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IDF Spokesman Says, Israeli Military To Continue Activities In Gaza Until Hamas Lists Hostages To Be Freed; TikTok Goes Dark In The U.S. As Shutdown Takes Effect; Trump Kicks Off Inauguration Events At His Golf Club. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 19, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of our viewers watching in the United States and around the world. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York City.

The Israeli military says that it's carried out a new strike in Gaza after an expected and in many cases celebrated ceasefire that was supposed to happen, but now delayed. The Israel Defense Forces saying that artillery and aircraft struck what they say was a number of terror targets in Northern and Central Gaza.

The Israel-Hamas ceasefire was scheduled to begin about 90 minutes ago, yet we're seeing these recent images of plumes of smoke rising from the area after the attack, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that he is told that the Israeli military -- he's told it that it will not begin until Israel has received the names of the hostages that Hamas had promised to release.

Hamas, for its part, saying earlier that it remains committed to the agreement and blamed what it described as technical reasons for its delay in providing said names.

Meanwhile in Northern Gaza, some Palestinians are already returning to places that they fled because of fighting. This was the scene just a short time ago in Gaza City.

Meanwhile, in Egypt, hundreds of aid trucks, they are at the Rafah border crossing. They are ready to enter Gaza as soon as the fighting stops, which, again, in those pictures, a reminder, it's still ongoing.

Our Salma Abdelaziz live in London following every step of this very fluid situation. We were all waiting for that ceasefire to essentially kick in an hour-and-a-half ago. Where are we now?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are still seeing bombs rain down on Gaza. The guns have not fell silent. But despite this, despite the sky still falling on Gazans, they -- some of them are heading home. We have live pictures to show you of families making their way to the north of Gaza. Again, this is a mid bombardment, but I think it's a sign of just how desperate things are on the ground. You can't forget the dire situation there. Nearly every single home, nearly every single individual has been during this conflict. You have a medical infrastructure that's entirely collapsed, more than 46,000 people who are killed. People are desperate to make it to whatever shelter they can.

So, you're looking at those live images of people making it again to areas in these in the north to find out what's left really of their homes. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled.

As you've emphasized, this ceasefire is currently now delayed. Prime Minister Netanyahu says he has yet to receive a list of names, the names of hostages that Hamas intends to release. Hamas has acknowledged this. They say the delay is due to a technical failure, and Hamas says it remains committed to the ceasefire agreement.

It's difficult to overemphasize just how anticipated this deal is. You mentioned also the trucks waiting at the Rafah border, crossing hundreds of aid trucks. Under this deal, you would have 600 aid trucks a day crossing into Gaza. That is a huge improvement on the tiny trickle of help that was coming in during the 15-month conflict.

And, again, as you're looking at those pictures, as you are imagining those human rights workers on the border awaiting that deal, awaiting the guns to fall silent, you can't forget that for those two million Gazans trapped in the strip. It is not just the bombs and bullets that have been killing people. It is a lack of food. It is a lack of sanitation. It is disease. So, that will be the first thing that they address.

SANDOVAL: As you were bringing this up to speed, we're showing our viewers those trucks that are parked where they should not be. And now it has to be agonizing for those millions of people you just mentioned to see those trucks on the other side of the border instead of coming their way.

Very quickly, earlier, you did say that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he talked about what he described as meeting the goals of the war, as he put it. Help me kind of read between the lines.

[03:05:00]

What does he mean by that, Salma?

ABDELAZIZ: Yes. And it was just yesterday in Tel Aviv that people were gathered again to show their support for the families of hostages, the families that are waiting again with bated breath for this ceasefire to take hold. According to this deal, three hostages should be released at about 4:00 P.M. local time, if it goes ahead, three female civilians.

Now, I do want you to take a listen to what Prime Minister Netanyahu again said about those hostages and his aim to bring them all home.

