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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

U.S., Iran To Hold High-Stakes Nuclear Talks In Oman; Fallout From Final Epstein Release Ripples Through Europe; Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford Named NFL MVP. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired February 06, 2026 - 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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[05:30:32]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back.

U.S. and Iranian diplomats are in Oman this hour expected to meet to discuss their standoff over Iran's nuclear program. The Iranian delegation arrived at the talks earlier today led by the country's foreign minister.

What's at stake are potential U.S. military strikes on Iran, which President Trump has threatened if there is no nuclear agreement. He's already deployed a large military force in the region. But Iran's supreme leader says that any kind of strike would lead to a regional war.

Let's get to Paula Hancocks who is monitoring the talks from Abu Dhabi. Paula, these are the first formal negotiations between the two since the U.S. bombed Tehran's nuclear program last year. What's the latest here?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, I think what we will expect to see today is really laying the groundwork of exactly what the agenda is of these talks. And the reason I say that is because we've heard two very different narratives from both sides.

We heard from the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that they wanted to discuss the Iranian nuclear program, the ballistic missile program. Also, the -- what he called the support of terrorist organizations in the regions, referring to Iran's proxies. And also the mistreatment of their people, referring to thousands of protesters -- anti-regime protesters being killed on the streets of Iran.

When it comes to other side thought, what we're hearing from Iranian state media is that Tehran wants to focus on the nuclear program and limit discussions to that, also wanting to focus on lifting some of the many sanctions against the country.

So walking into these talks both sides have a very different idea of what they want to talk about. So clearly, that will be among the first issues they have to deal with.

Now we did hear from the Iranian foreign minister earlier in statement. Abbas Araghci saying, "Iran enters diplomacy with open eyes and a steady memory of the past year." Clearly, referring to the fact that last year in April and May when there were discussions between the U.S. and Iran there were those attacks then on the Iranian nuclear facilities by Israel, which the United States then got involved with resulting in that 12-day war.

So there's very little trust on either side going into these talks.

But the talks happen with a backdrop of a quite significant U.S. military buildup in the region. The U.S. President Donald Trump calling it an armada that is in the region, clearly trying to show this show of force hoping it will give leverage in these talks. But also threatening that this military might could be used if necessary. In an interview in NBC -- with NBC News, President Trump said that the supreme leader should be "very worried."

And on the other side we're hearing from Tehran that if there are U.S. military strikes against the country then they will target U.S. assets, U.S. personnel in this region and it will end in a regional war -- Rahel.

SOLOMON: And clearly the stakes couldn't be higher.

Paula Hancocks for us there. Thank you.

We have this just in. Reuters is citing police in Pakistan who say that several people have been killed in a mosque explosion in Islamabad. One official says that the blast happened during Friday prayer. It's not clear yet what caused the explosion. Police say that a number of people have been taken to the hospital. Again, multiple fatalities reported from an explosion at a mosque in Pakistan's capital. Stay with CNN for more details as we get them.

Still ahead, the U.S. job market hits a new level and it's not a good one. We'll break down the latest labor stats after this break.

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SOLOMON: Welcome back to EARLY START. The time now is 5:38, and this is your business breakout.

Let's start with where U.S. futures stand ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street. And at this point futures look set for a positive open after what was a rough day yesterday.

Let's take a look specifically though at Amazon shares, which continue to be under pressure in afterhours trading currently trading off at about 7.25 percent. That's after the company reported earnings yesterday and announced that it will pour $200 billion into AI efforts this year. Amazon also announced last week that it was laying off another 16,000 employees.

All right, let's check some of the other business headlines this morning. Bitcoin suffering one of its worst trading days in years. The world's most famous cryptocurrency fell below $63,000 for the first time in 16 months. It's now holding steady at around $65,000. Not unusual since crypto is notoriously volatile. Bitcoin has lost 35 percent of its value this past year.

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The U.S. job market already weakening but now new data shows it just got worse. The latest labor survey reveals that job openings sank to their lowest level since the pandemic in 2020. The number of available jobs fell in December for the third month in a row to an estimated 6.5 million jobs.

The Trump administration's prescription drug platform is now up and running. trumprx.gov will connect patients with drugmakers selling certain products directly to those who want to pay cash and forego insurance. It remains to be seen though how much savings the site will offer with some medications selling for the same price at local pharmacies.

The first medals of the Milan Olympics will be handed out this weekend, and thanks to the soaring price of precious metals they'll be worth more now than ever. Since the 2024 Paris Games, gold is up 107 percent. Now based on the price alone, a solid gold medal would be worth $2,300. Silver has gained 200 percent, putting the on-paper value of the medal at almost $1,400.

