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L.A. Fire Officials Warn Severe Weather Conditions Through Wednesday; Final Round of Gaza Ceasefire Talks to Begin in Doha; Red Flag Warning Across L.A. with High Winds Expected; Residents Weigh Future in L.A. Amid Wildfire Damage. Residents Weigh Future in L.A. Amid Wildfire Damage; L.A. Residents Anxious to Survey Fire-Damaged Homes; Biden Delivers Speech on Foreign Policy Wins; Ukraine Says Video Shows Captured N. Korean Troops; Wildfire Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories Spreading; Justice Department Releases Trump Election Subversion Report. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired January 14, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:01]
COATES: You certainly made a difference then, and are making a difference in the work that you're doing, and we see what's happening in California, the difference, especially with the need for firefighters and those who have raised their hand to volunteer to be a part of the solution.
Anthony Pedro, thank you so much for joining us. I look forward to watching that movie, too. Thank you.
PEDRO: Yes. "Trial by Fire." Thank you.
COATES: Thank you all tonight for watching. "ANDERSON COOPER 360" is next.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Los Angeles bracing for explosive fire growth.
Hello, I'm John Vause and coming up on CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF KRISTIN CROWLEY, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT: We are not in the clear as of yet and we must not let our guard down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A strong, gusty winds return to a fire ravaged Southern California. The next 48 hours will be critical.
Closer than ever to a ceasefire in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Never, never, never, ever give up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: U.S. president Joe Biden optimistic hostages will be free within days. But did a threat from President-elect Donald Trump break the stalemate?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT: If they're not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
VAUSE: Just hours from now, a powerful, strong, gusty winds are expected to return to Southern California, raising the threat of an explosive fire growth in a region already battling the most destructive wildfires in the state's history.
The Santa Ana Wind event will be mostly felt in areas away from the current fire zones, but the danger remains of possible new outbreaks, as well as threatening progress firefighters have made against the Palisades and Eaton Fires, which have already burned more than 15,000 hectares. And that is the scene right now. Just after 9:00 p.m. in Los Angeles. And with those strong, powerful winds, firefighting aircraft could be grounded.
The Los Angeles fire chief says the threat for the area remains critical until Wednesday, and warns residents to prepare for more evacuations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: We urge the public to stay diligent to stay ready as the danger as has absolutely not passed. Please adhere to any evacuation warnings and orders immediately, and prioritize your safety.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: We begin with CNN's Veronica Miracle following developments from Southern California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dire warnings coming at a critical stage for firefighters.
CROWLEY: We are not in the clear as of yet and we must not let our guard down.
MIRACLE: In their nearly week-long battle against the deadly Los Angeles blazes.
CHIEF ANTHONY MARRONE, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: Severe fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday. The anticipated winds, combined with low humidities and low fuel moistures, will keep the fire threat in all of Los Angeles County critical.
MIRACLE: A fresh round of Santa Ana Winds bringing gusts in excess of 50 miles an hour. And the perilous possibility of further spread or even new flare ups.
CROWLEY: I have strategically prepositioned engine strike teams and task forces, which are dedicated to rapid response.
MIRACLE: A relatively calm weekend allowed firefighters to make progress. The Eaton Fire in Altadena, which has damaged or destroyed at least 7,000 structures, now 33 percent contained. To the west, the Palisades Fire has chewed through more than 23,000 acres.
CROWLEY: We have crews from up and down the state, outside of the state, have made excellent, excellent work overnight mopping up flare ups and hot spots.
MIRACLE: Thousands of firefighters on the ground and from the air working day and night to beat back the flames. Still, more than 90,000 people are under evacuation orders, not knowing when or if they'll be able to return. The LAPD halting a service to assist residents to retrieve small items and pets from their homes.
DOMINIC CHOI, ASSISTANT CHIEF, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: But we tried to put -- be compassionate and put together a team to escort residents to their homes to either retrieve small pets or their medication, but that line became exceedingly large and it was causing more problems than solutions.
MIRACLE: In the fire's wake, the stories of loss echo across the region.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People like me lost everything, not only the home, but every single thing in it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lots of tears, anger. We're going through the stages of grief.
JAIMIE GELLER, HOME DESTROYED IN PALISADES FIRE: I think it's just really overwhelming because you feel like you lost everything, but then so did everybody that you know. So how do you mourn the loss of your life? And then also everybody is mourning the loss of -- it's overwhelming.
[00:05:09]
MIRACLE: The Gellers, like thousands of their neighbors, forced to flee, only to return to utter devastation.
MIKE GELLER, HOME DESTROYED IN PALISADES FIRE: It's as if bombers flew over the community and completely decimated the community.
MIRACLE: Veronica Miracle, CNN, Altadena.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Joining me now from Sacramento is David Acuna, battalion chief and public information officer for Cal Fire.
Chief, thank you for talking with us and thank you for the thousands of firefighters who are working to bring the fires under control.
