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CNN This Morning

Eleven Hurt In Stabbing Spree Aboard U.K. Train, Two Suspects Arrested; Police: Two British Nationals Arrested In Stabbing Attack on U.K. Train; Obama Campaigns For Gubernatorial Candidates In New Jersey And Virginia; Furloughed TSA Workers In Georgia Get Food Assistance During Shutdown; Two Judges Order Trump Administration To Release Emergency Funds To Cover November Food Stamp Benefits; Millions Of Americans Could Face Delays For SNAP Food Assistance; L.A. Dodgers Repeat As World Series Champions; Hegseth Announces Another U.S. Military Strike On Boat In Caribbean; Trump Orders Pentagon To Prepare For Possible Action In Nigeria. Police Investigate "Intentional" Explosion At Harvard Medical School; Trial Resumes Monday Over 6-Year- Old's Shooting Of Teacher; Drone Footage Shows Extent Of Damage In Jamaica; New Study: Covid In Pregnant Mothers Tied To Autism In Children; Level 4 Atmospheric River To Bring Flooding Concerns; Rescue Group Founder Helps Save Neglected And Abused Animals. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired November 02, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:40]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Brand new week. I'm glad to be with you. November 2nd, welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. I'm Victor Blackwell.

Here is what's happening this morning. We are learning more about a stabbing attack on a train that injured 10 people. Details coming from police moments ago. We have those for you just ahead. Also, it's the final push before Election Day and the Democrats are bringing out their closer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is absolutely no evidence that Republican policies have made life better for the people in New Jersey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: President Obama stumping for Democratic candidates in key races this weekend. His message to voters.

The civil trial in the case of the first-grade teacher shot by a six- year-old student continues tomorrow. She's looking for $40 million in damages. Why attorneys for the defendants say none of this was her fault. We're 33 days into the government shutdown now, and people are stepping in to help their neighbors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON WEST, VICE PRESIDENT, ATLANTA COMMUNITY FOOD BANK: We have seen a significant jump in need just in the last week here in particular.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Outpouring of support for furloughed workers. We have that ahead. Plus, the Dodgers have done it again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Dodgers stand tall and win back-to-back titles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Yes, the Dodgers mounted an incredible comeback to take the series. We've got your highlights ahead.

We're starting this hour though with the breaking news. Moments ago, British Transport Police wrapped up a news conference in England about the stabbing spree on board a train that left nearly a dozen people injured. British Counter Terrorism police are investigating and so far, two people have been arrested. British Transport Police say that both are British nationals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN LOVELESS, SUPERINTENDENT, BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE: British Transport Police declared a major incident yesterday and Counter Terrorism Policing were initially supporting our investigation. However, at this stage there is nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, the attack happened last night aboard a London bound train. Initially, police said that nine of the 10 people were hospitalized. They were with life threatening injuries.

Police say another later showed up at the hospital. A witness describes the chaotic scene. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WREN CHAMBERS, WITNESS: A man comes running down with a very clear wound, bleeding quite badly on his arm. And I thought it was like some sort of Halloween prank at first. But then he shouting that someone's got a knife. He was stabbed. And then people come running down the train.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Let's go now to CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, with new information. Any motive? Is this random? What do police know?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, this was quite a short police press conference by the British Transport Police not wanting to get into speculation about what may have caused it. They're still investigating.

The two men that they have arrested are being held in separate police stations. The police officer at the press conference described them as -- one of them, a 32-year-old. He described him as a black British born national. The other a 35-year-old British born national of Caribbean descent, both being held in separate police stations while being investigated.

But the -- but the notion here that the British police are being very specific about the people that they have under arrest is something we've seen typically over the last year and a half, where social media speculation in these types of incidents has led to sort of some violence on the streets. So, the police here are really appearing to want to sort of tamp down speculation about who was behind this. Also, indicating there really nothing yet to say that this is terrorist related.

And of course, perhaps the good news taken out of this last night, it was understood 10 people taken to hospital, nine, was said, with life threatening injuries. Now, the police officer saying four of those have actually been released from hospital. Only two people, two victims, remain in hospital with life threatening injuries.