(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)

ABDELAZIZ: Now, to put this into context, throughout this conflict, some of the families of hostages, some Israeli citizens, have accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of essentially prolonging this war, of dragging his feet to reaching a ceasefire deal in order to hold political power. So, you can sense that that anticipation, that frustration, is still going to be taking place until that ceasefire is in effect.

Important to remember here that some 94 hostages are still believe held by Hamas and its allies, some of those hostages, of course, no longer alive, meaning that today is real could see or in the coming days rather could see that some of those returning are returning in body bags. Polo?

SANDOVAL: No doubt the prime minister also feeling that pressure from the incoming U.S. president, Donald Trump.

Salma Abdelaziz, thank you for laying out so many different moving components and all this. We will let you get back to your reporting. Thank you.

Let's now head to Gideon Levy. He is a columnist for the Haaretz. He also has served as an adviser to former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. He joins me now from Tel Aviv.

We spoke yesterday about the situation, and you and I were talking about how perhaps we should hold our breath, because anything could happen in the next 24 hours. Well, here we are now an hour-and-a-half into what was supposed to be this the ceasefire and the prime minister making that statement, essentially making that 11th hour delay.

What's -- help me understand this. What could be the prime minister's thinking, Gideon? Is it he's just trying to perhaps please some of those far right members of his coalition, or could this be a wise negotiating tactic as he tries to seek out more concessions from Hamas?

GIDEON LEVY, COLUMNIST, HAARETZ: So, first of all, I promised you yesterday that the first phase will be on track today, and I still do so now, even though right now it's very confusing because there is a delay, but those delays usually are technical. I don't think that Netanyahu wants now to break the deal, by all means not. The real challenge will be for the second phase. And, first of all, let's implement the first one. And I truly believe that Hamas has some technical problems in finding the hostages, in deciding God knows what.

But I think we should use our patience and we waited for so long. Let's wait a few more hours. And I really hope I can. I think that the whole deal of all the negotiations and agreements and all kinds of versions after all those months of negotiations, it will break now. No way.

SANDOVAL: So, your opinion, if I'm hearing you correctly, Gideon, you think that it is -- there's so much writing on this, months of work into this, that it shouldn't derail over simply a list of those hostages that were already prepared to be handed over?

LEVY: Exactly. I couldn't phrase it better. And I really hope that within the very, very few hours, everything will be settled down. We had in the past delays of the last minute, all kinds of confusions. But by the end of the day, I think by the end of this, we will see the hostages free and the Palestinian prisoners. Let's not forget them, hundreds of them who will go back to their families.

SANDOVAL: And I see your point that this is -- we've waited months for this. What's a few more hours? Though in the most recent reporting, we now have confirmation from IDF sources that there has been yet another attack, another aerial assault that has been launched. We've seen those images of smoke rising from portions of Gaza. So, could you just perhaps emphasize how, though it is a delay that hopefully will not -- will be short lived, there's still serious consequences with every minute that goes by that this ceasefire isn't actually active.

Are we likely to see more of these kinds of scenes, these pictures that have emerged from the Israeli-Gaza border just a few moments ago of smoke rising from the area after an air assault?

[03:10:007]

LEVY: Absolutely. If there will be a delay, that's the way of Israel to put pressure on Hamas. The real question is why did Israel do so in the last 48 hours when there was already a deal signed, and Israel killed at least 180 more people, at least over 20 women and over 20 children. What was this needed for? Really, those last bloody 48 hours in Gaza were so unnecessary and showed so much that Israel is, many times, killing for the sake of killing.

What did they do? What did it serve this mass killing of 48 hours, 180 people? What did it serve the interest of Israel? Did it make Israel a safer place? Did it make the deal better? I mean, you can't understand it, but let's now cross our fingers for very, very soon implementation of the first phase.

SANDOVAL: I absolutely see your point about pleading for patience at the same time for the Israeli families who have been waiting to see their loved ones. Patience has to be -- must be a luxury. They've waited for months to see their loved ones. Many of them were waiting literally minutes to receive word that their loved ones were on their way. So, what do you think is going on right now within those families that have been hoping that Sunday would be the day, but now it could potentially be in the coming days, depending on what we see, of course?

