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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Trump to Announce Crackdown on D.C. Crime; Milwaukee Inundated with Flash Floods As Heavy Rains Pummels Millions Across the Midwest. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired August 11, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

MIN JUNG LEE, ANCHOR, EARLY START: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world, thanks so much for being with us. I'm MJ Lee, Rahel Solomon is off, it's Monday, August 11th, 5:00 a.m. here in Washington. And straight ahead on EARLY START.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it's a disgrace that our nation's capital is crime-ridden.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are not experiencing a spike in crime. In fact, we're watching our crime numbers go down.

MAYOR CAVALIER JOHNSON, MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: Some parts of the city have received more than a foot of rain. It's something that Milwaukee hasn't seen in perhaps a decade or more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is two years in the making. It was three hours and 45 minutes to the summit --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, God --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Sam was just like a machine. He didn't stop. He was just moving the whole way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Just hours from now, U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce a plan for FBI agents to patrol with police in Washington D.C. President Trump posted on truth social that he will hold a news conference today on the crime and beautification of Washington. A person familiar with the President's plan says he wants more than 100 FBI agents to patrol the city.

Last week, he ordered an increase in federal law enforcement in the city. Meanwhile, Washington D.C.'s Mayor Muriel Bowser pushed back against the President's claims of rising crime in the nation's capital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, WASHINGTON: Specific

things in our law that would allow the President to have more control over our police department. None of those conditions exist in our city right now. As I mentioned, we are not experiencing a spike in crime. In fact, we're watching our crime numbers go down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: President Trump's order to increase the number of federal law enforcement officers in D.C. has sparked heated debate, with some praising the President's decision, while others say it is not needed. CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings and CNN contributor Lulu Garcia-Navarro had this to say about Trump's focus on D.C. crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNINGS: I think it's a disgrace that our nation's capital is crime- ridden. I think it's a disgrace that tourists and visitors come to Washington D.C. and they don't feel safe. I think it's a disgrace that, you know, roving bands of teenagers are riding, you know, hundreds of dirt bikes around Washington D.C., shooting guns, shooting off fireworks, and you have these roving bands of carjackers.

It's a disgrace. This is our national capital. You shouldn't have to feel that way. Whether you live there or whether you're visiting on the streets of Washington D.C. It's a unique place because it's a federal district. It's not in a state. And there are -- I think -- I think the President, you know, has rightly decided that something has to be done.

LULU GARCIA NAVARO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Crime is a problem that I think every American deals with and is faced with. And I think what I understand from talking to a lot of Americans is that they don't want to see this politicized in the way that it seems to be, that Democratic cities get sort of called out people that are friends of the President, get special treatment.

All of a sudden, federal forces are called on to police the entire city. I think people want real solutions for the crime that they see every day in their cities, whether they're rural or whether they're -- you know, in the nation's capital.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Meanwhile, the legal battle over President Trump deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles heads to court later today. In June, President Trump invoked a rarely used law to federalize the National Guard. California Governor Gavin Newsom sued, saying that by overriding state officials, the President's move violated the constitution's 10th Amendment.

He also says it violated a 147-year-old law that prohibits the military from acting as a domestic police force. President Trump's lawyers are expected to argue that the President does have the authority to federalize the National Guard, to put down protests and protect federal property. The trial is expected to last until Wednesday, though it could go

longer. President Trump and his team are preparing for Friday's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. And Ukraine and its European allies fear that the summit could leave them sidelined with little to say in the negotiations.

[05:05:00]

Before he was elected, Donald Trump had bragged that he could end what Russia calls its special military operation in Ukraine on day one of his second term. It's now been seven months and still no deal. EU leaders insist Ukraine must have a seat at the table on Friday. CNN's senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen joins me now from Moscow.

Fred, good to see you. As preparations are now underway for this summit, what are the early expectations, especially given that there's little indication Putin is interested in ending this war.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, MJ. Well, first of all, the Russians are thrilled that this summit is taking place. You can feel that vibe here on the ground in Moscow among regular people, but among Russian politicians as well. They're also quite frankly, thrilled that it's going to be in Alaska because of the Russian heritage of Alaska.

