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The Situation Room
New Gaza Ceasefire And Hostage Deal To Take Effect On Sunday; A.G. Pick Pam Bondi Grilled About Loyalty To Trump, DOJ Independence; Crucial Hours For L.A. Fire Crews Amid New High Wind Alert; Soon: Biden Delivers Farewell Address To The Nation; TikTok Ban Looms As Users Anxiously Await Supreme Court Ruling. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired January 15, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Happening now, breaking news, the new Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is set to take effect on Sunday after 15 months of war and bloodshed. I'll ask key Biden White House Official John Kirby about the path forward in the Middle East and the U.S. role in finally sealing this deal.
Also breaking, Attorney General Nominee Pam Bondi vows to keep the U.S. Justice Department independent as Democrats question her ability to stand up to Donald Trump. We're following the top takeaways from a new round of confirmation hearings for Trump's cabinet picks.
Plus, an update on the battle against the deadly wildfires out in Southern California, and a new warning of high winds threatening to fan the flames and add to the danger and the devastation.
Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.
And we begin with the breaking news, Israel and Hamas reaching agreement on a long-sought ceasefire and hostage deal. CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports from Israel on what this moment means for the region and what happens next.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After 15 months of war, children in Gaza finally have a reason to celebrate. Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire agreement set to deliver at least six weeks of peace. In Israel, a wave of relief, dozens of hostages will finally be coming home.
MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN AL THANI, QATARI PRIME MINISTER: It's a pleasure for the state of Qatar, the Arab-Egyptian Republic, and the United States to announce that the negotiating efforts have been successful for the two sides to reach an agreement regarding the exchange of prisoners and hostages and a return to total calm. The agreement will go into effect on Sunday, the 19th of January.
DIAMOND: Over six weeks, Hamas will release 33 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. Israeli troops will withdraw from populated areas, remaining inside a buffer zone along Gaza's border with Israel, leaving Palestinians free to return to Northern Gaza.
The ceasefire will also deliver a surge of humanitarian aid, up to 600 trucks per day, to alleviate dire humanitarian conditions in the besieged enclave.
For the families of the 94 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7th, relief is also mixed with uncertainty.
YOSI SCHNAIDER, COUSIN OF HOSTAGE SHIRI BIBAS: It's like a roller coaster. I'm not breathing right now. We don't know if they're on the list, if they're going to come back in the first phase, if they're alive.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: The road to this deal has not been easy. I've worked in foreign policy for decades. This is one of the toughest negotiations I've ever experienced.
DIAMOND: The deal is based on a framework President Biden announced in late May in the nearly eight months of start and stop negotiations that followed, more than 9,000 Palestinians and at least 6 hostages were killed.
More death could still come before the ceasefire goes into effect on Sunday. But for now, Palestinians are celebrating what will come.
The feeling is indescribable, Alah Abu Karj (ph) says. We never expected to get to this stage. Even now we don't believe it.
Look how happy I am, this girl says, pointing to her smile, there is no better day than today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND (on camera): And, Wolf, this ceasefire does not mark an end of the war in Gaza. But President Biden made very clear today that he hopes that that is where this will ultimately go. And that's because on day 16 of this ceasefire, Israel and Hamas will reenter negotiations about extending this ceasefire and ultimately achieving what's being described as a sustainable calm. And as long as those two parties are at the negotiating table, that six-week ceasefire will continue to be extended until the parties either reach an agreement or talks fall apart. Wolf?
[18:05:00]
BLITZER: Let's hope they reach an agreement. Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv for us, thank you very much.
President Biden touted his administration role in securing the ceasefire and hostage deal while also acknowledging cooperation with the incoming Trump team. But he bristled when pressed about who deserves credit. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BIDEN: This deal was developed and negotiated under my administration, but its terms will be implemented, for the most part, by the next administration. In these past few days, we've been speaking as one team.
I told my team to coordinate closely with the incoming team to make sure we're all speaking with the same voice, because that's what American presidents do. Thank you.
