

[04:30:05]

So those arguments are going to keep going back and forth.