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Suspended South Korean President Arrested; U.S. Lawmakers Grilled on Incoming Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Confirmation; A 93-Year-Old Resident in Pacific Palisades Evacuated as His Humble Home Burned Down by Wildfires; Princess Catherine Slowly Resumes Public Duties After Her Cancer Remission. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 15, 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, South Korea's embattled President Yoon Suk-yeol is spending the night in jail, refusing to answer questions from investigators after he was arrested for questioning over last month's failed martial law decree.
Plus, it's closer than ever to a deal. Negotiators are set to be hammering out the final details on an agreement to halt the fighting in Gaza and bring dozens of hostages home. And stories of heartbreak, loss and tragedy emerge from the deadly California wildfires. We'll have one man's story of resilience as many now wonder how they can rebuild.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. And we begin in South Korea, where suspended President Yoon Seok-yeol has been arrested for questioning over his failed martial law decree last month. He was taken into custody by anti-corruption investigators a few hours ago, ushered away from the presidential residence in his motorcade. Yoon faces multiple inquiries and an impeachment trial. He denounced the investigations in a pre-recorded message released after his arrest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YOON SUK-YEOL, SUSPENDED SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Unfortunately, the law is all broken in this country. It is truly deplorable to see a warrant issued to an agency that does not have the right to investigate, a court that does not have the right to examine the warrant issue, an arrest warrant, a search warrant, and to see an investigative agency forcefully proceed with this illegal act of deceiving the people by issuing false official documents.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Yoon said he was surrendering to authorities now in the hopes of preventing bloodshed. Hundreds of opponents and supporters turned out in Seoul as authorities moved in to detain him. I want to go live now to CNN's Mike Valerio in the South Korean city of Gwacheon, not far from the capital Seoul. So, Mike, what is the latest on this? And of course, what comes next?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we now know that South Korea's suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol is answering no questions, viewing this whole process about whether or not to hold him criminally responsible for declaring martial law on December 3rd. He is taking part in as little as possible as he can in regards to this effort.
So, Rosemary, an interesting dynamic taking place behind us. So, we are in a secure compound where South Korea's suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol is being questioned. His supporters are behind this metal gate.
And in part of the frame, you may see every now and then a sign, perhaps a little farther in the background, that says, stop the steal. Certainly, that's what shows up in Korean, shows up in English as well. And what is happening here, conservatism in Korea, Rosemary, is starting to mirror conservatism in the United States.
And long story very short, supporters of South Korea's president say that they had an election in April, which they say without hard concrete evidence was stolen from them. And now they assert through this effort that their suspended president is being stolen from them as well, in a way, through this effort to see if he can be held liable with criminal penalties.
We want to show you this building, though, a couple hundred meters away. On the third floor, Rosemary, that's where Yoon Suk-yeol is being questioned right now. There are members of his Secret Service team who are spread throughout the third floor.
And as soon as questioning wraps up, he is going to be sent to Seoul Central Detention Facility, which is where he will spend the night alone in solitary confinement.
The investigators here say that is for his own safety, so he doesn't mix with any other detainees. But it will be fascinating to see where he goes from here. He has an impeachment trial, the latest phase that is set for tomorrow.
So, what we're talking about here is a criminal penalty. But meanwhile, he is also facing an impeachment effort. And that could remove him from office, Rosemary, as soon as the next few months from now, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Mike Valerio with that live report.
[03:05:03]
More than six million people in Southern California are under a critical fire threat today. Forecasters say they expect winds to pick up in the coming hours, which could make the wildfires worse. Already, Cal Fire says the Eaton Fire and the Palisades Fire are the most destructive in the region's history. 25 people have been killed and at least 13 are unaccounted for.
The Palisades Fire has burned close to 10,000 hectares and is 18 percent contained. The Eaton Fire has burned close to 6,000 hectares and is 35 percent contained. Investigators are searching for the causes of all these fires. CNN's Nick Watt has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We know what sets the scene for these fires. Dry brush, low humidity, high winds. But what about the spark? Bottom line, we are usually to blame.
DAVID ACUNA, BATTALION CHIEF AND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, CAL FIRE: 95 percent of all fires are started by humans. That's not all arson. It can be accidental.
WATT (voice-over): A cigarette butt, a campfire, fireworks or a spark from a power line. It's the infrastructure of human life that's often to blame. After the Eaton Fire just devastated Altadena, the electric company already being sued for allegedly starting it by mistake. SoCal Edison denies this. Investigators still do not know.
CHERYLL KU, EVACUATED ALTADENA HOME: We did see the embers flying. It was almost like snow flurries.
