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First Move with Julia Chatterley
L.A. Firefighters Battle Strong Winds; At Least 24 Killed in Wildfires; 10 People Charged in Relation to Crimes During Wildfires; Hopes for a Gaza Ceasefire Deal; Biden's Farewell Foreign Policy Speech; Mercy Chefs: "Just Go Feed People"; Australian Open Tennis Stars Send Message of Support to Los Angeles. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired January 13, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR, FIRST MOVE: It is 8:00 a.m. in Tokyo, 10:00 a.m. in Sydney, and 6:00 p.m. here in Atlanta. I'm Lynda Kinkade, in for
Julia Chatterley. And wherever you are in the world, this is your "First Move."
A warm welcome to "First Move." Here is today's need to know. Fanning the flames. The threat of strong winds could hamper firefighting efforts around
Los Angeles. And while the search for the missing continues, the death toll has risen to at least 24.
Closer to a deal. Negotiations being finalized for a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that's expected to see the release of 33 hostages in the
first phase.
Biden bows out. The outgoing U.S. president delivering his final foreign policy speech.
And tennis tribute. Star players at the Australian Open show their support for the people of Los Angeles. All that and plenty more coming up.
But first, the race to contain deadly wildfires in Southern California. Firefighters have had some success, however, winds are once again picking
up speed. And that could force aircraft to stay on the ground and fuel the blaze. Authorities warning that in some areas the fire risk has risen to
extremely low. critical. That's the highest level of danger.
At least 24 people have died and dozens more are missing. The Palisades and Eaton Fires are believed to be among the most destructive in California's
history.
Well, for the latest on the grounds, I'm joined by Bill Weir. Bill, good to have you there for us. So, you know, the death toll has risen, but the
number of people missing is even higher. What can you tell us about the work authorities are doing to try and track those people down?
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: It is a grim task and meticulous, as you can imagine. Just down the hill from here, we're in
Altadena, they're doing grid searches with cadaver dogs and forensic teams, property by property. So, every morning, that 8:00 a.m. press conference
here in L.A., the number goes up from the folks they found the day before.
They've gotten a break in the winds. It's calm here now. The red flag warnings are in effect. The particularly dangerous situation is kicking up.
But to the west of the Palisades Fire, those active fires, fingers crossed no new blazes start as those howling winds kick back up.
But here on this side of the Eaton Fire, it's about 35 percent contained. And there's concerns about, Pasadena and Burbank if the fires and the wind
directions goes this way.
But look at this. This is a house. It just shows the fickle nature of this fire. It looks like someone came and put up this white picket fence and
planted these rose bushes and put this magnolia tree here after the house burned down. It's amazing that what is destroyed, what isn't. And you see
these little pockets oasis around neighborhoods like this, but I can't tell you I've covered so much of these things, Lynda, that this town, it's block
after block after block of ashes and destruction, the likes of which you see in sort of World War II film reels.
And this is -- it cuts across different demographics and different kinds of communities. On this side of L.A., this is the northeast. If you're looking
at a map, the Palisades Fire is over towards the coast in the west, but up here, it's hard to describe.
KINKADE: Yes, it's such a contrast, Bill, seeing that white picket fence and the flowers versus the home that's completely destroyed. Just talk to
us about what's behind these deadly fires, especially given that they are some of the most destructive fires in California's history.
WEIR: Well, there are multiple investigations going. They say they haven't ruled arson out in any of the fires, big and small. There is video shot by
somebody who sees a fire start under transmission lines. So, as a result of that, three lawsuits have been filed against Edison, the utility company
here. The campfire was started by Pacific Gas and Electric Lines, cost that utility hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.
And we have line crews here at Altadena that have been sort of going block by block checking what's down and what isn't. But when those winds get so
ferocious, the infrastructure is built for a different Earth, a cooler Earth, where the winds and this time of year didn't make them so
vulnerable.
Going forward, you got to imagine that some lawmakers are going to want to argue that in these kinds of foothills power lines should be buried. Gabe,
my photojournalist, was just bringing up that point.
[18:05:00]
And when you see there's guardrails laying in the street because the post, the wooden posts all burned. And so, how California rebuilds, what kind of
fireproof materials go into this, it will be the trillion dollar story.
The worst kind of natural disaster is one where no lessons are learned. And boy, there's a lot of painful lessons here.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. And the costs keep racking up as well. Bill Weir for us in Altadena, California, thanks very much.
