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One World with Zain Asher

Powerful Hurricane Melissa Barrels Toward Jamaica; It's now the Second-Strongest Hurricane in Atlantic History; Indiana Governor Calls for Vote on New State Congressional Maps; Powerful Hurricane Melissa about to Make Landslide in Jamaica; Powerful Hurricane Melissa Moving Onshore in Jamaica; Sources: Trump Administration Disappointed in Immigration Arrest Totals. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired October 28, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right, coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. This is "One World". At this hour, the strongest

hurricane on earth is pushing into the Western Coast of Jamaica, the extremely dangerous Category Five storm is coming ashore right now as I

speak. It is packing sustained winds of 185 miles per hour.

The National Hurricane Center warns that the storm may be recharging in the waters of the Caribbean. Officials already blame the storm for at least

seven deaths in the region. Conditions in Jamaica are worsening as Melissa lashes the island.

This is video from Kingston earlier, showing the power blinking on and off. In addition to the catastrophic winds, Forecasters expect landslides and

flush flooding up to four meters or 13 feet. Jessica Hasbun joins us live now from Santo Domingo with conditions there.

So, this is actually the second largest, the second strongest hurricane on record for this part of the region. Just walk us through what we're

expecting in the Dominican Republic right now, Jessica?

JESSICA HUSBAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Zain, that's right. I'm here in the Capital of Santo Domingo, where the Dominican Republic continues to feel

impacts of Hurricane Melissa. Even though the storm center is moving away, its outer bands are still bringing heavy rainfall across much of the

country.

Authorities remain on high alert their biggest concern Zain are flash flooding landslides and rivers overflowing after days of relentless

rainfall. Emergency crews are keeping a close eye on low lying areas and mountain communities where the saturated soil has already caused several

mudslides.

The country's center of emergency operations has now placed 24 provinces under alert, including four in the south, reach southern region of the

country, and they're at the highest-level Red Alert. Those are Pedernales, Bar Aona, Independencia Ibauruco areas expected to see the heaviest

downpours within the next 24 to 48 hours.

The Ministry of Agriculture says early estimates of damage already exceed about 1.3 billion Dominican Pesos. That's about $23 million, mostly to

farms, crops and rural infrastructure. Officials stress those are still preliminary numbers. Since Melissa is far from finished with the island.

Meteorologists say the storm's broad cloud shield stretches hundreds of miles beyond its center, and that's what's been keeping this rain system

nearly stationary close affecting the Dominican Republic. Their warning totals could reach about six to eight inches before the system finally

begins to move away later this week.

Even then, forecasters caution that once Melissa passes the Bahamas, moisture wrapping around the storm could actually bring even more rain back

over parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Along the Southern Caribbean Coast, from Cabo Beach to -- and Punta Salinas -- the government

is urging small and fragile boats to stay in Port.

Winds and waves are rough, and coastal flooding remains a very big risk. Here in Santo Domingo, the rain Zain has been steady throughout the day.

Streets in some neighborhoods are already flooded and with soil completely saturated, authorities fear any additional downpour could trigger more

flooding and possibly landslides.

For now, residents are being told to stay alert and avoid crossing rivers or flooded roads until the system fully moves away Zain.

ASHER: Jessica Husban thank you so much. All right earlier, CNN spoke to Evan Thompson, the Principal Director of Jamaica's Meteorologist Service,

take a listen to what you have to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN THOMPSON, PRINCIPAL DIRECTOR, METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE OF JAMAICA: We've really never experienced a category five hurricane. Some persons will

remember a storm in 1951 that was Charlie, and that one was a hurricane, but it didn't -- it most likely, was about a category three based on the

data that we've been seeing.

[11:05:00]

And then in more recent memory, 1988 we had Hurricane Gilbert that I'm sure many of our viewers and listeners would remember. And in that pace, it

moved from east to west, right across the country. But again, it was a major category three hurricane.

Since then, we've had Sandy in 2012 which was a category one. We've had other systems at category four, but moving the center of them, moving off

the coastline. And so, we were really experiencing like the outer bands from these systems.

But in this case, we're seeing a major category five hurricane that's likely to be moving right across the country from south to north. This is

something that we've never experienced. And so, no one knows exactly what to expect at this time, and that's really the biggest challenge that we've

never experienced, the category five hurricane.

