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U.S. Agency Overseeing Nuclear Stockpile To Furlough Most Staff; Deadline Today For Comey To File Challenge To Prosecutorial Authority Of Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan; Louvre Remains Closed After Thieves Swipe Precious Artifacts; Now: Federal Officials Testify On Immigration Crackdown In Chicago. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired October 20, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: And RSV protection is out there for the groups that require it as well, typically the very young and the very old -- Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Meg Tirrell, thank you so much for walking us through those recommendations.

We have plenty more news to come. A lot of updates from the White House, including some foreign policy updates. President Trump promising new tariffs on Colombia, going after China, talking about the war in Ukraine as well.

A new hour of CNN NEW CENTRAL starts right now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Demanding answers. Right now, a federal judge questioning Trump officials over tactics used in its immigration crackdown in Chicago. We've got the latest from court.

And as the government shutdown drags on, today, the majority of federal staff who oversee the U.S. nuclear stockpile will be furloughed. So, what does that mean for national security?

And historic heist, a group of thieves fleeing on motorcycles after stealing priceless jewelry from the Louvre in Paris. More on how they pulled it off and the manhunt now underway.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEW CENTRAL.

A major courtroom showdown between a federal judge and immigration officials in Chicago. For the past several hours, top ICE and Border Patrol officials have been facing questions from a judge who's demanding explanations for how they responded to protests over their immigration crackdown in the Chicago area. The judge issued a restraining order this month restricting agents' crowd control tactics and the use of force against protesters and journalists. She also ordered agents to wear and use body cameras. But the judge says she's still hearing reports of tear gas being deployed without warning and has serious concerns that her orders are not being followed.

CNN's Whitney Wild is in the courtroom for this hearing and we'll have details on today's developments as soon as court ends. Boris. SANCHEZ: So, we are 20 days in and the government shutdown is now the

third longest in history. Senate staffers are no longer being paid and federal workers at the agency overseeing the nation's nuclear stockpile are getting furloughed today. The Energy Department says about 1,400 employees inside the National Nuclear Security Administration will begin receiving notices. This means fewer than 400 will remain on the job. CNN's Rene Marsh joins us with the details.

Rene, the Energy Secretary just posted on X that today is a tough day for his staff and their families. What else is he saying?

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, the 1,400 at the National Nuclear Security Administration, really, that's the vast majority of the federal workers at that agency. And as you mentioned, fewer than 400 are left on the job. So, what that really will mean is that the federal workers who are tasked with the oversight and the approval of the work that contractors are doing in building and designing these nuclear weapons, those folks are being told to stay home because they're being furloughed.

Now, we got a statement from the Department of Energy. They say that this is the very first time that NNSA has been impacted by a government shutdown where they've had to essentially have an impact on their critical work and -- and furlough their employees. They also went on to say that this wasn't their choice. I mean, they extended their funding for as long as that -- they could, but at this point they have run out of money.

Now, depending on how long this shutdown stretches on, there is another shoe that can drop here. My source within the NNSA says that by around next week or week or so, the federal contractors who also rely on federal funds, their money will start to run out. And so, the work that they're doing in designing these nuclear weapons, building these nuclear weapons, that will essentially stop as well. You know, Boris, the big question everyone's asking is what does this mean for our national security.

And so, you know, the sources now say that there is no immediate impact, but the concern is larger, the long-term impact here. I mean, if this drags on, then you will have an impact on the ability of NNSA to stay on schedule for delivering weapons to the military, have an impact on the refurbishing, the maintenance of this nuclear stockpile. So, there is certainly a long-term impact and folks not happy that it's gotten to this point for this critical agency.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and it's not clear exactly when it might reopen.

MARSH: Right.

SANCHEZ: So, Rene Marsh, thanks so much for that. Brianna?

KEILAR: The clock is ticking. Today is the deadline for indicted former FBI Director James Comey to file a motion to dismiss federal charges that he lied to Congress.

[15:04:58] It's also the deadline for Comey's attorneys to file a challenge to the prosecutorial authority of Trump's handpicked interim U.S. Attorney, Lindsey Halligan. CNN Crime and Justice Correspondent Katelyn Polantz is here with an update on this. What is the latest?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, Brianna, we don't have these filings just yet in the Comey case, but we're watching for them because they centralize a lot of the challenges that we're seeing in other cases and then especially in this case against Jim Comey and potentially in other cases filed in recent days against high-profile defendants that Donald Trump dislikes. All of these are going to test whether the Justice Department is doing things properly in making the decisions around prosecution.

The one filing we're seeing that will come in today, we do expect by the end of the day, would be whether he was singled out for prosecution in a way that he shouldn't have and whether the case should be tossed. We are waiting to see if Comey's team has found anything in documents that they've gotten from prosecutors so far that might help them make this argument. But do they actually need that?

They have Donald Trump out there saying, to the Attorney General, prosecute Jim Comey, bring him to justice. There's also going to be a challenge to Lindsey Halligan's authority as the U.S. Attorney. And there's a number of tests like this happening in other cases for other U.S. Attorneys, interim U.S. Attorneys, about can they actually be the prosecutor who is backing these cases whenever they haven't been confirmed by the Senate. That's one of the issues here, too.

