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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Extremely Dangerous" Hurricane Melissa Lashing Cuba After Pounding Jamaica; Trump Meets South Korean President On Final Leg Of Asian Tour; Federal Workers Brace For Missed Paycheck As Shutdown Enters 5th Week; Air Traffic Controllers Miss First Paycheck During Shutdown. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired October 29, 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 NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Brian Abel. Thank you very much for being with us. It is Wednesday, October 29, 4:00 a.m. here in Washington, D.C. and straight ahead on Early Start.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first outer bands of Hurricane Melissa are beginning to arrive here in eastern Cuba.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is going to be a gargantuan humanitarian effort to get the aid to the hardest hit areas in western Jamaica.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The U.S. President is in South Korea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's leaving with a medal. He's leaving with a crown. What he might not be leaving with is assigned a trade deal just yet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are now entering the fifth week of the federal government shutdown and the consequences are getting much more grim for so many Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bottom line, it's time for Republicans to start getting serious about ending the shutdown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Hurricane Melissa has now made its second landfall in the Caribbean, this time in eastern Cuba as an extremely dangerous Category 3 storm. Flooding has already begun in Cuba just hours after Melissa made its initial landfall in nearby Jamaica.

Rainfall totals remain catastrophic and hurricane conditions are spreading inland across Cuba's warning areas. More than 700,000 people were evacuated in Cuba ahead of Melissa's landfall. The Cuban president warning the hurricane would bring a very difficult night for all of Cuba, but assured the island nation would recover.

Let's bring in now CNN meteorologist Chris Warren with where this path is currently as well as where it may be going from here.

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And Brian, that landfall happening less than an hour ago. And here it is, the eye reforming after it went across Jamaica and now moving through Cuba. Now landfall is really just about the halfway point for the area where it came onshore because ahead of that eye is extremely nasty conditions.

This is a Category 3 hurricane, that's a major hurricane with 120 mile per hour winds gusting to 160 respectable speed here moving northeast at 10 miles an hour. So we'll be working across Cuba over the next few hours. Winds gusting Guantanamo Bay at 75 miles an hour.

And the threat for more nasty weather and dangerous weather will be on the way for the Bahamas later on this evening. So it's not going to be with us all that long. By the afternoon into the Bahamas and into the evening is when we're going to see hurricane force winds at 105 miles an hour, still a Category 2 at that point and continuing off beyond that.

This is still a big storm with a large wind field. So a big area with winds and tropical storm force winds extending well out, possibly even to the Turks and Caicos, but much of the central and southern Bahamas going to see those winds gusting 70 to even 90 miles an hour at times.

And then eventually by late tonight and early tomorrow morning, it will be out in the Atlantic. So moving out of the Caribbean, another way to look at this is the forecast radar. Some of the very heavy rain coming in likely to produce some localized flash flooding at the very least in the Bahamas, possibly a little bit worse there, with more of a mountainous terrain in Cuba before it moves out.

So, Brian, this is what we're looking at in terms of rainfall, the higher end that 6 to 10 to 12, even up to maybe even 20 inches in isolated areas. If that were to happen, we would definitely be seeing some flooding. So flooding, water and the storm surge do remain a very serious concern for these areas.

ABEL: OK, Chris, thank you. The UN's World Meteorological Organization says Melissa will be known as Jamaica's storm of the century. It's one of the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic and the most powerful on record ever to hit Jamaica as a Category 5.

In all, some areas will see as much as 30 inches of rain, almost a meter's worth, over just a couple of days. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power after the storm's initial landfall Tuesday afternoon. Authorities say bridges and roads across Jamaica have flooded, including primary roads used to access remote areas.

[04:05:02]

Here's one of Jamaica's top officials giving an early assessment of the damage.

