Transcript:
The Inside Story: Transition in America
Episode 179 – January 16, 2025
Show Open:
Unidentified Narrator:
This week on The Inside Story:
Wildfires rage across Southern California.
And President Biden gives his farewell address… days before the Trump administration returns to Washington.
Now on The Inside Story: Transition in America.
The Inside Story:
JESSICA JERREAT, Press Freedom Editor:
Welcome to the Inside Story, I’m VOA Press Freedom Editor Jessica Jerreat, here in Washington.
On today’s show we look at preparations for a second Donald Trump presidency.
But first.
A series of fires have been burning in and around Los Angeles County since January 7.
More than a dozen people have been killed as the fires, stoked by Santa Ana winds blowing in from the sea, spread.
12-thousand homes, and other structures, have been destroyed… and over 100 thousand are under evacuation orders.
For over a week, exhausted firefighters from California and further afield have been fighting the infernos.
Officials say more than 7,000 structures have gone up in flames in the Eaton Fire, burning near Pasadena.
One of the homes destroyed belonged to firefighter Isaac Baeza.
GENIA DULOT, VOA Correspondent:
Isaac Baeza and his family survey the ruins of their home, which burned to the ground during the Eaton Fire in the city of Altadena. Baeza, a Cal Fire firefighter with more than 20 years of experience, says this fire has been unprecedented.
Isaac Baeza, Altadena Resident:
I’ve never seen a force of nature like this, the winds and the dryness.
GENIA DULOT:
Baeza’s wife, Rosary, recalls how they received an evacuation notice Tuesday evening but didn’t think much of it: the fire was far away and small. Still, they packed just a few items, not expecting they would return to nothing.
In the morning, Baeza and his friend came back to try to save the house, but there was no water.
Isaac Baeza, Altadena Resident:
We were just like, ‘Oh my God! We can actually save this,’ and we went for the hose and there was no water, and so before you knew it, just more things started catching on fire, and I drove away, and I remember looking in my rearview mirror and I could see the backside of the house going up in flames and just thinking – man! Maybe! Maybe if I had water, I would’ve been able to put these little spot fires out and prevented my house from burning up.
GENIA DULOT:
Fire crews have encountered dry hydrants or low water pressure in efforts to extinguish the Eaton Fire along with another large wildfire known as the Palisades Fire. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced an investigation into the issue.
Currently fires in Los Angeles, including the Palisades Fire, cover about 150 square kilometers, with more than 150,000 people under evacuation orders.
GENIA DULOT:
Baeza’s family is staying with friends, waiting for the payout from insurance companies, and have set up a GoFundMe site to raise money for expenses. The Baezas say they are planning to rebuild.
Rosary Villegas, Isaac Baeza’s Wife:
We said we’re all going to come back and rebuild and bring back our neighbors. This is the community. Our kids would play at the end of the cul-de-sac with the other kids. We would invite each other to birthday parties. We were very close.
GENIA DULOT:
The Los Angeles community overall is coming together in a time of disaster to help displaced families, as well as to support firefighters. Emergency shelters and fire stations are overflowing with food and clothes, to the point that authorities have had to issue a notice they now are only accepting monetary donations.
Genia Dulot, VOA News, Los Angeles.
JESSICA JERREAT:
Genia joins us now from Los Angeles, where the wildfires have been called historic.
Genia, thank you so much for being with us today.
GENIA DULOT:
Hi, Jessica,
JESSICA JERREAT:
Genia,what can you tell us about the extent of the damage and the death toll from these fires?
GENIA DULOT:
We are looking at 12,000 buildings that have been burned, 7000 here in Pacific Palisades, and you can see one of the buildings behind me. 5000 buildings have been burned in the eaten fire, and we’re currently looking at 24 people dead and a dozen missing.
A lot of firefighters that we spoke over the course of last days, they’re calling these fires unprecedented. Those people who have been fighting fires for 20, 3040, years, they say that, you know, they haven’t seen anything like this in their lifetime. And plus amount of damage, amount of destruction. We’re looking at 100 square miles that’s been burning.
JESSICA JERREAT:
That’s so much. What can you tell me about the response from local and international responders who are responding to these?
GENIA DULOT:
The response has been immense. I’ve never seen that many firefighters in my life here in City of Los Angeles, and especially firefighters coming here from all over the country. Yesterday, I spoke to fire truck that drive drove all the way from Portland, Oregon. Also, we have firefighters from Mexico, from Canada. Everyone is impressed about Water Bomber, bombers from Canada that’s been dropping the water on the fires and effectively dealing with them.
