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Trump Slams Comey; Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) is Interviewed about the Comey Indictment; Consumer Spending Stays Strong; "60 Minutes" Returns Sunday; Sarah Bruce is Interviewed about Fat Bear Week; Asheville Struggles after Hurricane. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired September 26, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:45]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, President Trump sounding off once again, but this time on the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. The president posting, in part, "he lied. It is not a complex lie, it's a very simple but important one. There is no way he can explain his way out it."

Comey was indicted on one count of making a false statement and one count of obstruction of a congressional proceeding, which all goes back to leaks to the media Comey was asked about during his congressional testimony in 2017, and in 2020.

In a video posted online, Comey said, I'm innocent, so let's have a trial.

The indictment comes after the president's handpicked U.S. attorney, Lindsey Halligan, took the case days after coming onto the job. Halligan hired amid the president's public pressure campaign to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz is joining me now.

Katelyn, can you break down what's in this indictment? It is very thin. Two pages, correct?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: It's only two pages. It's not what I would call a speaking indictment where prosecutors lay out everything that they have, but it does identify exactly the answer that Jim Comey gave in his congressional testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 30th of 2020. So, almost five years to the day ago, when he was being asked about leaking to the media.

Here's the full exchange. This is questioning from Senator Ted Cruz of Jim Comey, the former FBI director.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): On May 3, 2017, in this committee, Chairman Grassley asked you point blank, quote, "have you ever been an anonymous source in news reports about matters relating to the Trump investigation or the Clinton investigation?" You responded under oath, quote, "never."

He then asked you, quote, "have you ever authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about the Trump investigation or the Clinton administration?" You responded, again under oath, "no."

Now, as you know, Mr. McCabe, who works for you, has publicly and repeatedly stated that he leaked information to "The Wall Street Journal" and that you were directly aware of it and that you directly authorized it.

Now, what Mr. McCabe is saying, and what you testified to this committee, cannot both be true. One or the other is false. Who's telling the truth?

JAMES COMEY, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: I can only speak to my testimony. I stand by what -- the testimony you summarized that I gave in May of 2017.

CRUZ: So, your testimony is you've never authorized anyone to leak? And Mr. McCabe, when he -- if he says contrary, is not telling the truth, is that correct?

COMEY: Again, I'm not going to characterize Andy's testimony, but mine is the same today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: Sara, breaking this down, that's a very lengthy question from Ted Cruz. But the part that the investigators zeroed in on to build this indictment, it's when he asks Jim Comey if he had authorized someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports. And then Comey says, I stand by my previous testimony, which was, no, he hadn't. That's what prosecutors say is the lie, and that they believe that Comey had, in fact, authorized someone to leak to the media about an investigation that the FBI was doing in 2016. Whether that was the Clinton investigation or the Russia investigation, we still haven't nailed that down yet.

But that's where that case is built. There are two charges that both circle around that, the false statements specifically, and then the second charge, obstruction of the congressional proceeding. That's essentially a charge that goes hand in hand. That him giving false information allegedly to the Congress hurts them in their ability to investigate the 2016 Russia investigation. Both of those charges are quite serious felonies that carry a five year maximum sentence.

The first hearing on this, Sara, is going to be October 9th. That's when Jim Comey will have the opportunity to go into federal court and plead not guilty, which we fully expect him to do. There's also going to be a lot after that. It could be a speedy trial. This could be over in a couple months if Jim Comey wants it to be.

[08:35:02] He has that right to demand a quick trial. But we also know that his lawyers are going to want to put on display, very likely, much of the consternation within the Justice Department, where there was doubt that this case was strong enough and that the acting U.S. attorney alone presented it to the grand jury.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right. And, yes, we've already heard Comey saying, I am innocent. Take this to trial. We will see what happens next. And I know you'll be all over it.

Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much for your reporting this morning.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: With us now is Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from the state of Maryland.

Senator, nice to see you this morning.

What is your reaction to the indictment?

SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): Well, John, it's good to be with you.

