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About 40 People Dead After NYE Celebration; California Faces Severe Weather; Trump Opens Up About Health; U.S. Military Announced Latest Strikes on Alleged Drug Boats; Expanded U.S. Travel Ban Came into Effect on January 1st; Trump Stays Busy With Social Media Gripes On New Year's Eve; Millions Face Higher Insurance Premiums As ACA Subsidies Expire; A New National Park At The Tip Of South America; Euro Adoption Met With Celebration, Skepticism In Bulgaria. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired January 02, 2026 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[02:00:00]

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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello wherever you are in the world. You are now in the "CNN Newsroom" with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta and it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up on the show, witnesses describe the horror of a deadly fire at a bar in Switzerland on New Year's Eve. Details plus the latest from the investigation. A remarkable interview of U.S. President Donald Trump about his health, but those comments raise new questions about the president's medical history. And Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as mayor of New York. The Democratic socialist doubles down on some very progressive hopes.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Ben Hunte."

HUNTE: Welcome. Let's begin in Switzerland where people are desperately wondering how a New Year's party turned into a tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Police say about 40 people were killed when a fire broke out in a bar at the Crans-Montana ski resort. More than 100 others were injured. CNN has obtained and verified new video that sheds light on what unfolded both inside and outside the building. A quick warning, some of what you're about to see and hear next is disturbing.

This video shows the fire starting up with flames visible on the ceiling. Survivors say things quickly turned chaotic as the fire rapidly engulfed the room and people rushed to get outside.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE).

HUNTE: Here, shouts fill the bar as people pull themselves out of windows and away from the smoke-filled room. Others try to get down a set of stairs towards the street. One witness described this horrific scene.

DOMINIC DUBOIS, WITNESS: Understandably, they don't want civilians getting in and involving and getting in the way. And many -- many were able to help, carrying -- I don't want to say corpses. I think everyone who was out and kind of reactive survived. But carrying bodies out of the fire from there, at least a bit further away. You see there, there's the bar (INAUDIBLE). That was the first kind of responding place. They did amazing to stay open. It was warm in there. That was what was needed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: CNN's Nic Robertson reports on why this fire may have gotten out of control so quickly.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Le Constellation bar is an underground bar. It has wooden paneling on the ceiling, quite narrow staircase to get down, capacity for several hundred people. Not clear, according to the prosecutors, how many people were in the bar when the fire started. But the witnesses have described the fire literally ripping through from the moment it starts to within about 10 seconds, the balls of flame ripping through.

And what, you know, sort of pyrotechnic engineers, if you will, fire services, you know, often describe in these scenarios where you have an intense fire, the fire burns out the oxygen, somebody opens a window or a door to try to break out and get out of there, air rushes in which feeds the fire, and that's perhaps partly why there's this intensity that was so ferocious and there were so many casualties and injuries, but also it's sort of how the fire leapt around this enclosed space.

But the prosecutor at the moment is saying, look, we just do not have those details. There were forensic teams working at the bar just a few hours ago. Undoubtedly, there's a lot more work to be done there as well as trying to aid the injured and give solace to some of the families as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Well, Sandro Zulian is a reporter at Blick, and he's joining me now from Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Sandro, thank you so much for being with me. We've seen emotional vigils and people gathering to lay flowers and candles. Can you just tell me how the area is feeling today and what questions people are still asking about how this could have happened?

SANDRO ZULIAN, REPORTER, BLICK: Well, there are as many questions as you can possibly imagine. The Swiss president yesterday, he was here. He said that this was the most tragic fire-related incident in Switzerland, possibly ever. The entire town is still in shock. I've seen people crying yesterday. I've seen people sobbing. It's really not a very nice thing to look at the moment here in Crans-Montana.

[02:05:02]

HUNTE: Absolutely awful. Authorities say they still don't know how many people were actually inside the bar. From your reporting, how crowded was it compared to a normal night?

ZULIAN: Well, many of the things we've seen so far, many of the things we've been told, they do point towards the fact that the bar might have been overcrowded. We don't really know for sure. But from videos and pictures from inside the bar, it looks like there were a lot more people in this downstairs area as they are allowed to be.

HUNTE: This is a resort town that is used to welcoming tourists from across the world. What do we know so far about who was actually inside the bar that night and how international this tragedy may be?

