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Quest Means Business
Winds Picking Up Speed Again in Southern California; Synagogue Seeking New Home After Building Destroyed; Final Round of Ceasefire and Hostage Talks Set for Tuesday; Tsunami Wave Touches Japan After 6.9 Magnitude Earthquake; Crews Race To Contain L.A. Fires Ahead of More High Winds; White House Issues Sweeping Restrictions On Chip Exports. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired January 13, 2025 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:11]
ISA SOARES, CNN HOST: A divided day, as you can see there on Wall Street, the Dow up eight-tenths of a percent, 355 points, while the NASDAQ is down
slightly. Tech stocks pushing it lower.
Those are the markets for you. That's the bell, and these are the main events.
A new wave of strong and dangerous winds threatens to undo the progress firefighters have made in the Los Angeles area. We have the latest.
New details in a potential Gaza ceasefire deal. Israeli officials say Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages.
And the White House adds new restrictions aimed at China on the export of AI chips.
Live from London. It is Monday, January 13th. I am Isa Soares, in for Richard Quest, and of course I, too mean business.
Good evening, everyone.
Right now, a critical moment in the fight against the Los Angeles fires as weather conditions start to worsen. We know the winds are expected to pick
up in the coming hours, and the National Weather Service is now expanding the areas that are forecast to be under the greatest threat as you can see
there.
Wind speeds in the region could approach hurricane force levels in the days ahead, and it comes after firefighters, of course, had made progress over
the weekend in containing those fires. Now the changing winds threaten to reverse that progress, with dozens already killed as a result of the
disaster.
Our Veronica Miracle has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Dire warnings coming at a critical stage for firefighters.
KRISTIN CROWLEY, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRE CHIEF: We are not in the clear as of yet, and we must not let our guard down.
MIRACLE (voice over): In their nearly week-long battle against the deadly Los Angeles blazes.
ANTHONY MARRONE, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE CHIEF: Severe fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday. The anticipated winds, combined
with low humidity and low feel moistures, will keep the fire threat in all of Los Angeles County critical.
MIRACLE (voice over): A fresh round of Santa Ana Winds, bringing gusts in excess of 50 miles an hour and the perilous possibility of further spread
or even new flare ups.
CROWLEY: I have strategically pre-positioned engine strike teams and task forces, which are dedicated to rapid response.
MIRACLE (voice over): A relatively calm weekend allowed firefighters to make progress. The Eaton Fire in Altadena, which has damaged or destroyed
at least 7,000 structures, now 33 percent contained.
To the west, the Palisades Fire has chewed through more than 23,000 acres.
CROWLEY: We have crews from up and down the state, outside of the state, have made excellent, excellent work overnight mopping up flare ups and
hotspots.
MIRACLE (voice over): Thousands of firefighters on the ground and from the air, working day and night to beat back the flames. Still, more than 90,000
people are under evacuation orders, not knowing when or if they will be able to return.
The LAPD halting the service to assist residents to retrieve small items and pets from their homes.
DOMINIC CHOI, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT CHIEF: But we tried to be compassionate and put together a team to escort residents to their
homes to either retrieve small pets or their medication. But that line became exceedingly large, and it was causing more problems than solutions.
MIRACLE (voice over): In the fire's wake. The stories of loss echo across the region.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People like me lost everything not only the home, but every single thing in it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lots of tears, anger. We are going through the stages of grief.
JAIMIE GELLER, HOME DESTROYED IN PALISADES FIRE: I think it is just really overwhelming because you feel like you lost everything, but then so did
everybody that, you know, so how do you mourn the loss of your life? And then also everybody is mourning the loss of every -- it is overwhelming.
MIRACLE (voice over): The Gellers, like thousands of their neighbors forced to flee, only to return to utter devastation.
GELLER: How do you move forward?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And our thanks to Veronica Miracle.
