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Isa Soares Tonight
Nicolas Maduro Sworn In For a Third Term As President Of Venezuela; Devastating Wildfires Raging In The Los Angeles Region For A Fourth Straight Day; Trump Avoids Prison Or Fine In Sentencing Of Unconditional Discharge; Fire Crews Brace For More Gusty Winds Today; White House Briefs Amid Historic LA Fires; Copernicus Report: 2024 Was Hottest Year On Record. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired January 10, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, and a very warm welcome, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, we are beginning now with two major
developing stories in Venezuela. Nicolas Maduro has been sworn in as President for a third term, and it comes following months of violence as
well as unrest over a highly-contested election in the country.
We'll take you live the very latest in just a few moments. But we begin in California where devastating wildfires are raging the Los Angeles region
for a fourth straight day. And that's where we begin this evening. One fire evacuee says I have nothing and I'm just shattered.
Tonight, she's echoing the sentiments of so many people who have lost homes and others who have lost loved ones. At least, ten people have died and
officials are warning the death toll could rise once it becomes safe enough for investigators to go into those affected areas.
Entire neighborhoods have been obliterated, literally turned to ash. There are 150,000 people under evacuation orders and thousands more under
evacuation warnings. Meantime, let's put it into context for you. Five major blazes are burning out of control, including in the new Kenneth Fire
on the border of L.A. as well as Ventura counties.
The fires have already destroyed an area two and a half times larger than Manhattan. And this video that we are showing you right now shows the
seemingly endless swathe of devastation to the area, really unrecognizable and unimaginable. Officials are vowing to support victims through the
recovery as well as the rebuilding process of course. They're also issuing a warning for looters. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR KAREN BASS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: With so many homes and businesses lost, we are already putting plans in place to make sure that we
aggressively rebuild. My office is leading the city effort to clear the way. Red tape, bureaucracy, all of it must go. This will be an enormous
undertaking, but we will be ready for it because we will not rely on the old way of doing things.
For this recovery, we will have -- like we have done in other areas, we shake up the system and move forward with new strategies and policies. I
don't believe that there is anything that Angelenos cannot do if we stand together.
NATHAN HOCHMAN, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Looting is a despicable crime. For the people who have already been arrested, please
know that this is not going to end well. You will be punished to the full extent of the law.
And I'm sending this warning message out again. If you want to take and go ahead and take advantage of people who are tragically suffered enormous
losses in this county, the District Attorney's office is working with law enforcement, we'll make sure you are arrested, you are prosecuted, and you
are maximally punished.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, in about 20 minutes time or so, we'll be live in the Pacific Palisades, one of course, of the areas hit hardest by the L.A. fires. Plus,
we have two major climate reports coming out today, they've been out today including one that says 2024 is officially the hottest year on record. I'll
be speaking with climate writer and author Porter Fox.
That's in about 20 minutes or so, so, do stay tuned for that conversation a bit later in the show. I want to turn your attention now to Venezuela where
opposition activists are condemning today's inauguration of Nicolas Maduro as a coup d'etat, vowing to begin a new phase in the fight for freedom.
President Maduro was sworn in for a third term in Caracas after months of protests over a disputed election. International observers say the vote was
not democratic, and the opposition candidate says its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez won in a landslide. But Venezuela's electoral council declared Mr.
Maduro the winner without providing vote tallies. Many Venezuelans now fear a new wave of repression. President Maduro, meantime, addressed the nation
today, saying this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLAS MADURO, PRESIDENT, VENEZUELA (through translator): I was not put here by the U.S. government or by any pro-imperialist government of the
Latin American right. I'm here because I come from the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, the U.S. is among the countries that recognize that man you're looking at your screen, Gonzalez, Venezuela's legitimate President.
[14:05:00]
He's been in exile for months in Spain and had vowed to return to Caracas by inauguration day to claim the presidency. That's today. But so far,
that has not happened. Another opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, who we interviewed just two days ago right here on the show, emerged from
hiding yesterday to take part in protests.
Her aide says she was violently intercepted, it happened yesterday at this time while leaving a rally and was briefly detained. Let's add some context
to all of this. Journalist Stefano Pozzebon is following developments from Bogota in Colombia and joins me with more. And Stefano, look, here we are
again, right?
Another six years and a third term even though there have -- as we outlined there, there are serious concerns about the legitimacy of his win. So, I
suppose the question at this hour, Stefano, where does this leave the opposition? Because Edmundo Gonzalez said he would be in Caracas for the
inauguration, Maria Corina Machado we saw briefly. What have they been saying? Are we likely to see them today?
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Yes, Isa, well, frankly, the images that we're getting from Caracas sort of paint you the best picture out of what's
happening in Venezuela today. We have seen Maduro, almost nonstop parading himself on TV. He went to the press -- to the parliament for the swearing
ceremony, then he gave a speech that lasted more than 90 minutes.