ZULIAN: Well, it looks like there have been some 200 people inside of the bar, a lot of youngsters, as we know so far, 15, 16-year-olds. Apparently, there are kids or people that you would consider kids among the victims. There have been people from Italy, people from France, people from Switzerland. But as of now, it is still way too early to tell.

And also, a bit of a grueling fact is the authorities are having a really hard time identifying the bodies because they are just -- you know, I'm sorry to say this, but they are too severely burned to do a quick identification at this time.

HUNTE: We're just seeing some live pictures while just speaking there. We can see some of the emergency services that are still present. They delivered a huge response, obviously, with helicopters, ambulances, and crews from across the region attending. From what you've seen, how stretched were those local services, though, in the first few hours?

ZULIAN: Well, let me say this. The local services, the first responders, they've done a tremendous job. Almost two nights ago now, there have been helicopter flights, you know, on a minute, on a second week basis almost, ambulances driving up to Crans-Montana from outside, you know, from counties, from different counties outside of the canton of Valais. So, this has been a Herculean effort that the authorities are having to deal with at the moment.

HUNTE: OK. Thank you so much for your reporting. We'll leave it there for now. Sandro Zulian, I appreciate it.

ZULIAN: Thank you.

HUNTE: Police are investigating what caused a massive blaze that damaged a historic church in Amsterdam. Officials say the fire at the Vondelkerk church started right after the new year was rung in. The building has been in the heart of the city since the late 1800s.

Twenty twenty-six is off to a rough start in the Netherlands with two people killed in unrelated fireworks incidents. More than 250 others were arrested for what police describe as rioting. Setting off fireworks is a Dutch New Year's tradition, but the country is now moving to ban fireworks sales.

In the coming hours, Southern California will get a short break from days of heavy rainstorms. Thursday saw widespread flooding in the San Diego area. Two interstates were swamped and many cars were submerged under high water in the streets. Another line of storms is set to impact the waterlogged region starting late on Friday and more systems could hit the coast by early next week.

Teams from the San Diego Fire Department had to rescue people trapped in their cars by the flood waters. Fears of debris flows and flash flooding prompted officials to issue evacuation warnings in parts of Los Angeles ahead of Thursday's storm.

All the rain is dampening spirits for people across most of Southern California. It made for a very wet tournament of roses parade in Pasadena. It was the first time in 20 years that rain soaked the fanfare ahead of the Rose Bowl college football game on Thursday. That didn't stop thousands of people from lining the parade route. Thirty- nine floats created from flowers and plant material as well as 17 equestrian teams and 19 marching bands braved the rain.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam has the Southern California weather update and a forecast for the rest of the U.S.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All week, we've been watching this upper level (INAUDIBLE) pressure system move into California. It brought the heavy rain to Southern California. But now, it's starting to move on. It will get this brief low in the precipitation before another round of rainfall moves in late on Friday and into the day on Saturday.

So, putting this forecast radar into motion, you can see the second kind of slag of moisture first impact in Northern and Central California by Friday evening local time. And then we'll start to see some of that rain move into Southern California and to some of those harder impacted areas for not only Christmas week storms but also the most recent storm throughout the course of the day on New Year and New Year's Eve.

[02:10:07]

So, all in all, only another inch or so of rain expected through the course of the early weekend across Southern California. Heavier amount where it is more persistent across Northern and Central California. And, of course, several inches of snow for the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Some of that moisture were spill over across the Rockies and the Colorado, much needed snowfall for them.

Impulse of precipitation moves through the upper New England region. That could bring in some additional lake enhancement of snowfall downwind of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario maybe up to a foot in some of those favorite areas across the southeast, in and around Birmingham, as well as Atlanta. A quick moving storm system will bring rainfall to that area. But behind it, we're going to see temperatures start to rebound to above average for many locations over the eastern half of the country. Watch this. We've been locked in the cold air across the northeast. Look at how the reds start to get welcomed into this forecast. Things looking warmer as we head into the first week of 2026. Back to you.

HUNTE: We're getting some new insight into the health of Donald Trump. "The Wall Street Journal" reached out to the White House with reporting that said some of those close to the 79-year-old president feel he's showing signs of aging. This led to Mr. Trump giving the paper an impromptu and virtually unprecedented interview about his health.