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DESMOND MCKENZIE, JAMAICAN MINISTER OF LOGCAL GOVERNMENT: Jamaica has gone through what I can call one of its worst period. Our infrastructure has been severely compromised. St. Elizabeth is the breadbasket of the country and that has taken a beating. The entire Jamaica has felt the brunt of Melissa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: And joining us from New Kingston, Jamaica is Jhordanne Jones, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physics at the University of the West Indies Mona and I appreciate you being with us.

What has happened now that the worst has passed, how are you holding up?

JHORDANNE JONES, POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW, DEPERTMENT OF PHYSICS, UWI MONA: So my family and I are holding up pretty well. We have been without power for a while now and without. So now it actually is a waiting game. It's great that the rain and wind has actually died down over in Kingston, but we are now experiencing the aftermath. So it's a waiting game now. We're hoping that we get power at Waterbox soon.

ABEL: OK, so no power. You say that the winds are dying down. What did you experience during the worst of it? What was it like for you?

JONES: We experienced a ton of wind, a ton of rain. Intermittent as well. It was not as scary as the western side of Jamaica, but there was a lot of uncertainty as well. We weren't sure whether we'd actually get flash floods since we are in a low lying and flood prone area. But we did extend just mild damage. Yes. We did not venture out at all through this time and we're hoping that our family in Western Jamaica is doing all right.

ABEL: I know you have some scientific background, a NOAA climate fellow formally. So I imagine that some of that played a role into you knowing do not go out there at all. I do want to ask if you've been able to check with friends or family at all.

JONES: We have been very briefly, but this was before the landfall. We haven't been in contact since. Based on what I know, I'm very, very grateful that. Sorry it's so early in the morning. Very grateful that storm actually was able to power up and move along as quickly as it did. I'm not sure what we would have done if the translation speed had actually remained slow. We just hope that our family is OK.

ABEL: Yes. I do want to ask if you have supplies that you need at the moment to wait for that power to come back.

JONES: We do not a lot. We have tried our best to stock up on batteries. We do have flashlights. We do have some power banks available for us to charge our phone, but that's about it. There's supposed to be a generator on our apartment building, but I'm not sure how that is actually holding up right now. There were so many power surges during the day the last couple of

days. And there is a massive generator that I can hear in the distance, but I'm not sure who it's serving at the moment.

ABEL: And what are you hearing, Jhordanne, or seeing about the damage? We understand where you are in Kingston was spared the worst of Melissa, but even those outer bands if this. This of this hurricane packed a punch. So what's it like where you are now?

JONES: Very quiet. The roads seem to be clear of water. We do know that there have been some stoplights and power lines down within our area and further down our street, we have seen cars passing by. So I assume at least that some roads are clear around us.

ABEL: What do you want people to know about what Jamaica is experiencing right now?

JONES: So, as you said, we've experienced one of the worst storms that we have experienced in years, decades even. There are -- Jamaica does have a very vulnerable population, especially within the western Jamaica. They need all the support that they can get and we're hoping to recover from this.

[04:10:05]

And I'm sincerely hoping that there were no loss of lives this time around because we did do our best to prepare for this.

ABEL: Yes, we hope that as well. Jhordanne Jones, really appreciate you joining us. Thank you so much. And our thoughts are going to be with you throughout this thing.

JONES: OK, thank you.

ABEL: And to find out ways you can help those impacted by Hurricane Melissa, go to CNN.com/impact.

The U.S. president is in South Korea today and has been meeting with the country's new presidents. He presented Donald Trump with the country's highest honor, usually reserved for South Korean leaders. He was also given a lavish gift, a replica of ancient golden crown.

President Trump addressed leaders at the APEC CEO Summit earlier, noting he'd made groundbreaking agreements while visiting Malaysia and Japan. He says a deal with South Korea will be finalized very soon.

Let's go now to CNN's Will Ripley, who's live in Seoul for us with the very latest on the president's visit.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Brian. Yeah, a very colorful visit beginning, of course, with that presentation of a replica of a 5th and 6th century crown wore by Silla kings who ruled the region of the southern part of South Korea, where President Trump is right now.

