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One World with Zain Asher
Swiss Officials Believe Deadly Fire Caused by Campagne Sparklers; Families Wait for Word on Missing After Fire at Swiss Bar; Trump Addresses Scrutiny of His Health in WSJ Interview; Trump Says Daily Doses of Aspirin Cause Hand Bruising; Trump Administration Slashes FEMA Disaster Response Staff; Euro Adoption Met with Celebration, Skepticism in Bulgaria. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired January 02, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: We have more information about the victims of that deadly fire that ripped through a Swiss ski resort bar on New
Year's Eve. "One World" starts right now. Swiss authorities are sharing new details about the likely cause of the fire that killed at least 40 people.
We will take you live to the scene. Plus, President Trump taking, talking in detail rather about his health in one of the most extensive interviews
yet about what may be behind his hand bruising. And I'll speak with the writer, director and actress, Cherien Dabis, from "All That's Left of You".
Jordan's official entry the 2026 Academy Awards for the best international feature film. Coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. Bianna is
off today. You are watching "One World". You begin with family's desperate search for answers. This after a New Year's party fire raged through a
squis, Swiss rather ski resort bar.
At least 40 people have died, 119 more injured. This next disturbing video appears to show the initial moments from when that fire started. And in
another video, the fire can be seen growing larger as panic begins to set in and people actually do try to escape.
The chief prosecutor says that sparklers in a champagne bottle may have actually started this blaze. Last hour, Swift officials providing new
insight. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEATRICE PILLOUD, VALAIS CANTON ATTORNEY GENERAL: All, and I would emphasize, all possible lines of investigation will be pursued, none will
be left aside. Some hypotheses can be confirmed as things stand today. It can be assumed that the fire arising from fireworks which have were put on
champagne bottles came too close to the ceiling.
And that produced a flash over which occurred very quickly, leading to general combustion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Right. Swiss medical officials are being having a press conference right now. Lucy and Switzerland, let's listen about the fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seek to carry out Swiss and European coordination, which is underway. I'm told I've run out of time, but there will be
individual, one on one interviews available after this press conference. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right, obviously, we just caught the tail end of that Swiss press conference with medical officials. We will, of course, let you know
any information we're learning about not just the cause of the fire, but the update on the injured. We know that 40 people were killed, about 119
injured.
Hopefully, those officials did update the public on the status, especially of those who were injured as and when we get more information, we will
bring that to you. And earlier, CNN spoke with Julia Hamilton, CGTN, Switzerland Correspondent in Crans-Montana, let's take a listen to what she
said.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA HAMILTON, SWITZERLAND CORRESPONDENT, CGTN: 150 medical staff, 13 helicopters, 40 ambulances, and so much more were deployed to help with
this operation. And the investigation is still ongoing, of course, and right behind the device blocked off by the police.
And there are forensic investigators inside, fire brigade, police officers, and of course, the now the police are saying that the most important fact
to do is to support families and to identify the victims. 40 people have been confirmed dead, but their identification is still underway, and that's
what the prosecutor, that's what the police are saying is their priority right now --
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, and we heard that there are, of course, many, confirm now, many international victims who are part of this.
We're hearing that the families have been arriving into Switzerland, that they have been, you know, going to hospitals, but many of them are still,
you know, in the dark as to the identification of the victims.
[11:05:00]
Do you know what support, what psychological support, what other support they are being offered as they you know, they go through this unbearable
period of waiting?
HAMILTON: Yes, exactly. So, it's unbearable waiting. That's exactly what the authorities said. And they, of course, understand that that's what the
families are having to go through right now, and they're doing the utmost to identify the victims as quickly as possible.
And yeah, exactly so the police said that 119 people have been confirmed injured, and 113 of them have been identified, and they are very
international. And in fact, 71 Swiss, 14, French, 11 Italian, 4 from Serbia and Bosnia, Poland, Portugal, Belgium, Turkey, Romania. So, there's many of
nationalities involved in those injured as well.
And of course, with the 40 people confirmed dead, they don't they haven't confirmed their nationalities yet. But yes, if the families have been
receiving psychological help here on site, and also there's a help line has been set up for families and friends to try to identify to gain some
information about their relatives and where they may be, because people have been taken to hospitals around the country and even to neighboring
country like Italy, Germany and France.
