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Connect the World
Monster Storm Likely to Cause Severe Floods, Landslides; Conditions Worser as Monster Storm Nears Landfall in Jamaica; Trump, Takaichi Sign Deals on Rare Earth Minerals, Trade; Amazon Cuts 14,000 Jobs in Layoff Driven by AI; U.N. Agency: Melissa will be Jamaica's "Storm of the Century"; Jamaica Braces for Direct Hit from Category Five Hurricane. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired October 28, 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]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Jamaica braising for catastrophes as Hurricane Melissa closes in. It is 08:00 a.m. in Kingston, 09:00 a.m.
here in New York. I'm Erica Hill. This is "Connect the World".
Also ahead, we'll tell you where that category five storm is at this hour and just how soon it could make landfall. Plus, a strong alliance,
President Trump reaffirming ties with a long-standing ally as he meets Japan's newly elected leader. And CNN tracking down one of the men who says
he held Journalist Austin Tice captive in Syria. Clarissa Ward joining us with those details of her investigation a bit later in the show.
The stock market here in New York set to open about 30 minutes from now. We are looking at a slightly higher open as you see there from the Futures
following Monday's rally. Investors during Monday's session, cheering the cooling trade tensions between the U.S. and China.
This hour, our focus is the strongest storm on the planet this year as it bears down on Jamaica. Hurricane Melissa getting ever closer to making
landfall. It's expected to hit the Jamaican Coast at a full Category Five strength. Conditions are deteriorating, as you would expect by the minute.
The bands of heavy rain and wind lashing the island as that eye wall approaches. Hundreds of shelters are open. Only a fraction of them,
however, are being used. Officials tell us they hope that's because people had time to repair and are sheltering in place. And those concerns, of
course, mounting, because this is only going to get worse throughout the day as this monster storm makes its way over land.
The U.N.'s Weather Agency says it will be the strongest storm to hit Jamaica this century. And the predictions here are that the impact itself
will be catastrophic. We heard a short time ago from Matthew Samuda, he's Jamaica's Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change speaking to Adi
Cornish from Falmouth on the island's North Coast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW SAMUDA, JAMAICAN MINISTER OF WATER, ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE: Let's not romanticize this, right? This is 175 mile an hour sustained
winds, a 17-foot storm surge and 30 to 40 inches of rainfall in parts of the country. There will be flooding and there will be infrastructure
damage.
We have 70 percent of our population living within five kilometers of the sea in generally low-lying, low-lying areas, so the risk of flood is
extreme. We have issued evacuation warnings and notices for some communities that we believe are at particular risk.
But as you said, the risks were water infrastructure our energy grid, and our telecom is, infrastructure is also extreme. Now we've been meeting with
stakeholders in the sector from the very beginning of the hurricane season. We would have had a very bad hit last year from Hurricane Beryl.
Nothing like what we're expecting in this particular case, but we've done a lot of preparations and a lot of infrastructure work to harden for
infrastructure over the course of the last year. So certainly, in the Southwest of the Island, where the eye is expected to make landfall, much
of the infrastructure, not much, but some of the infrastructure has been laid on the ground to reduce wind impact.
Our telecoms have purchased significant generator backup for their cell sites to be able to keep going during and post the storm, certainly within
the water -- in the water distribution network, we've also purchased and engaged private suppliers of generators to be used in times of crisis.
We've also increased our fleet of water trucks to be able to respond during crisis while the water systems are gone. But even with that level of
preparation, as I mentioned, this is sort of the strongest storm on the planet, and could be the strongest hurricane we've ever faced.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is also in the Jamaican Capital, and he spoke a short time ago with Sarah Seidner.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We are in Kingston. We're awaiting the unthinkable here in Jamaica. We are waiting for the inevitable landfall of
this monster, slow, agonizing crawl, Hurricane Melissa, Category Five. And just want to give a bit of a scene set for you here.
The mountains behind me, the Blue Mountains in Kingston, they tower over 7000 feet. I'm going to get low here because this is water runoff on the
roadways, but it's inevitably going to come from those mountains and funnel down into the city streets, and this is just a drop in the bucket of the
communities.
That will be impacted by rising flood waters, especially near the coast when the storm surge right on that right quadrant of the hurricane comes in
to be two opposing forces working together.
[09:05:00]
The surge from the Caribbean Ocean and the inland flooding meeting together in the ocean and the water just rising right along the coastline in the
most vulnerable areas of the south facing shores of Jamaica.
So, I just want to show you hear some of the scene in Kingston. There are a lot of unfinished construction buildings. And we've been seeing the sheet
metal swaying back and forth as the wind picks up. We're often hearing the ominous noise of that hum. If you've been in a hurricane, you've probably
heard it before.
