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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Soldier Accused Of Betting On Maduro Raid Pleads Not Guilty; Musk Testifies In Lawsuit Against Company And Its Leaders; Texas State Lawmakers Hold Hearing On Camp Mystic Tragedy. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired April 29, 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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[05:32:45]
BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: The FCC is going head-to-head with Disney calling for an early renewal examination of eight ABC station licenses. Trump officials argue the request is part of a larger ongoing probe into Disney's diversity initiatives. But the company's filings -- they are due by May 28, by the way. Disney says it's confident it's in full compliance with industry standards.
But the timing of this is a bit suspect because it comes amid President Trump's clash with ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after he joked that the first lady had the "glow of an expectant widow."
Earlier, CNN spoke with one of the FCC's commissioners who is supportive of Disney's position. She called the federal request unlawful.
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ANNA GOMEZ, FCC COMMISSIONER: What we're seeing here is the FCC issuing requests to renew early the eight broadcast stations -- the local broadcast stations so that the FCC can pressure Disney to alter its conduct and its content. And that is unlawful. It's bound to fail. And the ones that suffer are the local broadcasters.
But I'm very -- like I said, I'm very happy to see that Disney is pushing back, and not only Disney is pushing back. This is a First Amendment violation. This is the administration's attempt to force Disney and other broadcasters to broadcast content that they like and to go after vocal critics that they don't like.
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ABEL: Federal authorities stepping up their fraud investigation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. One official telling CNN agents executed 22 search warrants, including raids on daycare centers, businesses and homes. The Trump administration looking into claims that some businesses, including those run by people of Somali descent have fraudulently used federal funding.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz praised what he called the "joint investigation." He dropped his re-election campaign earlier this year in response to the scandal.
A U.S. special forces soldier has pleaded not guilty to misusing classified information to make more than $400,000 from a prediction market. Prosecutors say Gannon Ken Van Dyke was involved in the planning and capture of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January.
[05:35:00]
The 38-year-old soldier is accused of placing a $32,000 bet on the U.S. raid in Venezuela and the removal of Maduro from office ahead of the military operation. Afterward, Van Dyke allegedly funneled his winnings through a foreign cryptocurrency vault and asked Polymarket -- that's the prediction market -- to delete his account.
His lawyer is vowing to challenge the core of the allegations and claims Van Dyke has been charged with something that is not a crime.
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MARK GERAGOS, GANNAN KEN VAN DYKE'S ATTORNEY: He has spent virtually 98 percent of his adult life serving this country in an exemplary manner. He's reached the apex of that service. And with any luck we will return him quickly to where he belongs, which is protecting the world, frankly, from all kinds of threats.
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ABEL: Van Dyke allegedly cashed in for more than $400,000. He is currently on military leave. He's been released on a $250,000 bond and is expected back in court in June.
The Trump administration is temporarily pausing decisions on immigration applications to, as they say, ensure they meet new security check guidance. Immigration officials say the move will strengthen the vetting and screening of applicants to root out causes of fraud or abuse.
A source familiar with the effort says decisions will resume once U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services run security checks on applications granted prior to this week.
And the U.S. will soon begin offering passports featuring an image of President Trump and his signature on the inside cover. It is the latest and most significant instance of his image being used for something said to commemorate the country's 250th anniversary this summer.
A State Department official says the Trump passports will be the default passport for those who renew their passports in person at the Washington Passport Agency when these passports become available in the coming months. Online options and other locations will keep the existing passport design without the president's image.
Ahead, it's Musk versus Altman. The tech billionaires facing off in a trial over OpenAI's future. What Elon Musk said about the company when he took the stand.
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[05:42:00]
ABEL: Welcome back to EARLY START. This is your business breakout.
And here is where the U.S. futures stand ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street. The Dow down. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq starting the day in the green.
And let's check some of today's business headlines now.
