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Federal Workers Express Frustration In Latest TikTok Trend; Republicans Attack Trump Plan To Bail Out Argentina; Judge Requires Federal Immigration Officers In Chicago Area To Wear Body Cams After Clashes With Protesters. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired October 17, 2025 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:30:25]
BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. government shutdown is now in its 17th day and it's likely to extend into next week as senators are leaving Washington with no further votes planned for today or over the weekend. Democrats have refused to vote for stopgap bill while Republicans refuse to negotiate extending Affordable Care Act subsidies while the government remains closed. One Democratic senator is accusing President Trump of stalling bipartisan talks on ending the shutdown.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives remains out of session and House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled on Thursday he is willing to keep them out of session indefinitely. Johnson has not scheduled votes in the House since September 19.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We should not have border patrol agents not paid right now because Chuck Schumer wants to play political games to cover his tail. I don't know how more -- much more simply to say that, and every single one of you know that's exactly what's going on.
I don't like being mad Mike. I want to -- I want to be happy Mike. I want to be the happy warrior, but I am so upset about this.
SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): President Trump came in and immediately began breaking the guardrails that support our appropriations process and spending. There's been a loss of trust between Senate Democrats and the administration, and the House because of what's happened over the last six to nine months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: According to a source familiar with the matter, Senate Republican leaders may shift their strategy and force a vote next week on a bill to pay federal workers affected by the shutdown.
And reality is setting in for some federal employees, especially those who are forced to show up to work without being paid, and some are taking their frustration to TikTok. The hashtag #federal employees has racked up nearly 10,000 posts on the app. Not all of them are from federal employees but the surge in content shows how TikTok has become an outlet for federal workers in limbo.
CNN's Clare Duffy has more.
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CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: This budget fight we've seen play out largely on this high level among lawmakers on Capitol Hill, but TikTok has emerged as a window into the experience of the federal workers who are affected here. The hashtag #federalemployees has gained nearly 10,000 posts on TikTok as people have joined this trend.
And it's everything from federal workers posting look at a day in my life as a furloughed federal employees to people posting about what their grocery shopping trips look like now that they're having to cut back on spending because they're not getting a paycheck. There are also some federal workers who say they are trying to dispel misconceptions about federal government work or about the shutdown.
I spoke with Ashton. He's an air traffic controller. And he said that he's been answering a lot of questions that come to his comments about why he can't just stop showing up to work even though he's not getting a paycheck.
I also spoke with Aubrey. She works in public health for the government. She told me, "I really want people to see that federal workers are real people and their lives are being impacted. I felt like no one was hearing us or seeing us."
And, of course, there are also some people who are hoping that TikTok could be an avenue to earn some extra cash while they have no timeline for their next paycheck.
But I think it really does speak to the power of TikTok as a tool for people to get information not just from journalists, although that's important as well, but also from the real people who are talking about their experience of these news events in real time.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: Clare Duffy reporting there.
If you have some gold jewelry hanging around it may be worth more than you think as prices of the precious metal hit record highs. We visit a factory where old pieces are melted down into very expensive bars.
And some Republicans are concerned about President Trump's pledge to help Argentina. Why they say giving away billions of dollars in aid could backfire on American farmers. It's after the break.
(COMMERCIAL) [05:39:00]
ABEL: Welcome back to EARLY START. It's time for your business breakout.
Wall Street looking to rebound from Thursday's losses blamed on concerns over credit market turmoil and regional banks exposure to bad loans. Here is where the U.S. futures stand ahead of the opening bell. The Dow, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq all starting down.
And checking some of today's other business headlines now.
The U.S. budget deficit dipped slightly in the 2025 fiscal year. The Treasury Department says it shrank by $41 billion settling at $1.775 trillion. Higher tariffs brought in nearly $200 billion in revenue, a key part of President Trump's economic agenda.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his Brazilian counterpart Thursday to discuss trade and other issues. And they put out a joint statement, calling the talks "very positive" and agreed to establish a working path forward. Both countries say they are pushing for a meeting between President Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as soon as possible.
[05:40:00]
And Nestle has announced steep new job cuts. The world's largest food company plans to slash roughly 16,000 positions globally over the next two years to reduce costs. That's nearly six percent of its workforce. Nestle's white-collar workers will be the ones that hurt the most with roughly 12,000 layoffs. Another 4,000 jobs will be cut in manufacturing and down the supply chain.
The price of gold is skyrocketing as the U.S. dollar weakens. The precious metal has now hit a record high for the fourth straight day. Investors looking for a safe haven drove prices past $4,300 an ounce. And analysts blame the trade tensions between the U.S. and China as well as the U.S. government shutdown for the gold spike.
