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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Israeli Official: Cabinet To Vote On Ceasefire Deal Friday After Delay; Day Three Of Trump Nominee Confirmation Hearings; Some In Congress Push For TikTok Ban To Be Delayed; Growing Number Of Young Women Diagnosed With Cancer. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired January 16, 2025 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[16:00:15]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Before we go, some good news from Los Angeles. The Hurst fire in northern L.A. County is now 100 percent contained. The fire burned nearly 800 acres. Some progress in the battle against these fires in California.

And THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER starts now.

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JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: A new wrinkle in the hostage ceasefire deal. Is it fully resolved?

THE LEAD starts right now. A fragile plan tentatively still in place as disagreements lead to a delay on a final vote. New reaction this hour. The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is here, as well as an always vocal guest, independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

And CNN at the Panama Canal, the vital shipping channel that connects the Caribbean with the Pacific. How President-elect Trump has rattled the region by just floating the idea of reclaiming that manmade waterway.

Plus, cancer cases in the United States down for men, but going up for young women. Why? We're asking the experts about this troubling trend.

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TAPPER: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

We are now one day away from the next step in officially approving the ceasefire hostage agreement. Tomorrow, the Israeli security cabinet will vote to approve the deal that would pause fighting in Gaza, allowing much needed aid to enter there.

On Saturday, the full Israeli cabinet is set to vote, one Palestinian source saying that the deal would require that Israel release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and it would bring home 33 people who were taken hostage by Hamas, 468 days ago, in the October 7th attack.

This vote had previously been delayed, as Israel blamed Hamas for going back on parts of the agreement. Hamas denies that. It does appear that has been resolved, as the Israeli prime ministers office indicated, this vote would only go forward once those issues were squared.

Despite the delay, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken this morning projected nothing but optimism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: We expect implementation of the agreement to begin on Sunday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: On Sunday, three Israeli female civilian hostages are expected to be released, according to two U.S. officials. A reminder that this is intended to be just the first phase of a larger ceasefire deal, with the goal of ending the war in Gaza.

But far right members of Israel's government have threatened to quit the government, taking down Netanyahu's government if Israel does not return to war after the first stage of the ceasefire.

Let's see where this all stands with CNN's Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. Also joining us, Jamil Jaffer, former associate counsel to President George W. Bush and Hagar Chemali, a former spokesperson for the U.S. delegation to the United Nations during President Obama's administration.

Jeremy, to you first, what happens to the government of Netanyahu if Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, these far right members, quit his government?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, the Israeli prime minister has an eight-seat majority with his coalition government. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich together, they have 13 seats. And so if both of them choose to leave the government, Netanyahu's coalition could indeed collapse. If it does collapse, that means that elections will need to be held in order to replace to choose a new Israeli prime minister.

The prime minister has been offered a lifeline, however, by the opposition leader, Yair Lapid, who said he would come in to provide a safety net, effectively keeping the prime minister in power in order for the ceasefire deal to be implemented. Netanyahu doesn't seem keen to do that, to hand over the keys of declaring the next election to his one of his primary political opponents.

And so this does put him in quite a pickle. And he has been backed into a corner in some ways by these political issues, and also by the fact that he has faced tremendous pressure from the incoming president, Donald Trump, to go forward with this deal, reneging now would be a major problem, and probably not the way he wants to start off his tenure with the incoming American president.

So the political wrangling is not over yet, Jake, but the Israeli government does appear to be moving forward with approving this deal. The security cabinet is set to vote tomorrow. The full cabinet then will vote most likely on Saturday evening after Shabbat ends. That is, raising some questions about exactly when this deal will be implemented. The Supreme Court still needs about 24 hours to hear petitions from those who would oppose the release of those Palestinian prisoners who'd be released in exchange for those 33 Israeli hostages. That process needs to happen before any exchange of hostages and prisoners happens.

So questions about whether or not this deal will actually be implemented come Sunday -- Jake.

[16:05:03]

TAPPER: Jameel, do you have any concerns about whether or not this vote is going to make its way through the Israeli security cabinet?

