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Erin Burnett Outfront

"Storm Of The Century" Strikes, Plows Through Homes, Hospitals; White House Fires Panel That would Advise Trump On Construction Projects; CNN Investigates American Journalist's Capture & Is Told "Austin Is Dead". Aired 7-8p ET

Aired October 28, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:27]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next:

Breaking news, a monster storm Hurricane Melissa slamming into Jamaica's coast with winds of 185 miles an hour. Jamaica pummeled, the storm now headed to Cuba. We're live on the ground tonight.

And more breaking news this hour. Trump has just fired all six members of the agency expected to review his construction projects. And by that, yes, I mean, the same agency that would have had, say, over his new ballroom.

And a major breakthrough in the case of missing American journalist Austin Tice. Our Clarissa Ward tracks down the man who held Tice hostage, and a spokesperson for the Tice family is my guest.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

(MUSIC)

BURNETT: And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking Hurricane Melissa, making a direct and catastrophic blow to Jamaica, winds of 185 miles an hour. Melissa plowing into Jamaica. One of the strongest hurricanes on record, certainly, the strongest to ever hit that island.

And according to early reports, as the storm is still lashing Jamaica, nothing has been spared. We have -- just even in what we can tell. And that's limited with the situation there, extensive damage to hospitals and schools as the eye of the storm came ashore. The sheer power was shredding roofs, uprooting trees and up in the mountains.

It is feared that the winds and the rushing floodwaters have destroyed countless homes. One veteran storm chaser saying that the wind gusts sounded like bombs going off.

And we'll show you some video here. This is really stunning. This just shows what it's been like for those caught in the center of this storm. Wind whipped rain and debris making it almost impossible in this case to see beyond the covering of the gas station that you're looking at right there. Six hours of this, and the threat is still far from over because the

storm, while the winds within it are 185 miles an hour, as the storm is moving incredibly slowly, you can walk faster.

And right now, the island has widespread power outages, roads, bridges, impassable and because the route of the storm was so unknown until just before it was coming in and they were closing airports, they didn't know the route. So, there are 25,000 tourists stuck on Jamaica trying to get home.

Jamaican officials are also telling residents to watch out for crocodiles now in the flood waters. And, you know, just the beginning of what is going to be so much.

And all eyes now are on Cuba. Conditions there are deteriorating by the minute as the outer edge of the storm approaching there. Officials say it will soon no longer be safe to be outside.

And what makes all of this so terrifying, as I mentioned, is the speed with which it is traveling. The crawl across the Caribbean right now about eight miles an hour, so it's got tons of time to get as it goes off Jamaica, feed off that warm water and refuel. So much to get to as we are covering this, including storm chasers who have been riding this storm out.

I want to begin with Derek Van Dam in Kingston, Jamaica, where he has been throughout this storm.

And, Derek, tell me about it. I mean, obviously you can see the wind behind you where you are. How bad have things gotten?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Erin, the country of Jamaica, the infrastructure here has taken a scathing, scathing hit from this powerful mega storm. We're in Kingston, the capital city. What we have noticed is very minimal damage within the capital city.

But we know what is unfolded just to the west of here. The fact that we're getting buffeted by constant winds nearing hurricane force and the hurricane is well over 150 miles from here, gives you an idea of that huge wind field and that that went through this entire country. And we know that the worst of it was over the western parts.

Look, I want to show you something. This is where -- we're in a safe area. Look at this power line directly above us. It's difficult to see, but it's teetering back and forth. And I'm looking at another power pole here that's sparking as the salt water from the Caribbean Ocean, which is just about, lets say, maybe 100 yards over to the right, continues to splash up the Kingston waterfront is still getting buffeted by incredible waves.

I was taking some video earlier of the waves crashing up and over the seawall.

[19:05:01]

When we talk about the infrastructure and the recovery, that is going to have to be done, it's hard to fathom what this country is going to have to do to actually get through this situation. ATMs, the ones that we have visited, have no cash. Gas stations are closed.

There is no doubt in my mind, Erin, that petrol and gasoline will become an important commodity, as will food and water, and getting supplies to the hardest hit areas is going to be incredibly challenging with the infrastructure and the debilitating impacts from the mudslides and landslides that are ongoing in the mountains, as we speak.

BURNETT: Yeah. So important what you say, right? I mean, fuel people might expect, but to think about ATM machines already being empty.

