i want to go back to our bill weir who's been who's in malibu. uh, bill, talk to us about what you've been seeing. >> uh, this was some of the most unique and valuable real estate in the nation. that iconic strip of homes between pacific coast highway and the sea. but now it holds mile after mile of smoldering ash and twisted metal. the result of tuesday night's blizzard of embers that came howling down the hills to the beach. if i had to guess, i'd say 75% of the mansions along this five mile stretch of coastline look like this utter, utter devastation we've been watching as a crew from kern county in another part of the state, has been spraying water on the hotspots around this former mansion. there's obvious water pressure here, but so many questions about water pressure around l.a. county as multiple crews try to tap in as we speak. there are flames up into panga canyon, where nervous locals are watching and hoping, oh, there's a little drop there. yeah. what's going through your mind? >> uh, it's been a long couple of days until this morning.

i'm here with bill weir and bill. you've been up.you know, we've been up and around those palisades and, you know, you just see this scorched mountainside. the day is so beautiful that it almost is hard to imagine the fight that is going on right over those mountains. >> absolutely. and the sort of the psychological fight that's going on in the minds of so many people who are worried. there's another 80,000 people living in potential evacuation zones. it's a siege, is now a week long fire siege. and where you think you're getting a break and where they deserve a break. when the sun is out is when they're really ramping up the efforts, especially the hotshots trying to cut those lines the more they contain now, the better chance they'll have once those winds start kicking up. those desert winds howling through the canyons. yeah, that's that's knock wood. the worst case. we don't want that. but there's also a lot of fuel that's already been burned. so depending on wind direction, they could catch a break. >> right. and the wind directi

um, bill weir is in malibu. bill, what are you seeing? you. >> know, anderson, the devastation along the strip of pacific coast highway is is really hard to describe. we're watching what is a really lovely sunset. otherwise, through the through the haze of this smoke here. but these are the multi-million dollar views that has this as some of the most valuable real estate in the country. but this five mile stretch between topanga and carbon canyon, i'd estimate 75% of the homes have been turned to ash. this this pushes the price tag. obviously, these are people's lives. um, these are families that lived on this little strip of land and loved this place so much. there's also restaurants that are iconic on the west side of los angeles. moonshadows reel in the funky, beautiful little seafood place where people got engaged and celebrated. those are jobs. so it is devastating. i was up in the palisades yesterday and thought that was something like i had never seen. this reminds me of lahaina and paradise combined and expanded. it's it is really

i want to go back to our bill weir who's been who's in malibu. uh, bill, talk to us about what you've been seeing. >> i this was some of the most unique and valuable real estate in the nation. that iconic strip of homes between pacific coast highway and the sea. but now it holds mile after mile of smoldering ash and twisted metal. the result of tuesday night's blizzard of embers that came howling down the hills to the beach. if i had to guess, i'd say 75% of the mansions along this five mile stretch of coastline look like this utter, utter devastation we've been watching as a crew from kern county in another part of the state, has been spraying water on the hotspots around this former mansion. there's obvious water pressure here, but so many questions about water pressure around l.a. county as multiple crews try to tap in as we speak. there are flames up into panga canyon, where nervous locals are watching and hoping, oh, there's a little drop there. yeah. what's going through your mind? >> uh, it's been a long couple of days until this morning. i

i'm fredricka whitfield in atlanta alongside my colleague bill weir in pacific palisades, california. we'll get right to you, bill, in a moment. this is the breaking news that we're covering. firefighters racing to gain ground as massive wildfires tear through the los angeles county area. wind gusts are picking up, making an already dangerous situation even more treacherous. red flag warnings are in effect as santa ana winds are expected to strengthen later on today, continuing all the way until wednesday. the exhaustive firefight to save homes and communities is now in day six. overnight, favorable weather conditions gave fire crews a bit of a leg up. officials say the eaton fire is now 27% contained, but the largest of the fires, the palisades, remains just 11% contained. the fires are ripping across landscapes and neighborhoods. as you see right there, scorching tens of thousands of acres, killing at least 16. we understand 16 other people remain missing. 105,000 people are under evacuation orders right now. all right, let's get to the palisades area where bill weir is. so that's a

bill weir is out front with this story. >> in the parched hills northeast of l.a.e eaton fire cut a brutal swath across multiple cities and different kinds of communities. the elliot arts magnet school is in the pasadena school district and draws gifted public school kids from the area, and the area is decimated block after block of altadena turned to ash, broken up by the occasional oasis of survival. >> this house was one of the. this was the last one to burn on the street right here. >> like this end of calaveras street that was saved when a retired fire captain and a tv set designer and son formed a bucket brigade as embers burned holes in their clothes. >> i mean, it was so hot. >> it just. >> i mean, i had to come down off the ladder and just stick my hands in the bucket, put the water on the back of my neck and go back up the ladder. >> john and his neighbor kevin, a music festival producer, are now putting out hot spots as their relief is tempered with worries about the future. this is the kind of neighborhood where a family leaves out all their extra citru

