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Palisades Fire Doubles To Almost 11,000 Acres; Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) Discusses Trump Threatening Land Grabs Of Canada, Greenland & Panama Canal; Health Implications of the California Wildfires. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired January 08, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: -- emergency services are stretched to their limits.

A climate expert tells CNN the Palisades Fire could become the costliest in American history.

Joining us now is Francois Auroux, who is a 30-year resident of Pacific Palisades. Escaped the flames on his bicycle.

Francois, thank you for being with us.

And I do just want to let viewers know we have made a mark on a map, just to let people know where your house is in the fire damaged area.

We're so sorry for what you've gone through. And we see the video you took. Tell us about what happened.

FRANCIOS AUROUX, PACIFIC PALISADES RESIDENT: Thank you. Brianna.

Last night, I went up to the Palisades to check on my neighbors. They were staying behind to make sure that nothing burned. I went up there to make sure that, if it got out of control, that we were all getting out of there.

I rode my bike up there, and when I got home, my neighbor said, your backyard is on fire. So I went there and the whole back of the house was on fire. The French doors were on fire. I put them out quickly with a hose.

I spoke to my neighbor, told him that we should just leave. Grabbed a couple things.

And I was in my house, packed up a couple of bags, and I opened up my front door, and the wind just came through with these red hot embers that just fully filled the living room.

And so I slammed the door and waited for the breeze to come down. Because when I arrived, it was a light breeze. And then, all of a sudden, it was 50-mile-an-hour breeze.

So finally, when the breeze died down a bit, I opened up the front door. I saw that many houses across the street were on fire, that my front yard was on fire, and -- and I got on my bike and I left.

I gave -- I gave a couple of paintings to -- to an NBC reporter that saw me in my front yard. I couldn't ride with them on my bike. So you know, he very graciously took them for me.

But, yes, riding my bike out of there, there were embers coming out of every tree. Houses were on fire. The Huntington Palisades, there were blocks that we're just flat. You could just see right through them.

And firefighters were luckily there trying to put out the blaze as much as they could.

You know, I just want to thank the firefighters. Thank -- thank the authorities for issuing the evacuation notices early, as they did.

And, you know, my heart goes out to all the families who've lost their homes, lost their schools, and lost their way of life. And I just hope that this Palisades community can stay strong through all of this.

KEILAR: Francois, I mean, how are you feeling? This is -- it's unbelievable to see the scenes that we're seeing coming out of your neighborhood.

AUROUX: I mean, it is heartbreaking. We lost everything. And not only us. Everyone around us. Everyone in the alphabet streets that's on the mountain side of Sunset.

Everyone in -- not everyone, but many homes in the Huntington Palisades, up through Temescal, everyone has been affected either by the smoke or the fire.

And when I was standing in my front yard, I was looking at this giant red glowing fire that was just enveloping everything, and it was just heart wrenching.

KEILAR: And, you know, being in southern California with the fire risk that has increased so much over the years, it's -- its something you have to get ready for.

And yet, it's hard to fathom that it's going to happen to your neighborhood. How are you grappling with that?

AUROUX: Yes. Well, you know, in the past, we'd get evacuation orders occasionally. You know, a brush fire would come up and it would take a couple of houses out, you know, on the edge of -- of where the forest was.

But I've never seen winds this strong. I've never seen heat this hot. And it literally just blew through the Palisades. Everyone thought we were safe. Everybody, when they were evacuating, just got in their cars. It was going to be a lot of traffic. Took two hours to get out of the Palisades.

Nobody thought that the breeze would pick up like this and just wipe out huge areas of town. I mean, the Palisades, it's the size of Brentwood. It's like saying, you know, Brentwood is -- is affected. I would say Palisades is probably affected from, what I saw leaving.

I left at 9:15 and I stayed until about 10:00. Sunset Boulevard was enveloped in flames. Huntington Palisades was enveloped by flames all the way up to -- to Pampas Ricas, all the way to the cliff.

I was riding down the back streets to get down to Chautauqua. Houses were on fire. There was gas shooting out into the road. All of the trees were on fire.

I was riding, I had my helmet on and there were branches and embers hitting me. And it was definitely a sight to behold.

KEILAR: Yes, I think it was a perilous journey on your bike, but probably a smart one for the maneuverability to get out of there.

[14:35:05]

Have you talked to your neighbors? Because we've been -- there's a sense that this is ongoing. And right now, the focus is on evacuations, saving lives, getting people out.

But there's a concern that maybe some people didn't get out in time. What are you hearing from your neighborhood?

AUROUX: You know, I made sure that my neighbors left. My immediate neighbors left. And pretty much -- I didn't see very many people in the streets.

I didn't -- it was just firefighters, occasional police. Firefighters were doing their job and putting out the fire.

I heard that there were some people whose parents had stayed behind, but the way to get out of the Palisades, the way that it's so limited, there's either Chautauqua, Temescal or Sunset and all of those -- not all of those. Temescal was burned. The bottom of Sunset was burned where it intersects with Highlands Road.

