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L.A. Fire Death Toll Rises to at Least 24; Senate Confirmation Hearings for Trump's Cabinet Picks to Start Tomorrow; Strong Winds, Low Humidity Feeding Flames of L.A. Wildfires. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired January 13, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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


KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: It's Monday, January 13. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING.

[05:59:40]

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DEANNE CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: The biggest concern that I have right now is the fact that we are still in such a dangerous situation.

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HUNT: Death toll rising. Crews facing new dangers this week in the fight against the flames ripping across Southern California.

Plus --

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J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is a serious lack of competent governance in California, and I think it's part of the reason why these fires have gotten so bad.

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HUNT: Blame game. The incoming Trump administration pointing fingers at California Democrats over the disastrous fires.

And --

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SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): The rubber hits the road this week with all of these hearings on the cabinet.

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HUNT: Confirmation showdown. Some of Donald Trump's most critical and controversial cabinet selections facing questions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week.

And then, quote, "Trump is the incentive." How ceasefire and hostage talks between Hamas and Israel could be moving closer to crossing the finish line.

All right. It is 6 a.m. here on the East Coast. A live look at Charlotte, North Carolina, on this Monday morning.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.

It probably feels like the nightmare will never end as people in Southern California face a sixth straight day of deadly wildfires. Crews still at it, with winds expected to intensify again this week. At least 24 people have lost their lives.

The Palisades Fire still largely uncontained, and it's already the most destructive fire in L.A. County history. One local official says more than 5,000 homes have been wiped out in the Palisades Fire alone.

Thousands losing everything in a matter of hours, including one family who lost their daughter's ashes.

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GIORGI ANTINORI, LOST CHILD'S ASHES IN PALISADES FIRE: We had a daughter 15 years ago. She'd be 15. And she passed away when she was one, and her ashes were in our home. And when they're gone. Like, every memory, every piece of physical evidence of her life is just gone. And that hurts.

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HUNT: Critical fire conditions flaring up once again, with the National Weather Service warning of a, quote, "particularly dangerous situation" by midweek.

All of this threatening to fuel the major fires, which have already burned more than 40,000 acres in just under a week. That is an area bigger than the size of Paris, France.

California Governor Gavin Newsom says fire crews are moving into hotspots in advance.

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GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: Some up here in Mandeville Canyon, which was the site in the last two nights of tremendous investment of resources.

Firefighters working the line, a lot of those assets still here, not only in anticipation of potential flare-up here in the Palisades Fire. But also pre-positioned as we're pre-positioning in many counties throughout the state of California, because of the upcoming winds we're expecting Monday, peaking Monday night into Tuesday, extending into Wednesday.

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HUNT: Joining me now to discuss the latest is Brian Rice, the president of the California Professional Firefighters.

Brian, welcome back to the show. Thank you so much for being with us.

We did hear from the governor overnight about pre-positioning fire crews for more potential flare-ups. What do you think is the scale of the risk of that here?

BRIAN RICE, PRESIDENT, CALIFORNIA PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS: I think that, for the next couple of days -- the governor said it through Wednesday -- there's a pretty large spread of a red-flag warning. I think the threat is very real and that the state of California is moving resources in to match -- I can't say match that threat, but in anticipation of that threat. The threat's real.

HUNT: So, sir, at this point, I mean, what do you think are the biggest risks from these winds? Which neighborhoods do you think are potentially more at risk than others? And what does that mean for your crews?

RICE: Well, right now the -- the -- it looks like the big threats they're talking about -- the Brentwood area, the Santa Monica area that the governor mentioned, Mandeville Canyon -- in some of these areas on the Northern end of the Palisades Fire, you're seeing areas that haven't had a fire, in some cases, up to 40 years. So, you're seeing a much higher fuel load.

They know that. They're getting resources in there.