We've only seen them on CNN and other places. But, you know, we really are wondering just exactly how bad it will be and whether we can really get

through this?

Over in the hilly areas, we are really focused on the kind of landslides that we could be experiencing in those areas. Of course, we've been having

quite a bit of rainfall since the beginning of or since about the middle of October, for the past two three weeks.

And so, when we hear about this additional rainfall, that's going to be extreme. And you know what could cause excessive flooding right across the

country. We also think about the kind of landslides that we're likely to experience, because we are accustomed to experiencing landslides whenever

the soil is saturated, when there's loosening of the soil, and so in this case, we do expect that in hilly areas.

Also, we know that the wind speeds are usually increased as we go into these mountainous areas, you know, even above what we experience on the

flat land. So, you know, those persons who are living in the mountains, in the higher terrain, are also very much concerned about what could be

experienced in terms of the lifting of roofs and the blowing down of trees and all the loss of electricity.

All these things are of major concern to those of us in the -- in the hills. But then, of course, those on the flat land nearer to the coast,

we're concerned, yes, about the flooding that is expected to take place, but at the same time, we're also very much concerned of storm surge

flooding, especially in those areas that are along the coast of the southern coastline, east of where the center actually makes landfall.

And so those residents are very concerned. We've experienced storm surge flooding in many of the communities along the south coast already, but this

is likely to be a lot more than they've experienced in the past. And so there are concerns from all ends, from the lowlands to the highlands, right

across the island.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: And as he was just mentioning, Jamaica has never taken a hit from a Category Five storm before. The entire island is bracing for massive

devastation. CNN's Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is in Kingston for us. So, Derek, just walk us through what it's looking like where you are.

We know the hurricanes arrival is imminent. We're talking about 185 miles per hour winds, and it is moving very, very slowly, and that is part of the

issue as it makes landfall here.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So, I want to give context to our viewers as well. By the way, I have I can hear myself in my ears, guys. So, for our

viewers, when we have a hurricane of this magnitude coming through, we're 100 or so kilometers to the east of where the worst of the storm is

located.

And the fact that we're getting whipped around like we are right now shows you what they are experiencing would be exponentially worse where the core

of this hurricane is making landfall right now. I mean, right now you cannot see this, but my producer is holding up our Photojournalist Jerry,

to keep him from being blown over.

So, we're getting serious trouble -- high end tropical storm forced winds with gusts nearing hurricane force within Kingston, the capital. But the

core, the core Zain of this hurricane, where the most catastrophic storm surge, wind catastrophe will unfold, is right near the center of that eye

wall.

To put this into context for you. So, this is now the second strongest storm to form ever in terms of wind speed in the entire Atlantic Basin. And

it's making its final approach to Jamaica, as we speak, Western Jamaica. So, to better understand this, what can a cat five, high end cat five do?

It will strip foliage off of trees. It could take bark off of the sides of trees. This storm has the potential to isolate communities for days, if not

weeks. There could be complete and utter structural failure in the areas that are hardest hit with these catastrophic winds. We're talking about the

communities that are higher in elevation.

[11:10:00]

Remember, there's a lot of mountains across Jamaica that tower over 7000 feet, so the higher you go in altitude, the stronger the winds. But then

let's talk about the communities down into the valleys and the base in the coastline. So much of this population of 3 million people lives near the

ocean.

It's a big part of tourism. It's a big part of their culture here in Jamaica. The water will rush down the mountain sides that could total over

750 millimeters of rain, and that will meet an opposing force of storm surge. So those two opposing forces are going to force the water up in

those low-lying communities, right in the most inner core eye wall on that right side of the hurricane.

And that is where we're so concerned about this devastation. And you know when we talk about a potential of a humanitarian disaster, it is unfolding

right now in Western Jamaica, again, west of where we are, and it will be a catastrophe for this nation from a devastation perspective, from an

economic perspective, and just from a livelihood's perspective, it is going to take years, if not decades, to recover.

And I say that with reference to Gilbert that struck this island nation in 1988 as a category four. Now we have a high-end Category Five, the upper

echelon of what is possible making landfall in the country. That's my perspective. So, this will be a disaster. It's unfolding now. There's just

no way to sugarcoat it. It is a very hard, heartbreaking day for Jamaicans, Zain.