Well, authorities say it is too soon for people to return to evacuated areas. The Los Angeles Sheriff says first responders are searching areas
where the fires have been put out, and finding more victims in the process.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT LUNA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF: Please be patient with us. People are saying, I just want to go look at my house and I want to see what's
left.
We know that, but we have people literally looking for the remains of your neighbors. Please be patient with us.
There is a lot of hazards in the area. Still, the area has not been rendered safe. Please be patient with us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[16:05:10]
SOARES: Let's get more on all of this. Gary Tuchman is with us from Los Angeles.
Gary, good to see you.
As we heard there from officials, you know, telling people not to return, it is still not safe. It is still dangerous. Power lines down, winds
expected to pick up, people still finding remains. Just talk us through what you've seen and what you're hearing on the ground.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isa, it is very understandable. Think about it. If you think your house was destroyed and it has been a few days
now and you want to go back to your home, this is your life, so completely understand.
But yes, that's what police are saying, that for the most part, they need people to stay away right now because they are still searching for victims.
And as you said, power lines are down and the situation is very dangerous.
I want to show you images that are just horrifying, very symbolic of the terror that people went through as they were evacuating on Tuesday. Take a
look at these incinerated vehicles.
We are in Pacific Palisades right now, and there was nobody in here when this got incinerated. What happened on this street on West Sunset Boulevard
in Pacific Palisades, is that people started driving down here to evacuate on Tuesday, and it was bumper to bumper traffic jam, and they saw the
flames coming in this direction. I just talked to a fire official who explained to me exactly what happened then.
People then decided to get out of their cars and start running to get away from it. The fire then came down this mountainside here, down this hilltop,
and incinerated these vehicles. It is very noteworthy, Isa, across the street you see a lot of vehicles, too. They are not incinerated because I
am going to let this rescue worker come through, come on through, he seems to be taking pictures. Not a hundred percent he is a rescue worker.
These cars have not been incinerated. These are also people who abandoned their cars, but the fire never crossed the street. So these cars are in all
different directions right now. Because as the fire trucks came up this mountain street, they rammed these cars so they would have room for the
fire trucks and emergency vehicles to come.
But this looks like a scene from a movie. We see all of these cars just sitting here. One thing I did, I am 99 percent certain that emergency
officials looked inside all of these cars. The windows are tinted, but I just wanted to make sure that we didn't see anyone inside these vehicles,
and I can tell you we haven't.
Right now, the very key, time, there has been progress over the last couple of days in fighting these fires. But as you've heard, the winds are
starting to pick up and it is expected to be that way for the next 48 hours. So this is a crucial time.
But we certainly hope by Wednesday afternoon, when the winds diminish and the humidity is expected to go up, and even a little rain is in the
forecast next week, that things could get better soon.
Right now, the death toll is at least 24, but there are dozens of people still missing -- Isa.
SOARES: Yes, very much rain, very much needed. And for context, Gary, just for our viewers right around the world, I mean, the Palisades, Eton and
Hurst Fires in terms of total area burned 60 square miles, that is an area larger than Paris.
And as we look at what you've just shown us, just the cars, the properties, too, talk about the cleanup, at what point does the cleanup start?
TUCHMAN: Well, I think that is a really important question you ask, because the damage is just immense. You know, it is a cliche to say it looks like a
war zone, but it looks like a war zone.
When we cover tornadoes and hurricanes, yes, we see lots of damage, but on a given block or two blocks, you'll see a house that's demolished, another
house that suffered minor damage, another house that suffered no damage depending on the path of the tornado, for example.
But what we see here, near where we are standing, are entire blocks of complete decimation. There is nothing left. It feels like bombs came from
the sky and bombed these homes.
And there is just an immense amount of damage in a very widespread area.
SOARES: Gary Tuchman, for us on the ground there. Thanks very much, Gary. Appreciate it.
Well, the congregants of Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center held services in a nearby school over the weekend after its 100-year-old campus was
destroyed in the Eaton Fire. While it has plans to rebuild, its leadership is facing more immediate issues. Fifteen of its families lost their homes
to the fire, and it is working to support all its members physically, of course, as well as emotionally.