Also, he received the country's highest honor that can given the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, which is usually reserved for the presidents of South Korea, but also occasionally visiting leaders as well. So President Trump leading with a medal, a crown, but no trade deal with South Korea yet. They're still trying to hammer out details, including $350 billion in upfront investment that President Trump wants in exchange for 15 percent tariffs.

South Korea agreed in principle to that, but they said they can't come up with $350 billion cash because it would trigger a financial crisis for their economy. When I interviewed the president of South Korea earlier this week, he said that I believe in the end, both sides will be able to come up with a rational trade deal that will benefit both sides.

Also, President Trump talking about the elephant in the room, the meeting that people have been whispering about for days, and even asking President Trump about whether he's going to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while he's here, like he did back in 2019. It all came together really quickly back then.

But this time around, North Korea has been silent, despite President Trump saying publicly and repeatedly that he'd like to meet with Kim and even be willing to extend his trip. Well, in the last few hours, President Trump finally acknowledging that's not going to happen.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I know Kim Jong Un very well. We get along very well. We really weren't able to work out timing. We have President Xi is coming tomorrow and was -- that was something that obviously is very important to the world, to all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: That's right on the sidelines of the APEC Summit. Tomorrow morning, local time, President Trump is expected to meet with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The U.S. and China have been inching closer trade deal. There are still some issues of contention, particularly rare earths, which are used to manufacture the microchips, the semiconductors that power all of our tech globally.

China basically controls the manufacturing and processing of rare earth. President Trump's been trying to strike deals with countries in this region, including Japan and Australia, to change that dynamic. But right now, China has a lot of leverage because, as I said, they basically control all of the production of rare earth. And it's going to take a number of years to get other countries up to speed on the very difficult task of mining and processing rare earth.

So Xi Jinping certainly has a lot of cards to play. President Trump in the region trying to up the ante for the United States as well. It'll be very interesting to see how things go down when they meet here in South Korea tomorrow, Brian.

ABEL: And we know you will be following along with it and we'll be reporting out the very latest. CNN's Will Ripley for us live in Seoul. Appreciate you. Thank you. As the U.S. government shutdown drags on, funds are running out for

millions of people who rely on federal food aid. We'll have a report from Washington.

Plus, the shutdown's impact on air traffic controllers and how that could impact you the next time you fly.

House Republicans have concluded their investigation into former President Biden's alleged mental decline. Coming up, the claims they are now making about how the president signed executive orders and pardons.

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ABEL: On the 29th day of the month, the U.S. government shutdown is heading into its 29th day and there's still no sign e is willing to make a deal. All members of the military branches may not get paid on Friday. And tens of millions of Americans are also at risk of losing crucial food aid. As CNN's Manu Raju reports from Capitol Hill.

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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are now entering the fifth week of the federal government shutdown and the consequences are getting much more grim for so many Americans. Not only are there hundreds of thousands of federal employees who are living without paychecks and many who have been fired from their jobs, now benefits are bound to dry up, including SNAP benefits as federal food aid. There are roughly 42 million Americans who do relied on food aid.

But starting in November, starting on Saturday, the administration says that that money will dry up. There's calls on Capitol Hill for the administration to tap into $6 billion of a reserve fund to help the lifeline for that program, at least for several more weeks. But the administration says that it will not tap into that money.

The vice president of the United States, J.D. Vance, told me that money is limited and there's only so much they can do legally.

[04:20:07]

And I asked the Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, why not allow for that money to continue to flow as past administrations have done during government shutdowns?

REP. JOHN THUNE (R) SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Well, does it make any sense to any American with the exception of the, obviously, it would benefit people who are getting receiving food assistance through SNAP. But to keep the government shut down for another three weeks, why wouldn't you just open it up and have everybody get their benefits?