WATT (voice-over): 6:19 P.M., Tuesday, the Ku family doorbell cam captured fire at the base of a power line pylon in Eaton Canyon.
JEFFREY KU, EVACUATED ALTADENA FIRE: It was burning bright and it was the base of the tower on fire.
WATT (voice-over): Above the palisades, a puff of smoke on a satellite image taken 10:37 Tuesday morning. And this video shot by hikers high on a hillside of trails and bone-dry chaparral.
UNKNOWN: It was probably only about 50 feet away from us. We started to hear the fire crackle like right behind us. And the wind was started to pick up really fast.
WATT (voice-over): Arson investigators and sniffer dogs searching for any sign of accelerants here. Should those trails have been closed when fire danger was so severe?
JOHN LENTINI, PRESIDENT, SCIENTIFIC FIRE ANALYSIS: You might argue that it would prevent a spark. But when you've got this much dry vegetation and this much wind preventing all the sparks is pretty hard.
WATT (voice-over): Midnight last night, as winds whipped up, the Angeles National Forest was closed to the public. That's more than a thousand square miles of wilderness north of the city. Late Thursday, this man was arrested in Azusa, accused of trying to set a tree on fire. He did not start a major blaze.
LENTINI: California seems to have a large number of crazies who get off on setting fires.
DANIEL BERLANT, STATE FIRE MARSHAL, CALIFORNIA: In fact, just last year, we arrested over 150 arsonists who started wildfires intentionally here in California.
WATT (voice-over): But power lines and equipment are the most common culprit, sparking some of the most devastating fires in the state. The Woolsey, Camp and Tubbs fires. Live cables get hit by branches in the wind, fault and spark. That's why more than 20,000 households face power shut offs today--
UNKNOWN: -- which are going to prevent our next fire from starting.
WATT (voice-over): But who or what exactly sparked these current fires?
BERLANT; At this is just too early to determine what that or who that might be.
WATT: So, up on this hillside behind me is the general area of origin. Investigators trying to narrow that down to a specific area, maybe even just the size of a dinner plate. They do that by examining every pebble, every blade of grass to figure out which way the fire was moving.
Now, arson obviously on the table. Everything's on the table. A couple of power poles up there, also a potential issue. Also, there was another fire here New Year's Day in this same area. So, there's a possibility that something could have remained smoldering underground that was then reignited when those winds picked up. But it's going to be months, perhaps, before we really know what happened here. Nick Watt, CNN, Pacific Palisades, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Now, to Doha, Qatar, where negotiators are ironing out the final details of the hostage ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. The militant group Islamic Jihad, which also holds hostages in Gaza, says a senior delegation will be in Doha to take part in final arrangements. And Israel's foreign minister says the majority of Israel's government will support the deal.
The first phase of the potential agreement could see 33 hostages freed, including children, women, the elderly and the sick, and a 42- day ceasefire implemented. And Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released in six rounds.
[03:10:10]
On Tuesday, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant attended demonstrations in Tel Aviv held by the hostages' families, who say they're fearful about the fate of their loved ones.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERUT NIMRODI, MOTHER OF HOSTAGE TAMIR NIMRODI: Of a young boy, I'm scared. I'm scared that he won't be back home, and it will take time till we get another deal done. And I don't know if there will be anyone to bring back home, and it scares me.
YAIR KESHENT, UNCLE OF HOSTAGE YARDEN BIBAS; Actually, I'm afraid right now, because right now the deal is not sealed. I'm waiting for the deal to be sealed, I mean, from Israel and from the Hamas. And I'm afraid that each minute that is passing, it might ruin this deal. And I hope that it's not going to be ruined.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: As they wait for news of a possible ceasefire, civilians are still suffering and dying each day in Gaza. On Tuesday, Israeli strikes killed at least 54 people across the enclave. This house in southern Gaza was hit, people rushing to dig their loved ones out from the rubble. According to witnesses and Palestinian officials, nine people were
killed here, including women and children. Paula Hancocks joins me now from Abu Dhabi. So, Paula, what more are you learning about these latest Israeli strikes across Gaza?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, as you mentioned there, 54 died on Tuesday. We understand that the death toll from some of those airstrikes that happened yesterday is rising this morning, and there have been further airstrikes.
In Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, for example, there were at least a dozen killed, including women and children, when a three- storey residential building was leveled. We know in central Gaza as well, there were a number of strikes, including four airstrikes, which killed eight, that included four children.
