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Dan McCabe is interviewed about Airport Delays; Dr. Jonathan Reiner is Interviewed about Trump's Health; Arrest in Louvre Heist. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired October 27, 2025 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: We have seen since the start of the government shutdown and air traffic controllers began working without pay.

Over the weekend, about 50 air traffic control facilities were short staffed. Remember, there are only about 300 FAA towers approach controls and centers nationwide. So, it all boils down to one in every six of those facilities without enough staff. And that means some serious problems for those traveling by air.

Perhaps the worst problems were yesterday, Sunday, at LAX. Los Angeles International Airport was under a ground stop due to staffing problems there. It lasted about an hour and 45 minutes. But that led to the ripple effect at the fifth largest airport in the U.S., about a quarter of all flights in and out of LAX delayed on Sunday.

Saturday wasn't a cakewalk either, and the FAA has a term for this. They call it staffing triggers.

I just want to show you what the list looked like on Saturday night. This was the longest list of facilities with short staff we have seen since the government shutdown began on October 1st. We're talking about two dozen facilities there. So add that on top of the 264 staffing triggers we have seen since the start of the shutdown. And our analysis shows that is more than four times larger than the same period a year ago. So, this is not normal. The latest data from FlightAware shows Sunday as the worst days for FlightAware -- these were the worst days for flight delays since the shutdown began.

You know, I've said it before, this is likely only going to get worse before it gets better. Controllers, as you mentioned, Sara, they get their first zero dollar paycheck tomorrow. They got the pay stubs in their emails last week. So far, the FAA has not listed any staffing problems beyond the ones that I told you about at the top of the hit, Newark and Atlanta, although we'll see. Things can change really, really quickly when it comes to these staffing shortages.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. I mean it's a huge impact. But we should mention that the air traffic controllers were part of the key to reopening the government. That pressure on the economy and on Congress, when people cannot get to where they need to go for business or pleasure, is a big deal.

Pete Muntean, thank you so much. Great reporting for us this morning.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thanks so much.

Let's talk more about this. Joining us now is Dan McCabe. He's the southern regional vice president for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

Thanks for being here.

When it comes down to it, the question becomes, is the system getting less safe as this shutdown drags on? What do you say, Dan?

DAN MCCABE, SOUTHERN REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT, NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION: Good morning. Thanks for having me, Kate. I appreciate the opportunity.

I don't believe the system is less safe. There are safeguards in place. There were safeguards in place before the shutdown ever started. That's why you do see, and I look outside on days like today in Atlanta where there's low ceilings and it's rain, your flights are delayed. When the capacity is lowered because of some outside influence, weather, construction, staffing, we do have to downshift the airplanes to be able to keep that margin of safety. And we don't allow that margin of safety to shift at all.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Let's talk about what this means and what air traffic controllers are going through. You have the secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, saying yesterday that as of tomorrow it's going to be the first missed paycheck for controllers nationwide. Here's his take on it. Let me play this for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: If I don't feel like I have enough controllers or enough controllers that are focused, we will slow down traffic. We will stop traffic. And that's why you see the delays in the system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That's why you see the delays in the system. What does -- when you add into now controllers seeing zero coming in on their paycheck? What does that add into this?

MCCABE: Well, listen, this job is stressful on a perfect day with a full complement of staffing. You got nine hours of sleep. You feel it's the greatest day of your life. It's still stressful. It's still a demanding job on your body, on your mind. But when you bring in outside, you know, what I would call adult stress, financial stress, worrying about your kids, you're adding in a crippling amount of stress on top of stress that you're going to find at work. You'll find plenty of stress when you walk in the door. But, you know, like they said, tomorrow is the day, is the first zero

paycheck. That introduces a whole new litany of issues, putting gas in your car, making sure your kids are taken care of, making sure that you can eat. And the thing is, is you don't know what somebody's situation is until you walk a mile in their shoes. Short of us doing some sort of predictive analysis, the thing we have to really look at right now is where's the breaking point? We have a very young workforce. This is a workforce that may not be financially set up yet.

[09:35:02]

And like I said, everyone has a story. Some people may not be -- may be spread thin. Some people may have some savings. We don't know that. But what we have to look at now, where is the breaking point for each individual. And that stress is absolutely unnecessary on top of what they're already doing.

BOLDUAN: Yes, the unnecessary nature of the additional stress is really what's the kick in the pants. There's also, when you talk about the workforce, Duffy also mentioned how training for new air traffic controllers he fears is going to be impacted. You've got the training academy in Oklahoma. He said instructors are not being paid right now, but the students get a stipend while they train up to be a controller. That stipend runs out, he says, in a little over a week. So, the secretary says that they're going to lose new controllers because of this shutdown, because they're going to leave the system because they -- they -- they're young. They don't -- they won't be able to make ends meet. Is that what you see happening?

