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Key Party in Netanyahu's Government Threatens to Quit Over Critical Details in Ceasefire Deal; Hostage Families Face Uncertainty After Hurdles Delay Deal; Both Trump, Biden Negotiators Helped Hammer Out Deal; More Republican Senators Falling in Line to Confirm Hegseth. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired January 16, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Israeli critics are voicing objections, but a cabinet vote is still set for tomorrow on the new ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas. I'll be speaking to someone who has had four family members held captive in Gaza, the youngest turning two this weekend.

And Mother Nature is finally cutting California firefighters a break. Those dangerous winds have died down, and the fire has not grown in 24 hours.

And getting her steps in. Stranded NASA astronaut Suni Williams taking part in an epic spacewalk, but we're all wondering how long it's going to be before she gets to go for a walk back here on Earth.

We're following these stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

This hour, the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas appears to be back on track. Earlier today, Israel's cabinet delayed a critical vote to approve the deal after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office claimed Hamas reneged on parts of the agreement. They did not specify which parts. Hamas has denied that.

Israel's cabinet is now scheduled to vote tomorrow, signaling that those outstanding issues have been resolved, and we're hearing a lot of optimism that that will go forward. But as the deal does move forward, Netanyahu is facing a political crisis that could threaten his grip on power. Far-right members of his governing coalition are vowing to quit over key details in the ceasefire and hostage agreement. We have CNN's Jeremy Diamond live for us in Tel Aviv.

Jeremy, tell us where things stand right now.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, today was a day filled with uncertainty. It began this morning with the Israeli prime minister's office saying that Hamas was making last-minute demands, and that the Israeli security cabinet, which had been scheduled to vote this morning to approve this deal, would not convene until that - those issues had been resolved.

It took another eight hours until we learned that those issues apparently had been resolved, and that the Israeli security cabinet would instead now convene a day later, so tomorrow morning. But in the background of all of this, beyond the issues that may have been happening in Doha over the implementation mechanisms of this deal, the Israeli prime minister is still wrangling with his political allies. The far-right members of his coalition government, who have been keeping him in power through one controversy after the next throughout this entire war in Gaza, and now are threatening to bolt from his governing coalition if he moves ahead with this ceasefire agreement.

We heard tonight from Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister. Here's how he described the deal as he threatened to resign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ITAMAR BEN-GVIR, ISRAELI NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER (through interpreter): This deal multiplies the motivation of Hamas. This deal teaches them that they can take hostage and attack, and at the end of the day, they can get what they want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: And, Brianna, Ben-Gvir has said that he will definitively leave the Israeli government if this ceasefire agreement is approved in that cabinet meeting. Bezalel Smotrich, another far-right member of the government, he has been less definitive so far. What he has said, though, is that he will only stay if the Israeli prime minister can offer him assurances that the war in Gaza will resume after phase one of this agreement.

Meaning, six weeks of ceasefire, not a day longer, which, of course, would sabotage phases two and three, which was the intention of the Biden administration in negotiating this deal, that ultimately the six-week ceasefire might evolve into a permanent end of the war and the return of all of the remaining hostages still being held in Gaza.

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If Ben-Gvir leaves, Netanyahu only has a two-seat majority. If Smotrich leaves, that removes the Israeli prime minister's governing coalition, and he would either need to reach out to the leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid, who has offered him a safety net to stay in power to see the implementation of this ceasefire through or he would have to call for new elections, and then his fate as prime minister would be very, very uncertain. Brianna?

KEILAR: Yes, it's a very interesting time. Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much for that report.

This deal calls for an initial six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas has agreed to release those 33 hostages in exchange for about a thousand Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. With us now is Eylon Keshet. his cousin Yarden Bibas, Yarden's wife, Shiri, and their two young children, Kfir and Ariel, were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th.

You have seen their faces. Kfir was less than a year old at the time and he is going to turn two on Saturday. Thank you so much for being with us. And just tell us your reaction when you first heard news of this deal.

EYLON KESHET, FOUR FAMILY MEMBERS TAKEN HOSTAGE: So, it's very mixed feelings, because there have been so many almost deals in the last year, in the last 400 days, that I'm afraid to be hopeful, because I think that the government is too greedy with its demands, and it's very easy to make the deal fall.

