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California Wildfires Death Toll Reaches 24, Firefighters Scramble to Contain the Disaster; Some Areas Gradually Contain the Devastating Wildfires. Joe Biden Reaches Final Week of His Presidency; Family Heirloom Ring Found in a Rubble Home. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 13, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States, around the world, and those of you streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, firefighters are racing against the clock as they try to hold off the deadly wildfires raging across Los Angeles before the winds turn.

U.S. President Joe Biden enters his final full week in office. As always, we will look at what he's accomplished and what he has not been able to get done.

And one U.S. official says negotiators are very, very close to a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but won't say if it'll happen before Mr. Biden leaves the White House.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. And we begin this hour with the latest on our breaking news.

The death toll in Southern California's devastating wildfires has climbed to 24 as firefighters race against the clock to make further progress containing the flames before strong gusty winds return.

The weather conditions could pose a challenge to crews as they battle three ongoing fires, including two which combined have burned nearly 38,000 acres.

Right now, the smallest of those three, the Hearst fire, is mostly contained at 89 percent. The Eaton fire, which has devastated the Altadena area, is at 27 percent. But the largest one, the Palisades fire, is only 13 percent contained.

Now, the big fear right now is that more gusty winds will only further complicate the firefighting efforts and could possibly spread embers to dry areas, once again, sparking new fires. The winds are forecast to increase throughout today with strong gusts

lasting through Wednesday. One L.A. County supervisor addressed concerns over whether there's enough water to keep up the fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDSEY HORVATH, L.A. COUNTY SUPERVISOR, 3RD DISTRICT: Because we have redundancies for exactly for situations like this, we have the water in Los Angeles County to deliver for our residents.

We know that they don't just come from one area or another based on where the winds are coming from. That also determines where we're able to access the water, especially for the aerial drops.

So we have if one in Los Angeles County system, if one if we're having issues with one area of water tanks or access, we have another way to be able to deliver.

And that's how we've been able to make progress in the Topanga Canyon area, for example, over the past few days. And I was on site in Mandeville Canyon last night watching exactly how they were attacking it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And as firefighters grapple with the blaze spreading across Southern California, CNN's Kyung Lah spoke directly with the state's governor. During their conversation, Gavin Newsom explained the evolving scope and scale of wildfire damage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The governor of California, while overseeing this fire emergency in Los Angeles County for the first time, is now laying out some concrete timeline of when he wants this rebuilding to begin, saying that he wants assessments of all of the losses done within two weeks. And that's to get insurance and FEMA rolling.

So what is this assessment? Help explain why we need this and what this means for that homeowner.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): You got through the state fire marshal, Cal Fire, working with county partners, teams of two go in, they will go in a property like this, they'll assess, and they will photograph. And then they will post online after it's verified about a 12-hour process. And people can go on a website.

They don't have to physically be here to know if their property is damaged. And that will then begin the process for the property owner on insurance and getting us to a point where we can start the rebuild process.

LAH: How quickly do you anticipate being able to do that?

NEWSOM: Well, as I said, I want all the inspections done within 14 days, every single structure that's been impacted by these fires.

[03:05:02]

LAH: So that's thousands of homes.

NEWSOM: Thousands of homes. And so that's the mandate. Whatever resources they need, we said we're going to provide it. And then we're looking right now at debris removal.

And you're looking at a Herculean effort. Well, a year until the debris is gone. And I said, nine months is the goal. Nine months to a year. You're looking at the magnitude of this. And with the hazmat side, it has to be done in a way that services the long term needs.

And then obviously, you're going to learn from this process.

LAH: And then what about insurance? I mean, we know, we live here, your house is insured, my house is insured.

NEWSOM: Yes. The one I have, my dad's house, is under the fare plan, the state's plan.

LAH: And it's very expensive.

NEWSOM: Very expensive. And it's not great coverage.

LAH: Right. So what do you tell people?

NEWSOM: We tell them that we are not only assessing all of that in real time, and have hired an independent group to look, to stress test, not just the insurance market, but the utility market in California as well.

We've been making a lot of reforms in our insurance market, and we'll need to make subsequent reforms.

LAH: Something that's particularly pressing for this community you're standing in is lack of insurance. A lot of people inherited homes or working class. What about people who didn't have insurance?

