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The Brief with Jim Sciutto

Hurricane Bears Down On Jamaica; Trump To Meet Japan's First Female Prime Minister; U.S. And China Reach Framework Agreement On Trade; New Russian Drone Attacks Target Kyiv; Russia's New Missile Threat; Trump Not Ruling Out A Third Term As President; U.S. Warships Moves Closer To Venezuela. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 27, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and you're watching

"The Brief."

Just ahead this hour, Jamaica braces for the worst storm in its history as Hurricane Melissa tears through the Caribbean. Security tight in Tokyo as

President Trump prepares to meet the Japanese prime minister on his continuing Asia tour. And concerns mount after Russia says it has tested a

nuclear-powered cruise missile. We're going to hear from a former Ukrainian defense minister. That conversation and plenty more coming up.

We begin though with Jamaica bracing for what could be the strongest hurricane to hit the island ever. Hurricane Melissa expected to make

landfall early Tuesday as a rare category 5 storm with powerful winds. Officials are expecting major storm surge and months' worth of rain in a

matter of days. Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for parts of Jamaica. The government is warning of catastrophic impact.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARYL VAZ, JAMAICAN TRANSPORT, TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND ENERGY MINISTER: Regardless of where it enters and where it exits, there is going to be

massive flooding as a result of the surf. That is going to require persons to relocate from their existing locations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: After Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa is forecast to then hit Cuba later on Tuesday, then head towards the Bahamas. The storm has already

killed at least four people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Joining us now, meteorologist Chris Warren from the CNN Weather Center. Tell us just

how big and powerful this is because it's category 5, but I mean, getting stronger still?

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's now 175 mile per hour, category 5 hurricane, Jim. This is the strongest storm so far this year on the planet.

And the overall size of it is not as big as we've seen, but the strength of it and where it's actually going to be -- the strongest winds making

landfall will be catastrophic wind damage.

Now, the strongest of the strongest winds where the catastrophic damage is going to happen is wherever this part of the storm, the eye wall, that's

the eye and the edges there, the eye wall, wherever that makes landfall will be absolutely and potentially leveled. So, we're talking massive

destruction.

Now, you go 30, 40 miles away from the center and then we're looking at tropical storm force winds. However, the water, whether it's the surge from

the Caribbean Sea or the water coming out of the mountains will also be catastrophic.

So, making landfall, slow mover, making landfall as a 5 or a 4, again, that's talking about the winds. The rain is a whole other story. And this

is also dependent on how slow this storm is going to be moving. We're looking at well over 24 hours' worth of tropical rain in Jamaica. And this

is the whole island. None of the islands going to be spared from the rain.

Another way to look at it here, 7:00 Eastern time. This is Jamaica right up here. This is the heart of the storm. And as far as the hurricane force

winds go. But look at this rain. This is tropical downpours, flooding rain. The mountains of Jamaica get that much more rain out of it. You see that

moved in. It's still raining. Check the time.

1:00 in the morning. So, all this evening, tonight, 1:00 in the morning, still no landfall. Right. So, this is the wind story. This is the rain

story. And that rain story goes all across the island. And when you think of landfall around maybe 7:00 tomorrow morning, that's essentially

halftime. Right. So, it's going to be all night, a sleepless night in Jamaica and then continuing throughout most of the day. More than 24 hours

later before finally it moves away from the island.

The mountains make it worse because you have the uplift of the mountains, which gets more moisture out of the atmosphere. Then the rain falls back

down on the mountains. It drains out and it's draining out to the Caribbean Sea, which is going to be up in some places about nine feet above normal

high tide. So, that water is going to have a hard time getting out to sea.

So, Jim, it's really going to come to the multiple threats, the winds, especially on the west side of the island, but also the entire island,

water coming from the mountains and water coming from the sea, both can be dangerous, if not deadly.

[18:05:00]

SCIUTTO: Good lord. Wow. What a powerful storm. Chris Warren, thanks so much. We will be live in Kingston, Jamaica later this hour.

Well, President Trump is in Japan today ahead of an expected meeting this week with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trump received a warm welcome from

the Japanese emperor, Naruhito, on what is the second stop of a three country Asia tour. In just a few hours, Trump is due to meet the country's

first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. It is a crucial test for the new prime minister, given her limited experience and also Trump's

unpredictability in trade negotiations on the agenda, tariffs as well as security and Japan's defense spending. Later, Trump will speak to U.S.

troops on board the USS George Washington, then have dinner with business leaders.

Senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes is in Tokyo now. And I wonder, this meeting with the Japanese prime minister, given her

conservative bent in the country, ties to Trump's late friend Shinzo Abe, do you expect this to be the beginning of perhaps a close relationship?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly we do. I mean, we've heard President Trump talk about the new prime minister

over and over again with nothing but praise, and particularly linking her to Shinzo Abe, who was somewhat of a mentor to her. It's really hard to put

into words how much President Trump valued Shinzo Abe.

One of the things to keep in mind is during President Trump's first term on the world stage, he had almost no allies, no friends. But one of the people

who he maintained a close relationship with was the prime minister, Abe. And so, he really values him. He's called him a good friend, a great

friend, said he's one of the best. Their relationship went to the point where even after Abe was assassinated, his widow came to Mar-a-Lago and

stayed with President Trump and Melania.

So, this is really setting the tone for this relationship. And one thing to keep in mind is that this new prime minister knows that and has kept on

some of Abe's advisers who worked directly with Trump and his team in the first term. It's all to kind of keep the wheels greased as this meeting

goes on.

When you talk to White House officials and U.S. officials, they really view this as a way to show the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance, this

meeting. But there are Japanese officials who want more from this. They want to hash out trade. They want to hash out that $550 billion investment

Japan said that it would make in the United States. What is that exactly going to look like? They have questions about tariffs.

So, whether or not there's actually like any information comes out of this meeting, we'll obviously wait and see. But for certain, this is going to be

the first time that they establish their relationship, which both sides are feeling very good about.

SCIUTTO: You have the U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speak about a framework now reached between the U.S. and China. When you look at what we

know, and we don't know everything about this framework, it appears that things are returning to the way they were before the start of the trade

war, restart of, for instance, soybean purchases, et cetera.

Have -- is the administration saying any of the major issues that led initially to the enormous tariffs on China are being addressed or solved

here?

HOLMES: No. I mean, you have to remember that everything we know about this, quote/unquote, "framework" is coming from Secretary Bessent and his

Chinese counterpart. And they're not necessarily all completely lining up. You're hearing Secretary Bessent be incredibly bullish when it comes to

making a trade deal. On the other side, his Chinese counterparts have been far more reserved.

So, what they're looking at now, in particular, of course, is what we had just seen in the last recent weeks that seemed to kind of spiral the trade

war back into effect, which was China really ramping up these export control on rare earths, leading President Trump to say that he was going to

charge 100 percent tariff on top of tariffs starting on November 1st. It does seem now that the big component of this is going to be that China will

delay or defer those rare earths or the -- excuse me, the export controls over that, which, of course, would impact how much it costs for the U.S.,

meaning that on the other side, the U.S. is not going to charge 100 percent tariffs.

And the other big one that Bessent mentioned was this idea that China would buy a, quote/unquote," "significant amount" of soybeans from American

farmers. That will be huge news for American farmers who have been struggling now for some time.

SCIUTTO: Kristen Holmes in Tokyo, thanks so much. Well, while touring Asia, President Trump called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to come back to

the negotiating table. Russia launched a series of deadly strikes on Kyiv over the weekend. The city's mayor says two high rise apartments were

struck. At least three people killed, 30 others injured, many of them children. This is a daily event in the Ukrainian capital.

Putin says his country has carried out a successful test of the world's first nuclear powered cruise missile codenamed Skyfall by NATO.

[18:10:00]

The missile is designed to evade defenses like the so-called Golden Dome project now under development in the U.S. Russia's military says the

missile stayed airborne for some 15 hours, covering a distance of more than 14,000 kilometers.

Joining me now, Andriy Zagorodnyuk. He's the former defense minister of Ukraine, also the chairman of the Center for Strategic Defense Strategies

and a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council. Good to have you on. Thanks so much for taking the time.

ANDRIY ZAGORODNYUK, FORMER UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: Thank you. Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Vladimir Putin is very good at high profile, well-advertised missile tests, particularly timing them at points when he wants to send a

message. And I wonder, with this nuclear-powered cruise missile, what message do you think Putin is sending to the world and perhaps to President

Trump?

ZAGORODNYUK: And also, to his own people, because what we noticed is that they highly spread that news around the Russian social media everywhere.