Its members did get some good news as the flames approached the facility. The temple's cantor raced back to the building to save its torahs, you see
the footage there. She was able to secure all 13 of the sacred scrolls.
Cantor Ruth Berman joins me now and Cantor Berman, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us. It is just remarkable, as we look at those
images that you were able to salvage, of course, those torahs, positive news among so much loss, of course.
Tell us about that moment, first of all.
RUTH BERMAN HARRIS, CANTOR, PASADENA JEWISH TEMPLE AND CENTER: Well, thank you for taking the time. I was at home and I received a phone call from one
of our congregants that lived close by. He let me know that the fires were ramping up and the wind was getting stronger and that there was there was
no doubt it was going to get there.
[16:10:14]
And so I use the word remarkable.
I would say there are moments in your life where you don't feel, you just act. You don't think well, or do I feel like going or not? It is just the
right thing to do and being in partnership with others who also care, we went -- we got on the car and we went and we got there with probably about
15 minutes to spare.
Rabbi Grater who is the former rabbi of our community, was there to help. One of our staff members, Robert, Jr. was there, and they were able to help
bring all the torah scrolls to the lobby. And then my husband and I and the president of the shul, the synagogue, just put the scrolls in the car.
I think we had about six, seven minutes of electricity and then the electricity cut off and we saw that the embers were starting to fall in the
parking lot. And I remember screaming to my husband because I couldn't see him. There was so much smoke inside the building that I said to him, "Do
you have all the scrolls?" And he said, "I do." And I said, "Okay, it is time to go."
SOARES: Really very close, isn't it? With only minutes there, and I know that many of the members of your congregation, they also have lost homes.
How are you? How are you supporting them? What is being done in terms of community level to support those families? How are they doing? First of
all, Cantor.
HARRIS: We are hanging in there. At this point, we know that there are 22 family units who lost their homes, and we know of another nine who are not
sure because they're not allowed to go back and check.
It is very sad to think that we really know what it feels like to be in a hard situation. I mean, because of our history, our Jewish history, we know
how to support one another. We know how to become resilient and strong and work as a team and give love and attention, because we've been in that
situation before.
This happens to be because of a natural disaster. It is not actually the first one to our congregation. But it is the one, the first one that does
this kind of damage. And I think our congregants are leaning on one another. We've made -- my senior staff, my executive director and education
director, working closely, very, very closely with their lay leaders.
We made a spreadsheet of everything that that we know about each one of our congregants, and we are reaching out. We have a great support team. And we
are loving each other and reassuring one another that this happens and there is no reason to ask why, but rather, how are we going to go about it
and we will be okay.
SOARES: And I understand you had held shabbat at a school over the weekend. How was that moment?
HARRIS: Oh, man, that was awesome. The Mayfield Senior School was just unbelievable. It is the best of human traits when people reach out and they
don't care about anything else, but just giving you a hand, they opened their facilities. They made sure that we had every piece of equipment that
they could possibly give.
They were there during services. We hugged and we cried together. It was awesome. Our community really needed to be together and they just came to
the rescue. It was wonderful.
SOARES: That is wonderful to hear, that moment of coming together, supporting each other, supporting the community. As you were talking, we
were looking at the images of the fire. I wonder, Cantor, what plans there are for the temple where -- or plans for rebuilding? What is being
considered? Or is it too soon?
HARRIS: We are currently focusing on finding a permanent-ish place for the next probably years. We are definitely rebuilding, but we are not nearly in
the thinking process of rebuilding in that site. So I would say yes. And, let's get through the next shabbat.
SOARES: Cantor Berman, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. We wish you, of course, all the very best of luck.
HARRIS: Of course.
SOARES: Thank you.
[16:15:10]
HARRIS: Thank you.
