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South Korean President Arrested, Questioned by Investigators; Defense Secretary Pick Hegseth Grilled by Democrats at Hearing; Critics Question Use of Private Firefight Company in Southern California Fires. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired January 15, 2025 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. Here are some of the top stories we're following today.

Suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk 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. Yoon faces multiple inquiries and an impeachment trial.

U.S. President Joe Biden plans to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism which will leave just North Korea, Iran and Syria on that list. Cuba began facing severe economic sanctions when it received the designation four years ago. Donald Trump though could reverse the Biden administration's move after he is sworn into office next week and --

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... one, ignition.

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MACFARLANE: That was the scene just a few hours ago at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off and is currently headed to the moon with lunar landers on board. The unmanned mission is part of NASA's long-term goal of sending astronauts back to the moon.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: South Korean investigators questioned President Yoon Suk Yeol for several hours earlier today. They say he refused to answer any questions or make any statements. He's expected to stay in solitary confinement at a detention center for safety reasons.

The arrest warrant allows investigators to detain him for up to 48 hours till about 10 a.m. local time on Friday. That is -- it's not clear whether he'll attend his impeachment trial on Thursday, though it will proceed whether he attends or not. President Yoon remains defiant in a pre-recorded message released after his arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) YOON SUK YEOL, SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT (through translator): However, I do not admit to the investigation by the senior civil servant corruption investigations unit. As a president who must protect the Constitution and the legal system of the Republic of Korea, responding to these illegal and invalid procedures is not an acknowledgment of this, but at heart to prevent unsavory bloodshed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Let's go to Seoul now to bring in Kenneth Choi, deputy managing editor of the Chosun Ilbo, a newspaper of record in South Korea. Thank you so much for your time.

So at this current moment with Yoon in custody, apparently not responding to any questioning. The big question we have is what comes next? We were just saying as well there that his impeachment trial is due for Thursday and it will proceed whether or not he attends. So what are your expectations at this point?

KENNETH CHOI, DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR, THE CHOSUN ILBO: Well, you know, Korea is heading into a territory that has never experienced before. You know, never had a sitting president arrested by the police. So it's all incredible and I don't know what to make of it actually. It's quite a shameful day.

And so right now the president is not talking to the prosecutors because he clearly believes that his rights been violated. And actually there is some, you know, truth to that in certain extent that a CIO, the one that arrested the president, you know, doesn't have the jurisdiction or investigate insurrection.

So and the Western Court obviously issued the warrant and there's a lot of controversy whether it has the right to do so. So there's a lot of legal battles going to go on. And obviously the President Yoon's defense team will argue that, you know, his rights been violated by all these things.

So, you know, yes, the CIO must, you know, submit arrest warrant to the court within 48 hours. And if that is issued, the president will be kept in jail for another 20 days or so. We are not so sure whether he will be allowed to attend the constitutional court hearings.

And obviously the court, the Constitutional Court has set out like, you know, five hearings so far. The previous president who was impeached, President Park Geun-hye, she had like 17 hearings back in 2016-17. So if you just compare to that note, you know, the court might give the President Yoon, who is defiant, he said he will fight on.

So he may -- and the court may give him minimum of 17 hearings or 20 hearings and so on. And then the Constitutional Court will probably make a verdict at the end of March or, you know, early April. Then, you know, you will be all in history.

[04:35:02] FOSTER: He's claiming, you know, whoever's trying to take him down are illegitimate authorities. It's interesting, isn't it, the way the police are standing back a bit from this, who you wouldn't question when it comes to arresting. Just explain to us how the different agencies are operating here and what his claim is.

CHOI: So the CIO, the Corruption Investigation Office, does not have the authority to investigate insurrection issues. It has to go over to the police. But the CIO sought the arrest warrant in the Western Court.

Again, you know, they don't have -- there's a question whether a Western Court has the jurisdiction to issue any arrest warrant on the President in insurrection if he resides. I mean, it is supposed to be dealt with the Central Court. So, you know, there's all these legal battles will go on in the next, you know, quite some time.

And the police does have the right to investigate insurrection. But the police didn't come forward or, you know, the CIO didn't relinquish its authorities to the police because of its reputation and so on. So I think the police just simply executed the arrest warrant.

But again, I think the police will probably have to take over. And if the Parliament decides to run a special investigative council, then the CIO and the police must relegate all their investigative stuff into the Parliamentary Special, you know, Council. So there's still a lot of political uncertainties.

You know, we're not so sure where this whole thing is heading towards, except that the lawyers will have a boon days, the constitutional court will have a heyday. So all these legal experts, they will all jump in and try to figure out, you know, what's going to happen in the next two weeks.