The sheet metal kind of hums as it vibrates, and those are the initial signs that the storm is picking up in intensity here. And we know it is. We
see it on the satellite. We know what's coming. But this is the stuff that can become deadly missiles in the height of a storm, and with these
catastrophic winds that will make landfall, any unfinished construction, sheet metal, rebar has the potential to really cause serious damage.
That's why the National Weather Service warns of this complete structural failure, catastrophic wind damage, isolating communities for days. But when
we talk about Kingston, I want to harp on the mountain ranges here, because this is what makes it so vulnerable that water will rush down to the
communities below. Flash flooding, landslides and mudslides are potential across this entire country.
There are so many vulnerable areas, but the western side of the country, this is where we anticipate that inevitable landfall of the world's
strongest storm to form in 2025. We are awaiting, praying, hoping for the best.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Tannecia Stephenson is a Climate Science Professor at the University of the West Indies, and talked a bit earlier from the Kingston from
Jamaica's Capital, with my colleague Brian Abel about her biggest concerns in this moment. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TANNECIA STEPHENSON, CLIMATE SCIENCE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES: The speed at which this system is moving, as you have already
noted, will give time for more rainfall accumulation, and that is increasing our risk for more floods, more landslide and it is a slow
movement more than anything, and the damage that it could do that creates some concern.
BRIAN ABEL, CNN NEWSOURCE NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Give us a sense of the preparation Tannecia, that the island has done ahead of landfall. We know
there's the evacuation order has that been heated?
STEPHENSON: To some degree. So, we have over 800 shelters that have been open, and this is the advisory that we have received through briefings that
our government has been facilitating. They do indicate that of that over 800 shelters available, 133 are being accessed.
So yes, there is some movement to access these facilities, but at the moment, the uptake is not as great as one would anticipate. And we're
hoping because persons have done their preparations and feel that they are better able to ride out this storm.
ABLE: Given the infrastructure of the island and what's to come there, what you are about to experience. Has there been conversations among Jamaicans
about life after this storm, how different it may be?
STEPHENSON: There has been conversation, particularly from policy levels where we have -- we have heard some of the plans that are already in place
post the storm. So, we would hear of water pumping stations that have alternative power available so that should we lose power knockoff systems
will go down.
We hear of additional lines men across the region that our Jamaica Public Service has engaged, and so they are already positioning for recovery
efforts and rebuilding efforts. So, from the policy level, from a government planning and coordination level, we have heard of those plans.
As a country yes, we do consider what life will be post this event. But right now, we are also just trying to ride this out. We have been waiting a
number of days for this storm to arrive so that there's that anxiety that presence have also been experiencing. But we're hoping for the best and
anticipate we will rebound, well as a country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Well, as people are preparing for this storm, I want to bring you back to the Capital, to Kingston, Mateo Avalle Piber is joining us now, who
lives in Kingston. Mateo, appreciate you taking the time to be with us so you have decided to hunker down and stay home.
[09:10:00]
Where is your house situated? Is it higher up?
MATEO AVALLE PIBER, KINGSTON RESIDENT: Yes, my house is closer to the mountains of Kingston. So, if you -- it's about 10 kilometers, give or take
from the ocean.
HILL: So, the decision to stay. Do you believe that this is a better location for you than one of the number of shelters we've heard so much
about that have been established?
PIBER: Yes, we do believe so, because our house was built for this kind of storm in mind. And as well, since we are further away from the coast, we
should be better sheltered from storm surge and other such things. So, we thought that we better shelter place than coldest shelter -- sheltering
place.
HILL: You seem very calm in this moment, I have to say, looking at the pictures, looking at the size of the storm and just how slow moving it is,
knowing how long and could sit in one place, does that -- does that give you pause?
PIBER: I mean, yeah, we are a little bit nervous, like my cat is panicking in -- over in the corner. But we are -- we -- but we are prepared. I think
many other Jamaicans, I'm not Jamaican personally, but I think Jamaicans do feel prepared for the storm as much as you can be for a storm of this scale
and size. So, we don't feel that nervous, because we know what's coming and we know we're ready.
HILL: How much? How has the communication been for you from both local and national officials? Do you feel that they are getting the information out
well to residents?
PIBER: Yes, very well. They have a constant live stream that I keep seeing on social media, speaking to the citizens about information the storm, any
constant updates. And for those more vulnerable communities, there have been evacuation orders in place. We haven't received any, but they are
there.
HILL: Have you ever been through a large hurricane?
PIBER: Me, personally, my family no. Last year there was Hurricane Beryl, but me and my family were out of the country at the time. And I was
thinking we had luck, because for the first hurricane, a Category Five is a big one.