DAVID ACUNA, BATTALION CHIEF AND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, CAL FIRE: Thank you very much, John.
So what are the conditions there right now? What are you expecting and what's the plan in the coming hours?
ACUNA: Well, the winds have already picked up. It's already getting 30 to 40 miles per hour. Expected to top out around 70. And as you mentioned, the area that's most affected is going to be just north of the current fires. But that entire area is still going to be subject to winds that are significantly stronger than normal with the fire perimeter still frail, as well as the threat of additional fires for any new starts. The threat is real.
VAUSE: Is there one area in particular which you're especially concerned about?
ACUNA: It's the entire area between Ventura and San Diego. Anything that is not currently on fire or was not on fire means that it's a potential start. There's so much fuel on the ground, and by that I mean grass and brush. And then of course, as you know, the L.A. basin is quite densely populated. So then we also have the structures. If any of them happen to go with a wildland fire, that will just make it that much more challenging.
VAUSE: And you touched on this. Beyond the next 48 hours, Southern California remains bone dry. Strong winds forecast in some areas, like Ventura Valley, to the north, San Bernardino Mountains in the east. So what is the risk assessment for, you know, the entire region in the next couple of weeks and even months?
ACUNA: Well, for the next 10 days, there's no predicted rain. So we have a mobilization center set up down in Southern California with additional overhead staff, engines, crews, heavy equipment, just waiting in case there is another fire to be able to respond immediately. And then as we continue to go, we're going to wait to see what happens. As the winds die down on this fire, probably on Wednesday, there's going to be a wind shift as the winds travel back the other direction.
So we're just going to be busy with this until at least the weekend, and then we'll have to see what the forecast brings.
VAUSE: At this point, you know, you've been battling these fires not just for this week, but a fire season which seems to never end. What is the impact on your manpower situation?
ACUNA: Well, you're exactly right. In fact, we have done away with the fire season term because we've been having fires all through November through December. We had fires on the December 30th, December 31st, and now starting in January 7th. So we now refer to it as the fire year. And yes, crews are weary, but as they've stated before, it's hard to rest when there's houses burning. So now that the really tough work of making sure everything is contained, and then as we move into suppression repair operations, that's really going to be critical once we get out of this next wind event.
VAUSE: And just quickly into the investigation into how all of this began, what's the progress there?
ACUNA: So, each jurisdiction is conducting its own investigation on their fire. The Palisades on one and the Eaton on the other. We don't have any results yet on those, but as soon as we do, they'll announce. Just keep in mind that in the initial three days, everything was all about life safety so every hand available was focused on that.
VAUSE: Chief David Acuna, thank you, sir, for being with us.
ACUNA: Thank you.
VAUSE: After more than a year of on again, off again negotiations, a ceasefire-hostage deal in Gaza looks imminent. Final round of talks will begin in the coming hours according to one source, and that could see 33 hostages freed, including children, women, the elderly and the sick. Family and friends of the hostages are ramping up pressure on the Israeli government, holding a vigil in Tel Aviv, urging lawmakers to bring their loved ones home.
And U.S. President Joe Biden says he's optimistic a deal he has championed is on the brink of potentially being finalized.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: We're pressing hard to close this. The deal we have structured would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel, and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who have suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started. They've been through hell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[00:10:01]
VAUSE: Officials from both the Biden and Trump teams are working with mediators to try and resolve the last sticking points of this deal. President-elect Donald Trump says, "There's been a handshake and they're getting it finished," unquote. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We are very close to getting it done, and they have to get it done. If they don't get it done, there's going to be a lot of trouble out there, a lot of trouble like they have never seen before, and they will get it done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports in from Tel Aviv with the very latest. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Israel and Hamas are indeed on the brink of a ceasefire and hostage deal closer than they ever have been to reaching this agreement. And after more than a year of war in Gaza, months of negotiations, it does finally appear as if these two parties may indeed cross the finish line with this agreement. But at the same time, all of my sources are expressing caution about this, making clear that it is possible that this could all get derailed at the last moment.
That being said, there is now a final draft agreement being circulated between the mediators and Israel and Hamas. As one source told me, all of the big blocks have now been resolved and they are working to finalize the details and the implementation mechanisms of this agreement. A senior Israeli official saying that Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages in the initial phase of this agreement. Those hostages are mostly believed to be alive, but there is also an expectation that there will be some of the bodies of deceased hostages released during that phase as well.
That first phase will be 42 days of temporary ceasefire, the longest pause in the hostilities, if indeed it comes to fruition that Gazans have seen since this war broke out more than 15 months ago. And in addition to that much needed respite, there will also be hundreds of trucks of humanitarian aid that are expected to enter the Gaza Strip if indeed this agreement moves forward.
