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The Situation Room

Synagogue Attacks Prevented?; Air Traffic Controllers Under Pressure; Hurricane Melissa Lashes Cuba. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired October 29, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: And, sometimes, these teams just get that team of destiny feel to them. Blue Jays getting there, the way they just keep fighting back and finding ways to win these games.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: They definitely have a fighting spirit.

Andy Scholes, thank you so much.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Thanks from me as well.

And the next hour of THE SITUATION ROOM starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BROWN: Howling winds are tearing through Cuba right now, as Hurricane Melissa bears down on the island nation and is about to take aim at the Bahamas.

BLITZER: And, in Jamaica, cleanup is just beginning after the historic storm made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane packing winds of 108 -- 185 miles an hour, 185 miles an hour.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

And we begin this hour with Hurricane Melissa. One of the strongest storms ever recorded is losing steam right now as it moves through the Caribbean.

BROWN: But Melissa still packs a powerful punch, leaving a trail of destruction in its path. Hundreds of thousands are without power and at least seven have been confirmed dead.

BLITZER: So sad.

We're covering the storm from all angles. CNN's Patrick Oppmann is in Cuba. CNN's Derek Van Dam is in Jamaica. Our meteorologist Chris Warren is at the CNN Weather Center tracking where Melissa is headed next.

Patrick, let me start with you. Let's set the scene. What are the conditions like where you are right now in Cuba? PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Well, for the first time,

Wolf, I'm able to walk around the neighborhood where we bunkered down last night as the storm raged on.

And it's the damage that you would see typically when a major hurricane comes very close to where you are there. There are walls down. There are roofs that have been taken out. There are trees that have been down. It's not catastrophic damage. It could have been much, much worse if it had come ashore as a Category 4 or 5, like we initially anticipated to -- that it would.

But it has hit Cuba very, very hard. Power has been out now for, ooh, about 18 hours. So that begins to become a concern. How long can people go without power before their food begins to spoil, before it becomes more and more of a dire crisis?

Right now, Cuba's president is saying there's significant damage that has been done across this island. Remember, we're talking about a hurricane the size of Texas. It didn't just hit here in Santiago, Cuba, where I am. It hit across the entire eastern portion of this island. And we're hearing about other places that have been very, very hard-hit.

It's going to probably take days to get a full assessment of the damage here. But, certainly, we're looking at hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars in damage to a country that was already impoverished. So, for Cubans who had so little to begin with, this is going to hit them quite hard.

BLITZER: Patrick, any indication that Cuba is about to get some international assistance, including potentially from the United States, to help these people?

OPPMANN: You know, that is always so tricky in the best of times. Cuba sometimes is reluctant to take aid from the U.S.

It's happened, but with the Trump administration at the throat of the government here and vice versa, it's hard to imagine that that help would be offered or accepted. We will just have to see, of course. Cuba's traditional allies, Russia, China, Venezuela, have stepped in to help in the past, but those are countries with their own issues right now.

It is -- we're talking about a demand, a need that's probably far greater than any one country. Perhaps the World Food Program will step in. I just have a hard time believing that the United States government under President Donald Trump will be offering help, assistance to a communist-run government.

Certainly, Cuban Americans have been contacting me, many of them, to see how they can get help to their families who need it so very badly at this point.

BLITZER: They clearly need food, they need water, they need medical supplies. How are they doing on those fronts? OPPMANN: On a regular day here, Wolf, they do quite badly. This is

not a regular day. The power is expected to be out for some time. You have so many power lines that are down. Already, there was an energy crisis here.

And so I think people are hopeful the government will get the power back on in short order, but days from now. That means everyone's food has spoiled. How will they get food to people here, thousands of thousands of people potentially? We had hundreds of thousands of people that ended up evacuating to keep out of harm's way.

We don't have any reports at this point of casualties or injuries, but very likely that could have happened with a storm of this power. So, at this point, I think the people that I have talked to in the couple blocks radius, they're happy it wasn't worse, but it could get worse if governments or the government here is not able to address those kinds of needs.

[11:05:01]

BLITZER: All right, Patrick Oppmann, stay safe over there. Good luck. We will stay in close touch with you. Thank you very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Chris, let me get to you.

Where is Melissa now and what's in the storm's path still?

CHRIS WARREN, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Pamela and Wolf, right now, Melissa is moving still away from Cuba, but affecting Cuba still with heavy rain and strong winds.

But just looking at this, you can tell it's not the beast that it was. That being said, it is still a 100-mile-per-hour Category 2 hurricane, so still a dangerous storm, and it is heading to the Bahamas. That's the next stop here, leaving Cuba and on the way there.

So with the darker red and the purple, that's going to be the stronger winds and the heavier rain, hurricane warnings posted everywhere here in red, expecting to remain a Category 2 hurricane. It might get better organized now that it's going back over water. Gets a little ragged when it goes over land.