HILL: Yeah, it certainly is. I would agree with you on that. I know you and your family have made a number of preparations. Do you -- have you thought
about how many days you may be in your home? Is that -- is that part of what you're taking into account?
PIBER: Yes, it is. We have made sure we have sufficient water for at least a week. And we're actually not really cool, but we're making sure that we
have the amount of food cooked and ready in case the power goes out. And yeah, we want to make sure that we are ready in case after the storm,
supermarkets remain closed, and other sessions.
HILL: What are -- what are people saying around you, your neighbors or friends, even in terms of how they're preparing? How they're feeling about
this moment?
PIBER: I mean, I have a lot. One of my Jamaican friends has been telling me about, like, how I should be best prepared for this kind of storm, and
basically consoling me a little bit, because I know that I was bit nervous when it started. But people are in high spirits like that, so that was very
surprised.
People are making jokes and that kind of thing even, but they're resilient. So, I think that people are communicating, making sure that everyone's
ready for the storm and a good sense of community over here.
HILL: If you had to evacuate, I know you said that your home, you feel like, is built in many ways to withstand a massive storm. You're higher up
in the mountains. If you did need to evacuate somewhere, is there a safe evacuation route for you?
PIBER: I mean, there is. There is supposed to be a safe evacuation route, especially with my mom's employer. We have evacuation plans in place. But
we hope it won't come down to that. So --
HILL: Yeah. We're looking at some video, actually, Mateo that we just -- that we were just able to bring up here that I believe you shot and shared
with us earlier. When did you take this video?
PIBER: So, I'm not -- I can't really see the video.
HILL: So, without driving around sort of a rainy street, it looks like it's, it's hard to tell if it's -- if it's dark during the daytime because
of storm clouds, or if it's maybe sort of turning into dusk.
PIBER: OK. Yeah, so that I took, we took that yesterday when we were driving around just because it was a bit calmer at that time, and that is
close to where I live. So, it's about we went around a kilometer in that area. And, yeah, there are many potholes, so as you can see in the video,
and the rain was starting to come down.
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. All right well, Patrick, Patrick, sorry, I'm thinking of we're going to my colleague in just a moment in Cuba, whose
name is Patrick. My apologies. Mateo, thank you for joining us. Thanks for saying us that snapchat and please stay in touch with us and let us know
how you and your family are doing.
PIBER: Thank you. Great.
[09:15:00]
HILL: Well, of course, we have been focused here on Jamaica, but it is not the only island nation that is in the path of this storm. Tens of thousands
of people in Cuba have already been evacuated ahead of Melissa's arrival there. A hurricane warning is already in effect for Cuba.
Forecasters do expect Melissa to move north and to make landfall on the island nation in the coming hours. As promised my colleague Patrick Oppmann
joining us now, following the storm for us from Santiago De Cuba. So, Patrick, in terms of the conditions right now, what are you -- what are you
seeing -- it looks fairly calm behind you. We know, of course, that's not going to last.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, it's not, don't -- don't be fooled for a second, because it's going to get worse and worse, probably into a
point, you know, in about 12 hours, I don't think I'll be able to stand out here. I think we'll have to hunker down.
And, you know, yesterday we saw lots of people out Santiago, shopping, buying food, getting ready, as much as people of an impoverished island
like this can. Today it's a ghost town. People are very concerned. The news gets worse and worse. The storm gets stronger and stronger.
And so, you've seen people securing items on the roof, because they are very concerned that those items, they could be tiles, it could be chairs,
it could be water tanks. Could go flying off and essentially become shrapnel in the low-lying coastal communities around us.
We saw government going out and evacuating people, probably hundreds of thousands of people, at this point, not getting them out of the storm's
path, because there's no way to get out of the storm's path at this point, but getting them away from areas that could have storm surge could be
flooded in the mountains behind me, the Sierra Maestra Mountains, very concerned about the massive rainfall that can just wipe away whole
communities, or at least make it impossible to get to those communities for days.
So, at this point, Cubans are very experienced with storms. They know storms, and they say they've been dealing with this their entire lives,
safe to say, though few of any people on this island have ever seen a Hurricane like Melissa before.
HILL: Absolutely. You talk through some of those preparations that are being made, including the evacuations. But you know, it stood out to me,
too, Patrick, when you noted this is, of course, an impoverished Island, we've heard so much from officials in Jamaica about changes that have been
made in terms of infrastructure and preparations.
That is far more difficult when we are talking about Cuba. I mean, how much is there a concern when we talk about the realities of the after the water
infrastructure, the electricity, which you know, as I know from you, is difficult on a daily basis without a storm here?