And, Derek, even as you're standing there, I mean, this has been going on for over 12 hours where you are, we're talking about now they're saying in Cuba, soon it will be two stormy to even go out because of Melissa's approach.

But it is not even done yet where you are.

VAN DAM: Yeah, I think it's important for people to understand that this long duration event, it is not over. It is not time to go out and, you know, investigate the damage or go even check on loved ones because we're still in the height of the storm, especially on the northwestern portions, the northwestern coastline of Jamaica, where conditions are still extremely intense.

Where we are, it's manageable enough to stand. But earlier today, I was basically at a 45 degree leaning into the wind as we were getting buffeted by these bands of very heavy, heavy precipitation. And trust me, Erin, if it's raining this heavily here at the sea level, you can only imagine what's happening in the mountains behind me. That tower, over 7,000 feet. Those isolated communities are most likely cut off from any available help that could even get there.

We're going to venture out tomorrow to see what we can find, but it's going to be a challenge to get around this country. It's going to be even more of a challenge to get aid to the areas that are hit the hardest.

BURNETT: Derek, thank you very much, in Kingston, where you have been throughout this storm.

Jonathan Petramala is OUTFRONT now, weather journalist and documentarian in Kingston, Jamaica tonight.

And we're looking at some of the video, Jonathan, that you took of this storm with the, the rain literally whipping sideways in that wind. You can see those poles sideways. The cars, some of them almost completely submerged.

You have, of course, been through many hurricanes before, but this one, 185-mile an hour winds with a storm that is literally crawling as it advances. How does it compare?

JONATHAN PETRAMALA, STORM CHASER; JOURNALIST IN JAMAICA DURING HURRICANE: What makes it so difficult, Erin, is the fact that we just don't know. We don't know the exact extent.

Of course, some videos, and photos have been shared by folks who are in the most affected areas. Places like Black River, but it's really hard to understand a storm until you're sitting there or you're standing exactly where it came ashore. And I can tell you just from past experiences, especially even here in the Caribbean, just last summer with Hurricane Beryl, a storm that came right over the top of where we were, it ripped the hotels roof right over off our heads, and the next day everything was different.

The whole island. Lives were changed for years and generations. This is a storm that people will be talking about for -- to their grandkids and their grandkids' grandkids.

So just like they've been talking about Gilbert or Charlie in the past here in Jamaica, Melissa is certainly going to be a storm they're going to be talking about. And again, at this moment, we just don't know the exact extent. We can clearly understand what that storm can do with the wind speeds.

It's one of the strongest hurricanes ever. And the rain, the rain was just incredible. Amount of rain that was falling in the flash flooding. That's going to add to the complications and the aid that really, really needs to rush into the western part of Jamaica as quickly as possible.

BURNETT: And, you know, and just to think about the vacuum that we're in right now of knowing that the damage is terrible and not knowing exactly what it is, right, that vacuum, that pit in your stomach that you feel when you look at, you know, more videos that you had of the debris on the roads just to show the obvious impossibility. That is going to be the case in the mountains, of which there obviously are several ranges in Jamaica.

The infrastructure severely compromised. How bad do you expect the damage to be when you think about something, you know, like what happened in Puerto Rico, right? When it took months for power to come back in some areas.

PETRAMALA: You got to imagine the force of some of these winds and the gusts that were measured in this hurricane would equal what would be an EF-5 tornado. And you can imagine the force of that EF-5 tornado. We just had our first one, in 13 years, or a little bit longer than that, in the Dakotas.

And it tossed a train car several hundred yards out into a field. And so that's how they were able to measure the force of that tornado.

[19:10:03]

And that's the kind of wind speed were talking about in that really tight core, that Hurricane Melissa had.

It wasn't a big core. It wasn't a very wide eye and a very wide path of the most significant winds. But what that was what that had in it was absolutely devastating. And wherever that crossed, it is hard to imagine many structures were

able to survive the winds that came with Melissa. And then also in that part of the coast in Jamaica, its low lying. And this storm certainly did bring with it a lot of water as well, with storm surge.

And most hurricanes, water is the most devastating aspect of a storm. And it is what kills the most people. And all the hurricanes you cover, whether it's from rain or from storm surge. So, it's going to be a really, really bad situation.

