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What We Know with Max Foster

Powerful Hurricane Melissa Makes Landfall In Jamaica; Israel Orders "Immediate, Powerful" Military Strikes In Gaza; U.S. Speaker Johnson Says 3rd Presidential Term Not Possible; California Governor Talks Trump, Presidential Ambitions; Amazon Cuts 14,000 Jobs, Warning More To Come; Reports: At Least 60 Dead In Rio De Janeiro Police Raids. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired October 28, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:25]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: The storm of the century makes landfall.

This is WHAT WE KNOW.

Jamaica is facing life threatening conditions right now after Hurricane Melissa made landfall as a category five storm. The second strongest

hurricane in Atlantic history, would you believe, lashing the island with devastating winds, flooding and dangerous storm surge. The eye of the storm

is now squarely over western Jamaica.

Before the storm even made landfall, a restaurant owner on the southwestern coast told CNN the whole coastline is gone. At least seven people have died

across Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic so far. Earlier, the Jamaican prime minister told CNN that catastrophic damage to the island is

inevitable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW HOLNESS, JAMAICAN PRIME MINISTER: There is no infrastructure in this region or maybe anywhere in the world, that could withstand a category

five hurricane without some level of damage. And for Jamaica, a category five hurricane, particularly where the impact is direct and in the area of

the impact, there will be catastrophic damage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well, the situation is rapidly changing as the storm moves across land. Our meteorologist, Derek Van Dam, set the scene for us just a few

minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Communications and power are out on that part of the island, at least a large part of it, right? So that is because

the catastrophic winds have come in. Weve got a 2:00 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center that has reduced the current winds from 185 to

165. That's still category five strength. And the pressure has risen to 899 millibars.

The reason that this is happening every once in a while, we'll get one of these stronger gusts that come through, the reason that the hurricane is

weakening slightly is because its interaction with the mountainous terrain of Jamaica, so its lost its energy source, which is the Caribbean ocean. So

it's going to continue to kind of get disorganized, but it's still a very, very formidable and dangerous hurricane.

It's got its eyes set on Montego Bay. And I'm concerned about that area, because just looking at the latest satellite image as it traverses

Westmoreland and Saint Elizabeth Parish, the western portions of Jamaica, Montego Bay is on the -- on the north side of the island, and there's a lot

of tourism and a lot of hotels within that area. So, we know that that -- if it makes a, you know, an eyewall pass over that region, there could be a

lot of people impacted that are tourists who were not able to evacuate from the from this -- from this island.

So the, the concerns here going forward are the access to that part of the -- of the country to assess storm damage. But this is a really important

time for people. It's a critical moment, actually, because of the eye is so clear. It's so well-defined with this powerful high-end category five

hurricane that people often dismiss the storm as being over if they are in that eye.

So, it's relatively large. Okay? And so, if they see the sun come out, blue skies overhead and the birds start chirping and the wind goes calm, your

natural reaction is say, hey, I can go outdoors and go assess the damage from this hurricane.

My advice to you, and if you can get this through to people who, maybe are stuck over in the western parts of Jamaica, is that the storm has not done.

We are in the height of it now and the problem is as that eyewall comes through the destruction and the wind comes from one direction on the north

side of the eyewall and then the backside of the eyewall will take that same debris and shoot it in an opposite direction. So don't get caught off

guard.

The threats here in Kingston are still very real. The flooding that will come down from the mountains around this area is still very, very possible.

Landslides and mudslides are a great concern. But we do know that the greatest impact from this hurricane still remain on the western side of the

island.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Residents in the south of Jamaica were warned to seek higher ground.

One restaurant owner told CNN earlier they were getting ready to flee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVROL CHRISTIAN, RESTAURANT OWNER (via telephone): If the sea rising up to 15 feet above going over walls and going over houses in alligator pond,

this is going to be a very dangerous storm.

[15:05:07]

And after I talk to you, I'm going to higher ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Let's bring in the founder of OnlyPaws Cat Rescue, Asha Sookdeo. Her team of volunteers is preparing to go out immediately after the storm

passes to rescue stuck and injured street cats and get them to vet care, food and new homes. She joins us from the phone -- from her phone from

Kingston.