So, it's very difficult for the families to know exactly what happened to the loved ones and where they are.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Local Reporter Julia Hamilton. I want to go straight now to Nic Robertson, who joins us live now from Crans-Montana in Switzerland. So,
Nic, authorities, as we just had there, are still working at this point on identifying the victims, which is obviously a grim task and especially
difficult given the circumstances.
But we are learning a little bit more about what possibly may have led to this fire. The possibility that it was because of sparklers attached to
champagne bottles. What more we hearing on that front?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, this is what the prosecutor said at a press conference in the last few hours. We've seen
images of the fire spreading quickly. We've even seen images of what appears to be champagne bottles being held close to the ceiling with
sparklers in them, indoor fireworks, if you will, by the staff in the bar.
And this is now what the prosecutors are saying they believe triggered the fire, that it was the sparks getting too close to the ceiling, and then
that caused the sort of the flash over of the fire, and that's why it spread so quickly. Now, the prosecutor was asked about the acoustic ceiling
tiles that had been seen in photographs.
And the prosecutor said, look, we don't know yet if it was because of the acoustic foam tiles that were on the ceiling of the bar. If that was the
reason that the sparks were able to trigger a fire so quickly, and why it spread so quickly. So that, that is a continuing part of the investigation,
I have to say, having sort of been standing here all day and watching the steady flow of people from Crans-Montana and Iran bringing flowers, and a
lot of people you'll see go by with flowers.
You can see they're sad. You can see there are tears in people's eyes. But there was a very harrowing moment earlier on today, while we were here. And
this really gets to that question of identifying the injured, identifying the dead, providing that information for families.
There was a father in the road here earlier today. He was on his knees in tears and unconsolable, and his brother was with him, trying to console
him. There were onlookers, strangers who didn't know him, trying to help him through the grief. And you just feel it for people who are suffering in
this way.
And this is what just one of the many family members who are waiting for that information, are the loved ones going to survive? Where are the loved
ones? Are the loved ones still alive? Are they on the list of the missing? We know 40 people are dead, but that number could still go up, and that's
the sort of feeling here.
We're getting information from the prosecutors. We're learning more about the nationalities of people who are injured, the help coming from European
countries. 50 of the injured have been taken to European countries to get specialist burns treatment, but it's the families that are still here and
still trying to get answers.
I think that's where people's hearts and emotions and thoughts are at the moment, Zain.
ASHER: That is just heartbreaking, especially what you said about the father who was on his knees crying, unconsolidated. Nic Robertson, let's
leave it there. Please let us know if you find out any more information. Thank you so much. Right, turning now to the unrest Iran.
President Trump warning Iran that the U.S. will intervene if it kills protesters. On social media earlier today, he wrote that if Iran shoots and
violently kills peaceful protesters, the U.S. is, in his words, locked and loaded and will come to their rescue.
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His comments come after an Iranian news agency reported that at least five people had been killed and more than a dozen injured in connection to
recent protests. People have taken to the streets across Iran this week as inflation skyrockets and Iran's currency drops to record lows.
CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us live now from Abu Dhabi with the latest developments. Just walk us through, first and foremost, what the fears are
that this could end up becoming these kinds of protests could end up becoming as large as what we saw in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini.
But also, just how Iran's economy being in so much trouble right now, with the currency being at record lows, with inflation being at 50 percent with
obviously, an over reliance on oil exports, and, of course, the U.S. sanctions hurting the economy, how has that affected the livelihoods of
ordinary Iranians, Paula?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Zain, the people that you're seeing on the streets at this point is largely the shopkeepers, the traders, and
also students a number of different universities have joined in these protests as well. It's unclear whether it will spread further within the
community, but it really is those that are feeling the economic pain the most, as you say, the currency has dropped to a record low.
We have been seeing inflation and the cost of living becoming unbearably high for many people, those protesters on the street at the moment are
blaming government mismanagement. They say that they have mishandled the situation and do not believe that they are able to try and rectify this
deepening economic crisis that we have been seeing in Iran.
Just to give you a couple of figures, to put it into context, the inflation rate is at more than 40 percent in December, year on year, and the food
prices rise has been more than 70 percent over the same period of time. So, people on the street are really feeling the economic pain of this.
