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Midnight Tonight: Mamdani to Be Sworn in as NYC Mayor; Top 10 International Stories of 2025 Include Sydney Shooting, Israeli Hostages Release, American Pope Elected. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired December 31, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:10]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Happy New Year, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in New York. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: The Mamdani era is about to begin in the Big Apple. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOHRAN MAMDANI, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR-ELECT: We should measure the prosperity of a nation not by the number of millionaires, but by the absence of poverty and the prevalence of health.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Free buses, free groceries, frozen rents. Can Zohran Mamdani deliver affordability to one of America's most expensive cities?

One million revelers expected to pack Times Square tonight in bitter cold temperatures, biting winds, and maybe even some snow.

The lone-wolf threat. How the National Guard and police are mobilizing to make it a safe New Year's Eve.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: How about the new thing in Minnesota with the Somalians?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: The Trump administration freezing childcare payments to Minnesota amid allegations of widespread fraud.

And a holiday heist in Germany. How thieves managed to break into a bank vault and steal millions of dollars.

And why millions of Americans are about to usher in the new year with crushing, skyrocketing healthcare premiums.

Six a.m. here on the East Coast. But look at this. Happy new year to Auckland, New Zealand, and all the kiwis out there. What a great sight.

Good morning, everyone. Thank you for waking up with me. I'm Brian Abel, in for Audie Cornish.

In just a few hours, we ring in a new year, and New York will ring in a new era as Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is sworn into office.

The 34-year-old will become the city's 112th mayor at the stroke of midnight tonight in a private ceremony at an old subway station below city hall.

Then, on New Year's Day, he'll be joined by two of his biggest allies in the Democratic Party -- Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders -- for a public swearing-in ceremony happening that afternoon.

His campaign shocked the New York political establishment, knocking off former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the primary and in the general election, all while promising an ambitious agenda. An agenda which includes universal childcare for children up to five years old, freezing rent prices for 2 million residents, and making buses free across the city. An agenda which has a price tag of more than $6 billion.

But Mamdani is vowing to finish what he started.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAMDANI: My sincere hope is that New Yorkers who have long felt on the margins of this city -- the homeless veteran straining to survive, the patient searching for the care that they need, an immigrant trying to get by -- will feel that they now have leaders in their corner who understand their struggles and care to fight for them.

That is the city I want to build, the prosperity I intend to deliver, and the leadership that has too long been lacking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Joining me now in the group chat, Sara Fischer, CNN senior media analyst and senior media reporter at Axios; Antjuan Seawright, Democratic strategist; and Terry Schilling, executive director at the American Principles Project. All, thank you so much for being with me this morning.

Sara, I do want to start with the venue for this swearing in, actually. Because here's what it looked like when the last mayor was sworn in. I believe we have video of this: New Year's Eve, confetti, the massive backdrop of Times Square for Eric Adams.

Mamdani is choosing something -- let's just say -- starkly different -- an old subway station that is no longer in use under city hall -- for the private swearing in happening at midnight tonight.

What do you think the significance is for that pick by Mamdani?

SARA FISCHER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA ANALYST: Well, there's a symbolic, and there's also a logistical and strategic reason for doing it.

The symbolic reason is that he wants to portray himself as a man of the people, somebody who cares about New Yorks roots. And there's no greater way to connect with the roots of New York than an old, abandoned subway system right underneath city hall.

So, I actually think there's a -- there's a real reason why he wants to do that for sending a message.

The strategic reason is, coming out after new year, there's a lot of security reasons of having a big, flashy thing with lots of people around.

[06:05:04]

You were just noting that at Times Square, there's going to be this massive celebration. People are talking about lone-wolf threats.

So, you can see why, just to make sure that this goes over smoothly, they want to do something private and more discreet ahead of -- sorry, following what's going to be, you know, a very, very big, big, big public event in New York City.

ABEL: And maybe not pull away as many resources as a result of that.

But looming over all of this, guys, is this dynamic of Mamdani and President Trump, who vilified him as a communist leading up to election day. But then, we saw this interaction in the Oval Office just last month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think you're going to have, hopefully, a really great mayor. The better he does, the happier I am, I will say. There's no difference in party. There's no difference in anything. And we're going to be helping him to make everybody's dream come true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: And the flattery, that apparently wasn't just for the cameras. According to a new piece in "The New Yorker," Trump said to Mamdani when he greeted him at the White House, quote, "Wow, you are even better looking in person than you are on TV."

That tone, apparently, it never changed from there, with Trump seeming legitimately impressed by Mamdani.

So, Terry, what do you make of how that night-and-day interaction from the rhetoric beforehand unfolded at the White House? And what do you think it means as the Mamdani administration takes over in New York?

TERRY SCHILLING, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN PRINCIPLES PROJECT: Well, Brian, I think that this is essentially athletes and competitors respecting each other. You know, game recognizes game. And President Trump is a political competitor. He's an athlete, and so is Zohran Mamdani. Look, my thoughts on the New York City mayor is I'm not optimistic

about his success. I'm -- I'm hopeful that he's successful. I hope he is.

