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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Trump: Nobody Knows For Sure Who Iran's Leaders Are; Lebanese Health Ministry: Israeli Strikes Kill At Least 16; Supreme Court Decision Sets Off Gerrymandering Scramble; London Reels From Latest Attack On Jewish Community. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired May 01, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:24]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all round the world. I'm Brian Abel.

It's Friday, May 1st, 5:00 a.m. here in Washington.

And straight ahead on EARLY START.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. president calls the blockade "incredible" and says it's crashing Iran's economy.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They want to make a deal badly.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: The impact of the Supreme Court's ruling this week that further gutted the Voting Rights Act, quickly being felt.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leaders do believe that they can move forward with these maps and then hold those U.S. House primaries at a later date.

SALMA ADBELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A community is under threat, targeted by antisemitic attacks.

LEON, COMMUNITY LEADER: This is a consequence of the government failing its population and not doing enough, when all the warning signs were there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: We begin with the latest developments in the war with Iran. President Trump on the defensive over rising gasoline prices here in the U.S., up another 9 cents overnight. Now at $4.39 a gallon, that is the highest since July of 2022.

But the president insists Iran is dying to make a deal to end the war, as the U.S. naval blockade strangles its economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REPORTER: Iran is proving to be very stubborn. The talks seem like they are stalled. Are you getting antsy to break the ceasefire?

TRUMP: Well, I mean, I don't know what stubbornness because really, nobody knows what the talks are except myself and a couple of other people. They want to make a deal badly. We have a problem because nobody knows for sure who the leaders are. It's a little bit of a problem. You know, the leaders have been wiped out along with their military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Meanwhile, the U.S. is pressing foreign governments to join a new coalition to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's parliament speaker is mocking the blockade, suggesting his country is extensive. Borders provide plenty of opportunity to get around U.S. restrictions.

In a new written statement from Iran's still unseen supreme leader says foreign actors with greedy intentions have no place in the Persian Gulf except in the depths of its waters. The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, meanwhile, is being tested with reports of deadly new strikes. Lebanon's health ministry says. Israel launched attacks in several towns in southern Lebanon, killing at least 16 people over the past 24 hours.

In response, Hezbollah said it carried out drone strikes on Israeli soldiers with the IDF reporting several injuries. A funeral was held in Tyre for three rescuers killed by an Israeli strike on Tuesday, Lebanese officials say they were killed in a double tap strike while helping the wounded.

CNN's Oren Liebermann is live for us this hour in Jerusalem, but we're going to begin with our Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi.

And, Paula, there appears to be more tension between the U.S. and some European allies over the war in Iran, with the American president threatening to pull out troops from some countries now?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brian, we've seen this tension for weeks now with the U.S. president believing Europe should do more. And many European countries saying it is not a war they supported, nor one that they want to be dragged into. So, we're hearing now from the U.S. president that he is suggesting he may pull out U.S. troops from Germany. He has also expanded that now to Italy and Spain, as he says, he does not appreciate their reactions.

Let's listen to exactly what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Italy has not been of any help to us, and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible, you know, NATO, it's not even the fact that they're bad. It's one thing if they said nicely or if they said, okay, we'll help. But the help is a little slow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, relations between the U.S. and Germany at this point appear to be suffering. We heard earlier this week, German chancellor saying that the U.S. is being humiliated by Iran, pointing to the lack of strategy when it came to this war. We've also heard one German member of European parliament in an interview with CNN saying, quote, the trust in this White House is not the same.

Now, when it comes to a potential deal, potential talks, we understand from sources close to the mediation that there is still intense diplomacy that is ongoing.

[05:05:07]

At this point, we believe from the suggestions there that there could be a proposal that has been updated from Tehran that could arrive in Pakistan. Those mediators are this Friday. We know that a previous proposal was deemed not acceptable to President Trump, according to sources familiar there, as he did not want to lose the leverage of this U.S. naval blockade, which he has been very proud of. He has called it genius. And according to sources familiar, he is now considering expanding -- Brian.