And so that is why you are seeing, most notably, these shopkeepers and traders that are coming out onto the street, despite the fact that we have
seen in the past very bloody and deadly crack downs. Now you mentioned 2022. it is the largest protest we've seen since that time, and they are
the sort of protests that the regime cannot ignore.
Back in 1979 with that Islamic revolution that the traders and the merchants really did play a crucial role within that revolution which
deposed the monarchy and brought the Islamists to power. So, they certainly do have an ability to mobilize in numbers, to come out on the street, as we
are seeing.
But the concern is, of course, whether it will turn more deadly than we have already seen. State media saying that at least five have been killed
across the country in different locations at this point, as there have been clashes with the police, but the U.S. President has said that the U.S. will
step in if they see that peaceful protesters are being killed, shot and killed on the streets.
Now we did see a fairly swift response from Tehran, from officials themselves. One official saying that U.S. interference would lead to quote,
the destruction of American interests. Another also said that Iran's national security is a red line, and the U.S. should not be involved in it.
But it is a significant move that we have heard that from the U.S. President, a very swift response, as I said, from Tehran itself. And what
we are waiting to see now is whether or not these protests gain momentum, whether or not more than simply the economic traders and market goers and
students come out on the street and support as well, Zain.
ASHER: We'll see. Paula Hancocks, live for us. Thank you so much. Right still to come, Donald Trump addresses scrutiny of his health in a lengthy
interview, what he says is behind the bruising on his hands. Plus, Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as New York City's brand-new mayor. Why his
inauguration is making history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do solemnly swear.
ZOHRAN MAMDANI, MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: Do solemnly swear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:15:00]
ASHER: Right, Donald Trump is addressing recent scrutiny of his health in a new interview published by "The Wall Street Journal". The U.S. President
says the bruises seen on his hand for months now are because he takes a larger daily dose of aspirin than his doctors recommend.
He says he does that to thin out his blood. Trump, who is 79 also denied that he has dozed off at recent public events. He says that he's just
closing his eyes, which he says is very relaxing, and he downplayed concerns about his hearing, saying he only struggles with that when there
are a lot of people talking in his words.
Let's go straight now to CNN's Alayna Treene in Washington. So, this interview with "The Wall Street Journal" is obviously peaking a lot of
interest, because Trump rarely talks about his health. So, the fact that he's done so in this really lengthy interview has led to a lot of intrigue.
But also, the fact that the president is technically the second oldest president in U.S. history, after Joe Biden as well. So, then there's that
factor to Alayna.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Oh, absolutely. Actually, President Trump is older when he entered office for his second term than
Biden was when he was first sworn in to the White House. But all to say, it has, of course, drawn comparisons because of their age, and that's actually
something that is very sensitive to Donald Trump.
It's kind of a touchy subject for him, and that's part of why this interview that he conducted with "The Wall Street Journal" was an impromptu
interview. They had not reached out for an interview about this fort with the president. They had, of course, gone to the White House with their
reporting.
But he was the one who picked up the phone and called "The Wall Street Journal" reporters because he wanted to defend himself when it comes to
issues of his medical record and his health overall. So that was really an interesting part of this. But look, there's a lot of things that the
president revealed in this.
One is what he mentioned, Zain. He said he takes more aspirin, a larger dose of aspirin daily than his doctors recommends. His physician said that
he takes 325 milligrams of aspirin per day. They want him to take less. He also said that they recommended he wear compression socks.
He said I did that for a little bit, but then decided I didn't like that. That's of course, because of the swelling in his legs. That's due to what
his doctors have said is his chronic venous insufficiency, essentially poor circulation, and so something that they've been monitoring as well.
And then he also said he had gotten advanced imaging at a doctor visit earlier this year. There was a lot of tension over that, because the White
House initially hadn't disclosed that, and then the president came out and had said he had an MRI, while this story makes clear, and his doctors made
clear in the story that he actually had a CT scan to make sure that everything was, you know, working correctly in the president's body.
All to say, he said he wished he didn't get that, because, excuse me, a little feedback here. He said he wished he didn't get that, because it's
drawn even more scrutiny to his health. But I do want to read you the one quote, Zain, that I just found to be amazing in this you mentioned it, but
he it's about the aspirin and why he takes it daily.