Well, for more, Veronica Miracle has more details on the other developments today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dire warnings coming at a critical stage for firefighters.
CHIEF KRISTIN CROWLEY, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT: We are not in the clear as of yet and we must not let our guard down.
MIRACLE (voice-over): In their nearly week-long battle against the deadly Los Angeles blazes.
CHIEF ANTHONY MARRONE, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: Severe fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday. The anticipated winds,
combined with low humidities and low fuel moistures, will keep the fire threat in all of Los Angeles County critical.
MIRACLE (voice-over): A fresh round of Santa Ana winds bringing gusts in excess of 50 miles an hour. And the perilous possibility of further spread
or even new flare ups.
CROWLEY: I have strategically prepositioned engine strike teams and task forces, which are dedicated to rapid response.
MIRACLE (voice-over): A relatively calm weekend allowed firefighters to make progress. The Eaton Fire in Altadena, which has damaged or destroyed
at least 7,000 structures, now 33 percent contained. To the west, the Palisades Fire has chewed through more than 23,000 acres.
CROWLEY: We have crews from up and down the state, outside of the state, have made excellent, excellent work overnight mopping up flare ups and hot
spots.
MIRACLE (voice-over): Thousands of firefighters on the ground and from the air working day and night to beat back the flames. Still, more than 90,000
people are under evacuation orders, not knowing when or if they'll be able to return.
The LAPD halting a service to assist residents to retrieve small items and pets from their homes.
ASSISTANT CHIEF DOMINIC CHOI, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: But we tried to put -- be compassionate and put together a team to escort residents to
their homes to either retrieve small pets or their medication, but that line became exceedingly large and it was causing more problems than
solutions.
MIRACLE (voice-over): In the fire's wake, the stories of loss echo across the region.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People like me lost everything, not only the home, but every single thing in it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lots of tears, anger. We're going through the stages of grief.
JAIMIE GELLER, HOME DESTROYED IN PALISADES FIRE: I think it's just really overwhelming because you feel like you lost everything, but then so did
everybody that you know. So, how do you mourn the loss of your life? And then also, everybody is mourning the loss of every -- it's overwhelming.
MIRACLE (voice-over): The Gellers, like thousands of their neighbors, forced to flee, only to return to utter devastation.
GELLER: How do you move forward?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Our thanks to Veronica Miracle there. Well, CNN's Anderson Cooper has been with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as
they work to contain the Palisades Fire. City officials say they are better prepared for the coming winds, but there is a chance that high winds could
ground firefighting aircraft.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm in Brentwood Heights with a crew that is doing incredibly difficult work just on this one section that they've been
assigned to. As you could see, more guys are coming down right now. They're essentially going over every inch of this hillside. They've got about 20
people here, at least, working. And this is just one of many crews doing this in other parts of the Palisades and elsewhere, over the Eaton fire.
They're essentially digging with rakes through every inch of this hillside, looking for any hotspots that may exist underneath just below the surface.
You can see they're digging over there with shovels. They've got rakes, got chainsaws. You know, look this whole hillside has already went -- flames
have already moved through here last -- on Saturday. And now, they're just trying to make sure that a new fire won't erupt if the winds pick up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Our thanks to Anderson Cooper there. Well, Mother Nature is not cooperating. Wind speeds are expected to continue to increase over the next
few days. And no rain is forecast this week. Well, Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us with more.
[18:10:00]
So, Derek, really not great news when it comes to the forecast. People already being told to prepare to evacuate potentially.
?Well, meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us with more. So, Derek, really not great news when it comes to the forecast and people already being told
to prepare to evacuate potentially again for those that have gone home.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Lynda, using the terminology from the National Weather Service out of Los Angeles, this is as bad as it gets.
So, the conditions going forward are going to get worse before they get better. What you're looking at is the red flag warning, which is extended
right through Wednesday afternoon for some of the hardest hit areas. But the Los Angeles National Weather Service has consolidated and expanded an
area known as a particularly dangerous situation, which we've highlighted here with that shading of purple.
Here's the Hurst Fire, here's the Eaton Fire, and just outside of that PDS area is the Palisades Fire. Just to give you an idea how rare these PDS
fires are, are these PDS situations, you actually have only had six issued in the past five years, four of which have been issued in the past three
months.
We know what happened when the last PDS was issued. The Palisades Fire blew up in size and caused so much damage. So, what this is telling me is that
they're picking up on a particularly extreme scenario with the winds, and our computer models agree with that. And all of our weather forecasting
models does as well.
