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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Cat. 5 Hurricane Melissa Lashing Jamaica, Landfall In Hours; Cuba Braces For Impacts From Strongest Storm Of 2025; Two Suspects Arrested, Two Suspects & Jewels Still At Large. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired October 28, 2025 - 04:30   ET

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

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're looking at some of the, a lot of the reds and pinks on this map. That indicates another 6 to 10 inches of rain.

[04:30:10]

That may not sound like all that much, but what you have to understand is a lot of these areas have already picked up half a foot of rain. Now we're adding even more on top of that. Some of these areas, it is not out of the question to pick up in excess of 20 inches of rain total before this system finally exits the area.

If that wasn't bad enough, you also have those incredibly strong winds really going to be focused across portions of Jamaica. But even as it slides up towards eastern Cuba, they are still going to be looking at 100 mile per hour wind gusts at times as it moves across that nation as well before heading up into the Bahamas.

This is going to be an incredibly strong storm. And again, that slow movement, even though gradually over the next 24 hours, it is expected to pick up speed. Even if it gets to say 5, 6 or even 7 miles per hour, that's still relatively slow and allows this storm a long period of time to cause devastating impacts to several of these countries.

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: OK, Allison, thank you. As people just wait and see just how devastating this storm will be.

Let's bring in now Tannecia Stephenson, a climate science professor at the University of the West Indies. And she is joining us live from Kingston, Jamaica. I'm glad we were able to connect. Tannecia, first, where are you? What kind of structure are you in? How safe do you feel at this moment?

TANNECIA STEPHENSON, CLIMATE SCIENCE PROFESSOR, KINGSTON, JAMAICA: Good morning, Brian. Thanks for having me. I'm in Kingston, Jamaica. I'm in a concrete structure on the second floor. And we can hear the storm on the outside and we're pretty safe on the inside, so feeling very safe.

ABEL: That is good to hear. I'm hoping that more individuals around you are also in similar structures that are safe from these winds, 175 miles per hour sustained at points. Tell us what you are experiencing at the moment, what you are hearing, what you are seeing.

STEPHENSON: So there is quite a bit of rainfall on the outside. We can hear the wind on the outside. It comes in waves. There are times we do have a little, but then the rains pick up. It -- it is to be in another hurricane, to be in another storm, I'm facing -- facing it with family.

We're just praying and hoping for the best. We're hopeful that we have all done our preparations as best as we can. We are concerned for our brothers and sisters across the country, but hoping for the best.

ABEL: Tannecia, I want to lean on your scientific background for a moment. What is your greatest concern about this storm?

STEPHENSON: The speed right now. We are getting -- we're starting to feel intense winds and we know that the storm has not yet made landfall. But 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 landslides. And it is a slow movement more than anything. And the damage that it could do, that creates some concern.

ABEL: 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 heeded?

STEPHENSON: To some degree. So we -- we have over 800 shelters that have been opened. And -- 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.

ABEL: 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, not all systems will go down.

[04:35:10]

We hear of additional linesmen 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 there's that anxiety that persons have also been -- been experiencing. But we are hoping for the best and -- and anticipate we will rebound well as a country.

ABEL: Yes, of course, the psychological impact is immense. We are hoping for the best for you as well. Tannecia Stephenson in Kingston, Jamaica, stay safe. Thank you.

STEPHENSON: Thank you so much. And thanks to all the partners across the region and the globe and all the well wishes and support that we have been receiving, the National Hurricane Center, the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology. We really appreciate the support.

ABEL: Yes, you do have a lot of help. Thank you, Tannecia.

The United Nations is accusing Moscow of committing war crimes throughout Ukraine. This as Russian attacks continue to pummel Ukrainian city centers and energy infrastructure ahead of winter. The new report says the Kremlin is deliberately striking innocent civilians with drones along the front lines.

