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Negotiators Finalize Ceasefire-Hostage Deal Between Israel and Hamas; More Wildfires Expected in Southern California Due to Winds. Final Round of Ceasefire Talks with Gaza Begins in Doha; Pope Francis Launches His Autobiography on His Life and Papacy Journey. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 14, 2025 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, negotiators try to hammer out the final details for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Southern California braces for more wildfire damage, a critical 48 hours on the horizon as powerful winds return to the region.
And Donald Trump slams the special counsel's report on his effort to overturn the 2020 election as fake findings after failing to keep it under wraps.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. And we begin in the Middle East where after a year of start-and-stop talks, a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal looks imminent.
A source tells CNN a final round of talks will begin in the coming hours 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 and urging lawmakers to bring their loved ones home. And U.S. President Joe Biden says he's optimistic a deal that he has championed is on the brink of potentially being finalized.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Pressing hard to close this deal, we have a structure which free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Sources tell CNN members of the Biden and Trump teams are working with mediators to try to resolve the last sticking points of the deal. President-elect Donald Trump says, quote, "There's been a handshake and they're getting it finished." Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: 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. And I understand it's been a handshake and they're getting it finished.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: We go live to journalist Elliott Gotkine in London now. So, Elliot, what more are you learning about the details of this possible ceasefire and hostage release deal?
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: I think perhaps the most important part of this hostage release and ceasefire negotiation is that this time really feels different.
You know, we've had so many false dawns over the past year of on off negotiations, including from President Trump back in February, saying that a deal he hoped would be done by that weekend.
They've all come to naught. But this time really feels different from what we hear from Israeli officials, from Hamas and also from the mediators as well.
And I suppose one of the biggest changes, of course, is that Donald Trump is about to be ushered back into the White House. And he's widely perceived to be more pro-Israel than the Biden administration.
But on top of that, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be very keen to resurrect and resume the bromance he had with President Trump during his first term and will be keen to do what he wants.
And Donald Trump has made it very clear publicly that he wants this deal to be done. He doesn't want to be focusing on the Israel-Hamas war. He wants to deal with other things such as China, such as domestic priorities. And so he will want this deal to be done.
Now, in terms of the specifics, you mentioned some of them in your introduction. We're talking about in the first phase of what seems to be a two-phase deal now, some 33 Israeli hostages to be released in the first phase.
Most of those are believed to be alive out of just under 100 hostages in total who are believed to still be held captive in Gaza by Hamas and others.
On top of that, you would also see the ceasefire lasting some 42 days in the initial phase. There would be a surge of aid going into the Gaza Strip. Gazans would be, Palestinians in Gaza would be allowed to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip as well. And there will be the beginning of a withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Now, there are some other specifics to be dealt with. And, of course, the devil is always in the detail. One of the sticking points appears to be from what we hear from Hamas officials telling CNN the size of the buffer zone that Israel wants between the eastern border of Gaza and Israel and the northern border.
[03:05:02]
Israel, according to the Hamas officials, wants something like two kilometers. Hamas wants to return to the status quo ante of about 500 meters. They'll probably end up with something in between. But certainly, we are closer, it seems, than we have ever been before in terms of these negotiations.
Now, if a deal is done in Doha, and these are proximity talks, in other words, the Israelis will be in the same building as Hamas, but not speaking directly to one another, then it still needs to get approved by the Israeli cabinet. And at least one element of that, far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, appears that he isn't going to be supporting a deal.
He says "The emerging deal is a catastrophe for the national security of the state of Israel. We will not be part of a surrender deal that would include releasing terrorist hostages, stopping the war and dissolving the achievements that were bought with much blood and abandoning many hostages."
Now, he doesn't have the numbers to completely bring down the government or to block this deal, but certainly Prime Minister Netanyahu will be mindful of the potential for dissent within his coalition.
But one would expect that if a deal is agreed to in Doha, that it will get over the line and that finally, after 15 months of fighting, there will be relief for Palestinians in Gaza and the release of a large number of hostages.
