characterizations of material designated for attorneys eyes only. this is going to trial on may 5th, but as you can see, we're already getting a sense of what combs defense is going to be. he's really leaning into that. this was consensual. and prosecutors saying that this was absolutely the opposite, that these women were forced to have sex with male prostitutes. >> that's what i was going to ask a i mean, how central are these tapes to the actual prosecution and to whenever we have a back and forth like this, it's a window into what the case itself might look like when it gets in a courtroom. yeah, exactly. >> i mean, the freak offs here are the center of this case. and prosecutors say they have these dozens of videos where they show multiple people having sex that they say was coerced. they say that combs was able to use financial pressure, threats of physical violence against some of these victims. but all of this will come out at trial through the testimony of the victims. some of these videos that will probably be played in the courtroom, and this will be the back and forth here, as we're really seeing, combs has been digging in that this was all consensual with his long term partner shaping up to be some case. >> kara scannell, thank you so

much for this reporting. brand new hour of cnn news central starts right now. >> this morning, we're standing by for high stakes confirmation hearings today for six of donald trump's key cabinet picks. first in the hot seat, attorney general nominee pam bondi, a staunch defender of trump's election, lies and the wind gusts expected to intensify once again near los angeles today, likely fueling fires and making it harder for firefighters to battle the flames. some of those on the front lines, inmates turned firefighters a look at the controversy surrounding the help they provide. and will tiktok go completely dark in the u.s.? new reports. the app owner is ready to shut it all down on sunday unless the supreme court stops the federal ban going way further than people thought the app would. i'm sara sidner with kate bolduan and john berman. this is cnn news central.

>> and it is another busy day ahead, especially on capitol hill, as six cabinet nominees are now preparing to face questions in front of the senate today. donald trump's pick for attorney general, pam bondi, and his pick for secretary of state marco rubio are first up this morning. and these are clearly major cabinet positions we're talking about. bondi is the former attorney general of florida. she has long supported donald trump. she spearheaded legal efforts to challenge the 2020 election results in in pennsylvania, and she was part of his defense team for his first impeachment. let's talk about this big day ahead. mark preston is standing by, as well as paula reid. let's start. paula, let me start with you, if i could, to talk about pam bondi up for attorney general. people are seeing her as a more traditional pick when compared to matt gaetz. but in you which who was his first pick. you have new reporting on how she is preparing for what is sure

to be some tough questions ahead. >> yeah, i think it's fair to say that many people would seem traditional compared to former congressman matt gaetz. >> but when they say that about pam bondi, they're referring to her resume. >> she comes to today's job interview with three decades of experience as a prosecutor, including eight years as the attorney general of florida. >> now, i'm told that she has spent weeks with her team preparing for tough questions. today, she has kept a remarkably low profile considering how significant this position could be in a second trump administration. >> trump has signaled that he may want to use the justice department, leverage it to go after his political enemies. now, in preparation for today, i am told that bondi has met with senators, both republicans and democrats, from the judiciary committee. >> now, even though she comes with an extensive resume in law enforcement, democrats see her biggest liability as her her loyalty to trump. and she is

going to face a lot of questions about the extent to which she is going to be willing to leverage this office to pursue his political whims. she has been incredibly loyal to trump. she has served as a trump surrogate. she was a lawyer on his first impeachment team. she also pushed false claims about the 2020 election. so that is going to be a real focus for democrats. but there's so much else to ask her about because the justice department does so much work beyond matters related to president biden or president-elect trump. the recent terror attacks remind us of the threat of i.s.i.s. the justice department also deals with violent crime, opioids, fraud, antitrust. there are so many questions she could face in today's hearing, but whatever comes her way, i'm told she'll have plenty of moral support because she will be accompanied by 16 members of her family. kate. >> yeah, but even listing out the range of topics just off the top of your head of what the justice department faces, just reinforces why this is so

closely watched. how important this job is. it impacts every facet of every american's life. when you're talking about the attorney general, paula, stand by for me, mark preston. let's talk about marco rubio up for secretary of state. all signs point to he is likely to have maybe a very different reception in front of his friends and fellow and colleagues in the senate than, let's say, pam bondi, then let's say pete hegseth, as we saw yesterday. what are you hearing about about marco rubio? >> well, kate, we will see marco rubio actually be on the flip side of where he usually sits. he usually as a senator, sat on the foreign relations committee, where he will now be testifying before or at least appearing before right now, unlike you said we saw yesterday with pete hegseth, there won't be a focus on marco rubio's personal feelings. there will be more of a questioning about what is the future of donald trump's foreign policy. one of the folks, or rather, countries we

expect marco rubio to go directly after is china. he's going to note that china was welcomed to the world stage. but yet once they got there, they lied, cheated, hacked and stolen their way to global superpower status at our expense. now, rubio not only will be asked about china today, expect him to be asked specifically about tiktok as well, which is going to be one of the biggest stories over the coming days, as well as aid to ukraine. kate. >> yeah, we have senator dick durbin. he's coming up. he's he's obviously he's going to be the top democrat on the judiciary committee. but to reinforce your point, he has announced that he is going to support marco rubio, the democrat on that committee. one of the top democrats in the senate, has already announced he's going to be supporting rubio for secretary of state. let us see what happens. it's good to see you, buddy. thank you john. thanks. >> all right. with us now is florida man mark caputo, senior politics reporter at axios.