And if it goes over land with mountains especially, can disrupt that circulation, so could get a little bit more organization, getting its act together a bit more, and then shoots off into the Atlantic. But with those winds, stronger than 100-mile-an-hour winds expected for the Bahamas, and this continues right through this evening.

Overnight is when it's going to pull away from the Bahamas. Rain will leave earlier. You can see the heavy rain that's going to be lashing the region there, but those circles there indicate the stronger winds, and once again, Pamela and Wolf, Bermuda very close to our hurricane, so could see hurricane conditions of Bermuda in the coming hours.

BLITZER: Is there going to be any impact on the East Coast of the United States, especially Florida?

WARREN: Not direct impacts, but rip currents in which you could have a beautiful day and the ocean is dangerous. So rip currents is certainly some people need to think about.

BLITZER: All right, good advice. Thanks very much.

Derek Van Dam is on the scene for us in Jamaica. Chris Warren is at the CNN Weather Center. We will stay in close touch with all of you.

Derek, I want to get you on the phone right now. I know there's some technical issues. You were in Kingston yesterday. Now you're driving Westward across the island. Tell our viewers what you're seeing.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we are trying to travel into the western parts of Jamaica, the hardest-hit areas of the country, the first time we have been able to safely get out of Kingston.

We just -- just to kind of give you a perspective, if we have a map, we have just traveled through Santa Cruz, which is the capital of St. Elizabeth Parish. We're trying to get to the Black River region, the New Hope area in Westmoreland Parish, where landfall occurred yesterday.

Now, the damaging winds have subsided, but it's now a real race against time. What we have seen are roads that have just been completely washed out, homes and businesses that are severely damaged, debris scattered across the city of Santa Cruz like a wall of water came ripping through the heart of some of the main commerce areas of the city.

We're having communication issues out here, so we're calling you on a satellite phone. So, I'm not quite able to send you these pictures, but once we get them to you, you will understand the level of destruction that these people are facing.

I have also noticed -- we have been talking about this with the landfall of a really powerful hurricane like this, the defoliage of the trees. That's very prevalent around this area too. So, look, we're trying to make our way further west, but what we have already seen, it's not looking very likely, and we're fearful for what's beyond the blocked roads that we are traversing right now.

By the way, we just happened to travel directly behind the Jamaican Defense Force. They were ahead of us, and then they have been accurately clearing a path in the road that we have been able to traverse, but we have, in essence, reached an end where we can't go any further because the destruction is too much for any vehicles, including their defense vehicles that are fully rigged.

They're not even able to get through. So, we have got chain saws in the background. We have got people actively working, including the Jamaican Defense Forces, trying to get through. It is going to be extremely difficult to get aid to some of these remote communities in the hardest-hit areas of Western Jamaica -- Wolf.

BROWN: Yes, oh, my goodness. That says a lot. Derek Van Dam, thank you so much. Stay safe out there. Chris Warren,

Patrick Oppmann, we thank you as well.

BLITZER: Stay safe. That's really important.

And for more information about how you, our viewers, can help Hurricane Melissa victims, go to CNN.com/Impact or text Melissa, M-E- L-I-S-S-A, Melissa, to 707070, and you can donate some money. Very important.

Still ahead: delays at airports nationwide as air traffic controllers miss their first full paycheck. You're going to hear from one controller who is now working a second job delivering food just to make ends meet.

BROWN: And it's been more than 100 days since devastating flash floods claimed the lives of 27 girls and counselors at Camp Mystic in Texas on the Fourth of July. Later this hour, a SITUATION ROOM exclusive where we will be joined by the lawyer representing the camp who's going to join us to discuss this push for accountability from grieving parents.

[11:10:13]

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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BROWN: Happening now: Air traffic controllers are working their jobs without any pay amid day 29 of the government shutdown. The 14,000 controllers across the country received zero-dollar deposits to their bank accounts just yesterday.

And experts warn the shutdown's impact won't just mean flight delays. They say much of the work the Federal Aviation Administration is pursuing, from modernization efforts to training future controllers, could suffer in the long term.

[11:15:08]

Joining us now to share his personal story is a 16-year air traffic controller and a single father, Jack Criss.

Jack, thank you so much for coming on the show. I know it's a tough time for you. I understand you decided to take leave during the shutdown as you had to work without pay. Tell us more about what's going on and why you felt the need to do that.

JACK CRISS, FAA AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: Oh, yes, I have been trying to manage a bit of anxiety. In an attempt to ensure safety, I thought it was best if I not appear at work as I manage that, as I try to work with counselors in order to make sure that I'm in the right head space.