And, you know, lots of the pro-war bloggers were like talking about this as some sort of a game changer and so on. This has been a very old technology,

which has been basically dropped for various reasons. We don't know if that's -- first of all, if that's true and how ready that is.

Secondly, certainly Russia can -- right now, they use a lot of weapon systems, which unfortunately we cannot intercept. And they don't need to

stay 14 hours in the airspace. So, we have a critical shortage of the air defense systems, particularly against the ballistics threat.

So, I believe that the key message was to the International Community. And the message was that Russia is doing well in terms of technologies, in

terms of the investments in the new weapon systems. And Russia cannot be defeated. And that's why, you know, it should be -- it cannot be pressed to

the -- or coerced into the negotiations. And, you know, you basically -- you should you should respect its point. That kind of -- that sort of a

message. We don't believe it represents the reality, but nevertheless, that's what they're trying to send everybody.

SCIUTTO: You wrote recently in Foreign Affairs that Ukraine is closer to paralyzing Russia than most people think. Do you believe that Ukraine has

the upper hand to some degree in the war now?

ZAGORODNYUK: Well, that depends. How do you define the Russian goals in the war? Because the original goal was to overthrow the Ukrainian government

and destroy the country. And clearly, they -- they're failing there. As most of the specialists saying that the war -- each war has political

goals. And that's key goals, you know, and with those Russia is not winning.

Also, Russia is clearly losing in the Black Sea domain. Ukraine could rebuild its freedom of navigation in the western part of the Black Sea,

which now helps our economy tremendously because we trade through the Black Sea. And also, their movement in the -- on the land domain is not that what

they expected.

Yes, they do some small gains, but these are enormous costs. And also, this is not the speed which they planned even a year ago. So, over the last

year, their progress was incremental and clearly, they don't have millions to -- more of Russians to spare.

So, in terms of the neutralization of Russian aggression, we're doing much better than -- you know, than Russia wanted. We cannot say that, you know,

this is like a complete destruction of the Russian forces. I mean, they still have some potential, but that potential is clearly not enough to

destroy Ukraine.

SCIUTTO: In terms of the help that the West needs to supply to Ukraine, in your view, particularly security guarantees at the point, hopefully, when

this war ends or achieve some sort of ceasefire. Your argument is that it should focus less on things like troops on the ground in Ukraine and more

on advanced weapons systems and technologies so that, in effect, Ukraine can defend itself. Can you explain?

ZAGORODNYUK: So, of course. We don't see much appetite from the NATO countries to send a lot of troops, the troops which actually participate in

the missions. And what we believe is the best way for them to help us would be to send some aviation and particularly to the Western Ukraine and close

the Western Ukraine sky. So, we can concentrate our air forces on the central and eastern.

[18:15:00]

And also, of course, with the weapons systems. Because right now, we see what probably we can call a revolution, military technical revolution,

because the battlefield completely has changed over the last years. And this has nothing to do with what the war was in 2022 and 2023. And

development of the new systems, and of course, most of them are unmanned, are remotely controlled, it's something where we need a serious

technological assistance from the West.

And we receive it. We receive a lot of assistance. We receive lots of components. We receive lots of money. So, it's happening. But we only can

increase that in order to increase our resilience and ability to -- you know, to prevail on the battlefield. And that's the only thing which

unfortunately matters right now in Ukraine, because all these discussions about the -- you know, about security guarantees after war ends, we don't

see war ending, unfortunately, right now. And what we need right now is the guarantees which can actually shape the battlefield today. That's what I

was trying to say.

SCIUTTO: I understand. And listen, you know, and every night Ukrainians have to live through the ballistic missiles and the drones. So, thanks so

much for joining. And please do stay safe. Andriy Zagorodnyuk, former defense minister of Ukraine.

ZAGORODNYUK: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Still to come, Trump discusses whether he is considering a third presidential term. What he said, what the Constitution says. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, U.S. stocks rallied to fresh records as U.S.-China trade tensions appeared to ease. The NASDAQ

rose almost 2 percent. S&P 500 closed above 6,800 for the very first time.

In other trade news, President Trump said over the weekend that he is raising tariffs on Canada by an additional 10 percent. Because why? Well,

Canada aired an ad arguing against tariffs. He claims it was deceptive.

