Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Netanyahu: Ceasefire Won't Begin Until Israel Gets Hostage List; Trump: Mass Deportations Will Begin Very Quickly; TikTok Goes Dark in The U.S. as Shutdown Takes Effect. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired January 19, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:33]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. We are following breaking news at this hour. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that he has told his military forces at the ceasefire in Gaza that it will not begin until Israel has received the names of hostages that Hamas plans to release.

And also Israeli Defense Forces and a spokesperson saying that the Israeli military operations in Gaza will continue until Hamas hands over that list that the Prime Minister mentions. The agreement was supposed to go into effect about half an hour ago. Hamas was to release three hostages on Sunday, while Israel was released 95 Palestinians that it is holding prisoner.

Now each side will release more in the coming weeks. Israeli troops are preparing for a gradual withdrawal from some parts of Gaza, agreement calling for them to move to a buffer zone away from populated areas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing Israel on Saturday, saying that he plans to bring home all of the hostages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The cabinet and the government have approved the plan for the return of our captives. This is a war goal we will not relent on until it is completed. I know that this concern is shared by all the families in Israel. I promise you we will meet all the goals of the war. We will bring everyone home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Meanwhile, Palestinian Civil Defense is warning people that even if the troops are gone, the areas may not be safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD BASAL, SPOKESPERSON, PALESTINIAN CIVIL DEFENSE: For those in Gaza City planning to return to northern Gaza, as well as those in southern areas heading toward Rafah or eastern regions along the border, we strongly urge caution. As is customary, Israeli forces often leave behind remnants of war in these areas, which if disturbed, could result in fatal consequences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

And then there's the aid in Egypt. Hundreds of aid trucks are currently at the Rafah border crossing. They're ready to enter Gaza as soon as the fighting stops.

And then, of course, we take you to Tel Aviv, where demonstrators were on the streets on Saturday night calling for an end of the war just hours before the ceasefire was set to take effect. Members of Israel's far right Jewish Power party say that they will resign from the government on Sunday. The resignations alone will not be enough for Netanyahu's coalition government to collapse.

And then, of course, there are the families of Americans that are held in Gaza. They met on Saturday with U.S. National Security officials and they spoke with members of the Biden administration and also of the incoming President-elect Donald Trump's administration. The father of one of the hostages tells CNN that they received a, what he described as a firm commitment that Trump officials will do everything they can to make sure the hostages are released.

Hamas is believed to be holding three Americans in Gaza, and they also have the remains of at least four others.

Our Salma Abdelaziz is live in London following every step of what we now know is not just a fragile but a very fluid situation on the ground. Salma, what's the latest?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and yet another obstacle, of course, yet another delay that you've mentioned this coming, of course, after Israel says it has not received the list of names, the list of hostages that are set to be released. I do have a fresh quote, a fresh statement for you from the Israeli military spokesperson and I just want to read it directly to you again because this is so fluid.

As of this morning, Hamas has not fulfilled its commitment to the agreement. Again, I'm reading the statement directly. The names of the hostages have yet to be transferred to the State of Israel as of this hour. The IDF continues to strike within the Gaza Strip as long as Hamas does not uphold its commitment to the agreement with all that this implies.

Again, a direct quote saying the bombs continue to fall. The bombs have not fallen silent in Gaza. And of course, for the many families waiting on the Israeli side for those hostages, still no information, still no names according to the Israeli prime minister.

It's hard to overemphasize just how anticipated this peace deal, this ceasefire is for the nearly two million inside Gaza who have suffered 15 months of conflict and war.

[02:05:01]

You have aid trucks, as you mentioned, waiting by, standing by. Under this agreement, 600 aid trucks a day would get into Gaza that is desperately needed help.

Over the course of this conflict, just a trickle of aid has come in. It means that it's not just been bombs and bullets killing Palestinians in Gaza. It's been hunger, it's been disease, it's been lack of access to sanitation and to homes. So absolutely, there is a sense of hope of anticipation that is rising inside the enclave as the clock ticks.

And again, on the Israeli side, you mentioned those demonstrators in Tel Aviv yesterday, gathered, waiting, hoping again to see these hostages come home. So for now, yet another obstacle, yet another delay, and many, many families on all of these sides waiting for more information, waiting for more news. And we'll bring it to you as soon as we have it. Polo.