OPPMANN: Absolutely. I mean, the power is out in this part of the island about half the time, and so you hear our generator right now. We haven't
had any storm damage. That's just a regular blackout. So, you know, that's how we're able to continue to broadcast, because we brought a generator
with us.
Most people don't have that luxury. And they will go days, perhaps weeks, with little to no power. It's going to be a rough ride in Cubans. I've
already had it so bad the last several years. Your heart just goes out to people. And yet, you know, I was here when Hurricane Sandy came through
Santiago de Cuba, and it devastated this city.
It looked like a bomb had been dropped. There was only a category two, which, of course, can cause a lot of damage. You talk about a category
five, and, you know, I've covered them before, I see what they can do. And you just look around, and your mind immediately goes to thinking that house
isn't going to make it, that house is not going to withstand the kinds of winds that a Category Five, the massive strength of a Category Five storm.
So, it is very, very concerning for people who are not able to go into shelters, who are running out in their homes, perhaps. And you just wonder
what they are going to do when we are in the midst of the storm, and perhaps they regret to -- regret having stayed in their homes and not
seeking shelter or higher ground.
HILL: Yeah, it is so true and incredibly sobering. I know you will, as you always do, but you and your team stay safe. Patrick we will continue to
check in with you. Thank you. In nearby Haiti, there is a tropical storm warning in effect, as well as Melissa approaches that Caribbean Country.
We also know at least three people in Haiti have already died as a result of the storm. And the massive hurricane, of course, is going to be
battering a nation that is also struggling. Haiti struggling with dire economic conditions, political instability and violence, conditions that a
number of residents fear could actually result in more lives lost, given the additional challenges for Haiti when it comes to managing the
potentially catastrophic conditions.
Still to come here on "Connect the World" U.S. and Japanese Leaders heaping praise on one another as they meet for the first time. What this could mean
for the future of U.S. Japanese relations.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:20:00]
HILL: A day of mutual praise and deal making in Japan for the second leg of U.S. President Donald Trump's three nation tour of Asia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: To say this, the first female prime minister in the history of Japan. Madam Prime Minister,
please say a few words.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: President Trump there introducing Sanae Takaichi as he addressed U.S. troops aboard the USS George Washington at a Naval Base outside of Tokyo.
Earlier the two leaders signed agreements on trade and critical rare earth minerals ahead of Mr. Trump's expected meeting later this week with Chinese
President Xi Jinping. That is likely to happen on Thursday in South Korea.
CNN's Hanako Montgomery is joining us now live from Tokyo with more. We expected that there to be some mutual praise and admiration, certainly what
we saw, but also some diplomacy, some deals being announced too.
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erica, you're absolutely right, and we saw a lot of that praise, a lot of that pageantry, really,
throughout the entire day on Tuesday. It started off with a bilateral summit between Trump and Takaichi.
And again, we heard a lot of praise coming from both leaders just reaffirming the strong U.S. Japan alliance, both of them talking about
wanting to take the U.S. Japan relationship to new heights and really go to a golden age of this new alliance.
Now also Erica, I think you just saw there, but Trump and Takaichi were aboard the USS George Washington earlier on Tuesday, where they again
addressed troops with one another. Takaichi actually went on stage with Trump. And again, you heard Trump complimenting the new Japanese Prime
Minister.
And before I kind of go on, I do want to point out here that Takaichi actually rode on Trump's helicopter Marine One with Trump to Yokosuka Naval
Base. And just that fact alone is pretty astounding. It's pretty rare for a Foreign Leader to join Trump aboard a helicopter, so it really just goes to
show how close the two leaders have gotten in such a short amount of time.
Now, again at USS George Washington, we heard Trump praising Takaichi, commending her for being the first female Japanese Prime Minister. I want
you to listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: This woman is a winner. I have such respect for Japan and the country, and now I have a really great respect for the new and incredible
prime minister. I have to say this, the first female prime minister.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MONTGOMERY: Now, of course, there was a lot of pomp and pageantry. But also, I do think Erica there was purpose. As you mentioned, they did sign
rare critical earths deal between the two of them, saying that they were committed to working with one another to secure a more stable supply chain,
especially in the face of China and its near monopoly on rare earths.
And also, we did see with Takaichi, she was able to really build that personal rapport with Japan's most important ally, the United States. And
she was also able to indicate to Trump that the Japan he knew during his first term, when the Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the
Premier, is back.
And that Japan is a more conservative, a harder line and more unapologetically right-wing Japan. Takaichi is a known defense hawk.
