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At Least 40 Killed, 115 Injured at Swiss Ski Resort Bar; 79- Year-Old Trump Pushes Back Against Scrutiny of His Health; Police Search for Suspect After Dentist, Wife Found Dead in Home. Aired 7- 7:30a ET

Aired January 02, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: A Swiss resort town in shock after 40 people are killed in a fire that swept through a bar during a New Year's party. Disturbing new video showing the initial moments the flames erupted and the panic afterwards. There are still people unaccounted for.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And President Trump talking in detail about his health, what he's saying about a C.T. scan, accusations, he falls asleep during meetings and the large bruises on his hands.

And a dentist and his wife gunned down in their Ohio home, their two children left unharmed. But we will tell you what we're learning about the search for a suspect.

I'm Omar Jimenez with Sara Sidner for this First Morning News Central of the year. John Berman and Kate Bolduan are out today. This is CNN News Central.

SIDNER: This morning, disturbing new video shows the panic and terror that unfolded as flames raced through a ski resort bar during a New Year's party in Switzerland. This is cell phone video showing the fire on the ceiling inside the bar. You see this starting there as people begin trying to move towards the exit. That push to escape happening just moments after this. We pause this video to show you what appears to be the very start of this fire. In another video shot from outside, people can be heard screaming as a person stumbles out of the building. We want to warn you, this may be disturbing to see.

Just an awful scene there. At least 40 people were killed in the inferno, and more than a hundred people injured, multiple people remain missing at this hour.

CNN's Nada Bashir is joining us now. What are you learning at the latest? I know everyone is worried about those who are unaccounted for, but these videos really disturbing scenario that unfolded there.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. And we have been seeing this new video emerging, circulating online, many witnesses, bystanders sharing the distressing moments in the aftermath after that blaze took over the entirety of this lounge bar on New Year's Day, in the early hours, just after New Year's celebrations had taken place. Officials say that fire broke out at around 1:30 A.M. local time. And as you can imagine, it would've been very crowded inside with people celebrating. Many of those inside, according to officials were young people, including teenagers.

Now we have seen this new dramatic video emerging, showing the fire beginning to spread on the ceiling of this bar, which was at the time still quite full with partygoers and then, of course, the dramatic aftermath, people inside trying to escape any way they can, crowds piling out of the narrow doors and trying to climb out of windows and obviously the distressing video showing some of those injured lying in the street. And we've been hearing from witnesses saying that civilians were trying to offer support and help in any way they can, but there was a quick response by the emergency services.

What we do know at this stage is, as you mentioned, Sara, at least 40 people presume dead, some a hundred others injured, and there are still individuals who are missing, unaccounted for. There are still families waiting for notification for confirmation, and they are still working to identify some of those victims. A number of those injured have been taken to nearby hospitals, but others have also been transported to neighboring countries, including France and Italy, where they can receive specialized care. Many of those injured, according to officials, have been badly burnt.

And then, of course, investigators will be focusing on what actually caused the fire. At this stage, there is no firm conclusion coming from officials. However, we have been hearing from witnesses suggesting that they may have been caused by sparklers being carried inside champagne bottles close to the ceiling. And, of course, remember, we did see that video of the ceiling seemingly catching fire first.

But, again, this is speculation at this stage, no firm conclusions.

[07:05:01]

Authorities have been very clear that it is still very early on in the investigation process. They have cordoned off the entire area. Officials at this stage, they say are focusing first and foremost on identifying all of the victims and providing support to family members.

Again, many of these were young victims, so there are many parents still waiting for confirmation of the condition, whereabouts of their missing children.

SIDNER: Yes, the video is just stunningly awful, and for it to happen on New Year's Eve, a horrible way to start the New Year.

Nada Bashir, thank you so much for your reporting on this. Omar?

JIMENEZ: Yes, just an awful story. Also, this morning, President Trump once again pushing back against scrutiny over his health, questions that have only intensified amid accusations the White House is not being sufficiently transparent with his medical information. Now, we're talking about an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Trump, who is 79, acknowledged some signs of aging while maintaining he is fit for office. He dismissed concerns that he's dozed off during events and meetings, and also attributed recent hand bruising to daily aspirin use, saying he's taking a higher dose than his doctors recommend.

I want to bring in CNN's Alayna Treene. What else did the president say? And can you just give us so a little bit about the significance of these remarks?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. I mean, I'll get to the second part of that first. I mean, this is a big interview because the president very rarely talks openly about his health, certainly not with reporters. And this was one of the most extensive conversations he's had with journalists about his medical information.

What I actually found very interesting, Omar, was the nature of how this interview actually came about. The Wall Street Journal made clear that they had reporting they were going to put out, they sent it to the White House, as you know, reporters typically do, but this was a story that essentially landed them an impromptu interview with President Trump because he wanted to weigh in and defend himself really for this story. And that's how they got some of these remarkable quotes from the president in it.

