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President Trump Defends Health; Swiss Fire Investigation; ISIS- Inspired Attack Foiled?. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired January 02, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: We have breaking news out of North Carolina, where the FBI says it stopped a terror attack. What officials say this 19 -- or -- pardon me -- this 18-year-old was planning to do.

And new details on the deadly fire that ripped through a resort in Switzerland. Officials now confirm that sparklers on champagne bottles likely started the fire.

And President Trump appears to give more details than ever on his health -- why he says he's taking a higher daily dose of aspirin than his doctors are advising.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

We do begin the hour with breaking news, an ISIS-inspired attack foiled in North Carolina, the FBI saying that it has arrested and charged an 18-year-old man for plotting a deadly attack on a New Year's Eve celebration near Charlotte. Prosecutors say the suspect made several social media posts in support of the terrorist group and that he had told an undercover agent that he had planned to -- quote -- "do jihad."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSS FERGUSON, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA: He talked about where he was planning to do this attack, which was at a grocery store and a fast-food restaurant in Mint Hill, places that we go every day and don't think that we may be harmed. He talked about what means he would use to kill innocent people. He said he was going to wear a Kevlar vest and attack people with knives and hammers.

And, of course, he talked about when he was going to carry out this attack, which was New Year's Eve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN's Dianne Gallagher is live from Charlotte. She's with us now in the latest here.

Dianne, what are you learning?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna, that 18- year-old, who is from Mint Hill, North Carolina, which is just outside of Charlotte, did make his first appearance here in federal court this morning.

Christian Sturdivant is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. The FBI says that he planned to use knives and hammers, which they found under his bed along with a manifesto during a search this week, according to a complaint.

And they said that he planned to injure and kill up to 20 to 21 people at a grocery store and the Burger King nearby where he worked. Now, the U.S. attorney told me that, based off of those notes, they believed that Sturdivant hoped to target Jews, Christians and the LGBTQ community.

In December, federal agents were made aware of some TikToks that were posted by a screen name pledging ISIS ideology that they were able to link to Sturdivant. Throughout the month, that teenager communicated with not one, but two covert officers online who he thought were ISIS members, but were with the NYPD and the FBI.

He allegedly told the NYPD undercover officer that he will -- quote -- "do jihad soon" and then began describing the specific plans he had. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES BARNACLE, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: What we found was a manifesto, which the federal complaint alleges contained detailed plans to execute a massacre on New Year's Eve.

The JTTF collected evidence showing he turned his back on his country and his fellow citizens by pledging allegiance to ISIS with the intent of becoming a martyr. We allege Sturdivant was willing to sacrifice himself by committing a terrorist attack using knives and a hammer to support the murder, torture and extreme violence that ISIS represents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: Now, the FBI indicated that Sturdivant had been planning the attack for about a year, that's what he told those covert agents, and wanted to get a gun, but they do not believe was able to do that. He then intended to be shot by law enforcement, according to communications with those covert agents.

Now, it's also not the FBI's first run in with Sturdivant, according to the complaint. The special agent in charge said, back in 2022, when Sturdivant was just 14 years old, they actually investigated him after he was communicating with someone who purportedly was an unidentified ISIS member in Europe and was encouraging him to dress in all black and go knock on doors and stab people. They say that he allegedly tried to follow through with that, but was

stopped by his grandfather. The investigation into him back then was closed after the family said they got him off social media and got him some mental health help -- Brianna.

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KEILAR: Really interesting stuff.

Dianne Gallagher, thank you so much.

And we're joined now by Steve Moore. He is a retired FBI supervisory special agent.

Steve, first just what, with what we have learned here from prosecutors, stands out to you the most about this?

STEVE MOORE, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: What strikes me -- excuse me -- what strikes me is that this is what ISIS really wants.

We all think about terrorism in terms of, say, the 9/11 plot, things like that, complicated, multicountry, multistate, financed attacks, when what ISIS is pushing for and what al Qaeda was pushing for is individual attacks, lone wolf attacks, because those are harder to stop and terrify people because it happens in their own backyard usually.

KEILAR: So he was, and we just heard Dianne report, on the radar of law enforcement from when he was 18 and that ultimately he was investigated and his family had gotten him some mental health help.

What questions is that raising for you at this point?

MOORE: Well, I would like to see what kind of help he got, number one.

But, actually, it raises fewer questions than it does makes me feel good about things. I mean, the fact that the parents were willing to come forward, the fact that he wasn't able to purchase a gun -- and this also indicates, by the way, if he can't purchase a gun, that doesn't mean they're not going to attack.

There's some things that went right here. And we're fortunate for that.

KEILAR: But if you don't purchase a gun, not as deadly, right? Obviously, law enforcement looks at that as an important point here.

Prosecutors talking about...

MOORE: Depends on what you use.

KEILAR: Well, that's a good point. That's a very good point. We have seen a lot of incredibly deadly shootings.

Prosecutors here, Steve, are talking about these TikTok videos, social media statements, online conversations. Can you talk about that path of radicalization, how hard that is to intercept and stop?

