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Gaza Ceasefire Now in Effect; Millions of TikTok Users Face Uncertainty Amid U.S. Shutdown; Trump Kicks Off Inauguration Events at His Golf Club; Winter Storm Set to Freeze Much of the U.S. Aired 5-6 am ET

Aired January 19, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:32]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

After a delay of nearly two hours, the Israel-Hamas cease-fire in Gaza has begun. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier that the cease-fire was delayed because Hamas hadn't provided the names of the three hostages it plans to release today. A short time ago, Israel says it received those names.

During the delay, the Israeli military carried out new strikes in Gaza. Gaza civil defense and hospital officials say those strikes killed at least 13 Palestinians. Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, some Palestinians are already returning to places they fled because of the fighting.

Now, this was the scene a short time ago in Gaza City. And in Egypt, hundreds of aid trucks are gathered at the Rafah border crossing, ready to enter Gaza.

CNN's Nada Bashir is live in Beitunia West Bank, where we expect to see Palestinian prisoners released. But first, I want to go to Salma Abdelaziz in London with the latest on the cease-fire.

So Salma, finally, after that hours-long delay, the moment so many in Gaza and Israel were waiting for, that cease-fire actually going into effect.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So the guns have fallen silent in Gaza. We are, of course, monitoring the situation on the ground. After there was airstrikes this morning around the time when the cease-fire should have taken hold, as you mentioned, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that he did not receive the list of names of hostages to be released. That list has now been received by the Israeli government. Three female civilians are set to be released today to Israel.

Now, the names of those are not yet public, but we do understand that the families have received information about the release of these three female hostages. It's set to take place at about 4 p.m. local time, but that could potentially be delayed again because of the delay of the cease-fire going into effect.

The other thing that we could potentially see taking place today is those aid trucks that you mentioned waiting at the Rafah border crossing. We could see those cross. Under the cease-fire agreement, 600 aid trucks a day will be allowed into the Gaza Strip. That is a huge improvement on what we've seen over the course of the last 15 months when aid groups have essentially been pleading to allow help, to allow much-needed aid.

And it's important here to remember that for Palestinians in Gaza, their suffering is not just from bombs and bullets. It is from hunger. It is from the cold. It is due to lack of infrastructure, lack of clean water. Nearly every single person in the Gaza Strip has been displaced during this conflict. So I think it's also a mark of desperation to see those families heading to the north while the bombs continued to rain down, to see what remains of their homes, what remains of their lives.

A lot of this moment of respite will be about reassessing. And, of course, for the Israeli side, they are awaiting those hostages. In this deal, a total of 33 hostages should be released over the course of the next six weeks.

Now, Hamas is believed to be holding some 94 hostages, but not all of those hostages are alive. So that doesn't mean 33 people will be crossing. It means that we may see some body bags come across in the coming weeks. That is still what these hostage families want, is answers. They want some relief. And then it's important to remember just how fragile this deal is.

This is the first phase of the agreement that has just begun to take hold already, delays before it took place, negotiations for phase two and phase three. These are the phases that are supposed to begin to lay out the plans for a more lasting peace. Those negotiations will not take place until the 16th day of this cease-fire.

So this peace needs to hold for 16 more days, if negotiators are even to enter the next phase. So people are going to take this moment really with a grain of salt, particularly inside Gaza, particularly those hostage families who have again and again accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of dragging his feet on a deal. This is only the beginning, but, of course, a beginning that is so welcome for so many.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, so much on the line there that that should hold.

[05:05:01]

I want to go to Nada Bashir now. And the implications of this deal will be felt there where you are, where we're expecting Palestinian prisoners to be released. Take us through that. NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. This is a crucial part of the deal. And over the course of the negotiations that we have been seeing over more than a year now, the terms around the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange for Israeli hostages has continuously proven to be a sticking point with regards to the finer details.

What we are expecting over the next six weeks in this first initial phase of the ceasefire agreement, if indeed it is upheld, is for around 33 hostages to be released and for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees to be released from custody within Israeli jails.

Now, today, on the first day, what we are expecting to see is, once we have that confirmation of three Israeli hostages being released from Gaza and back in Israeli territory, then we will begin to see the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

We are expecting to see around 95 Palestinians released, according to preliminary information from the Israeli authorities. There has been a list of names issued, but I have to say there has been some confusion around some of those names and who exactly will be released later tonight. At this stage, as we understand it, there will be 70 women and 25 men on that list, including at least 10 minors under the age of 18.