You know, there's only a couple of ways out. So, you know, if people were, for example, in the area of Villa de la Paz, there were very few ways to get out of the Palisades.

So I just really, really hope that everyone made it out and that everyone heeded the -- the evacuation orders.

KEILAR: Yes. The streets cut off as the fire is traveling there on the wind.

Francois, thank you for being with us. We're so sorry. It's unimaginable watching your neighborhood go up in flames as you're watching the Palisades. And we thank you for speaking with us about it.

AUROUX: Thank you. Brianna.

KEILAR: So one woman who was forced to flee is telling CNN she watched the Palisades Fire move closer to her home through her ring doorbell camera before it eventually stopped working. We'll have much more on our breaking news ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:41:44]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: President-Elect Donald Trump is insisting that the United States should expand its territory, calling for Canada to become the 51st state, threatening to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

And world leaders are standing up to Trump's suggestions that he might even use military force to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANITA HIPPER, E.U. COMMISSION SPOKESPERSON: Just as a matter of principle for us, it is clear the sovereignty of states has to be respected.

JEAN-NOEL BARROT, FRENCH FOREIGN MINITER (through translation): You are asking me if I think the United States will invade Greenland? The answer is no.

Have we entered an era that sees the return of the survival of the fittest? The answer is yes. And so should we let ourselves be intimidated? Should we let worry take over? Of course not.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Greenland is not MAGA. Greenland is not going to be MAGA.

JAVIER MARTINEZ-ACHA, PANAMA'S FOREIGN MINITER (through translation): The sovereignty of our canal is not negotiable. The only hands that control the canal are Panamanian and it will remain that way.

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO: Obviously, the name Gulf of Mexico is recognized by the United Nations by a United Nations agency. Why don't we call it Mexican-America? It sounds nice, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's discuss with Republican Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska.

Senator, thank you so much for being with us.

Would you be comfortable with sending U.S. troops, as President Trump suggested yesterday, he is considering, to take over what is effectively sovereign land.

REP. PETE RICKETTS (R-NE): Well, I think you all are missing the bigger picture here of what President Trump is trying to do. He's thinking about the long-term security of the Western Hemisphere.

We know, for example, that Russians and now Chinese, are looking at the Arctic and how they can exploit that. That obviously concerns not only us, but everybody in the Western Hemisphere. And he's thinking about our long-term protection.

Same thing with regard to Panama. We know that the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Republic of China has positions -- owns ports on both sides of that canal. And that puts us at risk in a potential conflict.

So he's thinking about the long-term security. And he's starting a negotiation. And that's what this is about.

And I guarantee you there's a lot more people today thinking about the risks that the Russians posed to us through that Northwest Passage than were just a couple of days ago.

SANCHEZ: So I do want to ask you about what you mentioned, that Hong Kong-based company that owns seaports on both sides of the Panama Canal.

But I do want to go back to the question, because Trump is putting out there the idea that the U.S. military might be involved in some kind of foreign entanglement over sovereign territory.

How do you square that with his campaign promises about keeping the U.S. out of needless wars?

RICKETTS: Well, I think what's actually happening is the press asked him if there was anything he was going to take off the table. And as a negotiator, he said, no, nothing is going to be taken off the table because that's the way Trump negotiates.

And by the way, I might point out that when he was president, before he did an outstanding job of negotiating different trade agreements. (TECH PROBLEM) -- Buying more of our agricultural products because of his trade negotiating style.

So it really gets back to President Trump is beginning a negotiation. He's also trying to think long-term about the threats to this country and keep us safe.

[14:45:03]

And that is what he's talking about when he's talking about Greenland or the Panama Canal. How do we keep this country safe long-term from some of the threats we see from countries like Russia and the People's Republic of China?

SANCHEZ: Sure. I do wonder about the approach, though, Senator, because there is the risk of alienating allies.

And to your point about Chinese influence over shipping and port operations around the world, it is a risk, especially if they weaponize supply chains, which they have shown a willingness to do.

That Hong Kong-based company that owns those seaports at both ends of the canal, those are private infrastructure investments. And Chinese firms have done this all over Latin America, all over Africa as well. And I'm sure this isn't news to you.

I wonder if you think the U.S. would gain more in competing with Beijing by expanding those same kinds of investments, making more partners, rather than bullying, hinting that we'll use force if we don't get what we want.

RICKETTS: It is a mistake to believe that any sort of private company in China is actually private the way we think of it here in the United States. It's simply not true.

Under Chinese law, every Chinese company has to do whatever the central government wants it to do. It's called Communism. It's something China has been governed under for decades.

And just because they've changed some of the ways they've done things doesn't mean that every Chinese company doesn't have to do with what the central government does.

So the fact that these are under Hong Kong companies doesn't mean anything. They would have to do exactly what the Chinese government --

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Yes, sir.

