Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
New Wind Threat In California; Gaza Ceasefire Progress; World's Largest Religious Gathering Underway. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired January 13, 2025 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:30]
ERICA HILL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Just ahead. Los Angeles on high
alert. Fierce winds forecast to pick up again, complicating the fight against the devastating wildfires that have been burning for nearly a week.
We are live in California this hour.
Significant progress being made in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas to affect a ceasefire deal that would stop the bombardment of Gaza
and release the hostages that have been there for over a year. We'll hear from the stakeholders just ahead.
Plus, millions of Hindu devotees bathing in sacred waters as the world's biggest religious gathering begins in India's Northern State Uttar Pradesh,
the tent city has also been erected to accommodate the pilgrims. That area covers some 7500 football fields.
Firefighters around Los Angeles face a daunting weather forecast as they work to contain relentless wildfires. They are bracing at this hour for
extremely critical fire conditions. Those are due to start later today and expected to last through Wednesday evening. The main focus at this point is
on two of the fires you've heard a lot about over the last week, among the largest, by the way, in California history, the Palisades fire and the
Eaton fire.
While there has been some small progress reported this morning, neither one is close to being contained. CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar back with
us with a look at the forecast. And, of course, Allison, this is going to play a major role in these fires and those containment efforts moving
forward.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, yes. And so, you've got both the wind advisory and the high wind warning in effect. The wind
advisory is before right now, this is already ongoing. Those wind gusts are expected to get up to 55 miles per hour as we go through the day today. The
high wind warning officially takes effect 4:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, local time. It will continue through Wednesday.
That's because the winds during that time period could get to 60 to even 70 miles per hour. That makes it very, very difficult for those firefighters
to really make advancements in those containment numbers. And it's not just the wind warnings when you also have to take into account the air is very
dry, the ground is very dry. And so, when you take those factors in, you look at the fire weather outlook, and both today and tomorrow have areas in
this pink color you see here.
That is the extreme category. That's level three out of three. That's the highest possible category you can get. When we talk about those winds,
they're going to continue to uptick today the 30 to 40 mile per hour range, and then continue on from there, as we go into Tuesday and Wednesday. The
good news is these fires were able to see those containment numbers go up, especially over the weekend because we had some slightly calmer winds on
Saturday which was fantastic news for the firefighters.
But one of the other things that's really going to impact these areas is just how dry everything is. When you go back to October 1st, that's the
start of the water year, and that follows more of a natural cycle, rather than having the water year start, say, on January 1st. When you go back to
that October 1st date, the L.A. area has only seen three one hundredths of an inch of rain since that time period.
They would normally have at least 4-1/2 inches by now, especially recently because January is actually the second wettest month of the year for this
area. So far, January has had no measurable rain in this particular spot. We go back one year ago, January 9th, 2024, look at the drought monitor. No
part of California was in any level of drought. Fast forward to this year, that very tan, that light tan color area, that's moderate drought, followed
by the orange, which is severe drought.
So, you're starting to see drought at a time of year when we don't normally see it, because this is normally a very wet time for this particular area.
You look ahead to the rest of the seven-day forecast, there is no rain chance in the forecast, and that's really what these areas need to see.
Now, one thing to note, though, is at the end of the week, Friday, Saturday and into Sunday, we do anticipate that the temperatures will drop a little
bit and humidity levels will go up again.
It's not what they really need, which is calm winds and a lot of rain, but at least it's something, something to look forward to on the seven-day
forecast, especially knowing how grim the next few days are likely to be, simply from those very dangerous winds.
HILL: Yes. Absolutely. Allison, appreciate it. Thank you.
Also joining us this hour. My colleague Stephanie Elam is in Malibu. We're going to get to her in just a moment with more from that, but we also want
to get to up to you -- get you up to speed rather on developments that we're following out of the Middle East. Hamas says it is, "very close to an
agreement with Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza and the hostage exchange deal." Several sticking points, though, do remain, according to an official
from the group. Those talks her current underway in Qatar.
[10:05:01]
This as at least 40 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza on Monday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S.
President Joe Biden did discuss the negotiations on Sunday. Mr. Biden is actually poised to give his farewell foreign policy address in the coming
hours. Arlette Saenz has more from the White House.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Senior White House officials are taking on a cautiously optimistic tone as they are hoping that a
ceasefire agreement and hostage release could be within their grasp in the coming weeks. President Biden is hoping they can secure some type of an
agreement before he leaves office, and President-elect Donald Trump has also said he wants to see an agreement before his swearing in on January
20th.