Jerome Powell is likely to hold his final meeting as the chairman of the Federal Reserve in the coming hours. His terms ends on May 15. The Fed is not expected to cut interest rates at this meeting. President Trump's pick to replace Powell, Kevin Warsh, could be confirmed soon now that the Trump administration has dropped its criminal probe into Powell.
Global oil markets are facing another hurdle after the United Arab Emirates announced it will leave OPEC this week. The move is likely driven by a desire to produce more oil. The country's energy minister told CNN they decided to take the decision now because the closure of the Strait of Hormuz will limit the impact on its oil markets.
And McDonald's is set to begin the latest fast-food chain to put so- called "refresher" drinks on its menu. Several restaurant chains are now offering the fruity beverage in hopes of winning back younger customers. What exactly constitutes a refresher varies by restaurant. Analytics firm Datassential says this latest craze in fast food is set to grow by nearly 130 percent over the next four years.
Tech billionaires Elon Musk and Sam Altman are facing off in court over the future of OpenAI. Musk is set to resume his testimony in the hours ahead. He filed the lawsuit accusing his OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman of betraying the report's details from outside the courthouse.
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HADAS GOLD, CNN AI CORRESPONDENT: Elon Musk warned a jury here in Oakland, California that AI could kill us all and he wanted to avoid a Terminator-style outcome for all of humanity partly be helping to found a nonprofit open-source AI research foundation that became OpenAI.
He walked the jury through his version of founding OpenAI saying it partly came after a disagreement with Google co-founder Larry Page who he says called him a speciest for being pro-human. Elon Musk saying he wanted to found an open-source nonprofit counterbalance to what he said was Google's closed-source, for profit company.
He also warned that if he loses this case -- which, of course, rests on whether OpenAI deceived him and unjustly enriched themselves after he helped co-found and fund the company when they switched over to having a for profit subsidiary -- he said that if he loses it will give license to looting every charity in America.
Now what was interesting today is also the judge in this case -- she reprimanded Elon Musk for his social media activity. And Musk, of course, is a prolific poster on his social media platform X. He's been posting a lot about this trial as recently as Monday, calling Sam Altman "Scam Altman." But the judge told him to stop doing that immediately.
She said, "Try to control your propensity to use social media to make things worse outside this courtroom. Perhaps you've never done that before." Musk and all of the other parties in this case did agree to stop posting about the trial.
[05:45:00]
Elon Musk will continue his testimony tomorrow. We will also likely get the chance to hear the defense cross-examine Elon Musk. And then we will go on to the other witnesses which could include the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, as other -- as well as other major figures in the tech scene.
This trial will go on for several more weeks and should Elon Musk win it could have drastic affects not only on OpenAI but on the entire landscape of the AI industry.
Hadas Gold, CNN, Oakland.
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ABEL: Texas lawmakers express doubt that Camp Mystic should reopen as planned after last year's deadly flooding. The hearing on the tragedy and the emotional testimony from one mother ahead.
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[05:50:10]
ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Here are some stories we are watching today.
Former FBI director James Comey says he's innocent and he's not afraid after the Department of Justice indicted him over a photo of seashells spelling "86 47." The DOJ claims that image posted on social media last year is a threat against President Trump.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will head to New York in just a few hours to visit the 9/11 memorial and meet with families of the victims. It follows the king's historic address to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday. This is the monarch's first state visit to the U.S., and the British government hopes it will help ease some of the tensions over the war with Iran.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will testify before the House Armed Services committee in the coming hours. Hegseth will be joined by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They are expected to testify on the Defense Department's budget request for next year but may also face questions on the war with Iran.
Drone video shows the significant damage from a tornado that flattened parts of a Texas town on the sixth day of a severe storm outbreak in the Midwest and southern U.S. You see it here. The twister injured several people in Mineral, Texas, the site from all this damage, on Tuesday. That's about 80 miles west of Dallas. Fortunately, there are no reported deaths of missing persons. Good news there. Officials are using a local high school as a base to provide people with basic necessities.