NEWSOM: And that's going to be the most difficult and challenging thing. And that's where FEMA comes in. That's where the SBA comes in. That's where the state of California comes in. It's where the federal government comes in. That's where philanthropy comes in.

People have lost their lives. They've lost their businesses. They've lost hope. And we've got to restore the hope, and then restore their lives and businesses and opportunities.

LAH: The governor has signed a slew of executive orders, not just on the assessments to speed that along, but also on loosening some of the environmental regulations to get some of this building done as quickly as possible.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Altadena, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Winds will of course be a challenge for firefighters as they battle these blazes in Southern California. But wind isn't the only environmental factor that could jeopardize their efforts.

CNN's Allison Chinchar has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Winds have already started to increase across portions of Southern California. They will continue to do so on Monday. The concern is there's not really going to be much of a break.

So those high wind gusts are still expected to remain in this area at least until Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. So you have the red flag warnings in effect indicating those high winds are expected to stay in place through the day Monday at least, but also that the humidity levels are going to stay very low.

When we look at these wind gusts early Monday morning you'll start to see them taking up 20, 30, even 40 miles per hour. By Tuesday you could be looking at wind gusts in excess of 50 to 60 miles per hour in some of these places.

That is going to make it incredibly difficult for these firefighters to really make more advancements in those containment numbers, especially through Wednesday.

One of the things that has been really working against these areas and the fires is this dark orange color you see here. That indicates that they are under a severe drought where all of the fires are located. And I cannot emphasize enough how dry this area really has been.

When you go back to since October 1st, and that is the start of what we refer to as the water year. It does not begin January 1st like the calendar year. It follows more of the natural water cycle.

So it begins on October 1st and since that date this area around Los Angeles has only had three one-hundredths of an inch of rain. Normally they would have at least four and a half inches of rain by this point.

And the other thing to note too is usually we don't have fires this large spreading this quickly in January. And the reason for that is because January is actually the second wettest month of the year for this area. When you go back to this same time last year, January 9th of 2024, none of California was in drought.

Fast forward one year now, you not only have areas in moderate drought but also severe and even higher categories of drought just simply because of how little rain this area has had.

When we look forward to the forecast, there is no rain in the forecast for at least the next five days. By day six and seven, we do start to see humidity levels begin to tick back up with a very low end possibility for rain in some extreme Southern California areas. But again, you're still talking six or seven days out and a lot can

change. The only one thing we can hope is that at least it will bring the winds back down and we can get those humidity levels back up to at least help a little bit for the firefighters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The mayor of Malibu says the coastal city has lost a third of its eastern edge to the Palisades fire, the third fire to impact Malibu in the last three months. And here's one resident filming what's left of his property there.

[03:10:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

E. RANDOL SCHOENBERG, ATTORNEY WHO LOST HOME IN PALISADES FIRE: Okay, I'm here at our old house. Right in front of it, this is the telephone pole.

And that's the tree that's left of it. It stood up but it's completely burned.

And this I'm facing straight into what was our old house.

There's the air conditioner unit. That's a bathtub, I guess.

I've got a mask on because you can still smell the embers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Attorney E. Randol Schoenberg lost his family home along Malibu's coast. Despite its proximity to water, the wildfire has moved too quickly and too aggressively to spare anything in its path. His brother, cousin and uncle have all lost homes as well.

Mr. Schoenberg joins me now from Brentwood, California, currently just outside the evacuation zone. Thank you so much for talking with us at this difficult time. I'm so sorry for the loss of your beautiful home. How are you holding up?

SCHOENBERG: We're doing okay. My uncle, my cousin and my brother also lost their homes in the Palisades and we lost our Malibu home. Fortunately, we have another home here in Brentwood where we're still hanging out.

But we're right on the edge of the evacuation zone right now. My parents also have had to evacuate their home to Brentwood. So it's been a very tough week for us.

CHURCH: Yes, I mean, as you point out, even within your family, not just your own home destroyed. You documented the destruction of your brother, uncle and cousin's homes. Tell us how you were able to get out first and then of course document that unbelievable loss.

SCHOENBERG: I was at my parents' house actually in Brentwood when the fire broke out. My brother had come over from the Palisades and I looked outside and saw a plume of smoke coming up.

He needed to immediately evacuate his family from his home and I stayed in Brentwood. I was able to get back in to document it on Friday. So that was three days after it had started because a Czech T.V. crew asked me for an interview and they had a press pass and were able to get me inside.

