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Thousands in Jamaica Without Power After Hurricane Melissa Hits; Trump Wants "Real" Military Option on Venezuela; Obamacare Premiums Could Soar as Much as 26 Percent in 2026; SNAP Benefits Run Out on Saturday. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired October 29, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Now, the threats still remain even though the storm has moved well offshore. Mudslides, landslides, and even an additional three to six inches of rain. That's a half a foot of rain potentially in the mountainous terrain across this region. So, vulnerable, so susceptible to landslides and that flash flooding as well.

We're going to see, once we get first daylight, what the true scope of the damage is, as will the residents of this beautiful island nation. They're going to wake up to a very, very different country after what will go down in the record books as the strongest storm to ever strike Jamaica in its modern record-keeping.

CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam, Kingston, Jamaica.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: He is headed to the hardest-hit areas. We are getting a couple of pictures in from one of the residents who lives in the northwestern part of Jamaica. And you can just see the trees down there from Andrea Lee's photos that she sent us just this morning as the sun was beginning to come up there. Lots of damage there in her backyard it appears.

But, you know, this was a category 5 storm when it hit the eye going over the western part of the country. And the prime minister declaring the entire country is a disaster zone. But the worst of it we have not yet seen. You're seeing view there of the rain that was pelting the island. But the worst of it we haven't seen yet because it's hard to get there right now. It's hard to get images out of there. Communications are very difficult at this hour. But we know that our Derek Van Dam is heading there to try and show you the best pictures of exactly what people experience there.

We are also in a moment hopefully going to head to Santiago de Cuba where our Patrick Oppmann has been weathering the storm there. It is currently hitting Cuba, but as a lesser storm, a category 3. And hopefully, diminishing. But look at these pictures from Jamaica, just trying -- the roadways, just trying to get to places, it is a real difficulty for anyone who's trying to figure out exactly just how bad it is, especially in the western part of that country. Kate. KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Much more to come on following the track of that for sure. Also, this we're picking up today. Special hacking teams, covert cyber-attacks and secret covert CIA operations. New CNN reporting this morning on CIA action in Venezuela. This during President Trump's first term.

Back then Trump wanted an even more aggressive approach than he got and now, he's got warships off the coast and is conducting airstrikes on suspected drug boats. Recently President Trump was asked about reports that the Venezuelan leader Maduro offered concessions to the U.S. in exchange for lowering the temperature here. Here's what the president said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: He's offered everything. You're right. You know why? Because he doesn't want to -- around with the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: CNN's Katie Bo Lillis has this new reporting of what we're learning about the first term with President Trump and how it informs what we're looking at today, Katie Bo. Tell us more of what you've learned.

KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, Kate. What my colleagues and I have learned is that in the final year of the president's first term the CIA conducted a cyber-attack on Venezuela that disabled the computer network used by the Venezuelan intelligence services and that attack was perfectly successful our sources told us.

But what our sources also said was that within the CIA the attack was seen as something of a throwaway. It was an effort by CIA leaders to try to give the White House what it wanted, aggressive action to put pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro who the administration wanted to oust without going too far up the escalation ladder.

Throughout Trump's first term when the administration backed Maduro's opposition, they tried to use diplomatic and economic measures to force out Maduro, Trump repeatedly asked for military options to escalate that pressure. But he and his officials routinely felt like they were basically being given the runaround by officials at the Pentagon and the CIA who our sources tell us were reluctant to take the kind of direct action that Trump wanted to explore.

That matters now, Kate, because it helps underscore the massive military buildup that we're seeing in the Caribbean. The administration has characterized it as being solely about counter- narcotics and the only action it's taken to date has been to blow up civilian boats that it says are carrying drugs. But given Trump's past interest in pushing out Maduro, the size and the scope of this buildup have really kind of raised the specter of a potential regime change operation.

And we spoke to one former administration official who put it this way he said that the lesson Trump likely took from his first term was that he would not be stymied by his own national security bureaucracy this time. Essentially, I told these guys I wanted the military option in 2018 and 2019, they didn't give me one. I want a real one now. Kate.