JAMIL JAFFER, FORMER COUNSEL TO ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR NATIONAL SECURITY: Well, it looks like its going to get through. Obviously, we have these defections that might be taking place from the coalition, but it looks like the Yair Lapid offering his support for the deal. And, of course, there's a huge amount of pressure within Israeli society to get a deal done to get these hostages back and to slow the fighting and get to the ceasefire. So it looks like its going to happen, but maybe a different coalition than we see today in government.

TAPPER: And, Hagar, I don't want to sound too premature. We haven't even started phase one, much less gotten through phase one. But how difficult would it be to get to phase two of the deal, and what might it mean for Gaza?

HAGAR CHEMALI, FORMER SPOKESWOMAN FOR U.S. MISSION TO THE U.N.: Well, while I have a lot of hope for phase one and that it will stick in particular because of the geopolitical dynamics, axis of resistance defeated and Trump putting a lot of pressure on Netanyahu, knowing that.

Phase two and three are going to be very difficult. And the reason is because Hamas has one goal, and that goal is to survive. But phase two and three don't allow for that. They don't allow for Hamas to have any control over Gaza or have any kind of arms or military capabilities.

And so that's where things, I believe are going to get very tenuous.

TAPPER: And, Jeremy, walk us through what could happen on Sunday if all goes according to plan for phase one of the deal?

DIAMOND: Yeah, Jake, if this deal is indeed implemented on Sunday, we will see a ceasefire go into effect. Last time we had a ceasefire in Gaza in late November 2023, we saw the cease fire started in the morning. It wasn't until the evening that we actually saw the first hostages be released from Gaza by Hamas and prisoners from in Israeli jails being released into the West Bank.

We know that last time we also saw this process take place via the Kerem Shalom crossing. Most of the days, with the Israeli hostages coming out through their setting foot on Israeli soil for the first time via that way. And then, of course, there is the issue of humanitarian aid. We do expect that an influx of aid will begin going into Gaza on the first day of the ceasefire, ultimately ramping up to a goal of about 600 trucks of aid per day.

But Jake, we still have a few days until this deal is actually implemented. Whether or not it starts on Sunday or perhaps slides into Monday. And what we know is that already the Israeli military is still continuing its assault on Gaza. We have seen over the course of the last 24 hours or so, 83 people have been killed in Gaza, as these negotiations have been concluding.

And so the real question, Jake, is how many more could potentially die before this deal actually goes into effect? Jake?

TAPPER: And, Jamil, Donald Trump is obviously going to be president again on Monday of the inaugural -- inauguration day. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the incoming president's involvement was, quote, very important to the negotiations.

How do you think Trump will handle phase two if there is one?

JAFFER: Well, look, I think Trump has been clear about where he is on this, which is Hamas has got to be destroyed. He supports where Netanyahu is on this. I mean, after you think about what happened on October 7th, we're talking about the equivalent of a dozen 9/11 attacks on a population adjusted basis.

And so, Hamas has got to be taken down. That's got to be a minimum condition. Hagar is exactly right. That's going to be -- that's going to be a problem for Hamas, because they want to continue to exist and that's their priority.

So the question is how does that tension get resolved? I think President Trump will keep pressure up on Hamas and will support the Netanyahu government going forward.

TAPPER: Hagar, what do you think?

CHEMALI: Well, first, I mean, I agree with Jamil. One of the things that you that is really needs to be understood here is that you have so many factors in play. And, by the way, even when I was in government during the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, under President Obama, and in general, when you have cease fire negotiations, they are always tenuous, but they are especially tenuous with a terrorist organization and one like Hamas that never negotiates in good faith. You can't believe a word they're going to say.

And they have their own goals. And what's important about their goals right now is that they have all of their backers right now on the fence. Iran is on the defense. Hezbollah is decapitated. Now, President Assad has flown like a coward from -- from Syria and gone to Moscow.

And so without its backers, Hamas cannot exist. And it's going to grasp at every straw it can to stay in power. So when you've got that, mixed with the domestic policies and issues you have in Israel and Netanyahu, he should know better than to derail this whole thing for a handful of guys on his cabinet. But still, he's got his own personal interests and he wants to stay in power. You're talking about a mix of things that could derail anything when you're talking about moving into phase two in particular.