By then, of course, the evacuation area was guarded and people aren't allowed to go in. It's very dangerous, I would say, in the burn zone because there is so much debris. It's not just the houses that burned, but the telephone poles have all fallen down and there are wires all over the place.

So it's not a very easy thing to get around there.

CHURCH: Yes, I mean, as we're looking at those pictures, it's hard to believe how you all got out. Of course, this fire moved fast and furiously, didn't it, through this part of L.A. County.

What's particularly hard to fathom is the proximity of these Malibu homes to the water. Could anything have been done differently to save yours and other homes along the coast there?

SCHOENBERG; There's actually a fire hydrant right in front of our home. The amazing thing was the speed. If you've seen the best videos I've seen are the time-lapse photos that show the fire going.

And instead of the smoke going up, it was going this way because the winds that came in were the strongest winds that we ever get here in Southern California. It only happens every three or five years that we have these strong winds. And when that coincides with someone or something starting a fire, the fire just goes across the hills and wipes out everything in its path.

Just to give you an idea, where it started on Tuesday morning was about eight miles as the crow flies from where our Malibu home is, and our home was on fire on T.V. at 9:30 that evening. So that just gives you an idea of how quickly everything was spreading.

And when the fire comes that way, it's impossible to stop. Even if there had been fire crews at every house, they wouldn't have been able to stop the fire because it's coming in horizontally and just wiping everything in its path.

CHURCH: That is amazing hearing that, particularly with some of the efforts to politicize this situation. I do want to ask you how likely it is that you will rebuild your home and if you do, how might you do that differently, do you think?

SCHOENBERG: I've been thinking about it, of course, when we've had a chance. I did hear that the permitting process may be easier than it ordinarily would. Normally on our coastline in California, we have a coastal commission that strictly regulates what can be built, and it's very cumbersome.

But when there's a natural disaster like this, they waive some of those requirements and it's supposedly going to be easier to get permits.

[03:15:03]

I would say that the most pressing need right now on the coastline is cleanup because our house is one of hundreds, maybe thousands, on the coastline there that are basically toxic pits that are still smoldering with all types of rubber and plastic and chemicals.

And as soon as we do finally get some rain, which hopefully will come at some point, that is all going to immediately go into the ocean. So I'm hoping that there is a coordinated effort to do that type of necessary cleanup quickly.

It doesn't make sense for each individual homeowner to have to contract with someone to clean up a property. It really needs to be done by the federal or state or local government. So I'm hoping that comes soon.

CHURCH: It is a massive undertaking, isn't it? But we wish you the best in this effort to rebuild. E. Randol Schoenberg, thank you so much for talking with us. I appreciate it.

SCHOENBERG: Thank you very much and thank you for everybody who is supporting us here during this difficult time.

CHURCH: FEMA's role will be especially important in the aftermath of the fires. Julia Benbrook reports on how President Joe Biden is overseeing the federal response.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Joe Biden is entering his final full week in office and it is going to be a busy one. He's receiving regular updates on the efforts to suppress the fires across Los Angeles.

And on Sunday held a virtual briefing with key officials, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

During an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Criswell, who has been on the ground in Los Angeles, emphasized that these fires are still dangerous and urged people to continue to listen to state and local officials.

When pressed on what these next few days could look like, she said that any changes in weather could have a big impact on what happens next.

DEANNE CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: Firefighters, they're working day in and day out. There's resources that are out there. But if the weather changes, it creates different conditions. It's going to change the environment with which they're operating under.

Again, the most important piece is keeping them safe as they try to protect all the homes that are in the path of the fire. And then people need to, you know, start the registration process with us.

They can register for assistance. They need to contact their insurance company and find out what their insurance company is going to pay for. And really, we can start working with them on what this road to recovery is going to look like.

BENBROOK: More than 24,000 people have already registered for FEMA assistance made available by the president's major disaster declaration. Biden has directed the federal government to cover 100 percent of the state's cost for the initial disaster response. That's over the first 180 days.

Reporting at the White House, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, more on our top story, including how the mayor of a town nearly destroyed by a wildfire six years ago is using his experience to help alter DNA.

Plus, some California officials are facing criticism for how they've handled the wildfires. We will talk to a firefighting expert about whether those attacks are fair. Back with that and more in just a moment.