ABEL: All right, Paula.

Let's move to the other participant now in this conflict in Iran, and that is Israel. Oren Liebermann is live for us in Jerusalem.

And, Oren, you so poignantly pointed out 24 hours ago that the ceasefire there is between Israel and Lebanon, not Israel and Hezbollah. Has there been any reactions from Lebanon to the escalating attacks by Israel on Hezbollah lately?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has condemned the attacks. The Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon as we see a rising death toll there. According to the Lebanese ministry of public health, two killed in the town of Nabatiyeh alfalfa this morning in southern Lebanon, as well as ten injured. And that's on top of at least 14 killed in the Nabatiyeh district in Israeli strikes, according to the ministry yesterday.

Because of that rising death toll that's now nearing 2,600 over the course of the last two months. Of course, you expect the Lebanese president to respond, condemning the strikes and Israels continued occupation of southern Lebanon.

The U.S. embassy in Beirut is trying to get a diplomatic track going here and trying to create some momentum for it, as President Donald Trump has said, he wants to host Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what would be a landmark meeting in Washington. Even though that seems very difficult. Still, the U.S. embassy in Lebanon pushing for it, saying a direct meeting could lead to -- and I'm quoting here from a social media post, the chance to secure concrete guarantees on full sovereignty, territorial integrity, secure borders, humanitarian and reconstruction support, and the complete restoration of Lebanese state authority over every inch of its territory guaranteed by the United States.

That's a lot. The State Department and the U.S. embassy in Lebanon is promising from a simple, direct meeting, especially because it's not clear that Netanyahu would agree to any of that as a result of a direct meeting with the Lebanese president in Washington. So there's very difficult diplomacy ahead. And its unclear if the U.S. can get really get that on track.

Meanwhile, we have seen continued Lebanon or Hezbollah drone strikes against Israeli forces. One soldier killed yesterday in southern Lebanon and a number injured when a drone crossed into northern Israel and hit a military vehicle right near a town there.

So Hezbollah, which was much more known for its rocket and missile arsenal before the war, now very effectively employing low cost drones to attack Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, you see an escalation, Brian, in the war between Israel and Hezbollah as the U.S. trying to keep a cease, a very fragile, shaky ceasefire on track between Israel and the government of Lebanon.

ABEL: All right. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem -- thank you both for your excellent reporting.

President Trump is criticizing repeated congressional efforts to limit his war powers. For the sixth time, the Republican-led Senate on Thursday rejected a measure requiring congressional approval for future military action in Iran. If failed, 47 to 50 in a largely party line vote. The 1973 War Powers resolution puts a 60-day clock on the use of military force without congressional authorization, and, according to the text of the law, the war with Iran hits that 60-day mark, today, May 1st.

But there's disagreement in congress over the exact dates of the deadline. Democrats and even some Republicans in Congress are venting their frustration over the war with Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with senators on Thursday to ask for more funding for the war. Instead, the hearing devolved into arguments over his handling of the conflict and questions about where the money is going.

He also addressed the issue of President Trump's war powers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): The war powers resolution specifies that a war initiated by a president without congressional approval must be concluded within 60 days.

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Ultimately, I would -- I would defer to the White House and White House counsel on that. However, we are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire. So you're not in -- that's -- it's our understanding, just so you know.

KAINE: Okay, well, I do not believe the statute would support that.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ABEL: Polls show the war is extremely unpopular with the American public.

[05:10:02]

Hegseth blamed what he called defeatist critics in Congress, labeling them the biggest adversary.

Congress has voted to reopen key parts of the Department of Homeland Security after weeks of Republican infighting. President Trump signing that bill into law Thursday, ending a 75-day record shutdown. In a major win for Democrats, the House passed the Senate's compromise bill, which includes no money for federal immigration enforcement.

Multiple sources tell CNN, Speaker Mike Johnson face a growing revolt from centrists in his party. He decided to move forward with the bill after a private leadership meeting, where members warned the situation was untenable.