SOARES: Now, there are growing signs that a ceasefire, as well as hostage deal in Gaza could be imminent. Talks are scheduled for tomorrow to
finalize any remaining issues. We have a report from Jerusalem after this short break.
You are watching QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, Joe Biden says his administration restored US leadership during his four years in office. The president was speaking at the State
Department for perhaps the last time. His foreign policy address included a few veiled swipes at Donald Trump. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My administration is leaving the next administration with a very strong hand to play, and we are leaving
them, and America with more friends and stronger alliances whose adversaries are weaker and under pressure, and America, that, once again,
is leading, uniting countries, setting the agenda, bringing others together behind our plans and visions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Biden also said in his speech that a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza was close to coming to fruition, his words. A round of talks
has been scheduled for Tuesday in Doha to finalize any remaining issues.
An Arab official says a deal is closer than ever, but they are still awaiting official responses from both sides.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more on what the agreement could look like -- Jeremy.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, Israel and Hamas appear to be on the brink of a ceasefire and hostage release deal, one that would lead
to a 42-day temporary ceasefire, the release of 33 Israeli hostages and an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for those hostages.
We now understand that these parties, Israel and Hamas, as well as the mediators, are in the final stages of negotiations. But still, we are being
cautioned that there is not yet a final agreement. And of course, we have seen so many times before when these negotiations have gotten derailed at
the last minute.
That being said, one of my sources who is familiar with these negotiations, telling me that all of the big blocks have been resolved now and they are
indeed working through some of the final details.
A senior Israeli official also telling me that Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages, most of whom are believed to be alive.
[16:20:10]
The expectation is also that there will be some of the bodies of deceased hostages included in that number of 33.
I am told that there was a breakthrough moment late last night in these negotiations in Doha, Qatar, during one of these meetings that the Mossad
director, David Barnea, was holding with the mediators, and that since then it appears that these parties have been on track towards reaching an
agreement.
The question now is whether this will be a matter of hours, or perhaps a matter of days. And again, still holding out the possibility that a deal
may not even come together at all. We heard from President Biden just a few hours ago, who said that the parties are indeed on the brink of reaching
this proposal that he had laid out months ago. There have been minor changes to that proposal, of course, but it is still within the broad
confines of what President Biden had indeed laid out.
He said that the US administration is pressing hard, and we also know that the incoming Trump administration has also been bringing enormous pressure
to bear on this deal as well.
But certainly, we are at a critical moment here where a deal could indeed be reached in a matter of hours or days. And again, that if indeed it
happens, would be enormous, not only for the Palestinians living in war- torn Gaza, but, of course, for those hostages who have been held for over 15 months now -- Isa.
SOARES: Jeremy Diamond, thank you very much indeed.
Let's get more on this, Khaled Elgindy is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. He has also advised Palestinian leadership in
Ramallah on negotiations with Israel in the past.
Thank you very much, Khaled, for taking the time to speak to us this evening.
We heard, I am not sure whether you did, President Biden, speaking in the last hour-and-a-half or so in his final foreign policy address, and he said
it happened during my hour and he said, "We are on the brink of a proposal coming to fruition. We are working urgently to close this deal."
But the reality is we have been here before. Does this strike you as different this time around, Khaled.
KHALED ELGINDY, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: You're right that we have heard this very similar language that we are on the brink of a
breakthrough at any moment before, many times in the past 15 months. I do think the conditions are a little bit different in that this is the very
last week of the Biden administration. We have a new Trump administration that is coming back to the White House.
Both of them, for their own reasons, would very much like to see a deal before January 20th, and so that is the new factor in all of this. What
hasn't changed is the calculations of Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has prolonged the war for as long as possible in order to remain in power and
it is unclear whether his coalition would remain intact if, in fact, there is a deal in the coming days.
SOARES: And we will talk about President-elect Trump and President Biden in just a moment, but just on the proposal there and the impact this may have,
of course, on the political level for Prime Minister Netanyahu.