bill weir, cnn, sierra madre. >> thank you bill. joining us now for a look at how the federal government is assisting. cnn's betsy klein is live from the white house. betsy, what has the president said about these fires? >> well, victor, president biden and vice president harris are staying in washington this weekend to continue to receive briefings on the wildfires and stay in close contact with local and state officials. now, of course, president biden had been set to travel to rome, where he was going to meet with the pope at the vatican and also meet ukraine. president zelenskyy canceling that trip a couple of days ago, and vice president harris, for her part, canceling a planned trip to singapore, bahrain and germany. of course, this hits very close to home, literally, for vice president harris, her home in los angeles is within that mandatory evacuation zone as of now. but of course, the federal response at this stage is twofold. number one, help fight those fires and stop them from spreading. and number two, help those who ha

bill weir, thank you very much. and

bill weir is on the ground for cnn in malibu tonight. nd bill, just to hear that story of her, of her father saying, you know, i'll be here tomorrow and then and then having to to find this and to find that he was in his bed. i mean, you're seeing, you know, what you're seeing in real time on the ground. and we're getting drone footage. it shows just how widespread this devastation is, where you are in malibu. i mean, these are oceanfront homes that are just nothing now. nothing. >> exactly, exactly. >> this little strip between pacific coast highway and the ocean, some of the most unique and valuable property anywhere in the country. and just mile after mile, as you go west from topanga canyon, it looks like this. it's just it's ash. it's it's still smoldering metal. in some cases. cars that have been bombed out as well, because those embers just came screaming over these hillsides on tuesday night. and anything that was potential fuel got caught up in that. there are some fickle little spots where they oddly survived, but this is just g

let's bring in now cnn chief climate correspondent bill weir. ill, you've been talking to survivors in this really tight knit community of altadena, and there's still an active fire close by. what are you seeing? >> well, casey, let me give you some perspective. they're doing grid searches in arcadia that direction with cadaver dogs looking and going home by home, checking people, and also now registering the state of those homes on this online database. but i'm struck by this corner of arcadia. pasadena is that way, by the way. and the active fires are that way. i'm struck by, again, the fickle finger of fate when it comes to these fires, this charming bungalow, their garage burned down. but if they will come back and realize their house survived, but will look out of every window in every direction, and all of their neighbors are gone. this is sort of a poignant symbol of california these days. the orange tree scorched. uh, as you can see, is the fruit on the ground. this is a really interesting neighborhood. i've been talking to locals for the

cnn's bill weir is in big rock, a neighborhood just east of malibu. bill and l.a. fire department official said last hour that there are reports of another fire breaking out in the valley. what have you seen from your vantage point? >> well, it's interesting, laura. we spent a lot of time here on pacific coast highway watching a crew from kern county. that's a different part of the state. they were just spending a long time dousing the hotspots of these. what were oceanfront properties? big mansions here on the coast. they're still smoldering now. whether the fear is that these would kick up overnight and blow embers and cause more havoc, we can't be sure how those were deployed. but what we're seeing now is a pitch black pacific coast highway. the power is out. so other than the occasional first responders, a truck that goes by with their flashers on, it's a dark and dreary place tonight, especially when light of day brings so much devastation. this five mile stretch, i would guess 75% of the homes along this coast line, this iconic stretch of real estate, have tu

that's where bill weir is now, bill. i mean, a lot of folks want to get to their homes. they want to see, but it's just simply too dangerous for a host of reasons. right now. >> absolutely. and you get a false sense of security when the blue skies come out and the smoke clears to give you a little bit of a respite there. but these are still active crime scenes. we don't know the cause of these fires. and so they want to preserve those as best they can. they're still hotspots, gas leaks, so many different hazards. but the pull to return home and see what is left of your life is, is unimaginable. for those who haven't experienced this right now, you've got so much uncertainty on where they stay. you know, when the when the smoke clears and they're finally allowed back in to see what's left, that's just sort of the beginning of what will be years long stress and disruption. and so many folks thought they were going to get that first look this morning when the curfew lifted. but the overwhelming demand from community members trying to get back in, the police chief said he ha