The impacts of the Supreme Court's ruling this week that further gutted the voting rights act, quickly being felt. Louisiana Republicans are now delaying primaries just a day after the ruling. The court threw out the state's congressional map that had two black majority districts calling it an unconstitutional gerrymander.

Louisiana is just one of several Republican led states eyeing changes to boost the party's efforts to shore up more House seats, often at the expense of minority voters.

CNN's Arlette Saenz reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Louisiana Republicans are making moves to redraw the state's congressional maps, as the GOP is fighting to hold on to their majority in the U.S. House in this midterm election. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, announced he would delay the U.S. House primaries that were currently set in Louisiana for May 16th in order to give the state more time to redraw their congressional maps.

This is a move that's drawn criticism from Democrats and also from Senator Bill Cassidy, who is facing his own Senate primary on that May 16th date. He said that the decision is very confusing for people and unfortunate.

But right now, Republican state leaders believe that they will have the time to redraw their congressional maps, potentially undoing a majority/minority district that is currently held by a Democrat in Louisiana. The state legislature is still in session. They will be in session until early June. So, leaders do believe that they can move forward with these maps and then hold those U.S. House primaries at a later date.

This is all stemming from that Supreme Court decision that invalidated Louisiana's congressional maps, but it also will make it more difficult for plaintiffs in the future to challenge states who have attempted redistricting down the road.

One state to watch will be Tennessee. President Donald Trump said that he spoke with Tennessee's governor on Thursday to talk about potentially redrawing the congressional maps. If Tennessee were to try to do that, they currently have one congressional district represented by a Democrat, Tennessee would need to call back the state legislature into a special session to address this. There is no guarantee or plans just yet to do that, but that is one tactic that they could pursue.

But this all is really the latest chapter in an ongoing redistricting war that was started by Republicans and President Donald Trump in Texas over the summer. We saw this back and forth tit for tat, really, a redistricting arms race kick off where you had Republican and Democratic states then trying to redraw their maps heading into this midterm elections.

But it remains to be seen which party will end up benefiting from this endeavor. But it does come at a time when Republicans hold on the majority in the U.S. House is at real risk heading into November's elections.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Still ahead, new video captures the moments around the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Prosecutors share new evidence in the case. What we know, next.

Plus, police in London charge a man in connection with the latest attack on the city's Jewish community. We'll have those details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:18:28]

ABEL: This year, you're looking at violent clashes between police and protesters outside a hospital in the remote Australian outback. Crowds demanded that authorities hand over an accused child killer. Jefferson Lewis was arrested for the alleged murder of a five-year-old girl following a manhunt that began Sunday night.

Lewis had been seen holding hands with a child in the hours before she was reported missing. Eventually, it wasn't police who tracked down Lewis, but an angry crowd who started beating him. A spokesperson for the girl's family is calling for calm in the wake of the violence.

The U.K. metropolitan police have charged a man in connection with the latest attack on a Jewish community in London. Police say 45-year-old Essa Suleiman is facing two counts of attempted murder, along with other charges. He is set to appear in court today. Two Jewish men were stabbed and wounded in North London on Wednesday, rattling the community already shaken by a string of attacks.

Salma Abdelaziz has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Golders Green, North London, known as this city's Jewish heartland. Here, a community is under threat, targeted by anti-Semitic attacks.

The latest declared a terrorist incident, a stabbing in broad daylight on this street that left two Jewish men injured.

Leon, who grew up here, says he feels it's no longer safe to be visibly Jewish.

LEON, COMMUNITY LEADER: A feeling of freedom to walk around as visibly as a Jew that has been robbed of us as of yesterday.

[05:20:03]

And this is the consequences of the government failing its population and not doing enough when all the warning signs were there.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): The morning after the attack, Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with criminal justice agencies to demand a swift and visible response.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There's no getting away from the fact that this was not a one off. This has been a series of attacks on our Jewish community. And there is a very deep sense of anxiety, of concern.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): While the P.M. scrambled his government, his political rival and right-wing populist Nigel Farage spoke to community leaders at the scene.