Thank you so much for joining us. I mean, what are you seeing when you look out the window right now.

ASHA SOOKDEO, ONLYPAWS CAT RESCUE, KINGSTON, JAMAICA (via telephone): Hi. Thank you so much for having me.

So right now, we've been experiencing almost three days of nonstop rainfall, is massive flooding across the island. It's extremely windy, even

as I'm inside, I can feel the intensity of the winds outside and Jamaica is really feeling the effects of Hurricane Melissa right now. And what's

heartbreaking is that there are so many stray animals stranded in this hurricane, and I have no doubt that many have already lost their lives.

FOSTER: Yeah, they're going to be displaced, aren't they? They're going to be moved around like the humans are. The people around you, have they all

evacuated? What's the situation in your neighborhood?

SOOKDEO: Yeah. So, a lot of people have evacuated from Kingston, especially those without stable homes. So, what we are trying to do is also

prepare our stray cats for Hurricane Melissa as well, because hurricanes and relief efforts are often focused on people and the animals, especially

the stray animals, are forgotten. And the very few animal rescues in Jamaica focused on dogs.

So there's really no priority for cats. And that's where OnlyPaws Cat Rescue really stepped in to prepare our stray cats for the hurricane.

FOSTER: So you're risking your life for the cats because you're not evacuating?

SOOKDEO: Yeah, yeah. So yes. Well, where I am, it's a bit. It's okay. Where am I, where I'm at right now, I'm high -- I'm on high ground. But, at

the moment, its very, very, very windy. I have never experienced this type of wind before.

So, so what we're trying to do, can you imagine how what the animals are experiencing right now? So, with the help of international donations, we

provided food for as many stray cats before the hurricane hit so we can reduce the possibility of them needing to hunt for food during the

hurricane, during these conditions that we are experiencing right now, and possibly increase their chances of survival.

So, but there's still so much more that we need to do. A lot of stray cats who survived the hurricane will be in need of food and even vet care,

because some might be injured. And were asking people to donate if you can and share if you can't. We urgently need donations to help with our -- with

our hurricane recovery efforts for the cats in Jamaica.

FOSTER: I presume you're going to struggle a bit though, because most people are going to be considering the humans first.

SOOKDEO: Exactly. And that is why our initiative is so important right now, because nobody is thinking about the animals.

FOSTER: Okay. And, Asha, we wish you the best, as the storm comes in. And good to hear you're on higher ground, at least.

Now, CNN meteorologist Chris Warren is tracking the latest developments from the CNN Weather Center.

Chris, I think one of the coolest parts of this storm is that slow speed you were talking about yesterday. I understand it's going to take something

like 24 hours to cross the island, and the whole population is going to be sitting under that for a day.

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, that is from when it started. So, we are getting to the point where we can now finally see the end in sight.

Now it's still going to be hours to go, but it is getting to the point now where once the worst part of the storm, which is right in here, now you see

how big it is and you see the winds 160-mile-an-hour, sustained winds gusting to 220. It's not the whole storm. It's this part right in here, the

little bit within the purple, it's the yellow and the green and the blue right in there. That's the catastrophic winds.

Now hurricane force extend out here. And then you get outside of the purple. Then were into the winds. Now they've actually gone up a bit here

in Kingston up to 47 mile an hour sustained winds out of the south. So, where it came on shore earlier, a few hours ago near new hope, this is

where landfall happened.

[15:10:05]

So ahead of landfall, landfall is where the center of the eye comes on shore. So, for hours ahead of it, they're getting absolutely clobbered by

the strong winds, heavy rain and the sea water coming up and onto land from the storm surge. So that's what we saw earlier.

Rain still falling on this terrain, still trying to get out to sea. Montego Bay up next, as we're hearing the winds are really howling, the center of

the storm, not too far away from Montego Bay, and will be going by what does remain for the entire island of Jamaica and eventually Cuba, and still

Haiti is more very heavy, possibly flooding rain landslide inducing rain is a possibility.

