always go back to that book every drive and just refocus and nothing matters. nothing happened. reel it back in. >> john, you know, we have to talk about my buffalo bills. they steamrolled the broncos 31 to 7. josh allen showing why he's a leading mvp candidate. look at this unreal touchdown pass. fourth down. ty johnson makes an incredible catch. this is in late in the third. and alex allen would finish with two touchdown passes in the game. this was his fifth consecutive season with 40 plus tds. no other qb in history has more than two straight. next up, the bills. they'll have the ravens and lamar jackson for an mvp candidate showdown. buffalo still undefeated at home this season. wild card round wraps up tonight. vikings and rams in glendale, arizona nfl moving the game from inglewood, california amid the days of devastating wildfires and air quality concerns across l.a., a kickoff is set for eight eastern. finally, your patriots john hiring former player of theirs mike vrabel,

as their new head coach. vrabel was the browns consultant this season. he was head coach of the titans for six seasons before that coach of the year there in 2021. john, i can just tell you your patriots, they're going to be tough as nails. i had to play against vrabel and we're in buffalo. he's on punt team because belichick always played their defensive starters. i blocking him. he can't get off the block. good job koi. next thing i know he reaches up under my facemask, starts choking me in the middle of the play. i started like laughing and smiling. he starts laughing and smiling. he is a beast and i think you are going to love the way product that he puts out onto that field with their terms of their emotion. it's going to be awesome. >> i'm not sure i could love it as much as that story because that story was awesome. it was a friendly joke from mike vrabel, who now holds the most important job in all of new england. coy wire, thank you very much. a brand new hour of cnn news central starts now

breaking news this morning. >> red flag warnings are back as firefighters race to contain the catastrophic wildfires still raging across southern california. more powerful winds expected to pick back up as the death toll has now climbed to 24, with dozens more missing and fire ravaged communities look like war zones in the face of the devastation, wildfire victims who have lost everything are now facing another question what does their insurance cover, or are they even covered? we'll speak with one homeowner facing uncertainty over what to do next. and on capitol hill, president-elect donald trump's cabinet picks will face scrutiny as critical confirmation hearings kick off tomorrow. i'm sara sidner with kate bolduan, john berman, this is cnn news central.

>> all right, the breaking news, the last thing residents in and around los angeles want to hear this morning. overnight, officials raised the fire threat level to the highest level, extremely critical in some places. that is a three out of three in terms of danger. and it could stay that way for days. shortly, the wind speeds could be near hurricane level gusts. again, the fear is the conditions will soon become explosive. just moments ago, a fire battalion chief shared this update with the red flag warning imminent. >> every one of our fires that's currently active, the containment lines that are not fully contained yet are still the challenge, and it's possible that wind could blow. >> all right. more than 100,000 people are in the evacuation zones this morning. the death toll stands at 24, but that number could rise. there are dozens of people said to be missing. let's get right to malibu. cnn's stephanie elam

is there. stephanie, we can see you standing in front of just the destruction. >> so much destruction. and you were talking about those winds, john. they are really starting to kick up now. i don't know if you can tell as well. yeah, i guess this guy is flapping up here so you can see this. it is really windy. and this is part of the concern because right now it is cooler. it is a little chilly out here. and that usually happens during wildfires where we see the flames kind of simmer down into the earth and we don't really see them. but then as daylight comes, things start to heat up and we start to see these blazes come back. but this is the overall effect of what we've been seeing here. take a look at this. this was an inn right on the pacific coast highway, just decimated by the blaze. and palisades fire coming through here. and you think about it, the fire has burned through more than 23,000 acres. the eaton fire over on the east side, burning through 14,000 acres. and according to data released by cal fire, they're saying that the amount of land burned between the eaton fire, the palisades fire

and the hurst fire is more than the size. the total area of paris larger, i mean, just phenomenal numbers to actually try to compute and digest of just how large these fires are. the other concern, though, with these winds is that while they have had some containment come together for some of these fires and some of them, they've knocked down. the issue is with these winds, those containment numbers could go back down. and i know a lot of people just want to get back into their homes. if they're in those evacuation areas. but take a listen to cal fire official here, explain why they don't want people to go back prematurely. >> part of the reason we're keeping evacuation orders in place is not only because of fire risk, but it's also because we have downed power lines, which are potentially life unknown. status of gas lines. and every bit of that ash that is out there is toxic with petroleum products from

the houses that burned. so it is an unsafe place for families to be. >> that's very true. and even here, standing here by this end, even though i'm not in it, i can smell that metallic smell that you smell after wildfires that goes through not just brush and trees, but through buildings like this. and that is part of the concern, along with the fact that we have these wind warnings. so they're saying if things go the way they hope they go over the next couple of days, the earliest that we may see people going back into their homes is on thursday. >> john, you know, this has been going on for so long now. in days, more of it to come. it's got to be overwhelming for so many of the people who have lost their homes. it's got to be exhausting for you too. stephanie elam, thank you so much for being there. appreciate it. kate. >> and tens of thousands of people have evacuated their homes under threat from these deadly wildfires in the area. in areas like altadena, entire neighborhoods burned to the ground, leaving many people with little or no information about what's left of their home

