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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Two Israeli Embassy Staffers Killed In DC Shooting; House Lawmakers To Vote On Trump Tax And Spending Bill; Trump Ambushes Ramaphosa With Claims Of White "Genocide." Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired May 22, 2025 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:30:07]
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Some major breaking news stories that we're following out of Washington.
The first, two Israeli Embassy staffers identified as Yaron Lishinsky and Sarah Milgrim have been killed in a shooting near the Capital Jewish Museum last night.
This video obtained by CNN appearing to show the 30-year-old suspect being detained by authorities on the ground. Police said that he chanted "Free Palestine" while in custody.
That investigation just getting started.
And a live look at Capitol Hill now where House lawmakers are pulling an all-nighter. They are expected to vote soon on President Trump's so called "big, beautiful bill."
The sweeping domestic policy would make some deep cuts into two of the nation's key safety net programs. They include Medicaid and food stamps. A lot of Americans rely on that. And it would make trillions of dollars of individual income tax breaks permanent.
Now if the House passes the bill, which the House Speaker says it will, then it heads to the Senate where Republicans say that they plan to make some changes of their own.
So we'll keep following these two stories.
Elsewhere, Iran says that it will send a team to Rome for nuclear talks on Friday, but the U.S. has yet to confirm if it will attend.
CNN senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen has more on this. He's live at this hour from Tehran. Fred, you're there -- you're on the streets. What are Iranians saying? What are they -- what are they saying about what's happening there?
I'm not sure Fred can hear us. All right, let's see if we can come back to Fred here in a few moments. All right, Fred, I think we hear you now. Go ahead. FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I do hear you. Yeah, sorry. We had a little bit of a mix-up there with the sound but we're on now. The phone lines a little bit difficult here.
But certainly, the negotiations, of course, as you can imagine here on the streets of Tehran very much the talk of the town and then, of course, in the Iranian government as well. Now one of the things that we've heard really over the past 24 hours is that the Iranians were saying they were still contemplating whether or not they were going to participate in those talks that are set to happen tomorrow in Rome. But in the end, last evening, they said that they are actually going to be there and they are going to participate.
Now, everything here revolves around nuclear enrichment. That's really where the main issue lies right now and that's where the Iranians have had some serious problems with some of the things that negotiators for the Trump administration -- specifically, Steve Witkoff, the president's special negotiator -- has said when they said that they feel that the Iranians should not be able to -- should not be allowed to enrich uranium on their own soil.
The Iranians are saying that for them, that it an absolute red line. They say that under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty they have a right to enrich uranium on their soil. They say it's been something that they've paid a high price for to be able to do -- the technology that they have learned themselves and gotten better at over time. And it's definitely something that they say they are not willing to compromise on.
However, the Iranians are saying -- they continue to insist that their nuclear program is peaceful in nature and that they are willing to allow a lot of verification, including inspections into their nuclear facilities as well.
Both sides, right now, saying that things are moving forward. It's unclear, however, how much progress can actually be achieved. However, again, on the ground here the mood here in Tehran is certainly one of a little more optimism today that the two sides have announced that they are going to have that next meeting on the ground in Rome to continue those negotiations about possibly coming to an agreement over Iran's nuclear program. And then the Iranians, of course, hope for massive sanctions relief for Iran as well, Polo.
SANDOVAL: It's absolutely great to have you there on the street in Tehran with real reaction coming straight from the Iranians. Thank you so much, Fred, for that.
And we're going to be back with much more after this.
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[05:38:35]
SANDOVAL: More now on the developments on Capitol Hill where we could potentially see a vote any time now to approve a bill to fund President Trump's agenda. Republican lawmakers -- they have been fighting tooth and nail, pulling a lot of all-nighters to pull this legislation through -- so far, overcoming some party divisions. President Trump, himself, as you recall, even stepped in on Tuesday in a trip to Capitol Hill to try to persuade some of these lawmakers to get on the same page.
If the House passes the bill, it would next head to the Senate where officials there -- senators there saying that they do expect further changes.
And the other story that we're very closely watching. Top U.S. officials -- they are vowing to seek justice after the fatal shooting of two staff members at the Israeli Embassy in Washington. It happened Wednesday night near the Capital Jewish Museum.
The suspect -- we don't know much about yet. Thirty-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, according to investigators -- he was detained shortly after the attack. We also know that he chanted "Free Palestine" while in custody.
The Israeli ambassador to the U.S. said the victims identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. They were a young couple that was about to get engaged.
And in the last hour I spoke over the phone with a man who was there who witnessed the suspected gunman being arrested.