NIGEL FARAGE, REFORM U.K. LEADER: Every single time it happens, there are kind words that come from No. 10 Downing Street. Soft words aren't enough. And the government needs to be seen to be very robust.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): When the P.M. did arrive a couple of hours later, he received a much less welcoming response.

ABDELAZIZ: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has just arrived here to reassure the Jewish community that he is doing everything he can to keep them safe. But he has been met by an angry and frustrated crowd. They've been chanting, Starmer, Jew harmer, they've been calling him a traitor. There is a real sense of anger with the government here in London.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Even with Starmer within earshot, Ruth told us she feels the authorities are deaf to her fears.

ABDELAZIZ: Why was it important for you to come?

RUTH, JEWISH FROM LONDON: Because he needs to hear us. He needs to hear this is the first demonstration I've been on and I go on many where we're actually angry because we've had enough and we want him to start doing something positive. ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): In the last few weeks alone, arsonists have set fire to ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity and two synagogues were attacked in separate incidences that were just days apart. Arrests have been made, legislation is being fast-tracked, and $80 million has been pledged to help fund increased security for Jewish communities.

But many here worry that's simply not enough to stop the next act of violent anti-Semitism.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Federal prosecutors have released new footage of the moments before the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. They say this video here shows the alleged suspect walking through hallways and casing the hotel prior to the shooting. Prosecutors released another video showing the alleged attacker rushing down the hallway down a with a shotgun running past the security checkpoint you see here. He was arrested. That circle, by the way, indicating gunfire from the prosecutor's office.

He was arrested before he made it into the press dinner, which was on a different floor, where President Trump and other administration officials were dining. The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, will remain in jail as he awaits trial. His lawyers say they will not fight detention as the case proceeds. Allen is set to return to court on May 11th.

On the eve of International Workers Day, thousands of Argentine workers took to the streets demanding better pay. Why they're accusing the country's president of abandoning longstanding labor practices. That's next.

Plus, it's a first in nearly seven years. U.S. flights arriving in Venezuela. We have the latest from Caracas after the break

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:27:53]

ABEL: You are looking here at live images out of Istanbul, Turkey, where protesters are marking May Day, an internationally recognized day for workers.

In Argentina, thousands flooded the streets of Buenos Aires on Thursday in a rally for workers rights. The General Confederation of Labor organized this demonstration. Many of the marchers condemning the policies of Argentine President Javier Milei. Some oppose recent labor reforms, which they say undermine workers rights.

Milei says the reforms are meant to attract investment.

For the first time in nearly seven years, commercial flights from the U.S. to Venezuela have resumed. This marks a significant step as the country begins restoring economic relations with the United States after the removal of its former president, Nicolas Maduro.

CNN's David Culver has more from Caracas after traveling aboard that first flight from Miami.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Our travel is getting here to Caracas in and of themselves, historic. That, according to the officials, U.S. and Venezuelan, as well as representatives from American Airlines who decided to resume after a nearly seven year pause, a direct flight between the U.S. and Venezuela, leaving out of Miami. Not surprising, given the vast majority of Venezuelans who live in the U.S. live in Miami-Dade County.

And so the idea is, in the days, months, years to come, the demand for those folks who are in the U.S. to travel here to Venezuela and vice versa, is going to increase. That's the belief, as the dynamic between these two countries has changed drastically since the January 3rd capture of Nicolas Maduro.

And so, too, has the sentiment. I mean, candidly, you seem to find folks who are a bit more at ease in the sense of hoping that there's progress being made. But the reality is, when you look at who is still leading this country and it's Delcy Rodriguez, the former vice president of Maduro, and a lot of the ministers have remained the same, leadership hasn't really changed all that much.

The system in and of itself is still in place. And so it puts things in the question of, well, then what needs to change first?