Hurricane Melissa strengthens into Category 5; Trump predicts China trade deal

President Trump in Asia dropping a big prediction on Air Force One, a trade deal with China just days away

Plus, American warships on the move. Trump's top allies talk land strikes. Is Maduro next

And Melissa is a monster. The Category 5 hurricane hammering the Caribbean. Jamaica, Haiti and the DR bracing for the worst

The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world

These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News. Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. We begin with President Trump's high-stakes trip

through Asia. He's in Japan today for the second leg of his tour

and closer than ever to a new trade deal with China. On Sunday, Trump attended a regional

summit in Malaysia, striking preliminary trade agreements with Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, and witnessing the signing of a new ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia

On behalf of the United States, I'm proud to help settle this conflict and forge a future for the

region where proud independent nations can prosper and thrive, safety, security, and peace

Later today, Trump will meet Japan's new prime minister, the first woman ever to hold the office

He will also visit the emperor, speak to American troops, and sit down with business leaders in Tokyo

But the real focus is China and a potential trade breakthrough. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant says a substantial framework deal is imminent ahead of Trump's Thursday meeting with President Xi Jinping

President Trump gave me a great deal of negotiating leverage with the threat of the 100 percent tariffs on November 1st

first and I believe we've reached a very substantial framework that will avoid that

and allow us to discuss many other things with the Chinese. I think we will be able to discuss

them helping us get this terrible fentanyl crisis under control I think we are going to be able to discuss substantial soybean and ag purchases for our American farmers I think we are going to be able to discuss more balanced trade

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One he expects to come away from that meeting with a deal

And he's also expected to finalize a separate agreement on TikTok by Thursday

U.S. military pressure on Venezuela is escalating and fast. A guided missile destroyer at the USS Gravely docked in Trinidad and Tobago Sunday

part of what the Trump administration calls a counter-drug operation, but one that's drawing outrage across the region

Venezuela is calling the move a hostile provocation after the U.S. also moved the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford closer to its coast

Asked on CBS Face the Nation on Sunday whether President Trump was preparing for land strikes

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said it's a real possibility. I think President Trump's made a decision that Maduro, the leader of Venezuela, is an indicted drug trafficker, that it's time for him to go, that Venezuela and Colombia have been safe havens for narco-terrorists for too long

and President Trump told me yesterday that he plans to brief members of Congress

when he gets back from Asia about future potential military operations against Venezuela and Colombia

The U.S. insists it's targeting drug traffickers, not governments, but Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is warning the buildup could trigger

what he calls a new eternal war in the Caribbean. Argentina's president, Javier Malay, is claiming a major victory this morning

winning key districts in midterm elections and securing what he calls a mandate to keep

remaking his country's economy. Malay says his party and allies picked up 14 seats in the Senate

and 64 in the lower house, enough to uphold presidential vetoes and block any impeachment

attempts. The victory gives him room to press ahead with his plan to slash state spending

and deregulate the economy agenda items that have deeply divided Argentinians but impressed investors With the win the Trump administration is expected to follow through on a billion

financial lifeline, a deal that was contingent on Malay staying in power

Jamaica is now in the crosshairs of a monster storm, the strongest hurricane to threaten the

island in decades. Hurricane Melissa exploded into a Category 5 storm this morning. You see

the eye right there, with winds now topping 160 miles an hour. The National Hurricane Center calls

it life-threatening and catastrophic as it slowly bears down on Jamaica. High surf is already

pounding Kingston, waves crashing over seawalls, flooding streets, and people rushing to stock up

on food, board up windows, and stack sandbags. NOAA satellite images show Melissa's well-defined

eye churning about 130 miles south of Kingston, crawling at just three miles an hour. That's

important because that slow movement means torrents of rain are pummeling Jamaica, Haiti

and the Dominican Republic with flash flooding and landslides already reported. Melissa is expected

to make landfall on Jamaica early Tuesday, then move across eastern Cuba and into the Bahamas by

midweek. Forecasters warn of a storm surge of up to 13 feet along Jamaica's southern coast and up

to 40 inches of rain in eastern parts of the island. Two French nationals are under arrest

this morning, accused of taking part in the heist scene around the world at the Louvre

The big question, did they have help on the inside? The arrests come less than a week after a team of

thieves used what police call a mobile freight elevator, essentially a cherry picker, to reach a

second-story window of the world-famous museum. They broke through the glass and made off with

crowns, necklaces, and jewels, some once belonging to the emperor, Napoleon. Investigators say four

suspects sped away on motorbikes through central Paris. Of the two men now in custody, one was

arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport trying to board a flight to Algeria The other was caught heading for Mali in West Africa Police say DNA left at the scene helped crack the case Two other suspects remain at large France interior minister praised the arrest but said the investigation is far from over adding quote let keep going

Finally this morning, a farewell to a familiar face from a gentler era of television

June Lockhart, the calm, steady presence at the heart of Lassie and lost in space, died over the weekend at her home in California

she was 100. For millions of viewers, she was the wise mother figure, first on the farm

then among the stars. The woman who somehow made both a barking collie and a talking robot feel

safe. Her career stretched from the golden age of Hollywood to the dawn of streaming

more than eight decades of storytelling and grace. She once joked that Lost in Space inspired

astronauts, but Lassie never made anyone want to be a farmer. Lockhart embodied warmth across

generations and galaxies. By the way, interesting factoid here. I looked up this morning. Lockhart

was interested in presidential politics and actually traveled with the campaigns of Dwight

Eisenhower and Adelaide Stevenson in 1956 to get a better insight into the race. I'd like to think

she would have liked straight arrow news. How about that? All right. May she rest in peace

Before we head out, here's what we're tracking today. At 10, House Speaker Mike Johnson holds a

press conference on this day 26 of the government shutdown. At noon, testimony continues in the

wrongful death trial over Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs. His family says the team turned a blind

eye to drug use that led to his fatal overdose in 2019. At 2, Tyler Robinson faces a preliminary

hearing in Utah. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty and the killing of conservative

commentator Charlie Kirk. And later tonight in Tokyo, President Trump meets Japan's new prime

minister, part of his high-stakes Asia trip. We read the internet so you don't have to. Sign up

for our Unbiased Updates newsletter. Go to san.com slash newsletters. Those are your Unbiased Updates

for this Monday. We'll see you back here tomorrow. For all of us at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig

DeGrelly. Have a great day