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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Two Israeli Embassy Staffers Killed In D.C. Shooting; House To Vote Soon On Trump Tax & Spending Bill; Rubio Not Pointing Fingers Over Putin's Alleged War Crimes. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired May 22, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:29]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to all of our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Polo Sandoval. It is May 22nd, Thursday, 5:00 a.m. here in New York and also in Washington, D.C., where we are following two major breaking news stories at this hour.

You're looking at some live pictures right now coming out of Capitol Hill, where right now, House members are discussing a bill that would push forward the Trump administration's agenda with massive budget cuts to federal programs. We're going to get you more on that developing story.

But first, we want to get you to the other massive development coming out of Washington, D.C., where a suspect is in custody in a fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington. The Israeli ambassador to the U.S. says that the victims were a young couple about to be engaged. And Israel's ministry of foreign affairs identified them as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Free, free Palestine!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From Hamas!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Free, free Palestine!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From Hamas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: An eyewitness telling CNN that the suspect pretended to be a witness to the shooting and waited for police to arrive before claiming that he did it for Gaza, to hear that chant coming from the suspect. You can hear it yourself in the video.

Police identifying him as a 30-year-old from Chicago named Elias Rodriguez in custody.

Here's what the U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters at a news conference overnight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: We'll be doing everything in our power to keep all citizens safe, especially tonight, our Jewish community. We will follow the facts. We will follow the law. And this defendant, if charged, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: President Trump posting his condolences to the victims' families on social media. He wrote that the killings are, quote, obviously based on antisemitism, which must end now. Again, the words from the commander in chief there.

A witness to the shooting described those scary moments to CNN. Earlier, Paige Siegel had been attending the event at the capital Jewish Museum that night and wound up asking the suspected gunman if he was okay. Of course, this was before learning exactly who he was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAIGE SIEGEL, WITNESSED SHOOTING (via telephone): What's really interesting is that the event was a panel about Israeli organizations, multi-faith organizations, and Palestinian organizations working together to get people in Gaza to aid they need and not fall into the hands of Hamas.

The event was ending, and I hear a batch of gunshots. And then a pause. And then another batch of gunshots, and I walked to the front door to notify that the security should lock all the doors because the gunshots were so close.

And as I'm doing that, a man runs in through the front door, acting as if -- you know, he's like escaping the gunshots from the street himself. And he runs in and he seems so flustered and so out of whack. So, I go up to him and I say, are you okay? And he's muttering, call the police, call the police.

And he goes, yes, I'm okay. I said, were you shot? And he goes, no, I was not shot. Call the police. Call the police.

And, you know, where the museum is? The FBI is right next door. The police are close by. So, the police sirens have already started. And he's sitting on a bench amongst us for 15 minutes, until he comes up to me again with two of my other friends.

And one of them is helped organize the event, and she offers him a glass of water just because he seemed so off. And he takes it, he drinks it. And I say to him, like, I'm surprised they let you in, because -- I mean, you just ran through the door and this is an event, you know, they had our names. We had to register. They do a security check.

We get wanded at the front, like you just ran right in. I say, do you know where you are? He doesn't say anything. And I say, you're at, like, a Jewish museum.

And immediately he takes a few steps back and he starts yelling, I did it, I did it! Talking about shooting and killing the innocent people outside who had just attended the event, who had just left. And he's screaming, "I did it, I did it, I did it for Gaza. I did it for Palestine. Free Palestine, free Palestine."

And I'm like, yelling in the background, get him out, get him out because he's opening up a backpack. And in that moment, a second feels like an hour. I feel like we're all about to die.

And he takes out a red and white Jordanian keffiyeh, and just continues chanting.

[05:05:05]

And I think people don't realize that senselessly killing people who have just attended an event at a Jewish Museum is what Hamas supporters mean when they yell, "Globalize the intifada".

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And I did hear a similar account from another witness in the last hour, describing this as an off-record event. So, a lot of questions there.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joining us with more.

Paula, again, witnesses describing this as an off-record event. So, a lot of questions about how this suspect may have known to target this particular place. Let's talk more about the international community and what people are saying right now, specifically Israel.