REPORTER: Who gets credit for this, Mr. President? You or Trump?
BIDEN: Is that a joke?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Joining us now, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby. John, thanks very much for joining us on this historic and important day. President-elect Trump says this agreement could only have happened as a result of his election victory. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office released this photo of Prime Minister Netanyahu thanking Trump for his assistance with this agreement. What do you think?
JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: There's an awful lot of credit here to go around, Wolf, and it's not just on the American side, but in the region. Prime Minister Netanyahu himself made some important compromises to move this forward. The Qataris, the Egyptians, very much involved in this.
Look, I don't think that the hostages and their families are worried about who's claiming or grabbing credit here. And the president doesn't want that to be the focus. He wants the focus to be on the implementation of the deal. That's where the real hard work is going to come now that it's been put into place.
And we know, as the president said, it's the next team that's going to have to do that implementing. So, it was important to him that we approach this as a team, and we did. And that's what the American people should expect. It's what those hostage families should expect.
BLITZER: Indeed, it's true. President Biden laid out the basic elements of this deal back in May. So, why did it take so long, John, for this agreement to be finalized today?
KIRBY: There's a couple of factors here, Wolf. Number one, Hamas is a radically different organization today than it was back in May. They were stronger in May and throughout the summer. But over the course of those many months, due to IDF military action, Hamas became dramatically weakened with a lot. They lost their leader, Sinwar. They lost other fighters and leaders on the battlefield, tunnels absolutely flattened, infrastructure destroyed, they're in a much weaker state now.
The other thing that was different between then and now, Wolf, is that Hamas is even further isolated. They couldn't count on Hezbollah anymore to be their cavalry because we brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which is still largely holding. And Iran is much more weaker because of the attacks that they conducted on Israel. There were retaliatory strikes. Their air defenses were greatly diminished. Iran could not come to their aid any more than Iran could come to Assad's aid when his regime fell just a couple of weeks ago.
So, more isolated, definitely weaker, and then there was also the undercurrent of all this intense diplomacy that we have stayed engaged at since May to get this over the finish line.
BLITZER: As you know, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement suggesting that several unresolved points remain with this agreement. How much concern is there over at the White House where you are that this deal, God forbid, potentially could fall apart?
KIRBY: Well, there's always that possibility, but as you heard the president say today, he's confident that it will stay in place and that it will be implemented. And one of the reasons that gives us that confidence is, in fact, the teamwork that we worked hard on with the incoming team. And Mr. Witkoff, who was in the region who was talking to Brett McGurk, our negotiator at the table, multiple times a day, and Mr. Witkoff actually helped cinch down some of the details. There was great coordination between the two of us and because the president-elect made it clear in public that he wanted this deal too and his team wants to make sure that this deal works. So they're invested in this as well and in a significant way. And I think that's what gives us confidence that it can be implemented.
But, look, hard work ahead. Both sides have got to stay true to their commitments. We have seen in the case in the past where Hamas hasn't always done that. So, you know, I can't say with 100 percent certainty, but the president's confident that this can -- it can move forward and be implemented further.
BLITZER: And I think it's impressive that President-elect Trump's incoming Middle East adviser, Steve Witkoff, has been in very close contact, working very closely together with President Biden's Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk. I think that's really important.
KIRBY: Absolutely.
BLITZER: As you know, John, two Americans held in Gaza are on the list of hostages to be released in the first phase of this agreement. What can you tell us about their condition? And when can we expect them to be released?
KIRBY: Well, I couldn't give you a date certain. There are certainly Americans that are in this first tranche.
[18:10:00]
And as you know, Wolf, the first tranche is for the elderly, for the sick or the injured, for civilian women, and we do have a couple Americans who qualify in that first tranche, and we expect will come out, but I couldn't give you an exact date. We expect that that once we get to Sunday, we'll start to see the hostages being released, but who's going to be released on what day is difficult for us to say right at this point.
