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Fight Against The Fires is Far From Over; No Penalty For Trump in Sentencing; Palisades Fire Now 8 Percent Contained. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired January 10, 2025 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:01:25]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Ashes and rubble and a fight that is far from over wins giving new life to some of the fires that have burned through entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles. At least 10 people are dead and investigators warn that the true toll will not be known for days.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Plus, today was sentencing day for Donald Trump, the judge issuing no penalties in the criminal hush money case against the President-elect. But his conviction stands. Trump appearing virtually in court just 10 days before his inauguration. And he's got plans to appeal.

And a jobs report that was the last thing Wall Street wanted to see. Job growth is actually strong, but that's a problem for investors who hope to see more rate cuts from the Fed. We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN News Central.

Calmer winds are fortunately giving Southern California firefighters a break in the fight against some raging wildfires. But the damage so far is hard to wrap your head around.

KEILAR: And the danger is really far from over here. The Eaton fire ravaging Altadena is now 3% contained only. Flames, though, are still threatening multiple communities. And more gusty winds are expected here in the coming days. At least 10 people have died across Los Angeles County and entire neighborhoods have been destroyed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HECTOR BELTRAN, ALTADENA RESIDENT: You know, my sister lost her home in Altadena and it's very devastating to see. I was there when she got a picture of her home, and you couldn't even recognize it. It was basically a parking lot. And it's pretty bad. I mean, her whole block -- blocks of houses destroyed. I was there and I saw it and it was pretty devastating to see.

So I was watching the news this morning and you guys, someone said they need a bag. So, you know, we had a box of bags. We had some extra clothes, so that's the least we could do. I feel pretty bad because our apartment made it. So, you know, it's just so many people going through a rough time right now. So, you know, we all got to help each other out.

But I know we're going to get through this and, you know, we're going to rebuild and it's going to be better. It's going to be stronger than ever. But really rough times right now. I've been here 44 years and I've never seen anything this bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN Stephanie Elam is in the middle of the devastation there in Altadena, California. And Stephanie, we understand the National Guard is there in the area.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yeah. I can tell you when we got here overnight that the National Guard was out there stopping people. And when I stopped to speak to one officer as I was coming through, he said to me that there had been people looting up in this area. So there have been arrests because of that.

But when you look at it, first of all, I don't even know why you would want to come in here and do that. When we came in, it was so smoky overnight. But look at this. You've got places like this where from this angle you could barely even see that a house is there all along the street. It's like the chimneys are totem poles of these homes, the memories that used to be here for all of these people.

Cars are burned through. You've got the chimneys, besides the chimneys, the washers and dryers that are still there in some of the places. But all of this, all up and down this block, this is another viewpoint of just how bad this is.

And you can go another block over and it's burned down. There was firefighters on that side of the street back there putting out hot spots. This is all throughout Altadena, which is now 14,000 acres that has been burned here. And they're saying the number of structures that have been lost, it could be over 10,000.

[14:05:04]

It keeps going up. And keep in mind, we're not done yet. The fires are still burning. They have some small containment here, but there's still a lot of disruption that is waiting to happen. There are still a lot of people who are evacuated. There are some people who have warnings still now. I think some are being lifted right now as we're seeing things start to clear up here.

But this shows you just how massive this devastation is in a very populated part of LA County. You know, a lot of times we talk about these fires burning way out. This is here inside the city. We've got a fire truck that's going to come through here right now. But this is good. We want these fire trucks here because they're going through patrolling to make sure that everything is okay. Hello there.

So that's what they're doing. They stop and they see a hotspot and they go ahead and they stop and they work to get those hot spots down. Because a lot of times what happens in these fires, they burn down into the root systems and then they could spark up new fires if those winds come back. And we do know that the winds are going to be an issue later on.

But this just gives you an idea. This is just a little microcosm of how bad this is up here. And for so many of these people, because this is inside of the evacuation zone, they're not even able to get up here to see how bad it is.

KEILAR: Yeah, they don't know. They can only wonder. Stephanie Elam, thank you for the report from Altadena.

The next several days are going to be critical for firefighters because another potentially dangerous wind event is forecast here in the next week. So let's go to CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers who is in the CNN Weather Center for the latest. Chad, that's about the last thing that we want to hear right now.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Sure, absolutely. And I think Tuesday, Wednesday will be the key when we are 35-45 miles per hour. Let's talk about the containment number that you mentioned. And so did Stephanie. 3% for the Eaton fire, 8% for the Palisades fire. Higher numbers with these smaller fires.