SANDOVAL: Yes, Salma. It's a deal that was not only anticipated inside Gaza, but also celebrated, as you just mentioned, on the streets of Israel, with those families that were hoping for reunions. Now, once again, another round of uncertainty. So thank you for breaking it all down in such a great way. We'll check back with you, if that's okay.

In the meantime, let's get some expert analysis from Gershon Baskin. He's a former hostage negotiator and the Middle East Director for the International Communities Organization. He joins us now live from Jerusalem. Gershon, talk about a massive developments.

I was not expecting to be really talking about this particular development with you, but with your unique perspective as a negotiator, what is the Prime Minister doing by issuing this 11th hour statement? What does he hope to achieve? Is it just pleasing right wing members of his coalition? Or, as a negotiator, do you think this is an actual smart move that may insist further concessions?

GERSHON BASKIN, FORMER HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR: No, I think what we're seeing here is the difficulty of Hamas to produce the names that it intended to produce, because the Hamas leadership outside doesn't have full control of Gaza inside, and their people are not able to move out freely.

Before they can give a list of names of the three women hostages who are supposed to be released today, they need to verify that they can find them and that they are alive because they promised that there would be three living women hostages who are civilians, not soldiers, released today.

What Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing is making sure that every single letter of the agreement is kept up. It would be a very bad start for this very fragile agreement if in light of a breach by one side, the other side agrees to move forward. Both sides need to stick to what was signed and the mediators need to uphold that both sides will implement what they obligated themselves.

Unfortunately, we have a very bad history between Israel and the Palestinians of the Oslo peace process years when Israel and the PLO signed six agreements and then breached all of them. There needs to be a commitment to implementing what each side took upon themselves. SANDOVAL: And because you mentioned Hamas and for viewers just joining

us, let's quickly remind that statement that's just into CNN with the Israeli military spokesperson insisting that Hamas in their eyes has not fulfilled its obligation. While you have Hamas essentially reiterating its commitment, saying that that technical field reason is to blame for not being able to provide that first batch of names of hostages.

Back though to what we were talking about. There were so many details that held up these negotiations that were months in the making. Are you surprised to see something like a list of names would by all accounts put something that has so many lives on the line on hold now?

BASKIN: Well, it's not only the list of names, it's really all the details that are involved in this agreement. But let's face it, it wasn't the details that were the problem in negotiating this agreement. There wasn't a readiness on the side of Israel to end the war. And Hamas was demand demanding a commitment to end the war even though Netanyahu denies that there is a commitment to buy Israel to end the war in the second 42 day phase.

Apparently promises have been given to Hamas by Egypt and Qatar, apparently by the Trump administration, the incoming administration. And that's what made the difference here. Donald Trump coming into the White House tomorrow is the magical formula that enabled or forced Prime Minister Netanyahu to make a deal that's been on the table since May.

SANDOVAL: Right. He and his envoy really being praised by many as somebody who are -- some people who are instrumental in all this.

Let's talk about the families which are certainly the crucial element here. These are real people who had hopes that they would at least three of them finally see their loved ones again.

[02:10:03]

Now, they're back in this uncertain realm. So what are the families going through right now? Again, you, an expert negotiator, you have sort of ridden this emotional roller coaster with families in the past. What would you tell them?

BASKIN: I would tell them to be patient. The Hamas announced that soon their military spokesperson, Abu Obaida of the spokesperson of Izz al- Din al-Qassam, the military wing of Hamas, will be making an announcement soon. We have to be patient. This is going to happen. Hamas wants this war to end. They want this ceasefire.

Unfortunately, the parties have not negotiated the day after in Gaza a situation of reality in which Hamas will no longer govern Gaza. That's what needs to happen. But right now, the most urgent thing is to stop the shooting, to stop the killing, and to get the hostages home.

To be noted that Israel recovered the body of an Israeli hostage last night in a military operation. This is someone who was killed in July of 2014, and his body has been held hostage all these years. So now we're talking about 97 hostages that Israel is demanding to be returned.

