How Hurricane Melissa Got So Intense, and a ‘Plan’ for a Third Trump Term

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Headlines

Podcast: The New York Times
Episode: How Hurricane Melissa Got So Intense, and a ‘Plan’ for a Third Trump Term
Date: October 28, 2025
Host: Tracy Mumford

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Overview

This episode covers several major current events:

• The catastrophic approach of Hurricane Melissa to Jamaica and its record-setting intensity
• Former President Donald Trump and advisor Steve Bannon’s open discussion about a “plan” for a third Trump term, circumventing constitutional limits
• The shifting stance of the largest federal workers’ union during the ongoing government shutdown and the critical debate over health care subsidies
• A new UN report implicating Russia in systematic war crimes in southern Ukraine
• Recap of a historic MLB World Series game

Each story is accompanied by reporting, analysis, and notable perspectives, including direct quotes and statistics, to contextualize these headline events.

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1. Hurricane Melissa: Unprecedented Threat to Jamaica

[00:34 – 03:04]

• Storm Details:

  • Hurricane Melissa is currently the strongest storm in the Atlantic for 2025, with winds up to 170 mph.
  • The National Hurricane Center warns of “total structural failure” and that rain “could be measured not in inches but in feet—up to three feet in some places.”
  • The government’s concern: Only 1,700 people have entered shelters as of last night, despite evacuation orders.

• On the Ground:

  • Widespread panic as residents scramble for supplies and tourists become stranded with airports closed.
  • Creative attempts at protection: “People have shut themselves into their hotel rooms and upended the beds to barricade the windows and protect themselves from shattering glass.” (Tracy Mumford, 01:50)
  • The unusually hot Caribbean sea (2.5°F above normal) contributed to the rapid intensification.
  • Melissa has stalled to just 1 mph, threatening Jamaica with prolonged devastation.

• Expert Insight:

  • “Tropical storms typically move across the Caribbean at an average speed of 10-12 mph. But in recent days, Melissa stalled to 1 mph. At that crawl, it will likely linger over Jamaica for much of today, bringing more rain and higher winds for longer, with the potential for more damage.” (Tracy Mumford, 02:34)

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2. A ‘Plan’ for a Third Trump Term

[03:04 – 04:13]

• Trump’s Comments:

  • Speaking from Air Force One, Trump repeats his openness to a third term:

    “I would, I would, I would love to do it. I have my best numbers ever.” (Donald Trump, 03:04)
    “Am I not ruling it out? You'll have to tell me all I can tell you.” (Donald Trump, 03:14)

  • This would directly violate the 22nd Amendment’s two-term limit.

• Political Context:

  • Trump and his circle, including Steve Bannon, have increasingly floated the idea publicly.
  • Visual signals: “Recently, there were hats on his desk in the Oval Office that said Trump 2028.” (Tracy Mumford, 03:28)

• Bannon’s Remarks:

  • On The Economist’s podcast, Bannon claims:

    “Well, he’s going to get a third term, so Trump 28. Trump is going to be President 28. And people just ought to get accommodated with that.” (Steve Bannon, 03:44) “There’s many different alternatives. At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is. But there’s a plan, and President Trump will be the president in 28.” (Steve Bannon, 03:59)

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3. Government Shutdown and Health Care Subsidies Debate

[04:13 – 05:39]

• Union’s Shift:

  • The largest federal workers’ union, long aligned with Democrats, now urges Congress to pass a spending bill to end the shutdown—even if it means tabling disagreements on health care for later:

    “The priority is getting the government reopened and that policy debates in Congress should happen, ‘without punishing the people who keep our nation running.’” (Tracy Mumford, 04:59)

• Democratic Lawmakers’ Argument:

  • Point out that most ACA premium tax credit users live in Republican-controlled states; failure to renew subsidies would hit these areas hardest:

    “The majority of people who rely on the premium tax credits are in red states and the states where those families will see premiums jump the most. Again, all red states.” (Democratic Lawmaker, 05:04) “These are your voters and you are not listening to them. Instead, what is the Republican response? Silence. What is the Republican solution? Wait.” (Democratic Lawmaker, 05:28)

• Impact if Subsidies Lapse:

  • In Florida, premiums for some could rise from a few hundred dollars to over $1,000 a month, risking coverage for 1.5 million Floridians.

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4. UN Charges Russia with Systematic War Crimes in Ukraine

[05:39 – 08:13]

• Findings:

  • UN Human Rights Commission finds Russia has targeted civilians in Kherson using drones to drop grenades—often while people are out on the street or first responders are attending fires.
  • City response: Miles of netting have been installed to block drones.