In Argentina today, stock bond and currency markets all rallied after President Javier Milei's election victory in midterms over the weekend. His

party strengthened its position in the country's legislature, paving the way now for billions of dollars in new U.S. government support, which

President Trump conditioned on Milei's party winning.

[18:20:00]

Checking some of today's other business headlines, shares of the tech giant Qualcomm soared some 11 percent Monday on news it is taking on NVIDIA in

the highly lucrative A.I. chip market. Qualcomm unveiled two new powerful A.I. data-centered chips, a sector that NVIDIA currently dominates. It is

Qualcomm's bid to diversify beyond chips that power mobile devices such as smartphones.

Delta is set to become the first U.S. airline to fly direct from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia. Beginning next October, it will fly three times a week

between Atlanta and the capital city of Riyadh. Delta says the new route will help strengthen trade and investment ties between the two countries.

Tesla's chair is urging shareholders to vote in favor of CEO Elon Musk's $1 trillion, that's right, trillion-dollar pay package. That's a thousand

billions. Robyn Denholm says Musk is critical to Tesla's success and that he could leave the company if they don't pay him that much. Advocacy groups

have criticized Tesla's board for its lack of independence and oversight of Musk.

President Trump is once again refusing to rule out running for a third term, even though the 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution explicitly

prohibits that. Here is part of what he said on Air Force One before arriving in Japan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I would love to do it. You know, I have the best numbers ever. If you read it -- am I not ruling it out? You'll have to

tell me. All I can tell you is that we have a great group of people, which they don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: When he says great group of people, he was talking about Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who might also

run. The question came up following this comment last week by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BANNON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: Third term. So, Trump '28, Trump is going to be president in '28. And people just sort of get

accommodated with that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, what about the 22nd Amendment?

BANNON: There's many different alternatives. At the appropriate time, we'll lay out what the plan is. But there's a plan. And President Trump will be

the president in '28.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution limits the number of times anyone can be elected president. Let's quote. Here's the exact

wording. "No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice, and no person who has held the office of president or acted as

president for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of the president more than

once." Seems pretty clear.

Joining us now is Laurence Tribe, constitutional law professor emeritus at Harvard University. Good to have you on, sir. So, I read those words, non-

lawyers read those words, lawyers read those words. They seem pretty clear. But you're a man who studies the Constitution. Is it clear that President

Trump cannot run in 2028 by the law?

LAURENCE H. TRIBE, CARL M. LOEB UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR EMERITUS, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: It's clear enough to me, and it was certainly clear to the

authors of the 22nd Amendment and to the people who voted to ratify it in 1951. Their purpose was to prevent someone from holding two terms as

president. They put it in terms of how often you can be elected president.

Of course, they didn't provide specifically for the case in which you are elected the next time as vice president and you assassinate your running

mate and thereby ascend to the presidency. They didn't cover that. They also didn't cover the situation in which you run on a ticket where the

presidential candidate is basically a puppet and agrees to step down and let you step in to his or her shoes, sort of like a reenactment of the

Putin-Medvedev duet. And it is true that Trump takes some of his cues from Russia.

But the American Constitution clearly means what it was intended to mean. Namely, you certainly cannot have two -- more than two full terms as

president, however you get there. But that doesn't mean that we should just dismiss this out of hand, because that would be a mistake. In dealing with

Donald Trump, however crazy the idea may seem, however manifestly against the whole tenor and purpose and meaning of the Constitution, if he says

he's going to try it, we have to assume that he will. We have to take him at his word.

His purpose may be simply to distract from the problems of his current term, or it may be to make it harder for people to treat him as a lame duck

or it may be just that he enjoys titillating people and striking fear into the hearts of others.

[18:25:00]

Whatever his reasons, the Constitution forbids it. But that hasn't stopped him before. And I don't think we can count on it to stop him this time.

SCIUTTO: The president likes to declare emergencies, but he doesn't like to call them to claim powers that we thought were beyond the reach of the

president, and we're seeing that now with the deployment, for instance, of the military to U.S. cities for law enforcement. When Steve Bannon speaks

about pathways, methods, et cetera, could they be considering the president declaring some sort of national emergency?

TRIBE: Well, they certainly could. They could say that even if he's not eligible to run, who says we have to have an election? He may try to invoke

the Insurrection Act, which doesn't permit the suspension of a presidential election. But who cares? He may say that we are under martial law. And if

he has consolidated enough power by that point, if he has undermined faith in elections by continuing to claim that he stole -- that the 2020 election

was stolen from him, if he continues to do all of that, who knows what's going to happen in 2028 or 2029.

