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Trump Arrives in Kuala Lumpur, First Stop on His Asia Trip; U.S. Military Carries Out Strikes on Alleged Drug Vessels; Trump Warns Hamas to Return Hostage Bodies "Quickly"; Hurricane Melissa Intensifies in Caribbean, Now a Major Storm; Nonprofit Tracks Billion- Dollar Climate Disasters in U.S.; U.S. Ranchers Blast Trump's Plan to Import Argentine Beef. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired October 26, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:01:35]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

President Trump is overseeing the signing of a peace deal while in Malaysia. We'll look at what's on the agenda for the rest of his Asian tour.

Plus, the relationship between the U.S. and Venezuela growing even more tense. We'll examine why the Trump administration is sending more warships to the Caribbean. And Hurricane Melissa intensifying to a major storm overnight as Jamaica braces for impact.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: It is just after 5 p.m. in Malaysia, the first stop on President Trump's three-country visit to Asia. He arrived a short time ago in Kuala Lumpur for a summit with Southeast Asian leaders. From there, he heads to Japan on Monday for meetings with that country's emperor and new prime minister.

He wraps up his trip in South Korea where he's scheduled to hold a tightly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. A short time ago, he spoke with reporters about that meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: I think we're going to do well with China. I think we're going to have a deal with China. We meet, as you know, in South Korea with President Xi. I think we're going to have a good deal with China. They want to make a deal and we want to make a deal. We've agreed to meet. We're going to meet then later in China and we're going to meet in the U.S. in either Washington or at Mar-a- Lago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And just a couple of hours ago, the president signed a new trade agreement with Malaysia's prime minister. Earlier, he attended a signing ceremony for a peace declaration between Cambodia and Thailand. And that ceasefire came after Trump spoke to the leaders of the two countries.

CNN's Ivan Watson is live in Kuala Lumpur with more on the president's trip. So, Ivan, already a few announcements and events on the president's first stop. Take us through what we've seen so far.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think President Trump, Kim, he arrived in full deal-making mode. He's announced trade deals with Malaysia, with Cambodia, and attended this joint declaration peace deal, as he put it, between Thailand and Cambodia, which fought a deadly five-day border war back in July, which resulted in at least 35 people killed, some 200,000 people displaced until both sides, with U.S. and Malaysian mediation, agreed to a ceasefire at the end of July. They have furthered that with this signing ceremony here in Kuala Lumpur, which calls for the creation of an ASEAN observer team that would observe and verify other de- escalation measures along the long and contentious border between these two Southeast Asian kingdoms.

Some of these measures include demining and pulling back heavy weapons from the border. You'll recall that they were exchanging artillery fire, that the Thai F-16 fighter jets were carrying out airstrikes into Cambodia during this spasm of deadly violence.

We've gotten clarification from a Thai government official that the proposed release of some 18 Cambodian prisoners of war, soldiers that Thailand captured in the fighting, that Thailand would only really do that once it sees progress in these de-escalation measures.

[05:05:02]

So, that just goes to show that there's a long way to go for trust to be rebuilt between these two neighbors, despite the fact that you had this signing ceremony. There was another very interesting development in the last couple of hours, is that President Trump had a pull-aside meeting with the president, had this signing ceremony. There was another very interesting development in the last couple of hours, is that President Trump had a pull-aside meeting with the president of Brazil, President Inacio Lula da Silva.

Just at the beginning of August, Trump was angry at Brazil, imposed a 50% tariff on the country. He was angry at the prosecution of the former president, Jair Bolsonaro, who has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison after being convicted of staging a coup to overthrow the government. Trump didn't like that with his political ally and was punishing Brazil.

But now he's had his second meeting in two months with the current Brazilian president, and he was optimistic today, saying he thinks that there's the likelihood of some kind of a deal in the future between himself and President Lula. BRUNHUBER: Interesting development there, Ivan. And then let's look forward a little to the most important meeting that's still to come with Xi Jinping. What are we expecting there?

