Month: October 2025

Hurricane Melissa intensified into a Category 5 hurricane as it neared Jamaica with maximum sustained winds near 175 mph, and the storm is expected to have ‘catastrophic impact’ on the country with up to 40 inches of rain, 13 feet of storm surge and 160 mph sustained winds — with landfall expected sometime Tuesday morning. Forecasters warned the storm could dump up to 30 inches of rain and produce a life-threatening storm surge along Jamaica’s southern coast. The storm is also expected to hit Cuba and bring severe weather to other parts of the Caribbean, including the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.

Category 5 is the most extreme classification on the Saffir-Simpson scale, reserved for storms with sustained winds above 157 mph—powerful enough to level homes and infrastructure. Melissa more than doubled in strength over the weekend, increasing its winds by 70 mph in just 24 hours. The outer bands of the storm have already lashing Jamaica with wind and rain, and the National Hurricane Center warned that Melissa can potentially cause “extensive infrastructure damage” that will cut off communities.

Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s transport minister, warned that Melissa could be the island’s most powerful hurricane in decades, with cleanup efforts likely hindered by flooding, landslides, and impassable roads. “Don’t make foolish decisions. We are in a very, very serious time over the next few days.”

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for vulnerable coastal areas of Jamaica ahead of what will likely be the strongest storm on record to hit the country. Melissa is expected to be the strongest storm to hit Jamaica since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 and has already killed three people in Haiti and one person in the Dominican Republic.

Western Haiti could receive up to 16 inches of rain, bringing a severe risk of flash floods and landslides, the hurricane center said. The storm has already killed at least three people in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.

Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council, said in a statement: “I want to urge Jamaicans to take this seriously. Do not gamble with Melissa. It’s not a safe bet.”

Forecasters said the storm surge along Jamaica’s southern coast could reach 13 feet above ground level near and east of where Melissa makes landfall. Across Kingston and other areas, residents filled sandbags and cleared drains as crews prepared flood channels.

Melissa was also expected to make another landfall Tuesday in eastern Cuba. Hurricane warnings were issued for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, and Holguín provinces, with up to 20 inches of rain and dangerous coastal flooding anticipated. About 1,000 U.S. military personnel were evacuated from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Navy ships in the area were moved out of the storm’s path, a U.S. defense official told CBS News.

In the Dominican Republic, heavy rainfall damaged more than 750 homes and displaced over 3,700 people, officials said. Schools and government offices in several provinces under red alert remained closed Monday, and flooding cut access to at least 48 communities.

In Haiti, the storm destroyed crops across multiple regions, including 37 acres of maize, worsening an already dire food crisis. More than 5.7 million Haitians face crisis-level hunger, with 1.9 million at emergency levels, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.  Forecasters warned Melissa would continue to unleash torrential rain over southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic in the coming days, heightening the risk of additional flooding and damage.

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President Donald Trump confirmed Monday that he underwent an MRI earlier this month at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, describing the results as “perfect” but offering no details about why the test was performed.

Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One during his Asia trip, the 79-year-old acknowledged he had the imaging test as part of a second physical evaluation this year – following his previous exam in April. Trump said when asked whether he’d had an MRI: “I did. I got an MRI. It was perfect.” When pressed for more information, he declined to elaborate, saying only, “I think they gave you a very conclusive — nobody has ever given you reports like I gave you.” (per CNN).

According to the White House, Trump’s personal physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, oversaw the evaluation and reported that the president was in “excellent health.” In a memo following the visit, Barbabella wrote that Trump’s “cardiac age was found to be approximately 14 years younger than his chronological age.” The doctor added that Trump underwent “advanced imaging, laboratory testing, and preventive health assessments,” noting that “comprehensive laboratory studies performed in conjunction with the visit were exceptional, including stable metabolic, hematologic, and cardiac parameters.”

In July, White House press secretary Karoline Levitt disclosed that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency—a condition in which the veins in the legs have difficulty circulating blood back to the heart, sometimes causing swelling, pain, and cramping. It remains unclear whether that diagnosis was related to the MRI performed this month.

While aboard Air Force One, Trump also addressed speculation about another presidential run. Although the 22nd Amendment bars presidents from serving more than two terms, he hinted he was not entirely ruling out the idea. Trump said, according to ABC News: “I would love to do it I have my best numbers ever. It’s very terrible. I have my best numbers. Am I not ruling it out? You’ll have to tell me. All I can tell you is that we have a great, a great group of people, which [Democrats] don’t.”