Our Alayna Treene has all the details.

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ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: President Donald Trump told "The Wall Street Journal" in an interview published Thursday that he takes lots of aspirin that his doctors have recommended, blaming that for the visible hand bruises that have generated questions about his health.

He said -- quote -- "They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart." The president, who is 79, said that's why he takes a larger dose. He went on to say, "I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense? I'm a little bit superstitious." He also noted that he has been taking aspirin for 25 years. Now, Trump's physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, told the journal that the president takes 325 milligrams of aspirin daily.

The interview appeared to be one of the most extensive conversations that Trump has had with journalists on his health as scrutiny has intensified this year over his age, fitness for office, and whether he's being sufficiently transparent with his medical information.

Trump has long had bruising on his right hand, which CNN has reported predated his return to the White House. But it has drawn more attention after he began trying to cover it with heavy makeup and bandages and shield it from cameras with his other hand. Some people have also raised concerns about swelling in his legs and his appearing to doze during public events.

Now, the White House has previously explained that the bruising on his right hand is due to constant handshaking along with a regular regimen of taking aspirin that can make such coloration more common.

But for Dr. Jonathan Reiner, he's a professor at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, who was also a longtime cardiologist for former vice president, Dick Cheney, he says that the latest updates from Trump and his team raise more questions than they answered.

Reiner said -- quote -- "It's uncommon to see that kind of bruising with one aspirin a day. My question is, does the president take any medications that have not been disclosed by the White House?" Now, 325 milligrams of aspirin each day is not a very high dose, Reiner said. But when someone sprains an ankle, for example, they might take 325 milligrams of aspirin every four hours, which could be considered a high dose. But otherwise, Reiner argued that there's no medical reason to take that much on a regular, daily basis.

Now, in a statement to CNN, the president's physician said Trump remains in exceptional health and perfectly suited to execute his duties as commander-in-chief.

Alayna Treene, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: CNN spoke with Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, about the president's self-prescribed daily dose of aspirin. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY FAUST, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL: The interesting piece of information, especially as an emergency clinician, was that this gentleman is taking 325 milligrams of aspirin per day in an effort to prevent a heart attack. That is a dose that we treat actually for patients who are having a heart attack. And some very, very high-risk patients might be maintained on that after a stroke or a heart attack, but it's pretty unusual. And the reason for that is that the lower dose, the standard dose of 81 milligrams, does confer all of the benefit for patients who are at risk of a stroke or a heart attack while minimizing the serious risk of bleeding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: OK, still to come, Americans are being detained in Venezuela as tensions rise between the country's leader and President Trump. The potential reason behind the detentions, next. And President Trump's expanded travel ban is now in effect. We'll explore what this means for the many countries in Africa that are on that list.

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[02:15:00]

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HUNTE: Welcome back. As tensions escalate between the U.S. and Venezuela, we're now learning that Venezuelan security forces have detained at least five Americans in recent months. That's all according to a U.S. official who says the Trump administration believes Venezuela is trying to build up leverage against the U.S. by detaining American citizens.

This comes as the pressure campaign against Venezuela's leader, Nicolas Maduro, has intensified in recent months with the U.S. carrying out strikes on alleged drug boats, implementing an oil blockade as well as the CIA striking of Venezuelan port.

And just on Wednesday, the U.S. announced the latest strikes it carried out, targeting two alleged drug boats, killing five people. U.S. Southern Command confirmed the operation but didn't say where the strike took place. Earlier in the week, the U.S. also carried out separate strikes on three other boats.

CNN's Zachary Cohen has the latest for us.

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ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY AND JUSTICE REPORTER: The U.S. Military has killed at least eight people over the last two days, announcing a strike against alleged drug boats in international waters on New Year's Eve and one on Tuesday.

Now, the strike on Tuesday is different from many of the strikes that we've seen the U.S. Military carried out to date in part because they say that these vessels were traveling in a convoy, multiple ships traveling together, along what the U.S. says was a known narco- trafficking route. They were targeted and destroyed, according to the U.S. Southern Command.

