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CNN International: Trump To Visit California Today To See Wildfire Damage; White House: U.S. Using Military Aircraft To Deport Migrants; Hamas Names Next Hostages To Be Released; Kremlin: Putin Ready To Talk With Donald Trump; Austin Tice's Mother Searches For Her Son In Syria. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired January 24, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:56]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST: Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Thanks so much for joining me today on CNN NEWSROOM.

Let's get you right to the news.

President Trump is touring disaster zones on both sides of the U.S. today and has threatened to eliminate the federal agency that helps states rebuild and recover.

Right now, he's on his way to Los Angeles after earlier visiting devastated areas in North Carolina. He met with Hurricane Helene survivors, many who have suffered catastrophic losses. Trump slammed FEMA's response to that storm and says going forward, states should manage disasters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA. I think, frankly, FEMA is not good. I think when you have a problem like this, I think you want to go. And whether it's a Democrat or Republican governor, you want to use your state to fix it and not waste time calling FEMA.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, the president is en route to Los Angeles to tour the widespread damage there after the wildfires. Earlier, he said he would withhold federal disaster aid to California if certain conditions are not met.

Julia Vargas Jones joins us from Altadena, California.

Good to have you there for us, Julia.

So, President Trump visited Asheville, North Carolina, which, of course, was devastated by Hurricane Helene. And he spent a lot of time criticizing the response by the federal agency, FEMA, saying its a disaster. And he may sign an order for it to go away. Just tell us more. JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's still unclear, Lynda, what that will mean, especially as the country is recovering from these two disasters in both coasts.

But we have heard from FEMA officials saying that they are scrambling to understand what these comments mean, that personnel nationwide are talking to each other, trying to figure out what this will actually how this will affect their actions going forward.

Right now, here in California, Governor Gavin Newsom is expected to welcome President Trump this afternoon when he lands. He also signed a bill releasing $2.5 billion to aid for southern California after these wildfires.

But, Lynda, that's just a drop in the bucket and the devastation behind me should tell you anything. You should say that there will be a need for more aid for California to rebuild and recover from these disasters. So we'll see how these two leaders, even though, you know, political rivals can work together.

And for Governor Gavin Newsom, this will be a test of his relationship with Donald Trump. We know that he has worked with him in the past, but Trump has also targeted California, specifically in his comments.

KINKADE: Yeah, exactly. He did claim that the governor of California had refused to provide water from the northern part of the state to fight these fires. At least three of these blazes are continuing to burn.

What can you tell us about that claim from Donald Trump and what is needed from the federal government there?

JONES: Well, that claim has to do, Lynda, with that Gavin Newsom would have chosen to protect a specific species of fish in parts of California, and that that would have affected the flow of water to Los Angeles area and Los Angeles County and Altadena here where we are. And that because of that, some fire hydrants lost pressure, didn't have enough water for firefighters to fight the flames over here.

And now we have heard from experts that that was not the case. And those two things are not necessarily related. But Trump had another condition that he said would have to be imposed for this state to get federal aid.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: In California, we want them to have voter ID so the people have a voice, because right now, the people don't have a voice because you don't know who's voting. And it's very corrupt. And we also want them to release the water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And again, Lynda, so much is needed here in southern California that voter ID laws that Trump is talking about unclear if he wants that to be actions by the governor.

[15:05:08]

And this will be a test of that relationship. A drop in the bucket as California continues to move forward. And also this weekend, we're looking at another challenge. Rains are in the horizon here, and the authorities here are preparing for potential mudslides from this 20 to 250,000 bags of sand are being distributed across the city.

There is a concern, Lynda, that these rains, if they hit fire, burned areas could be just as deadly as the fires that we saw in previous weeks. So it's extremely important for Californians -- for Donald Trump to be here this weekend, today, and to see the level of the devastation and perhaps to make a case for why California needs that federal aid.

KINKADE: All right. Julia Vargas Jones, we will be keeping a watch on that. Donald Trump expected to arrive there in just a couple of hours. Thank you very much.