ASHER: Derek, I mean, what we're -- what you're experiencing right now is essentially the beginning, the very, very beginning of Melissa approaching

the island. And you know, what we're seeing is typical for the beginning of landfall, which is the wind speed picking up. You know, palm trees leaning

dangerously.

You've talked to us a bit about what it feels like right now, where you are. What is it going to feel like Derek, when the worst of this storm

actually hits?

DAM: All right. So, the center of the storm is making landfall. That's where the core of the catastrophic winds will be. Here in Kingston, where

I'm located, we get the outer rain bands of the right quadrant of the hurricane. So, it's possible we have spin up tornadoes that form. That is

where we would find the most likely area for her, for tornadoes that develop in hurricanes to form.

So, we have to be on the lookout for that. The rain will come down in a torrential tropical downpour that people back in the United States, if you

don't live near the coast, you may not be familiar with the raindrops can be the size of a quarter falling from the sky because it's working with the

Caribbean Ocean.

That's, you know, five kilometers behind me, so we're above sea level by about 350 feet. But the coastline where evacuations are mandatory lawful

order, that area is so susceptible to the flooding and the storm surge, not to mention the catastrophic winds, Zain.

ASHER: Derek Van Dam, do stay safe where you are, there in Kingston. Thank you so much. We're joined on the phone by Evrol Christian. He owns the

Little Ochi Seafood Restaurant in Alligator Pond that's in Mandeville, Jamaica. Evrol, thank you so much for being with us. I think my first

question to you is --

EVROL CHRISTAIN, RESTAURANT OWNER, MANDEVILLE, JAMAICA: Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

ASHER: Thank you. How are you holding up Evrol?

CHRISTIAN: Well, well, the whole Alligator Pond Coastline is gone. And we don't even get the I had the storm as yet. We're seeing the sea rising up

to 15 feet above, going over walls and going over houses in Alligator Pond. It's going to be a very dangerous storm. And after I talk to you, I'm going

to higher ground.

ASHER: Are you safe? Where you are Evrol, right now? I mean, you describe the storm approaching is intense --

CHRISTAIN: Well, where we are. I am safe where I'm talking to you from, for now, but the sea level is rising, and it looks like there's going to be a

big storm coming.

ASHER: Evrol, Jamaica has never seen anything like this. It has never seen a Category five storm in its history. Obviously, a lot of Jamaican

residents remember what Beryl was like? But just explain to us, when you talk to other people who are trying to evacuate, what is the level of

uncertainty, the level of fear, the intense emotions that a lot of people are fearing as Hurricane Melissa makes its landfall?

[11:15:00]

CHRISTIAN: Well, everybody in Alligator Pond is crying out now. I'm sorry that I never told you bus yesterday and go to higher ground, but what I'm

seeing now the sea level is coming over the wall, and we are in serious trouble. All -- the city here -- in Alligator Pond.

ASHER: Evrol where are you going to? Where are you going to evacuating to right now?

CHRISTIAN: Well, I'm going more inland. I'm going more inland where the sea I think won't get to come over. I'm heading inland.

ASHER: What message do you want to share with other Jamaicans, other people who are in low lying areas? A lot of people might be -- go ahead.

CHRISTIAN: This is a big one, and it must be taken seriously. I'm telling everybody now to get the point to evacuate now. Evacuate now.

ASHER: Are you seeing and hearing a lot of people who are choosing not to evacuate in order to protect their homes or their businesses.

CHRISTIAN: Yes, a lot of people refuse from evacuate. But what we're seeing now, the whole Alligator Pond -- this is too late to evacuate -- we cannot

stay on the speed level, no longer, no longer no longer, no longer.

ASHER: And are those people are any more people -- now that the storm is approaching are any of those people heeding to the warnings based on what

you're seeing?

CHRISTIAN: If I could send you a picture of what's going on now, it is unbelievable in Alligator Pond. The whole coastline is gone.

ASHER: The whole coastline is gone.

CHRISTIAN: Yeah, the whole coastline is gone.

ASHER: Talk to us about how windy it is, the level of rain you're feeling right now? Just give us a sense of what you're feeling and what you're

experiencing as you look out into the sea?