[09:25:00]
She is staunchly conservative and has talked multiple times about wanting to boost Japan Japan's defense spending. And again, before Trump actually
came to Japan, she did mention that she mentioned the goal of boosting defense spending, which, of course, is music to Trump's ears, given that he
has pushed for U.S. allies to boost their spending for many, many years.
Now, also Erica, throughout the day, they did talk about other business deals that the two countries were going to commit to. At a working dinner
with other Japanese business leaders, Trump mentioned that there was going to be a $490 billion investment deal, and we're hearing from different
Japanese companies like Hitachi, for example, also different car companies and also more investment and technology companies that are willing to
commit to developing more in the United States.
So again, just showing that, of course, lots of pomp, lots of praise, but also it does seem that the two are willing to come together at such a
critical time in the Indo-Pacific region, and really strengthen their alliance under this leadership where many of the policies they see eye to
eye on, Erica.
HILL: Hanako Montgomery with the latest first from Tokyo. Hanako, thank you. Well, for more than a decade, the mystery of American Journalist
Austin Tice has haunted U.S. officials and his family. The Former U.S. Marine was reporting from Syria in 2012 when he suddenly disappeared.
Now new witnesses are emerging since the fall of Syria's Assad Regime last December, and CNN managed to track down one of the men who says he held
Tice captive. CNN's Clarissa Ward joins us now with her exclusive reporting.
And more of what you learned on what may have happened to Austin Tice, it is such important and critical reporting. Clarissa, so many different
accounts. What did you learn when you were able to track down one of these key individuals?
CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, we actually tracked down a number of people who were involved in Austin's kidnapping.
And I should be very straightforward out the gate and say that this story was personal for me Erica.
Austin was a good friend of mine, and I've been very involved in looking for him for all these years. And now finally, we're able to hear from
people with direct knowledge of what happened to him. We interviewed a general who was with Syria's external intelligence branch who was brought
in to interrogate Austin because he spoke fluent English on a number of occasions.
We also managed to visit the compound, the facility where Austin was held for at least a month or two of his detention. And you can take a look at a
short clip we want to play for you that shows the place where he was held back in 2012 Erica.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WARD (voice-over): We managed to get into the compound where Safwan says he interrogated Austin at the time, under the control of Assad's Republican
Guard. It was never a formal prison, the perfect place to hide a high value captive.
WARD: It could be this look. So, we know that he was held in a cell in this spot. Obviously, it's all been refurbished, so it's hard to match the
descriptions exactly, but one thing particularly that Safwan talked about was this high window. You can imagine he just spent days and days in here
plotting how he was going to escape.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: Holding Austin captive is called Bassam Al Hassan. He was a very senior advisor to President Bashar Al Assad, and he has subsequently left
the country and is in Beirut, in Lebanon, where he has cooperated with a number of interrogations with the FBI, who are trying to ascertain what
happened to Austin.
We actually managed to track down Bassam Al Hassan in an apartment building in an upscale suburb of Beirut. We confronted him, wearing hidden cameras,
and he explained to us that, as he had told the FBI, Austin is dead, that President Bashar Al Assad himself ordered Austin's execution.
That he Bassam Al Hassan then passed on that order to a subordinate, and that it was carried out sometime in 2013. It's important to underscore that
we also know from other sources that Bassam Al Hassan failed a polygraph test given to him by the FBI. But nonetheless, this is giving us the
clearest picture we have had yet of what happened to Austin Tice, a journalist, my friend who has been missing now, Erica for 13 years.
[09:30:00]
HILL: It is really something. And I would encourage Clarissa, everybody to log on to cnn.com to watch your full piece as you go through all of this.
It is so moving, and it is so important, and I'm really glad that we were able to bring at least a small part of it to our viewers in this moment.
Clarissa, thank you.
Before we leave you, it is 09:30 on the dot here in New York, time for the opening bell on Wall Street. Ringing the bell today we were supposed to, I
believe see Andrew Ross Sorkin, but that is the NASDAQ, not the New York Stock Exchange. So, he is over at the NYSC.
He, of course, is the author of the new book 1929 live shot there for you, though of the NASDAQ as trading, of course, gets underway here in New York
City.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Welcome back, and thanks for joining me. I'm Erica Hill in for Becky Anderson. You're watching "Connect the World". These are your headlines.
Hurricane Melissa picking up speed as the center of the storm approaches Jamaica. Landfall is imminent. But remember, this is a very slow-moving
storm.
Melissa has maintained this category five strength for a full day at this point. The U.N.'s Weather Agency predicting a catastrophic situation. In
their first face-to-face, meeting U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan's newly elected prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, praising one another on
Tuesday. They also signed important deals for trade and rare earth minerals. The Prime Minister touting which he called the new golden age of
the U.S. Japanese alliance.
