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Indiana University Quarterback Leads Team in Undefeated Season; Border Patrol Academy; California Flood Threat; U.S. Announces More Boat Strikes; Zohran Mamdani Becomes New York Mayor; Fire at Ski Resort in Switzerland. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired January 01, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

COY WIRE, CNN HOST: Former teammate of mine Mike Burke texted me this morning, said, it was 25 years ago that we woke up in our hotel room and then we went to the game to play against Wisconsin that day.

We got to go to Disneyland during our time here, and just incredible moments. And there's the bling, the ring I brought along today.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN HOST: Yes, you're wearing.

WIRE: Our producer, Kirk McDonald, he said: "How much do you think you could sell that thing for?"

And I said: "Well, I don't know, but, Kirk, you can't have it if you're asking if you can buy it, buddy."

(LAUGHTER)

WIRE: This is very special, this 2000 Rose Bowl ring.

But, listen, I'm glad you're my teammate now.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

WIRE: I know you have a rich history of the game itself as well.

MICHAELSON: Yes, been coming to this parade for years and also the game for years when I was at USC.

I wasn't on the team, but I rooted for the team and went to multiple parades, which was a lot of fun as well.

Thank you, everybody, for joining us today and for everybody who made this so special.

WIRE: Yes, rise up, everyone. Let's make a demand that this year will be the best year, because it's next year. Happy 2026. Happy new year, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us today.

MICHAELSON: Happy new year.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Happy new year. I'm Brianna Keilar. Boris is off today.

And we do begin this hour with breaking news on a horrific fire at a ski resort in Switzerland. Dozens of people are dead after flames ripped through a crowded bar as many were celebrating the new year. Several witnesses saying they believe sparklers on top of champagne bottles started the fire and that waitstaff were carrying them close to the ceiling, too close, some said.

CNN's Nada Bashir is following these tragic developments for us.

Nada, what are you learning about what happened?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, we have just heard an extensive press conference held by officials and authorities in the area, as well as the Swiss president, detailing what information investigators have been able to gather at this stage.

But they have reiterated that it is still very early on in the investigation process, and the priority at this stage, according to officials, is still trying to identify all of the victims of this deadly blaze. At least 40 people are presumed dead, at least 100 others injured.

And there are still family members, loved ones waiting for confirmation of the condition, whereabouts of their loved ones, so a very troubling and anxious time for so many still waiting for news of their loved ones.

What we do know at this stage, according to the authorities, is that a fire broke out at this lounge bar in a popular Swiss ski resort around 1:30 a.m. local time, when, of course, many of the inside would have been celebrating New Year's, taking part in those celebrations. And, of course, as I have mentioned, dozens are presumed dead at this stage.

The capacity of this venue, according to witnesses, would be between 200 to 300 people. At this stage, 100 are believed to have been injured. And, according to the officials that we heard from in that press conference, many of them are badly burned, a number of them requiring intensive care.

And some are being evacuated abroad for specialized treatment, according to officials. And, of course, at this state, it is being investigated purely as a fire. Authorities have ruled out any speculation around a potential for a terrorist attack.

But what we do know about the cause of the fire remains somewhat unclear at this stage. Investigators say they still haven't confirmed what led to the fire. They are looking into multiple lines of inquiry, including potentially failures to uphold health and safety regulations.

As you mentioned, we have heard from some witnesses telling our affiliate BFMTV that potentially sparklers may have led to this fire, but, again, no official confirmation from the authorities just yet.

KEILAR: Thank you for the latest there.

Let's take you live now to New York City, where new Mayor Zohran Mamdani is about to be publicly sworn in. Just after midnight, the 34- year-old Democratic socialist was sworn in as the Big Apple's 112th mayor during a private ceremony, Mamdani in that moment making history as the city's first Muslim mayor, first South Asian mayor and, at 34, the city's youngest mayor in more than 100 years.

Mamdani just after he was sworn in calling the moment -- quote -- "truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime."

For today's public ceremony, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders are expected to be on hand as part of the program.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is live there for us.

So, Gloria, you closely followed Mamdani's historic campaign from the very beginning, and now day one of his term is here. This is the hard work that is beginning.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right.

The hardest part is governing, and that starts today for Zohran Mamdani and his incoming administration. But, Brianna, there are thousands of people here waiting to watch this moment, in the history of the city.

[13:05:04]

There are thousands of supporters that have lined the streets outside of City Hall. And there are about 4,000 people directly behind me waiting for the program to get started. Today is really all about the symbolism, right, the chance for Mamdani to set the tone for his new administration.

And we already have seen some of that symbolism. Last night, his swearing ceremony was at an old subway station, a nod to his focus on public transportation. And, today, I'm told he arrived here to City Hall by yellow cab. Of course, that's just not a New York City thing, but very much a reference to the work that Mamdani did a few years ago highlighting the struggle of taxi workers and the debt crisis that they were facing.

