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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Trump Tells NATO Nations To Stop Buying Russian Oil; Catholic Church Experiencing Renewed Popularity In Europe; Federal Reserve Poised To Ease Rates Amid Economic Worries. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired September 15, 2025 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Now President Trump says it's up to NATO and Europe to make a move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: NATO has to get together, Europe has to get together, and then -- look, Europe is -- they're my friends but they're buying oil from Russia. So we can't be expected to be the only ones that are, you know, full bore.

But Europe is buying oil from Russia. I don't want them to buy oil. And the sanctions that are putting -- that they're putting on are not tough enough. And I'm willing to do sanctions but they're going to have to toughen up their sanctions commensurate with what I'm doing.

REPORTER: But just to clarify, you won't move ahead until NATO moves ahead.

TRUMP: Well, I'm ready to move ahead but they have to do it, and I think they will. But right now they're talking and they're not doing it.

Look, they're buying oil from Russia. We're not buying oil from Russia. They're buying at lot of oil from Russia. That's not the deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Meanwhile, Ukraine says it is targeting the heart of Russia's oil production launching a drone strike against one of the country's largest refineries early Sunday. The strike caused a largescale fire at the refinery.

CNN's Clare Sebastian is joining us now from London with all these developments, including some of the responses to Trump's demands, Clare.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Look, I think this new condition that he set Brian that's now NATO and European countries need to stop buying Russian oil is really effectively I think a way to buy the U.S. more time to calculate whether it is the right thing to do at this point in these now stalled diplomatic negotiations to end the war and to put the pressure up on Moscow because effectively, the situation hasn't changed, right?

The European Union putting an embargo on Russian oil imports at the end of 2022. Some countries got a carveout -- the likes of Slovakia and Hungary, so they are still importing pipeline oil from Russia. And that hasn't changed. They're putting this in as a new condition now really sort of shifts the balance of this back onto NATO and the European Union.

And interestingly, of course, the other wrinkle is that these countries that are now facing this pressure -- Slovakia and Hungary as well as, of course, Turkey which imports a large amount of Russian oil and another NATO member -- they are the sort of natural allies of Trump and especially the MAGA movement in Europe. So it's interesting to see this turnaround.

And we're not getting a whole lot of response from these countries because they've tried to studiously avoid criticizing Trump out of this.

But all of this comes -- essentially, Trump putting pressure on NATO and not on Russia at the same time as Russia is putting a lot of pressure on NATO. We saw over the weekend the second incursion into NATO airspace by a Russian drone in the space of less than a week. Of course, we saw that major one last week into Polish airspace.

And then on Saturday, Romania said that a drone entered its airspace and orbited around for a bit. It had to scramble. You can see the F-16 there. It did not shoot it down, the Defense Ministry said, because of a calculation of collateral damage.

But still, the tensions are rising along the border with Ukraine and along NATO's eastern flank. And we are also seeing at this point largescale Russian and Belarusian joint military drills happening in Belarus which has caused Poland to close its border with Belarus to traffic.

So look, not the United front that NATO would have wanted President Trump to join in with at this point when we see these tensions rising, Brian.

ABEL: All right, Clare Sebastian for us. Thank you.

Catholicism is experiencing a revival in Europe. Coming up, how social media is helping religious leaders reach the next generation of believers.

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[05:38:12]

ABEL: Pope Leo celebrating his 70th birthday. Thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square today as the pontiff marked the occasion with a special public address.

CNN's Christopher Lamb has more on how the pope celebrated his special day. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pope Leo looked out at the crowd that had gathered in St. Peter's on Sunday and said, "It seems that you know it's my birthday." There were groups in the crowd holding up banners wishing Leo a happy birthday, including from Peru, the country, of course, that Leo served in for many years as a bishop and as a missionary.

Leo thanked everyone for their good wishes. A band played a happy birthday song for him. He thanked his parents and for everyone -- and to everyone who was praying for him on his birthday.

Now Leo is 70, which makes him young by papal standards. His two predecessors were several years older than him when they took up the post. It's not clear if Leo was celebrating on this birth or having a party but he did receive a cake on Saturday from the new U.S. ambassador to the holy seat, Brian Burch, who bought him a chocolate cake from Portillo's, the restaurant chain which is headquartered in Chicago. Of course, Leo's home city and where he grew up.

Now Leo's birthday came just after a historic one-of-its-kind Vatican concert, which was directed by Pharrell Williams and Andrea Bocelli. The concert took place in St. Peter's Square on Saturday night. There were performances from Jennifer Hudson, from John Legend, from Teddy Swims. A gathering that was very much a celebratory one. And there was a drone show, which was spectacular, above St. Peter's Basilica.

