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One Week Until President Biden Leaves White House; Hamas: "Very Close" To Agreement On Ceasefire With Israel; California Wildfires Death Toll Rises To 24, Likely To Keep Climbing; Judge Allows Release Of Special Counsel Report On Trump's Attempt To Subvert 2020 Election; This Week: Trump Cabinet Picks Face Confirmation Hearings; Ukraine Says It Captured Two North Korean Soldiers. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired January 13, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:17]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN HOST: I'm Rahel Solomon in New York. Thanks so much for joining me today on CNN NEWSROOM. Let's get right to the news.

With his final 165 hours as president, President Biden is wrapping up his four years in power. Speaking just moments ago at the State Department in what was his final foreign policy speech, Biden emphasized his positive international achievements, returning to diplomacy, creating new alliances, defending Ukraine and adding Finland and Sweden to NATO. But for any progress his administration has made, the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and war in Gaza stained his legacy. And on Gaza, negotiators appear to be closing in on a ceasefire and hostage deal, although there have been many false starts before.

And his first foreign policy address four years ago, Biden declared that America is back after four years of Trump's America first policy. Now, Biden is set to hand the presidency back to Trump, who in recent days has vowed to buy Greenland, make Canada the 51st state and rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

Let's get to CNN White House reporter Kevin Liptak, who joins us now.

You know, Kevin, I think we heard pretty clearly in that 30 minutes or so from President Biden how he and his administration viewed his foreign policy legacy as they now prepare to hand the presidency back to Donald Trump. Talk to us a little bit about what we heard from the president.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, this was very much President Biden's attempt to frame his foreign policy legacy and frame himself as a transformative president when it comes to America's place in the world. And you heard him sort of use the construction throughout this speech of I can report, I can report, really trying to emphasize all of these items that, in his view, many Americans may have missed, and trying to frame his tenure in the White House as one that restored American alliances abroad, that made the United States a safer place and better positioned the United States to compete in the industries of the future. And you heard him tick through all of these areas, whether its Ukraine

talking about bolstering Western alliances, supporting Kyiv, talking about how in the early days of that war, many believed that Ukraine would fall. But it remains the case that he is the person who went to stand in Kyiv and not President Putin. He talked about China and better positioning the United States economically to compete with China in the industries of the future. And he talked about the Middle East, including voicing some optimism that a hostages for ceasefire deal could be in the offing before he leaves office next week.

He also, interestingly addressed some of the criticism that surrounded the withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying that he is now the first president in decades not to hand off that war to his successor, and saying that a lot of the things that his critics said would happen once American troops left that country did not come to pass, including a resurgence of terrorism and a weakening of American alliances.

But really, I think the subtext to this entire speech was President Biden trying to make the case that he is handing off to Donald Trump a safer and more secure world than he inherited from Trump four years ago? And he talked about leaving Trump a stronger hand to play, having more friends and alliances around the world, saying that the U.S. is once again leading united countries setting the agenda. But I don't think you can ignore the fact that all of that is in relation to what Trump did when he was in office, and certainly President Biden is now handling the situation that he says is better. Back to Trump four years later.

And I think at the end of the day, Biden's legacy will be so tied up with what Trump decides to do over the next weeks, months and years when it comes to the Middle East. When it comes to Ukraine, at the end of the day, President Biden's legacy is very much tied up in Democrats loss in November, and that's a fact that he and Democrats will have to reckon with going forward.

SOLOMON: Yeah, and Kevin, on the Middle East, we've -- we've heard that a ceasefire deal in Gaza is close a number of times over the past months. Talk to us about why the administration feels so optimistic now in these final days, and how important this would be if this were to materialize over the next six days or so.

LIPTAK: Yeah. And American officials acknowledged that we have been in positions where we have thought that there would be a deal in the offing, only to see it disappear. The national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, said it had been elusive in the football situation over the course of the last several months. But what he says is different this time is that the negotiators on the side of Hamas and representatives of Hamas and Israel seem to be bridging the gaps when it comes to the sequencing of the release of these hostages, when exactly they'll come out, who exactly will come out?

[15:05:09]

And for that reason, the sides appear, at least on paper, to be much closer to an agreement than they were previously. And one thing that I think is very, very notable over the course of the last several days is that the incoming Trump administration has been very much a part of these discussions. So you have President Biden's Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk, in Doha, talking to the parties as they try and secure this agreement.

