Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Hurricane Melissa Makes Landfall in Cuba; Jamaica Devastated by Strongest-Ever Hurricane to Hit the Island; DHS Orders New FEMA Probe; Dem-Led States Sue Trump Admin to Keep SNAP Benefits Flowing. Aired 9- 9:30a ET

Aired October 29, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

CAROLYNN LUNDRY, RESIDENCY PROGRAM COORDINATOR, ST. LUKE'S HOSPITAL: Well, that's actually a very good question because I've been doing this for 30 years. So, I've made some real connections with the residents who've come through my program. And I try to, you know, just talk to people and make them realize these are human beings attached to these numbers. They've gone through some incredible traumatic things to get to this point in their career. And to be denied that chance because of some arbitrary dollar amount, it just seems so not fair. And all we really want is a definitive answer and obviously a physician exemption from the $100,000 fee.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Will patients suffer because of this?

LUNDRY: Yes, if you think forward there's going to be a shortage. I mean, if people have to wait now to see a primary care doctor, which are in short supply, it's going to be even worse.

SIDNER: Carolynn Lundry, thank you so much. Appreciate your time and your heart on this. A new hour of CNN News Central starts now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, Hurricane Melissa making landfall a second time, hammering Cuba now after causing catastrophic damage across Jamaica. We're live in Cuba tracking the very latest for you.

And a possible plot disrupted. FBI and local officials saying that they've stopped what could have been a series of attacks on synagogues in multiple states. What they found in the suspect's home and what happens to him now.

And monkeys on the run. Officials are searching for a research monkey now after a truck overturned and a bunch more had escaped, but they found them. The Sheriff's Department warning that the monkeys were aggressive.

I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman and Sara Sidner. This is CNN News Central.

SIDNER: The breaking news this morning. First, Jamaica was a direct hit. Now, it's Cuba and next in Hurricane Melissa's path, the Bahamas. The storm has been tearing through Cuba all morning, bringing life threatening flash flooding up to 12 feet of storm surge and the potential for landslides there. The hurricane is roughly the size of Texas, about 770 miles across. The newest update shows it's hitting the maximum sustained winds now about 105 miles per hour. It is expected to hit southeastern or central Bahamas a bit later today. You see the images there of how big that hurricane is.

And new images are giving us a clearer picture of the trail of destruction from Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. This is historic storm, the strongest to ever hit the island at a category five. The prime minister has declared Jamaica a disaster area after reports of catastrophic damage there. More than a half million people right now are without power.

CNN's Patrick Oppmann is live in Cuba where the storm is at this hour. What is happening at this hour there?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning again. And you know, I spoke to you guys a couple hours ago. Of course, I was just getting slammed by the wind and rain and that has started to clear, which is great and beginning to see a little bit of the damage. I'm going to ask my cameraman Reed Diaz (ph) just to show you what we're seeing in this part of Santiago de Cuba. Broken roofs, some power lines down, some trees down. You hear people starting to go to work on their homes, probably repair some of the damage. It's bad, but it's not catastrophic, at least here.

But you know, Sara, as you were talking about, this storm is so enormous and it's continuing to impact towns and cities across Cuba. So, we've not -- we've seen very, very little of the damage. And we know that there are probably other parts, low lying areas where it is much, much more substantial. We picked this area, this house on purpose because we knew we'd be able to ride out the storm here safely. I think areas closer to the ocean here, closer to the harbor. We saw videos of terrible, terrible flooding, people losing their homes. There are other houses in the city that are made of wood and I can't imagine they survived.

So, the storm lost a little bit of power as it was coming in last night. It tracked a little bit to the west of us, which is always good to have a bit of distance, but it still hit Cuba very, very hard. We do not have power. You can hear our generator humming away in the distance. I don't think people have power here for perhaps days to come because of course there are lines down all over the city and those have to be put back up slowly. It's painstaking work.

[09:05:00]

But at this point, no word on casualties. Police last night had gone by and told everyone to stay in their homes until the storm passed. It was just too dangerous. You know, the roof damage behind us, I think some of those tiles were flying off in the middle of night and hitting the side of my room. I can just hear something all night long slamming into the roof.

There's another house that -- behind us that lost its metal roof. It was like a can opener slowly being pulled open all night last night. You know, none of us slept very well, but we are very, very, very grateful that we're OK that this house withstood the storm. Other people probably not so lucky. This is a city that you can have terrible flooding in. Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated here and hopefully at the higher ground and to safety. But of course, until we can get out and really see the situation, we just don't know.