LEVY: I can imagine. Don't forget that it's not only this. The families don't know exactly who is going to be released today and they don't know at all who is alive and who is not. And they are torn. And, I mean, I wouldn't like to go through this hell. I wouldn't wish it to my greatest enemies. We cannot understand it. It must be hell. But let me also say that hundreds and hundreds of Palestinian families are stopping their breaths now because they are waiting to see their beloved ones after decades, part of them after many decades of Israeli prison, which is not always much better conditions than the hostages were in Gaza.

SANDOVAL: On that really important point, we have to leave it. As you said, it is reunions on both sides that are at least on a pause for now and also that respite in Gaza. Let's hope that that does come sooner rather than later.

Gideon Levy, we're lucky to have your insight. Thank you very much for taking the time.

LEVY: Thank you for

SANDOVAL: Of course. So, meanwhile, the question, what's next for millions of TikTok users? Here's the message that you probably saw in the United States and if you try to open that up. We'll be right back with more.

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[03:15:00]

SANDOVAL: The app TikTok delivering on its threat. It is now offline in the United States, actually going down shortly before a ban was slated to go into effect. Let's take a look at the TikTok homepage right now. This is what you'd see if you try to log on to their homepage. Can you see it? I can read it for you. They said, sorry, TikTok isn't available right now.

A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now. In the meantime, you can still log in and download your data, they say.

So, the question though, what happens next? Perhaps 170 million American users could see service return as soon as Monday, after Donald Trump is sworn into office. You see, the president-elect, who in 2020 expressed concerns about TikTok, now says that he will, quote, most likely delay a ban on the app for at least 90 days. But he hasn't actually made a final decision. So, who knows what will happen next.

CNN's Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter has more on how he got here in the first place.

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. 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 weren't warning about national security have been more muted. I think that's because President-elect Trump has been out in front 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?

[03:20:07]

Back to you.

SANDOVAL: Our next guest joining us at 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, products, 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: Yes. As you said, 170 million users daily on this app. And it really is with the creator community or the creator economy as we're starting to say the foundation is community. And a lot of that not only translates and 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 beta that they could capitalize on this and maybe lure back some of these users to their platform.

NOURI: Yes, so the basis of TikTok has always viewed creators as consultants and really empowering creators and businesses in a way that utilizes their strategy and their ability to get really nimble with an 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, there are other countries that have some form of restriction on TikTok. There're some companies even here in the US government agencies that have banned it from their employees, phones. And that we've heard from psychologists who have 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 asked 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.

[03:25:06]

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 on 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: Yes, 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 who are being affected by this. We appreciate you.

NOURI: Thanks so much for having me.

SANDOVAL: Still on the way, there are new Israeli airstrikes in Gaza just a short time ago, and that happened not long after a ceasefire was supposed to begin. We're going to have the very latest out of the region coming up next in the CNN Newsroom.

Plus, the celebration's beginning as Donald Trump prepares to take the oath of office for a second time.

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[03:30:00]

SANDOVAL: Breaking at this hour, 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 he described as a number of terror targets in Northern and Central Gaza. Gaza Civil Defense and hospital officials say that the latest strikes killed at least ten Palestinians. Again, this is when a ceasefire was supposed to be in place.

The Israel-Hamas ceasefire was scheduled to begin about 90 minutes ago or so, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he has told his military that it will not begin until Israel has received the names of the hostages that Hamas was supposed to release.

Hamas, for its part, said earlier Sunday that it remains committed to that agreement that was months in the making, and Hamas blaming what it described as technical reasons for this delay.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, millions of men, women, and children, they are waiting for the ceasefire to begin. They are desperate for peace and also for a chance to rebuild their lives after all this time, despite the immense hurdles and the rubble that is in their way.