Forecast here, 5:30 Eastern Time Montego Bay still gusting 105 to 110 miles an hour. Not until overnight tonight will it leave Jamaica in earnest. And

then it's going to be moving over overnight tonight into early tomorrow morning, moving over Cuba.

So here it is. Still a four as it goes back over the water and crossing Cuba, Max, as a category three hurricane which can still have devastating

impacts in terms of the wind alone, but also the rain. A huge part of this as well.

FOSTER: Okay, Chris, thank you so much for that update.

Our other breaking news this hour. We need to bring you fears the Israel- Gaza ceasefire could be unraveling as we speak. Happening a short time ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered, quote, "immediate

powerful strikes in Gaza". This comes after Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire when it returned hostage remains that did

not belong to any of the 13 hostages still unaccounted for. Hamas now says it will now postpone a planned handover of more remains that were slated

for today.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is following all the latest developments from Jerusalem.

I mean, what reasons are they giving Hamas, Jeremy?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that the Israeli government has now ordered these strikes to be carried out inside

of Gaza, and we've already gotten some initial reports of these strikes taking place on the ground. The reasons for these strikes have not been

explicitly laid out by the Israeli government, but it is clear that they are pointing to several different factors.

We heard the Israeli prime minister earlier today talk about a clear violation that was being carried out by Hamas as it related to the return

of the remains of a deceased Israeli hostage yesterday, the is -- Hamas had claimed that this was the remains of a deceased Israeli hostage. But after

DNA analysis was conducted, the Israeli government said that it was not one of the remains of the remaining 13 deceased hostages. Instead, it seems to

have been additional remains related to a hostage body that had already been recovered by the Israeli military.

In addition to that, we also know that today there was an incident of fire between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the southern part of the Gaza

Strip. An Israeli military official telling me that Hamas militants opened fire on Israeli troops who were positioned east of that yellow demarcation

line inside of Gaza, using RPG fire and sniper fire that was directed at those troops. All of that combined seems to be part of the picture of what

led to these Israeli strikes that are now being conducted inside of Gaza.

Now, Hamas, for its part, they have said that they were planning to return the remains of another deceased Israeli hostage tonight. They've since

postponed that, accusing Israel of violating this ceasefire. Hamas also said that they had no connection to the militants who carried out that

attack on Israeli forces in the southern part of the Gaza Strip earlier today. And that's very interesting because its similar to the response we

got from Hamas about a week and a half ago when, militants opened fire on Israeli troops, killing two Israeli soldiers at the time and leading to a

wave of Israeli strikes across Gaza that killed at least 45 people.

The bottom line is that we are now seeing Israeli strikes in Gaza once again, another very fragile moment for the ceasefire. But it hasn't broken

down yet, altogether -- Max.

FOSTER: Obviously, President Trump in Asia, he's presumably asleep right now. Its very early in the morning where he is.

What sort of reaction are you looking for from him?

DIAMOND: Well, we don't yet know whether the Israeli prime minister and president Trump actually spoke before the prime minister made this decision

to carry out these strikes. I was, however, told by a U.S. official that Israel did notify the United States of its intention to carry out these

strikes. And obviously, there's been a very close coordination between the U.S. and Israel over the last couple of weeks, with the U.S. really

emphasizing how important this ceasefire is and it remaining in place.

We also, though, saw president Trump warning Hamas about not returning -- you know, about the slow pace of the return of these bodies, saying that

they must return the remains of the remaining deceased Israeli hostages.

[15:15:08]

And so, I think what will be key going forward is seeing whether the balance has been struck here in terms of Israel sending the message that it

wanted to send the United States being okay with that, but also the U.S. ensuring that this doesn't lead to a breakdown of the ceasefire altogether.

FOSTER: Okay. Jeremy Diamond, thanks for joining us from Jerusalem with that, that update.

