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Hurricane Melissa Intensifies To Major Category 4 Storm; U.S. And Chinese Officials Reach Framework Of A Trade Deal; Mamdani Speaks To CNN Ahead Of Rally With Progressive Stars. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired October 26, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Great! Do you have a favorite place, you know, corner -- any of that -- you know, a favorite way in which to take it all in?

ARTHUR HARDY, FOUNDER, "MARDI GRAS GUIDE" MAGAZINE: Yes, I'd like to be on St. Charles Avenue where most of the parades start and Napoleon Avenue, and you'll see so many wonderful things there. You know, there are no strangers at Mardi Gras. We don't do this as a tourist attraction, but we are so glad that visitors come and Tulane University --

WHITFIELD: It is cultural.

HARDY: -- did an impact study, $900 million is spent on Mardi Gras, so we appreciate the injection of money into our economy, but that's not why we do it. We do it to have fun and spread joy.

WHITFIELD: Oh, it is so wonderful. It spreads so much joy, as does your magazine. Thank you so much. Arthur Hardy, so glad you could be with us today. Congratulations to you.

HARDY: Thank you so much. Happy Mardi Gras!

WHITFIELD: Yes. Happy Mardi Gras! Any time of the year, right? It doesn't have to be -- in springtime.

All right, thanks so much.

All right, A new episode of "New Orleans: Soul of a City" airs tonight at 10:00 Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

[15:00:58]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I am Fredricka Whitfield, and we begin this hour with the latest forecast on the rapidly intensifying hurricane heading straight for Jamaica.

Melissa is a powerful Category 4 storm that is set to strengthen into a rare Category 5 as early as tonight. The National Hurricane Center warns that life-threatening and catastrophic flooding up to 40 inches could isolate Jamaican communities for days. At least for storm- related deaths are reported in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joining us live right now from Kingston.

Describe what you're seeing and what is likely to happen next.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Fredricka, this is, I guess, the proverbial calm before the storm, right? We don't have a lot of wind. There has been intermittent rain showers, but we know what is lurking a hundred miles to our south.

We've got a powerful Category 4 edging on a Category 5 that is going to slowly unfold across this island nation. We are facing the strongest hurricane strike in modern record keeping in the country of Jamaica and that's really saying something because they went through Gilbert back in 1988, which, by the way, devastated their economy for decades, it took them so long to recover. That's kind of the bar for a lot of people who remember that.

But there are a lot of individuals because that was over 35 years ago that were not around for that event. So they don't have anything to really compare it to, for instance. But it is the slow moving nature of this hurricane that we are so concerned about and I want to show you on our satellite what concerns this meteorologist on the ground here.

And it is that very concentric well-defined eye. It is called a pinhole eye for a reason because the maximum force has been exerted upon the center of this storm, because of its extreme rapid intensification. By the way, it intensified 70 miles per hour in a 24- hour period, more than doubling the criteria for extreme rapid intensification.

Now, the National Hurricane Center has explicitly called for a Category 5 hurricane. This would be the third of the season, and this is actually the second most Category 5s in in any season, bar 2005. So we are setting records with this hurricane not only in Jamaica but in the entire Atlantic basin.

It is moving into some incredibly warm water, not only at the surface, but deep, deep, deep within the Caribbean Ocean that's directly behind me. So it is going to take advantage of that environment, and it is going to produce prolific rainfall for several days over this mountainous terrain of Jamaica. We are talking about not measuring in inches, in feet, and that water is going to rush down the mountains that you see over my right shoulder here, and that is going to create the potential for catastrophic flooding.

The National Hurricane Center, using terminology of communities being isolated for days on end, communication and power failures for several days. This is very fascinating to see, too. Look at the rainfall totals that I am highlighting on this map here you can see that shading of white. I want to draw your attention to the legend. That actually tops our scales that we have available to us here as meteorologists.

It is not just Jamaica, of course. It is Haiti, it is eastern portions of Cuba with this system as well. Let's talk about the direct and immediate impacts to Kingston, where I am located. Remember, there are a million people who call this place home, three million people within Jamaica. But directly over my left hand shoulder is actually the Kingston International Airport. We can see the aviation control tower behind me. It is accessed by one singular road that is so susceptible to storm surge.