However, Olympic gold medals haven't been made from pure gold since the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. This year's gold medals contain only about six grams of pure gold. The other 500 grams is actually silver -- wow.

Still ahead for us, the Justice Department says that it has released the last of the Epstein files, but fallout from the revelations in those documents -- well, that's far from over. The view from Europe straight ahead.

And first it was the Kennedy Center, but Penn Station and Dulles Airport could be next. We'll tell you about President Trump's demands to rename buildings in his honor.

We'll be right back.

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[05:46:15]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. I'm Rahel Solomon. And here are some of the stories we are watching for you today.

The son of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie issued a new video begging for her return. Cameron Guthrie said that "Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you." So far there has been no proof of life. The sheriff says that more than 100 tips have been received. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for key information. President Trump is urging Congress to pass the Save America Act. It

would require voters to show proof of citizenship even though it's already illegal for non-citizens to vote. The president also wants to ban most mail-in voting. Democrats say that he's setting the stage to interfere in this year's midterm elections.

And Iranian media say that indirect nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran have begun in Oman. Iranian negotiators arrived for the talks earlier today amid pressure from President Trump to cut a new nuclear deal. He's deployed U.S. military assets to the region and threatened strikes on Iran if there is no agreement.

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley says that he doesn't think Donald Trump needs to testify under oath about his repeated mentions in the Jeffrey Epstein files because the president has nothing to hide.

President Trump is calling for the U.S. to move on from the Epstein matter after what the Justice Department says was the final release of documents. But survivors of the convicted sex offender say they're not done.

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ANNIE FARMER, JEFFREY EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: I'm not surprised that Trump is ready to move on and that this DOJ is ready to move on. But we are certainly not, especially after we see how -- we saw how poorly this last release of documents was handled.

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SOLOMON: Fallout from the revelations contained in those files is stretching across the globe and reaches into Norway where the crown princess is apologizing for her close ties to Epstein, as one of the country's former prime ministers is being investigated for his conflicted ties to the convicted pedophile.

It also extends into Russia where the Kremlin is rejecting claims of Epstein ties to Russian intelligence services.

And to the U.K. where Prime Minister Keir Starmer is apologizing to Epstein's victims for his former U.S. ambassador's close ties to Epstein. Starmer also facing an angry revolt from his party after saying that he should not have believed Peter Mandelson's claim that he barely knew Epstein.

Let's bring in CNN senior international correspondent Melissa Bell in Paris for us. So Melissa, in addition to that apology from Starmer he also recently said that former Prince Andrew should testify before the U.S. Congress over Epstein ties. Talk to us about the reaction in Europe to these files.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There doesn't seem to be any sense that this is going away anytime soon, Rahel, because the more you learn the worse it gets.

And in the case of Peter Mandelson -- you mentioned Keir Starmer and the political firestorm that he's at the center of. In the case of Peter Mandelson, who is at the heart of that, the mistakes that he made in appointing him to be Britain's ambassador to the United States -- the fact that we learned when he resigned from that role in the initial batches of releases in the Epstein files about some of the relationship. And that, of course, worsened with the latest release.

Similarly, the former Prince Andrew -- we had heard he'd lost his titles as a result of earlier releases, and it has just gotten worse. In fact, we understand that from some of the email exchanges that have emerged that picture of arguably the most famous of the victims, Virginia Giuffre, who wrote a book about it, who committed suicide last year, who has been really at the forefront -- the sort of face of the victims over the course of the last few years -- there is that infamous photograph of the former Prince Andrew standing with a 17- year-old Virginia Giuffre.

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What we learned from the latest files is that despite his denials of ever having met her or, indeed, his suggestion a few years ago that the photograph may have been doctored, we discover from the emails that, in fact, it was real. Vindication, say her family. She had been telling the truth.

So similarly, in Norway, you mentioned the former prime minister, the crown princess. It is politicians, it is royalty, and the more we learn the worse it gets. I don't get any sense that this is going to go away anytime soon.

And when you take the case of Keir Starmer, Rahel, we're just beginning to get an idea of some of the exchanges between Peter Mandelson and government ministers. What the government knew when they appointed him to the Washington post. What questions they'd ask about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. What he'd said, and why they were satisfied with that, Rahel.

SOLOMON: OK. Clearly, the fallout continues.

Melissa Bell for us there in Paris. Melissa, thank you.