And that's similar to what we saw back in November of 2023, when we saw that four-day truce between Israel and Hamas and the exchange of some hostages for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, where we saw a huge majority of children, teenagers being released. And important to underscore that many of these Palestinians being released are being held under administrative detention.

Now, today, within that 95 figure, we expect to see around 30 Palestinians who are being held under administrative detention being released. It is a deeply controversial practice that we have seen enforced against many Palestinians. It essentially means they're being held in Israeli jails without any charges, without any ongoing trials or legal processes to speak of.

What we also know, of course, according to the U.N. Human Rights Office, is that the conditions that Palestinians face in Israeli jails have only gotten worse since October 7. We're talking about harsh punishment. We're talking about restrictions on food and running water, restrictions on access of -- in fact, prevention of access to legal counsel and family visitation rights. So it is a huge point of concern and focus for the Palestinian authorities as well.

Many families here will be anxiously waiting. We are outside the Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank. It is expected at this stage this will be one of the main release points, as we saw back in 2023.

The logistics around how exactly Palestinian prisoners will be released remain somewhat up in the air. What we're expecting to see at this stage is that the Red Cross will play an important part in the logistics and transporting Palestinian detainees onwards from the prison. But we know that the Israeli authorities are cracking down on any sorts of celebrations or gatherings.

I mean, back in 2023, this hill where we're up now was full of onlookers waiting for that moment. At this point, it is only press. It is very quiet. Whether we see any celebrations later this evening in the occupied West Bank remains to be seen. Whether there are any clashes as well, of course, is a point of concern. But, again, as Salma mentioned, this is a fragile deal. We may see more delays. And, of course, it remains to be seen whether that deal is upheld for the rest of the day.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate that, Nada Bashir. I want to go back to Salma and something you mentioned, the fact that the Palestinians there weren't even waiting for the cease-fire to take effect before they were heading back home.

But elaborate for me, if you could, on the conditions that are waiting for them there. I mean, there is so much destruction, not just of their homes, but hospitals, schools, what are they going back to?

BASHIR: I mean, when you say heading back home, that is a very relative and loose term for so many Gazans. You have entire neighborhoods that have been leveled. The latest U.N. report says that more than 90% of homes have either been damaged or destroyed. The infrastructure of the country has entirely been laid to waste.

You have to remember that there is more than 46,000 people that have been killed in the Gaza Strip over the course of the last 15 months. More than 110,000 people wounded, wounded and left in a medical system that simply cannot care for them.

We have seen in recent weeks babies die due to the cold and malnourishment. So the conditions are absolutely dire. This is an enclave on the brink. So when you're speaking about these negotiations going forward, it begins to beg the question, what does the future for Gaza look like? Israel wants to have true presence in Gaza. What does that mean?

What kind of aid will be allowed in? Will aid be allowed in that allows Palestinians to rebuild their homes? What about neighborhoods that are entirely leveled?

[05:10:07]

This is, at best, a moment to catch your breath if you are a family in Gaza, a moment to say farewell to someone you may not have had a chance to say goodbye to, to find out if your home is still standing, to seek out the medical attention you need, to see if you can get help for your loved ones.

This is going to be an extremely challenging and dire situation on the ground for the nearly two million Palestinians, nearly all of them forced out of their homes over the course of this conflict. The bombs may fall silent, but people will keep suffering in the Gaza Strip because of these conditions, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate that. We have Salma Abdelaziz in London and Nada Bashir, appreciate your reporting out there as well. Thank you so much.

Well, Donald Trump is gearing up for his inauguration tomorrow. We'll look at what he plans to do on day one of his second term, next.

But first, TikTok is now offline. So what is next for its millions of users? We'll have that after the break. Stay with us.

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[05:15:05]

BRUNHUBER: TikTok is now offline here in the U.S., having gone down shortly before a ban was slated to go into effect. A message from the app giant now says, "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S."

Now the ban was created out of concern that China could spy on users' personal data and could change algorithms to influence elections.

So the question now is, what will happen next? Maybe 170 million American users could see service return as soon as Monday when Donald Trump takes office. The President-elect says he will, quote, "most likely" delay a ban on TikTok for 90 days, but he hasn't made a final decision.

In the meantime, millions of users face uncertainty amidst the showdown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WENDY HERNANDEZ, UNIVERSITY STUDENT: It's a little annoying that they care about banning TikTok because we're going to have data leaks. Like, what data am I going to provide? I'm just a college student who's trying to get by, who's trying to de-stress.