But interestingly, there were -- do appear to have been survivors from that initial strike, two individuals jumping overboard and abandoning their ship before it was destroyed by a second strike from U.S. forces. The status of those individuals, though, remains unclear. The military calling in the Coast Guard to initiate a search and rescue operation that remains ongoing.

[02:20:00]

So far, those individuals have not yet been recovered. But that is a different handling of survivors than we've seen from the military in the past. Obviously, there was the September second strike where the military killed two survivors from an initial strike and was known as a double-tap that has prompted allegation of an alleged war crime against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the commanders involved.

We've also seen the military detained two survivors on a U.S. Navy ship before repatriating them back to their home countries. And in a third strike, we have also seen them essentially call the Mexican authorities and have them lead a search and rescue mission that ultimately did not recover the individual.

So, this is really the latest in this months-long campaign that we've seen the U.S. Military carry out, targeting alleged drug traffickers in international waters.

But it also comes as President Donald Trump is escalating a pressure campaign on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who he has gone to great lengths to connect to this drug trafficking operation and to drug cartels that have been designated as foreign terrorist groups.

We reported last week that the CIA conducted a covert strike inside Venezuela itself. That was really an escalatory move by the Trump administration.

So, we'll be watching to see both how these strikes in international waters continue to play out, but also if the Trump administration decides to take additional action targeting Maduro himself. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: The former president of Brazil has returned to prison after a brief hospital stay. Jair Bolsonaro underwent medical procedures to treat a hernia and hiccups, according to a Reuters witness and local media reports. He was discharged from hospital on New Year's Day. Earlier in that day, Supreme Court justice rejected a request to allow Bolsonaro to serve his sentence under humanitarian house arrest. The former president is serving 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election.

Russia claims it now has evidence that Ukraine went after its president, Vladimir Putin. Russia's defense ministry says it gave the U.S. data retrieved from a Ukrainian drone used in the operation. On Monday, Russia claimed it shot down more than 90 drones targeting one of Mr. Putin's residences northwest of Moscow.

But Ukraine strongly denied that claim, which was echoed by its European allies. And the CIA later assessed that the residence was not targeted, according to U.S. officials. Russia initially said it didn't need to show any evidence to support its claim.

A new expanded series of U.S. travel bans went into effect on Thursday. The majority of the countries on the list are in Africa.

CNN's Larry Madowo looks at what's behind the move and what it means for people across the African continent.

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LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump's expanded travel restrictions that came into effect on 1st of January 2026 have been criticized by some as an effective Muslim and African ban. Many of the nations with full restrictions are Muslim majority nations, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, the Palestinian authority.

In Africa, almost half of countries on the continent now have full or partial restriction for travel to the United States. Six to seven percent of the nations with these restrictions are from Africa. So, those that cannot fully travel to the United States include South Sudan and Sudan, Sierra Leone which is surprising. And some major nations are on the partial restrictions list such as Nigeria and Tanzania.

President Trump has said that he intends to permanently pause migration from all third-world nations, and these restrictions track with that. The United States says these nation's citizens pose national security and safety threats to the United States.

The main issue is that some of them have serious deficiencies in their vetting, according to the White House, either because they have no functional governments, because of terrorism, widespread fraud, citizenship and investment schemes that mask who or where somebody originally is from, and they just don't feel like they can trust the documents issued by these governments.

The big complaint also is that some of these nation's citizens have high visa overstay rates. They go to the United States and overstay their visas. And sometimes, their countries don't accept them when it's time for them to be deported. And so, the United States is pressuring these nations to accept their citizens. And if they do not, then they will be either included in the partial or full restriction list.

And this travel ban will affect a lot of people from these nations, some of whom were hoping to go to the United States because of the World Cup, which is very popular in the rest of the world. This means also citizens hoping for reunification with their families through asylum cases, through immigration to the U.S., those have all come to a stop.

[02:25:00]

Students who have even ongoing programs in the United States have been affected by this as well. So, it has far reaching consequences for many.