That's where the jab of the U.S. came, and now -- I'm seeing now he's still on television, this time receiving a pledge of allegiance from the army and
the rest of the Armed Forces, which, frankly, are really the bulk of his power. And we haven't seen anything from Maria Corina Machado. Her team
leaked last night that she was going to speak with the media and with her supporters earlier today, maybe in the morning.
Then she made an announcement saying that she would speak at 2:00 p.m., now they are -- which is 2:00 p.m. in Venezuela, which is 1:00 p.m. in the
States or about an hour ago. Now, her team saying that she won't be speaking live, she will instead address her supporters with a video message
and saying that, that was not -- speaking live was not possible because of the condition where she is hiding.
We know that she and Edmundo Gonzalez are both the subject of several arrest warrants. Where does it leave the opposition? Well, hiding. We are
seeing them hidden now and scared of taking to the streets. Yesterday, we did saw a show of defiance, but the streets of Caracas are silent today.
And the reaction from the international community, there's been a lot of condemnation, several countries around the Americas are saying that they do
not recognize Maduro's victory. One of them, crucially is Colombia. And that's why this morning, we saw that the border with Venezuela was shut
down by the Venezuelan authorities, and that is a massive geopolitical headache for the Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
And we're seeing a swift reaction from the White House adding a reward of up to $25 million for information leading to the arrest of Maduro, who at
the same time, if anybody wants to arrest him, we know where he is. He is on television in Caracas at -- right now at the Military Academy and giving
speeches.
So, we are in a situation that the stalemate that we have described a million and one times on this network over the last ten years about
Venezuela with Maduro in power, with little support around him, if not by the Armed Forces and isolated from the international community. Well, this
is just the same.
And that new reward, I think it's crucial that we look at very clearly and very attentively at that reward that the White House just put out because
it covers Maduro, $25 million for him, the Interior Minister, $25 million for him, and Padrino Lopez; the Defense Minister of Venezuela, who so far
had escaped the brunt of the sanctions, he is now wanted on a $15 million reward.
And that sort of shuts the door to any sort of mediation for months the White House, the Biden administration in particular tried to mediate, tried
to engage with Maduro, reducing sanctions, even ventilating the possibility of lifting these rewards for arrest and never touching Padrino Lopez, who
was seen as a potential power broker in case we were going to have a transition government in Caracas.
Well, there is no transition government happening in Caracas right now. Maduro has gone straight ahead, saying, I'm alone, but I don't care about
it. Doesn't matter if none of my neighbors recognize my rule. Doesn't matter if I'm standing here only with the support of the army and the few
sectors of the Venezuelan economy who depend on the government to continue, he is going ahead, and he's once again cementing his rule.
And he's been there for more than a decade. And now six more years coming up on our horizon. The only thing that may change it, well, maybe Donald
Trump, he had --
SOARES: Yes --
POZZEBON: A very strong role to play last time that he was President and concerning Venezuela. He will be sworn in. He will be in power in a week's
time. Well, then we will see what happens between Washington and Caracas.
[14:10:00]
We shall see, of course, we have seen also campaign of maximum pressure applying the first term. Of course, the first presidency, that didn't
really move the needle. And you are speaking, Stefano, we are looking at live images coming to us from Caracas, a parade as you can see, obviously,
to honor Nicolas Maduro as he gets another -- a third term, another six years.
Stefano, as always, appreciate it, thank you very much my friend. Well, the President of Paraguay spoke with Edmundo Gonzalez on Sunday, calling him
the legitimate leader of Venezuela, and that prompted Caracas to break diplomatic ties with Paraguay. President Santiago Pena Palacios is joining
us now from the capital of Paraguay, Asuncion.
Mr. President, a very warm welcome to our show, sir. Let me just pick up with the images that we are seeing, that we were just playing out for our
viewers, live images, of course, Nicolas Maduro's inauguration. The opposition led by Edmundo Gonzalez and Maria Corina Machado, called this a
coup d'etat, called him a usurper. Just your thoughts.
SANTIAGO PENA PALACIOS, PRESIDENT, PARAGUAY: Hello, Isa, it's very nice to talk to you on the show. What is happening in Venezuela is a humanitarian
catastrophe. We have witnessed for years now a lot of lack of democratic values, lack of respect for human rights, basic human rights. And of
course, we have been always trying to find the right path.
You know, our relation with Venezuela has been very tough for over a decade. If you look backward, you're going to find, then a Minister of
Foreign Relations Nicolas Maduro coming to Paraguay, meeting with militaries for militaries to race against constitutional power. So, we have
a very long and traumatic relation.
When I came to office in August 23, Venezuela leader signed the Barbados Accord and they were agreeing to hold democratic and participatory
elections. He did not comply. So, I have been following the events since the elections of last year, and it was very clear that he has no
possibility to prove that he is the winner.