But the accounts of people who were on board the train, absolutely horrific. Listen to account of a man with his children who had run down to the end of the train.

[06:05:02]

They literally -- when the train pulled into this unscheduled stop at Huntingdon Station, literally rushed his kids off the train. They were banging on the doors of houses around the station, looking for people to take them in and give them shelter.

So, people were even getting off the train before the police arrived. The police there saying they were on the scene within eight minutes of getting the call. So, two suspects still in detention, two people remain with life threatening injuries.

BLACKWELL: Horrifying a train attack. There's nowhere to go until you can get that train to stop and get off. Nic Robertson reporting. Thanks so much.

We're back here in the U.S. Democrats are turning to their closer to deliver two critical victories in Tuesday's elections. Former President Barack Obama campaigned on Saturday with the Democratic nominees for governor in Virginia and New Jersey. His message to voters, use your power and break with President Trump. Let's get more now from CNN's Arlette Saenz.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor. Former President Barack Obama hit the campaign trail once again, this time campaigning on behalf of Democratic nominee for governor here in New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill. The former president rallied voters here in Newark, New Jersey, just a few hours after he had campaigned down in Virginia with the Democratic nominee for governor there, Abigail Spanberger.

The former president used both of these speeches as an attempt to not just talk up the Democratic nominees, but also criticize President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress. He criticized them on everything from how they've handled the economy to their approach to the government shutdown. And here in New Jersey, the former president told voters that they have a chance to send a message with their vote, not just in the Garden State, but around the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: At the same time that they're helping the wealthiest, most powerful people in the country consolidate more wealth and more power, your bills are still going up. You're waiting longer at airports because there aren't enough air traffic controllers. The program that helps your kid with special needs just got gutted. They are hoping you don't notice that.

But the good news, the good news, good news, is there something you can do about it New Jersey right here, right now. Because you've got a candidate for governor who's a proven fighter, who's got a track record of getting stuff done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Obama essentially served as the closer in this final weekend of the campaign. He still remains the Democratic Party's most popular and sought after surrogate. But his appearance here in New Jersey came after there was a wave of high-profile Democrats who campaigned with Sherrill here in New Jersey that included former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, both men who could have their eyes on a White House run in 2028.

On the Republican side, President Donald Trump has endorsed Sherrill's opponent, Jack Ciattarelli. But Trump did not campaign here in the Garden State with Ciattarelli instead holding a tele rally for him in the closing weeks of the election.

Now, when I've talked to voters here in New Jersey, they repeatedly point to economic concerns as really driving their votes, pointing to things like high property taxes, overall high cost of living and rising utility prices, which is something that both Trump and Obama have pointed to as they've advocated for their candidates. But voters very soon will make their voices heard, and which issues have specifically driven their votes as they are set to cast their ballots on Tuesday, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Arlette, thank you very much. Let's talk about this with David Weigel, national political reporter for "Semafor." David, you've had a busy weekend. You've been out on the campaign trail covering the former president and the campaigns in New Jersey and Virginia.

Democrats are optimistic going into Tuesday. Is there movement? Is there momentum that suggests they might be in for a surprise?

DAVID WEIGEL, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, SEMAFOR: Not that I could see. And I try to get out and cover the final days before every election. I was in New Jersey before this Obama rally with Jack Ciattarelli at a couple of his stops. He was in fairly liberal suburbs, getting crowds in the dozens. When asked if he was going to have any special guest campaigning for him, he said, just Jack.

And Democrats do not see, I personally, anecdotally didn't see evidence that there is a Republican groundswell the kind that came up against them in 2024. The Republican challenge all year has been getting those voters who only come out when the president is on the ballot to come out again at a time when the president is less popular. He was much more popular in November 2024 than he is now. And they have -- they have struggled to do that. They have argued that Democrats want to nationalize these elections because they don't have good local issues.

[06:10:01]

In New Jersey, the president has given them a very good local issue. The cancellation of this gateway tunnel funding, the threatening of doing that around the shutdown. Republicans were a little bit flat footed responding. The Democratic answer has been, elect Mikie Sherrill. She'll fight for it.

BLACKWELL: Yes, a statewide issue there. Let's talk about the role of former President Obama. We just had video of him up at one of the campaign events.

