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CNN International: Gaza Civil Defense: At Least 111 Killed Since Deal Was Announced; Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Ceasefire- Hostage Deal; Supreme Court Upholds Law Banning TikTok In The U.S. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired January 17, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.
RAHEL SOLOMON, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York, and this is CNN Newsroom.
We're following two major breaking news stories this hour. The Supreme Court has just cleared the way for the U.S. ban on TikTok to take effect Sunday, and the full Israeli cabinet is expected to vote today on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal. Now, if it is approved, hostages could start being released on Sunday.
But first, the families of dozens of Israeli hostages are now closer than ever to long-awaited reunions with their loved ones, and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners could soon be released as well. As we just mentioned, Israel's full cabinet is expected to vote soon and approve the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal between the Israeli government and Hamas. Israel's security cabinet approved the deal a short time ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says that in the first phase of a ceasefire, hostages could begin returning home Sunday, and a source tells CNN that Mr. Netanyahu says that he got, quote, "guarantees from negotiators" that the U.S. would back a return to war if Hamas, quote, "sabotages the deal". Far-right Minister Itamar Ben- Gvir is threatening to pull his party out of the Netanyahu government if the deal passes.
U.S. negotiators from the Biden White House and incoming Trump administration both helped broker the deal.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And I told him what I was doing, what I thought could happen. But what we did, we brought in the people -- or his -- going to be his national security people. We brought them in closer to tell them what was happening as we hand this off.
VOICE OF DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL-ELECT: It was so ungracious of Biden to say, oh, he did it. He didn't do anything. If I didn't do this, if we didn't get involved, the hostages would never be out. They would have never come out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: And for Palestinians in Gaza, all of the talk may feel distant until bombings like these finally end.
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SOLOMON: Gaza's Civil Defense says that at least 111 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since the ceasefire was announced, and that includes 28 children.
Let's get more now from our International Diplomatic Editor, that's Nic Robertson, who joins us from London, who has been following all of these developments. Nic, let's just start with what you're hearing so far about the actual vote.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It is expected to go through. It will be a simple majority of the 33 members of Prime Minister Netanyahu's cabinet, and there doesn't appear to be enough dissent to throw it off track. The security cabinet has already voted in favor of it. So, it really does appear to be as if the threshold of the sort of final tick in the box going through official Israeli government channels will be done. There are still some other I's to be dotted, T's to be crossed, if you will. The public in Israel has the right through the Supreme Court to challenge any individual that's being released as part of this deal, challenge the government on this issue. But, this is not expected to trip the deal up at this stage. It appears, from where we are now, that the first hostages could actually be released on Sunday.
SOLOMON: And for the families, obviously, of those hostages who have been waiting with bated breath ever since news of this deal was announced, what will that look like, the logistics of the hostage release, at least this first phase?
ROBERTSON: What we saw last time were carefully orchestrated events where Hamas records them handing off hostages to members of the International Red Cross. The Red Cross then takes them to the border of Gaza. They're met there by Israeli officials, military officials, is what we've seen, doctors in attendance to make sure in the immediate minutes that there is nothing life-threatening in those immediate minutes because they don't know the condition of the hostages as they're going to be released, and then we've seen before, transferred by helicopter to larger military bases and then to hospital where the hospitals are waiting for them. There is a wing specially prepared at one of Israel's hospitals that is dedicated entirely to helping these hostages, because they have been through so much trauma.
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The hospital has dealt previously with hostages being released, and it's a very, very difficult, delicate process to bring them back into the real world their release, and of course, there will be an opportunity for them to meet with family members, but this is going to be, as we've seen in the past when it's happened, the releases have happened incredibly emotional, incredibly traumatic and incredibly heart-rending for the nation. This is the moment so many Israelis, not just the families, so many Israelis have been waiting for.
SOLOMON: Yeah. You make a good point, Nic. It's not just the families, those in the nation, and you could argue, a lot of people around the world who have been praying for this very moment.
Nic Robertson, we'll leave it here. Thank you.
Now let's bring in Firas Maksad, who is the Senior Director for Outreach and Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington. Firas, good to have you. You've said before that this deal is fragile, precarious. It's complicated, but it's also one that you believe will hold through phase one. What needs to happen to successfully enter a phase two and ultimately a phase three?
FIRAS MAKSAD, SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR STRATEGIC OUTREACH & SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Rahel, in short, you're going to have to have sustained American pressure. I'm often reminded that the most popular politician in Israel today is Donald Trump, particularly with the right-wing ruling coalition there. So, that means that Donald Trump has leverage with the Israeli Prime Minister that his predecessor, Biden, did not, and that's why we're clearly seeing this deal coincide with the inauguration of Donald Trump. There is such a thing as the Trump effect when it comes to the ceasefire.