On the contrary, Edmundo has proven a lot of evidence that he is the right winner of the elections. And of course, all the persecution that Maria
Corina Machado has to go through is also a testimony of the lack of freedom and democratic values. So, we need to --
SOARES: Yes --
PALACIOS: Keep pushing on this. This is not only a problem for Venezuela. This is a problem for the entire Latin American --
SOARES: Yes --
PALACIOS: Region.
SOARES: And we'll talk about diplomacy in just a moment. You mentioned Edmundo Gonzalez. He said recently that he would return to Venezuela for
his inauguration today. And he was supposed, from my understanding, to be accompanied, Mr. President, by nine former Latin American Presidents,
including the former President of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benitez. Is the plan for -- you know, from what you understand still, for him to appear in
Venezuela today? What can you share with us?
PALACIOS: I understand that there are no minimal security conditions for that to happen. I know that President Abdo has been a strong advocate. He
supported the Edmundo presidency, and when that was not possible to move forward, he decided to cut relations with the Maduro administration. And he
was very vocal in defending democracy, and of course, this is the sentiment of the entire Paraguayan population.
But as long as I know, there are now the minimum security conditions for former President from other regions of Latin America to go to the --
Venezuela. So, I don't think that's going to happen.
SOARES: Yes --
PALACIOS: I wish that there could be a normal resolution of this, and Edmundo could swear in as the legal President of Venezuela. But every
element that we have now indicates quite the contrary, that the situation will continue to worsen. And there's only one way for this, is resistance
from the inside than supporting from the outside.
SOARES: Let's talk about that because, you know, we have seen -- we heard Nicolas Maduro say, you know, for a third term, as I was saying to Stefano,
our correspondent, six years, said that this would be, quote, "a period of peace". That's what he said today in his long speech. That's not what we
have seen, to be fair. And I've reported on this extensively over the last ten years.
We've seen arrests, we've seen repressions. Millions of Venezuelans fleeing their country. So, what can be done, Mr. President, at diplomatic level
here, in terms of diplomatic pressure to change this because I know ties have been -- you know, Venezuela broken ties diplomatically. But what do
you think can change here in terms of diplomacy, be it with the new U.S. administration, be it with Europe or other Latin-American countries?
[14:15:00]
PALACIOS: Isa, Paraguay has gone through the longest dictatorship in South America, 35 years of the Stroessner regime. And we know very hard that
dictators, they don't go with pamphlets and manifestations on the street. This need to come from the inside. Venezuelans, particularly on the
military, they need to understand that democracy is not perfect, but it's by far the best political system.
And history has proven once every time, that there is a place for dictators, is death or is jail. So, it's up to them to decide what is that
they want to be remembered in the future? I can tell you, after 35 years that we have ended the dictatorship in Paraguay, democracy is blossoming,
and this has proven a lot of improvement for human capital and well-being of the population.
So, this is something that we need to continue to advocate.
SOARES: Yes --
PALACIOS: It is for us, foreign Presidents to advocate for this, to use the diplomacy, of course, the U.S. has a lot to do on this. They have the
tools of economic sanctions also to impose on Venezuela and Venezuelan economic sectors. But we need to also allow for the internal democratic
forces like the one of Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez to continue to fight from the inside and convince the majority of the
population how they did in July 28th, that they need --
SOARES: Yes --
PALACIOS: To defend the democracy.
SOARES: Let's talk about that change from the inside. We have seen the U.K. government today announcing sanctions against Maduro. We have seen and
our correspondent spoke about that. The U.S. government announced a $25 million reward for the arrest of Maduro. And we have seen in the last few
years the Biden administration as well, attempting a policy of engagement, that really quite frankly, Mr. President, changed nothing.
And now, we have the new Trump administration starting, coming to power this month. What do you expect to see? What would you like to see from
the Trump administration? Of course, he tried a tactic of maximum pressure the first term, that did not work. So, what would you like to see from the
United States here?
PALACIOS: I think that the U.S., with the President's arrival, President Trump, which will be now a one-term President, he has proven to be a very
skillful negotiator and someone who makes decisions. We need to make decisions. I think what is different to his first presidency is the support
in the -- in the entire Latin-American region.
We have seen and you have reported the position from Colombia, also the position from Brazil has been very tough on this situation with Venezuela.
So, I think that there's today a broader understanding that we need to solve. And if you allow me, going back to my initial appreciation, this is
a humanitarian catastrophe.
What we are seeing, thousands, millions of Venezuelans leaving Venezuela and arriving to all of our countries in Latin America. This is something
that we need to take care, and hopefully with the arrival of President Trump at the White House on January 20th, this will make things to work
much faster. I have high expectations, and I'm sure that we're going to see a free Venezuela very soon.
SOARES: Mr. President, really appreciate you coming on to talk about the developments, of course, that are happening, not what many in Venezuela
wanted to see. But here we are again, and important to have your take, your analysis on this. Thank you very much, sir.
PALACIOS: Thank you very much, Isa.