TAPPER: And, Hagar, while I have you, your former employer, the United Nations is warning that criminal gangs could impact the trucks delivering this much needed aid to Gaza once the cease fire goes into effect. You share that concern. What else do you think is crucial to make sure the aid flows the way it is intended?

CHEMALI: Sure. Well, unfortunately, over the last 15 months, when you have a situation that's completely devolved into lawlessness, at first you had Hamas skimming the top of this aid or stealing this aid and selling it. But then when you have this lawlessness like this, gangs have arisen everywhere and you risk their lives just to try to get this aid.

[16:10:07]

The only way to get it safely to everybody is to have numerous NGOs in the U.N., get in there and hand-deliver it themselves.

TAPPER: And, Jamil, what happens if Netanyahu's government collapses? What then?

JAFFER: And what happens if Netanyahu's government collapses? What then? Well, that is the million dollar question, right?

I think what you'll see is Hamas get more aggressive. I think they'll push back. I think they'll restart as much of the conflict as they can. Whatever weapons they have, they'll start dumping them in. Hezbollah will do the same.

The Netanyahu government has been fairly successful in this conflict, maybe not internationally, but at least domestically. And with respect to taking out Hamas, I think what you'll see if the -- if the government falls, a real challenge, both in Israeli society and with the ongoing conflict.

TAPPER: All right. Thanks to all. Appreciate it.

In the next hour, I'm going to talk with the top White House national security official, John Kirby.

But first, well talk to Senator Bernie Sanders. We want to get his take on all this and about his notable exchange today, trying to get an increase to the federal minimum wage.

And CNN's Phil Mattingly just back from the Panama Canal, one of the most crucial waterways in the world. The response he heard there after President-elect Trump did not rule out the use of military force to take control of it -- a man, a plan, a canal, Panama, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [16:15:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: By the time president Trump takes the oath of office on Monday, the Senate will have held hearings for 12 of his nominees. And there are plenty more to come.

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TAPPER: That is the brand new Senate majority leader, John Thune of South Dakota, discussing the myriad confirmation hearings happening in the U.S. Senate right now. There were five hearings today for President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks.

Joining us now, CNN's Manu Raju on Capitol Hill.

Manu, today, hedge fund manager Scott Bessent sat for testimony. If confirmed, we should note, he'd be the first openly gay person to ever lead the Department of the Treasury. It is -- it's widely -- he is widely, widely supporting Trump's economic policies, of course, including the proposed tariffs.

Bessent took issue with the analysts, who argue those costs will be passed on to workers and small businesses. How was that received?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not well by Democrats. In fact, there was significant pushback from the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden, who said that this puts us back and said that this is -- there's been a widespread belief that this would raise costs on consumers, even though Republicans came out of this hearing defending him and defending his remarks, despite Republicans own general philosophy of supporting free trade and raising concerns about tariffs, they have a different view in the Trump era now.

But in talking to the Democrats coming out of the hearing, they were sharply critical of Bessent's remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RON WYDEN (D-OR):l Basically offered up an academic mumbo jumbo to try to justify the Trump across the board tariffs that are going to clobber our workers and our small businesses, and I believe it will spur more inflation.

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): I'm going to give him full consideration. I completely disagree with some of his facts about characterization of the Trump tax cuts. That's just factually not true. But I'm open.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: And that last comment is significant. Mark Warner, a Democrat on the committee, said, quote, I am open, meaning he is open to voting in support of Scott Bessent and there could potentially be bipartisan support as he is widely seen, Jake, as on a glide path for confirmation. We don't expect any Republican senators to oppose him. And, of course, Republican support is all that is necessary in order to get the job in the GOP led Senate. So he is one among many other Trump picks who are on their way to getting their jobs. Unless something unexpected happens, happens in the days ahead -- Jake.

TAPPER: So, Marco Rubio, the senator from Florida, does appear on a glide path to confirmation to be secretary of state, which means the governor of Florida would get to appoint his replacement as senator from Florida. What can you tell us about that?