Alongside him has been Trump's appointed Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, trying to make the case that both the outgoing American administration and the incoming administration want to see this deal done and want to see it done very quickly. I think from the point of view of president Trump, there's nothing that he would like more than this conflict to be resolved by the time he comes into office, so that he can focus on some of the other issues that are at the top of his agenda.

SOLOMON: Yeah, he has certainly said that repeatedly in the months that have that have passed. Kevin Liptak live for us here in Washington -- Kevin, thank you.

And while the Biden administration commits to putting everything at its disposal into getting a ceasefire hostage deal in Gaza, we're now hearing from sources in Israel about what that deal could look like.

Let's go to CNN's Jeremy Diamond, who is live in Jerusalem.

Jeremy, give us a sense of what you're hearing.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, Rahel, it is very clear that these parties are now in the final stages of negotiations. And despite that, though, some caution is still being thrown around because we know that these talks have fallen apart before. Nonetheless, it is clear that this is the closest that Israel and Hamas have ever been to a ceasefire agreement since that weeklong ceasefire collapsed over a year ago in late November of 2023.

I'm told by two Israeli officials that Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages during the first phase of this ceasefire agreement, a temporary ceasefire that would last at least 42 days. Those 33 hostages are believed to be mostly alive, according to a senior Israeli official. But Israelis are also expecting that some -- that the bodies of some of the hostages will also be included in that number of 33.

This senior Israeli official says that the parties are now on the brink of an agreement, and that Israel is prepared to immediately implement that deal once an agreement is reached and approved by the Israeli government. A senior Israeli government official also said that there was a breakthrough that happened late last night as the Mossad Director David Barnea was in Doha, Qatar, meeting with the mediators and things quickly started advancing from there. And now the discussion is about whether this will take hours or whether it will take days for the parties to reach an agreement.

I'm also getting some details about what this will actually look like on the ground. Remember that Philadelphia corridor that we've talked so much about along the Gaza-Egypt border? Israel will maintain troops along that border. That was one of the sticking points and a clear Hamas concession here. If indeed this -- this is accurate, what this Israeli official is saying.

Israel will also maintain a buffer zone inside of Gaza, along the border between Gaza and Israel. However, it will allow for the free flow of Palestinians to go back to their homes or what remains of their homes in northern Gaza with minimal security checks. That is indeed a concession towards Hamas's position.

So, as you can see, all of the elements are certainly coming together here. And that's exactly what one source told me, that all of the big blocks have now indeed been agreed to. They are working through some of the final details here, but barring any kind of major hiccups here, if things stay on course, then it appears that we could indeed be headed for a six week ceasefire, one that could perhaps even be extended into a permanent end to the war -- Rachel.

SOLOMON: Yeah, I mean, Jeremy, as you outlined, I mean, it sounds like there has been some, some major progress on the big issues. What sort of impediments are left or what sort of sticking points are left? I mean, you think about national security adviser Jake Sullivan, for example, who said today that he was optimistic that a deal could get done, but also said that he would be the least surprised person if the deal does not get across the finish line.

So what's left?

DIAMOND: Well, it's clear that one of the final things that needs to be decided is the exact identities and numbers of the Palestinian prisoners who will be released from Israeli jails in exchange for those 33 Israeli hostages. There is a system where Israel is expected to have a veto power over a certain number of those prisoners who Hamas is going to request to be released.

But effectively, you know, you are going to see the release of some fairly high profile Palestinian prisoners, including some who the Israeli government believes are responsible for killing Israeli civilians. And those individuals who would be released who Israeli officials believe have, quote, blood on their hands. They will not be released in the West Bank as so many other of these Palestinian prisoners will be. They will instead be released either in Gaza or in foreign countries that have agreed to receive them -- Rahel.

SOLOMON: Okay. Certainly, a lot to watch in the days to come and perhaps hours to come.

Jeremy Diamond, thank you.

And joining us now to break down Biden's speech and his foreign policy legacy is Ivo Daalder, former U.S. ambassador to NATO and president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, as well as Susan Glasser, staff writer for "The Atlantic".

Good to see you both.

Susan, let me just start with you and your reaction to Biden's speech.