This is exhibit a in the gross corruption of the Department of Justice and the justice system under the Trump administration. As you well know, the previous attorney, the district attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who, by the way, was a -- was a Trump supporter, Siebert, had said there was not sufficient evidence to go forward with this. Then you have the president of the United States essentially getting rid of him and installing his own personal lawyer in his place and bringing this indictment.

When we have a system where the president of the United States is ordering the prosecution of particular individuals. We have a gross abuse of power and a corruption of power.

BERMAN: What do you think of the merits of the case? A grand jury did hand up an indictment saying that they believe there was enough evidence to go forward, that maybe James Comey lied to Congress?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, John, the issue here is not that a former FBI director was indicted, it's how this came about. And again, you had the president of the United States essentially ordering the attorney general to prosecute him, even though the professional lawyers, the career lawyers that the Justice Department and, by the way, this Trump ally had essentially said they should not move forward.

I predict Comey will be exonerated, as he said. But this is a very dangerous moment. The president is also going after other critics and political adversaries. He's talking about going after the Soros foundation. He's talked about going after Adam Schiff.

This is a lawless administration. We just had this episode where they were using government power to crack down on free speech. So, I think the country will see very clearly that we have an authoritarian president. And when you have a president ordering people's prosecution, that is a political persecution.

BERMAN: So, a little bit along this line. You just did a big interview with "The Washington Post" where you talked a lot about the Democratic Party. Some of the things you said, you said, "Democrats are too slow to the fight, too cautious, too timid." You also said, "there's a real sense, which I share, that Democrats have been overly cautious, finger to the wind, don't really stand for anything."

So, in your mind, what does it look like to be less timid, less cautious, less slow to the fight?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, I think right now you do have most of the Democrats more fully engaged in the fight. But I think a lot of folks thought when this Trump administration came, and the second one came in, you know, maybe we'll be able to work with them. It became clear very early on that this second Trump administration was going to be far more dangerous to our democracy and our Constitution than the first one. And so, I think from the earliest days, some were slow to -- to -- to -- to confront this lawless president.

Right now, what we're saying, for example, with respect to the -- the budget situation is, I certainly am not going to give a blank check to this lawless president. We also want to address some very important issues. John, regarding to -- regarding costs and the cost of health care and the fact that the president left in place a ticking time bomb on people's health care costs.

So, I think at this moment we have more people engaged, but all of us need to stand up and, by the way, call out those who cave into this lawless president. I was glad to see ABC reverse itself on the Kimmel situation. I think that was a result of people across the country stepping up and speaking out.

BERMAN: You got a whole lot of federal workers in Maryland. OMB has threatened to permanently fire many of these workers if there is a shutdown. You yourself have been against shutdowns. You know, in 2013, 2019 you were saying, end this madness, called it a shameful, unnecessary shutdown in 2019. What's different this time?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, I very much oppose the shutdown this time. We've said to Donald Trump, President Trump, we should sit down and negotiate about how we can move forward. He has rejected that idea. His perspective is it's his way or the highway.

[08:40:01]

You have a Republican Party in Congress that has totally surrendered their constitutional duties to Donald Trump. And now the president wants the Democrats to give him a blank check, even though he continues to illegally withhold funds that have been appropriated. I mean that's flat out an illegal impoundment. We want to include safeguards against that.

We do also want to address these other issues of big hikes in health care costs that are -- that are already here but are going to be increasingly spiking in the -- in the weeks ahead. So, we don't want a shutdown, it's President Trump who's clearly driving the country toward a shutdown.

BERMAN: Very quickly, a little esoteric here, but -- but the Treasury secretary has indicated that the United States might offer some kind of -- of large bailout to Argentina, $20 billion, maybe more. How would you feel about that?

VAN HOLLEN: That would really be outrageous. There's no justification for the United States providing Argentina with that bailout, other than the fact that the president of Argentina is a MAGA guy who likes Donald Trump. And for a president who says he wants America first, and at a time when we have so many people in this country who are hurting, living paycheck to paycheck, for the president to say he's going to bail out Argentina is a total betrayal of everything he ran about -- ran on.

BERMAN: Well, we will have to see if that goes forward.

Senator Chris Van Hollen, from Maryland, thank you for your time this morning.

Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, this just in, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, the PCE, is out today with a new report and a new read on consumer spending in the United States right now.

CNN's Matt Egan just getting the details in right now.

What does it say? What's the picture it's painting?

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, Kate -- Kate, it paints the picture of really stubborn inflation, right?

BOLDUAN: OK.

EGAN: This is a checkup on the cost of living. And it shows that the Fed's go-to inflation metric, PCE, heated up to 2.7 percent year over year. Context, that is a six-month high. And that is well above the two percent that the Federal Reserve is targeting, right? It was 0.3 percent month over month. Also moving in the wrong direction. Both of these numbers were as expected.

When you look at the trend here, it's -- again, it's not as bad as it was three or four years ago.

BOLDUAN: Right.

EGAN: This metric was like five, six percent. That was a nightmare. But it's also not back to where it's supposed to be. And digging into --

BOLDUAN: And not trending in the right direction? EGAN: It's not trending in the right direction. And, you know what, it does look like tariffs are part of the reason that it's not going in the right direction, right?

BOLDUAN: OK.

EGAN: Digging into some of the categories here. Durable good prices were up by 1.2 percent year over year. That might not sound like a ton, but for years these prices of goods were going down. They were negative. Now they're moving in the wrong direction. That's the highest all year. And those are the items that are exposed to these historically high tariffs that the president has already imposed and that last night he's threatened to put even more on when you look at furniture and heavy trucks, et cetera.

Food prices also up significantly, 2.2 percent, highest level of the year. And that, of course, speaks to the pain at the grocery store, which is something that people have been complaining about for quite a while for good reason.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

EGAN: Now, the good news in this report is on the spending side, OK.

BOLDUAN: OK.

EGAN: This report shows that consumer spending increased by 0.6 percent month over month. That is better than expected by a bit. It's also a step in the right direction as far as where people are spending. Looking at some of the categories here, there were increases in a couple different areas, including bars and restaurants, recreational goods and services. People are also spending more on clothing and footwear. So, those are all increases.

One thing this report doesn't say anything about, though, is, who is spending.

BOLDUAN: OK.

EGAN: And we know that there's this k-shaped economy, right, where people who have money in the market, and real estate, they're doing pretty well. They're spending. Other people, not so much. And so that is something that we need to keep an eye on because the more that the cost of living stays (INAUDIBLE) those people (INAUDIBLE) at the bottom who are struggling just to get by.

Thank you, Kate.

BOLDUAN: (INAUDIBLE), Matt. I really appreciate it.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, still ahead, as storms in the Atlantic threaten the eastern -- the southeastern seaboard with a ton of rain, how Asheville is recovering now one year after Hurricane Halene devastated western North Carolina. We are there live for you.

Plus, well, it's coming back. "Spaceballs 2." Rick Moranis deciding, hey, I'm coming out of retirement. You got to see it. What we're learning about the long awaited sequel.

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[08:49:10]

BERMAN: A highly anticipated television event. "60 Minutes" set to return this weekend for its 58th season with a new executive producer. The show's former boss, Bill Owens, resigned in April stating a loss of journalistic independence. Parent company Paramount agreed to pay $16 million over an edited "60 Minutes" interview with then Vice President Kamala Harris last October.

With us now, CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter.

I say a highly anticipated television event. We've had a few of those lately.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes, we have. And this one matters for a couple of reasons, John. Number one, "60 Minutes" is the most watched news program in the United States. So, when you want to get a sense of, you know, what is the American media focusing on, what's being covered, how is the Trump administration being scrutinized, "60 Minutes" is a useful place to start.

[08:50:02]

And "60 Minutes" came under tremendous pressure last season because of that lawsuit by President Trump charging defamation -- charging actually not defamation, some other claims that were considered by legal experts to be legally dubious, meritless. And yet, as you said, Paramount decided to settle anyway and cause a real firestorm inside CBS News.

So, now, there's a new boss atop the program. There are new segments in the works. And, you know, as with any product, fans of a product can tell if it's been watered down. And I think some viewers are going to be listening, watching on Sunday, to see if they sense any changes when it comes to "60 Minutes." There have been some media critics and analysts out there worried, expressing concern that maybe "60 Minutes" would try to soften or weaken its stance in some way and not be so scrutiny -- not apply so much scrutiny of the Trump administration.