RAJU: Yeah, he is Governor Ron DeSantis picked Ashley Moody, who is a the current attorney general in Florida, as the replacement for Marco Rubio. That would set up a 2026 run. And if he decides to run in 2026, he could potentially -- he could potentially face a primary challenge.

I caught up with one conservative Republican member from the House delegation, Corey Mills, who told me that he said, quote, I do. When I asked whether or not he believes that Moody will face a primary, he said that I am considering it.

And he also noted that Moody endorsed Ron DeSantis in the 2024 presidential primary, not Donald Trump. Mills went on to say, we're going to eyeball the seat. We're going to look at to see how she does, how she votes and how she supports the agenda.

So this will be something to watch, Jake, because other Republicans I spoke to in the delegation do believe there will be a fight to fill Marco Rubio's seat come 2026, and we'll see how she decides to vote. But right now, she has a seat for the next two years and will fill out that Republican majority, which will sits at 53-47, Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Manu Raju, thanks so much.

Joining us now, independent Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont.

Senator, good to see you.

You've had a busy day in confirmation hearings questioning at least two Trump nominees, Scott Bessent for treasury and former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin for EPA administrator.

Let's talk about treasury. First, I want to play part of an exchange you had with him where you asked him about raising the federal minimum wage. Let's roll that tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Will you work with those of us who want to raise the federal minimum wage to a living wage, to take millions of Americans out of poverty?

SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY NOMINEE: Senator, I believe that the minimum wage is more of a statewide and regional issue.

SANDERS: So you don't think we should change the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour? BESSENT: No, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Senator, obviously you're not happy with that. Are there enough votes in the senate, do you think, to raise the minimum wage?

SANDERS: Oh, I -- I would hope so. Look, we have tens of millions of workers in this country who are trying to get by on 12, 14, 15 bucks an hour. And you can't do that. We have not raised the minimum wage, I think, since 2010. It is now $7.25 an hour.

And that you have a nominee for secretary of treasury who does not believe that we should raise that minimum wage is entirely unacceptable.

[16:20:10]

I mean, we need a government that starts working, looking out for working families and not just billionaires.

TAPPER: So President Biden, in his farewell address last night, warned against oligarchs and extreme wealth. I'm just wondering, do you have -- have you seen any evidence of Biden doing anything about the oligarchy during his four years of presidency that he warns about?

SANDERS: Well, in fairness, he has been on domestic issues, the most progressive president since FDR. And we've created millions of jobs rebuilding our infrastructure. He was the first president to take on the pharmaceutical industry and lower the cost of prescription drugs. No small things. I know that he wanted to raise the minimum wage in terms of the American relief act, that we passed during COVID.

We cut childhood poverty by 40 percent, extended unemployment. We have put more money into sustainable energy and energy efficiency, combating climate change than any president in history. So he has a strong record. But if your question is, do I think and by the way, it is no small thing that the president of the United States said what is absolutely true in Jake, we don't talk about this enough. And that is when you got three people on top who own more wealth than the bottom half of American society, 170 million people.

You know what? That's oligarchy. When you have massive concentration of ownership in our economy, fewer and fewer corporations owning and controlling the economy, that's oligarchy. When you have more and more billionaires, whether it's Musk owning Twitter, or, Rudolph -- Rudolph Murdoch owning Fox or other billionaires owning newspapers, that's oligarchy.

And lastly, and most importantly, and I think, you know, Biden made this point is we have just come through an election where you get one vote, I get one vote. But billionaires were able to spend many hundreds of millions of dollars to elect or defeat the candidates that they wanted.

You add all of that up, massive concentration of ownership, massive income and wealth inequality, massive amounts of political power. You know what? You just can't go around saying, well, Russia and Putin, they're an oligarchy, but we're not. You know what? We are.

TAPPER: So, beyond -- well, just beyond, let's say, a much more aggressive, progressive taxation than I'm sure you would support, what else could be done theoretically within the bounds of the U.S. Constitution? Well, to prevent this?

SANDERS: Well, the most important thing is to deal with the corrupt and broken campaign finance system. Does anybody in America, whether you're a conservative, Republican or a progressive, think that it's okay for somebody like Musk to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to elect a candidate that he wants and now is going to be working for? And by the way, it's not just Republicans. It's Democratic billionaires as well.

