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Israeli Official Says, Full Cabinet Now Set to Vote Saturday on Gaza Deal; CNN Poll Shows Trump Gets High Marks Ahead of His Second Term; Frustration and Heartbreak as Couple Returns to Home in Ashes. Supreme Court To Release Opinions Tomorrow As Decision On TikTok Ban Still Pending; Giuliani Avoids Trial Settles With Election Workers He Defamed; SpaceX Believes Starship Did Not Survive Today's Test Flight. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired January 16, 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 ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, war ravaged Gaza awaits the next steps in the ceasefire and hostage deal. As we're told, the full Israeli cabinet is now scheduled to vote on the agreement on Saturday. This as far right members of the Netanyahu government are threatening to quit if the deal goes forward.

Also this hour, CNN's exclusive new poll shows President-elect Donald Trump getting some of the highest ratings of his political career just days before his return to the White House. We'll break down the numbers and how long the honeymoon may last.

Plus, frustration and heartbreak as some L.A. County residents return to their homes in ashes. We're going to show you one couple's horror as they confront all that they lost in the wildfire disaster.

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 on the next critical steps in the ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli security cabinet preparing to vote within hours, paving the way for a full cabinet vote on Saturday.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more on the timetable and the potential obstacles. A warning, this report includes some graphic images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Israeli prime minister was supposed to start his day like this, convening his security cabinet to approve the newly inked ceasefire and hostage release deal. Instead, the prime minister's office issuing this dramatic statement accusing Hamas of trying to extort last-minute concessions, saying the cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement. After eight hours of limbo, the deal appeared to be back on track. An Israeli official telling CNN the security cabinet will now convene tomorrow morning.

As for Netanyahu's political wrangling, far from over, his national security minister, Ben-Gvir, now vowing to resign.

ITAMAR BEN-GVIR, ISRAELI NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER: If this reckless deal is approved and implemented, the Jewish Power Party will not be part of the government and will withdraw from it.

DIAMOND: Fellow far right Minister Bezalel Smotrich, is also threatening to leave the coalition government over the deal. The finance minister declaring a clear condition for our remaining in the government is absolute certainty of returning to war with great force after the first phase of the deal is over.

Amid the political wrangling, the anguish of hostage families like Ruth Strum, whose sons are both being held hostage and Gaza. She says, only one is expected to be released in the first phase of the deal.

RUTH STRUM, HOSTAGE MOTHER: It is not easy for a mother to hear this. It is more difficult for me thinking about what will happen with them.

DIAMOND: In Gaza, the wait for the ceasefire looks like this. Israel's attacks, unrelenting. In the 24 hours since Israel and Hamas reached the ceasefire agreement, Israeli strikes have killed at least 83 people, including 23 children, according to Gaza's civil defense.

As the bodies pile up, one man pleads with his sister's lifeless body. Wake up, Hala (ph), wake up, he cries. The war is over. Hala was just days away from a life free from the threat of bombs and bullets. But as the dead and the wounded continue to flow into this hospital, it is clear Hala will not be this war's last victim.

The question now is how many more will it claim?

MAHMOUD ABU WANDEH, GAZAN: We urge the meditators who brokered this truce to hurry up making it come into effect. For it to be today is better than tomorrow. For it to be at 7:00 is better than 8:00, because there are martyrs every hour.

DIAMOND: Amid the ruins of Gaza, every hour also brings hope that it will all end soon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND (on camera): And, Wolf, we are anticipating that that security cabinet vote will happen tomorrow, but the full cabinet vote is likely not going to happen until Saturday evening. And that has now thrust major question mark over whether or not this ceasefire deal will in fact be implemented starting on Sunday, as was previously scheduled. The Supreme Court first needs to hear petitions from people who would like to prevent the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for those hostages.

[18:05:03]

Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv for us, thank you very much.

