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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Sources: Witkoff To Meet Netanyahu, Expected To Discuss Iran; Trump: Kennedy Center To Close For Two Years For Renovation; Seahawks And Patriots To Face Off For NFL Championship. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired February 03, 2026 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And this, by the way, was the biggest that we've seen in more than a month in terms of the quantity of missiles -- over 70 missiles according to the Air Force. That is a very unusual number that we haven't seen in many months. So this was a brutal attack overnight.

And I think, look, crucially is the timing, right? It comes several days -- five, possibly six days of no targeted attacks on energy infrastructure as a result of this very brief and limited ceasefire that was agreed apparently between Presidents Trump and Putin. That did offer not only a small chink of hope to Ukrainians but also an opportunity to carry on with the essential repairs that were taking place to those energy facilities. All of that has now been interrupted yet again.

We're hearing this morning about some 1,200 apartment buildings in Kyiv without heating and more than 800 in Kharkiv, which is the second-largest city over in the east. People have lost power -- thousands of people -- in Odesa in the south and Vinnytsia in central Ukraine. So it was a very widespread attack.

It is happening during the worst cold that Ukraine has seen in years if not decades. Overnight it dropped below minus-20 Celsius. That's also in the minus Fahrenheit as well for your U.S. viewers. And the same in Kharkiv. So it is bitterly cold temperatures compounding the problems for the energy grid.

And, of course, one day before the next round of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi. We're hearing from the Kremlin this morning saying that their delegation is unchanged. They've been keeping any kind of details about any thoughts of progress in these talks very limited. And I think their actions speak volumes here.

And, of course, today in Kyiv, we're seeing the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on a visit. I want you to take a listen to this video. He and President Zelenskyy paid their respects to fallen soldiers in Kyiv. Just take a little listen to the beginning of this video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(Air raid sirens) (END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So you can actually hear the air raid sirens still going on as they walk up to this memorial in Kyiv there to fallen soldiers. The NATO secretary general clearly providing a bit of welcome solidarity here. But I think what Ukraine really needs now is certainly, according to President Zelenskyy this morning, is two things. A lot more air defense missiles and a lot more, they hope, pressure from their allies on Russia.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hmm.

Clare Sebastian for us there in London. Clare, thank you.

Top U.S. and Iranian officials are planning to meet in Turkey in Friday. Sources tell CNN that special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Iran's foreign minister in Istanbul. And Iran's president confirms that Tehran is pursuing "fair and equitable negotiations with the U.S." President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and officials from Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Pakistan are also expected to attend.

This comes as regional allies really scramble to find a diplomatic off-ramp to avert U.S. military action against Iran.

Now, before Steve Witkoff meets Iranian officials he will visit Israel. An Israeli source tells CNN that Witkoff is expected to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today.

For more on all of this let's get to CNN's Salma Abdelaziz who joins us live this morning from London. Salma, what's on the agenda for the meeting?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So despite everything that's going on obviously in the region and everything that is happening with Gaza, this meeting is going to be focused on Iran. Because essentially, Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner want to ask Israel what they see and what Prime Minister Netanyahu sees as a good deal before they start those negotiations with Iran.

Well, what is Israel going to say? We have to think about who is going to be in the room first of all. It's going to be Prime Minister Netanyahu, it's going to be the head of Mossad, and it's going to be the head of the military -- the Israeli military as well -- Gen. Eyal Zamir. And what they are going to convey to these U.S. officials is four things that Israel wants to see happen.

First of all, they're going to want to cease enrichment of uranium. They want to see Iran cease the enrichment of uranium and give up any enriched uranium stocks it already has.

The second issue on the table is going to be about limiting that ballistic missile program. So they're going to request again from U.S. officials that they put that item on the table.

And the final one will be about regional proxies, Rahel. This is extremely important to Israel. Iran supports regional proxies, like the Houthis in Yemen, and they're going to want to bring the attention of U.S. officials on that issue as well. So they'll be conveying that ahead of these meetings in Istanbul on Friday.

You have to understand just how important these meetings are. There were talks -- direct talks held between the U.S. and Iran last spring, but it all fell apart when there was a surprise Israeli strike on Iran. And then the U.S. later carried out its own airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. It is believed that Iran has been working to build back up its stock.

So there's going to be a fine line that U.S. officials are going to walk here -- a tightrope -- and you hear that from President Trump -- between calling on Iran to have these negotiations -- to hold these talks. And then on the other side of that is the threats that we've been hearing from President Trump who has repeatedly said I have a huge armada in the region. There are U.S. carrier strike groups in the region.

[05:35:07]

So they're going to be walking that tightrope between the threat of war and the hope for peace, Rahel.

SOLOMON: Yeah, quite a fine line there.

Salma Abdelaziz for us in London. Salma, thank you.