On the question of the approach to these foreign countries, is it better to suggest that you might send your military to Panama or potentially suggest that there might be a way that we could work together on infrastructure projects to maintain U.S. influence in this hemisphere?

RICKETTS: I think that, first of all, again, people are missing the bigger picture. President Trump was asked if anything was on the table, and he said, everything is on the table. That is where a lot of this is coming from.

And, yes, absolutely, we have to do a better job of getting out there and telling our story of making our investments, making sure that we're targeting our investments and our aid to countries that are helping us out and doing more, for example, in Africa, to be able to combat what China is doing there.

Panama Canal is another example. Yes, we have to do a better job, as the Biden-Harris administration has utterly failed us on foreign policy there.

Their appeasement-first approach has left us less safe. We have to do a better job in this next administration.

SANCHEZ: Senator, I do want to get to quickly the fact that Trump is set to meet with Senate Republican leaders later today. I imagine he's going to try to persuade some folks on his cabinet picks.

I know you met with Pete Hegseth last month. Are you prepared to vote to confirm him for defense secretary? RICKETTS: Every one of the cabinet secretaries has a process that

they're going to go through and follow. One step is meeting with the Senators, such as Pete meeting with me.

And then, well, they'll go through a public hearing process and then we'll have the vote. So we need to let the entire process play out.

But I got to tell you, I had a very good conversation with Pete Hegseth, and I look forward to hearing what his public hearing is going to be like. And that's what will be true for all the cabinet nominees.

SANCHEZ: So you are reserving, awaiting that confirmation process to decide whether you will vote or not for Hegseth?

RICKETTS: Well, we have a process that every one of the candidates will go through. Every one of the cabinet nominees will go through. We need to allow that process to play out.

It includes meetings such as Senators with me, but also the public hearing as well. And that's going to be important for all the cabinet nominees.

SANCHEZ: Senator Pete Ricketts, I wish we had more time. Unfortunately, we have to leave the conversation there. We appreciate you coming on and sharing your perspective.

RICKETTS: Great. Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Thanks.

[14:48:48]

So right now, 37,000 people are under evacuation orders in Los Angeles County. But even those not forced to leave could be in danger from these thick clouds of smoke. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us next to talk about the health ramifications.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:53:26]

SANCHEZ: The wildfires burning out of control in California, as you can see, are blanketing the sky with smoke.

This video is from Los Angeles this morning, showing the hazy conditions just about as far as the eye can see.

KEILAR: And that, of course, brings up some medical concerns.

So let's bring in CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Sanjay, this is not good stuff to breathe.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's not. I mean, if you think about just what's in all of that smoke, there's a lot of different things.

And it's important to draw a little bit of a distinction between just standard forest fires and what they call sort of the wildland urban interface.

So in this urban area, you're burning a lot more things basically. You have different chemicals as a result of that when you're burning plastics and metals and even unearthing metals that are typically in the soil. Those things start to burn.

Take a look at the screen. I mean, all these things, aldehyde acid, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and then various volatile organic compounds as well. All those things get into the air so that the toxicity of that is -- is obviously very concerning.

The early symptoms that people may have may not be directly sort of breathing related. People might have initially just sort of burning eyes and scratchy throat. headaches, eventually developing breathing difficulties and -- and chest pain.

One thing as well, I'll just point out, is that, you know, when you're burning things like this, the particle size gets really small. People often refer to this thing known as P.M. 2.5, particulate matter 2.5.

[14:55:01]

To give you some context, that's about the width 1/20 the size of a human hair. You breathe that into your lungs, but then it gets past your lungs. It gets into your bloodstream, and it causes inflammation throughout the body.

And that's one of the big concerns with pollution just globally. But when you have a wildland urban interface fire like this, it becomes sort of a more acute concern.

SANCHEZ: And to that point, Sanjay, you don't have to be directly affected by the fires to be impacted by them.

GUPTA: Yes. I mean, it's kind of remarkable when you look at how far some of these compounds can travel and how long they can last.

So, you know, some of the smoke will get miles into the air. Obviously, there's a lot of wind there. So there's many -- there's areas that are far outside the obvious sort of source of the fire and the smoke that might be affected by this.

There are ways to sort of protect yourself. Obviously, you want to stay indoors as much as possible. If you get outside, wearing a high- quality mask, an N95 mask inside.

Again, even if you're not necessarily smelling the smoke, having portable indoor air cleaners, making sure your filters are all up to -- up to date on your HVAC systems.

And also, if you're driving around, I mean, just turn on the recirculation on the car so that you're not bringing air from outside as well.

But you're right, Boris. I mean, people can be affected miles away from the obvious source of the fire.

KEILAR: Yes, change those air filters. Easy to ignore. Now is not the time to forget doing that monthly change.

Sanjay, thank you so much.

GUPTA: You got it. Thank you.

KEILAR: Los Angeles is facing catastrophe. Neighborhoods going up in flames. You're seeing the pictures here. Fast moving fires, shutting down freeways, pushing firefighting crews to the breaking point. We'll have the latest next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)