With more demand will come more people selling old gold. CNN's Anna Cooban visited a smelting factory to find out how the metal gets melted into bars.
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ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC REPORTER (voiceover): Hidden away, a warehouse on the edge of London. CNN has agreed not to reveal the exact location for security reasons. That's because it's the U.K.'s largest gold refinery capitalizing on a new gold rush.
COOBAN: Don't be fooled. This is not a bucket of dirt. This is a bucket of pure gold worth about two million U.S. dollars, and it could be turned into one of these very heavy gold bars.
COOBAN (voiceover): In times of uncertainty gold is seen as a safe bet by investors. That's giving gold prices their biggest rally since 1979, meaning that this jewelry is now worth more when thrown into the flames and melted down.
COOBAN: Here we go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right there.
COOBAN (voiceover): Baird & Co. buys all jewelry and turns it into pure gold that can be traded by investors.
At this stage the gold is still only considered around 50 percent pure.
COOBAN: Whoa!
COOBAN (voiceover): It is taken into the refinery for further purifying.
COOBAN: So what are these called?
LEE TOLLOW, SENIOR REFINERY TECHNICIAN, BAIRD & CO.: So these are called cornflakes.
COOBAN: Cornflakes?
TOLLOW: Yeah.
COOBAN: But you can't eat them.
TOLLOW: No.
COOBAN (voiceover): And each of these flakes is around 90 percent pure and will be worth around $1,000, but they're still not ready to be sold.
TOLLOW: We do them as cornflakes, so they're all different shapes. So then there's spacing between, but when the acid drops, it can get to the whole surface of the cornflake.
COOBAN (voiceover): The gold sand is taken back to the furnace and turned into these 99.99 percent pure gold grains. These are cast into molds, rolled out, and weighed, ready to be stamped and sold. Each of these tiny bars can then be bought direct by investors or even available in retailer Costco for around $7,000.
COOBAN: And there we go, a gold bar with a stamp of approval.
COOBAN (voiceover): Twelve months ago they were selling for less than $5,000. And it's returns like these that are making gold so popular with investors from the trading floor to the supermarket aisle.
Anna Cooban, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: Two Republican senators are warning the U.S. government against a multibillion dollar bailout for Argentina. Rand Paul says the $20 billion lifeline the Trump administration is
offering Argentina could hurt American farmers. He points out Argentina competes with the U.S. in global agriculture markets, claiming that China is buying soybeans from Argentina rather than from framers in Kentucky.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): I'm not for bailing out any country. We're $2 trillion short this year and the idea of sending $20 billion to another country when we're short and when we're facing a government shutdown because we don't have the resources for the people in our country, I think it's a bad idea.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The president -- his allies say this is, you know, someone that -- it's a United States ally. They're trying to help a United States ally.
PAUL: Well, I'm a huge fan of Milei. I like a lot of the things he's doing down there. But that doesn't mean I'm for, you know, giving anybody, even our friends, money. We -- it would be one thing if we had a surplus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABEL: Fellow Republican Joni Ernst also expressed her concerns about the bailout. Ernest represents a large population of farmers in Iowa. She says her priority is encouraging more trade.
A federal judge says she's not happy with the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Chicago. What she's ordering federal agents to do just ahead.
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[05:48:45]
ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Here are some stories we are watching today.
A federal grand jury has indicted President Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton. He was charged with 18 counts of transmitting and retaining national defense information. Bolton has denied any wrongdoing and claims the charges are politically motivated. He could turn himself in to authorities in the coming hours.
President Trump will host his Ukrainian counterpart at the White House today. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to make the case for additional air defense systems and Tomahawk cruise missiles, which would help his military strike deeper into Russian territory.
And the three candidates competing to become New York City's mayor traded barbs in a contentious first debate. Frontrunner Zohran Mamdani was pressed by Independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa about how he plans to pay for his policies. And Cuomo faced tough questions about sexual harassment and his past record as governor.
In a loss for the Trump administration, an appeals court has denied the government's effort to deploy National Guard troops in Illinois. However, the troops will be allowed to remain in the state under federal control.
[05:50:00]
And in another case a judge is calling the Trump administration back to court for possibly not following another order to avoid violent encounters with protesters.
CNN's Shimon Prokupecz reports on those clashes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN REPORTER: Nineteen-year-old Warren King tackled by a border patrol agent outside of a Chicago drugstore.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not saying a thing! He is not saying a thing! That's my brother-in-law!
BORDER PATROL AGENT: Get the (bleep) away from me. You don't know what's going on so get the (bleep) back. Back up! Back the (bleep) up! Back up!
PROKUPECZ (voiceover): King was detained after a border patrol vehicle crashed into a red SUV, then a chase for the occupants. King was not involved in the crash and was later released.