YADHIRA ARELLA, UNIVERSITY STUDENT: I wouldn't have known about the fires if it wasn't for TikTok, and I feel like they're just trying to, like, really seclude you from everything and just, um, I think it's horrible that they did that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Earlier, TikTok threatened to go offline Sunday unless the Biden administration assured the company there would be no punishment for violations. The White House called the warning a stunt and said the issue now belongs to Trump.

CNN's Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter has more on what led up to this U.S. TikTok break.

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 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 to 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.

BRUNHUBER: And following Trump's vows to, quote, "save TikTok," the app's CEO, Shou Zi Chew thanked the President-elect in a video message on Friday. He praised Trump's commitment to working towards a solution that would keep TikTok available in the U.S.

The CEO is among the tech titans expected to attend Trump's inauguration on Monday. Two sources familiar with the ceremony's plan say the TikTok CEO will be seated on a platform with other prominent guests inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

Trump said on Friday he had a promising phone call with China's President Xi Jinping. The two spoke about balancing TikTok, among other issues. Xi won't be attending Trump's inauguration, but has promised to send China's Vice President in his place.

And Donald Trump arrived in Washington on Saturday to kick off days of inauguration events. He held a special celebration in his golf club, including a fireworks show last night. There was also a cabinet reception and a Vice Presidential dinner.

[05:20:07]

Trump promises his inauguration will be beautiful, despite the freezing temperatures forecast for tomorrow. Plans are still changing after the ceremony was moved indoors, and 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 won't be able to watch the inauguration in person.

Trump says he plans to get to work very quickly after he's sworn in on Monday. CNN's Alayna Treene has more on what to expect.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: 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, we're told, related to immigration, as well, is 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. 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 the transnational gang members. We're talking the people that we know that are criminal illegals that are here in this country that, quite frankly, are a danger to society.

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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, incoming President Trump is enjoying an upswing in favorability ahead of his second term. A recent CNN poll shows a 55% approval rating among the highest of Trump's political career. Meanwhile, President Biden is facing an approval rating so frosty it could only be rivaled by D.C.'s incoming Arctic blast. CNN Senior Data Reporter Harry Enten runs the numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Job approval at the end of the first term. I'm just looking amongst those who lost or didn't run for re-election. You don't have to be a mathematical genius to see which is the lowest number on your screen right now.

And an average of polls, my average, Joe Biden's at 38%. He's actually lower than Donald Trump was at the end of his first term. Remember, at the end of his first term, everyone was saying Donald Trump's political career is over. Joe Biden's approval rating is even lower than Trump's was, by just a point. He's lower than Jimmy Carter, who was at 44% by the end of his presidency. Not even close to George H.W. Bush, who was at 56%, so a nice rebound. But the bottom line is this. Joe Biden came in to end the Donald Trump reign in this country, right? End Donald Trump's political career. And all that's ended up happening is Joe Biden has managed to end up at a lower approval rating at the end of his first term than any president on record.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The Israel-Hamas ceasefire has officially begun. We'll have more on this breaking news next here on CNN Newsroom.

Plus, Donald Trump isn't yet back in office, but the streets of Washington, D.C. were filled with people protesting against him on Saturday. We'll have that story and much more after this break. Stay with us.

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[05:28:02]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

An update now on this hour's breaking news, the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza is now in effect. It was supposed to begin about three hours ago, but was delayed because Hamas hadn't provided the names of the three hostages it plans to release later today.

Well, just over an hour ago, Israel received those names and says it stopped fighting. But during the delay, the Israeli military carried out new strikes in Gaza. Gaza's civil defense and hospital officials say at least 13 Palestinians were killed.

Families of Americans held in Gaza met Saturday with U.S. national security officials. They spoke with members of the Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration. Hamas is believed to be holding three Americans in Gaza and has the remains of four others.

U.S. and Israeli citizen Itay Chen was killed on October 7th and his body was taken into Gaza. His father spoke to CNN on Saturday, saying the families received a firm commitment that Trump officials will do everything they can to make sure the hostages are released. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBY CHEN, FATHER OF U.S.-ISRAELI HOSTAGE KILLED AND TAKEN INTO GAZA: So Mike Waltz, the incoming National Security Advisor and Mr. Adam Boehler in charge of the American hostages, both gave their firm commitment that they will want to see this hostage deal continue until the last hostage is released.