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails are also expected to be released in exchange for those 33 hostages. Some of those are likely going to be individuals who have been charged with killing Israelis. Those individuals, I'm told, will not be released into the West Bank, but rather into Gaza or in third party countries that have agreed to accept them.
Now, a senior Israeli official said that it is hard to tell whether this agreement will come together in a matter of hours or a matter of days, or whether it will indeed come together at all. But without a doubt, the stakes right now are enormous.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Joining us now, Steven Cook, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of "The End of Ambition: America's Past, Present and Future in the Middle East."
It's good to see you, Steve. Thanks for being with us.
STEVEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Thanks very much, John.
So this is the deal, though, which the U.S. president, Joe Biden, the current one, proposed early last year, but only now it seems there is in fact a deadline. Here's President-elect Trump speaking last week. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If those hostages aren't back, I don't want to hurt your negotiation. If they're not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Is it overly simplistic to say there is a deal now because of that threat?
COOK: I think it is a little simplistic because of President-elect Trump's bellicose rhetoric on the issue. Clearly, the Biden administration and its partners in Qatar and Egypt have been working very, very hard to get this done. I think that President Biden has wanted to get this done before he left office. So there is a meeting of the minds between the current administration and the incoming administration.
But there's a lot of political pressure on the Israeli leader and on the Hamas leadership to get this whole thing done and bring it finally to an end. There are diminishing returns for the Israelis in Gaza.
VAUSE: Well, president, Vice President-elect, I should say, J.D. Vance explained over the weekend what all hell will break out actually means. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. J.D. VANCE (R), VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: Regardless of when that deal is struck, it will be because people are terrified that there are going to be consequences for Hamas. Now, what does that look like? I think, number one, it means enabling the Israelis to knock out the final couple of battalions of Hamas and their leadership. It means very aggressive sanctions and financial penalties on those who are supporting terrorist organizations in the Middle East.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Are there similarities here to the release of American hostages by Iran? They were released the same day Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president back in 1981.
COOK: Well, history certainly rhymes, but I think this is a somewhat different situation. And I think that the vice president-elect hasn't been paying enough attention to his briefing books.
[00:15:06]
I'm not quite sure what else the United States can provide for the Israelis, to help them knock out those remaining brigades of Hamas fighters. In fact, we now know from a number of Israeli and American press reports that Hamas is able to recruit at a greater rate than the Israelis can kill Hamas militants. So it really has nothing to do with the Biden administration withholding or not withholding weapons. And as far as sanctioning those who enable and support terrorism, the
United States has a robust set of sanctions on all of those peoples and countries that are state supporters and supporters of terrorism. I think what's happened in recent months is the Iranians have backed away from both Hezbollah and Hamas, leaving Hamas standing alone in the Gaza Strip at the mercy of the Israelis. And they have demonstrated renewed interest in cutting a deal.
VAUSE: Well, on the Israeli side, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and among others among the far-right, described a potential hostage deal as a catastrophe. Here's part of his tweet from X. "This is the time to continue with all our might to occupy and cleanse the entire strip, to finally take control of humanitarian aid from Hamas, and to open the gates of hell on Gaza until Hamas surrenders completely and all hostages are returned."
So while Hamas may be under pressure to make a deal, is the Israeli prime minister sort of on the other side of the coin here, under the same pressure politically, not to?
COOK: Yes. This is really the kind of thing that you've been hearing from Bezalel Smotrich and his people for the better part of a year. The right-wing of Israel's right-wing coalition is adamantly opposed to any deal, and they call it a surrender. At the same time, whereas the Hamas leadership that's based outside of the Gaza Strip in Doha is interested in a deal and feels under pressure to make a deal.
The leadership within Gaza also doesn't want to make a deal, believing that they have still much to gain by continuing the fighting in terms of undermining Israel's international legitimacy. So you have a number of different factions that are opposed to each other, both internally in Israeli politics as well as Hamas internally. And although progress has been made, I don't think that we can confidently say that there will be a ceasefire and hostage deal until the ink is dry on whatever needs to be signed.
VAUSE: Well, there's very little which the outgoing and incoming administrations in the U.S. actually agree on. So with that in mind, here's U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talking about Steve Witkoff, Trump's Mideast negotiator. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Steve Witkoff has been a terrific partner in this, and also President-elect Trump, in making clear that he wants to see this deal go forward and go forward before January 20th.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The president-elect personally sent Witkoff to the Mideast. Has something like that ever happened before?
COOK: Not to my mind. I don't remember anything like this happening. There's only one president at a time in the United States. But again, given the fact that there is an overlap between the Trump -- incoming Trump administration and the Biden administration and an interest in getting this deal, it isn't surprising that Witkoff went out to the region. He does have -- he doesn't have the same kind of baggage as the Biden people do with the Israelis, and it's likely that he can take a tougher stand with them than could any of the Biden people.
VAUSE: Steven Cook, thank you. Good to see you.
COOK: Good to see you.
VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN, high winds, drought conditions, meaning L.A. wildfires could get even worse. We'll have the very latest forecast from the National Weather Service in a moment. Also, the resilient spirit of a local community, as many there work to restore what fire has taken away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:21:11]
VAUSE: More now on our breaking news from California. These are live images of a new outbreak. Another fire in Ventura County which is north of the Pacific Palisades Fire by quite a few miles, in fact. But this is the latest outbreak there. And winds are already starting to pick up around the Southern California region.
Los Angeles and Ventura Counties are under a red flag warning until late Wednesday. Also known as a particularly dangerous situation. Areas could get wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour. More than 110 kilometers per hour. Those winds are capable of turning a single spark into a raging inferno.
And we will go live again to Los Angeles and Todd Hall, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Todd, thank you for being with us.
TODD HALL, SENIOR METEOROLOGIST, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: Thank you for having me on.
VAUSE: So what's the latest forecast now on the timing and magnitude of the return of the Santa Ana Winds? Is it still pretty much as expected?
HALL: Yes. So the timing is still -- we're still seeing critical fire weather conditions with gusty Santa Ana Winds expected into Wednesday. We have a particularly dangerous situation, red flag warning going into effect at 4:00 a.m. tonight. And that will continue through at least noon Wednesday. So we're continuing to see warm and dry -- warmer than normal and dry conditions continue across the area. And humidity is dipping down into the teens already currently. So we're -- we have gusts of 45 miles per hour in our mountains. And we're seeing gusts between 25 and 35 across our coastal and valley areas.
VAUSE: And you're confident in those forecasts? Is there a chance that maybe the winds could be stronger or maybe not as strong? HALL: There's still an outside chance that our -- that Tuesday night
into Wednesday could have some broader impacts across the L.A. metro area. That's just a small chance at this point. We're continuing to monitor those latest forecasts and adjust as necessary. If -- but we're not expecting anything as nearly as strong as what we saw last Tuesday and last Wednesday.
VAUSE: Can you explain the reason for declaring what's known as a particularly dangerous situation? I thought that was essentially for firefighters. And there have already been two in a week, I think.
HALL: Yes, it's essentially it is -- red flag warnings were really originally designed for the fire community. That was the whole point of that is to give them the heightened awareness. And as we've gone along, we needed to, you know, fire weather in California is our severe weather. That is what we gear up for. So we need to make sure that we give our fire community a heightened awareness.
And so we've gone back through several decades of data to take a look at the most extreme conditions. And then we have come up with, you know, with our fire partners here in L.A. and Ventura County. And we've come up with this wording of a particularly dangerous situation, just to give our fire community that extra heads up when they get to a fire, that they're dealing with very extreme fire conditions from the outside, when they pull up to that fire to begin suppression.
VAUSE: You mentioned humidity is already falling. When would you expect firefighters to catch a break here?
HALL: Probably not until, you know we're seeing some -- the possibility of some improving conditions for late week. Probably not until Thursday, maybe Friday. We do see a little return of onshore flow for the week for early in the weekend. That will definitely help firefighters as we get some of that Pacific moisture back into the L.A. basin. And the general southland area of Southern California.
VAUSE: Is there a chance of maybe a change in direction in the coming hours? Even just a subtle change of direction with the winds? How could that actually impact the areas which are in danger?
HALL: So, currently in Ventura County, it's a little bit more Easterly component.
[00:25:04]
Yes, working with these winds, these winds can be erratic from time to time and they will shift around sometimes from northeast to east or more northerly. So we have to constantly be aware. And sometimes those winds could change. There's certainly that chance that we could see a switch back to northeast here from a more easterly component as we see it right now. That's fueling the Auto Fire near Ventura.
But in general, well, you know, we have to keep an eye on these conditions because they can change in a moment's notice. But we're very confident with what we have issued at this point as far as high wind warnings and red flag warnings across the area at this point. VAUSE: When was the last time L.A. County received more than an inch
of rain?
HALL: You'd have to go back probably to -- I would think March. I don't have that figure on top of -- on my head. I know for sure January and February of last year. But it very well could be March when the last time we received over an inch.
VAUSE: And that just goes to just how dry conditions are around the region. And of course, that's one of the reasons why everything is so catastrophic right now and continues to be so.
HALL: That is correct. And that -- so we've had less than a quarter inch of rain since May. So we're working on close to eight months with just a quarter inch of rain.
VAUSE: And just quickly, why is it so difficult to predict these winds? I mean, I get a weather notification telling me it's going to rain at a certain time of day and for 24 minutes, and then it will stop. I mean, it's incredibly accurate, but these winds, it just seems like, you know, within hours you get a chance to warn people about what's coming down the pike.
HALL: So, we're one of the few places, I think, in the country that we have East-West running mountain ranges. We have a very complex topography that goes from surface to 10,000 feet within 30 miles. That all has a dramatic change on just the modeling. When you talk about the modeling that we do and the numerical modeling that we use for our weather models, that has a tremendous, profound impact on how that data and how we can see that data.