WATSON: Right. The leaders of the world's two largest economies, Xi Jinping and President Trump, currently embroiled in the latest round of a trade war. Well, you've had U.S. and Chinese delegations on the ground here in Kuala Lumpur all weekend. That's the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, the trade representative, Jamieson Greer, meeting with the Chinese vice premier, He Lifeng. And they've emerged from their talks with Bessent saying that, quote, "We have a very successful framework for the leaders to discuss in their anticipated meeting on Thursday in Korea." He said that both sides have discussed trade, rare earths, fentanyl, TikTok, and the overall relationship.

Now, on November 1st, Trump, very angry at Chinese export controls involving its near monopoly on rare earths. He announced he was going to impose a further 100 percent tariff on Chinese goods to the U.S. going into effect on November 1st. So, the list of disagreements between these two countries is significant.

Trump has ducked questions about the future of Taiwan, saying, acknowledging that things are complicated, that this is a complicated trip. And it's very clear when you've got the trade representatives meeting face to face and trying to hammer out agreements or some kind of common ground just days ahead of this highly anticipated possible face to face meeting between Xi and Trump in Korea on Thursday, the way the U.S. side is spinning it. It looks like things are headed in a good direction, but we're still waiting for official confirmation from Beijing that this face-to-face Xi-Trump meeting will, in fact, take place. We haven't seen it yet.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. All right. Great to get your reporting on the ground there. Ivan Watson live in Kuala Lumpur. Thanks so much.

President Trump says he's increasing tariffs on Canada by another 10 percent after the province of Ontario aired an anti-tariff commercial during the World Series. This comes after Ontario's premier spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and agreed to pause the ad campaign on U.S. TV by Monday. Trump had terminated trade talks with Canada, but Carney says his country is ready to resume them. The U.S. leader says he has no plans to meet Carney during the summit in Malaysia. Trump claims the commercial misrepresented a speech by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, which the province has denied.

The Trump administration is ramping up its military presence in the Caribbean as the president weighs launching strikes within Venezuela. The U.S. Navy ordered its most advanced carrier strike group, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to head from Europe to the region. The deployment marks a major escalation as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claims the U.S. is trying to drive him from power. CNN's Stefano Pozzebon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Tension in the Caribbean continues to build up. On Friday, three sources within the Donald Trump administration told CNN the president is considering authorizing operations against cocaine facilities and drug trafficking routes within Venezuelan territory, which would mark a dramatic escalation in the standoff that has lasted well over two months. However, according to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, Venezuela is not a major cocaine-producing country.

And those sources have also said that Donald Trump has not ruled out a diplomatic approach to the matter. The United States has so far conducted at least 10 strikes, killing at least 40 people, claiming that these people were drug traffickers. However, the White House is yet to present any conclusive proof to justify their action.

[05:10:09]

The campaign is widely seen across the region as an effort to oust the Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. On Friday, Maduro almost seemed to reference -- to make a reference to the MAGA base, to the Donald Trump base, pointing out that ending wars has long been a promise from the U.S. president.

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): They are inventing a new forever war. They promise to never again get involved in a war. And they are inventing a war that we will avoid.

POZZEBON: But those calls from Maduro appear to have fallen on deaf ears in Washington. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Defense announced it was moving the U.S. Gerald Ford aircraft carrier and its strike group from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean to add even more firepower to the situation. And CNN has learned the carrier should be in the position next week.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And for more on this, joining us now is Christopher Sabatini. He's a Senior Fellow for Latin America at Chatham House. Thank you so much for being here with us. I really appreciate it. So, all of these moves by the Trump administration are ostensibly to fight drug trafficking. Do you buy that explanation or is something else really going on here?

CHRISTOPHER SABATINI, SENIOR FELLOW FOR LATIN AMERICA, CHATHAM HOUSE: No, as your excellent report just said, according to UNODC and even drug enforcement agencies' own statistics, only about 5% of the cocaine that reaches the U.S. comes through Venezuela. Venezuela doesn't even produce cocaine. It actually is a trans-shipment point for cocaine coming from Colombia.

And it doesn't produce fentanyl, even though there have been numerous claims by the White House that it has taken out fentanyl boats. It doesn't come from Venezuela. It comes from Mexico.