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[03:20:00]

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CHURCH: California firefighters are making progress in containing the massive wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area, but the danger is far from over.

The two largest fires burning right now, the Eaton and Palisades fires, have burned nearly 38,000 acres in the past few days. Fire officials say together they have destroyed more than 12,000 structures.

As firefighters continue their critical work, they'll be facing more strong wind in the coming days, with some areas expecting gusts as high as 60 miles per hour.

People in Altadena, California, are getting much-needed support from someone who knows exactly what they're going through. Steve Crowder, the mayor of Paradise, California, has first-hand experience leading a community through devastating wildfires.

In 2018, the Camp Fire killed more than 80 people and destroyed 95 percent of Paradise, including Crowder's own home. The day after the Eaton fire began its devastating sweep through Altadena, Crowder reached out to the town council chairperson to offer his experience, guidance and encouragement.

He spoke to CNN about Paradise's recovery and his hopes for Altadena. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR STEVE CROWDER, PARADISE, CALIFORNIA: I went through the same feelings. I came up to this town after it burned and I looked around and I went, there's no way we're ever going to come back from this.

And as time passed and some progress was made with debris removal, I looked and said, you know, I think we might be able to do that.

Six years later, we are well on the road, and what I told her is just don't lose hope. Don't let anybody tell you you can't, because you absolutely can, and we are proof of that.

There's challenges, you're living amongst a construction zone, but you're back in your community and it's still got its beauty, you've got your friends around you.

We have probably, right now it's about a 50-50 mix of what's coming back, whether it be rebuilds or brand new people, but it's still a great place to live, it's still home, it's still a community and it's only going to get better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Timothy Ingalsbee is Executive Director of Oregon-based Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, and he joins us from Eugene in Oregon. Appreciate you being with us.

TIMOTHY INGALSBEE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FIREFIGHTERS UNITED FOR SAFETY, ETHICS AND ECOLOGY: Oh, I appreciate the opportunity.

CHURCH: So, California Governor Gavin Newsom and other state and county officials are being criticized for insufficient levels of water needed to fight these multiple wildfires in L.A. County, and for not being sufficiently prepared for the fires. Is that fair criticism?

[03:25:00]

INGALSBEE: Not fair criticism. If anything, these fires are telling us in loud and clear language that we have long passed the point of diminishing returns on our ability to fight all fires and all conditions at all times and places.

There's a number of big, big issues, predate the current governor and even predate some of the recent policies. It would not have prevented this disaster from happening.

CHURCH: So, how could this have been done better? Could it have been done better, considering the county was dealing with up to six wildfires at the same time?

INGALSBEE: Well, Los Angeles County has one of the world's top fire suppression organizations. Most technologically advanced. The firefighting force is highly trained and well paid.

They could have been ten times the number of crews and equipment there and they would not have been able to stop the spread of these fires.

If anything, this is another screaming signal about climate change. There's just, when these conditions of prolonged droughts and hurricane force winds and record heat waves are all aligned, it's just not humanly possible to stop the spread or put out these fires.

CHURCH: And I do want to talk to you about that, about the lessons learned from this, considering Governor Newsom says these types of wildfires are the new normal due to climate change.

INGALSBEE: Well, I would call it the new abnormal. It's not going to get normal for a long, long time.

But it's not just climate change alone. It's the attempt to exclude fires from the landscape beginning with forced removal of the native peoples from their lands and fire was how they lived on the land in a fire prone environment. It's over a century of fighting all fires everywhere.

In any conditions, these fires would have reduced some of the flammable fuels that have accumulated. It's urban development and suburban sprawl that have put people in the path of fire's habitat.

So these are big, big issues that kind of surpass any politician's tenure or any immediate policy. It's a global problem. It's not just in the United States. It's in Canada. It's in Australia, Amazonia, and the Arctic. So it's, yes.

CHURCH: So Timothy, what advice would you give firefighters battling not only these wildfires, but also the high winds which will continue into this week?

INGALSBEE: Well, there's not much we can do about the winds. We can't stop hurricanes of rain or hurricanes of flame. We have the technological ability and knowledge to make homes that resist igniting from a single burning ember.

And that's what's really spreading the fire so quickly, these embers that are landing on rooftops or in shrubs against houses and setting them aflame. We know how to do that, and everyone could do that. That's in all of our interests, not just individual homeowners.