Well, here's what we know. We do know the first segment on Sunday is an interview with Utah Governor Spencer Cox, who, of course, was very prominent in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination. There's also going to be a segment about UFC boss Dana White, who is a Trump ally and a Paramount business partner. So, it'll be interesting, maybe a month or two months from now, to see if viewers perceive any changes to the substance of "60 Minutes."

But I do want to say, in the wake of Kimmel-gate, in the wake of that Paramount settlement, I continue to see these major news divisions covering the Trump administration aggressively day in, day out. Yes, there is a chill in the air. Yes, there is a pressure campaign. And yet the news reporting is still getting done day after day.

BERMAN: It's the job.

Brian Stelter, great to see you this morning. Thank you very much.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, a father suspected of killing his three young daughters is now confirmed dead himself. Officials say DNA results from human remains are just in. And those remains were found in a remote part of Washington state, now confirmed to be those of the fugitive father Travis Decker. Authorities have been searching for Decker since June, after he allegedly suffocated his three daughters and abandoned them in the wilderness.

OK, so, is this extremely cool or extremely something else? You get to be the judge. A death-defying run on the highest mountain peak in the world. A Polish mountaineer is now the first person ever to ski down Mount Everest without using supplemental oxygen. And of course there is video of it showing the 37-year-old getting in some wild turns in the deep Himalayan snow after a 16-hour climb in what's called the death zone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ON SCREEN TEXT: Spaceballs. Until now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After 40 years, we asked, what do the fans want? But instead, we're making this movie.

ON SCREEN TEXT: The Schwartz awakens in 2027.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May the Schwartz be with you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: I mean, could you be more excited? Because I could not. We're told to comb the desert, so we're combing it. One of my favorite scenes. Fans of cinematic masterpieces have been combing it for the last, oh, nearly 40 years, looking for a sequel of the one, the only, "Spaceballs." Rick Moranis coming back to the big screen as Dark Helmet. Thank the Lord. He'll be joining some other castmates, too. So, everyone out there, may the Schwartz be with you.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you, Kate.

They have been gorging themselves on salmon all week, and today we are another step closer to crowning a winner of Fat Bear Week at Alaska's Katmai National Park. Brown bears have no idea that we have been judging them as long and hard for their -- just their normal thing, you know. We need --

BERMAN: They're chubby. I mean they're very chubby.

SIDNER: Yes. They need to eat. They -- they --

BERMAN: But not judging.

SIDNER: They -- they're preparing. Here's a look at the brackets as of this morning. Reigning champ 128 Grazer is working hard to defend her crown in what would be a three-peat win for that fierce mama bear.

Joining us now is Sarah Bruce, park ranger at Katmai National Park and Reserve.

Thank you for being here.

You are pretty familiar with these bears, right? I mean, do you -- do you -- how close do you get and how do you know them? And what can you tell us about the reigning champ?

SARAH BRUCE, PARK RANGER, KATMAI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE: Yes. So, out in (INAUDIBLE) camp, it's a remote place in Alaska. And we have viewing platforms. So, you're up above where the bears are for the most part. But you can get pretty close to these bears. We ask that you don't approach a bear within 50 yards. But bears kind of have a mind of their own. So, if you see one, you know, just try to back away. They're pretty habituated to humans, but they're still wild brown bears.

Yes, so 128, nicknamed Grazer, she is a really fierce sow. Whenever she has cubs around, she defends them pretty crazily. People have dubbed it getting grazer-ed if she is a -- like, if you go into a little tussle with her.

[08:55:04]

Not you, but, you know, another brown bear. So, yes, she's a pretty fierce force to be reckoned with.

BOLDUAN: So is -- wait, I just want to double check that I'm talking -- we're talking about the same bear, because I'm rooting for what I -- what I knew as 128 Junior, because 128 Junior's mother has already won this contest. Is that 128 Grazer as well?

BRUCE: Yes. So, 128 Grazer is the sow to 128 Junior. So, 128 Junior won't get its own number until it's an independent subadult. Yes, 128 Grazer.