You know, I was looking at the proposal, Khaled, and in terms of looking for what changed in terms of the sticking points here, and to be honest, I
didn't see much difference what has been discussed for months now, which is Israeli forces will still maintain a presence along the Philadelphi
Corridor. Israel will also maintain a buffer zone inside Gaza.
The residents of Northern Gaza will be allowed to return freely to the north, but an Israeli official claimed there will be unspecified security
arrangements in place.
What has shifted? Why now?
ELGINDY: Well, a lot has shifted since the proposal was first put out there by President Biden last May. In particular, Hamas is in a much more
weakened position than it was then. It has lost its top leadership. It has been militarily degraded significantly in the past seven months.
So that has changed, and of course, the other change is a change in US administration. I think what makes this arrangement slightly different is
in terms of exactly what kind of assurances there would be that a hostage deal would result in an end to the war. The Israeli side has resisted any
sort of commitment to end the war despite wanting, of course, the hostages to be released.
And so I think it all hinges on what kind of role the United States will play in assuring that a ceasefire does, in fact, mean a cessation of
military activity. That is the part that is still not clear.
[16:25:08]
NEWTON: Yes, and we've heard from an Israeli officials that that Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages and that is in the first phase of the
emerging deal. But we are also hearing, Khaled, according to a source familiar with the ceasefire talks, a quote -- I am quoting him here, "Trump
-- only Trump is the incentive, only Trump."
So speak of the Trump factor and the dynamic this is having on these negotiations.
ELGINDY: Yes, it is very interesting that a ceasefire deal has eluded the Biden administration despite you know, pretty significant efforts on their
part for the last seven months and it does look very much like, you know, the Trump factor is a major factor in the calculations of both Prime
Minister Netanyahu and Hamas.
Trump is notoriously unpredictable. He does not -- you know, of course he has threatened, you know, all hell will break loose if there isn't a deal,
mainly directing that threat at Hamas. But he is not particularly fond of Prime Minister Netanyahu. I think there have been some recent reports
about, you know, how little trust he has in him.
I think Netanyahu, you know, could always count on President Biden's support, regardless of what the Israeli Army did on the ground, and there
are some question marks, I think, about Trump. And I think it is clear that he does not want to inherit the mess that the Biden administration has left
him in Gaza.
SOARES: Yes, look, at least the first, if they get this through the line before January the 20th, of course, that then Trump still has to do deal
with the second phase, right?
And big question marks about what that may look like.
Khaled Elgindy, I appreciate your time and analysis. Thank you, Khaled.
ELGINDY: Thank you.
SOARES: Now Ukraine says it is willing to swap two North Korean POWs for its own troops held in Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed the trade this
weekend after sharing pictures of the two injured captives. The offer highlights North Korea's growing involvement in the war.
Our Nick Paton Walsh has the story for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Their presence, something Ukraine Has railed at for months, saying
China's ally, North Korea is now fighting for Russia and this war is turning global as it enters its fourth year.
At the weekend, hard proof emerged video including this drone footage of what they said was the capture of two North Korean soldiers in the Kursk
Region, one ferried away on a frontline stretcher.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they could be exchanged.
(VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT speaking in foreign language.)
WALSH (voice over): "If Kim Jong-un remembers these citizens," he said "... at all, and can organize an exchange for our soldiers held in Russia, we
can transfer such soldiers. Undoubtedly there will be other prisoners from North Korea."
The Ukrainian Security Services released this footage, controversially, of two injured North Koreans answering questions from their captors even as
they recovered from medical treatment.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE speaking in foreign language.)
WALSH (voice over): A Korean translator helped the first man who we have blurred his hand, injured and in pain, explained he thought he was on a
training exercise, not fighting Ukraine. He said, after a January 3rd assault, he hid in a dugout for two days until capture.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE speaking in foreign language.)
TRANSLATION: He said that essentially, he'll do as he is told. If he is required to return, he will go back. If he's given the chance to stay here,
he'll stay.