And that they can then start negotiations during this initial period to try to get a final end to this war, the release of all the hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Elliott Gotkine, many thanks, bringing us that live report from London.
And joining us live now from London, too, is Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and the author of "What Really Went Wrong? The West and the Failure of Democracy in the Middle East." Appreciate you joining us.
So, U.S. President Joe Biden says they are on the brink of sealing a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal before he leaves office. The final draft agreement being considered right now includes the release of 33 hostages and a temporary ceasefire of 42 days. What's your response to what we know about this deal so far and the challenges that lie ahead?
FAWAZ GERGES, PROF. OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: To see it, to believe it. We have been here before, right? It's been 15 months. And we know that President Biden has failed and has failed in a colossal way to end the war in Gaza.
And we know also, forgive me for really going on and on, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outmaneuvered and outsmarted, you know, Joe Biden.
And if you ask me what's really, what has changed? What has changed is the incoming Trump administration that Netanyahu knows very well, that Trump's want a ceasefire before the inauguration next week.
And what Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to do is to provide Benjamin Netanyahu with a gift before the inauguration. And the Trump administration has been actively involved in the talks in Doha.
And this is unusual, as you know, because the incoming Trump administration does not really have any executive power till the 20th of January yet. His Middle Eastern envoy, Steve Whitcock, has been actively engaged in talks in Tel Aviv and Doha.
So, all in all, even though I'm skeptical, I think we are very close to a breakthrough because everyone, including the Americans and the Israelis, at least Benjamin Netanyahu, as opposed to his extremist coalition and Hamas, want an end to this catastrophic nightmare that has destroyed Gaza and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
And of course, end the nightmare for the Israeli hostages and their families who have suffered a great deal over the past 15 months.
CHURCH: So Professor, are you saying that Benjamin Netanyahu held off a final deal on this to deliver a gift to Donald Trump in the way of a ceasefire deal?
GERGES: One hundred percent. This is really, it has become, it's no longer really a secret. Think of how many times Joe Biden and his team have tried to really bring at least a partial ceasefire. Think of how Benjamin Netanyahu has dragged his feet and has basically every time he basically put impediments before signing a deal with Hamas.
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What has changed is that Donald Trump will take over in a week. And Benjamin Netanyahu knows that Donald Trump is not Joe Biden. Even Donald Trump is more supportive of Israel and the right-wing coalition. At the end of the day, I think what Benjamin Netanyahu wants is the following.
He wants a partial ceasefire. He wants the return of the hostages, and then he will resume the war. This is, everyone knows it. What Hamas want is a comprehensive end to the war. So, the reality is you have three phases, the first phase, the second phase, and the third phase.
And Netanyahu will tell his coalition, his extremist religious Zionist coalition, look, let's get the hostages back and we can resume the war in a few weeks.
That's exactly what's happened, what's going to happen in Gaza at the end of the third phase, even if we reach the third phase of basically Israeli withdrawal for the return of hostages.
CHURCH: So, you see the first 42 days going smoothly, but you don't think this is going to work beyond that?
GERGES: (inaudible) In fact, everything that we know about the Netanyahu strategy in Gaza is that he will not accept an end to the war, a permanent end, a comprehensive end. He does not really accept the presence of Hamas.
I mean, think what has happened. This is not, it's not an opinion. For the past 15 months, how many times have you heard that Israel has won, that Hamas is destroyed, that Hamas is defeated, yet Hamas continues to fight?
Just yesterday, 10 Israeli soldiers and officers were killed and injured. Even though Hamas has been weakened considerably, Hamas still standing, and Benjamin Netanyahu cannot really afford to tell the Israeli public and his coalition, you know, after 40 days or so that, well, look, the war is over and Hamas will continue to have a political and military presence in Gaza.
CHURCH: Fawaz Gerges, thank you so much for your analysis and perspective on this issue. We appreciate it.
We're turning now to Southern California, where firefighters are working to stop a new brush fire from spreading. It broke out in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, just hours ago, prompting evacuation orders.
The area is under the highest fire threat, and this comes as fire crews are bracing for more powerful winds overnight. As for L.A. County, the strongest winds will likely be felt in areas outside the active fire zones, but the danger is still high for these fires to spread further or for new ones to break out.