And it was as a result of a hunger strike that he joined in on with the drivers that the drivers were able to accomplish debt relief. The cab, I'm told, was driven by the president of the cab drivers union. So, again, it's all about that symbolism.

Today, Mamdani making history as the city's first Muslim mayor. And he will be using two Korans, one that belonged to his grandfather, one that belonged to his grandmother. And that is, of course, going to be another moment that is going to be steeped in meaning for him and for the Muslim community here in New York City.

They have never had one of their own in City Hall. And then, Brianna, of course, there's the politics of it all. We're going to see two big names in the Democratic Party here today. That's Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who will be administering the oath of office, and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who will be introducing him.

So much of the conversation during Mamdani's campaign and after his election was how his focus on affordability would impact the national party around the country. And we have been seeing that conversation and that debate play out in the last several weeks. And we expect that to continue as he takes office and tries to deliver on this very ambitious agenda to try and take on and improve the lives of working- class people here in New York City and tackle the affordability crisis -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, big promises and a lot of work to do.

Gloria Pazmino, thank you so much as we stay tuned for what's happening there in New York.

In the meantime, the U.S. military conducted a New Year's Eve strike against two alleged drug trafficking boats, killing five people. U.S. Southern Command did not announce where this strike took place, this latest one bringing the total number of boats targeted by the military to at least 36 and the number of people killed to at least 115 since the U.S. began its campaign back in September.

The announcement of the New Year's Eve strike came just hours after Southern Command publicized other strikes that took place on Tuesday, where three boats were targeted.

CNN's Zach Cohen is with us now in this story.

What can you tell us about these latest ones?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Brianna, the U.S. military killing at least eight people in the last two days as these strikes against alleged drug traffickers around Latin America continue.

And we have seen these happen at a pretty steady clip since September, when this campaign really started. You mentioned that the U.S. Southern Command announcing a strike against boats on New Year's Eve. And then there was also a strike against a -- quote -- "convoy" of alleged drug vessels on Tuesday this week.

And that strike was interesting and different from some of the others that we have seen up to date. In addition to targeting a convoy, really, the difference here is how they have handled survivors. There were survivors, according to U.S. Southern Command, of that first strike on Tuesday who effectively abandoned ship, jumped into the ocean, and swam away from the vessel.

Now, you will remember that how the U.S. military's handled survivors has really come under scrutiny. Today, obviously,the September 2 strike, where the U.S. conducted a double tap strike, killing two survivors that survived the initial strike, really has been controversial to date and has even prompted allegations of a potential war crime.

So, the U.S. military seems to be shifting its tactic in how it handles survivors in these cases, one source pointing out to me that the traffickers seem to have learned maybe from all of the public or publicizing of that September 2 strike not waving their hands at the drone overhead, but swimming away from the burning vessel.

Maybe that is part of why a follow-on strike was not carried out in this case. But big picture here, this campaign continues to be ongoing. And it also happens, as we have reported this week, that the CIA conducted a strike, a covert operation inside Venezuela itself, so a multipronged mission at hand here, and Pete Hegseth really continuing to target those boats in international waters.

KEILAR: Yes, so much to watch here. Zach, thank you so much for the latest there.

Meanwhile, California is starting the new year with more rain and a flood threat coming just days after a Christmas storm flooded parts of the state, leaving soil waterlogged, pushing things really to the limits there, the heaviest rain hitting Southern California today.

[13:10:11]

We have meteorologist Derek Van Dam with us now.

The severe weather is also coming across the Midwest as people are traveling home from the holidays, so what's the biggest weather concern right now?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we have been focusing a lot on Southern California today because of that flood threat.

The good news is that the heaviest rain is coming to an end across Los Angeles County in and around the Tournament of the Roses Parade, and the flood threats that we were so concerned with really starting to shift eastward. So you can see the heavier rainfall moving now into the Palm Springs area.

This is really the back edge of the heaviest of precipitation, even though there will be scattered rain. So, some of the highways here could be impacted by that. And the burn scar areas, yes, that's where the rain is moving away from. So that's good news for people here who are celebrating the New Year's Day and also the big Rose Bowl game that is happening.

It looks like we will only have very scattered, light showers for that forecast, as anticipated. So, across the Upper Midwest, this is where another impulse of energy will bring snow showers to the downwind favored areas. The lake-enhanced snows fall into Western New York, for instance, maybe a quick one to three inches of snowfall.

Of course, those favored areas could pick up another foot of snow, where we start to see some of those lake-effects snow bands take shape. And look at what's happening across the Southeast. We have got a mild weather pattern, but we do have rainfall in this forecast. So that could impact places like Atlanta as we head into Friday and Saturday.