But what's different about this and what's changed here in the past few hours is that they have kind of expanded this to include the San Fernando
Valley, much of central and eastern sections of Ventura County. And this is the area just to the north of Santa Clarita as well, that area under a PDS.
as well.
So, we're going to monitor this very quickly -- very closely. And it's this wind direction that is so critical for the firefighting efforts going
forward. Remember, red flag warning doesn't necessarily forecast where these fires will go. It's showing you that the conditions are ripe for
rapid fire growth and spread. So, that is what they're warning.
And those areas that you saw a moment ago, I'll go back in this graphic. These are the areas that we are most concerned about as it stands going
into Tuesday morning lasting right through the day on Wednesday.
So, when we talk about the wind direction, this is the change. We've had mostly a northeasterly direction, the typical Santa Ana wind, so far, for
the past week. But what we're going to see is more of an east northeasterly wind. So, that subtle shift in the wind direction is so critical because
what that means is it puts more of Ventura County at risk for the greatest winds. And remember, it is tinderbox conditions on the ground, very, very
dry, low relative humidities, all these factors coming together, almost the perfect storm. And what it is, it's highlighting this particular area under
the greatest risk and the greatest threat.
So, let's get into some specifics. This is the CAL FIRE 3D mapping service. And you've seen the Palisades Fire, the Hurst Fire, and the Eaton Fire on
the other side of the screen. And zooming in, that shade of orange is the acres that have already burned with the Palisades Fire. The red is the
mandatory evacuation orders. These are evacuation warnings. That red line right there, that orange line is the 405 Freeway.
So, just the change from yesterday when I was working, these evacuation orders and warnings have gone over the 405, impacted the Brentwood Heights
area and also UCLA campus. These buildings right here are at threat if this particular fire continues to expand as what we've seen.
Lynda, it's dry out there. We're running at a major deficit. We have only had 300ths of an inch of rain since the beginning of the water year, which
begins October 1st. It's different than a calendar year. Now, the question is whether will there be any rain? And the short answer is no.
But as we head into the weekend and early parts of next week, we are picking up on a change in the wind direction, which will bring in what is
called the marine layer from the Pacific Ocean, and that increases the relative humidity values, changes the wind direction from an onshore
component, and that could just aid in some of these containment efforts going forward. Lynda.
KINKADE: We can only hope. Derek Van Dam, good to have you with us. Thank you.
Well, the top prosecutor of Los Angeles County has announced charges against 10 people in relation to crimes during the wildfires. It comes as
he warns that some people are taking advantage of the disaster by committing crimes, including looting and price gouging.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NATHAN, HOCHMAN, L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: And with people who have lost lives, lost homes, lost businesses, there are still people in our
community who, rather than saying thank you, look at this as an opportunity to commit crime and to take illegal profit and advantage over the
situation.
We've seen this come up and you've heard law enforcement describe the arrests that have been made, whether those are arrests for looting,
burglary, grand theft, whether those are arrests or for arson, whether those arrests will eventually be for price gouging, because we have been
seeing price gouging with hotels, people offering residence as well above the 10 percent addition that they can charge. We've seen that with medical
supplies, other types of supplies, price gouging going on.
[18:15:00]
So, the criminals have decided that this is an opportunity, and I'm here to tell you that this is not an opportunity. You will be arrested, you will be
prosecuted, and you will be punished to the full extent of the law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, sources say Donald Trump is in talks to visit Los Angeles as early as next week. The president-elect will survey wildfire damage and
review the state's recovery efforts. The planning comes after California's governor, Gavin Newsom, sent a letter to Trump last Friday inviting him.
Well, months of tireless diplomas in the Middle East may at last be paying off. U.S. officials say a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel is now in
sight. A diplomat close to the talk says a final round of negotiations is set to take place in -- on Tuesday in Doha.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday that negotiators are on the brink of success.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're pressing hard to close this. The deal we have in structure would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide
security to Israel and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who've suffered terribly in this war that
Hamas started.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Israeli officials say Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages as part of the first phase of a ceasefire deal.
For more, I'm joined by Kim Dozier, CNN global affairs analyst. Good to have you with us, Kim. So, another round of talks, hopefully -- potentially
the last round of talks with this deal set to take place tomorrow morning in Doha and it seems like this is the closest both sides or all sides have
got. Can it be done?