Deputy National Security Adviser Jon finer said that several outstanding issues have been resolved, though he did not detail exactly what those
issues were, but he did seem to indicate that there could be some hope that a deal could be on the horizon. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON FINER, DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR FOR THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: There
has been significant progress made. I am not going to sit here and make predictions. This has been a long time coming. We think a deal has been on
the table that the parties should be able to agree to for quite some time. Hamas, up until now, has been resistant and reluctant to actually take that
deal.
Some of the gaps have narrowed, and we very much hope that this does come together, and we're going to stay on top of it, but I'm not going to sit
here and predict exactly when it or where it will come together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: It comes as U.S. officials have really been trying to push these negotiations along in recent weeks. President Biden spoke by phone with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday about the prospects for a deal. And we've also learned that Netanyahu met with Trump's incoming
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday. A source familiar with the process said that really Trump is serving as an incentive in these talks.
He has warned that there would be all hell to pay if there isn't an agreement by the time he takes office. Witkoff recently said that the
President-elect wants to see these hostages back home, but at least, if that doesn't physically happen before January 20th, he at least wants to
see an agreement on the table. Now for President Biden's part, he is set to deliver a major foreign policy speech today at the State Department, as
he's really looking to cement his legacy on that front.
And that conflict between Israel and Hamas is a key part of Biden's foreign policy work. The Israeli spent the last 15 months trying to find an end to
this conflict, trying to get those hostages back home. Senior administration officials are hoping that that could potentially be within
grasp in the coming week.
HILL: Arlette Saenz with the latest for us there at the White House. My colleague Jeremy Diamond Joining us now from Jerusalem and we do also have
some new reporting from our colleague M.J. Lee, that things could potentially be close when it comes to the ceasefire deal. We have, of
course, and you know that better than anyone, Jeremy seen signs, heard that we are close before. That has not materialized. Is something different this
time around?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, it certainly seems that way, Erica, but I'm going to remain as cautious as we can be up until
we actually get the news that there has been an agreement. And that is because we have seen so many other times when things have gotten very close
and ultimately, they have fallen apart. There's no question that it now appears that we are closer than ever to a ceasefire and hostage deal inside
of the Gaza strip between Israel and Hamas.
And certainly, that these two parties are now in the final stages of negotiations. And we are hearing that optimism coming from U.S. Officials,
as well as others involved in these negotiations. All of the key players are currently in Doha, Qatar, where they are trying to see if indeed, they
can seal the deal and get this thing done before January 20th, which is, of course, the inauguration day in the United States.
Both of the Biden administration, as well as the incoming Trump administration have been bringing pressure to bear, urging the Israeli
prime minister to secure a deal in time for Trump's inauguration in the final days of the Biden presidency. And indeed U.S. officials are now
indicating that that may very well be possible, but once again, always those notes of caution as we enter this critical moment about nothing being
agreed to until every element of this deal is indeed actually agreed to.
And make no mistake about it, beyond the pressure from the United States, the Israeli prime minister has to factor in his own domestic political
considerations and the fact that within his governing coalition there are fierce opponents to this agreement. Last night, the Israeli Prime Minister
sat down with two of those opponents, the National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the finance minister Bezel Smortrich.
Both far-right members of this governing coalition who together could bring down this governing coalition if they both decided to leave it as a result
of this deal.
[10:10:04]
And today, less than 24 hours after that meeting, Bezel Smortrich, that finance minister put -- went to X to say that he opposes this agreement
that is emerging, calling it a "catastrophe for Israel's national security," describing it as a "surrender deal." And he is also urging
Israel to continue to fight until Hamas' full surrender inside of the Gaza Strip. What he didn't say is whether or not he will actually leave the
government over this agreement, if indeed it materializes.
And/or whether he will simply vote against it, voices opposition to it, but decide to remain inside that governing coalition. If indeed he does choose
to leave it, we do know that there are members of the center and the left of the opposition who have made clear that they would prop up the
government of the Israeli Prime Minister, if necessary, in order for this deal to go through. Erica?
HILL: Jeremy, really appreciate the reporting. Thank you. This, of course, has been such a focus for the Biden administration and as we are now in the
waning days of that administration. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with Jake Tapper about the deal, about how close the size
may be, and also the Biden administration's policy overall in the Middle East, as this term, of course, comes to a close. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about some unfinished business between Israel and Hamas? How close is anyone to a hostage deal?
JAKE SULLIVAN, UNITED STATES NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, I can answer that question in two ways. We are very, very close, and yet being very
close still means we're far. Because until you actually get across the finish line, we're not there. We have right now, President Biden's top
Middle East advisor, Brett McGurk in Doha. He has been there for a full week hammering out with the mediators.
The final details of a text to be presented to both sides, and we are still determined to use every day we have in office to get this done. Can we get
it done before the 20th? It is possible, but I certainly can't make any predictions that we will. I will say President Biden is getting daily
updates on this. He is likely, in the near term, to engage with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and we are not by any stretch of the imagination
setting this aside.