And it's Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen. those are the two Americans we expect to be released in this first phase?
KIRBY: Well, I'd rather not get into the specifics and names at this point, but we, we do know that there are Americans that qualify in this first tranche and, and we're looking forward to getting them home and back with their families where they belong.
BLITZER: Let's hope that happens.
On another major issue I want to get to you on next month will mark, as you know, the third full year of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine. Donald Trump has signaled that he will change the way the U.S. has supported Ukraine during this war. Can Ukraine continue to fight Russia without major U.S. military aid, and has the Biden administration left them on a path to success in this war?
KIRBY: The answer to your first question is, no, and the answer to your second question is, yes. Ukraine will continue to need international support for their forces in the field, and the United States has been the leader in providing that support, putting together a coalition of 50-plus nations. But if that support continues, then Ukraine can continue to succeed on the battlefield.
And why that's important is not just on the face of it, you want to push back on Russian forces and defeat them in the field and regain the territory that belongs to you if you're Ukrainian. But it also helps give you more leverage and a position of strength if and when this comes to negotiations. And that's the only way this war's going to end, is through some kind of negotiation.
We want to make sure that President Zelenskyy gets to determine when that is and that he gets to determine how he's going to negotiate and from what position. It's got to be up to him. We don't want that imposed on him. That's why we're continuing the support.
BLITZER: John, as a member of Congress, President Biden, as you know, served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and touted his experience when he ran for president back in 2020. But in our just released brand new CNN poll, look at this, just 32 percent of Americans approve of President Biden's handling of foreign affairs. That poll was released today. Why do you think so many Americans think President Biden has done a poor job on the world stage?
KIRBY: Well, I don't think I'm in a position to be able to speak for the American people and what they believe or what they don't believe. All I can tell you is having worked for him for two and a half years, and certainly before that at the Pentagon, that this is a man who understands the complex nature of foreign policy. He understands that we're in an inflection point right now, a transition point across the world, and that American leadership on the world stage matters.
And that's why from the very beginning, he revitalized our alliances and partnerships around the world where alliances didn't exist to solve problems. Joe Biden created them, the 50 nations to help support Ukraine, the 20 nations pushing back on the Houthis. The AUKUS deal that is going to allow for Australia to get a nuclear powered submarine where it didn't exist, Joe Biden created it to exist. Because he knows that American power is respected, American leadership is wanted, but it can't be done in an arrogant way. It's got to be collaborative. You got to work with allies and partners.
This is a man who understands the world unlike any I've ever worked for before. And I know as we walk out the door, we're handing to the Trump team an American foreign policy that is achieved not just for the American people, but for our allies and partners in ways that we hadn't seen before.
BLITZER: John Kirby, thanks so much for all your important work over these years. We go way, way back. I appreciate it very much for joining us this exit interview. I know you only have a few days left at the White House. Thanks very much.
KIRBY: Thanks very much, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Just ahead, we're going to get much more on the Gaza deal with the incoming national security adviser in the upcoming Trump administration. He's standing by live.
Up next, though, a Senate Democrat shares his take on Attorney General Nominee Pam Bondi after taking part in her confirmation hearing today. Stay with us. Lots coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:15:00]
BLITZER: There's breaking news on the Trump transition. As Senators wrap up more high stakes confirmation hearings just ahead of Inauguration Day on Monday. The biggest spotlight was on Attorney General Nominee Pam Bondi.
As CNN's Paula Reid reports, Bondi faced a barrage of questions about the incoming president and her ability to stand up to him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Attorney General Nominee Pam Bondi grilled by lawmakers today over her loyalty to Donald Trump.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Can you say no to the president of the United States when he asks you to do something unethical or illegal?
REID: Bondi was repeatedly pressed on whether she would allow the Justice Department to be weaponized.
PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE: They targeted Donald Trump. They went after him. That will not be the case if I am attorney general. I will not politicize that office. I will not target people simply because of their political affiliation.
REID: Trump has vowed to leverage the agency to pursue his political enemies.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.