SUSAN GLASSER, STAFF WRITER, THE ATLANTIC: Yeah. I mean, you know, I listened to President Biden just now, and not surprisingly, he emphasized some familiar themes. The idea that he is rebuild American alliances, the idea that America is stronger at the end of his four years because of working together with U.S. partners. I think that's going to be the sort of the signature note of Biden's foreign policy.

And also, he emphasized running through the tape, you know, that Joe Biden is not one who gives up, even if he only has a week left to go. They are fervently hoping that this hostage deal comes through between Israel and Hamas. It would be a major win at the end. Although, you know, it strikes me that Donald Trump will very likely take credit if it were to happen, even if it happens before he's formally inaugurated. Given that he has pledged to rain down a fury such as Hamas has never known, if they do not release the hostages before his inauguration.

SOLOMON: Yeah.

Ivo, your thoughts? I mean, Biden emphasized there in his comments, 30 minutes long, about the strength of Americas allies and to use a classic campaign question, I mean, from your perspective, are Americas alliances better off now than they were four years ago?

IVO DAALDER, PRESIDENT, CHICAGO COUNCIL ON GLOBAL AFFAIRS: Yeah, no, no doubt about it. And I think Biden made as good a case as he can that we are indeed stronger because our alliances are stronger, both in NATO and actually, in some ways, more importantly, our alliances in -- in Asia.

I also think he made a very good case for emphasizing that our enemies are weaker, that Russia, which has now fought a war for three years in which it can barely move much territory and has suffered grave damages that China, where the economy is in deep trouble. And of course, Iran, which has suffered greatly in the past year because of the wars in the Middle East.

But the other thing that struck me is we probably heard the last time of a traditional American post-World War II president talking about alliances and international institutions and working together with others. It's kind of the last breath of the rules based order of the Pax Americana, given that Donald Trump is back and none of the things that that Biden values are things that Donald Trump values.

SOLOMON: You know, I want to play something, Susan, for you. And this is something that Biden said at his inauguration. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here's my message to those beyond our borders, America has been tested and we've come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday's challenges, but today's and tomorrows challenges. And will lead not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SOLOMON: Yeah, Susan, to you first -- I mean, from your perspective, did America lead by example under Biden? It's also interesting because we heard from Antony Blinken before Biden spoke, and he talked about how on his first day of the administration, that was something that Biden really leaned into the power of rebuilding alliances, the power of rebuilding partnerships and friendships.

Susan, to you first.

GLASSER: Yeah. I mean, look, first of all, lets say that, you know, Biden didn't really spend a lot of time on, you know, the painful criticism that he's gotten for his policy in the Middle East. And as the war in Israel has played out, there are a lot of Americans, especially in Biden's own Democratic Party, who feel that, you know, he has been too supportive of Israel at the expense of, you know, being locked into being a partner and a party to the excesses of how it is that Israel has conducted the war in Gaza.

And you know, what sacrifices and what, you know, sort of terrible consequences that has meant for Palestinian civilians. So that, I think, is a sort of a gaping open, you know, problem that Biden was very wary to address. And it's one that, of course, makes it very hard to talk about and across the board example.

Now, you know, America bashers and even many of Americas friends have had a hard time defending consistency in American foreign policy over the last several decades.

[15:15:09]

Presidents in both parties have conducted American foreign policy in a way that does not lend itself to the idea that there's any consistency in the world. So that's not unique to Joe Biden. But, you know, hanging over this is the return of a president who is essentially a unilateralist, a president who is already threatening Americas NATO allies, in Denmark, in Canada, an ally and partner here in, in our hemisphere, Panama.

And so, you know, the contrast could not be starker in many respects, but its still I think it's a mixed record for Biden, even though he's -- he's, of course, trying to offer a valedictory speech today.

SOLOMON: Yeah. Speaking of mixed record, Ivo, the Afghanistan withdrawal, which -- which Biden did speak about in his speech, but really spoke more about how he fulfilled his campaign promise and did what those before him failed to do by actually leaving that withdrawal. Critics, of course, called it chaotic, a blunder, a failure, you know, whatever you want to call it. It came eight months into his term.

Ivo, talk to me a little bit about how that withdrawal impacted the rest of his legacy, but also now impacts and stays with him in terms of his legacy.