MACFARLANE: And Kenneth, as you were speaking there, we were seeing scenes of those investigators scaling the walls with ladders to get into the presidential compound just earlier today. I mean, you're not wrong in saying, you know, these are extraordinary times, and we're not entirely sure where it goes next. But we appreciate your analysis. Thank you.

CHOI: Thank you very much.

FOSTER: U.S. President Joe Biden is set to give his farewell address to the nation tonight. It's the first time he'll speak publicly from the Oval Office since announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race, which was back in July after our debate.

MACFARLANE: Well, meantime, some of Donald Trump's cabinet picks will be on Capitol Hill today for confirmation hearings between Senate committees. They include Pam Bondi, Trump's choice for Attorney General, who was set for two days of hearings, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Trump's pick for the Secretary of State.

Meanwhile, Trump's choice for Defense Secretary, a nomination which seemed doomed from the start, now looks like it's 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 did face tough questioning from Democrats at the hearing, as CNN's Oren Lieberman reports.

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SEN. JACK REED (D-RI): You lack the character and composure and competence to hold the position of secretary of defense.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pete Hegseth's past took over the present, especially his comments that women should not serve in combat roles.

PETE HEGSETH, DONALD TRUMP'S PICK FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY: I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve alongside you shoulder to shoulder, men and women, black, white, all backgrounds with a shared purpose.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Democrats on the Armed Services Committee attacked Hegseth over past comments demanding more than contrition and clarity on his policy view of women in the ranks if confirmed.

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.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Hegseth tried to explain that he was referring to military standards for combat roles but couldn't give a concrete example of how they'd been lowered.

GILLIBRAND: These generalized statements.

HEGSETH: Commanders meet quotas to have a certain number of female infantry officers or infantry enlisted, and that disparages those women --

GILLIBRAND: Commanders do not have to meet quotas for the infantry.

HEGSETH -- who are incredibly capable of leading that standard.

GILLIBRAND: Commanders do not have to have a quota for women in the infantry. That does not exist.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Hegseth denied the allegations of sexual assault he faces, saying they come from anonymous sources and that the sexual encounter was consensual.

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?

HEGSETH: It was a false claim then and a false claim now. LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Hegseth also denied allegations of excessive drinking while a host at FOX News. He has vowed to quit drinking if confirmed.

[04:40:00]

By his own admission, Hegseth is an unorthodox pick. A FOX News host and combat veteran with little management experience, picked to run an organization with an $850 billion budget and millions of service members and civilians. Republicans tried to portray that as a strength.

SEN. ROGER WICKER (R-MS): The nominee is unconventional. That may be what makes Mr. Hegseth an excellent choice to improve this unacceptable status quo.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Hegseth tried to keep his confirmation hearing focused on what he called the warrior ethos.

HEGSETH: War fighting and lethality, and the readiness of the troops and their families will be our only focus.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): But his lack of experience at large organizations and within the Pentagon itself was laid bare like when he was asked about international security arrangements.

SEN. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL): Can you name one of the three main ones that the secretary of defense signs?

HEGSETH: You're talking about the defense arrangements. I mean, NATO might be one -- one that you're referring to.

DUCKWORTH: Status of Forces Agreement would be one of them.

HEGSETH: Status force -- Status of Forces Agreement -- I've been a part of teaching about Status of Forces Agreement inside Afghanistan.

DUCKWORTH: So -- but you don't remember to mention it. You're not qualified, Mr. Hegseth.

LIEBERMANN: Despite the numerous attacks from Democratic senators on Pete Hegseth, Republicans are very much expressing confidence that he'll have the votes he needs. Senator Tommy Tuberville says he passed with flying colors, and Senator Kevin Cramer says he cemented the support of all of the Republicans on the committee. In the end, that's likely all he needs for confirmation, especially if it falls on partisan lines.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, on Capitol Hill.

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FOSTER: Now, just days before Trump's inauguration, CNN has learned that META CEO Mark Zuckerberg, ex-owner Elon Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos not only will attend, but they'll be seated near cabinet nominees and other prominent guests in the inauguration -- or on the inauguration platform. And a company spokesperson for OpenAI has confirmed to CNN that CEO Sam Altman also plans to attend the event.

MACFARLANE: But according to a statement from the office of Barack and Michelle Obama, the former first lady will not attend the inauguration. The statement did not give an explanation for the decision.

Well, 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 social media platform in 2022. 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.

FOSTER: 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, of course, and set to become part of the incoming Trump administration.

Now, many TikTok users believe it would be a terrible idea for ex- owner Elon Musk to buy TikTok, but apparently China is fine with it.

According to reports from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, Chinese officials are discussing a possible option that involves selling at least a portion of TikTok to Musk.

MACFARLANE: CNN has not independently confirmed the discussions. This comes just days before the law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. is set to go into effect. The app's parent company, ByteDance, could avoid the ban by selling to a U.S.-based owner.

