Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Golden Knights Go Full-Vegas With Arena Productions; Former FBI Director Comey Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Charges; Sources Say Gaza Deal is Very Close and Could Be Reached in 48 Hours; Court Hearings on Sending Troops Into Chicago, Portland Tomorrow; Travel Industry Group Says Shutdown Costing U.S. Travel Economy About $1 Billion Each Week. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired October 08, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW ABRAMS, VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VP & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Tonight, we're lucky enough to do something that's never been done before in the NHL. We're going to be the first to do it. And right now, we're the only ones to do it. And the fans are going to instantly recognize what it is when it happens, and it's going to be amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah. And Erica, I tried to ask Andrew. I tried to get a little clue, a little hint what it's going to be. He said he'd give me nothing.

ERICA HILL, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Yeah.

SCHOLES: Top secret. He's holding it all close to the best. Can't wait to see what it is. Because that golden night show, the pre-game, a lot of people get there even early just to see that before the actual game even starts. I can't wait for tonight.

HILL: Lot of superlatives there in that tease that he was giving us. So, I'll be waiting to see how it delivers. Andy, appreciate it, my friend. Thank you.

A new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Arraigned and arguing that he's being targeted by the president of the United States, former FBI Director, James Comey appearing in a federal courtroom, hearing the criminal charges against him. Plus, want to get away? That might be getting tougher to do a staffing becomes a huge problem in America's air traffic control towers, a possible consequence of the government shutdown now stretching into its second week.

And young boys force fed a diet of toxic content online, a troubling new look at what teens are seeing on social media, whether they want to or not. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to "CNN News Central."

A judge is fast tracking the case against former FBI Director, James Comey, who is set to stand trial on January 5th, just under three months from now. This morning, Comey pleaded not guilty to two federal charges stemming from allegations that he lied to Congress. There's a chance though that this case doesn't even get to trial. Comey's defense team indicated they plan to ask the court to dismiss the case, pointing to President Trump's very public vendetta against their client. CNN's Katelyn Polantz was inside the courtroom for today's hearing. Katelyn, bring us up to speed.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, the trial date is set for January 5th, but much of this case against James Comey and his challenges to it, that's all going to be fought out before a jury even gets close to the courtroom. That's because his defense at this hearing today, the first hearing, the arraignment where James Comey pleaded not guilty to the court, setting things in motion towards trial. His attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, made clear that they're going to try to challenge this case in five different ways, challenge the authority of the prosecutor, the U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan, and then claim and allege in different ways that the government has been out of line in bringing the case.

They've been vindictive, that they've abused the grand jury, that they've had outrageous conduct, all of which they're going to argue to the judge means this case should be tossed. So that's what Judge Michael Nachmanoff is going to be working through and working with over the next couple of months as we hear those arguments first on paper, then in person in arguments in November and December. Judge Nachmanoff, he wants all of this to move very fast. Two quotes from the judge. First, he said, "This doesn't appear to be an overly complicated case itself." The perjury charges is what he's talking about. He also says, "I'm not going to let things linger." So the judge is indicating he's going to want rulings to happen pretty fast, that he'll be doing his work quickly.

The other thing here though, it's not just up to the defense to bring their challenges to the case and the judge to figure it out before trial. There's also some responsibility for the Justice Department here. They said today that they believe they may have classified information or some information they want to declassify that could be a part of this case. And the judge made clear to them, it's not going to be OK if the government uses that to slow things down. That can happen sometimes. Judge Nachmanoff also said the government will be under enormous pressure to figure out what absolutely needs to be done here. There should be no reason this case gets off track because of the existence of classified information. It may be the fastest CIPA proceedings you've ever seen in your lives and potentially, one of the fastest tracks to court to trial that we've seen in a long time, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much for the update. Erica?

HILL: We do want to get right now to some Breaking News. Sources telling CNN, a Gaza ceasefire deal is very close and could be reached within 24 to 48 hours. President Trump's Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff and has son-in-law, Jared Kushner are taking part in the negotiations which are underway, of course, in Egypt. Israel's Chief Negotiator, Ron Dermer, has also now joined the indirect talks with Hamas as efforts here really intensified to cement that deal based on the 20- point peace plan put forth by President Trump.

CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is in Cairo. He's been there following all of these developments. So this is a huge development, obviously. Nic, what more do we know?

[14:05:00]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, this is sort of an indication of the momentum that we've been seeing, the arrival of Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, the Ron Dermer as well coming from Israel has all sort of added to the momentum and what we've been hearing from sources about the positivity around these talks. Of course, you have the Egyptians with their head of intelligence there. The Turks have their head of intelligence there. The Qatari prime minister is at the talks as well. You have all the top players there. And so, this momentum is now indicating along with these positive indications that some deal could be struck within the next, as you say, 24 or 48 hours.

