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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Air Travel Hurt By Shutdown; U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Says She Left Meeting With Portland Mayor "Extremely Disappointed"; Day 3 Of Gaza Ceasefire Talks Underway In Egypt; French PM Lecornu Appears Optimistic About Passing Budget. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired October 08, 2025 - 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 around the world. Thank you for being with us this morning.
I'm Brian Abel. Rahel Solomon is off. It is Wednesday, October 8th, 5:00 a.m. here in Washington.
And straight ahead on EARLY START.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is having great impact, great concern, great stress.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On a plane found that my flight to Cleveland been pushed back for 2-1/2 hours.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): We can and must do both, end the shutdown and protect Americans' healthcare. It's not a choice.
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): This is very simple. Open up the government. Everybody gets paid when the government is open.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You and the people around you have to be politely paranoid. These types of conversations aren't lasting. They're short and they're sweet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: The U.S. government shutdown enters its second week with nothing but delays, deflecting blame and deferred pay to show for it. Republican and Democratic lawmakers are still no closer to a deal, as the effects of the shutdown are starting to show.
Major airports across the country are experiencing delays from staffing issues and shortages of air traffic controllers. Officials say they are seeing more sick outs and have had to close some control towers because of the shortages.
One of those affected is one of America's busiest, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, which didn't have enough staff Tuesday night.
Here's what travelers passing through Chicago had to say about those delays.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were the last flight to leave Atlanta to come back to O'Hare, so we knew we were going to be delayed and we didn't know when we were going to get here, actually.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On a plane, unfortunately, I found that my flight to Cleveland had been pushed back for 2-1/2 hours. So, I'll be here with you a little longer today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know there's been some instances of planes coming really close to each other, or having to circle, or things getting delayed, and I'm on a work trip right now, so concerns me about being safe and also about getting home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shared his sympathy for air traffic controllers, all of whom are not being paid until the shutdown ends. But they're federally required to still work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN DUFFY, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: I want our controllers to go to work. That's their job. They're important jobs. Eventually, they're going to get paid. But you got to be honest, they're humans and they're under pressure.
And I do think this can have a rippling effect. It's a huge problem. And again, Burbank, zero controllers came to work. I don't support that. They should -- they should come to work. They're supposed to come to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: Meanwhile, furloughed federal employees are now unsure if they'll be paid for time they didn't work during the shutdown. "Axios" reports a White House draft memo suggests there have been conversations about employees not receiving back pay.
CNN has not reviewed that memo, and it's not clear how seriously the idea was being considered. President Trump says most of those employees will be taken care of.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Is it the White House's position that furloughed workers should be paid for their back pay?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would say it depends on who were talking about. I can tell you this. The Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy, but it really depends on who you're talking about. But for the most part, we're going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don't deserve to be taken care of, and we'll take care of them in a different way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: But not every Republican lawmaker agrees with how the White House is handling the issue. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): I believe it's a strategic mistake to now let those folks know or let them think that they could potentially not get back pay. If I were them, I'd start looking for another job. And there's a lot of good, hardworking people out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: U.S. public broadcasting is using some creativity to stay on the airwaves despite over $1.1 billion in federal funding cuts. A total of 30 paintings by the late American painter Bob Ross are set to be sold from his archives, with all profits pledged to support public television stations.
Ross was best known for his PBS program "The Joy of Painting," creating step by step landscapes in the '80s and '90s. The president of Bob Ross Inc. said the sales ensure his legacy continues to support the very medium that brought his joy to the world.
Three paintings will be auctioned in Los Angeles next month. Other auctions will follow in London, New York, and Boston, as well as online. Bonhams estimates the combined works could fetch up to $1.4 million.
[05:05:02]
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says she left a meeting with Portland, Oregon's mayor feeling extremely disappointed. She's threatening to send four times the amount of federal officers to the city if authorities don't follow through on additional security measures.
CNN's Shimon Prokupecz has a look at the state of the protests in Oregon's largest city.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): It's yet another image from another day at the ICE facility in Portland that doesn't fully tell the story here.
Protests start small during the day. A man in a Capybara costume fits the city's unofficial slogan, Keep Portland Weird. About a dozen people hold signs and play music. The entire protest zone is less than a block long.
