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Hamas, Israel Finally Agree to Ceasefire-Hostage Deal; Cautious Optimism about Deal in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square; Biden Bids Farewell from the Oval Office; Gaza Ceasefire-Hostage Deal to Take Effect Sunday; Qatari Spokesperson on Deal in Gaza; Crews Making Progress; Winds, Hot Spots Still a Threat; Melissa Rivers Talks about Losing Her Home; Attorney General Pick Bondi Vows She Wouldn't Politicize DOJ. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired January 16, 2025 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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RUFFIN: Sacrifice so we could have somewhere to be in a safe neighborhood. And it was a neighborhood of people that cared about people. The leaves around the corner, the Phillips is on the corner, the Wallaces, the Graves down the street. Robert across the street. Lily and Steve down the street. And I could walk down to these people's house today and get something to eat if I wanted to.
They watched -- they raised me and watched me grow up in that neighborhood. And being in that neighborhood when I was younger, I could walk around and eat fruits from every tree that I wanted to.
COATES: Wow.
RUFFIN: And it was just a great place to be. And it still is a great place to be where I can sit back and somebody will be riding a horse down the street and they'll let you jump on a horse and ride the horse with them for a little while. And it's just that type of place up there.
COATES: Wow.
RUFFIN: And it's a beautiful place to be.
COATES: Well, Anthony Ruffin, Johnny Miller, it's no wonder that a great place to be had such great people there as well like yourselves.
Thank you so much.
And thank you all for watching. More coverage after this.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: 467 days of war in Gaza. 411 days of negotiations to reach a ceasefire.
I'm John Vause and ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN AL THANI, QATARI PRIME MINISTER: This deal will bring us peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Hope, celebrations and cautious optimism in Gaza and Israel. But will both sides honor this agreement?
In his farewell address, U.S. President Joe Biden warns about a future threat to American democracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Urging all Americans to be vigilant about erosion of their rights and freedoms. But also reality check in the middle of disaster.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELISSA RIVERS, TV HOST: Right now, it's just about, you know, going forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Despite losing her home and a lifetime of memories, TV host Melissa Rivers says she's incredibly lucky.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: After more than 15 months of war leaving more than 47,000 mostly Palestinians and Israelis dead, after an unprecedented Israeli military offensive which has laid waste to most of Gaza, amid one of the world's worst ongoing humanitarian crises, negotiators have finally brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. If fully implemented, it should see the release of the last 94 of 250 hostages and full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territory.
The ceasefire is set to begin Sunday and has yet to be approved by Israel's cabinet. That's expected in the coming hours, with negotiators say the main points of contention have been resolved. In Tel Aviv, relief for families and friends of the hostages. But many say they will not feel joy until all of their loved ones are released.
In the first of three phases, 33 hostages held in Gaza will be set free over the next 42 days. At the same time, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will also be released. Celebrations erupted across Gaza as word spread of the deal, bringing hopes of a surge in desperately needed humanitarian aid. The Israeli military will also begin withdrawing from parts of Gaza. Qatar's prime minister says negotiations took 411 days to reach this deal, which includes a role for Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. to monitor both sides.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AL THANI: We will continue to do everything we can, everything possible to together with our partners to ensure that this deal is implemented as it's agreed, and this deal will bring us peace, hopefully at the end of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The ceasefire agreement comes in the final days of the Biden administration. It's mostly the same plan proposed back in May. And as President Joe Biden prepares to leave office, he says there are now genuine opportunities for a new future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: The road to this deal has not been easy. I've worked in foreign policy for decades. This is one of the toughest negotiations I've ever experienced. And we reached this point because of the pressure that Israel built on Hamas, backed by the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN's Paula Hancocks, following the breakthrough developments here. She joins us now live from Abu Dhabi.
Paula, what's the very latest?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, we have been seeing scenes of celebration on both sides, celebrations in Gaza, talking of how hopeful they are, but also speaking of the pain of what has happened over the past 15 months. Also, we have seen celebrations in Hostages Square, for example, in Tel Aviv, as friends and families of those still being held express their hope and their joy but also their trepidation that not all the hostages will come home.
[00:05:16]
So there is joy, but it is tempered at this point. Now we're waiting to hear from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as it hasn't officially been ratified yet in Israel. It has to go through the security cabinet and then also the full government cabinet for full approval. But we have heard a reaction from Israel's president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISAAC HERTZOG, ISRAELI PRESIDENT (through translator): And we are much stronger than we imagined. The decision must be clear and unequivocal. We save them. We free them. We bring them home urgently down to the last one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: The Hamas also released a statement saying, quote, "The agreement to stop the aggression against Gaza is an achievement for our people, our resistance, our nation, and the free people of the world. It marks a crucial turning point in the struggle against the enemy on the path to achieving our people's goals of liberation and return."