What this really is about, Kim, is about an effort to take out the Maduro government. And he's trying to do it really by saber-rattling. This is not going to be an invasion, even with the ramped-up force that you mentioned of the Gerald Ford ship heading to the Caribbean. That's not going to be sufficient.

What he's really trying to do is try to encourage or frighten the inner circle around Nicolas Maduro to defect and remove the president and some of the top generals that have also been named as being narcotic terrorists or members of narcotics cartels and implement some form of a regime transition that could increase both cooperation on immigration as well as improve the human rights conditions inside Venezuela.

BRUNHUBER: All right. You say there won't be a U.S. invasion. Do you think there will be, though, strikes within Venezuela in some manner?

SABATINI: I think there will be. I mean, he's signaling clearly that there will be. At a certain point, he'll have to do that. Again, this is really sort of an effort at psyops, trying to frighten people. So, we don't know what he's going to hit. And quite frankly, because there is no cocaine produced in Venezuela, we don't know what he'll hit.

Perhaps landing strips. There are a number of landing strips that sort of take-off from Venezuela, from Colombia, land briefly in Venezuela and then continue the flight. Perhaps some ports. If he really wants to ramp this up, he could even try to take out and hit some military barracks to really try to rattle the military.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So, this is some form of gunboat diplomacy then. Trump tried to pressure Maduro in his first term to get rid of him. That didn't work. So, what makes anyone think that a more aggressive approach will succeed this time?

SABATINI: I think, quite frankly, I think it's optimism. There's a number of people, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who talked to members of the opposition. The opposition for a very long time, decades even, has been claiming that a defection from the military is imminent. But it's never been produced.

And the first term that you mentioned, that effort to create an interim government under Juan Guaido, countries would swing their relations to that interim government and promote some sort of change. That was also premised on the idea that the military would defect and support Juan Guaido and turn away from Nicolas Maduro. That hasn't happened.

And in this case now, it's particularly problematic, because even the Trump administration admits this is a government that is deeply embedded in all sorts of illicit activities. Narcotics trafficking, illicit gold, money laundering, human trafficking. How deeply this government would have to change to make it a really viable democratic transition that promotes the sort of cooperation with the U.S. that the U.S. wants is unclear. And quite frankly, it could lead to even greater violence.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's the fear. I mean, President Trump has said he's not going to ask Congress for a declaration of war, that he's going to keep just, you know, killing drug traffickers. What do you make of the lack of pushback in Congress? Essentially, they've been giving him a blank check so far.

SABATINI: Supposedly, behind closed doors, a number of Republicans are quite uncomfortable with this, because basically, it's the executive steamrolling the Congress' constitutional right to be able to declare war. And he is engaging.

[05:15:10]

Now, 40 people, as your report mentioned, have been killed. Alleged drug traffickers, we don't even know the evidence. And if he starts to strike land targets, we know that there will be casualties, whether they're military or civilians. It's unclear.

So, I mean, the Democrats are clearly on this. We've seen a number of defections from the Republicans right now. Rand Paul, for example, is very critical of this, but also from Trump's own MAGA base. And you heard Nicolas Maduro, who's no expert on U.S. politics, but he is correct. Laura Loomer, who's very critical of this. And even Steve Bannon are now beginning to say this isn't really what we bargained for when people voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and again in 2024.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, really great to get your expertise on this developing story that has so many regional repercussions. Christopher Sabatini, thank you so much.

SABATINI: Thank you, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Hurricane Melissa is now a Category 4 storm, and forecasters warn it could intensify into a rare Category 5 hurricane by Monday as it moves slowly over some of the world's hottest ocean water. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Melissa could bring more than 40 inches of total rainfall to portions of Jamaica and Hispaniola. Hurricane warnings are already in effect for all of Jamaica, the likely epicenter for Melissa's heavy rain, flooding, high winds and storm surge. Preparations are underway in the island nation for what could be the strongest hurricane to ever make landfall, and residents say they're worried about what's to come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANE THOMPSON, KINGSTON RESIDENT: When it moving slowly, it's not the right thing. It's the worst, because no one knows what's next. You understand? Me and my god have no problem. I asked him this morning to see if he can turn back the storm. Because no matter what, we cannot manage it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Last hour, I spoke with Michael Taylor in Kingston, Jamaica, and he's a professor of climate science and dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of West Indies. I asked him what stands out about this storm and why it's being watched so closely. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MICHAEL TAYLOR, CLIMATE SCIENCE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES: For especially small islands, a slow-moving hurricane like this one is really more than a weather event. It's what I would call some kind of psychological marathon. Our country has really been on alert for this storm for nearly a week.

