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Cat. 5 Hurricane Melissa Lashing Jamaica, Landfall In Hours; Trump Speaks To U.S. Troops At Yokosuka Naval Base; Speaker Halts Grijalva Swearing In Amid Shutdown. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired October 28, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

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[04:00:33]

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Brian Abel. Thank you so much for being with us on this Tuesday, October 28th. It is 4:00 a.m. here in Washington, D.C. And we begin with the breaking news from Jamaica, which is bracing for a direct hit from what's already one of the strongest hurricanes ever in the Atlantic.

The outer bands of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa are hitting the island right now. And one of the biggest concerns is just how slowly this storm is moving. Increasing the likelihood of life-threatening conditions as it starts to move ashore.

Emergency responders on the island have already received reports of landslides and downed power lines. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warns total structural failure is possible. Particularly in higher elevations.

Jamaica's health and wellness minister says three people have died while preparing for the storm. And another minister warns many more could die if official warnings are not heeded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEARNEL CHARLES JR., JAMAICAN MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL SECURITY: It is very slow. It is very, very, very intense. And that means the outcome may potentially be extreme devastation and -- and danger. And I want to tell everyone who's listening, who's watching, the evacuation order is not a suggestion. It is a directive and a directive to save your life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Let's go to CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar that's tracking the storm for us. And what's the latest, Allison?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right, so the latest is the storm is still crawling literally just to the south of Jamaica. It is moving north-northeast at only two miles per hour. To put this in perspective, the average human walks at a pace of about 3 to 4 miles per hour. So you could actually walk faster than this storm is moving.

Melissa has sustained winds of 175 miles per hour. That means consistent winds. And then they're gusting even higher than that, upwards of 200 miles per hour. The hurricane hunters are investigating the storm right now to determine what -- what the storm is doing. Is it weakening? Is it strengthening? Is it still moving in the anticipated direction that we expected it to?

What we do know is the storm is expected to make landfall as an incredibly damaging, devastating storm here. And it's likely about the next six hours or so. From there, it will continue over towards the eastern portion of Cuba, then to the Bahamas, and then finally out over the open Atlantic once we get to late Wednesday.

The biggest concern here is that incredibly slow movement we talked about means it has a lot of time to dump a lot of rain. So flooding is going to be one of the bigger concerns here, not just for Jamaica, but also Cuba, even into the Bahamas.

So even though it's going to be a weaker storm, it still is expected to dump a decent amount of rain over the islands. Here's a look at what we're talking about, especially for portions of western Haiti, Jamaica, and eastern Cuba. You are talking widespread totals of 6 to 10 inches of rain.

That may not sound like much, but you have to understand that is on top of what has already fallen. And some of these locations have already picked up half a foot of rain. Now we're adding more on top of that. It is not out of the question for several of these locations could possibly see in excess of 20 inches of rain before the system finally exits.

Strong winds are also going to be a concern. You're talking well in excess of 100 miles per hour, even from areas farther away from the landfall point. So even, say, places in eastern Jamaica or far eastern Cuba, you're still looking at those incredibly strong winds that could bring down trees and even some power lines.

So widespread power outages are going to be a concern for several of these towns and communities in both of these islands. Those wind gusts are expected to maintain that strong strength at least until we get to that northeastern side of the Bahamas, before we finally start to see that system really begin to decrease in intensity.

Here's a look at what we talked about. So remember, even if the storm makes landfall, say, on the western side of Jamaica, you still have those tropical storm force winds well onto the eastern side. That's more than enough to bring down trees and power lines, especially given that that ground is going to be completely saturated from all of the rain they've had.

So it doesn't take much of a strong wind. Even a 60, 70 mile per hour wind can bring down some trees when you are looking at that water logged of the soil. Similar scenario for portions of eastern Cuba. Now, when we talk about the strongest Atlantic hurricanes, in this case, we're talking about the sustained wind speed. It has been a Category 5 hurricane for more than 24 straight hours. I cannot emphasize to you how rare that is to have a storm maintain that strong intensity for that long. Most of the storms, especially when you go back just to the ones that we had earlier this year, last year, or even the year before, the few Category 5s that we had really maintained that strength for roughly 12 hours, in some cases even less than that. This one is maintaining it for much longer.

[04:05:18]

But here you can see where Melissa ranks, 175. This is actually stronger than Hurricane Katrina was, really only being topped by storms like Milton, Dorian, and even Hurricane Allen back in 1980. Again, very impressive with these particular storms.

The one thing to note, though, is at least the models have now finally come into better agreement about where the storm is expected to go in the coming hours. We anticipate landfall over Jamaica in about roughly the next six hours or so, then sliding over portions of eastern Cuba, eventually into the Bahamas before finally, finally exiting back out over the open Atlantic by late Wednesday.

ABEL: And then we will see just how much damage is left in its wake. Allison Chinchar for us, thank you.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has been speaking to U.S. troops aboard an aircraft carrier in Japan. He's visiting the Yokosuka Naval Base as one of the final stops in the country before leaving on Wednesday.