We want to turn now to the new immigration agenda. The White House has released some images today showing U.S. military aircraft being readied to deport migrants.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has the details on these flights, and Donald Trump's efforts at the southern border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The White House announcing on Friday that the use of military aircraft for deportations have begun, posting a photo of one of those flights. Now, a homeland security official telling me that this happened in the El Paso area. Of course, earlier in the week, the Pentagon had announced that it would send military aircraft both to El Paso and also to San Diego.

Now, this flight included some 75 to 80 migrants from Guatemala. These were recent border crossers. Therefore, they were already in Border Patrol custody. And as an example of the way that the administration is trying to use the U.S. military along the southern border.

Now, of course, in addition to the announcement over the military aircraft this week, Pentagon also saying they would send more troops along the border. Their mission is to help, for example, with operational readiness as well as intelligence and air operation augmentation. But all of this taken together, an example of how the president, after signing an executive order declaring a national emergency on the U.S. southern border, is trying to use Pentagon resources, more of them to clamp down on the border and to send a message, in this case that coming through in a photo posted by the White House press secretary of these migrants boarding a Pentagon flight.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE) KINKADE: Our thanks to Priscilla Alvarez there.

Well, as local and state leaders brace for mass deportations, Mexican authorities have begun building temporary shelters for those who may be affected.

CNN's Valeria Leon has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the place where the Mexican government is building one of the 25 temporary shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border to receive exclusively Mexican deportees.

This camp, just across the border wall from El Paso, Texas, would be able to take in up to 2,000 migrants. Here, they would receive food, water, a place to sleep. Also, medical services. And right now there are around of 25 people working round the clock and hoping that this infrastructure will be ready in the next four days.

I'm joined right now by one of the coordinators of this project, Enrique Serrano. He's a local authority.

Hola, Enrique.

ENRIQUE SERRANO, STATE COORDINATOR, CHIHUAHUA'S POPULATION COUNCIL: Twenty five hundred people.

LEON: Twenty-five hundred people working in this project.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

LEON: So there's this external company who's in charge of this project? They were hired by the Mexican federal government.

When do you expect this will be ready?

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

LEON: He says, on Sunday this will be ready. And, but right now they are not receiving as much -- as many deportees that they would expect to.

But yesterday, we witnessed a group of 70 Mexican deportees walking into Mexico from the international port here in the border town of Ciudad Juarez. So deportees are actually arriving in the town.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

LEON: So he said that they are not properly deportees, but they were expelled from the U.S. So the difference, he says, is a legal process that deportations would have and not just to be expelled from the -- from the U.S. and also he said that here they will receive medical services, food and other type of services, especially with this freezing temperatures dropping below. And it's -- it's important to take care of the migrants in terms of the climate. (SPEAKING SPANISH)

LEON: He said that here, they can stay for three days.

[15:10:02]

And then the federal government will offer this possibility to move them to in busses and transportation to other different states in Mexico.

SERRANO: Gracias.

LEON: Perfecto. Gracias, Enrique.

Okay. And also in this border town of 1.5 million inhabitants, some churches have expanded their spaces to give shelter and also provide clothes and food to the deportees and also to the migrants with canceled CBP One appointments that are now stranded at this border town in Ciudad Juarez.

I'm Valeria Leon from Ciudad Juarez.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, regardless of immigration status, one U.S. mayor vows his city will continue to protect all residents.

The mayor of Newark, New Jersey, says his city has been unlawfully terrorized after federal agents raided a local business and detained multiple people Thursday, including U.S. citizens, without producing arrest warrants.

Mayor Ras Baraka called it an egregious violation of the U.S. Constitution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAS BARAKA, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY MAYOR: Obviously, some ICE agents raided a business in our city without a warrant. They went in the back of the establishment. We believe that there were three people who they say were undocumented, that they detained, but they also detained folks that were, in fact, citizens of this country. One person showed that military veteran identification and was still questioned anyway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, CNN has not been able to independently verify those details.