[08:35:00]

BOLDUAN: Fascinating. And there have been, obviously as you said, raising the specter of pushing for regime change. We've even heard from the likes of Senator Lindsey Graham saying that that is what he thinks Donald Trump wants to do. Saying it even just this weekend.

Katie Bo, great reporting. Thank you very much. John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. New this morning Americans getting their first look at how much they will have to pay for health care coverage under Obamacare next year. For many it could cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars more. With us now Tami Luhby, CNN's senior writer. Her story on this is up right now on cnn.com. Tami always great to see you. What are you learning here? What's the price tag people are looking at?

TAMI LUHBY, CNN SENIOR WRITER: Well, we now are getting a first look at what the actual premiums will be for those in the 30 states that shop on the Federal Exchange, healthcare.gov. Now, CMS and KFF released yesterday that overall premiums will go up 26 percent. That's what insurers -- those are the rates insurers are charging. That's their increase. But because of the expiring federal subsidies the actual amount that people will pay will be far for more -- far far more.

So, when folks go on to healthcare.gov now they can look at their 2026 plans and they're probably going to be pretty shocked at what they see.

BERMAN: When you say pretty shocked at what they see and when we talk about the failure to extend the Obamacare subsidies, how much more roughly, and I know it depends on each plan and it depends on the individual, but what are we talking about here for the 26 percent increase on overall premiums, they don't have the subsidies which in and of themselves I thought we were estimating could cost -- you know, could cause people 30 percent increases?

LUHBY: Well, the insurers are raising their rates by 30 percent, but actually, according to KFF the amount people are paying could actually more than double. They're thinking that the premiums that people actually pay because of the expiring enhanced subsidies will go up 114 percent, and there really is no way to say what the average it'll be, you know, it could be hundreds, thousands as you say, but people will actually -- you know, people have been hearing about this for a long time but many people until October did not actually know how much they're more they were going to pay but now those numbers are actually available on healthcare.gov. Window shopping opened late yesterday.

And for those who live in states that run their own exchanges they can go to their state exchanges, most states -- many states have opened up window shopping although not all. But open enrollment starts November 1st. So, on Saturday it will all be evident.

BERMAN: It's just around the corner, it's a few days away and it sounds like there'll be some serious sticker shock. I didn't ask the question well but you gave me the answer I was looking for right there, Tami, which is that people could see the cost doubling, doubling here, they will know shortly.

LUHBY: Yes. Some states have said almost tripling.

BERMAN: Staggering costs. All right. Tami, thank you very much. Kate.

BOLDUAN: A teenager gets pulled over for driving over a hundred miles an hour. Why did he do it? He basically says, call his mom.

Plus, a rhino in the Arctic. Yes, I read that correctly and you heard that correctly. Details on the incredible new discovery just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:40:00]

BERMAN: All right. Just a few moments ago we heard a forecast that people who get their health care through Obamacare could see their premiums increase by nearly 30 percent when open enrollment begins on Saturday. That doesn't even take into account the Obamacare subsidies which are expiring which are the central part of this government shutdown. When you take that into account there are some estimates depending on what state you live in that people could be forced to pay as much as double for health care very, very soon.

With us now is Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware. Senator thanks so much for being with us. You hear that estimate where people can have their health care costs double. So, as you sit here, you know, some 30 days into the shutdown, the government's still not open, there's still not an extension of Obamacare subsidies. So, what has been gained in this shutdown.

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE), APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE, JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AND SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEUR COMMITTEE: So, John, this weekend on Saturday millions of Americans will get their notices about the increase in their health insurance rates when the tax credits that make the Affordable Care Act affordable expire for millions. They're going to be paying double for health insurance.

I've already gotten calls from some folks who I know in other states in my home State of Delaware, those notices go out in the next couple of days. I'm hopeful that at that point Republicans will realize this is a crisis that American health care needs to be accessible and affordable health care and they'll come to the table privately and recently publicly.