Let's break all of this down with our Middle East experts, and, Barak Ravid, I'll start with you. How are these threats to quit the government from some key parts of Netanyahu's coalition likely to impact, first of all, tomorrow's security cabinet vote?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Hi, Wolf. So, first, I think. Before that, we need to ask the question. Why is the hostage and ceasefire deal hasn't been officially signed yet? The negotiators are still in Doha. As far as I understand until five minutes ago, the deal hasn't been signed yet. There's a big question mark on why this thing is being delayed, and I think it is connected to why this Israeli cabinet meeting has been delayed and the full cabinet meeting has been delayed until Saturday night.

And one official told me that this is all connected to, you know, some issues that Hamas raised and some legal issues in Israel. But other officials raised the question of whether this is connected to the fact that Netanyahu wants this deal to be implemented, not on Sunday, when Joe Biden is still the president, but on Monday, when Donald Trump assumes office.

BLITZER: Interesting. Susan Glasser, how much leverage does President-elect Trump have to push this agreement through?

SUSAN GLASSER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, I would think a lot. Having already claimed credit for the agreement very publicly doing, so even before the terms of it were announced, Donald Trump, you know, would certainly be very furious were Netanyahu or either of the parties to back out of it after he's already put himself into it.

I do think this question of the timing that Barak mentioned is very interesting. You know, you already heard Trump's incoming national security adviser speaking yesterday about the possibility for a Reagan moment, which is hearkening back to the 1981 dramatic split screen release of the Iranian hostages on the day of Reagan's inauguration.

And, you know, frankly, I've thought for a couple months this was a very likely scenario that Netanyahu might want to deliver this kind of an image and this kind of political benefit to Donald Trump on the day of his inauguration.

BLITZER: Yes, we'll see if that happens.

Omar Shakir is with us as well. Omar, how do you see it and could these latest Israeli airstrikes over the past day or two in Gaza impact the deal?

OMAR SHAKIR, ISRAEL AND PALESTINE DIRECTOR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Look, I think civilians have been killed, starved, forcibly displaced, homes, schools, hospitals, infrastructure has been destroyed at an unprecedented scale in the recent history of Israel-Palestine. These atrocities must end immediately. The ceasefire won't do that on its own. It's critical that Israel allow in sufficient humanitarian aid, that it lift its blockade, that it restores electricity and water because people will die, ceasefire or not, without that. Palestinian armed groups must immediately and unconditionally release all civilians held hostage. Serious crimes cannot go unpunished and you must address root causes, like Israel's apartheid against Palestinians.

Hearing from Barak and Susan about some of these dynamics, we have to remember that lives are on the line. Just today, Wolf, we lost two colleagues in the human rights movement in Gaza, a staff member, Ehab Faisal (ph), and his wife and two children of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in one airstrike. Another airstrike claimed Rafat Salah (ph), who's the head of the Independent Commission of Human Rights in Northern Gaza, along with 13 of his family members, his wife and four of their children. So, these theatrics by Netanyahu and by others are resulting in bodies of Palestinians continuing to build up more days that Israeli hostages remain in Gaza.

So, we need action immediately. The ceasefire won't do it on its own atrocities must end and they must end immediately. The fact that we've been 15 months of this hell is simply inconceivable.

BLITZER: Barak, if this ceasefire hostage release agreement is formally signed, how do you think the time now is likely to decide between giving it to the demands of his extreme right wing members or accepting support from his political opposition?

RAVID: Well, that's the I think the million dollar question because let's say the ceasefire does come into effect, hostages starting to come out, there's a ceasefire in Gaza. We're talking about 42 days. That's a long, long time. And we're talking about Donald Trump that doesn't really want this war to resume. So, in 42 days, Netanyahu will face an even bigger test of whether he wants to move to the second phase of this deal, or he wants to break it and go back to the war.

[18:10:00]

And he will need to make a decision on whether he chooses Donald Trump or he chooses Itamar Ben-Gvir. This is a very hard decision, especially that at any juncture in the past, Netanyahu chose his ultra nationalist coalition partners and not the president of the United States, but then it was Joe Biden. I wonder what will happen when it's Donald Trump.

BLITZER: You know, Susan, as you know, the White House and Secretary of State Blinken today are expressing optimism that this deal, this hostage release ceasefire deal, will still go into effect on Sunday, Biden's last full day in office. But given the delays and what we know now, do you think that's realistic?