And rainfall with a Category 5 hurricane, the potential to push up over nine feet of Caribbean Ocean sea water into this region means that residents and our CNN crew could be stranded on this island for days after the storm finally passes, and when will it pass? Not until Tuesday or Wednesday. That's the key of this storm.

[15:05:10]

The slow duration of this hurricane as it takes several days and crawls across the island nation of Jamaica. We are anticipating the tropical storm force winds to begin in earnest tonight, hurricane force winds by tomorrow morning, and then the major hurricane force winds tomorrow night and into Tuesday morning. That will be the most devastating time -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that is a lot all at once. All right, Derek Van Dam in Jamaica. Thank you so much.

All right, now to a possible breakthrough on U.S. trade relations with China. Today, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. has reached a substantial framework of a trade deal with China, which would avoid the U.S. imposing an additional 100 percent tariff on Chinese imports.

The development comes as President Trump is in the midst of a five-day high-stakes diplomatic trip to Asia aimed at easing trade tensions with Beijing. Bessent says the framework agreement sets the stage for Trump's meeting on Thursday with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: I think we've reached a substantial framework for the two leaders who will meet in Korea next Thursday. So, you know, on the table, the President had given me maximum leverage when he threatened a hundred percent tariffs if the Chinese imposed their rare earth global export controls, so I think we have averted that, so the tariffs will be averted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, with me now to talk more about these developments is Kimberly Dozier. She is a CNN global affairs analyst.

Kim, great to see you. So Bessent says it is a framework. Is that significant, nonetheless?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: It gives them a starting point to have these negotiations. They have to get something done before Trump and Xi are in the room. Trump doesn't want another replay of the Alaska meeting with Vladimir Putin, where he invested a lot of his personal political power and then got nothing for it.

When he sits down with Xi, they want to have something positive to talk about, and these are two men representing two countries that aren't doing well economically and are also so crucially, knit together that if one goes down, the other goes down, so they've got to talk.

WHITFIELD: They've got to talk. And we don't know details yet about what this substantial framework is. But it appears the U.S. and China are also focusing in their discussions on fentanyl. China making substantial purchases of U.S. soybeans, delaying export curbs on rare earth minerals, and finalizing some sort of TikTok deal.

So are these negotiating tools also?

DOZIER: They are the wins that they could be -- that they could put out on the table and say, look, we are getting somewhere.

WHITFIELD: And get credit for it. Right.

DOZIER: In Trump 1.0, they did come up with a deal with China that looked very positive. It wasn't until the latter years of the Trump administration that time around that China wasn't measuring up to the deal. It wasn't buying as much U.S. agriculture, et cetera as it had promised. So we could have another replay of that where it looks great on paper, but then you have trouble with the execution.

But in terms of fentanyl, that is something that China has been able to sort of, according to U.S. officials turn on and off as a lever. And, you know, the U.S. had -- there has been a tit-for-tat. The U.S. said we are going to put limits on the silicon chips. China said, okay, were going to put limits on rare earth minerals. They each have something that the other side needs. So there is something to trade for.

WHITFIELD: And then what about on Russia? Because the President, you know, he made it seem like it was going to be easy. He knows Vladimir Putin well. It is not going so well in terms of, you know, trying to leverage anything to get this war to end. However, it will be on the table of discussions with Xi Jinping because China does have leverage. It has got, you know, a lot of skin in the game. How might that go?

DOZIER: China has always said to Russia that it doesn't want this war to continue, but that has been said mostly privately. I think, it will try to say, you know, Xi will say to Trump, absolutely, we agree with you. We will be doing our best to talk some sense into Putin, whether or not they'll follow through with that. At this point, Putin is making The White House nervous, and China likes that.

You keep your adversary off balance, and then that makes it easier to negotiate over here. You know, keep them busy over here. Get your wins over here. So I think they will say all the right things, but again, action, whether it is on the trade deal or on the politics. Big question mark.

WHITFIELD: Okay. And then two of Russia's biggest oil companies this weekend, Russia, you know, carried out deadly attacks on residential areas in Ukraine. The Kremlin announced that it has successfully tested its nuclear powered cruise missile and will work towards deploying the weapon.