We've got some CNN reporting about his feeling of void in the party. He senses that politics of his party may be leaving him behind, but maybe he has to come in to bring the Democratic Party back to relevancy.

What's the potency and utility of the former president? Still a part -- a star in the party. Just the last few days of this campaign, what did you see?

WEIGEL: Well, there's a little bit of nostalgia. I felt that in the Obama speeches, I was physically at the New Jersey one, a lot of references to how Trump has taken the country off course, the implication being it was on course under Barack Obama, less so under Joe Biden. If you sum up the narrative, it's that Democrats tried to right the country ship. People were unhappy, he said, understandably unhappy with costs. And then Trump got elected and didn't lower costs.

And the nostalgia they're looking to is a more -- wanting a more progressive Democratic government that taxes the wealthiest, that doesn't cut taxes for the rich. It also is more traditionalist. It's defense of democracy and institutions.

And you've had worries by Democrats all year in public. Do we talk too much about things like the president leaning on law firms that -- maybe asking for them to do pro bono work, forcing them to do pro bono work for his administration. Leaning on companies and media mergers, is that going to excite voters?

And in off year elections, both parties are trying to turn out the biggest fraction they can of their presidential voters. The Democratic argument as framed by Obama is that if you're a Democrat, stay angry, stay concerned about the national issues, don't be ashamed of being angry -- frustrated with what Trump is doing to the country. Come out and send a message.

You saw this from Gavin Newsom and his rally for his Proposition 50. That's the most anti-Trump framing of a of an issue in this election. Let's redraw our map to hurt Donald Trump. That has been very effective for Democrats in California. And that's not some local issue that's going to affect everybody -- everybody's paychecks next month. It is about let's -- Trump has put the country in the wrong direction. You have to elect us to start turning it back. And what Democrats want on Wednesday is enough big election wins where they can say, see, the country has already moved away from Trump.

BLACKWELL: David, what informs or explains former -- current President Donald Trump not being out on the campaign trail. He loves the crowd. Is this pessimism? Is this personal animus with one or more of the Republican candidates?

WEIGEL: Well, in Virginia there some animus there. So, Winsome Earle- Sears, the Republican lieutenant governor, is running for governor. She criticized Trump in 2022. The lowest political point Trump has had since becoming president really in 2016 was Republicans had some bad midterms, and she was among the Republicans saying maybe he needs to move on. She was very curious about Ron DeSantis.

I don't think the president ever forgot that. And he has never endorsed her by name in that race. He did endorse Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey, the nominee for governor, quite early in that race helped him win the primary. But the fact that he did not come to New Jersey, I think, is a sign of recognition that he is not a political dynamo the way he was in 2024.

Is he still popular to the Republican base? Yes. But six months ago, Republicans were hopeful he could come to New Jersey and find those Latino and Asian voters who abandoned Kamala Harris and voted for him for the first time in Passaic County and Paterson, places like that. And he didn't.

He had a rally in 2024 for his own campaign in Wildwood, New Jersey. He did not come back for this one. They did not send J.D. Vance.

Would they send him if these were states where he was above water in popularity? They would have at least sent the vice president. So, there is some indication there that he did not want a nationalize races put his weight behind these candidates that he thought might lose. And he has not had a traditional rally in several months.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

WEIGEL: Democrats look at that and say, there's evidence here that he's not popular. Why is the media not covering him like he's unpopular? That's what they want these elections on Tuesday to do is change the story line. I'm not sure if they'll succeed, but that's clearly a big thing they want, change the story line about Trump and say the country is not with him anymore.

BLACKWELL: David Weigel, thank you very much for the reporting. Early voting ends this weekend, and be to tune in Tuesday for CNN's election night coverage. Starts at 5:00 p.m. eastern on CNN. You can also stream the coverage on the CNN app.

TSA workers and other federal employees who are not getting paychecks because of the government shutdown are getting help with food. They joined millions of people who need more food aid because now SNAP benefits have not been paid this month. Two federal judges already ordered the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in emergency funds to partially cover food stamp benefits.