CHRISTIAN: Well, when I look out in the sea, the waves is as high as around 15 feet, and the breeze, the wind, the wind speed presently, it's like I

can see the wind. It's unbelievable.

ASHER: Evrol Christian, thank you so much for your time. We wish you the absolute best of luck. I know you're making your way to higher ground. I'm

so sorry for what Alligator Pond is experiencing. I really do hope the other people in that community heed to the warnings based on what you're

seeing.

I mean, obviously we can't see what you're seeing, but based on what you're describing, it is intensely frightening. We wish you the best of luck, and

we hope to touch base with you.

CHRISTIAN: All right God bless.

ASHER: Thank you.

CHRISTIAN: I'm heading --

ASHER: Thank you, Evrol. We will have much more on this breaking news throughout the hour. Right up next, the U.S. President heaps lavish praise

on Japan's first female leader as they meet for the first time. Details and what it means for future U.S. Japanese relations when we come back. Plus,

the reality of the shutdown hits home for air traffic controllers. Today is the day that they skip a paycheck.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:20:00]

ASHER: This woman is a winner. The U.S. President lavished praise on the new Japanese Prime Minister as they met on the second leg of his Asia tour.

Donald Trump invited Sainai Takashi to the stage as he spoke to troops aboard the USS George Washington at a Naval Base in Japan.

The Prime Minister talked about the unprecedented security environment in the region, referring to rising threats from China. The U.S. has been the

anchor of Tokyo's defense since the end of World War II. Mr. Trump highlighted the close ties between the two nations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: President Trump heads to South Korea later where he is expected to meet with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping. CNN's Hanako Montgomery is in Tokyo,

and she filed this report a short time ago.

HANAKO MONTGONERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There was a lot of pomp and pageantry at this first bilateral meeting between President Donald Trump and Japan's

new Leader Sainai Takaichi. They sang a lot of praises for women out of there throughout Tuesday, and also clearly built a strong personal bond in

just a matter of hours.

But there was also purpose to this trip. Trump, for example, announced aboard the USS George Washington, that Toyota, Japan's largest car maker,

was going to invest billions of dollars into the United States. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I want to thank Japan, because Japan is making big investments into the United States, and I was just told by the Prime Minister that Toyota is

going to be putting auto plants all over the United States to the tune of over $10 billion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: Now at a working dinner with Japanese business leaders, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also announced that Japanese companies

were going to invest $490 billion in the United States. Now this is very similar to the trade agreement that we saw agreed upon between Japan and

the U.S. earlier this year.

It is part of that same trade agreement. But we do have a little bit more detail about what kind of industries these investments will be put in. The

secretary announced that the industries include nuclear development, engineering and construction services, semiconductors and AI infrastructure

industries.

So again, it's clear that in this first meeting between Trump and Takaichi, they were building a strong personal rapport, much like we saw under the

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who Trump has called previously one of his best friends.

But also, it is about reaffirming the strength of the U.S. Japan alliance, bringing it to new heights, making it this really the golden era of the

U.S. Japan alliance, especially in the face of heightened tensions with China, Japan's neighbor, and also given the fact that, of course, Trump has

a very difficult meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week, Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.

ASHER: Under mounting pressure from President Trump, Indiana's Republican Governor is pushing lawmakers to redraw Congressional boundaries. Mike

Braun, a staunch Trump ally, has called for a special legislative session on November 3rd. It's unclear, however, if there are enough votes to

support the measure, but he posted this on social media.

All of it comes amid a White House pressure campaign to redraw maps to help Republicans maintain control of the U.S. House in next year's midterm

elections. Indiana now joins several Republican led states actively working to redistrict Democrats are pushing back with their own redistricting

efforts as well.

[11:25:00]

All right, California Governor Gavin Newsom warns next year's midterm elections will not be free and fair. He is a leading Trump critic and has

been battling the White House over both the deployment of the National Guard in his state, as well as the Republican redistricting drive.

CNN's Elex Michaelson spoke with Newsom, who called out Trump saying he's, quote, rigging the midterm maps. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): The guy said this month and months ago. What's happening in LA, what's happened in California is a preview of things to

come. Watch this space with the DOJ. This is all team up 2026 Donald Trump does not believe in fair and free elections. He's trying to rig the 2026

election in plain and open sight, and that is obvious to anyone that's paying attention, and he's just winding up.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: So, let's talk about Prop 50, because that is a lot of what you're thinking about here. So, background for Prop 50 that

people haven't been paying that close attention to this.