florida's marco rubio has a confirmation hearing today. florida's pam bondi has a confirmation hearing today. is there anyone left in florida? mark? >> there are quite a bit. i guess there's mike waltz. who's the national security advisor? mauricio claver-carone is from orlando. he's going to be at the latin american envoy, kevin cabrera, the miami-dade county commissioner, is going to be the ambassador to panama. >> and there are two other florida men who are going to be and their names escape me, the ambassadors to argentina and there and to spain. >> so lots of florida folks and more to come on. >> marco rubio and you've covered him for years. he's expected to sail through the confirmation process and have a relatively friendly hearing today. but there is some writing that this job that he's going to do will be difficult. secretary of state is always difficult, but his positioning within the trump administration. look, there's an article in politico today which quotes a diplomat, i want to read you that quote. rubio will be fairly hamstrung and will feel sidelined and

frustrated. one foreign diplomat predicted to me, if he is surly or complains, the humiliation will escalate and then he will be fired. if he sucks it up, takes the humiliation and smiles through gritted teeth. he will survive until someone else whispers in trump's ear and engels for his job. what's your reporting on how rubio is approaching this now? >> well, you'll have to pardon me. >> my eyes almost rolled into the back of my head. >> i can't say how much bs that is. >> remember, donald trump chose marco rubio to be secretary of state. he knows who rubio is and what rubio believes. and the differences between these two guys on foreign policy is very, very thin. when marco rubio was a united states senator and donald trump was president, the first time as trump 45, rubio was essentially the day facto secretary of state for the western hemisphere. he was a constant trump adviser. trump bounced ideas off of him, took his advice, listened to him. in fact, as i've reported

previously, at one point trump was musing and was being urged to invade or have a military action in venezuela. who talked him out of it? marco rubio did. so whoever this ambassador is,'. they don't know what they're talking about. >> um, now that rubio looks obviously safe, pete hegseth looks like he's going to be confirmed. there's new focus on tulsi gabbard as being perhaps the most problematic trump nominee. what are you hearing in terms of how confident the trump transition is that she will get confirmed? >> that's always a tricky question, because in trump world, when you ask them, how confident are you about something on a scale of 1 to 100%, they're always going to say 110%. now, that said, they will acknowledge that of all of the nominees, the one who is encountering and could encounter the most turbulence is tulsi gabbard. she has, in some of these meetings with republican senators, according to both punchbowl news and the wall street journal, struggled at times to answer questions

about her views on surveillance. she doesn't seem or didn't seem in some of these meetings, to be as well prepared for the job of national director of intelligence. now, some republicans have since come out and said, okay, she's answering our questions. we're more than happy. in the end, though, the republican senate, the republicans who control the senate understand that donald trump is a republican and most of them believe, if not all of them believe, that he should get his picks. the one exception to that was matt gaetz. they bounced matt gaetz, and in donald trump's view, if you got rid of my matt gaetz pick, you need to pick everybody else, though, as you said, one of the issues seems to be that there is reporting that it is republicans who have been less than thrilled with their interactions with tulsi gabbard. >> we'll see if that metastasizes over the next several days. one last question. since we started with florida, let's end with florida house ron desantis doing down there. what does he see as his long term political future? and i ask that because we have reporting that he was golfing with president trump. >> yeah, they're buddies again. in fact, ron desantis had just

called a special session of the legislature to address immigration related issues, sort of ahead of donald trump becoming president and issuing executive orders. so they're working hand in glove. they've put aside their differences. and remember, for a period of time, a brief period of what, a month ago or a little more? donald trump wasn't sure that pete hegseth was going to clear the nomination for defense secretary, and he had approached ron desantis about maybe taking the job. and ron desantis was considering it. >> so that's a quite a relationship a long way they have come. we will see where that moves going forward. mark caputo, always great to see you. thank you so much for sharing your reporting. sir. all right. >> as california fire crews prepare for more dangerous winds this morning, hundreds of people battling those flames are only making about a dollar an hour. we take a closer look at the program, using inmates on the fire lines. and what's the state of the economy being handed over to donald trump in just minutes? a key indicator will come out. and a man

accused of stalking wnba star caitlin clark shouts out that he's guilty. that moment in court ahead. >> i've got good news and i've got bad news. what do you want? first the bad, the news is newsy. even more than ever. what's the good news? we're doing another season of have i got news for you. >> have i got news for you? returns february 15th. >> sofia is helping me get my money right to achieve my ambitions. want to see? like earning more money on my money as a head chef. >> ready for service. yes, chef. >> and saving to give back to local producers. so if i can help on any ambition you're hungry to achieve, like investing in everyone's dinner table bank with sofi to earn a higher apy and an epic welcome bonus. sofi, get your money right. >> sore throat, got your