MOORE: Yes, it's intensely difficult, because what happens is, we have free speech in America. That's the wonderful thing about this country. And people can say things online and lure people in line -- online into their little their little groups.

And then once you start direct messaging these people, you can say things that are conspiratorial, that are violent, that are planning crimes, and we're not going to -- they're not going to be on our direct radar unless we are directed to them. So that's the kind of thing that that radicalization does.

KEILAR: DOJ said the suspect first engaged with an undercover NYPD officer, then an undercover FBI agent thinking that he was talking to ISIS.

Talk to us a little bit about what you're seeing there, this cooperation between the agencies and how they do work together to monitor this kind of chatter and catch plots before they happen.

MOORE: Yes, this was apparently a Joint Terrorism Task Force operation in New York that picked it up. I ran the al Qaeda Joint Terrorism Task Force in Los Angeles. And we had LAPD officers, we had federal agents, we had county officers or deputies.

And you all work to the same goal. And it seems to me like the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force had obviously had NYPD officers on it. And they work side by side. You can't -- can't really tell who's who unless you look for their badge.

And, apparently, they picked up on it and the terrorism task force notified Charlotte about it.

KEILAR: The tragic New Year's Day attack in New Orleans was almost exactly one year ago. And I know, for so many in law enforcement after that, they must be thinking, is it going to be my city? Is it going to happen again?

That was an ISIS-inspired attack. From what you're hearing today, were lessons learned and implemented in the aftermath of that?

MOORE: Yes, I mean, we learn everything -- we learn something from every attack, and things were learned.

That doesn't mean we have learned everything. And if you consider how many people are in this country, what cities and the fact that all of them have access to Internet from a very young age -- this guy started to get radicalized and over-the-top violent at 14 -- we cannot let our guard down, because this is happening right now somewhere in the United States.

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And I would say it's happening to hundreds of people right now. And we have got to get really good at picking this up at the same time we avoid trampling on people's right to speak, communicate, and hear. KEILAR: Steve Moore, great to speak with you as we are following this

news. Thank you.

MOORE: Thank you.

KEILAR: Still to come this hour: Officials say the Swiss ski resort fire likely started from what you see here in the picture, sparklers in champagne bottles, and also those foam ceiling tiles that you could see in that first picture there. We will have the latest on the investigation next.

Also ahead: why President Trump says he takes a higher dose of aspirin than what his doctors recommend.

And then later: New year, new budget? A game plan for how to get in better financial shape.

We have that and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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KEILAR: We're getting some new video today from inside that horrific bar fire in Switzerland that killed dozens of people just over an hour into the new year.

And a warning: The footage is disturbing, but you can see some of the first moments after the fire started, one man jumping and trying to put out the flames before it began spreading so quickly. And, in another video, an entire wall of the bar became engulfed in flames as the terrified and panicked crowd tried to rush out of a small exit.

The lead investigator has now confirmed sparklers on top of champagne bottles likely started that fire, these pictures appearing to show the moment that the sparks came too close to the ceiling. You can see it there. Swiss officials say at least 40 people were killed; 119 others were injured, including six people who have yet to be identifies, the victims said to be from at least nine different countries.

A flower memorial is now growing outside the bar as the grief-stricken community comes together. Earlier today, the mother of one missing teen pleading for help to find her son.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): This was taken that night two hours before, two hours before he went to The Constellation. So, if you have seen him in hospitals, if you have seen him in the morgue, whether he's alive or deceased, please contact me.

I don't know how severe his burns are. I don't know if he's recognizable. I don't know. All I want is to find my child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: We're joined now by Glenn Corbett, associate professor of fire science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

First, if you can just tell us as you're watching these videos what you are seeing as this starts and spreads.

GLENN CORBETT, JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Well, thank you for having me.

It's just very reminiscent of previous incidents around the world where a combination of pyrotechnics, flammable ceiling materials, problematic egress paths and things like that all came together for yet another disaster of this nature.

KEILAR: Yes, it spread so quickly.

Can you talk a little bit more about the egress problems that you're seeing, tons of people trying to get out of a very small entry-exit?

CORBETT: Yes, so I have been watching these videos over the last 24 hours, and I noticed a more recent one was posted where it appears that the -- this was another issue, was this was an underground venue, an underground bar, which had a single stairwell apparently leading out of it to ground level.

What I noticed was the fact that there were a lot of people piled up at the egress point, the exit point on the outside of the building, which is, again, very reminiscent of the West Warwick, Rhode Island, back in 2003.

And what was -- again, was noticeable, but I think what happened here was the fact that the stairs led up to like a concourse or an open mezzanine area, where the doors weren't necessarily, I guess, open or visible to the folks because the fires actually literally come up behind them.

And, apparently, somewhere along the line, some people on the outside were able to open some additional doors up. But I think we're going to find out here that, again, the egress path also played a significant role. Not only did people have to climb out from underground, but also get out of the building. And I think that's going to be an issue as well.

KEILAR: You mentioned that 2003 Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island. And there was also acoustic foam that was a contributing factor in that fire. We see it catching fire in this video.

Talk to us about what happens when that kind of material catches fire.

