What's up sunshine and happy Wednesday from New York City.
I am at the Javits Center in Hell's Kitchen, where some of the world's most accomplished athletes are gathering for the Team USA Olympic Summit as they prepare for the upcoming 2026 Olympics.
Winter Olympic Games.
I'm going to be talking to some of the greats.
We're talking Lindsey Vonn, Alyssa Liu Red, Gerard and more, and we're going to bring their stories to you.
So be on the lookout for those conversations later in the week.
Now, if you see lines on my head, it's because I was wearing a beanie.
I probably shouldn't have done that.
We'll just... pretend they're not there.
Listen, we have a ton of important stories to get to, so let's get you your news.
We start today with an update on Hurricane Melissa, which is wreaking havoc in the Caribbean.
The storm has torn across parts of Cuba, Jamaica and much of the surrounding region, after becoming the strongest storm on the planet so far this year.
Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as the second strongest storm in Atlantic history, with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour.
To put that into perspective, that's nearly as fast as most bullet trains or a Formula One race car.
And it's actually faster than the cruising speed of some small planes.
Melissa is the worst storm to hit Jamaica this century.
And the first time the island nation has ever been hit by a category five storm.
The results are expected to be catastrophic, potentially impacting more than half of the island's population.
We prepared significantly to save as many lives as possible, and that's why over 800 shelters were opened across Jamaica.
Approximately 6000 people I'm hearing, based on the latest indication from the officials, have made their way into shelters.
Ahead of landfall, Melissa maintained category 5 status for more than twice as long as any other Atlantic hurricane so far this year.
Unusually hot ocean temperatures supercharged the storm, intensifying Melissa's wind speed from 70 miles per hour to 175 in just two days time.
Previous storms this season underwent similar bouts of rapid intensification.
Scientists say it's becoming more common as ocean temperatures continue to rise.
Next up, we have an update on that brazen robbery at Paris' famed Louvre Museum.
Police say they have arrested suspects in connection with the theft of France's crown jewels worth an estimated 120 million.
But more than a week after the historic heist, officials are still on the hunt for the stolen jewels.
Our Melissa Bell has more.
Caught on camera as they fled the Louvre with more than $100 million worth of jewels.
A heist carried out by four men in just seven minutes, but with many clues left behind.
Not just the equipment the men used to get in, like this angle grinder and the truck they tried but failed to burn as they fled, but also a glove, a helmet and one of the scooters they used to make their escape.
Sources say that the BRB, the specialized unit of the French police that had been in charge of this investigation, had been watching the four suspects for several days.
They had to act quicker though, when it came to the two now in custody, because one was planning to flee to Mali.
We understand the other.
They caught trying to board a plane to Algeria.
The two men now in custody were already known to police.
The other two remain at large.
It's not like you wake up on a Sunday morning thinking I become a thief.
Let's start with the Louvre.
So they have done burglaries before.
And most likely their DNA was in the systems.
With more than 150 DNA traces left at the scene of the crime, a match was soon established.
But whilst investigators now believe they know more about the thieves, who are known for targeting jewellery stores, questions remain about who might have masterminded the operation.
This operation was very well conceived but very badly executed.
The beginning was good and fast, but then they lost a lot of pieces.
Evidence everywhere helmet gloves, grinder.
It was very surprising they didn't achieve the burning of the truck.
So the last part was kind of surprisingly amateurish.
Still at large the jewels that were stolen, the tiaras necklaces, earrings and brooches of 19th century French queens.
Authorities are unhappy that the detentions were made public.
In a statement, the Paris prosecutor's office said they strongly repudiate the release of the information, explaining that it can hinder the investigative efforts of the 100 or so investigators mobilized in search of both the stolen jewelry and the perpetrators.
I think they're going to try to persuade these two guys in custody to tell where the jewels are.
In the meantime, they will raid their houses, family members.
You know, they will do everything possible in this case.
As for the crown jewels that were not stolen, French press reports suggest that some have now been moved out of the Louvre altogether and to the Banque de France, the country's central bank, for safekeeping.