tongue? >> mucinex insta 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. that's $225 for the night. >> not bad. >> $155 for the night. >> how it's easy when you know where to look. >> trivago compares hotel prices from hundreds of sites so you can save up to 40%. hotel trivago patients who have sensitive teeth but also want whiter teeth. >> they have to make a choice one versus the other. sensodyne clinical white provides two shades whiter teeth, as well as providing 24 over seven sensitivity protection. patients are going to love to see sensodyne on the shelf. i am tony hawk, and like many of you, i take a statin to reduce cholesterol. but statins can also deplete coq10 levels. that's when my doctor recommended kunal, coq10. kunal has the number one cardiologist recommended form of coq10. >> kunal the brand i trust. oh what a good time we

will have. >> you can make it happen. again. >> voltaren for long lasting arthritis pain relief. now's the time to go back in time and shine a light on the family journey that led to you. ancestry can help you piece together the past with billions of records, photos, and more. memberships are on sale now. >> like a relentless weed. >> moderate to severe ulcerative colitis symptoms can keep coming back. start to break away from uc with tremfya with rapid relief at four weeks tremfya blocks a key source of inflammation. >> at one year, many people experienced remission and some saw 100% visible healing of their intestinal lining. >> serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur before treatment. your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you

have an infection, flu like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. healing is possible with tremfya. ask your doctor about tremfya today. >> you know what's smart? >> treating yourself without cheating your goals. >> indulge responsibly with factor all of the flavor. >> none of thecanceling unwante

subscriptions in the app, which is great for people who love money. but that's not me. >> 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. >> super man the christopher reeve story february 2nd on cnn. >> these next 24 hours are critical in california, particularly, dangerous winds threaten to whip up walls of fire. right now, officials are urging millions of people in los angeles and nearby counties to stay on high alert each day. the toll of the destruction and loss is sinking in. more than

40,000 applicants for fema assistance have already been filed. stephanie elam is live in pacific palisades for us with the very latest here. you have been doing such great work out there and watching the city that you love burn. stephanie, what is the latest that you are hearing now? >> yeah, so i have to tell you, people are fatigued in los angeles. it's just been going on for so long for so many people not be able to get back to their homes to see what it looks like. this is just what has people still on edge. and i can tell you, i put my mask back on because we are starting to feel the winds blow up. and because i'm standing between a whole block of houses that have been demolished by fire and picking things up. it's time to put the mask back on. so these are part of the concerns, these winds, what they're blowing and also whether or not they'll start other fires. and that is the big concern here. and that is why part of the reason they don't want people coming back into these areas just yet, also because they are

methodically going through each lot to make sure with sniffer dogs, make sure that if anyone is a victim lost their lives, that they can find them. and also cal fire going through and making sure each lot is stable and safe. we saw yesterday that the electricity companies are out here restoring power. you see the gas company out here as well all throughout this area because again, it is all the way down this hillside here, this entire area of pacific palisades just demolished. so they're working to make it safe. but for people who want to get back in here and see for themselves, it's not time yet. and in fact, they're being very, very difficult about getting into these areas. several checkpoints you have to go through as media in some places are even just being more difficult, letting people in that way. so still not a time for people to make their way in here. and hopefully after these winds die down later this week, hopefully people will be able to come back and check on their property. sarah. >> yeah, the frustration and fear is real. but as these search and rescue teams or

search teams are going through those homes, it is disturbing to know that the cadaver dogs, as you mentioned, are out for the potential of finding more victims in this fire. stephanie elam, thank you so much for all the work that you and your crew have been doing out there. john. >> all right. this morning, $1 an hour to fight the wildfires. new details on the inmates have joined the front lines of fire crews in california. and happening today, critical hearings on capitol hill for some of the most important cabinet positions. trump's picks for attorney general and secretary of state. preparing for the hot seat. >> 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. 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 you did it through. >> 36 hours of steady rainfall has left many homes in the metro area. >> who knows what tomorrow will bring? >> maybe sunshine and maybe rain. >> but as for me, i'll wait and see and maybe it'll bring my love. you know? who knows? >> who knows? >> 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. >> 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. >> i told you i don't need these anymore. >> i have sling. >> this critical time calls for the critical news coverage that sling provides. >> okay, see you tomorrow. >> the most important news at the best price. sling lets you do that. >> i started brightstar care to provide a higher standard of care. it's been my goal for 20 years and it always will be. if you're an experienced caregiver with that same passion, join the brand that supports you most. >> 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 it. this product changed my life. >> available at major retailers or online at navage. com. >> you make good choices. it's a trait that runs deep. like to step into big shoes and still walk on your own path with ambition like that. you need someone who elevates advice to a craft. >> at ubs, we match your vision with insight and expertise to shape a unique outcome for your

are your business. start reinventing your business at paychex.com/tv. >> the game is changing. >> there's been three on three, but it's not. >> what we're doing i think is really unique, but really making sure it's more than just a moment. you want to see a movement. we're going to put the best in women's basketball. >> miss lunar alice rose vinyl coverage begins friday at 630 on tnt and stream on max. >> today. six of president elect donald trump's cabinet picks head to capitol hill for high stakes confirmation