after they evacuated. some, though, never left. kevin lyman, now a usc professor best known for being one of the founders of the vans warped tour, he stayed his home, survived. but that's not the case of many of his neighbors. and now he is providing near constant updates for everyone in his community. hey guys, the best way i thought i could do this was to send a little update from calaveras. >> at this point, our house is still standing. there's houses on both sides of the street down la vista, as well as at the end of calaveras. both ends on fire, but we're making a stand. thank you for everyone's well wishes. and we'll hit you on the backside. >> there we go. >> and kevin lyman joins me right now. kevin, it's really good to speak with you. i mean, you've become something of a a lifeline really for people in your community, giving updates on how things are progressing, what you're seeing, your home survived, you've been staying in. i think you're in your van right now outside of your house, through in the days

since, what has the day to day been like? >> well, we've been cleaning up the neighborhood, doing the best we can, just keeping an eye on each other's homes. like you said, letting our friends know that things are okay. we're seeing a lot of utility vehicles. totally understand when you say they don't want people up in these neighborhoods because they're doing a lot of work. first responders have been fantastic. you're seeing the best in people. the people. there are people back here that are keeping people. i spoke to one person yesterday who went around and checked on 70 homes for people, and you see the best in people right now. >> kevin, what was it like living through this and what has it been like seeing what's happened to your community? >> well, you know, you you have this, you know, feeling of a survivor's guilt because it is little islands of homes. like if you were on right in our little central point, you think it was a regular day, and then you walk by these homes and you remember people's, you know, gatherings. they're there in

the front yard of a home. the people got together. and then you see those bright spots where two goats survived down the street. and though the family lost their home, they were able to get in and come and get the goats and see the joy in their eyes that their goats survived. i mean, simple things like that. um, you know, i'm starting to look at this as maybe these are our survivor islands that will bring hope to the community and be strong are the few neighbors that are right here. there's about 6 or 7 of us on the street that three homes are here. and maybe we're going to be the anchor. i hope. you know, i know we're going to go through our own things and that, and we give people hope. and it's it's been inspiring seeing the way people have pulled together. >> your resilience has been something that i know a lot of people have been leaning on in these days. the fire chief said that if the conditions are okay, that people may start to be able to return to evacuation areas come thursday. do you think people are prepared for what they are going to see when they return?

>> no. i'm hoping the mental health community can be here and that we give them support. i think, you know, you can see the videos, you can see the films, but when they walk up and see what they have, i hope we have a strong rally of the mental health community to be there to support them, because they're going to need it. >> you've talked about seeing the best in people in the aftermath of this and the midst of this, but we have seen and have heard people being frustrated and angry about how this disaster has unfolded, how it was able to become as bad as it has. lots of questions about the water supply at the height of the fight last week. how are you feeling? how are you feeling about all of this? >> i think it's a little early. of course, those emotions are raw. everyone's nerves are raw right now, but i think it's going to take some deep view of our our, i mean, climate and

how it has changed. these wind events are becoming more prevalent. i mean, we see it around the country in all these disasters that we're seeing happen, uh, things the way we live is, is going to have to change. we have to and maybe that's going to come from the young people. um, the reports i'm getting from around the young people are really rallying in southern california. they're being industrious, just like this community was. this community was in a transition. uh, there was a lot of young people coming here with new ideas and new visions for the city of altadena, as well as that old established family, that generational wealth that have lived in those homes for generations. and i really believe that there's going to be there things people are going to take it into their own hands and realize that we have to make a change at the smallest levels, because sometimes maybe we can't depend on the people that are supposed to be in charge. we can we can make changes ourselves. >> you can lean on your community, which is what a lot of people are leaning on you for right now. kevin, thank you

very much for coming on and thank you for your time. it's great to meet you. >> thanks, sarah. all right. now to washington, where senate confirmation hearings for president-elect donald trump's cabinet picks will kick off tomorrow. first up, trump's defense chief nominee pete hegseth. interior secretary nominee doug burgum and doug collins, trump's choice to lead veterans affairs here. now, cnn political director and washington bureau chief, a dual jobs david chalian juggling everything. good morning to you. look, when you look at this trio here, that is going to be coming up first, the most controversial. and is anyone at risk of potentially not being confirmed? >> well, clearly, that man in the middle. >> pete hegseth is going to be where most of the attention is tomorrow when he goes before the senate armed services committee and, and kicks off this trump confirmation hearing process. i think some 13 nominees are going to go before

the senate this week. so this is our first view this week into what a trump administration will really look like. and to hear from the people who will be sitting atop these agencies and affecting policy across the board, that that national security team is the one that i think is going to have all the eyeballs on it. certainly hegseth knowing obviously all the reporting that's out there about his past. uh, alcohol issues, his the allegations against him that he totally denies about sexual assault, um, the way in which he behaved while leading some veterans organizations. all of this has been publicly reported and clearly is the subject of the fbi background check that has been briefed to the top republican and top senate democrat on the committee. but now the american people are going to hear senators sort of probe hegseth, and we will see how he performs under those bright lights. >> well, the inauguration is less than a week away now. so

does the trump team really expect any of these picks to be in place by inauguration day? >> well, because of the specifics here, the president has to become president first before he can even formally send the nomination to the senate. so nobody will be confirmed before the president elect takes the oath of office at noon next monday. but all eyes are on marco rubio. the secretary of state nominee, the florida senator, to be one of the easiest confirmations to go through. and i would imagine you'll see him sworn in as secretary of state later in the day, next monday, perhaps, but not a lot here. sarah and i would just note for those sort of paying attention on this at home, the likelihood here is that donald trump is going to get the vast majority, if not 100%, of these nominees on board. obviously, senate republicans are in control. they're extremely loyal to donald trump. but even we've