Some Republicans are saying they don't want to see health insurance costs double for millions of Americans. And frankly, John this will impact every American. If we have millions more people getting their health care through the emergency room, the wait times, which are already too long in the ERs in my state, will increase and everyone's health insurance rates will go up as the number of people covered and getting preventive care goes down.

[08:45:00]

Donald Trump ran on lowering our costs and making America healthy again. He's doing neither.

BERMAN: But again, as we're 28 plus days into the shutdown, what has that done right now to extend these Obamacare premiums?

COONS: Because the House has been out of session the entire time, because our president is out of the country, nothing. Republicans control the House and the Senate and the White House, and they need to come to the table and negotiate about how we're going to deal with this health care crisis.

What we've accomplished so far with this shutdown, John, is the focus on this being an imminent crisis for the American people.

BERMAN: Imminent, this Saturday. At this point, it's Saturday at this point and there doesn't appear to be any progress there. There's another aspect of this which is people on food stamps, SNAP benefits, as you know. Tens of millions of people get crucial food assistance through SNAP and they could be losing it any day now.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley wrote an op-ed in the New York Times where he said in order to fix this, the best solution would be to pass a clean funding bill to reopen the government in its entirety, but if that can't be done, Congress at the very least needs to pass my bill to ensure food assistance continues uninterrupted. How do you feel about that?

COONS: I was pleased to see that editorial by Senator Hawley. I read it yesterday. I hope he'll put his bill on the floor. I will vote for it. I have a bill that I think we should take up and vote for that will pay the military, all the military and civilians. I think we need to reduce the harm to the American people being done by this shutdown, but the calls I'm getting from Delaware include hundreds who've called me and said the health care cost explosion is a bigger crisis for us than a week or two or three without pay, as long as we get paid. Let's keep fighting to make sure Republicans recognize that they own this.

They passed a bill in the middle of the summer that's going to throw millions more Americans off of health care, and in the president's budget he proposed huge cuts to NIH and CDC, critical health care organizations.

Now, Republicans have worked with Democrats in the Senate to pass an appropriations bill that rejects those health care cuts to NIH and CDC, and there are a dozen Republicans in the House that have written a public letter saying they want to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits that make it affordable. So, there is some room here, but without President Trump engaging, without the House of Representatives even in session, we're not going to make progress, John.

BERMAN: Senator, on a different subject, I don't know if you heard, but it seems like President Trump thinks he can't run for election again. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I have the best numbers for any president in many years, any president, and I would say that, if you read it, it's pretty clear, I'm not allowed to run. It's too bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: If you read it , it's pretty clear, I'm not allowed to run.

COONS: It is pretty clear.

BERMAN: So, case closed?

COONS: It's very clear.

BERMAN: Is this the type of thing that people can just put to bed and not talk about anymore now?

COONS: Well, one of the challenges with our president is he tends to say, we'll have to see. It might be, it might not be. Many people say. The reality is the Constitution is clear. Through an amendment to the Constitution adopted in the last century, you cannot serve a third term as president. In the meantime, President Trump did that interview while he's flying to a meeting in Korea, where he now is, soon with Xi Jinping, and I am alarmed by reports in that press conference from President Trump that he is considering allowing NVIDIA to sell China their most advanced chip. It's called the Blackwell, and it's 20 times more powerful than the chips he's recently allowed China access to.

John, the defining fight of the 21st century will be who controls artificial intelligence, whether it's written and controlled and played out on the guidelines of the Chinese Communist Party, which will use it to attack our systems through cyber-attacks, our military, to challenge our economic role and our system, or whether artificial intelligence reinforces free and open societies.

I think it would be a tragic mistake for President Trump in order to get some soybean orders out of China to sell them these critical cutting-edge A.I. chips.

BERMAN: Right now, there are no soybean orders out of China right now. All of this on the table for what could be crucial meetings. We'll wait and see what comes of them because there are many, many questions surrounding it. Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, great to see you this morning. Thanks so much. Kate.