DAALDER: Well, it really is two sides of a coin. On the one hand, I think he's right. We did leave Afghanistan. The consequences that everybody said would happen for the world and for terrorism were not as bad as people predicted, although the situation inside Afghanistan, of course, is terrible, for the people who are left behind, most -- most particularly women whose rights have been turned back to not even the middle ages, but far, far further back. And that is something to be worried about.

But we did leave. For the first time since George W. Bush became president in 2001, Donald Trump will become president without any troops at war. We haven't had that for 25 years. And it is because Joe Biden wanted to withdraw. I had the privilege of being in the administration when he was vice president, when we were debating what to do in Afghanistan, and he was very consistent in his view that being in Afghanistan was not in America's fundamental interest. So he made good on that.

But of course, he didn't do very well was the way the -- he executed the withdrawal. And I think the administration failed and he paid a big price. It was that at that point that his popularity collapsed and it never recovered. The Afghanistan was truly a an opening, an eye opener for many Americans, I think wrongly, for the wrong reasons, because ultimately the policy was the right policy.

But when you do something as chaotic as this, with as many consequences, including losing, of course, 13 American lives and some few hundred Afghans, it's not a great -- a great image to behold.

SOLOMON: Yeah. You know, Susan, the wars in Europe and the Middle East have taken some of the focus off of China. It's interesting you heard Biden today talk about his -- his meetings that he has had with Xi Jinping over the last few years or so.

Did he do enough? Did Biden do enough in the Pacific to limit China's growth? What do you think?

GLASSER: Well, first of all, I would note that, you know, Biden is really the third straight president who's come into office on some level promising a pivot to Asia when it comes to America's foreign policy focus. And events have intervened, as they invariably do in fairly dramatic fashion, both Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine, obviously, was an enormous focus and remains an enormous focus of the administration's foreign policy. Same thing with the outbreak of the war in the Middle East after the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th of last year -- I'm sorry, of 2023.

So, you know, did he pivot to China? Not necessarily.

The other that Biden mentioned, but sort of only in a glancing way. And I think this is the big difference for Trump coming back to office. The alliance and the partnership between the autocracies of the world has only become closer and closer in the last four years, some of it as a result of pulling together against Americas actions, some of it as a result of the actions by autocrats themselves.

Vladimir Putin's war in Russia left Russia -- sorry, with Ukraine left Russia so isolated that Russia has moved closer to its partners among the dictators and autocrats of the world. And you have China closer than ever to Russia. You have Iran, you have North Korean troops actually fighting on Russia's behalf on the ground in Ukraine. And so that's an area where this sort of axis of autocracies is much more closer to being reality than it has been when previous presidents have warned about it.

[15:20:04]

SOLOMON: Yeah. No, its a fascinating point.

We'll leave it here. Ivo Daalder and Susan Glasser, good to have you both. Susan Glasser, who is with "The New Yorker", thank you.

And turning now to our other top story this afternoon. Los Angeles is bracing for dangerously high winds to kick back up this week, adding another challenge to the nonstop fight against the devastating Eaton, Palisades and Hurst wildfires.

Officials are warning residents that now is the time to prepare for additional evacuations. L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone this morning, expressing some cautious hope that the city was better prepared for what is still to come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF ANTHONY MARRONE, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: We're very well-prepared for the next event, but that's never going to be -- we're never sure that we're going to be able to catch the next fire and keep it small. They said 70 mile an hour winds. It's going to be very difficult to contain that fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: CNN's Veronica Miracle is in Altadena for us, where the Eaton Fire is now 33 percent contained.

Veronica, we know the death toll has risen to 24 in these historic fires. We are learning more about some of these victims, but also about the ongoing efforts against these fires. What more can you share with us?

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Rahel, and authorities this morning saying in their press conference to not let your guard down, they are warning people that this next wind event over the next couple of days is expected to last through Wednesday could be catastrophic. They're saying that counties from Ventura all the way to San Diego, people in those counties need to be prepared. That's millions of people. That's essentially all of southern California.

So you can imagine the emotional and the psychological toll that that's taking on people who have been dealing for the last week with so much chaos and damage and destruction, some of that destruction just right behind me. We are in the middle of a neighborhood where there Eaton fire burned, where home after home is just destroyed. I mean, there's just nothing to really look at except for fireplaces and some of the exterior structures, some burned out cars. We are walking along right here where there are some downed power

lines, and you have crews right over this way. They are working to repair all those power lines. They've been reinstalling some poles. I was talking to a lineman who said they are making sure that there will be power when people come back, if their homes are still standing. Unfortunately, these power lines are not going to be serving a lot of customers because so much has been destroyed.