But the big picture here as we look forward into the weekend and early parts of next week, we have been locked in that December cold across the eastern half of the country. Well, the pattern is going to flip and we're going to welcome in much wilder temperatures, the big thaw we had into January.

Check out New York City above average as we head into next week, and even the extended outlook from there, there's a lot of red on this map. So that means, Brianna, a lot of the country has the best chances of seeing above-average temperatures as we head into the middle of January. Enjoy.

KEILAR: All right, we will enjoy that.

Derek Van Dam, thank you.

And still ahead, CNN gets a rare look inside the academy for Border Patrol agents, where training tactics look a lot different than they have in years past.

Plus, can Indiana complete its season of firsts. As the Hoosiers gear up to face Alabama in the Rose Bowl this afternoon, it's been an unusual journey for their star player.

And then, later, a push to get much-needed help for critically injured veterans and the families who care for them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:16:40]

KEILAR: Live pictures, as we are watching New York City, where its newest mayor, brand-new Mayor Zohran Mamdani, will soon be publicly sworn in. We're going to bring that to you live when it happens.

And now to a CNN exclusive. As President Trump carries out his immigration crackdown, the U.S. Border Patrol is working to add staff at a record rate. CNN was granted rare access inside the agency's training academy in New Mexico.

Here's CNN's David Culver with that report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, this is the morning inspection, and there's about 1,100 recruits.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all are a tremendous part of national security and we sincerely appreciate that you've taken the first step and that you signed up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: March forth!

CULVER (voice-over): After months of request, we're granted rare access inside the U.S. Border Patrol Academy, where, under President Donald Trump, the curriculum has changed.

CHIEF JARED ASHBY, U.S. BORDER PATROL: This is the fastest I have ever seen government move.

CULVER: One of the biggest changes, a new pursuit policy.

ASHBY: Our last pursuit policy. We would let them go, so they knew that the Border Patrol would not pursue them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Execute.

CULVER: That's no longer the case.

(on camera): Ooh, feel that.

ASHBY: Oh yes.

(GUNFIRE)

CULVER (voice-over): They're also rolling out new firearms technology for better aim.

AGENT JEREMY DAVID, FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR, U.S. BORDER PATROL ACADEMY: The new implementation is the MRDS, which is a Miniature Red Dot Sight.

CULVER (on camera): Is it a game changer though for you?

DAVID: One hundred percent.

CULVER: Really?

DAVID: Yes.

CULVER: (voice-over): Many of the changes paid for, they say, by President Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, which also allocates funding for 3,000 new Border Patrol agents on top of the more than 19,000 already on the job.

ASHBY: We'll grow this year to about 1,700, 1,800 students at any given time here.

CULVER (on camera): And that's going to be a record high.

ASHBY: That will be a record high.

CULVER (voice-over): Keeping those numbers up requires a major recruiting push.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an incentive right now that if you graduate the Academy you get $10,000.

CULVER: Customs and Border Protection says applications are up nearly 70 percent from a year ago.

(on camera): How old are you now? JUAN PERALTA, BORDER PATROL RECRUIT: I'm 20.

CULVER: You're 20?

PERALTA: Yes.

CULVER: When you tell your friends back home, like, I'm joining Border Patrol, are some, like, surprised?

PERALTA: Yes. They're kind of like, wow, you're starting pretty young. Or how do you feel about arresting your own kind?

CULVER: How do you -- how do you answer that when you hear that?

PERALTA: They didn't come in the right way, so they aren't my kind.

CULVER (voice-over): Juan's story may surprise you. Latino, the son of an immigrant, raised in a border town. But here, we find that's more common than you might think.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many of you are fluent in Spanish right now?

CULVER: CBP says more than half of their agents serving along the southern border are Hispanic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who was born and raised along the border? Yes, good. Good group.

CULVER: To better understand what motivates them to join, we go to El Paso, Texas.

ZIPPORAH RIOS, EL PASO RESIDENT: We have friends who like, oh, they're siblings who are in Border Patrol or like they're going into Border Patrol.

ANGIE PRADO, EL PASO RESIDENT: I have a cousin actually that's in Georgia getting -- doing the training to do Border Patrol, and then come back here.

CULVER: Increasingly, Border Patrol agents are being pulled into ICE operations far from the border, controversial and, at times, violent

[13:20:07]

(on camera): Is that the Border Patrol you know? Is that what you're accustomed to here?

PRADO: From what I have seen on social media, that definitely doesn't look like something our Border Patrol would be doing or how they would be behaving.

CULVER: And do you think most of them are motivated by it being a good career opportunity?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so.

PRADO: For sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

PRADO: For sure.

CULVER (voice-over): And just as they can see why some here sign up for Border Patrol, they also sympathize with migrants trying to do it the right way, legally.

PRADO: And then you see people that are getting arrested at court because they're like going through their...