So, we are seeing this bombardment of Gaza continue to the end, despite the fact that there are hopes that this ceasefire hostage deal may be imminent, may be close. We are seeing this continual pounding of Gaza. Israel says it is still targeting Hamas. We are still seeing the civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip rise. Now, some of those within Gaza that have spoken to CNN voiced some cautious optimism that the end of this bombardment may be close, but many also don't dare to believe that it could be true.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS (voice-over): This is the closest these girls can get to going to school in Gaza. Trying to teach each other in this school building-turned-displacement center, desperate for an end to the war, which abruptly stopped their education, their safety, their normality 15 months ago.
Sabah Ahmed Aba Ouda remembers her friends, girls she says were killed in Bethanoun at the start of the war. We used to play together, she says, make lunch, do our homework and study. We did everything together. I'm sad. I won't find them when I go home.
Noor is 12 years old and has been displaced, she says, seven times during this war. She wants to go home to see what happened to her school friend, who she hasn't heard from for a year after her home was destroyed. "I just want to go home," she says. "I want my belongings, my toys, my memories."
Northern Gaza has been decimated by Israeli airstrikes in recent months. There's no guarantee Noor's family will have a home to go back to. Abdelrahman Salama digs through the rubble of his home in Khan Younis, hoping to find a blanket or a mattress, anything, to help his family living in a tent by the winter sea.
There are no memories, he says. Our life has vanished. There's no future. He calls negotiations lies, saying we celebrate a little until we see a drone strike, an artillery shell hit or the quadcopter shoot at us. Abu Samir walks through his neighborhood, a place he says residents no longer recognize. He asks about the day after.
Let's say a truce happens, he says, and the residents of this area return. Where do they go? Is this area fit for humans to live in?
[03:15:05]
Ahmad Salama tries to repair one room in his destroyed home, mixing sand and water to make clay. He says he kept waiting to do this, thinking negotiations would work, but he now needs to move his family from a tent on the coast, which collapses every time it rains.
They say the same thing every time, he says, but nothing happens. We want anything. Anything is better than this. With 90 percent of the population displaced, the dream of going home is prevalent, even when they know their home is likely just rubble.
Umm Mohammed Abu Ubaid knows her house is unlikely to have survived in the largely leveled city of Rafah in the south. "I swear when the ceasefire comes," she says, "I will celebrate and rejoice and I will not sleep all night." We hope that this cloud of despair finally lifts. Hope and despair go hand in hand in Gaza. A ceasefire has been close before and yet the bomb still fell.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS: And remember just several months ago, there was a report that Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire deal. The news seeped into Gaza and there were celebrations on the street only for those hopes to be dashed. Thousands more killed since that point.
So, you can understand why there is a lot of cynicism amongst those in Gaza who are of course hoping that the bombs will stop falling. But they have been here before and their hopes have been dashed before. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Indeed. Paula Hancocks, joining us from Abu Dhabi with that report. I appreciate it. Still to come, Donald Trump's embattled pick for Defense Secretary
faces a grilling from Senate Democrats at his confirmation hearing. But Pete Hegseth also got a big vote of confidence from a key Republican holdout. Plus, the Princess of Wales makes her first solo appearance of the year and an emotional announcement about her recovery from cancer. Back with that and more in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Donald Trump's pick for Defense Secretary, a nomination which seemed doomed from the start, now looks like a certainty to get confirmed.
Pete Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday for his confirmation hearing and got a boost from Republican Senator Joni Ernst, who had been skeptical of Hegseth but now says he has her support. Hegseth has faced allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking, as well as pushback over his stance against women serving in military combat.
[03:20:05]
Hegseth did face tough questions from Democrats at the hearing, but from Republicans, he mostly got softballs. CNN's Brian Todd has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. ROGER WICKER (R-MS), SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Good morning. The hearing will come to order.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The man who is perhaps Donald Trump's most controversial pick is likely to be on track for confirmation after his, at times, contentious hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host and Army vet, who the president-elect has tapped to be his Defense Secretary, faced hours of grilling from lawmakers.
SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): You have admitted that you had sex while you were married to wife two after you just had fathered a child by wife three. You've admitted that. Now, if it had been a sexual assault, that would be disqualifying to be Secretary of Defense, wouldn't it?
PETE HEGSETH, INCOMING DEFENSE SECRETARY UNDER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: It was a false claim then and a false claim now.
KAINE: If it had been a sexual assault, that would be disqualifying to be Secretary of Defense, wouldn't it?
HEGSETH: That was a false claim.
TODD (voice-over): That exchange relating to a sexual assault investigation of Hegseth, stemming from a 2017 incident in a Monterey, California hotel room. Hegseth denies the allegations and says the encounter was consensual.