Japan hosts more than 50,000 personnel, the largest amounts of overseas American troops in the world. The U.S. President met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo earlier, and the two leaders signed an agreement on critical minerals and rare earths and showered each other with praise.

CNN's team is covering all of these angles of the President's trip. Hanako Montgomery standing by for us in Tokyo. But first, let's bring in senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes with what this trip has meant for the U.S. and what we can expect next. Kristen?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brian, this has been an important trip for President Trump and for the alliance overall with Japan. We know that President Trump came into this really wanting to stress what a great friendship he had with this country, and he certainly has.

Now, in addition to the fact that we have seen President Trump continually praise the new prime minister, linking her, of course, to her mentor, Shinzo Abe, at one point, President Trump calling Abe one of his best friends of all time. We've also seen a number of deals come out of this that are going to be very important going into his meeting, President Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi.

Now, just moments ago, we heard President Trump praising the alliance between the U.S. and Japan. Here's what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The cherished alliance between the United States and Japan is one of the most remarkable relationships in the entire world. Really, there's never been anything like it.

Born out of the ashes of a terrible war, our bond has grown over eight decades into the beautiful friendship that we have. It's a foundation of peace and security in the Pacific.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: So a couple of things that went on between the prime minister and President Trump, things that President Trump has said that are going to impact this upcoming meeting that everyone is watching between President Trump and President Xi.

One, President Trump just announced that a first batch of missiles is going to be sent to Japan within the next week. He said it's going to be coming quickly for Japan's defense forces. That, of course, is critical, as they are trying to bolster their military presence in the region, as, of course, we have seen China bolster their military presence.

The other part of this is President Trump and the prime minister agreeing to what they're calling a free and open Indo-Pacific. That is directly going against what we have heard from China, who in recent years have tried to claim more and more sovereignty over the Indo- Pacific. And lastly, that critical minerals deal.

One of the things that President Trump cares most about is this idea of getting away from the dependence the United States has on China for critical minerals. You've seen him try to get several deals with various countries, Malaysia, Australia, and now Japan. That is something he could potentially use as leverage as he goes into these negotiations with Xi at the end of this trip.

ABEL: Certainly an important geopolitical relationship there, Kristen Holmes, for us. Thank you, Kristen. Let's go to Hanako Montgomery now. With this upcoming meeting and how Japanese officials and really the country has been reacting to President Trump's visit?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, we can say for certain that the Japanese government is very pleased with the way this meeting is going. The first bilateral meeting between Trump and the newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Now, this test, this bilateral meeting was really a test of chemistry to see if these two leaders get along.

And I can tell you the optics of this meeting, Brian, are just incredible. I mean, we saw Takaichi actually join Trump on Marine One, which is a rare, rare treat for foreign leaders. And they actually took Marine One to Yokosuka Navy Base, where they greeted U.S. troops.

And aboard the USS George Washington, Brian, you actually heard Trump calling her a winner. You heard him praise her and compliment her for being the first female prime minister of Japan. And that praise actually, Brian, I think we have a video there, incited Takaichi to put her fist in the air, pump her fist in the air and turn around, spin around. So again, just the optics of this are incredible.

[04:10:14]

And the chemistry that the two leaders have, the bond that they're now developing in just a matter of hours is an incredible thing for the Japanese government and something that they are really hoping to achieve and continue to develop on during this new phase of the U.S.- Japan alliance.

But one thing I do want to emphasize here is that Takaichi is a longtime conservative and she is a nationalist. So even though we have seen foreign leaders sort of appease to Trump and deliver the things that Trump has been long seeking for because he is such an unpredictable leader and makes certain demands of these foreign leaders, Takaichi has long held the same vision as Trump.

She has pushed for Japan to boost its defense spending to 2 percent of its GDP. She's also called for Japan to revise its pacifist constitution to allow for it to have more of a preemptive strike capability. Now on the matter of trade, Brian, which is another hot topic during this bilateral meeting, we actually heard Trump on USS George Washington say that Japan was going to start developing more factories in the United States, especially for Toyota.

He actually said to the troops, go out and buy a Toyota. So just really emphasizing here the trade deals, the trade connection that Japan and the United States are developing in this new alliance that they're hoping to continue working on. Brian?

ABEL: All right. Hanako Montgomery for us in Tokyo. Hanako, thank you.

Ahead, we will have much more on Hurricane Melissa, including a look at the impact already being felt in Jamaica.

Plus, as lawmakers spar over who's to blame for the weeks-long U.S. government shutdown, millions of Americans worry about how they'll feed their families and pay their bills. Here why things could soon get worse.

And how the government shutdown has prevented this woman from being sworn into the congressional seat she was elected to more than a month ago.