[05:40:00]

It was the culmination of a gathering in the Vatican for human fraternity, which -- focusing on a more humane and peaceful world. There were discussions on a whole range of topics, including artificial intelligence.

Now, Leo's birthday fell on a Sunday and that meant he couldn't have a day off. And in the evening, he was due to celebrate mass at the Roman Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls -- a mass to commemorate the witnesses and martyrs of the Christian faith in the 21st century.

Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Wow, what a show. Those drones were incredible.

Well, many mainstream religions in Western countries have been charting a sharp decline in youth engagement. But in Europe, Catholicism is witnessing a surprising rebound. This despite the Catholic church's troubled past and global sex abuse scandals.

CNN's Melissa Bell has more on what's inspiring this youth revival.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Sharing the oldest of messages in the newest of forms. On Instagram and TikTok, Sister Albertine leads prayers and offers advice to her more than half-million followers, part of a growing tribe of Catholic influencers who are speaking to a generation dusting off the solemnity of the past.

SISTER ALBERTINE DEBACKER, FRENCH CATHOLIC NUN AND SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER: This is how God is doing. I think he's surprising us. How are we going to help these young people?

BELL (voiceover): Partly through song and dance. At this Christian festival in the foothills of the French Alps, a young generation has flocked -- many followers of Sister Albertine who have come to hear her speak.

JEANNE FABRE, FESTIVAL ATTENDEE (through translator): She really makes questions of faith accessible and, in fact, she's really authentic.

BELL (voiceover): The 29-year-old nun says she's inundated with questions. Her role, simply to take to the space where the young spend most of their time.

DEBACKER: Jesus was going outside. Jesus was working all the time. He was searching for encounter people. And now, in 2025, to encounter people we have to start with social media.

BELL: Over the last few years here in France there's been a doubling in the number of adult baptisms with nearly half of those coming from families with no religious background. The starkest rise of all is amongst the very youngest, 18 to 25-year-olds.

BELL (voiceover): The stunning rebuilding of Notre Dame may also have added a new shine to the image of Catholicism.

Audrey Bourges, who is 24, shows us where she was fortunate enough to be baptized on Easter.

AUDREY BOURGES, CATHOLIC CONVERT: So yeah, the church was really, really helpful because I joined just after COVID. I found friends. I found my boyfriend. I found everything I was looking for in my life. This and some people I can rely on.

BELL (voiceover): Back at the festival Sister Albertine, just back from the Vatican's Jubilee celebrations, tells the crowd of her chance encounter with Pope Leo. She'd been invited as one of more than 1,000 influencers as the church moves to capitalize on this thoroughly modern megaphone to the young.

FATHER LUCIANO COUTO, HEAD OF YOUTH MINISTRY, CHEMIN NEUF COMMUNITY: They are eager for that. They are thirsty for that experience. God can talk to me. And they are coming to the Catholic church because we have a 2,000-year tradition of teaching people to hear God's voice, and that's awesome.

BELL (voiceover): A religion, says Father Luciano, that is yet again showing its remarkable power of resurrection.

Melissa Bell, CNN, in the French Alps.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: And TikTok is facing a critical deadline to sell to a U.S. buyer this week. What President Trump is saying about the issue. That's next.

And Americans are facing an economic double whammy -- high inflation and slowing growth -- but is it enough to make the Federal Reserve finally lower rates? We'll get into it after the break.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:48:37]

ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Here are some stories we are watching today.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Israel and meeting with the country's prime minister today. Israeli sources tell CNN that Benjamin Netanyahu plans to raise his government's potential West Bank annexation plans during the talks. The sources say he wants to understand where the Trump administration draws a line on annexation.

And U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance says he'll pay tribute today to his friend Charlie Kirk. Vance says that will happen when he hosts "The Charlie Kirk Show" podcast. The conservative activist was fatally shot on Wednesday. Investigators are still working to determine a motive.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul endorsing New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Sunday. Hochul did not endorse Mamdani when he won the city's mayoral Democratic primary back in July. That's when he beat former governor Andrew Cuomo and current mayor Eric Adams. Cuomo and Adams are both now running as Independents.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to lower interest rates later this week. This would mark the first rate decline from the central bank since December. And for some, including President Donald Trump, that drop -- it cannot come soon enough.

[05:50:00]

John Lawrence has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW, DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY: The last time we kind of saw this was in the 1970s and that playbook doesn't fit today because we are in a global supply chain.