seen in pete hegseth example, joni ernst, the republican senator from iowa, initially expressing skepticism, but has since expressed the ability to perhaps be on board with him. same thing we heard this weekend from senator lankford of oklahoma as it relates to tulsi gabbard in this administration. so you see republican senators, even those that have expressed some potential concerns now publicly saying they're ready to move ahead here with these confirmations. >> look, we know that phone calls have been made and that people are getting pressure to to really go forward with with the president elect's agenda. david chalian, thank you so much. always a pleasure. appreciate it. sarah. john. >> all right. no home, no insurance, and nowhere left to go. what is next for the thousands of people who were dropped by their insurance companies just before the catastrophic wildfires? and overnight, a, quote, breakthrough. officials say a final draft of a cease fire agreement has been presented to

israel and hamas. the next 24 hours will be critical for a potential end to, or at least a pause to this war. >> trump's cabinet picks. the candidates you've heard about for months go before the senate. who will get the votes? >> i think we have great people. >> follow the trump confirmation hearings. follow the facts, follow cnn. what's up? >> you seem kind of sluggish today. >> things aren't really moving. >> you could use some metamucil metamucil. >> psyllium fiber helps keep your digestive system moving so you can feel lighter and more energetic. metamucil keeps you moving and try the two week challenge at metamucil. com. >> when i started brightstar care, i had one focus to provide a higher standard of care. safe, reliable, nurse led care right in people's homes. that's been my goal for 20 years and it always will be.

now local agencies are looking for experienced nurses and caregivers who have the passion it takes to deliver that higher standard of care. >> do you want a ding to your credit? i don't want to ding. so when i needed a new credit card, i went to experian. see these cards with no ding decline. your credit won't take a ding if you're declined, so you can apply with confidence. get the experian app now. >> covid 19. >> i'm not waiting. if it's covid. >> paxlovid. >> paxlovid is an oral treatment for adults with mild to moderate covid 19 and a high risk factor for becoming severe. it does not ent covid 19. >> my symptoms were mild now, but i'm not risking it if it's covid. >> paxlovid. >> paxlovid must be taken within the first five days of symptoms and helps stop the virus from multiplying in your body. >> taking paxlovid with certain medicines can lead to serious or life threatening side effects, or affect how it or other medicines work, including hormonal birth control. tell your doctor about all medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements you take as certain

tests or dosage changes of your other medicines may be needed. tell them if you have kidney or liver problems. hiv one r or plan to be pregnant or breastfeed. don't take paxlovid if allergic to its ingredients. stop taking and call your doctor right away. if you have allergic reaction symptoms. serious side effects can include allergic reactions, some severe like anaphylaxis and liver problems. these are not all the possible side effects, so talk to your doctor if it's covid. >> paxlovid. >> ask your doctor today taxes was waiting and wondering and worrying. >> now taxes is matching with a turbotax expert who does everything for you. dang dang who can do your taxes in a day so you can get up to $4,000 instantly. now this is taxes. intuit. turbotax. >> why is navage trusted by millions?

>> before navage, i was not living my best life because i could not breathe constant nasal congestion, constant blowing of the nose. >> the huge difference is the fact that navage pulls it out. >> it's very gentle in the sense of when that suction happens, it's literally grabbing that water and that mucus, and it's bringing it out into this tank. it's worth every penny that you pay for ca

some peace of mind. see why millions of families have trusted care. go to care.com now. >> ben thinks he's playing a game, but he has no idea. >> it's all a prank on him. >> boy, do i hope we're all friends after this. >> the joe schmo show premieres january 21st on tbs. there you go. >> the california wildfires are placing a spotlight on the ongoing insurance crisis in the state. some national carriers have declined to renew millions of homeowner policies. others have canceled tens of thousands of policies before this latest historic fire. many californians turned to a state insurance program called the

california fair plan for coverage. according to the most recent data from california's department of insurance, between 2020 and 2022, insurance companies declined to renew 2.8 million homeowner policies in the state of california. that includes more than 500,000 in los angeles county alone. joining me now is peggy holter. she lost her home in the palisades fire. peggy, i am so sorry to hear that you have lost the home that i think you've had since the late 70s in the pacific palisades. this is a lifetime of memories. and home is always a comfort to to all of us. what have you experienced because of this fire? >> well, first of all, you're right. i lived there since january 1st of 1978, and it was just up about two miles up from sunset boulevard on palisades drive. and over the years, there have been little fires.

and we knew there was a fire because the big one, the big palisades fire, started just up the street from us. and then when we started down, we got the evacuation notices. we started down the road, which is the only way in and out of that canyon was clogged with cars who had started down. and so we turned around and went back and waited and waited. and finally we found that we could go out. and it was, you know, it was terrible. but at a certain level, i just assumed, oh, it'll be okay, you know? and then, um, it wasn't okay. and our, our place, our little group of condos survived for about 24 hours. and then another burst came and just wiped them all out. i have i got up there for a few minutes the day after and just they were still smoking and little fires were there. >> horrible to stand there and watch that. since you've had that condo for so long, it is your home. what what happened?

when it comes to your individual condo insurance last year? >> well, for years we were the whole condo complex was covered by farmers insurance. and then they canceled. and we all had individually homeowner's things in our own condo. and then when farmers quit, there wasn't any overall complex complex coverage. so then we each got something that would cover both the inside and outside of our homes. and then that went away about a year and a half ago. and then i joined. i tried to join state farm, and after i think about six months ago, they said, we're sorry, your roof isn't any good. so i don't know how they decided my roof wasn't any good, but in fact, they canceled my coverage. and so right now we have just a coverage of california fair plan.

