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The Situation Room
Fire at New Year's Eve Party in Switzerland; Trump Withdrawing the National Guard; Storms Headed for California; Bills Mafia for Life; Crusade for Christian Nationalism. Aired 9-9:30a ET
Aired January 01, 2026 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:00:37]
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and a very happy new year to you all. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world for a special edition of THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm Danny Freeman, in for Wolf and Pamela.
And we begin with breaking news this morning. New Year's Eve celebrations turning into tragedy. Police say dozens of people are presumed dead and around 100 others injured after a fire broke out during a New Year's party at a Swiss ski resort. Now this on your screen, this was the scene outside as the blaze ripped through a crowded bar in Crans-Montana, one of Switzerland's most exclusive destinations. And this morning we're learning what witnesses say caused that fire.
All right, for more on this let's go live now to CNN correspondent Nada Bashir in London.
Nada, what's the latest on this really sad story here?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Danny, we've heard updates from officials and police, as well as investigators looking at this tragic and devastating incident. As you mentioned, dozens are presumed to be dead. At least 100 are said to have been injured in this fire, which took place at a bar at a ski resort as many would have been celebrating New Year's.
Now, according to officials, that fire broke out at around 1:30 a.m. local time. We've been hearing from witnesses saying that they heard an explosion following the spread of that fire. And you can imagine the distress of many who had been celebrating New Year's as that fire broke out.
And we have heard some accounts from two witnesses who spoke to CNN affiliate BFM TV who have said, according to them in quotes, "there were waitresses carrying champagne bottles with sparklers on them, and they carried them close to the ceiling, which caused it to catch fire." Another witness said, "one waitress was standing on another waiter's shoulders and the bottle and the flames were just a few centimeters away from the ceiling." Now, important to note that officials have said they have not
confirmed the cause of the fire just yet. That it is still very much early in the investigation process. And investigators, experts are waiting for the venue to be secured before they can carry out a full scale investigation.
And as you can imagine, the priority now for many officials and, of course, the emergency services will be tending to the casualties and, of course, the family members and loved ones of those who were killed in the fire.
FREEMAN: Oh, man, such a terrible way to start the year. All right, Nada Bashir, thank you so much for that report. Appreciate it.
All right, also new this morning, Zohran Mamdani is officially the mayor of New York City. The 34-year-old Democratic socialist was sworn in around midnight and makes history as the city's first Muslim and south Asian mayor. Mamdani, who immigrated to the U.S. from Uganda, stunned the political world with his victory in last summer's Democratic primary. He ran a campaign focused on affordability, featuring promises for a universal childcare program, rent freezes and making city buses free to all passengers.
Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will introduce Mamdani at a public ceremony this afternoon. And progressive Senator Bernie Sanders will administer the symbolic oath of office.
Also, President Trump rang in the new year from Mar-a-Lago with no shortage of news. The president announced last night he's withdrawing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland. The U.S. travel ban on mostly African countries also went into effect at the stroke of midnight, with some countries announcing a reciprocal ban on American citizens.
And President Trump also delayed new tariff hikes on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities until 2027.
For more on all of this, let's go right now live to CNN White House reporter Alayna Treene in Washington, who's covering all these developments for us.
Alayna, great to see you. Happy New Year.
What can you tell us, though, about the start of President Trump's 2026? Seems like a busy one.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Always with this president and this administration, Danny. I'm going to get started on what you mentioned at the top there, which is about the president announcing that he is now removing National Guardsmen from three different places, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland. And he argued that even though crime is down, this is coming. It's also -- I think the timing of it is really important to note because it comes right after the Supreme Court essentially dealt a very, you know, a big blow to the Trump administration, saying they had to remove the guardsmen from Chicago. But the president posted yesterday saying, "we are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, despite the fact that crime has been greatly reduced by having these great patriots in those cities, and only by that fact." He also left the door open, though, Danny, to potentially deploying the Guard back to some of these places in the future, saying, "we will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form when crime begins to soar again.