KEILAR: And DOJ wants to get Comey's attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, off the case. Tell us -- tell us about that. What is the latest with that?

POLANTZ: Yes, this one actually has to dive into some ancient history to understand it. What happened was back in 2017, when right before Comey was fired, he was making those notes about his meetings with Donald Trump. He released some of those to his attorneys. And whenever -- at some point in time, that information and the discussions between Pat Fitzgerald, who's now his defense attorney and was a defense attorney for him back then, too, all of that sort of got swept into this case. But it's being separated from the prosecutor's ability to use it right now.

They're saying to the judge, the Justice Department, we want access to this material. It's currently held because it's an attorney's. And they're saying, you know, we think that there could be an issue here where Pat Fitzgerald may have disclosed classified information to the media. Comey was leaking. But Comey's team has already hit back and said there was no leak of classified information. It was already investigated.

And also, what they're doing by pulling this into the case at this point in time, they argue this is just an effort to defame the lead attorney that's representing Jim Comey.

KEILAR: I love how you think 2017 is ancient history.

POLANTZ: It's been a while.

KEILAR: That's -- that's how we know you're younger than me. That feels like yesterday for me. But Katelyn, thank you so much. Lots of twists and turns and you always keep track of them. We appreciate it.

Still to come, gone in seven minutes, how a team of thieves pulled off this daring movie like heist, escaping with priceless jewelry from the Louvre in Paris. We'll have more on the manhunt underway right now.

Then later, Amazon Web Services says it's fixed the system responsible for the widespread outages across the country. We'll have that and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[15:12:42]

SANCHEZ: So, the Louvre, it remains closed today as officials race against the clock to try to find whoever's behind a brazen daytime heist at the world-famous museum. It all apparently happened in just seven minutes yesterday. Thieves using a truck-mounted ladder to access the Apollo Gallery.

KEILAR: And after breaking in, the suspects, who are seen here wearing high-vis vests, smashed through display cases to get to the crown jewels inside, and then they took off on motorbikes. Eight of the nine stolen items are still unaccounted for today. We're joined now by art authenticator and forgeries expert Curtis Dowling. He's also the host of CNBC's Treasure Detectives.

Curtis, first off, what was your impression of this robbery, this heist, when you learned of it?

CURTIS DOWLING, ART AUTHENTICATOR & FORGERIES EXPERT: Well, look, these things happen more often than you think, because the security systems in massive museums, let's be honest, are fairly poor. I mean, when was the last time you heard a museum shut down for three months to upgrade its security system? And also, you can't let 30 or 40 contractors into a place full of priceless antiques and art, because all of a sudden you've got a bigger security risk just by upgrading your security system. So, to be fair, I'm -- I'm not surprised.

SANCHEZ: Wow. You also, I understand, have received two calls from people you suspect may have been in touch with the thieves?

DOWLING: Yes, look, so if you Google me or you Google art or antiques, I seem to be top of the list. I mean, after 40 years, I guess that's what happens. So, when these big events happen, and because we authenticate art, that's all we do, quite often the phone rings. And in this instance, it's -- it's rung twice.

First of all, a -- a -- a gentleman who I would suggest is from the Middle East, who asked me if I could authenticate some items very urgently. He described them, and I knew where they'd come from. And he offered me 500 times my usual fee. Well, that's a -- that's a red flag straightaway, isn't it? [15:15:00]

And after declining that offer, because I'd rather not be part of the next flyover they're building through Saudi Arabia.

I got another call from -- from a gentleman in Moscow.

We worked in the Kremlin about 10 years ago, authenticating art for their government. So, I -- I guess we're on the radar in Russia. And the conversation was exactly the same. Would we authenticate some pieces that have recently come into their hands? And again, we respectfully declined.

KEILAR: So, explain, Curtis -- I mean, the type of people who would actually be in the market for stolen items like this. There aren't that many, right? I mean, you -- you can't show this off. You -- you can't be publicly in possession of stolen goods. So, who -- who are the people who want to purchase something like this?

DOWLING: Okay. Well, let's look at the reason these -- these things are stolen. I mean, if you look at what happened, that was -- that was like watching a movie. That was entrapment with -- with two massive film stars. They practiced that in a room 5,000 times to be able to achieve that. And they knew what they were stealing. They knew what they were going after.

So, the type of person who would be interested in the items that were stolen may very well have given them the order to go and get them. So, when they did steal them, they probably had a few calls to make to say, look, we've got them. Do you want them? And those people want those items verified.

Because when art or antiques or jewelry is stolen, quite often copies have been made already. And in some of the cases we've had the -- the fortune to work on, a stolen item has been sold three or four times in the first 24 hours. Now, if you buy something that's been stolen and it turns out to be a copy, you're not going to phone the police, are you? And you're the sort of collector that if you've got that much wealth, you don't want to show it off necessarily. You might just put it in a bank vault and just be grateful that it's been owned. And maybe in 60, 80, a hundred years' time, it'll come back out onto the market somehow in a different form. Or you'll just trade it with equally suspect people in your normal business dealings.