Now in Washington, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson says it's not possible for President Donald Trump to serve a third term. On Monday and several

times over the past few months, in fact, President Trump has said he'd entertain the idea of a third term. However, Speaker Johnson says that

would require a constitutional amendment, and he doesn't see a way of that passing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I think the President knows, and he and I have talked about the constrictions of the Constitution

as much as so many the American people lament that, the Trump 2028 cap is one of the most popular that's ever been -- been produced, and he has a

good time with that, trolling the Democrats, whose hair is on fire about the very prospect.

But I do believe that we've got three extraordinary years ahead of us, and the two years the Trump administration are going to be an incredible thing.

And I don't see a way to amend the Constitution because it takes about ten years to do that, as you all know, to allow all the states to ratify what

two thirds of the House and three fourths of the states would approve. So, I don't -- I don't see the path for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: California Governor Gavin Newsom says he's concerned there may not even be a free and fair election in 2028. He's also opened up about his own

presidential ambitions.

Speaking to CNN's Elex Michaelson on the new program, "THE STORY IS", Newsom says his first goal is to get past next week's election and the

midterms in 2026.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: If you're thinking about running for president, right?

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: No, I mean, it's come up.

MICHAELSON: Quite a lot.

NEWSOM: No, no, I mean, people -- people talk about it and you'd be lying if it hasn't -- you haven't thought about it 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 elections. But look, when

people, particularly people that have run before, et cetera., everybody knows the politician, the response to kabuki, well, I'm just focusing on my

day job and well see where things go. So, I try to be a little more honest about it. And people ran with it.

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

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

NEWSOM: Yeah. 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 and 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.

FOSTER: Gavin Newsom there.

Now, waiting for the storm to clear. Coming up, we have details ahead on how aid agencies are preparing rapidly to reach victims of Hurricane

Melissa once the storm passes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:45]

FOSTER: Several aid agencies have sprung into action already as Hurricane Melissa churns directly over Jamaica. The World Food Programme says its

working around the clock to support those impacted by the category five storm, and Project Hope is mobilizing an emergency response team to deploy

to the island once Melissa does clear.

A Jamaican official says emergency relief flights could begin as soon as Thursday. So, what we want to know is how will aid agencies reach people

hit by Hurricane Melissa?

Joining me now is Chessa Latifi with Project HOPE.

Thank you so much for joining us.

They will be looking for whatever help they can. But the reality is you can't go in, can you, until it's safe. You don't know when that is yet.

CHESSA LATIFI, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE, PROJECT HOPE: Yeah. The storm is mowing right over Jamaica as we speak. And so,

it's anticipated that the airports are going to be closed for at least a day or two. But we will have to wait until it passes through to be able to

see what access we will have.

FOSTER: You've got this additional problem, I understand, that you've got this torrential rain for days afterwards because it's such a slow-moving

storm, and the flooding will still be there. So, you know, there could be a delay to those flights.

LATIFI: A delay to the flight, and then even within access of the island you know, we could have Kingston airport available, but what about getting

to those coastal areas? Those are challenges that we are anticipating.

FOSTER: And in terms of the infrastructure, that's always a huge issue for you, isn't it? Because you've got to get past it. You've got to have roads

you can actually use. You know, what are you anticipating there?

LATIFI: There need to be flexible. That's -- that's exactly what we're anticipating. And then it's not only access for us if we do, if we do need

to bring in supplies, medical items, hygiene kits, et cetera., we have to also think about not only the airports, but the seaports as well. How will

we be able to get these items in.

FOSTER: In terms of donations and help, how are you doing there?

LATIFI: Are you referring to bringing in these items?

FOSTER: Yeah. I mean, you gathering the resources that you need to buy what you need to get in there.

LATIFI: Yeah. So, project hope.org. We really rely on these -- in these initial weeks on individual donations, foundations, corporations. So, we're

working closely with partners that we've already worked with as well as new partners.

And, you know, and again, we're resourceful. We'll figure it out. We'll do what we can with what we have.

FOSTER: Is it a challenge, because public money has been restricted in recent months?