[11:20:00]
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? He also went on later to say that he's very superstitious, something that is very much true about
the president, and that's why he's continued to take the same larger dose of aspirin every day.
But look, this has been a story that, as you mentioned, has garnered so much attention because the White House has not often been as transparent as
I think a lot of people in the public had hoped they would be about his medical information. And there's been a lot of questions as well because of
the images.
You know, we have great photographers at the White House who have gotten these very detailed images of the president's hand and the heavy bruising
and how they try to cover it up with makeup or bandages or have him shielding it from the cameras, and so all of this kind of one of the most
extensive looks at his health.
But also, one of the most extensive conversations that Trump has had with journalists on the issue, and again, one that he very much wants to defend
himself from, and any comparisons to his predecessor, which is why you saw him take to social media this morning, continuing to argue that his doctors
say that he is an exceptional health at this point in time.
ASHER: Right, Alayna Treene, live for us there. Thank you so much. Happy New Year. Right, let's bring in Dr. Jonathan Reiner, joining us live now.
He's a CNN Medical Analyst and a Professor of Medicine and Surgery at George Washington University. He was a long-time cardiologist for Former
Vice President Dick Cheney as well.
So certainly, the perfect person to speak to. Dr. Reiner, thank you so much for being with us. I mean, obviously it's difficult to speculate over
someone's health, and I do want to be respectful of that. But obviously, given the president's job, it is, of course, in the public interest to know
what his medical condition actually is.
When it comes to what the president says in this article about taking more aspirin than what his doctors have recommended. Your take on that number
one, and could that be, then the reason, from a doctor's perspective, as to why you would see that kind of bruising on his hands, which is what the
president is saying here.
DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, he's taking four times more aspirin than we would recommend. Low dose aspirin therapy in the United
States is 81 milligrams. In other parts of the world, it's 100 milligrams, but he's taking clearly, much more than that.
And we don't use higher doses of aspirin for prevention because it doesn't add any benefit. So, it doesn't reduce a patient's risk anymore, but it
does increase the risk of bleeding, and so some of the bleeding can be as simple as a bruise, but importantly, bleeding can be more significant.
You can get internal bleeding, and you can get bleeding in your brain. So, some of the bleeding can be quite severe. So, it doesn't make much sense to
me, why the president would continue to take a higher dose of aspirin when he has demonstrable bruising, you know, visible on his hands, and we, of
course, don't know if there's bruising in any other place.
One other point about the aspirin is that there really is no least wide line directed reason why the president should be taking aspirin. We don't
routinely treat people over the age of 70 with routine aspirin therapy unless they've had something like a heart attack or a stent or stroke in
the past.
And none of what has been disclosed about the president's history would suggest that he has had any of those events. So, he's taking too much
aspirin and for reasons that are very much unclear.
ASHER: And what are the risks of somebody taking at that age? President is 79, he's 80 in June. What are the risks for somebody taking that much
aspirin every single day and doing that it sounds like for a number of decades?
REINER: Right, so, aspirin has several effects. It's a drug that's been around with us for more than a century. It impairs one of the blood
elements called platelets, which are involved in clotting. So high doses of aspirin can make your blood less likely to clot. They don't, as the
president say, thin your blood.
That's really not a meaningful medical term, but they do reduce the propensity of the blood to clot. So, if you have a reduced clotting
capacity, then you're more likely to bleed. And as I said earlier, you can bleed it in multiple parts of your body. The other issue with aspirin is
that it can be caustic in someone's stomach, so it can promote things like gastric ulcers or gastrointestinal bleeding.
So, it's a real medicine with real benefits. It's, you know, it's not just a painkiller, and there are side effects to it.
[11:25:00]
So, we only want to use this medicine or any other medication when we have a reasonable expectation of benefit, and we don't know how or why the
president would benefit from this and when there's minimal evidence of risk. And we do know that this drug does offer some risk, and we're seeing
some of the side effects with the bruising.
High doses of aspirin might indeed cause the president to have this kind of visible bruising. As people get older, they are more prone to falls, and if
you're less likely to clot effectively, a fall can be risky on a medicine like aspirin. And sometimes older people like the president actually do
develop very fragile, very thin skin, which would cause the discoloration that you see now.