So, schools have been closed, businesses have been half opened, families have been hunkered down and huddled, and all of this as a storm keeps changing course, stalling, moving really, really slowly. And that kind of uncertainty really is wearing people down. And so every new forecast kind of resets the anxiety levels.

When this system finally hits, the population is already going to be emotionally exhausted, and afterwards, of course, we'll have to deal with the kind of loss and trauma from the impact of a super storm. It's kind of teaching us some things, that resilience has to really be about not just stronger buildings, but also supporting no kind of mental resilience of citizens before, during, and after these kinds of prolonged crises.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I mean, it's important to highlight that human lived experience of this storm, but, you know, to take advantage of your expertise looking at this scientifically, what stands out to you about this storm? Why is it being watched so closely?

TAYLOR: Well, I think, you know, Melissa is now reflecting what we call the new character of storms in our warming era, in our global warming era. There are some things that stand out, of course. The sea surface temperatures are one to two degrees above average.

With this, it is feeling what we would call rapid intensification. So, when I went to bed, you know, it was a storm, and it has now gone in a day to a Category 3. And over the next day, it's expected to hit us as a Category 5.

And then, of course, the storm has slowed to a crawl, which means heavy rain is going to sit over our country for days. And so, we're forecasting 35, 40 inches of rainfall, which is catastrophic rainfall. And that's even before talking about the wind strength.

So, all of these kinds of behaviors put together have been, you know, the kind of warning as scientists, we have been saying, will be common as the region warms. And so, even before we see the full extent of Melissa, it is very much agreeing with what the science says a storm in the new climate era will look like.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: President Trump has a new warning for Hamas as administration officials push to get Phase 2 of the ceasefire deal in Gaza. We'll get the latest in a live report. Plus, Russia launches a deadly new aerial barrage on the Ukrainian capital. We'll hear what Ukraine's leader says could help fend off the deadly strikes. Stay with us.

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[05:23:45]

BRUNHUBER: Israel carried out a strike in Gaza just hours after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrapped up his trip to the region. The Israeli military says it was targeting a Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant who was planning an imminent attack. Health officials say four people were injured in the Saturday strike in central Gaza. Meanwhile, Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv to call for the return of the remaining deceased hostages. Among those in the crowd was Ruby Chen, father of hostage Itay Chen, whose body is still in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBY CHEN, FATHER OF ITAY CHEN, ISRAELI HOSTAGE IN GAZA: My family met Secretary Rubio again today. I think this is the fifth time that we met him since he entered office. We wanted to make sure that he and the team focused on the fact that there are still 13 hostages, including two U.S. citizens, one of them being my son. We got the reassurance that we were looking for from the secretary that they understand that the job is not done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Donald Trump is demanding that Hamas quickly hand over the remaining hostages, warning that he's watching very closely over the next 48 hours.

Joining me live from Abu Dhabi is CNN's Paula Hancocks. And Paula, let's start there with the latest efforts to recover the remains of the hostages.

[05:25:01]

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, it certainly seems to be a focus of the U.S. president, at least by what he is saying publicly at this point. As you say, he is putting the pressure firmly on Hamas, saying that they need to do more in order to try and bring those bodies of the deceased hostages home.

Now, he was asked about it on board Air Force One as he was heading to Asia just after he had a refueling stop in Qatar and met the emir and the prime minister there to discuss the Gaza peace plan. And he said that some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now. And for some reason, they are not.

So, giving some understanding and leeway to Hamas, that it is a huge task to try and find some of these deceased, but also echoing Israel's line that they believe that Hamas knows where some of these bodies are and is simply not returning them.

