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Former FBI Chief James Comey to be Arraigned in Federal Court; Delays Spread to Major Airports Across U.S. as Shutdown Hits Day 8; Study Shows Common Painkiller Does Little to Ease Pain. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired October 08, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Her sister Frida says that she wants to clear up some rumors after first saying that what she had said was that she was quote, up all night praying for Dolly's recovery. Now Frida now says on social media last night that she did not mean to scare anyone with her comments and clarified that Dolly has been, quote unquote, a little under the weather.

And also saying that it was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister. I get that. Dolly announced last month that she's postponing her Las Vegas residency due to needing to focus on her health and we wish her well.

This morning Japan is dealing with the aftermath of yet another bear attack. The bear was seen rampaging through the sushi section of a supermarket. Two customers ages 69 and 76 they were injured.

One was injured in the parking lot. The other inside the store. And though this encounter was not fatal thankfully two bear attacks earlier this month took the death toll to seven people so far this year. Dying from bear attacks the highest annual toll since records began in 2006 on this.

And one dog proving what we all know that he is mans best friend or in this case grandma's best friend. It all started after a call from a distraught husband concerned about his wife who had gone out and was missing.

It turns out the 86-year-old woman had fallen while walking his son's dog. Body camera video shows the moment that the dog named Eeyore finds the officer and leads her right to the owner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I brought Eeyore. He wouldn't leave. He kept coming back to me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He ran up to my car and I said bring me to your mommy and he ran back to you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He come up to your car. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Good boy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sweetheart.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good boy. Very good boy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not even his owner. I'm his grandmother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh you're such a good boy. You're so good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: I love that so much. I'm not even his owner. I'm his grandmother and he is a very good boy.

The next new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are standing by for former FBI director James Comey to appear in court indicted on two counts after direct pressure from President Trump. The key things to watch for today.

And we're just getting word that air traffic control -- a air traffic control facility handling Newark Airport is short staffed. This is one of the busiest airports in the country. A bad sign is flight delays tied to the government shutdown. They are spreading.

And then a speeding car, a crash and a flash of light. Look at that. Police say this was an illegal street race.

I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan and Sara Sidner. Kate Bolduan, a big fan of street racing. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BOLDUAN: All right, we're showing you a live look right now, right here outside the Virginia home of former FBI director James Comey. Any moment he will likely be departing for his first appearance in federal court since he was indicted under wild circumstances.

Comey is set to be arraigned on two criminal charges, making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding, both stemming from testimony that he gave in 2020. Comey is expected to plead not guilty. He has said publicly that he says he is innocent.

The indictment came last month after President Trump openly called on the attorney general, Pam Bondi, to go after Comey specifically and others that he perceives as political enemies. And then the president's handpicked U.S. attorney, Lindsey Halligan, who had no prior experience as a prosecutor until now, presented the case to the grand jury. She has now tapped two federal prosecutors from outside the district where this is happening from North Carolina, actually, to help with this case -- Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thank you so much, Kate.

OK, joining me now are CNN legal commentator Jim Schultz and CNN political commentator Alyssa Farah Griffin, both worked in the first Trump White House. First to you, Alyssa, you're just hearing Kate say, this is all coming up after President Trump publicly went on his social media and pressured Pam Bondi to put forth cases that had other prosecutors had looked at and did not find the evidence. Does this sort of have the stench of a political prosecution surrounding it?

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN. CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, that's definitely what the argument that Jim Comey's team is going to make. And listen, I've said many times, I don't know that Donald Trump's goal here is convictions. I think that we've seen that he's going to go after people who he feels wronged him, who were opponents of his. And he feels like he was gummed up in the legal system over the last four years while he was running for reelection, bogged down in legal bills, spending his days in courtrooms, and he wants other people to feel that pain.

So it's about honestly silencing people who have opposed him, but also kind of giving them the payback that he feels like he deserves.

[08:05:00]

And listen, every legal expert I've talked to is very, very skeptical that there's going to be a conviction in this Comey case unless something comes to light that you and I don't know today. But I don't know that that's Donald Trump's goal right now.

SIDNER: That's really interesting. Jim, you know, a grand jury did indict him. This went through a legal process.