But Kasie, it's like I said every time I've spoken to you. the weather matters here. It's still dry. The humidity levels are coming up a little bit. I think that they probably aren't beginning to see the type of overnight recovery in the dew point and the humidity levels that they want to see. But it's not single-digit like it was when this fire started.

And right now, it all matters. And it is the neighborhoods that are in front of the flame front, the -- excuse me, the flame front. And then some of the things that add to that, you know, that have islands of areas in the -- in the burn that haven't burned. They were saved. They were saved when the fire moved around them. Those pose a threat, too. You don't want to see a start in those areas that help fuel a flame front.

HUNT: So, sir, what are you hearing from firefighters on the ground about what they may need here? I mean, are they running into any issues along the lines of -- obviously, there's already been investigations called for and, apparently, launched into why the -- the hydrants ran dry in the Palisades, for example.

[06:05:12]

Are there any other issues like that that you're hearing from crews? And what are they telling you about how residents can best help them right now?

RICE: Well, some of the things that I've spoken to last night with one of the -- one of the crews, a leader on a USAR team, their morale is very, very high. They're starting to roll into getting some rest periods.

But the reason that the morale is high is, you know, there's a lot of interaction with the community as firefighters rotate off the line. They'll have those connections in some areas, as they're transversing or going towards the fire line. They connect with -- with citizens.

And those interactions mean everything. You hear their stories. They -- you know, a person asks you for help or what did you see in this area?

And people are tired. There'll be time for exhaustion. And there'll be -- there'll be a time to get rest when the wind stops blowing, and we see our containment number -- numbers go up.

HUNT: I'm really -- I'm glad to hear that. That you are hearing that the morale is high because of how much support they're getting from the community. That is at least something positive to look to in what is obviously an incredibly difficult and continuing to be a very dangerous situation.

Brian Rice, have been so grateful to have you. Thank you so much for being here.

RICE: Thank you. Kasie.

HUNT: All right. Straight ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, President- elect Trump's cabinet picks begin their biggest test yet. They've got their confirmation hearings.

What they could reveal about how their -- far their loyalty to Donald Trump goes.

And California officials fending off criticism from Trump and his allies over the wildfires raging in the L.A. area.

Plus, we'll, of course, bring you the latest from on the ground in L.A., as some people try to find a return to normalcy in the midst of a nightmare.

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REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): That, frankly, it reminded me of visiting war zones, seeing that kind of devastation, just house after house, block after block. There are whole neighborhoods that are gone.

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[06:11:48]

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BARRASSO: The rubber hits the road this week with all of these hearings on the cabinet. And then when President Trump takes office next Monday, there is going to be shock and awe with executive orders.

What President Trump said the No. 1 goal for the Senate needs to be to get his team in place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Big week ahead for President-elect Donald Trump and his cabinet picks, with Senate confirmation hearings kicking off tomorrow. One of Trump's more controversial choices, the former FOX News host, Pete Hegseth, for secretary of defense, will answer questions in the morning, along with Doug Collins for Veterans Affairs and Doug Burgum as interior secretary.

The president-elect's nominees have undergone rigorous preparations ahead of the hearings. They've included study sessions, mock hearings, and coaching from Republican senators who expect Democrats to try to slow-walk the process.

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SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): They're going to do everything they possibly can to delay making America great again by making sure every nominee that President Trump has chosen is actually fulfilling the responsibilities of the job.

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HUNT: Joining us now to discuss all of this: Jerusalem Demsas, staff writer for "The Atlantic"; Alex Thompson, CNN political analyst, Axios national political reporter; Meghan Hays, former Biden White House director of message planning; and Matt Gorman, former senior adviser to Tim Scott's presidential campaign.

Welcome to all of you. Thank you, guys, for being here.

Matt Gorman, Pete Hegseth going to be the one that's particularly in focus here out of the gate, coming up this week. What do you expect from him?

Because this really -- I mean, he managed to stave off the criticism that could have derailed his nomination before he got to this moment. But of course, the hearing itself is a -- is a point of risk.