So, working last night, this event has been much more of a challenge for us to really, you know, identify those -- you know, where these winds are actually going to show up. We have to go with more confidence factors and using the really the experience that we have collectively in our office. We have a lot of people in this office with over 20 years of experience. I have 25 years of experience in my career, and I'm from Southern California. So I'm familiar with these winds coming in. But you have people that come from different parts of the country that may not totally understand these winds. And so it makes it challenging in Southern California, a challenge in general across the west.
VAUSE: It is an incredibly difficult job. And thank you for doing it.
Todd Hall there in Ventura, California. Appreciate your time, sir. Appreciate what you do.
HALL: Thank you.
VAUSE: Well, some are now sifting through ash and debris that was once their home. They are vowing to rebuild.
And CNN's Bill Weir has their stories.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the parched hills northeast of L.A. the Eaton fire cut a brutal swath across multiple cities and different kinds of communities. The Elliot Arts Magnet School is in the Pasadena school district and draws gifted public school kids from the area and the area is decimated. Block after block of Altadena turned to ash, broken up by the occasional oasis of survival.
JOHN CALKINS, ALTADENA RESIDENT: This house was one of the -- this was the last one to burn on the street right here.
WEIR: Like this end of Calaveras Street that was saved when a retired fire captain and a TV set designer and son formed a bucket brigade as embers burned holes in their clothes.
CALKINS: I mean, it was so hot. It just -- I mean, I had to come down off the ladder and just stick my hands in the bucket, put the water on the back of my neck and go back up the ladder.
WEIR: John and his neighbor Kevin, a music festival producer, are now putting out hot spots as their relief is tempered with worries about the future.
This is the kind of neighborhood where a family leaves out all their extra citrus and avocado for anyone to help themselves. Dan is the handyman who lives here, who tells me about 40 of his families have lost their homes. This is a mixture of scientists, jet propulsion laboratory and set designers, costume makeup, people from Hollywood, the kind of place where they have tiny art galleries so kids can share their creation. And the strength of this community will go a long way when it comes to recovery. The question is, how many people still want in?
KEVIN LYMAN, ALTADENA RESIDENT: There's going to be people that leave. It's going to be tough to live here. This is not going to get fixed overnight. It's going to take years, if not a decade, to feel like it was.
[00:30:10]
CALKINS: We've lost school down the street , churches, a lot of schools up North. We drove around yesterday for the first time. And I mean, it's -- it's devastating. I mean, it's bleak.
BILL WEIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But they also focus on what's left.
LYMAN: They've been laying eggs.
WEIR (voice-over): Like feeding the neighbor's chickens that somehow survived a frying.
And the flocks of wild birds that now need their bird feeders more than ever.
CALKINS: They love it. We fill -- the feeders went empty. They go empty every two days, and they go empty at the end of every day now.
WEIR: Wow.
CALKINS: We fed the crows. The crows came in this morning. We gave them apples.
WEIR: Yes, but they're -- the birds are part of the community too, right? So, you want -- It's nice having them around.
CALKINS: It's nice having them around, you know. And --
WEIR: Signs of life.
CALKINS: Little sign of hope.
WEIR: Yes, yes, yes.
CALKINS: You know, which we all need right now.
WEIR: Altadena was also the home of many of Walt Disney's early imagineers, the artists and animators who could afford to buy fixer- uppers and start their families here.
It's going to take a lot of creative imagining about a better future for this place. But as they start to rebuild, as gas lines are cut and power lines are cleaned up, the folks who survived here are vowing they will see it through.
Bill Weir, CNN, Altadena, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The U.S. Justice Department has just handed to Congress a special counsel report on Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. CNN is working to get a copy.
Federal Judge Aileen Cannon cleared the way Monday, saying there was insufficient basis for keeping the report under wraps. But Cannon will not release details on Trump's mishandling of classified documents.
Special Counsel Jack Smith dropped the election subversion case after a controversial Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. Judge Cannon dismissed the case outright, saying Smith's appointment by the Biden administration was unconstitutional.
We'll take a short break. When we come back, police in Los Angeles warning fire victims beware of scammers. An update, as well, on the destruction in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. That's in a moment.
Also ahead, details of a report that negotiators are on the verge of a deal that could lessen the suffering in Gaza and free some of the hostages.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back. The very latest now on the fire emergency in Southern California.
Strong, gusty winds are returning to the region, expected to significantly raise the danger for new outbreaks, as well as complicate efforts to contain fires already burning in Los Angeles.
At least 24 people have been killed, close to 100 square kilometers burned so far.
[00:05:02]
The Palisades Fire is the largest, still only 14 percent contained. But firefighters say there's been little growth over the past day and a half.
The Eaton Fire in the Altadena area, 33 percent contained.