So we have been hearing from some people on the ground in Gaza, speaking of their hope, but also their pain. The fact that they have lost so much over the past 15 months. And of course, living conditions are so dire.
We have heard from the State Department spokesperson, Matt Miller, that as part of the first phase of this deal, they are expecting or hoping for more than 500 humanitarian aid trucks a day to be allowed into Gaza itself. Also, the fact that the difficulties have been because of the security situation to be able to disburse this aid as well. They're hoping that that will improve significantly.
This all happens, though, we hear from all sides on Sunday. This is not immediate and we do not have an exact timing as of now as to when exactly this will go through on Sunday. But certainly this is the breakthrough that all sides have been hoping for, John, for so many months.
VAUSE: Yes, absolutely. This has taken just so incredibly long to get to this point. But in many ways now comes the hard part. I mean, if phase one is going to be difficult, the second phase is incredibly difficult to see through to the end.
HANCOCKS: Well, that's right. I mean, this first phase is six weeks and we have the details, some very fairly specific details of what will happen within that six weeks. But it's only on the 16th day that the negotiations should start for the second phase.
Now, that second phase, beyond the 33 Israeli hostages that will be released in the first phase, that is when they will -- Hamas and other militant groups are expected to release all of the other living hostages. It is when Israel is expected to pull its military out of Gaza completely, and there are no guarantees at this point that that will happen.
Now, we have heard from the Qatari prime minister saying that there are mechanisms in place, that there will be monitors to check that this ceasefire holds in the first phase, to be able to give it space, to give the protagonist space to negotiate the second phase, which could well be far more difficult.
Now we understand that the U.S., Egypt and Qatar will have representatives based in Cairo monitoring that ceasefire to make sure that the second phase will be allowed to come through. But of course, this is the concern. The first phase has, it appears, been fairly meticulously planned to ensure that it works, but it does still rely on the sides, the two sides, to come together indirectly through the mediators and agree to that second phase.
That is when the ceasefire will become permanent. In the first phase, it is a pause of fighting, a pause in the war. It's the second phase that will really secure that ceasefire and ensure that all living hostages are released from Gaza and Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails in return -- John.
VAUSE: Paula, thank you for the update and the details. Paula Hancocks for us live in Abu Dhabi. Thank you.
More now on that cautious optimism felt by relatives and friends of the Israeli hostages from CNN's Brianna Golodryga, who is at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR, ONE WORLD: I'm standing in a much more subdued Hostages Square than the one we've become familiar with over the last 15 months. You see people singing behind me, a candle lit circle with those gathering.
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It's not a celebration, I'm told. It's more of a reflection on the painful year and optimism about the release of 33 hostages that may begin as soon as three days from now on Sunday, with phase one implementation of the hostage ceasefire deal that was agreed to between Israel and Hamas. Nonetheless, mixed emotions in terms of just the pain that's been felt in this country without having these hostages home, the excitement about seeing hostages returned, concern about their physical state and their emotional state, and obviously concern about those hostages that remain in Gaza, and would only be released if phase two of the deal is implemented.
Phase three would see the remains of those hostages who have been killed over the course of the last 15 months finally returned home.
Bianna Golodryga, CNN, Hostages Square, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: We'll stay in Tel Aviv. And joining us now is Daniel Lifshitz, his 83-year-old grandfather Oded was kidnaped by Hamas from a kibbutz. He's been held hostage there for 467 days.
Daniel, thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate your time. We've heard so much about cautious optimism here being sort of the emotion of the moment. Does that include you and your family?
DANIEL LIFSHITZ, GRANDSON OF HOSTAGE ODED LIFSHITZ: Thank you. Good morning. Yes, absolutely. I mean, we also don't know what to prepare to. We -- it's too difficult, you know, to prepare to celebration and funeral at the same time. So it's better to wait and see what's coming, to wait and see that there is a progress in the agreement. And that hopefully we will get to see my grandfather coming back shortly.
VAUSE: Well, under the terms of this ceasefire, we know that 33 hostages will all be released in this first phase, but not all at once. There'll be six different groups in exchange for the Palestinian prisoners. According to the Palestinian Prisoners Affairs Authority, the first five batches are expected to consist of between 100 and 120 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for three hostages. It goes on to say the sixth batch, the last one, will be the largest and contain more than three hostages. So if you do the math here, all 15 hostages or thereabouts will be
released in that first five exchanges, maybe around 18 in the last. How hard will that be for you, for your family, and I guess for all of Israel to be subjected to this sort of slow drip, drip approach of releasing these people who've been held for so long?