ASHER: Right. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, thank you so much. Appreciate it. All right, New York officially has a new Mayor Zohran Mamdani was sworn in
Thursday, making history as the city's first Muslim mayor and the youngest person to hold the office in more than a century.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I Zohran Kwame Mamdani.
MAMDANI: I Zohran Kwame Mamdani.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do solemnly swear.
MAMDANI: Do solemnly swear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That I will support the Constitution of the United States.
MAMDANI: That I will support the Constitution of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Constitution of the State of New York --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The 34-year-old immigrant from Uganda, who was born in Uganda has taken the political scene by storm campaigns on a promise to tackle the
city's affordability crisis. He spoke unapologetically at his New Year's Day inauguration about his principles and his progressive politics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAMDANI: The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations. We may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of
lacking the courage to try. I was elected as a Democratic socialist, and I will govern as a Democratic socialist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Mamdani was sworn into office by independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders using a Quran from the New York Public Library. Right, still to
come, a U.S. official says that Venezuela is detaining Americans as Washington ups its pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolas
Maduro.
Details ahead on that. Plus, when disaster strikes, they're the first federal boots on the ground. Why FEMA is now slashing some core jobs, and
that's in our CNN exclusive report ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ASHER: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some headlines that we are watching for you today. New details in the
aftermath of a deadly fire at a Swiss ski resort bar. The chief prosecutor says that sparklers in champagne bottles may have started the blaze.
Authorities also say the number of injured has risen to 119 and includes people from nine European countries. Multiple people do still remain
unaccounted for, though. President Trump sends a warning to Iran that the U.S. is, quote, locked and loaded and ready to come to the aid of
protesters there if Iran kills any peaceful demonstrators.
His comments come after reports of at least five people killed this week in connection to antigovernment demonstrations. Happening a short time ago,
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's press conference had to be evacuated after a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico's Southern State of
Guerrero.
The quake triggered alerts in Mexico City, sending hundreds of people fleeing from buildings. So far, there are no reports of any serious damage.
The U.S. official says that Venezuela has detained at least five Americans in recent months, as Washington ramps up its pressure campaign against
Venezuela, the president there, Nicolas Maduro.
Trump Administration officials believe the Maduro regime is trying to build leverage against the U.S., this as U.S. continues to attack boats it claims
are engaged in drug trafficking. For more on developments in Venezuela. Let's bring in CNN's Sean Lyngaas, who joins us live now from Washington,
D.C.
Sean, thank you so much for being with us. Just in terms of the number of Venezuelans who are being detained and the numbers specifically, who are
wrongfully detained at this point in time, what more do we know? Because Venezuela is clearly, as it has done in the past, using these detained
Americans as leverage and as bargaining chips, as the U.S. continues to ramp up pressure on Maduro himself.
SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: Right, Zain, well, what we're reporting right now is that over the last several months, the Venezuelan
security forces have detained at least five Americans. The circumstances around those detentions seem to vary, and U.S. officials are trying to
gather more information about that, about each case.
But as you said in the past, and Venezuela and other authoritarian countries have used the tension of American citizens as leverage to try to
extract concessions out of the U.S. government. We saw that with Russia for many years in its effort to free people held here, Russians held in the
U.S.
So, it's a tried and proven tactic, and we'll see if this prompts any increased dialog between Maduro and Washington. Just this week, Maduro has
said that he's willing to talk about drug trafficking with Washington. Let's take a listen at what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT: We must start to speak seriously with the facts in hand. The U.S. government knows that, because we have said it
a lot to their interlocutors, that if they want to speak seriously about an agreement to battle drug trafficking, we are ready to do that.
If they want Venezuela's oil, Venezuela is ready to accept U.S. investments like those of Chevron, when, where and how they want to make them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LYNGAAS: So, Zain, those comments have come at very interesting time as the U.S. continues to strike boats that are traveling in the Caribbean from
Venezuela and other countries, and that the CIA conducted a drone strike last month on a facility in Venezuela, as CNN reported.
So, there's a lot of U.S. pressure kinetically with military might, and then there's Maduro's public comments here, and also what we know about
what the Venezuelans have done to detain Americans. So, there's a sort of something has to give, and we're watching this closely to see how it
develops, Zain.