Those winds threaten to undo the progress firefighters have made against the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have burned more than 15,000 hectares combined. The L.A. fire chief says the threat for the area remains critical through Wednesday.
CNN's Veronica Miracle is following developments from Southern California. She has this report.
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VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dire warnings coming at a critical stage for firefighters.
CHIEF KRISTIN CROWLEY, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT: We are not in the clear as of yet, and we must not let our guard down.
MIRACLE (voice-over): 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 (voice-over): 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 pre-positioned engine strike teams and task forces, which are dedicated to rapid response.
MIRACLE (voice-over): A relatively calm weekend allowed firefighters to make progress. The Eaton fire in Altadena, which has damaged or destroyed at least 7000 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 (voice-over): 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.
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DOMINIC CHOI, ASSISTANT CHIEF, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT; But we tried to 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 (voice-over): In the fire's wake, the stories of loss echo across the region.
UNKNOWN: People like me lost everything, not only the home, but every single thing in it.
UNKNOWN: Lots of tears, anger, we're going through the stages of grief.
UNKNOWN: 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 every -- it's overwhelming.
MIRACLE (voice-over): The Gellers, like thousands of their neighbors, forced to flee only to return to utter devastation.
UNKNOWN: It's as if bombers flew over the community and completely decimated the community.
MIRACLE (voice-over): Veronica Miracle, CNN, Altadena.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam is tracking the high winds that could cause the wildfires to spread faster in the coming hours.
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DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Unfortunately, conditions will likely get worse before they get any better.
Using terminology from the National Weather Service out of Los Angeles, this is about as bad as it gets in terms of the potential fire weather on the ground across Southern California.
What you're looking at is known as the red flag warning. So anywhere you see this shading of pink, this is an area they've identified as the high risk for rapid fire growth should fire spread.
Now, what they've done is taken it one step further and identified an area that's under what they call a particularly dangerous situation. They reserve these for only the most extreme and rare events.
This time though, it is extending across much of the San Fernando Valley and into Ventura County. So, this is different from just about 24 hours ago.
Remember the last time they issued one of these PDS, particularly dangerous situations, it included the areas where the Palisade fire blew up and created the devastating scenes that we've all seen flash in front of our T.V. screens here. Multiple businesses and homes lost in that fire, which is still not contained.
So, it's all about the wind direction, right? And for the most part this week, during this past Santa Ana wind event, it's been out of the Northeast.
Well, there's a subtle shift in the wind that could put other areas that haven't been at this most extreme fire risk more at threat. Let me explain.
That east-north easterly direction will take the greatest winds into central and eastern portions of Ventura County and extreme western L.A. County.
So, that's where we're going to focus, a lot of our attention going forward as we see the tinderbox conditions on the ground, couple that with the low relative humidity and the powerful winds coming out of that east-north easterly direction.
And there it is, the area near the border of Ventura and Los Angeles County where we have our greatest fire risk.
High wind warnings in place for this region. Could gust in excess of 50, 60 miles per hour. Just incredible amounts of wind that gets funneled up and over the mountain ranges.
But of course, it's not the wind that's the only part of this factor. It's the true fact that it's just been so dry across Southern California. In fact, we're in the month of January now and this should be one of the wettest months of the year.
We're entering into the rainy season within Southern California. It's just that it hasn't rained yet. Since the beginning of the water year, which starts October 1st, it doesn't run the calendar year, we should have nearly five inches of rain falling from the sky.
We've only received three one-hundredths of an inch. So bone-dry conditions, a rapid increase in the severity of the drought. And there's no real rain, appreciable rain, in this forecast.
We have to look towards the weekend when we get this glimmer of hope where we start to increase the relative humidity values because the change in the wind direction will take more of this marine layer, the onshore wind from the Pacific Ocean, and perhaps move it into some of the hardest-hit areas.
Look, at this stage, we'll take whatever we can get. Back to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith says if Donald Trump had not been re-elected president, the evidence against him would have resulted in his conviction at trial.