cnn's bill weir is there in the pacific palisades neighborhood. the hardest hit thus far. give us an idea, bill, whether people you know are listening to those officials getting out with those mandatory evacuation orders in place, or are we seeing more people who are trying to save their own homes with garden hoses, et cetera.? >> that's always the case, fred. and this is sort of the calm before another firestorm. tonight we're actually set up here on pacific coast highway near will rogers beach. a command center. so we're seeing national guards and ambulances and fire crews from really all over the country as they're fanning out here as you were given the numbers overnight, the palisades fire, thanks to a really fierce fight in mandeville canyon, only grew by a few acres, but still only remains 11% contained. just for perspective, we talk about the acreage. 24,000 acres burned. that is 37mi÷. and for my new york friends, the island of manhattan is only 23mi÷. so this huge area burn, of course, we care the most about those that hold homes and lives and properties right ther

i want to bring in cnn's bill weir. he's on the scene for us, covering the palisades fire, which is hughes. he's joining us from malibu right now out in california. update our viewers on the very latest you're seeing and hearing. bill. >> well, wolf, this is the first glimpse really we're getting of what the palisades fire did when it brought this blizzard of embers over the hillsides and down to the beach in the east side of malibu. here we're near big rock, las tunas beach. and look at this landscape. this is one of the most iconic. dreamin drives in america, where it's sometimes hard to see the ocean for all the million dollar mansions that are stacked next to each other. but for a five mile stretch here between topanga and carbon canyons into eastern malibu, i would guess maybe 75% of the homes have been turned to ash and twisted metal. you've got cars that are melted, the aluminum, you know, spilling into these puddles on the ground. this particular home, only the fireplace remains here. and we've been watching cre

. >> i want to go right now to cnn's bill weir, who is in big rock, a neighborhood just east of malibu. bill, this is day three of this excruciating nightmare. and these fires, they are still mostly uncontained. what are you seeing this hour well, we're not seeing much because it is pitch black along the powerless pacific coast highway. >> i don't know if you can tell, but the the pacific is right behind me. and then in a brighter, better day, this would be a row of multimillion dollar oceanfront properties here. but they're just burned to ash with cars sort of marking where different driveways were before. this is the result of of that ember fire, a ember blizzard essentially coming over these hills. as you were saying, i guess 48, 60 hours. i'm losing track of the math now. but basically anything that could have served as fuel caught fire and burned so hot it melted. and you can see sort of the aluminum sculptures that were once car tires melting into these rivulets around us here. this is part of the palisades fire. it's by itself, it would probably rank with the woolsey fire for fi

cnn's bill weir is live in pacific palisades. bill, this six fire, six fire breaking out now in hollywood hills. it's very worrying, as are the others. what can you tell us about this? >> yes, this is laura is just the heart of the hollywood hills. if you've ever been to the walk of fame to see the stars on hollywood boulevard, the handprints just above, just north of that is the area that is now under mandatory evacuation from laurel canyon to the 101 freeway. mulholland up at the top, all the way down to hollywood boulevard. there, those winding streets, home to the bungalows with those million dollar views and now a sign of a nightmare. the sixth fire in los angeles county that has broken out amid all of these epic santa anita winds. they're used to this at this time of year. we're not used to out here, is it being this dry? they haven't gotten any rain really since october to to speak of. and so all the vegetation that grew after a wet winter last year has now turned to fuel. and we've seen that playing out really in a ring of

cnn's bill weir is live in pacific palisades. bill, this six fire, six fire breaking out now in hollywood hills. it's very worrying, as are the others. what can you tell us about this? >> yes, this is laura is just the heart of the hollywood hills. if you've ever been to the walk of fame to see the stars on hollywood boulevard, the handprints just above, just north of that is the area that is now under mandatory evacuation from laurel canyon to the 101 freeway. mulholland up at the top, all the way down to hollywood boulevard. there, those winding streets, home to the bungalows with those million dollar views and now a sign of a nightmare. the sixth fire here in los angeles county that has broken out amid all of these epic santa anita winds. they're used to this at this time of year. what we're not used to out here is it being this dry, they haven't gotten any rain really since october to to to speak of. and so all the vegetation that grew after a wet winter last year has now turned to fuel. and we've seen that playing out really

cnn's bill weir joins me now from sierra madre, where the eaton fire has been burning. and, bill, you've been talking to to people there who are determined and seeing how how thinly stretched these fire departments are saying, you know, i'm going to stay and try to save my own, my own home here. what kind of stories are you hearing from people? >> well, i met a really interesting young man today, caitlin, who lives a couple doors down from here, you can see the beautiful twinkling lights of l.a. downtown. is that way through the ruins of this house up here on this sort of knife ridge line in sierra madre. we're northeast of pasadena. this edge of the eaton fire. but two doors down from here is a guy lives. a guy named miro. he is a former hotshot who knows a lot about fire and fire in these lands. and that turned out to be a good thing, because almost single handedly, he got some help from neighbors. he saved the other homes around us. this one he was unable to save. but through blood, sweat, tears, luck, pleading with passing crews. here's his story. >> i've been like t

