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Israeli Cabinet Delays Vote on Ceasefire Deal with Hamas, Accusing Hamas of Reneging on Parts of Agreement; Both Biden and Trump Administrations Claiming Credit for Ceasefire Deal between Israel and Hamas; Parents of IDF Solider Killed by Hamas and Whose Body They Still Have Interviewed on Current Ceasefire Deal; Fire Crews Push to Contain Los Angeles Fires as Weather Improves; Sunday Deadline Highlights Impact of Banning TikTok in US. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired January 16, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN ANCHOR: You are venturing out into the vacuum of space. And so right there you can see, some of today's spacewalk goals, they're going to do a bunch of repairs and maintenance and refurbishments to various tools and instruments up at the International Space Station to kind of help with docking or with making sure the navigation of the space station is in the right spot. The whole thing, John and Kate, should take about six-and-a-half hours. And just remember, while you're in those spacesuits, there's no eating and barely any drinking. So it's a grueling six-and-a-half hours, no matter how experienced you are.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: No doubt about that. Kristin Fisher, thank you for helping us understand what we are seeing. Have fun watching the launch today.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: A critical vote and a confusing delay. Israel and Hamas reach a hostage ceasefire deal, but this morning there are a lot of questions about how this is moving forward now after the Israeli prime minister says there is a pause and accuses Hamas of reneging on parts of the agreement.

Also, is Donald Trump coming to the rescue for TikTok? The new reporting about Trump considering using presidential powers to push off the ban in order to lock in a U.S. buyer.

And cancer experts are raising new alarm today. New research shows young women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with cancer than young men.

I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman. Sara is out today. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BERMAN: All right, breaking overnight, the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal appears to be in a very fluid situation, with a bump in the process at least for now. Just a short time ago, the Israeli cabinet delayed a vote to ratify the deal because they say Hamas reneged on parts of the deal. So what does this mean? It's not clear right now. We're trying to find out what we can.

Just a short time ago, the deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer told Kate that the U.S., the Biden administration, expects things to move forward still.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON FINER, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We fully expect the deal to be implemented as described by the president and by the mediators, Egypt and Qatar yesterday, and on the timeline that was described. What we're doing now is working through details of implementation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, if this does go forward, hostages are supposed to be released as soon as Sunday. At least two Americans are set to be freed in the next 42 days.

We've got teams standing by in Washington and Israel. Let's get first to Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv for really, Jeremy, what's happening or not happening. What's your sense?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, you know, at this point in the day, we had expected that the Israeli prime minister would have already brought this deal forward to the security cabinet, that perhaps the security cabinet by now would have already voted up or down on this ceasefire agreement, and that we would be on our way to a vote by the full cabinet of the Israeli prime minister's government.

But instead, what we have been seeing is the Israeli prime minister's office releasing one statement after another, claiming that Hamas is making last minute demands at the negotiating table as they are working through some of these final implementation details. This is the statement from the prime minister's office that we got this morning saying, "Hamas reneges on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last minute concessions. The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all of the elements of the agreement."

But we should note, John, that the Israeli prime minister's office is the only one saying at this point that Hamas is making last minute demands, that there are issues that could potentially derail the implementation of this agreement. Hamas has said that they are fully committed to the implementation of this deal. The Qatari mediators, the Egyptians, the Americans, none of them have talked about any of these issues as of yet.

And I think what's important to note is that beyond whatever may be happening in Doha as it relates to those final details, what seems to be far more important at this point is what's happening here in Israel between the Israeli prime minister and one of the far right members of his governing coalition, the finance minister Bezalel Smotrich. Thats because Smotrich has been demanding a commitment from the Israeli prime minister that he will go back to war, go back to fighting in Gaza after the first phase of this agreement is concluded, after 33 Israeli hostages are released over the course of six weeks, effectively derailing any possibility of this deal reaching an end to the war, which is exactly what the United States and the mediators are hoping will happen.

[08:05:03]

And as of now, it does not appear that the prime minister and Smotrich have reached any kind of resolution to that, and therefore that puts the prime minister's position in charge of his governing coalition as prime minister of the state of Israel very much in peril and certainly in a state of uncertainty.

And so that that political issue has yet to be resolved. And that's what we'll be watching closely today. But as all of that is happening, John, it's important to note that the war in Gaza is still very much continuing today. According to the civil defense organization in Gaza, 77 people have been killed in Gaza since the announcement of this agreement, including 21 children. So the fighting, the carnage in Gaza, very much still continuing and is expected to continue until this agreement is actually implemented, which could happen as early as Sunday, if indeed all things go as they are expected to. John?