I mean, you know, Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons before. Is it different now? Is this language different now?

[15:10:21]

DOZIER: So what we watched happened this past week is kind of a hardening of both sides and a sharpening of the rhetoric.

When Donald Trump announced that he was not going to go to Budapest because he didn't think that Putin was serious about agreeing to a ceasefire, and then that was followed by the sanctions against two of Russia's largest oil companies, just at a time when the Russian economy is already ailing and you're heading into winter, this is going to start impacting Russia's hard currency and make it harder for the government to pay all the government salaries and their version of Social Security, et cetera. That could lead to unrest.

Putin isn't happy, so he has gone to the one place he knows that Donald Trump really worries about, nuclear weapons. Talking about this new nuclear missile capability, alleged. I don't think The Pentagon has confirmed their version of it or what they've observed of it.

But, you know, Trump said several times this summer that -- something to the version -- to the effect of Russia's nuclear weapons are too powerful. He kept using the phrase too powerful. So let's just see if this is Putin trying to, you know, push him back, see if it works. I am going to be watching Truth Social to see how Trump responds.

WHITFIELD: You and everybody else.

DOZIER: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kim Dozier, great to see you. Thank you so much.

DOZIER: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right, the countdown is on to Election Day in New York this week as voters prepare to choose the city's next mayor.

Today, Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez are set to headline a rally with frontrunner, Zohran Mamdani. CNN has an exclusive new interview with Mamdani also, where he talks about why some of the progressives' biggest stars are the best messengers for him in these closing days and hours of the campaign.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is in Forest Hills, Queens, where the rally is set to kick off. Gloria, you just spoke with Mamdani. What did he have to say?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Fred, it was back in 2019 that Zohran Mamdani was standing outside this same stadium at a rally for Bernie Sanders, who had just had a heart attack on the presidential campaign and was holding a rally in order to reignite enthusiasm for his campaign.

Mamdani came here in order to gather signatures so that he himself could get on the ballot to run for the State Assembly. And tonight, it is going to be Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who will be headlining this rally for Mamdani. They are in the final stretch of this election here in New York City. Thousands of voters have already cast their ballot and Mamdani told me that the symbolism, the visuals of tonight will be significant.

Also, alongside with him tonight will be New York Governor Kathy Hochul, as well as the Majority Leader of the State Senate and the State Assembly Speaker, and the reason that's important, Fred, is because he is going to need all of them to try and enact his ambitious agenda. He is trying to signal that there is a Democratic front that's united behind him in the closing days of this election.

Take a listen to what he told me about the meaning behind tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: These are three of the leaders in the Democratic Party of this state that will be the partners in delivering this affordability agenda, and to have them on that stage, speaking about the agenda, it shows what the next 12 months, 24 months, 36 months will look like is taking the steps to actually transform the city into one that's affordable.

I think it should signal the fact that, much as he said, when he was running to be the mayor of Burlington and Burlington is not for sale, it continues to be the rallying cry for working class people across this country. And for us, it is that New York City is not for sale, and we say that because we have the same billionaires who funded Donald Trump's campaign funding Andrew Cuomo's.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, Fred, Mamdani has a double digit lead in this race, but of course, the race is not over until all the votes are counted. Andrew Cuomo is still trying to campaign, trying to reach out to supporters, as well as Republican Curtis Sliwa who is also on the campaign trail and we are expecting to see much more campaigning in the next few days as New Yorkers continue to go out and cast their ballots.

But I think the symbolism and the visuals of tonight, Mamdani having the support of so many of the state leaders, along with these national leaders of the party, certainly sends a message that I think will be a point of conversation, particularly as we talk about this sort of crisis of identity that the Democratic Party is having in terms of how it responds to President Donald Trump and whether it should tack more to the left or more to the center -- Fred.

[15:15:19]

WHITFIELD: All right, Gloria Pazmino, thanks so much. All right, coming up, major flight delays. The worst weekend yet for air traffic controller staffing, causing massive slowdowns at airports across the country. What it could mean for your next flight.

Plus, the walls of the East Wing have officially come down. We will look at the history that has been erased from The White House.

