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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Airlines Announce Fare Hikes And Plans To Slash Flights; CNN Investigates Claims Of Abuse By Other Men; NFL Draft Gets Underway Tonight In Pittsburgh. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired April 23, 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]
BECKY ANDERSON CNN ANCHOR: Greece, one of the countries directly feeling the impact of the war. Iran state media says that a Greek- owned ship was targeted by the country's revolutionary guard and is now disabled off the Iranian coast.
Well, I spoke with the Greek foreign minister on Wednesday and asked him if those attacks could affect the ongoing ceasefire. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIORGOS GERAPETRITIS, GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER: It's important that we exhaust any possible means of diplomacy in order to resolve the conflict. It is absolutely critical not only for the two countries -- for Iran and the United States -- but also for the globe because it strongly affects the economy of all -- of all states. So it is important to carry on further diplomacy.
I urge the Iranian authorities to exercise maximum self-restraint when it comes to such attacks. Freedom of navigation is non-negotiable.
ANDERSON: Can you just give us a sense of the impact on the Greek shipping industry of this conflict -- very specifically, what is going on in the strait -- and, indeed, the impact that Greece has had -- the knock-on impact that so many countries around the world are feeling from this energy supply and other product supply issues?
GERAPETRITIS: As you rightly mentioned, Greece has the largest merchant fleet so obviously there is a tremendous ramification upon the Greek economy and the Greek shipowners' community. At the moment, as I mentioned, we have 11 Greek-flagged and other (40-50) ships which are essentially blocked within the Gulf.
We do suffer from a surge in prices concerning oil and -- crude oil and other petroleum products but we expect to encounter further increases in prices in other goods. At the moment, we have significant inflation when it comes to specific goods, such as fertilizers and oil products, but we expect that there's going to be a domino in other prices.
We coordinate our action with our EU partners in order to see how we manage the situation today. The Greek prime minister announced a significant package of financial measures for vulnerable people to address issues of shortage or of price increases in terms of the use of petroleum. We will carry on supporting people to address the situation.
But the truth is, Ms. Anderson, that unless we have a true sustainable, resilient peace in the region the economy will be in significant turbulence worldwide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And that is the Greek foreign minister speaking to me late on Wednesday.
Well, a second round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon expected to get underway in Washington in the coming hours in the hopes of extending what is a fragile ceasefire between the two. But we are getting new reports from Lebanese state media of the Israeli military burning homes in south Lebanon. And Israel's military says it intercepted a drone fire from that region earlier today.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's prime minister is accusing Israel of war crimes after an airstrike killed one journalist on Wednesday and seriously wounded another. And he says Israeli Forces prevented rescue teams from reaching victims.
You are up to speed from this region. Let's get you back to Erica Hill in New York.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Becky -- thanks.
Higher fares and fewer flights. These skyrocketing fuel cast -- fuel costs, rather, are starting to have a significant impact on major airlines and, of course, their passengers. We'll have that after the break.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:38:40]
HILL: Welcome back to EARLY START. Time now for your business breakout. Thirty-eight minutes past the hour.
Here's a look at where U.S. stock futures stand ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street. Of course, the Nasdaq and the S&P posting record highs on Wednesday despite the rise in oil prices. As you can see, futures at this hour for the U.S. all in the red.
Let's get you caught up on some of today's business headlines.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of this network -- shareholders for WBD set to vote today on Paramount's $110 billion takeover bid. That deal is widely expected to be approved and would give Paramount control over the Warner Bros. movie studios, HBO streaming service, as well as this network. U.S. airports could soon face another wave of long security lines. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says the emergency funds that have been used to pay TSA workers will dry up by the first week of May if something is not done. DHS, of course, remains shut down as lawmakers try to pass a bill to fund the department.
Spirit Airlines is getting close to a $500 million bailout from the Trump administration. A source says a deal could actually be announced today. It's expected to include the federal government taking a stake in the budget airline. Any deal though likely to cause backlash across the industry. Past bailouts have been done on an industry-wide, not an individual company basis.
[05:40:00]
Meantime, airlines are warning of more pain to come for passengers. United announcing plans to raise fares significantly and has signaled those fares may not come back down even if fuel costs do. Lufthansa already, of course, it's cutting tens of thousands of daily flights.
CNN's aviation correspondent Pete Muntean picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Not a huge surprise here. Airlines run on thin margins and historically fares don't really come back down once they go up.
Here is the new warning from United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby from Wednesday's earnings call. Passengers are paying about 20 percent more per mile than they were a year ago. And Kirby says even if fuel prices fall, those higher fares are likely to stick around.
The data from travel site Going shows just how much prices have jumped. Domestic airfare up 18 percent for the summer. International fares up eight percent. That's about 13 percent overall.