And that's why it is so critical for folks here that the government hopefully, and volunteers to get out as quickly as possible, clear those roadways of the trees, of the power lines of mudslides. In some cases, I'm sure, because of the terrain, to get that aid in there as quickly as possible, because you never know if people lose their shelter, then they lose their supplies as well.

BURNETT: Jonathan, thank you very much. I appreciate your time in Kingston.

And Peter and Dahlia Kong are with us now. They are stuck in Jamaica. They were visiting there from the United States.

Appreciate so much both of you being with us. And we were talking about how just, you know, when the track of the storm was unknown, there really was almost no time that you would have had to make a decision if you did want to leave.

And so you've been there through the storm. Peter, I know you grew up in Jamaica. You're there with your two children who I understand are five and 13. So you've got a little one there. You have other family there.

I mean, how scary has this been?

PETER KONG, AMERICAN STUCK IN JAMAICA DURING HURRICANE MELISSA: It's been very scary, especially just the weight leading up to it because of how slow it was moving. Like just the weight to know that something catastrophic might be coming and just taking so slow. And you know, we got a bunch of little babies with us. We got five kids under five. So, we were very, very scared about, you know, the little ones.

BURNETT: I can only imagine how terrifying that must be. I mean, to five under five. And I know you've got -- you've got your 5-year-old.

Dahlia, you shared some video of the winds as it was just picking up outside your hotel where you've had to ride this out. I mean, what has it been like for you to, you know, you go down there to visit. It's a vacation of sorts. And then here you are weathering 185 mile an hour winds with your children.

DAHLIA KONG, AMERICAN STUCK IN JAMAICA DURING HURRICANE MELISSA: It was definitely an emotional rollercoaster for sure. Just imagining the possibilities alone was something that was so concerning. And so, at this point, I do have a sense of relief. Of course, I'm thinking of all the other people that were affected, you know, much worse than we were. But it's a sigh of relief for sure, because during that those times, it was such a time, a period of uncertainty. So we're truly grateful at this time.

BURNETT: Peter, you know this in a way, as not just as a tourist, right? I mean, but living there. I mean, I know you lived in Jamaica until you were 13, and you've got a lot of family who are still there.

So when we're talking about just how long this is going to take to recover from and the suffering that people are going to go through, the fact that lives can change for a generation in just a moment of this storm this is real for you. It's personal, you know. What are you most afraid of?

P. KONG: So, the aftermath is usually where the worst, the worst of the worst comes out of people, especially being in a hotel. You know, where there's a lot of tourists. When food becomes scarce, you know, the people are, you know, sad to say, the people are the ones that I watch out for the most.

But my family right now, you know, we know they're safe. They don't have power right now, but we know they're good. So that -- that's a blessing in -- you know, we weathered it as best as we could, but people are people around us now is what we need to watch out for the most.

BURNETT: I can imagine just. I mean, the fear of that. Right? And people you don't know and suddenly you don't know about the food situation. We don't know when things will even be able to reopen and what that will even mean, Dahlia. Do you have any sense of when you might be able to go home?

D. KONG: Well, as of recently, we did get an email from the airlines saying that our flight that we have designated for Thursday is still going on, but they're not certain that we will be able to fly out then. So we're just keeping hopes up and hopefully, we'll be able to get out as soon as possible.

BURNETT: We'll be thinking of both of you and your family and your children. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to me.

[19:15:00]

D. KONG: Thank you.

P. KONG: Thank you.

BURNETT: And next, our breaking news coverage of this massive storm continues. Winds picking up in Jamaica, the storm now zeroing in on Cuba. We're going to take you back to the ground there next.

Plus, breaking news, Trump's new purge is just happening tonight. We are learning that Trump has just fired the entire commission that would review the plans for his construction projects, including his new ballroom.

And our Clarissa Ward with an incredible report tracking down the man who held American journalist Austin Tice captive in Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi. How are you? My name is Clarissa Ward. I'm a journalist for CNN. Can I ask you a couple of questions?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:20:14]

BURNETT: The breaking news conditions rapidly deteriorating in Jamaica. Things getting worse on the ground and the country reeling. Of course, in the midst of this strike by the category five Hurricane Melissa striking at 185 miles an hour for the winds.

Let's go back to Derek Van Dam. He is on the ground there in Jamaica.

And, Derek, you've been feeling these intense winds as you've had some pickup here in the past few minutes. Tell me what's happening.