There is a possibility this comes together. There is also a possibility, as has happened so many times before that Hamas in particular remains in
transit.
TAPPER: October 7th was obviously a huge intelligence failure, mainly the Israelis intelligence, but also our own. Here are you in September 2023,
before the Hamas attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SULLIVAN: And the Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Eight days later, Hamas attacked Israel. Hezbollah began ramping up its rocket fire into Israel. The Houthis joined in firing missiles from
Yemen. What did the Biden administration, the Israelis, the West missed about Iran's readiness to go at Israel on all these fronts, Hamas Hezbolah,
the other militias and the Houthis?
SULLIVAN: Well, first, Jake, you cut that clip pretty well, because the sentences before it I said, this could change in an instant. This could
change tomorrow, because that's always true in the Middle East. What I was noting was that at that moment in September, you didn't have the kinds of
hot wars and other upheavals that you'd seen in the previous two decades. But I noted that there were two things in particular we had to be concerned
about.
One was Iran and the other was the Israeli Palestinian conflict. So, we were focused on trying to bring solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. And part of the solution we were looking for was moving down the track of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia as a way to get
Israel to move on the Palestinian file towards a two-state solution. Obviously, that was disrupted in a very severe way by what happened on
October 7th.
But we moved immediately to support Israel, to stand up for our friends and partners in the region. And if you look today at where we are, Iran is at
its weakest point since 1979 and you also see the fall of Assad showing just how weak and distracted Russia is as well. So, there is a huge
opportunity now, alongside the very real risks that remain for the new administration to work towards a brighter future for the Middle East.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Jake Sullivan there with our own Jake Tapper. I do want to bring you back now to California my colleague Stephanie Elam joining us now from
Malibu. Steph, there's so much anticipation and I think it's the first time today I've seen you in the daylight as that sun is coming up. What the rest
of the day could bring and obviously a concern about those conditions that are potentially on the way? Just bring us up to speed, if you could.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Erica, it's already starting to feel windy out here to us. Actually, throughout the night, it felt pretty
windy. And let me just show you, because now that the sun is up, you can really just see this was an in right here on the Pacific Coast Highway.
Just across the road for me is the Pacific Ocean.
[10:15:04]
So, this was an idyllic place where you see a lot of these older mom and pop businesses that were all throughout this area. And if you look at the
size of the Palisades fire, the Hearst fire and the Eaton fire all combined, according to data from Cal Fire. Cal Fire, this total area that
has burned is larger than the entire city of Paris. Just to give you some perspective on how much land has burned here and it's not done either.
That's the part that we're really concerned about, and that's where these winds play a factor. They're saying for the next couple of days, we could
see some extreme fire weather with these winds becoming very, very strong and that picking up is a concern because while the fires have had some
level of containment, they have not been fully contained, which means there's still something burning out there.
And if the winds pick up in ember and blow it a mile or so, and it gets into another tree, a house, a car, it could start another inferno someplace
else. So that is why they were prepositioning firefighters along some of the Canyons out behind me to prepare for -- if the fire does move in that
way. And that's why we still have over 100,000 people who are evacuated from their homes.
And of course, people want to get back home, but officials are saying it's just not safe yet for a couple of reasons. You see all this debris behind
me, and it's -- when it burns, when these fires burn through buildings, they're burning all kinds of machinery and chemicals, and they don't want
people coming back and breathing all of that until it's settled. And the other concern is what's going to happen with these winds and if some of
these areas could become unsafe because of potential flare up.
So it seems at this point, according to officials, the earliest that people could expect to be back into their homes would be Thursday. And so, it's a
lot of hurry up and waiting for people who are already on pins and needles after being evacuated, not showing how their houses are doing, let alone
for the people, the thousands of people who have definitely lost their homes and just need to go through, want to sift through the rubble, see
what they can find and start to pick up the pieces of their lives. Erica?
HILL: Yes. It is -- it is -- it is such a difficult situation all around and that agonizing weight. Steph, appreciated. Thank you.
Still to come this hour. Ukraine says it has proof Russia's army is dependent on help from Pyongyang, after two North Korean soldiers are
reportedly captured on the battlefield.
Plus, the man tasked with investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overthrow the 2020 election now officially stepping down. What Trump had to say about
Jack Smith's departure from the Justice Department. That's also ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is offering to free two North Korean soldiers if North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un can arrange the release
of Ukrainian troops currently being held in Russia.
[10:20:02]
On Saturday, Ukraine announced it had captured the North Koreans in Russia's Kursk Region. Meantime, with just a week to go until U.S.