Paula Hancocks shows us what's ahead for them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is the closest these girls can get to going to school in Gaza, trying to teach each other in this school building turned displacement center, desperate for an end to the war which abruptly stopped their education, their safety, their normality 15 months ago.

Sabah Ahmed Abu Uda (ph) remembers her friends, girls, she says were killed in Beit Hanoun at the start of the war.

We used to play together, she says, make lunch, do our homework and study. We did everything together. I'm sad I won't find them when I go home.

Noor (ph) is 12 years old and has been displaced, she says, seven times during this war. She wants to go home to see what happened to her school friend, who she hasn't heard from for a year after her home was destroyed.

I just want to go home, she says. I want my belongings, my toys, my memories.

Northern Gaza has been decimated by Israeli airstrikes in recent months. There's no guarantee Noor's family will have a home to go back to.

Abdulrahman Salama (ph) digs through the rubble of his home in Khan Younis, hoping to find a blanket or a mattress, anything, to help his family living in a tent by the winter sea.

There are no memories, he says. Our life has vanished. There's no future.

Abu Samir (ph) walks through his neighborhood, a place he says residents no longer recognize. He asks about the day after,

Let's say a truce happens, he says, and the residents of this area return, where do they go? Is this area fit for humans to live in?

With 90 percent of the population displaced, the dream of going home is prevalent, even when they know their home is likely just rubble.

Mohammed Abu Ubaid (ph) knows her house is unlikely to have survived in the largely leveled city of Rafah in the south.

I swear when the ceasefire comes, she says, I will celebrate and rejoice and I will not sleep all night. We hope that this cloud of despair finally lifts. Hope and despair go hand in Gaza.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: For more perspective on the reality on the ground in Gaza, we do want to go to Juliette Touma. She's the director of communications for the U.N. Agency for Palestine Refugees. She's joining us from Amman, Jordan. Juliette, thank you very much for taking time to check in with us.

JULIETTE TOUMA, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, UNRWA: Thanks for having me.

SANDOVAL: And certainly on a very, very eventful last hour-and-a-half or so. I wish we were talking about a current active ceasefire. Your organization publicly welcomed this ceasefire and hostage deal that is at least for now on pause. And we also heard from your commissioner general that called for, and I'll read this directly from him, for a rapid read, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access to those suffering in the war.

One thing is to provide that level of passage when it's possible. But what about the logistics of getting all that aid distributed in Gaza? What authority is even capable of doing it in war ravaged Gaza?

[03:35:01]

TOUMA: Yes. Well, first of all, I think what is really, really critical is for this ceasefire to come into effect as soon as possible. So, really holding our breath here and hoping for the best, also because the lives of millions of people in Gaza and in Israel rely on this deal. With regards to humanitarian aid, what is really needed is a boost of supplies going into the Gaza Strip, not only humanitarian aid, but also commercial supplies for the markets, for the private sector.

SANDOVAL: And I'm sure you heard the report from my colleague just a few moments ago before we went to you and the voice of a woman in Gaza saying that she will not be able to sleep until that ceasefire is in effect. So it's certainly, it must be extremely heartbreaking and just absolutely devastating for another delay.

Let's talk more about the logistics. How does the U.N. ensure that the aid gets where it needs to be, all the aid that you just mentioned and that it's done lawful and also orderly? We all remember last November when dozens of UNRWA aid carrying trucks were looted or lost. So, once that ability is there to go into the region, how does it happen in an organized way?

TOUMA: Look, our teams are on the ground. We have thousands of employees who work for UNRWA who are seasoned aid workers, who are there to deliver those supplies. We have hundreds of thousands of people who continue to take shelter in UNRWA buildings. So, the aid will be brought from the crossing point as soon as it's allowed in, as we normally do when these aid shipments happen, and then we will deliver straight to the shelters and the people in need.

It's going to depend quite a lot on the security overall on whether, for example, the police will be allowed to deploy because that helped us a lot in securing these convoys and reducing the looting that you referred to.