VAN DAM: Yeah. Erin, you know, honestly, I think my team and I, we let our guard down for a second just kind of relax because the winds relax, that you kind of lose the adrenaline that comes with these intense hurricane bands that come through. But then when it picks up, it catches you off guard. And that's what we just encountered about four or five minutes ago.

I mean, it was so intense. The trees behind me started breaking off some of the palm limbs, but more concerning are these electrical wires here, which we are not going to get anywhere near. But what we started to see was the sparks near the tops of the electrical pole. I mean, you could see it swaying in the wind there. It's very challenging for you to see. But some of the sparks on top of that, meaning water and electricity, obviously don't mix.

But look, this is just a taste of what is happening across the country. And we're 200 miles away from the center of this storm. It's exited Jamaica. In terms of the eye, the most intense winds.

So if we're feeling this here in Kingston, far removed from the most catastrophic part of the storm, can you imagine what they experienced today and still are experiencing over the western half of this country? It is -- it's mindboggling.

They are -- they're going to need severely severe aids, assistance. Everything that they that that countries can offer to help Jamaica because I know how bad it is. We're feeling it and experiencing it at a smaller scale here in Kingston. But what's happening on the west side, it terrifies me.

Erin, it's hard to describe, but you can kind of get a picture of what we're dealing with. BURNETT: I mean, just this morning, we were looking at some of the

video, Derek, that you were referring to of the sparks coming out of that, that electric pole just around the corner from where you are. But when you talk about what's happening in the western part of Jamaica, obviously the communications there really are nonexistent at this point. Right?

VAN DAM: We just had a -- we just had a circuit breaker blow behind us now a minute ago that was behind the camera. Erin, I didn't catch your question, but, you know, it's the it's the infrastructure. We drove around looking for gasoline. Nonexistent. We're looking for cash. Nonexistent.

Luckily, we've stocked up on various provisions, but, you know, we're the lucky ones. We're the fortunate ones who could come to a storm like this prepared. What about the people who don't have these resources? What about the average Jamaican who's riding this out in the remote communities, in the high elevations of the mountains, over western, western parts of the country?

I'm fearful what we're going to see tomorrow morning when we get this first glimpse after what will undoubtedly be a terrifying night for the residents here. I know my heart is racing and we're okay. What about them?

BURNETT: Derek, thank you very much. On the ground in Kingston, we'll be going back to Derek as the storm obviously hitting the western part of Jamaica with such a fierceness.

And now as it is still hitting Jamaica, heading toward Cuba. Storm chaser Mike Boylan from Mike's Weather Page is with me now.

And, Mike, just for context, you have been through 15 major hurricanes. Nothing this powerful. How concerned are you about the devastation on the ground in Jamaica?

You heard what Derek's talking about. Just what he's seeing in Kingston, but talking about the western part of the country where at this point, we just literally don't know anything. There's just no communication.

MIKE BOYLAN, STORM CHASER, MIKE'S WEATHER PAGE: Yeah, that's something I was thinking about reading a lot of the comments online. There's a lot of, you know, people want answers like what's going on. But what I've seen with these bigger hurricanes, it takes a lot of time, you know, and you might think everything's okay because you don't see a lot, but that's usually the opposite.

As mentioned, there's no communication. These areas are probably really devastated. It's going to take time to see the extent. But when you look at the powerfulness of this storm world record you know, almost pressure reading for the Atlantic -- I mean, you know, it's going to be one of the worst ever.

[19:25:02] I mean, you added that elevation a lot of folks haven't talked about. Those winds are magnified with those higher terrains. It's just awful. I have an email here. I stayed in touch with a friend of mine I met, and he lives on -- he's a native. And this is -- these are his words. He said, in short, the southwest side is being erased.

To coin my friend. This is wicked. I'm 63 and I've never seen anything like this in my lifetime. We're going to need a lot of help.

So that's kind of what might be going on.

BURNETT: What a word.

BOYLAN: That was his words.

BURNETT: Yeah, goosebumps. No, it gives you goosebumps to hear it. I mean, you look at the models, you talk about the pressure ratings in the Atlantic and what the storm brought. The unknown of the horror of what may have happened in the western part of Jamaica.

But as you look to where it's going, right. It's back now, over open water or parts of it are right. Getting that strength, that refuel heading towards Cuba?