[06:15:07]

CNN correspondent Rafael Romo shows how the community in Atlanta, especially the Atlanta Community Food Bank, is answering the call for help -- Rafael.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, good morning. This drive is meant to help furloughed federal workers during the ongoing government shutdown, especially Transportation Security Administration employees who work at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Organizers here at the Atlanta Community Food Bank told me they work directly with TSA to notify and help furloughed employees. An official with the Atlanta Community Food Bank told me earlier that during this single food distribution event, they expected to serve anywhere between 800 to 1,000 families. According to organizers, in the first three hours after the food drive started, approximately 75 volunteers and staff had already donated 17,000 pounds of food to 335 families.

Two judges have ordered the Trump administration to use emergency funds to provide at least partial food stamp benefits this month, but many families have already missed paychecks from the shutdown. Nearly 42 million people, or about one in eight Americans, received food stamps in May, according to the latest USDA data.

Overall, 12 percent of the U.S. population relies on SNAP for food assistance. SNAP participation ranges widely across the United States, with the highest shares in New Mexico, Louisiana and the District of Columbia.

Here in Georgia, an official with the Atlanta Community Food Bank told me the government shutdown has created new challenges on top of the ones they already had.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEST: So, we have seen a significant jump in need just in the last week here in particular. And this is on top of already sort of historic need that we were responding to because of inflation, rising costs of living. But certainly, over the last week in particular, as a lot of uncertainty has come up around, is there going to be an interruption in SNAP benefits?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And that's another concern for organizations like the Atlanta Community Food Bank, the uncertainty surrounding SNAP benefits for tens of millions of Americans during the government shutdown. According to state government figures, in Georgia alone 1.4 million people receive this kind of food assistance, including about 640,000 children. Victor, now back to you.

BLACKWELL: Rafael Romo, thank you very much. The streets of Los Angeles were packed last night. Dodgers fans are celebrating a second consecutive World Series title. They had to come from behind victory in game seven in Toronto. Now, the Blue Jays jumped out to an early three nothing lead, but the Dodgers came back to send the game into extra innings. Then, at the bottom of the 11th, Dodgers' catcher Will Smith changed everything with one swing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Smith hits a high fly ball to deep left field. It's got a chance. It is gone. It's Will Smith in game seven.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Final score 5-4, Dodgers became the first team to repeat as World Series champions since the Yankees won three in a row, '98, '99 and 2000. All right. Next on CNN THIS MORNING, President Trump ordered the Pentagon to prepare for possible action in Nigeria. We're live to explain why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBY ZWERNER, FORMER VIRGINIA TEACHER: I thought I had died. I thought I was either, on my way to heaven or in heaven.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Emotional testimony from a teacher who was shot by a six- year-old student. We're looking ahead to what we can expect this week in court. And U.S. search and rescue teams are in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa's devastation. We'll talk with one of the team members.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:23:45]

BLACKWELL: New overnight, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the military struck another alleged drug running boat in the Caribbean. The latest strike Saturday killed three men on the boat. This is the 15th known U.S. military strike on an alleged drug smuggling vessel since September.

The strikes are now catching international attention. The United Nations' high commissioner for human rights says that they violate international law. However, the Trump administration said in a classified legal opinion the strikes are justified because they pose an imminent threat to Americans.

President Trump ordered the Defense Department to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria. Now, he says, the country is not doing enough to stem violence against Christians there. Nigerian -- Nigeria, rather, has claimed that that is not happening.

The president wrote on social media, the USA, quote, "may very well go into that now disgraced country, guns-a-blazing, to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists." While there have been a number of attacks from radical Islamists in the country, both Christians and Muslims have been targeted. CNN's Larry Madowo is with me now. So, Larry, tell me about the reality of what's happening in Nigeria.

[06:25:01]

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, these attacks are down to terrorism. Nigeria's population is evenly split between Christians and Muslims, and the attacks target both Christians and Muslims. And that's what Nigeria has been trying to say.