The Insurrection Act, which he hasn't yet specifically invoked, is one of many paths to the suspension of constitutional law. Unlike many

constitutions in Europe, ours does not technically permit the suspension of the Constitution in a state of emergency. But nonetheless, Abraham Lincoln

suspended habeas corpus in order to preserve the Union, although it was something that Congress ratified shortly thereafter. Who knows what this

president will do?

SCIUTTO: Before we go, just quickly, you are a student of the Supreme Court. While the language is clear, this court has given quite expansive

powers to this president. Are you confident the Supreme Court would interpret the 22nd Amendment as you and others do?

TRIBE: I don't think anyone can be confident of what the current Supreme Court will do. It has really shown itself to have relatively little

fidelity to the ordinary meaning of law. But I think in this instance, the issue is not going to reach the Supreme Court. The likelihood that the

Supreme Court would intervene in a presidential election to prevent someone from getting on the ballot, if enough governors and enough state

secretaries of state were to overlook the 22nd Amendment, the likelihood the court would intervene is very low.

SCIUTTO: Professor Emeritus Laurence Tribe, thanks so much for spelling it out for us.

TRIBE: Thank you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Coming up on "The Brief," an urgent warning for Jamaica. Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall in just a few hours as a powerful

category 5 storm. We're going to have a live report from the capitol next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today.

President Donald Trump will meet Tuesday with Japan's first female prime minister Sanae Takaichi. Earlier, Trump visited with the Japanese emperor,

Naruhito, on what is the second leg of his Asia tour. He is expected now to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the midst of critical trade

discussions.

Israel has received the body of another deceased hostage from Gaza. Hamas handed over the coffin to the Red Cross earlier today. If the identity is

confirmed, this would be the 16th body released under the ceasefire deal. The remains of 12 hostages are still in Gaza.

Hurricane Melissa is now inching closer to Jamaica. The category 5 storm is on track to make landfall Tuesday morning with powerful winds, heavy rain,

enormous storm surge. Officials are warning of catastrophic flooding as the slow-moving storm is forecast to dump some 40 inches, more than three feet

of rain. Melissa expected to be the strongest hurricane ever to hit Jamaica.

And our Derek Van Dam is in Kingston, Jamaica. He joins us now. What's it look like there?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right. Jim, you can see behind me that very little wind in the capital city of Jamaica, in Kingston, but the

rain is coming down. We only anticipate the conditions to deteriorate from here. As you so aptly noted, this will be the strongest storm to ever make

landfall in Jamaica's history. So, that is really saying something.

But when it gets down to these final moments, the final approach of a major hurricane like this, it's a matter of miles or a matter of kilometers

because we know that the center of the storm provides the greatest punch in terms of the catastrophic winds. But of course, there's so many other

threats that go along with this storm.

So, I want to show you the satellite representation, which is just phenomenal, but also astounding as a meteorologist. I'm looking at this

tightly wound center of the storm. We call that the eye. That's where you find the core of the most powerful winds, which right now are 175 miles per

hour, roughly 280 kilometers per hour. That is just ferocious. And where that makes landfall, the Saint -- the treasure area of Western portions of

Jamaica, that is where the most destruction will come from the winds.

But the other threats include the heavy rainfall that with the mountainous terrain across Jamaica will only exacerbate the flood thrown -- or the

flood threats along with the mudslides and landslides that will ensue. We could be in hurricane conditions for over 24 hours, especially west of

Kingston, west of the capital of Jamaica. So, again, it is going to be that Western half of the nation, the Western half of the island that should see

those strongest winds as Melissa makes her final approach overnight tonight and into early Tuesday morning.

I want to show you some of the storm preps that just the building behind us has done. You can see the sandbags, the walls next to the doors to prevent

water from coming in. Kingston's in a ball and water will rush down here and most likely flood this region. That gives you an idea of what they're

expecting.

We had a unique opportunity to speak directly to the prime minister of Jamaica just a few hours ago. He talked to us about the storm preps for

some of the most vulnerable communities in Jamaica. Listen.

[18:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

So, there could be significant dislocation. So, every Jamaican I believe understands this threat is severe. So, evacuations, taking higher ground,

protecting your property, keeping your family safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN DAM: No one will be spared from the impacts of this monster hurricane coming in, but it is the vulnerable communities, the flood prone areas that

we're most concerned about as is the prime minister. Jim.