Now, we have heard in the past from Hamas saying that they need specialized equipment to be able to locate some of these bodies. And we've also heard now from two Israeli security officials that they have approved an Egyptian team to go into Gaza, an Egyptian team with know-how, with the equipment to be able to locate some of these bodies. We don't have a definitive timing on that at this point.

But as you say, we have also seen these rallies in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv continue, significant crowds coming out to push for all of the hostages to be released. Fifteen of 28 bodies have been handed back to Israel at this point. And there is a concerted attempt and pressure being put on by both U.S. and Israel to secure the release of all of the hostages.

Now, the U.S. president was also asked if this ceasefire fails, who will be to blame? And he says, quote, "It would be on Hamas, saying that they would have a very, very big problem." He was also asked about this international stabilization force, which is expected to go into Gaza, to keep the peace in Gaza in that power vacuum as the Israeli military will pull out and as Hamas is intended to disarm, and Hamas, the Gaza Strip, to be demilitarized. And he said that he thinks this stabilization force could be sorted out pretty quickly, saying that they are picking the leaders right now.

Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right, I appreciate that update. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi. Thanks so much.

Ukraine says overnight Russian attacks on Kyiv have left at least three people dead and dozens wounded, including six children. Drones struck several high-rises across the capital. One strike ignited a fire at a nine-story residential building where 13 people were rescued from the upper floors.

Now, this comes a day after Ukraine reported four deaths in a previous air assault. It prompted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to renew calls for U.S.-made Patriot missile defense systems. President Trump has been pressing for a peace deal between both sides, but there's been little progress so far. He says he doesn't plan to meet Russia's leader until a deal seems achievable.

All right, still ahead, we'll bring you the latest updates on Hurricane Melissa and tell you how Jamaicans are preparing for the potentially historic storm.

Plus, a nonprofit is now responsible for tracking billion-dollar extreme weather disasters in the U.S., and it's likely more catastrophes will be added to the database before the year ends. Those stories and more coming up. Please stay with us.

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[05:31:55]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Let's check some of today's top stories.

Donald Trump is in Kuala Lumpur at this hour. It's the first stop on his trip to Asia. A short time ago, he signed a new trade agreement with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. In the coming days, he'll travel to Japan and South Korea and will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The U.S. is bolstering its firepower in the Caribbean, deploying its most advanced carrier strike group, the USS Gerald Ford, to the region. It's a major escalation in the standoff between the U.S. and Venezuela. With the country's president, Nicolas Maduro, accuses the U.S. of trying to force him from power.

Jamaica is bracing for what could be the strongest ever hurricane to make landfall on the island nation. Hurricane Melissa is now a major category four storm, and forecasters warn it could intensify into a rare category five before hitting Jamaica late Monday.

Our meteorologist Derek Van Dam is there in Jamaica and has the latest from Kingston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Jamaica is facing the strongest landfalling hurricane in modern record keeping to ever strike this island nation, 2012 was the last hurricane landfall, but 1988, Gilbert, was the last major hurricane, and that devastated the economy in Jamaica for decades.

Now, it's a test of their modern infrastructure as it's a race against time to clear up what is a man-made gully. This gully goes as far as the eye can see into those distant mountains. That is where it will rain the heaviest, and that water will funnel down into this area. This gully, in effect, basically splits Kingston in half. If this fails, the potential here could be devastating for this community. There are people who live along the banks of this gully. If the water overflows, that's a problem. If the debris hits this bridge, this major thoroughfare in Kingston, that's also an issue.

So, that is the test of the infrastructure that they are facing now, but this slow-moving storm is going to cause a triple threat. We're talking months' worth of rain in a matter of days. Hurricane-force winds that will be prolonged for several days as well. Mudslides, landslides, and storm surge could effectively impact transportation. The airport here in Kingston, for instance.