LIFSHITZ: It will be hard. It will be tough. It will be a nightmare. But we've been waiting for this nightmare and we haven't seen anyone being released in an agreement since December, the 1st of December 2023, when the last deal have been stopped. So there's nothing else we can do. You know, we will be, trying to be as much as ice cold as we can. And we will try to, you know, take out all the emotions when people are coming out.
And then we will have to be cautious with the hostages that we don't know their situation. And I do believe that everyone finally will come back in this gradual deal.
VAUSE: Have you allowed yourself to picture what that day will be like when you finally see your grandfather again?
LIFSHITZ: Well, as I told you, my daughter, actually, she does picture it. And she said yesterday that she see everyone hugging together in the hospital, next to my grandfather. And I tell you, if I see my grandfather coming back, I don't know what I will do. Whether scream, be so surprised. I dreamt about him a few days ago. He's the only great grandfather held hostage in the world. He's 84. He has blood pressure disease.
You know, I'm trying to be cautious, but from my community I accept -- expect more than 10 to come back from the 29 hostages still remaining in Gaza. I'm coming from Kibbutz Nir Oz, we're a small community. We are like one family, Sagui Dekel-Chen, which is an American hostage, which I hopefully will come in that phase. He's as brother to me. I grew up with him. We were in something so-called communal sleeping. When the children are sleeping together in the kindergarten and the parents at home. So everyone becomes really like brothers and sisters.
Bel Yehud, she's the sister of my best friend Dolev Yehud, which just looking forward to see her coming back. She's like a granddaughter to my grandma. She's been to her home so much, and so we have so many family members.
VAUSE: I just want to finish up with a little bit about your grandfather because he seems quite a remarkable man. For his entire life you say he's been a humanitarian activist. He's been a man who's dedicated his life to peace. He was part of a transportation of Palestinians out of Gaza into Israel for medical treatment. He has been working his entire life to try and bridge this gap between Israelis and Palestinians.
People don't know this about these hostages who are being held. So many of them have this background. But the past 15 months, has that changed your view of your grandfather's work in any way? Has it changed your feelings? How do you see things now? LIFSHITZ: Well, my grandpa is an amazing person. He's -- he has so
much kindness for the minorities. He has so much kindness for the defense of Israel. He have so much kindness for peace. He's really an amazing person. And you know, since 1984, he went to Gaza. And for 20 years said you need education, leave everything else. You have to build the right education. You have to build schools here.
They will not be able to be a consistent coexistence without the right education. And when Hamas took the leadership in Gaza, he said that Hamas is the most dangerous thing in the Middle East, that things can start from there. And unfortunately, he was right. If he changed my mind in his, you know, it was really hard to see all the civilian Palestinians celebrating when the hostages went -- got into Gaza and celebrating the murder and the rape and the killing of young women, kidnaping elderly, kidnaping children kidnaping from my kibbutz, the kibbutz that all since starting it and I know it's on the border and always believed in peace.
Always believed that peace is the solution. Coexistence. And those are the people that have been kidnaped, those people that looked for peace all their life. Really kibbutz of peace been is a hostage in Gaza. So when everyone are talking so much, they should know that those biggest peace activists are sitting in tunnels in Gaza for 468 days.
VAUSE: And that really is one of the biggest tragedies of all in this. But, Daniel, hopefully you will see your grandfather sooner rather than later and you will all be reunited again. Thank you for being with us.
LIFSHITZ: Thank you so much. And, you know, we should really thank President Trump for everything he did to make it -- make the right pressure and bring the hostages back home.
VAUSE: Good word to finish on. Thank you, Daniel.
Well, word of the upcoming ceasefire led to massive celebrations in Gaza. Huge crowds turned out on the streets, ecstatic that 15 months of war might just be coming to an end. But more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting began, according to Palestinian officials. Close to 90 percent of Palestinians have fled their homes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm so happy. But at the same time, my home was destroyed. I lost four of my children. Some of my other children I haven't seen in months. But I'm happy. I hope I can see my children happy and well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm filled with hope and pain. Pain for all that we've lost, for our loved ones and friends and family and neighbors, and hope for the return of Gaza, for the return of our homes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We can't speak from how happy we are. We thank God and we appreciate the efforts of all involved. Even though I lost my home, I'm not thinking about that. All I'm thinking about is sleeping relaxed without worry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Look how happy I am. I'm so happy because there's a ceasefire and we can go home. We can't wait to leave and go study in Beit Lahia. It's so good that we got a ceasefire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Despite announcement of the ceasefire, Israel launched a new wave of strikes in Gaza. At least 26 people were killed, 20 others wounded in the attacks across the territory on Wednesday. Palestinian officials say the targets included a residential block in Gaza City.