GLASSER: You know, Wolf, you know, when you see the horror and how long it's taken even to get to this point, nobody can rule out a further delay. There's just no question about that, especially because, as Barak said, the choice here is a very painful one for Netanyahu. He risks the collapse at any moment of his far right coalition government.

Now, for now, Ben-Gvir has said he would not actually bring down the government, even if he would go out of the security cabinet rather than vote for this particular deal. So, it's still a question mark for me about the exact timing of this, but the bigger question is, is it really the end of the war or not? And I don't think, despite all the big claims from Donald Trump that we know the answer to that yet.

BLITZER: Yes. We'll know it about 40 days when they supposedly go to phase two.

To all of you, thank you very, very much.

Just ahead, a major shakeup up on Capitol Hill as Speaker Mike Johnson removes the chair of the House Intelligence Committee as he denies pressure from Donald Trump. I'll get reaction to that and more from a key Democrat on the panel, Congressman Jason Crow.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

BLITZER: We're following a very controversial shake up in Congress, the speaker, Mike Johnson, ousting the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee and replacing him with another Republican.

Our Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju is joining us. He's up on Capitol Hill. He's got more on the breaking news. Manu, what has the reaction been like so far?

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, members on both sides have been blindsided by this move and serious concerns, not just from Democrats, but from some Republicans alike, showing a split within the GOP over some of these key issues, including over Ukraine. Mike Turner viewed as one of the staunchest proponents on the GOP side for more aid to Ukraine, but also on issues like the giving the government surveillance authority. He had sparred with the right wing of his conference on issues like Ukraine and on the issues like surveillance.

And he has been ousted from that position by the speaker of the House who has installed, instead, Rick Crawford, a Congressman from Arkansas, someone who's been a critic of Ukraine and someone who is more aligned with that wing of the party, the Trump wing of the party, than, say, Mike Turner is.

Now, I caught up with the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Jim Himes, who raised serious alarms about this move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): Mike Turner knew more about, you know, the national security of the United States than any 20 members of Congress wandering these halls. So, we lost a huge amount of experience there. But I also think you know, it's just -- this place used to be considered a check and a balance on the power of the president. That's why we exist. And the message just went out that if you check this president, you're fired.

Does Rick stand up? Does he issue a subpoena? You know, what happened yesterday doesn't bode well for the job tenure of somebody who may do something that President Trump doesn't want them to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Now, Mike Johnson has described this move as an effort to bring in fresh faces in Congress. He has denied the contention that has actually been pushed by Mike Turner himself that this is the result of concerns from Mar-a-Lago, concerns from Donald Trump. The speaker has said that Trump had absolutely no involvement in this decision.

And, Wolf, I'm told from a source familiar with his thinking that the speaker was eager to bring in someone, his own -- someone, his own intelligence committee chairman. Like Kevin McCarthy, his predecessor did in bringing in Mike Turner to run this very powerful committee that deals with sensitive intelligence, that deals with oversight of the intelligence community, and that was what drove the speaker's ultimate decision here.

But, Wolf, serious concerns by members on both sides, especially Turner's GOP allies, who want answers from the speaker about why he made this move, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Manu Raju reporting from Capitol Hill, Manu, thank you very much.

Let's discuss this and more with Democratic Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado. He sits on the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

First of all, do you agree with what you just heard from your Democratic colleague, Congressman Jim Himes?

REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): I share Jim Himes' deep concern for this. Listen, this is one of the most important committees in Congress, and I say that not just because I sit on this committee, but as a former Army Ranger, somebody that went to war for this country three times as a paratrooper and as a Ranger, I know that essential to protecting our troops and essential to protecting America is information. Information is key about what our adversaries are doing, what our threats are, and it's the Intelligence Committee that sits over the top of our entire intelligence apparatus that provides oversight, budgeting, that helps establish policy.

So, protecting this committee from politics is so important to the lives and security of Americans, and I'm troubled by this move.