JESSICA JERREAT:
What have you seen like, personally that’s really affected you in terms of your coverage out there in LA,
GENIA DULOT:
I’ve been covering the fires and talking to a lot of victims, people who lost their houses. all these people love their community, and they all say, we’re going to come back, we’re going to rebuild. We’re not going anywhere. And that’s been impressive for me
JESSICA JERREAT:
Do you know when residents might be able to realistically return to their neighborhoods? When will the rebuilding efforts start?
GENIA DULOT:
The area is not safe. There’s a lot of electrical wires around here. So we’re there’s no prognosis as of now where people can return to their homes. And we, we do not know when, realistically, this can be rebuilt, but it will take years.
JESSICA JERREAT:
Thank you so much, Genia.
GENIA DULOT:
Thank you so much, Jessica.
JESSICA JERREAT:
President Joe Biden has pledged disaster aid for California. The fires come amid the transition to president-elect Donald Trump’s second term.
Biden this week delivered his farewell address to the nation, laying out his accomplishments and the challenges ahead for the U.S. Our White House Bureau Chief, Patsy Widakuswara, brings us this report.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA, VOA White House Bureau Chief:
U.S. President Joe Biden will leave the White House when his term ends on January 20th.
In his farewell address Wednesday evening, he left a warning.
President Joe Biden:
The dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra wealthy people. The dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedom.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
The president did not say who he meant by oligarchy.
But some of the nation’s biggest billionaires, including Elon Musk, have forged close ties with President-elect Donald Trump.
Without naming anyone, Biden made a jab at the recent decision by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg that the social media company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, would stop working with fact checkers.
President Joe Biden:
The free press is crumbling. Editors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact checking. The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Biden ended his term on a high note on foreign policy. Just hours earlier, he announced that Israel and Hamas had reached a ceasefire-and-hostage agreement in Gaza. The deal will largely be implemented by the incoming administration.
President Joe Biden:
That’s why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed, because that’s how it should be, working together as Americans.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
In a letter released Wednesday, Biden reflected on how his administration began in the shadows of COVID and the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters intent on overturning the result of the 2020 election that Biden won.
Biden is leaving office after one term, with only a 39% approval rating, according to Gallup.
How his legacy will be remembered may also depend on his successor.
Thomas Schwartz, Vanderbilt University:
If Trump really proves to be as dangerous to democratic norms as Biden and other Democrats suggested, then I think he [Biden] may be seen as very prophetic. But otherwise, I think if things are less apocalyptic with Trump, and you see a more or less, a more normal presidency that runs into problems and has some achievements, I think Biden will be more remembered for what he actually accomplished.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Biden’s accomplishments, the White House said, include leading a strong economic recovery.
And while Biden attempted to wind down foreign entanglements, he is criticized mostly for the chaotic U.S. exit from Afghanistan.
Biden ended by thanking the nation for the privilege to serve.
President Joe Biden:
I still believe in the idea for which this nation stands. Nation where the strength of our institutions and the character of our people matter and must endure. Now it’s your turn to stand guard.
Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News, at the White House.
JESSICA JERREAT:
Just a week before Trump is inaugurated as President… parts of a long-awaited report on his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election were released to Congress and the public.
Special prosecutor Jack Smith stated that his office had sufficient evidence to “obtain and sustain” a trial conviction of Trump for efforts to overturn his loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
In the report, Smith said Trump “resorted to a series of criminal efforts to retain power” after it became clear that he had lost, and that legal challenges to the results had failed.
In the words of the report: “This included attempts to induce state officials to ignore true vote counts; to manufacture fraudulent slates of presidential electors in seven states that he had lost; to force Justice Department officials and his own Vice President, Michael R. Pence, to act in contravention of their oaths and to instead advance Mr. Trump’s personal interests…”
And, on January 6, 2021, the report says, Trump was responsible for directing a mob to the Capitol to obstruct the certification of the presidential election and then, quote “leverage rioters.”
Trump responded by calling Smith “a lame-brain prosecutor.”
After Trump defeated Harris, the Justice Department dropped the cases against him, citing a longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting U.S. leader.
The Senate has held over a dozen confirmation hearings this week for Trump’s picks to staff key administration posts.
The choice for Secretary of State is former Florida Senator and ex-presidential rival Marco Rubio. The 53-year-old is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The U.S. role in Ukraine and the Middle East will be a big part of his diplomatic portfolio.
KATHERINE GYPSON, VOA Congressional Correspendent:
Republican Senator Marco Rubio vowing to put America first as secretary of state for President-elect Donald Trump…
Sen. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Pick:
Placing our core national interest above all else is not isolationism. It is the common realization that a foreign policy — centered in our national interest — is not some outdated relic.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
Rubio received a positive reception from both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee where he has served for the last fourteen years.
