Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

L.A. Facing Extremely Critical Fire Weather; Victor Gordo is Interviewed about California Fires; Biden to Deliver Foreign Policy Speech. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired January 13, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Apparently he says from over there.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Doink.

BOLDUAN: It's the Commanders first winning season since 2015. The first playoff win since 2005. There you have it. The Lions are still going to take it all, but good luck to all of you.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.

BERMAN: All right, breaking this morning, parts of southern California under the highest wildfire danger alert. Days more of treacherous winds, gusts that could reach hurricane levels.

A growing number of people in California calling on (INAUDIBLE) to visit Los Angeles County (INAUDIBLE) after he blamed the fires on Governor Newsom and other Democrats.

And a warning to those affected by the fires, watch out for scams. What you need to know about potential price gouging, as more fraudsters look to capitalize on the devastation.

I'm John Berman, with Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BOLDUAN: We are following the breaking news. Still this morning, an all-out race against mother nature. Fire crews trying to get as much containment as possible, battling multiple deadly wildfires still before the winds kick back up once again. An extremely critical, that's how it's deemed, three out of three weather risk is back in effect for southern California this week, which means the progress made this weekend against the fire line could quickly come to a halt.

The death toll in the disaster is also rising. Now it stands at 24 people confirmed killed. And officials say dozens more are being reported missing. Overnight, we learned that the remains of 95-year- old Dalyce Curry were discovered.

Over 100,000 people are still under evacuation orders. Thousands of homes destroyed.

And moments ago, we spoke with the director of FEMA, who shared this urgent message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEANNE CRISWELL, FEMA DIRECTOR: This is such a dangerous situation still. And I just want to make sure that everybody is listening to their local officials so they can keep themselves safe, and the firefighters are able to do the critical work that they need to continue to do to suppress this fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Meteorologist Allison Chinchar standing by with the very important forecast.

First, let's go to Stephanie Elam in Malibu. And that does not look like a scene of Malibu behind you, Stephanie. What's the latest you're hearing?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's not at all, Kate. I mean, even right now, if you hear the cars coming behind me, they're fire trucks. Their hotspot - hotshots coming through here. Crews that are coming in and probably changing out as we're getting closer to daybreak here.

But what you were talking about, those winds, let me tell you, the winds are already starting. We've got a few strong gusts that have come through here where we're standing in Malibu. And this is where, when the fire first started, this was on sort of the northwestern edge of it. And you can see some of the destruction here behind me. This is what used to be an inn. It's like an old timey inn that was here along the highway, driving up the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway here. All of these sort of smaller operations, some large corporations, some homes, businesses of all sizes, nothing has been spared by this Palisades fire and the Eaton Fire.

And you look at how many acres that they have burned through. According to data from Cal Fire, just to put this in perspective, all of the area that has been burned between the Palisades Fire, the Hurst Fire and the Eaton Fire, all of that is more than the total area of Paris. Just to help people put that into perspective.

And we're not done. The containment numbers are not where we would like them to be. I will say right now, though, they did some great work on the Mandeville Canyon for the Palisades Fire over the weekend to stop it from progressing further. They're still out there. They put crews in overnight just to be there to stage ahead of these winds.

And I know a lot of people want to get back into their homes if they're in those evacuation areas, but there is concern, as far as officials, they have concerns about letting people in prematurely. In fact, take a listen to Ken Haskett from the Los Angeles Fire Department.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN HASKETT, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT SECTION CHIEF: I ask for patience. I ask for people to understand the infrastructure is destroyed. We are in a disaster. This is something Los Angeles County, as well as Los Angeles City, at least in my history, and I've lived in the Los Angeles City since 1976, hasn't seen since I was born. So, this is fuels that haven't burned since the 50s. So, the infrastructure is destroyed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: And that is part of the reason why it's going to take a long time for people to get in there and rebuild.

[09:05:04]

And that seems like a distant thought for some of the people who don't even know how to begin the process, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. And I mean you hear from the FEMA director to the governor saying, more than six months, more than nine months to even clear debris. I mean it's - it's such a long road ahead. And the fight isn't even - the fight against the fires hasn't even stopped yet.