It has been a whirlwind first week of Donald Trump's second presidential term, with a flurry of executive action already shaping his early agenda. Using executive orders, Mr. Trump repealed dozens of former President Biden's actions, and he began his crackdown on immigration. He withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate accords and took steps to keep this popular social media platform, TikTok, open in the United States, despite national security concerns. In addition, Trump gave clemency to all of the individuals involved in

the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, including the violent attackers, a move that has reignited debate over accountability and justice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: So this is January 6th, and these are the hostages, approximately 1,500 for a pardon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

TRUMP: Full pardon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, senior political analyst for CNN, Ron Brownstein, is joining us now live from Los Angeles.

Welcome, Ron.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, Lynda.

KINKADE: So Trump returned to office with a strong mandate and a very long list of promises for day one.

Just let you turn that off.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. I'm sorry. Yeah.

KINKADE: It happens to the best of us, Ron. No worries at all.

So, so day one, Donald Trump promised mass deportations, rolling back environmental protections, withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization. How would you sum up his first week so far?

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah. I mean, you know, obviously an avalanche of action. I mean, a flurry of action doesn't describe it. And one that really underscores my belief that, you know, in modern U.S. politics, the kind of the locus of change is the executive branch often working either with or against an alliance with the states and the courts, adjudicating how far they can go.

I mean, think about how many things Trump has done in this week that are expressly designed to undo things that Biden did in the kind of maybe less intense but similar flurry when he took office. You know, it's very hard to get 60 votes in the Senate for anything other than this one big bill a year where you can pass the reconciliation bill without 60 votes. And so you see the attempt of each new president to transform the country through executive action.

But it's a little bit like writing on sand. And in the same way that you see Trump undoing many of the things that Biden did, a lot of what Trump is doing today is going to be vulnerable. If he can get it through the courts to a future president undoing. KINKADE: Yeah, exactly. Of course, he also promised to pardon the

January 6th rioters, and we are seeing reaction to that one young man who had reported his father to the FBI after the insurrection, says he's terrified. I just want to play some sound.

BROWNSTEIN: Sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACKSON REFFITT, SON OF CONVICTED JANUARY 6TH CAPITOL RIOTER: I'm terrified. I don't know what I'm going to do. I've taken as many precautions as I could recently. I've -- I've picked up a gun. I've moved, and I've -- I've gotten myself away from what I thought would be a dangerous situation. And staying where I thought my dad could find me, or other people, you know, people that are going to feel so validated by these actions, by this pardon.

[15:15:03]

My dad once called me a traitor. And, you know, he said traitors get shot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: So, I mean, we heard from him, but we also heard from another lady, Pam Hemphill, who was pardoned and said she won't actually leave prison because she's no longer part of what she called a cult.

What message do these pardons send to others who might want to carry out political violence?

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, well, first of all, it sends the message that Trump feels almost invulnerable at this point, right? I mean, you know, he is -- he is pressing at the boundaries in every direction, going beyond what he talked about in the campaign, threatening the leaders of Denmark over Greenland, threatening Panama over the canal, pardoning J6 rioters, including people who attacked police officers who later died.

Trump is letting them out of prison. And obviously, there is a message that is being sent about normalizing and enabling and excusing political violence that could have important ramifications down the road. But politically, it also, to me, sends the message that he is feeling that there are, in effect, no constraints on what he can do, and that is typically in American history, a place where politicians do run into trouble eventually.

KINKADE: Ron, I want to turn to the war in Ukraine. Trump has said he's going to end that war between Russia and Ukraine on day one. It hasn't happened yet, but Putin is calling for a meeting with Trump, and Russia has criticized Trump's threat of more tariffs.

What do you make of the approach so far?

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, I mean, he said, it would be so easy to end it and he could end it within 24 hours. And you know, it's obviously a much more difficult problem. I think, you know, Trump's instinct certainly is to force Ukraine and Zelenskyy to make a deal that leaves Russia in control of a substantial amount of territory, not clear how -- you know, how far Zelenskyy will bend in that direction.

