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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

U.S. Justice Department Says that There will Be No Epstein- Related Charges As More Files are Released; Partial U.S. Government Shutdown Enters Third Day As Funding Standoff Continues; Artists Call Out ICE at the Grammy Awards. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired February 02, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00]

RAHEL SOLOMON, ANCHOR, EARLY START: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining from the U.S. and all around the world, I'm Rahel Solomon, it is Monday, February, 2nd, 5:00 a.m. here in New York and straight ahead on EARLY START.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The U.S. Justice Department says that there will be no Epstein-related charges as more files are released.

TODD BLANCHE, DEPUTY U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: The entire world can look at now and see if we got it wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looks like this government shutdown could last until this upcoming Tuesday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the whole, they're better off getting this over with.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What Bad Bunny just came out and said was ICE out, and a lot of the celebrities there were wearing ICE out buttons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: The Trump administration is trying to put to rest any ideas of future prosecutions coming from the Epstein files. The Justice Department made its latest release of documents on Friday, including videos, photos, e-mails and more than 3 million pages of investigation material.

But along with that release, the DOJ is saying that there will be no new Epstein-related charges. Some lawmakers say that this latest batch isn't enough, as they consider going after Attorney General Pam Bondi. Lawmakers say they also want an explanation about why so many pages were redacted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): They did do a release that was significant. I mean, this is the most documents that we have seen released so far in history, but it is not good enough. And so, Thomas Massie and I have requested a meeting with the deputy Attorney General.

He said he's open to meeting with members of Congress. He said he's open to explaining why the redactions were done. So, I hope that we will have a meeting if we don't get the remaining files. If we do not get the remaining 302 forms, the remaining prosecution memo from 2019.

And if the survivors are not happy, then Thomas Massie and I are prepared to move on impeachment or contempt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Now, officials say that some files have been withheld based on different legal privileges, and despite what they contain, the deputy Attorney General says that none of it meets the standard for prosecution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLANCHE: I can't talk about any investigations, but I will say the following, which is that in July, the Department of Justice said that we had reviewed the files, that quote, "Epstein files", and there was nothing in there that allowed us to prosecute anybody.

We then released over 3.5 million pieces of paper, which the entire world can look at now, and see if we got it wrong. And so now, there's a lot of correspondence, there's a lot of e-mails, there's a lot of photographs. There's a lot of horrible photographs that appear to be of taken by Mr. Epstein, or where people around him.

But that doesn't allow us necessarily to prosecute somebody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Meantime, the House is expected to vote on whether to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt. They have refused to testify about possible connections to Jeffrey Epstein. And in the U.K., Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to testify before the U.S. Congress about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Starmer said that helping women who were sexually abused should be the top priority. The former prince has denied any wrongdoing, and says that he never saw anything suspicious when he was with Epstein. And lord Peter Mandelson has resigned his membership in Britain's Labor Party.

According to Britain's Press Association, he says that it's to avoid further embarrassment about his relationship with Epstein. Mandelson lost his job as U.S. Ambassador last year because of his connections to Epstein. OK, joining us now from London is CNN correspondent Salma Abdelaziz.

So, Salma, Starmer's calls now for Andrew to testify, that's a big change from what he initially said. What in these documents changed his mind? SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, it's absolutely at a

departure and we can't get into the Prime Minister's own thinking, but it is a continuation in some ways of what he has been saying. If you read the statements in full, he essentially says, I believe that we should be victim-led, and that anyone who has information should testify so that those victims can get justice.

What might have affected him in these documents, well, let's look at them ourselves. One of the images that is in these documents is deeply disturbing, but I do want to show it to you.

[05:05:00]

It shows the man who is now known, of course, as Andrew Mountbatten- Windsor, formally Prince Andrew over the body of what is a woman or a girl. Her face is obscured. In another image, you see his hand on her abdomen. It is unclear when or where these images were taken.

There is no captions, no context for the photographs that was provided with the documents released, and neither the photographs nor the e- mails that are also in this trove suggest any wrongdoing. Still, they are deeply disturbing images, of course, that have been splattered all over the media for the last couple of days.