MATT GORMAN, FORMER SENIOR ADVISOR TO TIM SCOTT'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: It is. He does this for a living now, or at least he did up until about a month and a half ago. So, I think, you know, having a television personality is, you know, certainly an advantage in this exact scenario. And I'm sure Trump thought about that, as well.

Look, I think you're absolutely right. He was on the precipice about 50 days ago of whether or not, when they were floating DeSantis -- you know, does he stay and does he not? I'd say more than steadied the ship.

Look, I think right now, bottom line, there might be Republican defections. That does not mean they will not get confirmed. We're likely looking at every one of these, barring unforeseen events, getting confirmed.

HUNT: Are there any points that you see, Jerusalem, where there may be a nominee -- and I'm actually thinking about RFK Jr. in this case -- who actually gets crosswise with Republicans, which seems to likely be the biggest potential risk?

JERUSALEM DEMSAS, STAFF WRITER, "THE ATLANTIC": I mean, RFK is clearly the person who might receive the most Republican defections because of -- you know, he's not really a traditional member of the Republican coalition.

But I think we just have to remember, it's very rare --

HUNT: He's a Kennedy, a longtime member of a massive Democratic dynasty. Anyway, continue.

DEMSAS: Yes, but it's just -- it's just -- it's just very rare for someone. It's actually happened, I think, one time under H.W. Bush. It was also a Department of Defense nominee. I think John Tower.

And he similarly had alcohol and womanizing allegations, sexual harassment allegations, too. And that's the only time in history that we've seen in America a nominee actually get voted down by the Senate.

And so, it's just not something we should expect to see happen. And people usually will pull their names rather than have that happen to them.

[06:15:03]

ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: The person to watch tomorrow, in my mind, is Senator Joni Ernst, because she is on the committee. She is one of those potential Republican defections.

She has really not been very committal on Pete Hegseth.

And the other thing you're going to watch is every single Democrat that wants to try to fill the vacuum right now, post-defeat, you are going to see them make light. You know, the political theater is not just for the nominees, but for some of these senators.

MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING: Yes, I was going to say that too. And also, he might be a news reporter, and he might be able to answer, but sometimes you're only an inch deep when you're a news person. And so, it's -- be interesting to see how deep.

GORMAN: Whoa!

HUNT: Hey!

GORMAN: Whoa!

HAYS: I'm saying when you're an anchor --

GORMAN: Wow. I would never say that about the media. HAYS: And see how far he can go, because I think some of these

Democrats are going to try to go a lot deeper.

And I think, to Alex's point, they are going to try to make it -- They are going to try to make the point for themselves and try to get some name recognition here.

HUNT: So, one question I do have for you, Meghan, is there have been some reports about people who have been in Pete Hegseth's orbit who have concerns about him, going to Senate Democrats to try to tell their stories. This is something that we've seen come up in previous years. The Kavanaugh hearings is probably the highest profile example of this.

Is there -- are there going to be any surprises, do you think?

HAYS: I mean, I think that there will be a lot of people who are trying to make a name for themselves and trying to dig deep on some of this stuff.

I think that our -- like, to the point about RFK Jr., I think that he will have a lot from Democrats coming out, too, because I think a lot of Democrats don't want him to be in the cabinet. If they can make a sort of a hard pivot to not having someone for Trump, I think that's a place to go.

HUNT: I do want to bring up one thing about someone who is not a -- in a Senate-confirmed position, and that's Elon Musk.

But Matt Gorman, we noticed this. Breitbart wrote this story about something that Steve Bannon, OK, a longtime, you know, Trump ally, went to prison over some of it. What he said about Elon Musk to an Italian website.

Quote, "I will have Elon Musk run out of here by inauguration day. He will not have a blue pass to the White House. He will not have full access to the White House. He will be like any other person. He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down."

What is -- what is it about Musk that has Bannon so incensed?

GORMAN: He's got a week, so got to get cracking.