And there are people on the right who have pointed out that however much damage Joe Biden suffered from the sense that it was a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, a collapse of Ukraine, if Trump, you know, withdraws support, it could be even more damaging on his watch. So, you know, he certainly wants to drive this toward -- toward an end to fighting. And he has a lot of leverage to do so.

But he does not have infinite leverage. And I would I would say only that it also underscores the larger point is that Trump is now responsible for outcomes. You know?

I mean, he was able to run that Biden had messed up a lot of different things, including your cost of living. And now, ultimately, he will be judged about whether he can improve those conditions both at home and abroad. And that's a very different yardstick for any politician.

KINKADE: And speaking of issues at home, he has vowed to limit birthright citizenship. We know that birthright citizenship only exists in about 30 countries. A judge has put a temporary hold on that order. Is that a policy that's potentially less controversial?

BROWNSTEIN: No, I think, you know, I think on immigration, historically in American politics has been what we call politics. Political science is called a thermostatic issue, where, you know, the public moves in the opposite direction of policy. So after Biden, there is certainly support for tougher measures at the border. Ideas like remain in Mexico, requiring asylum seekers to remain in Mexico. That had a lot of opposition in Trump's first term going to have less opposition.

Now, you saw the bipartisan vote for this bill to remove people convicted of lesser crimes more quickly from the U.S., but that doesn't mean it's an infinite grant.

And in most polls, consistently, the public has opposed ending birthright citizenship, very conflicted and contradictory views on mass deportation. Obviously, support for deporting more criminals, a lot less support for deporting long time residents, particularly those with U.S. citizen kids. And I believe there are 5 million undocumented -- 5 million kids in the U.S. who are U.S. citizens and have at least one undocumented parent.

You know, the question of, you know, again, Trump is feeling at the zenith of his powers, and the question of whether he can maneuver on all of these issues in a way that maintains public support or whether he pushes too far, as he did in his first term, by separating parents from their kids at the border -- you know, if you look at the first week and you look at the kind of steps he is taking, I would think that a lot of Republicans will be wondering if he is, you know, ultimately his reach is going to exceed his grasp.

KINKADE: We will see how this plays out and talk again soon. Ron Brownstein, thanks so much, as always.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

KINKADE: Well, still to come this hour, relief for Israelis as Hamas names the next hostages to be freed. We're going to go live to Tel Aviv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:23:08]

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Hamas says it intends to release four female Israeli soldiers Saturday as part of the next wave of hostage prisoner exchanges. Israel is preparing to receive Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag. Israeli officials notified the families of the four soldiers that they intended to move forward with the release on the basis of the list provided by Hamas. That's despite the fact that Israel expected a female civilian hostage Arbel Yehud, to be included in Saturday's release.

Our Bianna Golodryga joins me now from Tel Aviv.

So, Bianna, more hostages are expected to be released tomorrow. But this next phase is is quite complicated. What are you hearing? And what are the families of those hostages telling you?

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yeah, Lynda, it has been quite a tense few hours here. As you explained, Hamas reneged on its end of the deal here, where Israel had expected four hostages to be released tomorrow. But one of them, a female civilian hostage held in Gaza instead, as you noted, four IDF spotters are going to be released per Hamas tomorrow, and thus one additional IDF spotter remains in Gaza not on this list.

But this is a huge relief for these families. Nonetheless, they were waiting for Israel to finally give the green light that despite the violation by Hamas, they would go ahead with this deal tomorrow. And thus, once these four female hostages would be in IDF hands, then they would release 50 Palestinian prisoners for each of the IDF female hostages.

I've gotten to know these families quite well over the past 15-1/2 months. I've spoken to their families numerous times. In fact, just a few months ago, I spoke to the mother of Naama Levy and Liri Albag about how painful these months have been for them as they have been crusading for their daughters to come home.