KIM DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, but there are many, many details and moving parts to this agreement as it's been proposed. Various
leaked details include that essentially, in the first seven days, you get seven hostages, in the first 42 days, you'd get a bit over 30, but in
exchange, there would be 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. And then negotiations would start on the rest of the hostages.
This takes us into President Donald Trump's second term. It's after the inauguration when -- if this all works out tomorrow in Doha, it takes us
into the territory of when Trump had said, they'll be held to pay if there were hostages still being held by Hamas.
And we still have to get through -- if both sides agree to this deal, then the Israelis have a process where they've got to take it back. The cabinet
has to approve it. The government has to approve it. And then, the high court has to have time to listen to any objections from families who've
lost loved ones to Palestinian crimes regarding those Palestinians who would be released. So, close, but not done by a long shot.
KINKADE: Yes, certainly a lot of steps to go if this is indeed going to happen. And of course, we know one of the reasons the last deal fell
through was because Israel wanted to keep troops along that Philadelphi Corridor, the Egypt-Gaza border. And that still is part of this plan,
right? At least the start of this proposal. Do we know how long Israel would be allowed to keep troops there under this deal?
DOZIER: It seems that how long they would stay is part of the negotiation process in the second part of the deal. It sort of relies on a confidence
building measure that in the first seven days, you'd have the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and you have Israeli troops
pull out of various other parts of the Gaza Strip, including the Central Crossing where Israeli troops right now have cut the north from the south.
So, if they -- if everything goes well, and the Israeli troops pull to a buffer zone between Israel and Gaza, but remain in the border area between
Gaza and Egypt, then talks would go from there. That does unfortunately leave -- you know, every time you have gaps, or you have certain lines in
the sand that have to be met before the next part of the deal can go forward, each of those introduces an opportunity for the whole process to
fall apart again. And that's just awful for the hostage families, especially the families of some of the young men of soldier age, who will
be the very last to be released in this, they're not even being considered for the first round.
KINKADE: Yes, certainly tough times ahead they're continuing. Kim Dozier, good to have you with us. CNN global affairs analyst. Thank you.
DOZIER: Thanks.
[18:20:00]
KINKADE: Well, still to come much more on the wildfire disaster in California. We're going to hear from the nonprofit group Mercy Chiefs -- or
Mercy Chefs, whose volunteers are on the ground. They're providing hot, nutritious meals to families who are traumatized by what they've been
through.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Money -- Monday pullback for tech stocks tops today's Money Move. U.S. stocks finished the session
mixed, pressured once again by rising bond yields. The NASDAQ extremely volatile, falling well over 1 percent earlier in the sessions, and
finishing well off its lows.
Stocks in the news include vaccine maker Moderna. Shares tumbled after the firm lowered its 2025 sales forecast due to weaker demand for COVID shots.
A better performance for U.S. Steel. Shares rallied 6 percent on reports that rivals Cleveland-Cliffs and Newcore are discussing a takeover bid for
the firm. All this after the Biden administration blocked Nippon Steel's bid for the U.S. Steel on national security grounds. The White House is
also giving Nippon Steel more than five months to contest the decision.
Well, meantime, a down day across Asia Monday. The Hang Seng and the South Korean KOSPI falling 1 percent.
In other the business news, shares of chip giant NVIDIA fell almost 2 percent Monday after the U.S. rolled out new export restrictions on
advanced A.I. technologies. The new rules are intended to make it more difficult for Chinese and Russian firms to buy U.S. developed A.I. chips.
NVIDIA is criticizing the move saying it will stifle competition and squander America's tech advantage. Our Clare Duffy has more.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes, Lynda, these are just the latest U.S. restrictions on A.I. technology sales to China, which, of course, is
all aimed at blocking China from increasing and advancing its military and industrial development and maintaining U.S. technology leadership.
But these new rules are quite broad. They essentially break up the world into three tiers. The first tier is close U.S. allies. Think South Korea,
Japan, Australia, Taiwan, they will face no new restrictions. The second tier includes China and Russia, which are already blocked from buying
advanced A.I. chips from the United States. They will now be blocked from buying advanced A.I. models, closed source models like those from OpenAI
and Microsoft.
The third tier includes much of the rest of the world. And these countries will now face caps on the amount of computing power to run A.I. that they
can purchase from the United States. And the reason for that is to prevent China from going around the U.S. export restrictions and buying advanced
A.I. chips from third countries, especially in the Middle East.