How do you see this sort of playing out?

JAMES SCHULTZ, CNN LEGAL COMMENTATOR: So you know, the first thing is, first, they're going to file a motion for selective -- a motion to dismiss based upon selective prosecution in this case, you know, based upon the president's comments. And like I've said before, the president's comments make it very difficult or much harder for the prosecutors in this case. Any prosecutor in the case wouldn't want to hear those words coming out of Donald Trump's -- the president's mouth.

But that being said, that doesn't mean that there's not a viable case here. We don't know what we don't know. We do know that they have a hostile witness in Daniel Richman.

That's been reported that Daniel Richman is a witness. He'll be a hostile witness and a difficult witness. He's a friend of Jim Comey's.

He was a special government employee, law professor. And the, you know, the purported allegations from what we're hearing is that that he may have been the person that was -- that Comey may have enlisted for the leak based upon some reporting. We don't know that.

But what we do know is that if he -- if he ends up being a witness, he will be a hostile witness, make it very difficult to prove. And from what we hear from reporting, that was the basis and the reasoning behind the prosecutors having pause and bringing the case.

SIDNER: And Jim, I want to stick with you for a second because two of the federal prosecutors that are taking part in this are from North Carolina and they'll help represent the case for the Justice Department. Is that unusual to, to bring in people from another jurisdiction?

SCHULTZ: Well, this is an unusual case, right? So I, you know, you do have, I think there were four Comey family members that worked in the U.S. attorney's office in that office in Virginia. You know, obviously there were other family members in the Justice Department.

I think that, you know, any office that has any close ties with, you know, folks who are close with Twomey in that office, finding a prosecutor that wants to handle the case, probably going to be difficult, you know, especially with the other circumstances surrounding the case. So not a surprise that they're bringing in other Justice Department lawyers to come in on the case. It's not uncommon that Justice Department lawyers from, for instance, main justice may get involved in particular cases in a jurisdiction.

It's not as common that you bring them across state lines to, to come in and be the lead prosecutor in a case.

SIDNER: All right. Alyssa, based on what you said that this was -- this in your mind is, is Trump trying to make his opponents or the people he sees as his political enemies uncomfortable. Is there going to be more of the same?

GRIFFIN: There may be. I think that Jim Comey was an interesting place to start because candidly the right doesn't want to own him and the left doesn't. The left blames him for Hillary Clinton's loss. The right, no fans of Jim Comey.

So it's starting with a largely unpopular figure and hoping that that's not going to rally a bunch of folks behind him. But the reality is, is the legal case is going to -- is going to play out.

And to Jim's point, he does seem to have a really strong defense. And I would just underscore, not a single voter voted for Donald Trump to prosecute James Comey. They want him to focus on the cost of living, the border, crime.

Those are the issues he wins on. This is not.

SIDNER: What do you make of that, that argument that this is really not something that the public had expected? However, he did say in many of his stump speeches that he was going to, you know, go after the deep state or go after his political opponents.

SCHULTZ: Is that question for me?

SIDNER: Yes, that's for you Jim.

SCHULTZ: Sorry.

SIDNER: Sorry. That's you, Jim.

SCHULTZ: Sorry about that. I was unclear. So, so yes, I think that, look, he did make promises that he was going to go after, you know, those who use the Justice Department as a sword against him.

He made those comments. Crowds cheered, you know, when he did it at the various rallies. So no surprise that he's following through on some of those promises in this instance, especially as it relates to Jim Comey, who is certainly the -- was a central figure in the beginning, leaked memos that Donald Trump -- memos associated with his meetings with President Trump admittedly to try to, to try to open up a special prosecutor -- to have a special prosecutor admitted -- appointed to the matter. So no surprise here that this is, you know, he's public enemy number one.

SIDNER: If, Alyssa, this does not end in a conviction, do you think that slows Trump's sort of push and slows particularly Pam Bondi's look at other people like Schiff, who he has publicly said he wants her to go after?

GRIFFIN: Perhaps. I think Donald Trump's going to do what Donald Trump wants. I think that's one thing we've learned over the years. But even an Adam Schiff is very complicated.

