Tuesday morning news: October 28, 2025

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Hurricane Melissa » Hurricane Melissa is slamming Jamaica this morning after strengthening to a Category 5 hurricane on Monday, packing winds north of 170 miles per hour.

Forecasters said it could be the strongest storm ever to strike the island nation.

Authorities in recent days urged residents to evacuate to higher ground or storm shelters. And they’ve warned residents that even if they don't live near the shoreline, that doesn’t mean they’re safe. Director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica Evan Thompson:

THOMPSON:  If you think that you are free from that, think again because the heavy rains will also affect you. The strong winds reaching tropical storm force could still continue to affect you as we go through the day on Tuesday.

Officials said rainfall in parts of Jamaica would be measured not in inches, but in feet.

Once the storm has passed, it will take some time to assess the damage. Larry Kelly with the U.S. National Hurricane Center:

KELLY:  We're talking, you know, extensive structure, uh, infrastructural damage and long lasting power outages, communication. Um, you know, and then not to mention the, the life threatening storm surge that's gonna happen along the coast.

Melissa is now expected to take aim at Cuba and the Bahamas, moving into open Atlantic waters by Thursday.

Trump in Tokyo » President Trump is in Japan for meetings with the country’s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi.

Takaichi is the first woman to hold that office. And en route to Japan, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One:

TRUMP: I look forward to meeting the new Prime Minister. I hear phenomenal things. She was a great ally and friend of Shinzo Abe, who was my friend.

Shinzo Abe served as prime minister during Trump’s first term in the White House. He was assassinated in 2022.

For her part, the prime minister is banking on a friendly relationship with Trump as she talks trade with the president.

And Tokyo is floating an idea that might appeal to the president: Buying a fleet of Ford F-150 pickup trucks.

TRUMP:  That's great. She has good taste. That's a hot, that's a hot truck.

Trump has long complained about American vehicles being shut out of the Japanese market.

Trump is seeking a Japanese investment of $550 billion dollars to reduce U.S. tariffs.

Ukraine/Russia latest » Trump also reacted on Monday to Russia's test of a new nuclear missile over the weekend … which Moscow claims can’t be stopped by air defenses.

He said of Russian leader Vladimir Putin:

TRUMP:  I don't think it's an appropriate thing to Putin for Putin to be saying either. By the way, he ought to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its soon, fourth year. That's what he ought to do instead of testing missiles.

Meanwhile, a U.N. inquiry has found that Russia's drone attacks on civilians near the front line in Ukraine have created a "climate of terror."

Erik Mose chairman of the commission of inquiry:

MOSE: We have found in this recent report that these attacks against civilians and civilian objects amount to crimes against humanity. Crimes against humanity, both with respect to murder and with respect to forcible transfer of population.

Ukraine's foreign minister says his country is working with the United States and Britain speed up the delivery of certain air defenses.

That as Moscow continues its bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid ahead of winter.

SNAP is paused / shutdown latest » The US Department of Agriculture says no one will receive federal food assistance at the beginning of November if the government shutdown persists.

The USDA’s website says funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program–known as SNAP–has dried up during the weeks-long funding lapse.

Abby Tow works at the Great Plains Food Bank in North Dakota, and she says local charities are banding together ahead of the benefits freeze.

TOW: SNAP is a federally funded program. It is the most important, efficient and the largest hunger relief program there is in the country.

The Trump administration says Democrats are to blame for continuing to block legislation in the Senate that would fund the government.

But Democrats are condemning the Trump administration, saying Trump officials could have used other funds to ensure benefits continued into November.

As of tonight, the shutdown will officially be four weeks old… With no end in sight.

Pakistan-Afghanistan peace talks » Diplomats from Pakistan and Afghanistan just held a third day of peace talks … working to halt the bloodshed along their shared border. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher reports:

BENJAMIN EICHER: The two sides signed a cease-fire framework agreement more than a week ago. It includes commitments to stop the fighting, respect sovereignty, and keep an open dialogue.

And diplomats from both sides are now working to finalize the details … and then actually enact that ceasefire.

The latest round of violence broke out earlier in the month … after Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghan territory. Islamabad said they were aimed at militants responsible for a deadly attack on Pakistani soldiers.

Afghan forces then retaliated.

President Trump has offered help from Washington. But right now, there is no indication that U.S. diplomats are a part of the peace talks.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Europe gets serious about its own air defenses. Plus, a debate over how much to say during sidewalk counseling outside abortion centers.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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