There were no charges brought, but Hegseth's lawyers have confirmed he entered into a non-disclosure agreement with his accuser as part of a settlement. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine came back at Hegseth on allegations of excessive drinking.
KAINE: Many of your work colleagues have said that you show up for work under the influence of alcohol or drunk. I know you've denied that, but you would agree with me, right, that if that was the case, that would be disqualifying for somebody to be Secretary of Defense.
HEGSETH: Senator, those are all anonymous false claims, and the totality of --
KAINE: They're not anonymous.
HEGSETH: The letters on the record here --
KAINE: They're not anonymous.
TODD (voice-over): The 44-year-old characterized those allegations as a, quote, "coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media". Hegseth's past comments that women should not be allowed to serve in combat roles became a contentious subject at the hearing.
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY): We don't want women in the military, especially in combat. What a terrible statement. So, please, do not deny that you've made those statements you have.
TODD (voice-over): Hegseth countered that he would be fine with women in combat if they measured up to the same standards as men.
GILLIBRAND: You're making these generalized statements.
HEGSETH: Commanders meet quotas to have a certain number of female infantry officers or infantry enlisted, and that disparages those women who are incredibly capable of meeting that standard.
GILLIBRAND: Commanders do not have to meet quotas for the infantry. Commanders do not have to have a quota for women in the infantry. That does not exist. It does not exist.
TODD (voice-over): Republican Senator Joni Ernst, an Army veteran and sexual assault survivor, had initially been skeptical of Hegseth as a nominee.
SEN. JONI ERNST (R-IA): We have had very frank conversations.
TODD (voice-over): But on Tuesday, there were no fireworks between the two, as other Republicans sought to portray the president-elect's unorthodox pick as a positive.
WICKER: The nominee is unconventional. That may be what makes Mr. Hegseth an excellent choice to improve this unacceptable status quo.
TODD (voice-over): The lack of contention, at least from Ernst and other Republicans, leading one analyst to believe he could be in the clear. JACKIE KUCINCH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: You saw immediately the right-
wing pressure campaign really target her intensely. The results appeared to be what we saw today, which was a very congenial exchange between Pete Hegseth and Joni Ernst.
TODD: During the hearing, Pete Hegseth repeatedly sidestepped questions from Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin on whether he would ever stand up to president-elect Trump if Trump were to ever give any illegal orders.
Hegseth said he rejects the premise that Trump would ever give any illegal orders. Several people close to president-elect Trump told CNN that Trump's team was in good spirits after the hearing, pointing to the warm reception that Hegseth got from Republican senators on the Armed Services Committee. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Larry Sabato is the director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, and he joins me now from Charlottesville. Good to have you with us.
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-CENTER FOR POLITICS: Thank you, Rosie.
CHURCH: So, after watching how the hearings played out Tuesday, how likely do you think it is that Donald Trump's controversial pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, will get confirmed after his grilling by senators over allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and more, but also failing to answer basic questions that the job would entail?
SABATO: Yes, and the answer comes with partisanship attached. Ninety- five to 100 percent that he's going to be confirmed. And the reason is simply numbers. Republicans have 53 votes in the Senate. They really only need 50. The vice president could break the tie.
And at this point, the senator who was questioning the nominee the most, at least prior to the hearings, was a senator from Iowa, Joni Ernst. And at one point, she appeared to be ready to vote against him. But now she has endorsed him. So, it's done. There really isn't another Republican other than a new senator from Utah.
[03:25:05]
And I think he's probably the only question mark. Even the two we identified originally, Senator Collins from Maine and Senator Murkowski from Alaska, they seem to be leaning toward him. But it doesn't matter. He's going to have at least 50 votes, probably more.
In the old days, he had enough questions around his candidacy to beat him. But we don't do that anymore. Most presidents get all their cabinet nominees anyway. And Trump has more or less threatened Republicans who vote against his cabinet nominees with a primary challenge when they next come up for election. CHURCH: And what about Trump's other controversial picks like Tulsi
Gabbard and Robert Kennedy Jr., how likely is it that they will get confirmed, do you think?
SABATO: At this point, I'm betting on all of them to get confirmed for the reasons I've already outlined. And I think probably, even if there are some controversial answers, they will.
At first, I thought RFK Jr. would be shakiest because Republicans have no ties to the Kennedy family. But to my surprise, and I think other people's surprise, they like the idea of having a Kennedy supporting Trump and the Republican Party. So, he has an advantage there.