BERMAN: If things go. We just don't know because until the cabinet votes, it hasn't voted and it can't take that next step forward. So Jeremy, keep us posted on that, stand by.

I want to bring in Alex Marquardt now because back when everything was going relatively smoothly and this deal seemed to be headed forward to be implemented on Sunday, Alex, people were noting it's rather extraordinary, right? You have the Biden administration working hand in hand with officials from the incoming Trump administration to get it done. And to an extent, both sides claiming a certain amount of credit.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. And as of last night, both the top Trump and Biden officials for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff and Brett McGurk, were still in Doha. So you can imagine that at this phase where things are somewhat uncertain, although the White House is confident that they are still working feverishly to make sure that this gets across the finish line.

But no doubt, John, this has been a remarkable collaboration of all the issues that Trump is going to inherit from the Biden administration on day one. This is one that during the transition they did work on closely together.

The framework, the three phases that are going to go into effect, we hope on Sunday, this is very much the Biden plan. But it is going to go into effect under Trump. In the past eight months, the Biden administration has not been able to get this across the finish line. There's been a lot that has happened in the past eight months that has put pressure on the parties to get here. But make no mistake, John, one of the biggest factors here was the

election of Donald Trump. That did put pressure on the parties. It put more pressure on the Israeli government, put more pressure on the mediators, Qatar and Egypt. All of these governments want to make sure that they have good relations with the incoming Trump administration. We heard from a senior White House official last night talking about this collaboration, calling it historically, almost unprecedented, highly constructive, a very fruitful partnership.

But then, John, when President Biden was done speaking about the ceasefire yesterday, he was asked who should take credit, Trump or Biden? And he said, is that a joke? And that was a comment that was taken with some resentment by the incoming Trump folks.

But, John, if this goes into effect on Sunday, as expected, that's the last full day of the Biden administration. We keep saying that this is going to fall on President Trump to implement. And this is an extraordinarily complex plan, not just in phase one, but soon after Trump takes office the negotiations will start for phase two. And then you're talking about very fundamental, very difficult questions of the IDF withdrawal from Gaza, which Prime Minister Netanyahu may not want to do, and an end to the war in Gaza. So big questions ahead, John.

BERMAN: Yes. Look, we've got short term questions, what happens in the next few hours, and then very real questions about what happens in the weeks and months after Donald Trump takes office again. Alex Marquardt, thanks to you and thanks to Jeremy Diamond as well. Kate?

BOLDUAN: The families of all of the Israeli hostages are caught in the middle of all of this, still, holding their breath to see what happens next and what happens now with this confusion. That includes the father of American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen. Jonathan Dekel-Chen reacted to the news of the deal this way last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN DEKEL-CHEN, FATHER OF HOSTAGE BEING HELD BY HAMAS: I hope this is the final chapter in the living hell that we've been, that we've experienced for the last 15 months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So many mixed emotions for so many families, 94 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza. That includes Omer Neutra. He grew up in Long Island, New York. He was 21 years old, serving in the IDF when Hamas attacked on October 7th. The IDF confirmed just last month that he was killed by Hamas that day, and that they have been holding his body since. His parents, Ronen and Orna, join us right now. Thank you both very much for being here. Ronen, the news of this now setting in for your family and so many families, what's going through your mind this morning?

[08:10:03]

RONEN NEUTRA, FATHER OF AMERICAN-ISRAELI SOLDIER KILLED, BODY HELD HOSTAGE: A lot of mixed emotions. Obviously, we are hoping the deal starts and a lot of families are going to be reunited with their dear ones. We personally just heard the news a month and a few weeks ago, and we were heartbroken after 422 days of hope and pray and struggle to try and get our son back.

But this deal has to start. It's a deal with the devil, with a terrorist organization that killed thousands. And it's time to start bringing those hostages back. We're very concerned hearing about the difficulties in starting the deal. And as you reported, there could be many more difficulties going on moving from stage one to two. And we have to make sure that the American administration as it changes continues to be dedicated and focused on this or else some of those hostages will not come back.

BOLDUAN: And Orna, I mean, Jonathan Deke-Chen talking about the living nightmare that everyone has, that you all have been living through. Rachel Goldberg, the mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, another hostage who was killed in Gaza, she talked last night about her nightmare, the nightmare that they have lived through, holding out hope for so long only to then learn, like you, that their son was dead. Let me play what she said for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RACHEL GOLDBERG, MOTHER OF MURDERED HOSTAGE HERSH GOLDBERG-POLIN: We had this elegant, unique torture for 330 days before we got the unimaginable hit that no parent wants, the loss of our only son, Hersh. I think it's just a process that we are going to be untangling for the rest of our lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And Orna, you're living through something so similar. How do you put it into words, and what will it mean to finally, hopefully have Omer's remains brought back to you?