[05:40:00]
Yoni River Kalin told me that the shooting happened after what he described as an off-record event. And I want you to listen as he describes and really speaks to one of the heartbreaking components in all of this, which was the whole purpose of the event was to discuss getting aid into Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YONI RIVER KALIN, WITNESS: There were embassies from over 30 countries around the world that had staffers there, and there was a representative from the organizations. This discussion was completely off the record so I can't mention the specific organizations involved, but there were members of that organization. And I wouldn't say it's pro-Palestinian or pro-Israel organization; it's a humanitarian aid organization, right? They're responsible for delivering aid all over the world, whether it's in Yemen, whether it's in Syria. And Gaza just happens to be one of those locations that really needs it right now.
So yeah, it's -- a lot of this discussion was off the record and no, it was a -- it was a -- it was an important gathering from people of all faiths and all backgrounds. And, you know, when somebody that's radicalized comes in and talks about intifada revolution and little did we know he murdered two people, that's not a solution for anyone. That doesn't bring peace or resolution to this issue.
And it just -- it's scares a lot of Jewish people because, of course, yelling "Free Palestine" is totally legal, right? You have the right to free speech. You have a right to have Palestinian determination. Like, that's all super important. But you come into a Jewish event to murder two people and then to be proud and take pride in the fact that he was responsible for that, that's what's really scary to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: One of many accounts we've heard overnight speaking to the fear among Jewish communities.
And we're going to be right back with much more after this.
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[05:46:10]
SANDOVAL: Good morning and welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Polo Sandoval, and here are some of the stories that we are closely watching today.
Police are investigating the deadly shooting near a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. that killed two of the Israeli Embassy staff members. Israel's Foreign Affairs Ministry identifying them as Yaron Lishinsky and Sarah Milgrim. The Israeli ambassador says the two were about to get engaged.
D.C. police have detained the suspected gunman in that case. He's been identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago. We are told that he was pacing back and forth outside the museum ahead of the shooting and that he chanted "Free Palestine" while he was getting put into custody.
And we expect the House to begin voting on Trump -- on President Trump's so-called "big, beautiful bill" anytime soon. The massive legislation advancing out of the Rules Committee just hours ago after days of back and forth between Republican leadership and party hardliners.
President Trump -- he needs this bill to make it through the Senate to make good on his promises that he made during his re-election campaign.
And a visit to the White House by South Africa's president quickly went sideways as President Donald Trump ambushed his guest with claims of genocide against white South African farmers.
Cyril Ramaphosa was hoping to discuss trade and other geopolitical issues. He even brought some golfers along for the trip. Instead we see here he was met with a highly orchestrated presentation put on by President Trump's team -- visual aids and all, complete with articles and a video that Donald Trump said backs up his claims of a white genocide.
Well, he also repeatedly mentioned these fringe, widely-debunked allegations that he's been amplifying for months that white farmers in South Africa are having their land seized and are being killed in massive numbers, which is just not true. CNN's Larry Madowo following these developments out of Nairobi. Larry,
I've been following -- closely following your incredible reporting here and such valuable context about what took place in the Oval Office.
What should we keep in mind about these -- shall we call them, sort of, misguided claims from the U.S. president?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN Polo, President Cyril Ramaphosa had come to the White House to clarify some of the misunderstanding that he has with President Trump, but nothing prepared him for that multimedia ambush.
This 4 1/2-minute video montage showing members of the South African opposition calling for "Kill the Boer or Kill the Farmer" which is an anti-apartheid song that South African courts have ruled does not mean a literal call to kill the farmer but has to be understood in the historical context. It was an anti-apartheid song to rally against the system of segregation that South Africans lived against.
And so, President Ramaphosa began well. He complimented Trump on the redecoration of the White House, he thanked him for help during COVID, and he said they hope to have a good meeting. But then one question was placed about what will it take for President Trump to recognize there is no white genocide, and then it all kind of fell off the rails. And that's when you saw this video played and these reams of articles printed.
Many South Africans are praising how cool, calm, and collected President Ramaphosa appeared to be throughout that hour-long ambush that President Trump put on. He did push back when he could, but he didn't raise his voice. And part of the reason is because President Ramaphosa practiced at this. He was the chief negotiator for Nelson Mandela's ANC Party when they ended apartheid. He has done lots of deals and he was prepared for this.
He told me last week before this meeting that he learned at the feet of Nelson Mandela, and you saw that in the White House. But he brought his own white South African successful entrepreneurs, his agriculture minister. A billionaire Johann Rupert who said this to President Trump.
[05:50:05]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHANN RUPERT, SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESSMAN: We have too many deaths but it's across the board. It's not only white farmers, it's across the board. And we need technological help. We need Starlink at every little police station.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: So he's saying violent crime affects everyone in South Africa, which is true, and threw Elon Musk a bone there about Starlink.