And so, when we get to that crucial deadline, that second phase of the implementation, the 42 days from Sunday, when a full war -- the end of the war is expected, that is going to be very difficult for Netanyahu to deliver on without risking his coalition. And this is where I think the role of Donald Trump, the pressure that he can bring on Israel, is going to be very crucial and very important. Obviously, Hamas also could very much breach the ceasefire. But, Hamas, right now, after the collapse of the Iranian axis, after the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon, is in a weak and a precarious position. So, I don't think that Hamas has an interest right now for continuing the hostilities with Israel.
SOLOMON: And Firas, what would that increased pressure from Donald Trump look like after phase one, and how do the goals of President- elect Trump, how are they at odds with perhaps some of the goals of some of the far-right members in the Israeli government right now?
MAKSAD: That is a great question. There is no doubt about it. The priority of the Trump administration and the President himself, when it comes to the Middle East, as stated again and again, is that clinching that deal, normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel. It's the deal of the century, as they like to refer to it. It is perhaps his ticket to a Nobel Prize, which he feels he was robbed of when he concluded the Abraham Accords, the normalization deals between the UAE and Bahrain and some other Arab countries in Israel. And so, this is his chance to do it bigger and better, and for that, he needs sustained quiet and peace, not only in Gaza, but also in Lebanon. He is going to push in that direction. But, as I mentioned, that's going to come up against some political realities in Israel.
Now we don't know if that means that there is going to have to be some give and take, perhaps a new understanding on what to do with Iran, perhaps tackling the difficult issue of annexation in the West Bank, but there is going to be a come-to-Jesus moment in March before the second phase of that ceasefire, and I think the role of Donald Trump here is going to be crucial.
SOLOMON: Do you see that as likely just sort of some of the goals that you've outlined for Trump? I mean, you think about some of the things that Saudi Arabia has wanted from Israel, at least as of late, in terms of Gaza, a Palestinian statehood. It's a pretty high bar. What are you watching in this next Trump term?
MAKSAD: Yeah. It's a pretty high bar, indeed, and in fact, as the images of violence emerged from Gaza over the past year, public opinion in those countries, Saudi Arabia in particular, but others, have only hardened, and the rulers of those countries very much have to take that in consideration. So, I suspect that the Saudis are going to be less forthcoming in terms of what they're willing to give for the normalization of relationships. I don't see a warm peace with Israel, the one like they have with the UAE. I don't see an exchange of tourists and flights and whatnot, perhaps a colder peace similar to the one that we have in Egypt. And for Donald Trump, another challenge, another piece of the puzzle is delivering on that peace treaty with the U.S. that Saudi Arabia so much wants in return.
It's difficult to bring enough Democratic senators to ratify and support such a treaty in the Senate. So, also a high bar in terms of U.S. domestic politics. But, that's where his focus is. That's where the intention is --
SOLOMON: Yeah.
MAKSAD: -- to go with the Middle East.
SOLOMON: And Firas, before I let you go, just sort of bringing it back to the here and now of it all. You were in the region recently and said you bumped into the envoy teams of both President Biden and President-elect Trump.
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The deal itself seems very similar to what was put forward in May, but the timing may have more to do with Trump here. From your perspective, what does that say about this delay, all of those months where lives continue to be lost, where hostages continue to remain apart from their families? What do you make of that?
MAKSAD: Listen, I mean, I've heard the back and forth between Team Trump and Team Biden here. Obviously, Team Trump wants to take all the credit. No doubt, as I mentioned, there has been a Trump effect. It's not a coincidence that the ceasefire is coming into fruition just as he is about to assume office.
But, there are also other factors at play. The region has changed tremendously. And I think Hamas is looking around. They understand that Iran is not coming to assist them anytime soon, that Hezbollah has not come into a system anytime soon. That makes them more ready to sign on onto a deal and make concession. And I think also Israeli Prime Minister, Bibi Netanyahu, has more to claim now in terms of victory at the regional level against the forces of Iran. Perhaps he can't claim that completely in Gaza, some painful concessions, letting out some thousands of Hamas prisoners. That's not obviously going down easily domestically in Israel, but at least now he can claim a victory against Iran and its forces in the region.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Firas Maksad, great to have your insights and perspective today. Thank you.
MAKSAD: Thank you.
SOLOMON: And for people in Gaza, ceasefire cannot come soon enough, as they suffer under fresh waves of Israeli bombing. Health officials say that more than 100 people have been killed since the ceasefire was announced, the majority of them women and children. Right now, thousands are awaiting evacuation for urgent medical treatment.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh follows the story of one young patient, and her report does contain graphic images that some viewers may find disturbing.