ORNA NEUTRA, MOTHER OF AMERICAN-ISRAELI SOLDIER KILLED, BODY HELD HOSTAGE: You know, as Ronen mentioned before, for us, for 422 days, we were working under the assumption that Omer was alive and that we are going to reunite. And of course, the news was devastating. But on the other hand, this deal that is on the table right now and is going to hopefully start bringing hostages back home, Omer would not have been in the first phase of the deal. And if I were to learn during the process of release that my son was not alive, I feel it would have been even more devastating. And I feel we were safe from that.

But what's most important is that finally, after over a year, there is an agreement to start bringing hostages. Omer still deserves to be brought back home. We were told that he's not alive anymore. This is different than Hersh. Hersh was brought back. He was buried. And at least there is some closure there. It was devastating. It is devastating. It's something that we're all going to have to cope with this grief for the rest of our lives. Omer is not home yet, and he deserves to be brought home for a proper burial together with the rest of the hostages. And as Ronen said before, this is a complex deal. And it hasn't even started yet. So there's a long way to go, and all parties are going to be -- we're going to need to hold them accountable so that the deal goes through.

BOLDUAN: It's so many, I mean, the only word is mixed emotions, right? It's hope. But then fear of being hopeful because of how long this road still is, even after them saying there is an agreement and a deal that should be starting on Sunday. It is so impossible to even imagine what you're living through moment to moment, and will continue to.

Ronen, Orna, thank you so much. Thank you, thank you. We will continue. We see Omer, his picture right there. We're going to continue to show his picture, and we'll continue to cover this. Thank you very much.

Coming up for us still ahead, they are racing to take advantage of the calm winds that they're experiencing right now in southern California before the next round of dangerous gusts picks back up. And firefighters still have so much to do to battle the wildfires that are not yet contained there.

And also, there are big questions about what the CDC will look like in the new Trump administration. The current director of the CDC issuing a new warning as she prepares to leave the job.

And the rap battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar is now headed to court. One of the artists, suing his own record label.

[08:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, this morning, most of the red flag warnings in Southern California have expired, giving fire crews a brief opportunity to contain the state's largest wildfires.

Officials, though, urge residents not to return home just yet. One of the big concerns is that fallen power lines, toxic fumes from melting materials and batteries inside damaged electric vehicles they could all explode. The air quality is terrible.

CNN's Stephanie Elam is in the Pacific Palisades. I see you wearing a mask, Stephanie, good morning to you.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning.

[08:20:00]

The LA County Health Department made it very clear that their sensors on air quality might not be able to catch all the ash that is in the air, and so, they're advising people to wear the masks, especially since we had those high winds.

The winds have calmed down here. But because I am standing in front of such rubble here, I'll step out so you can see it. I just figured it's better just to wear the mask because you don't know what you're breathing in. And some of those things that you were just talking about is exactly what they're concerned about and why residents aren't allowed back into these neighborhoods yet. Even though we're a week on and its tedious for them, the officials know it's tedious for them, but at the same time, they want to make sure it's safe.

So, at this point, there are 500 EPA workers coming in, going through, trying to make sure that these areas are stable, getting rid of all those toxic chemicals, the fumes.

And think about all of this burning, everything burning. You had some paint thinner in your garage, all of that. Just think of all of that, all those chemicals that are now down in the soil. They've got to treat the soil as well. So that's also a huge part of the issue with these toxic -- the heavy metals. All of that is part of what's playing into why they are being so cautious about this and making sure that people aren't coming back into these areas.

And so they're not going to be able to come back into these areas for the foreseeable future. There's no actual timeline of when they will be able to do that. At the same time, investigators are still trying to figure out what is the cause behind both of these major blazes here at the Palisades Fire and also the Eaton Fire in Altadena.

They have some leads, 150 or so leads. ATF looking into those leads right now at the -- and while we don't know what the cause is, there's also been a lawsuit that's been filed against Southern California Edison, the power company, which we've seen those videos of the fire at the base of the tower.

The CEO of the company saying that their equipment was working properly at the time, and it would not have made sense to de-energize that tower because the winds weren't high enough to require that.

That's the latest that we've heard out of that. But still, a lot of questions. How did this start? And so many people waiting just to get back to their property -- John.