Specifically seven U.S. hostages. That five of them will remain in captivity even after this first phase of the deal. And they said that they will do everything in their power to make sure that this deal indeed happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Trucks carrying food, clothing, medical supplies, and other aid are gathered right now at Egypt's Rafah border crossing, waiting to be allowed into Gaza. 600 aid trucks per day are expected to be allowed into the enclave every day during the truce.

Now, the U.N. warns that aid allotment is only a start to meeting Gaza's humanitarian needs. More than 1.9 million people in Gaza are displaced from their homes, and 91% of the population are facing food insecurity, some at catastrophic levels, according to the United Nations. [05:30:17]

DEEPMALA MAHLA, CHIEF HUMANITARIAN OFFICER, CARE: I want to bring in Deepmala Mahla, who's the Chief Humanitarian Officer for the International Charity Group, CARE, and she joins us now from Nairobi, Kenya.

Thank you so much for being here with us. So finally, after that hours-long delay, the ceasefire takes effect. So in terms of aid, what are the biggest challenges to delivering it, especially in the first few days?

MAHLA: Thank you very much. The biggest challenge right now is humanitarian access, so we welcome this long-awaited development, and the sense of relief felt by our teams on the ground, people in Gaza, is palpable, of course, after the few hours of anxiousness this morning.

Right now, the biggest task ahead of us is a massive scale-up of humanitarian aid and commercial goods. We want all border crossings to be opened, humanitarian aid workers to be protected, so that we can save lives, alleviate suffering. And remember, not all aid comes on trucks. There is a massive issue of trauma and psychological issues.

When I was in Gaza a couple of months ago, I remember meeting children. Some of them just stare blankly at one spot for hours, some scream, are not able to sleep, and some of them have very, very different reactions when they see or hear bombing. Sometimes they scream and look for their mom, sometimes they don't even bat an eyelid.

So it's a big task, but humanitarians are on the ground, the trucks are ready, we are ready, we need the conditions so that we can scale up our humanitarian response. And again, we are still waiting for clarity on this ceasefire agreement. And I really hope, Kim, I really hope that this is not another fleeting moment of pause in violence, but this has to be a turning point. We must get on to building lives.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, those are heartbreaking examples that you give there of children experiencing trauma. You say you lack clarity in terms of the agreement. What exactly are you waiting for then? What do you need to know?

MAHLA: What we need to know and what we are waiting for, the border crossings have to be open for the aid to come in. The trucks are already lined up. And also, we need to live in reality with the fact that aid workers are protected.

Hundreds of aid workers have been killed while on duty. There's aid work without aid workers by definition. So we have the aid workers, we have the aid, what we need is conditions. And I precisely mean safety, protection, living up to the commitments and for the ceasefire to hold.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So even if those conditions are met, let's say the border crossings are opened and there is security, what about another factor here? And that's the road infrastructure, much of which has been damaged or completely destroyed. Will it be able to handle the volume of traffic, as you mentioned, that needs to be scaled up?

MAHLA: That's a very, very critical point for us. Even several months ago, it was very hard for humanitarians to reach from one place to another because of the rubble, because of the roads being destroyed. And also, we have critical shortages in fuel.

So we need the fuel and other amenities for the vehicles to move. And also, that's why I'm saying this will take time. It's not something that things can be resolved in a week or two. There has been 15 months of relentless horror. And remember, the aid workers on the ground are affected themselves.

For example, I was in touch with our teams in the morning, and they were talking about going back to their places, finding the remains of their family members who perhaps died under the rubble, and then giving them a dignified burial.

So there are many of these factors in play. It's not just that fighting a stop, trucks are out, and lives will be saved. It is a beginning, a beginning of an enormous task. And again, infrastructure having broken, not having the roads. And again, the weather right now, the winters in coastal Gaza mean very strong winds and heavy rainfall, and people are living in flimsy tents. So it takes time.

It will need all hands-on deck, and it will need the ceasefire to last, and again, humanitarians to be protected.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. And to underline the enormity of the tasks that you mentioned there, UNRWA says 4,000 aid trucks are waiting to enter Gaza. But getting all of that in, as I say, is just one step.

You mentioned security, but the other day, one of the biggest challenges, according to the U.N., in the last three months has been looting by criminal gangs. So all the aid in the world won't help if it doesn't get to those who need it most.