hearings, a critical step for any of them to be able to join the administration. of course, with one of the most critical positions in the spotlight just minutes from now, the attorney general of the united states and pam bondi is about to be in the hot seat, expected to face questions. some tough questions from senators shortly and leading the way for democrats. the top democrat on the senate judiciary committee, senator dick durbin of illinois. he joins us now. senator, thank you for being here. i have excerpts pieces from what from your opening remarks for today's hearing and something that sticks out for sure. is this i need i need to know you would tell president trump, no. if you are faced with a choice between your oath to the constitution and your loyalty to mr. trump, if pam bondi says she will be independent from donald trump and will tell him no, will you believe her? >> well, it depends, pam. i mean, kate, it's one of those

situations where pam bondi has legal qualifications for the job. there's no question about it. but the real question is whether or not she'll say no to donald trump. and we have reason to raise a question in his first term in office, donald trump took two of his attorneys general who he thought were disloyal and fired him on the spot. so if you say to donald trump what you're suggesting is wrong, illegal or unconstitutional, unfortunately you can lose your job. >> we've heard her say she has said publicly in the past things like, we're going to investigate the investigators. i mean, is there anything that she can say today to convince you that is not the case? if she says today that if she's asked to go after donald trump's political enemies, she will not. it's kind of the same question, senator, what gets you to a place of believing her? >> well, it's obvious she's going to be under oath and we'll be asking the questions. and you have to decide whether she's credible. she is legally qualified, there's no doubt

about it. ten years as attorney general in florida and a good legal background. but this really is a question. and, you know, i'll ask her some basic questions on some maga dogma. for example, did trump actually win or lose the election in 2020? as his lawyer, she said he didn't lose, but i think the facts have shown otherwise. did she learn anything from that experience? is she willing to tell us that he lost that election? there are questions like that that need to be asked and answered under oath. >> that will be interesting because she helped spearhead the legal efforts against the 2020 election results in pennsylvania. after that, we do know that. so that will be an interesting line of inquiry for sure, she is, as you know, and everyone does. she is the second choice that donald trump has made for attorney general, the first being matt gaetz. how different do you think today would be? and would even this discussion right now be if you were considering the

confirmation of matt gaetz today, matt gaetz was a disastrous choice. >> when you consider that man's history and public service. some of the things he's done personally, the fact that he would even be considered for the highest law enforcement position in the united states is incredible. i understand it was a spur of the moment decision by donald trump, not the first, i'm sure, nor the last to put him in this this key position. thank goodness he's out of the running. he was not qualified for the job, and he would have been an embarrassment. >> this will be a huge day today. you leading the way and before the committee for democrats. and we'll be taking that live when it begins an hour, about an hour from now. there's also marco rubio heading in this morning for his confirmation hearing to be secretary of state. different committee. you've announced that you are going to be voting in support of marco rubio's nomination. why, senator, i've known him for 14 years. >> we've worked on a myriad of issues, including immigration

reform, dealing with venezuela. he came by to see me in my office yesterday. we talked about some more cases we've worked on together. i believe that his views are different than mine on some issues, but i am not naive. i understand that my party lost the last presidential election. i think marco rubio is qualified to fill this important historic job, and i'm going to support him. >> just quickly going back, i was just thinking about the attorney general, that role, and the department of justice, department of justice in general. do you think that agency is the one that donald trump do you expect to try to exert the most influence over? if so, what does that mean for the oversight responsibility of the senate judiciary in the next administration? >> well, let's you know, the bottom line is it isn't just pam bondi who's been nominated as kash patel a man that they're suggesting should serve as the head of the

federal bureau of investigation, the most powerful investigative body in the world. and he has published books with lists of his political enemies that he wants to go after the gangsters and the government. and that's a long list. 60 names, including some prominent political figures in the american scene. i'm going to be keeping a close eye on on the department of justice. i sincerely hope the republicans in the majority in the senate feel the same way you know, i've heard even speaking to senator angus, angus king, he says, as a former governor, he knows that you should be an executive, should be able to have the cabinet, the team around him that they want, that they believe will help help them serve the most effectively. >> speaking of kash patel, if he wants kash patel to head up the fbi, i mean, is there something you think kash patel could say to convince you to support him? >> well, he has quite a handful of responsibilities to answer questions. i can tell you. he put it in in a book. i mean, he

published it. it wasn't a casual statement off the cuff. a list of his 60 political enemies that he would go after. he talked about taking the fbi headquarters here in washington and closing it down and turning it into a museum. what in the world is going on here? you want to give this man the authority to investigate every level of government and society in america? he is not a responsible person for that job. >> knowing these these roles, they have to make it through your committee first before they can get anywhere near the cabinet and the white house. and this is the first big day, as you were about to kick off these confirmation hearings for the attorney general and pam bondi, we'll be watching. senator dick durbin. thank you, john. >> thank you. all right. breaking news this morning, 170 million americans are in for a rude awakening in just four days as tiktok makes plans to shut down completely shut down the app for all u.s. users, and

new criticism this morning from prison reform advocates, as more than 1000 inmates in california are on the front lines fighting the wildfires. >> our land, my back frozen thinking the darkest thoughts and then everything changed, dana said. you're still you and i love you, super man. >> the christopher reeve story february 2nd on cnn. watch your step. >> oh, that's why visionworks makes it simple to schedule an eye exam that works for you. >> even if you have a big trip to plan around. >> thanks, meghan. >> see you right now. that's convenient. >> visionworks see the difference. >> sore throat. >> got your tongue? >> mucinex. instant sore throat, medicated drops uniquely formulated for rapid relief that lasts and lasts. >> that's my baby. >> try our new sugar free cough drop. instant.