Sen. Rick Scott, Republican:
President-elect Trump and Senator Rubio are clear-eyed and understand that where freedom and democracy exists, America has strong allies and trusted trade partners. Marco has a strong record of holding the regimes in communist China, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, accountable for their repression and tyranny. He will work with President Trump to punish communist regimes for their crimes.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
Trump has said he will seek an end to Ukraine’s war against Russian aggression as soon as he takes office. Democratic senators asked Rubio to outline what that deal would look like.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat:
What do you think is important for us to do in order to ensure that there is the strongest possible negotiating position if Ukraine and Russia do get to the negotiating table?
Sen. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Pick:
I think it should be the official position of the United States that this war should be brought to an end. And the question becomes, what role can we play? And I think the first is by making that abundantly clear, and my differences with the Biden administration throughout this process is, they never clearly delineated what the end goal of the conflict was.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
Rubio also addressed the possibilities opened up by the ceasefire in Gaza.
Sen. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Pick:
There are opportunities available now in the Middle East that did not exist 90 days ago – whether it’s what’s happened in Lebanon, whether it’s what’s happened in Syria, whether it’s what hopefully will happen with the ceasefire and the release of hostages after horrifying detention and unjustifiable actions by Hamas. Whether it’s any of these three things or all in combination, there are now factors at play in the Middle East that I think we can build upon and may open the door to extraordinary and historic opportunities.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
And looking ahead, Rubio said the greatest threat to the United States was the Communist Party of China.
Sen. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Pick:
They have elements that the Soviet Union never possessed. They are a technological competitor, an industrial competitor, an economic competitor, geopolitical competitor, a scientific competitor now and in every realm. It is an extraordinary challenge, its one that Iibelieve will define the 21st century.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio would be the first Latino secretary of state if he is confirmed, as expected. That vote could come in the U.S. Senate as early as next week.
Katherine Gypson, VOA News, Washington.
JESSICA JERREAT:
For more on how a Rubio confirmation could affect diplomacy between Ukraine and Russia, I spoke earlier with Eastern Europe Bureau Chief Myroslava Gongadze in Warsaw.
Miroslava, thank you for being with us today.
MYROSLAVA GONGADZE, VOA Eastern European Bureau Chief:
Thank you for inviting me.
JESSICA JERREAT:
I just wanted to start off by getting a sense of what’s the latest in the war in Ukraine.
MYROSLAVA GONGADZE:
Ukraine continuing defending itself from the Russian aggression, but Russia is taking Ukrainian territory inch by inch. It’s dominating in manpower, in technology, and it can sustain a big loss. Russia is losing almost 1000 troops daily at this point.
Ukraine is leaving under daily bombardment, daily sirens, nightly sirens. There are not, not, not enough energy resources. People are very, very tired, and in November of last year, public opinion both showed for the first time that 52% of Ukrainians are ready for some kind of negotiation, and Ukrainians are looking for brave and as much as they want to maintain their sovereignty and identity, they do look for some kind of peace solution as well.
JESSICA JERREAT:
What is Ukraine anticipating with this Donald Trump presidency, which starts on January 20?
MYROSLAVA GONGADZE:
The statement from the President Elect, President elect Trump, about possibility of ending this war was taken as hope, but as well as they were afraid that it would be a pressure for Ukraine to give up its territory. Now it’s clear that, as the Donald Trump said, that he will end the war on the on the first day of his time in the White House, it’s not possible, and even his representative to Ukraine this week said that they will try to finish or to end this Congress in the first 100 days of Trump administration. So Ukraine is trying to be hopeful. Ukraine is trying to tell the administration that peace through strength will work, and they hope that that administration would understand the position Ukraine in and would not pressure Ukraine to give up for Russian demand.
JESSICA JERREAT:
Marislava, thank you so much for your insights today. We really appreciate it.
MYROSLAVA GONGADZE:
Thank you.
JESSICA JERREAT:
Another part of Rubio’s portfolio will be the Israel Gaza war. We now go to Linda Gradstein in Jerusalem for the latest on that conflict. Linda, thank you for joining us.
LINDA GRADSTEIN, VOA Correspondent:
Thank you,
JESSICA JERREAT:
Linda. We’ve just started to hear details of a possible new ceasefire. What can you tell us about that?