[18:25:00]
But we're already seeing backlash to these new rules from the A.I. industry. Remember, many of these big chip companies are already taking a
hit to their bottom line from the U.S. export restrictions to China. They say these new rules could further stunt economic growth and harm U.S.
technology leadership. We heard from the vice president of Government Affairs for NVIDIA, Ned Finkle. And he said, while cloaked in the guise of
an anti-China measure, these rules would do nothing to enhance U.S. security.
Now, there will be a 120-day industry comment period before these rules go into effect. So, we could actually see further changes to these rules from
the incoming Trump administration.
The timing here is really interesting, coming just one week before Biden leaves office, and potentially ratcheting up more tensions, not only with
China, but also with the A.I. industry, just as Trump takes office. Lynda.
KINKADE: Our thanks to Clare Duffy. We're going to have much more news in just a moment. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back to "First Move." I'm Lynda Kinkade with a look at more international headlines this hour. A 6.9 magnitude earthquake off the
coast of Southwest Japan triggered a tsunami advisory Monday. Officials have now lifted that advisory but are urging people to stay away from
coastal areas.
The world's largest religious festival kicked off in Northern India Monday. Some 400 million Hindu worshippers are expected to take part over the next
45 days. It's an event that takes place every 12 years and includes bathing in sacred waters. It is so large it can be seen from space.
A mixed victory for outgoing special counsel Jack Smith, Federal Judge Aileen Cannon says she will not block the release of his report on
President-Elect Trump's efforts, or alleged efforts, to overturn the 2020 election.
[18:30:00]
But she is scheduled at a hearing later in the week about whether the portion of the report dealing with Trump's classified document case should
be made public. Attorney General Merrick Garland says he hopes to release Smith's report before Trump takes office next week.
And the special counsel who investigated Hunter Biden and his business dealings has submitted his final report to Congress. The six-year case was
short circuited last month when President Joe Biden granted his son, Hunter, an unconditional pardon.
For more, I am joined by Evan Perez. And, Evan, it has been a busy period the last eight years for the Justice Department and these special counsels.
What can you tell us about this final report?
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Lynda. And in this case, this is an investigation into Hunter Biden that has gone on for six
years. Now, that's before -- I'm sorry -- he was found guilty in Delaware on these two gun charges and as well as pleading guilty to tax violations
in Los Angeles.
Now, in this report, it's about -- just about 20 pages or so. Special Counsel David Weiss, who was appointed under President Trump in the first -
- in his first term and who remained on to do this investigation, he takes aim at Joe Biden for the way he pardoned Hunter Biden. It's not just the
fact that he pardoned him, but also made those extraordinary statements saying that he believed that Hunter Biden was being targeted or was
prosecuted simply because he was the president's son.
I'll read you just a part of what he says here in this report. He says, I prosecuted the two cases against Mr. Biden because he broke the law. He
says, other presidents have pardoned family members, but in so -- but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the
public servants of the Department of Justice based solely on false claims. Again, very strong words from David Weiss, the special counsel, who has now
wrapped up his investigation.
Take note, though, that as part of this report, he does not go after Republicans, who, really, over the past six years, have focused a lot on
this investigation because they wanted to make it about not just Hunter Biden, they wanted to make the claim that this was also about corruption in
the Biden family.
You'll remember Hunter Biden worked for many years in Ukraine and in other countries, made millions of dollars during that period and has now admitted
that it looked bad, right? It looked like he was banking on his -- or at least profiting from his father's name, and he has regretted that.
Now, Joe Biden has said that he never knew anything, any of the details of his son's business dealings. So, in wrapping up this report, we expect that
this at least will, for now, seal this. Of course, we don't know whether Republicans, once the new president takes office in the coming days,
whether they plan to continue doing hearings, trying to really investigate more parts of this, because they have always claimed that there was a
bigger story here that David Weiss, the special counsel, was not getting to the bottom of. Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. Evan Perez, good to have you on the case as always. Thanks so much.
PEREZ: Thanks.
KINKADE: Well, Joe Biden says his administration restored us leadership during his four years in office. The president was speaking at the State
Department for perhaps the last time. His foreign policy address included taking a swipe at Russian later Vladimir Putin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Our adversaries are weaker than where we came into this job four years ago. Just consider Russia. When Putin invaded Ukraine, he thought
he'd conquer Kyiv in a matter of days. But the truth is, since that war began, I'm the only one that stood in the center of Kyiv, not him. Putin
never had.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Much of Biden's foreign policy legacy from Ukraine to the Middle East could depend on Donald Trump's decisions in the coming months, as
Kevin Liptak reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Biden's final foreign policy address was an attempt to frame his one term presidency as a
transformational one when it comes to America's role in the world. And throughout the speech he used this construction, I can report, I can report
on various states that he says the world is in a better place than when he came into office four years ago.
