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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Cat. 5 Hurricane Melissa Lashing Jamaica, Landfall In Hours; U.N. Report Accuses Russia Of Multiple War Crimes In Ukraine; Dodgers Win Game Three Of World Series 6-5 In 18 Innings. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired October 28, 2025 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

MICHAEL TAYLOR, CLIMATE SCIENCE PROFESSOR, DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES: Of course, when you move out there are informal settlements which are less secure. And the places where people live also pose significant kinds of damage. But the -- you know, the critical infrastructure -- the utilities have done their best to be resilient about the water, lights -- you know, internet abilities. It's a mixed -- it's mixed across the country as you would expect.

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: OK.

Talk to us about -- Michael, you hinted on this for a moment earlier. Talk to us about the impact this is already having on Jamaicans, whether it be the foreboding, the psychological and emotional impact, but also plans for the future there.

TAYLOR: Right. One of the unique things about this particular storm, as I said before, was just, you know, we got the first bulletin for this storm last Tuesday and this is now Tuesday one week away.

Over the course of the last week we have gotten repeated, you know, notices about when landfall would happen. You know, there was a lot of uncertainty and now it is actually moving towards us. That has created a level of mental stress and anxiety, and fatigue. I think the term I want to use is a psychological marathon.

And so even before the storm hit we were already tired and now that we are going through it and there is another level of worry. The winds are certainly strong outside, the rain is falling, and we are in Kingston even still removed from where the landfall is going to be, you know. And then, of course, we're going to have to deal with the whole kind of stress afterwards.

But people are doing their best to hunker down and be prepared, you know. We all take our personal things -- we do personal things with our families. You have your emergency kits. You make sure you have your water stored, your things charged that need electricity, you know. You do everything -- food. But it takes -- it does take a tremendous wear and tear on your mind, and this one certainly has done so.

ABEL: Well, we are certainly having you on our minds. We wish you the best throughout -- through this and hope that you stay safe.

Michael Taylor, thank you.

TAYLOR: Thank you very much.

ABEL: At the start of this century the U.S. looked like it was winning the battle to keep measles firmly under control. Well now, both here and in Canada, infections are on the rise. We are going to take a look at the latest data.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:37:10]

ABEL: Welcome back to EARLY START. This is your business breakout checking today's business headlines.

Reports say Amazon is expected to cut nearly 30,000 jobs beginning as soon as today. That's about 10 percent of the company's corporate workforce as the tech titan pushes forward with AI-driven automation. In June, Amazon's CEO Andy Jassy announced that advances in AI would eventually lead to a reduced workforce.

President Trump says he was very much opposed to last month's immigration raid at a Hyundai factory in the U.S. state of Georgia. The raid, part of his own administration's crackdown on migrants, saw nearly 500 mostly South Korean workers detained and deported. Hyundai's CEO says he hopes a deal can be reached to bring essential foreign workers back.

And Halloween candy is getting more expensive in the U.S. and less chocolaty. Those little fun-size handouts are costing Americans nearly 11 percent more this Halloween season than last year. That's nearly quadruple the overall rate of inflation. The high cocoa prices have some buyers picking gummies and pumpkin spice offerings over chocolate bars.

With measles cases climbing, Canada is on the verge of losing its measles elimination status and the United States may not be too far behind.

Here is CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: There is concern that both Canada and the United States are at risk of losing their measles elimination status. What that means when we say that a country has eliminated measles is that over 12 months that country has not seen local continuous transmission of the disease. So that means over a year, one local person has not spread measles to another local person.

But when that elimination status is lost that means there has been continuous measles transmission in that country, and that's what we're seeing in Canada today. In Canada, so far there have been more than 5,000 measles cases for the year. That's more than twice as many as the country has recorded in the past 25 years combined. And keep in mind Canada eliminated measles in 1998.

And we're seeing something similar here in the United States where measles was eliminated in the year 2000. But so far this year there have been more than 1,500 confirmed measles cases reported by at least 40 states and territories.

So this is something that public health officials are watching closely. There will be meeting in one of the World Health Organization's regional offices coming up in November where officials will discuss measles elimination. Will they say something about Canada? Will they say something about the United States? That is something that experts are watching closely.

[05:40:05]

In a statement the World Health Organization says, "There are no formal consequences of losing measles elimination status. However, having measles again as an endemic disease will have a profound negative impact on communities, including preventable deaths among some of the most vulnerable populations."

And when a country loses its elimination status it is asked to submit an action plan laying out what they're going to do to fix the situation. What will they do to respond to outbreaks and contain outbreaks? How will they improve vaccination rates? So that will be something to watch again as we see this rise in measles cases across both Canada and the United States.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Jacqueline Howard, thank you.

Still ahead we continue tracking one of the Atlantic's strongest hurricanes ever as it approaches Jamaica. The latest forecast when we come back.

Plus, a new U.N. report accuses Russia of war crimes in Ukraine. We'll have details on those findings right after the break.

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[05:45:35]

ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel. Here are some stories we are watching today.