WALSH (voice over): A second is unable to properly speak owing to a jaw injury. He says his family do not know where he is. He nods his assent when
asked if he wants to go home.
The Ukrainians showed these Russian papers, repeating the suggestion the North Koreans had been given false identities from Tuva, a Russian Republic
bordering Mongolia.
Rare and controversial images released at a time when Ukraine's war is widening, intensifying and entering a new, uncertain phase where Kyiv must
adapt to a new White House and a steady Russian advance.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: An increasing winds in Southern California threatening to make the region's wildfires worse.
After the break, we will get the latest forecast at this critical moment for firefighters. That's in this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:32:49]
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Isa Soares. There will be more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in a moment. Before that, the headlines this
hour. A one-meter tsunami made landfall in Japan Monday morning. That is according to local media. It was generated by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake
off the country's southwest coast. Authorities issued a tsunami advisory and want people not to approach the coast or enter the sea.
Millions of Hindu devotees are gathering in Northern India for a six-week religious festival. They began by bathing in sacred waters to purify their
sins. The festival of the sacred picture is the world's largest public gathering. A total of 400 million people are expected to participate during
the event.
High winds in Southern California are threatening to make the wildfire risk even worse. Efforts to contain the deadly fires are in a critical stage.
Nearly 100,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes, and at least 24 people have died.
And on that, I mean, the Palisades fire has grown to more than 93 square kilometers. It's only 14, one-four percent contained. The Eaton fire is
about 57 square kilometers. It's nearly one-third contained. Officials say they are better prepared for the coming winds. Yet, there's a chance that
high winds could ground firefighting aircraft.
Our Anderson Cooper is with crews as they were to contain the Palisades fire. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm in Brentwood Heights with a crew that is doing incredibly difficult work just on this one section that they've been
assigned to. As you can see, more guys are coming down right now. They're essentially going over every inch of this hillside. They've got about 20
people here at least, working, and this is just one of many crews doing this in other parts of the Palisades and elsewhere the -- over the Eaton
fire.
[16:35:01]
They're essentially digging with rakes through every inch of this hillside looking for any hot spots that may exist underneath, just below the
surface. You can see they're digging over there with shovels. They've got race, they've got chainsaws. You know, look this whole hillside has already
went flames, have already moved through here last -- on Saturday. And now they're just trying to make sure that a new fire won't erupt if the winds
pick up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And our thanks to Anderson Cooper here. Let's get more from our Derek Van Dam who joins me from the CNN Weather Center. And those winds yet
again, coming back and coming back until Wednesday, I understand, Derek.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that's correct. So, the environment here is becoming ripe for additional fire spread and fire growth. And I'll
explain why just one moment. The Red Flag Warning which has been extended right through Wednesday, is valid for some of the hardest hit areas. But
the National Weather Service out of Los Angeles has just come in with an expanded and more consolidated area for this PDS.
A particularly dangerous situation within this area. Again, the pink is the representative of the -- of the Red Flag Warning, but the PDS is a specific
area that shows you the highest danger of extreme fire growth and behavior. And I want to highlight this because we've got the Hearst fire, the Eaton
fire and the Palisades fire within this area. Notice, Palisades not necessarily included within the PDS but it is included within the Red Flag
Warning.
So, it's still critical fire danger there, but extreme fire potential across this area and when I mentioned that it's been expanded. This is
important because it's filled in here across the San Fernando Valley, and it's also filled in across the western portions of Ventura County. So,
there's Ventura, there's Oxnard, there's Thousand Oaks, a simi valley. This is an area that has been highlighted by the National Weather Service with a
PDS.
Remember, they have only had four PDS is particularly dangerous situations issued in the past three months. And what happened then? Remember, we've
got the fires that broke out on Tuesday of last week that caused all the damage. And then the previous fires that broke out in Malibu back into the
end of 2024. So, this high-wind warning and advisory is in place, it is the ridge top winds that will approach the 70 mile per hour zones.