MCCABE: Well, look, I mean, that's a fact, you know. We -- we have begun to supercharge the hiring of air traffic controllers. Now, hiring an air traffic controller does not make an air traffic controller. You hire someone to train to be an air traffic controller. And then after years of specialized training, they're fully certified.

Now, you look at what's going on in the world right now and you say, hey, this is a job I may want to do. I may want to pursue. But wait, they're not getting paid. But wait, they've not been paid before. Will that change some minds? It might. When you have people that are brand new into their facilities and they say, welcome to my new job, I'm suddenly not getting paid, I'm suddenly worried about making rent, paying for my car, feeding myself. I go to work so I can have pizza. I mean, these are issues, right? And like I said, they -- the workforce is young.

BOLDUAN: Dan, thanks for coming in. This is not ending today, but it should end today. But that just means the trouble is going to continue. I really appreciate you coming in. Thanks so much.

Coming up for us, President Trump revealing to reporters that he recently underwent -- he recently got an MRI when he was last at Walter Reed for a checkup. What that means and what we're learning about it, coming up.

And a breakthrough in the crown jewel heist at the Louvre. Two of the suspected robbers are now in police custody. The latest details on that investigation. And the hunt still on for at least two other suspects they believe are still on the run.

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[09:42:04]

SIDNER: New this morning, President Trump says he recently had an MRI during a visit to Walter Reed, calling the results "perfect."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The full results. We had an MRI and in the machine, you know, the whole thing. And it was perfect. Yes.

REPORTER: Can you say what in particular they wanted an MRI?

TRUMP: I -- you could ask the doctors. In fact, we have doctors traveling with us. But I think they gave you a very conclusive -- nobody has ever given you reports like I gave you. And if I didn't think it was going to be good, either I would let you know negatively. I wouldn't run. I'd do something. But the doctor said some of the best reports for the age. Some of the best reports they've ever seen.

SIDNER: At 79, Trump is one of the oldest presidents in U.S. history. The White House hasn't explained why the president had an unusual second exam this year. But over the summer, doctors said Trump was treated for leg swelling -- we saw some of that in photos -- and diagnosed with the circulation issue called chronic venous insufficiency.

Joining me now, CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner.

Most of us do not get an MRI as part of a normal physical. Aren't they typically used to detect things like strokes and aneurysms and tumors? I mean do you have any clues as to why the president would have gotten an MRI?

DR. JONATHAN REINER, PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: You're right, Sara, it's not part of a routine screening examination. There's been a -- really a lack of candor coming from the White House about this. When they announced that the president would visit Walter Reed at the beginning of this -- this month, they initially said it was for his annual checkup. But when they were reminded that that's not due until April, they said, OK, it's for a routine semiannual checkup.

But, you know, just physical exams are done in the White House. The White House has a prodigious testing capacity. And the president and vice president go to Walter Reed for testing that is not available at the White House. Something like a CT, or as we now hear, an MRI.

The big question is, what prompted his MRI. So, what symptoms were they -- were they concerned about? What particular type of MRI was performed? Was it a brain MRI? Was it a cardiac MRI? Was it an MRI of the spine, of his prostate? What prompted a concern that would take him in a relatively unscheduled way to the -- to Walter Reed for this testing? Why didn't they tell us that? Why didn't they disclose that he was tested when Dr. Barbarella issued his report after the president's visit? And now, why won't they tell us exactly what was tested, why the testing was performed, and the results. I think, without that, then there's really no trust.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you whether it could have anything to do with the bruising that we saw in photos of the president's hands or the swelling of his -- of his legs, of his sort of ankles.

[09:45:02]

Could an MRI be used to try to detect what is causing that?

REINER: Perhaps not, you know, for the bruising itself. Typically, when I see bruising on the back of someone's hands, and I see this every week in clinic, it's typically in somebody who's on a blood thinner. But we've not been told that the president is taking a blood thinner.

But you take a blood thinner for a variety of underlying conditions. Things like atrial fibrillation, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis. None of that has been disclosed to the public. And for some of those conditions, one might end up getting an MRI.

So, I think the problem is that once there's lack of candor for some -- for one part of a patient's evaluation, it then becomes difficult to sort of backtrack and tell them the truth, tell us the truth about a current issue.

I think the best step now would be simply for the White House, explain why you tested the president. The president said the results were great, and that's fabulous. And that'll be very reassuring for the public. But when you hide things from -- from the public, people will imagine -- typically imagine conditions that are much worse than the truth. So, the truth is the truth. Just tell the public what's going on with the president.

SIDNER: Good advice there, Doctor.

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, thank you so much.