Elections should not be contests between billionaires. It should be one person, one vote, real debates on the issue. So overturning the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, in my view, moving to public funding of elections is integral, integral. If we are serious about having a government and a democracy that works for all of us and not just the people who have the money, that's the most important thing.

But what else you could do to deal with oligarchy is start having a government that provides benefits to working people that they desperately need. We are the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care to all people. We have a minimum wage, as we've just discussed, seven and a quarter. Why isn't it 17 bucks an hour?

We have a Social Security system, which is not adequate for the needs of millions of seniors who are trying to get by on $15,000, $14,000 a year.

So, yes, there is a lot that we can do politically, economically to end the oligarchic form of society that we have.

TAPPER: You also questioned Trump's EPA pick earlier today, former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin. I want to play part of that exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: Do you agree with President-elect Trump that climate change is a hoax?

LEE ZELDIN, EPA ADMINISTRATOR NOMINEE: I believe that climate change is real. As I as I told you, as far as President Trump goes, the context that I have heard him speak about, it was with a criticism of policies that have been enacted because of climate change. And I think that he's concerned about the economic costs of some policies where there's a debate and a difference of opinion between parties.

[16:25:02]

SANDERS: I would respectfully disagree with you. I think he has called it a hoax time and time and time again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: You are accurate. He has.

Mr. Zeldin also told you it would be his job, to, quote, lose sleep at night, to make sure that we are making our air and our water cleaner, unquote.

So what did you make of his testimony today?

SANDERS: Oh, not anywhere near as strong as it has to be given. And we throw around this term a lot, but it happens to be true. Take a look at what's happening in L.A. What's the extreme weather disturbances, the droughts, the flooding, the warming of the ocean? This is a global, global crisis.

And I don't want to upset people or frighten people. But the horror that we are seeing in L.A. today, this is not the end of what we're seeing. This could be the beginning. This could be an ongoing occurrence. You know, every other month, some terrible, terrible tragedy. People are starving in southern Africa now because of drought, et cetera, et cetera.

We need leadership in this country. And by the way, in every other bloody country on earth that understands that were going to save this planet for our kids and future generations. We need radical changes in our energy policies. We need to have the courage to take on the greed of the fossil fuel industry.

You know, when Trump talks about climate change being a hoax, let's also remember that he went to the fossil fuel industry and asked for huge amounts of campaign contributions. That is outrageous.

We are fighting for the future of this planet and the well-being of our kids and future generations. And we need people in leadership who understand that, who are reaching out to countries all over the world and say, you know what? We've got to forget our political differences.

Whether you're in China, Russia, any place else, you're going to be impacted by climate change. And we've got to work together to cut carbon emissions and move to energy efficiency and sustainable energies.

TAPPER: Before I let you go, sir, I want to get your reaction to this development going on in the Middle East. The ceasefire hostage deal -- Israel's cabinet is supposed to vote tomorrow on the deal. What's your reaction to it all?

SANDERS: Well, I certainly hope it gets approved. I hope the hostages get released. I hope that the destruction of Gaza ends. There are estimates now that it's not 45,000 people have been killed, but it could be 64,000, according to the British medical journal, Lancet.

There is a need for massive humanitarian aid. We've got to rebuild Gaza. So, you know, I hope very much that cease fire takes place. I should point out that, as I understand it, I've been told -- this is the same cease fire agreement that Netanyahu rejected in May, and 10,000 people have been killed since then. But I would hope that the fighting stops as soon as possible.

TAPPER: Senator Bernie Sanders, thank you so much, sir. Good to see you as always.

SANDERS: Thank you.

Sunday's ban on TikTok is coming up quick. The top apps that could replace TikTok, that's next.

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[16:31:56]

TAPPER: Our tech lead. Now, months after a bipartisan law banning TikTok over national security concerns, passed the Congress and was signed by President Biden, there's now a bipartisan push to stop that same ban from going into effect on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The law passed last year was intended to sever TikTok from the influence of the CCP, while keeping the app available for Americans. It's clear that more time is needed to find an American buyer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So is that the sound of Congress blinking? TikTok CEO is expected to be seated on the platform at President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, just a day after this ban is set to take place.