President-elect Donald Trump takes office for his second term. His incoming National Security Advisor is signaling preparations are, in fact, underway
for a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin says Putin is ready to talk, though, no plans have yet been put in
place.
CNN's Clare Sebastian is following these developments for us from London and weighed in with more on both just in the last hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think President Zelenskyy is offered to swap the North Korean troops for Ukrainians, you
know, and one -- on the one hand, is genuine. He definitely does want to secure more prisoner swaps and bring Ukrainian prisoners of war home. But I
think in large part, this is also about trying to push Russia and Pyongyang into admitting that this is actually happening, that North Korean forces
are fighting alongside Russian forces in the Kursk Region.
Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang have even acknowledged that this is happening, even though Ukraine and the West have been saying that it's happening for
several months now. Again, on Monday, we got a carefully worded no comment from the Kremlin on this offer from President Zelenskyy, Dmitry Peskov, the
Kremlin spokesman saying we cannot comment on the statement in any way.
We do not know what is true here, or who offered what to whom, so being very careful there. But this is important for Ukraine, on the one hand,
because it shows to the west and the incoming Trump administration that this war is not a local issue, that it is expanding and Russia is bringing
in this second country to be actively involved in the fighting. And secondly, to show that Russia, as Zelenskyy has said, can no longer manage
with outside help.
So, to try to do damage, essentially, to the reputation of the Russian Armed Forces here and Ukraine is presenting evidence by showing this video,
purportedly of these captured soldiers, that Russia is not just not commenting on this, but actively trying to hide the presence of these North
Korean soldiers on the battlefield. The security services claiming that one of the soldiers had a Russian military I.D. that he was carrying.
President Zelensky also saying that it was quite a major effort for the troops to capture these soldiers alive because he claims Russia tends to
execute them to avoid them being taken into captivity. So, they are sort of presenting this evidence that Russia is really trying to hide the presence
of North Koreans on the battlefield in Kursk. So, look, we cannot verify that video, all the nationalities of the soldiers involved.
But this offers potentially a glimpse into this murky partnership between Russia and North Korea here, and one that is critical, of course, for
Ukraine as it tries to launch this new push in the Coast region, presumably to give itself more leverage in holding on to a part of Russian territory
as it goes into what may be an accelerated timeline towards negotiations under President elect Trump.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. And in terms of holding on to some of that Kursk region, there are concerns about Ukraine's positioning on the battlefield
at this moment.
SEBASTIAN: Absolutely. I mean, I think that is the key thing here, is that Ukraine is losing territory. Russia is now some three miles from this
critical transport hub of Pokrovsk in the east. Russia, again today, claiming another settlement just to the southwest of Pokrovsk. And Ukraine,
while it is launching this new push in Kursk and is stepping up drone attacks on Russian territories, for example, is severely outmanned.
The manpower shortages that have not gone unnoticed by the incoming Trump administration. The new national security adviser, Mike Waltz telling ABC
News on Sunday that he would push for Ukraine to lower the draft age from the current level of 25 saying that if the west -- if Ukraine is calling on
the west to show its commitment to democracy, Ukraine has to do the same.
But certainly, in terms of this push towards negotiations, we got more of an insight from Mike waltz in this interview on just how the incoming
administration views the timeline for a meeting between Trump and Putin. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE WALTZ, INCOMING UNITED STATES NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: From President Trump's perspective, you can't enter a deal if you don't have
some type of relationship and dialog with the other side and we will absolutely establish that in the coming months.
I do, you know, expect a call for at least in the coming days and weeks. So, that would be a step we -- and we'll take it from there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: So, a first step towards some kind of negotiations. Now, clearly, look, the rhetoric around ending this war in 24 hours that we've
had from President Trump on the campaign trail has been moderated somewhat his incoming Russia, Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg says that he'll give
himself 100 days. President-elect Trump has now talked about six months, but this is clearly a hairpin bend in terms of approach from the Biden
administration which has tried very hard to isolate Russia.
[10:25:00]
Now, the Kremlin when it comes to its response to all this is staying sort of studiously neutral. Dmitry Peskov saying today that such contract --
such contacts would be very necessary and appropriate, but no firm plans are in place as of yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: And our thanks to Clare Sebastian for that conversation. The U.S. Special Counsel meantime, Jack Smith has now resigned from the Justice
Department. His departure comes, of course, as the Biden administration winds down and amid that legal fight to keep the Attorney General from
releasing Smith's report of his investigations into Donald Trump. Trump taking to Truth Social to celebrate Smith's resignation calling him a
"disgrace to his family, himself and his country."