ASHER: All right. Sean Lyngaas live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Right, now to a CNN exclusive, the Trump Administration is
abruptly downsizing staff who are some of the first boots on the ground during any kind of natural disaster. Dozens of members of FEMA on call
response and recovery teams got an email on New Year's Eve and learned that they would be losing their jobs within days as their contracts expire.
[11:35:00]
That's according to internal emails and sources familiar with the plan, the cuts target female so called core staff, which are actually the backbone of
the agency's response in an emergency. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson denied that any new policy has been implemented.
CNN's Gabe Cohen joins us live now from Washington. I mean, this could impact a lot of workers who are deployed during wild fires, for example,
floods, hurricanes and other national emergencies. What do we know here at this point, Gabe?
GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, could Zain, and there's a lot we don't know at this point. I will tell you that there is a lot of shock still
making its way through FEMA, because this happened really abruptly on New Year's Eve. Trump's Department of Homeland Security sending these notices
to roughly 50 FEMA disaster workers.
Anyone whose employment contract at the agency is expiring between January 1st and January 4th of this year. All of them told their positions are
being eliminated and their services are no longer needed. But what the big question is now is, what is this going to mean for the thousands of FEMA
workers whose contracts are going to expire after January 4th over the course of this year.
As you mentioned, Zain, a lot of these workers are really critical to what FEMA does. Part of what's known as core, described to me as really the
backbone of FEMA, some of the first federal boots on the ground to deploy two disaster zones and help communities recover.
As one senior official put it to me, FEMA cannot do disaster response and recovery without core employees. The regional offices are almost entirely
core staff, and so the first FEMA people who are usually on site during a disaster will not be there if core is cut. And the impact would be that
states are on their own.
And that is a key point, because, as we have been reporting for months now, the Trump Administration is trying to shift more of the responsibility for
disasters from the federal government on to states. And just last month, we obtained this list of recommendations from the task force that President
Trump assembled to help him overhaul FEMA, and one of their key proposals is cut the agency staff in half.
Now this is far from a 50 percent reduction in force across the agency. We're really just talking about 50 people at this point. But again, we're
now waiting to see what happens to all of those expiring contracts, thousands of workers who are in limbo and are going to see their contracts
expire at some point over the course of this year.
I've spoken to several senior FEMA officials who said these cuts feel very arbitrary at this point. It could be a sign that more cuts are coming. But
I do want to note, Zain, that DHS has said there is no new policy at this point for these workers. They told me that the core program consists of
term limited positions that are designed to fluctuate based on disaster activity, operational need and available funding.
Core appointments have always been subject to end of term decisions consistent with that structure, and there's been no change to policy. So
essentially, what they're saying is these contracts always come and go, and if an employee is no longer needed, they are not going to be part of the
agency anymore.
But this type of broad termination, based on the sources I'm talking to, it seems quite out of the ordinary, and it raises quite a few questions about
how many more cuts there are going to be as the Trump Administration looks to shrink FEMA.
ASHER: Yeah, and that is the fear for a lot of agencies, workers. Gabe Cohen live for us there. Thank you so much. Director, writer and actress,
Cherien Dabis' latest film is the story of a Palestinian family's history and battles throughout generations. She joins us next to talk about her
film "All That's Left of You".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:00]
ASHER: The new film "All That's Left of You" is set to open in the United States later this month. That tells the story of a Palestinian teenager who
has swept into a West Bank protest. The boy's mother Chronicles their family's story and the events that led to this fateful moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As long as Dad is here you don't have to be scared.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What use are we as parents if we can't protect our kids?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All That's Left for You, "All That's Left of You", rather, premiered at Sundance, where it was very well received, and Jordan has picked the
film to be its official Oscar candidate in the best international feature category. Want to bring in the writer, director and actress from "All
That's Left of You".
Palestinian American Cherien Dabis, who joins us live now. Cherien, thank you so much for being with us. I mean, obviously, when you talk about this
film, you have to obviously look at the context, just in terms of what's happening right now on the ground with the current war.