Now, what we're told was discussed today was precisely where the ceasefire line would be. That's a key issue for Hamas. The release of all the hostages, all 48 of them, and according to sources in Israel, it is possible that Hamas and the other groups holding some of the bodies may not know where the bodies are. We're not hearing that that is going to break the deal at the moment, but it's sort of an indication of the level of detail they're getting into and detail as well about the Palestinians. Hamas wants released a couple of senior Palestinian politicians in jail on murder charges, charges they refute. Hamas had wanted them released. We are hearing from sources also that those key top names probably wouldn't be released. Again, positivity, none of what we are hearing about the negotiations is indicating that it's being -- that it's going off the rail.

So I think there's real optimism it sounds like at the moment. Look, we've been here before, but I think the sense of optimism is higher than we've had before. Doesn't mean it can't fail, but I think it's indicative that there's a real positivity in the air right now.

HILL: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that in itself is such a development. Nic, really appreciate it. Thank you.

Still ahead here, backlash and lawsuits against President Trump's push to deploy the National Guard in Chicago and Portland. We'll discuss with Oregon's Attorney General. And a CNN experiment tracks just how many chemicals and pollutants you're exposed to every single day. The number likely to surprise you. That much more ahead right here on "CNN News Central."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:11:54] SANCHEZ: Hundreds of Texas National Guardsmen are standing by outside Chicago waiting for deployment orders as part of what local leaders are calling the Trump administration's military invasion into Democratic-led cities. Officials in Chicago and Portland, Oregon have each asked federal courts to stop the president from sending in troops, calling the actions unlawful. Hearings in both cases are set for tomorrow.

Joining us now to discuss is Oregon's Attorney General Dan Rayfield. Sir, thank you so much for being with us. I want to start by getting your response to top Trump adviser, Stephen Miller, who was on CNN on Monday. He said that in Portland, "ICE officers have been subjected to over a hundred nights of terrorist assault, doxing, murder threats, violent attack, and every other means imaginable." I presented evidence to Stephen Miller to the contrary, but he insisted that protesters are trying to overthrow the law enforcement function of the federal government. What's your response?

DAN RAYFIELD, (D) OREGON ATTORNEY GENERAL: I mean, look, I mean, I can say that I'm a ballerina and I look good in a tutu, but that doesn't make it factual. I mean, this is a man that plays fast and loose with facts. And here's the thing, like, I'm a politician. He's an aspiring politician. I don't even know what he is, but let's ignore both of us. And let's look what a judge actually ruled in the case in Portland, a neutral arbiter, an arbiter that was appointed by President Donald Trump. And in that circumstance, what that judge said is that there is absolutely no need for the military on the streets of Portland. And so, those are just the realities. Those are real facts that they presented in court.

So he could say what he wants, but if he wants to use the United States military, he better have real facts to back up the words that are coming out of his mouth.

SANCHEZ: There have been allegations that some folks at these demonstrations outside the ICE facility in Portland had incendiary devices and further, that some of the demonstrations got out of hand. Something like 40 plus people have been arrested since June. I wonder, given some of the recent events, specifically the sniper in Dallas that shot at some ICE officials and ultimately hit a pair of detainees, if you're concerned for the health of federal agents in your city?

RAYFIELD: In Portland, I feel very comfortable and very safe about the way that our Portland Police Department, our Multnomah County Sheriff's Department and the Oregon State Police have been doing it. And again, people shouldn't take my word for it. They should take a neutral arbiter's belief based upon real facts and ruling that we have a safe community. Now you bring up a really good point, right, that when you have unsafe conditions in other cities or different parts of the world, those should be taken seriously, and it's incredibly important. It doesn't matter who you are in law enforcement, that you can operate as safely as possible.

[14:15:00] But the justification that it's unsafe in some city more than three- hour flight away from Portland gives you the justification to now deploy the military in a different city. That's just not the way America works. It's not the way that our laws were intended to operate. And so, that is what kind of I think this difference of opinion that you're having between the president and the reality of the facts here in Oregon.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. Can you confirm whether local officials from police to the mayor or governor have refused to render aid to ICE officers the way that the administration has claimed?

RAYFIELD: And again, this was actually one of the most wonderful points that was brought up in the hearing. And again, when you get into a hearing, you've got officers of the court. You're under oath. You're providing evidence that a judge has to rely upon. One of the best pieces of evidence to kind of refute what the federal government was saying was true facts. And the facts were, is that in the ICE facility in Portland, weeks leading up to attempting to use the military, that ICE facility was turning down help. That's right, you heard it, turning down help from the Portland Police who was offering it.

Again. I mean, we're living in a world right now where the president can say anything he wants and people are going to believe it. But that's the beauty of our judicial system. You got to come in and cite real facts and they're unable to do that. And that's why we were successful with multiple temporary restraining orders against the federal government.

SANCHEZ: I want to ask you about a suggestion from Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, who represents part of Portland. She urged demonstrators that have been gathering outside that ICE facility to go somewhere else, suggesting that it could risk an escalation that would then give the federal government more of a reason or an excuse to send in the National Guard. Do you agree with her?

RAYFIELD: What I would say is America is a place that is founded on freedom of speech. And we disagree with what's going on in our country. You have the right to speak up and say so. Now when you do it, you still got to follow the laws of our country. And when you don't, you're going to be held accountable. And so that's kind of this dynamic. I do believe that with the federal officers that frankly, are looking to have instigation between protesters, it is definitely, if you are one that want to exercise your voice, doing it in a different area is probably the best thing to do.