In fact, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund spent this entire weekend showcasing the beauty of Alaska and the orthodox churches that are still on the ground in Alaska as well. As far as the summit itself is concerned, the Russians are indeed saying that preparations are well underway. They do seem to have certain differences, though, with the Trump administration.

President Trump, of course, has said time and again that he wants an immediate ceasefire in the conflict in Ukraine, a 30-day ceasefire to go into effect immediately. Well, the Russians are saying, and did say late Friday night that work right now is underway towards a comprehensive agreement.

That means the Russians want longer-term negotiations and a broader peace agreement during which the negotiations of which, though, the fighting would still continue on the ground. The Russians in the short-term don't want to end the fighting on the ground because they believe that they're making headway.

And as far as Volodymyr Zelenskyy having a seat at the table, the Russians certainly are giving a cold shoulder to that. We have heard a senior Kremlin aide saying that there's absolutely no discussion about Volodymyr Zelenskyy being part of that. They said that a certain meeting of that type was floated by Steve Witkoff when he was on the ground here in Moscow this past Wednesday, but that the Russians didn't even answer to that, and didn't give any input to that at all.

So, right now, it's very much up in the air, whether a meeting involving President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine could happen in the future, certainly as far as the Russians are concerned, it doesn't seem as though they're giving very much credence to that.

But on the whole, as far as the summit is concerned, what we're hearing the signals from the Trump administration saying they obviously want to end the conflict in Ukraine. The Russians are saying that for them, this meeting in Alaska is about more than that. On the one hand, of course, Ukraine is going to be one of the main topics, and probably, the overriding topics.

But what the Russians have always wanted and continue to want and say that they're going to work towards is a complete reset of U.S.-Russian relations. They, of course, want sanctions relief. They want business deals. And of course, there, again, they are saying Alaska is the perfect place to hold such a summit because it is in the arctic that the Russians are proposing that there could be a great deal of cooperation between the U.S. and Russia as far as logistics is concerned.

But of course, as far as business deals are concerned, especially when you consider rare earths in the north of Russia as well. MJ.

LEE: Fred Pleitgen in Moscow, thank you so much for that update. And let's go now to CNN's Clare Sebastian in London. Clare, I'd like to hear more from you on the Ukrainian perspective. You heard what Fred was saying there. Is Ukraine ultimately going to have a seat at the table at this summit?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, things are still pretty up in the air, MJ. We know from two sources familiar with the matter that the White House hasn't ruled out Ukraine's participation. And certainly Trump, when he envision -- when he originally talked about this meeting, said that his intention was to hold a bilateral meeting with Putin and then to follow it up with a meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy.

But I think that top billing for Russia among other things is a major warning sign for Kyiv. There's a concern, of course, that this is going to be -- going to end up sidelining Ukraine, that this is going to look like as the Russians want it to, two superpowers sitting down and dividing up their spheres of influence. I think it's also happening clearly at a very fragile time in the war for Ukraine.

And this is something that they dealt with and have warned about, they dealt with back in 2014, 2015, when the Minsk Accords were signed. They happened during intense periods of fighting on the ground, and we all know that they ended up not being water-tight. So, that's another warning sign for Ukraine.

And I think as Fred was pointing out, the location also wildly favors Russia, not for the many reasons that he pointed out, but also because it allows Putin to avoid the impact of sanctions on him. He won't have to fly over airspace that is closed to him because of sanctions. He can simply cross over the Bering Strait from Russia's far east.

So, this is very much in Russia's favor. And of course, it makes it much more inconvenient for Ukraine and European powers to be involved.

[05:10:00]

So, I think that's why President Zelenskyy, we've heard him very forcefully making several points. Number one, Ukraine remains very much engaged with this process, and number two, Russia is not to be trusted. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT, UKRAINE (through translator): Our team is working with the United States of America. We do not stop communicating for a single day on how to ensure real peace. We understand the intention of the Russians to try to deceive America, and we will not allow it. I appreciate the determination with which President Trump is determined to stop the deaths in the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So, look, on the flip side, there are some chinks of light in this for Ukraine. Number one is that President Trump continues to face pressure, both internally from Congress and externally from Ukraine's European allies and Ukraine itself, to up the pressure on Russia to increase sanctions, even though that Friday deadline for those secondary sanctions came and went with nothing happening.