SANDOVAL: And as you're speaking, we're sharing with our viewers images from the region, specifically from the Rafah border crossing, where we're seeing all these trucks basically staging and waiting for that green light to be able to move in to provide that critical aid that you just laid out. What are you -- what's your organization currently telling those teams that are on the ground that are basically just kind of caught waiting in a circle pattern?

TOUMA: Yes, our teams are waiting patiently, first of all, for the ceasefire to come into effect because everybody is absolutely exhausted. And this is a moment that they've been waiting for many, many months now. You see, since the war began, there's been only one very short lived humanitarian pause, and that was more than a year ago.

And so everybody's waiting with anticipation. They're ready to deliver supplies as soon as they are let in.

SANDOVAL: Yes, it has to be just heartbreaking for them to have to sit there and wait for that green light. But we got word just a few moments ago of another airstrike in Gaza, a sobering reminder of the risks of going in before that ceasefire takes place, or at least becomes active.

Juliette Touma, thank you very much. It's great to see you. And we certainly hope that this pause is short lived for everybody involved. All right, stick around, much more coverage on the other side of the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:40:00]

SANDOVAL: It'll be a very busy 24 hours for Donald Trump. He arrived in Washington on Saturday to kick off days of inauguration events. He held a special celebration at his golf club, including a fireworks show. There he is with the future first lady. You can see also that there was a cabinet reception and also a vice presidential dinner.

Trump promising that his inauguration will be, as he put it, beautiful, despite the freezing temperatures forecast for Monday. Plans are still changing after the ceremony was moved indoors. So, crews there having to scramble to make that work. We're now learning that people will be allowed to watch part of Trump's motorcade travel to the White House, even though thousands of ticket holders will not be able to actually watch the inauguration in person, because space is tight there, as you can see.

The Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies have to quickly adapt their security plans now. But CNN senior law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey says moving indoors should actually make it easier to protect the incoming president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: This was unexpected, but there's always flexibility that's built into the plans. I mean, with this, I believe it's the second Reagan inauguration because of the weather had to be brought inside as well.

So, there is a plan for that sort of thing. It does simplify the security in a lot of ways. But, obviously, now it creates other types of issues, for example, people who had planned on attending. You know, they have the color coded tickets depending on, you know, where they sit and so forth. Well, the rope time is very small. You're going to have the Senate, 100 senators, 435 of members of the house, you've got three ex-presidents, you've got other guests that the president himself has invited. So, it's going to be pretty jammed in there and not everyone is going to make it and it certainly won't be open to the public.

So, they may have an overflow room, maybe the visitor center or some other locations that will have to be secured. But there'll be a lot of people that will be disappointed that they aren't able to physically watch, physically be there where the act of swearing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And earlier, I did have a chance to speak to Ron Brownstein. He's not only a senior CNN political analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic, but he also knows a thing or two about having to move these massive inauguration events indoors. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: 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 on. As a result, there were a lot of voters who are traditionally outside of the Republican coalition who are open to what Reagan had to say and do.

[03:45:05]

And Reagan was pretty darn successful at speaking to that broader audience, you know, ultimately winning 49 states and 59 percent 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 percent 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: We have another round of breaking news coming from the Middle East. Hamas says that it has released the names of three Israeli hostages that are set to be freed on Sunday. Israel says that it has not yet received that list. A delay has put on hold the ceasefire that was supposed to begin almost two hours ago. So, we're going to get you much more about this ongoing developing story and this highly anticipated ceasefire that we could perhaps be getting closer to being put in place.

Meanwhile, let's get you caught up on another headline, this one having to do with Russia. It is calling its latest deadly attack on Ukraine's capital retaliation for Ukraine's use of western missiles, including some made in the United States.

On Saturday, Russia launched a massive air attack on Kyiv, killing three people in the center of the city. Three more were wounded. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that the residential buildings, metro station, and also other civilian infrastructure were attacked in this -- were damaged, I should say, in this weekend's attack. Ukraine's Air Force Command says Russia launched 39 drones and 4 missiles overnight on Saturday. Officials in the city of Zaporizhzhia say that a missile attack actually killed 1 person and wounded 11 others.