And part of the reason he did that, this is something Trump tends to do if he feels like he wants to have his say on a story that might be misrepresenting him, but it's really normally on stories that he cares a lot about. This is one, the president is very much wary, you know, conversations around his health, particularly because that reminds you for basically the entirety of the 2024 campaign trail and even now into his second term in office. He would talk about Joe Biden's health and arguing that the former president was shielding too much information, was not being transparent, arguing that he was mentally unfit for the office, and so this is a very sensitive subject for President Trump.

But I do want to get into some of what he mentioned. One of the best quotes I thought from this interview that he gave The Wall Street Journal was when he was talking about why he doesn't listen to his doctor's recommendations when it comes to the high dosage of aspirin that he takes daily. He said he wants thick blood pouring through his veins.

I'm going to read this for you. He said, quote, they say, aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart. I want nice thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense? They'd have me take the smaller one, he added. I take the larger one, but I've done it for years. And what it does is it causes bruising.

I remind you, the president, who was 79, added that he has been taking aspirin for 25 years. I note, I actually was doing some research on just talking to some medical experts yesterday who were arguing that it's kind of common for people to -- older people to believe that taking aspirin daily helps thin the blood, but they've recommended the president that he does not.

There's a number of other great things in this story. And I will say even now, just moments ago, the president posted on Truth Social and social media trying to defend himself from this as well, saying that his doctors say that he is an exceptional health. So, again, just getting to the point of how this is a bit of a touchy subject for him.

JIMENEZ: And we'll see how a cardiologist weigh in on that quote there.

Alayna Treene, thank you so much. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Ahead, police in Ohio investigating a double homicide after a dentist and his wife were found shot to death in their home. The new 911 calls we're getting in this morning and the big questions that remain.

Also extreme weather on both coasts leading to scenes like this one, people in California pulled from their cars stuck in rising floodwaters. The latest on the severe storm track today.

And they did it all for the gnocchi. Some big news for pasta lovers in the U.S. No, really.

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SIDNER: New this morning, investigators are trying to identify a suspect after an Ohio couple was found shot to death in their home. Dr. Spencer Tepe and his wife, Monique, were discovered Tuesday after he didn't show up for work. Then concerned coworkers doing a wellness check at his house spotted a body inside.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just came here and he appears dead. There's blood. He's laying next to his bed off of his bed, and there's blood. I can't get closer to see more than that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: That is the awful 911 call there after the employees discovered their boss dead. Police say there were no signs of forced entry, but investigators do not believe this was a murder suicide because they didn't find a gun. Two young children were also found inside that home safe.

Joining me now, CNN Senior National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem. Juliette, this is such a distressing story. When police say there's no forced entry, no firearm left behind, this is -- these are huge clues for investigators. What do you glean from this?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Right.

[07:15:00] So, I study crime statistics. I know how rare this is. You know, in our imagination, we think it's common, someone shows up at a door, a complete stranger, you know, kills. But it is exceptionally rare, a home intrusion with no sign of burglary. The children are kept safe. And so, honestly, they're going to be looking at whether this was a sort of, you know, a targeted attack, not stranger danger. And therefore, they're going to be looking at the history of the couple. Were there enemies, were there concerns, were there threats, was something going on that's not transparent in the public?

I am not saying that is true. I'm saying any investigation, given the fact that this doesn't happen often, and there was no signs of forced entry, burglary. You're going to look to people who they may have known or people who knew where they lived, unfortunately, and begin there. They'll also look at videos, Ring cameras. Otherwise, maybe there was -- maybe this was random. But the data, let's just put it this way, national data, suggests both how uncommon this is, as well as the likelihood that that there's this -- that there may be someone who knew them, who was involved with this.

SIDNER: I'm curious how investigators determine that this was not a murder suicide. I'm assuming that this is forensics that they look at.

KAYYEM: Yes. If there's no gun, and that they would've been able to determine quickly, if there's no gun, there would've been no way to do the murder suicide. So, that's why they excluded that relatively quickly. The other clue is, of course, the children are left safe. You know, and so that and did the children see anything, were there any clues as to why that is?

So, given the two theories possible, right, stranger at the door, who just happens to kill this couple, or some narrative that might explain why they were targeted, they're going to look on both forensics, entry, was anything in fact stolen, and then look at the history of the family or the couple to determine whether -- you know, honestly, whether there's any threat to the rest of the community. We've interviewed or we've been on the street with neighbors who are obviously very concerned.

SIDNER: What do you think that investigators are prioritizing right now knowing what they know? They're not seeing forced entry. There's no gun inside the house. But there are two people who are dead, two children left parentless. I mean, it's just an awful scenario.