So many people have been wanting to come back to see if their homes are still standing or if you know there's anything that they can salvage in the damage. But authorities are reiterating they need people's patience, not only because it's dangerous to be here, but also they are going through and checking home by home to see if there are human remains in these homes. They are finding human remains. There are still people missing, and they expect to find more remains as they go through block by block.

In terms of the investigation, as far as how the fire started here in the Altadena area in Eaton County, officials are on the record saying that it's all under investigation.

However, "The L.A. Times" is now reporting that there is an electrical transmission tower up in Eaton Canyon. You can see some of the mountains behind me that's cordoned off and being investigated as a possible source, origin source of the fire for the Eaton fire.

SoCal Edison has put out a statement, they put out a statement yesterday saying they have checked all of their electrical equipment in the Eaton Canyon area, and none of it was the cause. But certainly that this electrical transmission tower, reportedly the possible cause of origin, according to "The L.A. Times". So we're still looking into that.

Back to you, Rahel.

SOLOMON: Okay, Veronica Miracle, we appreciate the reporting on the ground there. Thank you.

And still to come, one week before President-elect Trump's inauguration, a judge has cleared the way for the Justice Department to release a report on Trump and efforts to subvert the 2020 election. We're going to have those details after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:21]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

This afternoon, Judge Aileen Cannon cleared the way for the Justice Department to release a special counsel report into the Trump 2020 election subversion case.

CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid is following the latest developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: A Trump appointed judge, Aileen Cannon, down in Florida. She has cleared the way for the special counsel Jack Smith's report on his investigation into alleged election interference by President-elect Trump to be released in the coming days.

Now, Jack Smith is required by regulation to submit reports to the attorney general detailing his investigative decisions. He oversaw two investigations into Trump, one on election interference and one into alleged mishandling of classified documents. Right now, what we're waiting for is to see if the report on the election subversion probe will be released, classified document report that is not expected to be released anytime soon because the case is still active.

Trump was charged alongside two co-defendants even though Trump's case was dismissed. Those co-defendants are still facing charges, so there's no expectation that that report will be released anytime soon. But it's unclear if the Trump team will try to fight to block the release of the January 6th report, if they'll go to either the appeals court or even the Supreme Court.

Now, sources on both sides of this investigation tell me there's not a lot of news contained in this January 6th report, but that will not likely stop the Trump team from fighting this. They have been fighting the special counsel and the Justice Department every step of the way throughout both of their federal investigations, and they've been successful. Their client avoided any trial and any consequence in either one of these investigations.

So even if there's no new damaging information likely in this report, it's unclear if they're going to continue to fight this. There's also the aspect that they can continue to just try to run out the clock, as Trump returns to the White House on Monday.

So we're waiting right now to see if the Trump team will appeal.

Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: And on Capitol Hill, the cabinet battles officially begin this week. President-elect Donald Trump's choices to lead critical departments of Defense, State, Treasury, DOJ, DHS will appear before senators to take questions starting tomorrow. Now, the spotlight will be especially bright on Pete Hegseth, Trump's embattled pick to run the Pentagon, who is facing a host of scandals including financial mismanagement and sexual assault allegations.

With me now to preview this busy week is Stephen Collinson.

So, Stephen, give us a sense of what kinds of questions Pete Hegseth will likely get at his hearing tomorrow?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, he's certainly get some questions about that alleged sexual assault, which he denies, which earlier in his confirmation process before Christmas looked like it may actually end his hopes of becoming defense secretary.

[15:30:09]

He may get asked publicly about allegations that he was a heavy drinker. He said if he gets the job, he won't drink while he's defense secretary.

And I think there are strategic questions, too. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, for example, a Republican who is a veteran is worried about his past opposition to women serving in combat. And there are the broader issues about whether Hegseth, despite his service as an Iraq and Afghan war veteran, really has the depth of foreign policy and national security experience you'd normally expect from a secretary of defense.

SOLOMON: Stephen, talk to us about what we know, if anything, about how Hegseth is preparing for those questions. Obviously, this has been a long time coming, ever since he was nominated, he's been sort of followed by these allegations and it's become, you know, pretty, pretty widely speculated. What do we know about how he's preparing for tomorrow?