We don't know how many of them are alive and how many are dead. And this is the most tragic thing for the families who are waiting not to know if their loved ones are coming back alive or dead. And if they come back alive, what is their situation? How could they be in any kind of normal situation, both mentally and physically, after so many months of being in captivity, most of them probably in tunnels way underneath the ground of Gaza.

SANDOVAL: And no telling what expects them after they've received -- they're received by their families. And then finally, as an expert, you have analyzed this deal. You've called it a bad deal, but a deal nonetheless. So what would you like to see in terms of the negotiations? If we get to that point on day 16, when Israel and Hamas return to the negotiating table?

BASKIN: The first thing is I've already sent message to Hamas to appeal to them to cut the time of the deal. There's no reason why Phase 1 has to take six weeks. It can take two weeks or three weeks or four weeks. And I appeal to them also to make sure that Phase 2 is much shorter. This is torture for everyone here, and we need to cut the time. If I were in the negotiating room and I had the power to negotiate, this is what I would be seeking.

I know that in September, when I talked to Hamas on behalf of families of hostages, they agreed to do this in three weeks, the entire deal. But they wanted a guarantee to end the war and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. And the Israeli side was not willing to do that.

I must note that the people working for President Biden were also not willing to pick it up because they were so invested in the deal that President Biden put on the table in the end of nine. And this is really tragic because there was a much better opportunity on the table that could have been picked up by everyone and it was allowed to be passed on.

SANDOVAL: Gershon, you have been at negotiating tables so that's why we are lucky to have this insight from you. Thank you very much for sharing that. I know you're going to be up today closely watching this and so will we. Gershon Baskin, thank you.

BASKIN: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: Back in the United States, Donald Trump arrived in Washington on Saturday to kick off really the days of inauguration events started, plans still changing after Monday's ceremonies were moved into wars.

Trump promising his inauguration will be, to use his word, beautiful. Despite the freezing temperatures that are forecast to hit the region. We're now learning that people will be allowed to watch parts of Trump's motorcade travel to the White House, even though thousands of ticket holders will not be able to watch the inauguration in person.

While speaking with NBC News, the President-elect said mass deportations of undocumented immigrants will begin, he said, very quickly after he assumes office, though he did not say which cities would be targeted. Sources have recently told CNN that Washington, D.C., Chicago and Denver could be the first to see Trump's immigration actions.

Sources telling CNN Donald Trump has privately expressed interest in visiting China after being sworn in. They say that he wants to facilitate an open dialogue with Beijing while also pursuing hardline policies against the country. Trump held a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday saying that they have discussed trade, fentanyl and of course, TikTok, among other issues. China's Vice President is attending Trump's inauguration as a special representative for China's President.

We still have much more on this very busy day, including the ceremony that's ahead for Donald Trump and what he plans to do on day one of his second-term.

But first, TikTok is offline. Here's a message you'll likely see on your phone right now. So what's next for its millions of users? We'll speak to some of those folks coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:18:38]

SANDOVAL: TikTok is now offline, actually going down shortly before a ban was slated to go into effect. Let's take a look at the TikTok homepage. This is what you'd see perhaps on your phone right now. It reads, Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now.

Now, a law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. according to what this says. And it goes on to read, unfortunately, that means that you can't use TikTok for now. Again, that's the statement. That's the message that you'd like to see on your phone.

But the question is, what will happen next? Perhaps 170 million American users could see service return as soon as Monday after Donald Trump takes office. The President-elect, who in 2020 expressed concerns about TikTok, has also recently said that he will, quote, most likely delay a ban on the app for 90 days. But again, he hasn't made a final decision.

The app, it threatened to go offline on Sunday unless the Biden administration assured the company that there would be no punishment for violations of that law. The White House called the warning a stunt and said that the issue now belongs to Donald Trump. CNN's Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter has more on how he got to this point.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Hey there. Yes, TikTok has gone dark in the United States. Everyone wants to know what happens next. But to understand it, let's go back in time about five years to see how we've reached this point.

[02:20:03]

It was in 2020 that then President Donald Trump expressed concerns about TikTok, warning that the Chinese controlled app was a danger to Americans. This idea about a ban took years to really gather steam.