And music meets medicine, a Parkinson's patient plays the clarinet during brain surgery. That woman and her surgeon are my next guests.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:35]

WHITFIELD: All right, a warning to air travelers. The FAA reports more flight delays and says this is the worst weekend for air traffic control staffing since the government shutdown began 26 days ago. And as the impacts of the shutdown grow, there is still no bipartisan deal in sight.

Here is what House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told us about the shutdown just last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): A starting point would be Speaker Johnson actually bringing House Republicans back to Congress so we can actually function as a body and work toward enacting a bipartisan resolution and a spending bill that meets the needs of the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Let's bring in now CNN's Rafael Romo. He is joining us from Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson Airport.

Rafael, so are people complaining? Are they seeming frustrated or taking it in stride?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No -- yes, no complaining so far, Fred. But what I can tell you is that I have seen more people than usual here at the airport. It gives you the idea of probably a holiday kind of travel, and it has been more than three weeks now since the government shutdown began. But yesterday we had a record number of air traffic controller staffing deficits during this shutdown and flight delays since most of the federal government came to a screeching halt.

Something that may explain some of the shortages this weekend is the fact that Friday marked the first full paycheck missed by some federal workers, so that's going to be a problem for many of them.

Earlier today, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in an interview that there were 22 staffing triggers for air traffic controllers, and that's just to give you an idea of what happened. He said: "That's a sign that the controllers are wearing thin. Staffing triggers are official notices of understaffing." Now, we have some numbers here for you to give you an idea, Fred, of how bad the situation was, especially on Saturday. FlightAware listed more than 5,400 flight delays nationwide, with the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport hit particularly hard since the shutdown began October 1st. There have been about 200 air traffic control staff shortages reported at FAA facilities.

Now, in an interview with Fox News earlier today, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that there is a possibility that the situation may even get worse during the week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: But what I see coming forward as we get to Monday, tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday that you're going to see more staffing shortages in towers, which means you're going to see more delays, more cancellations, and then you see more Americans frustrated at Democrats and they'll say open up the government. Enough is enough.

ROMO: How much of a concern is it for you as a traveler?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot. It is a big concern.

ROMO: Can you tell us why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, because I am thinking that if I weren't getting paid, I would be very angry. And it would be very difficult for me to do my job and that's a critical function and I am hoping that somebody is taking care of them.

I am flying today on sheer faith.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Press Secretary Duffy also said that more air traffic controllers are calling in sick. He also expressed concern that some may need to resort to food banks after missing paychecks.

Fred, now back to you.

WHITFIELD: Yes, we have seen already there have been a lot of federal workers who are already resorting to food banks more maybe on the way.

Rafael Romo, thank you so much.

All right, back to our breaking news.

A catastrophic hurricane closing in on Jamaica. Melissa now a Category 4 storm could make landfall on the island as early as tomorrow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:28:54]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DESMOND MCKENZIE, MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: It is a collective response of all of us as Jamaicans that will take us through.

This is just the beginning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Jamaican leadership there speaking out as the powerful Category 4 Hurricane Melissa nears Jamaica, warning residents that now is the time to complete preparations.

The slow-moving system could pummel the island with up to 40 inches of rain, ferocious winds, landslides and up to 13 feet of storm surge. A hurricane warning is now in effect for parts of Haiti and all of Jamaica, where preparations are underway for what could be the strongest hurricane to ever hit this area with landfall expected as early as tomorrow in Jamaica.

I am joined now by Milton Walker, the head of Broadcasting for Jamaica News Today.

Milton, great to see you.

First off, how are you doing?

MILTON WALKER, HEAD OF BROADCASTING FOR JAMAICA NEWS TODAY: Good afternoon, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful. First off, how are you doing? How are your neighbors? People feeling about what may lie ahead?

[15:30:02]

WALKER: We are okay. I would be not truthful if I didn't say that we are all a little bit worried. There is a fair amount of anxiety in the society, a lot of people are concerned, children, the elderly as well.

The government has made an important statement about persons looking after their mental health and they've announced, you know, several hotlines that people can call to talk to a counselor if they feel really worried and concerned.

WHITFIELD: Well, Milton, right now, communication is good. But what is worrisome to many is what kind of communication will there be when this storm hits? What are you telling your listeners right now about things that they should be doing? And what happens in this two to three-day period where this system will just kind of sit, causing a whole lot of torrential rainfall. Many of the roads are already, you know, pretty precarious on a good day. But then you've got this kind of storm surge and rainfall that is expected.