Federal investigators are on the scene, trying to determine the cause of the fires. The district attorney says ten people facing criminal charges, most for looting. Dozens of others have been arrested in evacuation zones. The L.A. fire chief says residents will be allowed back into the areas, but not for a few more days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF KRISTIN CROWLEY, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT: I will tell you and guarantee you that, when it is safe to do so, we will allow the population and repopulation in the community to come back in. That is top of mind, but just as important, top of mind, is the safety of those individuals, as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: More now from CNN's Nick Watt. He's in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood as residents return to utter destruction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Many know they've lost everything. They've seen the pictures, but they just need to see it in person.
SHERIFF ROBERT LUNA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY: We know that, but we have people literally looking for the remains of your neighbors. Please be patient with us.
WATT (voice-over): Police were escorting people into the Palisades who had waited in mile-long lines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have halted this escort service for the safety of everyone involved.
WATT (voice-over): Locals can't get in to check, largely because they're trying to keep looters out. The National Guard now on scene.
KATHRYN BARGER, CHAIR, LOS ANGELES COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: It's time for us to let the public know that accountability is alive and well in Los Angeles County.
WATT (voice-over): Five confirmed dead so far in the Palisades Fire.
JAIMIE GELLER, PACIFIC PALISADES RESIDENT: We are alive. We lost, you know, everything but a couple things in a suitcase. You lost everything. But then so did everybody that you know.
WATT (voice-over): Thousands lost it all when this blaze scorched an area the size of Miami. The toxic, tragic mess will take months to clear. Then how long to rebuild?
Fire officials going House to House, logging damage and uploading pictures so folks who can't get in can see what's left of their homes. And also, for the thousands of impending insurance claims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first official documentation. We're trying to get accurate and timely information to the public.
WATT (voice-over): But in recent years, many insurers refused to cover homes in high-fire-risk areas like this.
PEGGY HOLT, PACIFIC PALISADES RESIDENT: For years, we were -- the whole condo complex was covered by Farmers insurance. And then they canceled. People think, oh, the Palisades, that's rich people. But it's not just rich people.
WATT (voice-over): The state insurance many resorted to does not cover everything.
And now scammers, says the LAPD, are actively targeting vulnerable individuals and families, exploiting their distress, online, on the phone and in person, with fake offers of help. And --
NATHAN HOCHMAN, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We have been seeing price gouging with hotels.
The criminals have decided that this is an opportunity, and I'm here to tell you that this is not an opportunity.
WATT (voice-over): A friend told me, of the 60 children in his kids' classes at school here in the Palisades, only 12 still have a home to go to.
WATT: A friend of mine was at mass Sunday and said what struck him most was the tears in the eyes of some older people who realized that, by the time this is rebuilt, they may be gone. That all they've known for the past 30, 40 years, they'll never see again.
Nick Watt, CNN, Pacific Palisades, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: These fires have been indiscriminate, destroying small family homes and luxury estates owned by some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Television host Jay Leno spoke with CNN's Anderson Cooper, describing the destruction as the aftermath of a nuclear war. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, COMEDIAN/FORMER LATE-NIGHT TV HOST: It's unbelievable. It's the biggest natural disaster. Not that 911 was a natural disaster, but it's literally on that scale. I mean, it's 10,000 buildings. I mean, you can't even -- if you drove all day, you couldn't see 10,000 buildings.
I mean, you get on that hill, and you look for miles, and there's nothing. It looks like Hiroshima or just some horrible thing.
But, you know, the sense of community. Neighbors meeting neighbors never met before, and people all pitching in. I mean, I try to look at the bright side of things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And actor Sean Penn, who lives in the Pacific Palisades, says the area probably won't exist for the next five or six years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN PENN, ACTOR: When you have the kind of winds that that we had, I don't think mankind has come up with a solution to that. Mother Nature is bigger and more powerful than us.
So, people do make a choice to be in this area. But for the people living in, in particular, Pacific Palisades and Altadena and so on, this is so unexpected. It's sort of -- you know, it's Gaza West up there. I know you've been up. It's really something to see. An entire legacy of a community.
[00:40:04]
I think of these 9-year-old kids who every day would meet each other on the corner on their bikes, knowing every corner and every store and shop owner, and it's all gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Sean Penn and his relief organization, CORE, are just one of the organizations helping residents affected by the fires with their immediate needs.
Fifteen months after the October 7th terror attacks, and a ceasefire deal in Gaza is closer than ever. Talks to finalize the agreement will be held in Doha in the hours ahead. That's according to a diplomat close to the negotiations.
Families of the dozens of hostages held in Gaza are continuing to pressure the Israeli government, holding a demonstration in Tel Aviv Monday.
Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages during phase one of the emerging agreement, and Israeli officials say they believe most of them are alive. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIDEON SAAR, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: We see some progress in the negotiations. Israel wants a hostage deal. Israel is working with our American friends in order to achieve a hostage deal. And soon, we will know whether the other side wants the same thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And U.S. President Joe Biden, during a speech focused on foreign policy, appeared more optimistic than ever about a possible deal. CNN's M.J. Lee reports now from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
M.J. LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden on Monday, speaking at the State Department, delivered a legacy- burnishing speech talking about his foreign policy accomplishments --
LEE (voice-over): -- of the last four years.
He said that America had been thoroughly tested while he was in office, but that the country is coming out stronger for it. Its alliances are stronger now, and that its adversaries are weaker than they were four years ago.
LEE: Regarding the situation in Gaza, President Biden publicly saying what we have been hearing from U.S. officials, both in public and in private, that a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostages release, that that might be on the cusp of coming to fruition.
Now, it's been a really long time since we have heard this kind of real optimism, at least coming from the Biden administration, on the possibility of a ceasefire in Gaza.
Of course, nothing is final until it is final, and there's always going to be that sense of caution. But U.S. sources have told us that a ceasefire and hostages deal could be achieved in the coming days, in the final week of President Biden's presidency.
And this is what the president himself said on Monday about what would be achieved if a deal could be finalized. This is what he said.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're pressing hard to close this.
The deal we have in structure would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel, and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who have suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started.
LEE (voice-over): Now we are, of course, in the middle of a transition, and that means that both Biden and Trump officials have been closely engaged in these negotiations.
For example, we know that -- LEE: -- the White House's current Middle East coordinator, Brett McGurk, has been in the region for at least the last week or so, and he has been joined by incoming President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and that they have been working closely together to try to get some of these final deal details hammered out.
And they've even had, I'm told by sources, joint conversations with Israeli officials, including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Now, of course, this is a deal that has been elusive for President Biden and his White House for so long as this war has continued to go on and has cost so much for President Biden, politically speaking, as well.
And while President Biden and the incoming president, Donald Trump, may not have a ton in common in terms of their policy priorities, this is one where the two men have a shared goal. They would both very much like to see an end to this conflict before President Biden leaves office in exactly one week.
M.J. Lee, CNN, at the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Meanwhile, the latest Israeli strikes killed at least 45 people in Gaza on Monday. According to a hospital director, women and children are among the dead, and many of those injured need amputations.
He added a shortage of supplies means his hospital is unable to treat the wounded. The Israeli military said it has tried to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians, but added operations against terrorists will continue.
A spokesperson for the Hamas military wing said fighters are still inflicting heavy losses on Israeli forces.
Ukraine says there's no denying that Moscow is using North Korean forces to bolster its troops in the Kursk region. Kyiv says the clearest evidence yet comes from two captured North Korean soldiers who've been interrogated on camera.
[00:45:05]
Here's CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Their presence, something Ukraine has railed at for months, saying China's ally, North, Korea is now fighting for Russia, and this war is turning global as it enters its fourth year.
At the weekend, hard proof emerged: video including this drone footage of what they said was the capture of two North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region, one ferried away on a frontline stretcher. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they could be exchanged.
"If Kim Jong-un remembers these citizens," he said, "at all, and can organize an exchange for our soldiers held in Russia, we can transfer such soldiers. Undoubtedly, there will be other prisoners from North Korea."
The Ukrainian security services released this footage, controversially, of two injured North Koreans answering questions from their captors, even as they recovered from medical treatment.
A Korean translator helped the first man, who we have blurred, his hand injured and in pain, explain he thought he was on a training exercise, not fighting Ukraine.
He said after a January the 3rd assault, he hid in a dugout for two days until capture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: He said that, essentially, he'll do as he's told. If he's required to return, he'll go back. If he's given the chance to stay here, he'll stay.
WATT (voice-over): A second is unable to properly speak, owing to a jaw injury. He says his family do not know where he is. He nods his assent when asked if he wants to go home.
The Ukrainians showed these Russian papers, repeating the suggestion the North Koreans had been given false identities from Tuva, a Russian republic bordering Mongolia.
Rare and controversial images released at a time when Ukraine's war is widening, intensifying and entering a new, uncertain phase where Kyiv must adapt to a new White House and a steady Russian advance.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: In Southern California, thousands are still struggling to come to terms with devastation caused by the wildfires, and that painful process being made so much harder by misinformation coming from the very top. That story ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. It's coming up to 9:49 in the evening in Ventura County in California. These are live images of a new outbreak of a fire. This is Ventura County, which is North of the Pacific Palisades area. This fire seems to have started in the last few hours. We'll continue to monitor that as fire crews continue.
More than 15,000 first responders now trying to control wildfires threatening the Los Angeles area. So far, the Palisades and Eaton Fires alone have destroyed nearly 37,000 acres; more than 15,000 hectares.
[00:50:08]
Forecasters say the coming hours will bring more dangerously strong winds, provide more fuel for those fires already burning, and bring the threat of spreading new fires and new outbreaks.
