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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Kim's Daughter And Possible Heir Jons Him In Beijing; Florida To End Vaccine Mandates, Including for Children; Trump Asks Supreme Court To Save His Emergency Tariffs. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired September 04, 2025 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I didn't think it would be so big.
IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Roughly 2,000 people from Mexico and even the U.S. came to support Isela, according to the Associated Press.
SARAI ROSALES, VISITING FROM DALLAS, TEXAS (through translator): It became national news. When we saw it on TV at home, we got excited and decided to come.
RODRIGUEZ (voiceover): A local photographer and a deejay offered free services, and the local government donated the town's stadium as a venue. More than a dozen musicians performed for free late into the night.
But even though the party was all about Isela, she asked people to donate toys to vulnerable children instead of giving her gifts.
ISELA ANAHI SANTIAGO MORALES, CELEBRATING QUINCEANERA (through translator): Thanks so much for coming to my party and bringing the toys for me to give away.
RODRIGUEZ (voiceover): But there was another surprise waiting for her, a letter she opened on stage gifting her a 969-square-foot plot of land. And as if all that wasn't enough the local government gave her a scholarship to continue studying. She hopes to be a teacher one day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Because of all of you her dream was made possible.
RODRIGUEZ (voiceover): A fairytale night bringing her an even brighter future.
Ivan Rodriguez, CNN.
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BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Kim Jong Un is making headlines not just for his visit to Beijing but also for who he brought with him. Why some say we could be seeing the future leader of North Korea.
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XI JINPING, CHINESE PRESIDENT: Bon vaha.
CHINESE TROOPS: Bon vaha.
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ABEL: Most of the world leaders have gone home and the troops are likely returning to their bases, but Wednesday's Chinese military parade is giving President Trump something to think about. Xi Jinping and the leaders of Russia, India, and North Korea are making a bid for a new world order that's not dominated by the West.
Russia is brushing off a social media post from Trump that accused Xi, Putin, and Kim Jong Un of conspiracy against the U.S.
Reporters asked President Trump about that parade on Wednesday.
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DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When they did what they did I thought it was beautiful ceremony. I thought it was very, very impressive, but I understood the reason they were doing it. And they were hoping I was watching, and I was watching.
My relationship with all of them is very good. We're going to find out how good it is over the next week or two.
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ABEL: And a hot microphone is providing an interesting glimpse into a conversation between Putin and Xi. Have a listen to their interpreters as they arrive for that military parade in Beijing.
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JINPING (through translator): In the past, we used to say that very rarely people lived past 70, but these days, at 70 years (you are) still a child.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Those who are 75, 65, they have better in a few years with the development of biotechnology. Imagine human organs can be constantly transplanted so that people can live younger and younger, and even become immortal.
XI (through translator): The prediction is that in this century humans may live to 150 years old.
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ABEL: We spoke earlier with CNN contributor and former Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty about this hot mic moment.
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JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, FORMER MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: This is important because both of these men are in their early 70s. And it is important if you look, especially at Putin. He intends to, it appears, to stay in power until he's about 83 technically. And if he could live and be in great shape until 150 then that might be OK with him.
So I think we can kind of laugh about it and say it's a little weird, but I do think that is probably happening. There's probably some research and I'm sure that some of these men would like to live longer than the average person.
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ABEL: Kim Jong Un's visit to Beijing for the military parade is, of course, making headlines and observers seem especially interest in who accompanied the North Korean leader to China.
CNN's Mike Valerio reports.
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MIKE VALERIO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Amid the red carpet welcome for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his armored train pulling into Beijing's station flanked by members of the Chinese military, North Korea watchers immediately spotted a girl standing just behind Kim.
Her name is believed to be Kim Ju Ae, daughter of the North Korean leader. And we say believed because North Korea is shrouded in secrecy and so little is known about her. We don't even know exactly how old she is -- preteen or young teenager. But we do know she, in recent years, has been seen trailing her father at high-profile events fueling speculation that she could one day be Kim's successor.
Her public debut, in fact, was at this 2022 intercontinental ballistic missile test launch. We only knew about her existence before the launch because American basketball star and Kim's friend Dennis Rodman told the Guardian newspaper in 2013, he held Kim's baby named Ju Ae.