What have we heard from government officials overnight?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Polo, we're hearing unity across the board in Israel. All officials who are speaking publicly, condemning what has happened, all of them saying that this is an act of antisemitism.

And we are hearing similar from leaders and foreign ministers around Europe as well. But to focus on Israel, to start with, we have just heard a press briefing from Gideon Sa'ar, the foreign minister of Israel, where he said that he had been concerned that something like this was going to happen.

Let's listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIDEON SA'AR, ISRAELI MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: This is the direct result of toxic antisemitic incitement against Israel and Jews around the world that has been going on since the October 7th. Massacre. Recently, we have witnessed an unprecedented wave of terror attacks and attempts against Israeli missions around the world, with an emphasis on Europe. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, he also said that not a week has gone by where there hasn't been an attack or an attempted attack on Israeli targets. He said many of them go unreported. We've also heard from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said this, and I quote: My heartaches for the families of the beloved young man and woman whose lives were suddenly cut short by a vile antisemitic murderer. We are witnessing the terrible cost of antisemitism and the wild incitement against the state of Israel.

Now, he said that he had been speaking to the U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi, and she had been telling him exactly what had happened, updating him on the investigation, and said that the U.S. president, Donald Trump himself, was personally involved in managing the response to the attack.

Now, the prime minister also said that there was a directive that went out around the world that security be reinforced at all Israeli missions, wherever they may be.

Now, we heard very similar sentiments from the Israeli president as well, Isaac Herzog, saying, I'm devastated by the scenes in Washington, D.C. He called it a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism, which has claimed the lives of two young employees of the Israeli embassy.

At the end of his tweets, he mentioned Israel and America will stand united in defense of our people and our shared values. Terror and hate will not break us.

Now, we heard a similar sentiment from the Israeli ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, who spoke to CNN earlier, and he said that this isn't just an attack on the state of Israel. It's not just an attack on the Jewish community.

It is also an attack against the U.S. itself. He also said that all embassies of Israel at the moment are currently on high alert. And he called on world leaders to temper their speech. And he also called on world leaders to do more, to try and stop antisemitic crimes -- Polo.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, with tensions high all around the world, Paula, this no doubt will send shockwaves, as you point out around the world.

Paula Hancocks, thank you so much for that.

We're also keeping a very close eye on Capitol Hill, where House Republican leaders are pushing ahead to vote on a bill to fund President Donald Trump's domestic policy agenda. Only one Republican voted to oppose it. Thats a drastic shift from earlier, when disagreements between Republican leaders and hardliners threatened to -- threaten the actual future of the bill.

Here's where things stood on late Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you inclined to support this bill now?

REP. ERIC BURLISON (R-MO): That is, assuming that we that we know everything about what's happened in the bill. I'm going in to get a full read in as far as to what like, made it out of the rules package.

[05:10:02]

What -- what's in it? What's not in it? The meeting today with Trump was very productive.

REP. CHIP ROY (R-TX): We're still looking for a few more provisions and a few more conversations.

RAJU: Feeling better?

ROY: Yeah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Yeah, he says.

It does appear, though, those issues have been resolved for the moment and House Speaker Mike Johnson remains confident Republicans can actually get the job done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: You never know until the final vote tally, but I'm convinced were going to pass this bill tonight. May have 1 or 2 noes. You never can be certain. I mean, this is a massive piece of legislation with lots of moving parts.

So, we'll see what happens. But I think we're going to get this job done and we're going to do it by Memorial Day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Joining me now, Natasha Lindstaedt. She is a professor of government at the University of Essex.

Natasha, good morning to you.

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Good morning.

SANDOVAL: So, we just heard from some lawmakers on the Hill. There seems to be a wave of confidence happening right now ahead of this vote. Curious if you can just walk us through the approach of House Speaker Mike Johnson leading up to this. It has -- he probably hasn't slept much in the last couple of days.