CNN's Crime and Justice Correspondent Katelyn Polantz has more now from Washington.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Special Counsel Jack Smith is no more. He has resigned from the Justice Department as of
Friday, after wrapping up all of the work of his office, finalizing a report, handing it off to Merrick Garland, the Attorney General, and
closing those two criminal cases in federal court that he had brought against Donald Trump related to classified documents and January 6.
This wasn't entirely unexpected. It was always expected that Smith would be resigning once his office closed and the submission of the final report,
that was the beginning of the end of that. That was the end of his work at the Justice Department. This does allow it so that there will be no
standoff with Donald Trump once Trump takes the presidency on January 20th. Trump had said he wanted to fire Smith.
That's not going to happen now because he's gone, but Donald Trump still has parting words for the former special counsel, calling him among his
political opponents, calling him deranged, saying that he was working with a team of thugs. And so now there's a big question of, are there further
investigations, congressional or otherwise, that Trump points towards people like Jack Smith?
The other thing that's happening here is with Smith exiting, it means the Justice Department's focus around his investigation. It's all on the
Attorney General Merrick Garland now, and there's an ongoing court fight on whether the final report of Jack Smith can be released. It hasn't yet.
There's been some corridors orders saying that it can't for a couple days and Trump's team is trying very hard to make sure that that report never
sees the light of day.
HILL: Katelyn, thank you. Still ahead here, the fire threat in Los Angeles raised to its highest level overnight, extremely critical as that area
braces for yet more high winds, which will fan the flames. A closer look at that just ahead.
Plus, we'll also be joined by a city leader from Los Angeles about the long road to recovery for these communities devastated by the fires.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:08]
HILL: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Erica Hill. Here's a look at the headlines we're following just about half past the hour now. A dramatic
showdown looms in South Korea as the suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol poses an impeachment trial and possible arrest. The embattled leader
remains holed up in his residence after he had, of course, briefly declared martial law last month. That then triggered widespread protests and created
one of the country's biggest political crisis in decades.
We're also keeping a close watch in the eye, the close eye, rather on the coast of Japan, after a tsunami advisory was issued there following a 6.9
magnitude earthquake just off the coast of southern Japan. We're going to follow that. We'll bring you more details as they become available.
In Sudan, the army says it has captured a strategic city held by rebels for more than a year, pushing out the Sudanese rapid support forces from Wad
Madani. This marks the army's biggest gain in nearly two years of war. The conflict has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, leaving
half of Sudan's 50 million people facing hunger. And some 12 million people have been displaced.
California's Governor Gavin Newsom says he will deploy 1000 additional National Guard troops to Los Angeles. That would bring the total number to
about 2500. The death toll, meantime, in the wake of the wildfires in Southern California has now climbed to at least 24. Dozens of people,
though remain missing. Thousands of structures have been destroyed. The Governor says mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted for all fires
except the Palisades and Eaton fires.
Meantime, the area is bracing for the return of strong winds that could undo some of the progress made by crews working to contain the blazes, and
as Southern California grapples with the disaster, the Vice President-elect J.D. Vance is criticizing the state's leadership. Here's more from an
interview on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: We have to do a better job. We need competent, good governance. Now that doesn't mean you can't
criticize the governor of California for I think some very bad decisions over a very long period of time. I mean, some of these reservoirs have been
dry for 15, 20 years. The fire hydrants are being reported as going dry while the firefighters are trying to put out these fires.
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. We need to do a
better job at both the state and federal level.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: As Vance question's Florida -- California's competence. CNN's Kyung Luh spoke directly with the state's governor, Gavin Newsom. Talked to her
about the scope and the scale of the damage.
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: The governor of California, while overseeing this fire emergency in Los Angeles County, for
the first time, is now laying out some concrete timeline of when he wants this rebuilding to begin, saying that he wants assessments of all of the
losses done within two weeks. And that's to get insurance and FEMA rolling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAH (on camera): So what is this assessment? Explain why we need this and what this --
Through, you know, that homeowner.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): You got the State Fire Marshal, Cal Fire working with county partners, teams of two go in. They will go into a property like
this, they'll assess and they will photograph and then they will post online after it's verified about a 12-hour process, and people can go on a
Web site. They don't have to physically be here to know if their property is damaged. And that will then begin the process for the property owner on
insurance and getting us to a point where we can start the rebuild process.
LAH (on camera): How quickly do you anticipate and will do that?
NEWSOM: Well, as I said, I want all the inspections done within 14 days, every single structure that's been impacted by these fires. So that's --
LAH (on camera): That's thousands of homes.
NEWSOM: Thousands of homes. And so, that's the mandate. Whatever resources they need. We said we're going to provide it. And then we're looking, right
now, at debris removal, and you're looking at Herculean effort.