[08:50:00]

BOLDUAN: All right. This morning, disturbing video of a woman pointing a gun at a family during a road rage incident. We're going to show it to you here. This is dashcam video. My goodness. From the suspect's car. It shows the moments that she drove towards her neighbors, gets out of her vehicle, points a gun at the family and their dog. Officials say she is now charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were just in the bridge and we had to -- my mom was kind of rushing me to go -- take me home, take me home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At 106 miles an hour? She wants you to drive 106 miles an hour down the bridge?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No sir, no, that was completely my mistake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And then there's this. Quite an excuse used by a 19-year-old driver in Florida after he was clocked at going 106 miles per hour, blaming his lead foot on his mom. He was arrested under Florida's new super speeder law that makes driving over 100 miles per hour an arrestable offense. In case you're wondering, the bridge where this happened, the speed limit was -- is 45.

And then there's this. Scientists have discovered a new, now extinct, rhino species which lived in Canada's high Arctic. They found a nearly complete fossil skeleton of the Arctic rhino recovered in a fossil- rich lake deposit. Scientists say the Arctic rhino lived just, you know, about 23 million years ago and that it is the northernmost rhino species ever found. Fascinating.

And so, is this. I don't know about you, but something I think we all could use more of, bobsledding. And not just that, how about bobsled hype man? Alternate headline, Cool Runnings, the Flavor Flav edition. The rapper known for his distinctive voice, vibe, and of course his blinged-out clocks appears to be reprising his role alongside Snoop Dogg as the most unexpected Olympic stars of all time. Flavor Flav is now apparently joining the U.S. bobsled and skeleton team as a sponsor and hype man for the Winter Olympics in Italy next year.

He is now 66 years old. Yes, you should feel old. And testing out the sports himself, promoting the games on the socials by taking a run down the course at a top speed of about 66 miles per hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, boy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, boy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: This also is not his first brush with the Olympic glory. Remember last summer he was the official hype man and sponsor for the U.S. Women's water polo at the Paris Games. A national treasure. John.

BERMAN: He is. Call me when he's into two-man luge. That's what I want to do. BOLDUAN: J.B.?

BERMAN: I'm here with Harry Enten right now talking about two-man luge.

BOLDUAN: I think we've got -- I know what I want you guys to be doing.

BERMAN: I said no one ever. All right. This morning, a message on climate change. A new one from Bill Gates that surprised a lot of people. In a new essay, Gates, who has long devoted a huge amount of time and money to awareness on climate change, he now argues more resources should be focused on poverty and hunger. He says that he doesn't think climate change will basically end humanity.

With us now is CNN Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten. And the reason this is interesting is because this does represent a shift in Bill Gates and his public speaking on climate change. When you hear a shift on climate change, Harry, it made you think about maybe how people are looking at it differently.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, I think a lot of people will agree with Bill Gates that maybe this wouldn't be the end of humanity. And I think, you know, we've been talking about climate change now for decades upon decades upon decades. And the worry in terms of climate change, simply put, hasn't shifted. It has not reached the majority of Americans. What are we talking about? Greatly worried about climate change.

You go all the way back to 1989, it was 35 percent. 2000, 40 percent. 2020, 46 percent. And in 2025, look at that, it's 40 percent. The same number as we had 25 years ago back in 2000. And then only just five points higher than we had back in 1989. Really, we've just seen consistency on this issue. The bottom line is that the climate change message that folks who, of course, believe that climate change is real and is quite worrisome, simply put, has not really worked with the American people.

BERMAN: So, greatly worried. You say greatly worried. I mean, so people say they're greatly worried, 40 percent. But how worried, really? Is it the biggest thing they're worried about?

ENTEN: Yes, it is. Not anywhere close to being the biggest thing that people are worried about. What are we talking about here? Well, why don't we just talk about top issue facing the U.S., climate change. Well, I got some numbers for you on the screen right here. You don't have to be a mathematical genius to know that these numbers are not particularly high.