SOARES: And for more on Venezuela, be sure to tune in on Monday for my conversation with human rights lawyer Claudio Grossman, he recently quit
the International Criminal Court, the ICC, because he says the chief prosecutor failed to indict President Nicolas Maduro's government.
He knows the evidence, he's been looking at Venezuela closely. We'll have that conversation with him on Monday. Still to come tonight, though, here
on the show, TikTok's future is on the line with a U.S. ban set to take effect in the coming days. We'll take a closer look at today's crucial
Supreme Court hearing.
Plus, a New York judge hands down his sentence in Donald Trump's hush money case. We'll break down the unusual hearing. Both of those stories after
this very short break. You are watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: When U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes his oath of office just over a week from now, he will still carry the title convicted felon.
But as we learned today, he won't face any punishment for it. Trump made a virtual appearance in a New York courtroom earlier where the judge
sentenced him to an unconditional release for his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records before the 2016 election.
And that means he won't face any penalties or indeed jail time. Judge Juan Merchan explained how Trump's presidential win played into his decision.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JUAN MERCHAN, ACTING JUSTICE, NEW YORK SUPREME COURT: The considerable, indeed extraordinary legal protections afforded by the office of the chief
executive is a factor that overrides all others. To be clear, the protections afforded the office of the President are not a mitigating
factor.
They do not reduce the seriousness of the crime or justify its commission in any way. The protections are, however, a legal mandate which pursuant to
the rule of law, this court must respect and follow.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SOARES: And this is the first felony conviction for a former or future President. But here's how Trump falsely described the case when he blasted
the judge. Have a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's been a political witch-hunt. It was done to damage my reputation so that I'd lose the
election, and obviously, that didn't work. And the people of our country got to see this firsthand because they watched the case in your courtroom.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, we are tracking another big legal battle in Washington where the populist social media platform TikTok is fighting a case at the Supreme
Court. If you remember, last April, the U.S. Congress approved a sell or ban law over concerns about Beijing's influence over ByteDance, which owns
TikTok.
The legislation says TikTok can avoid a ban if ByteDance sells its U.S. operation to new owners, and the law takes effect on January 19th, a day,
of course, before President Trump takes office unless the high court blocks it temporarily. I want to bring in our chief Supreme Court analyst, Joan
Biskupic, who is tracking this major hearing from Washington D.C.
Joan, great to see you. Very busy start for the year for you. Look, I wonder if you could just break down for us what the just -- what the
justices heard today.
JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN CHIEF SUPREME COURT ANALYST: Sure, Isa. It's really good to see you. And it was a very robust set of arguments this morning at
the Supreme Court. You know, they really seemed to be ready to accept the government's arguments that there is a major national security concern
here.
They -- the government has laid out two grounds for why TikTok should have to divest itself of its Chinese owner or be banned as of January 19th as
you say. One is that, you know, the Chinese owner has access to all of the TikTok users data, and that could be used down the road for blackmail or
other espionage purposes.
[14:25:00]
Another grounds that the federal government has said here is that TikTok could covertly manipulate content. Now, I have to say some justices were
skeptical of that latter concern. But the majority overall seemed to really be persuaded by the fact that there is this national security interest.
TikTok is, of course, owned by a U.S. company, but the parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing. Let's hear from Chief Justice John Roberts,
who I think really set the tone for the concern.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JOHN ROBERTS, CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE UNITED STATES: So, are we supposed to ignore the fact that the ultimate parent is, in fact, subject to doing
Intelligence work for the Chinese government? It seems to me that you're ignoring the major concern here of Congress, which was Chinese manipulation
of the content and acquisition and harvesting of the content.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BISKUPIC: Yes, and the chief wasn't alone in those concerns. And I think that's why ultimately, the Justices are going to rule on the merits that
this law should be upheld. Now, the lawyer for TikTok made a very strong case based on First Amendment grounds, saying that, you know, irrespective
of what China might be doing, it's still, you know, the free speech rights of the American users to decide what they're going to believe or not
believe.
And while the government can force TikTok to disclose all the Chinese ties, it cannot be outright banned here because of its owner. Now, there is some
uncertainty, though, about whether any kind of temporary pause might be put on this law. It is set to go into effect the day before Donald Trump comes
into office.
And Donald -- President-elect Donald Trump has submitted a brief to the court saying, you know, essentially, I have second thoughts. He originally
had been in favor of action against TikTok because of the ByteDance parent ownership. But he says in this filing that he wants the court to put a
pause on the effectiveness of the law on January 19th, and that he then will try to negotiate between the parties to kind of come up with a
resolution that doesn't end the platform's use in America, but yet, would take account of national security concerns.
I'm not sure where the Justices are going to go on that, but I can tell you that in terms of the case that was made today, they seem ready to side with
the federal government over the platform.
SOARES: Joan, really appreciate you laying it all out for us. Thank you very much, Joan.
BISKUPIC: Thank you.