• Evidence:

  • Russian units post drone footage online, and UN investigators reviewed over 500 videos.
  • Drones’ live-streaming left “no doubt about the knowledge and intent of the perpetrators,” concluding it was a coordinated campaign to terrorize and displace civilians.

• Context:

  • Kherson, occupied early in the war, was reclaimed by Ukraine. The front now runs along the city limits, prolonging its peril.

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5. World Series Game 3: Record-Breaking Showdown

[08:13 – 09:38]

• The Game:

  • Dodgers vs. Blue Jays, Game 3 lasted 18 innings—tying the record for longest World Series game.
  • Almost seven hours of play, ending with a walk-off home run for the Dodgers and a 2–1 series lead.

• Fun Fact:

  • MLB’s actual longest game lasted over eight hours between the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers in 1984.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Storm’s Power:

  “Its winds of up to 170 miles per hour could cause, quote, total structural failure and cut off power and communications.”
  — Tracy Mumford (00:34)

• On Trump’s Ambitions:

  "There’s a plan, and President Trump will be the president in 28."
  — Steve Bannon (03:59)

• Union Urges Reopening:

  “…getting the government reopened… should happen 'without punishing the people who keep our nation running.'”
  — Tracy Mumford (04:59, paraphrasing union president)

• On Health Subsidies Impact:

  “For example, someone in their early 60s in the state who earns about $65,000 a year could see their premiums jump from a few hundred dollars a month to $1,000 or more.”
  — Tracy Mumford (05:39)

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Timestamps Overview

• [00:34] — Start of news coverage: Hurricane Melissa
• [03:04] — Trump’s comments about a third term
• [03:44] — Steve Bannon’s “plan” statement
• [04:13] — Union shift on government shutdown
• [05:39] — UN report on Russian war crimes
• [08:13] — World Series marathon game

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This episode delivers urgent updates on climate-driven disaster, U.S. politics and constitutional questions, healthcare and labor disputes, wartime atrocities, and a baseball feat, each furnished with context and direct accounts from those involved.

Transcript

[Narrator/Announcer]

This podcast is supported by the Defending Our Neighbors Fund. Across the country, immigrants are facing family separation, wrongful detention and deportation without due process or access to legal support. The Defending Our Neighbors Fund exists to change that. Powered by people like you, the Defending Our Neighbors Fund is providing access to life saving legal aid to families in crisis. But they urgently need your help to meet unprecedented demand. Together, we can defend our neighbors and keep families together. Donate [e-mail] donate.

[Tracy Mumford]

From the new York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Tuesday, October 28th. Here's what we're covering. Hurricane Melissa is on track to hit Jamaica this morning with the potential for catastrophic damage. It's the strongest storm in the Atlantic Ocean this year, and the National Hurricane center is warning that its winds of up to 170 miles per hour could cause, quote, total structural failure and cut off power and communications. Forecasters are also predicting rain measured not in inches but in feet, up to three feet of it in some places across the island, officials are concerned that not enough people have followed evacuation orders. As of last night, only 1700 people had gone to shelters.

[Donald Trump]

I was hoping to get some bread.

[Democratic Lawmaker]

But the shelves are empty.

[Tracy Mumford]

Many residents were scrambling to gather supplies and board up their homes and storefronts along the coast where resorts line the shore. The Times spoke with some tourists who didn't make it off the island before airports closed. But the wind, if you look on.

[Democratic Lawmaker]

The top, you can see it blowing.

[Tracy Mumford]

People have shut themselves into their hotel rooms and upended the beds to barricade the windows and protect themselves from shattering glass. In just the last few days, Hurricane Melissa grew rapidly into a Category 5 storm, and experts say the unusually high temperature of the Caribbean sea, which is 2.5 degrees warmer than usual right now, is one of the factors driving the storm's intensity. The storm is also moving slightly. An expert in atmospheric science told the Times that tropical storms typically move across the Caribbean at an average speed of 10-12 mph. But in recent days, Melissa stalled to 1 mph. At that crawl, it will likely linger over Jamaica for much of today, bringing more rain and higher winds for longer, with the potential for more damage. After crossing Jamaica, it's expected to hit Cuba. For live updates on the storm and its trajectory, go to nytimes.com, yesterday, while continuing his tour of Asia, President Trump returned to an idea that he's floated before of running for a third term in office.

[Donald Trump]

I would, I would, I would love to do it. I Have my best numbers ever. It's very terrible. I have my best numbers.