In a moment, President Joe Biden gave his final speech from the Oval Office and it was full of warnings about big tech and a power grab by the super wealthy. Details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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VAUSE: U.S. president Joe Biden has delivered his farewell address to the nation just days before he leaves the White House after more than 50 years of public service. He issued a very stark warning about looming threats from what he called the tech industrial complex, where he said the truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit.
First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and others joined the president in the Oval Office for the address. Biden also raised concerns about the very few wealthy holding a lot of power, which could actually threaten democracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. This is a dangerous country -- and that's a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra wealthy people. And the dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked.
Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: To Los Angeles now and Ron Brownstein, CNN senior political analyst and a senior editor at "The Atlantic."
Good to see you, Ron.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, John.
VAUSE: So not so much a farewell speech, but kind of more of a obviously warning to the country about dangers ahead.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
VAUSE: And he talked about this tech industrial complex. Here's a little more. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power. The free press is crumbling. Editors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact-checking.
The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit. We must hold the social platforms accountable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's kind of like President Eisenhower warning about the military industrial complex in his farewell address. That warning went unheeded.
Given the outcome of November's election, did Americans actually vote for misinformation, voted against the free press, voted against fact- checking?
BROWNSTEIN: They voted as if that was less important to them than their immediate concerns about inflation. And to some extent the border. I mean, this was a more substantive and meaty speech than I expected. I mean, the first half was kind of the anodyne, you know, president out the door. I have a lot of faith in America. We did a lot of good work together. Our best days are ahead of us.
And then he very sharply pivoted to a very specific and extended warning, both about what he called an oligarchy and also what he called the tech industrial complex. And I think in the process, he laid down some important markers, both in terms of the long term health of our civic society and our democratic institutions, but also in the near term I think he kind of dug deeper the lines that I think Democrats are going to follow over the next two years.
[00:25:13]
I mean, if there is a road back for Democrats after this very disappointing election, I think it's going to be centered on arguing that Trump promised to deal with your problems, solve your problems, and all he's doing is enriching a lot of his very rich buddies.
VAUSE: There's also climate change, which Biden touched on, and he can claim a lot of credit here for progress on alternative energy infrastructure and a lot of jobs along the way. The president-elect has promised to undo a lot of what Biden has done on climate change. But the real question here is how much can Trump actually do here? Because a lot of this stuff is already locked in.
BROWNSTEIN: Well, now Trump can do a lot. I mean, this is kind of the whiplash we've been going through in the last few administrations where each one comes in and tries to erase the blackboard left by the previous. I mean, Trump will certainly try to repeal the -- rescind, a better word, the two fundamental EPA regulations requiring automakers to move toward electric vehicles and requiring power companies to move toward clean power.
The Republicans are already floating plans to pay for their big tax cut by rescinding again many of the tax incentives created in the Inflation Reduction Act, which have generated an enormous amount of new investment and plans for producing clean energy. The biggest defense that those programs have is that a disproportionate share of the investment, 80 percent the last time I looked, has actually gone into Republican held districts.
Not shocking. Those tend to be on the periphery of major metros, where there's more room for, you know, manufacturing plants. But the fact is that Republicans in Congress will be voting in, I think, in the next few months to repeal incentives that are creating jobs in their own districts. And we'll see how many of them are, in the end, willing to do that.
VAUSE: Then there's also the Gaza ceasefire. A deal is in place, but a question which was put to President Biden earlier in the day. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Who gets credit for this, Mr. President, you or Trump?
BIDEN: Is that a joke?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Who gets credit for this, you or Trump? It's not a joke. Here's part of what Donald Trump posted on Truth Social. "This epic ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our historic victory in November, as it signaled to the entire world that my administration would seek peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans and our allies. I am thrilled."
Yes, depending on where you are, you know, it's a Rorschach test in many ways for Democrats and Republicans. Republicans see it as a Reagan moment. Democrats see it as a result of Biden's hard work. How do you see it?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, yes. Look, I mean, I'm not in the room. I don't know exactly how much Netanyahu's calculation was affected by the message he was getting from Trump's, you know, envoys. But the basic framework of the deal is the deal that Biden put on the table months and months ago. And, of course, it is the tragedy of the Biden administration, I'm sure you've had the same experience.
I mean, really, since January, people in the administration have been telling me they expect to see this deal or something like it to be coming next week, you know, and both Netanyahu and Hamas waited until the 11th hour and, you know, 50 minutes to do it. Trump, I think, you know, by the evidence had some influence, but certainly so did Biden. We'll see what happens going forward. Because, you know, Trump has kind of a mixed or divided attitude about Israel.