That is the conclusion of Smith's report, released just a few hours ago, on Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Much of what's in the report is already known.
Smith includes extensive details of Trump's efforts to retain power including pressuring state officials to adopt a fraudulent electors' plan. In a letter to the Attorney General, Smith says Trump's claim of complete exoneration is false and he stands fully behind the merits of the case.
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More now from CNN's senior U.S. justice correspondent, Evan Perez.
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EVAN PEREZ, CNN SR. U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: We learn here for the first time, there's a few details of all the things that they looked at.
And they looked at whether Donald Trump could be charged with violating the Anti-Riot Act, for instance. This would basically put Donald Trump more firmly connected to the riot.
And what they described here in a footnote is that the office was aware that courts have struck down and limited various prongs of the Anti-Riot Act, so they decided it wasn't worth the fight to try to do that.
They also looked at another statute, which they believe they had strong evidence Mr. Trump and his co-conspirators agreed to use deceit to defeat the government function of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the election, to obstruct the certification and to injure the right of citizens to vote and have their votes counted.
Again, one of the things that they said is that they decided they didn't need that. They stuck to just the four charges that they have. And so what this report now tells us a little bit about is that they did look at other things to charge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: CNN's Evan Perez reporting there.
And it didn't take long for Donald Trump to respond to the special counsel's report. He called it fake findings by, quote, "deranged Jack Smith, who was unable to get the case tried before the election."
Back to our breaking news in Los Angeles after a short break and how the wildfires will make California's insurance crisis even worse. Some homeowners who had their policies cancelled have now lost everything.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is in talks to visit Los Angeles as early as next week. No details have been finalized, but sources tell CNN Trump plans to survey the wildfire damage and review the recovery efforts.
California Governor Gavin Newsom sent a letter to Trump on Friday, inviting him to see the devastation firsthand and meet with those affected by the fires. Trump has repeatedly criticized Newsom, as well as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, over their wildfire response and has even called for Newsom to resign.
Well, meantime, there could be strings attached to potential aid from Washington to help California recover from the deadly fires, and it could become the latest hot-button issue to divide lawmakers given new remarks from House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Here's what he told CNN's Manu Raju.
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REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: (inaudible) serious conversations about that. Obviously, there's been water resources management, forest management mistakes, all sorts of problem.
And it does come down to leadership, and it appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty in many respects, so that's something that has to be factored in.
I think there should probably be conditions on that aid. That's my personal view. We'll see what the consensus is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Not all Republicans share Johnson's opinion. Senate Majority Leader John Thune says the government will have to evaluate what California needs, and he says there will be a discussion on the role each level of government should play.
The Los Angeles fires are sure to make an already crippling insurance crisis in California even worse. Some homeowners who lost everything had no coverage after a wave of cancellations in the past few years.
CNN's Brian Todd has our report.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Francis Bischetti tells CNN his home in Pacific Palisades, California, is completely gone, burned down in a scene he described to us as mayhem.
FRANCIS BISCHETTI, HOME BURNED DOWN, UNINSURED: It was just really intense, like intense at a level that I've never, ever experienced.
TODD (voice-over): Bischetti says he tried to protect his home by watering the property year-round. He says he had to do that because last year, he learned that the annual cost of his homeowner's insurance policy was skyrocketing.
BISCHETTI: We got a notice that our fire insurance went up from approximately $4500, I want to say, per year up to, I think they jumped us to $18,000 a year. And those are numbers that we just could not afford.
TODD (voice-over): He says he also could not afford to get on a program set up by the state called the California Fair Plan, which has higher premiums, less coverage, and would have required him to cut down several trees on his property, which was too expensive for him.
So, Bischetti says he basically was forced into an untenable position.
BISCHETI; We sort of agreed between me and my sisters that what we ought to just cancel the fire insurance.
TODD (voice-over): Francis Bischetti's story is not an isolated case. For several years, major insurance companies have been hiking up rates at an astounding pace in California and not renewing policies.