Many people don't own their own homes, but it's whole communities. Because if you do your share to reduce the risk of your home starting on fire, and your neighbor doesn't, your neighbor's home will put your house at risk. So it's a community fire preparation. That's what's needed.

CHURCH: Timothy Ingalsbee, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

INGALSBEE: Appreciate it. Yes.

CHURCH: More on our breaking news coverage just ahead. As Los Angeles residents anxiously wait to return to their homes or what's left of them, the latest on the evacuation orders. That's next. Plus, with only days left in office, Joe Biden is saying goodbye. We

will have more on that next.

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[03:30:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Deadly wildfires burning in Southern California could get worse in the days ahead. Officials say the fire threat is very high, with wind speeds predicted to keep rising through Wednesday. The death toll has now risen to at least 24 people, and thousands of residents are still under evacuation orders.

Some of those orders were lifted as crews gained control of several smaller fires. The Hearst fire is 89 percent contained, the Eaton fire is 27 percent contained, but the largest blaze, the Palisades fire, is only 13 percent contained.

CNN's Julia Vargas-Jones has more on what lies ahead for these devastated communities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On the sixth day of the Palisades fires, residents are starting to want to go home to pick up the medication, to pick up their pets, to look for items that they left behind.

But this morning, chief of police of Los Angeles, Jim McDonough, said that will no longer be allowed. He said the resources are just not there, and he understands that people might not be happy with this decision, but that's just what they need to do.

They said they will start bringing in cadaver dogs to look for potential people that were left behind in the fires as well, that could create active crime scenes and really make it difficult for officers to bring folks into their neighborhoods.

We spoke to some of those people. Listen to what they have to say.

UNKNOWN: I have to go wait in line in my car so I can ride my bike up really quickly to my properties.

VARGAS JONES: Well, they're saying that they're not allowing people to do that anymore.

UNKNOWN: I tried yesterday, I've tried a couple days ago, nothing.

VARGAS JONES: Their argument is that it's still, the fire's still burning, the gas lines are still on in some parts, and that it's just too dangerous. What do you think? Do you think it's too dangerous?

[03:35:04]

UNKNOWN: Save lives before anything else, I understand.

VARGAS JONES: Yes, but you're frustrated.

UNKNOWN: Of course, wouldn't you be?

VARGAS JONES: That frustration that you hear in his voice there, that's been echoed by so many other people. And we also had the opportunity to see and follow people as they saw their homes for the first time after this fire.

This has been an event of an immense magnitude for this community, and yet we keep hearing over and over again that people are choosing to rebuild here. They're not abandoning their community, something we've seen in events like this one.

We're now hearing from Governor Gavin Newsom that he will try to make it easier for that rebuilding to take place, saying that he will waive certain necessary permitting from building in this particular area affected by the Palisades fire, and telling our colleague Kyung Lah an interview that he will make sure that these palaces, all of these structures are inspected in the next 14 days.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Pacific Palisades.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well senate confirmation hearings for Donald Trump's cabinet picks will begin Tuesday. First up is Mr. Trump's controversial choice for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

His nominees for Secretary of State, Attorney General and Treasury Secretary will face their own grillings later in the week. All have expressed unwavering loyalty to the President-elect's agenda and are expected to do the same during the hearings.

Meanwhile, this will be outgoing President Joe Biden's last full week in the White House. Mr. Biden is expected to deliver his farewell address from the Oval Office on Wednesday. The last time he addressed the nation from the Oval Office, he was dropping out of the presidential race.

Ron Brownstein is a CNN senior political analyst and senior editor with "The Atlantic." He joins me now from Los Angeles. Good to have you with us.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST AND SR. EDITOR, "THE ATLANTIC": Hi, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So President Joe Biden is entering his final full week in office. What's the week ahead looking like right now and how will his time in office bear the test of time?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, Joe Biden came into office with a very clearly defined, self-defined mission, you know, to restore kind of normalcy to American politics, to preserve democracy, and really, above all, to prevent Donald Trump from ever being president again. And I think by his own yardstick, he failed at his highest priority.

You know, the discontent with Biden's record, some of it fair, some of it unfair, was the critical factor in Trump's recovery.

I mean, almost 60 percent of voters on election day in the exit polls disapproved of Biden's performance, and over 80 percent of those Biden disapprovers voted for Trump.