A lot of this has been bubbling under in MAGA circles on the U.S. right because it was an issue among some Christians in Nigeria. Boko Haram, which is a terrorist organization that operates in Nigeria's north Islamic state in west African province, they have carried out attacks. In some states, more Christians are killed. In other states, more Muslims are killed. And this is an issue that even President Trump's own senior African adviser, a Lebanese-American businessman who made his fortune in Nigeria, spoke about and dismissed. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASSAD BOULOS, U.S. SENIOR ADVISER FOR ARAB AND AFRICAN AFFAIRS: People of all religions and all tribes are dying as a result of terrorist acts but -- it's very unfortunate. We even know that Boko Haram and ISIS are killing more Muslims than Christians.

So, people are suffering from all sorts of backgrounds. This is not -- this is not specifically targeted about one group or the other. However, any loss of life is too many. One is too many.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO: Victor, this has been a decades old problem. It's about competition for resources between herders, who tend to be mostly Muslim, and Christians, who tend to be farmers. It's about cattle rustling. And yes, there's a religious angle to it, but it does not rise to the level of a genocide or a mass slaughter.

BLACKWELL: OK, so we heard there from an adviser to the president. What's the Nigerian government saying about these attacks?

MADOWO: The Nigerians are alarmed by President Trump's threat of sending troops to Nigeria. They say they have not heard from official diplomatic channels. All they have seen are the posts from President Trump on Truth Social and the secretary of war, Secretary of defense Pete Hegseth, saying that they are ready.

But before this latest threat came through, this is what President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria said. The characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.

And President Tinubu added that Nigeria is working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths. But the big thing here, Victor, that the possibility of U.S. troops on a sovereign soil in Nigeria to stamp out terrorists.

BLACKWELL: Larry Madowo reporting from London. Thank you so much. An explosion rocks a Harvard medical building. Students quickly evacuated from the building. Fortunately, here, no one was hurt. We'll explain what caused the blast and now who Police are looking for.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:32:11]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Police are investigating what they say is an intentional explosion at a Harvard University medical building.

The explosion happened early Saturday morning. And officers saw two people leaving the building after a fire alarm was activated. The explosion was on the fourth floor of Harvard's Goldenson building. Police did not find any other devices in the building. And good news, no one was injured.

Well, now they're asking you, the public, for help as they search for two people seen wearing masks in security footage. Students who live nearby left. They were shaken by the incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Especially if this is a recurring thing. Like, if this is not just a one-time thing, obviously that's scary. Especially being so close to here. And you don't want to ever hear that, even from afar. But being close to here, it's very scary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And now the FBI is helping Harvard University Police Department investigate that explosion.

Tomorrow we will hear more testimony in the civil suit brought by the teacher shot by her six-year-old student in class.

Abby Zwerner gave emotional testimony last week describing the moment it happened. And she also filed a $40 million lawsuit against the school's former assistant principal. She says the administrator ignored warning signs the child had a gun.

CNN's Jean Casarez has more.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Victor, the defense will start putting witnesses on the stand Monday. We do understand they're having experts fly in from out of state to testify for them.

The main two issues for the defense here is number one, that Ebony Parker is not responsible in any way for the six-year-old student shooting his teacher. That Ebony Parker did not have a legal duty that she had to intervene. That she did not exhibit gross negligence in all of this.

And number two, even if she is liable, that damages are not warranted. Because the victim has gone on in her life, they will try to minimize any monetary amount as much as they can, most likely through expert testimony.

But this weekend, the jury is left thinking about the testimony of Abby Zwerner, the gunshot victim, the teacher, the first grade teacher. They got shot by her student. Here is some of what she said happened to her and what she went through that moment she got shot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBY ZWERNER, TEACHER SHOT BY FIRST GRADER: I thought I was dying. I thought I had died. I thought I was either on my way to heaven or in heaven. But then it all got black.

And so, I then thought I wasn't going there. And then I -- my next memory is I see two co-workers around me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:35:17]

CASAREZ (on-camera): The defendant in this case, Ebony Parker, is also facing criminal charges and that is going to trial this next month. She's facing eight counts of felony child abuse.

Why eight counts? Because there were eight bullets in that nine- millimeter gun that that six-year-old used to shoot his teacher.

Jean Casarez, CNN, New York.

BLACKWELL: All right, Jean, thank you.

