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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Fire Kills Dozens In Switzerland; Trump Shares New Health Details; 2026 Vengeance Agenda. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired January 02, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:23]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. It's Friday, January 2nd, 5:00 a.m. here in Atlanta.

And straight ahead on EARLY START.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As crowds rang in the new year, a deadly fire tore through a packed bar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone got together, everyone did what they could. All the nearby residences restaurants everyone who was still awake helped.

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're getting some new insight into the health of Donald Trump. Some of those close to him feel that he's showing signs of aging.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I got an MRI. It was perfect.

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: But he's been busy airing his grievances.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Unleashing this combative string of posts on New Year's Eve, but also issuing some dubious claims against his political rivals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A Swiss resort town is in shock after a New Year's party turned into a tragedy. 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.

And in this video obtained and verified by CNN, you can see the initial moments the flames erupted. It appears to start on the ceiling and someone tries to smother the fire with a cloth, a warning. Some of what you will see and hear next is disturbing.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS) WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. I mean, this video is showing the fire spreading fast. Survivors say things quickly turned chaotic as flames rapidly engulfed the room, people rushing to get outside and hear shouts filling the bar, as people are trying to pull themselves out of the windows there away from the smoke-filled room. Others are trying to get down a set of stairs toward the street.

Here's how witnesses described the horrific scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone got together, everyone did what they could. All the nearby residences, restaurants, everyone who was still awake helped either with water, tea, blankets. It was a big shock, right? Everyone was very cold inside. And they come out suddenly, they're freezing temperature. So, I think people were, that was one of the biggest issues was the smoke, the fire, but also the temperature, extreme difference.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And in this station since 30 years already and for my remembrance, I see the things like that for the first time. It is a tragedy because the majority, I imagine, of the people touched by this drama, they are the young people who came for the holidays here in the mountains.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Horrible and so sad.

CNN's Nada Bashir is joining me now from London.

What more do you know, Nada?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the officials and authorities dealing with this tragic disaster have said that it is still very early stages in the investigation, the priority and key focus at this stage for. Officials is still trying to identify the victims of this deadly fire and to notify the family members.

At least 40 people are presumed dead as a result of this tragic disaster. Some 100 others have been injured. And we heard from officials yesterday speaking as part of a press conference which included the Swiss president, many of those who were inside the popular bar celebrating New Year's Eve that night were young people. We've been hearing from the parents of some of those young people about the experience. And, of course, some of them still waiting, their loved ones, their children still missing.

And there has been a huge outpouring, of course of support from not only emergency services across the country, but also now, internationally. We have had confirmation that some of those injured will be transferred to specialist hospitals in neighboring countries including France and Italy. We know of course that many of those injured in this disaster were airlifted for immediate care.

But, of course, we've seen now overnight more videos emerging showing the distressing scenes as that fire engulfed at the lounge bar. Authorities have described this just yesterday in that press conference as a flashover incident.

[05:05:04]

So, a huge outpour, a huge engulfing of flames across the room, making it very difficult for people to escape. And we saw those videos of people trying to get out of windows, trying to get out through narrow exits. So, certainly, a very terrifying scene.

WHITFIELD: Incredible.

All right. Nada Bashir, let us know as you learn more.

I want to bring in now, Stephen Mackenzie who's an independent fire consultant.

Stephen, great to see you.

I mean, just tragic circumstances. It's described this fire as, you know, spreading very fast, the damage so lethal. So what are the biggest challenges for investigators right now?

STEPHEN MACKENZIE, INDEPENDENTT FIRE CONSULTANT: The biggest challenge for investigators will be collating all the information, all the evidence, and actually digging down into the debris field. Unfortunately, fires a destructive event so they'll need to triangulate what they see on the fire scene, what the forensics are showing them, the sensitivities of any residual persons recovery from the unstable structure which will be a factor as well for the forensic fire investigators.

And then actually collating eyewitness account, CCTV, independent reports, but unfortunately, we are starting to see a lot of misinformation and disinformation hit social media platforms.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, and sadly, that always does seem to happen. That can be a distraction, but investigators have to still remain laser focused, right? I mean, witnesses are saying, you know, that the bar lounge was very crowded. That seems to be undisputed people were having a great time and also witnesses say, as tradition might be, there were sparklers and champagne bottles.