I remember interviewing Republican allies of Trump in 2022 and in 2023 about the importance of a ban. Once it was brought before all of Congress in 2024, the House of Representatives passed this bill with bipartisan support. This was not a close vote. There was a lot of support for this ban and President Biden signed it into law.

There are still some Republican lawmakers who support this ban, like Senator Tom Cotton. He said the other day on X that ByteDance and its, quote, Chinese communist masters have had nine months to sell TikTok. The very fact that they have refused to reveals, quote, exactly what TikTok is. He calls it a communist spy app.

But there are so many other voices in this conversation, so many other people, including influencers and business owners who rely on TikTok, who are worried about the impacts of this ban. And frankly, their voices have been louder in recent days while the voices warning about national security have been more muted. I think that's because President-elect Trump has been out in front since suggesting that he will find a way to save this app. He will find a way to save TikTok.

And that has caused some Republican Party members to start to quiet their concerns. We've also heard from Democrats in the U.S. who want this app to stay online. It seems that the Biden administration is just punting this issue to the incoming administration. And that's why we're in this strange in between period right now, where TikTok is briefly unavailable in the U.S. but everyone believes it will come back online once Trump takes the oath of office on Monday.

When I say everyone that includes the employees at TikTok. Here's an internal memo that I obtained two employees on Saturday night talking about this impending ban and saying, quote, we are fortunate that President Trump has indicated he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office.

That's the big question now. What will Trump do? How will he do it? And can he find a way to keep this entertainment and communications platform online despite all of the national security concerns. Back to you.

SANDOVAL: And Brian, those are just some of the many questions that a lot of people are dealing with, including our next guest joining us out of Los Angeles is Koosha Nouri. He's a social strategist and also a content creator. Koosha, thank you so much for joining us on what has been a very eventful last few hours, especially for you. How are you doing?

KOOSHA NOURI, SOCIAL STRATEGIST, CONTENT CREATOR: Hi there. Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: So let's dive right in. How is this already affecting your work? Or is it too soon to say?

NOURI: It might be too soon to say, but a huge feeling of sort of the unknown has really approached us. Obviously, there's been conversations around a potential TikTok ban for over a year now, but for a lot of people, it has been operating business as usual because a lot of the time with marketing, advertising, there's so much logistics involved, they have no choice but to just plan ahead and rely on things to go smoothly.

So right now, I think with budgets already being prepared for the year and with a lot of people's ducks in a row around the app already existing, people are potentially scrambling to figure out what the next step is.

SANDOVAL: Koosha, tell me about how this impacts more than just influencers, more than just content creators. I mean, you're talking talent, agencies, product sponsors, marketing teams, heck, news organizations as well, like CNN who share some of their reporting on TikTok. So tell me if you could just expand the perspective for so many people who think maybe it's just the person that they're seeing on those clips.

NOURI: Yeah, as you said, 170 million users daily on this app. And it really is with the creator community with or the creator economy, as we're starting to say. The foundation is community. And a lot of that not only translates in people joining together, feeling educated on the app, but businesses driving major revenue, specifically small businesses. We saw over $24 billion created on this app within small businesses.

And there's a lot of players in this mix. Content creators like myself, agencies, consulting firms, small businesses that sell directly on the app. And I think that's why there's such a collective outpour of sadness in a lot of ways, because not only is it about monetary impact, but it's about the loss of the community as well.

SANDOVAL: Do you think this may actually be an opportunity for other platforms? You're talking maybe YouTube, Meta, that they could capitalize on this and maybe lure back some of these users to their platform?

[02:25:03]

NOURI: Yeah. So the basis of TikTok has always viewed creators as consultants and really empowering creators and really empowering creators and businesses in a way that utilizes their strategy and their ability to get really nimble within Internet trends and translate that into business to really mobilize selling product, selling services, marketing things. So I do think the positive side of that is that that's spilled over onto other platforms.

You see Meta operating at an all-time high. You see YouTube and rolling out YouTube shorts with really, really good sort of operating systems, the way they include community. And I do think there has been a total spillover that allows creators to really feel empowered, not only on TikTok but across the board.