On the one hand, he's appointed a whole series of officials who are sympathetic to the furthest right elements of Israeli politics and their maximalist vision of controlling the occupied territories. On the other hand, you know, Netanyahu kind of rubs him the wrong way. And he seems to be happy often to put him in his place. He also wants to continue to make progress with Saudi Arabia. So how he squares all of those circles in office is going to be, I think, fascinating and very difficult to watch.
VAUSE: Well, come Monday, it's all on his watch. So I guess we'll find out.
Ron Brownstein, thank you, sir. Always good to see you. Appreciate it.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks, John.
VAUSE: Well, in a moment, after 15 months of war, death and destruction, many in Gaza are now celebrating. We'll have the very latest deal on the ceasefire just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
[00:31:52]
We have more now on the breakthrough ceasefire agreement, a three- phase plan which will see all hostages freed and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. That is, if it holds.
More now from CNN's Jeremy Diamond.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After 15 months of war, children in Gaza finally have a reason to celebrate. Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire agreement, set to deliver at least six weeks of peace.
In Israel, a wave of relief. Dozens of hostages will finally be coming home.
MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN AL THANI, QATARI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): It's a pleasure for the state of Qatar, the Arab Egyptian Republic, and the United States to announce that the negotiating efforts have been successful for the two sides to reach an agreement regarding the exchange of prisoners and hostages, and a return to total calm. The agreement will go into effect on Sunday, the 19th of January.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Over six weeks, Hamas will release 33 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. Israeli troops will withdraw from populated areas, remaining inside a
buffer zone along Gaza's border with Israel, leaving Palestinians free to return to Northern Gaza.
The ceasefire will also deliver a surge of humanitarian aid, up to 600 trucks per day, to alleviate dire humanitarian conditions in the besieged enclave.
For the families of the 94 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7th, relief is also mixed with uncertainty.
YOSI SCHNEIDER, COUSIN OF HOSTAGE SHIRI BIBAS: It's like a roller. I'm not breathing right now. We don't know if they're on the list; if they're going to come back in the first phase; if -- if they're alive.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The road to this deal has not been easy. I've worked in foreign policy for decades. This is one of the toughest negotiations I've ever experienced.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The deal is based on a framework President Biden announced in late May. In the nearly eight months of start-and-stop negotiations that followed, more than 9,000 Palestinians and at least six hostages were killed.
More deaths could still come before the ceasefire goes into effect on Sunday, but for now, Palestinians are celebrating what will come.
"The feeling is indescribable," Alaa Abukar (ph) says. "We never expected to get to this stage. Even now, we don't believe it."
"Look how happy I am," this girl says, pointing to her smile. "There is no better day than today."
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Qatar played a crucial role in brokering this deal, hosting the talks in their capital of Doha, managing to keep all sides talking despite the ups and downs. A spokesperson for the foreign minister in Qatar spoke with CNN's Becky Anderson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Congratulations to the state of Qatar for getting this deal across the line, in coordination, of course, with the Egyptians and the U.S.
Just how much influence did Donald Trump and his envoy, Steve Witkoff, have in getting this deal over the line?
[00:35:09]
MAJED AL-ANSARI, QATARI FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON: Well, Becky, as you heard the prime minister state in his press conference, both administrations were working in tandem here in Doha. Steve Witkoff and Brett McGurk together in the room, pushing this across the line.
We highly, of course, appreciate the help from both administrations. And we also appreciate the fact that both administrations were working collectively and coordinating together to get the deal through.
I think, you know, the past couple of days have been very instrumental. Yesterday, the meetings went on until 4 a.m. and started very early this -- this morning.
And the American presence, the U.S. presence in these meetings was very instrumental. So, we appreciate it. And we know that there was a lot of political will behind the -- the push that delivered the deal today.
ANDERSON: Donald Trump is treating this as a win, effectively. That's what he said in his social channels. Is it?
AL-ANSARI: I think all of us should be claiming this as a -- as a win. And I think, you know, stopping this war in Gaza, stopping the bloodshed, the daily pictures and videos of children and women killed in -- in the streets, stopping that is a win for the whole world. It's a win for peace and security.
And I think anybody who wants to claim that should be able to, especially those who have helped bring this across the -- across the line.
ANDERSON: Phase one starts on the 19th. The deal will be implemented on Sunday. That's a day before Donald Trump's inauguration. And will go on for 42 days, during which time 33 hostages will be released. Palestinian prisoners will be exchanged. The Israeli military will withdraw in a sort of staggered fashion.
Palestinians get to go home to wherever they are from, including the Northern part of this strip. And, crucially, humanitarian aid will be surged into the strip.
Just how much confidence do you have in the first instance that the mechanisms are in place to ensure that that first 42 days goes to plan, sir?
AL-ANSARI: Well, Becky, we -- we have learned to be very cautious in -- in our expectations. But what I can tell you is that we have spent more than 400 days of negotiations between both sides. Everything has been hashed out. Everything has been discussed in a very clear manner.