LATIFI: Well, it's a little bit different in the immediate aftermath of an emergency. So yes, USAID is not something that exists anymore, but we are

in touch with State Department. And even then, traditionally, it's taken some time for USAID to be able to step in with funding mechanisms. So,

again, we're really relying on these private donations in these first few weeks.

FOSTER: Okay. So, you've got a lot of experience with this. What's the first thing you're going to address there?

LATIFI: When we come in we're going to -- well, let's roll back a little bit. As of right now, we're talking with local partners. We're establishing

if we can identify any staff on the ground.

[15:25:00]

Project HOPE doesn't have -- doesn't have programing currently in Jamaica, but we do have extensive programing within the region. And so, we're

working with our networks. We're identifying local organizations. So, we're getting this information as it comes in.

When my team gets on the ground, we have several program people, but we also have several logisticians and a medical technical expert. And so, we

will access these hardest hit communities working directly with public officials, identifying any health clinics or hospitals that may have

experienced significant damage, and then shelters as well.

It's really going to be accessing these places where the people are, where they need help, and figuring out what they need the most.

FOSTER: And as we watch the map and the trajectory of the storm, we can see its heading straight onto Cuba afterwards, isn't it? So there's other

islands as well you're going to have to be thinking about.

LATIFI: Yeah, we're working in the Dominican Republic already. Weve had programing there for decades, and so our team is really staying on top of

any coordination mechanisms and as well as any news that is coming on the southern side of the island, we used to have programing in Haiti. And so,

we are in contact with former staff and former partners there. And so, you know, again, we know that this storm is going to have a broad geographic

reach. And so really staying on top of all of it at this point.

FOSTER: Okay. Chessa Latifi, really appreciate you joining us today. And very good luck with your work. It's going to start in earnest very soon,

isn't it?

Still to come. We are tracking what has been described as the storm of the century. Now, Hurricane Melissa battering Jamaica before heading towards

Cuba.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:00]

FOSTER: Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm ever to hit Jamaica in memory certainly has made landfall and is battering the Caribbean Island.

Melissa is bringing devastating winds and a life-threatening storm surge. It is the strongest storm anywhere on the planet this year, so far. It will

dump several months' worth of rain in just a couple of days.

Earlier, the head of Jamaica's meteorological service joined CNN from Kingston, and he spoke about how the island has never before seen a

hurricane of this caliber.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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.

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 case, 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. Weve 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Yeah, it really is a monster.

Let's take a look at the storm's path. He was talking about there over the next few hours, it will track after Jamaica towards Cuba, where hurricane

warning is in effect for a number of provinces there.

Patrick Oppmann is in Santiago de Cuba for us.

They must be looking at what's happening in Jamaica with complete dread, Patrick.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Max. Even here in Cuba, where people are experienced with hurricanes, are used to having to ride

them out and have many times over the years endured those upper level hurricanes. This is giving people pause.

People remember when Hurricane Sandy came here about 10 years ago, I remember covering it. It looked like a bomb had been dropped on the city

behind me, and this was only, a category two hurricane, but it did tremendous damage. Some people are still recovering for.

And as you know, Max, from visiting here, this is an impoverished island for people to have any kind of possessions requires years of sacrifice,

years of saving funds from relatives abroad. And so many people are very concerned about what the storm could do to them, could just wipe them out.

And that's why so many people say they don't want to evacuate because they want to protect their possessions. And that is really where things get a

little dangerous, because of course, if you don't evacuate ahead of the storm, then you can't evacuate and you are stuck. Help can't get to you.

So many of the homes here are very, very old. This is a city that's over 500 years old. And so you have homes. It's common to see a home that could

be 100, 200 years old, and it's just not modern construction that's really designed to hold up to this kind of storm.

You know, now that were seeing more and more of these super powerful storms and you don't really see in much of Cuba any kind of construction, any kind

of infrastructure that is built to stand up to this kind of monstrous storm. So, people will ride out the storm, you know, tens of thousands have

evacuated because the government has told them to, but they don't go very far. They go to a shelter. They stay with relatives.