RAJU: And Democrats, for their part, they're not budging either, even though the largest federal employee union called for them to back off their demands and actually agree with the Republican approach, which is to vote to reopen the government now and negotiate all their demands later. Democrats say that is not going to move them off their position.

They want a negotiation and an extension of expiring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Those are set to expire at the end of the year. But they say that must be dealt with immediately because people are going to see their health care premiums rise starting when open enrolment begins for many Americans starting on Saturday.

But the administration and Republican leaders say there will be absolutely be no negotiations until Senate Democrats vote to reopen the government. So what do we see on Tuesday, Senate Democrats for a 13th time voted to block that Republican plan.

Meantime, the House remains out of session. It's been out since September 19 as the speaker of the House Mike Johnson says that they will not return until Senate Democrats vote for the Republican plan. Meaning this standoff in crisis is bound to deepen and drag on for much longer. Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

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ABEL: For the first time since the U.S. government shutdown started, air traffic controllers are not getting paid. And CNN obtained an air traffic controllers pay stub that shows right in the top right corner there that net pay is $0. The FAA reports there was a total of 12 air traffic control staffing shortages at airports across the country on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, the head of the FAA sent out an email thanking workers for doing their jobs. And he warned that air travel delays could increase but said safety would not be compromised. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also thanking those workers and acknowledged the stress caused by the shutdown.

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SEAN DUFFY, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: I've been clear to our air traffic controllers they need to show up for work. They do really important work for our country and they need to show up. We but I'm not going to lie to anybody to not say that they're not feeling the stress. The fact that they are working and oftentimes they are head of households. They're the only income earners in their homes and they have families and the fact that they're having a hard time paying their bills.

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ABEL: Meanwhile, Donald Trump has fired all six members of the Commission on Fine Arts, according to a source familiar with the matter. The independent federal agency advises the president, Congress and the city of Washington, D.C. on design and aesthetics. The firings come as Trump oversees a massive overhaul of the East Wing of the White House. He is planning to replace it with a 90,000 square foot ballroom which will cost about $300 million. The President is also planning to build a major new arch to

commemorate the country's 250th anniversary. All the members of the federal agency were appointed by former President Joe Biden.

And Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are criticizing a Republican led investigation into President Biden's auto pen. This after the committee sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her to take action for potential prosecution against some of Biden's aides. CNN's Annie Grayer reports.

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ANNIE GRAYER, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: The Republican led House Oversight Committee is calling all of former President Joe Biden's presidential pardons void and is asking the Department of Justice to look into this further. The committee is basing their claims off of interviews with 14 of Biden's former aides and is raising serious questions about how Biden went about his pardon process and use of the autopen.

But all of those aides stand by the former president and Biden maintains that he made all of his own decisions. It is really unprecedented for the Department of Justice to look into this though, because there is no record of ever overturning a presidential pardon.

DOJ has its own ongoing investigation and into Biden's use of the autopen. So this Republican led report just continues to bolster their own investigation.

On top of this report, the committee is also asking DOJ to look at three of Biden's former aides who pled the Fifth Amendment in their testimony. Pleading the Fifth is when an individual doesn't want to answer specific questions doesn't necessarily mean evidence of wrongdoing.

And the committee is also asking the D.C. Board of Medicine to look at Biden's former doctor and whether there were any issues in his care of the former president during his term. So there is a lot to unpack with this report.

[04:25:00]

But we will see what happens with the Department of Justice now that it has it in their hands. Annie Grayer, CNN, from Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: We are tracking Hurricane Melissa, which has made a second landfall in the Caribbean, this time in eastern Cuba. We'll have the very latest on the storm's impacts and where it's headed next.

Plus, the death toll in Gaza is rising after a wave of renewed Israeli airstrikes. Why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses Hamas of violating the ceasefire. After the break.

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[04:30:00]

ABEL: All right. Now it is Cuba that's feeling the full impact of Hurricane Melissa. The powerful storm made its second landfall a short time ago.