Labor is still the single biggest cost for airlines. But remember, jet fuel is number two and the price of jet fuel has roughly doubled since the start of the war with Iran, meaning airlines have no choice but to adjust.
German carrier Lufthansa is cutting 20,000 flights through October. That includes about 120 flights a day through May. The goal is to save money as fuel costs surge. This is classic airline playbook. When costs go up airlines start slashing capacity. Fewer flights mean fewer choices and the routes most likely to disappear first are the ones that weren't really all that profitable to begin with.
But here's the kicker. Demand for air travel is still very strong, and airlines admit that they think travelers will keep paying these prices -- and so far, they're right.
Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HILL: Still ahead here on EARLY START, CNN investigates the continued fallout from the Epstein files. Victims named other men as abusers in documents released by the Justice Department, but just how thoroughly were any of those claims investigated?
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[05:46:20]
HILL: Welcome back. I'm Erica Hill. Here's a look at some of the stories we're watching today.
A firm deadline for the Iranians to send a peace proposal to the U.S. still up in the air. President Trump says there is no timeframe on the Iran war after he extended the ceasefire earlier this week. As for Iran, its president says the U.S. blockade and threats are obstacles to any negotiations.
A judge in Virginia has ordered the result of Tuesday's vote approving new congressional districts for the state cannot be certified. The judge argues ballot language was misleading, and state lawmakers didn't follow their own rules in passing the referendum. The state attorney general says his office will immediately appeal the ruling.
Nearly 500 alleged leaders of the MS-13 gang are on trial in El Salvador. Prosecutors say the defendants ordered more than 47,000 crimes over the course of a decade, including murders, extortion, arms trafficking, and forced disappearances. Some could face more than 200 years in prison if convicted.
A Democratic lawmaker is demanding answers about the possibility of a pardon for convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, the accomplice of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. House Democratic Raja Krishnamoorthi sending a scathing letter to the Department of Justice over the matter. Specifically, it's "reported willingness to pardon Maxwell."
The congressman writes in part, "Even with access to testimony and documentation detailing the abuse of more than 1,000 women and children, the department has brought no charges beyond those against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell."
CNN's Kyung Lah takes a closer look now at the allegations against some of these other men connected to Epstein.
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): They're the faceless figures in Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring -- women and girls whose stories fill the Department of Justice files. Some explaining they were raped, others leant out to Epstein's friends, and another given sexual instructions for other men and trafficked.
Epstein went to jail for sex trafficking. So did accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. But the Trump administration says evidence doesn't show other men participated in the abuse.
From the FBI --
KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR: There is no credible information -- none. If there were I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked to other individuals.
LAH (voiceover): -- to the DOJ.
TODD BLANCHE, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Anybody with evidence, come to the FBI and tell us.
LAH (voiceover): Victims did tell the FBI, but the files show little sign of any follow-up by investigators. A CNN review of the DOJ's own publicly released Epstein files finds more than a dozen times where victims told the FBI that Epstein facilitated sexual encounters with his rich and powerful network. But here is what we can't find in the public files -- much evidence of further investigation after those women spoke to the FBI.
LAH: What does justice at the end of the day look like for you?
ANNIE FARMER, EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Before we can even get to -- you know, to prosecution we need investigation, right? And so unfortunately, what we're seeing right now is that there's been so little investigation.
LAH (voiceover): Annie Farmer is an Epstein survivor. She says she was sexually abused by Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell when she was just 16.
She's joined House Oversight Committee ranking member Robert Garcia in a public push for more accountability.
REP. ROBERT GARCIA (D-CA): This is about some of the most powerful, wealthiest people believing that they can just get away with anything, and they empowered Jeffrey Epstein to be that person.
LAH (voiceover): The files reveal how Epstein built a trafficking ring. The victims were teenagers or young women who needed money and influence to start their lives. Epstein paid for gifts and exotic trips to his Caribbean island for parties.
[05:50:00]
Victims told the FBI at first he seemed harmless. One victim told the Palm Beach Police Department two decades ago how Epstein would groom his victims.
EPSTEIN SURVIVOR: Every girl that meets Jeffrey starts off with giving him a massage. The more you do with him the more you make.
LAH (voiceover): In this 2021 report, a victim told the FBI she believed "they trafficked me." She says Epstein sent her to Dr. Henry Jarecki, a renowned psychiatrist who could help her with college. This is Jarecki pictured here with Epstein in the files. Because she really wanted to attend college, she says she gave Jarecki oral sex. There's no sign of an FBI investigation with Jarecki. He says he's never abused anyone.
A wealthy banker named in an FBI report is Jes Staley.