Tulsi Gabbard has some work to do. She hasn't talked to enough senators yet, even on the Republican side, apparently. And she's going to be listened to carefully during confirmation hearings. But at this point, the assumption is they'll all get approved.
CHURCH: And Larry, just days before the inauguration of President- elect Donald Trump, Special Counsel Jack Smith released his report on the election interference case against Trump, revealing that prosecutors had amassed sufficient evidence to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial, accusing Trump of a series of criminal efforts to retain power after losing the 2020 election.
But once Trump was elected, the Justice Department tossed out the indictment. But Trump is pushing back, criticising the report and Jack Smith, and plans to pardon some of the January 6th rioters. So, will all this continue to overshadow Trump's second presidency, or is it over and done?
SABATO: Well, it's over and done in one sense. He's not going to jail. Jack Smith suggested that he might well, had he taken this to trial. It's 174 pages. I'd recommend that people take a look at it. Not much of it will surprise you if you've been paying close attention since January 6, 2021. But for those who haven't, I think it will be a revelation.
What's really critical is that this tough team of prosecutors headed by Jack Smith concluded that the evidence they had was overwhelming and that Donald Trump would have been convicted if they had been able to have a trial.
And of course, the Attorney General, Merrick Garland, is primarily to blame for the fact that he didn't get the process started fast enough to get a trial held. And Trump was able to wait out the timescale here and managed to get by without being held accountable.
But it's a devastating conclusion about Trump. People should take a look at it. The first president ever to attempt a coup d'etat to stop the peaceful transfer of power. I don't know if it will affect his second term, but it's certainly going to affect his place in history. It's not going to be forgotten and it shouldn't be forgiven.
CHURCH: And as President Joe Biden finishes up his final week in office, he says he is on the brink of sealing a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. But Donald Trump is taking the credit for getting talks to this final stage with his threats to Hamas. Your reaction to that.
SABATO: Well, Donald Trump would take credit for the sun rising, so that's not unusual. He is a part of this in that he has said repeatedly, if you don't resolve this by January 20th, then there will be hell to pay in the Middle East. And he's really talking to Hamas.
Having said that, though, I think if it happens and nobody would bet on it at this point, how many of these deals have fallen apart? But if lightning strikes and it happens, there'll be plenty of credit to go around. Biden will get some. Trump will get some. Netanyahu will get some. And people will be relieved assuming it holds.
CHURCH: Larry Sabato, always appreciate your analysis. Thank you.
SABATO: Thank you, Rosie. I enjoyed it.
CHURCH: U.S. regulators have sued Elon Musk for allegedly failing to properly disclose his ownership stake in X, then known as Twitter, as he sought to buy out the social media platform back in 2022. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission says his failure to disclose in mid-March of that year allowed the tech billionaire to buy shares at artificially low prices for several weeks before his eventual takeover.
[03:30:00]
A lawyer for Musk said he has done nothing wrong and downplayed the lawsuit as a single-count ticky-tack complaint. It's unclear whether incoming officials will pursue the case, as Musk is a close ally of Donald Trump and set to be part of the incoming Trump administration.
Coming up, families of hostages are hoping their loved ones will come home soon as negotiators continue to work on a deal. We'll hear from some of them. That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well, some Israeli right-wingers are demanding the government abandon its ceasefire negotiations with Hamas. Crowds of protesters marched in Jerusalem on Tuesday, warning Israeli officials against, quote, striking a deal with Satan".
Meanwhile, the hostages and missing families forum held their own protest in Tel Aviv, urging the Israeli government to stop the war and bring all the hostages home. CNN's Jeremy Diamond was there and has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Israel and Hamas are in the final stages of negotiating this ceasefire and hostage release deal. And as that is happening, we are here in Hostages Square, where you can see thousands of people have gathered around us to show their support for that deal, but also really to stand shoulder to shoulder in this moment of incredible uncertainty, but also a moment of incredible hope and optimism.
For the first time now in quite some time, many people here are allowing themselves to feel the hope of this potential deal, including the families of some of those hostages. I spoke tonight with the uncle of Yarden Bibas, who was taken hostage on October 7th alongside his wife and his two young babies.
And he told me that in this moment he is frightened of talks collapsing. He is also frightened of what condition they may return in. But for the first time, he is allowing himself to hope and to believe that this deal will actually become a reality.
[03:35:08]
YAIR KESHENT, NEPHEW HELD HOSTAGE BY HAMAS: We have a phrase that we are saying, you know, hope for the best and prepare for the worst. We are preparing, but we are hoping that something happens and everybody will be alive, and most of the kidnapped will be alive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Let's bring in Jasmine El-Gamal, a former Middle East adviser at the Pentagon. Appreciate you joining us.
JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FORMER PENTAGON MIDDLE EAST ADVISER: Good morning, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, negotiators are trying to work through the final details of this ceasefire and hostage release deal in Doha right now. What are the major sticking points? And do you think they can get this done as US President Joe Biden has suggested?
EL-GAMAL: Right. Well, to answer your second question, I think they will get it done. I think particularly incoming President Donald Trump has made it clear for a while now that he wants to get this deal done. He wants the deal to be done before he takes office.
That was the very clear and very strong message that his incoming special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, relayed to Prime Minister Netanyahu, and again, when he was in Qatar. And so I think that the deal is going to get signed.
And that will be obviously a huge relief, Rosemary. I mean, as Jeremy was just saying, I mean, the people in Gaza, as well as people in Israel, the hostage families, obviously people have been suffering for far too long, and this is going to be a huge relief for them.
It is, however, going to be just the beginning of a very long process. And that process itself, which is the implementation of the deal, and the three phases of the deal that have to be implemented over a period of time, that is going to be a process that is fraught with complications, with potentials for mistakes for either side, for negating on their commitments. So, the process itself is far from over. And those details of the
implementation of the deal, of the three phases, and the mechanisms of enforcement for implementation, those are the things that are being ironed out right now.
There are no real sticking points when it comes to the actual parameters of the deal, but it's how that deal is going to be implemented. Those are the kinds of details that negotiators are working on right now.
CHURCH: And Israel's foreign minister says the majority of Israel's government will support this deal, despite some on the far-right disapproving. But that's offering little comfort to the families of the hostages who are fearful that the deal may fall apart. They've seen it happen before. Why have they lost trust in their government at this point?
EL-GAMAL: Well, I mean, I've talked to friends of mine from Israel who have told me that they feel really let down by this government. For months and months now, there have been reports in the press -- in the Israeli press, of both Arab and Israeli mediators talking about the role that Netanyahu, Prime Minister Netanyahu, has played in dragging out negotiations and dragging out the deal.
Now, to be clear, both sides at one point or the other have been to blame for a deal not being signed. But that does include Prime Minister Netanyahu. And as we've seen over just the last 24, 48 hours, with statements coming out from Ben Gvir and Smotrich, the two very right-wing ministers in his government, it is, like you said, Rosemary, because of that coalition that Prime Minister Netanyahu has been trying to hold together.
Ben Gvir is now saying that he will leave. He's urging Smotrich to do the same. And so, Israelis, I can't speak for all Israelis, of course, but from the Israelis that I've been speaking to, they do feel that the government, this government and its prime minister have not prioritized the return of the hostages. And they feel really let down by that.
CHURCH: And even as these negotiations continue, so too do the deadly Israeli strikes on Gaza. Does that help or hinder these peace efforts?
EL-GAMAL: Well, it's not unusual for Israel, I mean, we saw this in Lebanon as well, to sort of escalate hostilities in the days before signing a peace deal. It's a way of trying to achieve as much, quote- unquote, "progress" that they think they're achieving through these military strikes before they have to sign a deal, and potentially, if they implement the deal, withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
Unfortunately, as you said, that results in a massive toll on the people of Gaza, who've obviously been suffering indescribable amounts of suffering for the last year and several months.
[03:40:07]
So, like I said, Rosemary, both sides of this conflict are extremely battered and traumatized, and they've been let down time and time again, because these talks have been going on for months. And how many times have we heard that the two sides were close to a deal, only to find out that either that wasn't true or the deals fall apart at the last minute?
So, you know, for their sake, obviously, everyone really hoping that this time around, and the Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson yesterday really did say that he is more optimistic and that there's more cause for optimism than ever before.
So, there is a very good chance that this deal will be signed imminently. But like I said, Rosemary, the road then afterwards to implementation and to a long-term peace is a long and fraught road ahead.
CHURCH: Yes, still a long way to go, as you point out. Jasmine El- Gamal, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.
EL-GAMAL: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia targeted energy infrastructure in a new strike overnight, using dozens of missiles and drones to hit gas and energy facilities. He added that air defense systems destroyed most of the missiles and drones, preventing any major damage.
This comes as Moscow vowed to retaliate after Ukraine launched one of its largest ever missile and drone attacks on Russia since the war began. Russia's defense ministry says it shot down 12 Western-made missiles and 146 drones on Tuesday. Ukraine says it successfully struck military and industrial targets as deep as 1,100 kilometers inside Russia.