Israel is accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement amid a growing dispute over the bodies of deceased hostages. An official says the
latest remains handed over on Monday night do not belong to any of the 13 missing hostages whose remains have not yet been returned. Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu is set to convene a meeting today to decide how to respond?
Massive cuts at Amazon, 14,000 jobs and a warning that there will be more cuts to come as artificial intelligence starts to displace people. In a
memo to employees, the tech giant says it expects to continue hiring in strategic areas, but notes it will be finding additional places to remove
layers, increase ownership and realize efficiency gains.
CNN Senior Reporter Matt Egan is live in New York. Lots of corporate speak there, Matt, but the reality is AI is going to have an incredible impact on
top of already these 14,000 job cuts that we learned about today.
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yeah, Erica, it's easy to see how these mass layoffs are going to just amplify those existing fears over AI wiping out
jobs. So, as you mentioned, Amazon saying that they're going to lay off 14,000 employees in the corporate function there. That's about 4 percent of
their corporate headcount.
[09:35:00]
And Amazon signaling that they're not nearly done, right, saying that yes, they're going to invest in some areas next year, but they're also going to
look for additional places to cut jobs.
Now, Amazon says that it's doing this as part of a broader effort to reduce bureaucracy and remove layers and make sure that they're investing in the
right places. Now, in some ways, this can be looked at as a course correction after a COVID era hiring binge at Amazon, right?
They were adding headcount dramatically, even before COVID. And then they went from 800,000 employees in 2019, to 1.3 million in 2020, up to 1.6
million the year after that. And so now they're looking for places to cut back. But obviously the other big factor here is artificial intelligence.
Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy, he said back in June that the company views AI as a once in a lifetime technology. And he flat out admitted that as the company
adopts AI, they're going to need fewer workers in some areas. Now it's unclear exactly how many of these 14,000 layoffs are related to Amazon
adopting AI?
But clearly that is the subtext here. And the company did address AI in this early morning memo to employees, where an executive said, what we need
to remember is that the world is changing quickly. This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we've seen since the internet, and it's
enabling companies to innovate faster than ever before.
And the Amazon executive went on to say that the company is convinced it must be organized more leanly and with fewer layers. So, I read that as AI
saying its current and future rivals, they're going to have fewer people because of AI. And so, Amazon has to adapt here as well.
And now Erica one of the questions I have is, how are other companies going to respond to this, right? Other companies that are reading about Amazon
laying off 14,000 corporate workers in part because of AI. Is this going to inspire other companies to consider doing the same? Back to you.
HILL: It's an important question, and I'm sure a lot of employees also wondering that across several different sectors. Matt, appreciate it. Thank
you.
EGAN: Thanks.
HILL: We're now nearly a month into the U.S. government shutdown, and an ominous deadline is just around the corner. If a deal is not made before
Saturday, more than 40 million people across the country will lose access to critical SNAP benefits. That's the food assistance program in the United
States.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress continue to blame one another for the stalemate. Republicans have been pushing for a short-term measure to reopen
the government for a few weeks. Democrats are standing firm on their demand for an extension of health care subsidies. First, they want that guaranteed
to before they would agree and agree to such a plan.
And caught in the middle of all of this, of course, the many government employees, some of whom are still required to report for work but aren't
getting paid. And the millions of families, as I just noted, more than 40 million people depend on these SNAP benefits, what used to be known as food
stamps. Now, one Republican Senator is calling on her colleagues to stay in Washington and get a deal done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): It just kind of feels like business as usual, and yet it is so not business as usual. We're pretending that everything is
OK. We're pretending that people are not being impacted by this shutdown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: The government shutdown has left part of Arizona with no representation in Congress. We talked to you a bit about this story.
Adelita Grijalva won a special election in September. Now, more than a month later, she still has yet to be sworn in. She's locked out of certain
federal systems, including email, until this shutdown ends. She recently spoke with CNN Steve Contorno.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Voters here elected Democrat Adelita Grijalva over a month ago to replace her late father, but
they're still waiting for their voice in Washington.
CONTORNO: What is it like not having representative at this moment?
DOUG HAYDEN, DEMOCRATIC VOTER: It's frustrating because it's something that should be just a given, and for them to kind of hold us hostage to get
what's going on. It's political baloney.
CONTORNO (voice-over): Arizona, seventh district spans 300 miles of desert along the U.S. Mexico border. It's home to an Air Force range, a major
university and a large Veterans Hospital.
CONTORNO: It's the middle of the day, and we're walking up on what is the Tucson District Office a black ribbon for the late congressman, but the
office is closed, and actually there's a sign saying to contact the Senators instead.