Just a short time ago U.S. President Trump wrapped up speaking to American troops stationed in Japan. He is on the middle of a tour of Asia with Japan one of the last scheduled stops. He heads to South Korea next where he is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress are blaming each other days before a major food aid program runs out of money. Some 40 million people are poised to lose critical food stamps assistance on Saturday with the U.S. government shutdown in its fourth week and no resolution on the horizon.

Jamaica is bracing for a direct hit from a category 5 hurricane. Melissa is due to make landfall in the southern part of the island in the hours ahead. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warns total structural failure is possible, particularly in higher elevations.

And back now is meteorologist Allison Chinchar for the latest on Melissa's path -- Allison.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. So we still take a look at where Melissa is located just to the south of Jamaica. It's moving north-northeast at five miles per hour. That is still incredibly slow but at least it's better than where we have been the last few hours. We know the sustained winds are still at 175 miles per hour but they're gusting well over 200 miles per hour.

The storm is expected to maintain its category 5 strength as it makes landfall just a few hours from now over Jamaica. And then it will gradually start to weaken as it makes its way off to the north and east crossing over portions of eastern Cuba as well as the Bahamas before finally exiting over the open Atlantic.

One of the biggest concerns we have going forward is going to be the rain component. Obviously, yes, you're going to have the potential for flooding, but the other concern is the landslides, the mudslides because of the sheer volume of water that we are talking about here.

Again, you can see the storm system as it slides over eastern Cuba late Tuesday into early Wednesday. Then it continues late Wednesday crossing over into the Bahamas.

Now when you look at the rainfall totals you notice a lot of red and pink on the map. You're looking at least another six to 10 inches widespread of rainfall. Here's the thing. That may not sound like all that much but the key thing to note is we've already had at least half a foot fall in some of these areas. So it's that six to 10 on top of what they've already had. In total, it is not out of the question for some of these locations to pick up at least 20 inches of rain before this system finally exits the area.

Wind is also going to be a big concern simply just because the storm is still a category 5 hurricane as it makes its way across Jamaica. Even though landfall is expected in the western half of the country, the eastern half is still close enough to be able to pick up significant winds leading to trees down, power lines down, not to mention widespread damage.

Then it will continue to progress off towards the north -- or the southeastern portion of Cuba. Even here you're still looking at some of those wind gusts well in excess of 100 miles per hour before it finally begins to shift off to portions of the Bahamas.

Here's a look at what we mean. So again, even though the center of the storm is likely expected to pass over the left portion or the western portion of Jamaica, notice how far those winds expand out from the storm. So you're still going to have some significant wind speeds. Here is the other thing to note, too. We already talked about the rain component. Well, when the ground is absolutely saturated, like we expect it to be, it doesn't take much of a wind to really bring down some of those trees. You could even have a 50, 60, even 70 mile per hour wind gust -- that's it -- to be able to bring down some of these winds. Now we're talking, in some cases, those winds to be much higher than that.

ABEL: All right, Allison. Thank you. We will see what happens in the coming hours.

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.

[05:50:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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 forceable 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, and 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 chase 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 Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Israel says it has received the coffin of a deceased hostage from Gaza. A Red Cross convoy was seen traveling through Gaza City on Monday after Hamas transferred the body of the unnamed hostage to the Red Cross. Israeli authorities say the remains will be formally identified at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv.

If the body is confirmed to be that of a hostage Hamas will have handed over 16 of the 28 deceased hostages that were part of the ceasefire agreement. The bodies of 12 remain in Gaza.

And game three of the Major League Baseball World Series was an 18- inning thriller -- two games in one. Coming up, the game-winning home run that sent fans at Dodger Stadium into a frenzy.

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[05:56:38]

ABEL: Britain's King Charles has been caught up in the fallout from his brother Prince Andrew's ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?

(Heckling)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: You see the king here. He was greeted by well-wishers and fans in the Midlands of England on Monday when he was also heckled. It came just over a week after it was announced that Andrew would give up the title of Duke of York following years of negative publicity.

And Sean "Diddy" Combs will remain behind bars until May 8, 2028. That prison release date was set about three months after a jury delivered a mixed verdict in his federal trial. The music mogul was sentenced to 50 months after being convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. But he was acquitted of the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Combs has already served roughly a year at a Brooklyn detention center. That time served was factored into his 2028 release date.

Oh, man -- Major League Baseball fans certainly got their money's worth in game three of the World Series. Monday's match between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays was a deadlocked duel with both teams tied at five runs each. That is until extra innings -- lots of them -- an extra game's worth, actually -- led to a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th.

CNN's Andy Scholes has the latest. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: What a night here in L.A. All of these fans -- they 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 to lead off 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 2-0 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, and Freddie Freeman finally ends it. The reigning World Series MVP with the walk- off home run. The Dodgers win in 18 -- final 6-5.

FREDDIE FREEMAN, FIRST BASEMAN, L.A. DODGERS: And 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 is as good as it gets.

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.

(Fans cheering)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you believe it's over?

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

SCHOLES: I can't believe it's finally over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. I'm going home and go to sleep. Whoo!

[06:00:00]

DODGER FANS: Freddie! Freddie! Freddie! Freddie! Freddie!

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. (END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: I couldn't believe it was still going when I woke up this morning.

That does it for us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington, D.C. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.