Speaking of things that are raising eyebrows, President Trump is not ruling out running for a third term. Here's what he had to say on board Air Force One as he headed to Japan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I haven't really thought about it. We have some very good people, as you know. Am I not ruling it out? You'll have to tell me. All I can tell you is that we have a great -- a great group of people, which they don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: He said he certainly wouldn't run as vice president, but he did name drop Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a possible pairing in 2028. Trump did, however, rule out running as vice president. Reporters pressed the president about his after remarks there from former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, who said there was a plan in place for 2028.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BANNON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: He's going to get a third term. So, Trump '28. Trump is going to be president in '28, and people just ought to get accommodated with that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what about the 22nd Amendment?

BANNON: There's many different alternatives. At the appropriate time, we'll lay out what the plan is. But there's a plan. And President Trump will be the president in '28.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Alternatives to the Constitution. President Trump has joked about running for a third term, including with Trump 2028 hats.

All right, ahead, a high school student detained and handcuffed over a false alarm. Police swarm a school after an A.I. security system mistook a bag of chips for a gun. That story, ahead.

Plus, on your mark, get set, gourd! Hundreds of racers paddle out in hollow-ing (ph) out mega veggies, that is hilarious, at the annual pumpkin regatta.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:52:41]

BOLDUAN: So, body cam footage out of Baltimore County shows police confronting a student at a local high school after an A.I. gun detection system mistakenly identified his food as a weapon. Officers approached the student at Kenwood High School with guns drawn, only to realize that the gun that was flagged by artificial intelligence was actually a bag of Doritos. The incident has now sparked calls from county leaders to review that A.I. alert system.

And in very different take. Of all the things that you can do with a pumpkin, in Belgium that also includes making your own boat. It's an annual tradition known as the pumpkin regatta, where people paddle around in giant, hollowed out pumpkins. More than 300 people took part in the event this weekend. After the race, the pumpkins are put to good use. I know you were wondering. Used to fertilize crops. And if you are also wondering just how far a pumpkin boat can get you. The Guinness World Record for longest journey by gourd is just over 58 miles.

SIDNER: OK, here's the thing, would you eat pumpkin pie from one of those pumpkins made from one of those pumpkins? Question.

BOLDUAN: After someone sat in it?

SIDNER: Uh-huh.

BOLDUAN: I mean, depends on how hungry I am.

SIDNER: I just sort of suspected that maybe you'd be like, yes, why not? Whatever.

BOLDUAN: You -- if it -- if you or I are sitting in it, maybe. If Berman's sitting in it, absolutely not.

SIDNER: Definitely not.

BOLDUAN: No.

SIDNER: Thank you, Kate.

All right, this morning, police in France have made arrests. They have found two suspects in that stunning theft of crown jewels from the Louvre. That leaves at least two more thieves still on the loose. And we still don't know exactly what happened to the stolen jewels worth an estimated $102 million.

CNN's Melissa Bell is joining us now from Paris.

The mystery continues. But what did lead investigators to those two suspects?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we understand, Sara, is that they've been watching several men for a few days before those arrests that were made on Saturday night. We understand also that they had been hoping to arrest all four suspects that they had their eyes on at the same time. But it was the fact that one of the men that they were watching headed to Charles de Gaulle Airport, tried to get on a flight to go to Algeria that forced them to act, and their fears that another was hoping to flee to Mali.

[09:55:03]

So, they were watching these four suspects. Had to arrest two of them early.

And, of course, that's important for the investigation because, as we understand it, they still don't have their hands on the jewels themselves. And we're waiting to find out when the other two suspects might be arrested.

And what they've been using, Sara, is, first of all, a lot of the substantial evidence that was left behind, more than 150 traces of DNA that was left either in the Apollo Gallery itself or on the truck that they use with this mechanical lift, or on a lot of the stuff they left behind, a glove, a motorcycle helmet, one of the scooters that they fled off were all recovered by police. So, that gave them a lot to work with.

What we understand also is that the two men arrested already were already known to police. So, their DNA would have been on the polices databases, which have been hugely helpful, of course, in tracking them down and bringing them into custody.

And I think a lot of people have been looking now at this and saying, on one hand this was a very well prepared planned operation, but actually in its execution was relatively botched. So, a lot of questions about who might have commissioned this as well, Sara.

SIDNER: Including they dropped one of those nine jewels they were trying to take out.

Melissa Bell, thank you so much for your reporting this morning. Appreciate it.

BOLDUAN: Botched, but still highly lucrative.

SIDNER: Very.

BOLDUAN: It's like really remarkable what this whole thing playing out.

SIDNER: It is. It is. All happening in daylight.

BOLDUAN: Yes, ma'am.

SIDNER: Speaking of daylight.

BOLDUAN: Speaking -- it is?

SIDNER: "THE SITUATION ROOM" is up next.

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