>> what are you going to do? what is that? is that cover anything near? what, a state farm or a private insurer would, would cover? >> no. for a group of 36 units, there's $20 million, which is about a half million apiece. and the condos up there now are selling for 1.2, 1.3. and that's just the condo. it doesn't cover anything that you have inside. and of course, as you said, you know what i miss the most are all the photographs of all my children's lives and and my, you know, trips and things like that. and it's gone. that's gone. >> it's just like punishment on top of punishment. the situation with insurance there, and it has been a crisis obviously, before these fires, because of other fires. what is your message to, you know, the politicians in

california and to the insurance companies, frankly, about this issue? what would you like to say to them? >> well, the the insurance companies are not going to lose any money. they're not, because we know that they are fixed and they have reinsurance and all that sort of thing. and i feel that there should be the california should have laws that say that companies cannot just drop you when there are no alternatives. that's insane. you know, because people think, oh, the palisades, that's rich people. but it's not just rich people. it's older people who lived in their homes since they cost, you know, $100,000. so there are people who've lived there for 40 and 50 years, and now they've lost everything. my home was what i'd hoped to leave to my children. and now that's gone peggy holter, i'm so sorry. >> i'm sorry for your just the crisis that has been caused in your life. for the loss of your

longtime home. and on top of that, for the fact that all of a sudden you don't have the insurance that you need to try and deal with this. it is a true punch in the gut for so many homeowners across california. peggy, thank you so much for sharing your story with us this morning. and for more information. all right. for more information about how you can help, go to cnn.com/unpacked or text wildfires to 77,070 so that you can donate. kate and the wildfire disaster clearly still not over. >> and also now developing into a big political fight. the president elect criticizing leaders in california. california's governor inviting donald trump to come see it all for himself. so what this means for the residents of southern california who may now get caught in the middle. and it is a huge week ahead for donald trump's cabinet, the cabinet he is hoping that he gets a closer look at what to expect when his nominees face

senate confirmation. starting tomorrow. >> this part changed my life. >> superman. crazy. >> just that simple little thing over the horse. >> chris wanted to change the world. >> people are literally walking because of him. >> superman. the christopher reeve story. february 2nd. >> hi, susan. honey. yeah, i respect that, but that cough looks pretty bad. try this. robitussin, honey. >> the real honey you love. >> plus, the powerful cough relief you need. >> mind if i root through your trash? >> robitussin with real honey and elderberry. >> my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis held me back. now, with skyrizi, i'm all in with clear skin. things are getting clearer. yeah, i feel free to bare my skin. >> yeah, that's on me nothing is. everything. whoa. >> with skyrizi, three out of four people achieved 90% clearer skin at four months, and most people were clearer. even at five years. skyrizi is

just four doses a year after two starter doses. don't use if allergic. serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lower ability to fight them may occur. before treatment, get checked for infections and tb. tell your doctor about any flu like symptoms or vaccines. nothing and me go hand in hand. >> nothing on my skin. that's my new plan. nothing is everything. >> now's the time. ask your doctor about skyrizi. the number one dermatologist prescribed biologic in psoriasis. learn how abbvie could help you save. >> here's to getting better with age. >> here's to beating these two. every thursday. >> help fuel today with boost high protein complete nutrition. >> you need and the flavor you love. >> so here's to now. now available. >> boost max bars. >> for the facts, she's shopping for a used car, but she doesn't know that nearly half of them have been in an accident. >> luckily, carfax shows how accidents impact price, so she doesn't have to overpay.

>> unpause. whoa, whoa. this is cool. shop the all new carfax. >> com gum problems could be the start of a domino effect. >> periodontics. activ gum repair. breath freshener. clinically proven to help reverse the four signs of early gum disease. a toothpaste from periodontics. the gum experts. >> now. taxes is getting the turbotax app and filing your taxes yourself 100% free. if you didn't file with us last year. now, this is taxes filed free in the app by 218. when you switch to turbotax, do it yourself. >> sheldon, what do you think of our new pistachios football campaign? >> hate it. >> uh uh. blah. oh, uh, what is he doing? >> i'm storming out. >> an alternative to pills. voltaren is a clinically proven arthritis pain relief gel which penetrates deep to target the source of pain with non-steroidal it's always free

for any legal needs. give polly

hockey a call to get started. >> kobe believed in himself at the youngest possible age. >> it's one of the most remarkable stories in sports history. i don't want to be remembered as just a basketball player. >> kobe premieres january 25th on cnn. >> this morning, president-elect trump's pick for secretary of defense, pete hegseth, is preparing for what is likely to be a contentious confirmation hearing before the senate armed services committee tomorrow. he is expected to be grilled on his qualifications to lead the pentagon, as well as actions from his past, like an alleged sexual assault in 2017. with us now is cnn political commentator karen finney, also republican strategist and former rnc communications director doug heye. democratic senators on the armed services committee complained they're not being given access to the fbi background check on pete hegseth. so, karen, what do you anticipate from democrats tomorrow who i'm told are only going to get five minutes each to question hegseth?