While TikTok's fate as of now remains uncertain, users are flooding to other platforms. They call themselves TikTok refugees.

Joining us now, CNN's Clare Duffy and MJ Lee.

Clare, what about these other alternatives? Why are people seeking them out? And many of them, we should also note, are also from Chinese-based companies.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah, Jake, it's interesting because you would expect for users to go to the mainstream platforms, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, but many of those platforms have been trying for years to replicate TikTok's algorithm, and users mostly say they have not yet cracked it. The entertainment they get on TikTok, the opportunity for small creators to be discovered. TikTok still does that better than anyone else.

But I think were also seeing some frustration from American TikTok users at the U.S. government. Some questions about why the government didn't pass, for example, comprehensive privacy legislation that would have protected their data from any app, including Facebook and Instagram, and instead targeted this app that they love so much.

And I think that frustration is showing up most clearly in the popularity of a new TikTok like app that is also based in China called Rednote, which has surged to the top of the App Stores this week. Were seeing Chinese users on that platform welcoming in American TikTok refugees like in this clip. I think we can play for you.

(BERGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dear TikTok refugees, welcome to Xiaohongshu. I know you probably don't understand Chinese, but there are five tips to help you make the most of this app.

First, it's all about lifestyle. You can always find a better way to live and most comprehensive guide to everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DUFFY: We're also seeing a lot of American users on that platform openly express frustration about the U.S. government, basically saying, if you're going to take away our TikTok, were going to find another Chinese platform to use.

And so, I think we get a sense of the sort of whack a mole that the government is going to have to play here if it wants to address these national security concerns around popular platforms that are based in China.

TAPPER: Yeah. Speaking -- speaking of whack-a-mole, Rednote will censor if you put up anything that the Chinese government doesn't like, like about Tiananmen Square or Tibet or Taiwan or the Uyghurs. They will -- they will take that down as a violation of their terms and services.

MJ, is the Biden administration planning any last minute action to try to save TikTok?

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the short answer is no. And Jake, I think there are a couple of dynamics at play here that we should be really clear about. This is a ban that President Biden himself signed into law back in April. So we should just keep that in mind as we are discussing the question of whether or not President Biden or his administration should or can do anything to prevent this ban from going into place.

[16:35:09]

And the timing of this ban is really critical. It is set to go into effect on Sunday. This is the last full day of the Biden administration, and essentially the White House appears to be pointing to that timing to basically say that their message right now is that this is going to be Donald Trump and his administrations problem to solve.

This is what one White House official told us. They said, our position on this has been clear. TikTok should continue to operate under American ownership, given the timing of when it goes into effect over a holiday weekend, a day before inauguration. It meaning the ban will be up to the next administration to implement. Donald Trump, of course, had previously said that he was against this

ban and then said he wanted to help save TikTok. He appears to be trying to figure out whether there's any way to give the parent company more time to sell to American ownership, but even that presumably would need to happen after Donald Trump is sworn into office on Monday.

And notably, as you mentioned, the CEO of TikTok is going to be attending Trump's inauguration alongside a number of other big name tech leaders.

Now, are there any scenarios where a ban would not go into effect on Sunday? I mean, they are unlikely scenarios, including maybe a last minute intervention by the Supreme Court. President Biden could also do an extension of 90 days, but that would involve him proving that negotiations for a sale are really well underway. And that is clearly not the reality right now.

So barring all of that, this ban of TikTok is still set to go into effect on Sunday, Jake.

TAPPER: All right. MJ Lee, Clare Duffy, thanks to both of you.

A concerning new report on cancer came out today. It shows young women in the United States are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with cancer as young men. Why? Why is that?

I'm going to talk to the CEO of the group behind that study, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:41:21]

TAPPER: A brand new warning about rising cancer rates tops our healthy today.

Cancer incidence rates for young women are 82 percent higher than they are for young men, according to an American Cancer Society report. Breast and thyroid cancers account for almost half of all cancer cases in women under the age of 50. This report highlights a growing concern for young people. Overall, the chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society said, quote, the only age group where we're seeing actually an increase in cancer risk and incidence going up is under the age of 50, unquote.