Containment means on the outside ring of the fire, what are the chances that it doesn't ever go past that and get to be bigger? Well, there's only 3% of that fire line around the Eaton fire that they're saying, nope, we've got it stopped. It's not going any further.

Palisades, 8%. 8% of that fire line, which would be miles around, we're not talking about the middle of the fire that's already burning or still burning or smoldering. We're talking about the outer edge, how much of it is actually stopped that will never get past that. And the problem is the winds are going to be shifting directions.

So the firefighters have been all fighting in one direction and now the winds are shifting. So you can't really tell that the eastern side of that fire line is perfect and good and will hold if the wind's going to blow from the west and blow at you. So this is part of the containment number conundrum.

We do have awesome conditions today and even for tomorrow, really very, very good. And then all of a sudden again on Sunday and into Sunday night. Look at all the colors again. Malibu, 44 miles per hour. This is overnight after midnight Saturday into Sunday, calming back down on Sunday afternoon. But another firestorm could possibly happen Tuesday and Wednesday.

Something else on this map, the orange. The orange is severe drought. All of the big fires are in the severe drought. So far, nothing in the moderate drought. It hasn't rained here since really the middle of March. So, yes, we are in severe drought. Yes, we had a lot of plant life that did grow last year and now it's dead. Guys.

SANCHEZ: And Chad, is there any indication that there might be moisture on the way that we could potentially see rain? MYERS: Yeah, let me show you the next seven days. Absolutely not a drop. Maybe something south of San Diego, a tenth of an inch top. So, no, this is a dry condition now. We are still seeing the wind today, and even for tomorrow, we don't get as much wind. That's the good news, but no chance of any precip (ph) at all.

SANCHEZ: Chad Myers, thanks so much for that update. We want to get some perspective on how the firefight and crews are taking advantage of the calmer winds that Chad just described.

Let's bring in Kenichi Haskett, Section Chief with the LA County Fire Department assigned to the Palisades fire. Thank you so much for being with us, Chief. I do want to get an update from you about the Palisades fire. We know it's 8% contained. How much longer do you think before it can be fully contained?

SECTION CHIEF KENICHI HASKETT, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE: We want to fully contain this as soon as possible. Not only firefighters (inaudible) infrastructure is devastated, so the power, the water, the sewer, everything is -- it's a -- unfortunately, almost looks like what a war zone might look like.

[14:10:03]

So we want to get people back as soon as possible. But it could be weeks, it could be months, I don't know, I can't forecast that future.

You guys mentioned -- I want to hit on it real quick. It's sunny, it's dry. But the weather, those are good recipes for continuing wildland fires. We don't have the winds that he mentioned, which is great. So we get that aircraft in there. But it's sunny, when it's sunny and there's open flame, it adds to the fire behavior in the sense that the fire will keep burning.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. And there's so much fuel out there is the other problem, right? So much dry brush because there hasn't been a whole lot of moisture in that area. How critical is it for your crews to right now capitalize on the winds being relatively subdued before we see that resurgence going into next week?

HASKETT: It allows for more precise water drops and retardant drops from our aircraft and our rotary wing helicopters so they're able to get ahead of it and stop those large fire front walls of fire that you see that could be 20, 30ft high. So we'll take advantage of that with our aircraft and it helps eliminate those spot fires that we're seeing that we're going literally multiple foot up to miles away the other night.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. I do wonder if you have any update for us on injuries or the death toll. Obviously it's a difficult process as firefighters comb through areas that were previously inaccessible. But we want to give viewers an update on where things stand on that end.

HASKETT: My condolences first and foremost to all the families that have had member family died. That's not something that we ever want to do as firefighters and law enforcement is to start recovering bodies on the fire line. So I can't give you an accurate number. Unfortunately, that number might grow that we already have out. So there's been multiple fatalities just on several of our fires. The Eaton fire and unfortunately the fire that I'm on, the Palisades fire.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. It is one of the more tragic parts of all the awful scenes that we've been watching unfold. I do want to ask you about -- and I just want to let our viewers know these are actually live images of firefighters battling blazes right on the fire lines. And when we zoomed out earlier, you could see houses on the outskirts there. So these are literally the front lines where firefighters are right now.

Chief, I'm curious about how you all are working to get a handle on an understanding of what might have sparked some of these fires. I know that someone was arrested for suspected arson near the Kenneth fire. Do you have any indication to this point on what may have started the Palisades fire or any of the others?

HASKETT: No. You spoke at the Kenneth that that the person's suspects under arrest for allegedly possibly starting that fire. But that's under investigation at this time. Ours will be under investigation for a length of time. So we need to let law enforcement continue that process.

