Tuesday, October 28, 2025

A life-threatening hurricane bears down on Jamaica

Today's Top Stories from NBC News

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2025

In today's newsletter: Hurricane Melissa nears Jamaica as a "catastrophic" Category 5 storm. The Trump administration plans to replace some leaders at ICE with Border Patrol officials. And, soccer legend Lionel Messi is hopeful he can help Argentina defend its World Cup title.

Here's what to know today.

▼ The Lead

Melissa's life-threatening winds and rain hit Jamaica

(Octavio Jones / Reuters)

Hurricane Melissa approached Jamaica as a powerful Category 5 storm as forecasters warned it would cause catastrophic flash flooding, life-threatening landslides and extremely strong winds across the Caribbean. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami warned people in Jamaica to go to shelters and stay there during the storm.

Melissa is set to make landfall in Jamaica this morning, before moving across southeastern Cuba tonight as a Category 3 storm and across the southeastern Bahamas tomorrow.

Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned residents to take the storm seriously, particularly young people who may be unaware of what a strong hurricane can do.

The most powerful storm to hit the region since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, Melissa will bring between 15 and 30 inches — and potentially up to 40 inches — of rain to Jamaica, as well as extreme winds, extensive infrastructure damage and life-threatening storm surge along its southern coast, the hurricane center said.

It's the third Category 5 storm of the 2025 season. The last time a single storm season saw more than two storms of this strength was 20 years ago.

Read the full story.

▼ Top Stories

Freddie Freeman (again) enters World Series lore

One year after hitting the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history, Freddie Freeman came through again for the Dodgers with a hit for the ages.

Freeman's solo home run in the 18th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays ended a game tied for the longest in World Series history, propelling Los Angeles to a 6-5 win and a 2-1 series lead.

While Freeman deserves credit for the decisive blow, his teammate Shohei Ohtani was equally crucial in the victory for the defending champions. The Japanese superstar hit two home runs and two doubles early in the game — and then was intentionally walked four straight times by the Blue Jays, who preferred to face Mookie Betts and Freeman than Ohtani's hot bat.

Read the full story.

Border Patrol officials to lead a more aggressive migrant crackdown

The Trump administration is planning to replace some regional leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement with Border Patrol officials in an attempt to intensify its mass deportation effort amid growing frustration with the pace of daily arrests, according to two Homeland Security Department officials, one former DHS official and one federal law enforcement official.

President Donald Trump's top aides have welcomed Border Patrol's more aggressive tactics to secure arrests, such as rappelling into apartment buildings from Black Hawk helicopters and jumping out of rental trucks in Home Depot parking lots, as they've become disappointed with ICE, the officials said.

The White House has signed off on a list of at least a dozen directors of ICE field officers who are set to be reassigned in coming days, the sources said. They said that at least half of them would be replaced with Border Patrol officials. ICE has 25 field offices around the country, so the move could replace nearly half of the agency's leaders.

Read the full story.

More politics news:

In an address to troops on board the USS George Washington in Japan, President Donald Trump defended military strikes on alleged drug boats and warned of deployment to more U.S. cities.

The New Jersey governor's race isn't just a reflection on Trump's presidency. Voters have very mixed views of the Garden State's own leadership.

A week before election day, GOP leaders are attempting to tie all congressional Democrats to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

California will dispatch its own observers to monitor federal election watchers deployed by the Trump administration ahead of an election that will decide whether to move forward with redistricting plans.

Messi doesn't rule out 2026 World Cup

Lionel Messi is hopeful he'll be playing for Argentina to help defend the World Cup when soccer's biggest event comes to North America next summer. Speaking with NBC News' Tom Llamas, Messi said he will see how his body feels next year before choosing whether to play.

Messi has been playing professionally since 2004. He debuted in La Liga with Barcelona at just 17 years old, becoming, at the time, the youngest player to play for the Spanish club. In 2021, Messi left Barcelona in the wake of the club's financial issues, moving to France to play for Paris Saint-Germain. After two years with PSG, Messi brought his talents to the United States, signing with MLS' Inter Miami.

While he enjoyed a decorated individual and club career, international success eluded Messi until the 2022 World Cup, when Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties to win the final. Messi won his second Golden Ball and was voted the tournament's best player. The World Cup victory was Argentina's first since 1986. Messi has appeared in 195 matches for his country since 2005, scoring 114 goals.

Read the full story.

▼ Read All About It

Sean "Diddy" Combs is expected to be released from prison in 2028.

A statue of a Confederate general that demonstrators toppled and burned in Washington, D.C., in 2020 has been reinstalled.

A flight from Chicago to Germany was diverted to Boston after a man stabbed two teenage passengers with a metal fork.

Cody "Beef" Franke, the popular Barstool Sports personality, died over the weekend after what the digital media company he worked for called a "sudden medical issue." He was 31.

Trump's tariffs are hitting toy giants Mattel and Hasbro as the critical holiday season nears. Still, both companies see a successful year end ahead.

Elon Musk launched an online encyclopedia, named Grokipedia, that he said was fueled by artificial intelligence and designed to be closer to his conservative political views than the leading alternative, Wikipedia.

▼ Staff Pick

NBA's blind spot

The federal case against NBA guard Terry Rozier — accused of faking an injury during a game to tip off bettors — has exposed what sports medicine experts say is an unforeseen blind spot. Do teams have any other choice but to trust players to tell the truth about how they feel?

Reporters Minyvonne Burke and David K. Li looked at the case that has renewed scrutiny of how the NBA verifies injuries and whether the rise of legalized sports betting has made players' health statuses the newest vehicle of inside information.

– Christian Orozco, newsletter and platforms editor

▼ NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

The NBC Select team found the best alternatives and swaps after the Neutrogena recall of some of its popular makeup-removing wipes. Plus, the Sephora Savings Event has started with deals on beauty and hair care.

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

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