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JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Habiba. She is just two-years-old, but Habiba may not have long to live. What you're seeing all over her body, doctors believe, is caused by a rare genetic condition, Protein C deficiency. It causes excessive blood clotting, which spreads all over her body. What's spreading through her body doubled in size or even more in a matter of minutes, her mother Rana says. I saw the blood starting in one arm and spreading to the other. Habiba is in so much pain she can't eat or sleep. Leave me alone, leave me alone, she cries. Even her mother's gentle touch is too much. She says, Mama Wawa or Ouch, and I can't do anything for her, Rana says.
Habiba's condition is rare, but it could be treated, just not in Gaza, where healthcare has been decimated by Israel, where medical workers have been left with little to save lives, and parents like Rana left helpless, as they watch their children suffer and die a slow death. She tells me, mama helped me stand up. Mama, I want to walk. I want to put my shoes on so I can go bye, bye-bye, Rana says. She wants to play. She can't even do the most basic things like hold her pacifier. This was Habiba just a few months ago. Her mother says she was a happy child so full of life, now she lies motionless on a hospital bed. Surgical gloves turn into balloons to try and cheer her up.
After massive effort by aid groups, the Israeli military approved Habiba for medical evacuation. A UN and Red Crescent convoy moved her and her mom out of Gaza City. It's only a first step in what's usually a long and complex process of getting Palestinians out of Gaza for urgent medical treatment. In a comment to CNN, Israeli authorities say they facilitated the evacuation of more than 1,000 Palestinians abroad for medical treatment in recent months, but more than 12,000 Gazans have been waiting for Israeli approvals for months.
In one of the last hospitals in the south, Rana was reunited with her sister for the first time in 15 months. They're like so many families torn apart by a vicious war, and now this mother was forced to make an impossible choice, to stay by Habiba's side. She had to leave her 11- year-old son behind. Habiba's condition is deteriorating by the day. They don't know when she'll be allowed out of Gaza. Even with the ceasefire deal, it could still take time, time Habiba doesn't have. Doctors believe it's too late to save her right leg.
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Her other limbs and her life are now at risk, and unless they get her out of Gaza soon, it might be too late to save little Habiba,
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.
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SOLOMON: All right. And still to come for us --
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow, I feel like I'm in like a quite a zombie apocalypse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not ready.
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SOLOMON: OK. That last one was funny. Do you get the feeling that American TikTokers are unhappy just days to go before the app is potentially banned? We'll take a look at what the future holds. Plus, thousands of fire evacuees are anxious to get back to their homes and see what's left. We're live in Los Angeles with the latest here.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. A short time ago, the Supreme Court said that it would not overturn a law banning TikTok in the U.S. The justices rejected TikTok's argument that the ban would violate the First Amendment of the Constitution. The decision now clears the way for the ban to potentially go into effect on Sunday, forcing TikTok users to consider alternative apps. Sunday is also the last full day of Joe Biden's presidency. The White House says it will be up to Donald Trump's administration to decide how to implement a ban, and has signaled that the Biden administration does not plan to enforce it. In a phone call with CNN, the President-elect said that he would decide what to do about TikTok without revealing whether or not he would enforce the ban.
We have a team of reporters covering this TikTok ban from all angles. We have Hadas Gold. She joins us now from New York. We also have Marc Stewart, who is live in Beijing. Good to see you both.
Hadas, let me start with you. So, what does this mean for the 170 million people who use TikTok in the U.S.?
HADAS GOLD, CNN MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Well, as it stands, come Sunday their experience on TikTok may be very different than what they have today. It is entirely possible that they might still have some sort of access to TikTok, but it will slowly deteriorate over time, and that's because what the law actually states is that it's the app stores and then the cloud service providers, people like Oracle, who host the data, they're the ones that are required to take TikTok down.
Now, there is some reporting that TikTok itself is going to, on Sunday, put up a pop-up for users, saying, can't access the app because of this ban, and then there is there is -- maybe going to be the possibility that users can download their data. But, what we know, no matter which way this goes, after Sunday, the experience for TikTok users is going to be much different and they're not going to have the same sort of access. And almost more importantly is the fact that right now, on TikTok, as we speak, everybody, all these creators, are talking about this. They're saying that this is the end of TikTok. They're kind of lamenting that this is potentially the end for what so many of them has become their livelihoods as well.
SOLOMON: Yeah. That's a good point too, just all of the small businesses that use TikTok.
Marc, let me bring you into the conversation --
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah.
SOLOMON: -- on China a bit. I mean, what will China do here next? What are you hearing?
STEWART: Well, that's the big question, Rahel.
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It's interesting because just about two hours ago, we learned of a phone call between President-elect Trump and Xi Jinping. In fact, China acknowledged that a conversation took place, and that's the first time what President Trump, like President Trump has acknowledged, was that TikTok was talked about. But, no one here in China, at least from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is mentioning that TikTok came up in that conversation.