RICHARD GILLER, INSURANCE RECOVERY LAWYER IN LOS ANGELES: The insurance companies decided not to write new policies or they decided just to not renew people. And that left a number of homeowners scrambling to try and find other private insurance.
TODD (voice-over): The California Department of Insurance says that between 2020 and 2022, insurance companies declined to renew 2.8 million homeowner policies in California, including 531,000 policies in Los Angeles County, where the current wildfires are causing so much devastation.
State Farm, California's largest home insurer, announced last summer that it was seeking increases in rates of as much as 52 percent for some renters, citing increased costs and risks. State Farm had already stopped selling insurance for new homes in California in 2023.
GILLER: It's incredibly risky in high-risk area. Some people are estimating that we could be looking at 50 or $60 billion in losses.
TODD (voice-over): In recent days, California's insurance commissioner issued a bulletin to protect homeowners affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires for one year.
UNKNOWN: I am using my moratorium power to stop all non-renewals and cancellations.
TODD: When State Farm announced it would stop new home insurance sales, the company issued a statement specifically citing skyrocketing construction costs and the risks posed by wildfires like the ones we're seeing now.
Farmers Insurance, which was Francis Bischetti's carrier, did not respond to CNN's request for comment on his case, but told the Los Angeles Times it could not comment on Bichetti's assertions because the company does not discuss individual policyholders. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Amy Bach is a consumer advocate for insurance policyholders and the executive director and co-founder of the Consumer Nonprofit United Policyholders, and she joins me now from San Francisco. I appreciate you talking with us.
AMY BACH, CONSUMER ADVOCATE FOR INSURANCE POLICYHOLDERS AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER, CONSUMER NONPROFIT UNITED POLICYHOLDERS: Sorry about the circumstances that brought me here, but happy to be able to help your viewers.
CHURCH: Thank you so much. And of course, even before these latest wildfires were raging across Los Angeles, there was concern about a home insurance crisis with insurance companies raising premium costs and canceling some policies. Many homeowners denied coverage or facing skyrocketing prices. So how many homeowners are left with nothing? What's going on with these insurance companies?
[03:30:00]
BACH: Well, what's going on with these insurance companies is that they are behaving like rational capitalists. They see climate change. They have all kinds of technology today that they didn't used to have that really magnifies risk and tells them a lot more detail about the risks that they have been previously insuring blindly. And so, they've been pulling back at a rapid clip on the number of
homes they'll insure in California and other parts of the United States and they've been raising prices so we've got a situation on our hands.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: So, homeowners who were lucky enough to have fire insurance coverage are now in a panic submitting those claims. How difficult will it be for them to get enough money to rebuild their homes?
BACH: Well, in California, we have very strong regulations and laws that protect consumers. My organization has been providing wildfire recovery support for three decades, so we know the rules and we spend a lot of time sharing information with wildfire impacted property owners and helping them get their insurance claims paid, or get professional help if that's what they need.
The bottom line is insurance companies have the financial strength to pay these claims and meet their obligations, and that both us and the Department of Insurance will be expecting them to meet those obligations.
You know because a lot of high-profile celebrities and people who know how to use social media were impacted. I expect the light of the media and the attention of the world to stay on insurance companies to keep, you know, hope that they do the right thing.
CHURCH: And what happens to all those residents who had their insurance policy cancelled and lost their homes to these fires? How do they move forward and where do they live? Because that becomes the next major problem doesn't it? A housing crisis.
BACH: Right. You've got not only do you have the 12,000 and climbing households that no longer have a home, but you have many more thousands whose homes have been charred or smoke damaged and won't be able to move back in for a while.
So, there's a really big crisis for people to find temporary living situations. And I think you know we are worried about there being more people who had no insurance after this disaster than we normally see. We've been starting to see that after wildfires in California in the rural areas.
We see more and more people having just been priced out and given up and they don't have a mortgage. No one's forcing them to buy insurance so they just cannot find the money to pay.
There's going to be some other people that fell through the cracks. Maybe they got dropped and they didn't have time to put coverage in place but most of the people who lost their homes should have some kind of coverage. It may not be enough but it will be something.