bill weir is in the palisades. i want to go to him. bill.h, how are things where you are it is unbelievable, anderson. >> i know, i'm sorry. the superlatives have been flying through the air from all of you, but it looks like a war zone here in the central village of pacific palisades. one of the most picturesque neighborhoods in america. this whole block of small businesses, salons and restaurants, cafes, galleries, completely gutted, bombed out, turned to ash. anything that isn't brick is ash right now. across the street behind the camera. another complex of doctors offices, dentists offices gone bombed out. the glow of the flames in the distance is another art gallery, and we've seen these fire trucks just driving on by because they have other, more pressing concerns. and i keep thinking, anderson, about lessons learned. this reminds me so much of covering the paradise fire up in california over five years ago, lahaina and maui over a year ago. now those lessons, painful lessons in how to defend mountain communities and paradise alarm sys

bill weir.lier the show was talking about the cadaver dogs that are going now from house to house, because they're trying to figure out the extent of the damage. families, though, are beginning to face unthinkable tragedy as they are not just losing their homes and dealing with the incredible tragedy all around us, but also finding out that those that they love most did not survive. i want to bring in eric nickerson. he, his father, rodney, died. he died in the eaton fire and the altadena home that he had owned. he had lived in for more than 50 years. and eric, it is an unthinkable, unthinkable loss that you are facing. i'm so sorry to even have this conversation with you. days ago, we never would have even crossed paths. and now we are talking about this. i know you spoke with your dad every single day. you were so close. at what point did you realize that something was wrong when you can't get phone communication, which is normally usual, you can't get a text message which is normally usual. >

bill weir appreciate it. i want to go over to, um, to another homeowner who has who fled from her home, natalie mitchell, who joins us now. natalie, at this point, do you know what has happened to to your house? >> no. at this point, we do not know the status we've tried to get as much intel as we can, and it looks like the fire is slowly starting to come closer to our house. and homes that are up, um, in the highlands area of the of pacific palisades. but we just at this point, we don't know. >> oh my god, we're showing some video. i understand of you getting getting out of your house. can you just talk a little bit about what that experience was like? how at what point did you decide we we got to go. i got to go. oh my god. >> it was one of the most harrowing, craziest experiences i've ever had in my life. um, you know, we just really try to listen to what the firefighters were telling us, and they have been incredible through this incredibly crazy ordeal. and so in the beginning, the there's only one road

let's go now to cnn chief climate correspondent bill weir, who is live among along the pacific coast highway at las tunas beach in malibu. bill, tell us what you're seeing. >> jake, we're getting really our first glimpse at what this fire did to the coastal community as it came roaring down, ripping down the canyons here. and if you've ever driven up pacific coast highway, you know that you have to guess, 75% of them, jake, are gone. >> are gone. >> between topanga canyon and carbon canyon up in malibu. it was about five years ago that the woolsey fire ripped across the other side of malibu, became the most destructive in southern california. but this will surpass that one in spades in so many different measures here. it is so surreal to see this coastline like this. and it's still smoldering in the distance. we had a fire truck just pulled over and is spraying what used to be one of these multi story oceanfront mansions here in malibu. but this is just gobsmacking when you consider the property values here. we knew that the palisades village was something unlike we'd ever seen. but t

it's crazy. >> and bill weir joins us now. bill. uh, it's just remarkable the efforts people have been able to, i mean, have gone through and some of them very successfully. >> yeah. you're hearing these stories where it's literally blood, sweat, tears, luck that determines the fate of an entire neighborhood. here's mira's house over here. he, by the way, has left the hot shot. he's going to go into private business helping people defend their homes against wildfires, he tells me. and he's actually got some help. now. we've got a cal fire crew down in the brush. look at this work. the sun is going down and these folks, men and women down here clearing this just to make doubly sure that they're in the clear up here in this part of sierra madre. but for every house that burned, what is 10,000 structures? anderson, there are so many stories of people who tried to save their places to varying success. but now the psychological toll of what comes next when the other half of your neighborhood is gone. >> yeah, yeah. bill, it's you've seen