So, while I am very anxious to see it going well and I'm - I miss my family so much, and I so want to see them again, I'm so afraid of being disappointed again, and the first test would be on the next - on the coming Sunday. I'm really anxious to see what's happening.

KEILAR: Yes, it is - it's hard to believe it's just a few days away here. And Eylon, you've gotten a lot of mixed messages, because Hamas had claimed many months ago that Shiri and the two boys had been killed inside Gaza by an airstrike. The Israeli government was not able to confirm that. Hamas never released any evidence or proof of it. How do you prepare for this when you really aren't sure what you're preparing for?

KESHET: This is a - it's a very good question, and one that I struggle to answer for myself. I'm I - it's very hard to be optimistic and, yes, we got very mixed messages and there have been no confirmation or denial about this. So, all I can do is just hope for the best, and at least for Yarden, my cousin, we do believe that he is alive. A few months ago was the last sign of life from him. And as for Shiri and the boys, I just pray they're okay. I just - I don't know what else to say, but I just so hope -p so much hoping that they will be okay.

KEILAR: There's - I think there's something about these babies and this family that has gotten a lot of attention, because people have seen them. They're so adorable and they're so young with so much life ahead of them. And I just wonder how you have gotten through and how your family has gotten through this time.

KESHET: I don't have a silver lining to provide here. It's just been a nightmare. We're thinking about them all the time. We're afraid about their well-being all the time. It's - it feels like something of - out of, I don't know, like barbarian medieval war or something. Something that no one could ever dream or think that it could happen. And especially for such young children - and you know, children have this energy. They have this lively energy and they're smiling, and they provide so much joy when they're around.

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And right now, like in family gatherings, they are really missed. They're really missed and I still - I and other people in the family, we still can't wrap our heads around, like, the fact that they're just - they're just missing. They've been just kidnapped. They were just - they just disappeared. And it's really hard, like, thinking about what they are going through. We know of the dire conditions that Hamas have been keeping hostages, and the physical and mental ailments for those that did return. And especially for Kfir, that he's a baby. Most of his life has been in terrorist captivity. I'm just - I'm really afraid - I'm actually afraid of the day that they will come back, because I don't think you can come back the same person you were before. And for us, it will be just the beginning of a very long process to heal and things will never be the same.

KEILAR: And do you feel like you have support in that? There are other families who are facing this also unfathomable path forward. They're facing uncertainty. They're facing the idea of trying to construct a life again for their family members after release, after being hostages for so long. Do you feel like you have support within your community to deal with that, Eylon:

KESHET: I do. I do. The family forum is - I don't know how many people around the world know this, but the family forum that supports the families is actually all volunteers. It's just the Israel community coming together from all parts of Israel and doing - and working 24/7 for more than a year now to not only push for bringing them back, but also for supporting the families, showing empathy, and catering to different needs.

So, again, I also personally very lucky to have lots of friends and family and an amazing workplace that I do really feel supported. And I know that no matter what happens, I got so many people to back me and to say, do whatever you need to do. We'll be okay. Everyone - I think everyone - almost everyone in Israel is very joint in like - in the empathy towards the family. So, I guess on that front I can feel a little bit better.

KEILAR: Yes. Eylon, I am praying for you. We will be keeping an eye out of this vote and here in the coming weeks. And thank you so much for being with us and talking about your family.

KESHET: Thank you for having me.

KEILAR: Both President Biden and President-elect Trump are taking credit for getting this deal through, but really it was an unusual collaboration between the two. We have CNN Chief National Security Correspondent, Alex Marquardt, with us now.

It really is an interesting sort of collaboration here. What have you learned about it?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It's unique. They've been calling it historic and fruitful. I mean, normally, Brianna, as you know better than I do, there's an administration that's in office. They hand off the issues to the next one. But this was an overlapping situation where as soon as President Trump got elected, his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, got to work helping out the Biden Middle East team with this as well.

The Biden point man for the Middle East is Brett McGurk. The two of them traveled separately and then together to the Middle East, to Qatar, to Israel. The last few days in the lead up to this moment. They have held meetings together in Doha. Steve Witkoff was in the room yesterday with the Qatari prime minister when all this was announced.

So, there is no doubt that the election of Donald Trump certainly helped get this across the line. You know, there's some discussion about who should take more credit. We saw the President yesterday after his comments say, is that a joke, when he was asked that question.