SCIUTTO: Derek Van Dam, stay safe there. Thanks so much. California Governor Gavin Newsom is warning that the 2028 presidential election might

not be free and fair. California has been at the center of Trump's deployment of the National Guard, as well as an ongoing national fight over

redistricting. The governor just spoke with CNN's newest anchor, Elex Michaelson, for his new show, "The Story Is." It premieres tonight at

midnight Eastern here on CNN, 9:00 p.m. Pacific, noon in Beijing, 1:00 p.m. in Seoul and Tokyo. And Elex Michaelson joins me now. Congratulations, my

friend.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR, "THE STORY WITH ELEX MICHAELSON": Thank you, Jim. Really appreciate it.

SCIUTTO: So, great first interview for the first show. You asked Newsom about his presidential ambitions. Did he say he's running?

MICHAELSON: Well, he didn't say he's not, which is different than what he has said for years. He went out of his way to always say that he's not even

interested, not even thinking about, has never thought about the idea of running. This weekend, that started to change a bit where he admitted, yes,

thought about it. And here's some of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): People talk about it and you'd be lying if it hasn't -- you haven't thought about or processed it. But that said, quite

literally, I'm making the case, that's why I have this initiative, Prop 50, there may not be a 2028 election that's free and fair. So, my focus is

central to getting over the hump in November 4th of this year and then working on 2026 in the midterm re-elections.

But look, when people -- particularly people that have run before, et cetera, everybody knows the politician, the response, the Kabuki, well, I'm

just focusing on my day job and we'll see where things go. So, I tried to be a little more honest about it and people ran with it over.

MICHAELSON: But to that point, for many years, you've said to me and several other people that you had sub-zero interest in running and that,

how many ways can I say no? So, has something changed?

NEWSOM: Yes, everything's changed. Everything changed here in L.A. You were part of it. You saw it with the federalization of the National Guard. I

just think we're on the other side of something radically different, not marginally different. Everything has changed in terms of my mindset, my

focus, my energy, my perspective on the world we're living in, Trump and Trumpism, what he represents and how serious and precious this moment is.

So, no, from that perspective, legitimately, I've changed. This country is changing and I'm calling it out. And I just feel like we have a

responsibility to be a little bit more clear and concise and precise in terms of our efforts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: So, the governor says that he would think about this and make a decision after the midterm elections in 2026. But in the meantime, Jim, he

talked about the fact that he thinks the Democratic Party has been weak, that it's perceived as weak and that President Trump may be wrong, but he's

perceived as strong and that he's a master communicator and that Democrats need to get control of the narrative in a different kind of way if they

want to win elections again.

SCIUTTO: Yes, we'll see if he wants to be part of that. He's certainly quite public these days with his criticism of Trump, if that's an

indicator. Elex Michaelson, thanks so much and good luck with the show.

MICHAELSON: Thanks, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Just ahead, a U.S. warship just off the coast of Venezuela, the latest escalation. We're going to bring you details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

SCIUTTO: Tensions, concerns ramping up in the Caribbean as the U.S. docks a highly capable warship right next to Venezuela. The U.S. has gravely pulled

in a report into Trinidad and Tobago, just a short distance from the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. This escalation, amassing of U.S. forces,

comes as the Trump administration says it is trying to crack down on drugs flowing into the U.S.

Much of the pressure aimed at Venezuela, even though we should note it's not a top drug producer, this is raising concerns as to what exactly

Trump's goals are for Venezuela and the region. As the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, accuses the U.S. of trying to fabricate a,

quote, "new eternal war."

Jason Marczak is the vice presidency director at the Atlantic Council's Latin America Center. Jason, good to have you.

JASON MARCZAK, SENIOR DIRECTOR, ATLANTIC COUNCIL'S LATIN AMERICA CENTER: Thanks, Jim.

SCIUTTO: The array of forces that the U.S. is now deploying to the region is remarkable. The newest, most advanced aircraft carrier is on its way

there, as you know, from the Mediterranean. We had quite a lot of things to look after, right, including the ongoing war in Ukraine. You have a

destroyer off the coast there. You have B-1B bombers flying regular routes over there, as well as positioning of forces in the region. What does this

add up to, in your view? At a minimum, what capabilities does it give the president to order?