i want to go to bill weir, who has spent the day in another community.m, let's take a look at what he found. >> this tree, like the fire, came right up to the property. yeah, like that tree torched out for the last five years. >> miralax carroll freed was a hotshot putting out wildland blazes around southern california. and all the while, he knew his own home atop a sierra madre ridge was a ripe fire target. >> i've been doing, like, fuel reduction and defensible space. so i've been, like, lifting all the trees and, like, cutting everything back. so in case a fire does happen, it can't get up into the trees and like, torch out the building. >> um, and that paid off. >> paid off. if i didn't do that, this would have all this would have gone right. >> but he never imagined he'd have to defend his own neighborhood from a moving hellscape with a garden hose and a chainsaw. he says that during repeated trips over multiple days, he had to beg for help from passing fire crews and even evade a police barricade. >> told me i looked tired and i should go find some

cnn's bill weir spoke to a former firefighter who did whatever he could to save his home. as the flames inched closer. >> this tree, like the fire, came right up to the property. yeah, like that tree torched out for the last five years. >> mishra cyril freed was a hotshot putting out wildland blazes around southern california. and all the while, he knew his own home atop a sierra madre ridge was a ripe fire target. >> i've been doing, like, fuel reduction and defensible space. so i've been, like, lifting all the trees and, like, cutting everything back. so in case a fire does happen, it can't get up into the trees and like, torch out the building. >> um, and that paid off. >> paid off. if i didn't do that, this would have all this would have gone right. >> but he never imagined he'd have to defend his own neighborhood from a moving hellscape with a garden hose and a chainsaw. he says that during repeated trips over multiple days, he had to beg for help from passing fire crews and even evade a police barricade. >> told me i looked tired and i should go find somewhere to sle

bill weir has just arrived there and has some perspective.as you can see right there from pacific palisades, as we are learning now about that fifth fire. more about that fifth fire and dramatic scramble for safety. natasha chen. she was surrounded by flames. she'd been doing her job reporting and then was surrounded. it was an incredibly dicey situation. she and her crew did make it out safely, but it was close. it's an incredible story. you don't want to miss. >> this part. changed my life. >> superman. crazy. it's just that simple little thing. over the horse. >> she came flying in and she just yelled, i love you. >> superman was in a wheelchair and was willing to go public with it. it was huge. >> i told him i would do whatever i could to make him proud. >> chris wanted to change the world. >> people are literally walking because of him. superman. >> the christopher reeve story february 2nd on cnn. >> saving for retirement was tough enough, and navigating markets can be challenging at times. >> i understand that's why at fisher investment

you know that was our bill weir reporting there with those incredible images. >> all right. president biden announced that the federal government will cover 100% of all recovery costs from the fires for six months. let's discuss with congresswoman judy chu of california. first, i know that you got to see the entirety of the damage in altadena, which is part of your district. can you first describe to us just what it is that you saw and what it did to you, seeing these apocalyptic scenes? >> i visited and toured the entire destroyed sites of pasadena and altadena yesterday. >> i did it with the fema administrator, and i was. >> i was stunned by the devastation that i saw, especially since so many of the areas were so familiar to me. >> but to see it all burned to the ground, i just could not believe it. uh, in altadena i saw utter destruction. blocks of homes that were burned to the ground. >> uh, in pasadena, i saw, uh, homes that were selectively burned to the ground. >> for instance, in hastings ranch in pasadena. it was just astounding where you saw one home burned to the

bill weir, cnn, sierra madre. >> bill, thank you. the national weather service says very dangerous weather conditions will continue into next week. we are tracking the very latest in these deadly fires. you're in the cnn newsroom. >> i lay on 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. >> explore the world. the viking way from the quiet comfort of elegant small ships with no children and no casinos. we actually have reinvented ocean voyages, designing all inclusive experiences for the thinking person. viking voted world's best by both travel and leisure and condÉ nast traveler. learn more at viking.com. >> want a next level clean swish with the whoa of listerine? it kills 99.9% of bad breath germs for five times more cleaning power than brushing and flossing alone. get a next level clean with listerine. feel the whoa! >> you don't stop being you just because you turn 65. but you do face more risk

cnn's bill weir is joining us now from pacific palisades. bill, i know you were just on with caitlin. this hollywood hills story that is unfolding and it's moving fast. what do we know about the situation there this is a brand new fire, abby, that this one has just kicked up in the runyon canyon area. >> that's right above the iconic hollywood walk of fame. grauman's chinese theater. the handprints there, if you've ever been to that strip just in the hills just above the flames, have now entered those neighborhoods. and that is the iconic winding streets with the million dollar views from downtown to the pacific. and that would provide a whole new set of challenges for firefighters. given these winds, given the tinder fuel that's been drying out since october with very little rain since then, and you'd hope it doesn't reach down into, you know, franklin boulevard, which is a major east west thoroughfare into the heart of hollywood right now. but this is just one of five different fires blazing around here in the palisades. we've been watching