>> i think they're going to try to make very good use of their time. and, you know, hegseth has written five books and they're all out there. and some of what's been written about what he wrote about is troubling with regard to how he might lead. and i think they're going to focus on questions about how he would lead the department of defense, for example. he said things like, you know, lefties should be purged. well, what does that mean for people who may be center left, who serve in the department of defense? does that mean they should be purged? how will you lead women? what what do you see as their role in addition to the things that you just mentioned? i think you'll hear a range of questions. lastly, the most important question are you willing to use american troops on american soil against american citizens? as president trump has said he would like to do? >> do you have to believe that he has been practicing for this? he spent the last several years on television. he knows how to present things. how do

you anticipate this hearing will go? >> yeah. >> look, people who do television all the time tend to be pretty good at that stuff. >> present company excluded. so i think he'll be well rehearsed. he'll have he'll have prepared for specific questions. a lot of those being ones that karen has, has outlined. and we know that this is going to be a back and forth like a ferocious tennis match. but the reality is, i think also most senators minds are well made up. and, you know, regardless of unless there are very real new allegations or things that come out of an fbi report, which i think we should see. i think pete and most of the trump nominees will be confirmed. and ultimately, because that's true when joe biden nominates people, donald trump in his first administration, barack obama, presidential president, new presidents coming into power tend to get an overwhelming majority of their nominees through. >> it doesn't look like certainly we will get to see the fbi background check or the

members of that committee, the chair and the ranking member. understandably, are, i'm told, are getting briefed on it. but whether the full details of it ever come out, that remains to be seen. doug, based on what you're saying there, on where these confirmations are going, if i set the overunder at one, in other words, do you think that that the number of trump nominees who will not get confirmed is lower than 1 or 1 or higher? >> man, you're making me feel like i'm watching football yesterday and doing over and under. but i think one is probably that number. and if you're a republican, you have to figure out which one that's going to be, because you're probably not voting against two or even three. >> so, karen, i want to talk briefly about what vice president elect jd vance said on television. one of the great unknowns for what happens and what day is it right now in in seven days is who exactly will donald trump pardon in regards to january 6th? this is what senator vance said.

>> i think it's very simple. >> look, if you protested peacefully on january the 6th and you've had merrick garland's department of justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned. >> if you committed violence on that day, obviously, you shouldn't be pardoned. and there's a little bit of a gray area there, but we're very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law, and there are a lot of people, we think in the wake of january the 6th who were prosecuted unfairly, we need to rectify that. >> does that clear things up? >> karen? sure. so here's the thing. we in seven days, we reenter the realm of alternate facts and alternate reality. so donald trump and jd vance and all those in his administration are going to decide what does it mean in terms of who may have acted more aggressively than others. right. you're going to hear and you can sort of hear it already in the way trump has talked about it, in terms of whether or not they've acknowledged some of the

behaviors in terms of attacking police. when trump was asked, he pivoted to talk about ashli babbitt. so i think unfortunately, he doesn't care what any of us think, and he's going to pardon whoever he wants to pardon. and the political reality is, you know, he's got it's going to be hard for him not to pardon even some of those who may have committed some of the most heinous crimes. >> you know, doug, jd vance said, a little gray area in terms of those who committed acts of violence. what do you think that gray area could be? and do you think that donald trump and jd vance are on the same page here, or that trump is likely to do really whatever he wants? >> yeah, i don't know, and i don't know. but when you hear that there's a gray area that tells you that's where you should be focused on the parts that are white and the parts that are black are pretty easy to figure out. that gray area and how expansive that may be is ultimately what's going to come into fruition one way or another. and that's where if there are divisions, not divisions per se, but disagreements between jd vance and donald trump, ultimately, donald trump is the president.

ultimately, he's the decider. >> karen finney, doug heye, great to see both of you this morning. thanks so much. >> you too. thank you. thanks. >> so fire crews continue to battle the flames, but they are now also racing against the clock once again as the winds are forecast to kick back up in southern california. and coming up for us, the head of fema will be joining us with an update and a sacred treasure found buried in the ashes, the heirloom that firefighters found and returned to one family while searching through the debris. >> every weekday morning, here are the five things you need to know to start your day. >> get the news you need. >> how about this for an earnings call headline in five minutes or less. >> bravo. >> cnn's five things with kate baldwin now streaming on max sore throat. >> got your tongue? >> mucinex institute. sore throat, medicated drops uniquely formulated for rapid

relief that lasts and lasts. that's my baby. try our new sugar free cough drop. >> insta soothe. and the furniture business. things move fast. ziprecruiter helps us hire qualified candidates who can keep up. we needed a project manager. yesterday we posted a job on ziprecruiter and had our guy on site in five days. he was qualified in every way. ziprecruiter finds the best candidates for all our jobs. they helped us build our dream team and they did it fast. is that too fast for you? >> four out of five employers who post on ziprecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. try it for free at ziprecruiter.com. slash hire. >> hank used to suffer from what felt like a cold and flu medicine hangover in the morning. then he switched to mucinex nightshift. mucinex is uniquely formulated to leave your system faster, so you wake up ready to go. dang dry. mucinex nightshift and feel the difference. today, my friend, you did it. >> you did it. pursue a better you with centrum. >> it's a small win toward