But after Wednesday, the weather could change for the better, bringing cooler temperatures, high humidity, which will help firefighters.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is in talks to visit Los Angeles as early as next week. No details have been finalized. Sources tell CNN Trump plans to survey the wildfire damage and review recovery efforts.
California government [SIC] -- California Governor Gavin Newsom sent a letter to Trump Friday, inviting him to see the devastation firsthand and meet with those who have been impacted by the fires.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Newsom, as well as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, over their wildfire response. He's also called for Newsom to resign.
Well, there's no shortage of conspiracy theories and misinformation about the cause of California's devastating wildfires, and those theories are all being posted on social media. And they're posting the fan the flames of confusion. Here's CNN, Donie O'Sullivan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MEL GIBSON, ACTOR AND DIRECTOR: California has a lot of problems that sort of baffle the mind as far as why they do things.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mel Gibson on FOX News prime time after losing his home in the California fires.
GIBSON: And then, in the events like this, you sort of look, oh, is it on purpose? Which, it's an insane thing to think, but one begins to ponder whether or not there is a purpose in mind. What could it be? You know, I don't know.
Do they want the state empty? I don't know.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Conspiracy theories spreading like wildfire.
DEANNA LORRAINE, HOST, STEW PETERS NETWORK: This is an obvious land grab. They get them out of their homes this way, and then they can build whatever they want to build.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): From the common refrain that it's all part of a government plot --
ALEX JONES, HOST, "INFOWARS": This is siege by design.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): To suspected A.I.-generated video and images falsely showing the fires approaching the iconic Hollywood sign.
Fact checkers working for Meta have been debunking some of the misinformation on Facebook and Instagram.
MARK ZUCKERBERG, META CEO: Hey, everyone.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): But last week, Mark Zuckerberg announced this.
ZUCKERBERG: We're going to get rid of fact checkers and replace them with community notes.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Replacing fact checkers with community notes, a form of crowdsourced fact checking that is used on X.
But critics say Zuckerberg shouldn't be trying to emulate X, pointing to viral misinformation on that platform that goes unchecked, like this post, viewed almost half a million times, baselessly claiming DARPA, a wing of the Department of Defense, started the fires.
ELON MUSK, OWNER OF X: I'm here with the fire command team at the Palisades Fire.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Indeed, X's owner, Elon Musk, has spent the last week elevating conspiracy theories about the fires.
MUSK: What about water availability?
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Responding to a post from disgraced conspiracy theorist Alex Jones that the fires are part of a globalist plot, Musk responded, "True."
O'SULLIVAN: And the California governor, Gavin Newsom, has set up a website, he says, pushing back on some of this misinformation.
Look, there is a political debate to be had here about policies; about how to prevent devastation like this from happening again. But so much of what we're seeing online from people like Elon Musk, some -- some also from President-elect Trump, is just straight-up misinformation.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: We will pause here for a moment. When we come back, we'll have more details on the special counsel report just handed to Congress on Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: The world's largest religious festival now underway in Northern India.
Millions of Hindus have come together for the start of the Maha Kumbh Mela. Four hundred million pilgrims expected to attend over the next six weeks, gathering at a sacred site where three holy rivers meet to bathe in the waters and purify their sins. Taking another step towards spiritual liberation.
Well, now, on one of our top stories, special counsel report on Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The U.S. Justice Department handed it over to Congress just minutes ago. CNN has obtained a copy of the report. It's more than 130 pages long.
More details now from CNN's Evan Perez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: When reports like this are finished, they transmit it to Congress. The two committees that have jurisdiction of Congress, this is the Judiciary Committee in the House and in the Senate.
And so that happened minutes after that -- that -- that injunction expired at midnight, the injunction that Judge Aileen Cannon had put in place that prevented the release of any part of this report.
So, what we have here is volume one, which has to do with the investigation of Donald Trump's effort to overturn the results of the 2016 [SIC] -- the 2020 election. And -- and that was --
LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: That was the case that Judge Chutkan handled in Washington, D.C.?
PEREZ: That is correct. Has nothing to do with judge Aileen Cannon. But somehow, she had asserted to put on hold all of the report.
She -- her -- her hold lifted. As you know, the Trump team had tried at the last minute -- minute to ask one more time, and she rejected that.
I'll read you just a part of what Jack Smith, in his opening letter says, you know, in explaining the scope of his work. Right?
He says, "As directed by the principles of the Justice Department. I made my decision in these cases without regard to Mr. Trump's political association, activities, or beliefs, or the possible personal or professional consequences of a prosecution for me or any member of my office."
Obviously, that's -- those are words that I think are going to hang over all of this, because Smith is -- is among the many people that Donald Trump has said could face some kind of retribution. People, you know, around Trump have also said that Smith and others should be arrested or should be investigated for pursuing these cases against Donald Trump.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. Back with more news after a very short break.
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