BOYLAN: Yes. And even the backside of this storm, you know, Montego Bay and the northwest side, they're getting a double whammy because, you know, usually these storms make landfall and then they end up staying over land. This one's emerging back on water. So they're probably dealing with surge on that northwest side, and powerful you know, conditions there. So, it's a double whammy for both sides of the island.

BURNETT: All right. Well, Mike, thank you very much. I appreciate your time.

BOYLAN: You're welcome. Thank you.

BURNETT: Sober words from Mike's friend there, talking about the western part of Jamaica being erased. We're going to be checking back in as the storm continues in just a few moments. We also have more breaking news. Trump just firing all six members of an important commission. That commission was the commission that was supposed to review plans for Trump's construction projects, like the east wing and the ballroom.

Plus, Trump goes after him in press briefings. He said he had hate in his heart. Post on truth social about things like his hair.

So, ABC's Jonathan Karl is OUTFRONT tonight to talk about what Trump is really like when the cameras aren't rolling.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:31:50]

BURNETT: Tonight, the white house firing all six members of a key independent agency which is tasked with things like reviewing Trump's construction projects. So, the Commission of Fine Arts is what it's called. It would usually have a say over projects like Trump's new, maybe up to $350 million ballroom or the style of his planned arch, which would of course also forever change Washington, D.C.

And this comes as a new book looks at Trump's emboldened return to power and his search for retribution. That is the title of the book by ABC's Jonathan Karl, who has faced threats himself from the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN KARL, ABC NEWS CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: What do you make of Pam Bondi saying she's going to go after hate speech? Is that -- I mean, a lot of people -- a lot of your allies say hate speech is free speech.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATE: She'll probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly. It's hate. You have a lot of hate in your heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: The now famous "hate in your heart" line.

Jonathan Karl is OUTFRONT now.

And, Jonathan, a lot to talk about because I know this this book was a real work of labor and love for you. But I want to start with your relationship with the president, because that what I just played is one of several examples.

Trump singles you out. He likes to do that. He insulted your hair in a post on Truth Social, right? He likes to do it prompted and unprompted. But then I think about when I see those moments and I think Trump is doing that, knowing that you have this book, knowing that he gives you interviews for books, and he exchanged text messages with you and phone calls with you.

And I'm just curious what the reality of it is after moments like that. Hate in your heart in that moment, was that all performative, or do you still have the kind of relationship where he will give you interviews and talk to you?

KARL: Well, look, just about a minute after he said that line suggesting his attorney general could prosecute me because I had hate in my heart, he actually suggested that I take my, quote, beautiful wife out to dinner in Washington, D.C. He -- so he goes back and forth sometimes in the space of the same conversation of, you know, lambasting, attacking, and then treating me, you know, like I'm like, I'm an old friend.

The thing is, I've actually known Trump since 1994 is when I first met him, when I was a reporter for "The New York Post". And I have always, you know, when he first got elected, I my idea was that he is now the president-elect and the president of the United States. I treat him with respect. And even when he's personally attacking me, I don't, you know, get

into a back and forth with him. That's fine. He can do -- he can say about me whatever he wants to say about me. But I, you know, I treat him with respect because that's the way you treat human beings, but also because he's the president of the United States.

BURNETT: Yeah. Well, I mean, I that sort of thing, I think is just so important to hear, right? To just behave with the way people should behave the way you've been -- you were brought up to behave the way you brought up your children to behave. Of course.

I mean, in the same vein of this, you actually write in the book about Trump's relationship with Biden behind closed doors.

KARL: Uh-huh.

BURNETT: I mean, the public attacks from Trump to Biden are obviously quite vile and nasty.

[19:35:01]

But you say that when they first met in the Oval Office, when they had the private time together after Trump won, Biden -- I'm sorry, Trump told Biden, you write, we'd be great friends if it weren't for politics. We'd be great friends, Joe.

So, again, it's this question about performative. I mean, I mean, do you think that's true?

KARL: Well, well, look, first of all, you know, the very first book that I wrote about this whole era was called front row at the Trump show, because I believe that Trump, particularly in his first term, saw the presidency as the world's greatest reality show.

I think he -- I think it's a little -- it's beyond that now, in the second term. But he does see this as performance. And in a good reality show, you have to have villains, you have to have fights, you've got to have tension. There's certainly an element to that.