CHURCH: Yes, I saw one instance where a man he was paying $4,000 a year for fire insurance. That skyrocketed to $18,000 and he just couldn't pay it and so he didn't have insurance and that's the problem for a lot of people. Very modest home as well. So, what is the future of these home insurance companies as premiums
like this skyrocket beyond what most people can afford so that only the wealthy are insured?
BACH: Well, you know, we're not going to -- we can't let that happen. We're going to have to come up with some solutions. You know my organization prior to this disaster had been working very hard to push for rules that would require insurers to give people a discount for engaging in risk reduction for what we call mitigation.
Hardening their homes, creating defensible space, living in communities where lots of their neighbors were doing the same thing and then you know trying to get those people rewarded by insurance companies and we were kind of edging toward that.
I think, you know, this horrifying disaster is going to set us back a little but we're going to keep pushing to get people a break on their premiums when they have taken steps to improve their chances after a wildfire.
We're also going to be working hard to repair the market but simultaneously we are at the drawing board looking at new models for pools, you know, maybe some more government supported pools and -- and try to, kind of you know the, profit part, the fact that, you know the insurers that have been ensuring people's homes all over the country, a lot of them are publicly traded.
You know they're between a rock and a hard place so we're going to have to kind of shift that for-profit model somewhat to recognize that home insurance is not a luxury it's a necessity and we're going to have to find ways to help people stay protected at a price they can afford.
CHURCH: Amy Bach thank you so much for talking with us and for all the great work you're doing. I appreciate it.
BACH: Thank you so much.
CHURCH: Still to come, putting their lives on the line to stop the fires and get out of jail early while hundreds of prisoners are helping to battle the Los Angeles wildfires.
Plus, a report that negotiators are on the verge of a deal that could lessen the suffering in Gaza and free some of the hostages. We'll have details on the other side of the break. Stay with us.
[03:35:09]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Let's get you up to speed on our top story this hour. Increasing winds over the next few days are expected to complicate efforts to fight the fires in Los Angeles. The latest has broken out in nearby Ventura County; at least 24 people have been killed and close to a hundred square kilometers burned so far. 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 is now 33 percent contained. Authorities are pushing back on claims the fires are due to poor forest management.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF BRIAN FENNESSY, ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY: There's no question that you know that the wild lands throughout the West. You know are unhealthy and we need to you know do what we can to restore the landscape you know be it through beneficial fire and fuel removal you know a variety of different things, that's unquestionable. We need to do that.
However, we're talking about the fires that we experienced down here in Southern California quite frankly we're talking 70, 80 mile an hour consistent winds with gusts of 90 to 100. You know, we've seen fires like this blow by 12, 15 lane freeways. I literally mean it is unstoppable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: More than 900 incarcerated firefighters are helping battle the wildfires right now as part of a long-standing program in California.
CNN's Anderson Cooper explains what he saw one group doing in the field.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, AC360: Over on this Ridge, a large crew of firefighters, those are actually inmates who have volunteered to learn firefighting skills.
They are working clearing -- there you see the road they're on, that's a road likely created by bulldozers earlier to kind of create a fire line, they are now widening that road clearing out more underbrush.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:40:03]
CHURCH: California's Corrections Department sees it as a form of rehabilitation but activists have largely opposed the program especially because of the pay inmates are paid a maximum of $10.24 per day they can earn an additional dollar for each hour work during emergencies.
Meantime, the California minimum wage is $16.50 an hour. Some participants can get days removed from their sentences, but the ACLU reports that in a five-year period more than 1,000 incarcerated firefighters were injured on the job and four were killed.
Royal Ramey is the co-founder and CEO of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program which helps formerly incarcerated firefighters find work after they're released. Thank you so much for talking with us.
ROYAL RAMEY, CO-FOUNDER AND CRO, FORESTRY AND FIRE RECRUITMENT PROGRAM: No, thanks for having me.
CHURCH: So, why are incarcerated firefighters battling these L.A. wildfires right now and where exactly are these nearly 1,000 California inmates located?