It's really important for creators and businesses to remember that you need to diversify your presence across the internet. It is such a dynamic environment and the way that we are constantly operating in the unknown in a lot of ways because this is still such a new realm within the economy. It feels like a sector that's constantly changing.

So I don't think hope should be lost at all. I think there is a ton of potential to empower the creator economy across Meta platforms, across YouTube or any other emerging platforms we may see, because it really is the job of creators to be nimble with the internet as it moves.

SANDOVAL: And then I think we should also, as part of this conversation, we should also consider maybe what other countries have done. So they're other countries that have some form of restriction on TikTok. There's some companies even here in the U.S., government agencies that have banned it from their employees phones.

And then we've heard from psychologists who've expressed concern that TikTok could maybe contribute to a mental health crisis among teens. So you know, asking an unpopular question right now for some, could a world without TikTok's algorithm be a good thing? And again, I ask this fully aware of also all the positive benefits and the communities that have really flourished using this platform. So is a world without TikTok really a bad thing?

NOURI: I think you raise a really good question around the international impact that certain countries that haven't had it since 2020. I feel like India is a great example of that and has been kind of used as a case study because they haven't had TikTok since 2020. And one thing that a lot of consumers within that country have seen is a significant decrease in discourse online, which to be honest, should be something that concerns Americans because discourse is the heart of our country.

Everything is based off of open discussion, open information, and honestly, the freedom to express yourself. And I think that's something that has been really driven home both within our conversation as just citizens and up into the government making this decision. So I think there's levels to it and how it can affect sort of our patterns as consumers.

So there is going to be maybe consequences for the good. Obviously, a lot of time is spent on the app. But in the other hand, I think free information and the freedom of expression now in our digital age online is something that needs to be treated like basic freedom of speech.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, it is absolutely a delicate balance. But for now, along with you, we wait to see what will happen perhaps on Monday and beyond. Koosha Nouri, thank you so much for offering your perspective on this. You're one of many people out there we're being affected by this. We appreciate you.

NOURI: Thanks so much for having me.

SANDOVAL: Anytime.

All right, so there's much more to come here on CNN, including Donald Trump. He is not yet back in office, but the streets of Washington, D.C. they've already been filled with people protesting against him on Saturday. Stay with us. You're watching CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:32:27]

SANDOVAL: And this just to CNN. The Israeli military says that it has carried out a new strike in Gaza after an expected ceasefire was delayed. Israel Defense forces saying that artillery and aircraft struck what they describe as a number of terror targets in northern and central Gaza.

Now, the Israel-Hamas ceasefire was scheduled to begin about an hour ago. And yet this is the latest news in some of the pictures that have emerged from the area recently. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that he has told the Israeli military that it will not begin until it has received the names of hostages that Hamas will release.

Now, under the agreement, Hamas was supposed to hand over three hostages on Sunday, and Israel was to release 95 Palestinians that it's been holding prisoner. Each side would release more in the coming weeks. Israeli troops are now preparing for a gradual withdraw from some parts of Gaza. But again, at least that's the plan. The agreement calling for them to move to a buffer zone away from populated areas. But if tonight's taught us anything, is that anything could change at any moment.

Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, some Palestinians, they are already returning to places that they fled because of fighting. This was a scene just a short time ago in Gaza City. Right now, hundreds of aid trucks, they are at the Rafah border crossing. They are supposed to enter Gaza as soon as the fighting stops. But again, some of those pictures reminding us that that has not yet happened. Nada Bashir has more on that situation on the ground.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a lot of pressure on this deal, getting to work as soon as possible. A lot of questions still up in the air. And of course, in terms of the framework, in terms of what we're expecting to see today, the hope is that three Israeli hostages will be released from captivity in Gaza by Hamas. Following their release and their return into Israeli territory, that's what we can expect to see, the release of some Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Now, over the course of the next six weeks, we're expecting to see hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released, and of course, 33 Israeli hostages released. Today, we are expecting around 95 Palestinian prisoners and detainees to be released. That includes 70 women, 25 men, among them, 10 minors under the age of 18.

Important to underscore, at least 30 of them have been held under administrative detention, a deeply controversial practice, which essentially means there are no charges laid against them and no ongoing legal process. But of course, this is all dependent on the terms of that agreement being upheld and on, of course, Hamas releasing those names as soon as possible.