SOARES: Well, joining me now is Corey Brettschneider; a well-known face on the show, he's the author of "The Presidents and The People: Five Leaders
Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend it". Corey, great to have you back on the show. I mean, Judge Merchan, I think it's
important to say, we played a clip from there, you know, made it pretty clear today that Trump's re-election, right? Is the reason he avoided
punishing him for his felony convictions in this case.
So, just explain to our viewers around the world here, I mean, what is the significance of this? Because we have a sentencing without a sentence here.
COREY BRETTSCHNEIDER, AUTHOR: Oh, yes, right. And it's a pleasure to be back with you. I'd say on this historic day that he's really trying to
split the difference, that on the one hand, he wants to emphasize and did emphasize successfully that this President not only committed a crime, but
was convicted by a jury.
And so, he is a convicted felon. There's no question about that, that point came across. But I think, frankly, what he's worried about is the Supreme
Court saying -- if he were to sentence him, for instance, to prison time, that the immunity ruling is wide enough that it covers sitting Presidents
all together, that it's an absolute protection.
So, he didn't want to be reversed by the Supreme Court on that point. And importantly, he didn't want to risk the expansion of really this awful
immunity decision. We could second-guess him. I think he might have gone a different way. He might have had a sentence that wouldn't take place until
Trump left office, I think that might have worked as well.
SOARES: And Corey, understand that Trump's team kind of has been pretty clear that they're going to appeal. So, could this all go away? What are
your thoughts on this?
BRETTSCHNEIDER: Well, I think that -- one of the strengths of the decision, and I should say, I think that this was a strong way to go, is
that I'm not sure what he's going to appeal. I mean, what Trump could argue, and I think will argue is that the immunity of sitting and former
Presidents extends to this case, that somehow, in his dealings with Stormy Daniels and his hiding of these business records illegally, that he's
immune from even prosecution, the case never could have been brought under the constitution.
And he'll claim that somehow this was an official duty. For instance, I think he wrote some of the checks from the Oval Office or from the White
House, but that would be a ridiculous decision by the Supreme Court, and nothing really hinges on it. So, I think they're in a good position to
outright reject any appeal.
SOARES: Let me get your thoughts on TikTok. Joan Biskupic was just talking about that. The U.S. Supreme Court has been hearing oral arguments. I just
wonder what you've made of the arguments so far. I mean, have they made their case in your -- in your view against the argument that TikTok poses a
looming national security threat? What is your sense from what we've heard today?
[14:30:16]
BRETTSCHNEIDER: There is -- it's a really hard case I should emphasize, and there are good arguments on both sides. On the Free Speech side, on TikTok
side, the idea that it's not just about the rights of the speaker, but about the rights of the listener, the rights of American citizens to hear
the information on TikTok, that's an important point.
I think what the court should do and will do is split the difference by saying that there is protected speech at issue here, but the national
security concerns about data, for instance, are so overwhelming that in the rare case, this is one of them where free speech is overcome by what the
court calls a compelling interest.
SOARES: And Corey, very quickly, do you know how quickly we'll get a decision on this? Any sense?
BRETTSCHNEIDER: I'm not sure. I mean, the court, you know, it's a pressing matter. And when the court wants to, it can act very fast. And I think here
it will. I think we should see something sooner rather than later.
SOARES: Corey, I always appreciate your time and analysis. Thank you, Corey.
BRETTSCHNEIDER: Thank you. Pleasure.
SOARES: And still to come tonight, utter devastation in Southern California. A live update from Los Angeles County on the wildfires that
have been engulfing entire neighborhood. We'll bring you that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:07]
SOARES: More now on our top story and those raging wildfires in Southern California, which have impacted nearly 200,000 people and show few signs,
unfortunately, of letting up. At least 10 people have been killed and tens of thousands have been forced to flee their homes. And the newest blaze to
break out is the Kenneth Fire. That's about 30 miles or 50 kilometers outside of Los Angeles. Authorities detained a man on suspicion of arson,
but it's not clear whether he had any connection to the blaze.
And this has become a familiar, unfortunately, chilling scene since flames engulfed the area early this week. Entire neighborhoods turned to ash, many
now unrecognizable. Official says many as 10,000 structures have been destroyed in the Palisades fire, the most destructive blaze in LA history.
And it's still, still burning. Many people say they have lost everything.
It's a story that I know our Julia Vargas-Jones has been hearing throughout the last few days. She is covering the fire and joins us now from Pacific
Palisades, one of the hardest-hit areas. And just Julia, the scenes behind you just break your heart. And the stories you've been telling is equally
shocking. Just give us a sense of the situation on the ground because I know there's a curfew that's been issued for later on today.
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it has, Isa. It has been issued because precisely authorities are concerned over looters coming to these
homes. As of now, most homeowners can't come to their homes and they can't come to protect them. There are checkpoints set up in multiple parts here
in the Pacific Palisades, 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Not just here now. Authorities are spreading that to all areas that have had evacuations --
mandatory evacuations issued.