[Tracy Mumford]

Speaking with reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he would love to run again.

[Donald Trump]

Am I not ruling it out? You'll have to tell me all I can tell you.

[Tracy Mumford]

That would be a blatant violation of the Constitution. The 22nd Amendment bars anyone from being elected president more than twice, but Trump and some of his allies have repeatedly mused about it. This spring, he said he was, quote, not joking about the idea. Recently, there were hats on his desk in the Oval Office that said Trump 2028. And in the past week, his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon doubled down on it.

[Steve Bannon]

Well, he's going to get a third term, so Trump 28. Trump is going to be President 28. And people just ought to get accommodated with that.

[Tracy Mumford]

Speaking on a podcast from the Economist, Bannon suggested that he's working with others on a plan to circumvent the 22nd Amendment.

[Steve Bannon]

There's many different alternatives. At the appropriate time, we'll lay out what the plan is. But there's a plan, and President Trump will be the president in 28.

[Tracy Mumford]

In a remarkable shift yesterday, the largest union representing federal workers broke from Democrats and urged all lawmakers to pass a spending bill to reopen the government as soon as possible. All year, the union had worked to oppose Republican policies, particularly President Trump's efforts to slash the federal workforce. And before the shutdown, the union's leadership backed Democrats plan to hold out on a funding vote until Republicans agreed to extend health care subsidies for more than 23 million Americans. But as the shutdown nears the one month mark and hundreds of thousands of federal workers go unpaid, the president of the union now says the priority is getting the government reopened and that policy debates in Congress should happen, quote, without punishing the people who keep our nation running.

[Democratic Lawmaker]

Meanwhile, so reminder for my Republican colleagues, the majority of people who rely on the premium tax credits are in red states and the states where those families will see premiums jump the most. Again, all red states.

[Tracy Mumford]

Democratic lawmakers are underscoring the stakes of the health care subsidy issue at the center of the shutdown debate as the deadlock on Capitol Hill continues.

[Democratic Lawmaker]

These are your voters and you are not listening to them. Instead, what is the Republican response? Silence. What is the Republican solution? Wait.

[Tracy Mumford]

The subsidies lower the cost of health insurance that people can get through marketplaces set up by Obamacare. And nearly 60% of people with that type of insurance live in Republican congressional districts. If Congress doesn't vote to extend the subsidies, which run out at the end of this year. The state that will see the biggest impact is Florida, where there are a lot of low wage service workers who don't get health care through work and and a lot of early retirees who aren't eligible yet for Medicare. For example, someone in their early 60s in the state who earns about $65,000 a year could see their premiums jump from a few hundred dollars a month to $1,000 or more. And according to some estimates, about 1.5 million people in Florida could drop their plans because of the soaring costs. A UN Human Rights Commission has concluded that Russia's been carrying out war crimes and crimes against humanity in southern Ukraine by intentionally targeting and killing civilians with drones for more than a year. In the city of Kherson, Russian operators have used drones to drop hand grenades on civilians when they're out on the sidewalk or working in their backyard gardens. It's happened so often the city has set up miles of netting over its streets to try and block the drones. Some of the attacks have hit ambulances or the drones have hovered over burning buildings, waiting to drop grenades on firefighters as they arrive. Russia has denied targeting civilians, but Russian military units often release videos of the attacks with footage captured from the drone's eye view. They get posted online to groups affiliated with the Russian army, and UN investigators looked at more than 500 such videos. The report concluded that because the drones were equipped with live streaming cameras that left, quote, no doubt about the knowledge and intent of the perpetrators. It concluded the attacks were part of a coordinated effort to terrorize residents and drive them out. Russia took control of Kherson early in the war, but Ukraine later reclaimed the city in a counteroffensive. Since then, the front line has been right on the city's edge. Foreign 50 in Los Angeles.

[Donald Trump]

Going back before the count strikes me, Freeman has ended it.

[Tracy Mumford]

Game three of the World Series dragged late, late, late into the night last night, tying the record for the longest game in World series history at 18 innings. The matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and the LA Dodgers lasted almost seven hours for an exhilarating and exhausting night for fans in the stands and at home. It ended finally with a walk off home run that gave the Dodgers a 21 lead in the series. While it was definitely a haul, the marathon length game is still short of the MLB record for longest game time wise. That goes to a 1984 game between the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers. It stretched for over eight hours and had to be played over two days. Those are the headlines today on the Daily A lot of firefighters who battle wildfires are contracted through private companies. A look at how lax rules and regulatory loopholes have left many of them sick and in debt. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.

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