COLLINSON: Well, he has done quite an effective job, I think, with his meetings with Republican senators shifting his positions somewhat on that issue of women in the military. He had several meetings with Joni Ernst, and she appeared to get assurances from Hegseth that he wouldn't be against women serving in combat situations.

So he's moderated some positions. He's done the politics with senators. No doubt he will have spent time with other senators and with his team going through murder boards, if you like, of questions that he could expect to face. So I think he will be very prepared.

On the other side, Democrats have been preparing for this hearing also. They hope to start. If they cant derail the Hegseth nomination, to start laying the groundwork for their argument and their comeback, about how Trump has picked a lot of irresponsible, unqualified people for his cabinet, which wider reflect his incoming administration as a whole.

And they're going to try and start to make the case to the American people that they hope eventually will get them back into power.

SOLOMON: Stephen, on the flip side, are there any candidates who seem to enjoy broad bipartisan support who we don't expect there to be many fireworks this week?

COLLINSON: I think there will be some that get through with Republican support, but particularly someone like Marco Rubio, Trump's pick for secretary of state. He's very conservative. He doesn't agree with Democrats on a lot. But historically, senators get quite a lot of deference from their colleagues.

And Rubio is also seen as one of the more normal picks, if you like. A lot of Trump's picks are outlandish and provocative. There's no question that Marco Rubio is deeply steeped in foreign policy. He's been an advocate of a much tougher U.S. policy towards China over years and years, ever since he was running for president in 2016.

So the question of Rubio's qualifications don't really come up, and I think he will probably swiftly get confirmed. He may even get a vote in the early hours of the new Trump administration next Monday.

SOLOMON: Okay, certainly a lot to watch.

Stephen Collinson, appreciate you being here. Thank you.

COLLINSON: Thanks.

SOLOMON: All right. And still to come, the fire risk in southern California continues with dangerously high winds in the forecast. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:36:44]

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

Dangerously high winds are threatening to undo the progress that firefighters made over the weekend to contain the deadly Los Angeles wildfires. Forecasters say that it is going to get worse before it gets better.

Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now from the CNN weather center.

Derek, you hate to hear that. How bad are the ones going to get?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, I can echo that sentiment. It is going to get worse before it gets better. In terms of the conditions on the ground for the firefighters battling the blazes now, we still have our red flag warning. Remember, this is issued when the ingredients are correct for fire behavior, fire weather. And that's in some of the hardest hit areas that we've experienced, these out-of- control wildfires.

But what's new here to the CNN weather center just issued by the National Weather Service coming out of Los Angeles, is that we have an expanded and kind of a consolidated area of what used to be three different regions within this high fire danger, but this is a particularly dangerous situation that's within this black area that we've highlighted. So what's new about this is its kind of connected the dots. Instead of having these three different locations for the particularly dangerous situation, we filled it in across the San Fernando Valley.

And then as we work towards the coastline near Ventura and Oxnard, this is an area that they've extended this PDS, a particularly dangerous situation, because what they're noticing is more of a easterly component to the wind. So as the winds come up and over, the Santa Susanna and Santa Monica Mountain Ranges, it will accelerate and move towards this area of the coastline. Notice there's Santa Monica and Malibu just to the south. We've got the Eaton fire to the northeast, the Palisades fire near the coastline.

So we really anticipate that PDS, that particular dangerous situation to begin in earnest overnight. It actually starts at 4:00 a.m. local time Tuesday morning. But in the meantime, we have wind advisories in place for these hardest hit areas. The high wind warning begins on Tuesday morning as well, and it lasts right through Wednesday.

So that's the critical period when we anticipate the worst conditions and the worst winds from this next Santa Ana event.

So I want to show you just specifically the wind direction, because that is so crucial for the firefighting battling efforts here on the ground. And this more easterly component is going to bring the potential, at least for additional fire spread to take place into Ventura County. So we've been focusing so heavily on western L.A. County. Well, now that easterly wind, that easterly component, east northeast, I should say, is going to bring the potential, at least for fire spread across Ventura County now into Ventura, just outside of that area, into Malibu, the Pacific Palisades region.