New drone video shows the extent of the damage from this massive category 5 hurricane that tore through Jamaica. It was the most powerful storm on record to hit the island and Jamaican officials said Friday at least 19 people have been killed there. But that number is expected to rise over the coming days.

So many people still don't have power, basic necessities that as rescue efforts continue across the Caribbean.

Joining me now from Kingston, Jamaica, John Morrison, Public Information Officer for the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team based out of Virginia. John, thanks for your time here.

Give us an idea. And we've been showing some of the drone video and we'll continue through our conversation of what your crews are dealing with as you're working through some of these hard hit areas.

JOHN MORRISON, PIO, FAIRFAX COUNTY URBAN SEACH & RESCUE TEAM: Good morning and thank you for having me on.

It's very logistically difficult to get around this island on the western part of the island. We're based out of Kingston right now. We're trying to push west to establish a forward base of operations in the more disaster stricken areas.

But our crews are going out via air and via road. And there are certainly challenges in navigating with roads washed out debris across roads, large debris piles, power lines down trees over the roads. It's really difficult to move around.

BLACKWELL: You say it's difficult to move around. Are there areas that you just are not able to access at all?

MORRISON: You can access them by foot, but by vehicle, they're very difficult. And we've seen road crews out there working, trying to clear some of this island's roads in order to get the assistance westward from the eastern part of the island. But it is certainly a Herculean effort to get this done.

BLACKWELL: Do you have the big equipment? You say you can get there by foot and can't get there by vehicle. Are the big clearing resources there or at least on their way soon?

MORRISON: They are. We've seen them out there. So we -- when we've gone out by helicopter, obviously we can touch down in these communities and start assessing the search and rescue needs as well as the aid needs of these communities. So, we've been able to do that by both air and by vehicle.

BLACKWELL: Talk to me about the coordination between your crew coming out of Virginia, the local crews as well. What's happening with the assistance is coming in from around the U.S. and around the Caribbean.

MORRISON: Coordination certainly saved lives. One of our first meetings when we got here when we were deployed as part of the U.S. Department of State's disaster assistance response team was with the Jamaican emergency management authorities. We had that meeting within several hours of arriving on the ground here because we want to make sure that we're working in concert with their priorities. Our sister team from Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Fire and Rescue Department. They also are here.

And so daily we're having these meetings with the emergency management authorities to make sure we're going where they need us to go. And then we're feeding the information back to them so they can see what the needs of these communities are.

BLACKWELL: Search and rescue gives the imagery of your finding people trapped that you were discovering people who could not get out without your help. Give me a more textual idea of who you're finding, what you're finding in some of these rescue missions.

MORRISON: Yes, at this point in the -- in the response effort, a lot of it is getting down in these communities and figuring out what's -- what's needed.

So, we're right now in still an assessment mode trying to get out there on when we land in the community were met by an overwhelming number of locals that are incredibly happy to see us. And so, we're meeting with them and saying, you know, are there immediate medical needs? Or is there anybody that was injured during the hurricane that needs to be better backed out.

And so, we -- we go to these -- these areas and talk to these people to try and figure out those needs as well as, you know, other clinics that are open that need fuel and how quickly they need fuel.

So we're reporting that data back in near real time back to the Jamaican authorities in order to make sure that this is a coordinated response.

BLACKWELL: John Morrison thank you for your time and thank you for what you're doing there. Recovery will be quite a long time there for Jamaica and other countries across the Caribbean.

And for more information about how you can help Hurricane Melissa survivors, go to CNN.com/Impact or you can text the word MELISSA to 707070 to donate.

[06:40:06]

Next, new research about autism rates in children. A new study shows a possible link with mothers who had COVID during pregnancy.

What expectant mothers should know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:02]

BLACKWELL: This morning, a new study is raising questions about COVID and autism. The research suggests that children may be more likely to be diagnosed with autism or other brain and nervous system disorders if their mothers had COVID while pregnant.

Here's CNN's Jacqueline Howard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: This new study is getting a lot of attention. The researchers analyzed data on more than 18,000 births that happened between March 2020 and May 2021. They found that among the mothers who had COVID-19 while pregnant, about 16 percent of them gave birth to a child who was diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder by age three. But in comparison, fewer than 10 percent of the babies born to mothers

who did not have COVID during pregnancy had a neurodevelopmental diagnosis by age three. And these findings, they were most pronounced for two factors. One, if the child was a boy. And two, if the mother had COVID in her third trimester.