So, it is a race against time, maybe a futile effort. We have seen people just driving around Kingston. We've seen people boarding up their homes, but largely, people taking this as business as usual, carrying on with their day-to-day lives. Maybe that's the problem. They're not prepared, or they don't know what's coming their way. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam, Kingston, Jamaica.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well, 2025 has already seen some of the most expensive natural disasters in the U.S. in the last four decades, and will likely see more by the year's end. That's according to Climate Central's billion-dollar weather and climate disasters database. It tracks the financial costs of property and other infrastructure destroyed by extreme weather events. The non-profit recently relaunched the database after the Trump administration retired it in May.

[05:35:08]

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had been tracking the data since 1980. Proponents say that without the database, the public wouldn't have any easy way to track the cost of extreme weather events.

Joining us now from Asheville, North Carolina, is Adam Smith, the previous administrator of the database at NOAA, and he's now Senior Climate Impact Scientist at Climate Central.

Thanks so much for being here with us. Really appreciate it. So, as I mentioned, you spent years running this database before the administration retired it. Were you surprised? What was your reaction when they did that?

ADAM SMITH, SENIOR CLIMATE IMPACT SCIENTIST, CLIMATE CENTRAL: Hi, good morning. Yes, it was a bit of a surprise that a gold standard, really important database and project had limited days ahead of it. And we've heard from so many people in the months that this -- they're so happy that we're bringing it back.

Local decision makers, emergency managers, the insurance industry, academia, even Congress has called for this database to come back. So, we're just very happy that Climate Central, who's an excellent weather and climate product communicator and leader in the field, has stepped up to help us continue the research.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. And I'm struck by the fact that you are in Asheville right now, a community that was devastated by floods, very expensive as well, all the damage that was caused. So, the community, they're all too aware of the costs of huge storms like this. So, why is this information so critical for people making real world decisions about, you know, where to live and how to prepare?

SMITH: Yeah, this billion-dollar disaster database is really vital in helping to communicate real world consequences of weather and climate extremes and the impact of how climate change is influencing some of those extremes into billion-dollar disasters, but also how we build and how we rebuild after disaster important. But either way you look at it, it comes down to human decision making about what we learn and how we apply what we learn to the future to make us more resilient.

BRUNHUBER: All right. And just, you know, the numbers for just the first half of 2025 were just staggering. I think it was more than one hundred billion dollars in losses. I mean, what jumps out at you the most when you look at those figures compared to, you know, previous years? Because the data goes back so far.

SMITH: Yeah, well, in fact, four of the five most costly years on record have all happened since twenty seventeen. Twenty seventeen was the year that Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, just like Hurricane Harvey hit Houston. And we hope the same doesn't happen with Hurricane Melissa hitting Jamaica. But yeah, really what jumps out the first six months, the most costly on record in the United States, more than one hundred billion dollars. The L.A. wildfires really started it off and then severe convective storm season in the springtime elevated it. Thankfully, the United States has been just fortunate. We haven't had a landfall in hurricane yet. But again, it comes down to preparedness, learning from the data. You can't manage what you don't measure. And it comes back to the database. You need to really keep something like this going to inform many different decision makers at all levels.

BRUNHUBER: We talk about climate change often on this program when we talk about these, you know, huge storms. Many people might assume that climate change is the main driver behind these rising costs. But there are other factors that might actually play an even bigger role. Explain that for us.

SMITH: Yeah, so it depends on which hazard type, which disaster type you're looking at. It really comes down to the combination of our exposure, our built environment. A lot of people like to build in harm's way, whether it's the wild and urban interface or along the coast or in a floodplain.

And also how much concentration of these properties are in harm's way. That's the vulnerability component. But then climate change elevates the energy in the atmosphere and the ocean, which goes into some of these extremes and makes them more frequent or more intense. They pack a bigger punch and therefore have a bigger impact on lives and livelihoods.

So, having this information and being better prepared based on this information is really critical for all of us moving forward as we still live in a 20th century infrastructure in a 21st century climate.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I wrote down what you said. You can't manage what you can't measure. I mean, this database seems like exactly the kind of public service the federal government should be providing. Do you think NOAA will ever bring it back in-house or is this basically the new reality that you'll be managing this going forward?