And we do believe that we have the checks in place, we have the processes in place, and we have the commitment from both sides in place that will ensure that the -- the agreement is implemented.
But of course, through our operations room in -- in Egypt, that will have all of us together collectively -- the U.S., Qatar and the United States. We will work to ensure that there are no, you know, delays in the implementation that might make it difficult for the -- for the process to continue.
ANDERSON: What can you do if there are delays or if, indeed, somebody breaks this ceasefire?
AL-ANSARI: Now, it's a case-by-case basis. But I can tell you that we are all working together, and we have the mechanisms in place to make sure that -- that that goes positively.
ANDERSON: Can you confirm on which day the negotiations for a second phase will begin? I've seen reports that the negotiations for a second phase will begin on day 16. Is that correct?
AL-ANSARI: And the -- I mean, I don't want to get into the details of the agreement. You probably have seen a lot of these documents flying around.
But what I can tell you that it will take some time for the negotiations to begin. We want to ensure that we have the -- the processes in place and the commitment to start the negotiations, and we will be pushing for that to -- to happen.
ANDERSON: How many Americans will be released in the first phase?
AL-ANSARI: I'm sorry, I don't have any information right now, but I hope to see all of them with their families very soon.
ANDERSON: You have confidence that this deal can get beyond phase one, correct?
AL-ANSARI: I mean, we remain hopeful. We remain confident. We remain very -- we believe in the -- in the process itself. But obviously, it's dependent on the -- on both sides of there.
ANDERSON: Joe Biden said tonight that this deal is exactly the same as the one that he proposed back in May. Now, I remember you and I have been working almost in tandem on this. We've -- we've seen each other a lot over the last 15 months or so.
Is Joe Biden correct when he says that this deal is exactly the same deal as he proposed back in May of 2023? And if he is correct, why has it taken so long?
AL-ANSARI: Well, I would leave the answer to the second part of your question to the parties who were negotiating with us all through these months.
But I can tell you that the document was progressing. The spirit of the document is very similar to -- to that that was in -- in May, actually very similar that it was in May. But obviously, the devil is in the details, and this was what we were working on for the past 400 days. It's finding the right mix and the details.
ANDERSON: Can I ask you, Steve Witkoff said that he thought a deal could have been cut some ten days ago, and he's really disappointed that it wasn't. He said this a couple of days ago. He said he was confident some days ago that a deal could have been cut. What was holding things up in the last ten days?
[00:40:03] AL-ANSARI: I don't want to get into the details of what was holding this up, but I can tell you that, you know, a lot of push was done positively during the past days, and this is why we have a deal now.
ANDERSON: The last four days have been crucial, correct?
AL-ANSARI: I would say that, yes, the last couple of days have been quite crucial in getting the deal across.
ANDERSON: You look quite tired, so I'm going to let you go. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. Always a pleasure. Thank you. Congratulations again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, despite losing her home and a lifetime of memories in the L.A. fires, TV host Melissa Rivers insists she's one of the lucky ones and shares some of the wisdom from her mother, the late Joan Rivers, in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Firefighters report tremendous success in containing the wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Two major threats remain: smoldering hotspots and unpredictable winds.
Still, the Palisades and Eaton Fire have not grown in the past few days. With more, here's L.A. Mayor Karen Bass.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR KAREN BASS (D), LOS ANGELES: We're not out of the woods yet. There is a chance that the Santa Anas might spike up again next week. But I think that we have to, while we're still being vigilant, while we're still in this emergency, we also have to begin the process of recovery and rebuilding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: More details now from CNN's Veronica Miracle, reporting in from Altadena, California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than a week into the raging wildfire disaster in the Los Angeles area, many residents are anxious to return home or salvage what they can from the wreckage.
HENRI YONET, FATHER'S PALISADES HOUSE DESTROYED: We were in denial that our area of the Palisades was going to be affected.
MIRACLE (voice-over): Ninety-one-year-old Howard Yonet lost his home in the Palisades. His son Henri was there as it burned to the ground.
HENRI YONET: Oh my God. I can't stay here. Oh, my God, this is -- It's literally gone. It's all gone.
MIRACLE (voice-over): Right now, residents are still unable to get back into the burn zones, but 84-year-old Judy Jensen slipped past checkpoints with her two dogs. She has no electricity and only bottled water but does have gas and a neighbor's generator.
JUDY JENSON, RETURNED TO HOME BEFORE EVACUATION ORDER LIFTED: I have been able to get in my neighbor's house. And she told me, get in, take whatever you want. So, I was able to get more food for the dogs.
MIRACLE (voice-over): Fire officials are asking people to be patient, warning people the threat to these communities remains high.