But with the sand and the winds and the direction of these winds, they funnel up and over these mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains and the
Santa Monica Mountains and then they accelerate down towards the coast, towards the canyons, through the canyons. And that direction of the wind is
so critical. And the reason they expanded this and consolidated the PDS zone, Isa, is because they're noticing more of an easterly component to
this wind.
So that is so incredibly important because with the tinder box conditions that are in place across the area, you get this change in the wind
direction more of an east -- northeast versus a northeasterly wind. And that means that any additional fires or sparks that form across this area
of Ventura County and extreme western L.A. County could rapidly spread, and we get that extreme fire behavior like what we saw when we originally began
with the Palisades fire.
Here's the Palisades fire, there's Hearst, there's the Eaton fire. We're going to zoom into the eastern quadrant of the Palisades fire. So, we're
talking western Los Angeles County, the burned area represented in this orange mandatory evacuations in red. Warnings for evacuations here. This is
the 405 Highway. And we zoom in a little closer, that's UCLA campus. So, the wind direction, depending on where the forward flank of this fire goes
is going to impact a lot more homes and businesses and UCLA.
SOARES: And Derek, very quickly, until Wednesday, any sign of rain?
DAN DAM: Very valid question. We know it's so dry, we're running at a deficit. We've looked at all the long-range models. No significant rain in
this seven-day forecast but there is the potential for more humidity as we head into the weekend and that could help firefighting efforts as we get
more of an onshore, what we call a marine layer, that will increase and help with that more beneficial moisture in the atmosphere. So, what we
desperately need. Isa?
SOARES: They can -- they can deal with all the help. Indeed. Derek, good to see you. Thanks very much.
DAN DAM: OK.
SOARES: While the U.S. is making it harder for adversaries to obtain the high-end computer chips use develop A.I. The White House announced the new
export controls on Monday. The system divides the world into three tiers. One consists of close U.S. allies. They'll be exempt from new restrictions.
A second tier includes countries of concern like China and Russia. They already blocked from buying advanced chips.
Now they be restricted from buying powerful A.I. models. And then there's a third restriction applies to most of the world and that imposes a cap on
high-end chips based on their computing power.
[16:40:07]
Breaking it all down for us, helping make sense of this is Clare Duffy. Clare, just explain first of all the timing of this restrictions. Why now?
We've got a week until the end of his presidency.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes. The timing is really interesting, a week, as you said, until Biden leaves office which could point to just what
a big deal they think it is. What a high priority this is, but it also is potentially setting up a situation where we could see ratcheted up
tensions, not only with China, but really with the A.I. industry and much of the rest of the world just as Trump is taking office.
The biggest change that these new rules are making is that third tier that you mentioned. Much of the world's countries who are now going to be
experiencing a cap on the amount of computing power that they can buy. And the reason for that, it's intended to make it so that China can't go around
these U.S. export restrictions and buy advanced A.I. chips from third countries, especially in the Middle East.
But we're already seeing the A.I. industry pushing back strongly on these new rules. Many A.I. chip companies are already seeing their bottom lines
impacted by export restrictions on sales to China. And now are concerned that these new rules could increase the amount of sales that they are
losing.
SOARES: And on that, I would just -- you were talking and I was just listening trying to make sense of what some of these companies will make.
Nvidia and Oracle, not happy at all talking about harming competitiveness. Just tell us what they said.
DUFFY: Yes. Their concern is really that this -- these new rules, could harm economic growth, not only in the U.S. but also around the world and
harm U.S.'s technology leadership. We heard from Nvidia's Vice President of Government Affairs, Ned Finkle, he said today that, while cloaked in the
guise of an anti-China measure, these rules would do nothing to enhance U.S. security.
We also heard from the European Commission out with a statement that saying it believes that the United States will benefit from being able to sell its
advanced A.I. chips to European countries.
SOARES: Clare Duffy, appreciate it. Thank you very much. That's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. And up next, Connecting Africa.
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