NEWSOM: Yeah.

MICHAELSON: President Trump says to the Governor of Texas that he would like to have five Republican seats in Texas. They redraw the Congressional

map there. California Democrats say, if you're going to do that, we should redraw our map to have five Democratic seats here.

There's now a proposition to get rid of independent redistricting commission until 2031 in order to create a new map that will probably help

the Democrats. There are some people that say two wrongs don't make a right. Why are they wrong?

NEWSOM: Well, look. Let's go back. What you said was perfectly accurate. But you missed one key distinction. Donald Trump said he, quote, unquote,

was entitled. That's a shunt of chill. Everyone watching, Democrats, Republicans. He said he was entitled to five seats. That's exactly what

Greg Abbott and the legislature did in Texas.

They didn't stop there. They're in Missouri. They're now moving in Indiana, with a special session. They just redistricted in North Carolina, and

obviously Ron DeSantis is going to get into this. These guys are not screwing around. They're ruthless. They're trying to rig the election

before one vote is cast.

What they expected us to do was cast aspersions. Maybe write an op-ed, maybe have a candlelight vigil, walk the streets, talk about the way the

world should be. Maybe try to win the argument as they're consolidating power, they did not expect us to come up with a strategy to counterbalance

things so that we can rebalance and have a chance have this country have a chance of holding our Republican democracy, so we can actually celebrate

the 250th anniversary, as opposed to tearing down these enduring values of our founding fathers.

So, our approach is, yeah, fight fire with fire. It's not one hand tied behind our back. It's not about winning an argument. It's about recognizing

the other side is not screwing around. No norms. They're an open plain sight, doing everything they can to wreck this republic and our democracy.

It started with January 6th. He tried to light democracy on fire. He tried to wreck this country. He dialed for 11, 12,000 seats in with the Secretary

of State in Georgia, and now he's doing something unprecedented in American history, calling Governors to rig the midterm maps. Wake up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right, you can watch Elex Michaelson on "The Story Is" weeknights at midnight if you're watching from New York, weekdays at 08:00

a.m. in Abu Dhabi and noon in Hong Kong. All right, Republican led Congressional Committee says the pardons Joe Biden signed late in his

presidency should be voided.

In a letter to the Attorney General, the Committee says Biden was experiencing cognitive decline, and it believes he was unaware of many

executive actions taken in his name. The letter specifically says that pardons that Biden signed using an auto pen should be invalidated.

Former President Biden says that he was aware of all the actions he took in office, and adds that Republicans who say otherwise are, in his words,

liars. Among the people Biden pardoned late in his term were many critics of Donald Trump and members of Biden's family, including his own son

Hunter.

All right 28 days into the U.S., government shut down, air traffic controllers across the U.S. are really feeling the pain. Today was supposed

to be a payday for them instead, for the first time since the current shutdown began, they will get no paycheck at all. Federal law prohibits

controllers from going on strike or other mass job action, but they are still allowed to call in sick, and many are doing just that.

Air Traffic Control Centers across the nation, from Las Vegas to Atlanta to New York have reported staff shortages in recent days. CNN's Aviation

Correspondent Pete Muntean is tracking the situation at America's Airports.

I mean, day 28 the shutdown first time air traffic controllers literally get no pay whatsoever. So not only are they dealing with the government

shutdown and not being paid, but they're already, I mean, this whole. sector of the U.S. government is dealing with a declining workforce and

already somewhat difficult work conditions too Pete?

[11:30:00]

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: You hit the nail on the head Zain. You know, this is so hard for air traffic controllers, and it has

been for years. There has been a staffing shortage of about 2000 air traffic controllers. That's really not getting any better. It was a problem

for this Trump Administration, now, problem for the Biden Administration, problem for the previous Trump Administration.

These staffing shortages now, a microcosm of this government shutdown, are getting worse, with no sign of this government shutdown ending anytime

soon. We have seen the FAA alert so far today of staffing shortages for the approach control facility, responsible for flights in and out of Newark,

responsible for flights in and out of Atlanta and also in Denver.