taking charge of your health. >> so this year you can say, did it. >> safelite repair. >> perfecting your swing is hard. >> nice shot. dad. >> oh! safelite replace. >> but replacing your windshield doesn't have to be. go to safelite. >> com and we can come to you. >> sick. our highly trained techs can replace your windshield where you are. even if that's right in your driveway. >> have a good day. i love you. >> safelite makes it easy. go to safelite.com and schedule a replacement today. safelite repair. replace. >> whoa. >> gum problems could be the start of a domino effect. >> periodontics. activ gum repair, breath freshener. clinically proven to help reverse the four signs of early gum disease. a toothpaste from periodontics. the gum experts. your life is pretty smart, but when it's time to eat, suddenly you feel out of sync. refresh your routine with

factor chef prepared meals delivered with a tap ready in two minutes. eat smart with factor. >> hi, susan, honey. yeah, i respect that, but that cough looks pretty bad. try this. robitussin, honey. >> the real honey you love. >> plus the powerful cough relief you need. >> mind if i root through your trash? >> robitussin with real honey and elderberry. >> when winter season hits. emergency supports your immune system with so much more than vitamin c, be ready to fight back with emergency and for on the go immune support. try emergency crystals. no water needed. >> taxes was waiting. now taxes is a turbotax expert who can do your taxes in a day so you can get up to $4,000 instantly. now this is taxes. intuit turbotax. >> what do you got there, larry? >> time machine. >> you're going to go back and see how the pyramids were built or something. >> nope. >> ellen and i want to go on

vacation, so i'm going to go back to last week and buy a winning lottery ticket. >> can i come? >> only room for one. >> how am i getting home? >> sitting on my lap like last time? ronald? >> fine. but i'm bringing this. all right. or you could try one of these savings options. >> the right money moves aren't as far fetched as you think. >> there it is. >> see? told you it's going to all work out. thanks. future me. >> as the new year starts, follow cnn. >> president carter will be remembered for his lifetime of service reporting the events shaping history. >> follow all the changes in 2025. >> i, donald john trump, follow the facts. >> follow cnn. >> i would invite him, as i did donald trump, to to visit with the community. express empathy of the scale of this tragedy and and be here for the american people that happen to reside here in southern california. >> that was california governor gavin newsom responding to vice president elect jd vance's criticism, saying there is a serious lack of competent

governance in california. california's governor has invited vance and donald trump to california to see the destruction caused by the wildfires. both have politically blamed the governor for the devastation. with just a week left before trump assumes office, questions are arising as to how his administration will respond to the tragedy, which continues. fema administrator deanne criswell is with me now. let's talk about what's happening right now. winds are whipping up again, dangerously, potentially 70 mile per hour winds. the largest of the fires, only partially contained. fema has promised to pay for 100% of the recovery process for six months. what will that pay for during those 180 days? what should people expect? >> sara, i just want to start by just emphasizing that last point that you made, that this is such a dangerous situation still. >> and i just want to make sure that everybody is listening to their local officials so they can keep themselves safe. >> and the firefighters are able to do the critical work

that they need to continue to do to suppress this fire. the 100% is a really great tool for california, because we know that it's going to take a long time for these communities to get the debris removal out. and that's the biggest thing that this pays for. it's going to cover 100, 180 days at 100% for the debris removal. and it is widespread. i mean, the debris removal, there is neighborhood after neighborhood after neighborhood. there's hazardous materials that have to be removed first, and then there's removing the slabs from the homes. and so this is going to take some time, but it's so critical because that's what's going to start the recovery. and it's going to also cover the costs that the california firefighters, the county and the city are incurring as a part of responding to this disaster. >> when you see a disaster like this, how long might this take just to remove the debris, the rubble that is left behind by these fires in several places from the sort of valleys and foothills to the hills of, of the

palisades. >> yeah. i mean, the complexity of removing the debris from this fire is going to be significant, and it's going to take a long time. it's going to take more than six months to remove this debris. we'll get the majority out. california will get the majority of out in that time frame, but it's going to take some time to be able to get everything out so they can start rebuilding and make sure that it is safe for people to come back in and start rebuilding those homes. it's just catastrophic. the amount of destruction that i saw when i was there. >> yeah. it's super. it's really disturbing. and and this is not over yet. the crisis still continues with these fires. speaking of which, homeowners insurance companies have dropped nearly 3 million people in california before this historic fire because of past fires. this being the most costly and worst fire damage the state has ever seen. is this insurance crisis going to explode? and what can fema do to try and help people that are

caught in this? >> i am really concerned about the insurance crisis that not just california is experiencing, but we're seeing it in other places. you know, with climate change, we are seeing an increase in severe weather events and catastrophic impacts as a result of those events. and so our programs are going to help jumpstart the recovery, but we're not going to rebuild somebody's home. and so i think what we need to focus on is we're trying to help communities rebuild, helping california rebuild after this, that we do it in a way that's going to make them more resilient, reducing the impact from these events, making it more tenable for the insurance industry to want to cover the risk, right. if we can reduce the potential risk, then maybe they'll stay. and so i think we need to have conversations with them about what does that look like, so we can encourage them and incentivize them to stay in these communities. >> we spoke about this at the very top, with gavin newsom being criticized heavily from president elect trump and vice president