But, as far as what's next, look, a lot of it is going to depend on what China is comfortable with, and at this point, China does not want to do anything to make itself look weak, as if it's taking orders from the United States. So, China will likely stand pretty tall and stand firm in all of this. And it has been critical of the United States in the past, calling the United States' approach to this, saying that it's been acting like a bully. So, despite this eagerness by perhaps President-elect Trump to work something out, don't expect China to just accept what comes at first order. China is at a point right now where it's really trying to establish itself as a leader in a new world order of sorts, and how it conducts itself here is going to be part of that bigger image. Also interesting, Rahel, to point out that there has been so much
discussion lately about these free speech issues relating to TikTok, in addition to national security concerns. But, here in China, you cannot access traditional American apps, things like Facebook, X, Instagram, Google. I can access them because I have an American phone, but for most Chinese people, that's just not possible. It's blocked by this electronic firewall, as it's known.
So, it's just adding another level of contrast between these two nations, as they try to work out this very thorny issue involving one of the most revered and prized companies in the eyes of the Chinese government, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Clearly more than just a social media company in the eyes of maybe not just the Chinese and U.S. government, but perhaps those watching around the world.
Hadas, so, where do American TikTok users flock to now? Where do they go?
GOLD: That's a good question. A lot of them are talking about some of these new apps that we've been hearing about, ones like RedNote and Lemon8. I should note that Lemon8, for example, is also owned by ByteDance. So, that would also be subject to this new law, and RedNote is also a Chinese-based app.
What's really been interesting is to see the creators trying to get their audiences to migrate with them to other platforms, whether that be one of these new ones, whether that be Instagram, whether that be X, because for some of these creators, they've really become known on one platform, and when you look on their follower counts on another platform, it's way different. We've even seen some creators going old school and asking their followers to send them their email addresses so they can just create sort of like a blast list, and advise their followers where they can find them next.
And so, it's really interesting to see that there is not really one space that everyone is trying to go to. Everyone is trying to look for it. They think maybe it might be RedNote, maybe it might be something else, but they're all looking for something else. And that kind of might go to show what the Supreme Court justices were saying. They were saying that this does not hinder the users' ability to express themselves, the users' ability to have free speech, because they can go elsewhere and they have other options that this is about the ownership, the foreign ownership.
And I should also note that this doesn't just affect people in the United States, because the service providers who are at risk here of these very high fines, is that they also help provide the service to people outside of the United States. So, there may even be some users internationally who are going to have some trouble accessing TikTok from Sunday.
SOLOMON: Yeah. I mean, the Supreme Court may make the point that there are other options, but they may not be easy to get to, apparently, if people are asking for your email. Marc, what does this mean for other Chinese-created apps, and might we
see a ripple effect? Marc? All right. It looks like we lost Marc. But, Marc, thank you. Hadas Gold, thank you as well.
But, let's continue this conversation. Clearly a lot of implications here. Clearly this impacts a lot of people. So, let's bring in our media analyst Sara Fischer. She is also a Senior Media Correspondent for Axios, and joins us from Washington, D.C. Sara, always good to see you. Not a huge surprise that the court came to this decision. They had sort of signaled it when we heard oral arguments, but your reaction to this news.
SARA FISCHER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST, & SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT, AXIOS: Definitely not surprised, but it definitely sets a precedent here, because the Supreme Court said, essentially, you can't use a First Amendment argument when we're talking about a national security issue that requires a sale, basically saying the First Amendment is not being applied here, because we're not telling you that you can't exist. We're just telling you that you have to get sold.
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And then the other big precedent, in a sense, is that it's basically saying the First Amendment does not apply to a Chinese company, and that matters a lot, Rahel, because, as you're seeing, users are flocking to a bunch of different apps in the wake of a potential ban, a likely ban, and some of those apps are Chinese. And so, this is a pretty big day. Now, the question, of course, becomes whether or not the Trump administration is actually going to enforce this ban. There are plenty of things that they could try to do to delay it, essentially.
But, whatever happens, we're still going to have an event on Sunday. TikTok, at that point, will be officially banned. So, it would be curious to see how it communicates that to its users, what actions it takes, and whether or not the cloud providers, as Hadas was mentioning, or the app stores like Google and Apple, do actually strip TikTok from its stores.
SOLOMON: Yeah. I mean, Sara, to that point, what could Trump do beyond just delaying the implementation here? He seems confident, well, he has seemed confident that him being in office might be able to change the outcome here. So, what options are available to him?