Larry Madowo, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: OK. President Trump continues his grievance tour against his rivals and perceived enemies. We'll take a look at some of his long social media posts on New Year's Eve. Plus, he is the youngest mayor of New York in over a century and the first Muslim. Howe Zohran Mamdani spent his first day in office, next. See you in a moment.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK SMITH, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: The decision to bring charges against President Trump was mine. But the basis for those charges rests entirely with President Trump and his actions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: That is newly-released video of former special counsel, Jack Smith, defending the criminal cases he brought against President Donald Trump. Those cases included the mishandling of classified documents and the attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

The video was of a deposition with the House Judiciary Committee that was held last month. The interview lasted more than eight hours where Smith was asked to defend his indictments against Trump. Republican lawmakers have criticized Smith's investigations, claiming they weaponized the justice system.

President Trump is expected to continue his stay at his Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida until Sunday. He has no public events this weekend. But he has been busy airing his grievances through lengthy social media posts. Here's more from CNN's Kevin Liptak.

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KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump is certainly not letting some of his old grievances rest in the new year, unleashing this combative string of posts on New Year's Eve, but also issuing some dubious claims against his political rivals.

[02:30:08]

In one, he references this ongoing investigation into alleged fraud in Minnesota, some of it committed by the states Somali community.

The president writing, "Much of the Minnesota fraud up to 90 percent, is caused by people that came into our country illegally from Somalia." Quote, "Congresswoman Omar, an ungrateful loser who only complains and never contributes, is one of the many scammers. Did she really marry her brother? Lowlifes like this can only be a liability to our country's greatness. Send them back to where they came. Somalia perhaps the most and most corrupt country on earth."

Now, President Trump has been attacking Congresswoman Omar for some weeks now, but his claim that she is linked to this fraud has no basis in fact. And I think its evidence that as the White House and as the president use these investigations to their political ends, that the president will continue going after this community in the weeks ahead.

On a separate topic, the president seems equally incensed. This is about Tina Peters. She's the Colorado election clerk who was tried and convicted for being part of a scheme to prove the president's unfounded claims that he won the 2020 election. She's serving a nine- year prison sentence in Colorado.

The president wrote, "God bless Tina Peters, who is now for two years out of nine, sitting in a Colorado maximum security prison at the age of 73 and sick for the crime of trying to stop the massive voter fraud that goes on in her state." And the president goes on to say, "To the scumbag governor and the disgusting Republican rhino D.A. who did this to her, I wish them only the worst. May they rot in hell. Free Tina Peters."

Now, Trump has been sparring for weeks now, really, with the Democratic governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, who has declined to release tina peters from prison. President Trump issued her a pardon, but of course, she's convicted on state crimes. So there's nothing the president can really do about that.

Some are also questioning the presidents decision this week to issue a veto on a project, a water pipeline project in Colorado that had gained bipartisan support in Congress, questioning whether this was an act of political retribution for the state's treatment of Peters, the governor -- or the Democratic senator from Colorado, Michael Bennet, writing, "This isn't governing. It's a revenge tour."

Kevin Liptak, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BEN HUNTE, CNN HOST: It's been a mixed start to the New Year. Politically, the Trump administration is changing some planned tariff hikes, reducing levies on Italian pasta from 107 percent to between 24 and 29 percent, and is pushing new tariffs on upholstered furniture and cabinetry back until next year.

As of Thursday, enhanced premium subsidies to the Affordable Care Act have ended that will raise health insurance premiums for millions of Americans. The House is set to vote this month on a Democratic plan that would extend the subsidies for three years, but the deal faces significant hurdles in the Senate.

Let's keep talking about it. I'm joined now by Natasha Lindstaedt, professor of government at the University of Essex in England.

Thank you so much for being with me, Natasha. How are you doing?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: I'm doing well. How are you?

HUNTE: I'm good. I'm good. Happy New Year. We are back.

Let's get into this. The enhanced ACA subsidies have now expired, and analysts warned that millions could face higher premiums or drop coverage completely, Politically, who takes the blame if people start losing insurance in an election year?

LINDSTAEDT: Well, it's likely to be the Republicans who are going to take the blame, because polls show that the American public has more faith in Democrats regarding this issue. Of course, they were the ones that were responsible for bringing this to the forefront of Americans' minds. They talked about it during the shutdown.

But I think they've been trying to highlight just how dangerous this is for the some 24 million Americans that are enrolled in the Affordable Care Act, that their premiums may go up by some 100 percent. And so, this is for Americans that don't have private insurance through their own jobs or are not eligible for Medicaid or Medicare.