>> soothe. introducing new roxon gel, the first fda cleared ed treatment available without a prescription. a roxon gel is clinically proven to work within ten minutes, so you and your partner can experience the heights of intimacy. new a roxon ed treatment gel. >> i still love to surf, snowboard and of course skate, so i take keen on magnesium to support my muscle and bone health. >> kunal's high absorption magnesium glycinate helps me get the full benefits of magnesium. kunal, the brand i trust. >> that's $225 for the night. >> not bad. >> $155 for the night. >> how it's easy when you know where to look. >> trivago compares hotel prices from hundreds of sites so you can save up to 40%. hotel trivago. >> you know what's smart? enjoying a fresh gourmet meal at home that you didn't have to cook? upgrade your plate with factor chef crafted dietitian approved. ready in two minutes. eat smart with factor the itch

and rash of moderate to severe eczema disrupts my skin night and day. >> despite treatment, it's still not under control. but now i have rinvoq. rinvoq is a once daily pill that reduces the itch and helps clear the rash of eczema fast. some taking rinvoq felt significant itch relief as early as two days, and some achieved dramatic skin clearance as early as two weeks. many saw clear or almost clear skin. >> rinvoq can lower ability to fight infections before treatment, tests for tb and do blood work. serious infections, blood clots, some fatal cancers including lymphoma and skin. serious allergic reactions, gi tears, death, heart attack and stroke occurred. cv event risk increases in age 50 plus with a heart disease risk factor. tell your doctor if you've had these events. infection hep b or c smoked are pregnant or planning. don't take if allergic or have an infection. >> disrupt the itch and rash of eczema. talk to your dermatologist about rinvoq. >> learn how abbvie can help you save. why do 80% of nfl

players choose a sleep number bed? >> because the higher my sleep iq score, the better i play. >> but that's not the only reason he likes to slide firm. >> i like my slide. >> soft sleep number. >> does that effortless comfort all night. >> so sleeping on a smart bed is why you can play like this. >> yeah, because i also like to sleep cool and i like to sleep even cooler. and i really like it when we both get what we want. >> sleep number does that. >> introducing the new sleep number. >> climate cool smart bed. sleep up to 15 degrees cooler on each side. visit a sleep number store near you. >> an alternative to pills, voltaren is a clinically proven arthritis pain relief gel, which penetrates deep to target the source of pain with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine directly at the source. voltaren the joy of movement. >> what are folks 60 and older learning these days? >> new perspectives. >> how to fix things, find recipes.

>> and. >> travel can make you smell kind of funky, but aluminum free. secret whole body deodorant gives me 72 hour whole body freshness for long layovers, surprise gate changes, and heavy luggage. and it's totally middle seat approved. secret. no sweat. >> this average joe doesn't know tv's most outrageous reality show is all a prank on him. >> i would eat you like a bowl of cereal. what have we done? >> the joe schmo show premieres tuesday at nine on tbs. set your dvr now. >> nearly 1000 prisoners are on the front lines, working around the clock to fight the california wildfires. they provide crucial support, and in exchange, they earn small pay, even sometimes reduced sentences, depending on their skill level. but the california

program has come under fire, with critics saying prisoners are getting little compensation for putting their lives at great risk. our next guest is brett crawford, a former inmate who worked as a firefighter in california and utah. now, look, you have been very honest with the fact that you call yourself a career. you were a career criminal. you are now out of prison and living a decent life, but you're in prison for many years and you decided to take part in this prisoner firefighting program. what was your experience? what did you experience there? and did you have the same sort of equipment and training as other firefighters? >> yes, of course. i think that one of the things that is lost is how difficult it is to become a firefighter within the prison system. first of all, you have to bring your points down to a minimum level, which means you have to avoid getting into trouble, which can be very difficult in a general population situation. so by then you get a chance to go become a firefighter. you have to go through fire training,

you learn about fire behavior. you have to take the test. you have to be physically fit enough to be a firefighter. and i don't think that most people understand how incredibly backbreaking and the type of endurance you have to have to be a wildland firefighter. so i want to say from the very beginning that i do believe the firefighters, both inmate and civilian wildland firefighters, should be paid more. it's it's incredibly difficult and dangerous work. and i, i initially, um, found out about firefighting as a way to get out of my cell. i didn't want to rot in my cell anymore. selfishly, i just wanted to go to the program to get away from general population, be in a situation where people weren't trying to kill each other. um, but what i hadn't anticipated was how it would be when we got out into the field. we were fighting fires. we were helping communities, we were doing community service. we were