FISCHER: So, sort of three options. Number one, there is a provision that he could extend this by 90 days to extend the ban, but he would have to sort of prove that they're actively working on a deal to sell it. He could just tell his DoJ not to enforce it, but that sets a very bad precedent to tell your Justice Department not to enforce a law. And then, three, and this is probably the most unlikely, he could try to urge a Republican-led Congress to repeal the law. I think that would be very difficult. So, I think the most likely scenario here is some combination between one and two. He either tries to get an extension so the ban doesn't have to get enforced, or they just don't enforce it outright. But, either way, it's going to mean major changes for TikTok in terms of how they exist here in the United States. SOLOMON: Yeah. And what about the option, Sara, that there might be some 11th-hour deal with U.S. buyers? ByteDance doesn't necessarily seem like they're interested in that. But, Senator Mark Warner, for his part, told Punchbowl that there is movement toward a deal.
FISCHER: Yeah, there has been. So, there is a few bidders that have expressed interest. I think the most realistic one is coming from billionaire Frank McCourt. His nonprofit, it's called Project Liberty, has gained about $20 billion of commitments from other investors to put forth a bid. Now, whether or not that's enough, is actually an interesting question, because TikTok is a big global company, as you know. So, it's hard to say how much the U.S. arm itself would be valued, if you were to divest it, but it would be anywhere between $20 billion and $100 billion. So, that might be a heavy lift for him in that bid. You've had MrBeast, the YouTube creator, say that he has met with billionaires in recent days to try to pull together a bid. So, it could emerge, Rahel.
But, the two big questions are, one, of course, would Beijing allow it? And then two, would they have enough money to support what this could be a very, very expensive divestiture.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Sara, just sort of big picture here, the fact that we have reached this moment seems to have shocked at least Washington, a lot of Washington, maybe just some of the Democrats who seem to think that ByteDance would cave. As we've already said, Biden administration said they don't plan to enforce it. They're going to leave that to the Trump administration. But, Sara, what is your takeaway here, more broadly, that ByteDance was willing to let TikTok be banned rather than divest? It almost seems like one or the other is trying to call each other's bluff here.
FISCHER: Yeah. Well, if you're actually concerned about it being a national security threat, to me, it says a lot that ByteDance will not let go of this asset. But, I also think this is a huge precedent that's being set by the CCP. They don't want to set a precedent where any of their apps or any of their technology would get banned unless it's sold to a U.S. company. And so, for them, this is about setting a very hard line for the future of their private sector and for innovation, not just for this one app.
I'm not surprised that they're taking the stance, Rahel, but I will say it definitely creates attention heading into the Trump administration, at a time when Trump has vowed to go hard after China. And so, for the Beijing officials, this is a very precarious position. In one sense, you want to protect your innovation, your IP, and you want to protect what's potentially a national security weapon, as our government sees it. But, on the other, you don't want to put yourself in a bad position with Trump ahead of his second term.
SOLOMON: And that is what's so interesting too about this, Sara. There are lots of interesting angles on this story. But, on the one hand, you have TikTok CEO, who, by the way, is scheduled to be at Trump's inauguration on Monday, kind of awkward. On the other hand, you have Trump, who is now saying and now indicating that he has softened his position on TikTok at the same time that top Republicans, whether it's Senator Cotton, whether, I mean Marco Rubio, I mean, have still maintained this position, Senator Ted Cruz, for his part, that have said they still support the ban here. I mean, this is a rare example where you see the party and the President-elect, they might be sort of on opposite answer here.
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FISCHER: Yes. The traditional Republican stance of being hawkish on China is why you see those senators wanting to uphold the ban. For Donald Trump, it's a little bit different. I mean, TikTok and social media was part of his election campaign, although it also benefited Kamala Harris, but saying that he wouldn't ban it helped him with young people. And so, he wants to stay true to that. Also TikTok, people think it's just owned by this Chinese company. Well, that Chinese company is backed by a ton of global investors, including a ton of investors here in the U.S. who Donald Trump has ties to.
So, those are some of the reasons why Donald Trump might not be as supportive of a ban now. I think, though, what it's going to come down to is, he sees this TikTok thing as a negotiation point in his broader agenda with China. So, he is not just thinking about it in terms of this one app. He is thinking about it in terms of fair trade, in terms of tariffs, in terms of a much bigger picture.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And that is, I think, one of the most fascinating aspects of this story.
Sara Fischer, always great to have you. Thank you.
FISCHER: Thank you.
SOLOMON: All right. And still ahead, CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam tracking the impact of the weather on the California fires. Derek.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. Rahel, even though the winds have eased in Southern California temporarily, all signs point to yet another Santa Ana wind event for early next week. I'll have all of the details coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLOMON: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York, and this breaking news just in. Sources tell CNN that Monday's inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump is being moved indoors due to the forecast of extremely bitterly cold temperatures. The swearing-in ceremony will now take place in the Capitol Rotunda, which, of course, means fewer people will be able to witness it. The last time an inauguration was moved indoors was for President Ronald Reagan in 1985. Forecasters say that Monday's high in Washington will be in the low to mid-20s. We're going to get more on this as the story develops.