The head of the regional military administration posting this video that you're seeing on social media is showing the destruction of businesses, residential buildings there, and the governor of the neighboring region says that two more people there were killed by Russian attacks, a reminder that war is still ongoing.

Donald Trump says that he'll probably go to California in the next week after being sworn in as president of the United States. And this as a commitment has improved -- I should say that containment conditions have improved for the Eaton and Palisades fires. About 41,000 people still being affected by evacuation orders, though those orders in Los Angeles, some of those still in place.

And the numbers are down from more than 170,000 at the height of the wildfires. And as conditions on the ground improve in Los Angeles, many are now faced with what to do in the aftermath of such devastation.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones with more from Altadena.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More than 10 days after both the Eaton and the Palisades fires started in some areas that were previously under evacuation are now open to residents. Still, 41,000 people across L.A. County under these evacuation orders and warnings, but in Santa Monica, some good news. The Pacific Coast Highway opened to local traffic and all curfews and evacuation warnings now lifted as these residents begin to come home or to what's left of their homes, many will need help to rebuild sometimes entire neighborhoods.

Governor Gavin Newsom announcing on Saturday that five major lenders will provide a 90-day grace period on mortgage payments for California wildfire victims. That kind of assistance is coming not only just from government and from neighbors, people helping each other, but also institutions that are beloved by Angelinos, like the L.A. Dodgers and other sports teams that together raised more than $8 million for both victims and frontline workers, and on Friday had an event where they gave out essential items to families that were in those evacuation areas. We caught up with one of them.

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JENNIFER SEIFERT, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: The kids, their schools burned down, Little League burned down, Altadena Musical Theater burned down, my business, Creativity R.X., I used to do all my festivals in Altadena because that's where I live and that's where we raised our children, it's all gone.

[03:50:02]

It's all gone.

JONES: How does it feel to not be able to be in your house and without standing?

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And authorities are saying that families like Jennifer's might be able to come back to look at their properties and survey any damage as early as next Thursday.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Altadena.

SANDOVAL: The Hamas Gaza ceasefire delayed a critical update on the other side of this break

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SANDOVAL: More now on the breaking news. Hamas says that it has responded to Israel's new demand for the release of hostage names before the ceasefire could go into effect.

Our Salma Abdelaziz live in London. Salma, has the Israeli government confirmed this yet?

ABDELAZIZ: Yes. I actually have from a senior Israeli official that Israel has received the list.

Now, that does not mean necessarily that the ceasefire has taken effect or that the guns have fallen silent yet. But it does mean that the other side, Israel, has now said that it has received the list of names that Hamas has submitted.

[03:55:01]

That list of names includes three female Israeli hostages that are set to be released today.

Originally, the plan was around 4:00 P.M. local time. I don't know if these delays will cause a delay in the release as well.

But I already want to bring you live pictures of what's happening in Gaza right now, because even before the guns have fallen silent, even before the ceasefire took hold, many families started moving towards the north of the Strip to see what remains of their homes, their neighborhoods, their lives. After 15 months of conflict, people are absolutely desperate to get back to whatever fragments remain.

And I think it's an indication of just how desperate and dire the situation is on the ground that families started moving again up to the north while bombs continued to rain down. You'll remember, of course, on the Israeli side that there was gathering Saturday night in anticipation of the release of these hostages in the first phase. We should see 33 released over the course of six weeks. But today the expectation, three female hostages will make it home. Polo?

SANDOVAL: And earlier in the hour, civil air defense confirming or at least reporting ten people dead in airstrikes that happened during this delay, a reminder of the real life and death implications during this delay.

So, thank you so much, Salma, for the very latest right now, as we wait to see what this next move in a very fragile and unpredictable situation in the Middle East.

I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. More coverage of this breaking news after this break.

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