So, it affects many Americans, such as farmers that will see premiums rise. And PBS was interviewing a woman whose premiums would go from somewhere around $85 a month to $750 a month. So, it varies quite a bit.

And I think one of the other concerns is what Americans are going to do is they're just going to not enroll in health care, and that's going to make premiums rise further. And so, this has become -- will become a major issue in the midterms, as you already highlighted. But it's an issue that Democrats tend to perform better on.

HUNTE: Yes. And I do know people personally who are just saying no to the expensive healthcare premiums and just giving it up.

[02:35:04]

How damaging is all of this for Washington's credibility on healthcare affordability? Do you think, after years of promises to make coverage cheaper?

LINDSTAEDT: So, I think you already see that that Congress does not enjoy high levels of legitimacy with the American public. And that's both parties, the Democrats and the Republicans have been struggling with this because it just seems like there's a lot of infighting and that not much gets done.

You know, with the subsidies, the Affordable Care Act, those were implemented in 2021, and there was hopes that they would continue because they're really critical to reducing the problems with the cost of living. And that's been cited as a number one issue. And that will be all over the midterms. That will be the issue that Americans care most about.

It also just makes it more, more difficult for Americans just to afford groceries if they can't afford health care. And we see that a recent CBS poll showed that 57 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Trump's handling the economy, 70 percent of Americans in that same poll say that the cost of living is just completely unaffordable.

So, Trump and the Republicans will have a lot of work to do to try to make some inroads here, to convince the American public that they -- they care about these types of issues, but so will the Democrats as well, because they also have a bit of a brand problem. But I think there's going to be more trouble ahead for the Republicans, because they were the ones that were deemed responsible for making 1 trillion in cuts that, of course, have affected everyday Americans.

HUNTE: Well, speaking about potential trouble ahead, just a few weeks ago, lawmakers were celebrating the end of the longest government shutdown on record. But with health care funding now back in dispute, do you think we're heading towards another showdown?

LINDSTAEDT: Oh, absolutely. And I think this is the result of polarized politics. U.S. politics has become so incredibly divisive and polarized that lawmakers can't seem to find any kind of common ground. And that's what's really critical to governing. But this is really Trump's style of politics, where he likes to engage in these sort of games of chicken brinkmanship, pushing things to the absolute edge, to try to get what he wants done.

And he didn't really even care that the that the shutdown was ongoing. I think it benefited him in some ways because it took attention off the Epstein files. But for most Americans, of course, there are huge costs when there is a government shutdown. And we saw this with the problems with air travel, with the lack of air traffic control personnel and all the havoc that that can cause. So I think we're headed towards another shutdown. It could be an

incredibly long one. As Trump pressures the Republicans not to back down. And then, of course, the Democrats are trying to get some kind of inroads in you know, improving the situation with the subsidies for the Affordable Care Act.

So I think that's where we're heading, because we're in a place where politicians are just not compromising.

HUNTE: Yep. What a time.

Let's talk about trade. President Trump has now postponed some tariff hikes, despite him previously arguing that tariffs do lower costs. So why step back now.

LINDSTAEDT: Well, I think he's -finding that with some of the polls that I already mentioned that, Americans are not happy with the way he's running the economy. And in fact, a political poll back in December showed that 22 percent of those that voted for Trump say the tariffs are actually helping. And that's not very much. If you think about how much support he tends to have from Republicans and other people that support it.

So, he only has about a fifth of Americans that are on board with what he's doing. And he's also seeing the dangers that it poses to the economy. And I think it's important to underline that we don't even have exact statistics on the economy just because there have been some issues with the government shutdown affecting those that work in gathering economic statistics in the U.S. and you also know that the tariffs, like his full plan was never actually rolled out completely.

And you also had many American businesses that were importing in loads and loads of goods in light of the upcoming tariffs. So, we haven't even seen the full effect of these tariffs yet. And I think he's already sensing the danger, possibly, that this isn't really going to work. This has not been a winning issue for him. And that he's going to need to step back on this a bit.

But you know, economies need certainty to thrive. And all this chaos that he's imposed with these tariffs where he changes his mind, he backpedals some countries have different deals. Some individual companies have different deals. None of this is really good for the economy. And I think that's why we're seeing that most Americans are very pessimistic. I think we're running into a recession.