I'll let Jim just show you a little bit of what it's like street after street in the Palisades. This is what people would be coming home to if
they were to come back. We've met with a lot of residents today who are trying. They're trying to come here to see if their houses are still
standing. And, Isa, it is heartbreaking, I'll tell you. Heartbreaking to hear the desperation and their voices as they're saying, can you help me
get to where my house is? There's no cell signal in most of this area, so it's difficult to even navigate. You can't bring a car up here.
We saw elderly people on foot asking -- you know, asking if we could give them a ride to their homes or help find just to see if their homes are
still standing. Dozens of messages. You know how it works when you're on the ground. I just spoke to a resident just a few doors down who had --
this is a loss for humanity and for the arts -- dozens and dozens of paintings of Andy Warhol I keep hearing hanging in his house. He's just
tearing up as he's telling us about everything that was lost.
But more than just the objects, right, the memories that these people have in these homes, the heirlooms, the photos. We've seen firefighters rushing
out of flames with photo albums under their arms. Those are the scenes that are just breaking everyone's heart as we watch these fires continue to
burn. And still only eight percent contain here in the Palisades.
SOARES: It's a very quick question for your cameraman. I mean, I can see just behind you how far it stretches. On the other side of the road, just
for context for our viewers, I mean, how far does this stretch on just the road you're on?
JONES: Well, if we can, on this side, there's one, two, three, four, five homes there. I believe that is a school or some kind of government building
that was not completely charred. But on the other side of the street, you see these two homes untouched, seemingly, at least from over here, from
where we're looking. And that's part of the cruelty of the fire, right, Isa? It's that it's not like a hurricane that we have a path that, you
know, it's going to follow and that you can kind of have a sense of where it's going to go. But it kind of goes as it wishes as those embers spread,
as those embers across roads. And they have crushed roads and highways to get here at this point, a lot of them.
And we've also talked to people who feel guilty that their homes are still standing, that they want to come back and they say, look, I wish I didn't
have to look at my neighbors in the eyes. And also at the same time, as I - - you know, I talked about the looters earlier, 20 people arrested for looting in similar crimes. But we've also seen time and again, neighbors
helping each other, taking buckets and garden hoses to just drench their neighbors' homes, to try and help the fire from spreading, from crossing
over into their communities.
[14:40:11]
SOARES: And I'm glad you focused, Jul, on the best of humanity, people doing whatever they can to help each other, the sense of community. That is
so important now more than ever.
Julia Vargas-Jones, I appreciate it. Thank you very much, Jul.
Let's get more from CNN's Chad Myers. And Chad, I mean, the images that we have been seeing as Julia Vargas Jones just outlined, it's just truly
heartbreaking. But we also know that fire crews are bracing for more winds. I mean, that is just -- how long is this going to last for?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, we have 18 good hours today. The winds pick up again tomorrow. They die off until Tuesday and they're back
up again, roaring at 40 to 50 miles per hour on Tuesday night into Wednesday.
Just -- I'm going to get to the point that Julia was talking about here about how some houses are saved and others are gone. So, if you know the
area -- here's front area, right through there. The ballpark, the rec center right up on top of the mountain there, on top of the hill, top of
the picture. And then this is front here. Look at these three houses right here. Watch as I push the button. They are still there. They are still
there and then their neighbors behind completely gone. A couple bit behind here, still there. These houses were so close together that you don't have
defensible space. Look at how close these Malibu --
SOARES: Chad, I'm sorry to interrupt. Chad, I apologize for interrupting. We -- I want to go to the White House Karine Jean-Pierre speaking. We are
waiting to hear from FEMA on those wildfires you're talking about. Let's just listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: -- cover all of the disastrous moments that we're seeing on the ground with this event. And I
hope you all are being safe out there. We need to be thinking about Californians, their priorities and how we can all come together to support
them. From Maui to North Carolina, to California, we have seen that these disasters do not discriminate. So, it is on all of us to show these people,
to show folks in California some compassion as they are reckoning with an unimaginable disaster.
While nothing can bring back what many have lost, the President and his administration are continuing to use every tool at our disposal to help
fight these fires and ensure that the communities impacted are able to recover. The President has received regular briefings on the fires and at
his direction, his team has been in contact, constant contact with their -- with their state and local counterparts from the day the fires started.
Just last night, he spoke separately with Governor Newsom, Senator Schiff, Congressman Sherman, and Lieu, Mayor Bass, and L.A. County Supervisor Solis
and Barger to discuss the latest updates on the wildfires across Los Angeles. And earlier this week, the President was in California where he
received briefings from personnel on the ground and met with firefighters who are on the front lines of this response to ensure they have the
resources they need.
As soon as the fires broke out, FEMA approved fire management assistance grants to reimburse California for firefighting costs. And the President
immediately approved the state's request for a major disaster declaration for California, allowing impacted communities and survivors to immediately
access funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery.