And so, he discussed the situation in Ukraine, talking about bolstering American alliances and expanding the NATO defense collective. He talked
about China and better positioning the United States to compete with Beijing in the industries of the future.
And he talked about the Middle East and specifically the war in Gaza. The president voicing optimism that a hostages for ceasefire deal could be in
the offing in the near term. And certainly, when you talk to President Biden's advisers, they are voicing renewed optimism that this deal could
happen before President Biden leaves office in one week's time.
[18:35:00]
Interestingly, the president also discussed the war in Afghanistan and his decision almost four years ago to withdraw American troops from that
country. He said that he would be the first president in decades to not hand off that conflict to a new president and defended himself against some
of the criticism that surrounded that event four years ago, saying that Afghanistan did not become a hotbed for terrorism and that the criticism
that American alliances could be weakened by that did not come true.
And so, certainly, the president trying in this address to frame his record as a successful one and to make the case that he is handing off to Donald
Trump, a world that, in his words, had strong hands to play. That the United States now has more friends and alliances that is leading once
again, that is uniting countries and that is setting the agenda.
But the subtext of this speech that I don't think you can ignore is that the person that President Biden is handing the presidency to in the first
place is the person that he has accused of weakening American alliances, of isolating the United States, of causing global anxiety. Donald Trump is
someone that President Biden has said weakened western alliances during the course of his four years in office.
And so, when Biden says that the world is in a stronger place and that he hopes the new administration will carry on his agenda, there's really no
sort of optimism, I think, on the part of foreign policy experts or even President Biden's aides that that will necessarily come to pass.
And so, that, I think, was the subtext to what the president was saying in this speech, that is the first of two farewell addresses that the president
will be delivering this week. He'll speak from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening before handing off the presidency to Donald Trump next Monday.
Kevin Liptak, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Ukraine says it's willing to swap two North Korean soldiers for its own troops held in Russia. President Zelenskyy proposed the trade
this weekend after sharing pictures of the two injured captives. As our Nick Paton Walsh reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Their presence, something Ukraine has railed at for months, saying China's ally, North Korea, is now fighting for Russia. And this war is
turning global as it enters its fourth year.
At the weekend, hard proof emerged. Video, including this drone footage, of what they said was the capture of two North Korean soldiers in the Kursk
region. One ferried away on a frontline stretcher.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they could be exchanged.
If Kim Jong Un remembers these citizens, he said, at all, and can organize an exchange for our soldiers held in Russia, we can transfer such soldiers.
Undoubtedly, there will be other prisoners from North Korea.
The Ukrainian Security Services released this footage, controversially, of two injured North Koreans, answering questions from their captors, even as
they recovered from medical treatment.
A Korean translator, helped the first man, who we have blurred, his hand injured and in pain, explain he thought he was on a training exercise, not
fighting Ukraine. He said, after a January the 3rd assault, he hid in a dugout for two days until capture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He said that, essentially, he'll do as he's told. If he's required to return, he'll go back. If he's given
the chance to stay here, he'll stay.
WALSH (voice-over): A second is unable to properly speak owing to a jaw injury. He says his family do not know where he is. He nods his assent when
asked if he wants to go home.
The Ukrainian showed these Russian papers, repeating the suggestion the North Koreans had been given false identities from Tuva, a Russian republic
bordering Mongolia. Rare, and controversial images released at a time when Ukraine's war is widening, intensifying, and entering a new uncertain phase
where Kyiv must adapt to a new White House and a steady Russian advance.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, still to come, just go feed people. That's one aid organization's motto. The conversation with Mercy Chefs and how it's
helping people affected by the Los Angeles fires. When we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back to "First Move." I'm Lynda Kinkade. Los Angeles food banks are trying to keep up with the demand as those affected by the fires
look for food. Mercy Chefs is a nonprofit founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and it is on the ground feeding victims and first responders.
Hurricane Helene, the Maui fires, and the 2023 earthquake in Turkey are just a few of the natural disasters where Mercy Chefs stepped in to provide
relief. It served more than 28 million meals so far right around the globe.
I want to welcome Nick Beckman. He is the director of Logistics for Mercy Chefs, and joins us now from Pasadena, California. Thanks for being with
us.