President Trump says that he is slashing tariffs on India but under one major condition. The details when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:40:05]

SOLOMON: Welcome back to EARLY START. This is your business breakout.

Let's start where -- with where U.S. futures stand ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street. S&P and Nasdaq futures look set to open in the green at this point. Dow futures pretty much trading near the flat line.

All right, checking some of today's other business headlines.

The partial U.S. government shutdown is causing a delay in critical economic data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics will not be able to release the January jobs report and other labor market data this week as was planned. The release of those reports will be rescheduled once funding is restored.

Elon Musk is merging two of his most ambitious companies, SpaceX and xAI. Together they will form what's being described as the most valuable private company in the world. The merger could indicate that xAI needs more money to compete with other AI companies while also highlighting the growing importance that Grok will play in the future of space exploration. And growing scrutiny and public pressure are forcing some international companies to cut back on doing business with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE. The French tech firm Capgemini is selling the U.S. division whose services include tracking down people who don't want to be found. And a Canadian real estate company, Jim Pattison Developments, says that it has dropped plans to sell a warehouse in Virginia to the Department of Homeland Security for use in connection with ICE operations.

President Trump says that the U.S. has reached a new trade deal with India. As part of the agreement, the U.S. will reduce tariffs on Indian goods in exchange of India's promise to stop buying Russian oil. The Indian prime minister welcomed the news in a social media post on Monday but did not mention cutting ties with Russian oil.

CNN's Matt Egan has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yeah, this is a significant development in the president's global trade war and it's one that he hopes will help end Russia's actual war in Ukraine.

Now we still don't have all of the details here but one thing that we do know is that the U.S. tariff rate on India is going to come down. It's going to come down to 18 percent based on this new agreement. Now make no mistake, that's still high and it's way higher than it was before the president took office last year, but it is also down from this 50 percent tariff rate that was previously imposed on imports from Indian.

Now this 50 percent included a 25 percent penalty on India for buying Russian oil. But a White House official tells me that 25 percent penalty is going away and the so-called reciprocal tariff that was at 25 is now going to go down to 18 percent.

And just to remind everyone, India is a leading source of imports into the United States. The U.S. imports a lot of medicine, telephones, diamonds, refined petroleum, and jewelry. And all of these items were facing steep tariffs that are expected to now come down.

And the tariffs were putting pressure on both sides, right? Putting pressure on companies in India that wanted to sell to the U.S. but had to overcome high tariffs, and also on U.S. consumers and businesses that were having to actually pay the tariffs.

As far as what else is in this agreement, the president says that India has agreed to lower tariffs on U.S. goods. Also, India to reduce non-tariff barriers, agreeing to buy more American goods. And most critically, the president says that India has agreed to stop buying Russian oil and instead buy oil -- more oil from the United States and potentially oil from Venezuela as well.

Now this is a big deal because India is Russia's second-biggest oil customer -- second only to China. And in December alone, India imported 1.5 million barrels per day of Russian oil. Now one of the questions here is how fast will this number go down?

How close will it get to zero? One energy analyst has pointed out to me that in the past, Moscow has found ways around some of these sanctions and penalties. So we've got to watch this closely, but the thinking is that the lower this goes the more pressure it's going to put on Moscow and Russia's economy. And the hope is that it would force Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table and try to reach some sort of an agreement on ending the war in Ukraine.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: Matt, thank you.

President Trump is planning a new look for the Kennedy Center, but it means closing the venue for two years while the builders go to work. We'll have the latest details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:49:15]

SOLOMON: President Trump is shutting the Kennedy Center for two years for major renovations. It's the latest in a string of controversial moves since the president's takeover of the prestigious performing arts institution.

Sunlen Serfaty has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's really nothing like it in the country.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): For months, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been thrust into the center of politics.

TRUMP: We ended the woke political programming and we're restoring the Kennedy Center as the premier venue for performing arts anywhere in the country.

SERFATY (voiceover): The remaking of the iconic institution becoming a personal conquest for President Trump.

TRUMP: In the coming months we'll fully renovate the dated and -- really, the entire -- the infrastructure of the building.

[05:50:00]

SERFATY (voiceover): Last year the president took the extraordinary step of gutting the existing board of trustees, replacing them with allies. He also ousted the chairman and installed himself in that role. TRUMP: In a few short months since I became chairman of the board of the Kennedy Center, we have completely reversed the decline of this cherished national institution.

SERFATY (voiceover): Trump even served as host of the Kennedy Center Honors Awards ceremony in December.

TRUMP: And I'm doing it because I feel it's very important that we all get out and do something, and if that can make a difference, that's tremendous.

SERFATY (voiceover): Then the board voted to rename the building "The Trump Kennedy Center," though an act of Congress is required to legally change the name since it was designated as a memorial to President Kennedy following his assassination.