But I don't think more spending and his programs are actually going to lead to more prosperity or -- or turn things around in New York.

However, I think the bigger threat is the Republicans failing to respond. Right? I think the Democrats are very good at recognizing the real problems that Americans are going through and trying to address those.

But Republicans try to cast these guys like Zohran and Barack Obama as radical and dangerous, rather than altering [SIC] -- offering an alternative.

And so, I think that, if Republicans really want to compete here and really want to do well in the midterms, we have to address the affordability crisis in this country, especially as it pertains to working families.

ABEL: And, Antjuan, I do want to talk about Mamdani's ambitious agenda. We spoke a little bit about that agenda that he ran on: things like universal childcare, free buses. All things that are going to cost a lot of money, billions of dollars.

And to do it, he'll need buy-in from the governor and the New York state government. Do you, Antjuan, think he'll be able to pull this off?

ANTJUAN SEAWRIGHT, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, certainly, I think what he was able to pull off is raise or amplify the conversation around affordability and how it relates to everyday New Yorkers.

And quite frankly, he was able to set the tone and adjust the temperature, from a messaging standpoint, for the Democratic Party as a whole.

We were successful in the 2025 election cycle because, across the country, we ran on the idea of affordability and how the Republican majority in Washington, D.C., and across the country had failed everyday Americans on affordability.

And Zohran, I give him credit for zero -- zero in -- zeroing in on a message that everyone in our party can relate to, to some degree, regardless of where you may fall on the spectrum.

I would also add that Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani have a lot in common, believe it or not. They both were able to tap into the disaffected and the disconnected, same way President Obama -- candidate Barack Obama was able to, and was able to bring together a unique coalition of voters to put together a victory.

And quite frankly, Donald Trump made that conversation in the Oval Office a cuddle and footsie type conversation because he wanted the conversation to be around him, No. 1. But No. 2, he also knows that he needs New York to be successful in

the same way that Zohran Mamdani will have to lean on the federal government in order to do some of the things he wants to do for New York to be successful.

So, I often say that politics is a game of addition and multiplication, not subtraction or division.

ABEL: Excellent points. Group chat, be sure to stay with me, because we do have a lot more to talk about later on in this hour.

But coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, an unfortunate update. Police make a grim discovery in the search for a missing teenager in Texas.

Plus, New England Patriots's [SIC] Stefon Diggs denying assault accusations, and the team is sticking by him.

And frantic rescue efforts after a train carrying tourists crashes in Machu Picchu.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:13:52]

ABEL: Thirteen minutes past the hour. And here are five things to know to get your day going.

More than 20 million Americans are about to see their healthcare premiums skyrocket at midnight. That is when enhanced subsidies in the Affordable Care Act expire.

The House is expected to vote in January on a Democratic proposal to extend the subsidies for three years, but that measure will likely face significant hurdles in the Senate.

A rail -- railroad worker dead, dozens of passengers injured after two trains collided Tuesday while taking tourists to Peru's Machu Picchu.

Railway service connecting Machu Picchu with the nearby city of Cusco has been suspended. The cause of this deadly collision is under investigation.

And a body has been found in the search for a missing San Antonio teenager. The remains were discovered near the 19-year-old's home. Police have not yet confirmed whether it's her.

The teen went missing the day before Christmas. And officials do not suspect foul play and say they found indicators of self-harm on the body.

New England Patriots's [SIC] wide receiver, Stefon Diggs, denying allegations of assault and strangulation stemming from an alleged paycheck dispute with a private chef earlier this month.

[06:15:10]

The Patriots said in a statement they are aware of the claims and that they, quote, "support Stefon."

Diggs will be arraigned on January 23, two days before the AFC championship game.

Thieves in Germany make off with millions in a holiday heist. Police say the thieves, they drilled into a vault through a wall during the Christmas holiday and then broke into thousands of safety deposit boxes.

Now, angry bank customers are demanding answers from the bank about which boxes were hit.

Police say witnesses saw several men with large bags in a nearby parking garage Saturday night, and a car speeding away from the garage with masked men inside.

After the break on CNN THIS MORNING, from the Gaza ceasefire, to Bondi Beach and Venezuela, we are looking back at the international stories that shaped 2025.

Plus, ringing in the new year with frigid temps. The winter weather hitting much of the country.

And good morning to New York, where it is right now 27 degrees. Yikes.

Countdown to 2026 with your favorite duo. New Year's Eve live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen starts tonight at 8 on CNN. And you can also watch on the CNN app.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:20:44]

ABLE: A brazen heist at the Louvre Museum. The election of an American pope and the return of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. Those, just some of the stories that topped international headlines this year.

CNN's Clarissa Ward takes a look back. And a warning: you may find some of the images you are about to see disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The heist of the century. In just seven minutes, four thieves raided the Louvre in October and fled in broad daylight with more than $100 million worth of crown jewels.