elect vance. do you or do you have you heard any worry on the part of people who are concerned he is taking office in on monday, next monday, concerned about the response and whether or not politics will play a role in the response, in the help that is afforded to california from the federal government well, i've certainly been asked that question, sarah, and what i, you know, continue to tell people is we have had major catastrophic events during presidential transitions before. >> we've never had an issue with continuing to provide the resources and the services to help these communities rebuild. so the women and men of fema, they are going to continue to stay dedicated to helping the people of california that have been impacted, just like we're helping the people of florida and georgia and north carolina. after hurricanes helene and milton. >> deanne criswell, thank you so much for taking the time this morning to talk us through that. as people are really suffering there in california. appreciate it. kate.

>> so that good weather window that fire crews have tried to capitalize on it is about to close the wind forecast once again is showing that mother nature is not yet giving southern california a break for sure. let's get the very latest on that from cnn's allison chinchar. she's tracking this one for us. what is the latest wind forecast that you're seeing for today? >> right. so when you take a look at these numbers, it's kind of astonishing how high we still expect to get, even knowing how high they were last week. you've got wind advisories already in place. that's the orange color you see here on the map. and i want to emphasize it's underneath this darker red color here as well. it's just buried underneath it. you have gusts of 55mph up to that point. at some point today then starting tomorrow, beginning at 4 a.m. tuesday, we transition to the high wind warning that is the dark red color, because tuesday and wednesday those wind gusts could be 60, even 70mph. and in some cases it's going to be impacting other areas that did not have those high of winds last week, save for ventura,

for example. that was largely kind of a little bit away from some of those strongest winds of the 80 to 100mph last week. so you'll see looking not only today but also tomorrow, we have several areas under the extreme fire weather concern. that is a level three of three. it does not get any higher than that, and it's all due to those winds that are expected to tick up as we go through the day today, you'll gradually start to see them get up around 20 30mph, eventually up to 40 and 50, and then 60mph. once we transition into tuesday and wednesday of this week. now, you mentioned we were finally able to make some really big advancements on the containment numbers. the firefighters were over the weekend as those winds calmed back down, specifically on saturday. but one of the biggest things that's been really hurting them is the drought. everything that those fires are running across, it's all just dry vegetation, dry brush, and that is fuel for these fires. when you look at the numbers going all the way back to october 1st, that is the start of the water year. they have only had 3/100 of an inch of rain. the l.a. area

would normally have at least 4.5in of rain by now, even if we had half of that, it would certainly help in some regard. but what these areas really need, yes, we need those winds to calm back down, but we also just need rain and we need widespread rain to really help. but when you look at the forecast over the next seven days, there is not a rain chance, at least not a significant one, certainly not in the next few days. we do finally get a little bit of a break towards the end of the week and early weekend. day six and day seven where we'll start to see the temperatures at least coming back down and humidity levels are expected to go back up. also, more of an onshore wind, which helps a little bit. it's got some higher humidities. again, at this point. that's really the only hope we have, at least in the next seven days. >> alison, thank you so much for the update. john. >> so this morning, amid all that unimaginable loss, a glimmer of hope while battling the flames, firefighters with the orange city fire department received a message about a family forced to evacuate without their belongings. so

the crew went back to where the house once was and they searched through the rubble. and they did find a family heirloom, a ring that had been handed down through three generations. you can see it right there. the family says it was a miraculous moment and thanked the firefighters, who they say helped them believe that all was not lost. sarah. >> wow. often even metal melts in these fires because they burn so hot. that's pretty incredible. all right. the catastrophic nature of these wildfires undeniable. this is a historic event. but there is a debate about how much climate change had to do with this latest billion dollar disaster. we are going to run the numbers for you coming up. also, before you send your money, how to spot the scams that are trying to prey on people in wake of this disaster. awful. we'll talk about it coming up.

>> the good stuff brought to you by viking exploring the world in comfort. when it really philosophize about it. there's one thing you don't have enough of, and that's time. >> time is a truly scarce commodity. >> when you come to that realization, i think it's very important to spend time wisely. >> and what better way of spending time than traveling? >> continuing to educate ourselves and broaden our minds? viking. >> exploring the world in comfort covid 19 i'm not waiting. >> if it's covid, paxlovid. >> paxlovid is an oral treatment for adults with mild to moderate covid 19 and a high risk factor for becoming severe. it does not prevent covid 19. >> my symptoms were mild now, but i'm not risking it if it's covid. paxlovid. >> paxlovid must be taken within the first five days of symptoms and help stop the

virus from multiplying in your body. >> taking paxlovid with certain medicines can lead to serious or life threatening side effects, or affect how it or other medicines work, including hormonal birth control. tell your doctor about all medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements you take as certain tests or dosage changes of your other medicines may be needed. tell them if you have kidney or liver problems, hiv one r or plan to be pregnant or breastfeed. don't take paxlovid if allergic to its ingredients. stop taking and call your doctor right away. if you have an allergic reaction. symptoms serious side effects can include allergic reactions, some severe, like anaphylaxis and liver problems. these are not all the possible side effects, so talk to your doctor if it's covid, paxlovid, ask your doctor today at harbor freight we design and test our own tools and sell them directly to you. >> no middlemen, just quality tools you can trust at prices you'll love whenever you do. do it for less. >> at harbor freight. oh, what a good time we will. >> have. you