[09:05:12]
Only a question of time." Again, I think notable because of this Supreme Court decision last week on Chicago specifically, kind of forcing the administration to change gears on some of their strategy here.
But the other thing, this travel ban. A big seven countries now are facing new travel bans starting today. As you mentioned, a lot of them also saying that they're going to have reciprocal bans because of this. I should note that the new guidance says that this applies to both immigrants and non-immigrants.
And then the delayed tariffs. That really comes, the delayed tariff push, on new kitchen cabinets, upholstered furniture and vanities being pushed back a year comes amid a big affordability push, of course, for this administration that they're going to be focusing on in the months ahead, Danny.
FREEMAN: A lot of headlines coming out of Mar-a-Lago.
Alayna Treene, as always, appreciate it. Good to see you. Thanks much.
All right, also happening now, California is bracing for yet another flood threat just days after the state weathered a Christmas week storm. Evacuation warnings are in place in areas within Los Angeles County, including the Eaton and Palisades neighborhoods burned by those historic wildfires last January. Those areas are watching for now potential debris and mudslides.
CNN's Derek Van Dam is tracking the storm as it sweeps through southern California, also affecting paradegoers this morning at the Rose Bowl.
Derek, what can you tell us about this?
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Happy New Year's, Danny.
You're right. So, we do have this slug of moisture that's already brought five inches of rain in parts of southern California. More localized for that five inch, but there's been reports of widespread one to two inches of rain in the areas that the majority of the population lives, right?
So, we're focusing in on the Los Angeles region. Of course, we've got the Tournament of Roses Parade today. It will be wet, but the conditions will improve through the course of the day. Remember, this slug of rain is coming after the Christmas week storminess that brought the torrential rain that exceeded a foot in some locations. So, the ground is still very saturated. So, adding additional rainfall to this, especially in those vulnerable communities, below the burn scars from earlier in 2025 that, of course, can be a concern for mudslides, debris flows and landslides.
So, with this wet forecast, expect a wet Tournament of Roses Parade. But the good news is, by the time the big game kicks off later in the afternoon hours, we do expect the precipitation to really wane and even die down completely for the most part. Damaging winds, maybe a brief tornado. We're watching that possibility as well. Some lightning potentially moving in across southern California and the greater Los Angeles area.
Danny.
FREEMAN: All right, hoping that people stay dry out there in southern California.
VAN DAM: Yes. Correct.
FREEMAN: Derek Van Dam, thanks so much for tracking all of that for us. Appreciate it.
VAN DAM: You got it.
FREEMAN: All right, just ahead, we'll take you to Pasadena ahead of CNN's special live coverage of this year's Tournament of Roses Parade. You're not going to want to miss it.
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[09:11:58]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Harry, welcome to Washington, D.C. We're not in Buffalo.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: We are not.
BLITZER: We're in Washington, D.C. But we're the home of exiles. This is a wonderful place where a lot of my Bills mafia folks hang out, especially during games.
ENTEN: If there's one thing I know about the Bills mafia, Wolf, is that it travels extremely well, whether it be to New York from Buffalo, or all the way down here to Washington, D.C. The bottom line is, there are Bills fans across the map.
BLITZER: Mafia.
ENTEN: There we go. Cheers.
BLITZER: Cheers.
ENTEN: To a Bills Super Bowl.
BLITZER: God willing. Let's hope.
ENTEN: I feel like this could -- this could be the year. But I feel like that's every year.
BLITZER: Every year we wake up and we say the same thing, this could be it. The Bills could go all the way.
ENTEN: The way.
BLITZER: Every year we say that. And then there's a little bit of disappointment.
ENTEN: That is true. But when it's too tough for them, it's just right for us.
BLITZER: And we're old enough to remember when the Buffalo Bills went to four, not three, but four Super Bowls in a row.
ENTEN: Yes.
BLITZER: And we lost four Super Bowls in a row.
ENTEN: Yes, but no other team has been the four Super Bowls in a row. So, when you look at it that way, we're a pretty gosh darn good run.