So, do any of those things seem to have played a role in your view?

MACKENZIE: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think we've got a number of coordinated resources at suggestion the sparklers from the champagne bottles are highly likely as the primary hypothesis to be the initiating event. The acoustic tiling. We can see images of that from various sources as well.

We are aware of that from the station nightclub fire in 2003, Rhode Island, America, which led to 100 deaths and 230 injured. Acoustic tiles were set far too by on stage pyrotechnics. It's a known issue.

The material that ignited is almost like plastic petrol. That's why we're seeing reports of many of the young people with first second third, and unfortunately fourth degree burns the material will have flaming droplets. We've seen that in the footage. It will rain down on those trying to evacuate as they're channeled into the basement level narrow single staircase, we believe fire exit and then we just see the absolute, non-adaptive behavior and crowd crush scenario at the final fire exit, which is just adding to the almost carnage off this instant.

I'm just struggling for words to describe what we are seeing and what we anticipate now.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, it is so tragic and just simply unbelievable.

Identifying bodies is also a real challenge right now it is a priority obviously but you know, what's going to be the process in this part of the investigation while simultaneously trying to find the cause of the blaze?

MACKENZIE: Yeah. I mean, I think person recovery will be paramount in the fire investigators' work. They need to do it slow. They need to do it sure, they need to have triangulated persons ID before they inform next to kin.

It's made more complicated because we don't know how many persons were unable and succumbed to smoke inhalation within the fire ground and then the dispersal of victims to a range of hospitals throughout Switzerland will add to the complexities.

Now, it's a massive exercise to identify those victims and the deceased, triangulate and make sure they've caught everyone whilst they actually dig down into the burn debris and do the forensic analysis on the fire ground when it's safe to do so. We don't know the status of the structure. It might be quite unstable.

And then we're going to have unfortunately all the coroner inquiries into how each and every person died and then the very sensitive operations of returning the deceased to their families for burial. It's a tragic, tragic, tragic case, which should not have happened.

WHITFIELD: Painstaking.

All right, Stephen Mackenzie, thank you so much for your expertise.

All right. Police are also 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 rang in and the building has been in the heart of the city since the late 1800s. 2026 is off to a rough start in the Netherlands where two people were killed in unrelated fireworks incidents and 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 toward banning fireworks sales.

And in a rare move, President Trump is addressing recent scrutiny of his health. "The Wall Street Journal" reached out to the white house with reporting that claimed some of those close to the 79-year-old president feel that he's showing signs of aging. This led an interview in which he said his excessive hand bruising is caused by the large amount of aspirin that he takes against the recommendation of his doctors.

Mr. Trump also talked about a cardiovascular test he underwent in October, insisting it was not an MRI, but rather a lesser CT scan. But that's not what he told reporters at the time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I did I got an MRI. It was perfect. I mean, I gave you, I gave you the full results. We had an MRI and in the machine, you know, the whole thing and it was perfect.

And an MRI, the doctor said it was the best result he has ever seen as a doctor. That's it but I had an MRI as part of my standard yearly or every, I think they do it every two years, but I have the physical every year and the result was outstanding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And the president also denied that he has been caught falling asleep during events like in this video right here. He says he was simply blinking.

Our Alayna Treene has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Donald Trump told "The Wall Street Journal" in an interview published Thursday that he takes a higher dose of aspirin than 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's 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 its 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 discoloration 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 Cheney. He says that the latest updates from Trump and his team raised 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 a 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)

WHITFIELD: All right. People in southern California are getting a short break from days of heavy rainstorms, but another line of storms is set to impact the waterlogged region starting later on today and more systems could hit the coast by early next week. Thursday saw widespread flooding in the San Diego area two interstates were swamped and many cars were submerged as you see right there under high water in the streets.

Teams from the San Diego Fire Department had to rescue several people who were trapped in their cars because of the flooding.