SIDNER: Yes, those tiles you mentioned can be missiles in a storm that is a category three, which is how it came into Cuba now lessening. But thank you so much for that, giving us a look at just some of the damage there. It may be more catastrophic in other areas where you are. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. You and your photographer there surviving and giving us great updates throughout the morning. John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And again, Cuba was the second landfall of a Hurricane Melissa, the first was in Jamaica, where it landed as a staggeringly powerful category five storm with sustained winds of 180 miles per hour. The prime minister in Jamaica has declared a disaster area

With us now is Daryl Vaz, the Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications. Minister, thank you so much for being with us. Can you give us a report on the damage you were beginning to see in the area's hardest hit?

DARYL VAZ, JAMAICAN MINISTER OF ENERGY, TRANSPORT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS: The hurricane made landfall in the western part of the island. It's devastation, total devastation. We are now in day one of the recovery, and work starts with the government and, of course, all our partners worldwide.

As you said, we have about 700,000 people connected to the electricity grid and near 500 are out. Thankfully, Kingston, which is the epicenter and the capital. We are based in Kingston. Government services are out of Kingston. So, it will give us that opportunity to respond better and faster.

This morning I go to the airports to do an assessment, and hopefully I'll be able to open the Norman Manley International Airport for relief flights. By late this evening into tomorrow morning, the Sangster International Airport, which is in the western part of the island, which is where the tourism hobbies, that has been damaged. And we have another international airport in Mid Island that I'm going to expect as well to use.

JPS has already -- that's the electricity company in Jamaica has already gotten the Office of Disaster Preparedness OK to start the restoration. So, the work starts this morning, but it has been a terrifying, catastrophic a few hours across Jamaica over the last 24 hours.

BERMAN: Terrifying, catastrophic. You told me there's a total devastation in the western part of the island. What has the impact on infrastructure there been, the roads, the bridges, anything like that? VAZ: So, thankfully, we haven't gotten any formal reports outside of what we had. We show three deaths before they hit. We don't know yet as a result. Assessment that has to be done. But our infrastructure has been damaged. And, of course, our low-lying areas with the storm surge, which considered to be townships and communities have also been damaged.

So, we will be in a better position to tell the world at the end of today into tomorrow exactly what a damn level of damages and what are the requirements for relief supplies in terms of food, medication, water and, of course, equipment and assets to help to distribute these -- during these next few days, few weeks, few months.

BERMAN: What are your biggest concerns right now, Minister?

VAZ: My biggest concerns would be -- and that's on behalf of the government, would be the welfare of the people that have been struck by this devastating hurricane. Their safety and security is number one. And then, secondly, trying to see how quickly we can restore infrastructure, light and water and housing and roofing in order for them to at least get some semblance of restoration for especially those affected areas.

But number one priority for today is obviously to do the assessment while doing search and rescue for those that may require that. And the government is ready and waiting, and we're at work already this morning.

[09:10:00]

BERMAN: Any numbers on those in need of rescue?

VAZ: No, no clue on that as yet, because obviously we got the weather right into last night. But I'm sure that the military and the police are doing those assessments along with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management. We do have shelters, 881 shelters that were opened across the 14 parishes. So, there are people that are in shelters. We'll get those numbers more accurately today after the passing of the hurricane.

BERMAN: All right. Minister Daryl Vaz, I know you have a very busy day ahead of you trying to open the airport in Kingston, which I know will be a huge help in the enormous relief and recovery efforts you have ahead of you. Thank you so much for your time this morning. Kate.

BOLDUAN: That's an important update there from the minister. An investigation into FEMA did not find what President Trump apparently hoped it would. The Department of Homeland Security launched a new probe coming with a very different result. This new CNN reporting will bring it to you.

And 25 Democratic-led states are suing the Trump administration over its declaration that the well has run dry for suit for food stamps while the government shutdown drags on.

Plus, they worked together to save a baby, remember this video we brought to you, trapped beneath an overturned car. And those two hero officers will be our guests. We'll be speaking to them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:15:00]

SIDNER: New this morning, sources telling CNN, the Department of Homeland Security ordered a new investigation into FEMA after the findings of an initial probe did not fit the Trump administration's narrative. In the final months of his 2024 presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump took aim at FEMA's response to hurricanes Helene and Milton, which had devastating effects across several states.