Still to come, after losing almost everything in the L.A. fires, one- man questions what he should do next. We'll bring you his story of love and loss.
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CHURCH: The wildfires in Southern California have already claimed at least 25 lives and thousands of structures, but behind every single home destroyed is a deep personal history of the people who lived there.
CNN's Gary Tuchman shares the story of a 93-year-old man who lost a long-time home filled with memories to the wildfires.
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GARY TUCHMAN, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The day after Eric Back turned 93 years old, he had to evacuate his Pacific Palisades house as fire approached. And this is what happened to his home.
ERIC BACK, PALISADES FIRE SURVIVOR: It's just a shock. It's hard.
TUCHMAN: I'm so sorry for what you're dealing with.
BACK: My wife and I lost a house. We just lost it.
[03:45:03]
TUCHMAN (voice-over): What makes this so much harder for Eric is that his wife passed away two and a half years ago at the age of 90.
TUCHMAN: Your wife, Rose.
BACK: Yes.
TUCHMAN: How long were you married for?
BACK: Oh, 67 years.
TUCHMAN: 67 years.
BACK: Wonderful years.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Eric and Rose met in their homeland of Germany when they were 17 years old. They both moved to America in the 1950's and got married. They moved into their dream house almost exactly 60 years ago.
BACK: We're lucky we're still together.
UNKNOWN: You're very fortunate.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): They had two children, and now there are four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. But there is such a void in a family without Rose. Eric says the first time they met, they danced.
BACK: We kept dancing. We kept dancing until we were 90 years old. Every Saturday night, we went dancing, ballroom dancing. We enjoyed it.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): The destruction of the house is devastating enough. But like so many fire victims, Eric had to leave so much behind, including physical memories of Rose. All the photo albums of their pictures are now gone. He hasn't been permitted to go back to his home yet.
But we got there and found some sentimental mementos, including this decorative statue that was in front of the house of a kissing girl and boy. Every Sunday, Eric says he goes to the cemetery to talk to her, including this past Sunday after the fire.
BACK: I said, I'm sorry, but there was nothing I could do, and so I lost it, and naturally you were already gone. I'm happy you didn't have to see what actually happened.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Eric says he would like to rebuild his home, but doesn't know if he's too old to do so.
Before we left his grandson's apartment, we told Eric we had something we wanted to give him.
TUCHMAN: We found this outside your house. This must be you and Rose.
BACK: Thank you.
TUCHMAN: Why don't you sit down? I'll put it down so we can look at it together.
BACK: Okay.
TUCHMAN: Very nice.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): His wife Rose, forever alive in Eric's heart.
TUCHMAN: Eric is lucky in that he has a great extended family, the children, the grandchildren, the great-grandchildren. But the trauma is deep, and he joins thousands and thousands of others here in Southern California who have their own personal traumas now. This is Gary Tuchman, CNN, in Altadena, California.
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CHURCH: Char Miller is a professor of environmental analysis and history at Pomona College and the editor of "Burn Scars, a Documentary History of Fire Suppression from Colonial Origins to the Resurgence of Cultural Burning." And he joins me now from Claremont in California. Thank you, Professor, for being with us.
CHAR MILLER, PROF. OF ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS AND HISTORY, POMONA COLLEGE: Thank you so much for having me.
CHURCH: So, as we continue to cover these wildfires and, of course, the devastation they're causing across parts of Los Angeles and into Ventura County, we do want to focus for a moment on the job that comes next, the rebuilding effort in the midst of what is now a housing crisis in the area. How should both counties approach reconstruction in a part of the state where fires like this are becoming the new normal?
MILLER: I would suggest that the first thing they do is they do it really carefully and not on a fast-forward motion, which is what is probably going to happen.
And I say that because the drive to rebuild is perfectly understandable. I get the emotional need to do so. I get the political optics to also argue that it should be done. The dilemma is, as you pointed out, these are areas that have burned in the past, they're burning now, and they will burn in the future. So that raises an issue of, like, how do we build? Why do we build if we build?
CHURCH: And Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass have announced that they will allow for rapid reconstruction in the affected areas. What is your response to that and what are the public health dangers involved in a rebuilding effort of this magnitude and what that will entail?
MILLER: There's a lot to unpack in that. First of all, as I say, I really do understand the sort of political drive to respond to the emotional needs and physical needs and housing needs of people who have lost their homes and apartments.
But my greatest fear is at two levels. The first is immediate. There is a lot of toxic material scattered all over the Palisades, Altadena, and Pasadena, and every place in between. That smoke has been pouring out these toxins from those houses and cars and gas stations and the like for a week now.