So Biden accomplished a great deal legislatively in his first two years, he really did make a dent on restoring American manufacturing. But on his own yardstick, he failed, I think it is at his highest priority.

CHURCH: And President Biden's team, of course, is preparing its transition and transfer of power to President-elect Donald Trump. What all will that entail?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, it's interesting, because Trump has been complaining about policy choices Biden has been announcing in the last few weeks before turning over the reins, for example, the sweeping removal of offshore coastal areas from oil drilling. And Trump has been complaining as if that is somehow, you know, out of bounds.

That is often what happens at the end of presidencies. I mean, presidents try to cram in everything they can, the actual transition operates in a very different way.

And that has to do with the White House cooperating with the incoming administration and the departments cooperating with the incoming administration in terms of facilitating their readiness to take over on day one.

And by all accounts, that is proceeding exactly as it should. So, you know, you have, as is often the case, Trump loudly trumpeting these allegations that really are not borne out by the day-to-day reality that is occurring around them.

CHURCH: So, Ron, how much of what President Biden has done in these last few weeks, particularly of his administration, will likely be overturned by Donald Trump?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, look, you know, whatever Trump can overturn, he will overturn, obviously, and that is one of the struggles we are living with in American politics.

You know, change in control is much more frequent and more common than it used to be, Rosemary. I mean, the last five times a president went into a midterm with unified control of government, including Biden, voters have revoked it. That's never happened in American history.

[03:40:05]

We've never had five consecutive times where a president went into a midterm with unified control and lost it. And what we are seeing is that even as we are getting these more frequent changes in control, the attempt to, in effect, erase the blackboard becomes more fundamental with each administration.

I mean, you know, Joe Biden in his first two years spent an awful lot of time undoing things that Trump did. And now Trump is going to, you know, sweepingly try to undo the undoing. It's really no way to run a country.

You know, I mean, it's very hard for any other institution, local governments, nonprofits, above all, the private sector to plan when policy completely upends every few years.

And so, you know, we are about to see another hairpin turn. Someone said to me the other day, you now need a neck brace, you know, because of the whiplash to really observe American politics. And I think we're about to get a crash course in that again in the next couple of weeks.

CHURCH: And of course, meantime, Senate confirmation hearings are set to begin this week, which will, of course, include Trump's more controversial cabinet picks, including Pete Hegseth for defense secretary. How do you expect these hearings to play out?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think, you know, they are it's going to be very revealing because the choices that Republican senators make about the more extreme and controversial Trump nominees, I think, is going to be very revealing, not only in terms of personnel appointments, but revealing of their willingness to stand up to him on almost any front.

Republicans, you know, close to the administration, incoming administration are feeling pretty optimistic about all of their choices at this point.

As we talked about from the outset, I think Republican senators are very reluctant to have to vote against Trump nominees very often, given his popularity with their own voters.

And we'll see out of Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Kash Patel. I still think Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. are probably more at risk than the others. But you have seen some influential Republicans line up behind them as well.

And it is possible that none of them will get rejected. And Trump will certainly take that as a measure, as I said, of the willingness of the Republican Senate to stand up to him, not only on personnel choices, but pretty much anything else.

CHURCH: We'll be watching very closely. Ron Brownstein, always a pleasure to talk with you. Thank you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

Still to come, the latest on the Gaza ceasefire hostage deal negotiations, as the White House hopes to strike an agreement in the final days of the Biden administration. We'll take a look.

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[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: With just one week remaining, the Biden administration says it's possible a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal might still come together.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the latest progress on the negotiations on Sunday. And the White House says Mr. Biden once again called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of hostages and increased humanitarian aid to the enclave.

CNN's Nada Bashir joins us now live from London. Good morning to you, Nada. So what are you hearing about the possibility of a ceasefire and hostage release deal?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Rosemary, we've been hearing, of course, over the last year, efforts to push forward with the ceasefire negotiations and then, of course, facing roadblocks along the way.

We are once again hearing from U.S. officials and Biden administration officials that there is a sense of cautious optimism that has also been expressed by Israeli officials as well, that there has been some progress made in these talks taking place in Doha between mediators and negotiators.

But again, we have been hearing from the Biden administration that no predictions can be made, that while there is some hope that we may see some sort of deal established before January 20th, before Trump is sworn into office, that there are still significant issues, discussions taking place that need to be hammered out.