helping people save their homes, their animals, the humans, and the way that people treated us. and, um, it wasn't just like humans, which you would think would be normal, but it was it was like something that i wasn't prepared for, which is they were treating us like we were heroes. and i can tell you, as a person who spent most of my life in prison, i didn't see myself through that lens. i saw myself through the lens as a villain or a menace to society, and it was a spark for me that helped change my life. it didn't fix my life, but it was a spark for me to see myself in a different light. >> wow, that is a powerful testimony to to the work you were doing. and you did mention the danger. we've been looking at the pictures of where some of the the inmates are right now in the california fires, in very difficult terrain, and some inmates, as have other firefighters, died in blazes

like this as well as been injured. i do want to ask you about i know that you get some time off of your sentence, potentially when you go out and fight these fires, is there any chance for you to use this training and be able to become a firefighter afterwards? >> i think it's i think that goes that question goes along for everything. it's difficult to become a firefighter as a civilian. besides being a firefighter, as an inmate. and i think depending on the state and depending on the different laws within the states, you can as you can become a wildland firefighter, it's much easier to become a wildland firefighter. but a wildland firefighter, which are the people who are up in these crews, the guys who are up there hiking, it's a it's not a long. it's like being a professional athlete. it's a very short time span that your body can kind of put up with that kind of level of work. but what it does teach you is work ethic. it teaches you how to show up on time. it teaches you how to be a leader. it teaches you how to be work with, work well with

others. um, take on great responsibility and and understand the risk and learn how to assess the risk. so while you're there, you're learning all these things that are valuable tools brett crawford, it is incredible just to sort of hear your story and how this changed you, but also a testament to those who have decided to volunteer because it is extremely dangerous and extremely grueling, just hiking up and down those hills. >> never mind the fact that fire is threatening your lives and the homes of others as well. brett crawford, thank you so much for joining us. really appreciate you walking us through your story. all right. speaking of the fires, thanks. let's get the latest on the red flag warnings right now. in effect, and the dangerous weather conditions this hour. meteorologist allison chinchar back with us. now, where are the greatest threats right now as we see this red flag warning once again rising? >> yeah. that's

right. so it's the pink area that you see behind me. this is really where the focus is going to be really for the next 12 hours. and that's where the peak winds are expected to be. those wind gusts 5060 even in some isolated spots as high as 70mph. and this red flag warning is valid from now all the way until 6 p.m. local time in california. and even embedded within that red flag warning, you have these two zones right here. these are being labeled particularly dangerous situations, and that is valid until 3 p.m., because that's really when we will finally start to see some of those winds begin to come back down. you have three of the four fires that are located within that specialized area to you. go back to the last 24 hours. you look at some of these wind gusts. we've measured 74, 61, 60, 50. so we were very lucky that we did not really have a lot of brand new fires start, because these are the winds that would have spread those fires so rapidly across the very dry vegetation. and the concern still exists this morning. we hope that we do not have any more new additional fires spin up,

because if we do, these are the winds that they are going to experience. those 50 60 mile per hour wind gusts that are expected to continue not only through the morning, but also into the early afternoon. we will finally start to see some of those winds begin to die back down. once we get to say, three, four, 5:00 this afternoon, and especially into the overnight. and by the time we get to thursday. >> it's just exhausting for all of those who are going through this in los angeles county and ventura county now. allison chinchar, thank you so much for more information about how you can help los angeles areas and other areas where wildfires. fire victims have experienced so much loss. you can go to. cnn.com/unpacked kate. >> donald trump's cabinet is on the line and in the hot seat today on capitol hill. some of his most important nominees are heading in to face tough questions from lawmakers this morning. they all have to make it through committee and all have to then have a full vote in the senate. obviously, to get to become part of the cabinet, which may leave you wondering how often do they not

make it through, and what are the odds here? harry enten has been looking into this for you because we know he's been, considers and researches all of the big questions in life. >> that's true. >> let us begin. what can you tell us? >> what can i tell you? okay, so let's take a look. all time cabinet nominations, withdrawn or rejected? just 29. just 29. since the beginning of the beginning of time. since the beginning of time, or at least the beginning of the time. in the united states of america. just 29. that's only about 3%. the only thing that's lower than that is josh allen's interception percentage. so the bottom line here really clear. very few cabinet nominations are either withdrawn or rejected. most get on through. >> i think you just leave josh allen out of this. >> i love josh allen. he's on my mind every day this week. >> very clearly. okay. what how often do they get rejected? i mean if it stays if donald trump's slate of nominees stays as it is now. yes. how many how many are going to get rejected? >> oh, i got to tell you, the

odds on this are low. really, really low. okay. last common cabinet nomination rejected when the senate was controlled by the opposition party. you got to go back to 89. of course. that was john tower. right. how about the president's party? you got to go back a century all the way back to 1925. my father had me in his 60s. he was born in 1927. so this happened before my father was even born. my father lived his entire life without a cabinet nomination being rejected. when the senate was controlled by the president's party. so it really rarely happens. the idea that any of trump's nominations will be rejected if in fact, they face a senate vote is basically nil, narrow it down to the six we're looking at today. >> what do you see? >> all right. so let's take a look at the key three. because that's the number i can get on the graphic and still have large font. all right. trump's picks chance of confirmation per an average of the betting markets. mamma mia! look how high these are. pam bondi 98%. john ratcliffe 96%. marco rubio, 99%. look, the bottom