[15:25:10]

They told me every single day felt like October 7th all over again. Here's what else they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AYELET LEVY SCHACHAR, MOTHER OF NAAMA LEVY: Every morning is meeting the same pain of Naama not being here and knowing that she is somewhere in Gaza, knowing that she's held and knowing that the conditions are unbearable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: And hopefully tomorrow they will finally be reunited with their daughters once this exchange begins.

We should also note that Israeli officials have reached out to the family of Agam Berger. That is, that fifth IDF female spotter who was not part of this deal.

And they've also reached out to the family of Arbel Yehud. She is the civilian hostage who many had expected to be on this list, 29 years old, had been kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th from her kibbutz Nir Oz.

So there was some surprises here. And again, three hours of tense uncertainty as to whether or not Israel would accept this deal, though it didn't meet the parameters of the original agreement. Nonetheless, they have gone forward and these names have been made public.

KINKADE: So some relief for some tomorrow and heartache for others.

Bianna Golodryga, thanks so much from Tel Aviv. Appreciate it.

Well, the ceasefire is allowing Palestinians in Gaza to begin returning to what's left of their homes. But for so many families, the agony is far from over. Gaza's health ministry says some 10,000 people are still missing, many believed to be buried under the rubble.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more. But we need to warn you some of his report has some very disturbing scenes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid the rubble of an Israeli airstrike, a small hand reaches out and grips the air.

We're coming, son. We're coming, one man promises as he and the others, sifting through the rubble, quickened their pace.

But it is the boy who clears the last remaining stones from his face, revealing an eye and a mouth gasping for air.

Spit, son, spit, one man tells him as he surfaces, coughing up bits of stone and soot.

Three-year-old Asad Khalifa (ph) is one of the last survivors of Israel's unrelenting bombardment of the Gaza Strip. He is also one of its last victims. Less than 24 hours after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement but before it went into effect, Asad became an orphan. His mother and father were killed in the same strike. So was his younger sister. Her lifeless body recovered by the same men who rescued Asad. One man checks her pulse, confirming what is already painfully obvious.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it struck terror infrastructure where a commander in the Hamas terrorist organization was present. The terrorist was responsible for many rocket attacks. The IDF said it, quote, took intelligence measures to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals.

More than 140 Palestinians were killed in the four tragic days between the announcement of the ceasefire deal and when it became a reality. But even if this six-week ceasefire turns into an enduring truce, they will not be this war's last victims.

Thirteen-year-old Zakariya (ph) was shot on the second day of the ceasefire. His relatives and doctors at Nasser Hospital say he was killed by Israeli fire.

He is one of at least four Palestinians who have allegedly been shot by Israeli forces in Gaza since the ceasefire went into effect.

My son is dead, his mother cries. He was just trying to get a piece of bread to eat. He went looking for wood to burn for cooking. What did he do to deserve to be killed?

The Israeli military said it is unaware of the incident, but has warned Palestinians against approaching areas where Israeli troops are still stationed in Gaza. Publishing this map outlining no go zones where Palestinians could be shot if they enter.

But the reality on the ground is far more complicated.

Would a child know if an area is forbidden to enter or not, his uncle asks. The soldiers saw him.

[15:30:01]

They deliberately shot a child. They saw him trying to pick up pieces of wood so he could bring back to his parents to cook food.

Why did you have to kill him? Remove him from the area if you have to but why kill him?

Back in northern Gaza, little Asad and his parents should be enjoying the first days of the ceasefire. His parents had been preparing to reunite with family displaced in southern Gaza.

They were excited and happy and discussing how to reunite with the rest of the family, Mutassim (ph), the family's neighbor, says. But an Israeli airstrike killed their dreams.

Mutassim's sister Mawadda (ph), had received a celebratory text message from Asad's mother hours after the ceasefire was announced.