[02:35:02]

And, of course, this all going to plan, as is hoped by so many.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOMAN #1: We won't go back. We won't go back. We won't go back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: The sights and sounds of protests in the nation's capital in Washington, D.C. Thousands marching there on Saturday to express their anger at Donald Trump's policies and his return to the White House. The turnout at Saturday's so called People's March was smaller than the Women's March which happened back in 2017. But still many people wore the pink hats. Seeing the previous anti-Trump marches. We remember these pictures from years back.

Demonstrators wound -- essentially they made their way past the White House and onto the National Mall for a rally. Trump says that he plans to get to work very quickly after he sworn in on Monday. CNN's Alayna Treene with more on what we could expect from him.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, President-elect Donald Trump and his team are planning a slate of executive orders to be issued on his first day in office, some of which I'm told are actually expected to be signed by him immediately after being sworn in at the Capitol Rotunda, but then more as well to be issued later in the day.

Now, one of the biggest issues that some of these early orders are going to be focused on, I'm told, is all about immigration. Now, Donald Trump has promised repeatedly throughout his time on the campaign trail to try and round up illegal immigrants in this country and deport them. And that's exactly what some of this early action is going to look like.

We're told that you should expect ICE raids through major metropolitan cities, sweeps through cities like Washington, D.C., Chicago and Denver. And Donald Trump actually addressed some of this in an interview with NBC on Saturday. He said essentially that he wants to begin very early, very quickly with some of these actions in some of these cities, but wouldn't say exactly where.

Now, some of the other actions were told related to immigration as well as Donald Trump and his team are considering a national emergency declaration to try and free up some of the resources from the Pentagon to be sent to the southern border. As well as looking at different asylum restrictions and really rolling back some of what Joe Biden has done, some of which of course was him undoing what Donald Trump had done during his first time in office.

Now, we did hear from one of Donald Trump's advisers on Saturday, speaking with CNN's Jessica Dean, really walking through some of this action that is expected to be taken. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JASON MILLER, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: When you go back to the campaign trail, what President Trump would talk about is that local law enforcement really knows where the criminal illegals are. And so partnering up with local law enforcement to make sure that we go and target the folks who are the really bad actors. We're talking to transnational gang members. We're talking to people that we know that are criminal illegals that are here in this country that quite frankly, are a danger to society.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, you heard Miller tell Jessica there that really one of the big focuses is going to be on targeting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in this country. That is definitely a big focus, I'm told, for Donald Trump on day one.

But not all of those early executive orders are going to be focused on immigration. I'm told there's also going to be some orders focused on trade and the economy, as well as energy. So a lot that Donald Trump is planning to do on day one, just shortly after being sworn in. Alayna Treene, CNN, Washington.

SANDOVAL: And before he implements those policies, we have to have an inauguration. And Ron Brownstein knows a thing or two about how those go. He's a CNN Senior Political Analyst and Senior Editor of the Atlantic, and he joins us. He's staying up late with us from Los Angeles.

Ron, I have really been looking -- it's great to have you. And I have really been looking forward to this conversation because, like we said, you know, a thing or two about moving these inaugurations indoors, heck, you were there. You covered it

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I was there.

SANDOVAL: -- as a White House and National Political Correspondent the last time this happened. So, Ron, recalling on that moment when Ronald Reagan was sworn in at the Capitol, what kind of atmosphere could we expect on Monday?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, one thing that's different is that, as I recall, and I went back and checked all of it in some of the coverage at the time. The Reagan inaugural was moved indoors at really the last minute. They didn't announce it until Sunday afternoon and doing it on Monday, and it had a very improvisational feel as a result. I mean, it was a few hundred people crammed into the Capitol Rotunda.

I was there solely because as a junior reporter, I was like the only person in the office at the magazine National Journal, where I was working on Monday morning when the White House press office called and said, hey, you guys are the White House pool today. Do you want to go to the inauguration? And I was like, well, I guess I got nothing else to do today. Sure, I'll go.