RAMEY: So, first and foremost, I would like to send my thoughts and prayers out to the families that was impacted by the L.A. fires and a big shout out to all the first responders and volunteers that's out there serving the L.A. community.
They are they -- majority of the folks that's out there fighting the fires right now. They are spread out across California so you got about 35 camps and throughout the state in southern, northern California, and the program been around since the 1940's, thousands of people being a part of the program and it actually changed my life.
CHURCH: So why were these inmates incarcerated in the first place, what were their various crimes?
RAMEY: Honestly is -- it depends on you know an individual but it's three crimes that you pretty much can't have so, you know, you can't have an arson, you can't have a sex crime, and then you can't have a -- like a serious violent crime. So, it's a mixture of different, you know, situations that folks you know have.
CHURCH: And there appears to be an equal share of criticism and support for these inmates battling the L.A. fires, Kim Kardashian has asked the governor to raise their pay while some Republicans are appalled that they're being used at all. What do you say to critics of this program?
RAMEY: So, you know, first off, it is a voluntary program. There's a lot of benefits that come with it instead of you being in a cell, you know, living you can be in a dormitory setting, get better food, so you know, get a better visit when it comes to your family and out of behind a glass, you can be in a park-like setting.
And then some of the folks, you know, you go out there in the community and then also get you know time off.
For me personally, you know, exposed me to a career that I love now and that's one of the reasons why I started the Forestry and Fire Recruitment program. Me and my co-founder Brandon Smith and I, you know, had that experience.
And, you know we are a training-- career training nonprofit organization that equips people, you know, that's come home from prison and other marginalized communities for careers protecting the environment is serving our community as firefighters. And we do this --
CHURCH: And talk to -- right, I wanted to get you to talk to us more about how it changed your life, as you say and also what happens to these inmates once they've helped fight these fires and have been released from prison. Where do they go and what does the future look like for them?
RAMEY: So, to be honest with you, so first off, I want to say you know incarceration is really incarcerated firefighters that's really the true term.
And from my experience, I know the harsh reality is that once they come home you know it is a -- uphill battle in getting a job and doing exactly the same thing that they do today which there is a short labor shortage here in California when it comes to wildland firefighting.
And I want to bring it back a little bit towards the organization and what we do so once they come home, we can be able to help them in four different ways, right?
We could -- we recruit them, we train them, we employ them or help them get employed, and then we help them mentor them throughout their career.
And today we have our graduates out there, that's out there fighting those L.A. fires and we're so proud of them. And we excited about the future getting the exposure and knowing that all the folks that's out there you know all the thousand-plus incarcerated firefighters out there.
[03:45:06]
All the brave men and women in fire camps deserve an opportunity to get a job when they come home.
CHURCH: And will all of them get jobs?
RAMEY: In wildland firefighters, some folks might not want to have a job in the fire service because it is hard work. But I really truly believe that we need more people to do this work you know to prevent these fires and before they even start.
CHURCH: Royal Ramey, thank you so much for talking with us and of course for all that your program is doing all the hard work they're fighting these fires. I appreciate it.
RAMEY: Thank you. I appreciate you for having me.
CHURCH: Pope Francis is releasing his long-awaited memoir today; it is the first of its kind by a living pontiff since the Renaissance. More on the stories that made him, just ahead.
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CHURCH: A ceasefire between Hamas and Israel is closer than ever. Talks to finalize the deal are being held in Doha today according to a diplomat close to the negotiations.
Families of hostages in Gaza are keeping up the pressure on the Israeli government holding a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Monday. 33 hostages are expected to be released and a 42-day temporary ceasefire implemented during phase one of the emerging agreement.
And joining us now live from Doha is CNN's Becky Anderson. Good to see you Becky. So, what's the latest on efforts to finalize this latest ceasefire and hostage release deal?
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR, "CONNECT THE WORLD": Well, there is certainly some hope and I've been covering this since November of 2023 in and out of Doha since the last time that we had a temporary pause in the fighting in Gaza and the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a surge in humanitarian aid that was 15 months ago.