TRUMP: It looks like a war zone. PROKUPECZ (voice-over): President Trump's depiction has locals
curious.
KRISTI O'NEILL, PORTLAND RESIDENT: We wanted to see the war zone. So we found some coffee on the way and we talked to some really nice people and it's really peaceful.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): As night falls, tension begins to fill the air.
PROKUPECZ: You see the officers are coming out now because a car is coming out. And every time a car comes out, these officers come out and they push the crowd back. And that's usually when there's some altercation. It's when they come out, they push the crowd back as they wait for this car to come through.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Federal agents monitored the crowd from the roof, at times firing pepper balls on the pavement below.
PROKUPECZ: You can see there the pepper balls are coming from the roof. So on this side, you have a lot of the Trump supporters and pro- administration and pro-ICE people. And there have been some clashes back and forth with some of the other protesters. And they say that someone, one of them, protesters, burned an American flag.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Keep in mind, this is all happening on less than a single block, not even in the city center.
TRUMP: Portland is burning to the ground.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The rest of Portland is not in chaos. The streetcars are running, guitarists play outside the famed Powell's bookstore, and there's a guided tour in a Pioneer Courthouse Square.
If you weren't looking for it, you'd never know anything was happening on that one city block outside the ICE building.
REP. MAXINE DEXTER (D), OREGON: I need people to not take the bait.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): That's why Maxine Dexter wants all these protesters to leave the ICE facility. The Democratic congresswoman from Portland supports their message, but fears they're playing into President Trump's hands.
The question is, are we being strategic? Are we being effective? And I would argue that being down there, taking a risk, that you become a player in this reality TV vision that Donald Trump has of Portland is a mistake.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): It seems unlikely she'll get her wish. Protester Justin Allen doesn't think any of these people are going away.
JUSTIN ALLEN, PROTESTER: So long as there are these threats from the most powerful man in the world, people -- maybe not myself every day, but other people will show up. And I don't think there's any way, nor is it a wise decision to attain peace via hiding.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): So for now, the likely images you'll see out of Portland are these.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: So that's Oregon and Shimon Prokupecz reporting there.
Then there's Chicago, where dramatic video shows the rising tension there between U.S. border patrol agents and protesters. Two masked agents are seen trying to detain a man in a black shirt and gray shorts on Saturday, bystanders yelled for his release as the man cried out for help and tried to free himself.
A federal official says the agents eventually let the man go when they were called to assist in another incident, a group of National Guard members from Texas have arrived in Illinois, potentially to help protect immigration enforcement agents. The city of Chicago and the state of Illinois are suing to stop that deployment.
And after months of back and forth, the U.S. and Canada appear to be making progress toward a trade deal. President Trump hosted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House on Tuesday.
One Canadian minister said the meeting was positive, substantive and more detailed than previous talks and added that both leaders had directed their negotiators to quickly land deals, particularly regarding steel, aluminum and energy. President Trump suggested next year's review of the trade deal between the U.S., Mexico and Canada may result in separate bilateral deals with each country, rather than the multi-country arrangement that's now in place.
While the Canadian prime minister didn't comment on that, he did sound optimistic about finding common ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: There are areas where we compete, and it's in those areas where we have to come to an agreement that works, but there are more areas where we are stronger together, and that's what we're focused on.
[05:05:04]
TRUMP: It's true.
CARNEY: And were going to get the right deal, right deal for America, right deal, obviously, from my perspective, for Canada.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: Canada is the only G7 country that has yet to secure a trade deal with the U.S. to avoid those steep tariffs under President Trump.
Right now, it's day three of the Gaza ceasefire talks are underway in Egypt. The Qatari prime minister and Egypt and Turkey's intelligence chiefs are mediating the talks. And U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, along with Ron Dermer, a key ally of the Israeli prime minister, are all expected to join.
But Israel's bombardment of Gaza continues. As a source tells CNN, Israel and Hamas delegations have made progress in the discussions.
CNN's Paula Hancocks is joining us now from Abu Dhabi live.