Fast-forward to this week, she's seen smiling as a high-ranking official, the de factor chief of staff of the Chinese Communist Party, greets her father. But the younger Kim was not seen at Wednesday's ceremonies at Tiananmen Square.
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Kim's daughter has been present more often at Kim's side for nearly three years instead of his wife Ri Sol-ju or his sister Kim Yo Jong. Experts say events from presiding over North Korean military parades, attending sporting events, even inaugurating a new beach resort could be part of her training to lead. There's also a potential message to the world the Kim dynasty, which has ruled North Korea since its founding, could continue with Kim's daughter. She perhaps one day walking in the footsteps of her father side-by-side with those who hope to forge a new world order.
Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.
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ABEL: Florida is moving to become the first state to do away with all vaccine mandates. What that could mean for schools in the state.
And later, the U.S. Open men's defending champion makes his bid for repeat. We'll check the latest action from Flushing Meadows ahead on EARLY START.
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ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Here are some stories we are watching today.
Ukraine's president is in Paris for a meeting of allies in the so- called Coalition of the Willing. The focus today is security guarantees. French President Emmanuel Macron says the coalition is ready to provide those guarantees assuming a ceasefire with Russia can eventually be reached. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the European leaders plan to hold a call later with President Trump.
And Donald Trump is also gearing up to host tech leaders for a dinner in the White House Rose Garden later Thursday. It will be the first event to be held in the newly-renovated space. A White House official says the guest list is expected to include Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI.
Powerball says there are no grand prize-winning tickets in its latest drawing, but the jackpot is estimated to be $1.7 billion for Saturday, the third-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. The one-time lump sum payout would get you about $770 million before taxes.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear before a Senate panel in the coming hours to discuss the Trump administration's health care agenda for next year and to answer for dramatic changes he's made in the country's health policy. It comes as more than 1,000 current and former HHS employees signed a letter calling for him to resign, arguing that he's putting the health of all Americans at risk.
Meanwhile, the state of Florida plans to end all mandatory vaccines, including for schoolchildren.
Sherrell Hubbard has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOSEPH LADAPO, FLORIDA SURGEON GENERAL: The Florida Department of Health, in partnership with the governor, is going to be working to end all vaccine mandates in Florida law -- all of them -- all of them.
SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announcing Wednesday that Florida is planning to end vaccine mandates statewide. This would make Florida the first state to end the longstanding practice of requiring certain vaccines for school students.
GOV. RON DESANTIS, (R) FLORIDA: In Florida, you have the right to be free. You have the right to make your own decisions. You can participate in society without having these unscientific dictates imposed upon you.
HUBBARD (voiceover): The announcement swiftly met with concern from health experts. The Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics saying in a statement, "This will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, which will have a ripple effect across our communities."
Florida's surgeon general making the case that vaccination should be an individual choice.
LADAPO: That is -- that is a moral, ethical universe; not this nonsense where people who don't know you are telling you what to put in your temple.
HUBBARD (voiceover): But health experts contend that freedom of choice has the potential to impact others.
DR. MEGHAN MARTIN, PEDIATRIC E.R. NURSE: We saw the measles outbreak this year. More cases than we've seen in 30 years. Over 1,400 people sick, many hospitalized -- and unfortunately, some people that passed. We can decrease these by kids getting vaccinated.
HUBBARD: I'm Sherrell Hubbard reporting.
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ABEL: All 50 states have had school immunization requirements since the 1980s for diseases like measles, polio, and tetanus. All states allow medical exemptions for school vaccines and most also allow exemptions due to personal or religious beliefs.
And Donald Trump is urging the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling which found he overstepped his authority. He relied on a 1970s era emergency law to impose sweeping international tariffs. At issue are the tariffs Trump announced in April, and tariffs imposed this year against China, Mexico, and Canada that were designed to combat fentanyl entering the states.
Trump says if the high court rules against his tariffs it would mean devastation for the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: The tariffs are vital to the success of this country. When I say I ended seven wars, at least half of those wars were ended because of the power of tariffs. I was able to say well, we're not doing any business with you or if you're going to war, we're putting a big tariff on you. And all of a sudden, they announced that the war was settled. I would settle -- I settled seven different wars.
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ABEL: If the Supreme Court doesn't hear Trump's appeal or upholds that lower court ruling, the administration may have to refund billions of dollars to American importers.
CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has more.
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VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump says his administration will be filing an appeal with the Supreme Court over a ruling last Friday by a judge who said that the Trump administration unlawfully imposed tariffs under the Emergency Powers Act, also known as IEEPA.
Since April, when the tariffs took effect, they've reached heights of 145 percent on countries like China. And the U.S. has collected $210 billion through August 24, but that has been paid by importers and U.S. businesses.
If President Trump's appeal fails, the federal government will have to cease collecting those tariffs and pay back all of that money starting on October 14.
So how does that exactly happen? Well, there's no clear answer but experts say the government could 1) refund the tariffs to all of the importers who paid them, or argue that the court ruling only applies to the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit that this just ruled on, or the Trump administration could require importers to request refunds individually.
The tariffs have been a way for the government to fill its coffers and reduce the amount of money it has borrowed, which ultimately reduces the federal deficit. Now, Trump -- about all of this -- said that the ruling, if it does stick, will be devastation for the country.
Back to you.
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ABEL: Vanessa Yurkevich there reporting. Thank you.
Call this one a lesson learned for the Oregon Zoo in Portland. Their hidden camera was no match for a curious lion. This recently-released video shows two lions, a male and a female, lounging in the summer sun when the female spots the camera -- so not so hidden -- and gives it a few swats with her paws, then puts the lens in her mouth.
They are part of the zoo's "Predators of the Serengeti" exhibit. Thankfully, their prey in this case appeared to be unharmed.
Well, they've had seven months to celebrate. Now it's time for the Philadelphia Eagles to defend their title as the NFL season begins. That's just ahead on EARLY START.
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Clip Warner Bros. Pictures "Man of Tomorrow."
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ABEL: Oh, so good. I am so excited for this next news. Case in point, this guy right here sits on my desk every day. Big Superman fan. And fans like me will not have to wait too long to see the next Superman film. Director James Gunn said the sequel to this summer's reboot of the classic superhero will hit theaters in July of 2027.
On social media, Gunn said the new film will be called "Man of Tomorrow." He included this drawing here you see of Superman and archenemy Lex Luther in a mechanized suit. It suggests that Nicholas Hoult's Luther will return for the sequel. And fans -- they're even speculating that he may return as an ally.
CNN and Warner Bros., the studio behind Superman, have the same parent company.
Well, the iconic music and food festival known as "Farm Aid" is coming back for its 40th anniversary this month. Founding musicians Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellenkamp are bringing the festival to Minneapolis, Minnesota for the first time.
Farm Aid is a primary source of funding to support family farms in the U.S. Organizers say the festival has raised more than $85 million since it started in 1985.
And you can watch the big event from the comfort of your own home right here on CNN on September 20.
All right. American football fans have been waiting for today since early February. The NFL season gets underway tonight. Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts will lead the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles against the Dallas Cowboys.
Philadelphia will get help from star running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver A.J. Brown. The Cowboys -- they're led by quarterback Dak Prescott looking to connect with his top receiver CeeDee Lamb.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JALEN HURTS, QUARTERBACK, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: The Cowboys are a really good team -- a really good team. They've been there a very long time, so they've got a really good -- they've got a really good group. Having a new defensive coordinator, you don't really know what iteration he's going to put out there on the field. And so it just comes down to kind of playing fast and playing clean football. And they've always been able to find ways to be disruptive, and so that's something that is on top of mind.
DAK PRESCOTT, QUARTERBACK, DALLAS COWBOYS: They're good, they're sound. They don't do a lot. Uh, so you've got to -- you've got to be disciplined. You've got to be fundamental. You've got to be, as a quarterback, great with your eyes, understanding when to move people and how to move people. And we've just got to come out and throw the first punch.
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ABEL: Also this week, Jim Harbaugh and his Los Angeles Chargers will take on Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs Friday night in Sao Paulo, Brazil. More than a dozen games are slated for Sunday. Go Lions!
Well, the field is narrowing at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. Number one seed and defending champion Jannik Sinner is through to the semifinal round. Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will compete in the other semifinal match on Friday.
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On the women's Naomi Osaka is making a bid for her fifth grand slam title. She's on to the next round at Flushing Meadows.
Thank you so much for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington, D.C. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.