Moments later, she was killed, she says. I was so shocked. She says she will raise Asad alongside her children for as long as needed. We will try, she says, but we will not be able to replace his mother or bring her back.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's crazy. It's a crazy war. And it never would have happened if I was president. It would never have happened. This is crazy that it happened. But we want to stop it.

Now, one way to stop it quickly is for OPEC to stop making so much money and to drop the price of oil, because they have it nice and high. And if you have it high, that war is not going to end so easily. So OPEC ought to get on the ball and they ought to drop the price of oil. And that war will stop right away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:35:01]

KINKADE: That was the U.S. President Donald Trump, doubling down on his argument that high oil prices are keeping the conflict in Ukraine going by fueling the Russian economy. The Kremlin rejecting Mr. Trump's statement, saying lower oil prices would not help end the conflict as it's about national security, not oil.

President Trump told reporters Thursday he wanted to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately, and repeated his assertion that Russia should want to make a deal to end the conflict with Ukraine.

Today, the Kremlin says it's now ready to speak with President Trump, but is waiting on signals from Washington to move forward.

CNN's Matthew Chance reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, has lavished praise on President Trump while urging a meeting between the two leaders to discuss Ukraine and other issues. In an interview on Russian state television, Putin insisted that he, quote, always had an exclusively professional and business like relationship with Trump. A U.S. leader he appears to hold in very high esteem.

Take a listen.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): He is not only a smart person, he is a pragmatic person. And I can hardly imagine that decisions will be made that will harm the American economy. Therefore, most likely it would be better for us to meet and talk calmly about all those areas that are of interest to both the U.S. and Russia. We are ready, but this primarily depends on the decision and choice of the current administration.

CHANCE: Well, those remarks coming after President Trump said he would meet Putin immediately to bring a rapid end to the conflict in Ukraine. Earlier, Trump told Putin over social media to make a deal about Ukraine and to end what he called this ridiculous war or face increased U.S. sanctions. Putin's response has essentially been to agree in principle to talks, but also to flatter the U.S. president. In his state TV interview, Putin called his relationship with Trump trustworthy and added that he agreed with the U.S. president that, quote, if his presidency had not been stolen in 2020, maybe the crisis in Ukraine would not have happened.

Putin, of course, launched his full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when Joe Biden was U.S. president.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, still to come, the mother of missing American journalist Austin Tice is on a journey to find her son in Syria. Details ahead on why she believes he's still there in a safe house.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:40]

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

We have some news just into us. Four passengers and two crew members were hurt today on a United Airlines plane traveling from Nigeria to Washington, D.C. The plane returned to Nigeria for an emergency landing. Video taken by passengers shows chaos on board with trays, food and other objects strewn across the floor. It's unclear what caused the in-flight jolt.

Well, American journalist Austin Tice disappeared in Syria in 2012. His mother remains desperate for answers. The U.S. government claims Tice was held by the Assad regime, but with Bashar al-Assad now ousted from power. Deborah Tice went back to Syria to search for her son.

CNN's Clarissa Ward has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the story of the lengths a mother will go to, to find her son. It's the story of so many Syrian mothers and one American.

For 12-1/2 years, Deborah Tice has not stopped looking for U.S. journalist Austin Tice. Taken at a regime checkpoint in Syria in 2012, he has been missing ever since. One of many thousands who disappeared in the prisons of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Six weeks after Assad's ouster, Deborah is now going back to Damascus, joined by the head of Hostage Aid Worldwide, Nizar Zakka, who is coordinating the search.

DEBORAH TICE, MOTHER OF MISSING JOURNALIST AUSTIN TICE: Almost ten years since --

NIZAR ZAKKA, HEAD OF HOSTAGE AID WORLDWIDE: When was the last time, which was --

TICE: The last time I was here was in 2015 in May.

ZAKKA: Wow.

WARD: At the hotel in Damascus, a group of journalists eagerly await her arrival. But for now, there are more questions than answers.

TICE: It's hard for me to think about how -- what is my way forward here, you know? Austin has been held by the Syrian government all this time. Who -- who is holding him now? Where is he? How -- what is the approach? I mean, it's like it's first grade again.