RIOS: They're trying to go through the process of trying to get their citizenship and doing it the "right way" -- quote, unquote.

PRADO: And they still get detained.

CULVER (on camera): Don't -- no.

PRADO: Sorry. You know, I get emotional.

CULVER: We see that in the halls just outside of El Paso's immigration courtrooms where volunteers prepare folks for their hearings.

So we're going to go see somebody who just stepped out of court here and might be detained by the federal agents, which is an ICE initiative, but we're told Border Patrol agents are supporting this.

(voice-over): You can hear one of the volunteers praying aloud. They took the son into custody, and then step back out, realizing his mother was also on their list.

SIGRID GONZALEZ, MIGRANT ADVOCATE: And you see the cruelty. I think this is violence. Them just standing right here is violence.

CULVER (on camera): You really wonder, why are they doing this?

GONZALEZ: Yes. I do get upset. And I just tell them, this mom, this family, they're not criminals.

CLAUDIO HERRERA, U.S. BORDER PATROL AGENT: I'm not going after my own kind because my own kind will do it legally.

CULVER: Born in Mexico, Agent Claudio Herrera first came to the U.S. as a student. He says it took him 11 years to become a citizen.

And six years ago, he joined the Border Patrol.

HERRERA: I have been asked sometimes before in my -- in my past, aren't you ashamed of being apprehending your own blood?

CULVER: What do you say to that? How do you answer that?

HERRERA: I say, of course not, because I'm protecting my community. My deepest advice to anybody that is coming from Mexico, we know that you want a better future for you and your family. But if you decide to do it illegally, you will only find jail or you will only find death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Our thanks to David Culver for that exclusive report.

And coming up, a look at the remarkable player leading college football's number one team to the granddaddy of them all today.

You're watching CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:26:03]

KEILAR: New Year's Day is traditionally a big day for college football, today no exception, of course. Three quarterfinal college football playoff games are on the schedule. And, last night, the University of Miami pulled off a stunning upset against defending national champion Ohio State at the Cotton Bowl.

Keionte Scott made the play of the game in the second quarter with a 72-yard interception return for a touchdown, Miami with an impressive 24-14 win, the first team to reach the playoff semifinals.

Among today's games is the one that's considered the granddaddy of them all. That would be the Rose Bowl. Indiana, there for the first time since 1968, is the number one team and will face off against Alabama, undefeated Indiana having its greatest football season ever, the Hoosiers winning the Big Ten championship for the first time since 1945, trying to win its first national championship.

And its quarterback is a newly minted Heisman Trophy winner, another first for the school.

CNN's Brynn Gingras reports on what has been the Hoosiers' season of firsts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You go back two Octobers, this behind us, this didn't exist.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to the Memorial Stadium, the home of the Indiana football team. I almost teared up. It's incredible.

I.U. football 20 years ago?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pathetic.

GINGRAS: Football 2025 I.U.?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unbelievable.

GINGRAS (voice-over): The incredible turnaround led by quarterback Fernando Mendoza. FERNANDO MENDOZA, INDIANA HOOSIERS QUARTERBACK: My whole thing is to

always stay hungry and always stay in the hunter mentality.

DAVE DUNN, FERNANDO MENDOZA'S FORMER HIGH SCHOOL COACH: He's going to be the first -- I believe first Cuban-American ever to win the Heisman Trophy.

MENDOZA: I would say that pressure is a privilege.

DUNN: He's a football nerd.

MENDOZA: Look at us, a bunch of misfits coming together.

GINGRAS: And Fernando as a person.

DUNN: He's definitely a type of young man you want your daughter to marry.

CURT CIGNETTI, HEAD COACH, INDIANA UNIVERSITY: Pretty simple. I win. Google me.

GINGRAS: Head coach Curt Cignetti now a savior in Bloomington.

DUNN: He's really galvanized a student body, a town, the state of Indiana, to become a football place.

GINGRAS (voice-over): The only question now, how far can this team go?

(CHANTING)

(on camera): We're headed to Bloomington, Indiana, to Indiana University. Now, I grew up playing basketball. So when I think about I.U., I think about Bobby Knight, basketball dynasty. Of course, the movie "Hoosiers." But, lately there's a whole new sport that's bringing a ton of pride to this part of the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You remind me a little bit of Tom Brady.

MENDOZA: Everybody has told me that, but that's an incredible honor, because Tom Brady is my football idol.

GINGRAS (voice-over): Fernando Mendoza has his idols, but around here...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's something different about Mendoza.

GINGRAS: ... he is the idol.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's now being talked about as the Heisman favorite right now.

GINGRAS: A sensational season propelled by a thrilling catch and unthinkable win over rival Penn State.

MARCUS EARNEST, I.U. FRESHMAN: We had two hell of a games. We had PSU, Oregon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[13:30:00]