Also, the control tower at Denver International Airport is short on staff. We have not seen the delays or cancelations pile up yet, but we know that

can change on a dime. Throw some weather into the mix, and things can really come tumbling down. This is just day 28 of this story that we have

been talking about since October 1st.

And since then, we have counted about 275 staffing shortages individually at FAA facilities across the country. Compare that to October 2024 this new

number is about four times greater than the number of staffing shortages, then controllers are now really taking this into their own hands.

Literally, they're picking up these leaflets and handing it out to travelers here at Reagan National Airport, just outside of Washington,

D.C., also at airports across the country, some major hubs like Chicago and Miami, Tampa, Chicago, O'Hare, LAX, you name it, there are controllers

there out, giving out these leaflets, essentially saying to end the government shutdown now and call your representatives in Congress.

Only going so far. Remember, Republicans control the White House, the House and the Senate. So, we will see if that movement by air traffic controllers

will make any sort of dent here, as they just got the $0 paycheck. Just want you to think about what it would be like to get a paycheck that reads

out in text, $0. This stings for controllers.

Now they tell me that they were having to make some hard choices about whether or not to put gas in the car, how to pay for babysitter. It is

really, really tough for them. So, we'll see if there is any and in sight here. But right now, it seems like not much movement, with nobody really

making any sort of changes at the Congressional level.

ASHER: And as you point out, a lot of them are calling out sick because they're not getting paid. All right, Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean,

live for us. Thank you. A worst-case scenario for Jamaica, as the island nation takes a direct hit from a powerful category five hurricane.

How Cuba is preparing for the storm to make a second landfall on their shores in the coming hours as well, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:35:00]

ASHER: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some of the international headlines we are watching for you today.

Conditions in Jamaica are getting worse as Hurricane Melissa's winds pick up speed and as the center of the storm closes in on the island.

At last check, the storm is just some 65 kilometers, or 40 miles south of no grill. In addition to the catastrophic winds, forecasters expect

landslides and flash flooding of up to four meters or 13 feet.

The Leaders of the U.S. and Japan heaped praise on each other as they met on the second leg of Donald Trump's Asia tour. President Trump introduced

Sainai Takaichi as a winner when he addressed U.S. troops at Naval Base at a naval base near Tokyo. The two nations signed agreements involving trade

and rare earth minerals.

There are mass job cuts happening at Amazon today, some 14,000 corporate jobs are on the chopping block as artificial intelligence begins replacing

human beings. The tech giant sent a memo out to employees saying it expects to continue hiring in strategic areas, but it warns it will be looking at

more ways to remove layers and increase efficiency.

And millions of people in the Caribbean are bracing for the strongest hurricane of the Atlantic season this year. Right now, the eye wall of

Hurricane Melissa is pushing ashore landfall is expected anytime now as a category five hurricane, a first for the island nation, the powerful storm

is packing winds of 298 kilometers per hour, or 185 miles per hour.

The World Meteorological Organization says it expects the situation in Jamaica to be catastrophic. Kristin Morgan is visiting Jamaica from

Atlanta. She joins us from about 45 minutes West of Montego Bay. Kristin, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us.

I can't imagine what is going through your mind. I'm sure there's a lot of fear, a lot of apprehension. Just when you look outside, what do you see?

How you holding up? How you feeling?

KRISTIN MORGAN, VISITING JAMAICA: Right now, and thanks for having me. Right now, I see palm trees blowing and just wind and rain, and it's gray

and its pretty empty outside. I'm on a hotel resort, and I'm just feeling like, I'd like to get home to my children, and just a little nervous.

ASHER: You're not with your children? Your children are back in the U.S.

MORGAN: They're in Atlanta. Yes.

ASHER: I'm so -- I can't even imagine how hard that must be. Have you spoken to them?

MORGAN: Yes, yes. Thankfully, my mother-in-law has my children now, and it's -- we were supposed to fly out and be home last night. And obviously

all of the flights, even the airport is closed, so we don't leave. I mean, until tomorrow, hopefully. And we still don't know if that's for sure.

ASHER: So, you originally had booked a flight to try to beat it, beat the storm, and get out yesterday, and then what were you told by the airline

that that the flight was canceled? What were you told?