CHIEF KRISTIN CROWLEY, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT: The danger has not yet passed.
MIRACLE (voice-over): So far, at least 25 deaths have been connected to the fires.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going downhill!
MIRACLE (voice-over): Officials say safety is still a concern.
CROWLEY: The combination of low humidity and strong winds has further dried out the brush, increasing the risk of fire.
MIRACLE (voice-over): The Eaton and Palisades fires are now the most destructive and second most destructive fires in Southern California's history.
WILL POWERS, FIRE INSPECTOR, SANTA ROSA FIRE DEPARTMENT: We have over 3,000 personnel currently here, and we have to build bases like this.
[00:45:05]
MIRACLE (voice-over): In Pasadena, the iconic Rose Bowl is now a sprawling command center for thousands of emergency crews fighting the Eaton Fire.
MIRACLE: After the next 24-hour wind event, what -- what are you guys expecting?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Buttoning this thing up and hopefully soon getting residents back safely.
MIRACLE: There's very little wind here in Altadena, which is great news. The Eaton Fire is also 45 percent contained.
But now the big issue for firefighters is hot spots. That means that fire can be burning in the root system of trees deep into the ground. So, they're going to have to make sure that everything is safe before people can come back and assess all of this damage.
Veronica Miracle, CNN, Altadena.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: With us now from Southern California is TV host, producer and podcaster Melissa Rivers, who's among thousands of people whose home has been destroyed by the wildfire.
Thank you for being with us, Melissa. I'm sure it's been a hell of a week for you and your family. How's everyone doing?
MELISSA RIVERS, TV HOST/PRODUCER/PODCASTER: You know, how -- one foot in front of the other, that we are doing the best we can. No time to cry. Had a couple cries, and right now, it's just about, you know, going forward. It's -- it's what I -- what we -- "we" meaning my family. It's what we do.
VAUSE: Yes. I know that your home was pretty much burnt to the ground. have you been able to salvage anything?
RIVERS: Pretty much. "Pretty much" is very -- "pretty much" is very generous.
VAUSE: Right. So burnt to the ground. Nothing left. Did you -- when you went back there, was there anything to be salvaged?
RIVERS: We haven't gotten in yet. They haven't really allowed anyone in. We are keeping tabs on that. Obviously, we want to get it back in, as does everybody in our neighborhood. And we're hoping for maybe this weekend.
VAUSE: But when you actually got out of out of the house, there wasn't much which you were able to take with you, just the clothes on your back and a few other important mementos.
RIVERS: I got out a photograph of my father. I got out a -- my mom used to paint. That was how she would relax. And I have a little drawing that she made of myself and my son, Cooper. I got her Emmy, because I knew how much that meant to her. And I got out both of my parents' watches and my dad's dress watch, which I had given to my son when he was -- turned 18.
And, you know, our animals and -- and passports and paperwork.
VAUSE: But yet still, compared to so many others, you really are a lot better off in many ways.
RIVERS: It -- it hit me like two days ago. Even in this, I am, as a lot of people are also, so fortunate that we have good insurance, that we have the resources to hang on, that I can still work, that Cooper can still work, that my fiance can still work.
And I really had to check myself hard about realizing that, even in this, I'm lucky. And how I cope is by reaching out to all these other people that I know that have -- have also lost anything. And I mean just the people who are employed in our neighborhood, let alone the businesses that were owned by people who lived in the neighborhood.
And people really show themselves. And where I've seen the best of people, I have seen the worst in people. And it breaks my heart, because even in this, you have to remember, if you have even just the insurance to get through it, you're one of the lucky ones.
VAUSE: There is growing support now to recall Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass over her failure that many people say during this crisis.
Here's part of a report from the "Orange County Register": "She traveled out of the country after being warned that extreme fire risk from high winds would threaten her city. She was posing for photos in Ghana while homes and businesses in the Palisades burned to the ground next to a city-owned reservoir that had no water in it."
This goes on. It's quite scathing. Do you support the recall at this point?
RIVERS: At this point, I don't know. I think -- and I am not a Karen Bass fan, but No. 1, we always have high fire warnings anytime the Santa Anas kick up.
No. 2, how could you -- anyone predict that this is what was going to happen? It wasn't like she went, "Oh, fire" and got on a plane.
What I am finding incredibly tone-deaf and offensive -- and obviously, I'm in the anger phase -- is that literally, the night of the fire, local -- some of the big business owners who are also politicians or trying to become politicians, went on our news and and blasted her about everything.
[00:50:18]
This isn't the time to make a political statement. Care about your neighbors and your neighborhood.
VAUSE: You posted a quote from your late mother, Joan, on Instagram. It read, "You can't change what happened. So have a little wallow. Feel very sorry for yourself, then get up and move forward."