REID: Bondi suggested she does think there are some bad people at the department.
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): Can we agree that there's some really good men and women at the Department of Justice?
BONDI: Many, many great men and women in the Justice Department.
KENNEDY: Can we agree, though, there have been, and may be today, some bad people at the Department of Justice?
BONDI: Yes, Senator.
REID: But she would not confirm whether she thought the former special counsel was one of them.
SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Will you investigate Jack Smith? I haven't seen the file. It would be irresponsible of me to make a commitment.
[18:20:00]
REID: While she pushed false claims of fraud after the 2020 election, today, she acknowledged Joe Biden is president.
BONDI: I was on the ground in Pennsylvania and I saw many things there. But do I accept the results? Of course I do.
REID: But she didn't completely disavow her fraud claims.
SCHIFF: Can you tell us whether there was massive fraud affecting the results of the 2020 election? Yes or no? Was there or was there not?
BONDI: I can tell you what I saw when I went as an advocate to the campaign.
SCHIFF: That's not my question. So, you can't answer that question. You can't speak that even easy truth to us, let alone to the president.
REID: Republicans used the hearing to highlight her resume.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I'm glad he picked you. He knows you, he trusts you and you're highly qualified.
REID: Bondi worked as a Florida prosecutor for 18 years before becoming the state's first female attorney general, a role she served in for nearly a decade.
BONDI: I did my best to keep Florida safe, to continue to stand up for victims of crime and to fight the opioid crisis.
REID: Republicans predicted an easy confirmation and seemed thrilled, especially after the first nomination of former Congressman Matt Gaetz fell apart.
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): You've got a great reputation and a great resume and they're just trying to find things to put your integrity into question.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
REID (on camera): Bondi also got a lot of questions about Trump's pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel. Now, Bondi deferred to Patel to account for some of the things he said about the FBI, his perceived enemies and even QAnon. But the fact that lawmakers were so deep into Patel's record reading quotes back suggests that his path to confirmation might be a lot more difficult than Bondi's appears to be. Wolf?
BLITZER: Important point. Paula Reid reporting for us, thank you very much.
Joining us now, a Democrat who questioned Pam Bondi during today's confirmation hearing, Senator Peter Welch of Vermont is joining us. Senator, thanks so much for coming in.
I want you to listen to one of your exchanges with the attorney general nominee. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. PETER WELCH (D-VT): Senator Cruz wants, I want, and that is to have a Justice Department that is not going after people on the basis of them being political opponents. And my understanding, in listening to your answers to questions along this line, is that you have no intention, of pursuing people on the basis of them being a political opponent.
BONDI: No one will be prosecuted, investigated because they are a political opponent. That's what we've seen for the last four years in this administration. People will be prosecuted based on the facts and the law and fairly, Senator.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Senator Welch, as you know, President-elect Trump has called for members of the January 6th select committee to be jailed. Are you confident Pam Bondi would stand up to the president on that as attorney general of the United States?
WELCH: You know, we'll never know until it happens. I mean, Pam Bondi is, first of all, very qualified. Her 18 years of prosecutorial experience, she had a good record there. But second, she made a very good answer to me. She will not use her office to go after political opponents. I take her at her word. But what we also know is that she's got a boss who has immunity from the Supreme Court and has said repeatedly that he is going to go after political opponents. And what we know is that President Trump in the past put the pressure on Bill Barr, put the pressure on William Sessions. And that day when he puts the pressure on whoever is the attorney general will come. So, we're in this dilemma where the president has made it clear, yes, I want to go after political opponents, but we have a qualified nominee who has assured me in response to that question that she won't, but Trump will.
BLITZER: Pam Bondi repeatedly, during the course of this hearing today, refused to give direct answers about whether Trump lost the 2020 presidential election or whether January 6th rioters convicted of violence would be pardoned. What did that suggest to you?