But his aides, Secretary Blinken today, for example, saying that the role of President Trump and his team was very important. I mean, there's no question that this was Biden's framework, that he rolled out some eight months ago. I think I was on set with you when they were doing that.

KEILAR: That's right.

MARQUARDT: And clearly, that hasn't gone anywhere in eight months.

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KEILAR: When you gave the presser at the White House.

MARQUARDT: Exactly. He laid out the three different phases. It was then endorsed by the United Nations. But his team hasn't been able to get it across the line. A lot has changed in those last eight months. There's been a lot more pressure on both Hamas and on Israel.

And then President Trump got elected. There was suddenly this deadline for the Biden administration to try to get something done. And Trump had said very clearly that he wanted this war to end before he took office. And so, there was also pressure on the Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian governments to please the incoming administration.

So that certainly had an impact. But now this is going to go into effect right before Trump takes office. And it's going to be on him to carry it through and oversee it.

KEILAR: Certainly. And I'm sort of struck just because having interviewed Eylon Keshet, the cousin of the father of a family who has really become such a symbol of what happened on October 7th, I mean, they - these families look at what we were covering eight months ago, and it's largely the same. And it's hard to fathom their frustration at the idea that it's something largely the same. And here another eight months has gone by. Their loved ones have been in captivity and it's the same thing.

MARQUARDT: How much suffering could have been avoided on both sides had this actually gone into effect? You heard Mr. Keshet there talking about the Netanyahu government being greedy. There was intransigence on both sides between Israel and Hamas, changing terms, moving the goalposts, getting to an agreement, backing away from an agreement.

It was - I can't count the number of times that I've talked about how close this deal was because that's what U.S. officials were saying inside the 10-yard line, 90 percent done. I mean, all of these things. And then it just - it never materialized. And I cannot imagine the anguish that all of these families and populations went through.

So, this has to be a moment of relief. We've seen celebrations in both Israel and in Gaza. You have 10s of thousands of people who have been killed in Gaza and many, many thousands more. Certainly, they are hoping that this war is coming to an end. You have at least 33 families that are going to be getting their loved ones back, and in some cases, the remains of their loved ones back. But then there are going to be 60 more families that are waiting for hostages who will still be inside even if, and it's a huge if, Brianna, this phase one goes according to plan over the next six weeks. And those negotiations for the second phase to get that last batch of hostages out and for this war to finally end once and for all, those should get underway in about two weeks' time. But there is so much that can - that could go wrong in all this.

KEILAR: Yes, exactly. So much suffering in Gaza, in Israel. Alex, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

It's been a rapid round robin of confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill this week. Ahead, how President-elect Trump's cabinet picks are looking when it comes to getting approved. We are live from the Capitol next.

And then later, all the drama surrounding "It Ends With Us" isn't coming to an end anytime soon. Senator Justin Baldoni just filed a $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.

And these are live pictures of President Biden honored at the Armed Forces farewell and delivering some of his final remarks as commander- in-chief before his presidency ends on Monday. We'll be right back.

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KEILAR: Today, four of President-elect Trump's nominees testified before lawmakers focusing on Trump's promises for energy dominance, tax cuts and deregulation. But it's other more controversial nominations that have lawmakers talking, especially those of Tulsi Gabbard to lead the nation's top spy agency. She's up for DNI. RFK Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services. And Trump's pick for secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.

Let's go to Lauren Fox. She has been talking to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. And what are they telling you, Lauren?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, what we have seen today is really a slew of confirmation hearings that went about as expected. You had earlier today Scott Bessent come before the Senate Finance Committee. And you saw some Democrats sparring with him about what Trump's tax plan might look like in the future. You also had Republicans who were really making clear what some of their priorities were in the second Trump administration.

But Bessent isn't someone who we are watching closely because even if he couldn't get a single Democratic vote, he could still get through with the Republican votes. Those other nominations that you mentioned, those are the ones to still keep an eye on.

Now, look, the secretary of Defense position and Pete Hegseth's nomination, it has obviously come a long way since he was initially nominated just a little over a month ago. In fact, you saw this week he got a lot more support after his nomination hearing, including from Sen. Joni Ernst, who had been on the fence previously.

Still, we are waiting to see what people like Sen. Susan Collins do. She has said that she wants to spend the weekend watching his confirmation hearing. She has not made a decision yet. We're also watching Sen. Lisa Murkowski as well as Sen. Mitch McConnell.