FOSTER: Meanwhile, a growing number of U.S. social media users responding to the possibility of losing TikTok by moving to an alternative Chinese app known as RedNote. It's one of China's biggest apps with 300 million users.

MACFARLANE: Meanwhile, Meta is planning to lay off around 5 percent of what it calls its lowest performers. According to an internal memo first reported by Bloomberg, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he would do, quote, extensive performance-based cuts. On Tuesday, the company confirmed plans to lay off an estimated 3,600 workers.

The announcement comes during a period of rapid policy changes for Meta, including its decision to end its fact-checking program in the U.S. and change its hateful conduct policies.

FOSTER: The South African government has launched a rescue mission to save miners trapped in an abandoned gold mine. According to a group representing the miners, at least 109 have died, possibly from hunger and dehydration. The situation began in November, when local authorities cut off the supply of water and food to the mine in a bid to crack down on illegal mining trade.

MACFARLANE: As of Tuesday, at least 51 bodies and 106 survivors have been pulled from the mine.

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MATUMELO, WIFE OF TRAPPED MINER (through translator): I don't even know if my husband is among the dead. I don't know if it's him or not, or if he's alive, but I'm stressed and now depressed.

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MACFARLANE: It's unclear how many people remain trapped, but the mining group says it could be hundreds. South Africa loses more than $1 billion each year to illegal mining, and it's believed up to 100,000 miners are part of that black market industry.

OK, still to come, private firefighters set the record straight. CNN speaks with crews battling the flames and critics over misconceptions about their job.

[04:45:00]

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FOSTER: Back to the deadly wildfires in Los Angeles, where high winds expected in the coming hours could make battling the flames even more difficult. Here's what we know at this hour. At least 25 people have been killed by the fires, according to LA County's medical examiner. And more than six million people are under critical fire threat heading into Wednesday.

MACFARLANE: Well, Los Angeles officials are urging residents to wear respiratory masks due to poor air quality and ash in the air. And entertainment company Live Nation has announced a mega-concert called Fire Aid, set for later this month to support those impacted by the fires. The lineup is expected to be announced soon.

Well, senior meteorologist Derek Van Dam has the conditions in Southern California and the latest alert from the National Weather Service.

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DEREK VAN DAM, CNN SENIOR METEOROLOGIST: Fortunately, Santa Ana winds were rather subdued on Tuesday across Southern California. But that doesn't mean we're out of the woods just yet. We still have red flag warnings in effect across this area through 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Remember, red flag warnings don't necessarily forecast fire behavior or where a fire will begin. It does show you, however, and it indicates that conditions are right for rapid fire spread or rapid fire growth. So the gusty winds, which we anticipate to pick up in intensity overnight and into the day on Wednesday, combine that with the dry relative humidity and the tinderbox conditions with the dry vegetation on the ground. That is a recipe for disaster, and the National Weather Service recognizes that.

Coming out of L.A. County, they've highlighted two distinct areas across western L.A. County and much of Ventura County all the way to the coastline. They call this a particularly dangerous situation. The difference here is in the timing. So what they've done is they've actually shifted that time frame from overnight on Wednesday into midday Wednesday afternoon for the most extreme potential for this rapid fire growth, and it's across these locations that they're most concerned about.

So the wind advisories are still in effect, no longer the wind warnings, and those ridgetop winds have already clocked in over 50, 60, even 70 miles per hour. But remember, it's OK to have Santa Ana winds. The problem comes in when we have a spark that ignites a fire. So we don't want to see that happen.

Now is not the time to be lighting fires outdoors, certainly with the winds anticipated to pick up in intensity as we head into the early morning hours of Wednesday and through the middle portions of the afternoon. So critical fire danger still exists through the afternoon on Wednesday. And is there any rain in sight? Well, the quick answer for this is no, but there is some promising signs in the long term.

So with the potential at least for an increase in this relative humidity, perhaps some cloud and a marine layer settling in near the coastline of Southern California by this weekend. Back to you.

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[04:50:00]

FOSTER: Meanwhile, as L.A. struggles to contain the fires with the department that is both underfunded and understaffed, critics are questioning the use of private firefighting companies.

MACFARLANE: CNN's Josh Campbell spoke with crews working to prevent fires from reaching specific areas while dispelling misinformation about their jobs.

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JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An intense fire fight on the front lines of the Pacific Palisades fire. But these aren't city or state firefighters battling raging flames and hurricane force winds. Instead they are private firefighters who we caught up with still at work in the Pacific Palisades.

DOUGLAS LANNON, SENIOR WILDFIRE LIAISON, REDZONE: What we're trying to avoid is to have the fire actually spread over to like, the structures here that have not burned.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): The company is called RedZone, and it's working to fortify its client's homes before the next fire threat moves in.