WELCH: Well, two things. Every Trump nominee has to give the ritual and bend the knee to the president who continues to claim that he didn't lose to Biden, that Biden is president, but they won't acknowledge that he was duly elected by the American people. That's very troubling, because it really does undercut the confidence all of us have to have. We win elections, we lose elections, and we accept the verdict of the voters.
So, what Bondi was doing, I think, was playing off the script that other nominees for everything every cabinet position is saying. I find that troubling, but I attribute that largely to Trump himself.
BLITZER: Many of your Democratic colleagues, as you noticed today, focused a lot of their questions on Kash Patel, Trump's pick to be the FBI director. Is that an acknowledgment, Senator, that Bondi is likely to be confirmed, and that Kash Patel is seen as a bigger threat?
[18:25:02]
WELCH: Well, it could be, and that certainly was Senator Tillis' explanation. Bottom line, I think that we should ask Kash Patel the questions we have about Kash Patel. Pam Bondi is not Kash Patel. She was impressive. Her career has been impressive.
The concerns I think we all have, at least on our side, is, one, what will Trump do? How much pressure will he put on her or whoever is the attorney general? And that day is going to come, and it's more scary, frankly, because of the Supreme Court decision giving the president immunity. That's a terrible decision.
But then, second, it's alarming to me that the president continues to direct his people to refuse to say that Biden won. Why can't he -- you know, really, why can't he do that? He did win. And he just won't say it, and the folks who want to be cabinet people are adhering to the talking points that Biden, or, pardon me, Trump is requiring.
BLITZER: If you can give us a quick yes or no, Senator, are you going to vote to confirm Pam Bondi?
WELCH: I'm going to wait until the hearing's totally over. I find her very impressive. I am concerned about the Trump interference and I'm concerned about the election denialism that is part of the package with Trump and any of his nominees. But she is an impressive person who has a very remarkable career.
BLITZER: All right, Senator, thanks so much for joining us, Senator Peter Welch of Vermont, I appreciate it.
Coming up, the incoming Trump national security adviser is standing by to join us live to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal and who deserves credit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
BLITZER: We're following major breaking news in the Middle East, a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
Joining us now, CNN's Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour. Christiane's with me here in The Situation Room. You had a chance to speak exclusively to the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, earlier today about the deal. What was the upshot?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, the upshot was we were talking just as the final confirmation was about to come through. And the first thing I asked him was what exactly would it mean on day one. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: First, the firing stops. Hamas, Israel stop firing. Israel pulls back its forces. Hostages begin to be released. Prisoners come out of Israeli jails and go back and we surge humanitarian assistance to people who so desperately need it. All of that happens during a six-week period. But also during that six weeks, we have to negotiate the understandings to get to a permanent ceasefire so that Israel pulls all of its forces out of Gaza, Hamas doesn't come back in, and there's necessary governance, security, reconstruction arrangements so that Gaza can move forward.
AMANPOUR: Is that sorted?
BLINKEN: That's not sorted. We've worked on it intensely for the last six or seven months, intensely, but quietly with Arab partners, with others.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: So, the tragedy somewhat is that it didn't come through in May when the president first put it out there. Hamas was recalcitrant. Israel was recalcitrant, it didn't happen. It is true that the Trump election has concentrated people's minds, and he was very, Blinken, that this was their plan, which they then worked with the incoming administration, keeping them completely abreast, throwing the ball to them, et cetera, and as he said to me, giving them the leverage and the lay of the land to take this on further during this next administration.
He also said that he had been talking to his successor, the Senator Rubio, whose confirmation hearings happened today. He said they'd had very good confirmations about this and other foreign policy challenges, and he was quite optimistic that he had laid the land, or this administration had laid the land for, you know, success down the road, should the Trump administration decide to pick it up.
And particularly in this case, he talked about the endgame is a secure Israel alongside a secure and sovereign Palestinian State. And then about Ukraine, you know, Ukraine has to be saved and they feel that they could do even more to prop Ukraine up and force Putin to actually come to a negotiating table and want to negotiate.