More than 200 people have been killed and 2,000 injured in Ukraine's southern regions since July of 2024. Russia has repeatedly denied accusations of targeting civilians. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz brings us the latest on the U.N.'s findings.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Imagine being watched and then chased by a killer drone. What would you do? Would you run? Would you leave your home? That's exactly what's taking place in Ukraine, according to the United Nations, which has just released the findings of an independent investigation into Russia's war on Ukraine.

It found that Russian forces have committed the crimes against humanity of murder and forcible transfer. Now, the report details how Moscow's forces are using these relatively cheap aerial weapons predominantly to terrorize civilian populations in some regions, killing, maiming, causing widespread destruction, making life generally unbearable for residents until they're forced to flee by the thousands.

This is particularly the case in frontline areas, where 69 percent of casualties occur, according to a U.N. body. There, Russian troops have been found to hunt people down with drones. I want to read you a portion of the report that speaks about one specific area.

They chased them, at times over long distances, while they were near their houses or in the street, on foot or using transport, and dropped explosives on them or struck them with suicide drones. Now, as the war rages on, Russian authorities, despite claiming not to target civilians, are systematically using coordinated drone attacks to drive Ukrainian families out of their neighborhoods, according to this report.

Salma Abdulaziz, CNN, London.

ABEL: Still to come, the threat ahead for Cuba's second-largest city, now directly in the path of Hurricane Melissa.

[04:38:47]

Plus, the hunt for the French crown jewels and the thieves who stole them, how DNA helped authorities track down some of the suspects.

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ABEL: Scientists say unusually warm ocean waters in the Caribbean have fueled the explosive growth and intensification of Hurricane Melissa, turning it into the strongest storm on Earth so far this year. According to the research group, Climate Central, the ocean temperatures near the storm's path were about 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit above average for this time of year. Experts say it's part of a troubling trend, with warmer oceans feeling faster-forming, more destructive storms across the globe.

And while Jamaica will take the first direct impact from Melissa, Cuba will not be far behind. Tens of thousands of people on the island have already been evacuated, and CNN's Patrick Oppmann is there.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After Jamaica takes a lashing, this is where Hurricane Melissa is predicted to come next, Eastern Cuba. I'm in Santiago de Cuba, and you can see behind me a lot of the challenges here. You have both the sea, where you'll have the ocean coming in, the storm surge coming in, flooding low-lying areas like where we are right now, and then you have the mountains, where that historic rainfall, an immense amount of rain, is expected to come down, and it will flood, it will wipe out roads, it could wipe away people's houses.

It is perhaps even more dangerous than the wind, the amount of rain that Melissa is bringing with it. And so there are people who live up in those mountains, areas that are hard to get to, and they are looking at just a potential wall of water coming down on them and wiping away -- washing away everything they have.

[04:45:13]

Officials here in Santiago de Cuba, even though it looks beautiful at the moment, are warning people that is about to change. They have a little over a day, perhaps, less, to get ready to make the final preparations. We've seen some people doing that. Other people are just going about their normal daily lives, all the same.

There are thousands of people being evacuated from low-lying areas. There are people who are going to shelters right now. And officials are warning Cubans who live in this area of eastern Cuba to make the final preparations, get ready to hunker down, because they are running out of time.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Santiago de Cuba.

ABEL: A massive hunt underway for the remaining thieves who pulled off that spectacular Louvre jewelry heist, along with the more than $100 million worth of crown jewels that they stole. The search becoming more urgent after police prematurely revealed that they captured two of the suspects, one of them just minutes before boarding a flight to Africa.

Now authorities are relying on a trove of DNA evidence left behind at the scene to track down the other suspects. And CNN's Melissa Bell explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Caught on camera as they fled the Louvre with more than $100 million worth of jewels. A heist carried out by four men in just seven minutes, but with many clues left behind. Not just the equipment the men used to get in, like this angle grinder and the truck they tried but failed to burn as they fled, but also a glove, a helmet, and one of the scooters they used to make their escape.

BELL: Sources say that the BRB, the specialized unit of the French police that have been in charge of this investigation, had been watching the four suspects for several days. They had to act quicker though when it came to the two now in custody because one was planning to flee to Mali, we understand, the other they caught trying to board a plane to Algeria. The two men now in custody were already known to police. The other two remain at large.