Grijalva says she thinks Republicans are stalling her swearing in because she would be the final House member needed to push for a floor vote to
release the Epstein files.
[09:40:00]
HAYDEN: If Donald is innocent, why wouldn't he want them totally out?
CONTORNO (voice-over): Republican Daniel Butierez lost to Grijalva in the September special election and said he would have also voted to release the
files.
DANIEL BUTIEREZ, FORMER REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I just think that's just a talking point.
CONTORNO (voice-over): He argued the district hasn't had representation for the past two years, noting the hundreds of votes Grijalva's Father missed
while undergoing cancer treatments.
BUTIEREZ: The fact is, Grijalva was physically incapable of representing Arizona, and he should have stepped down. He didn't. So why didn't anybody
care?
CONTORNO (voice-over): Then machine shop owner and Republican voter Jerry Ward said the lack of representation doesn't concern him, yet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not going to have much of a voice I don't think under Grijalva as a Republican. But you know, she definitely needs to get
her seat, and if she be, if she's patient, it will happen.
CONTORNO (voice-over): But it's not just about politics. Some say they no longer have access to the help they need.
RACHEL WILSON, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: Here I am paying taxes to the federal government. Not only is it closed, but I don't have a representative
either.
CONTORNO (voice-over): Rachel Wilson is an Immigration Attorney who typically contacts the Congressional office weekly for federal assistance.
We listened as she tried calling the local district office. It went to voicemail. She then called the DC office. Please call her Tucson office.
CONTRORNO: We just tried calling it to Tucson office.
WILSON: Yeah. And the thing is, I mean, we can -- our Senators are helpful as well, but they don't know our district like the Grijalvas do.
CONTORNO (voice-over): Grijalva has an office in Washington, but she says she lacks resources to help constituents back home. Only in recent days did
she get a government email instead relying on less secure technology,
ADELITA GRIJALVA, U.S. HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT, ARIZONA: We're using text and signal Google Chat.
CONTORNO (voice-over): Speaker Mike Johnson says he'll swear her in when the House comes back in session and reopens the government. Until then, she
can't vote, and she says she needs to be escorted around certain parts of Capitol Hill.
GRIJALVA: I am basically a tourist with an office in D.C.
CONTORNO (voice-over): Steve Contorno, CNN, Tucson, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Still ahead on "Connect the World" we are live in Jamaica as a category five hurricane moves in on the island nation and the region
forecasters warning this is the strongest storm on the planet so far this year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
HILL: Jamaica's hurricane preparation is being put to the test right now. Melissa, of course, is still a category five hurricane after reaching that
status on Monday. Take a look at the view from space. This is the storm, of course, it has been there in the Caribbean for nearly a week. Incredibly
slow moving. The outer bands of Melissa are now lashing Jamaica with winds of 281 kilometers an hour.
Coastal areas of the island under mandatory evacuation orders. The powerful storm is already responsible for a handful of deaths across several islands
in Kingston, Jamaica. CNN's Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is there monitoring the storm, the preparations ahead of it as well Derek looks fairly calm in
the moment. We know, of course, that will not last.
DAM: No, certainly not Erica. The worst of the catastrophic winds will be felt about 100 miles, 75 to 100 miles to our west, roughly 150 kilometers
to our west. So, but we will most certainly, in the nation's capital here of Kingston, feel a large impact from the storm, from flash flooding.
We will get hurricane force winds quite likely as the core of the storm approaches. I mean, you could feel the winds just and hear them pick up
behind us. I want to tell you about a special update that we were just given from the National Hurricane Center, a special advisory.
They only do this when they have pertinent information to dish out in between their regular scheduled advisories. This storm has dropped in
pressure to 896 millibars, making this one of the strongest in terms of central pressure ever recorded in the entire Atlantic basin. The current
winds are 180 miles per hour.
We're talking 290 kilometers per hour. That makes it one of the strongest storms to ever form in the Atlantic Basin in terms of wind speeds. So,
we're going to break records as the storm makes landfall, a historic generational, generational event for Jamaica as it makes landfall just west
of Kingston.
You know, we talk about the strength of hurricanes often in categories, right? That's the Safar Simpson Scale. It's a measure of destruction to the
wind, potential destruction, Cat 1 to Cat 5. This is certainly a high-end Cat 5. And what we're working with here, the reality is that this is some
of the upper echelon of what nature can actually produce.
It is in rare territory, rare air, we like to say, because there haven't been many storms that have been able to achieve what Melissa has
unfortunately achieved just prior to landfall. I'm going to take you around really quick, because, you know, there's not a lot of rain here in Kingston
right now, but the mountains, that's a whole other story.