bill weir is on the ground for cnn in malibu tonight. nd bill, just to to hear that story of her, of her father saying, you know, i'll be here tomorrow and then and then having to to find this and to find that he was in his bed. i mean, you're seeing, you know, what you're seeing in real time on the ground. and we're getting drone footage. it shows just how widespread this devastating devastation is, where you are in malibu. i mean, these are oceanfront homes that are just nothing now. nothing. >> exactly, exactly. >> this little strip between pacific coast highway and the ocean, some of the most unique and valuable property anywhere in the country. and just mile after mile, as you go west from topanga canyon, it looks like this. it's just it's ash. it's it's still smoldering metal. in some cases, cars that have been bombed out as well, because those embers just came screaming over these hillsides on tuesday night. and anything that was potential fuel got caught up in that. there are some fickle little spots where they oddly survived, but

but first though, bill weir, nick watt and veronica miracle are all here with me across southern california. in the midst of these warnings on all sides of these fires, i want to start with you, bill in malibu. what are you seeing and hearing there now? >> well, erin, we started the day really on fire lookout. >> we drove around topanga. >> we went all the way, actually, to oxnard to see that that auto fire that broke out overnight, but it was quickly contained. it was quenched, and it was really quiet. even the wind gusts we were expecting to see didn't didn't produce. but it looks like they basically shifted this particularly dangerous situation to tomorrow, some 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow. so they got a little more time to work on those fire lines to try to get these hotspots. we saw some smoldering up here in the hills above malibu. but let me look. you give you a before and after perspective of this home here on pacific coast highway. we're right by rambla pacifica. duke's famous restaurant is just just east of us here. but that's the before photo. and then this is the after. and this w

. >> yeah, bill weir, thanks so much. appreciate all your coverage. i want to show you, um, if you want to, if there's want to contribute to to to the efforts here to figure out a way to, to help people here, go to cnn.com/vote slash impact. well, there's a list of organizations that are that are doing work on the ground here that cnn.com/impact, uh, i want to show you just a live picture also of the kenneth fire again, which we are are following closely. as i said, it's gone from 50 acres. it's now at 1000 acres. so that's an update that i just got. it had been 800 the last i heard. it's now up to 1000 acres. and that is something they are going to be working on probably all night long. the news continues here on cnn. >> this is cnn breaking news. >> and good evening. i'm erin burnett with the breaking news. we are live tonight from pacific palisades, california. one of the hardest hit and most devastated neighborhoods right now in california as the fires are raging so far uncontained at this hour. the pacific palisades fire 0% contained, we understa

cnn's chief climate correspondent bill weir is in pacific palisades. bill, obviously, you know, we were just checking in with the palisades and looking at what this looks like. now to hear that that this area in hollywood hills near runyon canyon, which i mean, anyone who's been over there and hiked knows this. i was just there last week. i mean, they were already having trouble with the firefighters that were there. now there is a sixth one that has started. >> yes. >> if you've ever been to the hollywood walk of fame, the stars in front of the kodak theater, where the academy awards all of that looks directly above where you are there into the hills beyond franklin boulevard, there is runyon canyon, and that is that neighborhood. >> those are the iconic, curvy streets that have amazing views of downtown all the way to the pacific. that is one of the most popular dog parks. you're talking about that hiking trail there. young actors work on their lines doing that loop up there, reward at the top as you get towards mulholland drive is this amazing view.

. >> i'm bill weir on the california coast. >> this is cnn. >> in the 1970s, outside of elvis, las vegasid not have the entertainment magic that it had captured previously with the rat pack and other performers of the 50s and 60s. >> in las vegas had so many different entertainers. >> now, you could tell they were stretching it was almost like vegas was having an identity crisis and trying to figure out where, how, what, when, what's going to work now. >> by the middle of the 70s, as vegas got away from that tuxedoed crooner wayne newton sort of inherited their audience and some would say had it all to himself. i can say all the madness, this world has to. >> give, but i won't last a day. >> when there was a knock on vegas and everybody poo pooed it to come there, he was part of that makeup that everybody wanted to knock. but wayne newton's fans were with him all the way, going to see a wayne newton show. >> you got your money's worth and more. i think wayne became the resident elvis of las vegas had a true desire to entertain. >> you know, they can walk out saying that they didn't like