Well, sources tell CNN that President Trump is willing to back off his funding freeze for a rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey but that there are conditions. He wants New York's Penn Station and Dulles International Airport in suburban Washington renamed after him. Sources say that Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer rejected the idea.

Of course, this isn't the first time that Trump has put his name on iconic buildings. In December, he added his name to The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

And still ahead for us, Bad Bunny getting ready for Super Bowl Sunday. What he says we can expect from his upcoming halftime performance coming up next when we return.

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SOLOMON: Bad Bunny says you don't need to worry about learning the lyrics to his songs before Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show. The Puerto Rican superstar talked about his upcoming performance during a press conference on Thursday.

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BAD BUNNY, HEADLINER, SUPER BOWL LX HALFTIME SHOW: I don't -- I don't want to give any spoilers. It's going to be fun and it's going to be -- it's going to be easy, and people only have to worry about dance. I know that I told them that they had four months to learn Spanish. They don't even have to learn Spanish. They use -- it's very -- they either learn to dance. But I think there's no better dance than the one that comes from the heart.

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SOLOMON: Hmm.

Bunny is also keeping his cards close to his chest on whether any special guests will be joining him on stage, saying that people can expect a huge party.

And be sure to tune into CNN for a special presentation, "BAD BUNNY & THE HALFTIME SHOW: RHYTHMS OF RESISTANCE." That is Saturday at 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.

And at Thursday's NFL Honors, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was named this year's Most Valuable Player. He accepted the award alongside his four daughters.

During the speech Stafford said he couldn't wait to get back out there next year, seeming to squash rumors of his retirement. Stafford has been in the league for 17 years and this is his first MVP trophy. He edged out Patriots quarterback Drake Maye by just one vote. Maye has a chance to go home with the Vince Lombardi trophy if he wins the Super Bowl.

CNN's Andy Scholes is in San Francisco with more on the pre-Super Bowl coverage.

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ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, the time for talking is now over here in the Bay Area ahead of Super Bowl LX. The Patriots and the Seahawks both meeting with the media one more time on Thursday.

And Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel -- well, he knows all too well how to approach these final days leading up to the Super Bowl. He won three as a player for New England and says he's drawing on all those experiences with his team as we hit the home stretch.

MIKE VRABEL, HEAD COACH, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: I'm trying to be intentional with the schedule but also just trying to keep them engaged, keep them locked in, and get them to believe that something that we do at practice today is going to come up in the game and how we handle that our how we execute that is -- you know, could make the difference. And so that's how we've tried to approach all our practices is that something that you're going to do today is going to help us win.

SCHOLES: Now meanwhile, Sam Darnold's journey from bus to champion is almost complete. Now along that journey he made a stop here in San Francisco to back up Brock Purdy in 2023, and Darnold credits that season with really helping to turn his career around.

And I caught up with Purdy, and I asked him what did he see in Darnold during that season.

BROCK PURDY, QUARTERBACK, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: He was awesome, man. He came in and was willing to, you know, learn from Kyle and Klay Kubiak, and Brian Griese. And, you know, just his role as a backup he did such a good job with, you know, helping me out with things and just overall, man. Like, he has a great attitude. And for him to come in and learn and then go and apply at Minnesota and now Seattle and him have success -- like, I am -- I am really happy for him.

JAYDEN DANIELS, QUATERBACK, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: And you've got Sam that has been through it all and seen a lot and stayed down. And obviously, he's reaping the benefits now. And 30 wins in two years is insane. So I'm happy for him.

You got Drake, man, that's going out there, second year in the league. He's putting on for our quarterback class. So I'm super happy for him.

WARREN MOON, HALL OF FAME QUARTERBACK: Both teams have two quarterbacks who you wouldn't think would be here but they're playing their best football at the right time. So that's part of the reason why they're both here. One is an MVP candidate in Maye, and then Sam Darnold -- we all know about his story and his journey. It's a great story.

SCHOLES: And that was Hall of Famer Warren Moon and Commanders star quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was picked right before Drake Maye in the draft, talking about this quarterback matchup.

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SOLOMON: All right, our thanks to Andy Scholes there.

[06:00:00]

Also, there is another game you don't want to miss this weekend, especially if you're in the market for a new canine companion. It's the Puppy Bowl. A record-breaking 150 dogs from shelters all over the U.S. and the British Virgin Islands will be competing in this year's game. The annual event promotes pet adoption. The tournament ends with a trophy for the most valuable puppy and the underdog. You can catch the Puppy Bowl Sunday on Animal Planet.

All right, that'll do it for us this week on EARLY START. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. Stick with us because "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.