We know, of course, that there have been questions remaining still on the terms surrounding the Philadelphia corridor, that buffer zone between Egypt and Gaza in the south, and also still questions around the terms as to what would suffice as a permanent or lasting ceasefire.

And also, of course, the presence of Israeli forces in a long-term sense following any sort of ceasefire inside the Gaza Strip.

Now, we heard from the U.S. National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, speaking to CNN over the weekend with regards to these talks. We know, of course, that Biden spoke with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well over the weekend.

Take a listen to what Jake Sullivan had to say to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We are very, very close, and yet being very close still means we're far, because until you actually get across the finish line, we're not there.

We have right now President Biden's top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, in Doha. He has been there for a full week hammering out with the mediators the final details of a text to be presented to both sides. And we are still determined to use every day we have in office to get this done.

Can we get it done before the 20th? It is possible, but I certainly can't make any predictions that we will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Now, of course, on the Israeli side, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced objections to a ceasefire from within his own cabinet, particularly from far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister.

And we know that Netanyahu has held meetings with both of these ministers over the weekend, that he has pushed forward with mediators on the Israeli side to move forward with those negotiations and talks.

And, of course, in that call with the U.S. President Joe Biden, it's understood, according to the White House, that Biden reiterated not only the need to get hostages out as soon as possible to secure a deal that ensures this and also to ensure a ceasefire in Gaza, but also underscored the changing situation in the Middle East that we have seen over recent weeks and months.

Of course, the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, of course, the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and what that will mean for regional dynamics, and Iran now being in a weakened position.

So these are all factors that will come under consideration in these negotiations and discussions going forward. And, of course, there has been pressure not only from the Biden administration, but also from Trump's incoming administration as well. As you mentioned, incoming President Donald Trump said that all hell could break loose in the Middle East if a deal is not secured in time for him to come into office to ensure the release of hostages.

We know that his Middle East envoy has expressed some optimism with regards to securing that deal, but all remains to be seen. They believe Hamas is in an isolated position at this stage and may face mounting pressure to agree to the current terms on the table, which it's understood reflect the deal put forward by Biden back in May of last year.

[03:50:07]

Whether we see that final progress remains to be seen. Of course, we've been close in the past. We've heard those messages in the past from officials that we are close to a deal. Whether we see that remains to be seen.

CHURCH: Nada Bashir in London. Many thanks for that live report.

And just ahead, a glimmer of hope among the ruins, the precious heirloom firefighters found in the debris of one family's home.

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CHURCH: The death toll from the wildfires devastating the Los Angeles area is up to at least 24 people. Others remain missing as search and rescue teams go neighborhood to neighborhood looking for victims.

And we are learning more about some of the people who have died in this disaster. Among them is 85-year-old Annette Wazili. We're told she insisted on staying in her Pacific Palisades home with her pets. Neighbors encouraged her to leave, but she declined.

Victor Shaw also chose to stay. He reportedly tried to fight the raging Eaton fire with a garden hose rather than evacuate his long- time family home.

[03:55:06]

We also heard the story of Rodney Nickerson, a grandfather who raised his family in the house which is now burned to the ground. He lived in his Altadena neighborhood for more than 50 years. As the fire approached, family members say Nickerson refused to leave.

Our affiliate in Los Angeles spoke with his daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIMIKO NICKERSON, FAMILY DIED IN WILDFIRE: This is where we've been our whole life and my son tried to get him to leave and my neighbors and myself and he said he'll be fine. I'll be here when you guys come back and he said his house would be here. His house is here and he was here too. He was in his bed when I found him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And Rory Callum Sykes, a former child star from Australia, died when the Palisades fire ripped through his family's Malibu estate. He appeared in the 1998 British T.V. series "Kitty Capers." His mother Shelley describes him as beautiful and wonderful.

And we turn now to what one family is calling a glimmer of hope found amid the fire's destruction.

While searching the rubble of a home burned by the Palisades fire, these firefighters found a family heirloom, a ring that's been handed down through three generations. The family says it was a miraculous moment.

They thank the firefighters who they say helped them believe that all was not lost.

And for more information about how you can help the victims of the Los Angeles County wildfires, go to cnn.com/impact.

And I want to thank you all for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. CNN NEWROOM continues next with Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane.

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