Just talk to us about a narrative here in terms of what the audiences will see and experience when they sit down to watch the film. But how that
narrative has become that much more layered and complex given the backdrop of the current war on Gaza?
CHERIEN DABIS, PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN ACTRESS AND DIRECTOR: Yes, of course. Zain, thank you so much for having me. "All That's Left of You" is an epic
intergenerational drama that traces the story of love and loss across three generations of one Palestinian family.
It's a sprawling narrative in that it spans time from 1948 until almost the present day. So, at the same time that it's sprawling. It's also a very
personal and intimate narrative and character study that really closely follows its characters. You know, Palestine is often in the headlines,
which you just referenced.
And I really wanted to make a movie that took those headlines and put a human face on them, where we really got the chance to understand how these
decades of events that we've been reading about really have impacted people, and how people's lives, histories, identities have been shaped and
formed throughout these decades of political events and turmoil.
And so that's really what the narrative is. Of course, I conceived of the story many years ago. I began thinking about it in 2014. I wrote the script
in 2020. I had no way of knowing how vital and relevant this story would become, but in many ways, you know, I always knew that it was necessary to
tell the story, because it is a side of the narrative that has just been missing, virtually missing from the mainstream landscape.
It's, you know, it's been denied, it's been erased, it's been censored. I think that we see that more than ever today. And so, you know, the film
really provides vital context for how we arrive to where we are right now. It really tells the story of how Palestinians became refugees.
It shows a perspective that people rarely if ever get to see in mainstream media, film or television. So, from that point of view, I think it really
sheds light in a way that we've not really seen before in cinema, and it's the first film to ever really show the devastating impact of the ongoing
neck bit.
ASHER: Thank you for just sort of walking us through that, and a really thorough answer there.
[11:45:00]
But obviously one of the hardest things I imagine in terms of writing this movie would be the fact that you talk about it spanning seven decades. It
starts off in 1948. What does it mean to you? And talk to us about how complex it would have been to write and direct a story about history and
identity where, especially in that part of the world, those sorts of things are so deeply politicized and that they've always been politicized, but
they are especially politicized in today's climate?
DABIS: Well, I think that's exactly why I felt such a strong need to tell the story. And in many ways, you know, this is a story that's been with me
since I was a kid. You know, was a Palestinian-American growing up in the diaspora, in a place, you know, in rural Ohio, where I felt that people
didn't really know where Palestine was, who the Palestinian people were, what had happened to us?
And, you know, people really had no idea the history. Had no idea what happened to Palestinians in 1948 in order to create a Jewish majority
state. And so, I felt this visceral need to really show this perspective, and tell the story. And you know, in many ways, it's the story of one
Palestinian family that is the story of all Palestinian families, but is also a deep, really -- deeply relatable story about the extraordinary will
that it takes to survive and overcome tragedy and personal loss.
And that's really, I think, what the heart of this narrative is, you know, the title, "All That's Left of You", in many ways, alludes to, you know,
has many meanings to, it has multiple meanings, and can be interpreted in many different ways. But from my point of view as the writer, you know,
what's left of us at the end of the day, I hope, is love.
And you know, the film does end in a loving and hopeful way, despite everything that we see on screen.
ASHER: So, for young Palestinian-Americans, or rather Palestinians in the diaspora across the world, they sit down to watch this movie, what do you
hope they will take from it?
DABIS: Well, you know, I think that for Palestinians, it's deeply meaningful to see ourselves represented, because, sadly, it doesn't happen
often enough that we are represented. And you know, within this particular film, as you mentioned, we're seeing decades of our history on screen.
So, we're seeing parts of our history that have really never before been seen in cinema. You know, the film opens in 1948 in urban Palestine. We've
never really seen urban Palestine in cinema, you know. So, it's a very important chapter, I think, to show, especially to understand what's
happening today.
Because really what happened or what began, what kind of really, because you could say it began before 1948 but the neck, but of 1948 what really
happened in that year has continued. It never really ended, which is why we call it ongoing, the ongoing neck bit. It's something that has just
accelerated and accelerated until it is what we see today.
So, I think from the point of view of Palestinians, this is a deeply meaningful film and a very emotional one, because in many ways, it really
shows the intergenerational trauma that we all feel, the collective trauma of 1948 but the trauma that has been passed down through the generations,
that every Palestinian feels.