[05:35:15]

MAHLA: Absolutely. Aid workers have been witnessing, we have been facing examples where aid has been looted, and we also know of several examples where hundreds of trucks loaded with food have been standing on the border for months, and some of the aid, primarily food items, have already gone bad, waiting to be entering Gaza. And then the law- and-order situation. So again, this needs all hands-on deck. It needs a conducive environment. But there are aid workers on the ground, and especially our Palestinian NGO partners are ready. There are plans in place.

Yes, it's a huge logistics feat, but again, it's not all about logistics. It is also about giving the time, giving the space, living up to the commitments, protecting aid workers, and also civilian movement. Civilians should be allowed to move freely, because if aid cannot come in large scale, if aid workers cannot be protected, if the logistics cannot be ensured, and if the civilians are not free to move, we will be able to achieve very little in this ceasefire.

And let me mention, I have spoken to some women in Gaza when I was there, and I heard horrific stories of women giving birth without assistance, some also going through cesarean section without anesthesia. Gaza is a place with the highest number of pediatric amputees in the world right now. So while we are welcoming this agreement, I cannot but help think of them, what it means to them, how fragile it is. And again, this has to be a turning point.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, you bring up a good point there, because we talk about aid as sort of this thing that is brought in. But of course, there's so much medical infrastructure and so on that has been destroyed, that even if you get medical supplies in, how to get them to the people who need it, get the doctors to the patients, the patients to the doctors, all of that medical infrastructure destroyed. How is that going to be built up in the next weeks and months?

MAHLA: Absolutely. We have seen systematic destruction of hospitals. We have seen very systematic, deliberate obstruction of aid. And remember, the number of doctors and medical professionals that have been killed, attacked, targeted. So the health workforce is depleted in numbers, in capacity, and also in their ability. But again, humanitarians have the resolve and they are on the ground.

Our Gazan staff, with various agencies, including CARE and the U.N., are extremely determined. So the scale up is very much possible. But again, as we are talking, it is going to take time, it is going to need investment, and it is also going to need funding.

Right now, the Gazan humanitarian response is grossly underfunded. So we also call upon donors to invest and put in flexible funding as soon as possible so that we can maximize this moment. And again, this morning, when I was hearing children's very excited screams and smiles, and they were talking about going back home and finding their toys and everything, let us not break their hearts one more time.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. We'll end on that -- on that note. Really appreciate hearing from you. Deepmala Mahla, thank you so much for joining us.

MAHLA: Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: All right. And we'll be back more in a few moments here on CNN Newsroom. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:42:05]

BRUNHUBER: Well, that is the sound of protests in the U.S. Capitol. Thousands marched in Washington, D.C. on Saturday to express their anger at Donald Trump's policies and his return to the White House. But turnout at Saturday's People's March was much smaller than the Women's March in 2017.

Still, many people wore the pink hats seen at previous anti-Trump marches. Demonstrators wound past the White House and onto the National Mall for a rally.

In the U.S., TikTok is now offline as a shutdown over Chinese ties goes into effect. A notice from the app giant says, "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 he will, quote, "most likely" delay a ban on TikTok for 90 days. But no final decision has been made.

The financial fallout over the shutdown could be immense. Within one month, seven million small businesses could lose a collective $1 billion in revenue, and two million creators could lose $300 million in earnings.

And one of those content creators facing uncertainty right now is Cliff Brush. You can see him with his dog in one of his videos. Now, note this video was actually pulled from Instagram because, of course, TikTok isn't available right now.

So Cliff Brush joins us now from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. And, of course, Brodie there with you. So in case people don't know about what you do, so I understand you were an accountant, then you quit your job to make social media content about who we see there. You're a golden doodle, Brodie, which has been apparently quite lucrative. You say you've made $1.5 million in sales last year. So talk to me about this TikTok ban.

I guess you knew it was coming, but describe the feeling, you know, yesterday when you saw TikTok go dark.

CLIFF BRUSH, TIKTOK CREATOR:@BRODIETHATDOOD: Oh, yeah. I mean, we've heard this before, that TikTok's going to be banned. But yesterday when the app went offline, it kind of became real.

Woke up this morning, also realized that CapCut, which is owned by ByteDance as well, and it's the app I use to edit all my videos, that's also banned. So now that it's real, it's a little more angry, to be honest.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, it must be hitting you and hitting you, you know, literally in the wallet, I guess. What kind of impact will this have on you and your business?

BRUSH: So a lot of -- a lot of the brand deals that come through are through TikTok, and they're specifically TikTok deliverables. I would say 30% to 40% of brand deal revenue is for TikTok deliverables. You know, if the ban holds, I'm going to assume that brands moving forward are going to adapt and sort of move to other platforms.