BLITZER: I watched your interview earlier today. It was really important.
AMANPOUR: And there's more.
BLITZER: Excellent work. And I know there's more.
AMANPOUR: Yes, tomorrow.
BLITZER: With Christiane Amanpour, there is always more. Christiane, thanks very much for coming in.
AMANPOUR: It's a good day.
BLITZER: I appreciate it very, very much.
Joining me now, the incoming national security adviser in the Trump Administration, Republican Congressman Mike Waltz. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.
I know you're still a congressman, at least for a few more days till you become the national security adviser to the president of the United States. The President-elect, Donald Trump, is taking credit, as you know, for this Israel-Hamas deal. I want to play a moment from President Biden's remarks about this deal earlier today. Listen and watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Who gets credit for this, Mr. President? You or Trump?
BIDEN: Is that a joke? Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: So, as you can hear, it doesn't seem like President Biden thinks it's a serious question as to who deserves the credit for this really important and historic deal. How do you see it?
REP. MIKE WALTZ (R-FL): Well, I think that's, that was a little unfortunate, frankly, but his State Department spokesman was very clear that President Trump's election has had tremendous consequences, and we're seeing tremendously positive consequences. The entire world, we're hearing it from Arab leaders, we're hearing it from Israeli leaders, are absolutely acknowledging that President Trump coming in, the man who took out Iranian Field General Soleimani, the man who took out ISIS Leader Baghdadi, on top of what has changed since the last hostage deal, Hezbollah being destroyed by the pager and walkie-talkie operation, Assad falling, Iran completely defenseless and on its back foot, thanks to the leadership of Bibi and the Israelis.
[18:35:27]
Hamas was completely isolated, whose own leaders have been completely taken out. And I think all of that combined has led finally to the deal that we're seeing. Hamas went backwards on its demands in terms of what we call the Philadelphia Corridor, the border between Gaza and Egypt, on other demands that it had. And what we're going to see, Wolf, are hostages coming out of those horrific tunnels as President Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. And that's a great moment for the entire world.
BLITZER: The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Congressman, says the ceasefire agreement is still not completely complete, saying several unresolved points remain. Is the president-elect, President- elect Trump, concerned that this deal, God forbid, could fall apart?
WALTZ: President Trump and the prime minister spoke today. The prime minister still has to move this through his government. But, look, we've made it very clear to our ally, Israel, that if Hamas reneges on any parts of this deal, we are with them and that Gaza will be demilitarized and Hamas will be destroyed. We cannot allow, nor should they allow, this terrorist organization to continue, who has pledged to have more October 7ths if they are allowed to continue as a terrorist organization.
So, you know, I want the people of Israel to hear that loud and clear, but right now, we should be celebrating that we are going to have people coming out alive, Wolf. These people have been down there being raped, tortured, and abused for longer than the Americans were held in 1979 by the Iranians in that hostage crisis.
So, this really is a Reagan moment. We're quite excited about it. You're seeing the overwhelming celebrations in Israel. And, again, we're going to have people coming out alive. I'm convinced that President Trump were not elected, this deal was stuck and, unfortunately, I don't know that we would have had anyone coming out alive.
BLITZER: Well, let me get your thought on another important topic, Congressman, before I let you go, a source telling CNN that House Speaker Mike Johnson has removed Republican Congressman Mike Turner, a man you know, as chair of the House Intelligence Committee, a panel you serve on, at least you did, until you just were announced to become the national security adviser in the Trump White House. The ranking Democrat on the committee Jim Himes, calls removing Turner a huge blow to the panel. It says it's members expect to come under pressure by President Trump. What can you tell us about this latest development?
WALTZ: Wolf, I can't really speak to it. I got to be honest. I've been focused on helping Steve Witkoff, President Trump's envoy in the Middle East, to get this deal get this deal done. I've been in a SCIF half the day focused on transition. I can just say that Speaker Johnson, in this particular case, names the chairman and those leadership decisions are with him, with our steering committee, and with the speaker.