BROWN: Tell us more about that anxiety and how the shutdown impacted that. I know also for our viewers, you're a single dad with a daughter, right?

CRISS: Yes, it's very important that I'm able to be emotionally available for her.

Understand, air trafficking is a very, very stressful job. You can Google top 10 most stressful jobs, and on each site you will see that indeed it is a popular opinion. It's very hard. I'm telling you, it's incredibly difficult.

People -- us air traffic controllers literally have to perform at a perfect level. And my heart goes out to everyone out there that's performing air traffic services. Keep up the good work and keep the (AUDIO GAP). Personally, I had to do -- I have to do in order to make sure I'm in a clear head space.

I don't want to sacrifice my mental health for anything. But once I get on the other side of that, I will return just as soon as I can. But, until then, I want to make sure that airplanes are safely separated. Therefore, I think my presence -- I don't think I could manage it right now.

Again, I'm dealing with a lot. Not knowing when you will get paid is a very difficult thing. So, if anybody out there is listening, any congresspeople, I want to urge you guys to sit down and get the resolution passed. We definitely need our paychecks. It's causing more pressure on top of an already high-pressure situation.

BROWN: Yes, and we have heard stories of some air traffic controllers having to take on second jobs, like being delivery people or being an Uber driver, some setting up GoFundMe pages. Tell us what you're doing right now.

CRISS: I'm one.

BROWN: Yes, tell us about that.

CRISS: Yes, I'm one.

I mean, if -- so, if I'm not able to provide for my kid, then I'm a failure as a dad. And so I have to do exactly what I have to do in order to ensure that my daughter has exactly what she needs. I got -- I'm at home right now. This place isn't free. Think about it. We're in an air traffic shortage right now. There are air traffic controllers that are in their 20s, early 20s, that don't have a nest egg saved up.

And there are veteran controllers that may have went through a divorce and they may have went through a legal issue or had a medical situation where they had to spend a bunch of cash. If we're having to go to work, it's important that we're getting paid not in retrospect, but in a timely fashion.

So I'm on TV right now just advocating for those that don't have -- think of it. If I had a nest egg saved up, I wouldn't be worried about much at all. I just -- I personally know that. So I have to DoorDash on my off-time in order to manage that. And I'm relatively certain that other people are even in a worse situation than myself. BROWN: Well, I'm sorry to hear about the hardship you're going through because of this government shutdown. You're a dad. You just want to do with best for your daughter. And I understand it's her birthday today, so we just wanted to wish her a happy birthday.

Jack Criss, best of luck to you.

CRISS: Thank you. Thank you.

BLITZER: And up next: A man is in custody after police discovered a cache of ammunition and body armor. Investigators say it was all part of a foiled plan to attack multiple synagogues here in the United States.

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[11:23:58]

BLITZER: Happening now: Officials say they prevented a series of attacks against synagogues in Alabama and surrounding states. The arrest comes nearly seven years to the day that a gunman opened fire on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

Let's go live right now to CNN's Brynn Gingras, who's working the story for us.

What more do we know about this investigation, Brynn?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, so that man that you were just showing to your viewers, that's 33-year-old Jeremy Wayne Shoemaker.

We have learned from authorities that he is behind bars right now on some local charges while this investigation continues. But the feds are involved, and the hope there is to bring some federal charges against Shoemaker. So we're going to keep an eye out for that.

But what we're learning and what is a little bit still unclear right now from our sources is, how did this sort of tip come into local and state officials in Alabama? What were they learning? Whatever came in, it doesn't matter because guess what? They were learning that this man allegedly was making some serious and credible threats against synagogues in the Alabama area and also in other states.

And they got a search warrant to go into his home. And what they found in his home, I think we have a picture to show you, was a suitcase of ammunition. There was body armor and a lot of stuff that he, they say, could have carried out these attacks with.

[11:25:11]

We're also learning in some way officials learned that he was trying to basically carry out an attack on some public officials. We don't know any names. But we also have learned that he apparently planned to carry out these attacks and was not planning on being arrested. He was going to take his own life before he was going to be arrested. So that's what we're getting from officials at this point on this story.

Wolf, you mentioned the Tree of Life. Of course, we have heard from the Anti-Defamation League how the incidents, antisemitic incidents all across this country have just been on the rise over the last four years in particular.

Well, we know that even with this attack, this is the most that we have seen in this last year that the ADL has recorded, so certainly alarming. Thank goodness for these officials who are on guard and acted quickly, but we're still waiting to see what kind of charges this man now faces.

BLITZER: Yes, Brynn Gingras reporting for us.

Brynn, thank you very, very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, just ahead: Parents are demanding answers and accountability after 27 campers and counselors were killed in flash flooding in the early hours of the Fourth of July holiday.

We're going to be joined by the lawyer representing Camp Mystic for his first TV interview.

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