SANCHEZ: Such a fascinating underworld. I wonder if you could tell us about these items themselves, Curtis. They're very valuable. And as we were speaking to an expert earlier, most of their value isn't actually the material itself, but the history that surrounds these pieces.

DOWLING: Yes. I mean, art and antiques are priced like no other. They're based on what someone is prepared to pay as opposed to what they're actually worth. Because you know the price of your house, you know the price of your Cadillac, you know the price of -- of -- of a carton of milk. But something maybe painted by Picasso, for example, the value is in the fact that everyone wants it, that it's by Picasso. And it's the same with these pieces. I mean, items from that period of France are rare anyway, for obvious

reasons, because of the revolution. These pieces, I know most of them are 19th century, but they're unique and they're priceless, which brings me back to -- they were probably stolen to order. But pieces like that cannot be replaced. And you can't put a value on them. I mean, you couldn't ask an insurance company to give you an idea of -- of how much the replacement value is, because there isn't a value.

And because they're so unique and because they're so rare, there's a lot of people out there with an awful lot of money who maybe don't work on the right side of the law, who would be prepared to pay an awful lot of money for them.

KEILAR: Fascinating. Curtis, it has been so interesting talking to you.

Curtis Dowling, we really, really appreciate it.

DOWLING: It's a pleasure.

KEILAR: And ahead, a live report from Chicago as Trump officials face a judge over tactics used in President Trump's immigration crackdown.

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[15:24:09]

KEILAR: Back to the courtroom showdown between a federal judge and immigration officials in Chicago. Top ICE and Border Patrol officials have been facing questions from a judge who is demanding explanations for how they responded to protests over their immigration crackdown in the Chicago area. CNN's Whitney Wilde has been in the courtroom for this hearing. She's with us now.

Whitney, what stood out to you?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, this hearing has reached nearly four and a half hours now, and -- or four hours, I should say -- and I -- I think what -- what is notable here is, I'll just kind of set the tone for you. I mean, the feeling inside the courtroom is -- it really feels more like a deposition, like a fact-finding mission from the judge, rather than the judge admonishing these federal agents for not complying with her temporary restraining order.

[15:25:00]

All of the questions are being asked by the judge here. So, there -- there's not like the opportunity for cross-examination by the plaintiff's attorneys or the defense counsel, which is obviously represented by the Department of Justice.

This is entirely led by the judge here. She brought -- brought out first the representative from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This man is -- is Kyle Harvick. He is a high-ranking official for Operation Midway Blitz. He's normally stationed at the El Centro location. He is here in Chicago, again, to oversee Operation Midway Blitz, which is this ramped-up ICE immigration enforcement operation -- or I should say this immigration enforcement operation.

We -- we did hear from ICE later, and I'll get to that in a moment.

The questions that the judge was asking really centered on a few things. And the first is, what is the training that those agents get in terms of use of force and crowd control? And what this -- what Harvick stressed was that agents do get that training when they go through the academy. And then, their specialized units get more training as they take on those specialized roles. So, for example, Special Operations Detachment, which is a specific subset within Customs and Border Protection, BORTAC, which is their highly skilled, highly specialized, basically their version of SWAT.

So, he went through in -- in quite a bit of detail what kind of training they get and how often they get that training. And then the other element that the judge really focused in on for that witness was the body-worn camera. What is the policy? How often are agents wearing them? How often are they recording?

And it -- it is not clear that every single agent within Customs and Border Protection has a body-worn camera, although he said that the agents who are working on this operation, about 200 of them, do have body-worn cameras. They know how to use them. They understand the requirements as laid out in this temporary restraining order.

So, that was a really key element here, because much of this evidence that she's concerned about, that she's reading about in the news as potentially violating her temporary restraining order, that would presumably have been captured by those body-worn cameras. So, that was, again, really the -- the key line of questioning for that witness.

And then, when I left court minutes ago, the ongoing witness testimony was from a -- a representative from ICE. And he was talking about the -- the ICE posture at Broadview, which is where we've seen many of these clashes between protesters and ICE agents. And he's -- he was talking through some of the incidents. He was explaining how the temporary restraining order is being communicated to agents. CPB said that as well, that this temporary restraining order is being sent out to agents electronically.

And further, as we left, a really key questioning surrounded how long they're retaining surveillance video at that Broadview facility. And this is where the shutdown comes in, Brianna. The ICE agent who testified said they'd like to retain more, but they're having trouble getting enough data retention to save it because of the shutdown. They're having a hard time actually getting enough -- getting -- getting a -- a big enough server, a strong enough server, to retain all the data needed to comply with the rest of this lawsuit, Brianna.

KEILAR: All right. Whitney Wild live for us in Chicago. Thank you for the latest there.

Ahead, we're learning some new details on what caused that closed door meeting between President Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy to turn testy.

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