KAYYEM: Awful scenario, and hopefully there's family members that can care for them, but also help them if there's any clues that they might have had or that they might be able to disclose the children, depending on how young they are, or any familiarity or any clues in the house. his was an entry not forced, as we understand it, so someone was in the house.

I'll be honest with you, they're going to begin with the wellness check. This is just basically given the timeline, it appears that the husband, the father was not very late for work, and that's when his employers start to get nervous. That suggests to me that there might have been some concerns about him and where he was. And so they're going to look to the timing of when he doesn't show up, when was the last time he was seen, when was the last time she was seen, and then basically put a calendar or tick tock of events. This -- that's one theory of the case. The other is, of course, that they're looking for complete stranger. That would be forensics, videos and others that might give away a clue there.

SIDNER: It's a horrible case to start the year off, I must say. Juliette Kayyem, it is though a pleasure to see and be able to talk to you. I do appreciate it. Thank you so much.

All right, still ahead Ole Miss stuns Georgia and a Sugar Bowl thriller. And Indiana goes nuts on Alabama. Ahead, the college football playoffs semi-final matchups.

And measles cases in the United States hit the highest level in 30 years. Now, the growing number of cases threatening the elimination status of the virus in the U.S.

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JIMENEZ: All right, everyone. The college football playoff semi- finals are officially locked in. What a night it was. Ole Miss stunned Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and punched their ticket to the next round.

I want to bring in CNN Sports Anchor Andy Scholes with the highlights. Andy, I went to bed, dogs were in control. What happened here?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, what a game we had, Omar, last night in New Orleans. You know, no Lane Kiffin, no problem, apparently for Ole Miss. They rallied to beat Georgia in a Sugar Bowl thriller. The Rebels, as you mentioned, they've been down nine at halftime, here in the fourth quarter trailing by five, Trinidad Chambliss, who's incredible in this game, scrambling forever here on third and seven before completing a pass and getting the first down.

Now, Ole Miss after that within drive down, they'd score a touchdown to take the lead. And the Rebels actually went up by ten at one point in the fourth quarter. But Georgia would rally to tie it. And then Lucas Carneiro made a 47-yard field goal to put Ole Miss up three with six seconds left. Carneiro was just booming kicks in this one.

So, that's kind of when chaos ensued after that, Georgia tried to lateral this kickoff, but it hits a pylon for a safety with just one second on the clock. So, now they're down five. The Dogs do an onside kick and they get it falling on the ball, but everyone thinks it's game over. There's only second on the clock. Pete Golding gets a Gatorade shower. They rolled the stage out onto the field. Per the rules, the ref says the game not over because Ole Miss didn't touch the ball. No time came off the clock, still one second, had to get the stage back off the field. Georgia does a long lateral play. It doesn't work. Ole Miss finally would end up winning 39-35. Here was Golding after pulling off the upset.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PETE GOLDING, OLE MISS HEAD COACH: I'm just so excited for our players. The adversity they've been through, the resiliency they've shown to come out, get down, not play very well in the first half, thought they came out responding in the second half, didn't play perfect by any means. But their energy, their effort, their body language, I'm just really excited and proud of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right. Elsewhere, the good times continuing to roll for Indiana as they throttled Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza throwing for three touchdowns. The Hoosiers, who are the losing program in college football before this season remain undefeated with a 38-3 win, the 35-point loss worst ever for Alabama in the postseason. And that was Indiana's first bowl win since 1991.

They're not going to face Oregon, who was just as dominant against Texas Tech. The Dutch defense pitching a shutout against the Red Raiders, forcing four turnovers. Final score in that one was 23-0.

All right, so here's the semi-final matchups. You're going to have Ole Miss take on Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday in Arizona. Then the following night, it's going to be Indiana and Oregon facing off in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta. Winner will meet January 19th in Miami for the national title.

And, you know, Omar, this is the second year for the 12-team playoff. What we've learned so far is you don't want to bye. Only Indiana has ever won after having a bye. Teams with a bye so far, one and a seven. So, it clearly is not beneficial to have that extra time fall.

JIMENEZ: It gets you out of that rhythm. And looking at that final four, it's almost weird not having either Bama, Georgia or Ohio State in there. But, hey, new teams get the opportunity and let's see what happens.

Andy Scholes --

SCHOLES: Yes, it's going to be fun. All right.

JIMENEZ: -- appreciate you. All right, just ahead, President Trump tells The Wall Street Journal he wants nice, thin blood pouring through his heart in one of the most extensive interviews yet about his health. The president talks about what may be causing his hand bruising, but we've also talked to medical professionals who aren't so sure.

And an incredible rescue caught on camera as the Coast Guard hoist two people, a dog and a cat to safety. We'll show you a video coming up.

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