As you just heard from the President moments ago, we have made some progress over the last 24 hours. Overnight, local, state and federal
firefighters partially contain some of the largest wildfires. There is still a long way to go, but we will continue to be with the people of
California every step of the way.
Other actions the Biden-Harris administration has taken is to support local firefighting efforts include five U.S. Forest Service large air tankers
operating in Southern California with an additional tanker en route. Over 20 federal firefighting helicopters performing operational operations in
the area in support of state and local firefighters.
Additionally, two air firefighting system units are being deployed from each of the California and national -- Nevada National Guards and 10 Navy
helicopters with water buckets are en route from San Diego. And Colorado is providing assistance from the mobilization of aviation assets as well as
fielding of 50 engine companies to assist with firefighting on the ground.
As always, we stand ready to provide further support as needed. And we urge residents in the affected areas to remain vigilant and heed the warnings of
local officials, especially if you have been ordered to evacuate.
[14:45:02]
And to everyone impacted by this tragedy, please remember that we see you, we are with you, and we will do everything within our power to get you the
help that you need.
With that, I will turn it over to the FEMA administrator as well. The floor is yours.
DEANNE CRISWELL, ADMINISTRATOR, FEMA: Thanks -- thank you, Karine. Good afternoon, everybody.
You know, I just want to start by telling everybody that has been impacted by these devastating fires that my heart is with each and every one of you.
And I know that you continue to face these fires as they are still working to bring them under control. And unfortunately, this will probably be a
life-changing event for so many of you.
But FEMA is here along with our entire federal family to help you through this recovery process. We are going to continue to support the state and
the local jurisdictions, the local first responders as they continue to try to contain this fire and eventually extinguish this fire.
I arrived on the ground yesterday, as Karine said, at the direction of the President. I had an opportunity to meet with Governor Newsom and Mayor
Bass. We discussed what their immediate needs were, as well as began the conversation about what their recovery needs are going to be.
The Governor, the Mayor, and I had an opportunity just before this to also brief the President and the Vice President about what their concerns are,
about what their needs are going to be, and provided an update on the current status of the firefighting operations.
Yesterday, I also had an opportunity to receive briefings from the incident command posts at the Palisades fire, as well as the Eaton fire. And I think
the most important thing that I want to make sure I continue to get across to everyone is this situation is still very dangerous. It is still very
dynamic. The winds have died down today, but as I just got a weather briefing at the county EOC, the winds are going to increase again in the
coming days. And so, people still need to stay vigilant. They need to listen to their local officials. They need to heed their advice so they can
keep themselves and their families safe.
I also want to just take a minute to commend all of the amazing and heroic work that the firefighters are doing around the clock to fight these fires.
They have been working night and day. I had a chance to speak with several of them, some of them whose homes have also been lost or their families
have had to evacuate. Yet they still show up every day supporting their communities, trying to keep them safe. And I just want to say thank you. I
want to thank all of them for their heroic efforts because they are making a difference.
Now, while the National Interagency Fire Center continues to provide resources to support Cal Fire and the Los Angeles County and City Fire
Departments, FEMA is also supporting the recovery efforts. We're supporting those that have been impacted by this fire. I even met with the SBA
administrator here just briefly who is also here to support them, businesses and individuals that have been impacted by these fires.
With the quick major disaster declaration, residents can now register and begin their recovery journey. Some of the immediate things that we can
provide to them are to cover the costs that they're incurring as they have been evacuated, helping to support what their longer-term shelter and
housing needs are going to be. We can also help support crisis counseling and disaster unemployment.
These are just a few of the programs that we have. We have many more and I encourage everyone to begin that process by registering now. Recovery from
these fires is going to be complex. I've seen many disasters throughout my four years in this role. This is certainly one of the worst that I have
seen. And the debris removal alone is going to be one of the major things that we have to accomplish, that the state has to accomplish, to get this
recovery journey started. And that's why when President Biden authorized a hundred percent reimbursement for the first 180 days is really going to set
the stage to jumpstart this recovery for these communities.
I had a chance to drive through some of the communities that were impacted as well. And it's not just the homes that are lost. We've seen schools that
have been destroyed, businesses, small businesses, religious institutions. These are things that we are going to be able to help -- we are going to be
able to help with temporary facilities like temporary schools to help get children back into the schoolhouse, but also any other emergency measures
as they begin the work of permanent repair.
Thousands of homes have been destroyed. And we continue to hear the numbers change but know that this is going to be a long-term recovery for all of
these individuals that have been impacted. And as I told the Governor and the Mayor yesterday and today, I assured them that our programs, our staff,
the entire federal family are going to be here with them, alongside them, and then achieve the outcomes that they need to not just rebuild these
communities, but also rebuild them in a way that's going to make them stronger and more resistant to the types of weather events that they have
been experiencing.
This recovery journey is going to be long, but we are going to be there with them to support them every step of the way.
And with that, Karine, I'm happy to take some questions.