BLITZER: Congressman, I want to play for you and our viewers what the House Speaker Johnson said about this decision, his decision, to remove Turner. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): It's a new Congress, we just keep fresh horses in some of these places.

This is not a President Trump decision.

[18:20:01]

This is a House decision. And this is no slight whatsoever to our outgoing chairman. He did a great job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Congressman, do you believe this speaker when he says President-elect Trump was not involved at all in this decision?

CROW: Well, when you talk about Donald Trump, somebody who requires full loyalty and fealty from everybody around him, somebody who thinks that he should be involved in all of these decisions, somebody who has a history of putting pressure on Congress. I mean, listen, look at what has happened the last couple of weeks and months, the number of decisions by House Republicans that have been made by Donald Trump, right?

We are an independent branch. We are supposed to be the check on the presidency. And it's Donald Trump that's regularly calling House Republicans and telling them what to do and what not to do. That is a broader trend that should trouble every American.

But when it comes to our national security, where every day and every week, life and death decisions are being made, it should be even more troubling for folks.

BLITZER: So, are you saying that Trump was involved in the speaker's decision?

CROW: Well, I don't know. I mean, I don't talk to Donald Trump. I don't have him on speed dial which is no surprise to anybody. I mean, we're not on speaking terms, I guess, is the best way to put it. So, I don't know whether there was a direct call.

But, listen, when you're talking about Donald Trump, that distinction between a direct call and indirect pressure, you know, the substantial portion of the House Republicans now fully claim, this isn't my words, but it's theirs, they say they work for Donald Trump essentially. And that is a disturbing trend.

So, those lines have been blurred, right? The lines have been blurred between the Congress and Donald Trump and his incoming administration. And those are lines that are important for the proper functioning of our country, for the checks and balances that make our government work and that are important to protect Americans.

BLITZER: So, are you expecting, Congressman, more moves like this as the Trump administration gets set to take control of the White House on Monday?

CROW: I do expect that. You know, if past is prologue, we know what's coming. Donald Trump frequently says what people should and shouldn't do around him.

Now, listen, that's his prerogative when it comes to his cabinet, when it comes to the executive branch political employees. Every president has the prerogative of doing that. But what I'm saying here is when it comes to Congress, which has a constitutional obligation to be independent and to serve as a check on the executive branch and to conduct oversight on behalf of our constituents and the American people, it is so important that we have that independence. And Mike Turner's original sin, it appears, is that he showed independence. He showed a willingness to focus on his constituents. And with Trump, that is unforgivable.

BLITZER: How concerned are you, Congressman, that Speaker Johnson potentially could remove you or anyone else, for that matter, from the critically important Intelligence Committee if you're too critical of Trump?

CROW: I have no reason to believe that. You know, obviously it's the speaker and the minority leader's prerogative about who to put on this committee. It's a very small committee. That's actually why it's called the select committee. It's called the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which means that the majority leader, the speaker and the minority leader get to choose who sits on that committee. But I have a long history of working in a bipartisan way. I'm one of the most bipartisan members of Congress. And actually the speaker and Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader, selected me to be the lead Democrat on the task force to investigate the attempted assassination of Donald Trump last year.

And that's because when it comes to national security, I put the country first. I put our national security first. I put my oath first. Everybody in the House knows that. So, I'm going to do my job regardless of what happens and I'm going to fulfill my oath.

BLITZER: I want to quickly turn to the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The full Israeli cabinet is expected to vote on the deal Saturday. We're seeing serious pushback from some key parts of the ruling Israeli coalition Are you confident that this deal will be approved and implemented starting Sunday?

CROW: Well, my job as a member of Congress is not to be confident and not to take anything for granted. It's actually to be skeptical, to ask tough questions, to make sure this is the right deal, to make sure that it's implemented. So, constant pressure, constant accountability is what I am supposed to do.

Again, this goes back to the theme we've been talking about independence, about our duties to the Constitution to protect Americans, and in this case, help get Americans home and help get the hostages home and also help bring peace to the region and to deliver life saving humanitarian aid to the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who are on the verge of starvation. So, this is a promising deal. It's a deal that is long overdue.