BLITZER: Congressman Mike Waltz, thank you so much for joining us. Good luck in your new assignment. We hope you'll be a frequent guest here in my Situation Room. I know you got one over there at the White House as well. Thanks for joining us.
WALTZ: All right. Thank you.
BLITZER: And just ahead, crucial hours for crews battling the Los Angeles wildfires.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
BLITZER: Residents of Los Angeles are on edge tonight as fire crews keep up the fight against multiple blazes.
CNN's Veronica Miracle has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): More than a week into the raging wildfire disaster in the Los Angeles area, many residents are anxious to return home or salvage what they can from the wreckage.
HENRI YONET, FATHER'S PALISADES HOUSE DESTROYED: We were in denial that our area, the Palisades, was going to be affected.
MIRACLE: 91-year-old Howard Yonet lost his home in the Palisades. His son, Henri, was there as it burned to the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God, I can't stay here. Oh my God, this is -- it's literally gone. It's all gone.
MIRACLE: Right now, residents are still unable to get back into the burn zones. But 84-year-old Judy Jensen slipped past checkpoints with her two dogs. She has no electricity and only bottled water, but does have gas and a neighbor's generator.
JUDY JENSEN, RETURNED HOME BEFORE EVACUATION ORDER LIFTED: I have been able to get in my neighbor's house and she told me get in. Take whatever you want. So I was able to get more food for the dogs.
MIRACLE: Fire officials are asking people to be patient, warning people the threat to these communities remains high.
CHIEF KRISTIN CROWLEY, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT: The danger has not yet passed.
MIRACLE: So far, at least 25 deaths have been connected to the fires. Officials say safety is still a concern.
CROWLEY: The combination of low humidity and strong winds has further dried out the brush increasing the risk of fire. MIRACLE: The Eaton and Palisades fires are now the most destructive and second most destructive fires in Southern California's history.
WILL POWERS, FIRE INSPECTOR, SANTA ROSA FIRE DEPARTMENT: We have over 3,000 personnel currently here, and we have to build bases like this.
[18:45:01]
MIRACLE: In Pasadena, the iconic Rose Bowl is now a sprawling command center for thousands of emergency crews fighting the Eaton fire.
After the next 24-hour wind event, what -- what are you guys expecting?
WILL POWERS, FIRE INSPECTOR, SANTA ROSE FIRE DEPARTMENT: Buttoning this thing up and hopefully soon getting residents back safely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MIRACLE (on camera): Wolf, there is very little wind here in Altadena and this fire, the Eaton Fire is now 45 percent contained, but hotspots remain a major issue. So firefighters are doing what they can to make sure everything is safe before people come back to assess all of this damage -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Veronica, I want to make sure you stay safe as well.
Veronica Miracle reporting. Thank you very, very much.
Coming up, President Biden preparing to give his farewell address to the nation. One of his former senior advisers is here with us live.
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[18:50:03]
BLITZER: We're just a little bit more than an hour away from President Biden's farewell address to the nation.
It comes as a new -- a brand new CNN poll released today shows just 36 percent approving of the way President Biden has handled his presidency.
Let's discuss this and more with a former Biden senior adviser, Anita Dunn.
Anita, thanks very much for joining us. You worked with President Biden for a long time.
What went wrong with President Biden's presidency that nearly two thirds of Americans disapprove of the job he's done, just as he's leaving the White House.
ANITA DUNN, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: Well, thank you for having me on, Wolf. You know, today, the White House announced that a peace agreement has
been reached between Israel and Hamas that will result in the release of the hostages that have been held since October 7th, 2023. That will, you know, bring peace to the people of Gaza who have been so extraordinarily hurt over the past, over the past 14 months, 16 months, really by this war, who have been right in the crosshairs the whole time.
And, you know, I think if you look at all of this in context, if the president had to choose between a peace agreement or high approval numbers, he would choose a peace agreement every time. Now, like any president, he'd rather have both. But this is a president who has been dedicated to doing what was right.