He says this can be wrapped up by this weekend, is that -- is he cautiously optimistic here? Is it wishful thinking? What do you think? LINDSTAEDT: Well, they definitely had a marathon session in the House

rules committee discussing this bill for over 24 hours. And Mike Johnson has a tough road ahead, but I think he is confident that he's going to be able to get the votes in, because this is really what's been the pattern. There have been hard line conservative Republicans that have often tried to push against bills that are, you know, increasing spending too much or are leading to much bigger spending, in terms of the national debt, which already stands at $36 trillion, and this bill is going to add over $2 trillion to the national debt.

But as I mentioned, the pattern is that these hardliners eventually do cave. And so there is enough party discipline and I guess enough concessions that were made in the end, particularly with regard to Medicaid. So, some of the hardliners were concerned that Medicaid spending was still too high. And they made some amendments to this to increase work requirements and then to push that forward from 2029 to 2026.

So, they have to please the hardliners. And at the same time, they also have to please those Republicans that are in Democrat-leaning districts, swing districts, so that it is not too harsh on their constituents. And so, Mike Johnson probably feels that he has struck the right balance. And if it gets through the House, then obviously then it will have to go through the Senate where different amendments could be made.

SANDOVAL: Yeah. We'll see if this becomes kind of a case study on compromise in Washington.

Natasha, what is your general assessment of the deal based on what we know so far and subject to potential changes in the Senate? Do you feel that most Americans -- how do you feel most Americans would react and respond to this deal once its finalized?

LINDSTAEDT: So I don't think this is going to play out well for the Republicans. And I think that's why some of the Republicans that are in these swing districts are so concerned. I mean, we've had reports from the Congressional Budget Office that says it will add trillions to the debt, but not only that, that it's going to really target and hurt those that are most impoverished.

There's going to be an additional 7.6 million Americans that are in danger of losing their Medicaid coverage, and it is only really going to enhance the wealth of the top 10 percent. And we already see that Trump is not doing well when it comes to the economy, which was one of his better issues. A recent Ipsos poll showed that 39 percent of Americans approve of his handling of the economy, which is, you know, under a majority, well under a majority.

And even worse, 33 percent, only 33 percent approve of his handling of the cost of living. So, he does have support from Republicans in terms of how he's handling the economy. About 80 percent do support what he's doing, but only 4 percent of Democrats.

And all of this doesn't bode well because the tariffs haven't really even started to bite yet. And let alone this bill, which will, as I mentioned, really hurt those families and individuals that are in need of greater support.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, we saw markets plunged yesterday partly in reacting, reacting to this bill. So, it clearly speaks to that point you're making of this high level of uncertainty and displeasure among many constituents.

Natasha Lindstaedt, thank you so much for allowing us to tap into your expertise. Really appreciate you.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: Our pleasure.

And we'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:19:18]

SANDOVAL: Welcome back to EARLY START, as we take you now to breaking news and live images coming out of Washington, where voting is expected to begin soon in the House on President Trump's sweeping domestic policy bill.

This is coming after lawmakers advanced it through a key committee earlier in the night. Democrats have been attempting to delay the Republican bill in protests over the piece of legislation. It includes measures that would deeply cut into two of the nation's key safety net programs, Medicaid and food stamps. Now, it would also make permanent essentially all of the trillions of dollars of tax breaks contained in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was actually passed during the president's -- President Trump's first term.

Now, if the bill passes, which the House speaker is confident it will, the next step would be a vote in the Senate.

[05:20:02]

We will continue to monitor this in the coming hours and certainly bring you more developments as that vote is expected to take place.

And the other major story breaking out of Washington now, an update to that deadly shooting outside a Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., that claimed the lives of two Israeli embassy staff members. The suspected gunman is in custody and is thought to be the sole attacker, officials overnight saying and stressing that they don't believe there's any additional threat to that community.

He has been identified by police as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago. We are told that after he was detained, he showed security officers where he had discarded his weapons and he chanted "Free Palestine".

The Israeli ambassador to the U.S. says the two people killed were this young couple about to be engaged. The Israeli foreign ministry releasing their names Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. Elsewhere, the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying that war

crimes have been committed in the war in Ukraine, but he refused to describe Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal. Well, a reminder, the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against Mr. Putin over an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia. Moscow maintains that that practice is a humanitarian measure.