He is covered under speech and debate as a former member of Congress and is now a U.S. Senator, a former House member, I should say. So I think a lot of these people that he's targeted and named are going to be a little more complicated to go after. But I'm not sure I think that stops him.

You know, if I were still advising him, I'd say, focus on the things you're good at. Try to bring down the cost of living. Try to deal with the border. Try to deal with crime.

[08:10:00]

This is not something that's moving votes in his favor ahead of the midterms and for Republicans who are up for tough reelections.

SIDNER: I think Harry Enten just showed us a poll that he was at 44 percent approval rating. It's now at 43. Not much difference, but still pretty low rating at this point in time.

Thank you to both you, Jim Schultz, Alyssa Farah Griffin. You're both great. Thank you. Appreciate it -- John.

BERMAN: All right, travelers delayed for hours and hours as the government shutdown leads to a surge of controllers calling out sick. And we're just getting word a new facility is short this morning.

A national leader says social media is stealing our children's childhood. Now a move to ban it completely for kids younger than 15.

And a street race and police chase ends in a fiery wreck.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:15:00]

BERMAN: We're just getting word that Newark Airport is short staffed this morning. There's been a rash of this since the government shutdown over the last 24 hours. Airports in at least nine cities have reported issues.

Let's get right to seeing as Pete Muntean at Reagan National Airport for the latest. What are you hearing this morning, Pete?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's important to note, John, that the Newark Approach Control Facility, which is actually in Philadelphia, has been plagued by staffing shortages for months, although it is rare that we see it make the list published by the FAA during the morning shift, which is right now. You know, we are not out of the woods yet when it comes to controllers calling out sick during this government shutdown.

And just yesterday, we saw a huge list from the FAA of staffing shortages in places where we normally don't see staffing shortages. Houston, Dallas, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta. The problems were so bad at some major airports like Chicago, O'Hare and Nashville that the FAA actually had to delay flights going into those airports. There was a ground stop in place for Nashville, about a quarter of all flights delayed at Chicago, O'Hare.

Not near as dramatic as what we saw on Monday. The control tower at Hollywood Burbank International Airport had to go completely dark because of short staffing in the control tower there, a condition known as ATC zero. Remember, controllers are working without pay during this government shutdown.

And I want you to listen to their union chief, Nick Daniels, who says this is not part of some coordinated sick out effort that actually would be illegal. He says that controllers are trying to simply get the job done and there is a nationwide shortage of controllers. The margins are so thin that when a couple call out sick, it leads to these delays.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK DANIELS, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION: Well, the bills don't stop, and just because we're going to get paid back eventually doesn't mean that it makes it easier on them. So air traffic controllers are going to go to their primary job, but then they'll start having to take up a second job to ensure they have a steady stream of income. And we know the American people don't want to see that.

And that's why the shutdown has to end today before it becomes to measures just like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Daniels paints it as pretty dire and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says this is not political, although he does underscore in a statement and at a press conference on Monday that he says Chuck Schumer can end this shutdown. The big thing here is that controllers are getting one more paycheck, a partial paycheck next Tuesday for work they have already done before the government shutdown. We will see if things get deeper as time goes on.

Only eight days in and it was 35 days. Another government shutdown that some controllers calling out sick in some major areas led to the end of that shutdown in 2019.

BERMAN: Pete Muntean at Reagan National Airport. Don't miss your flight, Pete. They're giving that call right now over the loudspeaker. I know you'll be watching it all day. Thank you very much -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: So new this morning, a study finds a painkiller taken by millions may not be worth the risk of what the serious side effects are. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the details on that. He'll be joining us.

And key negotiations are underway in Egypt. Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on the ground joining the effort to try to finally broker a deal between Israel and Hamas.

[08:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Chronic pain is one of the most common reasons people go to the doctor. But a new study is now finding that a commonly prescribed painkiller, tramadol, may not be worth the risk. So what are people who are hurting supposed to do?

CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, also the author of the book. It Doesn't Have To Hurt a Deep Exploration of Chronic Pain and Ways To Mitigate It, is here with me now. It's good to see you, buddy.

What -- talk to me about tramadol and what patients need to know. What do people need to know about it?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think what is so interesting, when you look at this opioid epidemic, there was a understandable urge to try and find less risky alternatives.