WARREN KING, DETAINED BY BORDER PATROL: I'm telling them I'm a U.S. citizen. I'm here. I'm legal. I'm born here. So -- and they didn't -- they didn't try to hear none of that though.
PROKUPECZ (voiceover): The Department of Homeland Security said the driver of that SUV was in the country illegally and that the crowd in the area became hostile. That's when tear gas was dispersed.
The incident Tuesday in Chicago is just one of many recent ICE encounters caught on tape. A pastor repeatedly shot in the head by pepper balls during a peaceful demonstration outside an Illinois ICE facility. A 79-year-old U.S. citizen body slammed during an immigration raid at his Los Angeles business.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brockman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brockman.
PROKUPECZ (voiceover): A Chicago TV station employee, another U.S. citizen, taken to the ground by officers. Her pants coming off in the altercation. A woman shoved by an ICE officer at an immigration courthouse in New York.
Masked federal agents broke windows of vehicle and opened fire at a family in San Bernardino. The agents called it self-defense. The family said they fled in fear.
The governor of Illinois says federal officers are acting aggressively.
GOVERNOR JB PRITZKER, (D) ILLINOIS: ICE is causing this mayhem. They're the ones who are tossing tear gas when people are peacefully protesting. ICE is the one who is going into neighborhoods where they, frankly, are causing fear.
PROKUPECZ (voiceover): Concerns over these latest incidents were brought up in a federal courtroom in Chicago today. A judge ordered federal officers in Illinois to turn on their body-worn cameras. And just last week, the judge banned officers from using violent tactics against protesters unless justified.
The same judge saying today, "I'm getting images and seeing images on the news, in the paper, reading reports, where at least from what I'm seeing, I'm having serious concerns that my order's being followed."
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson was asked this week if agents have gone too far and if there should be federal oversight.
JOHNSON: I've not seen them cross the line yet. And we have committees that are jurisdiction that have that responsibility, but it's not risen to that level.
PROKUPECZ (voiceover): Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ABEL: The winter weather forecast includes a blob of warm weather -- warm water in the Pacific. Just ahead, what that means and how La Nina conditions could affect the next several months.
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[05:57:30]
ABEL: The winter weather forecast for the U.S. is out and it involves both cooler La Nina conditions near the equator and a blob of warm water in the north Pacific. The phenomenon is likely to affect weather across the northern hemisphere.
And meteorologist Chris Warren explains what's ahead.
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CHRIS WARREN, AMS METEOROLOGIST: NOAA did release its winter outlook and it does say that La Nina is back. Now it's relatively weak and it's not going to last very long but it is expected to influence the weather across the U.S. in the coming weeks. So La Nina -- it's the cooler waters here near the equator.
While there's also this Pacific -- what's been called the blob. Kind of this blob of warmer than average water. And the water temperature is important because it's at the surface. And the surface temperature, whether it's land or whether it's water -- in this case, the big Pacific Ocean -- it's a lot of surface. It can influence the weather patterns. In particular, it can influence the jet stream.
So with that in a typical La Nina weather pattern this is what we tend to see. The jet stream bumped up a little bit where the Pacific meets the U.S. here in the Pacific Northwest. Tends to be a little bit wetter. Also a little bit wetter here throughout parts of the Ohio Valley. This is typical.
Now, this is the forecast for -- from NOAA for this winter. The temperature outlook showing likely below average. So this is all about the chances that things can happen here. So likely a little bit cooler than what you might expect in a typical winter in the northern tier. Likely a little bit warmer to the south and from the southwest to the southeast.
Meanwhile, across the northern tier, that's where things are expected to be a little bit wetter than average. The Pacific Northwest, the Northern Rockies, the Northern Plain, also around the Great Lakes.
Now, we are expecting, again, temperatures to be a little bit warmer than average. So while the northeast in a typical La Nina year could see more snow, in this case that's still up in the air because it could be just a little bit warmer than average as well.
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ABEL: All right, Chris. Thank you.
Now to "THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" and what some are calling the "Icy Hot Bowl." Here is why. Forty-year-old Joe Flacco making his second start for the Bengals, and 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers under center for the Steelers.
Rodgers proved he could still air it out with four touchdown passes, but he also threw two interceptions. Flacco led the Bengals with 342 yards passing, including touchdowns to Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase. Cincinnati wins 33-31.
[06:00:05]
The Bengals improving to 3-4 while the Steelers still lead the division at 4-2.
And to baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers are just one game away from returning to the World Series and defending their title. In game three of their best of seven National League series, the Dodgers pulling ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth inning. The final score 3- 1. Dodgers, the reigning World Series champs, are hoping to win game four a sweep later today.
Thank you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington, D.C. Erica Hill is up next when "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.