SMITH: I think in the near term, certainly this is what -- this is the best-case scenario to keep it going, to move and -- move it forward with our team. I do think that this something of this scope and magnitude does have a role and a place in the federal government at some point. But that's -- that's down the road. I think the continuity of the information is paramount at this point.

BRUNHUBER: All right, I really appreciate getting your expertise on this, Adam Smith. Thank you so much.

SMITH: Thank you.

[05:40:03]

BRUNHUBER: We're following -- excuse me -- breaking news from France. Police have reportedly arrested two suspects as part of the Louvre heist investigation, according to CNN affiliate BFM TV one of the men was detained at Charles de Gaulle Airport preparing to board a flight to Algeria.

Now, in the brazen seven-minute heist, thieves made off with items worth over $100 million dollars. We'll have more information as soon as it becomes available.

All right, still to come, a once solid constituency for the U.S. president may be souring on him as he pursues a beef import deal. We'll look at why U.S. cattle ranchers are criticizing President Trump, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. government shutdown is extending at least into this week as Republicans and Democrats appear deadlocked over funding. The next Senate votes are expected tomorrow, which will be day 27 of the shutdown. It's causing disruption at airports across the country. Saturday saw the largest number of staffing concerns among air traffic controllers since the shutdown began. The Federal Aviation Administration listed 21 official notices of understaffing at air traffic control facilities from New York to Oakland.

U.S. cattle ranchers are speaking out against President Trump after he signaled support for lowering beef prices by importing cattle from Argentina. Some farmers are calling the move a betrayal of the American rancher. CNN's Rafael Romo has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The price of beef has increased in the United States nearly 15 percent according to year-to-year data. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price hike is fueled by multiple factors, including a recent multiyear drought that decreased the amount of grazing land for cattle and made feed grains significantly more expensive, resulting in a shortage of cattle, one agricultural economist told CNN.

[05:45:00]

President Donald Trump's plan solution for high prices is importing more low tariff beef from Argentina, quadrupling the current 20,000 metric ton quota to 80,000 per year. The move has angered cattle ranchers who fear this is going to create chaos without affecting grocery prices, according to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the president can help consumers and protect ranchers at the same time.

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: President loves our ranchers and he also loves American consumers, and he wants to do right by both. So, the immediate solution to the problem of the rising cost of beef, the president wants to bring that down as we have to increase our supply. And so that's what he's doing with respect to these imports.

ROMO: Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One last week, Trump dismissed claims that an influx of cheaper beef from Argentina is going to affect American cattle ranchers. DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT: The only price we have that's high is beef, and we'll get that down. And one of the things we're thinking about doing is beef from Argentina.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, but my question is, what do you have to say to U.S. farmers who feel that the deal is benefiting Argentina more than it is them?

TRUMP: Look, Argentina is fighting for its life, young lady. You don't know anything about it.

ROMO: But many cattle ranchers count on higher prices to help balance out lean years and say the move is, quote, "a betrayal of the American rancher." As a cattle farmer from Illinois told us, it's a feeling echoed by a cattle sales manager in Montana.

TY THOMPSON, CATTLE SALE MANAGER, BILLINGS LIVESTOCK & AUCTION YARDS: What is his problem with higher priced beef? Because consumers have a choice in proteins. There's chicken, there's pork, there's all different proteins. Consumers have choose to buy beef. President Trump ran on being a free market guy. So, what he was saying last week goes totally against what he ran on.

ROMO: In a statement to CNN, Montana Senator Tim Sheehy said that Montana ranchers have made clear they will oppose any plan to flood the American market with foreign beef. Empowering hardworking ranchers who feed America and lowering prices for American families at the grocery store are not mutually exclusive. The Department of Agriculture recently unveiled a plan to help cattle ranchers that, among other things, would grant them access to more federal land for grazing.

Rafael Romo, CNN Atlanta.

BRUNHUBER: And earlier, CNN spoke to the president of the U.S. Cattlemen's Association, Justin Tupper, about this recent proposal. And here's what he had to say.