Pop quiz, hot shot.
Which ancient civilization was the first to use cacao beans as currency?
Incas, Mayans, Olmecs, or Aztecs?
If you said Aztecs, you sweet.
Unlike the solid chocolate eaten today though, the Aztecs also drank cacao mixed with water.
It was thought to give strength and vitality, especially useful before battles or rituals.
Our next story is about a price hike on something that is ubiquitous this time of year Halloween candy.
The numbers show it's more expensive and less chocolatey.
Those little fun-sized handouts are costing Americans nearly 11 more this Halloween season than last year.
That's nearly quadruple the overall rate of inflation.
The high cocoa prices have some shoppers picking gummy candies or pumpkin spice offerings over chocolate bars.
CNN's Matt Egan has more.
I don't think my kids are going to love this segment, because if there's any kind of inflation that they don't like, it is candy inflation.
Now unfortunately, there's been this powerful 1-2 combination of high cocoa prices globally and high tariffs in the United States.
They've combined to drive up prices.
So how much more expensive is candy?
Look at this.
11% more expensive than last Halloween.
That's nearly quadruple the overall rate of inflation and it's 5 times the price increases of last Halloween.
Now this is based on a new analysis that was shared first with CNN.
This is coming from the Groundwork Collaborative, which is a progressive think tank.
They went through all of the different candy prices.
And they saw some significant increase.
Look at this, 8% increase in price for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
That is noteworthy because that's one of my favorite candies.
Also looking at 9% increase for some of the gummy candy variety packs from Mondelez.
12% increase in some of the variety packs from Mars.
That's the company behind M&M's and Snickers and a whole bunch of other popular candies.
22% increase for Hershey's. and 34% increase for Tootsie Roll lollipops.
So yes, unfortunately, inflation is the uninvited guest this Halloween.
When companies are facing higher costs, they have a few different options, right?
So one thing they could do is raise prices.
We already discussed how they're doing that.
Another thing that they can do is they can actually cut down how much cocoa content is in some of the chocolate candies.
Some of the companies are adding more sugar and they're having less cocoa.
So that does mean less chocolatey chocolate which as a parent of two boys, I don't see how that could possibly go wrong adding more sugar.
And then, of course, there's also shrink inflation, where they have less content in some of these packages.
So people don't feel like they're spending more and they're paying more, even though they are.
And again, this is happening in part because of tariffs and also because cocoa prices have gone significantly higher over the last few years.
Today's story getting a 10 out of 10, an epic haunted house for an epically good cause.
Check out this terrifying tunnel of doom in Royal Oak, Michigan.
It's the vision of 13-year-old Jackson Emmett, who has already survived the battle with leukemia at his young age and decided to turn his passion for Halloween into a fundraiser for kids just like him.
All of the proceeds from this haunted house helped buy chemo shirts for children getting cancer treatment.
Chemo shirt pretty much unzips from here and here and you can pull the flap down and that way you don't have to disrobe for them to access your port to get chemo treatment.
This will be the third year since Jackson got his haunted masterpiece up and running, and they've already raised thousands of dollars.
And this year, a new addition to the design a monster designed by Jackson and his friends and created for him by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Go check it out.
This is yours only, right?
Yeah, yeah.
Nobody else has this.
All right, superstars, that's going to do it for today's show.
But before I go I do owe congratulations to Mrs Zulling at Fowlerville Junior High in Fowlerville, Michigan.
Thank you for submitting today's Your Word Wednesday winner.
Ubiquitous an adjective meaning present, appearing or found everywhere.
Well done, and thanks for making us smarter today.
Our shout out of the day goes to Miss Snyder at Basalt Middle School in Basalt, Colorado.
Go Longhorns.
Do you say hook them?
Got to get my move on now.
I'm going to go interview some of these Olympians for the show.
Rise up.
Go make it an awesome day.
I'll see you right back here tomorrow.
I'm Coy Wire and we are CNN 10.