[18:25:00]

I am optimistic that we can get over the finish line and the administration can push it over the finish line. Of course, the incoming Trump administration will have to make sure that it's implemented and that all sides comply with it. And I will continue to push for that.

BLITZER: And let's hope it's fully implemented, indeed. Congressman Jason Crow, thanks so much for joining us.

CROW: Thank you.

BLITZER: And coming up, new CNN polling tonight on how Americans feel about Donald Trump just ahead of his second term, and why the numbers now might not necessarily last. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Tonight, CNN's exclusive new polling, released today, shows a majority of Americans approve of how President elect Trump is handling his transition, with just four days to go before he returns to power.

[18:30:09]

Trump's 55 percent approval rating for this current transition far higher than the 40 percent approval he got for his transition eight years ago.

Let's get some analysis from our expert political analysts, and I want to start with you, Marc Short. What do you think explains this remarkable difference in the approval for Trump going into this second term as opposed to going into his first term?

MARC SHORT, ADVISER TO MIKE PENCE: Well, Wolf, I think a lot of this is extension from Election Day. I think the reality is it was a sweeping election. I think Americans wanted to change back to the Trump policies of the first administration. And I think that there's a lot in the national news that's beneficial to Trump, such as the economy, markets are rallying, people expect a deregulatory agenda, and I think from the world stage, while I'm sure the Biden administration is frustrated that Trump seems to take credit for a lot of things, the peace deal in the Middle East, I think, certainly benefits. So, I think there's a lot of things the national news.

I don't think most Americans follow this closely as we do here in the Beltway, the ups and downs and the personality dramas. So, I just think it's more reflection of the national news.

BLITZER: That's a good point. Alyssa Farah Griffin is with us as well. Alyssa, historically, the honeymoon doesn't necessarily last all that long. Expectations for Biden and Obama, for that matter, were even higher just ahead of their first terms. How does Trump navigate this?

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Listen, I think Trump is keenly aware that he's got about two years to really put his agenda in place ahead of the midterms. He comes into office with a lot better of an idea of how to enact policies, how he wants to get his agenda done than he did in 2016.

I would expect we're going to see some executive orders on day one, probably related to immigration and the border. I think he's going to try to do as much as he can through executive action, knowing that even with a House of Representatives and a Senate that is favorable to him. Things on Capitol Hill state still take a lot of time and he's going to want to clock some wins early.

But let's be clear, you know, those of us who do follow it closely, there's already been plenty of drama. There will be. That's kind of the inevitability of Trump's governing style. And then there's the things that are outside of his control that just happened with president's crises he's going to have to deal with. There's going to need to be a supplemental to deal with these L.A. wildfires.

He's going to have his plate full but he's coming in with a very clear agenda of what he wants to do.

BLITZER: He certainly is. You know, Kate Bedingfield, there's another part of our brand new CNN poll that I want to get your reaction to, and I'll put it up on the screen. 56 percent of Americans say they expect good economic conditions a year from now, that's much more optimism than Americans expressed in a poll from 2023, where just 38 percent felt that way. Is this a positive sentiment from Americans coming in right now? What do you think?

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think this has the potential to cut both ways for Trump. On the one hand, coming in, yes, of course, you want people to feel like they have confidence in your leadership.

He may have a great opportunity here to put in place an agenda that feels like it's capitalizing on what people want to see him do. But when expectations are high, it's also easy to fall short of them. And I think you've actually heard Trump kind of allude to this concern in some of the interviews that he's given recently. You know, he said I think when he sat down with NBC, he said, well, there's really not that much a president can do to bring down prices.

So, I think he's certainly acutely aware that once he's actually in that chair, people will start holding him accountable for the things that he said he would do. And if expectations are high, it can be a lot harder to deliver on what you promised you would do. So it can cut both ways.

BLITZER: It's a lot more difficult to achieve than it is to simply promise.