You go back up there with bulldozers, and you're just going to kick that material up, as we will see. So, you first have to go in and mitigate all of that toxicity as best you can.
[03:50:09]
And secondly, then you decide, well, who gets to build here? It turns out, I think, that the Palisades, because of the wealth of that community, will be rebuilt very quickly because they have access to capital, mortgages, and the like. They'll think of them as low risk.
Other more poor people who lived in Pasadena and Altadena may not be so lucky. And so we have a social justice issue wrapped up in a public health concern that is laid out by a political drive to rebuild as quickly as possible.
CHURCH: And more immediately, the Santa Ana winds are expected to strengthen in the overnight hours. What will you be looking for? And with weather conditions improving toward the end of the week and into the weekend, do you think the danger for most people will be over, or should residents remain vigilant?
MILLER: Well, I think residents need to remain vigilant for weeks, actually. And that's one of the reasons I'm worried about this new pulse of energy from the Santa Ana schema. Its arrival is already kicking up dust and dirt, debris, and ash, and that's going to be already flying in the air, and it's fine particulate matter.
This is the stuff that gets down into the deepest lobes of our lungs that can produce asthma, that can give you pulmonary diseases, that might weaken your immunity system. It's hard to disaggregate this particular episode from L.A.'s normal smog that we breathe every day, but it certainly doesn't help. It compounds the problem.
So, I'm worried about the winds sparking new fires, to be sure. But I'm more worried, I think, about the long-term consequences of what is actually invisible. We can see fire. We can't see fine particulate matter. And that, for me, is some of the most dangerous material out there.
CHURCH: Char Miller, thank you so much for talking with us. I appreciate it.
MILLER: Thank you so much.
CHURCH: Still to come, the race to rescue possibly hundreds of miners trapped underground in South Africa. Why police say they intentionally cut off their food and water? Back with that in just a moment.
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CHURCH: The Blue Ghost Lunar Probe from Firefly Aerospace is on its way to the Moon.
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The uncrewed mission took off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It's Firefly's first flight to the Moon and part of NASA's goal of taking astronauts back to the lunar surface.
The Resilience Lunar Lander from the Japanese company iSpace is also on board. Even before it gets to the Moon, the Blue Ghost Lander will conduct experiments on solar wind and radiation-resistant computer hardware.
In South Africa, a rescue mission to retrieve miners from an abandoned gold mine is underway. They've been trapped for months, but the government only launched the mission this week. Police say they have pulled out 106 survivors and 51 bodies so far.
[03:55:03]
CNN's Isa Soares reports on the rescue efforts. A warning, though, you may find some of the images disturbing.
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ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rescue teams are in a race against time to reach miners trapped at an abandoned gold mine in South Africa. But for many, it's too late. More than 100 have died, a group representing the miners, told CNN, some from possible hunger as well as dehydration. This after police cut off vital supplies at a crackdown on illegal mining last year.
Grim footage filmed by a miner, which CNN cannot independently verify, appears to show dozens of dead bodies wrapped in plastic. And those still alive look emaciated, pleading for rescue.
UNKNOWN: How many days must you live in a situation like this? Please help us. Please.
SOARES (voice-over): Police say more than 100 miners have been brought to the surface over the past two days, dozens dead and the others arrested, facing charges including illegal mining and immigration violations. The families of those still trapped are desperate, waiting to see if their loved ones come out alive.
I don't even know if my husband is amongst the dead, this woman says. I don't know if he's alive. I'm stressed and depressed. Police started to crack down on illicit mining last year. In November, they blocked food and water supplies in an effort to force miners to the surface.
ATHLENDA MATHE, SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SPOKESPERSON: Our mandate is clear. It is to prevent and combat crime. And we are still of the view that what is happening down there, it's pure criminality.
SOARES (voice-over): A South African court then ordered police to halt its standoff and provide food to the trapped miners. On Sunday, in the face of public pressure, the government said it has begun plans for a rescue operation.
Illegal mining is a dangerous lifeline for tens of thousands in South Africa, driven by poverty and organized crime. The country loses over a billion dollars annually to this underground economy, fueling violence and tragedies like this. Isa Soares, CNN.
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CHURCH: Catherine, the Princess of Wales, says her cancer is now in remission. In a social media post Tuesday, the British Royal said she was relieved and continues to stay focused on her recovery. Earlier, she made an unannounced visit to the London hospital where she was treated last year. She met with medical teams and patients currently receiving treatment.
It was her first solo engagement of the year as she slowly resumes public duties. I want to thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. Enjoy the rest of your day. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane.
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