BERMAN: So nepo baby 128 Junior.

BOLDUAN: Yes, exactly.

BERMAN: All right, just so --

BOLDUAN: I am -- this is the one circumstance I'm like, yay, for nepotism.

BERMAN: Do you have an inside look at the voting? Do you get a sense if people are voting on things like the personality, or is it purely -- is this like a beauty pageant?

BRUCE: I think that some people, you know, you can watch the explore.org cameras that are up at Brooks (ph) Camp all year -- well, all season long, from about June to mid-October. And so, people do watch these bears and connect with the individuals. And -- but we do, you know, not everybody who's voting in Fat Bear Week watches as intently as some of our, our big fans do. So, you can vote based off of their story line, based off of their -- their behaviors. Or you can just take a look at the before and after photos, which one has gained the most weight, which one looks like it gained the most weight. So, there's a couple different ways to play.

SIDNER: I just -- I feel like personally judged. I'm like, can you imagine somebody sitting there, like, oh, you're looking quite robust for the winter.

BOLDUAN: Sara, Sara, they're bears. They don't care. They're getting all the salmon that they can get their hands on.

SIDNER: I feel for the bears in many ways. And speaking of which, how is the bear population doing when you look across and when you look up from that, from that vantage point?

BRUCE: Absolutely. So, I will say, a fat bear is a healthy bear. We're not judging them at all. We want them to be as fat as possible. Because fat bears are an indicator that the ecosystem is healthy. So, if they have enough salmon to eat, they can get really fat. Salmon are really vulnerable to changes in their environment. So, if there's a strong salmon run, like we've had this year, then we'll continue to have fat bears.

And across the board, Katmai National Park is 4.2 million acres with an estimated 2,200 brown bears within its borders. So, it's -- the population is looking really healthy. Out of the eight species of bear on the planet, brown bears are not endangered. But their -- their biggest threats are conditions to the changing environment for salmon. So, warming oceans and such like that.

SIDNER: We're changing the name to healthy bear week.

BOLDUAN: There you go.

SIDNER: There. You're welcome.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Healthy Bear Celebration.

So great to meet you, Sarah.

SIDNER: We appreciate it.

BERMAN: All right.

BRUCE: Absolutely. Thanks so much for having me.

BERMAN: Changing gears now. This morning, a fresh look at Asheville, North Carolina, one year after Hurricane Helene tore through there. Business owners are working to rebuild, but it has been a struggle.

CNN's Isabel Rosales back in Asheville. You spent so much time there before. What are you seeing now?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, I'm in Biltmore Village. This was one of the areas that was hardest hit. And, in fact, we have aerial footage of this community under water.

I was here last year when the Swannanoa River swelled to a record more than 27 feet. And now, a year later, this is what we're hearing, the sounds of construction everywhere. We're seeing neighbor helping neighbor to build back stronger. And the message that I keep hearing is that Asheville is open and ready for business.

So, we see the new construction. We've seen places that have been rebuilt. But we've also seen homes and businesses that are shuttered and closed. And at the extremes, John, places like this that are seemingly frozen in time, untouched since the storm hit.

Now, I spoke with the owner of The Corner Kitchen, which is a landmark restaurant. It took him more than ten months to -- that's over 300 days to get back up and running. He tells me that we're entering a critical time here in the next month with the changing foliage. That is when visitors pour into mountain country. They depend on those tourism dollars.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Do you think that for some small businesses here in western North Carolina this season could be make it or break it?

JOE SCULLY, CO-OWNER AND HEAD CHEF, THE CORNER KITCHEN: That's the -- that's the question. And that's the worry, I think. You know, I hate to even bring it up. I don't even want to consider that. But I think it's important to acknowledge that that's -- it's a possibility. It's a -- it's a possible reality that people will not be able to make it if they don't have the -- the guests and the tourists to come for this next three-month period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:59:56]

ROSALES: There was a chamber of commerce survey done on mostly small businesses here, John, that found over 90 percent of them projected revenue loss and 45 percent, nearly 45 percent of them report a moderate to extreme