BEDINGFIELD: It's absolutely true. BLITZER: Absolutely true. Marc, Democrats are praising. President Biden's warning in his speech last night is addressed to the nation from the Oval Office, warning of a coming what he called oligarchy and tech industrial complex seeking to take over America. That was his warning. Trump, as you know, ran as a populist, but has aligned with various billionaires, like Elon Musk. Is this a valid concern that Biden expressed?

SHORT: I heard Bernie Sanders share that same concern but I don't know how widely that is shared. I think that the reality is that Democrats have gotten a lot of support from Hollywood billionaires each and every cycle. The fact that Elon Musk, I think, was very helpful to the Trump campaign, I think, just is a reflection of the fact that there are a lot of people that want to change, including him.

So, I wouldn't accept the oligarchy challenges yet.

BLITZER: All right. Alyssa, let me get your thoughts. Some MAGA supporters, as you know, like Steve Bannon, are warning about the influence of various types like Elon Musk. Does this have the potential to split Trump's MAGA base?

GRIFFIN: Listen, I think the base is ultimately with Donald Trump, but I think it could still create some friction. Listen, Elon Musk and Donald Trump have been great allies and partners through the campaign. Elon Musk funneled a lot of campaign cash to him, but I think it could get more complicated once Donald Trump is sworn in on Monday. He is the president. He is the most powerful man on the planet and Elon's got to take a backseat and there are going to be decisions Donald Trump chooses to make that are not necessarily going to align with his.

[18:35:01]

So, I think similar, frankly, to how you saw friction in the first Trump term, where Steve Bannon was put on the outside, similar could happen with Elon Musk, because at the end of the day, Donald Trump's going to do what he wants to do. And I think that, after, you know, all these, what, eight years we've been -- ten years he's been in the public life, his base tends to follow Donald Trump and Donald Trump alone.

BLITZER: Interesting. You know, Kate CNN's Kayla Tausche, one of our correspondents, writes this about the Biden team's failing to cultivate Elon Musk as an ally early in the Biden administration. She writes this and I'm quoting now. Some have wondered whether their actions to exclude Musk may have emboldened the entrepreneur to back Trump and pour a quarter billion dollars into efforts to reelect him.

You worked at the Biden White House. Was this a mistake?

BEDINGFIELD: Well, maybe. I mean, we've seen that Musk has obviously put a lot of money and influence into helping Donald Trump. So, perhaps you could argue it was a mistake not to more closely cultivate a relationship with him. But I also think it is an awful indictment of where we are in our country and actually sort of reinforces what Biden was saying last night. If we're in a place where we are having to play to a billionaire's ego in order to make policy decisions that should be -- those decisions should be made with Americans all across the country in mind, not Elon Musk or another tech billionaire's ego in mind.

BLITZER: All right. Guys, excellent analysis from all of you, and thanks very, very much.

Just ahead, there's more news we're following. CNN is live on the ground in California amid new efforts to try to get wildfire victims back to their homes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: In Los Angeles tonight, there's growing uncertainty and frustration as residents start returning to what's left of their homes. Some who lost everything in the fires now searching for answers as they try to rebuild their lives.

CNN's Veronica Miracle reports from Altadena, California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNEMARIE PAZMINO, HOUSE DESTROYED IN EATON FIRE: These people lost everything on. It's not just us. It's everybody.

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The flames that burned down the Pazminos' Altadena home may now be extinguished.

KEVIN PAZMINO, HOUSE DESTROYED IN EATON FIRE: That was a T.V.

MIRACLE: But so are their hopes for a happy life in the home they built for their kids.

A. PAZMINO: We've lost this house and we don't think that we'll ever be able to be in a house again.

MIRACLE: Now, they and thousands of other fire victims who lost their property are bracing for even harder times as a result.

PAZMINO: We've only been given three months pause on our mortgage. The interest will still accrue.

K. PAZMINO: And these rentals literally cost twice as more than my mortgage. Like, what?

MIRACLE: Days after the devastation, officials scrambling to help frustrated Angelinos receive insurance payouts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want them to start the claim process immediately.