But the Biden of it, you know, he had several interactions with Biden when Trump came to visit the white house. House. They had that 2-1/2- hour conversation. That was January 20th, inauguration day, where they shared that limousine ride from the White House up to the Capitol.

And there was even when the Trumps walked the Bidens out to the helicopter after the swearing in. And I deconstructed every one of those conversations and got some insight. I actually talked to somebody who videoed from inside the helicopter, Trump walking in, you know, walking the Bidens up to the helicopter where he leaned to him and he said, you know, keep in touch, keep in touch. Let me know if I can do anything for you.

He -- Biden was and Trump had an extraordinarily friendly relationship if you only looked at what happened when the cameras weren't on.

BURNETT: You talk about the way he is in public. But there's also what influences him to do that. So, in this case, you write in the book about Steve Bannon and how he might have played the crucial role in the shouting match between Trump and Zelensky. Right. That infamous, humiliating moment where you report Trump was meeting with his top national security advisers in the Oval Office.

He asked them to call Bannon. And Bannon has no formal role whatsoever in this administration. Call him, you know, what does he think? And you write, I hear you don't love this deal. Trump said to him, the Ukraine deal? Yeah, I F-ing hate it, Bannon said. I hate everything to do with it.

If that punk comes here, he's going to want a security guarantee. You can't trust him.

So that interaction happens, Jon. And then a few days later, the infamous meeting in the Oval Office goes down like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Don't tell us what we're going to feel.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I'm not telling you --

TRUMP: Because you're in no position to dictate that.

ZELENSKYY: Remember --

TRUMP: You're in no position to dictate what we're going to feel. You don't have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.

ZELENSKYY: I'm not playing cards.

TRUMP: You're gambling with World War III, and what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country. This country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So how much of that was -- I mean, who's responsible? Was that just him, quote/unquote, "performing"? Was some of that Bannon.

KARL: Look, I think Bannon was critical in that. And by the way, when Trump said, get Bannon on the phone, his national security team was when the entire national security team from the vice president, secretary of state, secretary of defense, all of that, they were all there, and they were trying to get him to do this natural resources deal with Ukraine that was going to bring the United States closer to Ukraine.

And Trump was had qualms about this, and he knew that Bannon hated the idea. So, he asked Mike Waltz, the national security advisor, to get Bannon on the phone. Bannon actually sends Waltz to voicemail and says, I can't talk right now.

Then Trump himself calls Bannon on his cell phone, and its through that little speakerphone in his iPhone that Bannon is now effectively lecturing the entire national security team and egging on the president, saying referring to Zelenskyy, by the way, as that punk Zelenskyy, that punk Zelenskyy. You cannot trust him if you give him this deal, he's going to want security guarantees. That punk Zelenskyy, you know, you shouldn't do any of this.

And, you know, it lays the groundwork. Trump was already obviously going in that direction. But I think the tone of that meeting with Zelenskyy was set by Steve Bannon talking through a speakerphone, you know, to the national security team and to the president.

BURNETT: Which is incredible when you think about just the breaking there of norms and rules.

All right. Jonathan Karl, thank you so much. It is great to see you and great to have this book. Thanks.

KARL: Great. Thanks a lot, Erin.

BURNETT: And next, see what happens when our Clarissa Ward travels to Syria to confront the man who held American Austin Tice captive.

And the breaking news, new video just into CNN from Cuba. The heavy rains now picking up there. Hurricane Melissa refueling, restrengthening heading straight for that island. We'll take you live to Cuba.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:44:28]

BURNETT: Tonight, a major breakthrough in the case of the missing American Austin Tice. The journalist and marine veteran has been missing for 13 years, and you can see him here in this new, never before seen footage.

Our Clarissa Ward, in an exclusive report, tracking down and confronting the man accused of holding Tice captive. His name is Bassam al Hassan. He's a former top advisor to the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wearing hidden cameras, producer Sarah Sirgany and I go to confront him.

[19:45:06]

WARD: Hi, how are you? My name is Clarissa Ward. I'm a journalist for CNN. Can I ask you a couple of questions? I'm looking for more information about my friend Austin Tice.

BASSAM AL-HASSAN, ADVISER TO FORMER SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD (through translator): Come in.

WARD (voice-over): He invites us into the apartment, but he is clearly rattled, and asks over and over again how we found him.