It's great to see you, Stephanie. Thank you so much for your reporting, as always.

John.

BERMAN: Yes, the big problem this morning is, it's not - not even stop, is they could get worse in the coming days because the conditions now are as dangerous as they can be. Extremely critical. Level three out of three.

Let's get right to meteorologist Allison Chinchar for a look at these dangers in this weather, these wind gusts they're facing.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that's right. So, we've got the wind advisories and the high wind warnings already in place. The wind advisory starts today because we anticipate those wind gusts to get up around 50 to 55 miles per hour. Then beginning at 4:00 a.m. Tuesday, this will be upgraded to a high wind warning for the area you see here in that dark red. That's because Tuesday and Wednesday those wind gusts could get up to 70 miles per hour. So not quite hurricane strength, but still very close and very, very high to the point where they could still cause a significant amount of damage, especially by spreading those fires.

Not only today, but also Tuesday, you have a level three out of three, the highest possible level for these fire weather concerns. And that's the extreme, the pink color that you see there on your screen, again showing that this is going to be a long-term event. This is not going to be just a couple of hours today of some strong winds and that's it. We are anticipating those wind gusts of at least 30 to 40 miles per hour starting today and continuing all the way through Wednesday. You look at these winds. They'll start to tick up as we go through the day today, continuing on through Tuesday, as well as Wednesday.

Now, you may start to see the wind direction itself shift a little bit, but that's going to be the only thing that really changes, not necessarily the speed component of it.

But the direction also plays a big role in terms of the firefighters. They go into this with a plan in place. When those wind directions begin to change, that can throw that plan off entirely. And it makes it much more difficult for those firefighters to continue to fight the fires.

BERMAN: Three days of these extreme conditions.

Allison Chinchar, thank you very much for that.

Sara. SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, in Altadena and Pasadena, the fire has burned more than 14,000 acres and is just 27 percent contained. Residents there held a donation drive for wildfire victims as search and recovery efforts continue there.

Joining us now is the mayor of Pasadena, Victor Gordo.

Thank you so much, Mayor, for - for joining us this morning in this crisis that you are currently dealing with.

Major fire - the fires have caused damage in your city and in adjoining Altadena, which is next door. What is the status of the danger of that fire right now that is just 27 percent contained?

MAYOR VICTOR GORDO (D), PASADENA, CALIFORNIA: Well, you know, first and foremost, our thoughts here in Pasadena go out to all of the affected victims in Pasadena, Altadena, and the Palisades.

The fire, as you've been discussing here live on the show, has shifted. The winds have shifted. Where they - where the winds were (INAUDIBLE) heading towards an easterly direction.

So, you know, in Pasadena, we're still - in Altadena, we're seeing some smoldering, we're seeing some flare-ups, but nowhere near the wind-fed fire inferno that we saw in the past few days.

We are concerned about the - the pickup in the winds from 30 to 50 miles an hour. Again, not close to the 100 mile an hour winds that we - wind gusts that we were seeing just a few days ago, but still very significant.

SIDNER: Can you describe the historic significance of some of the areas that have been devastated by the fire and what they have meant particularly to the black and Latino population of Los Angeles?

GORDO: You know, the - these areas of Pasadena, northwest Pasadena and Altadena are heavily populated by Latinos and African Americans and Asian Americans, really in large part because of the redlining that would occur decades ago, and Altadena was thought to be sort of the boonies of the community, when, in fact, it's a beautiful, beautiful community that's just been absolutely devastated.

But the - the impact of the fire, particularly in northwest Pasadena and Altadena, is very - is felt very much by working class, often retired and fixed income African American families and Latinos who have passed on these homes for generations. And sadly, many of - for many of them, it's all that they have in their family.

SIDNER: Yes, it's all that they have. When you talk about redlining, this was the place where black and Latino families were able to go because they couldn't buy in other places in parts of Los Angeles.