And, you know, I ended up sitting on the press riser with a senator, like, sitting next to me on the edge on the wood, you know? [02:40:05]

So it was -- Reagan gave a terrific speech, but it was kind of really thrown together at the last minute.

I suspect this will be a little, you know, this will have a little more structure and planning to it. I suspect the chairs will be nicer. As I remember, they were basically metal folding chairs for most of the people there.

But it is a very different atmosphere, you know, when you're outside and speaking to tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people, yeah, you kind of swing for the rafter, you know, swing for the fences a little bit. A little more maybe bombastic.

This is a much more intimate setting. And it is going to be different, even though people are going to be watching it on TV. And I do wonder if they're going to be adjusting the speech at all to reflect the narrower confines in which it'll be delivered.

SANDOVAL: I remember when I lived in Washington during inauguration time. It is a massive operation. So clearly, obviously, there'll be a change in atmosphere, as you just mentioned. What about the challenges, though, the logistical challenges of moving the pomp and circumstance of an inaugural event from a massive national mall that could potentially accommodate thousands? The master (ph) --

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah (inaudible) --

SANDOVAL -- who would actually show up (inaudible) --

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, but not only the mall, but like the podium. I mean --

SANDOVAL: Yeah.

BROWNSTEIN: -- how many people are on the podium and are they all going to be able --

SANDOVAL: Sure.

BROWNSTEIN: -- to fit into the rotunda? I mean, you know, I thought it was like four or five hundred people, you know.

SANDOVAL: Yeah.

BROWNSTEIN: And, you know, that doesn't get you very far down your list of, you know, people who really expect to be there. Now, I think he's going to, as Reagan did, I think he's going to do some kind of indoor rally again after, rather than parade, you know, down Pennsylvania Avenue.

But there are going to be a lot of disappointed supporters. I mean, you know, it's just very different kind of thing. And I tell you, you know, whoever is making the guest list, it is pretty brutal pruning when you're going from thousands to hundreds, hundreds, maybe tens of thousands to hundreds.

SANDOVAL: And here I was really looking forward to one particular Vermont senator's choice of Mittens this year.

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah (inaudible) --

SANDOVAL: I think we're going to have to wait for that. Let's switch gears a little bit here and talk a little bit about the politics that await us. During the campaign, Trump's message was mostly directed at his base. At Monday, however, he has a chance to address from the Capitol, the nation as a whole.

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.

SANDOVAL: Do you think that he may seize at all on that opportunity, Ron?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, it is a bigger opportunity. There's no question about that. If you compare where he is now to where he was in 2017, he has a broader audience that is open to listening to him. I think in many ways, his situation is very similar to Ronald Reagan's after Jimmy Carter. I mean, there was a widespread sense in the country that was the first presidential race I wrote about, there was a widespread sense in the country that Carter had failed to deliver what he promised.

And as a result, there were a lot of voters who were traditionally outside of the Republican coalition who are open to what Reagan had to say and do. And Reagan was pretty darn successful at speaking to that broader audience. You know, ultimately winning 49 states and 59% of the vote in his 1984 reelection.

I think there's a lot of similarity to the situation that Trump inherits in that there is a pretty broad consensus in the country among a lot of different groups and a lot of different places that they didn't get what they expected out of the Biden administration. A 60% disapproval rating nearly in the exit polls and in the vote cast. And that creates an opportunity underlining that word for Trump.

Trump, in his first-term, really made very little effort to appeal beyond his base. I mean, he used Blue America more as a foil, really, attacking blue America as a way to rally his base that he did to try to court Blue America. His instincts are, I think, those of a base politician who focuses on division. But he definitely has an opportunity here. We'll see if he can be anywhere near as successful as Reagan in speaking to that broader audience.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, the bar is certainly much higher. Forty years ago, it was seven degrees, Ron Brownstein, where you were watching the inauguration. I'm glad that you get to enjoy it from the sunny west coast this year. Thank you for the

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.

SANDOVAL: -- perspective. Always great --

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: All right, have a good night.

All right. Well, still after the break, the app giant TikTok, it's going dark. Actually went dark, right? With millions of U.S. users now in limbo, can the app be saved? Will it be back in a couple of days? We'll find out next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:48:19]

SANDOVAL: Yeah, you likely know by now in the U.S. TikTok is now offline as a shutdown over Chinese ties goes into effect earlier than expected too. A notice from the app giant says this. It reads, Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now.