LINDA GRADSTEIN:
So the cease fire has been reached after 407 days of war, with the mediation of Qatar and Egypt and the United States, and according to the deal in the first stage, which is going to last six weeks, the there will be the release of 33 Israeli hostages, most of them alive. Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. There will be a ceasefire. The Israeli army will pull back from some parts of Gaza, but will remain in Gaza, and there will be the beginning of negotiations for a long term, final Cease fire. Now this is basically the same deal that’s been on the table since May, but for Israelis, the fact that of these 33 hostages. These include women, children, elderly people, sick people, and it’s been extremely emotional for Israelis. In what’s called hostage square, as the deal was announced, people started cheering, and so it’s only the first stage of a three stage deal that said it does seem that after 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas, they are moving towards a cease fire.
About a million Palestinians had to leave their homes in northern Gaza and go to southern Gaza, They will be allowed to come back. However, Gaza is completely destroyed. So it’s not clear where all these people will go back to. They’ve been living in tents in the winter in very, very difficult conditions. The Palestinians in Gaza, and now perhaps there will be a chance for a lot of humanitarian aid to get it, including shelters for the winter, but it’s going to take a huge, huge international effort to rebuild Gaza.
JESSICA JERREAT:
And this all happens against the backdrop of an incoming US administration. What are the hopes for that new White House administration under Trump?
LINDA GRADSTEIN:
Well, in fact, it president elect Trump was the first person to announce it on social media, saying, we have a deal. Before it was announced in Qatar, where the mediation talks have been going on for months and months and before it was announced in Israel and President elect Trump had warned repeatedly that if the hostages were not released before he took office, he said several times, there will be hell to pay. So I think you know both that Israel is hoping for a cease fire, and kind of a new Middle East. I mean, one of the things that Israel very much wants, and apparently the United States wants as well, is in normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. That, from Israel’s perspective, would be a game changer in terms of its acceptance in the Middle East. And the Saudis have said that that couldn’t happen until there was a cease fire in Gaza and at least movement towards a Palestinian state.
JESSICA JERREAT:
Foreign Policy will be a key issue in coming months. Among those held unjustly overseas as the former US Marine and free lunch, journalist, Austin Tice has been missing in Syria for 12 years, it will fall to Trump’s pick as hostage envoy to secure his release,
Cristina Caicedo Smit has more.
CRISTINA CAICEDO SMIT, VOA Press Freedom Reporter:
He is a Wharton School alumnus, the founder and managing partner of the health care investment firm Rubicon, and a Middle East expert.
And if Adam Boehler is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he will become President-elect Donald Trump’s pick as the special envoy for hostage affairs, with a personal rank of ambassador.
The 45-year-old Boehler is a familiar face in the U.S. government. He served in the last Trump administration, including during the coronavirus pandemic, and was the first chief executive officer of the International Development Finance Corporation.
In that role, Boehler accompanied former White House senior adviser Jared Kushner on diplomatic travels.
Adam Boehler, Trump Pick for Hostage Envoy:
And we came because we saw the commitment to change, and because of our belief in the strength of the region.
CRISTINA CAICEDO SMIT:
Boehler was also part of the Abraham Accords, helping the negotiating team normalize relations between Israel and several Arab states.
If approved by Congress, Boehler will lead the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, which works with the government and the private sector to secure the release of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad.
In interviews, Boehler has talked about the tough approach the new Trump administration will take, saying countries need to free U.S. hostages or, quote, ‘We are going to take action.’
Securing the release of seven American hostages held in Gaza by Hamas will be a priority.
Russia, China, Cuba and Afghanistan are among the countries where many American citizens and residents are held by state or non-state actors, says the Foley Foundation.
Nonprofit organizations like Hostage Aid Worldwide welcome Trump’s pick, and say a holistic approach is needed.
Ali Arab, Hostage Aid Worldwide:
Not addressing the issue effectively can only result in further growth of this business model and potentially turning it into a warfare tool, which we are witnessing right now.
CRISTINA CAICEDO SMIT:
Hostage Aid Worldwide is currently on the ground in Syria looking for Austin Tice, a former Marine-turned-freelance journalist who has been held for over 12 years.
Nizar Zaka, Hostage Aid Worldwide:
One of the main challenges in Damascus is that more advanced, [as] more days go [by], more restrictions there is on us going into facilities, into places. We have to use many tricks to go into prisons.
CRISTINA CAICEDO SMIT
A main ask of nonprofits to the special hostage envoy is better communication with families and civil society partners on the process of bringing Americans safely back home.
Cristina Caicedo Smit, VOA News.
JESSICA JERREAT:
That’s it for this edition of the Inside Story.
I’m Press Freedom Editor Jessica Jerreat in Washington.
For the latest news stay up to date at V-O-A-News.com Thanks for watching and join us next week for a new episode of The Inside Story.
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