BLITZER: You're very optimistic.
ENTEN: I'm always optimistic. How can't you be with Josh Allen quarterbacking the team.
BLITZER: He's the big beautiful Bill as we say.
ENTEN: Oh, very, very nice.
BLITZER: Big beautiful Bill, Josh Allen.
ENTEN: You know, I guess the question that I have to ask you is, you know, the Bills, as we said, never won a Super Bowl. Why do you continue to root for the Bills?
BLITZER: Because I grew up in Buffalo and I'm a very sentimental kind of guy. When I was a little boy in Buffalo, my dad would take me to the old stadium and we would go to the Bills games. We didn't have great seats. We were usually in the end zone, someplace, but we loved watching, you know, a bunch of players like Cookie Gilchrist, if you remember Cookie.
ENTEN: I know Cookie Gilchrist.
BLITZER: Elbert Dubenion, people like that. I grew up watching them. And so, I became obsessed with the Buffalo Bills, and I loved the Buffalo Bills.
ENTEN: You know, when I went up to Buffalo, one of the places I visited was the Anchor Bar, home of the original buffalo wing. And look at what we have right here. BLITZER: Thank you very much.
ENTEN: Thank you, my dear friend.
BLITZER: Now, in case you've never seen this before.
ENTEN: Yes.
BLITZER: These are buffalo chicken wings. ENTEN: I -- you know what, I have heard of buffalo chicken wing. It's
pretty gosh darn good. I think it was created at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo in I think 1963 or '64.
BLITZER: Have you been there, to the Anchor Bar?
ENTEN: I have. I was up there a few weeks ago. I was up in Buffalo. I saw a Bills game while I was up there. I was able to go onto the field after the game. I was able to do a snow angel in the end zone.
BLITZER: Oh, you were?
ENTEN: It was one of the best experiences. I met Thurman Thomas while I was up there.
BLITZER: Really?
ENTEN: Hall of Fame running back for the Buffalo Bills. He and his wife, Patti, are the nicest people, which again goes to the fact that the people in Buffalo are as kind as can possibly be.
Should we try one of these buffalo wings?
BLITZER: Now, let me just point out to you, in case you don't know this.
ENTEN: Yes.
BLITZER: When you eat buffalo chicken wings, you use your fingers.
ENTEN: Yes.
BLITZER: No knife and fork.
ENTEN: I --
BLITZER: I did that, and I got a lot of criticism for that.
ENTEN: But you know what? Now, you're going in. Now I like mine --
BLITZER: I dip it. You like it plain?
ENTEN: I like it naked. I like my wing naked because I like to taste the sauce. Let's have a bite of this. That's some good stuff. I mean --
BLITZER: Very tasty. ENTEN: It's easy to see how you can get addicted.
BLITZER: Now you know why we love buffalo chicken wings.
ENTEN: So, I got to ask you a question.
[09:15:00]
BLITZER: Yes.
ENTEN: Do you think the Bills are going to go all the way this year?
BLITZER: I think so.
ENTEN: Why do you think they're going to go all the way?
BLITZER: Because we've got a great team. Not just Josh Allen, who's great.
ENTEN: Yes.
BLITZER: James Cook, our running back.
ENTEN: Yes. Correct.
BLITZER: Do you know that the Bills, a few weeks ago, in connection with the holidays and everything, sent me James cookies.
ENTEN: Oh.
BLITZER: Have you ever had those cookies?
ENTEN: I've never had a James cookie.
BLITZER: They were delicious.
ENTEN: I've only had Josh's Jacks, the cereal, which, of course, has been sold in western New York before.
BLITZER: Yes.
ENTEN: I love any of the Bills cereals. You know, I grew up in the '90s. I remember Flutie Flakes. I remember -- I remember the Josh's Jacks.
BLITZER: Uh-huh.
ENTEN: I, you know, I used to say, and this is, I think, the thing that defines all Bills fans --
BLITZER: Yes.