The other disturbing thing in this latest release is this e-mail exchange that appears to take place between, again, Mr. Mountbatten- Windsor and Mr. Epstein. In that exchange, he describes meeting a friend, Prince Andrew, or rather, Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor says he is excited to do that essentially.

And then Mr. Epstein again in these e-mails appears to say she's a 26- year-old Russian, clever, beautiful, trustworthy, were the quotes in this e-mail. Now Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, has long denied any wrongdoing. He considered all the accusations against him false.

But the pressure has, of course, been building. Building so much so that in October of last year, he had all of his royal titles stripped by King Charles, his brother, of course. But there's also another side to this, Rahel, which means that he no longer has access to the royal family's lawyers, it appears, and that makes it ever more difficult for these victims to push.

However, there is that push from some members -- some Democratic members of Congress that came about last year in November, in a public letter, they called on Prince Andrew, formally Prince Andrew, to testify and have a recorded interview.

Again, for those victims, in pursuit of justice for those victims. He has not responded to this, the palace has not responded to this as well. He has continued to deny any wrongdoing, but it is difficult to imagine, Rahel, how anything else will happen other than more and more pressure building.

SOLOMON: Salma Abdelaziz in London for us. Salma, thank you. Now, to Washington, where there is apparently some disagreement among House Democrats on how to address the partial U.S. government shutdown. They held a private call on Sunday to discuss their approach to the funding package passed by the Senate on Friday.

And sources tell CNN, that some Democrats voiced support for the legislation during that call. Previously, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told Republicans that they should not count on Democratic votes. The deal on the table would fund most of the government through September, but Homeland Security would only get funded for two weeks.

While lawmakers discuss potential reforms to federal immigration enforcement. A confident House Speaker, Mike Johnson, insists that Republicans can pass the legislation even without Democratic support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Well, let's say I'm confident that we'll do it at least by Tuesday. We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone in town, and because of the conversation I had with Hakeem Jeffries, I know that we've got to pass a rule and probably do this mostly on our own.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Now, as the shutdown stretches into its first weekday, travelers could experience delays at airports. Most Air Traffic Controllers will be required to work without pay, but more than 10,000 employees with the Federal Aviation Administration will be furloughed.

Many federal workers could potentially miss paychecks, and people could have trouble getting certain federal loans to buy homes or operate small businesses. On the other hand, immigration, border patrol and defense activities will likely not be affected.

Neither will the IRS or the National Park Service, Social Security payments and SNAP food assistance benefits will also continue without interruption. Now, despite the disagreements between Republicans and Democrats, a political expert tells CNN that it's in the best interest of both parties to get the government reopened as soon as possible.

Larry Sabato says that it will likely be easier ending this shutdown than the one just a couple of months ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: The odds are it appears right now at least, that this will go through on Tuesday because it more or less is in the interests of both parties. It's more in the interests of the Republican Party, because they've got a big mess on their hands in Minnesota, and with ICE.

And of course, they're reluctant Republican House members, certainly, and there's still some reluctant senators. But on the whole, they're better off getting this over with. They have to do it sooner or later. And Trump has endorsed it. That's

the difference this time. The speaker of the House can simply say to the Republican members, Trump wants this. And that's usually good enough for passage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: And other news this morning. Five-year-old Liam Ramos and his father, Adrian, are now back in Minneapolis after being released from a Texas detention center. Three officers had taken them into custody from outside their suburban home in Minnesota.

This image of an officer holding Liam's spider-man backpack sparked national outcry over the detention of a child.

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Officials were accused of using Liam as bait to get his mother to open the door, which the administration denies. The judge who ordered their release issued a blistering opinion, calling out immigration officials for their tactics as well as their use of administrative warrants. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche responding to the judge's ruling during an interview on "ABC".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLANCHE: The immigration law -- the body of immigration law is much different than our typical criminal process because of the administrative nature of what we do every day. And so, to the extent that we need to appeal that judge's decision, I promise we will.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To clarify, the lawyer for Liam Ramos and his father say they were following the legal process for asylum.