But now, let's turn to Southern California, where 27 people have been confirmed dead in connection to those devastating wildfires. That's according to a new LA County Medical Examiner's report. The number could rise, though, as crews continue to go through debris. Firefighters hope to take advantage of better conditions this weekend, that's when Red Flag wind warnings will not be in effect.
Meanwhile, more than 170,000 people are still under evacuation notices, and many say that they're anxious to survey the damage in their neighborhoods. The fire chief says that her department will be there for all needs.
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CHIEF KRISTIN CROWLEY, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT: We will remain steadfast and dedicated from day one when that fire started, all the way through to the end. I promise you that, as your chief, that the LAFD will stand with you, as you continue to clean up and rebuild your communities.
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SOLOMON: And joining us now from the Pacific Palisades is CNN's Stephanie Elam. Stephanie, good to have you. The debris behind you is obviously just breathtaking. Talk to us a little bit about what you're seeing there on the ground.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's really staggering, because you can keep going block after block, street after street, and you'll see this. It's just -- it almost seems like the entire area of Pacific Palisades has been destroyed by this fire here, and this Palisades Fire now is 31 percent contained, still has burned more than 23,000 acres. And the Eaton Fire, they've really made progress on that one. That one is 65 percent contained, but over 14,000 acres.
And you're talking about the people who lost their lives. There were 10 people who lost their lives here in the Palisades Fire, and 17 so far in the Eaton Fire. And they're taking their time going through what's left of these homes, especially in the Eaton Fire, to make sure that they are able to identify any remains of people that they did not -- that they are -- that are still listed on their missing list there.
But, at the same time, while we're happy about the winds dying down, there is still the fear of rain because of the fact that January typically is the second wettest month of the year in California, and Southern California in particular, and then February is the wettest. But, we've had this dry January, and now there is fears that if we do get rain, what that could mean to all of this area, because of like those hillsides back there, if there is a lot of rain, because we've seen that all the plants and trees have been burned off, there is those root structure that actually help keep the soil in place. Without them, all that soil could come down.
If you listen to the Mayor of Malibu, he talks about what that could mean for communities. Take a listen.
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DOUG STEWART, MALIBU MAYOR: The hillsides in Malibu are extremely burned. For the firefighters, they know that there is a glaze that goes on, heavily burned soil, and if we have a rainstorm, this is going to be almost catastrophic if we're not prepared for it. A lot of the work that's being done right now in the recovery portion is to get ready for rain, not just to remove the debris.
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ELAM: And so, obviously a big concern, and part of the reason why they want to make sure everything is cleaned up as much as possible before people are allowed back in here, and they're saying it could be weeks before people are allowed in here. And the Pacific Coast Highway that runs along the coast, the road itself is fine. I've driven on it, but the issue is all the things that are around it and all the burned properties along it, that's the issue and the concern. So, still a lot of waiting for these devastated families who would normally be here.
SOLOMON: Not to mention how long it will take ultimately, and the expense that it will take ultimately to rebuild.
Stephanie Elam, thank you.
And as Stephanie pointed out in her report, the wind has been a big factor for firefighters in Los Angeles. Let's bring in meteorologist Derek Van Dam for a look at the conditions. And Derek, I'm not sure if you heard Stephanie's report there, but just the concern about the rain obviously sparking even more concerns now and new concerns. What are you seeing on the forecast?
DAM: I mean, remember what we were reporting on a year ago in this very same area, the flash flooding that occurred. Atmospheric rivers are so common this time of year over the state of California, even in the Southern California, but that's not the case right now. We have a dry trend that is going to continue, and I'll show you that in just one moment.
But, in terms of the winds and the immediate firefighting concerns on the ground right now, Mother Nature is really playing along, because we're getting calm winds, generally speaking, across the hardest hit areas. In fact, there is even more of an onshore component in some of these extreme coastal areas near -- like near the Palisades Fire, for instance. But, it is just so bone dry. There has been no precipitation falling from the sky, and that's important.
Every Thursday, at 08:30 in the morning, Eastern Standard, we monitor the U.S. drought monitoring maps. So, this brings out the areas that show the severity of the drought level. So, you go back to December of 2024, there was no coloring on this map across LA County and into Southern California. You go back to just last week, and there was only 59 percent of LA County under severe drought level, two of four.
And now, going forward to this week, it has just been updated recently to have 90 percent of LA County under this severe drought category. So, that's significant, and it continues to expand rapidly across some of these hardest hit areas, Ventura County, LA County, specifically Western LA County. It's all because of this rainfall deficit in the water year, which begins at the beginning of October. We should see over five inches of rain in this second wettest month of the year, but we've only seen three one hundredths of an inch fall from the sky.