. >> i'm bill weir on the california coast and this is cnn kick out the jams, mother. >> detroit, 1969where punk was originally born. it's all night. the mc5, the motor city five, and iggy and the stooges release two pioneering albums that indicate that there's a new style of music coming back. it's a garage rock, it's minimalist, it's aggressive, it's loud, and it's very often obnoxious yeah kick out the jams i gotta kick em out. >> punk rock was so effing scary to us because here we are with our big majestic songs and here comes punk with their like. >> the ramones get started as a reaction to everything else that's going on. people see them and they go, this is the answer. oh, let's go, hey, oh let's go. >> i had to see how great rock n roll is supposed to be done. >> how should it be done? no pyrotechnics, no phony showmanship, just pure rock n roll energy, pure guts, pure stamina. >> and muscle genera sde teiman. dancing around the lucas lilieholm. >> it's just real and raw, and there's no crap involved as opposed to the standard schlock we hear on the top 40. >> the ramones were

of course, malibu also now, in the midst of this and our bill weir is obviously nearby on the beach in malibu, as you hear all the phones going off. bill, i'm sure you're hearing the same things. these evacuation alerts. >> it is the soundtrack of our times out here in southern california. and this scene here along pacific coast highway. i had been where you were yesterday. this is just as bad, uh, this iconic strip of real estate between the pacific ocean and pacific coast highway, some of the most unique real estate in the world. we have some drone pictures of you now on a five mile stretch between topanga and carbon canyon. i estimate 75% of the oceanfront homes are turned to ash and rubble. it is absolutely devastating. and it's not just the homes here. some of the most iconic restaurants in southern california, gladstone's, uh moonshadows real in these places that where people were proposed to and, and brought their families to and employed folks along the coast who love these waters here in malibu, devastating. gone. it was about five years ago. the woolsey fire lit up the other

cnn's chief climate correspondent bill weir is in pacific palisades. and bill, obviously, you know, we were just checking in with the palisades and looking at what this looks like. now to hear that that this area in hollywood hills near runyon canyon, which i mean, anyone who's been over there in height knows this. i was just there last week. i mean, they were already having trouble with the firefighters that were there. now, there is a sixth one that has started. >> yes. >> if you've ever been to the hollywood walk of fame, the stars in front of the kodak theater, where the academy awards all of that looks directly above where you are there into the hills beyond franklin boulevard. there is runyon canyon, and that is that neighborhood. those are the iconic, curvy streets that have amazing views of downtown all the way to the pacific. that is one of the most popular dog parks. you're talking about that hiking trail there. young actors work on their lines doing that loop up there, reward at the top as you get towards mulholland drive is this amazing view

. >> i'm bill weir in altadena, california and this is cnn. >> look, when you write $250 million worthhecks, when you've got when you're that involved, when you have actually backed a ground game, you're going to have a seat at the table. >> i've always argued it can't be at the head of the table, and that table shouldn't be the cabinet room in the west wing. >> so i'm a realist. >> what's shocking to me is he doesn't have much power. >> in our tech lead meets politics lead. today, former donald trump's chief strategist steve bannon downplayed the influence. he thinks that tesla ceo elon musk actually has when it comes to president-elect trump. this comes as cnn is reporting that elon musk and jeff bezos and mark zuckerberg not only will all attend trump's inauguration next week, but they will be seated with other prominent guests on the inauguration platform. here now are cnn's alayna treene and hadas gold. elena, why will these three tech leaders have such good seats? >> well, i think it's very clear that the, you know, prominent positioning that they have is related to some of the i

and then on top of it, bill weir and malibu. thank you for for bringing us the reports from there on the ground, letting us get an up close look at all of it. thank you all so much for joining us on this very busy hour. we're going to continue to follow all of this. cnn newsnight with abby phillip is up next. >> one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of los angeles. >> looks like a bomb scape, a war zone. >> helicopters dropping water. >> homes just completely and utterly destroyed. >> not only are our homes gone, but our entire community is gone. >> it just goes on and on. i don't see any homes standing right here. >> it's armageddon. >> i'm driving through a war zone right now. >> fire crews have been out here working so hard. this home has gone up in flames so quick. >> i just haven't seen anything quite like this. >> the imagery of this is next level. >> shocking. to the place that you've lived in almost 17 years. flames coming out of the windows. and there's nothing you can do. >> that's the frame. >>

. >> i'm bill weir on the california coast and this is cnn also in our national lead at this hour. >> arctic wind gusts are bringing exceptionally cold air into the eastern u.s. temperatures are expected to plunge up to 30 degrees below average, with freezing conditions reaching as far south as the gulf coast and florida. that means we could see one rare sight again iguanas plummeting from trees. no one is safe this weekend. a winter storm could bring snow and ice from kansas to the atlantic coast, with the heaviest snow expected in the central u.s. and icing in parts of the tennessee valley. authorities are urging residents to prepare for dangerous conditions. meteorologist chad myers has the latest forecast. chad, let's talk about this major snowstorm on the way. what are you seeing? >> a couple of things. right now. >> we have a snow globe that when you got it for christmas, you took it and you spun it like this and made all the snow go sideways. >> that's utica. >> that's barrie, ontario, that's really the cattaraugus chautauqua counties of buffalo. this is the first event that we