MORGAN: The airline just reached out to us and said that it was canceled. And we have to find other flights. And for hours, there were no flights

available until Friday, the 31st and then slowly, flights would open up. But it's kind of been like they've been opening and they've been being

canceled as well. So, it's kind of been a hot potato situation.

ASHER: Of course, because you have, I mean, we have no idea what sort of devastation and what sort of -- what condition Jamaica is going to be like

in the next 24 hours? So, it's impossible to know whether they're going to be any flights over the next coming days.

But just you know in terms of what the hotel is telling you, you mentioned that you're at a resort, what are they saying about what you need to do

when the worst of the storm actually hits?

[11:40:00]

MORGAN: They've been telling us the best place we can be is in our rooms. This hotel has been doing a great job at keeping us fed. They dropped off

some food and some drinks to us. And they've just been trying to communicate as much as they can while the phones are still working. But for

the most part, they hunker down in your rooms, and that's all we -- we've all been doing.

ASHER: Typically, when you sort of -- when this -- when a storm is about to make landfall, you know, visibility lowers a little bit, starts to get a

little bit -- becomes much more ominous right outside, you get lower visibility. You get palm trees sort of shaking in the wind, I mean, much

like the video that we're seeing on our screens right now. It becomes a little bit rainier, and then slowly windier.

Wind gusts pick up, and it starts to get more and more intense based on what you're seeing because I've spoken to people you know, different areas

of Jamaica, and they're all sort of experiencing different things right now. One person who I spoke to Alligator Pond said that the entire

coastline right now is completely gone.

So, he was having a much more intense experience. It sounds like where you are things are relatively calm, but just describe what you see outside

right now.

MORGAN: It's literally gray outside. And palm trees are just -- all of the palms are to one side. And our -- where our room is, we're about 50 feet

from the ocean. So, we -- you know just looking out the balcony and seeing the ocean, the waters are choppy. Everything looks great. The water looks

great.

It's just - it's just a gray blast outside, and just the wind is just out of control. There's literally no sign of life whatsoever outside. It's just

really bad.

ASHER: That's so scary. And I'm so sorry that, you know, I mean, the hardest part I think, as a mother, is that you're not with your children,

and I'm sure you're itching and itching to get back to them, and that must be the hardest part of all of this. So, I hope that you get reunited with

them very, very soon. Kristin Morgan, we wish you the best of luck. Praying for you. Fingers crossed. Everything ends up OK, thank you, Kristen, good

luck.

All right, while Hurricane Melissa bears down in Jamaica, Cuba is bracing for the storm to make landfall there as well. CNN's Patrick Oppmann is

standing by for us in Santiago de Cuba with the latest on the conditions there. So, Patrick, I understand that Eastern Cuba is expecting about 20

inches of rain. Walk us through what things are like right now, where you are?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When you were just talking with your guests about that ominous gray and that's what we're seeing right now.

Behind me on any other day of the year, you would see Cuba's tallest man range the Sierra Maestra, and they have been completely blocked out of view

by the beginning of Melissa's outer bands that are arriving here.

It's just going to get worse and worse from here. I expect by this evening, I will not be able to stand on this terrace where I am right now. We have

seen people in the neighborhood where we are, in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba's second largest city, securing the roofs, because so many of the tiles on

the roofs around me will essentially become shrapnel as the winds pick up.

And that is very, very dangerous when you see tiles and water tanks and other things that people have on the roofs here. I just get blown off at

great speeds. The rain is very dangerous as well. The storm surge is very dangerous for the coastal area like we are. So, there are no shortages of

hazards here.

Cubans talk about Hurricane Sandy over a decade ago and how destructive that storm was? I came and covered the aftermath of that storm. It looked

like a bomb had gone off, but you have to remember, it was only category two as destructive as it was. You're talking about a far more destructive

storm.

Melissa could come here. We expect will come here as a major hurricane, becoming -- comes here as a category five, what it currently is now, that

is a storm that really very few people in this region of Cuba, as experienced as they are. Have ever seen the force of that kind just a

terrifying storm, as having gone through several category fives myself.

I look around and I see buildings here that are old that will simply not survive in this part of town, at least, you have mostly cement buildings.

You get on the outskirts of Santiago, and you actually see people living in these kinds of ramshackle wooden houses. You know, any kind of serious

hurricane will just push over.