[05:15:06]

Protests are escalating in Iran where five people have now been killed across the country. We'll tell you what President Trump is saying about the unrest.

Plus, Russia claims it can back up its allegation that Ukraine targeted President Vladimir Putin's residence. Ahead, Russia's alleged evidence meant to contradict a CIA assessment.

And President Trump continues to air his grievances against his rivals and perceived enemies. A look at how he kicked off 2026 on social media, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The U.S. president is reacting to reports of more people being killed in Iran amid anti-government protests. Donald Trump posted on social media that the us would come to the protesters rescue and American forces were, in his words, locked and loaded.

[05:20:02]

It's unclear exactly what he meant. The threat came after an Iranian news agency said five people were killed and 17 injured in protest on Thursday. People across Iran took to the streets to protest against economic hardship as inflation skyrocketed and Iran's currency dropped to record lows.

Let's get more now from CNN's Paula Hancocks. She joins me now from Abu Dhabi.

So, how are Trump's words being received?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, they're not being received well in Tehran. That's for sure.

We have already seen a response from the Iranian national security advisor Ali Larijani. He has posted on X saying that any U.S. interference would cause, quote, disruption across the entire region and the destruction of American interests.

So, we are seeing these protests all week across different areas of Iran, but it is now expanded to the U.S. president getting involved and a very strong response from the Iranian government there as well. Now as you mentioned that the key issue behind these protests, the largest that we have seen in some three years in Iran, is economic hardship, the fact that that the currency has plummeted to a record low, that inflation is significantly higher and is causing hardship across the country.

In fact, some of the figures, the inflation rate in December year on year was over 40 percent, food prices rose more than 70 percent year on year. So, what we're seeing at the moment is shopkeepers, traders that have started these protests. We understand that students in a number of universities have been joining these protests as well.

It is unclear though whether or not, there will be more sections of the society that will decide to come out onto the streets as well we have seen loss of life. And in previous protests, we have seen some very bloody and deadly crackdowns from the regime itself. Now, we have heard from the president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, and he has said that they will be introducing banking and economic reforms. Whether those statements are enough to pacify the anger on the streets though is not clear at this point.

But we have been seeing tear gas being used in Tehran, for example. We have seen loss of life in other areas of Iran and it will be key really to see if any other elements of the Iranian society that wants to see this regime fall. Joining those on the streets, which we will be seeing in the coming days, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And I wonder, Paula, you know, why do protesters feel so emboldened to actually be out on the streets knowing that they could be facing the tear gas and the bullets? HANCOCKS: Well, we have been seeing in recent years a number of significant protests that have happened in Iran. Just three years ago, for example, after the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old girl who was taken into custody for wearing her headscarf improperly. She died and that brought a number of people out onto the streets protesting against the brutal crackdown by the so-called morality police.

There is increasing anger across Iran against this regime, which many -- want to see fall, do not believe are doing their job properly. And, of course, this economic pain on top of that is bringing other elements onto the streets as well -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. All right. CNN's Paula Hancocks, thank you so much.

All right, diplomatic efforts to reach a peace deal with Russia are moving to Ukraine this weekend. The so-called coalition of the willing will send its national security advisors for talks to Ukraine on Saturday. That's according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The leaders of those countries will follow up with their own meeting in France on Tuesday. Mr. Zelenskyy has said that a peace agreement is 90 percent done and some documents could be ready for signing this month meanwhile Russia claims it has provided the us with evidence that Ukraine targeted President Vladimir Putin's residence.

It says the evidence is data from one of the drones used in the alleged attack on Monday. U.S. officials earlier said the CIA concluded that the allegation is not true.

All right, it's still to come why Americans are being detained in Venezuela as tensions rise between the country's leader and President Trump. Plus, the U.S. ramps up its pressure campaign carrying out yet another strike on alleged drug boats. That story and more, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:29:07]

WHITFIELD: As tensions escalate between the U.S. and Venezuela, we are now learning that Venezuelan security forces have detained at least five Americans in recent months. That's 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.

And 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 a Venezuelan port.

And just on Wednesday, the U.S. announced the latest strikes it carried out targeting two alleged drug boats, which killed 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.