ENTEN: Is that you're with them win, lose or draw. And I think we got a couple of these Jacks. Oh, here we go, look at these Josh's Jacks right here.
BLITZER: Wow.
ENTEN: This is what I'm talking about. This is the breakfast of champions, soon to be.
BLITZER: Number 17.
ENTEN: That's exactly right. Number 17, Josh Allen. He's our superman. There's no one else I want quarterbacking the team. When he's the QB, you're never out of the game.
BLITZER: And you think he'll be MVP again this year?
ENTEN: You know what, he's the MVP of my heart. And, you know what, I know a lot of numbers about the Bills. And I'll give you one mathematical equation.
BLITZER: Yes.
ENTEN: Josh Allen, plus James Cook, plus Dawson Knox, plus Dalton Kincaid, the wide receivers and that offensive line, that equals, my dear friend, Wolf Blitzer, that equals an offense that nobody wants to mess with. And when you combine it with a defense that makes the stops when it's necessary, I think that that is a winning combination.
BLITZER: And when I see Josh Allen run --
ENTEN: Oh.
BLITZER: He's the quarterback. He gets the ball and then he's pretending he's going to pass it but then he runs to the outside and scores a touchdown. How exciting is that?
ENTEN: I will tell you, when I was in Buffalo to watch those games, he had a run, a 40 yard run against the Cincinnati Bengal's. And you -- the crowd. I lost my voice.
BLITZER: Yes.
ENTEN: For four or five days because it's just so incredible. You're watching one of the best quarterbacks, in my opinion, of all time. And I just go to myself, man alive, we have been waiting for someone like this for such a long period of time.
BLITZER: Yes.
ENTEN: Or James Cook. He runs into (INAUDIBLE).
BLITZER: James Cook is amazing.
ENTEN: He slivers in there.
BLITZER: Yes.
ENTEN: And, you know, and Allen throws these passes and it's like.
BLITZER: And you know what else I love? The tush push. ENTEN: Oh.
BLITZER: Especially when Josh Allen does the tush push.
ENTEN: I think they call it -- what is that, the snowplow. We call it the snowplow.
BLITZER: I call it the tush push.
ENTEN: You call it the tush push like Philadelphia. He goes and, you know, and he always goes off center. Usually to the left.
BLITZER: Yes.
ENTEN: And he dives over. It's like, what I like to say is, the Bills, when they need four yards and it's third down, just run the snowplow twice. So, pick up two yards.
BLITZER: It's a special moment for all of us.
ENTEN: Can I ask you your favorite Bills memory?
BLITZER: A lot of them. But I loved -- my -- before there was Josh Allen, there was Jim Kelly. A great quarterback.
ENTEN: Of course.
BLITZER: But I don't know if you're old enough to remember Jack Kemp, when he was a Buffalo Bill.
ENTEN: Sure, who then served in the Bush administration.
BLITZER: He was a member of Congress after he retired from the Bills.
ENTEN: Yes.
BLITZER: He was a great quarterback. And I got to know him, not as a Bills quarterback, but as a member of Congress. I would go to his office and interview him. And we would talk about the Bills. And he then was a representative in Congress from my parent's district in western New York, outside of Buffalo. And we would always talk about it. And he was just a great guy. So, I always remember Jack Kemp and Daryle Lamonica.
ENTEN: Of course.
BLITZER: And Cookie Gilchrist. I don't know if you remember a guy named O.J. Simpson when he played for the Buffalo Bills.
ENTEN: I do know. He was an MVP with the Buffalo Bills. And I remember Cookie Gilchrist, of course.
BLITZER: Yes. He was a great running back. And I loved the Bills in all those years. And I knew all the players. And it was just an exciting time for me as a kid growing up watching my Buffalo Bills. And I still feel like I'm a kid watching my Buffalo Bills. ENTEN: That's exactly right. They won two AFL titles in the 1960s. A
lot of people don't know that. They won in '64 and '65.
BLITZER: Yes.
ENTEN: And you were watching them at War Memorial Stadium.
BLITZER: Of course.