[05:45:04]

Fortunately, we're a larger creator who has millions across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram. Now we're growing on Red Note as well. So we'll have opportunities elsewhere. But the smaller creators, people who had all their eggs in one basket, you know, they could go the way of Vine, if you remember Viners. So it's kind of unknown times, but we'll see.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. I saw Brodie was just yawning there. I apologize for keeping him up early this morning. I appreciate having you on.

Listen, you mentioned some alternatives and RedNote is one, but of course, that is Chinese owned as well. So, you know, it's also a dangerous play to invest too much in that, right?

BRUSH: Absolutely. It's very ironic that there's a mass migration from TikTok to RedNote, which is significantly more Chinese. It's just got an update to be translated to English as of like yesterday. But of course, that's a risk as well. But creators are going to go where the algorithm is. And then also, Gen Z is very feisty.

So if they feel they're being forced to a specific app, you know, domestic or whatever, they're going to rebel and they're going to go with what they want, which seems to be RedNote. But for all other creators, I think YouTube and meta platforms are by far the safest platforms to grow an audience and have consistent brand revenue and platform revenue that won't be impacted by our government's interference.

BRUNHUBER: I'm intrigued by that phrase, go where the algorithm is in terms of TikTok. I mean, what makes that so unique that's so hard to recreate on other platforms? And then it's sort of a side question as well. If ByteDance does actually sell the company, that doesn't mean that they're giving up their algorithm. So is TikTok still even TikTok if the algorithm doesn't come along with it?

BRUSH: Yeah, TikTok's algorithm was a game changer. In 2020, it was the first algorithm that really catered an explore page, a for you page for you. And since then, a lot of the other platforms have tried to mimic as best as possible the same sort of magic sauce.

And, you know, they've gotten close, but there's still nothing quite as good as the TikTok algorithm, which essentially was the first platform that gave the opportunity to anybody to get in front of people, to get views and to become notable.

You know, I was an accountant prior. I would have been the last person that would have ever expected to have any sort of social media presence. I had 100 followers on my personal Instagram at the time. But if you put something out there that people appreciate and people share, like Brodie, I know it was kind of a cheat code, but -- so it allow -- it was the first app to allow anyone to sort of blow up. And small businesses, if you launched a good product, you know, something like TikTok Shop, you could do some crazy numbers in revenue.

I understand that the algorithm isn't for sale. And I kind of took that as you're sort of buying the TikTok, the app, and the algorithm will remain a proprietary secret owned by ByteDance. And I don't know if that's true or not, or if they would have to start the algorithm from scratch, which would make TikTok not TikTok what it is. So I'm unclear with how that would work.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Well, there's so much uncertainty around the fate of TikTok. But as you said, Brodie is a cheat code. I'm sure he'll be fine on no matter what platform you end up on.

Cliff Brush, I really appreciate getting your insights on this. Thanks so much.

BRUSH: Of course. Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. And we'll be right back with more here on CNN Newsroom. Stay with us.

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[05:53:06]

BRUNHUBER: Now you're looking at live pictures of Hostages Square in Tel Aviv and Khan Yunis in Gaza, as now, after a delay of nearly two hours, the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza has begun. Israel says the truce was delayed because Hamas hadn't provided the names of the three hostages it plans to release today. But a short time ago, Israel says it received those names.

In the meantime, the Israeli military carried out new strikes in Gaza. Gaza civil defense and hospital officials say those strikes killed at least 13 Palestinians.

In the United States, 44,000 people were still affected by evacuation orders in Los Angeles as of Saturday. That's down from more than 170,000 at the height of the wildfires, and containment has improved for the Eaton and Palisades fires.

Now, in some areas of L.A., a curfew is still in force. In Santa Monica, though, all curfews and evacuation warnings have been lifted, and the Pacific Coast Highway and local streets are now open.

But as conditions improve on the ground, many are faced with what to do and how to cope in the wake of this 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, Creativity Rx, used to do all my festivals in Altadena, because that's where I live and that's where we raise our children. It's all gone. It's all gone.

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

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: A massive winter storm will have much of the United States facing serious freezing weather in the next few days, and that includes Washington, D.C., where the presidential inauguration is set to take place. CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar has the forecast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) 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.

[05:55:10]

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 minus 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. We'll have much more on the breaking news. The ceasefire that has now gone into effect. We'll have more on that on CNN This Morning, which is coming up after a quick break.

Please do stay with CNN.

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