You mentioned the homes next to that (inaudible). I don't have visual, but I want people to know if they're in a warning area, they need to be ready to go if we have to issue an evacuation (inaudible). I don't want -- we don't want to -- we do not want to displace anyone from your homes. That's where your memories are made. That's where your family lives.

But if you're in a warning area, please be ready to evacuate if an order is issued. That's how we save lives. That's how we can help keep you safe. That's our number one priority, is to get you out safely. So I urge your viewers and your listeners to please adhere to the warning and be ready to go if an order is issued.

When an order is issued, you need to leave immediately because it means imminent danger is coming. And we have law enforcement, the National Guard, here to prevent looters. And if we do have looters on scene, they will be arrested.

SANCHEZ: Battalion Chief Kenichi Haskett, we have to leave the conversation there. Thank you so much for the update.

HASKETT: (Inaudible). Have a good day.

SANCHEZ: You too.

And still to come today we saw a historic sentencing. President-elect Donald Trump given no penalty in the New York hush money case. Still, he will become the first president sworn in a sentenced convicted felon.

KEILAR: Plus, you'll see the newly released video that shows the chaotic scene as New Orleans police officers surrounded the pickup truck that rammed a crowd of people on Bourbon Street. We have that and much more coming up on CNN News Central.

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[14:19:22]

KEILAR: Judgment Day for President-elect Donald Trump. Today, a New York judge sentencing Trump to unconditional release in his hush money case. That ruling means that Trump walks free. He faces no jail time, no penalties for the 34 felony counts of business fraud that a jury convicted him of in the hush money criminal trial.

SANCHEZ: Today's historic courtroom moment in which Trump appeared, virtually, marked the first time a President-elect was sentenced for a criminal conviction. The unprecedented hearing unfolding just 10 days before Trump takes the oath of office and begins his second term. And at today's sentencing, he showed zero contrition.

[14:20:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT: I'm totally innocent. I did nothing wrong. They talked about business records and the business records were extremely accurately counted. I had nothing to do with them. Any of that was done by an accountant or bookkeeper who I think gave very credible testimony and was corroborated by everybody that was asked.

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SANCHEZ: CNN Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid joins us now. Paula, walk us through how the sentencing played out.

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So President-elect Trump appeared for this sentencing virtually. That's pretty unusual. But this was something the judge allowed as a nod to his status as President-elect, in that order, where he allowed this. He said, look, I know you have a lot of physical and mental demands. I'm going to allow you to do this virtually.

Trump was beside his lawyer, Todd Blanche. We heard from both of them. We heard prosecutors who once again defended their case, which has come under a lot of scrutiny. They also reminded folks that Trump throughout this case has attacked the integrity of the judicial system, tried to undermine it in the view of the public. So we heard a lot of things that we heard from these folks throughout the course of this case.

The one real surprise I think actually came from Judge Juan Merchan where he kind of talked about how he views this case now that Trump has been re-elected. Let's take a listen to what he said.

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JUDGE JUAN MERCHAN, ACTING JUSTICE, NEW YORK SUPREME COURT: Ordinary citizens do not receive those legal protections. It is the office of the President that bestows those far reaching protections to the office holder. And it was the citizenry of this nation that recently decided that you should once again receive the benefits of those protections, which include, among other things, the Supremacy Clause and presidential immunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP) REID: So here Judge Juan Merchan talking about how now that Trump is President-elect, he has certain legal protections, right? He has immunity, he has certain privileges. So that's why he has sentenced him to this unconditional discharge, which is really remarkable, right? You're punished more harshly if you jaywalk in most cities in this country.

And even though the Trump lawyers have fought this case every step of the way, even in just the past few days, I mean, firing off appeal, appeal, appeal, they believe that they were walking into today victorious. Your client can be convicted of 34 felonies and walk away with less than a slap on the wrist.

I don't even know if this is a wag of the finger. I mean, that is an enormous victory for them. And they believe that this is really just today checking a box so they can proceed with their appeals, which I expect will last well into 2026, which is a decade after the conduct in question.

SANCHEZ: Also an important reminder of the legal penalties you could face if you jaywalk.

REID: Jaywalking is very serious --

SANCHEZ: -- it's a serious thing.

REID: -- you can get very hurt. Jaywalking and hush money payments. Be careful out there, kids.

SANCHEZ: Paula Reid, thank you so much.

With us now to discuss is Defense Attorney Misty Marris. Also joining us is former Federal Judge John E. Jones III. Judge Jones is also the president of Dickinson College. Thank you both for sharing part of the afternoon with us. Misty, have you ever defended a client who headed into sentencing knowing that they wouldn't face any penalty?

MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yeah, Boris, this is very, very rare. So Judge Merchan's order which actually set out what the penalty would be, an unconditional discharge, is not common at all, especially in New York state courts where I practice.

That being said, in this particular case, he recognized that constitutionally this criminal case could not go on. And truly this sentencing was now or never. And so he laid that out in that order strategically so that this case could be brought to finality with that laid out in the order in addition to there being no penalty and Trump appearing via zoom as opposed to being into the courtroom.

It really undermined any argument of the Trump team that this needs to be put off or put on pause for any period of time because it was not a burden to the transition as a support Supreme Court ultimately ruled. So this is a very unusual situation for a very unusual case.

KEILAR: Judge, I wonder what you made of Judge Merchan commenting on the novelty of the case, making clear it was the office of the presidency that provided a shield that it's not Donald Trump the person who is in a sense above the law, it is Donald Trump, the president or any president who sort of is in a way.

JOHN E. JONES III, FORMER FEDERAL JUDGE: Well, Brianna, I think this is a case like no other and I'm sure -- pretty sure that I can state with certitude that we'll never see a case like this again. I agree with my colleague. I don't know what else Judge Merchan -- Justice Merchan, could have done under the circumstances.

I think he handled it with admirable restraint. And one thing is clear to me that if he hadn't entered that order on January the 3rd, that within it indicated that he was going to give the unconditional release and if he hung out, that he was uncertain about the disposition.

[14:25:01]

I'm not sure that the Supreme Court of the United States last evening would have chosen to punt this case that might have been five, four, the other way if in fact they thought that President-elect Trump was subject to jail time.

So, yeah, it's a slap on the wrist, there's no question. But at least from the people's standpoint and from Justice Merchan's standpoint, they tied a ribbon around the case.

KEILAR: And Misty, while Trump is in office, his attorneys are expected to just, you know, exhaust every legal avenue trying to continue fighting the conviction even though there isn't a penalty here. How do you think that's going to go? Where do they focus their efforts? Ultimately, does this go to the Supreme Court potentially while Trump is president?

MARRIS: Yeah, we're absolutely going to see this be appealed for sure. So right now, the focus of the efforts is going to be twofold from an appeal perspective. So there's the appeal of Judge Merchan's immunity ruling.

Remember, the Supreme Court decision on immunity came out after the trial. So there were arguments raised by the defense team that certain evidence should have never made it into the courtroom because it would have fallen under some of the parameters of presidential immunity that were set forth in the Supreme Court's decision. So that's one aspect of the appeal that we know is going to be pursued.

And by the way, that's new law. That law is going to be shaping for decades to come. So that's certainly going to be a very novel issue for the appellate court. And then we have all of the issues relating to the constitutionality of the trial and conviction.

And while there's many issues that the Trump team will pursue, the most novel issue and the issue that will have some teeth for the Trump team is going to be whether or not under the proposition of federal, the supremacy Clause of the Constitution, that a federal statute can serve as the predicate crime for this state level charge.

So it's going to be about the way that that case was formulated. Two state misdemeanors elevated to a felony using federal election law. So those are going to be the true -- the two primary avenues, although we're going to see lots of other issues raised relating to the evidence that came into the courtroom.

But I think those two are novel. They're new for the appellate courts. He has to go through all of the state appellate court system, exhaust all those remedies, and then we could see it in the federal court. And it's likely that at least a portion of these issues will be decided by the Supreme Court.

SANCHEZ: And Judge, you mentioned how the court narrowly ruled allowing the sentencing to proceed. Does that give you any sense of how they might rule if an appeal eventually winds up there?

JONES: Well, I think what was just said was brilliantly stated. It's a very apt characterization of where this case is going to go. One argument, of course, that falls away in his mood at this point is President-elect Trump's argument that the President-elect is subject to immunity that no longer needs to be litigated.

Of course, I think this is the kind of case that makes appellate lawyers a lot of money. It's going to be in the appellate courts. And I absolutely agree with my colleague. This case is probably headed to the federal courts in a habeas action in other actions and probably will end up before the Supreme Court.

And by the way, the Supreme Court set the table for themselves with this case by an immunity decision. My view this past year that frankly, I think was somewhat inscrutable in parts and perhaps overbroad, and they bought this kind of a case by that ruling.

KEILAR: Judge John E. Jones, Misty Marris, thank you so much to both of you. Really appreciate it.

JONES: Thank you.

KEILAR: And when we come back, body cam video showing the moment that New Orleans police officers killed the suspect in that horrific New Year's Eve Day attack on Bourbon Street. We're going to show some of that video next.

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