[09:10:08]

You know, there was already a homeowners insurance crisis where people were getting dropped or not being able to renew policies in California because of previous fires. Is insurance coverage the next disaster for Californians in your mind?

GORDO: No question. I've had conversations with the governor, with representatives from the county, and representatives at the White House, and the director of FEMA. And what I've said to them is, the looming crisis after you - if you will, is the insurance crisis. Many people were dropped not too long ago. Many people are - will be woefully underinsured. And many people may not have insurance because they simply couldn't afford it. You know, many of their homes, because they were passed on from generation to generation, didn't require insurance. And people who couldn't afford it may not have insured.

And so this is - this is an issue that we, as a society, have a moral - and obligation to address together to help these people, particularly those that were underinsured or had no insurance at all.

SIDNER: Yes, it's really disturbing.

I do want to ask you lastly what Pasadena has been doing. The home of the Rose Parade, the home of the Rose Bowl. What have you been doing to try and help not only your city but surrounding cities?

GORDO: Well, you know, it is amazing, less than two weeks ago (INAUDIBLE) we were celebrating passing is pageantry (ph) city (INAUDIBLE) our beautiful Rose Bowl stadium, the parade. And just, in a matter of days, here we are seeing, you know, one of the worst disasters, if not the worst disaster that we've witnessed.

You know, we all talk about the big one, but we didn't expect to come in the form of an inferno fed by winds. But this is the big one for all intents and purposes. And so we immediately have stood up an evacuation center, an operations command. We have over - over 3,000 firefighters that are staged out of the Rose Bowl stadium. We have over 2,000 people that are being housed and fed, people who have lost their homes, at the convention center. We are - we have, you know, it's all (INAUDIBLE). And were starting the work of assessing what the short term needs will be in terms of housing. People will need to be housed. You know, FEMA and, you know, the federal government are anticipating 20,000 to 30,000 people will be displaced permanently. And those people will need a place to live. And so we're - we're starting that assessment. How do we help them? You know, whether they're in Pasadena or Altadena, it simply doesn't matter to us. We're one community. We're a very tight knit community. In fact, Pasadena and Altadena together are known as La Dena. SIDNER: La Denas, yes.

GORDO: And so, we will work with residents from both communities to develop a plan for temporary housing and then transition people to permanent housing. And so we - we've been very busy in Pasadena. I just want to say thank you to the various agencies from throughout California and - and the country who have helped out, who have responded and are helping out. And, of course, to our National Guard that is also helping out.

SIDNER: Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, thank you so much. Our hearts go out to you. I love the city of Pasadena. So many people watch that Rose Parade every year. It is a beautiful sight and it's very hard to see what's happening there now. I appreciate your time.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, even as that fire fight continues, the political fight has begun. The president-elect, Donald Trump, criticizing California officials for their handling of this disaster. California's governor responding to say, come and see the emergency efforts for himself.

Also, President Biden begins his final full week in office with what the White House has billed as a huge foreign policy speech to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:19:10]

SIDNER: Today, President Biden is giving what will be his final foreign policy speech. He's speaking at the State Department, the same spot where he spoke four years ago about America's role in the world. This time his speech comes as the outgoing administration still grapples with two wars.

Joining us now, CNN global affairs analyst Kim Dozier. Also senior fellow on the Council of Foreign Relations and columnist for "The Washington Post," Max Boot.

Max, to you first.

Biden's national security advisor has said he left the next administration in a stronger, quote, "more secure position in the world than four years ago." A clear sort of dig to Trump.

So, what do you expect to hear from Biden, and whatever he says, hearing that from the national security advisor, do you think that Trump will heed any of the advice Biden has been given?

MAX BOOT, COLUMNIST, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, the last question is the easiest to answer. It's - I could pretty definitively assure you that Trump will ignore everything that Biden says and just heap abuse on his head.