Trump suggested that his continued political ambitions are tied to his health. “And if I didn’t think [the testing] was going to be good, either, I would let you know negatively. I wouldn’t run. I’d do something. But the doctor said some of the best reports for the age, some of the best reports they’ve ever seen. It was perfect.”

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A Halloween gathering attended by more than 150 people in rural North Carolina turned deadly early Saturday when gunfire broke out, leaving two people dead and 11 others wounded.

The shooting occurred shortly after 1 a.m. at a large house party on Dixon Drive near Maxton, about 30 miles southwest of Fayetteville, according to the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responding to noise complaints and reports of gunfire found multiple victims at the scene. The Sheriff’s Office said in a statement posted on social media that “thirteen individuals have been shot, with two confirmed deceased and several others critically injured,” stating that more than 150 people fled before law enforcement arrived, and “there is no current threat to the community as this appears to have been an isolated incident.”

The victims who died were identified as 49-year-old Jessie Locklear Jr. and 16-year-old Nehemiah Locklear. The injured ranged in age from 17 to 43, with one person suffered life-threatening injuries, while the others were hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds. The surviving victims were identified as Nicole Harris, 18; Anthony Harris, 18; Jerami Locklear, 18; Trevor Jacobs, 18; Tylon Locklear, 20; Kiona Oxendine, 22; Erin Hatcher, 23; Gabriel Bullard, 27; Lacy Chavis, 29; and Delilah Locklear, 43. Police also said a 17-year-old victim, whose name has not been released, was among those injured.

Family members said the event was a Halloween celebration. Sheriff Burnis Wilkins condemned the violence, calling it “yet another senseless act of gun violence that has taken the lives of two individuals and left many others seriously injured. What makes this even more disturbing is the involvement of teenagers, alcohol and guns at a large house party. Dozens of videos posted from the party … simply show that alcohol and guns don’t mix, regardless of age. As seen here, the consequences are once again tragic. Those responsible for this reckless and heartless act must be held accountable. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by this tragic event.”

The Sheriff’s Office said no arrests have been made, and investigators are still searching for the shooter. The names of additional suspects or potential motives have not been released. Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at 910-671-3100 or email sheriff.wilkins@robesoncountysonc.gov.

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One person is dead and at least six others were injured in a shooting during a homecoming weekend celebration at Lincoln University in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania on Saturday night. Lincoln University, located about 45 miles southwest of Philadelphia, is recognized as the nation’s first degree-granting Historically Black College and University (HBCU).

Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe confirmed that one individual armed with a gun has been detained, while investigators are working to determine whether there may have been more than one shooter. “There’s some evidence that leads us to believe that that is a viable theory right now,” he said, adding that “this mass shooting should never have happened. Never have happened. Because we are going to not stop until we are able to arrest and to find the person or people that shot all of these people at Lincoln University.”

The shooting occurred just before 9:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the International Cultural Center (ICC), where students, alumni, and visitors were attending a post-football game tailgate and Yardfest celebration. The ICC also houses the university’s police department. Witnesses described chaos as shots rang out, sending people running for cover, with others reporting seeing victims receiving CPR, while several people were treated after being knocked down in the rush to flee. District Attorney de Barrena-Sarobe said that authorities said the campus was briefly placed on lockdown but later declared safe. “Today, we’re operating as if this is not an incident where someone came in with the design to inflict mass damage on a college campus,” noting there is no ongoing threat to students or the surrounding community. Officials have not released details about the victims’ conditions or whether any were Lincoln University students. The six wounded individuals remain under medical care, and law enforcement continues to monitor their status.

Lincoln University Police Chief Marc Partee at a news conference: “this was to be a joyous occasion. Homecoming — when individuals come back, and they give back to their alma mater, and they live the good memories of their time at Lincoln University, which has helped them propel into life. This was interrupted by gunfire that should not have occurred. We are concerned for our students who had to experience this, our alumni who had to experience this, and our visitors and friends. We set this out to be a time to celebrate the legacy of Lincoln University, the first historically Black, HBCU in the country. So, devastated, if there was another word to describe that, that’s more impactful, I would use it. But devastated is a start.”

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro expressed support for the university community following the tragedy, posting on X: “I’ve been briefed on the shooting at Lincoln University tonight, and my Administration has offered our full support to President Allen and local law enforcement. Please avoid the area, continue to follow the guidance of local law enforcement, and join Lori and me in praying for the Lincoln University community.”

The university announced that counseling services would be available to students and staff beginning Sunday morning to help those affected by the violence. The Chester County Detectives are leading the investigation, with assistance from the FBI, state, and local authorities. Officials are urging anyone with photos, videos, or information to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324). Digital evidence, investigators said, will be critical in identifying and holding those responsible accountable.

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