Of course, and there is certainly now a sense of hope and optimism that we are close to the deal being agreed that could be implemented imminently to halt this fighting.
But we are not there yet, these proximity talks being held here with the key stakeholders in these indirect negotiations this morning. And so we await to get any detail on what has been agreed on.
This is to what's been described to me to get nailed the final details in this emerging deal. So, what do we know about this emerging agreement? Well, as you rightly point out, phase one on implementation would be a 42-day period.
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During which, 33 of the 94 hostages who were taken on October the 7th and held in Gaza would be released most, but not all of those hostages are believed to be alive.
That is the beginning of what would be this plan: this is a temporary halt in fighting over a 42-day period. Now, importantly on day 16 of that period, negotiations would open again for what is intended to be a deal to end this war.
During this first phase, the Israelis would retain a presence in what is known as the Philadelphia corridor or Philadelphi corridor, sorry, and that is a very small strip of land between Gaza and Egypt but would gradually withdraw to what is a buffer zone on the Gaza border.
Not clear how wide that buffer zone would be in the past it was about a third to half of a kilometer and report suggests the Israelis are looking for a wider field on that buffer zone.
And during that period of time, residents of Gaza would be allowed to return to the northern part of the strip although again reports suggest that the Israelis are talking about security arrangements as yet unspecified.
Palestinian prisoners would be released, those prisoners who are deemed to have been involved in killing Israelis or having killed Israelis would not be returned to the West Bank at least, it's not clear where they would be returned to.
And there would be a surge in humanitarian aid of course. Clearly incredibly important at this point for those residents of Gaza who are still living in catastrophic conditions.
So that is what we understand the detail in principle of this emerging deal to be but we await further information in the hours to come. Are we looking at an end to this war, Rosemary, today, tomorrow or next week? Certainly not a final end to this war but there is a prospect, at least, of a temporary halt at this point to relieve those on the ground.
Obviously, these hostage families who have been crying out for action for what 400 and nearly 70 days at this point, and a sense at least that there is progress towards the end of these hostilities and a brighter future for not just Gaza but the region going forward, Rosemary?
CHURCH: Progress and hope as you say. Becky Anderson, joining us live from Doha with that report, many thanks. We'll keep an eye on this of course.
Well, Pope Francis is releasing his long-awaited memoir today. CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb has read the book and will bring us the details after a short break. Stay with us.
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CHURCH: Pope Francis is releasing his autobiography today the memoir titled "Hope" charts his rise from humble beginnings in Argentina to the highest seat in the Catholic Church.
CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb joins us now and Christopher you have read the Pope's autobiography. What can you tell us about it and were there any surprises?
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well Rosemary, one of the most striking things about this autobiography is the sense you get from the Pope that he feels inadequate that he has committed many sins and mistakes throughout his life.
It goes into some detail about that, he says he has a reputation that he doesn't feel he deserves, it's quite remarkable for a Pope and a world leader to be so open and honest about that to have that sense of humility.
Now, this book goes into detail about Francis' early life in Buenos Aires in Argentina and it explains how those formative experiences have shaped him as Pope for example he was -- he is the grandson of migrants who traveled from Italy to Argentina.
And that experience he says that family history has given him a sensitivity to the plight of refugees today, something that's been a signature of his pontificate. And he also talks about growing up in the 1930's being aware of the rise of fascism and links.
Some of those experiences of the 1930's, those features of the rise of fascism in the 1930's to contemporary populism and he issues a warning about the populist surge today.
Now this book is, I would say, short on major revelations when it comes to Francis' papacy. It doesn't give us huge new details. The Pope does say that he's not considering resigning, that despite old age he is in good health generally.
He does address the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis as he feels he has a responsibility to deal with evil that has taken place in the church from priests who abused.
And he also says that when he started as Pope he was handed a big box of documents from Benedict the 16th, his predecessor, which had all sorts of information about scandals and the scourge of abuse which he said he's trying to deal with.
So, certainly, a book I think that gives a sense of Pope Francis, the person, but short and revelations about his papacy. Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Christopher Lamb bringing us that live report from London.
And thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane.
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