. >> i'm bill weir on the california coast. and this is cnn. >> louisiana congressman troy carter, who is also a member of the house homeland security committee, was at today's was really an extraordinary press conference there in new orleans. he promised to hunt down any and everybody connected to this morning's deadly attack in new orleans. >> let it be clear that the full faith and credit of the united states in every agency therein, is on the ground, working. and for those who may have played a role in this horrific act of cowardice, we will find you. >> congressman carter is with us now. um, first off, sir, we're so sorry for what your community is going through. so many of these folks are new orleanians, and we know that you guys are reeling there, and you certainly have our thoughts with you through this. um, i want to ask you, though, about the headline that came out of this press conference. the fbi said they don't believe that this perpetrator was solely responsible. do you have any sense of how many more? i mean, are

. >> i'm bill weir on the california coast and this is cnn. >> well, as we reported at the top of the broadcast, officials today painted a much more detailed picture of the green beret, who shot himself before the cybertruck. he was in blew up outside the trump hotel in las vegas. now, some of that information comes from his own notes, which they revealed some of today. we quoted from one at the start of the broadcast. cnn's natasha chen joins us right now from las vegas with more. so i want to begin, natasha, with the driver's writings. what did they tell us about or what did they say about why he did this, why he blew himself up in that vehicle? >> anderson. just more than an hour ago today, the investigators in las vegas released the full transcript of two letters they believe were written by livelsberger. these really go into detail about what he felt was wrong with american society. his grievances politically, culturally, society in the society. and he also talked about conflicts overseas. specifically, he stated his support for president trump and elon musk. now, earlier in the

. >> i'm bill weir on the california coast and this is cnn. >> closed captioning is brought to you by nutrisystem. lose weight and live healthy. check out what's new at nutrisystem. get new diets for high protein and low carb created to support your own weight loss approach. nutrisystem has a solution for you. >> all right, welcome back. temperature's dropping. a major storm brewing that may bring the winter's most dangerous weather yet. let's get to our meteorologist elisa raffa with more. alisa. good morning. >> good morning. we are looking at some major impacts possible pretty much across i-70 that goes from kansas city over towards saint louis. you can see that red there. we're looking at difficult to near impossible travel. heavy and blowing snow, significant ice and sporadic power outages. this is just for sunday. and all of this stretches east as we go into monday. we have winter storm watches that are being issued from kansas through missouri, illinois, indiana and kentucky, and again, even ohio too. and all of this will continue east into monday. the watches stretch almost 90

. >> i'm bill weir on the california coast and this is cnn. >> closed captioning brought to you by mi-sook book if you or a loved one have mesothelioma, we'll send you a free book to answer questions you may have. >> call now and we'll come to you. >> 808 two one 4000. >> now to the breaking news here in washington, where the house speaker, mike johnson, just earned another term leading the closely divided chamber after a dramatic vote that saw several republican holdouts finally relent and support his reelection. our chief congressional correspondent, manu raju, is up on capitol hill. he's got details. manu, what are you learning, first of all, about the role that president-elect trump played today in all of this? >> oh, hi, wolf. i think i just lost the audio, but i'm i'm i don't know if you can hear me now, but i'm interested in the role that president-elect trump played in all of this. yeah, wolf, i do have your audio. i do hear you now. so loud and clear. yes, donald trump behind the scenes reached out to a couple of the key holdouts here, congressman keith self and ralph norman. thos

cnn's bill weir has more on how climate change has impacted the region, making these fires especially dangerous today. >> this is just one of over a thousand buildings that have burned here in the town of pacific palisades, a community that is now utterly devastated by this latest storm of wildfires. here. this community, home to some very affluent residents, but also working class small business owners, many of whom have lost everything in this part of los angeles county on natural disasters, on an overheated planet heated up by fossil fuels has created this drought conditions. in january. this is typically one of the wettest months of the year in los angeles, but it hasn't rained significantly in months. last year we got a lot of water all at once in california, created a super bloom of weeds and other vegetation, which is now bone dry. fuel up in these canyons and with 6070 mile an hour winds as this thing broke, spreading it out, the winds died down a bit overnight, but it also spread into runyon canyon. this is an area right above the hollywood walk of fame. the famous handprints