The headline here, Polo, is that we have looked into these claims of white genocide and found none. Between April and December 2024 there were 36 farm murders and only seven of them were farmers. So across the total number of murders in South Africa this is 0.2 percent of them.
SANDOVAL: In a story where context is key, we're so glad to have you, Larry. I appreciate your time and your reporting.
Still ahead on EARLY START, communication blackouts at Newark airport cause travel chaos in the U.S., but a CNN investigation finding that the issues go far beyond Newark. And that is just ahead.
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[05:55:30]
SANDOVAL: Breaking news and live images coming out of Washington where voting is expected to begin very soon in the House on President Trump's sweeping domestic policy bill. Republican leaders -- as you know, they have been trying to sway a few hardline holdouts within their own party without losing more moderate members.
Democrats -- they've been attempting to delay the GOP bill in protest over that piece of legislation, which includes measures that would deeply cut into two of the nation's biggest safety net program like Medicaid and food stamps.
If the bill passes, the next step would be a vote in the Senate. So this certainly could result in a massive legislative victory for Donald Trump.
So we're certainly going to continue to monitor this and bring you any developments in the hours ahead, especially when that vote happens.
And a check on the other breaking news that we've been following this morning. Two Israeli Embassy staff members fatally shot in Washington, D.C. In the last hours they were identified as Yaron Lishinsky and Sarah Milgrim. The Israeli ambassador to the U.S. says the victims were about to get engaged.
A witness telling CNN that the suspected gunman waited for police to arrive before claiming that he did it "for Gaza." And police say he also shouted "Free Palestine" as he was arrested. He's been identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago.
President Trump calling that attack antisemitic in a post on social media.
Meanwhile, a series of communication blackouts recently at Newark Liberty International Airport -- they've been leading to widespread chaos since last month, but it's not just at Newark as we've been learning.
A CNN investigation finding that reports of radar and communication outages at dozens of air traffic control facilities across the country in recent years, and that includes screens going black and radios going silent with real lives on the line. And in one incident controllers describe losing all contact with pilots as two planes were on a collision course, resulting in a narrow miss.
More now from aviation correspondent Pete Muntean.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWARK ATC: We just lost all frequencies and communications here.
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Newark air traffic control meltdowns --
NEWARK ATC: We don't have a radar, so I don't know where you are.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): -- are only the latest in a litany of equipment failures at aging Federal Aviation Administration facilities nationwide.
A CNN investigation found dozens of reports submitted by air traffic controllers and pilots over the last three years, along with more than 1,000 FAA alerts of equipment issues, painting a picture of dangerous outages that are far more common than previously known.
Dave Riley worked as an air traffic controller at three different FAA facilities before retiring in 2020.
DAVE RILEY, RETIRED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: It becomes so routine that it feels like it's every day that there is some sort of equipment issue.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): CNN uncovered, in 2023, a controller at the Tampa approach control facility reported the degradation of radio equipment to the point that a commercial flight and a cargo plane ended up on a collision course at the same altitude.
"I frantically attempted to reach aircraft X to issue a turn," the controller wrote. "If we could somehow acquire equipment that worked reliably, particularly frequencies, that would really assist in the success of separating aircraft."
The reports are compiled independently by NASA, though incidents are unverified and not always investigation by the FAA.
RILEY: Those reports just get filed and they just sit there.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): A CNN analysis of the FAA's own advisories warned of radars or radio frequencies being out of service or facing issues once nearly every other day last year.
In a statement, the FAA admitted "Our system is outdated and showing its age." A problem acknowledged by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the Trump administration is calling for a nationwide overhaul of the air traffic control system.
Nick Daniels heads the union of controllers.
NICK DANIELS, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION: Most Americans today walk around with more computing power in their pocket than air traffic controllers have at the ready. This will continue happening in more and facilities around the country impacting more airports, and the time for action is now.
MUNTEAN (voiceover): CNN also found a report of a September 2021 failure of radio and radar at the busy Miami center facility as weather was rolling in. "If these type of events happen once, it's one too many," the controller wrote in the NASA database.
When the very same scenario occurred in February of this year, a controller wrote, "This is a systemic issue and we don't even have a backup system in place." The controller said, "We are running normal operations pretending everything is OK and it's not. This is a very unsafe operation."
[06:00:12]
MUNTEAN: The bottom line here is that these failures will mean delays.
The FAA said in response to our reporting that when equipment issues happen the agency has no choice but to slow flights to keep things safe. It's not good news for travelers with the summer rush about to start. The TSA just said it will screen about 18 million people at airports nationwide over the next week.
On Wednesday, the head of nine U.S. airlines wrote an open letter to Congress pleading with them to fund the air traffic control upgrades that the Trump administration wants.
Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.
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SANDOVAL: And breaking news coverage continues right now at "CNN THIS MORNING."