And so, it's very concerning to see people in those kinds of situations. All day long, we have seen people getting bussed out of this city. The

government is trying to provide what busses it can. It has prevented people from coming into the city because they just do not want more people have to

take care of.

They're trying to get people to shelters. But for a storm of this magnitude, there will be people who try to hunker down and try to ride out

the storm, and if they need help, help will not be coming to them anytime soon.

ASHER: That is a scary thought. Patrick Oppmann in Santiago De Cuba, thank you so much.

[11:45:00]

All right, still to come here on "One World", the White House is reportedly frustrated with ICE. We'll tell you why dozens of senior immigration

officials could be replaced.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, the White House is said to be frustrated with the scope and pace of the nationwide crackdown on undocumented migrants. Also tell

CNN that officials are considering a major shakeup at ICE Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an effort to boost the numbers of immigration

arrests.

At least a dozen ICE Directors could be reassigned as the agency tries to meet Donald Trump's goal of arresting 3000 undocumented migrants per day.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has been tracking this story for us as well.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Trump Administration is planning yet another shake up at immigration and customs enforcement. The federal

agency that has been charged with President Trump's mass deportation agenda. According to sources, plans are underway to reassign at least a

dozen field directors of these ICE offices across the country.

There's 25 field offices, about half of them could of the leaders could be reassigned. The other part of this plan is potentially installing U.S.

Border Patrol officials to fill those roles. Now, sources of mine say that they cannot recall a time where that happened, because while U.S. Border

Patrol and ICE have worked together and are especially working together now.

They are still two different agencies with two different sets of mission. But it is perhaps unsurprising for some because leadership at the White

House and the Department of Homeland Security have privately and publicly boasted about what U.S. Border Patrol is doing in their immigration

enforcement actions across the country, including by tapping Gregory Bevino, a Chief Patrol Agent, to lead the federal crackdown in cities

including Los Angeles and now Chicago.

Now, plans haven't yet been finalized, and in a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said, quote, while we have no personnel changes to

announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this

country.

Now, again, there have been tensions for months between ICE and the White House as they try to meet the goals of the administration, especially a

million deportations a year. They are making some inroads. However, the Department of Homeland Security announcing this week that more than 500,000

people have been deported or returned since President Donald Trump took office. Back to you.

[11:50:00]

ASHER: All right, the United Nations is accusing Moscow of committing war crimes throughout Ukraine. It says Russian attacks continue to pummel

Ukrainian city centers and energy infrastructure ahead of winter. The new report says the Kremlin is deliberately striking civilians with drones

along the front lines in a coordinated policy to drive civilians out of certain areas.

It says more than 200 civilians have been killed and 2000 injured in Ukraine's Southern regions since July 2024. Russia has repeatedly denied

accusation -- accusations of targeting civilians. Hamas has just announced it will hand over the body of another Israeli hostage in Gaza tonight.

Meantime, the remains of an Israeli hostage returned on Monday have been identified. Israel says they are partial remains belonging to Ofir

Tzarfati, whose body was already recovered in Israeli military operations during the early weeks of fighting. That means 13 deceased hostages still

remain in Gaza.

Prime Minister Netanyahu says Hamas is now violating, continues, rather to violate, the initial terms of the ceasefire agreement requiring it to

return all of the bodies. For its part, Hamas accuses Israel of deliberately hampering its search for those remains. All right, still to

come, Hurricane Melissa closing in on Jamaica right now, fears the results could be catastrophic. We have the latest on our top story straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: One of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history is bearing down on Jamaica. Here's what we know. Hurricane Melissa will soon make landfall

in Jamaica. It's expected to hit Jamaica at full Category Five strength and conditions are deteriorating.

U.N.'s Weather Agency says it will be the strongest storm to hit the Jamaica this century, and predicts the impacts will be catastrophic.

Officials already blame the storm for at least seven deaths in the region. Forecasters are expecting high winds, flooding, mudslides and massive,

massive storm surges.

The Red Cross estimates Melissa will impact about one and a half million people in Jamaica. That's more than half the population. Hundreds of

shelters are open, but only a fraction of them are being used. Stay with CNN will be speaking with the Jamaican Prime Minister in the next hour of

"One World" that's right after a short break.

[11:55:00]

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END