Well, you're telling the debris is gone and we -- I said, we want -- nine months is the goal, nine months to year. You're looking at the magnitude of
this, and with the hazmat side, just it has to be done in a way that services the long-term needs. And then obviously you're going to learn from
this process.
LAH (on camera): And then, what about insurance? And we know -- we live here, your house is insured, my house is insured.
NEWSOM: Yes. Mine -- the one, I have -- my dad's house is under the fair plan, the state's plan.
LAH (on camera): And it's very expensive.
NEWSOM: It's very expensive and it's not great coverage.
LAH (on camera): Right. So, what do you tell people?
NEWSOM: We tell them that we are not only assessing all of that in real time and have hired independent group to look to stress test not just the
insurance market, but the utility market in California as well. We've been making a lot of reforms in our insurance market, and we'll need to make
subsequent reforms.
LAH (on camera): Something that's particularly pressing for this community you're standing in is lack of insurance. A lot of people inherited homes or
working class. What about people who didn't have insurance?
NEWSOM: And that's -- I mean, and that's going to be the most difficult and challenging thing, and that's where FEMA comes in.
[10:35:06]
That's where the SBA comes in. That's where the state of California comes in. It's where the federal government comes in. That's where philanthropy
comes in. People have lost their lives, they've lost their businesses, they've lost hope, and we've got to restore the hope and then restore their
lives and businesses and opportunities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH: The governor has signed a slew of executive orders, not just on the assessments to speed that along, but also on loosening some of the
environmental regulations to get some of this building done as quickly as possible. Kyung Lah, CNN, Altadena, California.
HILL: Joining me now, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park who represents the 11th district. It's good to have you with us this hour. I'm
wondering if you could just bring us up to speed. We have seen and we have had incredible reporting from my colleagues, it's in and beyond, about just
the scope of the devastation. The pictures are, frankly, tough to wrap your head around.
What is your -- what do you have in terms of numbers that you can talk to us about in your district, in terms of people who are still displaced,
homes that have been destroyed. Can you bring us up to speed there?
TRACI PARK, LOS ANGELES, LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCILWOMAN: Sure. So, we know that there have been more now than two dozen deaths and a loss of more than
12,000 structures across these incidents in the Pacific Palisades. Obviously, the counts and the assessments are just barely getting underway.
We have an infusion of our utility workers on the ground currently trying to address all of the broken gas lines and water lines and the downed power
wires so that it's safe enough for folks to begin the process of returning to at least see if they have a home or not.
And for some it may just be a moment of closure and seeing that this is actually real, not just a horrific nightmare that we're going to wake up
from. This is beyond --
HILL: And that too only adds to that devastation, that agony of being stuck in this limbo period of not being able to see for yourself what is perhaps
left of your home, what you may be able to see to find. What is there, in terms of for the people who have been displaced and are still waiting,
we're told, maybe Thursday, in some areas, folks may be able to get back in. But I know a lot of that is dependent, obviously, on what happens in
the coming days, frankly, with the weather.
Where are people going? Do they have everything they need? I've seen so much on social media in terms of what's available, but shelter alone is so
important when you have tens of thousands of people displaced?
PARK: So, we have nine emergency shelters stood up just here that are accessible to folks impacted by the Palisades fire on the west side. At
those locations, we have Red Cross, FEMA, medical support, places to sleep, shower and start the process of getting connected to the resources that are
going to be necessary. We have staff on hand who can begin the process of helping folks get registered with FEMA to apply for disaster assistance.
And in the coming days, we will have all of our resources from the Department of Insurance to our federal partners and more on hand in
locations. There are going to be individual workshops coming up on insurance claims and what to expect, but we are still in the middle of an
active and dangerous fire situation. Our resources are on the ground, doing everything they can to protect lives and property, but with these winds, we
are not out of the woods and so we need everyone to please continue to mind the evacuation orders.
Please be patient and understand that everyone is doing everything that we can to protect lives and to make this area safe enough for folks to
eventually be able to come back and get those final glimpses of what's left. But there's not much. And I want folks to know that when they come
and have an opportunity to look, they're probably not going to find much.
HILL: I know you have said that you believe there's been systemic under investment when it comes to public infrastructure, when it comes to public
safety resources, chronic under investment decades of that. J.D. Vance, over the weekend, said, in his view, there's a serious lack of competent
governance in the state of California. He believes that's one of the reasons these fires were so bad that they were able to get so bad.
Where do you take those comments? Where do you take that criticism from here?
[10:40:06]
PARK: So, I want to be clear that what occurred, especially with the Palisades fire was an unprecedented storm. The 80 and 100-mile an hour
winds that prevented the ability to get air assets up to fight that fire was an unusual set of circumstances. But those issues were compounded by
failures related to our critical infrastructure, our ability to get water the most important thing our firefighters needed, we couldn't even get them
water.