And, Paula, there are reports that hostage and prisoner lists have been exchanged. What are you able to tell us about that?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brian, a Hamas official does confirm that they have exchanged the Palestinian prisoner list at this point. And they said its according to the agreed criteria and numbers we saw in that 20-point plan that with the hostages being released within 72 hours of an agreement, that there would be some 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences to be freed and also some 1,700 Gazans who have been detained since October 7th, 2023.
So, we now know that those lists have been exchanged, as you say, day three of these talks. But a Hamas official does tell us that one of the individuals that they have requested to be released is Marwan Barghouti. Now, this is a very prominent member of the Palestinian national movement, if you like. He is certainly a powerful and unifying figure within Palestinian society. He has been seen as a possible successor to President Mahmoud Abbas. He is certainly more popular than Mahmoud abbas, but he is currently serving five life sentences in Israel. He was convicted back in 2002 for his role that he played in attacks that led to the deaths of five civilians during the second intifada, charges which at the time he did deny.
So, this could be a sticking point. Certainly, it has been a request from Palestinian negotiators in the past. Worth noting he is not a member of Hamas, but he is seen as a unifying figure. As I say, it is likely to be one that Israel will say no to.
But at this point, we, because they have said no in the past, we have to wait and see whether negotiations go. We are hearing positive sounds, though, from many sides when it comes to these talks.
And the very fact that we are seeing the senior players arriving in Egypt now give some hope that that, as one source told CNN, there is progress being made. The fact that the top negotiators, those who have the power to say yes, are now going to be together in Sharm el-Sheikh from the U.S., Egypt, Qatar and also that Turkey's intelligence, leader is going to be there as well.
So potentially, with these power players in in the Sharm el-Sheikh area, there is a hope that there could be something that does result from this.
We did hear, though, from Qatar just yesterday saying that there are many, many details that are yet to be discussed and pointing out that this is a 20-point plan. So, most of these points will need to be negotiated, or at least explained in some detail. At this point, what we understand is that Hamas is looking for some guarantees specifically from the U.S. president, Donald Trump, that Israel will not just restart the war once it releases the hostages -- Brian.
ABEL: All right. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, we know you will continue to read the tea leaves around these talks. Thank you.
The former head of the FBI is heading to federal court. What's known about the Trump Justice Departments case against James Comey?
Plus, political chaos across France. We'll go live to Paris to find out what's ahead for President Macron's government.
And the price of gold reaching a record high on Tuesday. Why some are betting it could go higher. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:19:17]
ABEL: Today, we could find out whether the French government can escape its political crisis. The French prime minister has been speaking with opposition parties and appears more optimistic about passing a budget. Sebastien Lecornu also said the odds of having to dissolve parliament seem more remote. He spoke less than two hours ago.
Let's go right to CNN's Melissa Bell in Paris.
And, Melissa, it's been a tumultuous few days, to say the least, in French politics. Where do we stand and what did Lecornu say?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you're quite right to point to a hint of optimism. And what has been a remarkably bleak week here in France politically. Just to remind our viewers, this is a prime minister who resigned on Monday, was convinced by the French president to come back, try and have some ultimate last-minute, last-ditch consultations with those political parties he was trying to form a government with.
[05:20:07]
He nominated a bunch of cabinet ministers on Sunday night. By Monday morning, the government had collapsed. It lasted a whole, I think, 836 minutes. That's been worked out by a number of journalists since.
Those very same parties that pulled the plug on his government now huddled around him, trying to figure out whether there is a path forward. And that's what we heard from him this morning.
As important context to this political crisis, it's important to note, also, Brian, that there is a question of the 2026 budget. French politicians, the French government, a French government when it is found, needs urgently to push through not just their plan for next year's budget, but hopefully the budget cuts that they hope can be put in place in order to bring down France's soaring debt levels.
Now, in the context of that. Have a listen to what Sebastien Lecornu had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIEN LECORNU, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER: That is a will to have a budget for France by the 31st of December of this year, and this will create a movement and convergence that distances the prospect of dissolution of parliament.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: Now, the French president had given him, until tonight, to see whether he could cobble together some kind of consensus that would allow a government to hold.
What we understand from what he just announced, that there appears to be the glimmer of hope that some kind of government may be allowed to be formed, perhaps on the understanding that they get the budget through. And then elections are held.