WARD: And where -- where do you think he is? What do you know? What can you share?

TICE: I feel like he is still in Syria. And I do think it's most likely he's in a safe house.

WARD: Are you saying that based on what you feel or what you know?

TICE: There's some of each. There's some of each.

WARD: Faith has played a vital role inward Deborah's journey. First thing Sunday morning, she heads to Saint Anthony's Church, the place she came to pray on an almost daily basis. When she first visited Damascus in 2014 and ended up staying three and a half months trying to gain Austin's release.

Prayers are needed by so many here dotted around the city. Fliers with photos of those who disappeared under the Assad regime, leaving devastated families desperately looking for answers.

For Deborah and Nizar, the prisons where they believe Austin was detained hold important clues. They visit Al-Khatib prison, where Nizar's team has discovered some graffiti that the Tice family is convinced was written by Austin.

Deborah has been stealing herself for this moment for weeks and is intent on seeing it for herself.

TICE: Okay.

WARD: Take a minute. Take a minute. Take a minute. Okay. Take a minute.

TICE: Okay. WARD: Okay.

TICE: You want to hold that for me? Okay. I'm going to take this.

WARD: I'm going to hold the light for you.

TICE: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

WARD: All right. I'll hold the light for you.

TICE: Okay.

WARD: Okay, I'll go in first.

Okay, it's very small in here.

TICE: Okay.

Thank you.

[15:45:02]

WARD: The Tice family asked us not to show the graffiti itself out of respect for their privacy.

TICE: I'm going to stay in here for a minute, okay? Okay. I just want to be here in here for a minute. Just for a minute?

WARD: Sure.

TICE: I hardly even know what to say about that experience. It was beyond anything I could have imagined. These pictures don't even begin to tell you how. And unbelievably, unbelievably horrible, awful, terrible nightmare they are.

WARD: At a press conference the next day, Deborah talks about her experience visiting the prisons.

TICE: For all the mothers whose sons were disappeared in these dungeons, our hearts are joined. For all those looking now for answers about their family members, I am here with you in solidarity. We share --

WARD: Unlike those Syrian mothers, Deborah and Nizar were able to meet with Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who offered support and confidence.

ZAKKA: He believes, like, all of us, that Austin is alive and he's going to be joined with his mom. And we promised him that when he's back, were going to come visit Sharaa again with Austin.

WARD: A lot of people will think after the fall of the Assad regime, after the prisons were opened, more than a month later, the fact that Austin doesn't turn up hasn't turned up is not a good sign. And there are many people who assume that he was likely killed.

How do you know? Or do you know with conviction that he is alive?

ZAKKA: We have enough information collected that Austin is alive and is in a safe house, is controlled somehow by the regime.

Everybody, we are receiving this information from the highest sources, confirming what -- what we believe in. So we don't see any reason, any reason to think differently. In fact, we didn't have one thing -- no, ever, nobody provided one single evidence that Austin is not alive.

WARD: It's Monday afternoon, the day of the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump.

Have you been in contact with the Trump administration? Do you feel optimistic?

TICE: Oh, I feel hugely optimistic. And one of the main things is that his people reached out to me. I mean, they are in. They are ready. They want to go with it. They want Austin home.

WARD: Looking out at the city as the sun starts to fade, Deborah's hopes are high.

TICE: You remember the feeling of the babies almost. Do you know that kind of thing? Of just waiting, you know, when are we going to be together again? I have very much that kind of feeling.

WARD: Do you feel when you look around that you're closer to him?

TICE: Yes. I feel like I'm closer to him. I feel like he knows that I'm here.

All right.