But no. Look, I think part of this is, you know, I think Bannon and others are trying to figure out exactly what that role is in the orbit, in the administration right now. Right?

Seven years ago, eight years ago now, he was coming in as counselor to the president. This is a way, I think, for him to have an angle, have a different sort of take than a lot of people in the Trump orbit, who are -- have no problem with Egon [SIC] Musk; favorable to Elon Musk; like him.

So, I think that is really what the angle is. You also saw -- I saw something similar to this when he was talking

about raising taxes on the wealthy, which is, as we know, very much not what Republicans in Congress or in the administration are actively doing. I think he's trying to carve out a unique lane here.

THOMPSON: I also -- oh.

HUNT: No, go ahead.

THOMPSON: I was going to say they do have some, you know, policy differences. But I'd also say Bannon has said this, that he resents the fact that Elon is sort of a, you know, Johnny-come-lately. He joined the bandwagon and now wants to run the whole thing.

HUNT: Yes. Fair enough.

All right. Coming up here on CNN THIS MORNING, a deal is said to be, quote, "very close." Could there be a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza before President-elect Trump takes office next week?

Plus, the death toll rising in Southern California. Crews are racing to contain the flames before the fierce winds return.

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[06:22:53]

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we're doing well, considering. But yes, lots of tears. Anger. We're going through the stages of grief. There's no doubt about it.

We'll get through it. We've gotten through challenges before. This just feels like the biggest thing that's ever happened to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNT: Containing the devastating wildfires in Southern California, about to get even more difficult. Wind speeds are ramping up over the next couple of days, and that puts millions of people under critical fire weather warnings.

Let's get to our meteorologist, Allison Chinchar, with more on this. Allison, good morning.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And good morning.

Yes, the big concern is that those winds are going to continue to go back up, in some cases peaking Tuesday and Wednesday. So, this is going to be another prolonged event.

You're looking at those sustained winds for this red-flag warning area 20 to 30 miles per hour. But those wind gusts could be anywhere between 45 to 70 miles an hour. Now, that's not as bad as we saw last week, of the 80 to 100 miles per

hour. But keep in mind that the wind direction is going to be a little bit different. It's going to be more of an easterly flow. So, these winds will end up going into some areas that did not see those incredibly strong winds from last week.

You have not only the elevated and critical, but we now have an extreme fire weather risk for today and tomorrow.

And all of these areas -- it's mostly in the Northern suburbs, but even Los Angeles -- still in those elevated to critical fire weather areas. When we look at those wind gusts, they are gradually going to tick back up in the 20-, 30-, 40-mile-per-hour range as we go through not only the day today, but also into Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

So, there's really not going to be a good chunk of a break for those firefighters hoping to make some advancements in those containment numbers.

The good news is they were able to do that over the weekend, especially on Saturday, when we had those lower winds. So, you'll see a lot of these numbers for the containment have started to go back up. And we even have some fires that are now considered fully contained at 100 percent containment.

So that is fantastic news. The thing that all of these have in common is that they are in severe drought because of the lack of rain that we've really had so far, Kasie.

Normally, we would have had about 4.5 inches of rain in these areas. We've had less than one inch.

HUNT: Wow. All right, Allison Chinchar for us this morning, Allison, thanks very much.

Still ahead here on CNN THIS MORNING, Russia, China and the rule of Don? What one expert calls the top risks in 2025.

[06:25:07]

Plus, ceasefire and hostage talks between Hamas and Israel continue. Why an agreement could be close this morning.

And with those major wildfires still threatening thousands in Southern California, how could politics affect recovery efforts in the months ahead?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWSOM: I would invite him, as I did Donald Trump, to -- to visit with the community. Express empathy of the scale of this tragedy, and -- and be here for the American people that happen to reside here in Southern California.

(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:29:59]

HUNT: All right. Welcome back.

According to a Hamas official, a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza is, quote, "very close." But sticking points remain. Talks are ongoing in Qatar.