Some people have even gone into caves in the mountains, which you can't see behind me. But the Cuba's tallest mountain range and the ride of the storm

there.

So, Cubans always find a way. And yet this is a storm that people here, the kind of storm, the type of storm that people have not seen, perhaps in a

generation. And it really is giving people pause because they have a sense of how powerful, how damaging these storms can be. And this case, it is a

storm that could cause casualties, cause property damage, perhaps even cause loss of life.

So, no one, I think, is underestimating it at this point.

FOSTER: Okay, Patrick, thank you so much for staying in touch.

Now it is the final moments of trade on Wall Street. Meanwhile, life does go on in other parts of the world. Stocks once again bouncing, reaching

record highs in fact, again.

The Dow Jones rising today, fueled by the seemingly cooling trade tensions between the U.S. and China.

This is our business breakout.

Bill Gates has made a stunning claim about climate change, arguing governments should shift funds towards other causes. Gates is historically

a leading proponent of cutting emissions. You might know, but now he's written an essay claiming climate change will not lead to humanitarian --

humanity's demise. While he says investment to battle climate change must continue, he's calling for an increased focus on preventing suffering in

the world's poorest countries.

Elon Musk's polarizing politics have cost his company Tesla more than a million electric vehicle sales.

[15:35:03]

That's according to a new report from Yale University economists. The findings quantify for the first time how Musk's political views and his

role in Donald Trump's administration have cost Tesla billions of dollars in sales over the last three years.

Massive cuts at Amazon today. Fourteen thousand jobs going at the tech giant as artificial intelligence starts to displace jobs. The company noted

that it would be hiring in key areas and would prioritize those who lost their jobs for those roles. But the company also said it wasn't done with

the layoffs.

What we don't know tonight is, is A.I. about to upset the jobs market?

Anna Cooban is here. I mean, there's been so much talk of this, but this feels really real because the execs have been saying it is because of A.I.

these jobs are going. Down the line, they won't need as many humans.

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: Yeah. It's pretty -- it's pretty sobering, Max. I mean, we see Andy Jassy, the CEO of Amazon back in

June, had a blog post and he basically said quite bluntly that A.I. will change the way that our work is done. And he said that we will need fewer

people doing some of the jobs that are being done today. So pretty open about this.

But Amazon is not the only company that's dealing with this shift. Weve seen Accenture, Salesforce, other tech companies earlier this year

announced A.I.-related layoffs. Now we don't know exactly how many people out of these 14,000 are being let go because of A.I. directly. But this is

the way the trend is going.

FOSTER: Can I ask you a question? Could they live to regret it? Because you've also got A.I. experts saying the tech isn't there yet, and they

could effectively be jumping the gun these companies and they'll have to rehire these workers because A.I. won't be able to do the jobs that humans

have been doing.

COOBAN: Well, I think that's a really interesting point, because actually, a lot of tech companies are well, they're investing billions into A.I.

infrastructure. These really energy guzzling data centers, very, very expensive. And many of them are actually over investing and quite aware of

the fact that they're doing so.

FOSTER: Deliberately.

COOBAN: Because to them, the risk of overinvesting in this infrastructure is less severe than the risk of under-investing. And then a few years down

the line, they're behind all of their competitors that are far ahead in terms of the A.I. race.

FOSTER: Someone made a good point on my social media today, if I may say, when I mentioned this, they said who's going to be buying the stuff if no

one's got jobs?

COOBAN: Well, that's a -- that's an interesting point as well. Actually, there was an open letter signed by many people across industries last week.

Youve got some big names on there. The former founder of Apple, Wozniak, you also had Meghan Markle as well. So, some really interesting, diverse

people all calling for a halt to the development of so-called super A.I.

Now, one of the reasons they were citing for this is the threat of human economic obsolescence, which is just a really fancy way of saying that

there is a huge threat that a lot of people across industries are going to lose their jobs.

FOSTER: And in terms of other industries, are we -- I mean retail is obvious. I guess. And e-marketing or whatever you want to call it, because

you can automate so many of those jobs. But there's huge industries that aren't -- don't even know how A.I. is going to affect them yet, right?