BERMAN: Stephanie Elam in Pacific Palisades, glad you're being careful, Stephanie, thank you so much for your reporting on all of this.

All right, this morning, the CEO of TikTok has been invited reportedly to attend President-elect Trump's inauguration the day after TikTok is scheduled to be banned in the US. in the poker world, you might call that a tell that there are plans in the works to save TikTok.

And, one country's prime minister is sounding the alarm after she received a call demanding money from what sounded like a well-known world leader. New details on this pretty high level AI scam.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:26:40]

BOLDUAN: In just three days, the US Ban of TikTok is set to take effect, impacting 170 million users here in the United States. And sources tell CNN that President-elect Donald Trump is now looking at debating and considering looking at the options to push that off, at least for a time, and keep the platform up and running while they look for and try to find a US buyer.

CNN's Harry Enten is running the numbers, not on the chances that Donald Trump will do it.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN POLITICS SENIOR WRITER AND ANALYST: I have no idea.

BOLDUAN: But on just how big of a force TikTok really has become in this country. So how popular is TikTok?

ENTEN: Yes, the idea that I can get into Donald Trump's head and know what he was doing on any particular moment, to me, is just something that is out of my wheelhouse.

BOLDUAN: Moving on.

ENTEN: Moving on, age 13 to 17, basically teenagers. I don't know if you have any teenage members of your family, Kate Bolduan but if you ever look at their phone, they seem to be addicted to it and they're scrolling through. What are they scrolling through?

They're scrolling through TikTok. I mean, my goodness gracious, two- thirds of teenagers use TikTok. It is more popular than Instagram, more popular than Snapchat, Facebooks for old fuddy-duddies like myself. Just 32 percent of teenagers use Facebook and Twitter/X, which is my favorite platform to be honest, just 17 percent.

And it's not just that they love TikTok. Teenagers are addicted to TikTok. TikTok's got ahold of them, 50 percent of teenagers use TikTok several times a day. So, if TikTok went adios amigos, this would have a major impact on the daily lives of teenagers, at least in your life.

BOLDUAN: So, this is 13 to 17-year-olds. How about everyone else?

ENTEN: Yes, how about everyone else? So, you know, I myself have a TikTok account, but I don't really quite understand it. I guess I'm becoming an old fuddy-duddy.

Adults who use TikTok, but even here, it's been a massive rise. So you go back to 2019, you can see it was just three percent. Now look at this. It's up to 32 percent. That's up nearly 30 points in just a five-year span. Yes, Facebook is a little bit more. Yes, Facebook is number one, Instagram being number two. But it's really the rise of TikTok. It's really younger folks. Again, those under the age of 30 who use TikTok.

There was a reason why Trump went and campaigned with those influencers. It's because to get younger voters, to get younger folks on social media, you don't go to Facebook, you go to TikTok and the bottom line is TikTok has become a massive force in this country, and only one that has become considerably more popular as time has gone on.

BOLDUAN: Okay, so if it is so popular--

ENTEN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: And it goes away.

ENTEN: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Where do people go?

ENTEN: Yes, okay, so, you know, as I said TikTok has a massive hold on teenagers. TikTok has an increasingly strong hold on adults. But that doesn't mean that people who use TikTok only use TikTok.

So, TikTok users, where else could they potentially go? TikTok users who also use -- look -- they're going to get their fix somewhere else. Because take a look at this 74 percent of TikTok users also use Instagram.

You know, you can go on Instagram, I do have an Instagram account, ForecasterEnten, in case you're wondering. Or you can go over to YouTube. Think YouTube Shorts, 95 percent of TikTok users also use YouTube.

so look, they'll get their fix somewhere else, but it will still be a massive disruption in their lives, especially younger folks -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Look, I just wanted to also show Harry Enten's editorial here. YouTube Shorts are a thing. Yes, very clearly.

ENTEN: They are a thing.

BOLDUAN: Poor Harry Enten is just now learning, thank you, Harry.

ENTEN: No, I got addicted. I've really got to stay away.

BOLDUAN: He is the youngest man with the oldest soul you probably have ever met. That's Harry Enten.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much. John Berman.

BERMAN: I also feel like that was just a giant plea for social media friends.

ENTEN: Yes, I need them, I need friends. I don't have friends in real life except for my girlfriend and John Berman. So, if you want to be my friend, please be my friend on Instagram.

BOLDUAN: Notice how we left out of that equation.

BERMAN: We need some help, so, come on board, guys.

[08:30:20]