And that is not because of any one individual. It is not because of any one budget cycle. It is because for decades, we have failed to prioritize
building and maintaining critical infrastructure and ensuring that public safety was our top number one priority.
HILL: L.A. Councilman Traci Park, we appreciate you taking the time to join us, and we'll continue to check in with you. Thank you.
Well, so many residents impacted by these fires have been talking to CNN about what they faced as they fled and also about the heartbreaking return
for those of them -- those who have been able to the return to their neighborhoods where many have found their homes reduced to rubble and
ashes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I took my son, we ran to the car, and he was scared. He was crying. I was scared. It's OK, sweetie. Trying to, you know, be calm
and try to get out of Palisades as fast as we could.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I dropped to my knees and I just started praying, please, God, please, just save my house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm ready to jump into this. All the firemen, they got the hell out of here. They evacuated quickly and I should have followed
suit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We started piling up the Torahs in the back of my car. I checked with my husband. I couldn't see him. There was so much smoke. I
checked with him, do you have all of them? And he said, I think so. And we just left.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he was walking around with his lantern in the house. Chase. And I were talking to him. We were on FaceTime, and he said,
he'll be fine. I'll be here when you guys come back. He was in his bed when I found him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was so fast. A friend was able to go to the neighborhood once it had completely burned down and send us a video, and
that's when we found out for sure.
KIT GOLDSMITH, LOST HOME IN EATON FIRE: The idea of trying to figure out where we're going to be for the next month, where we're going to have this
baby. We had so many friends and a massive support group there that I was really, really planning to lean on and losing them is like -- it's almost
harder than losing our home.
NIC ARNZEN, VICE CHAIR, ALTADENA TOWN COUNCIL: I probably only have a dozen or so homes in my census track. It's like half the town is gone. It's just
too overwhelming. We're just living with the clothes on our back, and lucky to have friends that are bringing us in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think everybody just needs to, to understand that they've done their best. And, you know, as long as they're with their
family and they have their lives, you know, life is long and I think we have that to look forward to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Still ahead here on CONNECT THE WORLD. Israel striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon as that country selects new political leaders. That's
ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:45:35]
HILL: Israel says it struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday, saying those targets were threatening Israeli troops. Israel had warned last week
the ceasefire brokered in November could collapse if Hezbollah does not move north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, according to the IDF, a
rocket launcher site was hit and routes along the Lebanon-Syria border, which Israel says are used to smuggle weapons.
Meantime, Lebanon is now on course to select a new prime minister. The head of the International Court of Justice, Nawaf Salam received the backing of
more than half of the lawmakers on Monday. The support for Salam shows the shift in power since Hezbollah was weakened in its war with Israel. Last
week, Lebanon's parliament elected the U.S.-backed Joseph Aoun to be president, ending years of political stalemate.
Firas Maksad is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, and joins me now live from Washington, D.C. Always good to talk to you and get your
perspective here. As we look ahead to what is happening in Lebanon, this has been referred to as a watershed moment. Do you agree?
FIRAS MAKSAD, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Erica, it's good to be with you, too. It's a watershed moment. It's the dawn of the new era for
Lebanon. A small country in one where the geopolitics of the region often reflects on the domestic politics of Beirut. So, we have this election of a
U.S.-backed president, a highly credible commander of -- commander of the Lebanese army last week.
And now Nawaf Salam, the top judge at the International Court of Justice on his way to becoming Prime Minister. These are two people who, in 2019
refused and support refused to crack down on the popular protest against the corrupt political class backed by Hezbollah at the time and also fully
supported it. So, it's a huge victory, not only for the anti-Iran camp in Lebanon but also for those who wanting change and a corrupt free
government.
HILL: So, in terms of wanting that change that corrupt-free government, there was this speech from the president promising judicial reforms,
promising to fight corruption to your point. Also alluded to disarming Hezbollah. What about the headwinds though, that could still exist?
MAKSAD: And there's no shortage of headwinds to be expected. I would point out that even in Washington, even though this is a welcome development for
Washington that reflects, perhaps a New Pax Americana that we can say is on its way in the region after the collapse of the Iran-backed axis, the
collapse of the Assad regime, the defeat of Hezbollah in its war against Israel. Nawaf Salam as prime minister is not quite supported or popular in
the Trump camp in Washington because of his criticism of Israel during his tenure at the International Court of Justice.
So, there will be some headwinds in Washington, and obviously Iran and Hezbollah, they're very dangerous players in Lebanon. Still the most
powerful armed non-state actor in the world and one would have to wait what their reaction is going to be in the weeks and months ahead. There's also a
mammoth reconstruction task ahead. Billions of dollars that are required in support from the international community in the wake of the devastating war
between Israel and Hezbollah.