MARCZAK: Jim, as I've heard, this gives the president immense capabilities in the Caribbean. We have not historically seen this type of U.S.

deployment in the Caribbean, and it shows that when the operation first began in late August, there was a question of how long this operation would

last. Was it about just blowing up one or two alleged drug smuggling boats, or was it something bigger? I think the latest deployment and the

announcement that General Ford's carrier strike could go in the Caribbean shows that the administration is serious about having a longer-term

presence in the Caribbean, both to go after the alleged drug smuggling boats, but also as a twin goal to exact additional power, additional

pressure on the power that Nicolas Maduro holds within Venezuela.

Recognize that it was about a year ago that the opposition won an election, right, that Edmundo Gonzalez is recognized by voting tallies that came out

publicly. He won the votes of the Venezuelan people, and Nicolas Maduro did not respect that. And you have a secretary of state with Marco Rubio who

has dedicated his career in the Senate to the Americas, deputy secretary as well, Chris Landau.

And Secretary Rubio specifically has been quite concerned for some time about the persecution of the Venezuelan people that is led by Nicolas

Maduro and the human rights abuses, the economic mismanagement, all of that. And so, this is part of a broader effort to go after drugs that are

coming into the United States, but also to scare the pants off of Nicolas Maduro.

SCIUTTO: Two questions for you then. Is it just to scare the pants off him, or might, in the Atlantic Council's analysis, include the possibility of

regime change? Not that the president has ordered that, but to give the president the ability to try to bring the regime change.

[18:45:00]

I mean, the question is, is this just about the drugs or is it about trying to remove Maduro from power?

MARCZAK: Yes. Well, look, Jim, you look back at the first Trump administration. And the first Trump administration, President Trump, and

that was the time in which Juan Guaido was recognized as the interim president of Venezuela, that President Trump leaned in heavily on trying to

do everything within his power to bring about democratic change within Venezuela. It didn't work in the first administration, but recognize that

President Trump has long had this desire to bring about a democratic change within Venezuela, and now he has a secretary of state in the second

administration who cares deeply about the region.

And so, you know, this is an operation under the pretense of the drug smuggling that's coming out of Venezuela. It's not just drugs that come out

of Venezuela, it's illegal gold mining, it's guns, there's a whole suite of illegal activities that take place within Venezuela that have broader

security threats for the region. And these illicit activities in Venezuela are also activities that enrich the Maduro regime and enrich many of the

military who are close to him.

So, what does this -- where does this deployment go? What does it look like into the future? Well, I think it's clear again that this is an effort

that's going to have a long-term U.S. presence in the Caribbean as of right now, and one that is trying to hopefully try to push for Nicolas Maduro to

leave power. It's been 25 years since the Chavez and the Maduro regime has ruled in Venezuela, and we see the ill effects of that.

SCIUTTO: Well, attempting to bring that about would be a much bigger military operation than blowing up a few boats.

MARCZAK: It would be a much bigger operation, yes.

SCIUTTO: Jason Marczak, Atlantic Council, thanks so much for joining us.

MARCZAK: I mean, I think they -- yes. Thank you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: We'll continue the conversation ahead. Certainly, will be much to talk about in the coming weeks and months. Still ahead, needy Americans may

soon find it harder to make ends meet, even to feed themselves, as the U.S. government shutdown drags on. I'm going to discuss Washington's continuing

inability to reach a funding compromise with House Member Yassamin Ansari right after the break.

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SCIUTTO: The U.S. government shutdown is now in its 27th day. Not a lot of talk here about reaching agreement. It is the second longest shutdown

already in U.S. history. The longer this political crisis drags on, the greater the hardship for some of the neediest Americans, as well as

government workers.

Families in need of food assistance could soon see benefits dry up, air traffic controllers and other federal employees who had been getting

partial pay will soon be getting no paycheck whatsoever.

[18:50:00]

All this as Americans begin receiving notices that health care premiums are going up. That's the key issue in the shutdown debate for Democrats.

Joining me now U.S. House Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari. She's a Democrat representing Arizona's 3rd Congressional district. Thanks so much for

joining.

REP. YASSAMIN ANSARI (D-AZ): Thank you for having me.

SCIUTTO: So, first of all, big picture, do you see any movement from the parties towards an agreement here or is it just a stalemate?