HUNTE: Okay. We'll leave it there for now.

Natasha Lindstaedt, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): I, Zohran Kwame Mamdani.

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK: I, Zohran Kwame Mamdani. SANDERS: Do solemnly swear.

MAMDANI: Do solemnly swear.

SANDERS: That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

MAMDANI: That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

SANDERS: The constitution of --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: The 34-year-old Democratic socialist who took the political stage by storm, was sworn in as the new mayor of New York City.

Zohran Mamdani's inauguration on Thursday featured some of the biggest names in the progressive movement, including Congresswoman AOC and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who actually swore him in.

Mr. Mamdani is the first Muslim and first South Asian mayor of New York, as well as the youngest in over a century. During his campaign, he promised bold changes to tackle affordability, and during his speech, he doubled down on his agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAMDANI: The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations. We may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try. I was elected as a Democratic socialist, and I will govern as a Democratic socialist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: A park at the edge of the world. CNN takes you to the tip of South America to show you why Chile wants to make Cape Froward its newest national park.

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HUNTE: Welcome back.

Chile is preparing to create its newest national park in one of its most remote locations. Cape Froward is located on the very southern tip of South America, but the region is facing threats both from global warming and political opposition.

Christopher Ullua (ph) travels to the ends of the Americas to show you why activists want to save Cape Froward.

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CHRIS ULLUA, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Due to global warming, it is receding year after year.

[02:45:01] In fact, I have been coming here to this area for about 15 years, and you can clearly see a significant reduction. In fact, that exposed rock wasn't there years ago.

Benjamin Caceres is a marine biologist from the Magallanes region of Chile. He has dedicated his entire life to studying the flora and fauna of the ends of the earth. And his concern is clear.

BENJAMIN CACERES, MARINE BIOLOGIST: Glaciers are tremendously important as reservoirs of fresh water. And unfortunately, due to the global climate change crisis, we are losing them.

ULLUA (voice-over): In the middle of the strait of Magellan, this place, considered ancient by the indigenous people, has become a favorite area for several species threatened by human action.

CACERES: The diversity is tremendous. Species of fish. Super important marine mammals such as the humpback whale. It is a feeding ground for humpback whales, sea lions, Magellanic penguins, and countless other marine species that inhabit these waters.

ULLUA (voice-over): Here at Cabo Froward, and other scientists are seeking to create the world's southernmost national park. With more than 120,000 hectares, of which more than 93,000 were donated by the rewilding Chile foundation to the state, which would help protect emblematic species such as the huemul, the puma, the (INAUDIBLE).

CACERES: The most pressing threat today is increased maritime traffic. Did you know that the strait of Magellan is a super important international passage, just like the Panama Canal? And today it is the most pressing threat which continues to this day with collisions between these ships and these wells.

ULLUA (voice-over): For Caceres, the situation could become even more complicated once the far right Jose Antonio Kast takes office as president of Chile. During his campaign, he expressed his opposition to environmental guidelines, describing them as merely ideologies.

Rewilding Chile Foundation hopes that the park can be created in the next two years, and that the Kast government will not back down from the initiative.

CACERES: The future national park is a refuge for these species and for the ecosystems found there. With the status of national park, we can help to conserve these species.

ULLUA (voice-over): A landscape that at first glance appears cold and inhospitable but leaves no one indifferent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was a unique experience that everyone should have at least once in their life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is so beautiful. I've never seen something like this.

MARTIN TEJEDA, JOURNALIST: As a true Magellanic, in love with my land and able to offer these experiences, bringing people to these places, which is Patagonia at its finest, is a source of pride.

ULLUA (voice-over): For Caceres, the task ahead is decisive.

CACERES: I would like it to remain in balance, so that future generations can enjoy it in a responsible way and see that the populations of all the individuals here remain as they are today.

ULLUA (voice-over): A territory that captivated Charles Darwin two centuries ago and today, presents experts with a continuing challenge -- to protect the life of the entire local ecosystem.

For CNN, Christopher Ullua, Magallanes, Chile.

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HUNTE: Bulgaria has been waiting for many years to start using the euro. But now that the currency is finally adopted, why are so many Bulgarians still against it? That's ahead.