Part of that criticism, Trump falsely claimed that the agency ignored certain requests for assistance based on political bias. CNN's Gabe Cohen is joining us now with brand-new reporting this morning. What are you learning this morning, Gabe?

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, Sara, as Trump was making those false claims last fall, you may remember FEMA teams that were out in the field started facing harassment and threats. And then last October, we saw this FEMA field supervisor in Florida direct her staff to avoid homes with Trump signs, saying at the time that this was really about safety. We saw Biden's FEMA immediately fire her. They launched an investigation into that incident that ended up carrying into the Trump administration.

Ultimately, though, that investigation cleared FEMA. It found that that was an isolated one-time incident. Even Trump's own appointed FEMA chief at the time confirmed that to me this week, telling me, quote, "Tens of thousands of records were screened and reviewed. We found there was no reasonable evidence to authenticate a statement that denial of aid or assistance occurred based upon political bias from FEMA leadership."

But as you mentioned, that did not fit the narrative that was being pushed by Trump and Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees FEMA, that the agency is inept, that it's biased against Republicans and that it needed to be overhauled and/or even eliminated. And soon, DHS launched a new probe, and they were going to look at whether or not FEMA canvassers wrote down any information about survivors' political beliefs. And it would be led by a new DHS official, the head of the privacy office.

So, a source telling me he definitely made it clear that he suspected FEMA was involved in broad-scale wrongdoing. You could tell he had already arrived at a conclusion that FEMA as an agency needed to be severely punished, which was evident in his tone and language.

Now, Sara, that report -- the new report, came out last week, and Noem essentially claimed at that point that DHS had a smoking gun, saying that the report showed for years FEMA employees under the Biden administration intentionally delayed much-needed aid to Americans suffering from natural disasters on purely political grounds, calling it textbook discrimination against Trump supporters. But here's the thing, Sara. If you actually read through that 22-page report, they only identified 107 instances, 107 out of tens of thousands of homes that were canvassed, where FEMA canvassers actually wrote down any keyword that could be considered political. Trump's name only came up 15 times in those reports, and there is no evidence that any survivors actually lost disaster aid based on any of those notes.

So, there's this growing concern among some insiders that Noem here is really pushing misinformation to help justify tearing FEMA down, because remember, we're just a few weeks away from the new FEMA Review Council making their recommendations for the broader reforms that we're likely going to see to FEMA at a time where many in the administration is saying FEMA should be eliminated altogether.

SIDNER: Well, looks like they're looking for an excuse. All right. Gabe Cohen, great reporting from you this morning. Appreciate it. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, this morning, at least 25 Democratic-led states are suing the Trump administration over its declaration that the well has run dry, essentially, for food stamps while the government shutdown drags on. It's the nation's largest anti-hunger program, and this lawsuit is now asking a judge to essentially force the administration to access contingency funding to keep the benefits flowing, to fill the gap. The White House says it cannot.

More than 42 million Americans rely on what are called SNAP benefits. That's about one in eight people, and one of those is Juan Saro. He's a disabled Navy veteran who's caring for two young children, and you'll remember he spoke to us this week.

[09:20:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN SARO, DISABLES VETERAN AND SNAP RECIPIENT: The president has -- can move money overnight to fund pet projects, and he can move money surely to keep veterans and children and working families from going hungry. You know, and I would say any man, woman, or child in the United States, the richest country, the most powerful country in the world, should never have to wonder where their next meal is going to come from. So, the world is watching. We need to get this right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Let's talk about this. Joining us right now is Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis of New York. Congressman, thank you for being here.

REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-NY), ASSISTANT WHIP, HOUSE REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE AND WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: New York is one of the states, one -- a part of this lawsuit of two dozen states asking this judge -- asking a federal judge to tell the administration that they need to maintain this -- the food stamp benefits past November 1st. Department of Agriculture did say previously it could reprogram money to fill the gap, though now saying it cannot. Do you want them to figure out a way to keep benefits flowing?

MALLIOTAKIS: This is a critical program. It affects 42 million Americans across the country, nearly 3 million in my State of New York that is why the House passed a clean extension of existing funding with no politics, no gimmicks, no attempts to add outside unrelated policy, because we realize the pain that it would cause if we went into a shutdown.