MIRACLE: The county now gathering and posting photos of individual losses from the Palisades and Eaton fires on a website for residents that need proof of destruction for their insurance providers. But thousands are under orders not to return home, even for a few minutes because of possible gas leaks, downed power lines, deadly debris and --

SHERIFF ROBERT LUNA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY: There are areas that we are holding because we believe there may be deceased victims there.

MIRACLE: And public health risks are mounting. The city says even much of the dust and ash left behind is toxic, possibly laced with dangerous substances, like asbestos.

Though some, like Horst Edelahardt, are ignoring those orders.

HORST EDELAHARDT, LIVES IN ALTADENA: I've been here for 20 years. So, where else do I go?

MIRACLE: Insured or not, many fire survivors have nowhere to turn, some making personal appeals to anyone who sees them.

All over Altadena, we are seeing signs like this pop up in front of people's burned out homes. They're leaving their Q.R. code that links directly to their GoFundMe pages, so that if you're here, you can scan it and donate immediately.

In the meantime, the Pazminos, and many like them, wait for news from their insurance companies to see what of their former life they can rebuild.

A. PAZMINO: I didn't take anything for myself. I didn't take anything.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MIRACLE (on camera): Wolf, so much loss, so much frustration and many emotions here. But we have been here for the last few days and we have seen firsthand just how dangerous it is still. And we're also seeing crews around the clock working very hard. There's firefighters over my shoulder just cutting all of the dead and burnt trees.

And also, if you look over this way, this is a site that you'll see pretty much on every block, utility crews working to restore power, working to put those utility poles back up. So, so much is happening in here, and many people are working very hard to make sure that it is safe so that people can come back, hopefully, within the next week. Wolf?

MIRACLE: All right. Veronica, thank you very much, Veronica Miracle reporting.

Coming up, tonight, a new announcement from the U.S. Supreme Court as a ban looms for the popular app, TikTok.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:48:23] WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: We have just learned that the United States Supreme Court now plans to release some opinions tomorrow morning. And this comes as the nine justices have a major decision to make on the fate of a law that could ban TikTok here in the United States.

CNN's Brian Todd is joining us with more on TikTok's fate.

Brian, there's a lot of last minute political wrangling as time seems to be running out.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Time is indeed running out quickly, Wolf. A ban on TikTok in the U.S. takes effect on Sunday, but there are still some possible moves that might keep the lights on a little longer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): It's down to a matter of hours before one of America's most popular apps could face a shutdown in the U.S., a ban on TikTok takes effect Sunday, unless the Supreme Court steps in to block it, or TikTok's Chinese owners suddenly sell the app's U.S. operations to American buyers. Both scenarios unlikely.

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: A sale of TikTok between now and Sunday is virtually impossible because, among other things, the Chinese government has said they don't intend to approve a sale that quickly.

TODD: There have been other possibilities floated. President Biden does have the option before he leaves office to impose a delay on the TikTok ban for up to 90 days, but that would require proof that significant progress has been made on a deal to sell TikTok. There's no indication of that, and a White House official has told CNN it will be up to the next administration to implement.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: We'll take a look at TikTok.

TODD: Sources tell CNN President-elect Donald Trump is weighing a potential executive order to sign when he gets into office. That would delay the ban to give more time for a deal to purchase TikTok. But legal experts question whether a president could reverse a law using an executive order.

HONIG: The president usually does not have the authority to simply say, okay, Congress just passed a law by an overwhelming bipartisan majority. Executive branch, I order you to ignore it.

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That would be an aggressive and I think, controversial legal move.

TODD: Trump once favored a ban of TikTok in the U.S., but changed course. We love TikTok. I'm going to save TikTok.

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Behind this whole debate right now of TikTok and tech and national security, there are real, also political incentive to connect with a younger group of voters that were the president-elect feels were key towards his election win.

TODD: This comes as sources tell CNN. TikTok CEO Zi Chew is planning to attend Donald Trump's inauguration. Chew joins tech leaders like Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and others. Many of them courted Trump recently at Mar-a-Lago, have changed their company's policies to realign with the new MAGA momentum and are being rewarded with seats on the inauguration stage.