So, that is still on the cards, potentially for the U.S. Trump's rhetoric ahead of certainly the meeting between Putin and his envoy, Witkoff last week did palpably toughen towards Russia. It was only a week ago that he called Russia disgusting for its attacks on Ukraine. So, certainly, Zelenskyy and Ukraine will be hoping to capitalize on that sentiment.

And of course, Russia's economy is struggling. And I think these secondary sanctions are a significant incentive to come to the table. So, those are one of the reasons why we see that rhetoric from Zelenskyy, and also why we see this diplomatic blitz continue in Europe. European Foreign Ministers today will be meeting after a weekend of diplomacy to try and push that narrative that the U.S. also needs to get tough on Russia. MJ?

LEE: Quite a lot. That is up in the air still. Clare Sebastian in London, thanks for that update. A fast-moving wildfire in western Colorado prompted officials to evacuate a prison on Saturday, all 179 inmates were transferred to an alternate facility 150 miles away. The Colorado Department of Corrections said the move was, quote, "out of an abundance of caution".

The Lee Fire is now considered at least the sixth largest fire in Colorado's history. It's burned more than 167 square miles, and is only 6 percent contained. No injuries or structural damage have been reported. A lingering heat wave and bone-dry conditions have fueled California's largest wildfire of the year.

The Gifford Fire has now reached mega-fire status after torching more than 100,000 acres. It's only 32 percent contained, with flames threatening Santa Barbara and nearby communities. And meanwhile, the smaller Canyon Fire is burning near Los Angeles, and that is now 78 percent contained. Evacuation orders in parts of L.A. County have been lifted.

Meanwhile, strong winds have ripped the roof off of Nebraska state penitentiary in Lincoln. Prison officials say severe weather damaged a housing unit displacing over 300 prisoners. No injuries are reported at the prison, but the storm, which passed through eastern Nebraska early Saturday, is being blamed for one death and one serious injury in a state park, as well as widespread damage to trees, buildings and electrical lines.

Up next, Benjamin Netanyahu discusses Gaza with Donald Trump as Israel faces strong international opposition over its new war plans. More on that call ahead. Plus, why the Israeli military said it targeted and killed an "Al Jazeera" journalist in an airstrike in Gaza. And rock band, U2, has something to say about the war in Gaza. Those stories and more when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:15:00]

LEE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defending his country's planned military takeover of Gaza City amid growing international condemnation. Netanyahu spoke by phone with Donald Trump about his intention to expand the war, and thanked the U.S. President for his steadfast support of Israel.

But the U.S. stands increasingly apart from its allies with more countries voicing their opposition to Israel's new war plan. An Israeli strike in Gaza City late Sunday night killed seven people, including at least, four journalists from the news network "Al Jazeera". The Israeli military said it targeted and killed "Al Jazeera" correspondent Anas Al-Sharif, accusing him of leading a Hamas cell.

That's an allegation that Al-Sharif had previously denied. CNN's Nada Bashir is following all the developments and joins us live from London. Nada, tell us more about these journalists that were killed and what the IDF is saying.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, MJ, this has really sent shockwaves not only across the Middle East, but beyond. Anas Al-Sharif had become a household name for many in the Arabic-speaking world, and of course, on social media as well, documenting the horrors that we are seeing in the Gaza Strip day-in-and-day-out from the beginning of the war.

So, this is a severe blow to journalists, of course, around the world, but particularly for "Al Jazeera" and the Arabic-speaking world, which has played a crucial role in getting that access on the ground to the Gaza Strip, where, of course, international journalists have been barred from accessing by the Israeli authorities.

And what we've learned, according to officials on the ground, including the hospital director at the Al-Shifa Hospital, which is now destroyed, is that Anas Al-Sharif along with at least, five other journalists was killed late last night in a tent that had been marked and labeled with press outside the now-destroyed hospital.

[05:20:00]

And of course, what we have also been hearing over recent weeks and months, is this growing warning from officials at the United Nations, officials at the committee to protect journalists around concerns over Anas Al-Sharif's safety and protection. We've been hearing allegations and accusations being put out by the Israeli military, including the Israeli military's Arabic spokesperson, accusing Anas Al-Sharif of having links to Hamas.