JOHN LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The U.S. is getting hit with an economic double whammy. While the cost of living keeps climbing, finding a job is more difficult.

PATEL: When you still have the high inflation, which is still pretty sticky, and then you add the low growth, that's where we start to worry a little bit.

LAWRENCE (voiceover): Consumer sentiment has dropped nearly five percent this month and his down 21 percent compared to September of 2024, according to preliminary results from a University of Michigan survey published Friday.

REP. RICHARD HUDSON (R-NC): The economy really concerns me -- affordability for people back home. And that's why the Working Families Tax Cut Act was so important because I believe it will drive down costs.

LAWRENCE (voiceover): Economic analysts say rising inflation and the Trump administration's tariffs are two of the main concerns for American households.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Half of all of the workers have nothing in the bank as they face retirement. You've got a quarter of our seniors trying to get by on $15,000 a year or less.

LAWRENCE (voiceover): The Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest data says consumer prices inched upward four-tenths of a point last month, pushing the annual inflation rate to 2.9 percent.

PATEL: Consumers are feeling -- they don't -- the real issue isn't if there's three percent of 10 percent inflation. Consumers are running away from that perception until it changes behavior.

LAWRENCE (voiceover): I'm John Lawrence reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Donald Trump says welcoming foreign talent will be key to restoring American industrial strength. On social media Sunday he highlighted businesses like semiconductor and computer manufacturing, shipbuilding, and transportation. Mr. Trump wrote that foreign experts should be allowed into the U.S. temporarily to train American workers in complex manufacturing.

His post comes less than two weeks though after a major ICE raid in Georgia. Agents arrested nearly 500 foreign workers, most from South Korea, at a Hyundai-LG battery plant.

Donald Trump says TikTok's U.S. future is up to China. The U.S. president says he's working toward an agreement with Beijing for the social media app. TikTok's parent company ByteDance is facing a Wednesday deadline to sell to a U.S. buyer or be banned in the country. President Trump has already delayed enforcing the ban three times.

And it was the biggest night in television on Sunday as the 77th primetime Emmy Awards aired live from Los Angeles.

Netflix's "ADOLESCENCE" taking home six trophies -- the most of the night. They won for outstanding limited series, directing, outstanding lead actor, supporting actor and actress, and writing. All of those for a limited series or anthology. It makes actor Owen Cooper the youngest-ever male winner of an Emmy -- just 15 years old.

Other winners included "SEVERANCE," which took two categories, including Britt Lower's win for outstanding lead actress in a drama and her first nomination.

And the final award of the night went to "THE PITT," an incredible medical drama produced in part by CNN's parent company, for outstanding drama series.

Also, the television awards show raised $350,000 for charity, according to the Hollywood Reporter. What initially began as a bid to keep the night's winners from doing over their allotted speech time is now a massive check for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. While some winners did go over their allotted time, CBS pledged to add money to the pot for winners who came in under the 45-second limit.

At the end of the night though it was host Nate Bargatze that pledged $250,000 of his own while CBS pledged their own $100,000 amount.

The Philadelphia Eagles and the Chiefs meeting again for the first time since last season's Super Bowl. We'll tell you who came out on top next.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:58:35]

ABEL: A fizzy fiasco in Mexico City -- wow -- where a soda delivery truck was swallowed by a sinkhole on Saturday. Luckily, nobody was injured but people watched as the weight of the truck pulled it backwards and deeper into that sinkhole. By then, crews had already cleared and blocked off the area. A local mayor says the city's aging drainage system had collapsed underground causing this.

In NFL action in Minnesota on Sunday night, Atlanta kicker Parker Romo making all five of his field goal attempts in his debut for the Falcons in their 22-6 victory over the Vikings. Bijan Robinson running for 143 yards, and Tyler Allgeier making a late touchdown run to widen the winning margin.

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy -- he had a bit of a rough ride suffering six sacks and three turnovers.

And that Super Bowl rematch in Kansas City -- well, it was a close one, but Philly came out on top yet again edging out the Chiefs 20-17. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley each had touchdown runs for the winners, but it was a tight defense that made the difference. Safety Andrew Mukuba coming up with a big fourth- quarter interception right here to deny Patrick Mahomes a scoring opportunity.

[06:00:15]

And finally, a new animated film took the top spot at the U.S. box office all the way from Japan. "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" opened this weekend to an estimated $70 million. That breaks a record previously set 26 years ago by "Pokeman: The First Movie."

That does it for us. Thank you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington, D.C. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.