AL-HASSAN (through translator): I insist to know, who told you about this place? No one knows where I live.

WARD: I'm not going to tell you how we found out where you are. It's not important. We've been looking for you for a while. We know that you've given multiple different stories. Can you just tell me, because he was my friend, is Austin Tice dead?

AL-HASSAN (through translator): Of course, Austin is dead. Austin is dead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: OUTFRONT now, Phil Elwood, spokesperson for Austin's family. For now, they are not speaking. You are also Austin's friend and one of the last to see him before he disappeared.

Phil, I am grateful for you coming to speak to me. Obviously, you know our incredible reporter, Clarissa Ward. She was also a friend of Austin's, and she was actually supposed to meet up with Austin for a drink shortly before his disappearance, when they were both on assignment.

They were messaging each other, and then he doesn't show up. And obviously, 13 years passed. So now she's uncovering these chilling new claims from former Syrian intelligence officers, saying that, he's dead from al-Hassan himself. You heard him say Austin is dead.

How is the family responding? I know you've had a chance to see. You know, he's one of seven children. You've had a chance to speak to so many in the family today.

PHIL ELWOOD, AUSTIN TICE FAMILY SPOKESMAN: My friend Austin Tice is alive and we need to find him and bring him home soon.

Bassam al-Hassan is a liar. I know this for two reasons. It's a matter of public record that I did work for the Assad family, and I know them pretty well. Bashar al-Assad as it's -- as he said, Bashar al-Assad ordered him to have Austin executed. I know this is a lie.

Bashar al-Assad is a coward, and he never would make that order himself. He would have delegated it to his brother. So that's the first reason I know it's a lie.

The second reason I know it's a lie is that he was given a polygraph by the FBI, and it was found --

BURNETT: Al-Hassan.

ELWOOD: Al-Hassan was given a polygraph by the FBI, and it was found that nothing he said was true.

BURNETT: So you think he's making this up?

ELWOOD: All of the reporting today is based on a lie. And I wish that the media would stop prewriting my friend's obituary.

BURNETT: Okay, so al-Hassan told Clarissa that he told a team from the FBI that Assad gave the order, which is you're saying you don't believe is true. He says that the order was carried out by someone else. According to al-Hassan. And he said this happened all the way back in 2013.

So, so then last December, President Biden said something that fits with what comports with what you're saying. He said publicly that Austin Tice even after, you Assad fell, fled Syria, right? Everyone said, well, if Austin Tice is alive, we're going to find him now. And he didn't show up.

Biden said he was alive. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We believe he's alive. We think we can get him back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Okay, what does the family think? I mean, I know what you think, but I mean, how are they processing these deeply conflicting messages? The president of the United States last December said he was alive. And now this guy saying Assad ordered him killed and he was killed in 2013.

ELWOOD: Well, the reason is because President Biden was privy to all of the intelligence that our intelligence community has, that intelligence was shown to the Tice family or the parents by the Trump administration. And this information details things about Austin, where he was, his whereabouts, how he was being taken care of over -- in the years past 2013, which is the third reason we know that Bassam al-Hassan is a liar.

BURNETT: Right, because he's saying he was killed in 2013. You're saying you've proof of him being alive since then?

ELWOOD: Yes.

BURNETT: Why do you think if he is alive and I guess this is what gives fuel to some of these claims, right? That he hasn't shown up or we haven't heard anything about him since Assad fled. And Syria has tried to be more friendly to the United States with the with the government there. And -- but yet we haven't heard anything. At least we haven't.

Have you or the family?

ELWOOD: We have not heard anything. However, we encourage this administration to work closely with the interim government or the new government in Syria to try and find Austin. They are fully committed. The new president of Syria has met with Debra. He met with her shortly after Trump's inauguration, and we fully believe that Austin will walk free one day. [19:50:02]

BURNETT: And did he -- did he know any details at that point or know anything about? I mean, did he also corroborate what you're saying and say he believes or he knows Austin to be alive?

ELWOOD: He did. He said that he believes Austin is alive. He himself was a captive for a number of years, and his mother was told that he was dead, and his mother never gave up hope. And Austin Tice's mother will never give up hope, and she will fully believes that he will walk free one day.

BURNETT: I know, she said last Christmas, when I talked to her that she was hoping gathering, he's again one of seven, right? Gathering siblings together and hoping that he could be home for Christmas after Biden said that. She's never given up hope.