COOBAN: No. And you know, this industry is a sort of obvious contender. You know, it's tech, but actually there are a lot of people facing

industries that intuitively you would think wouldn't be at risk. Weve got entertainment. There was this A.I. actress that was unveiled to the public

earlier this month.

And then also in journalism, there was this documentary that was released in the U.K. last week by Channel Four, which at the end of it they revealed

to the audience that the presenter had in fact been an A.I.

FOSTER: It was incredible.

COOBAN: And it fooled swathes of the audience.

FOSTER: But my issue with that is if you know -- as soon as you find out they're a bot, you stop believing them.

COOBAN: Well, again, this is also interesting because there was a piece in the "F.T." recently talking about, you know, if A.I., if you know that art

like a painting is made by A.I., is it as valuable? Is it something that people want to go and see?

FOSTER: No.

COOBAN: Yeah. And so, I think that journalists --

FOSTER: Yeah, exactly. We're going to be fine. Don't worry. We'll stay here.

Anna, thank you so much.

Still to come, Hurricane Melissa didn't take direct aim at the Dominican Republic, but the impact there is undeniable, as you can see. How aid

groups are jumpstarting the recovery process there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:42:18]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

FOSTER: The breaking news just into CNN, there are reports that at least 60 people have died after a police operation in Rio de Janeiro today.

Police targeted a major gang days before the city hosts the United Nations climate summit, 56 people were arrested. And the Rio governor said the

operation involved 2,500 security personnel.

A Brazilian official has told Reuters news agency it was the deadliest police operation the city has ever seen. We'll try to get you more on that.

Our other breaking news this hour, Hurricane Melissa. Of course, whilst the Dominican Republic wasn't in its direct path, the storms impact will be

felt for quite some time. Aid groups are working overtime carrying out rescues in massively flooded areas. Officials say at least one person has

died and more than a thousand people have been evacuated or displaced.

CNN's Jessica Hasbun is in Santo Domingo for us.

I mean, this is very sobering, isn't it, for the Jamaicans to see the huge amount of damage done there. And it wasn't even a direct hit.

JESSICA HASBUN, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Mark. I'm here at the seafront in Santo Domingo, and as you can see, the waters are choppy and dirty and

the winds are picking up along the Malecon here in the capital city. This stretch of coastline has been battered for more than a week now as

Hurricane Melissa's outer bands continue to pound the Dominican Republic, authorities warn the impacts are far from over.

The center of emergency operations has placed 24 provinces under alert, four of them on maximum high alert. That includes Pedernales, Barahona,

Independencia and Bahoruco. That's in the southern region. They're at the highest level.

The biggest concern remains are flash flooding, rivers overflowing and landslides, especially with the ground already saturated from days of rain.

So far, the Ministry of Agriculture estimates damages of more than 1.3 billion Dominican pesos. That's about $23 million, mostly harm to the

crops, farms and rural infrastructure.

The government is evaluating whether to declare a state of emergency if conditions worsen, as Hurricane Melissa pummels Jamaica. Here in the

capital, the rain is intermittent and the light it's been light up until now, Mark, but the winds are picking up like the ones that you're hearing,

they're strengthening.

Meteorologists warn that Melissa's broad cloud shield will keep the country unsettled, at least for the next 24 to 72 hours, with rainfall totals that

could reach about six to eight inches.

[15:45:07]

And even once Melissa clears, the Bahamas, forecasters cautioned that moisture wrapping around the storm could send another rain back over the

island. For now, residents are being urged to stay alert and avoid crossing rivers or flooded areas and flooded roads, and remain cautious until this

system finally moves out of the Caribbean -- Mark.

FOSTER: Jessica, thank you so much for bringing that picture from there, as the storm goes into Jamaica.

More now on our breaking news from Brazil, though. There are reports at least 60 people have died after that police operation in Rio today, a

Brazilian official telling Reuters news agency it was the deadliest police operation the city's ever seen.