line is this. yes, there's a few percentage points left on the board. we never know quite what's going to happen, but the chance that all three of these get confirmed are high, high, sky high. >> yeah. i mean, look, we already had dick durbin today saying that he's supporting marco rubio. i mean, that one is i mean, you can actually put money on that. >> yeah, i think the only two we're still a little bit unsure about perhaps are three are yesterday's tulsi gabbard rfk jr.. those are really the three picks that trump has selected, but we're not quite sure about. but the rest, the vast majority. clear. clear. clear that they're almost certainly going to get through. >> and pam bondi confirmation hearing about to begin. harry, thank you so much. should be good tv. john. >> all right. breaking news. an earthquake in the world of social media that really could be bigger than we thought. reports that tiktok is planning to completely shut down its app to users in the united states this sunday. completely shut it down. that was the day a federal ban was scheduled to take effect. now, the ban itself would have meant there would be no new downloads from

app stores or updates, but in theory, people could still have used the app for a while. the shutdown means that the tens and tens of millions of tiktok users, they won't be able to go in at all. no cat videos, no nothing. the new report comes from the tech site the information now with me now is the democratic senator from the state of massachusetts or the commonwealth. i should have said ed markey. senator, thank you so much for being with us. if tiktok shuts down in the u.s. on on sunday, what will the impact of that be? >> the impact would be dramatic. there are 170 million users of tiktok in the united states. >> 7 million businesses use tiktok in the united states. >> all across california. >> right now, families businesses are using tiktok to create communities to try to deal with the tragedy that

continues to unfold. >> so if there is in fact a ban, if tiktok goes dark on sunday, it's going to have significant, significant impact in our country. i think older people just don't understand the role which tiktok plays in the culture of people in our country under the age of 40. it is deeply embedded into our country, and that's why i'm going to on the floor of the senate today, make a unanimous consent request to pass my legislation to give tiktok another 270 days to negotiate a resolution of this issue. but it would just absolutely be a very significant moment in the history of communications in our country to have a site go dark, just be banned in our country with no other resolution that was in fact made possible.

>> i had a chance to ask republican congressman dusty johnson about your proposal for an extension. this is what he said. listen. >> i think it is crazy that we would allow an adversary of the united states to control such a major news outlet. >> this is not about the content on tiktok. listen, i get it. people are hungry for their goofy dance videos. there are lots of places they can get that. this is about the fact that we would allow the chinese communist party this kind of access to propaganda channels. we would never have let the soviet union buy up the cbs evening news and the wall street journal. the fact that some are okay with the chinese communist party running tiktok is hard for me to understand. >> he suggests that you're okay with the chinese communist party running tiktok the intelligence community produced absolutely no evidence that the

chinese government is compromising this information. >> it provided no information whatsoever. what we have right now is something completely different. it's a lot more than just cat videos. it's 7 million businesses who use it. it's 170 million americans who use it every single day. and in many ways very dependent upon it as part of their lives to make a living. there are people in california on sunday. if this gets cut off, they won't have a way to make a living. they won't have a way to generate income for themselves. that's what we're talking about. we need the supreme court to have more time in order to decide this, to create an extension. donald trump is asking for an extension for more time so that he can work on this issue as well. that's what my legislation intends on attempting to achieve, and i'm going to do that with senator booker and senator wyden today. all right. >> let me just jump in for a little context here. number

one, the supreme court is questioning seemed to indicate they were going to let this congressionally passed law, a bipartisan law, go through, which would mean the ban would go into effect on sunday. we think that's where the supreme court is going. and i just want to point out there are republicans who agree with you, but there are plenty of democrats who agree with dusty johnson. this law was passed by a bipartisan majority and signed in both houses, and it's signed into law, i should say, by president biden. you said that president trump has indicated that he doesn't really want tiktok to go away. have you had any communication with the incoming trump administration on this? >> well, he filed a brief at the supreme court, an amicus brief. so we know that's there. we also know that it's an american company, project liberty, that has, in fact, made a proffer to buy tiktok just last week. but there isn't enough time between last thursday and this coming sunday in order to finish that

deal. so we just need more time. that's what my legislation calls for. just give them more time to work this out so we don't see harm. that is, in fact inflicted upon american small businesses and upon individuals in our country. >> how would you, uh, there's a report that chinese officials are musing about selling it. tiktok to elon musk. how would you feel about elon musk in charge of tiktok? >> well, obviously, i don't like what tiktok would look like if if elon musk made it in any way have a resemblance to what he's done with twitter, but we don't i don't know that i can't project out what elon musk might be doing, or whether or not he's even going to win. all i know is that right now there is an offer on the table from project liberty, which is a great group led by frank mccourt. we should give them time in order to negotiate, and then we can avoid the harm which is

inflicted upon the small businesses. and again, i'm going to say this, especially those in california right now, tiktok is an integral part of the economy. people don't understand that. there's 220 000 jobs in our country that are related to tiktok. right now, 7 million businesses use it. let's let that continue. let's give them the time right now. while the negotiations continue. >> senator ed markey from the commonwealth of massachusetts, thank you so much for your time. >> kate coming up for us. we're going to take you live to capitol hill. you're looking at live pictures of the hearing room where the senate judiciary committee will soon be meeting and gathering as confirmation hearings are about to pick up for donald. some of donald trump's most important cabinet nominees. and also this to the moon. an overnight launch carrying a pair of lunar landers. it's very hard to say. lunar landings. >> kobe believed in himself at the youngest possible age. >> it's one of the most remarkable stories in sports