I think, for a non-Palestinian and even non-Arab audience, that this movie is, as I mentioned, also deeply relatable from the point of view of family,
from the point of view of showing you know, what happens when we can no longer protect our kids? You know, how does one parent under occupation in
the circumstances that we see in Palestine and in other parts of the world?
I think that, you know, parenting is a big theme in this film. I think, you know, we see different reactions to occupation. I think we understand
occupation in a way, through this film. We really see the different types of violence under occupation, not just physical violence, but psychological
violence, administrative violence.
We see the different kinds of things that Palestinians have really been suffering from. You know, we talk about occupation, we say this, this term,
but it actually is such a benign term for something that is so brutally violent, and I think that, you know, in some ways, the movie really shows
that.
And I think it opens people's eyes, you know, as I mentioned, to a perspective that they've not really seen, but also, I think really moves
people's hearts. I mean, certainly one of the things I've been so moved by is just the audience reactions that I've gotten see all around the world,
and it's just that the reaction has been very deeply emotional.
ASHER: Yeah, and I imagine it's deeply emotional regardless of whether they're Palestinians from the diaspora or a non-Palestinian audience as
well.
[11:50:00]
I loved what you said about representation, because you're right. It isn't very frequent. It's not very often that we see Palestinian movies
represented in the mainstream. And also, so many of the actors in this movie are actually also of Palestinian descent as well. Cherien Dabis,
thank you so much.
Good luck with your film, and you can see "All That's Left of You" in the U.S. in limited showings this month across theaters. All right, Bulgaria is
now using eurocurrency, but as the country joins hundreds of millions of other Europeans, euro is actually getting mixed reactions. That story after
the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Right, there is mixed reaction in Bulgaria as the country begins to use the euro as its new currency. It was formally adopted as the clock
struck midnight on New Year's Eve. More than 350 million Europeans are now using the same currency, but as Ben Hunte reports, Bulgarians are still
both in favor and against the euro.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN HUNTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The clutter of newly minted coins rolls off an assembly line shining with the national symbols of
Bulgaria. These new euros represent the Euro zones 21st member and a currency switch almost two decades in the making.
It's already a historic New Year in Bulgaria. On January 1st, cash machines began dispensing euros instead of the old Bulgarian currency, the Lev, bank
accounts were converted to euros, and there is a one-month transitional period where both the lev and the euro can be used for cash payments,
though, change will be given in euros. Some people say it's off to a good start.
STEFAN BISTREKOV, DRIVING INSTRUCTOR: Our money will be in a different currency. If I have 10,000 levs now, I will have 5100 euros. It's all the
same, and I think it will be better.
HUNTE (voice-over): But it's taken a long time for Bulgaria to meet the economic criteria to adopt the euro after joining the European Union in
2007. It's one of the poorest countries in the EU. And polls show that about half the Bulgarians surveyed fear the currency switch will drive up
prices.
There are also worries about who's in charge during this critical period. The country's prime minister resigned last month after mass anti-corruption
protests over a 2026 budget proposal. And it's likely Bulgaria will soon face its eighth election in five years. Some people say it's just not the
right time for such a switch.
[11:55:00]
VANYA ILIEVA, CASHIER: Right now, is probably the most inappropriate time, given the situation in all of Europe, these are my concerns. I don't think
anyone has anything against the euro as a currency, but rather to the timing. And ultimately, I don't believe that erasing and eliminating the
lev within the span of a single month is the best approach.
HUNTE (voice-over): Other Bulgarians say they expect it will go smoother than some people think.
ANTONIA TSVETKOVA, JEWELER: Anyone who goes on a trip will not have problems exchanging currency. Now, everything will be normal, even the
people in the shops are already prepared and have no worries about accepting the lev and giving euros back and change. These are normal things
that we will get used to in a week.
HUNTE (voice-over): National authorities have been set up to make sure businesses are fairly converting prices. And Bulgaria declared a public
holiday on Friday, with the hopes that as people go back to work on Monday, the euro will already be a part of their daily lives. Ben Hunte, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Stay with CNN. I'll have much more "One World" after the break, including more information about the victims of the deadly fire that ripped
through a Swiss ski resort bar on New Year's Eve.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