[11:40:00]
And as you can see, over the next seven days, no colors on this map indicating no accumulating rainfall in this forecast. The only exception would be this kind of onshore flow increasing the relative humidity, helping the firefighting efforts on the ground.
The other thing that we're noticing is that a potential Santa Ana wind event again is shaping up for next week. We are looking for pattern recognition here. So, this dip in the jet stream from the Arctic air mass that's sending the inauguration in Doris on Monday, well, that has an area of high pressure underneath it, similar to our Santa Ana wind event that we experienced the past couple of weeks. That drives air from high to low pressure into Southern California, and when that gets funneled up and over the mountain ranges here, it can be problematic in terms of fire and fire spread.
So, we're going to monitor this area, specifically Monday into Tuesday, for a high likelihood of yet another Santa Ana wind event. So, keeping us all on our toes. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. You certainly don't want that, but we know you'll be watching it.
Derek Van Dam, thank you.
DAM: Definitely.
SOLOMON: And again, for more information about how you can help the victims of the Los Angeles County wildfire, go to cnn.com/impact.
And still ahead for us, Donald Trump's choice to be the next Homeland Security Secretary is in the hot seat. Kristi Noem is fielding questions at her Senate confirmation hearing in her bid to become a key player in the new Trump cabinet. Plus, it would have seemed unimaginable four years ago, January 6 rioters returning to what prosecutors called the scene of the crime for Donald Trump's inauguration.
We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: And following up on our breaking news, sources tell CNN that Monday's inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump is now being moved indoors due to the forecast of extremely cold temperatures.
Let's get to Alayna Treene, who joins us now from West Palm Beach with details. Alayna, what more do we know here?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Yeah. So, we've been talking with a series of sources who are familiar with this decision-making and the planning for Inauguration Day, and we're told that now the swearing in of Donald Trump, as well as Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, is expected to be inside the Capitol Rotunda on Monday, not where it normally is outside for tens of thousands and millions, really, of viewers back home as well to witness.
Now, we're also told that Donald Trump's team is considering whether to move the parade and other of those very high-profile festivities that they have planned for Monday indoors as well. One source I was speaking with said that there have been talks to maybe have some of the festivities held inside the Capitol, one arena that is where Donald Trump is also holding his rally on a Sunday. But, some of this is still fluid and under discussion as well. But, the main thing here, of course, is that they are worried about these dangerously cold temperatures and the health concerns for the guests and attendees. But also, remember, at the same time, Donald Trump really wants this to be a global event.
[11:45:00]
He has invited world leaders. He is going to be having the CEOs of major tech companies in prime seating on the dais by his cabinet members and others. And so, this is not how they anticipated, or really, I think, we're expecting inauguration day to go. But, of course, these very cold temperatures, especially when you have tens of thousands of people who want to show up on the National Mall to witness this in person, standing out there for hours at a time, this isn't exactly safe for them. So, that's really what this all comes down to.
I'd also note, just for our reference, that the last time an inauguration was held indoors like this was back when Reagan was sworn in. And so, definitely not something that they were anticipating, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. But, I mean, to your point, standing out there for hours obviously can be extremely risky and dangerous.
Alayna Treene, thank you.
Well, let's take you now to live pictures of Capitol Hill, where a Senate confirmation hearing is happening for South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security. As expected, Noem has faced questions about her potential role in implementing Trump's plans for mass deportations. She addressed U.S. border security during her opening statement. Take a listen.
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KRISTI NOEM, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY NOMINEE: Border security must remain a top priority. As a nation, we have the right and the responsibility to secure our borders against those who would do us harm, and we must create a fair and a lawful immigration system that is efficient and is effective and that reflects our values. President Trump was elected with a clear mandate. He needs to achieve this mission because two thirds of Americans support his immigration and border policies, including the majority of Hispanic Americans.
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SOLOMON: All right. Let's turn now to CNN Congressional Correspondent Lauren Fox. Lauren, what stood out so far to you in the hearing?
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I think one of the most interesting parts of this hearing was really the dynamics between Democrats and Kristi Noem. In a lot of ways, Donald Trump has nominated some folks for cabinet positions who Democrats have really grilled publicly in these hearings. At this hearing, I thought it was really interesting that a lot of Democrats used the majority of their time to really drill into policy specifics.
One exchange in particular that caught my eye was that between Kristi Noem and Senator Blumenthal. That was because Blumenthal was sort of pressing her with questions about whether or not she would use her position to block funding for blue states if she didn't agree with those states policies, especially when it came to disaster aid. Obviously, this is something that is really essential right now, given the California wildfires, and she just repeated over and over again that she is going to do her job. She is going to follow the law, and that she is not going to let politics get invested -- involved here.