WARD: The next morning, it's time to leave. But Deborah is certain she will be back and soon.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, Damascus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Our thanks to Clarissa. I will have more news for you in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:51:25]

KINKADE: As a storm named Eowyn has been battering Ireland and the UK with hurricane force winds, the bomb cyclone has largely peaked in Ireland. Cleanup efforts are underway and many roads are closed. While rail services and flights have been canceled or delayed. Parts of Scotland have issued snow warnings and are now bracing for sleet and rain. The storm is expected to move out of the UK on Saturday.

And news we're following out of New Jersey. A small earthquake has hit in Paramus, in the northern part of that state. The 2.4 magnitude earthquake could be felt in both New York and New Jersey. The epicenter is about 15 miles from New York City. No damage has been reported.

Well, it's not the end. Tennis great Novak Djokovic was hoping for in his quest for an all time record 25th grand slam title at the Australian Open in Melbourne. The 37-year-old was forced to retire injured from his semifinal on Friday, Friday and was booed off the court by some disappointed fans inside Rod Laver Arena.

CNN's "WORLD SPORT's" Patrick Snell joins us for more on this.

And Djokovic was both cheered and booed as he walked off the court. And certainly one of his opponents tried to stick up for him, right?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah. Alexander Zverev, the German player certainly had a strong message for those Melbourne fans that were booing. We'll get to that in just a few moments, Lynda.

But yeah, sad to see for Novak Djokovic himself and his legions of fans the world over. I'd watched the match, I watched it live and I thought he was really good, actually, in the in the first set, he really should have won it. He will feel he should have won that first set, no question about it. Remember, he was coming off that epic four setter against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals that we now know really took its toll on him and his body.

That muscle tear in the left leg impacting him. He did all he could. Djokovic, he said, to be in the best possible shape for this semifinal, but it just wasn't to be. And when he put that volley into the net to give the first set to Zverev, it was just kind of surreal scenes. As he walked around to Zverev side of the court and quickly indicates that the match was over, handshakes. These two are close friends. They hug it out as well.

And Novak Djokovic denied in his quest for an 11th, a record extending 11th Aussie open crown, Lynda. And of course, what would have been a crack at a standalone record 25th grand slam singles title. No one ever in the history of the sport has ever achieved that.

Let's hear now from Alexander Zverev his response to those booing as nole goes off court there. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDER ZVEREV, GERMAN SECOND SEED: Please guys, don't -- don't boo a player when he goes out with injury.

You got to understand. Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given the sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life. And he has won this tournament with an abdominal tear. He has won this turn with a hamstring tear. If he cannot continue a tennis match, it really means that he cannot continue a tennis match.

So please be respectful. And, really, really show some love for Novak as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Yeah. The pair, Linda, a close friend. Zverev has huge respect for Novak Djokovic and strong words there in support of noelene (ph).

Djokovic himself saying afterwards, look, even if I had won, even if I had won that first set in grueling heat, you know how hot it gets in the Melbourne summer, Lynda. Grueling heat there on Friday. Dayside, he said. Even if I had won that first set, it's unlikely I would have had enough in the tank to go on and seal the victory, seal out the points there.

So a very, very, very dramatic Friday in Melbourne, Lynda.

[15:55:03]

KINKADE: Yeah. And it's a shame because he has of course won grand slams in the past while being injured. But hopefully he makes a speedy recovery.

Patrick Snell, thanks so much.

Well, Delta has canceled one of its flights after a planes emergency slide deployed by mistake at the airport. This passenger video take a look, came into us. It happened Thursday. The plane was scheduled to fly to Hawaii, but crew members accidentally deployed the slide. It caused minor damage to the plane, and the air crew timed out before repairs could be made. The airline had to reschedule the passengers to different flights. Delta has apologized for the incident.

Well, the Smithsonian national zoo in Washington, D.C. is welcoming its newest residents, two giant pandas. Now, after months of planning and preparation, Bao Li and Qing Bao made their public debut earlier today. These are some pictures of the pandas inside their exhibit. Three year old black and white duo are on loan from China for the next ten years, and are the first ones to be sent to Washington in nearly a quarter of a century.

Well, thanks so much for joining me today. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stay with CNN.

"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next.