The widespread storm also dropped tennis ball-sized hail on Springfield, Missouri Tuesday, damaging vehicles and knocking down power poles.
Emotional testimony as state lawmakers seek answers nearly a year after flash flooding killed 25 campers and two counselors at Camp Mystic. Officials questioned health and safety regulators over the viability of the camp to continue operations. And there's now a push for a state agency to review Mystic's license. Its owners plan to reopen the campgrounds this summer.
CNN's Sherrell Hubbard has more on what came out of this hearing.
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JULIE SPRUNT-MARSHALL, PARENT OF FLOODING SURVIVOR: Girls began crying for their mothers. Girls were crying that they wanted to go home.
SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN REPORTER (voiceover): The mother of a 9-year-old girl at Camp Mystic who survived being swept more than one mile downstream in the raging Guadalupe River in central Texas last summer, testified Tuesday.
MARSHALL: McKenzie was swept out of the window in total darkness amid fast-moving, churning, debris-filled water. McKenzie fought for her life.
HUBBARD (voiceover): Texas lawmakers suggested the Eastland family, who own and operate the camp, failed to properly train counselors on what to do in case of a flash flood and missed opportunities to evacuate the girls as soon as the flood warnings were issued.
Camp director Edward Eastland apologized to the families of campers and counselors who lost their lives.
EDWARD EASTLAND, DIRECTOR, CAMP MYSTIC: We were devastated alongside you. I regret not communicating more with each of you earlier and I'm so sorry.
HUBBARD (voiceover): Eastland's comments came during the second day of a special legislative session looking into the July Fourth flooding. Eastland and others pleaded for a portion of Camp Mystic that did not flood to be allowed to reopen in a few weeks, a move one mother sharply opposed.
SPRUNT-MARSHALL: The Eastland's prayers didn't save the girls that night. I worry the Eastland's prayers going forward are not an appropriate safety plan.
HUBBARD (voiceover): Senator Charles Perry described the fatal mistakes as inexcusable.
CHARLES PERRY, (R) TEXAS STATE SENATE: Y'all will not be an operator next session -- next season -- if I can have anything to say with that.
HUBBARD (voiceover): I'm Sherrell Hubbard reporting.
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ABEL: EARLY START will be right back.
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[05:53:13]
ABEL: The San Antonio Spurs are moving on in the NBA Playoffs. They trounced the Portland Trail Blazers 114-95 to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals. It is the Spurs' first playoff series win since 2017.
In the East, the Philadelphia 76ers stay alive with a 113-97 win over the Boston Celtics. Joel Embiid leading all scorers with 33. Game six is Thursday night in Philly.
And the New York Knicks are celebrating back-to-back blowouts of the Atlanta Hawks. Jalen Brunson leading the way with 39 points. The Knicks now lead that series three games to two.
And over to the ice now where the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is going down to the wire. The Boston Bruins managing to keep their hopes alive with a 2-1 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres right there. Buffalo leads the series three games to two.
The Minnesota Wild will try to close out their series against the Dallas Stars later this week after a 4-2 win on Tuesday. Game six is Thursday in St. Paul.
And the Edmonton Oilers skating to a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim is leading that series three games to two.
The official 2026 World Cup sticker album is here. Panini is an Italian sticker and sports trading card company and official FIFA partner. It launched this year's sticker book Tuesday in an event in London. Because the tournament has expanded from 32 to 48 qualified teams, the album is bigger than ever. It has 112 pages with a total of 980 stickers to collect.
[06:00:00]
Well, the son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani is offering to rescue 80 cocaine hippos from Colombia after the government announced plans to cull them. He is proposing to relocate the hippos to his conservation center in India, which currently houses over 150,000 animals.
These hippos descend from a group introduced by the notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. He had been trying to build one of the largest private zoos in Latin America during the 1980s. Since then though the hippo population has exploded, endangering Colombia's native species.
Thank you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington. "CNN THIS MORNING" with Audie Cornish starts right now.