Nonetheless, here we are, and I would urge these states to tell their senators to vote for this clean extension. They voted for it four times before. They -- Senator Schumer negotiated the language, the funding levels. They had more say than the Republicans did because Joe Biden was president at the time. And so, this is so unnecessary, the pain that we're seeing.

With that said, I would like to see the administration do whatever it can, obviously, to ease the pain. We saw President Trump come in already to make sure that the Women Infant Children, the WIC program, which is another supplemental nutrition program, was funded so it wouldn't impact those young families. We saw him also come in to pay our troops.

But these are band-aids. These are not the solution. The solution is for Senate to do its job and pass this clean extension, just like we've been calling for, just like the American Federation of Government Employees has been calling on, the air traffic controllers and the airline pilots unions have been calling for, because the pain is really going to start if the Senate just does not stop playing their shenanigans. And my -- unfortunately, senator from New York, Senator Schumer, is the lead who's playing this political game.

BOLDUAN: But important to hear from you, Congresswoman, saying that, yes, your preference is to open the government, but that in the absence of it, you want the administration to figure out a way to keep food stamps going. Because Republican Senator Josh Hawley, he just wrote an op-ed saying essentially exactly the same. He was talking about letting the food assistance lapse, the way he wrote it is, would introduce an entirely new stage of suffering. 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, he said, to ensure food assistance continues uninterrupted.

Would you -- do you agree with Josh Hawley? Would you like to see at least Congress come back and at least pass that?

MALLIOTAKIS: Well, I'm actually working with Congresswoman Miller- Meeks of Iowa on this legislation, and I'm going to be proudly co- sponsoring with her on that bill. The issue really is, though, again, this is a temporary band-aid. Yes, we could potentially find a solution here, and we should do whatever we can, but it does not negate the fact that we need to reopen this government. At the end of the day, how long can we continue in this situation where we're constantly trying to find somewhere to shift funding to avert a crisis? This is just so unnecessary, particularly when we're talking about a bill that the Senate Democrats negotiated and voted for and then voted to extend three times before. Nothing in there has changed from the bill that they previously supported.

BOLDUAN: And one thing I have heard from many Republicans is hitting Democrats for talking about the shutdown and leverage, shutdown as leverage. We -- and that's something I've heard Republicans talk to me about. We're here now talking about 42 million people. Are you concerned of looking like the administration is using food stamps as leverage if they don't figure out a way to rework funds in the meantime?

MALLIOTAKIS: Look, we need to recognize here why we're in this mess. We are in the mess because the Senate Democrats will not support the same bill they previously supported four times. Katherine Clark herself admitted that they were using this pain as leverage.

BOLDUAN: I mean, that's -- and that is my point.

MALLIOTAKIS: We're just repeating what she said.

BOLDUAN: Are you concerned that that is what the administration will look like now if they don't find a way to use contingency funds when they said previously they can and now they say they can't, that it will look like the administration is using food stamps as leverage?

[09:25:00]

MALLIOTAKIS: Look, I think President Trump has made it clear that he has tried to shift funding where he can to avert these crises. Like I said, he did it with the Women Infant and Children Program. He's done it to pay our military troops. I believe that he will find a solution here. It would just be nice if the Senate Democrats did their job instead of leveraging pain on the American people unnecessarily.

I think that, again, we can put band-aids on things, but until we reopen the government, we're not going to have a solution here. And the more band-aids, by the way, that are placed on to avert these types of things from happening only encourages the Democrats to continue the shutdown for even longer.

And so, we just need to reopen this government. And again, we're happy to talk about other outside unrelated policy issues like the health care subsidies that Republicans also have concerns about because the Affordable Care Act simply was not affordable. And we need to give subsidies to the insurance companies. That's the reality of where we are. We can't get there if we don't turn on the lights and reopen government first.

BOLDUAN: Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, thanks for coming in. John.

BERMAN: All right. We're just a few minutes away from the opening bell on Wall Street. You can see market futures ticking up a little bit before that bell. It is a big day at the Federal Reserve. The Central Bank will meet to make a critical decision on interest rates, whether to cut them again. It is expected they will.

The wrinkle today is that because of the government shutdown, which Kate was just speaking about with the congresswoman, economists do not have a lot of the data they like to have to make these decisions. No jobs reports, no federal unemployment data. They call it something of a data blackout.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]