There's Thousand Oaks again. That's western L.A. County. So if we map this out, here's the Hurst fire near the San Bernardino, San Fernando Valley. There's the Eaton fire just up and over the mountain range. This is the Palisades fire.

We're going to zoom in to this location because I worked this time yesterday. And what I've noticed about this, Rahel, is that the evacuation warnings, which is this shading of yellow, that's an evacuation order in the shading of red, these have encroached and overpassed the Highway 405 region, and it's actually encroaching on a densely populated area of western L.A.

[15:40:01]

So this is UCLA's campus, right? So we need to pay close attention to this. Where does the Palisades fire go from here? It's all about that wind direction and where those embers spread.

SOLOMON: Yeah, I know for those of us who have family and friends in L.A., just watching it so closely just to see obviously what happens next.

Derek Van Dam, appreciate you. Thank you.

VAN DAM: All right.

SOLOMON: And new alerts for air quality are being issued in southern California. Smoke from the raging wildfires becomes a growing health hazard for people there.

CNN's Meg Tirrell looks at the risk to residents and firefighters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, these fires, of course, aren't just burning in the mountains and trees, but also in urban centers. So they're burning up things like cars and structures, and that can send up all kinds of chemicals into the air. And scientists warn that the ash can include things like metals. The smoke can contain volatile organic compounds, which can be very toxic to health.

And so they are warning that its really important to take precautions about both the air quality in homes after people can return to them, and also about how they clean up the ash and debris that's sort of left over from these fires.

There was a study just done last year of the Marshall Fire that was in Boulder, Colorado, in 2021. They surveyed more than 500 residents about their health, symptoms, and people experience these symptoms even six months to a year after the fires. And specifically, it was residents who reported that their homes smelled differently when they returned a week after the fire. They say that about 55 percent had at least one health symptom. Six months later, about 33 percent had one a year later. And these include things like itchy eyes, headache, dry cough, sneezing and sore throat.

And the reason for that, they say, is that these chemicals, they can get sort of absorbed into the walls, the floors, the furniture and other things in homes, and they can sort of off gas for periods of time after.

So what they recommend in terms of trying to keep living spaces safe is you think about the air quality. The EPA recommends replacing HVAC filters, checking them frequently if they're dirty, replacing them also using portable air cleaners, you can use things that have HEPA filters or charcoal filters. They say that's very important as people are starting to clean up, it's really important to think about not stirring up the ash and smoke further into the air.

And so even misting areas that have ash on them with a little bit of water before starting to try to clean those up to avoid sending it back up into the air. Using soap and water to clean instead of any sort of chemical cleaners which could interact with the chemicals that are there that you're trying to clean up.

And, of course, protecting yourself as you are doing these cleanup activities, wearing goggles, gloves, clothing that protects your skin and an N95 respirator mask or a P100 respirator mask to avoid breathing in the ash.

And then separate from that. The experts also emphasize that people who are vulnerable to these things, so that would include folks with heart or lung diseases, elderly people, kids, people who are pregnant. They should avoid participating in ash cleanup because this particle pollution can be particularly hard on those folks.

So, a lot of precaution, obviously, as this heartbreaking situation continues, a lot of precautions even about the cleanup.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SOLOMON: Yeah. All right. Our thanks to Meg Tirrell there.

And residents who were forced to evacuate their homes are sharing the often harrowing stories of how they fled the fires and what they faced when they made the heartbreaking return to their neighborhoods, only to find their home in ruins.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I took my son. We ran to the car and he was scared. He was crying, I was scared.

It's okay.

Trying to, you know, be calm and, try to get out of the Palisades as fast as we could.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I dropped to my knees and I just started praying. Please, God, please just save my house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm ready to jump into this ocean. All the firemen, they got the hell out of here. They evacuated quickly, and I should have followed suit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We started piling up the Torahs the back of my car. I checked with my husband. I couldn't see him. There was so much smoke. I checked with him. Do you have all of them? And he said, I think so. And we just left.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he was walking around with his lantern in the house. Chase and I were talking to him. We were on FaceTime and he said he'll be fine. I'll be here when you guys come back he was in his bed when I found him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was so fast. A friend was able to go to the neighborhood once it had completely burned down, and send us a video, and that's when we found out for sure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The idea of trying to figure out where we're going to be for the next month, where we're going to have this baby. We had so many friends and a massive support group there that I was really, really planning to lean on and losing them is like -- it's almost harder than losing our home.