I want to bring in American Cancer Society's interim CEO, Dr. Wayne Frederick.

Dr. Frederick, explain what you're seeing in the data and what you think young women and young men should know right now about cancer rates?

DR. WAYNE FREDERICK, INTERIM CEO, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: Yeah, the data is very interesting, Jake. First, let me say we have good news. And that is that since 1991, where we had a peak in the increase of incidents, that incidence has been going down. So since 1991, we have about 4.5 million lives that have been -- have not been taken by cancer because of a variety of things that we're doing.

However, there are areas of concern. One you've highlighted in your intro, we are seeing an increased incidence among women and a decreased incidence among men. As a matter of fact, for women under the age of 64, their incidence has now surpassed that of men, which is very unusual. The first time we've seen this, since collecting this data and putting out this report, which we've been doing since the 1950s. So a major concern there.

The second thing that's a concern is that we are seeing a stubborn, a stubbornness in terms of the data around disparities. Native Americans and African Americans in particular continue to have an incidence and a death rate that is significantly higher than their white counterparts. And that's not something that is improving in any way, shape or form.

And lastly, among women, again, when you look at lung cancer, we have an increasing incidence of women with lung cancer who are less than 65 and an increased incidence of people in general with lung cancer who are nonsmokers. And that's something that we are looking at very closely as well.

TAPPER: So has cancer detection improved or are there other factors contributing to the rise in the number of people diagnosed?

FREDERICK: You know, the first thing that's probably contributing to the overall rise is still age. Older people, as you would imagine, are still more susceptible to getting cancer. This incidence in younger people is new.

We don't necessarily think it's because of detection, because if you think about it, if you're less than 50, the chance of you having a screening test for cancer is very low. Most of our screening recommendations today occur in patients 45 and older.

But we are seeing that increased incidence in people even younger than that. And that's something that were very concerned about. We're not sure what the cause is. We do have some theories, one of which, for instance, is that women started smoking later than men and may have started decreasing their smoking or getting to smoking cessation later than men as well.

But again, those are all things that this report is going to have us investigate with research and to try to find the cause of these changes.

TAPPER: So we know that smoking causes cancer. We know that drinking causes cancer. What else? What other advice would you give to the viewers watching right now?

FREDERICK: I think there are a few things to think about. You should really get to know your family history very, very well. Because even with drinking, as you just mentioned, it may be more specific to your family history. And therefore if you have an increased chance of getting a cancer because of a family member who's had it as well, then you may want to moderate your drinking even more so, as an example. [16:45:14]

So I think knowing your family history is extremely important. Obesity is still one of the top three links to cancer as well. So we certainly want people to look at their nutrition, look at their exercise activity to in order in order to try to decrease that. And smoking still represents a significant cause of cancer.

So while, smoking is down among younger people, we want to continue to discourage people from participating in smoking activities.

TAPPER: All right. Dr. Wayne Frederick, thank you so much. Really appreciate your time today.

It was just last week in a news conference when President-elect Trump was asked if he would consider using the using military force to seize the Panama Canal. As you may recall, Mr. Trump did not rule that out.

So CNN went there to the Panama Canal to gauge reaction. What we learned, that's next.

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[16:50:29]

TAPPER: In our world lead, the Panama Canal is an artificial waterway just over 50 miles long. It was opened in 1914. The canal saves days, if not weeks, of travel for any ships, that connects between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Before it was built, ships traveling between the two had to sail all the way around Cape Horn, look at that, the southernmost tip of South America. That's far. The canal was constructed by the U.S. early last century, but Panama took full control in 1999.

President Trump, president-elect Trump does not like that decision. He wants the U.S. to take it back.

CNN's Phil Mattingly recently traveled to the canal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: The Spirit of Auckland, it entered the Miraflores locks right on time, the latest example of business as usual at the Panama Canal, one of the most critical arteries and waterways in the entire international financial system.