[14:50:31]
JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you so much, Administrator. Go ahead, Steve.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, Karine. Thanks, Administrator. I hope you can speak to whether your agency has enough money currently to fund the
immediate response needs or is there a need to go to Congress quickly to get additional funds. And then separately, 10 days out from the
presidential transition, what steps are underway at FEMA to ensure that what has been done so far, what's going to be done in the coming days that
sustained at the career level and beyond, you know, into the new administration? Thank you.
CRISWELL: Yes, with the recent supplemental, FEMA received $27 billion. And so, we are now able to continue to support the ongoing recovery efforts for
all of the disasters that we have been supporting to include now the immediate response and the initial recovery efforts that are going to be
needed here in California. So, we're very grateful for the bipartisan support from Congress to give us that issue of financing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: You've been listening in there to Karine Jean-Pierre and the FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell get us up to date on the situation. The fires
are still very dangerous. They said the situation and dynamic asking people to listen to officials, to heed their advice, because as we've been hearing
from our team, the winds are going to pick up. She's also commending that the firefighters for the heroic efforts, but saying that recovery is going
to be complex.
And of course, as these wildfires have been showing this hour, a range in Los Angeles investigators are examining what led to these fatal infernos.
And many are asking whether there is a link between the wildfires and climate change. Scientists that are trying to understand why global heat
has been so extreme in recent years.
2024 is officially the hottest year on record, according to data out today from Europe's climate monitoring agents, Copernicus. And that breaks the
previous record set in 2023. Extreme weather swept across the globe last year. We saw catastrophic floods if you remember in Valencia, in Spain, an
extraordinary typhoon season in the Philippines, and the worst drought on record in the Amazon, and consecutive hurricanes in the U.S.
Well, the U.S. National Ocean Economic and Atmospheric Administration backs this up with reports also out today, confirming that the country saw 27
weather and climate disasters last year, totaling more than $1 billion in collective damages per event.
Let's bring in a well-known face from the show. Porter Fox is the author of the book, Category Five: Superstorms and the Warning Oceans That Feed Them.
Porter, really important to have you back on the show and really following on from what we heard from the FEMA administration -- administrator,
talking about this being still very dynamic, very dangerous, and the recovery going to be very complex. Just give me your sense, your reaction
to these devastating blazes that many of them uncontained for days.
PORTER FOX, AUTHOR, CATEGORY FIVE: It's terrifying and tragic what's happening in Los Angeles right now. I have friends and family out there.
But I have to say that FEMA administrator focusing on how they're going to rebuild, how they're going to build back better, how they're going to be
resilient to disasters like this, or their houses that are resilient to wildfire like this -- what we need to be talking about is why is the
climate changing so quickly? Why are temperature spiking? Why is there not enough water to water this vegetation that's drying out and creating tinder
for fires? Why have we lost a million square miles of snowpack in the northern hemisphere that used to water the Sierra and everything downstream
of that right into LA County?
Without that water, we don't have vegetation that can survive, and we get this type of situation. Why are the Santa Ana winds spiking up to 100 miles
per hour now? That's what we need to focus on before we just start building houses in the path of the next fire.
SOARES: And those winds are we as being hearing today are expected to pick up. You know, look, as we've been hearing the last 24 hours, there's a lot
of finger-pointing, Porter. A lot of people talking about water availability, evacuation of routes, and why authorities weren't better
prepared for the danger given that the National Weather Service had warned about it.
I mean, how prepared was California in your view? We could talk about the other element of this, which is climate change. We'll talk about that in
just a moment. But in terms of preparedness, because this is important going forward.
FOX: I think they were more prepared for wildfires. I think the city is more resilient and evacuation plans are more efficient. But there are
certain wildfires with winds that strong and, you know, all that vegetation that really came out of 30 trillion gallons of water falling on the state
in the last couple of years with these atmospheric rivers that are also fueled by climate change. So, it's a very complex issue.
You're injecting all of this energy into a closed climate system with more heat and fossil fuel emissions, insulating all of that heat. It's got to
come out somewhere. It comes out in hurricanes, it comes out in tornadoes, and here it's coming out as wildfire that I don't care how efficient your
evacuation routes are, you're not stopping these fires with 100-mile-an- hour wind.
[14:55:41]
SOARES: And we've got about 45 seconds left on the show. Just Porter -- I mean, climate change, like you were saying, it's a huge place, a huge part
in all of this. We've seen the droughts, the vegetation turn to kindling. So that -- where does that lead government then, on government level, what
do they need to do?
FOX: They need serious progressive climate change legislation. They need to protect the climate progress that Biden made. And he did a great job
hardening those rules. And those folks in Los Angeles and elsewhere in North Carolina and Florida need to look at their homes, look at their
families and make their opinion louder and louder with their vote.
SOARES: We shall see with the new administration. Porter, as always, I appreciate it. Thank you very much.
That does it for us tonight. Thank you very much for your company. Do stay right here. More of CNN after this.
END