BLANCHE: I mean, I don't know what that means. There's a very meaningful dispute about whether they had properly applied for asylum.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Meanwhile, protests continued across the U.S. this weekend, with demonstrators calling for ICE agents to leave their cities. It comes after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, who were both slain by federal officers. The anti-ICE sentiment was also a big theme at last night's Grammys.

While accepting their awards, both Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish used some of their time to criticize ICE. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENITO ANTONIO MARTINEZ OCASIO, PUERTO RICAN RAPPER: We're not savage. We're not animals. We're not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.

BILLIE EILISH O'CONNELL, AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITER: As grateful as I feel, I honestly don't feel like I need to say anything, but that no one is illegal on stolen land.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: At one point, Eilish's comments were censored during the live broadcast when she said, f-ICE. We'll have more coverage of the Grammys later this hour, including the big winners and key moments. I will be joined by an entertainment journalist to discuss all of last night's big moments. Stay with us.

In other news this morning, Donald Trump says that he plans to shut down the Kennedy Center for two years for renovations. It's the latest controversy for the Washington Performing Arts Center, and it's already drawing criticism from members of the Kennedy family.

Under Trump's leadership, the Kennedy Center has faced widespread criticism and backlash, ranging from performance cancellations to protests, that's after President Trump put loyalists in charge and added his name to the iconic building. CNN's Julia Benbrook has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President Donald Trump has been intensely focused on the Performing Arts Center here in Washington D.C. Several Trump loyalists were placed on the board. He was subsequently named chairman, his name was recently and controversially placed on the building.

It now reads the Trump Kennedy Center, and he is now announcing that the center will temporarily close and undergo major construction. He made this announcement in a social media post, writing in part, "I have determined that the Trump Kennedy Center is temporarily closed for construction, revitalization and complete rebuilding can be without question the finest performing arts facility of its kind anywhere in the world.

He went on to say, if we don't close, the quality of construction will not be nearly as good, and the time to completion, because of interruptions with audiences from many events using the facility will be much longer. The temporary closure will produce a much faster and higher quality result.

He did say that this closure would start on July 4th, it would take approximately two years to complete the construction that he wants to see take place. He added that this is pending board approval, but as I mentioned, that board includes several Trump loyalists.

It is hard to believe that they would push back on this specifically. In recent weeks, recent months, we have seen a lot of performances and acts pull out of The Kennedy Center, some of them citing the new leadership as the reason. Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: Two big losses for Republicans in the state of Texas this weekend. First, in a state Senate race, Democrat Taylor Remit pulled off an upset in a runoff election in the Fort Worth area, winning by 14 points in a solidly Republican district. It's a district that President Trump won in 2024.

Democrats flipped more than 20 state legislative seats last year. Also, Democrat Christian Menefee won a special election runoff for a Texas congressional seat. When sworn in, he will reduce the Republican House majority to just four seats, with three seats still vacant.

And still to come for us, the latest on the partial reopening of the Rafah Crossing in Gaza, and what this could mean for the next phase of the ceasefire deal. Plus, how Iran is responding to President Trump's threats of military action, and what Iranian officials say about the chances of making a nuclear deal with the U.S., we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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SOLOMON: Iranian officials say that they are confident they'll be able to strike a nuclear deal with the U.S. That optimistic message comes as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to take military action against Iran if it does not agree to negotiate a nuclear deal.

In recent weeks, the U.S. has increased its military presence in the Middle East. That includes the arrival of the Lincoln carrier strike group. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warns that his country will respond in kind to any military attack, and he promises that any conflict would turn into a regional war. President Trump responding to those comments on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Why wouldn't he say that? Of course, he's going to say that. But we have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close, a couple of days and hopefully we'll make a deal.