LANNON: If we need to spray a fire retardant around native vegetation, if we need to gel a structure, if we need to mitigate by moving combustibles away from structures.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): But these kinds of companies are wedged into a controversy over the fairness of allowing private fire crews to protect specific homes.

It started with a post on X -- since deleted -- from a real estate executive in the Pacific Palisades.

Does anyone have access to private firefighters to protect our home? Need to act fast here. All neighbors' houses burning. Will pay any amount.

That sparked a strong reaction on social media. One TikTok user commenting: Whose home gets saved shouldn't depend on their bank account.

CAMPBELL: Now despite the controversy, the private firefighters we met don't work for wealthy homeowners. They work for insurance companies who dispatch them out to try to prevent catastrophic loss.

CAMPBELL: What are your thoughts on this notion that private firefighters are only here helping the rich?

LANNON: Well, that's a misconception. And I'm just going to speak for my company. The insurance companies don't charge for this service. It's part of their policy.

We've got some folks that are well off. We've got some folks that are in the medium range. We've got some folks all along the spectrum there.

ROSS GERBER, PACIFIC PALISADES RESIDENT: I understand that criticism, but those people are not people in a fire, and they don't understand the lack of resource.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Ross Gerber is not a RedZone client, but he has no problem defending his neighbor's decision to hire private crews, which he claims saved their block.

GERBER: And so now, because were spending our personal money to protect our neighborhood, it gives resources to the public that can be used right now, that is being used right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why was there no water in the hydrants, governor?

CAMPBELL: This viral confrontation with California Governor Gavin Newsom made water resources a key argument in this debate.

But the private crews we caught up with, like Capstone Fire and Safety Management, insist they carry their own water and their use of municipal water is minimal.

JOHN BURNINGHAM, CAPSTONE FIRE AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT: We carry 400 gallons of water on each of the trucks.

CAMPBELL: So you're not tapping into hydrants.

BURNINGHAM: We're not tapping into hydrants. We'll find other sources. If houses have swimming pools, we have a pump. And we'll pump right from the swimming pool. CAMPBELL (voice-over): In recent years, the state passed regulation aimed at controlling the actions of private fire crews, the fire marshal says.

CHIEF DANIEL BERLANT, CALIFORNIA STATE FIRE MARSHALL: To ensure that these private crews do not get in the way of the actual emergency response.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Chief Daniel Berlant says it can be a safety issue. And now private crews must be in communication with official response teams.

BERLANT: We've had incidents where we've had to go in and rescue these private entities because they accessed evacuated areas, but they were not necessarily trained or have the same support.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): The private crews we met say they're mostly experienced former public firefighters and that they serve as force multipliers for crews on the front lines.

BURNINGHAM: We're all here for the same mission. And, you know, most firefighters are all cut from the same, same cloth.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Josh Campbell, CNN Pacific Palisades, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The Women's World No. 1 and defending champion moves to the next round of play at the Australian Open. We'll have the details next.

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[04:55:19]

MACFARLANE: Welcome back. The second round of the Australian Open saw plenty of excitement in Melbourne. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka struggled but will progress to the third round after defeating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3-7-5.

Sabalenka is looking to win the Open for the third time in a row.

FOSTER: Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic is keeping his dream of winning a 25th Grand Slam title alive. Djokovic defeated Portugal's Jaime Faria. How do I say it?

MACFARLANE: Jaime Faria.

FOSTER: Yes, that's better. In four sets. Djokovic has now played 430 singles matches at Grand Slams, breaking the record set by Roger Federer.

MACFARLANE: 25 is a big one.

FOSTER: It really is. MACFARLANE: It is the all-time record in tennis, Margaret Court's record. Goes one more than that.

Anyway, you might think that most NFL players keep their eyes on the field when they're not in the game.

FOSTER: Not AJ Brown or the Philadelphia Eagles. The all-star wide receiver was busy reading when he wasn't catching passes on Sunday. And now the book's jumped to number one on the Amazon bestsellers list.

MACFARLANE: It's called Inner Excellence, Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life. And it seems to be working.

Brown and the Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers to advance to the next round of the playoffs against the LA Rams.

FOSTER: That's a big promise of a book.

MACFARLANE: It is. And I feel I need it in my life.

FOSTER: It's quite appealing.

MACFARLANE: And I really appreciate that, reading in moments where you can that might appear somewhat unconventional. So in the breaks, you know, I should be having a book alongside me.

FOSTER: Aren't you here to watch your team play? Support them?

MACFARLANE: Yes, but that was all towards the game, wasn't it? That was in the effort of the game, I imagine. So anyway.

FOSTER: Thanks for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM.

MACFARLANE: There he is again.

FOSTER: He's still reading.

MACFARLANE: I should be reading in the breaks. I will do that.

I'm Christina Macfarlane. CNN This Morning is up after this quick break. Stay with us.

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