ARTHUR BRAND, ART DETECTIVE: It's not like you wake up on a Sunday morning thinking, I become a thief, let's start with the Louvre. So they have done burglaries before, and most likely their DNA was in the systems.

BELL (voice-over): With more than 150 DNA traces left at the scene of the crime, a match was soon established. But whilst investigators now believe they know more about the thieves who were known for targeting jewelry stores, questions remain about who might have masterminded the operation.

ALAIN BAUER, CRIMINOLOGIST: This operation was very well conceived but very badly executed. The beginning was good and fast, but then they lost a lot of pieces, evidence everywhere, helmet, gloves, grinder. It was very surprising they didn't achieve the burning of the truck. So the last part was kind of surprisingly amateurish.

BELL (voice-over): Still at large, the jewels that were stolen, the tiaras, necklaces, earrings and brooches of 19th century French queens. Authorities are unhappy that the detentions were made public. In a statement, the Paris prosecutor's office said they strongly repudiate the release of the information, explaining that it can hinder the investigative efforts of the 100 or so investigators mobilized in search of both the stolen jewelry and the perpetrators.

BRAND: I think they're going to try to persuade these two guys in custody to tell where the -- where the jewels are. In the meantime, they will raid their houses, family members, you know, they will do everything possible in this case.

BELL (voice-over): As for the crown jewels that were not stolen, French press reports suggest that some have now been moved out of the Louvre altogether and to the Banque de France, the country's central bank, for safekeeping.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:48:54]

ABEL: Game three of the Major League Baseball World Series was an 18- inning thriller. Two games worth in one. Coming up, the walk-off home run that sent fans at Dodger Stadium into a frenzy.

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ABEL: Major League Baseball fans certainly got their money's worth in Game 3 of the World Series. Monday's matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays. Deadlocked duel with both teams tied at five runs each. That is until extra innings. Lots of them. Led to a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th. CNN's Andy Scholes has the latest.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN WORLD SPORT: What a night here in L.A. All of these fans, they had grinded through this game. They actually had to reopen concession stands at one point. They had two seven-inning stretches. They had another one in the 14th inning.

But in the end, these fans, they got to see an amazing win and another epic performance from Shohei Ohtani. After doubling in the first inning the leadoff for the Dodgers, Ohtani was up again in the third, and he launched this one for a solo home run. It was his second of the series.

That made it two to nothing, Dodgers. Then with a runner on, Ohtani, an RBI double in the fifth. The Dodgers, they would tie this game at four later in the inning on an RBI single from Freddie Freeman.

And the Blue Jays would retake the lead, but then guess who? Ohtani again. Another solo home run ties the game at five. Ohtani, four for four. Two doubles and two home runs at that point. We go all the way to the 18th inning, tying the World Series record, which was set by the Dodgers and Red Sox back in 2018.

[04:55:02]

And Freddie Freeman finally ends it, the reigning World Series MVP with a walk-off home run. Dodgers win in 18, final six to five.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDDIE FREEMAN, FIRST BASEMAN, LOS ANGELES DODGERS: When you grind and fight, and our bullpen and our pitching staff did what they did to have that go six hours and 40 minutes or so, that's as good as it gets.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SCHOLES: The game ended up lasting six hours and 39 minutes, and needless to say, all the fans couldn't have been happier when Freddie ended it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did I tell you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dodgers.

SCHOLES: Can you believe it's over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's over baby. It's over.

SCHOLES: Can you believe it's over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I want to go home and sleep.

CROWD: Freddie, Freddie, Freddie, Freddie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And not going to be a lot of rest for Shohei Ohtani. He's going to be on the mound starting for the Dodgers in game four later on Tuesday. But just what a game we had here Monday night in L.A. One these fans will never forget, the media as well. That was certainly the longest game I've ever been to in my life. Back to you.

ABEL: Andy Scholes, thank you. What a game. And thank you all for joining us. I'm Brian Abel. Another hour of Early Start begins right after the break.

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