And -- but I do think our voices are really important at this important time in our country's history. People need to know that mobilizing the military on the streets of America is not normal and it's not OK, and people should know that.

SANCHEZ: Lastly, I want to ask your reaction to the president calling for arrests among leaders in Chicago who, in his words, do not protect ICE officers. What's your reaction to the suggestion there of the arrest of these leaders? And I wonder if you're concerned that officials in Oregon, including yourself, may be next.

RAYFIELD: Yeah, I'm increasingly becoming disturbed and that's such a polite way to put it with the rhetoric that comes out of this president's mouth. And not even the rhetoric, the actual actions that this president is taking right now to erode the foundations and the pillars of our democracy. Any leader in our country does not use law enforcement, does not use the threat of law enforcement, does not use the threat of jailing your opponents. That's not what we do in this country.

What we also don't do in this country is put the military on the streets. We don't attack the free press. We don't attack our bench, our independent judiciary. We don't openly go out and talk about how we're going to game our election systems to maintain power, through gerrymandering. But this is consistently what's coming out of this president's mouth and I think we have to be focused and being very clear that this is not OK. And this is a free country.

I don't fear that there -- I'm going to be attacked politically, because we do live in America. Now, that doesn't mean that the president's not going to threaten it, but I believe in our judicial system, moving forward. And I believe that we have 12 jurors that you can sit there and you can make all these accusations you want, but ultimately, these folks haven't committed any crimes.

SANCHEZ: Oregon Attorney General, Dan Rayfield, we appreciate you sharing part of your afternoon with us and sharing your perspective.

RAYFIELD: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Ahead, the U.S. travel industry could be losing $1 billion a week because of the ongoing federal government shutdown.

[14:20:00]

Details coming your way in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: A U.S. Travel Trade Group says the government shutdown is now costing America's travel economy about $1 billion each week. The Travel Association's president saying today, "Travelers are facing longer TSA lines and flight delays. Airports are reducing flights." And going on to talk about entire control room towers going dark.

[14:25:00]

It also said the longer this drags on, the worse the cascade of the damage will be for local communities, for small businesses, and for the country. This of course, comes as several airports across the country have reported staffing issues this week. The Department of Transportation reporting an increase in six calls by air traffic controllers since the start of the shutdown. CNN Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean is live at Reagan National Airport following these developments. So what more are we seeing today, Pete? PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The good news, Erica, is that the staffing shortages today have not been enough to trigger delays. The FAA though is having another teleconference in about an hour's time. We know that Newark Approach Control, a facility plagued by problems, controls low-altitude flights going in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport, was on the list of concern earlier today for the morning shift. That has now dropped off the list of concern. But Tuesday, the list was very long. A lot of FAA facilities where we typically do not see staffing shortages -- Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Boston.

The staffing shortages were so deep at some of the largest airports in the country that the FAA did have to impose staffing related delays at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, about a quarter of all flights delayed there yesterday. At Nashville International Airport, the issues were so bad at the approach control facility there that the work had to be handed off to controllers who were in the tower, also to the center facility in Memphis.

NATCA Union President, Nick Daniels, says this is not part of some coordinated sickout effort. That controllers are facing a pretty tough time right now because there's already a nationwide shortage of controllers and just a handful of them calling out causes these staffing related delays to be implemented by the FAA. Remember, 11,000 air traffic controllers in the United States working right now, essentially without pay. They got their last full paycheck last Tuesday. They get their next paycheck on Tuesday, October 14th, but that will be the last one. It's a partial paycheck for work they have already done since before this shutdown began. So, we will see as time goes on here, as this begins to compound, Erica.

HILL: Yeah, absolutely. And as we are waiting and watching as those dates approach, there's a new term that I think a lot of people have learned this week or are re-learning and it's ATC Zero, right? When we talk about this, just walk us through what actually happens for pilots when a facility goes into ATC Zero.

MUNTEAN: It's the most dramatic form of one of these staffing shortages at an air traffic control facility. One, essentially a facility goes dark, it has to shut down. It's what happened at the tower at Hollywood Burbank International Airport on Monday night. The airport essentially then turned from an airport with a control tower, think of it like a crossing guard watching your every move, to an airport with a four-way stop where the pilots sort of have to self- police and see and avoid to make sure that collisions in the making don't happen.

It's one thing to have that happen at the airports that I fly in and out of all the time, small backcountry or smaller general aviation airports in the United States, in a two-seat airplane. It's a totally different risk matrix at a much larger airport when airplanes with 180 people or more are flying in and out. The National Air Traffic Controller Association and the Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, says there is no compromise on safety here. And the FAA will slow flights when there is not enough air traffic control staff to control them. HILL: Wow, Pete, really appreciate it as always. Thank you.

Just ahead here, an unprecedented moment for the American justice system. Former FBI Director, James Comey, pleading not guilty at his arraignment in federal court. What's next in this case? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)