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JUSTIN TUPPER, PRESIDENT, U.S. CATTLEMEN'S ASSOCIATION: We disagree with the bringing in more imports from Argentina. We know that we already do import some beef from there, but we don't think this is the right course. We also would like to visit with the administration about beef being too high. We don't think that maybe beef is too high at this point. You know, a pound of hamburger is about $5.50 cents. That's what some people pay for their lattes in the morning or $3 dollars for a candy bar. The nutritional value of beef for the value that you pay is pretty high.

So, we just think this is probably not the best course at this time. I think farmers and ranchers especially are very happy when the government is not in our business. We like to go about our business in a free market way. The cattle market especially has worked in a free market system from top to bottom. We count on competition. We think that all these direct imports from other countries can have a very negative effect on what we produce here. There's a lot of loopholes in the product of the USA label. Right now, they can bring in beef from other countries and repackage it and call it product to the USA.

And those are things here at U.S. Cattlemen and the ranchers that I talk to, we would much like to see worked on. I don't know anything about what happens in Argentina, but I do know that the American ranchers work really hard to produce a really high-quality product for the consumers. And we want to continue to do that. And so, I think that there's better ways we can work on some of these things.

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BRUNHUBER: And in Argentina itself, polls open less than two hours from now for midterm elections that are seen as a test of President Javier Milei's economic policies. Figures close to his government have faced allegations of fraud and corruption in recent weeks. And the governor of Buenos Aires province is looking to gain strength as a leading opposition figure. The election will set the balance of power in Congress and give an indication of the stability of Mille's government.

All right. Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, zoo animals get into the Halloween spirit one pumpkin at a time. And let's just say they're not afraid to get a little messy, as you can see there. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Programming note now, Elex Michaelson is launching his new show. The story is this week right here on CNN. You can watch it at 9 p.m. Monday in Los Angeles or on Tuesday at 5 a.m. in London, noon in Hong Kong. And his first guest is California Governor Gavin Newsom.

As trick or treaters gear up for Halloween, zoos are making sure their animals are getting the chance to join in on the festivities. Some are turning pumpkins into toys, treats and the occasional mess.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has the story.

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's trick or treat time at zoos and animal sanctuaries around the world, and pumpkins are the prize snack. The gourds are downed in one big gulp by these hippos at the San Antonio Zoo. But it's a slow crush at the Oregon Zoo, with elephants using their powerful feet to crack open the pumpkins. It was part of an annual event called, "The Squishing of the Squash." It attracts visitors to the zoo each year. The donated pumpkins can weigh hundreds of kilograms.

Too much for eight-month-old Tula-Tu, who prefer to show off some tricks rather than eat or treat. Bears at a sanctuary in Kosovo also enjoyed their seasonal eats, but they had to work for their meals. Sanctuary workers say that they hit the pumpkins so that the bears could forage for food the way they would in the wild.

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TAULANT HOXHA, SANCTUARY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Now, it's autumn, the season of chestnuts and pumpkins. But at the same time, we've also decorated these pumpkins to match the Halloween celebration atmosphere. So, the idea is to make it interesting for the animals and to make them more active. You can see how they run after the fresh pumpkins, their seeds and the fresh chestnuts.

SANDOVAL: Visitors say with a delight to watch the bears getting a taste of the season.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very lucky to have come today because we saw the bears, having the special ceremony with the pumpkins.

We really liked what we saw, we loved the landscape, we loved the bears.

SANDOVAL: No costumes, nothing scary, just full-bellied fun and the hopes of bigger pumpkins to come maybe next year for little Tula-Tu in Oregon.

Polo Sandoval, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: Now, the Los Angeles Dodgers have rebounded after Friday's lopsided loss to beat the Toronto Blue Jays in game two of the World Series. The National League team beat the American Leaguers in a dramatic pitcher's duel. L.A. starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a complete game holding the Jays to just one run. Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman also sent many Dodgers back to the dugout but it wasn't enough. L.A. catcher Will Smith broke a stalemate in the seventh inning putting the Dodgers in front of the go-ahead home run. Final score, Dodgers 5 to 1. The series is now tied one each and heads to California on Monday.

All right, that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. To our viewers in North America, "CNN This Morning" is next, for the rest of the world, it's "Tech for Good."

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