Top issue facing the United States, climate change. It was 3 percent in 2021, 2 percent in average of polls in 2023. And this year, the average of polls, 2. 1, 2. It is very, very low on the list of priorities. I was trying to count it on the Gallup poll. And basically, it was so low down, you know, I was counting all the different issues, almost lost track. It was like 15th or 20th. It was just very, very low down. [08:55:00]

So, the bottom line is not only are we seeing that the number has not really moved over the last 36 years, but in terms of being the top issue, it's simply put, has not broken through. 2 percent, there are just a ton of things that rank way higher in the list of important.

BERMAN: Even I can count the two. In terms of how people feel it will impact them directly. What are you seeing there?

ENTEN: Yes, I'll just note two things. Number one, your Harvard education paying off. But number two, right here, look at this, climate change effect on my home area will be harder to stay here. Look, in 2023, it was 23 percent. Look at where we are now, 17 percent.

Now, you know, these numbers are pretty comparable, but they're pretty comparable on the low side is what we're talking about here. As Americans simply put, just don't think we'll have the type of impact that will really change their lives, which again goes back to the message that Bill Gates was saying, right, this is not something that's going to be devastating for humanity. It's something we can work our way out of. A lot of Americans agree.

And even on this, we're talking about just 27 percent of Democrats who believe that climate change effect on my home area will be harder to stay here. So, even on the left-wing where you'd expect the climate change message to hit most home, it's simply put, is not reaching that type of level in terms of the doomsday scenario that Bill Gates is talking about.

BERMAN: Interesting. Whether or not he's following the science or public opinion, it does seem to be a shift here. Harry Enten, great to see you.

ENTEN: Great to see you.

BERMAN: Thank you very much, Sara.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you. One thing Americans are greatly worried about is health care. Some members of the health care industry are alarmed over the $100,000 fee President Trump slapped on H-1B visa applications last month. Trump said the goal was to protect American jobs and wages. But rural and medically underserved hospitals say it's going to make a shortage of specialists even worse.

Joining me now is Carolynn Lundry. She's the residency program coordinator at St. Luke's Hospital. Thank you so much for being here with us from Chesterville, Missouri. First of all, how much do you rely on foreign talent to help make sure that you have enough to staff the care for patients there?

CAROLYNN LUNDRY, RESIDENCY PROGRAM COORDINATOR, ST. LUKE'S HOSPITAL: Well, our hospital is a community hospital. We're not rural or underserved, but we are a community hospital and we do educate and graduate residents who do take care of patients later in rural and underserved areas. Our program, which is 44 residents, is made up of approximately 90 percent international graduates.

SIDNER: Can you give me some sense of what this $100,000 fee that slapped on to H-1B visas is going to do when it comes to your program and when it comes to getting those out -- those graduates out to rural areas?

LUNDRY: Sure. Well, for our program, our hospital, you know, hospitals are so squeezed anyway and being a community hospital, that's not part of a large health network system, we're just an independent hospital, we would not be able to sponsor an H-1B visa for $100,000, which right now is approximately $4,000. There would just be no way. So, if we can't educate and graduate those residents, we can't put them out there to take care of patients later in these other areas.

SIDNER: Why is it so hard to find, you know, talent inside of the country at this point?

LUNDRY: Sure. Well, you know, 98 percent of American medical graduates, those are MDs and DOs, 98 percent of them can find an internal medicine residency program if that's what they want. But that leaves over 5,400 positions open. So, those 5,400 positions have to be filled by someone. Someone needs to take care of these patients.

So, we pull from the best of the best. Actually, these residents that we pull from are amazing. Everyone takes the same exams. So, the scores that people get on exams can be compared and contrasted. So, that is a metric that we have to use. But I mean, there's just not enough American medical graduates to fill all of the spots in residency programs.

SIDNER: 5,000 spots, I mean, that's a lot of people. That's a lot of physicians. I was just looking at this National Institute of Health study from 2021, saying that more than 64 percent of international medical graduates worked in areas with physician shortages. What keeps you up at night as far as what you're going to do for patient care?

[09:00:00]