You know, and I think that what you saw today is emblematic of his four years as president.
BLITZER: And we're all happy about this cease and hostage agreement. It is so important. Let's hope it really works out and expands to full peace down the road.
There's another part of this new CNN poll. Anita, I want to ask you and get your reaction to and look at this, 38 percent of Americans now say President Biden's presidency was a success, 38 percent, while 61 -- 61 percent, 61 percent say it was a failure. Only President George W. Bush had lower numbers as he was leaving the White House.
Do you think President Biden views his time in the White House this way, as he makes his way for Donald Trump to succeed him?
DUNN: Well, I think the president, as you pointed out in a little more than an hour, will address the nation. And he has a 52-year career of public service that I think helps him look at a longer view of all of this. He came into office at a time of enormous tumult and crisis in the United States of America, a pandemic the worst since 1918, with literally hundreds of thousands of people dying, and an economy that was flat, and where millions of people had lost their jobs and a democracy in crisis.
And over the past four years, you know, obviously huge challenges remain. There's still a lot of people who are having trouble paying their bills. There are people going to the grocery store, and they still can't believe how high prices are. Rents are too high. This country's been through a lot.
But I think if you look at where we are now, we have a country that is not in the middle of a pandemic, whose economy is growing and, frankly, where there is a peaceful transfer of power. And that is an accomplishment that this president should be proud of.
BLITZER: Good point. You make an important point.
Anita Dunn, thank you very much for joining us.
And we'll be right back.
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[18:57:56]
BLITZER: Tonight, TikTok users are anxiously awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Brian Todd has more.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A controversial law banning TikTok in the U.S. because of national security concerns could take effect Sunday, unless the Supreme Court blocks the ban, which could come at any time. Analysts have said it's unlikely that the justices will step in to save TikTok.
The Reuters news agency and an online publication called "The Information" report TikTok is planning to shut down its U.S. operations on Sunday and go dark for American users if the Supreme Court doesn't step in before then.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Users would not be able to post. They would not be able to watch. This form of entertainment and communication would just disappear in the United States.
TODD: But there could be other options. TikTok is owned by a Chinese company. "Bloomberg" and "The Wall Street Journal" report Chinese officials are considering a scenario where billionaire Elon Musk, owner of X and Tesla, would acquire the U.S. operations of TikTok.
Why would the Chinese want to do that?
SARA FISCHER, MEDIA CORRESPONDENT, AXIOS: Because they would have an in with Trump. Elon musk has become such an ally to Donald Trump. There's no question that China wants to develop that relationship further.
TODD: TikTok has batted down the speculation about Musk and CNN could not independently confirm "The Bloomberg" and "Wall Street Journal" reporting.
But analysts say if Musk acquired TikTok's U.S. operations --
STELTER: He would become, in effect, the head of a Hollywood studio. You know, TikTok is one of the biggest entertainment platforms in the world. It feels like Musk already owns everything else, right, from X to SpaceX to Tesla.
TODD: Another option is that TikTok might elect not to sell or shut down once the ban takes effect, and simply do nothing. Then, starting Sunday, experts say app store operators like Google and Apple would not be allowed to offer the TikTok app for downloading. If you already have TikTok on your phone --
CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH WRITER: If you already have the app on your phone, its not just going to disappear, but you'll no longer be able to update it, which means that eventually it would become buggy. It might have security vulnerabilities, and eventually it would become unusable.
TODD: Down the line, could TikTok restart in the U.S. if a ban is reversed?
DUFFY: You would have to repeal a law in order to have it so that TikTok could return. But even if that were to be the case, Donald Trump would have to come in and really pull his might to get that to happen. And I just don't foresee that happening.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (on camera): Analyst Brian Stelter says some users have already migrated to other Chinese owned apps similar to TikTok, which he says raised just as many national security concerns as TikTok ever did, Wolf.
All right. Brian Todd, thank you very much for that report.
"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.