But we're here right now, standing at this unprecedented location, right in front of the Spirit of Auckland, because everything that's not business as usual in this moment. And that starts with a president elect that has rattled local officials, rattled the local population, rattled the businesses that rely so heavily on this entity, on this canal to do every day of their work, every part of their business. What do they think about this complicated political moment that also has inklings of personal tied into it? (END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: And Phil Mattingly joins us now.

Phil, what a cool trip. The fact that Trump used to have a hotel right there, the largest building in Central America, does that play a role in any of this?

MATTINGLY: You know, what's fascinating, Trump has even further back experience. He actually had the Miss Universe pageant that was held in Panama City when he was running Miss Universe. That was how he kind of locked into Panama. That's what started kind of the path to the license and operating agreement he signed onto with this hotel, the hotel I would note we stayed at. It's now a JW Marriott Hotel.

TAPPER: Is it nice?

MATTINGLY: It' very nice. It's amazing views, as Trump said himself in the promo videos for it at the time. That effort was buried in litigation. Eventually, the name was stripped off in a pretty contentious battle.

What's fascinating down in Panama right now and talking to both current and former officials is they don't know how much his personal history with the country plays a role in all of this. And I think that's the biggest issue that officials are dealing with right now.

I was struck by everyone takes him seriously. No one's brushing it off. No one's laughing about it. No one's saying, well, that's not how this works, because we have treaties that were signed in 1977. What they want to know is what he's actually angling for. They believe there's something there. What it actually is, though, is the answer they just don't have right now.

TAPPER: So the heart of Mr. Trump's argument is that U.S. ships are getting a raw deal. Is that true?

MATTINGLY: It's not. It's not true. And the reason why is those treaties I cited the 1977 Torrijos-Carter treaties that allowed Panama to retake control in 1999. In those treaties, they require fair and equitable treatment for all countries, flagged ships that use the passageway.

So, yes, rates have been raised over the course of the last several years. There's drought, there's climate change, there's El Nino, there's a lot of different economic and climate realities. The countries operations team is dealing with that is required that.

They have not been exclusive to the United States. The U.S. Navy still has priority of passage, though. They pay those rates and they literally can't specify specific countries or specific ships to raise rates or cut rates for, which had been one idea. Maybe just -- just cut rates for the U.S. ships. You just do that. They can't, according to the treaties.

TAPPER: Is there any way that the United States can seize control of the Panama Canal without the use of military force by the U.S., which president-elect Trump has not ruled out? And what's the reaction down there to him not ruling it out?

MATTINGLY: Frustration. And I think genuine concern. And I think this is where what's striking again, this is a country that battled and fought for its sovereignty not too long ago. And that memory is -- is still very fresh.

The younger generation may be a little bit less so, but you can drive down the highways there and there are murals kind of anti-American, anti-American, imperialism murals.

TAPPER: Yankee, go home?

MATTINGLY: Essentially. Yes.

And I think after this, just keep in mind the timing when this was happening, December 31st was just a few days after Trump first started posting about it on social media, was the 25th anniversary of the handover. There was a celebration. The president, Jose Ramos Mulino, said explicitly. This will stay in our hands no matter what.

January 9th is martyrs day there. That's in recognition of 1964. There was protests and riots outside inside the U.S. canal zone, where Panamanians usually weren't allowed. Panamanians were killed. They still memorialize that day annually. This was all happening around the same time.

There's very real concern about what he's going for, but also very fresh memories of a very difficult time for a country, a time that they believe they overcame and certainly don't want to go back to.

[16:55:07]

TAPPER: The rest of the world tends to have longer memories than we do here in the United States.

MATTINGLY: Yes.

TAPPER: I'm not criticizing us. We're all about tomorrow. But those memories can be long.

Phil Mattingly, thanks so much.

We're getting updates on the ceasefire hostage deal between Hamas and Israel almost by the hour. I'm going to talk to White House national security official John Kirby, where that agreement stands right now.

Plus, trying to pinpoint exactly how the Los Angeles wildfires started, I'm going to talk with the head of an agency trying to investigate the source. That's next.

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TAPPER: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. In this hour, more heartbreak out of California as those evacuated from wildfires are told it's going to be at least another week before they can return to their homes or what's left of their homes. Are investigators --