[15:45:01]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I probably only have a dozen or so homes in my census track. It's like half the town is gone. It's just too overwhelming. We're just living with the clothes on our back, and lucky to have friends that are bringing us in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think everybody just needs to understand that they've done their best. And, you know, as long as they're with their family and they have their lives, you know, life is long and I think we have that to look forward to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: All right. And up next for us, how Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is hoping to use captured North Korean soldiers who were fighting for Russia as bargaining chips with the Kremlin, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLOMON: With less than a week before a new White House, the war in Ukraine has reached heightened global stakes. Shocking drone footage released Sunday by Ukraine shows the capture of two North Korean soldiers, now prisoners of war, in Kyiv. This marks the first time that Kyiv has captured North Korean soldiers alive from Russia.

Zelenskyy has raised the possibility of prisoner exchanges, saying, quote, it's only a matter of time before our troops managed to capture others.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Their presence, something Ukraine has railed at for months, saying China's ally North Korea is now fighting for Russia and this war is turning global as it enters its fourth year.

At the weekend, hard proof emerged, video including this drone footage of what they said was the capture of two North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region, one ferried away on a frontline stretcher.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they could be exchanged.

If Kim Jong Un remembers the citizens, he said, at all, and can organize an exchange for our soldiers held in Russia. We can transfer such soldiers. Undoubtedly, there will be other prisoners from North Korea.

[15:50:02]

The Ukrainian security services released this footage, controversially, of two injured North Koreans answering questions from their captors even as they recovered from medical treatment.

A Korean translator helped the first man who we have blurred, his hand injured and in pain, explain, he thought he was on a training exercise, not fighting Ukraine. He said after a January the 3rd assault, he hid in a dugout for two days until capture.

KOREAN TRANSLATOR: He said that, essentially, he'll do as he's told. If he's required to return, he'll go back. Its he's given the chance to stay there, he'll stay.

WALSH: A second is unable to properly speak owing to a jaw injury. He says his family do not know where he is. He nods his assent when asked if he wants to go home. The Ukrainians showed these Russian papers, repeating the suggestion the North Koreans had been given false identities from Tuva, a Russian republic bordering Mongolia.

Rare and controversial images released at a time when Ukraine's war is widening, intensifying and entering a new, uncertain phase where Kyiv must adapt to a new White House and a steady Russian advance.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: And our thanks to Nick Paton Walsh there.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLOMON: Welcome back.

The world's largest religious gathering has kicked off in India. Millions of Hindu devotees have come together to mark the beginning of the Maha Kumbh Mela. Over the next six weeks, 400 million people are expected to attend the festival on the riverbanks in the city of Prayagraj.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has more now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Excitement lights up the night as fire dancers celebrate ahead of the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in India. For the next six weeks, the city of Prayagraj will be the center of spiritual devotion and Hinduism, attracting an expected 400 million pilgrims from India and around the world.

They bathe in the confluence of three sacred rivers in the largest religious festival on earth. It's a trip of a lifetime for many devotees.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): A visit here helps cleanse sins of several lives. It was by God's grace that we could come here. I had never seen something as wonderful as this. Never been to such a massive festival before.

[15:55:01]

SANDOVAL: The Maha Kumbh Mela, or Festival of the Sacred Pictures is held every 12 years and is considered holier than the Kumbh Mela festivals that occur roughly every three years. Pilgrims take a dip in the waters to wash away their sins and receive salvation from the cycle of life and death.

And though it's a spiritual festival, there are some very earthly logistical challenges to hosting such a large event, 4,000 hectares of land have been transformed into a pop up city with thousands of tents, kitchens and port-a-potties set up for the visitors. More than 40,000 police personnel and cybercrime experts are part of a web of surveillance. And authorities say A.I. will be used to monitor the crowds.

Indian police say they've been conducting security and rescue drills to prepare for any emergencies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There is full security. As you can see, we are alert and prepared. The area is covered by cameras and our foot soldiers in civilian clothing will be present on the ground as well.

SANDOVAL: The festival runs until February 26th, then having it run smoothly without any major security issues would be a win for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has promised to showcase India's religious and cultural symbols to appeal to his Hindu base.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLOMON: Our thanks to Polo and thank you for joining me today. I'm Rahel Solomon in today for Jim.

"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" coming up next.