TRUMP: This was brought up by one of the very distinguished board members and they voted on it. And there's a lot of board members and they voted unanimously. So I was very honored by it. Thank you.

SERFATY (voiceover): But Trump's efforts to reshape the national landmark to his personal liking has been met with pushback. After Trump's aggressive moves to remake the center protesters voice their frustration.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Together we can continue to fight back and make a difference.

SERFATY (voiceover): And artists and productions, like "Hamilton," The Washington National Opera, and Bela Fleck began dropping out of scheduled engagements.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: There has been this rejection of The Trump Kennedy Center by many in the arts and entertainment world. And now you have Trump saying hey, let's turn off the lights altogether for two years. Let's renovate the building. Maybe he sees an opportunity for a big construction project. We know the president likes those.

SERFATY (voiceover): This isn't the only renovation project the president has undertaken in his second term. He completely demolished the East Wing of the White House to build a massive ballroom, paved over the Rose Garden in favor of a patio resembling his Mar-a-Lago resort, redecorated the Oval Office with ornate gold trimmings, and has announced his intention to build a giant arch across from the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary.

TRUMP: It'll be substantial. I'd like it to be biggest one of all. We're the biggest, most powerful nation. I'd like it to be the biggest one of all.

SERFATY: And President Trump's own comments suggest a pretty dramatic renovation beyond just replacing carpets or painting the columns. And speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, he painted a very stark visual which really speaks to how far the building could be stripped down. He says he's planning on using the structure of the existing building but added the steel will be all checked out because it will be fully exposed.

The president is estimating the project could cost around $200 million.

Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: NASA is delaying the launch of its Artemis II lunar mission after conducting a wet dress rehearsal with the rocket loaded with fuel. Hydrogen leaks and other problems were detected during the test. The same problem impacted the uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022.

The space agency is now targeting March for the earliest possible launch of Artemis II. The mission will send four astronauts on a 10- day journey beyond the far side of the moon.

And still ahead, Super Bowl's opening night. CNN is there as a week of festivities kicks off ahead of the big game. We'll have more on that right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:57:45]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

We are less than one week away from Super Bowl LX. The Seattle Seahawks versus the New England Patriots. And festivities have already kicked off in California.

CNN's Andy Scholes reports from San Jose on the Super Bowl opening night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Super Bowl Week is now off and running as the Patriots and Seahawks participated in opening night here in San Jose, California. Media members from all over the world were here to talk to the teams ahead of Super Bowl LX.

Now the biggest crowds by far were around the two quarterbacks, Drake Maye and Sam Darnold. And these two guys taking much different paths to get here. Maye is in just his second season and at just 23 years old. I asked him what would it mean to become the youngest starting QB to ever win a Super Bowl.

DRAKE MAYE, QUARTERBACK, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: I mean, I think it would mean the most just for this team. I don't think, you know, the stat of the youngest or if I was the oldest. Just being a chance to win the Super Bowl in general is what I'm most, you know, worried about and knowing that this team -- how far we've come and just not to come this far -- just to come this far and make it worthwhile.

SCHOLES: Now Darnold, meanwhile, was considered a bust with the New York Jets but he rejuvenated his career with the Vikings and now has the Seahawks in the Super Bowl in his first year with the team. And I asked him how is he able to just turn his career around.

SAM DARNOLD, QUARTERBACK, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: For me personally, like, I really -- I don't think it's anything more than just doing my job every single day. I don't think about anything else. I just, you know, think I have a job to do. And I have a job to do every single day and if I can lock in on that, you know, I won't have time to think about any other, you know, B.S., I guess, that I might be able to think about.

SCHOLES: Now opening night is the time this week to have some fun and ask some off-the-wall questions. So I got with some of the players and I asked them with the Winter Olympics right around the corner, what winter sport do they think they could compete in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1: Hockey.

SCHOLES: Hockey?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1: Yes.

SCHOLES: Are you a good hockey player?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1: I've skated since I was three.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 2: If I had to choose it would probably be bobsled.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 3: What is the bobsled?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 4: Skiing. Is that a winter sport?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 5: Snowboarding would be fun. I've never done it, but I'd be willing to try it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 6: Give me about a year and I could be really good at curling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE 7: Honestly, no, there isn't one. I don't think I'd be good at any winter Olympic sport.

[06:00:00]

SCHOLES: So after tonight it's down to business. The Patriots -- they're trying to win a record seventh Super Bowl. The Seahawks, meanwhile, are trying to win their second. And this is actually a rematch from Super Bowl XLIX. And if you remember that game it was the one where Malcolm Butler had the interception of Russell Wilson on the one yard line just devastating Seahawks fans. So for all of Seattle this is the Malcolm Butler revenge game.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: All right, that's going to do it for us here on EARLY START. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. I'll see you tomorrow. But "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.