JES STALEY, CEO, BARCLAYS: I had a longstanding professional -- or had a longstanding professional relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
LAH (voiceover): A woman told the FBI that she met Staley at Epstein's New York mansion. The woman says Epstein was paying for her to attend massage school and told her to give Staley a massage. Photos show Epstein owned an elaborate massage room. The massage ended in rough sex. She told Staley she did not want this.
Federal investigators spoke to local cops about accusations against Staley, but the files don't show much follow-up. Staley said in court he did have sex with one of Epstein's assistants, but it was consensual.
LEON BLACK, PRIVATE EQUITY INVESTOR, FORMER CEO, APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT: I love doing business. My whole life I've enjoyed doing business.
LAH (voiceover): Leon Black is a Wall Street titan. A woman said Epstein told her to massage Black, who started becoming sexual. She then ran out of the room. Another woman said Black raped her.
Files show the DOJ spoke about Black with the Manhattan D.A.'s office, which began looking into him, but he has not been charged for anything.
An attorney for Black said he has never abused, assaulted or raped any girl or woman and the idea of doing so is repulsive and reprehensible to him."
SPENCER KUVIN, ATTORNEY FOR EPSTEIN SURVIVORS: It's just an absolute travesty the way that the entire thing has played out.
LAH (voiceover): Attorney Spencer Kuvin has represented multiple Epstein victims. One of his clients says Epstein and Maxwell loaned her to a corporate executive in Palm Beach, Florida.
KUVIN: Girls were not people to him; they were objects to be traded. He would utilize both underage victims, but he would also utilize other women who were over the age of 18 to satisfy men that he wanted to curry favor with.
LAH: You're almost talking about an economic ecosystem based on the abuse of women.
KUVIN: It was.
LAH (voiceover): Moses Castillo is a former LAPD sex crimes detective. He says he'd expect to see more basic investigation and follow-up in the files.
MOSES CASTILLO, FORMER LAPD SEX CRIMES DETECTIVE: It's actually policing 101 -- police investigations 101. You check the flight. You check all the hotels. You check this victim said this and that. Can you go out there and corroborate that? So it's time consuming but it's not impossible.
LAH: We asked the Department of Justice about the documents in the files -- stated allegations against other men. A spokesperson for the DOJ said, "The allegations contained in them were thoroughly investigated. Prosecutors at the time did not feel that the evidence was sufficient to prosecute."
We also reached out to a spokesperson for Jarecki who said that he has advanced dementia, is non-communicative, and that silence should not be construed as tacit approval.
We did not hear back from representatives for Maxwell of Jes Staley.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And stay with us. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:57:53]
HILL: The NFL draft kicks off tonight with the Las Vegas Raiders expected to take quarterback Fernando Mendoza from Indiana University as the first pick.
CNN World Sport anchor Coy Wire spent nine seasons in the NFL, and he's got some thoughts on the intensity of draft day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: The NFL draft starts Thursday in Pittsburgh. Dreams will be made. No touchdowns, no hits, yet the draft pulls in millions, outdrawing most actual games. Why? It's hope on display for franchises looking to flip their futures in real time and for the young men who've been dreaming of this their entire lives.
Your boy was a third-round pick back in the day and let me just tell you not much sleep happening this week. You think you will be drafted but you don't know if or when or where. Suddenly you're imagining a cross-country move in your head at 2:00 a.m. The pressure is real.
Let's take a look at some of the projected first-rounders who might sleep a little better this week, starting with quarterback Fernando Mendoza out of Indiana. This guy's processes defense like he has a supercomputer between his ears. Surgical passing. Led the Hoosiers to their first-ever national title. If his name is not called first overall to the Raiders, somewhere a GM hit the wrong button and broke the internet.
Jeremiyah Love, running back from Notre Dame. Imagine trying to tackle a 215-pound bowling ball dipped in baby oil. He can run, he can catch, he can block a Swiss Army knife with cleats. His teammates say he's the last guy to leave the weight room but the first to crack a joke in it. Ultimate team player.
Reuben Bain, Miami edge rusher. Now critics say he has short arms. He says watch the tape. Because this dude brings nonstop heat. He's a beast. Quarterbacks, consider this your warning. He's one of the most film-obsessed players in the class. He studies linemen like its finals week.
Finally, Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State receiver. I've seen him play in person. Body control like a ballerina. He has hands like there is sticky glue on them. He's smooth in space. Grew up playing multiple sports, including track, which shows up every time he hits another gear.
[06:00:00]
So there it is. Some of the top prospects and stories that are just getting started. Maybe one of them will go to your team. On draft night it's more than picks. Lives change, dreams launch, and NFL fans everywhere are thinking maybe this will be our year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And our thanks to Coy for that.
Thanks to all of you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Stay tuned. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.