And there's other controversial nominees who are expected to come before committees for their own confirmation hearings that we haven't heard from. Tulsi Gabbard who has been nominated for DNI.

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She still does not have a scheduled hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee because of delays in her paperwork. It's not clear whether or not she's going to have the votes to get out of that committee. It's also not clear what's going to happen with RFK Jr.'s nomination. So those are just a few of those nominations that we're still watching despite a big week of confirmation hearings this week on Capitol Hill. There's a lot more to look forward to. Brianna?

KEILAR: All right. We will look forward to that with you. Lauren Fox, thank you so much.

And with us now, we have CNN Senior Legal Analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig and CNN Contributor and former Nixon White House counsel, John Dean.

Elie, I wonder what you thought of how this hearing went.

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Pam Bondi is going to be the attorney general. I mean, there's almost no question about that. I do think, though, she sent some mixed signals. I mean, on the one hand, she proclaimed that she would run an independent Justice Department. On the other hand, she did not disavow her prior statements that she would prosecute the bad prosecutors. She did not. She was unwilling to say clearly that Donald Trump lost the 2020 Election.

So, I think we have to wait and see. She's going to get through. My question is, is she able to sort of put that wall up that needs to exist between the president and the Justice Department. She said she would. And we'll see how it plays out.

KEILAR: Exactly. She said she would, John. She said that she would follow DOJ policy to limit contacts between the White House and the department. What did you make of those assurances and her testimony overall?

JOHN DEAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think it was smart of her to take that position. She would have been in much greater jeopardy if she isn't in jeopardy at all had she not taken that position. Brianna, when I look at the Department of Justice, I realize how difficult it is to politicize that agency, of all the agencies.

There are about 10,000 lawyers in that department, some of them spread out throughout the United States in the U.S. attorney's offices. And they take an oath before they even get in that job to the Constitution to get their bar license. They take another oath when they become a member of the Department of Justice to the Constitution. These are not people who are political by nature. So, this department is not easy to politicize.

KEILAR: Yes, they're so committed to the law and we've seen that play out time and again in some of the testimony of these folks. I do want to highlight, John, what the actual justice manual says. And this, I do want to be clear, as Merrick Garland's latest version, though there have been many and they - they're kind of similar. Quote, "the Justice Department will not advise the White House concerning pending or contemplated criminal or civil law enforcement investigations or cases unless doing so is important for the performance of the President's duties and appropriate from a law enforcement perspective."

How much work can that word unless do there? Does that create a big loophole in your view?

DEAN: It's a potential loophole. It's a potential abuse. You know, it takes goodwill to enforce any law and to do it properly. I've got to say, I happen to be responsible for those whole - all those codes and regulations that have come post-Watergate, because what happened is Nixon called over the head of the criminal division to find out what I was going to do when I broke rank. And those are the tapes that resulted in the subsequent Attorney General Levi first giving a number of speeches, finally doing a memo and eventually get into regulations and I think it's smart.

KEILAR: I wonder, Elie, there's - and thank you, John. We all owe you a thank you for that manual.

HONIG: It's everything about John Dean. He lived history.

KEILAR: That's right.

HONIG: And then - and now, you know, a generation later, it guides what we do.

KEILAR: I hope they credit you in the preface. I do - I am curious, though, how you see this all playing out in practical - in the practical way, because assuming she is confirmed as she's expected to, there's this sense of the attorney general kind of has to play a little bit of ball ...

HONIG: Yes.

KEILAR: ... with President Trump in order to stay at least enough off the you know what list to keep their job. So, I mean, how do you see that playing out? HONIG: We have some history on this, right? Both Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr, at times, did not carry out Donald Trump's worst wishes. But at times if when - they were punished for that, ultimately, right? They were both ultimately dispatched for failing to do Donald Trump's bidding.

I'm glad we raised the justice manual. I think it's a perfect example of the principle here. It's a booklet. We used to have it on the corner of our desk. It was like yea (ph) thick. Now, it's online. And like the passage that you put up there, there is always a little bit of play, that unless, and you really just leave that to the individual judgment of prosecutors.

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And John's right. I served the DOJ half the time under Republican administration, half the time under Democratic. It didn't make a difference to me on the ...