American users could regain access though, as soon as Monday when Donald Trump takes over the White House. The President-elect says that he will, quote, most likely delay a ban on TikTok for 90 days, but he's yet to make a final decision.

Earlier, the app threatened to go down on Sunday unless a Biden administration made assurances that there would be no punishment for any violations of that law. The White House called the warning a stunt and said that this was Trump's problem now.

Well, elsewhere, Russia is calling its latest deadly attack on Ukraine's capital retaliation for Ukraine's use of Western missiles, including U. S made ones. On Saturday, Russia launched a massive air attack on Kyiv, killing three people in the center of the city. Three more people were wounded during the attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that residential buildings, a metro station and other civilian infrastructure were damaged in the attack. Ukraine's air force command says Russia launched 39 drones and four missiles overnight on Saturday. Officials in the city of Zaporizhzhia say that a missile attack killed one person and wounded 11 others.

The head of the regional military administration posted this video that you're watching on social media. It's showing the destruction of businesses and residential buildings there. The governor of the neighboring Kherson region says that two more people were killed by Russian attacks there.

[02:50:00]

Much of the United States will be facing some freezing temperatures as winter storms set in. That means Monday's inauguration, it is going to be the coldest on record since Ronald Reagan was sworn in back in 1985. It was seven degrees back then. The forecast is straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: An update now on the situation in California. 41,000 people were still affected by evacuation orders in Los Angeles as of Saturday, and that's down though from more than 170,000 at the height of the wildfires. The containment it has improved for the Eaton and the Palisades fires, both of them deadly, as you recall.

In some areas of LA, a curfew is still in place. In Santa Monica, though all curfews and evacuation warnings, they have been lifted. And also the Pacific Coast Highway, a crucial artery there, it's now open again, as well as several local streets. So perhaps a sign of normalcy finally, some. But as conditions do improve on the ground, many are now faced with what to do and how to cope in the wake of such devastation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER SEIFERT, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: The kids, their schools burned down, Little League burned down. Altadena Musical Theater burned down. My business CRXEATIVITY, RX used to do all my festivals in Altadena because that's where I live and that's where we raise our children.

[02:55:07]

It's all gone. It's all gone.

WOMAN #2: How does it feel to not be able to be in your housing without standing?

SEIFERT: It's a really -- it's bizarre actually, because it's a survivor's guilt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Elsewhere in the country, a massive winter storm will have much of the United States facing serious freezing weather the next few days. You see the potential impact. They're affecting many states and millions of residents and that includes Washington, D.C. where the presidential inauguration is set to take place. CNN's Meteorologist Allison Chinchar with that forecast.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The inauguration is set for Monday in Washington, D.C. and it is expected to be bitter cold, the high temperature only likely making it up to 25 degrees. You factor in that northwest wind, it is going to feel like it is only in the single digits. This would make it the coldest inauguration since Ronald Reagan's second inauguration back in 1985 when the temperature was only in the single digits.

Now, all of this cold air is coming in behind the cold front that's expected to bring rain and snow along the east coast as we go into the day on Sunday. And that cold air is really going to drop. Look at Minneapolis. These are low temperatures, not the wind chill. The temperatures themselves, -17 in Minneapolis Tuesday morning. It's going to get down to 11 degrees Tuesday morning in Washington, D.C.

The high temperatures not much better. Even some southern cities like Atlanta, for example, is barely going to make it above the freezing mark as we head into the early portion of this week. Now, the rain and snow component to that front, mostly rain on the south side where those temperatures will be mild at least on Sunday.

Farther north, that cold air is in place. You're going to see snow for portions of the mid-Atlantic as well as the Northeast. And yes, that does include Washington, D.C., Baltimore and even Philadelphia. The snow itself will be out entirely by the time we get to late Monday morning. But that cold air sweeps in behind it, which means any of the snow that likely falls is going to be there for quite some time.

SANDOVAL: That is way too much blue on a map. Thank you for watching the last hour. I'm back in a moment with more headlines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)