Can you actually hear her saying those words to you? And how important is it to have that -- that advice from your mom?
RIVERS: You know, it's how I was raised. My parents, we never had a "family motto," quote, unquote, but we always defaulted to a famous Winston Churchill quote, which was, "When you find yourself in hell, keep walking."
And absolutely, you have your moment, feel horrible, and get up and move forward. Chin up, eyes forward. There'll be time to cry later. And we all will.
I already have once, but time to get everything done. We all must come together as a community and as a city. And take care of one another, starting with the people who need it most.
VAUSE: And that is a great sentiment to finish on. Melissa, thank you for being with us. Really appreciate your time. Best of luck.
RIVERS: Thank you.
VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN, political revenge, election misinformation, and presidential pressure. Nothing was off limits as senators grilled Donald Trump's choice for U.S. attorney general.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump warned his political rivals, opponents, critics, journalists could all face prosecution once he returned to office.
But now, as the twice impeached, convicted felon president-elect is set to take the oath of office, his choice of attorney general is seen as crucial. And will they support his agenda?
Here's CNN's Paula Reid on the confirmation hearing for Trump's choice for America's top cop.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA REID, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Attorney general nominee Pam Bondi, grilled by lawmakers today over her loyalty to Donald Trump.
REP. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Can you say no to the president of United States when he asks you to do something unethical or illegal?
REID (voice-over): Bondi was repeatedly pressed on whether she would allow the Justice Department to be weaponized.
BONDI: They targeted Donald Trump. They went after him. That will not be the case if I am attorney general. I will not politicize that office. I will not target people simply because of their political affiliation.
REID (voice-over): Trump has vowed to leverage the agency to pursue his political enemies.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.
REID (voice-over): Bondi suggested she does think there are some bad people at the department.
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): Can we agree that there's some really, really good men and women at the Department of Justice?
BONDI: Many, many great men and women in the Justice Department.
KENNEDY: Can we agree, though, there have been -- and may be today -- some bad people at the Department of Justice?
[00:55:02]
BONDI: Yes, Senator.
REID (voice-over): But she would not confirm whether she thought the former special counsel was one of them.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Will you investigate Jack Smith?
BONDI: I haven't seen the file. It would be irresponsible of me to make a commitment.
REID (voice-over): While she pushed false claims of fraud after the 2020 election, today, she acknowledged Joe Biden is president.
BONDI: I was on the ground in Pennsylvania, and I saw many things there. But do I accept the results? Of course I do.
REID (voice-over): But she didn't completely disavow her fraud claims.
SCHIFF: Can you tell us whether there was massive fraud affecting the results of the 2020 election? Yes or no? Was there?
BONDI: I can tell you what I saw when I went --
SCHIFF: That's not that's not my question.
BONDI: -- as an advocate to the campaign.
SCHIFF: So -- so you can't answer that question. You can't speak to that even easy truth to us, let alone to the president.
REID (voice-over): Republicans used the hearing to highlight her resume.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I'm glad he picked you. He knows you, he trusts you, and you're highly qualified.
REID (voice-over): Bondi worked as a Florida prosecutor for 18 years before becoming the state's first female attorney general, a role she served in for nearly a decade.
BONDI: I did my best to keep Florida safe, to continue to stand up for victims of crime, and to fight the opioid crisis.
REID (voice-over): Republicans predicted an easy confirmation and seemed thrilled, especially after the first nomination, of former Congressman Matt Gaetz, fell apart.
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): You've got a great reputation and a great resume, and they are just trying to find things to put your integrity into question.
REID: Bondi also got a lot of questions about Trump's pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel.
Now, Bondi mostly deferred to Patel to explain comments he's made about his perceived enemies, dismantling portions of the FBI, and even QAnon.
But the fact that lawmakers were so focused on Patel suggests that his path to confirmation could be much more difficult than the one Bondi has been on.
Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Very different atmosphere for the confirmation hearing for Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state.
Senator Marco Rubio received a warm reception from his Republican colleagues, as well as an endorsement from the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And during question -- questioning, rather -- Rubio even voiced support for NATO.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE NOMINEE: Without the NATO alliance, there is no end to the Cold War. In fact, without the NATO alliance, it's quite possible that much of what today, at the time, today we know as Europe would have fallen victim to aggression.
I'm not stating a public policy position. I'm stating a question to be asked. And that is: should the role of the United States and NATO in the 21st Century be the primary defense role or as a backstop to aggression?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A view not shared by his boss, Donald Trump.
Rubio co-sponsored a bipartisan law barring the U.S. leaving NATO without Senate approval or an act of Congress.
I'm John Vause. Thank you for watching. But I will be back after a very short break with more CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.
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