KARA SWISHER, PODCAST HOST, "ON" AND "PIVOT": Toys on a shelf. They put them up there to show them off. These are the world's richest people who could be anywhere else, and they're sitting there at the behest of Donald Trump, and they're going to sit there and take it from him, because he's now the president of the United States.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My fellow Americans --

TODD: President Biden warned in an Oval Office address against tech CEOs who he believes are more interested in unfettered profit than the public good.

BIDEN: Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy.

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TODD: TikTok has declined to comment on the possibilities that Donald Trump or Joe Biden could take action to save the app. Now, even though TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, has long been adamant that it will not sell, some serious offers have come in, including a bid from "Shark Tank's" Kevin O'Leary and former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, which values the app at about $20 billion -- Wolf.

BLITZER: $20 billion.

What kind of bind, Brian, will the companies that sell this app be in if this ban takes effect?

TODD: Those companies are Apple and Google. Will they sell the app to anyone who wants to buy it and put it on their phone?

Now, legal analysts and tech experts have told us that those companies could do nothing when the ban takes effect. They could ignore it in the hopes that a deal to sell it comes down the line, and something could happen within a few weeks or months, but they would be running a risk doing that. They could get millions of dollars in fines if they ignore it and keep selling the app to people. So they're in a bind as well.

BLITZER: We'll see what the Supreme Court announces tomorrow.

Thanks very much. Brian Todd reporting.

Coming up, we have details on the settlement reached today between Rudy Giuliani and the two Georgia election workers he defamed.

Plus, lost in space. Breaking news on the fate of the Starship spacecraft that launched today.

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BLITZER: Rudy Giuliani just avoided a potentially disastrous trial after reaching a settlement with those two Georgia election workers he defamed.

Our crime and justice correspondent, Katelyn Polantz, is gathering details for us.

So what do we know, Kaitlan, about this settlement?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rudy Giuliani previously was owing them $150 million, but the settlement has no numbers in it. All it says is they've reached a settlement and this is it. This concludes the litigation of Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who were so severely defamed by Giuliani. And then were trying to collect on that massive debt he owed them, and were chasing him in court and winning over and over and over again.

The few details that we do have, were just getting in the public statements from both sides, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, they put out a statement that says, we have reached an agreement and we can now move forward with our lives. We have agreed to allow Mr. Giuliani to retain his property in exchange for compensation and his promise not to ever defame us.

And then Rudy Giuliani, posting on social media, he said, I have been able to retain my New York co-op and Florida condominium and all of my personal belongings. This whole episode was unfortunate. I and the plaintiffs have agreed not to ever talk about each other in any defamatory manner, and I urge others to do the same.

Now, Giuliani, he had already lost the New York co-op worth $6 million, a Mercedes-Benz from 1980 classic convertible. He had lost baseball memorabilia. He had lost furniture.

And what he was doing today on the moment, we have this settlement, he was going to trial to potentially lose a $3 million Florida condo, right, beachside in Palm Beach near Mar-a-Lago, as well as his world series rings from the Yankees wins when he was mayor. All that, we don't know exactly what -- why this ended, but we do know he's keeping his stuff and his property.

BLITZER: How did this settlement come about?

POLANTZ: Wolf, that is the biggest question tonight for everyone, did someone bail Rudy Giuliani out on the eve of trial? These women were not just trying to collect on their debt. They had been winning sanctions for him to pay their legal fees. He would have needed many hundreds of thousands of dollars just to satisfy -- satisfy the things he already had, that he owed them, let alone the debt itself.

He himself is worth about $10 million with all of his assets, and he's not giving them to them. One thing we do know, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social not long ago: Save Rudy.

BLITZER: Interesting. All right, Katelyn Polantz, thank you very much for that update.

Finally tonight, some breaking news just coming into THE SITUATION ROOM.

Rocket company SpaceX now says it believes its starship spacecraft did not survive today's test flight. Starship was supposed to land on Earth before splashing down in the Indian Ocean, but stopped delivering data to mission control after launch. SpaceX says the rocket booster powering the flight did successfully land at the launch tower.

We'll continue to watch this.

To our viewers, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.