So, we already know that when a pregnant mother's immune response is activated because she has an infection like COVID-19, then that can have impacts on the fetus's brain development. We also know that when a high fever occurs during pregnancy, that can impact fetal brain development.

So, another possible factor could be how many of the mothers in the study had a high fever as a symptom of COVID-19.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Jacqueline Howard, thank you very much.

Right now, a strong storm system is taking shape on the West Coast, stretching from San Francisco all the way up to Seattle. We're talking heavy rain, strong winds, possible flooding.

Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar.

All right, so tell me what you're watching.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right, so this kind of system is not abnormal for December or January. We just don't usually see these kind of potent systems this early, especially as we head into the winter.

So let's take a look at what we're talking about. All these dots represent what we call atmospheric river events. They're coded. So you get a level one, which is a very weak one, and a level five is very, very strong.

And you can see the orange color here up and down the coast, especially southwestern Oregon and northern California. That's when we're looking at an AR level four. So again, near the top.

Now I will say over the last 48 hours, they've gone back and forth of sometimes having a five, sometimes having a four. The number at this point really doesn't matter because both a four and a five can be very impactful, especially in terms of heavy rain. And you can see that storm system right there as it kind of slides in along the coast.

Now it's going to hit different areas at different timelines. Northern California likely going to see the brunt of that first before it begins to slide farther up the northern portion of the coast.

Regardless, look at all the orange and red color that you see here. You're talking a tremendous amount of rain, widespread areas of two to five inches of rain total. Also, when you start to go up in elevation, now you're talking a significant amount of snow for some of these areas. The potential for flooding exists for three days in a row. You're talking Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

BLACKWELL: All right, we'll watch it. Allison Chinchar, thank you.

Next, meet the CNN Hero saving thousands of lives. Tim Woodward and his team are on a mission to rescue animals from cruelty. We'll show you their work to give them a second chance.

And you can now stream "CNN This Morning Weekend" live in the U.S. or catch up whenever you want in the CNN app. Stream the shows, get access to exclusive CNN reporting or watch our award-winning original series and films. Much more there.

To learn more, visit CNN.com/Watch.

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[06:53:11]

BLACKWELL: Tonight, tune in for an all-new episode of the "CNN ORIGINAL SERIES, NEW ORLEANS, SOUL OF A CITY." Airs tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CNN, or you can watch it tomorrow on the CNN app.

Top five CNN Heroes of 2025 are out, and you will help us choose which one of them will be named the CNN Hero of the Year.

This week, we introduce Tim Woodward. He's a man who's made it his mission to save neglected and abused animals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM WOODWARD, PRESIDENT, ARC: We see animals living in conditions that I would have never imagined before doing this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got a little dog down here in this crate. Hi, Mama.

WOODWARD: Their physical condition is incredibly debilitated. It can be very gruesome.

Your average shelter is used to taking animals in one or two at a time. We pull in large numbers of animals from a crisis situation.

We'll work with law enforcement. They will designate us as an agent of law enforcement to go onto the scene to seize those animals.

You're OK. See?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at that smile.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

WOODWARD: We bring a very tight, trained team, including a state- licensed forensic vet, vet techs, as well as an intake team, and, of course, our trained handlers. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're in five different pop-ups. We'll split them up, two, two, and two.

WOODWARD: We're kind of the midway point between where they came from and where they will find their forever home.

We'll get you all fixed up.

So for the time that they're in our care, we try to make sure that they are becoming healthier.

[06:55:05]

What are you doing, huh?

And we try as best we can to prepare them for life in a home.

The change in the animals is always remarkable. They come out of situations where they have no trust and then with time and attention, they begin to literally blossom.

You're getting out of here.

We've rescued well over 10,000 animals.

Where's that tail at?

My hope is that they have the best life possible and forget all about where they came from.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: And you can vote at CNN.com/Heroes to help decide who will be the next CNN Hero of the Year.

We'll be right back.

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