Rubio made his statement during a tense exchange on Wednesday before members of the U.S. Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, I think you can look at instances that have happened there and certainly characterize them as war crimes, but our intent is to end the war.

REP. BILL KEATING (D-MA): Is he a war criminal?

RUBIO: We can't end the war without talking to Mr. Putin.

KEATING: No, it's pretty simple. Is he a war criminal?

RUBIO: Well, that's --

KEATING: This man we're negotiating with, Vladimir Putin, is he a war criminal? That's not tough.

RUBIO: But what -- I'm trying to answer your question by telling you that were trying to end the war here.

KEATING: Go ahead. You're equivocating.

RUBIO: It's not a simple answer.

KEATING: You are equivocating, sir. Just answer the question.

RUBIO: I'm answering your question. And the answer is that war crimes have been committed. No doubt. And who is responsible for that? There will be time and place for that accountability. But right now, the job is to end the war --

KEATING: So, you won't answer that question.

RUBIO: People are going to --

KEATING: Reclaiming my time, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: That's America's top diplomat before lawmakers.

For more now, let's go to London and Clare Sebastian.

Has the Kremlin responded to some of this -- some of these remarks from the secretary of state? CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not directly, Polo, but I think

certainly they will be watching closely as we see, the Trump administration face mounting questions, mounting pressure over this policy so far, this calculation that incentivizing rather than pressurizing Russia to commit to sort of a formal peace process is the best way forward.

And we see that the Trump administration is facing this not only from the grilling that Marco Rubio faced on Capitol Hill, but there's now a group of senators who say they have 80 co-sponsors on a bill that would significantly ramp up sanctions on Russia, including imposing secondary sanctions on countries that purchase Russian goods. So, we see the pressure mounting there.

Look, I think we should point out that Marco Rubio did not rule out more sanctions. He said that no sanctions have been lifted. All of the ones that have been imposed remain in place. But there's no deadline. Theres no timeline on when the Trump administration could decide to get tough.

And Russia knows this, and Russia is emboldened. And this is why we see the Russian foreign ministry on Wednesday reiterating Russia's hardline position, a total and absolute rejection of this idea of a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Now when they say to us, let's have a ceasefire, and then we'll see. No, guys, we have already seen these stories. We don't want anymore. The Macrons, Starmers and von der Leyens, who are right now hysterically calling for the United States to join in with anti-Russian actions and ramp up sanctions. This simply reveals their true intentions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So, you see two things going on there. The first, as we say, is, is no deviation whatsoever from that hardline position, this rejection of a ceasefire.

But secondly, we see from Lavrov pointing out that Europe is trying to pressure the U.S. into more, as he called it, anti-Russian actions, that he's trying to sort of capitalize on this division within the transatlantic alliance. The fact that the U.K. and Europe went ahead with sanctions this week without waiting for the United States.

So, I think it's also notable in the sense of how Russia is emboldened that President Putin chose this week for a victory lap to the Kursk region, this region that Russia now claims to have recaptured after Ukraine invaded last August. Extraordinary in many ways that he would choose to highlight what was essentially a failure of Russia's ability to protect its own borders. But it was in the service of this higher goal of painting Ukraine as the aggressor in this conflict, and Russia fighting a war of necessity.

So, I think the question going forward is, does Russia care enough about this sort of dangled reset with the U.S. to commit to further talks, to try to advance this peace process in some way, and to prove to the Trump administration that its policy of carrots only not sticks towards Russia is working.

Marco Rubio said that they're expecting the Kremlin to come forward with its sort of memorandum on peace in the next few days.

[05:25:06]

There's been talk in Europe of potentially more talks next week. The Finnish president talked about that on Wednesday, not confirmed as of yet, and still, no sign of this 2,000 person prisoner swap that was agreed to in Istanbul.

So, the process is moving very slowly and that benefits Russia.

SANDOVAL: CNN's Clare Sebastian in London, thank you so much for wrapping that up for us. Appreciate you.

And we'll be right back with much more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: To major breaking news stories that we're following out of Washington. The first two Israeli embassy staffers identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, have been killed in a shooting near the capital Jewish.