If we don't make a deal, then we'll find out whether or not he was right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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SOLOMON: CNN senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen spoke with Iran's Foreign Minister about what he thought about the ongoing tensions with the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, FOREIGN MINISTER, IRAN: So, I'm not concerned about war. What I'm concerned of is miscalculations and military operation based on misinformation and disinformation campaigns. It is obvious to us that there are certain elements, certain parties who want to drag President Trump into this war for their own benefits.

And I think President Trump is wise enough to make a correct decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: After nearly two years, the Rafah Crossing, a crucial lifeline for Palestinians in Gaza is now partially open. That is, according to Israeli officials. A trial phase was conducted on Sunday. Egyptian media citing a source, says that during the first few days of the operation, only 50 people will be allowed to cross both ways each day.

But the steep price to cross and the lengthy security processes can mean that very few realistically can expect to leave. So, let's bring in CNN's Paula Hancocks who joins us live this morning from Abu Dhabi. Paula, how significant is this partial reopening of the Rafah Crossing?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rahel, it's very significant for up to 20,000 patients inside Gaza who have medical approval to leave Gaza and be treated in different countries around the region. It's very significant for them that finally, there is a chance for them to be able to leave Gaza.

Now, this is a key crossing between Gaza and Egypt. It's been shut since May 2024 when the Israeli military took over this crossing during the war. And it was part of phase one of the ceasefire that this crossing would be opened. But Israel said that it wouldn't allow that to happen until all of the hostages were returned to Israel.

Now, that has happened last week with the remains of the final hostage being taken back to Israel. And so, now, this is when the Israelis say that they will open the crossing. As you say, it did have a trial run on Sunday. We know that the European Union will be key in manning this border crossing.

We know Egypt is involved. In the past, Israel has said that they will certainly be involved when it comes to security checks of whoever is coming in and out of this border crossing. It is limited, though, at this point, Egyptian-linked media saying only 50 people a day in the first few days will be going each way.

It's not just patients who are coming out of Gaza for treatment, it is also people who have been shut out of Gaza during this war, either those who were outside of Gaza when the war started, those who were previously left or have been treated in different countries.

They want to get back into Gaza as well. So, this is really a key moment in the overall ceasefire process. It's really the last part of phase one that needs to be achieved in order to be able to move to phase two. And of course, that phase two is that the Israeli military withdrawing further out of Gaza, Hamas giving up its weapons, a critical part of that as well.

And so, it is an indication that things are moving forward. We did hear, though, from the Ministry of Health just last week that there are some 20,000 patients that are waiting to leave Gaza. They say there's more than -- more than 440 of them, are considered life- saving. So, the numbers coming out of Gaza need to increase quickly in order

to be able to facilitate all that. This is just the first days we're talking about here. We've also heard from the Ministry of Health that more than 1,200 patients died while they were waiting to be evacuated from Gaza itself.

So, from a humanitarian point of view, this is crucial to be able to get those who have been severely injured inside Gaza out, and those that simply are unable to be treated within Gaza and its decimated health system. Rahel?

SOLOMON: Yes, certainly monumental for all of those patients as you outlined there. Paula Hancocks for us in Abu Dhabi. Paula, thank you. Still ahead, more deadly Russian drone strikes have rocked southeastern Ukraine just days ahead of the next round of peace talks. We'll have a live report with the latest on those talks straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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SOLOMON: Russia is facing new accusations of targeting civilians in Ukraine following drone strikes on Sunday. At least, 12 coal miners were killed and eight others wounded after a Russian drone struck their bus in southeastern Ukraine. That happened just hours after a separate strike on a maternity ward injured six people there.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemning the attacks as a deliberate escalation by Russia. He also confirmed that another round of peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. are expected to still take place later this week in Abu Dhabi. For more, let's bring in CNN's Clare Sebastian in London.

Clare, the peace talks are still on, but so too are the attacks on the ground.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rahel, and I think, look, whatever agreement was made and it's still pretty murky between Trump and Putin last week for some kind of temporary ceasefire. I think we can say that it has fundamentally failed to alter the reality on the ground.

For Ukrainians, it is an extremely dangerous time. You talked about that attack on the bus. You can see the aftermath pictures.