What are you sharing with people about how to manage?

WALKER: Well, the road network is pretty good. We've had a couple of programs this year which dealt with road repairs, and we have a highway system, so, that's okay. The problem is, when the storm hits and there will be landslides, that's when we will have a problem. But so far, all the roads are clear.

Persons need to stock up on batteries to make sure that they have power banks and so on. Their devices charged up ahead of the storm. Just the standard precautions that persons would take in in any region which could be impacted by a hurricane.

We also, of course -- to store some food for a couple of days, water as well and persons have been going to the supermarket over the last three or four days and the hardware to batten down, putting up their shutters and so on. And the government today announced that all shelters are open. I think they said 31 or 39 are active. That means they have persons there.

There is a concern, though, that there is a town at the end of the Palisadoes, that's the peninsula on which the, the Kingston's Airport is on, and Port Royal and the they sent a bus there to collect residents and only one person has boarded a bus up when we checked about an hour or so ago and other persons have said, they are simply not leaving the town and it is literally right on the ocean's edge. And there are other parts that have evacuated, Old Harbor Bay. That's again, a southern town in Saint Catherine Parish and a lot of persons evacuated and went to a local shelter yesterday.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. Well, let's hope that for those who should be moving and haven't yet, maybe they will soon get on those buses to those safe places as the storm gets closer.

Milton Walker, thanks so much. All the best to you, your listeners and your family, everyone.

WALKER: Okay. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, it is an "irreplaceable erasure of a rich chapter in our national narrative." The executive director of the D.C. Preservation League joins me to discuss the demolition of The White House East Wing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:38:16]

WHITFIELD: All right, today, decades of history in The White House's East Wing lie in rubble. Crews have finished tearing down the structures, two storeys of offices that served as the center of power for countless First Ladies. And despite growing outrage from the public, Republicans are defending President Donald J. Trump, who ordered the demolition as part of his plan to build a new White House ballroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RICH MCCORMICK (R-GA): If you want to have a residence that's fitting to welcome foreign dignitaries, fitting of the leader, whoever that is, of the greatest country in the world, you're going to have to renovate it and update it periodically. What is unique in this case is there is no taxpayer money going into it.

So what the American people are going to get is a great White House that's going to have the ability to host major events.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're not concerned about the optics during the shutdown of this happening?

MCCORMICK: Well, listen, the project was underway and it is not being paid by taxpayer dollars, so not really.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's discuss with Executive Director of the D.C. Preservation League, Rebecca Miller.

Great to see you, Rebecca.

So in your view, does that make it okay that taxpayer money is not being used in this project?

REBECCA MILLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE D.C. PRESERVATION LEAGUE: No, it absolutely doesn't. We have projects all over the city that are privately funded, and they go through rigorous review.

WHITFIELD: All right, the price tag for this project has increased more than 50 percent to $300 million now, according to the President. Capacity has also increased to 900 people. Architects and historians, you know, say it is not unusual for designs to change during a big project like this. But among the distinctions here is just what you underscore that, you know, Trump has not followed the typical process for White House renovations, which normally involve reviews by organizations like the National Capital Planning Commission.

[15:40:10]

So what are your concerns about what is being lost in what Trump sees as all gains?

MILLER: Well, what is being lost is a piece of public history in this capacity and what informs demolition is the new construction. And so the new construction plans haven't been filed with the National Capital Planning Commission for public input or to have review by professionals who actually work in this field. And so those are -- so that is being lost without having any type of review going forward.

WHITFIELD: Will any preservation groups learn of what items from the old East Wing have been secured, restored or even preserved?

MILLER: We are not aware of what has been preserved. There was an e- mail from The White House Historical Association saying that they had, in fact gone through and preserved items and taken them into their collection. We are not sure what those items were, but as I mentioned, demoing without new construction plans is not something that typically takes place in Washington, so it is quite a surprise to everyone here.

WHITFIELD: But you say each renovation is supposed to symbolize progress. What is this project in your view communicating about today's society or culture or even the values, perhaps, of this White House?