French police have since arrested the suspected thieves and their associates. The hunt for the jewels continues.

Two gunmen opened fire at the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. A ten-year-old girl and a Holocaust survivor among 15 people killed in the deadliest mass shooting the country has seen in decades.

Heroic bystanders risked their lives to stop the attackers, including this Muslim Syrian immigrant.

Thousands of mourners gathering to honor the victims, urging the government to examine its response to rising antisemitism and to tighten its gun laws.

An Air India plane, en route to the U.K., crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport in June, plummeting into a residential area and killing 260 people, including everyone on board except for one passenger, Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, a British national who miraculously survived the crash.

Intense monsoon season hits South and Southeast Asia with back-to-back cyclones unleashing catastrophic floods and landslides in November, displacing millions of people across Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

A combination of rare weather phenomena amplified by the manmade climate crisis, killing at least 1,700 people. Hundreds of others are still missing.

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT: Just peace. Not war.

WARD (voice-over): This was Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's response to the mounting U.S. pressure on his government.

MADURO: Peace alone (ph).

WARD (voice-over): Seemingly unfazed by the U.S. seizure of a sanctioned tanker carrying Venezuelan oil, a move that came on the heels of U.S. military strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific that have killed at least 100 people since September.

While the campaign is scrutinized domestically, with accusations that a double-tap strike in September could constitute a war crime, it is stoking tension across the Americas as leaders question Trump's real motives.

GUSTAVO PETRO, COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Oil. Venezuela has one of the largest, if not the largest reserves of oil in the world.

WARD (voice-over): The United Nations declared famine in two Sudanese cities in November, warning that nearly half of the population across the African country face extreme food shortages due to a brutal, years-long civil war that has displaced more than 12 million and killed tens of thousands of people.

The battles between the Sudanese army and the rebel paramilitary Rapid Support Forces left a trail of destruction across the country.

Both sides are sanctioned by the U.S. for alleged atrocities that include mass killings and rape, mediators failing to get them to agree on a sustained ceasefire, and what the U.N. calls one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.

TRUMP: You're gambling with World War III, and what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country.

J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Have you said thank you once this entire meeting? No.

[06:25:02]

WARD (voice-over): The public humiliation of the Ukrainian president at the White House sent shockwaves across the world. Alarmed European allies tried to placate the American president, increasing defense spending and showering Trump with praise.

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: This president, when it comes to it, yes, he's a man of peace. But if necessary, he is willing to use strength.

WARD (voice-over): The comparison to the warm reception the Russian president received six months later in Alaska wasn't lost on anyone.

TRUMP: Thank you very much, Vladimir.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Next time in Moscow.

WARD (voice-over): The Ukraine-Russia war Trump once said he could stop on day one of his presidency continues. Attacks on Kyiv got deadlier, and Russia made gains on the front line. Ukraine and NATO leaders voicing unease with Russian demands in the U.S. peace proposal.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Now, Ukraine may find itself facing a very difficult choice: either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: Breaking news into CNN. Pope Francis has died.

WARD (voice-over): The ailing Pope Francis made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday. His signature brand of tolerance evident throughout his funeral, as world leaders and mourners from across the globe paid their respects, providing the world with a much-needed moment of unity.

Behind closed doors, cardinals elected the first American-born pontiff, Pope Leo XIV.

Israel struck nuclear and military facilities in Iran in June. The unprecedented air campaign killed dozens of high-profile Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists.

Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones in retaliation.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: They're the arch terrorists of the world. They want to have nuclear terrorism, which will put the entire world under nuclear blackmail.

AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, SUPREME LEADER OF IRAN (through translator): The Zionist regime has made a big mistake, a grave error.

WARD (voice-over): For 12 days, the skies of Tehran and Tel Aviv were lit with a terrifying blaze of missiles and interceptors. Explosions rocked military targets and civilian areas, claiming the lives of hundreds of people in Iran and 29 in Israel, pushing the region closer to all-out war.

TRUMP: A short time ago, the U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes.

WARD (voice-over): U.S. bombers struck the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities, leading to a dramatic end to the conflict.

The two countries agreed on a ceasefire on June 24.

Flanked by world leaders, President Trump signed the Gaza ceasefire deal in Egypt in October. Bringing the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages back home. And ending the two-year war that the U.N. says killed over 70,000 people in the Palestinian enclave.

The horrific humanitarian situation in Gaza had drawn international condemnation, with a U.N. body declaring famine in parts of the North. Hundreds of Palestinians lost their lives due to starvation and in shootings at the few aid distribution sites.

TRUMP: This took 3,000 years to get to this point. Can you believe it? And it's going to hold up, too.

WARD (voice-over): A promise undermined by regular infractions and continued strikes. And both sides have yet to agree on the second phase of the deal that could one day bring an enduring end to this conflict.

Clarissa Ward, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Straight ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, food fight. In just hours, SNAP recipients in several states will see new rules on what they can and cannot buy.

Plus, President Trump approves a National Guard deployment in New Orleans, one year after a deadly attack.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)