Sounds like it, Stefano. I mean, did this go horribly wrong or was this part of the plan?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think we can all assume that he went -- something really went wrong because you wouldn't expect police forces to

deliberately cause this much havoc in a residential area, as we're talking here about, Max, of 64 victims, 64 casualties among them, four are police

officers, but more than 60 civilians or, you know, criminals that are, of course, innocent until proven guilty have been killed overnight in these

massive operations in two of the largest slums in Rio de Janeiro.

And we're really learning and piecing together what happens there. But I think, Max, one of the most dramatic and worrisome concerns that

authorities have shared with us, the media, is that several of the gangs, the gangs that were being targeted by this operation, were able to

retaliate and fight back using drones. I don't know if you have a video of that. These are videos that were receiving directly from Rio de Janeiro. In

a matter of a few hours ago, showing that these gangs are using drones to fight back against the police, against uniformed officers. These are armed

drones capable of being used either to detonate explosives or to fire shots.

And this is a trend, that we're seeing not just in Brazil. Of course, this is a trend that personally, for example, I've been investigating when it

comes to the Colombian conflict in Colombia. But it's also a trend that we're seeing elsewhere in the world. The reason that many and many more

criminal groups are now being able to retaliate and to add to their firepower by using these devices, perhaps taking a leaf from the book that

are out of the Ukraine war, Max. It's Ukraine where most of drone warfare has advanced in the last few years, and we know all how cheap can a drone

be for a criminal organization to put their hands on, and how easy it is to transform it into a weapon.

We know that the situation of organized crime in the slums of Rio de Janeiro is, of course, very, very serious. The White House, for example, is

currently conducting a massive operation against drug trafficking in the Caribbean.

Well, let me tell you, the drug trafficking out of Rio de Janeiro is at least equally important, with flows of cocaine coming down from the amazon

and crossing the Atlantic Ocean on their way to Africa. And of course, Europe, which is one of the most lucrative markets.

We know how much is at stake there. Well, we now know the potential for tragedy here, Max, 64 people again. And we're, of course, going to try to

bring you more details as were pushing them together. But this is just a breaking news that we're hearing out of Rio de Janeiro, Max.

FOSTER: I mean, the scenes must have been unbelievable, and I understand was this part -- there was a summit coming up, wasn't there, an

international summit? Was this part of a clean up operation? How are the two linked?

POZZEBON: We don't know. But what you're saying is actually very smart. Very intelligent. Yes, of course, there is a summit coming up in the next

few days, next week in Rio de Janeiro. I understand that the prince of Wales, which of course, you know far better than I do, is attended there to

-- is expected there in Rio to deliver an award. And, of course you have COP 30 coming up in a couple of weeks time in the Brazilian city of Belem.

These are, of course, the scenes that the Brazilian government and in particular President Lula, who is in Asia on an international diplomacy

tour, would have not liked to see, Max.

FOSTER: No, I mean extraordinary. Stefano, thank you so much for bringing us that.

Very busy hour. We'll have more in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:18]

FOSTER: This woman's a winner. The U.S. president's lavished praise on the new Japanese prime minister as they met on the second leg of his Asia tour.

Donald Trump invited Sanae Takaichi to the stage as he spoke to the troops aboard the USS George Washington at a naval base in Japan.

The prime minister talked about the unprecedented security environment in the region, preferring or referring rather 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: 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)

FOSTER: President Trump heads to South Korea later, where he's expected to meet with meet with the Chinese Leader Xi Jinping. And that will be on

Thursday.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery has more from Tokyo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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, Sanae 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 carmaker,

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

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.

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 A.I.

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.

[15:55:04]

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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Staying with Japan, the man on trial for killing the former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has admitted to the charges, according to the state

broadcaster NHK. Shinzo Abe was shot with a homemade gun in 2022 whilst delivering a speech. Tetsuya Yamagami was arrested at the scene of the

alleged assassination. He blamed Abe for promoting the unification church, a religious group against which he held a grudge.

I'm Max Foster. That's WHAT WE KNOW.

Do stay with CNN. We'll have much more after this break.

END

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