MILLER: Well, I mean, I can't speak to the values of The White House. What I can say is that the administration hasn't talked about needing a ballroom for these larger state dinners, and one thing I would note is that the federal government owns the Mellon Auditorium, which is at 1300 Constitution Avenue right down the street. It is gilded and gold. It is in classical design. You can have almost 700 people seated or a thousand people in a standing reception. So the necessity of this project is still in question for the D.C. Preservation League and I think others, because there is, in fact, a ballroom in town that meets the criteria and also is not 90,000 square feet.

WHITFIELD: It started out as some -- or at least the, original East Wing is 12,000 square feet and now this new ballroom, as you say, is planned for 90,000 square feet, quite colossal.

All right. Rebecca Miller, thank you so much.

MILLER: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, the Dodgers steal the spotlight, sliding to victory in Game 2 of the World Series. We have the highlights next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:23]

WHITFIELD: All tied up in Game 2 of the World Series.

The Los Angeles Dodgers make it clear that they have come to play, edging out the Toronto Blue Jays, five to one. CNN Sports anchor, Patrick Snell is here with me to knock it out of the park.

How did this happen?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: I will be crying loud! All tied up, you said it best.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SNELL: You know, they call it the Fall Classic for a reason. Entertainment, excitement every step of the way and the L.A. Dodgers and the Blue Jays providing another wonderful twist, a great game in Game 2 of the series.

After getting blown out on Friday, the Dodgers needing a spark on Saturday, and boy did they find one in one of their Japanese aces. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is one of three exceptional Japanese pitchers on the Dodgers' roster. Last night, he showed why by going the distance with another remarkable performance, it really was elite level performance that felt something like a throwback, really.

Yamamoto throwing a complete World Series game, only allowing four hits and one run and retiring the final 20 batters he faced. This was actually his second consecutive complete game this postseason. The 27- year-old also throwing one in Game 2 of the National League Championship series.

The last time you know a Dodgers' pitcher recorded the feat was back in 1988, L.A.'s offense was sparked by a pair of homeruns in the seventh inning. Dodgers winning Game 2 with a final score of five to one, level this best of seven series at one game apiece now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE ROBERTS, L.A. DODGERS' MANAGER: I love feeling that the starter is the best option to go six, seven, eight and what Yamamoto is doing in nine innings and he works really hard in his, you know, prep and his delivery and the mindset.

So for me, it is a lot of fun to root for a guy and you feel good about leaving a guy like that in.

(YOSHINOBU YAMAMOTO speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATOR: To be honest, I am not sure about the history, but I am very happy about what I did today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Yes, there are great story lines everywhere you look. And, you know, in sports, home advantage is so, so important. The World Series now shifting to L.A.

The majority of teams that have taken two-one lead at home in game three of this format have gone on to win it all.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh!

SNELL: So, I guess it is advantage, Dodgers.

WHITFIELD: Really?

SNELL: But definitely a case to watch this space. By the way, Game 3 Monday evening there in the City of Angels. So much to look forward to. I dare not pick a winner just yet.

WHITFIELD: Oh well, me either if you're not, I am not. But I love seeing all the smiles. A lot of smiles on the field.

SNELL: Great storylines everywhere you look. Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Patrick Snell, great to see you.

[15:50:02]

All right, incredible video from inside an operating room. Amazing to watch and listen to a woman playing the clarinet while undergoing brain surgery. That patient and her surgeon join me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(VIDEO CLIP OF PARKINSON PATIENT PLAYS CLARINET DURING BRAIN PROCEDURE)

[15:55:04]

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness! That music that you're hearing there is being played by a woman undergoing brain surgery to treat her Parkinson's disease.

Denise Bacon, a retired speech therapist, played her beloved clarinet there so that doctors could see and hear in real time the results. The four-hour procedure is called Deep Brain Stimulation, and it is performed on patients whose movement disorders like Parkinson's don't respond to treatment.

Denise Bacon and her neurosurgeon, Dr. Keyoumars Ashkan are with me right now. This is so extraordinary, Denise.

You first, how are you feeling?

DENISE BACON, A RETIRED SPEECH THERAPIST: I am feeling fine. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, wonderful. Can you describe for me some of the differences that you are feeling now post-surgery versus what you were experiencing beforehand?