Bassam al-Hassan had a message specifically for her, for Austin's mother, Debra. I want to play it.

ELWOOD: Okay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARD (voice-over): At the door, he talks about Austin's mother, Debra Tice. His voice cracks.

AL-HASSAN (through translator): I owe her an apology and it upsets me to remember it. Truly.

WARD: Understood.

AL-HASSAN (through translator): I wish what happened hadn't happened.

WARD (voice-over): It is a gut punch to think that Austin may have been killed 12 years ago.

WARD: One thing that he was very emphatic about is that Austin is dead. Austin is dead, and he wants to pass his condolences to Debra.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Has she heard that? I mean, I know again, you know, you know, Clarissa, this is so personal for all of you. What's Debra's response to all of this?

ELWOOD: Debra was once asked in an interview what she would say to Bashar al-Assad if she ever had the opportunity to meet him, and she said, I pray for him every day. And I think she would say the same thing to Hassan.

BURNETT: That she's just that magnanimous and generous of a human being.

ELWOOD: She is the strongest, most resilient woman I have ever met.

BURNETT: What an incredible thing for her to be able to -- that that would be her response.

ELWOOD: Yes.

BURNETT: What an incredible thing.

Well, thank you very much for coming on and for talking on behalf of the family and of your friend, of course, Austin.

ELWOOD: Thank you.

BURNETT: And Clarissa is going to have much more of her report coming up in the next hour.

And next, breaking news, the conditions deteriorating in Cuba as Hurricane Melissa barrels towards that island gaining strength. We'll take you live to the ground there, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: All right. The breaking news. We do have some new video just coming in to OUTFRONT.

This is from Cuba. Heavy rains are slamming the country. Hurricane Melissa is now moving closer and closer to a hit on Cuba. Right now, category four hurricane already making landfall in a devastating way in Jamaica.

Patrick Oppmann is in Santiago in Cuba, where Patrick, the worst of the storm, is expected to hit where you are in just a couple of hours. And, of course, it's just about 8:00. So how are things right now?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, landfall is still hours. Away, Erin, but the conditions here are deteriorating by the minute. Much of this section of the island is in a total blackout. The only reason we can broadcast with you right now is because we have a generator, which you can hear right off camera.

Otherwise, people are in the dark at this moment. Rain is coming in heavier and heavier. They're going to see historic rainfalls here. This is a mountainous part of the island, so whole communities could get washed out.

Earlier on tonight, we heard the police go by warning everyone to stay inside. That now eastern Cuba is in a period of total curfew. It's the most dangerous part of hurricane, Erin. Because if people need help, it could take hours or even days for help to arrive.

BURNETT: And in Cuba, I know obviously, the infrastructure under so much stress and duress anyway, right, when you're walking around and you see all the wires out, you see. But you say they've already put it all completely in the dark. What is the biggest concern there now?

OPPMANN: Now you know, we heard the prime minister of Jamaica today saying that the infrastructure in Jamaica can't withstand a major storm like Melissa. Cuba, just like you said, the infrastructure is decades old. It is

collapsing and it's crumbling on a good day. The power grid goes out all the time. So, for so many people here, they could be cut off. It is going to be harder and harder for the government to get to them. If they don't have gas to put in trucks.

And so, tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people have evacuated. But this has been such a slow-moving storm, and it has only begun to cause major, major difficulties and pain here in Cuba. It's going to be a long night, a long day tomorrow, as this storm slowly moves across the island.

BURNETT: And I can imagine just how rare it is to even have a generator. We hear the generator off camera, and I see the pitch black behind you. I know where you're standing but it just to think about how rare it's going to be, how little were going to know, it's going to be a literal and figurative blackout for Cuba.

OPPMANN: Yes. And you know, my biggest worry is there's so much debris on peoples roofs. This is people have old tile roofs here, and the wind is going to pick that up. And those become missiles in the dark.

You will hear them. You will not see them. They can kill people if they hit you.

So, when police say to stay inside, that is very good advice because the winds are going to pick up and that will become deadly.

BURNETT: Yeah, we will see what, of course, really happens in the as the darkness is completely around you in Cuba, preparing for that strike coming in just the next hour or so.

Patrick, thank you so very much.

And thanks to all of you for being with us.

"AC360" begins now.