HILL: And there are also questions, too about how long the ceasefire deal will last, right? I mean, we saw the idea of strikes on Sunday. This
agreement from November has largely held but despite both signs repeatedly accusing the other one of violating it. In your view, how fragile is it in
this moment?
MAKSAD: Great question. Thank you, Erica for highlighting that. Yes. That 60-day ceasefire actually comes to an end on the 24th or 25th of this
month. So, we're around the corner from that crucial date. It's been an imperfect implementation of that ceasefire by both sides. Clearly, the
Lebanese side still has somewhere to go in terms of disarmament Hezbollah, particularly South of the Litani River, that crucial border area.
And that could very much provide Israel the pretext of actually not fully withdrawing out of Lebanese territory, trying to safeguard some of the
communities adjacent to that border. So, we're going to be at a critical junction. But I would have to say that the election both of American-backed
president who's credible on the street in Beirut, who was previously the commander of the armed forces and also now this this prime minister.
That bodes well and it is incumbent upon the international community in the U.S. to give the new leadership in Beirut a chance as they try to stabilize
the ship and build a new era.
Incumbent upon the international community in the U.S. to give the new leadership in Beirut a chance as they try to stabilize the ship and build a
new era in Lebanon that is free of Iranian control.
[10:50:13]
HILL: And before I let you go, these intense efforts from Saudi Arabia too that we've seen over the last several weeks, how do you expect that to
impact this new administration, this new government?
MAKSAD: The Saudis are crucial players throughout the region, particularly in Lebanon. They did play a very important role in convincing the various
coalitions in Parliament to finally vote for that president last week after a 2-1/2-year vacancy in the presidency. They were not involved at all in
the selection of the prime minister, the top Sunni posts in the land and allowed space for the local forces and the politics to play out.
The Saudis pockets are crucial in the reconstruction of Lebanon. I do have to say they have been a bit more hesitant about as they would like to put
it, throw good money after bad in Lebanon. They have -- had a bad taste given Iran's control over the country for many years and are much more
focused at home. So, there is a Saudi role to be played. It's crucial. It's an open question as whether the new leadership in Lebanon will have Saudi
be more forthcoming in its support for the country.
HILL: Firas, always good to talk to you. Thank you.
Millions of people are expected to head to India for the world's largest religious gathering. A preview of that festival is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: The world's largest religious gathering is underway in India. Millions of devout Hindus have come together to mark the beginning of the
Maha Kumbh Mela over the next six weeks. 400 million people are expected to attend the festival on the river banks of the city of Prayagraj CNN's Polo
Sandoval has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Excitement lights up the night as fire dancers celebrate ahead of the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in
India. For the next six weeks, the city of Prayagraj will be the center of spiritual devotion and Hinduism, attracting an expected 400 million
pilgrims from India and around the world. They bathe in the confluence of three sacred rivers in the largest religious festival on Earth. It's a trip
of a lifetime for many devotees.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The visit here helps cleanse ends of several lives. It was by God's grace that we could come here. I had
never seen something as wonderful as this. Never been to such a massive festival before.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): The Maha Kumbh Mela or festival of the sacred pictures is held every 12 years and is considered holier than the Maha
Kumbh Mela festivals that occur roughly every three years. Pilgrims take a dip in the waters to wash away their sins and receive salvation from the
cycle of life and death. And though it's a spiritual festival, there are some very earthly logistical challenges to hosting such a large event.
Four thousand hectares of land have been transformed into a pop-up city with thousands of tents, kitchens and port potties set up for the visitors.
More than 40,000 police personnel and cybercrime experts are part of a web of surveillance and authorities say A.I. will be used to monitor the
crowds. Indian police say they've been conducting security and rescue drills to prepare for any emergencies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There is full security. As you can see, we are alert and prepared. The area is covered by cameras and our
food, soldiers in civilian clothing will be present on the ground as well.
[110:55:10]
SANDOVAL (voice-over): The festival runs until February 26 and having it run smoothly without any major security issues would be a win for Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has promised to showcase India's religious and cultural symbols to appeal to his Hindu base.
Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: It was a no go launch for Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The 30-storey tall New Glenn rocket was expected to
launch into space for the first time early Monday morning. An issue, however, arose, and the engineers just couldn't resolve it in time. New
Glenn is the first rocket developed by Blue Origin. It aims to, of course, aims to be capable of sending satellites into orbit to compete with Elon
Musk's SpaceX.
That's going to do it for this Monday edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Erica Hill. Thanks so much for joining me over the last couple of hours. Be
sure to stay with CNN. NEWSROOM is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