We expect to hear more about this tonight, but certainly the options that had been ever dwindling and ever worsened for the French president are down to dissolution of parliament and snap elections. Now, with all the consequences that would have had for the budget or naming another prime minister.
And Sebastien Lecornu, Brian, is the fifth to be appointed and to resign since the start of Emmanuel Macron's second term. And it gives you an idea of the hopes of what a six might be able to achieve, or what appears to be emerging at the moment, which is if he manages to get through these consultations, an agreement that they formed this government. They get the budget through and then perhaps snap elections after that.
But we will hear, hear more. We expect tonight, either from the prime minister or from the president himself -- Brian.
ABEL: All right. So, in the next 24 hours or so, we shall know the fate of the government as it stands. Melissa Bell in Paris for us -- Melissa, thank you.
Tropical Storm Jerry is soon expected to grow into a hurricane over the central Atlantic. We'll take a closer look at the projected path.
Plus, plastics and their effect on our health. CNN reporters spent five days tracking their exposure to chemicals from plastics, and they were surprised at the results. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:27:07]
ABEL: Kentucky is expected to get a much-needed break from the rain after heavy rainfall sparked flash floods Tuesday. In Louisville, cars were submerged in water after the city experienced more than four inches of rain, smashing the previous daily record. Lexington and Frankfort also saw record levels of rain. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Jerry has formed in the central Atlantic and
is expected to strengthen into a hurricane in the coming hours. It's forecast to skirt the northern leeward islands in the coming days as a category one hurricane, and could grow into a cat two by Saturday as it passes near Bermuda. Jerry is not expected to threaten the mainland U.S.
Scientists are warning about the harm plastics and chemicals caused to the climate and to our bodies. A recent report by the medical journal "The Lancet" says plastics pose a grave growing danger, causing disease and death at every stage of life from infancy to old age. And it's harder than ever to get away from them.
CNN's Bill Weir shows us what kind of exposure we face every day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAURA PADDISON, CNN SENIOR CLIMATE REPORTER: Just cycling to the local grocery store.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is our colleague Laura in London.
PADDISON: It's a cold Wednesday morning.
JESSIE YEUNG, CNN SENIOR NEWS DESK REPORTER: It is hot. It's humid.
WEIR (voice-over): This is Jessie in Hong Kong.
YEUNG: It is a very busy Monday morning here in Hong Kong.
WEIR (voice-over): And that's me, Bill, on my New York City commute.
WEIR: Who knows what kind of fume exposure I'm getting on a daily basis.
WEIR (voice-over): Together --
PADDISON: The response finally arrived.
WEIR (voice-over): We are guinea pigs on three continents.
YEUNG: Here's the wristband.
WEIR (voice-over): And with the help of these special wristbands and an international team of pollution experts --
YEUNG: I'm just heating up some food. I have a gas stove at home, which is quite common in Hong Kong.
WEIR (voice-over): -- we'll spend five days measuring our exposure to the dozens of different chemicals.
PADDISON: I'm just going to put a little bit of makeup on before work.
WEIR (voice-over): They come from living on a planet made of plastic.
BJOM BEELER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL POLLUTANTS ELIMINATION NETWORK: Studies have shown there's over 16,000 chemicals in plastics. Of that, 20, about 25 percent are known to be hazardous chemicals, and the vast majority of other chemicals -- there's been not enough scientific data to show if it's safe or not.
WEIR: Thanks to my better half, Kelly, we really try to avoid chemicals, all natural cleaning products if we can. We filter our water. Drink out of glass. We have an air quality monitor here as well.
And for the better part of the last five days, I've either been at home or at the office. I haven't had to get on an airplane. That's rare. So, this is somewhat of a controlled environment to just see how clean my immediate surroundings are.
PADDISON: Every time I walked into a cafe or a restaurant or down a really busy road, a grocery store, you know, got on the train to go to work. But perhaps the place that I've most thought about it is when it comes to what I'm actually putting on my body. So, you know, perfume or lotions, also cleaning products, you know what I'm using to clean the house?
YEUNG: I became quite aware when I was going through my daily life and, you know.