We get that what's called Orographical Uplift the mountains help produce the rainfall. And that will stream down into the communities that are most
vulnerable below, the ones that sit at the coastline and here throughout Kingston and through the communities across Jamaica, but they're doing
everything they can to mitigate the impacts.
This is just one example of some of the work that is done. Those are sandbags boarded up across that that door there to not allow water to go
inside of this building, because obviously water is terrible. So, I want to talk about where the storm will likely make landfall.
If you're looking at a map of Jamaica right now, for instance, Kingston more centered on the right-hand side, or the eastern side of Jamaica. The
western side is where we anticipate landfall. It's called the St. Elizabeth Parish. There's 14 Parishes within Jamaica. There are Mandeville within
that region, separate parish, there's treasure beach.
These are the areas where we believe could be ground zero for this cat five landfall. And that is the concern, because that's the bread basket of
Jamaica. That is where a lot of agriculture happens. Last year, there was Hurricane Beryl that moved through. Wasn't even a direct hit, and it caused
an economic disaster for the farming industry there.
So now we're facing a direct hit from a cat five, a high-end cat five in that same area. So, two storms back-to-back years in a sensitive area will
have economic impacts after the storm, not to mention the devastation that this will bring Erica. There's just a full gamut of threats
here, really.
HILL: Absolutely, there in Jamaica, and of course, as we know too, across the region, it is really going to be something in the days and the months
after Derek appreciate it. There is still much more to come as our coverage continues here on "Connect the World". Stay with us. We're going to fit in
a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:50:00]
HILL: We continue to follow our top story that, of course, is Jamaica bracing for a direct hit from Hurricane Melissa. This is the strongest
storm of the year on record at this point. It's just hours away from making landfall on the island's southwest coast. The outer bands, though already
lashing parts of Jamaica at this hour.
And authorities are warning about an extreme risk of flooding in some coastal areas; people have been ordered to evacuate. One of the biggest
concerns at this moment is just how slow moving the storm is, which could increase the chances of life-threatening conditions.
Evan Thompson, the Principal Director of Jamaica's Meteorological Service, joined CNN a short time ago from Kingston, and spoke about the island and
how it has really yet to deal with a hurricane of this caliber.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVAN THOMPSON, PRINCIPAL DIRECTOR, METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE OF JAMAICA: We've really never experienced a category five hurricane. Some persons will
remember a storm in 1951 that was Charlie, and that one was a hurricane, but it didn't -- it most likely, was about a category three based on the
data that we've been seeing.
And then in more recent memory, 1988 we had Hurricane Gilbert that I'm sure many of our viewers and listeners would remember. And in that case, it
moved from east to west, right across the country. But again, it was a major category three hurricane.
Since then, we've had Sandy in 2012 which was a category one. We've had other systems at category four, but moving the center of them, moving off
the coastline. And so, we were really experiencing like the outer bands from these systems.
But in this case, we're seeing a major category five hurricane that's likely to be moving right across the country from south to north. This is
something that we've never experienced. And so, no one knows exactly what to expect at this time, and that's really the biggest challenge that we've
never experienced, the category five hurricane.
We've only seen them on CNN and other places. But, you know, we really are wondering just exactly how bad it will be and whether we can really get
through this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do want to ask you, because you've got the coastal areas, but you also have the mountainous bits of Jamaica. What are your
concerns about both of those areas? Because, like you said, this storm is going to completely cover Jamaica, and there are dangers even in the
mountainous areas. What can you tell us about what may happen there?
THOMPSON: Yes. Well, over in the hilly areas, we are really focused on the kind of landslides that we could be experiencing in those areas. Of course,
we've been having quite a bit of rainfall since the beginning of or since about the middle of October, for the past two three weeks.
[09:55:00]
And so, when we hear about this additional rainfall, that's going to be extreme. And you know what could cause excessive flooding right across the
country. We also think about the kind of landslides that we're likely to experience, because we are accustomed to experiencing landslides whenever
the soil is saturated, when there's loosening of the soil, and so in this case, we do expect that in hilly areas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Also, we are following, of course, the events in Asia linked to President Trump's trip there and tour of three nations, meeting earlier
today in Japan with Japan's newly elected Prime Minister. He was gifted the President of the United States said has gifted a putter from assassinated
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
President Trump and Abe shared love of golf helped the two forge close ties during Mr. Trump's first term. Mr. Trump has described Abe as one of my
best friends. Japan's Prime Minister Sanai Takaichi, also gifting Mr. Trump a golf bag signed by Japanese Golf Star Hideki Matayama. Stay with us.
"Connect the World" continues with much more ahead at the top of the hour, right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