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[04:16:44]

ABEL: We are now nearly a month into the U.S. government shutdown. And an ominous deadline is just around the corner. Unless a deal is made before Saturday, more than 40 million people across the country will lose access to the critical SNAP food assistance program. Republicans and Democrats in Congress continue to blame each other for the stalemate.

The Republicans have been pushing for a short-term measure to reopen the government for a few weeks now. But Democrats are standing firm on their demand for an extension of health care subsidies first before agreeing to any such plan. Caught in the middle of all of this? The many government employees who are not getting paid. And the millions of families who depend on food stamps to eat.

Now one Republican senator is calling on her colleagues to stay in Washington and get a deal done.

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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.

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ABEL: The government shutdown has left part of Arizona with no representation in Congress. Adelita Grijalva won a special election back on September 23rd to replace her late father, Representative Raul Grijalva. But now, more than a month later, she still hasn't been sworn in. And she's locked out of federal systems and even email until this shutdown ends. CNN's Steve Catorno has more.

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STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER (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 a 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's 7th 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.

CONTORNO (voice-over): 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.

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 (R), FORMER 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 treatment.

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 then?

CONTORNO (voice-over): Machine shop owner and Republican voter Jerry Ward said the lack of representation doesn't concern him yet.

[04:20:05]

JERRY WARD, REPUBLICAN VOTER: 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, this is --

CONTORNO (voice-over): It went to voicemail. She then called the D.C. Office.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please call our Tucson office.

WILSON: Call the Tucson office.

CONTORNO: We just tried calling the Tucson office.

WILSON: Yes, yes. And the thing is, I mean, we can -- our senators are helpful as well, but they don't know our district like the Grijalva's 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 does she get a government e-mail instead relying on less secure technology.

REP. ADELITA GRIJALVA (D-AZ), REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT: We're using texts and signal and 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.

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ABEL: The White House plans a major shakeup of its immigration enforcement in response to lagging immigration arrests, they say. The administration says it has deported 500,000 undocumented immigrants since the start of President Trump's second term. The figure includes people who were turned back at the border or ports of entry and who never lived in the U.S. Those numbers, they fall far short of the administration's goal of 1 million deportations a year. Plans are underway to reassign at least a dozen directors of ICE offices that senior officials believe are underperforming.

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ANDREW HOLNESS, JAMAICAN PRIME MINISTER: I don't believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: That was the Jamaican Prime Minister with an ominous warning about the devastation still to come from Hurricane Melissa. And here is a look inside the eye of the Category 5 storm, the strongest on the planet this year.

And now, even more intense than Hurricane Katrina, which had devastated New Orleans in 2005. Melissa is lashing Jamaica right now with top sustained winds around 175 miles an hour. Landfall on the island's southwestern coast is expected in a matter of hours.

And the big concern is just how slow Melissa is moving, increasing the chances of life-threatening conditions. Let's bring in Tannecia Stephenson now on the phone, a climate science professor at the University of the West Indies. She is joining us from Kingston, Jamaica.

And first, where are you? What kind of structure are you in? How safe do you feel you are right now? Tannecia, are you able to hear me? I think we might be having difficulties, unless I just cannot hear her. So we are going to try to reconnect with her.

In the meantime, we'll be keeping an eye on this powerful major hurricane that is inching towards Jamaica. The latest developments from the region just ahead.

[04:23:39]

Plus, a new U.N. report accuses Russia of war crimes in Ukraine. We'll have details on those findings next on Early Start.

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ABEL: Jamaica bracing for a direct hit from Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. Here is a look inside the eye of the storm. The strongest on the planet this year. It is lashing Jamaica right now with top sustained winds around 175 miles an hour.

Landfall on the island's southwestern coast is expected in a matter of hours now. And the big concern is just how slow this storm is moving, increasing the chances of life-threatening conditions.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking the storm for us and bringing us the latest. Allison?

CHINCHAR: Yes, just as you said, it's the slow movement that's really the key here with this storm. It's currently moving to the north- northeast at only 2 miles per hour. For some perspective, the average human walks at a pace of roughly 3 to 4 miles per hour. So you could walk faster than Melissa is currently moving and those sustained winds to go along with it, 175 miles per hour sustained, meaning consistent winds and they're gusting even higher than that one, well in excess of 200 miles per hour.

The storm is just south of Jamaica, making its way off to the north. Hurricane hunters are in the flight right now investigating, trying to determine if the storm is strengthening even further, which would be the last thing we need before this storm continues to make its way towards Jamaica, likely to make landfall here in just the next few hours.

And then from there it'll head off towards portions of eastern Cuba, then to the Bahamas before finally exiting out over the open Atlantic. Rainfall is by far going to be the biggest concern, not just because of the volume of water, but also because of the landslides, mudslides, things of that nature that it can trigger.

[04:29:53]

The slow movement is going to allow a lot of rain to have a lot of time to fall across many of these areas, not just Jamaica, but even over portions of western Haiti and even southeastern Cuba. You're looking at some of the, a lot of the reds and pinks on this map.