BACON: Yes. So beforehand I was -- I had gotten to the point where it was really quite difficult to move. And I was freezing so I could be in the kitchen trying to cook a meal and standing at the worktop, but if I needed to turn around to get something out of the fridge or go to the other end of the room, my feet were stuck to the floor.

And since the operation, I can walk normally. I can walk through narrow gaps, which is difficult before and I don't freeze and I feel so much better. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Incredible. I mean, Dr. Ashkan, you're smiling as you're -- you know, hearing Denise talk about this, you know, so I mean, mission accomplished. What an incredible experience and procedure. So help break down for us what is Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery? What is this procedure all about?

DR. KEYOUMARS ASHKAN, NEUROSURGEON AT KING'S COLLEGE HOSPITAL: Good afternoon to you and to your audience.

Deep Brain Stimulation is an operation whereby we insert really fine electrodes in order of 1.2 millimeter in diameter deep inside the brain, in very specific targets, as we call nuclei inside the brain, which are responsible to modulate the various functions such as movement in Parkinson's disease. The idea is that by inserting these electrodes and by stimulating these nuclei, using essentially a battery generator very similar to a heart pacemaker, what we are doing, we are changing those abnormal brain networks that produce those symptoms of Parkinson's disease more towards normality. So it is an idea of neuromodulating abnormal networks back towards normality, essentially using electricity delivered deep inside the brain.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So Dr. Ashkan, there have been other brain surgeries that we've learned about over the years, you know done while patients were playing the guitar, trombone, violin and now, of course, the clarinet. And in these procedures, whether treating Parkinson's or removing tumors, you know, are patients anesthetized in a way where there is awareness but no pain at all?

ASHKAN: Well, absolutely. To be honest, what is very interesting about the brain is that brain itself has no sensation, so it cannot perceive pain in a way, it is very philosophical, the brain can feel for the rest of the body, but it has no feeling for itself.

So the painful part of opening the skin or drilling a hole inside the skull, so whether you're doing it for Deep Brain Stimulation or you're drilling really tiny holes inside the skull, or when you're trying to remove a tumor, as you quite rightly said.

About five or six years ago, I did the operation when one of my patients played the violin whilst I removed the brain tumor, and obviously, the opening there is much greater than what we did in Denise's case. But nonetheless, what we do, we provide, if you like a local anesthetic or sedation to do those parts which are painful, but the minute you get inside the brain where we need to actually test the patient, again, whether it is for movement disorders such as Denise's case or it was for, for example, more complex movements as it was for my previous patients, Dagmar Turner, who is a brain tumor we operated on awake whilst playing a violin.

For all of those functions, once we are inside the brain, the brain itself cannot -- does not have any feelings. As long as you numb the other components of the body, you can operate on the brain and map the brain without any issues or any pain.

WHITFIELD: Wow! I mean, that's extraordinary.

So, Denise, I wonder, you know, how did you select your music for this procedure? You know, what did you have in mind? Relaxation or challenge? What?

BACON: I didn't select the music. I was just playing sort of scales and going up and down different parts of the instrument. But I wasn't playing a tune because I haven't been able to play properly for five years. I had to leave the local band that I liked playing in because I was just not able to get enough pressure or to cover the holes properly with my fingers, so the clarinet would squeak or growl. So I didn't practice for years.

WHITFIELD: Okay, so it is one thing to, you know, be in that state and playing the scales. It is another to watch the video of the procedure. I mean, how does it match up? I mean, what is it like to be watching yourself in surgery and being able to play the scales and comprehend and do the exercises of your hands there, you know, with your doctors and your team working on you.

BACON: Yes, so I thankfully didn't know everything that they were doing. I knew they were putting in electrodes, and I certainly could hear the drill going through my skull. But, apart from that, I was aware that I was playing the clarinet and that it got better when they sort of put more stimulation on one side, it got better. You see that very clearly on the video.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful. Well, I mean, this is so extraordinary, so enlightening to hear the points of view of both of you and, of course, to put it all together and see the video, too. You're taking us into the operating room and recovery as well, all at once.

All right, Dr. Keyoumars Ashkan and Denise Bacon, thanks to both of you. All the best. And congratulations again.

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