CORBETT: Yes, so understand that this is totally noncompliant with any standards around the world to put plastic insulation like that or plastic foaming -- foam for soundproofing.

It's incredibly combustible material. As it burns, you can see in some of the videos where there are globs of it dropping down, burning globs dropping down on the floor below, but it also, again, allows for a very rapid flame spread across the surface of the material. And we know that, in the case of Rhode Island, doing the investigation

with the federal agency, that the folks in Rhode Island had 90 seconds to get out of that building. And that was it, basically. If you weren't out in 90 seconds, unfortunately, you didn't survive.

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And that particular fire killed, of course, 100 people in that particular situation.

KEILAR: Stunning.

And this flashover effect that authorities are talking about, this idea of so much combustible gas being created that it almost causes like an explosion, can you take us through the science of that?

CORBETT: Sure.

So, flashover is typically defined as a moment in a fire where effectively everything in the compartment or in the room basically ignites. And it's very likely that's what happened here. And, again, the foam padding on the ceiling played a critical role in that to actually allow the fire to spread very quickly across the surface.

And what ends up happening is, there's so much fire and heat up at the ceiling level that it actually radiates down onto the floor level and starts basically burning other materials in that room. And, effectively, it completes that cycle with what could be considered like an explosive release of energy, basically.

And that's what they were describing there. So this was not a situation like a propane explosion or something like that. This was the fire itself that actually did, of course, all the damage and, of course, the burn injuries that went along with that, which we saw.

Again, in all these types of fires, burn injuries are always a big issue. In Rhode Island, it was well over 100 people who were pretty badly burned and that did actually survive there. So, that flashover is what was the cause of -- again, a lot of what happened here last night...

KEILAR: Yes.

CORBETT: ... was the fact that the fire spread so quickly, yes.

KEILAR: So many people badly burned. Some of the injured, at this point, they still have not been able to identify them, they're in such a tough shape at this point in time.

Right now, can you tell us what bars or restaurants, especially those that might be below grade, right, they're sort of like basement or English basement-like establishments, places that may be using this kind of foam on the ceiling when they shouldn't be, what should these establishments be thinking right now in light of what we have just seen happen? CORBETT: Yes, I would hope that this would be a lesson that's been

unfortunately learned many times over in the past. So I would hope that nightclubs around the world basically would see what happened here, and if they are using any kind of combustible materials we call interior finish, which would be the ceiling and the walls, get rid of it, take it out of there.

I have inspected a lot of nightclubs over the years, and you can imagine all the kind of problems with -- that I have seen and other inspectors have seen. And so this is something that the Swiss government needs to get a handle on very quickly here, not just what happened in this particular Constellation nightclub, but really do a deep dive across the country to make sure that -- how many more of these exist, that they need to be basically upgraded in terms of protection stuff.

And that means, again, getting rid of all the combustible interior materials that they have on the walls and ceilings.

KEILAR: Yes.

Glenn Corbett, thank you so much. Really important insights in the wake of this tragedy.

CORBETT: Thank you.

KEILAR: We will be right back.

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KEILAR: President Trump is starting the new year with an online declaration that he is -- quote -- "in perfect health" after "The Wall Street Journal" published a lengthy interview where he talked to them about the bruising on his hand, swelling in his ankles and being caught on camera appearing to doze off during meetings.

Addressing the bruising, the 79-year-old president says it's because of his daily aspirin, a known blood thinner, that he takes at a higher dose than his doctor recommends. The White House physician told "The Journal" the president consumes 325 milligrams a day. That's at the high limit for a daily dose, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Trump told the newspaper -- 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?"

CNN's Alayna Treene is here.

All right, Alayna, what more did the president say about his health and does it make sense?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I mean, it's such a good quote. And there's a lot that he said. You ran through some of it, but he said that he takes more Advil than

his -- or more aspirin daily than his doctors recommend. He says that they actually recommended he wear compression socks because I would remind you that they made -- his doctors made known a couple months ago, earlier this year, that he has what they call chronic venous insufficiency.

I won't get into the details, but essentially it's a blood circulation problem that it's hard to have the blood flow from the legs to the heart. He said they tied to get him to wear them. He tried it for a bit, didn't like it.

And then he also said he had advanced imaging done, which we know, earlier this year. There's a lot of questions about that because the White House didn't immediately disclose that he had gotten some sort of scan. The president was the one who came out and said, I had an MRI done.

Well, then, in this interview, he's saying actually it was a C.T. scan. We talked to the physicians as well. They said it actually was a C.T. scan to make sure everything was working well for the president. But, to that, he actually said that he wishes he didn't get it because it has drawn so much scrutiny.

And I think that was a really important through line through this entire story. I loved that "The Journal" made clear that they were doing a story. They had reporting. They went to the White House. It was the president who wanted to pick up the phone and give them this impromptu interview.

And a lot of that is because he is so sensitive to anything, any conversations regarding his health. That's why this interview was so interesting, because it was one of the most extensive conversations he's had with journalists about his health.

And he was pretty candid at a lot of times. Another thing he tried to address was, there's very heavily -- very noticeable heavy bruising on his hand, on his right hand.