Blumenthal continued to push her on, what is she going to do in hypothetical situations if Donald Trump asked her to block that kind of funding, and she essentially said that, again, she was going to follow the law. That was almost one of the most ripe exchanges for sort of the kind of fireworks that you see.
But, in a lot of ways, this hearing was an opportunity for Democrats, because they know she is likely to get confirmed with at least just Republican votes. There is a broad support for her in the Republican Party. I think that they were really using this opportunity to really try to understand what her policy proposals were, as well as get their own priorities to her in this public setting. There is really no use in going after a nominee repeatedly and really in a tough public hearing setting if you know ultimately they're probably going to get confirmed and you're going to need them down the line if your state experiences the kind of natural disasters that we're seeing in California right now.
So, I thought that that is such an interesting dynamic that it was so different than what we saw on Tuesday when Pete Hegseth came before the Armed Services Committee in the Senate. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. That's a really interesting point. I mean, to that point, Pete Hegseth was perhaps the most contentious of the hearings that we've heard so far, despite the fact that all of these nominees, if they were to get full Republican support, to your point, really don't need Democratic support here. Lauren, do I have you? OK. It looks like we lost Lauren, but Lauren Fox reporting live at the Capitol there for us. Lauren, we appreciate you. Thank you.
Well, what a difference four years makes. Some of the January 6 rioters who clashed with police while storming the U.S. Capitol will be in Washington Monday to celebrate Donald Trump's inauguration. While most of the defendants returning to D.C. next week are charged with misdemeanors, some are accused of felonies, federal judges did block a few rioters from attending the inauguration, but others, including some convicted of their crimes, are expected to be there. [11:50:00]
And with just days left in his time as -- in office as President of the United States, Joe Biden has commuted thousands of prisoner sentences. He granted clemency to nearly 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders, saying that their original sentences were disproportionately long compared to how long they would be sentenced under current law. The President's act of clemency will benefit federal prisoners convicted of those crimes.
All right. We're going to take a short break and we'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: You are looking at and listening to rare video of a meteorite crashing to Earth last summer. It was captured on a doorbell camera outside a home on Prince Edward Island in Canada. So, the homeowners say that they saw gray dust in a star-shaped pattern on their walkway, and then they went to check the recording. They collected the fragments and sent them to experts at the University of Alberta, who confirmed they were indeed from a meteorite. Scientists say that the space rock was from the asteroid belt beyond Mars. Pretty cool.
Controversy between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is showing no signs of going away. The two starred in the movie "It Ends with Us", a story about an abusive marriage. Now, dueling lawsuits are accusing each other of harassment, creating battles in the Hollywood smear campaign.
CNN Entertainment Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister has the latest.
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ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: The legal battle between Hollywood actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has just escalated and gotten even more messy, as Justin Baldoni has filed his own lawsuit against Blake Lively, and not just Blake Lively, but also her husband, mega star Ryan Reynolds, and also their publicist. Now, this comes after Lively had filed a civil rights complaint one month ago where she alleged that she was sexually harassed by Baldoni on the set of their film "It Ends with Us". Now, "It Ends with Us" centers around a couple dealing with the issue of domestic violence, and that couple is played by Lively and Baldoni.
[11:55:00]
Well, in lively civil rights complaints, she alleged not only that she was sexually harassed by Baldoni, but also that after she raised concerns about that alleged misconduct that she was then retaliated against because Baldoni's team had allegedly orchestrated a sophisticated smear campaign behind the scenes to ruin her career. Well, now in his new lawsuit, Baldoni is saying, not so fast. It was actually Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and their team who smeared me. Now, in the complaint, I want to read you a direct quote. It says,
quote, "Lively wields immense power as one of the world's best-known celebrities. She set out to destroy Plaintiffs' livelihoods and businesses if they did not bend to her incessant demands, and when they refused to give way, she did exactly that, accusing them of foul and reprehensible sexual misconduct."
Now, I have reached out to Baldoni's attorney, who tells me that they have copious amounts of evidence that will prove that Baldoni did nothing wrong, and part of that evidence, he says, is text messages, video footage and emails. Well, in his lawsuit, which, by the way, is 179 pages, Baldoni includes text messages, in one of those text messages, even brings Taylor Swift into this legal saga. Now, Taylor Swift is very close friends with both Lively and Reynolds. I have reached out to Taylor's team. We have not heard back.
Back to you.
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SOLOMON: And Lively's legal team tells CNN that, quote, "This lawsuit and this latest lawsuit from Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its associates is another chapter in the abuser playbook. This is an age- old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim." Lively's attorneys go on to say, quote, "The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate. It does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively's complaint, and it will fail."
Well, thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. Stick with CNN. One World is coming up next.
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