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HUNTE: Hello again.

There's a mixed reaction in Bulgaria as the country begins to use the euro as its new currency. It was formally adopted as the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve. More than 350 million Europeans are now using the same currency. But as you're about to hear, Bulgarians are still both in favor and against the euro.

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HUNTE (voice-over): The clatter of newly minted coins roll off an assembly line, shining with the national symbols of Bulgaria. These new euros represent the Eurozone's 21st member and the currency switch. Almost two decades in the making.

It's already a historic new year in Bulgaria. On January 1st, cash machines began dispensing euros instead of the old Bulgarian currency, the lev. Bank accounts were converted to euros, and there is a one- month transitional period where both the lev and the euro can be used for cash payments. The change will be given in euros. Some people say it's off to a good start.

STEFAN BISTREKOV, DRIVING INSTRUCTOR: Our money will be in a different currency. If I have 10,000 levs now, I will have 5,100 euros. It's all the same and I think it will be better.

HUNTE (voice-over): But it's taken a long time for Bulgaria to meet the economic criteria to adopt the euro after joining the European Union in 2007. It's one of the poorest countries in the E.U., and polls show that about half the Bulgarian surveyed fear the currency switch will drive up prices.

There are also worries about who's in charge during this critical period. The country's prime minister resigned last month after mass anti-corruption protests over a 2026 budget proposal, and its likely Bulgaria will soon face its eighth election in five years. Some people say it's just not the right time for such a switch.

VANYA ILIEVA, CASHIER: Right now is probably the most inappropriate time given the situation in all of Europe. These are my concerns. I don't think anyone has anything against the euro as a currency, but rather to the timing. And ultimately, I don't believe that erasing and eliminating the lev within the span of a single month is the best approach.

HUNTE (voice-over): Other Bulgarians say they expect it will go smoother than some people think.

ANTONIA TSEVTKOVA, JEWELER: Anyone who goes on the trip will not have problems exchanging currency. Now everything will be normal. Even the people in the shops are already prepared and have no worries about accepting the lev and giving euros back in change. These are normal things that we will get used to in a week.

HUNTE (voice-over): National authorities have been set up to make sure businesses are fairly converting prices, and Bulgaria declared a public holiday on Friday with the hopes that as people go back to work on Monday, the euro will already be a part of their daily lives.

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HUNTE: We are just over one month from the start of the 2026 Winter Games, and the Olympic torch is making its way to Milan for the opening ceremony on February 6th. On the first day of 2026, the torch passed through southern Italy. It was lit last month and started off in Rome. The relay is now traveling through all 110 Italian provinces leading up to the Winter Olympics, co-hosted by Milan and Cortina D'Ampezzo Resort.

[02:55:05]

New Year's Day means Bowl Games for college football fans, and there were plenty of surprises and thrilling moments on Thursday.

Let's start with the Sugar Bowl, which came down to the wire in New Orleans. The University of Mississippi pulled off an upset victory, stunning the University of Georgia in the final seconds of the game. Ole Miss came back from behind in the fourth quarter in dramatic fashion to take the lead. Georgia tied the score up with less than a minute remaining, but Ole Miss scored a field goal of their own, capped it off with a safety. Final score 39-34, and Ole Miss advances to the semifinals.

Meanwhile, fifth ranked Oregon shut out number four Texas Tech at the Orange Bowl in Miami on New Year's Day. The Oregon Ducks defensive line thoroughly dominated the Texas offense and carried the day. Final score, Oregon wins 23-0, and with that decisive victory, the Oregon ducks advance to the semifinals, where they will take on the top seeded Indiana Hoosiers at the Peach Bowl on January 9th. Indiana punched its ticket to the semifinals early on Thursday by

absolutely trouncing Alabama 38-3. The Hoosiers winning the Rose Bowl for the first time in school history. Indiana's quarterback Fernando Mendoza fresh off winning the Heisman Trophy passed for 192 yards. Before this, Indiana had not won any bowl games since the 1991 Copper Bowl.

The undefeated Hoosiers are now just two wins away from what would be the school's first ever national championship. Exciting stuff.

Thanks for joining me in the team. That's all I've got for you. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM right after this.

See you in a minute.