Now, this is something that Anas Al-Sharif has vehemently denied. He has said that he is a journalist working on the ground to document what is happening, in his words, with no political affiliation and no bias. We've been hearing from the committee to protect journalists, which has also been quoting previous interviews with Anas Al-Sharif, describing the mounting fears over his safety and protection that he had held not only for himself, but for his colleagues and his family members as well.

We've also heard from the U.N. special rapporteur for freedom of expression, who described these allegations put forward by Israeli authorities as unfounded accusations. In their words, that these were blatant attempts to endanger his life and silence his reporting on the genocide in Gaza.

Of course, it's important to underscore this is also taking place ahead of an expand -- a planned expansion of Israel's essential occupation of parts of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City and central Gaza, where Anas Al-Sharif and his team played a crucial role in documenting what was happening on the ground.

Not only including the airstrikes and continued killing of civilians, but also the mass starvation that we are seeing now across the Gaza Strip. We've heard, as you mentioned, of course, around that call between President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu thanking President Trump for his support ahead of that planned expansion, notifying the U.S. President of those military plans.

But again, the United States is increasingly standing alone and growingly isolated in its position, in its steadfast support for Israel's military actions on the ground. And this is certainly only going to raise concern, and of course, backlash around Israel's actions on the ground, particularly when it comes to the targeting of journalists.

According to the committee to protect journalists, more than 180 journalists have been killed since the beginning of the war. Anas Al- Sharif and his colleagues now joining that very long list. MJ?

LEE: And thanks for that important reminder that international journalists cannot report freely right now in Gaza. Nada Bashir in London. Thank you so much. The band, U2, is sharing its thoughts on the war in Gaza as well. The Irish musicians who have a long history of activism, wrote on social media, "everyone has long been horrified by what is unfolding in Gaza, but the blocking of humanitarian aid and now plans for a military takeover of Gaza City has taken the conflict into uncharted territory.

We are no experts in the politics of the region, but we want our audience to know where we stand." Each band member went on to write a personal statement criticizing actions by both the Israeli government and Hamas, while calling for an end to the violence on both sides. Flooded streets, vehicles stranded and dozens of water rescues coming up.

We'll show you the devastation caused when heavy rainfall and flash- flooding hit parts of Wisconsin. Plus, first responders across Europe are working to contain an outbreak of wildfires. We'll have an update on the August heat-wave that's fanning the flames after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:25:00]

LEE: More than 10 million people across the U.S. Midwest remain under flood alerts this morning as heavy rainfall continues to pummel parts of the region. In Wisconsin, torrential rainfall triggered flash flooding in Milwaukee County as the Milwaukee River crested to a record high. A flood warning is currently in effect for the area as streams continue to rise. Flood waters have swamped roads, stranded vehicles and prompted about 65 water rescues by the local fire department.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNSON: We're seeing reports from some parts of the city that have received more than a foot of rain. This flooding event, it's very significant. It's something that Milwaukee hasn't seen in perhaps a decade or more. My heart goes out to everyone dealing with basement flooding that have been dealing with power outages, damage to cars, having trees that were uprooted in and around their properties, and a list of other things have happened as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Milwaukee County is under a state of emergency, first declared on Sunday. Experts say the state of Wisconsin is on track to break its daily rainfall record. And a new August heat-wave is fueling more wildfires across Europe. On Sunday, shifting winds steered flames towards Las Medulas, a world heritage site in northern Spain.

And several wildfires there have forced at least 1,400 people to evacuate the Castile and Leon region. And in Scotland, a wildfire burning near Edinburgh is scorching a popular tourist overlook. Smoke could be seen from miles away after the extinct volcano known as Arthur's Seat was badly-damaged on Sunday.

Police are advising people to avoid that area. And for more on these sweltering conditions, we are joined by CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau live from Rome. Barbie, this is, of course, not the first time this Summer that Europe has been hit with an extreme heat wave. Talk to us about some of the conditions this time around.

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Yes, you know, I mean, it has been hot. It's always hot here in southern Europe in the Summer, but it's been extremely hot here in Italy, in places like Florence over the weekend, where temperatures have topped 40 degrees centigrade. That's over 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

And we've just seen, you know, a lot of people, a lot of the residents, especially here, don't have air conditioning in their homes. That's an issue that is -- people talk about, and you know, wonder why people don't.