BOLDUAN: Right.

GUPTA: So tramadol is an opioid, but it's a less powerful opioid as compared to oxycodone or hydrocodone. So the thinking for a long time was, well, we know that there's a real risk of addiction and concerns with these opioids. Would a lower dose or lower power opioid be beneficial?

And so this is a 40 year sort of analysis looking at thousands of patients, chronic low back pain, osteoarthritis, diabetic nerve pain. And what they found, basically, the headline was, yes, it can be somewhat effective.

But when we weigh the risks and the benefits, it is very clear that this is still a much riskier drug in terms of that risk benefit analysis. And we're not just talking about nausea and fatigue and things like that, but also cardiac issues.

BOLDUAN: Really!

GUPTA: -- which I found a little bit interesting. You know, this is something I worry about. But the idea of having chest pain, of exacerbating coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure, that all seem to be part of this as well.

So, you know, it's buyer beware. As you know, we talked about this last time. When you take opioids, you also suppress your body's own opioid production. This is the problem, Kate. That's why when you stop taking the opioids, you could actually have worse pain because your body is not making enough of those opioids.

And that's, I think, what the study found as well.

BOLDUAN: Yes, I mean, and you're trading one set of pain for another set of huge risk. If you talk about these cardiovascular issues.

GUPTA: That's right.

BOLDUAN: One of the most important, most important things that you did through this long, long, years long look when you talk about chronic pain. And you and I have talked about this so much -- is alternatives to taking a pill, alternatives to taking medication. What are they?

GUPTA: Yes, and, you know, I will say, first of all, that the context of this problem, again, there's about 50 million people who are suffering from chronic pain.

BOLDUAN: Right.

[08:25:00]

GUPTA: And that is strictly defined as three months of pain or longer every day or six months every other day. So, you know, some people suffer from it for decades. Opioids took a lot of the oxygen in the room. So people don't know about a lot of the other alternatives.

There was a new medication that was approved this year, the first one in a quarter century.

BOLDUAN: That's crazy.

GUPTA: I know. It's just because, no -- I think it was getting suppressed. The idea --

BOLDUAN: Yes, why do we need you? We've got oxy.

GUPTA: We've got opioids. And so since 1998, when Celebrex was approved, there hadn't been a new one since 2025. But there are options like that. But I also think, you know, as much as we talk about things like meditation, I think anecdotally in the chronic pain community, they've known that it's worked.

It can be beneficial for some time. But now there's data. To actually show how beneficial. I actually went through some of this myself, place these things on my head to basically measure my different pain responses.

BOLDUAN: And this is more than woo woo. Like, just just breathe through it, Sanjay. It's more than that.

GUPTA: It is far more than that. There's a protocol. It's called the more protocol mindfulness oriented recovery enhancement.

And they did thousands, hundreds of thousands of patients around the country. And they found basically the gist of it was it gave you the same relief as five milligrams of oxycodone. Doesn't last forever. I don't want to suggest that. Just like medications it has a half life.

But for the people who have chronic pain, at least during the time that they were meditating, their pain score sometimes dropped down to zero, Kate, which was which is pretty incredible.

So I saw it myself. I wanted to spend time with these researchers. And it really can work. Not to minimize people's chronic pain, because that's, I think, the inclination. Hey, you just think this is all in my head.

All pain is in the brain. Meditation can help with that.

BOLDUAN: It's so important. It's in the beginning of a long conversation that needs to be had. It's great to see you.

GUPTA: You too. Thanks for having me.

BOLDUAN: I love when you're here -- Sara.

SIDNER: All right, come with me. Come with me. I'm hugging you. I was like --

BOLDUAN: What is happening right now?

SIDNER: I used some of what you put in the book when I was in pain, just so you know, like it really the meditation thing. I'm not good at it.

I kind of suck at it, but it does.

GUPTA: I love you, thank you.

SIDNER: It does work.

All right, ahead, President Trump is suggesting some furloughed workers may not receive back pay. That certainly puts him at odds with some top Republicans. We'll talk all about that.

Plus, does your political party impact how and where you get your news? Harry Enten is taking a look at that and running the numbers for us.

He'll have that coming up. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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