ANSARI: Well Jim, as you mentioned we're in day 27 of the shutdown. We're also in the sixth week of Republican members of Congress being on vacation.

I cannot think of any other job where you can just not show up for weeks on end, not go to work, not even attempt to do the job, and still be employed.

And the fact that they are so callous, that Donald Trump is focused on his ballroom, he's in Asia, he's not prioritizing this at all.

I was just back home in my district, met with TSA workers, met with community health centers, met with constituents who are terrified of what's

to come as SNAP benefits are about to expire. Millions of Americans are going to suffer including one million in Arizona. And no, they do not

prioritize this. They don't care about the American people. They are completely out of touch and we are here saying we want to fight for health

care and to get this government back open.

SCIUTTO: SNAP benefits for folks who don't know sometimes called food stamps for people who just have helps bridge the gap for basic food needs.

When you speak to constituents, are they running out of patience? Not just with Republicans but with Democrats too. Do any of them say to you please

just make a deal? The pain is just too great.

ANSARI: The vast majority of constituents I have spoken to think that the alternative is so much worse. The fact that 24 million Americans could see

their health -- will see their health insurance premiums double or worse. And those notifications have already started coming for people, right,

because of the open enrollment beginning and even on the SNAP front and federal workers. Federal workers are terrified because they don't just rely

on that paycheck, they rely on the Affordable Care Act. Some of them rely on SNAP as well because they're not well paid.

And so, people are really frustrated with Republicans not coming to work. In Arizona they're extremely angry about the fact that Mike Johnson refuses

to swear in our representative, Adelita Grijalva, who represents my neighboring district and the fact that he is just completely abdicating his

responsibility and making the U.S. House of Representatives irrelevant completely.

And then you have Scott Bessent yesterday, someone who's net worth is $600 million, trying to feign empathy for farmers and saying that he understands

the pain of what's going on right now. So, this is just an administration that is so out of touch.

SCIUTTO: Let me ask you, last time we spoke we spoke specifically at length about ICE raids. And you said at the time that the way the law is right now

in this country that simply speaking Spanish or appearing to be Latino is enough to get stopped. We see ICE raids every day now. This is one where

this was an American citizen who was stopped and thrown to the ground and he's not alone. That even citizenship is not proving enough to prevent

being arrested, detained by ICE. What does that mean for this country in your view?

ANSARI: Look, as somebody who is the proud daughter of immigrants who fled an authoritarian regime, seeing what's happening in the United States right

now with ice and Stephen Miller's version of ICE is devastating. 200 American citizens have been wrongfully detained this year. There are

countless others inside our detention centers.

I visited in Arizona two times. The conditions are horrific. These are prisons where people are not getting access to water, they're not getting

access to air conditioning, they're sick. I have a constituent who is a green card holder named Yadi. She has leukemia. This woman has been in ICE

detention since February and has lost 60 pounds. She's vomiting blood every single day. We've been demanding just that ICE let her see an oncologist

for the cancer that she has.

People don't want to come to the United States anymore. And this is something to me that is not only a moral issue, it's an economic issue and

I think ice is completely out of control. And I fear that with the budget that Republicans passed just a couple of months ago, where they're going to

see their budget just skyrocket, as health care is being ripped away from people, this is not who we are as American citizens and as the United

States of America and quite frankly this has to change.

SCIUTTO: You've seen a number of judges attempt to put some limits around ICE's methods, tactics, et cetera. And then there are questions as to

whether ICE agents are listening to those rulings, right? There's a case underway right now. In your view, has our legal system have judges proven

capable of protecting Americans' rights?

[18:55:00]

ANSARI: I think our legal system is doing everything it can and that attorneys general across the are trying to do everything that they can. But

when you have Stephen Miller in the White House, this is arguably in my view the most fascist person in the Trump regime. This is all his idea,

right, and his mass deportation policy. When he is calling judges insurrectionists, inciting violence against American people and judges and

the legal system, saying that Donald Trump is essentially immune to all of this and can do whatever he wants, that is where I am concerned about, you

know, the legal system because of the lack of any, you know, respect towards the legal system from the administration, from Miller, from Trump

and the rest.

SCIUTTO: I mean, he's called the judges who stand in the way, seemingly targets. Yassamin Ansari, it's great to have you on the program. Thanks so

much for joining.

ANSARI: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: And thanks so much to all of you for joining us today. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay

with CNN.

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