NICK BECKMAN, DIRECTOR OF LOGISTICS, MERCY CHEFS: Thanks so much for having me, Lynda.
KINKADE: So, we've seen, obviously the images on the ground of the aftermath of these fires. The threat remains. Just give us a sense of what
you and your team are seeing there.
BECKMAN: Yes, we've spent the last couple of days exploring the area, meeting with victims, talking with partners as we begin to set up our
operations. We're serving meals already. We got our first meals out last night and we're honored to be serving both 1st responders and victims of
these fires.
And it is what they say it is, it's devastating. And as far as so often are, as we see all around the world, it feels random almost in a
neighborhood and one house would be -- weren't burned and then another will be spared. So, it's devastating in that way, too, with the confusion and
the unknown.
KINKADE: And, Nick, you said you've been working -- or starting to work, at least, with some of the other organizations on the ground. Just talk to
us about the logistics and how you roll out these meals, how often these meals are being served.
BECKMAN: Yes, absolutely. We look to do two meals a day and we look to find partnerships across the city. Folks who are working here doing great
work day in day out, whether that's churches or centers of connection in the city already. We know they're doing great work and it's our job to come
alongside them, find them, and help make their job a little bit easier by offering love in the form of a hot meal.
KINKADE: Which is so important to have something like hot meals. That's that a comfort when you're dealing with so much trauma. Of course, we know
Mercy Chefs was founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Just talk to us about the logistical -- the sort of challenges that you expect to face in
the coming days and weeks.
BECKMAN: Absolutely. Typically, Mercy Chefs will use purpose built mobile kitchen equipment as well as support equipment. Say, we respond in Texas or
Oklahoma. This is different because we're not quite as set up in California. So, we've been finding partners and finding a kitchen to work
out of and cleaning and getting everything ready to make the same exact beautiful Mercy Chefs meals that we do all across the country.
[18:45:00]
It's been really exciting to meet with people, obviously hard in the wake of what they're going through. But always good to find folks who really
care and want to really serve their community. It's awesome to find those people to get to work through them. They know the community really well
already. And it's just an honor to come and serve alongside them.
KINKADE: And so, right now for those in the community who do need a hot meal, where do they go to find you?
BECKMAN: We're setting up those distribution sites right now. And over the coming days, we'll be able to publicize those. So, stay tuned on Mercy Chef
social medias as we find those partners and are able to share those locations where folks can come and get a hot meal.
KINKADE: And of course, this is not just a short-term effort. This is going to be a long-term need because a lot of these -- you know, obviously
authorities are on the ground right now looking for people that are listed as missing, but also like the clearing of some of the destruction, some of
those homes that have been ruined is going to take months. How long do you expect you and your team to be on the ground there?
BECKMAN: The easier answer is that we'll be here as long as we're needed. As long as folks need a little comfort in the form of a hot meal, we'd be
honored to stay here and serve.
KINKADE: All right. We wish you all the best, you and your team on the ground there helping victims of the fires. Nick Beckman, director of
logistics for Mercy Chefs, thank you.
BECKMAN: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, for more information about how you can help those in the Los Angeles area wildfire victims, just go to cnn.com/impact.
Well, still to come, amid the devastating wildfires, a powerful message of hope from some of the world's top tennis players. We'll have that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. The world's largest religious festival has kicked off in India. Hindu devotees have come together to mark the beginning of
the Maha Kumbh Mela. 400 million people are expected to attend 45 days. Polo Sandoval reports.
(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. The next six weeks, the City of Prayagraj will be the center of spiritual devotion in 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.
KALI BEGUM, HINDU DEVOTEE FROM PUNJAB (through translator): Visit here helps cleanse sins 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 Kumbh
Mela festival 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.
[18:50:00]
And though it's a spiritual festival, there are some very earthly logistical challenges to hosting such a large event. 4,000 hectares of land
have been transformed into a pop-up city with thousands of tents, kitchens and porta potty set up for the visitors.
More than 40,000 police personnel and cyber-crime 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.
PRASHANT KUMAN, POLICE DIRECTOR GENERAL, UTTAY PRADESH (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.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): The festival runs until February 26th and having it run smoothly without any major security issues, would be a win for Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was promised to showcase India's religious and cultural symbols to appeal to his Hindu base.
Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, tennis stars at the Australian Open sending messages of support to Los Angeles. Coco Gauff writing, stay strong L.A., thank you
firefighters on a camera lens after winning her first-round match. And Naomi Osaka, who's seeking her third Australian Open title says she's
watching developments back home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAOMI OSAKA, TWO-TIME AUSTRALIAN OPEN WINNER: I was watching the fire map and the fire is like three blocks from my house. So, I had someone go and
get my daughter's birth certificate and all that because I didn't know what would happen if that burned down. But I guess sending all my love to L.A.
And I know we hear about fires, but for me in particular, I didn't know like how devastating it could be. And yes, I just hope everyone's doing
well and I'm sending them all my love.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Patrick Snell joins us for more. And, Patrick, certainly frightening for Naomi, saying how close the fire came to her house when
she's on the other side of the world in Australia. And certainly, the fires are on the forefront of many people at the tennis, right?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, really heartfelt emotion there from Naomi Osaka. No question about that, Lynda. And, you know, many, many
players stepping up to the plate and speaking with emotion, using their platforms to effect, especially at the Australian Open in Melbourne on
Monday.
We had the world number two from Poland, Iga Swiatek, winning her opener in straight sets. And then, after the match, writing on a camera, Iga writing
a message to those impacted by the wildfires, which, as we saw with Coco Gauff. In this case, the message, sending my love to Malibu and to L.A.
And, Lynda, as you no doubt will remember, it was at the height of the Australian bushfires that tennis star Nick Kyrgios really stepped up to the
plate a few years. Nick Kyrgios very much front and center during that period. He was leading the fundraising efforts of the 2020 Aussie Open. And
at the same time, the country's snowboarding superstar, Scotty James, calling the bushfires heartbreaking. His message back then reading, stay
safe and look after each other.
Well, I spoke earlier with the 2022 Olympic silver medalist, who's in Switzerland at the moment. Scotty's thoughts, though, very much with the
people of Southern California right now. And he's going to tell us why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTTY JAMES, TWO-TIME OLYMPIC MEDALIST: It's been very tragic to be seeing everything happening from afar. And I've spent a lot of time in the
U.S. and particularly in L.A. So, my thoughts are with everyone there. It's, you know, as I said, really tragic to see these fires and thoughts
with all the families that are there and big hats off to the fire rescue, you know, putting in all the time to hopefully put those fires out soon.
One of my big partners is Red Bull. Has been a sponsor of mine for many years and their headquarters is actually in Santa Monica. So, they have a
big Red Bull training performance center there. So, I spent a lot of time in just that area all the time on the West Coast. I'm training and
competing there a lot. So, it was always that stop to when I was coming from Australia when I was really young, I'd always go through L.A. to go to
the rest of the world. So, it's definitely a place I've probably stopped in most over my career.
So, you know, there's a lot of different landmarks and places that I've seen that aren't there anymore, which is really sad. So, yes, again,
thoughts with everyone there, and I hope everyone's safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Yes. Thanks to Scotty there, Lynda, who we spoke with a little earlier. Back to you.
KINKADE: And of course, Patrick, it's not just prayers and thoughts, sports stars and even sports clubs are making substantial donations, right,
to help those impacted.
SNELL: Yes, real impact being made. No question. You know, Lynda, so often we do see at times like this, we see sports communities coming together as
well. And we see it time and time again during times of heartbreak and crisis. And right now, certainly no exception.
[18:55:00]
On Monday, we learned that the major L.A. sports teams are donating a combined $8 million plus as well at organizing clothing distributions as
well for later on this week on Friday. The NBA Lakers team are in action tonight against San Antonio, and they're going to be dedicating the game to
the L.A. community and Southern California's first responders as well. The Lakers saying the game will honor the strength and spirit of L.A. as relief
and recovery efforts begin for those impacted by the recent wildfires.
And the NFL, the National Football League, over here has announced a combined $5 million donation to various organizations who are supporting
the communities impacted the league, saying the funds have come from individual contributions from clubs and ownership groups as well from the
Chargers, the Rams, as well as the Minnesota Vikings, the Houston Texans and the league's own foundation as well.
And, Lynda, it is great to see action being taken, real impact being made as teams step up in support of Southern California there, in their time of
need. And so, our present thoughts as well do indeed remain with all affected there. Back to you.
KINKADE: Exactly. And for any viewers that want to make a donation, they can go to our website for a list of organizations helping on the ground.
Patrick Snell, thanks so much.
Well, that just about wraps up our show. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Thanks so much for joining us today. Much more news in the hours ahead. And my colleague
and friend, Julia Chatterley, will be back tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