can make it happen again voltaren for long lasting arthritis pain relief. >> to avoid digital threats, just turn on nordvpn. improve your protection against trackers, malicious websites and malware ridden downloads. get the deal now. >> who has more subscriptions for package deal baby and your subscription is my subscription all right? >> we have about 100, but with experian app, they can help cancel those subscriptions that we don't even need. very helpful. download the experian app now. >> so what do you think about these? >> we're going to take everything down to the studs, from design and products to removal and installation. turned out amazing. >> we bought this with you through every step of your remodel. >> call or visit cnn.com for your free in-home design consultation. >> your business needs to hire someone now. so in addition to managing your business, you

have to go through hundreds of resumes and hope for the best. or you can go and get the best. introducing paychex recruiting copilot it uses a.i. to help find potential candidates from millions of profiles, whether they're looking for a job or not. then it helps you get in touch and get them hired five times faster than job postings. get your own paychex recruiting copilot now at paychex.com/tv coming january 2025. founded by the stars of women's basketball, a new style of three on three six m compani

to caregivers, find all the senior care you need at care.com. >> i'm erin burnett in los angeles, and this is cnn. >> all right. just a few minutes ago, you heard fema administrator deanne criswell talking about the role that climate change has in helping create the conditions for these wildfires burning out of control, the most destructive in some ways that we've ever seen in and around los angeles.

so how do americans feel about climate change and the danger it poses? do they feel the same way that they used to? he knows the answer. cnn's senior data reporter harry enten is here, john. >> yeah. i mean, look, i don't think americans are making this connection. and the way we can see this in right here and now. take a look at the monthly change in google searches. look at the searches for wildfire. >> up 2,400%. my goodness gracious. this is the most amount of people searching for wildfires ever, ever going back since google trends began back in 2004. but look at climate change. look at the change. it doesn't go hand in hand with wildfires. it's actually down. it's down 9%. and i also looked in california, there has been no increase in the number of searches for climate change. so the bottom line is this. americans are definitely interested in learning about these wildfires. they're interested in following the

news about the wildfires. but they are not making that connection with climate change. that's the bottom line here. >> that's a really key metric you're looking at there. the connection overall, americans being worried about climate change. what have we seen over time? >> yeah. you know, we have seen a lot of extreme weather events over the last few decades, right. hurricanes, heat waves, wildfires. you might expect that americans worry about climate change would climb. climate change worry a lot. you go back to 1991. it was 35%. now it was a little bit higher in 2007, a little bit higher in 2022. but look at this in 2023. the last time we have data, 39%. that is not statistically significantly different from this 35% back in 1991. so despite all these extreme weather events, americans are really no more worried about climate change than they were. what is that now? nearly 35 years ago? i mean, there's just no real trend line here, mr. berman. >> so the question is why? >> why, why are they not really

worried a lot about climate change? it might be because they feel like there's not a whole heck of a lot they can do. so climate change, humans contribute a great deal. again, there's no real trend line here. over the last few years, 2019 49% 2020 49% 2023 46% 2024 45%. that's actually down four points from where we were back in 2019. and so less than a majority of americans believe that humans contribute a great deal to to climate change. so the bottom line is that is a big reason why they don't worry a lot. they just don't feel like they can do anything about it. >> so the trend line is going down, even as scientists say that the intensity of these storms and these conditions are getting worse, even as the extreme weather goes up. >> humans are not exactly as worried about climate change as they necessarily once were. >> harry enten, thank you very much, kate. >> cautious optimism. that is how sources close to the israel-hamas ceasefire talks are describing this moment, and everyone from outgoing

president joe biden to incoming president donald trump are pushing to secure a firm hostage deal in the matter of days. a statement from the israeli prime minister's office confirms netanyahu and biden spoke sunday about progress in those talks. biden's national security advisor saying it's still possible to lock in a deal in their final days in office. but another source familiar with the gaza ceasefire talks tells cnn it's now the president elect who is the current incentive for israel to wrap this up. specifically, the source says, because netanyahu wants to remain close to trump as he returns to the white house and technical roles, specifically those focused on artificial intelligence, are the fastest growing jobs in the united states. that is, according to a new report from linkedin that looked at millions of jobs based on user information from 2022 to 2024. the top two jobs were artificial intelligence engineer and artificial intelligence consultant. following that, physical therapists. i can attest to that. workforce development manager and travel advisor.

>> the kick is up, its sales on the way. >> hits the upright and goes through. >> and the nfl wild card weekend capped off with a wild win for the washington commanders. the commanders beat the tampa bay buccaneers in a last minute. i didn't know you could call it a walk off field goal. i thought that only applied to baseball anyway. bounced off the uprights. i think john called it a dink or a dink. whichever one you want. doink, doink, apparently, he says from over there is the commanders first winning season since 2015, their first playoff win since 2005. there you have it. the lions are still going to take it all, but good luck to all of you. a new hour of cnn news starts now. >> all right. breaking this morning, parts of southern california under the highest wildfire danger alert days.