history. i want to be remembered as just a basketball player. kobe premieres january 25th on cnn. >> one of those we can't feed the kids chicken nuggets again. canada's, huh? relax. you've got hellofresh. you can whip up a delicious meal. the whole family will love hellofresh. homemade made easy 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 you did it. >> 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. >> with so many choices on booking.com, there are so many tina fey's i could be. >> so i hired body doubles, 30,000 followers, tina in a

boutique hotel for 30,000 steps. >> tina had a mountain cabin, booking.com booking dot yeah, gum problems could be the start of a domino effect. >> periodontics active gum repair breath freshener clinically proven to help reverse the four signs of early gum disease. a toothpaste from periodontics. the gum experts. >> now's the time to go back in time and shine a light on the family journey that led to you. >> learn when they said, i do. when they became heroes, how they ruled the school. curious about what you might find with billions of records, photos, and more, you're bound to find some gems. ancestry can help you piece together the past. memberships are on sale now, so start your journey today. >> not again. cold is coming. >> your cold is coming.

>> thanks, revere. >> we really need to keep zicam in the house. >> only if you want to shorten your cold. when you feel a cold coming, shorten it with zicam greatness hurts, but sometimes you got to put on your game face. >> that's why tylenol provides fast, effective pain relief. that's tylenol, that's care without limits. >> i haven't achieved all my ambitions. >> they've always been about more than just football. even as a kid, i wanted to get my money right and have the financial freedom to support the next generation of athletes, just like my family supported me. >> i joined sofi because they've helped millions of members earn more money, save more money, borrow better, and invest for their ambitions. join a generational player. sofi. get your money right. >> there's a lot of people like puffy in this music business. exposing puffy means exposing

them. >> the fall of diddy, an indie

from top notch doctors. now, no matter where you go, we've got your eyes covered. >> the situation room with wolf blitzer tonight at six on cnn. >> all right, breaking just moments ago, brand new numbers on inflation. let's bring in cnn's matt egan, because this one's a little confusing. when i looked at the top line, i'm like, oh, people aren't going to like this. >> yeah, john, this is a confusing report. there's some good news, some bad news. there's a little something for everyone. let's start with the bad news. 2.9%. that's the annual inflation rate. this was hotter than expected. it's the third straight month where this number has gone up. further away from that 2% goal. and this is the highest since july. also, the monthly number was a little bit hotter than expected. when we look at the trend, you can see that yes, there's been a lot of progress from the nightmare of two and a half years ago. and yet some of that progress has started to unwind and stall out in the

last few months. now you can see it right here. you see it's starting to tick a little bit higher. that's not what you want to see. but there is some good news. and i think this is why the market is reacting very positively. core inflation, which excludes food and energy that actually cooled off. so look at this. we see dow futures up almost 700 points. the nasdaq futures up almost 2%. and that's because the bond market liked those core numbers. interest rates went down in the market because a lot of people were on edge. and that is why the stock market is set to open sharply higher today. and we look at some of the categories here that people are spending. there were some numbers that people are not going to like, right? i mean, restaurant prices are up significantly more than 3% from a year ago. shelter. that's rent. i mean, that continues to be a major problem. and energy as well. this was more electricity, natural gas prices. and listen, when we talk about inflation, we think about we talk about the rate of inflation, how much prices are

going up. but what people care about, what all the viewers care about is the level of prices. and no doubt people are spending a lot more. look at this. almost $1,200 more for the same goods and services than they were back in january 2021. all because prices are higher. john. >> all right, matt, thank you so much for explaining that. some mixed signals we're getting from the market this morning. appreciate it. thanks, john. sarah. all right. >> this just in. two sources familiar with the negotiations telling cnn the israeli government expects a cease and hostage deal in gaza will be announced as early as today, saying major progress has been made. the deal could be implemented as early as sunday. the ceasefire and hostage release deal would mean the release of 33 of 94 hostages and hundreds of palestinian prisoners, as well as a weeks long break in the firefight in gaza. the war has gone on for 15 months. israel has killed more than 40,000 palestinians in gaza after hamas terrorist raid into israel that killed hundreds of israelis.

a surprise admission of guilt. a texas man accused of stalking indiana fever star caitlin clark was in court facing felony stalking charges when this happened this morning. >> mr. lewis guilty as no, sir. >> yep. yep. that is what he said. guilty as charged. authorities say the man was sending a number of threats and sexually explicit messages to clark on social media. he has been ordered to stay away from clark. >> three two, one ignition and liftoff. >> we've got a firefly. go! ispace. go! >> and that was the launch of spacex's falcon nine rocket early this morning from cape canaveral's kennedy space center in florida. on board are two lunar landers for two different missions. the liftoff is kicking off what's expected to be a really busy year of moon launches, as a new space race is underway to try to put humans back on the