[09:20:08] Of course, Biden will try to take a victory lap, but there are not a lot of victories in sight. I would say that his foreign policy has been kind of a unsatisfying middle of the road muddle where he has basically alienated pretty much everybody when it comes to both aid to Ukraine and aid to Israel, which have been the two big issues of his administration. He hasn't done enough for one side, and he's done too much for the other side. But he's kind of tried to, you know, find this middle of the road path, which, you know, may be the least dangerous path we can take.

All I would say is that unsatisfying and, in many ways, you know, frustrating as Biden's foreign policy has been, you ain't seen nothing yet because at least, you know, the best thing you can say for Biden is that he cared about U.S. allies. He understood who the threats were to the United States. It's not clear that President Trump does because, I mean, look, he's going to enter office fomenting a crisis with Denmark over Greenland. I mean, that's - that's crazy. And that's the kind of craziness that we had a respite from during four years of Biden. And I think we may miss that with the Trump administration.

SIDNER: Kim, you're hearing, you know, Max talk about a middle of the road type of policy. What are you hearing from European officials about the Biden-Trump transition?

KIM DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, diplomats and officials I've spoken to have a slightly kinder take. They say that Biden was a steady hand after the mercurial nature of the Trump administration the first time around. Reliable, although risk averse.

So, yes, a little bit of the middle ground, but Biden was able to pull together allies and partners to lead the aid to Ukraine. Perhaps not fast enough for Ukraine, not fast enough for some of the European allies, but steady.

Same thing with Gaza. Biden tried to keep Netanyahu on the U.S. side, as well as maintaining the negotiations with gulf countries, keeping a line open to Hamas, even as the Biden administration condemned everything Hamas had done. So that is perhaps unsatisfying that it was the - the field of grays instead of the black and white of the Trump administration. But I've had European officials tell me they much preferred it, and they are living in a bit of anxiety with the Trump administration to come.

SIDNER: Max, I do want to ask you about how you think that Biden is going to speak about - or whether he'll speak about some of the things that happened in foreign policy during his term. There was the chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan. You, of course, have the Israel-Hamas war and the Ukraine war all cropping up. What does he need to say about these things?

BOOT: Well, I mean, I think there's what he needs to say and what he will actually say. I mean, like most presidents giving, you know, an end of the term address, he will try to put the best possible face on what he achieved. For example, you know, the Afghanistan exit was widely seen as a fiasco that really hurt Biden's standing politically. Of course, he'll brag about the fact that U.S. forces are not engaged in combat anywhere in the world, that he ended the war in Afghanistan without delving too deeply into how he ended it.

And of course, he will make some of the points that Kim just made about how he assembled a coalition of allies to help Ukraine. He assembled another coalition of allies to contain and deter China. I think that's a major improvement (ph). He did a lot to bolster the U.S. chip industry and to stop the export of U.S. high technology to China. I think those are significant achievements. And I'm sure he'll talk about how he backed Israel in its struggle against Hamas and Hezbollah, even though a lot of people thought that he was an enabler of, you know, Israeli attacks in, in Gaza in particular that killed an awful lot of civilians. So, he'll certainly put the best possible face.

And there is a case to be made for the Biden foreign policy. I just don't think he's going to satisfy that many people who are not hardcore Biden partizans.

SIDNER: And things will be changing just shortly here within a week.

Kim Dozier, Max Boot, thank you so much. Appreciate you guys coming on and talking through that.

John.

BERMAN: Quote, "we will hold you accountable." Californias threat to anyone seeking to make money off of the millions of people affected by the wildfires.

And one woman in California is able to return to her home thanks to her gardener who fought off the flames himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just so grateful to him.

[09:25:00]

He's definitely an angel that the Lord put in my path.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, this morning, the list of officials in California inviting President-elect Trump to visit Los Angeles County is growing. From Governor Gavin Newsom, to local officials, the calls are getting louder for Trump to come and survey the damage before assuming office on Monday.

Kathryn Barger is the chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. She wrote an open letter to the president-elect, saying, quote, "by accepting this invitation, Mr. President-elect, you will join us in supporting our citizenry and thanking our heroic first responders who have risked their own lives to save others.

[09:30:08] We would also ask you.