ENTEN: I think about the memories that I have, and I think to myself, my father, you know, I grew up in the Bronx, so my father was not a natural Bills fan. And you think about all these weird memories. And I remember in 2014, my father passed in 2015. So, the 2014 season was the last season in which my father was with us. And I remember the Bills had -- they brought in Kyle Orton as the quarterback. And they were playing, I think against Minnesota and Teddy Bridgewater. And there was like two seconds left in the game and the Bills had like one last chance to win it. Maybe it was five seconds, whatever it was. And he goes back and he throws a one-yard touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins in the end zone. And I remember my father, who at the time was 87 years old, I think, I literally grabbed him and knocked him onto the couch. He was fine. But it was just one of those great things because the Bills, you know, they're just a part of our lives. They're a part of our family.
BLITZER: And they've been so welcoming to me. And I love Buffalo. Love everything about Buffalo. It was a great place to grow up, and it's a great place to visit. If people haven't been there, go to Buffalo. Not very far, by the way, from Niagara Falls.
ENTEN: No.
BLITZER: You've been to Niagara Falls?
ENTEN: I have been to Niagara Falls. You can hit up a wonder of the world, and I dare argue that Josh Allen is another wonder of the world as well.
BLITZER: He certainly is.
ENTEN: So, Bills -- Bills win this year.
[09:20:02]
BLITZER: Let's hope.
ENTEN: There we go.
BLITZER: Let's have some chicken wings.
ENTEN: Sounds great.
BLITZER: And remember, go Bills.
ENTEN: Go Bills.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FREEMAN: Over the summer, a new church quietly opened up in Washington, D.C., just three blocks from Capitol Hill. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his family have been spotted attending church there. Now, it's part of a network known as the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, and its aim is global Christian dominion under a strict interpretation of the Bible. So, in this SITUATION ROOM special report, Pamela Brown visited Moscow, Idaho, to meet the pastor behind the movement.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Christ Church Senior Pastor Doug Wilson makes no apologies for his beliefs on God and country.
[09:25:04]
DOUG WILSON, SENIOR PASTOR, CHRIST CHURCH: I'd like to see the town be a Christian town. I'd like to see the state be a Christian state. I'd like to see the nation be a Christian nation. I'd like to see the world be a Christian world.
BROWN (voice over): And now Wilson's controversial views as a Christian nationalist are gaining sway in the nation's center of power, with the recent opening of his new church and high-profile parishioners like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
BROWN: Is planting a church in D.C. part of your mission to try to turn this into a Christian nation?
WILSON: Yes. So, every society is theocratic. The only question is, who's theo in a secular democracy? It would be demos, the people. In a Christian republic it'd be Christ.
BROWN: Well, what would you say to someone watching this that say, look, I'm a Muslim. Who are you to say your worldview is better than mine? That your God is better than mine?
WILSON: Well, if I went to Saudi Arabia, I would fully expect to live under their god's rules.
BROWN: But you said earlier that you want this to be a Christian world.
WILSON: Yes.
BROWN: So, you want to supplant their religion with your Christian?
WILSON: Yes, by peaceful means. By sharing the Gospel. There's a lot of work yet to do. I believe that we are working our little corner of the vineyard. BROWN (voice over): Wilson's little corner, a picturesque campus
nestled on the outskirts of downtown Moscow, Idaho, is growing by the day with thousands of likeminded Christians. Parishioners of his church, known as Kirchers, own and operate several businesses downtown, next to liberal college town stores.
WILSON: If it's true. If it's true.
BROWN: Why did he yell boo? It's because it's --
WILSON: Because of me.
BROWN: Because of you.
WILSON: Yes. Yes. Well, you have -- there you go.
BROWN: That's a regular day for you?
WILSON: That's not unusual.
BROWN (voice over): A big focus of his Christian movement is on a patriarchal society where men are dominant and women are expected to submit to their husbands.
WILSON: Women are the kind of people that people come out of.
BROWN: So, you just think they're meant to have babies. That's it.
WILSON: Well --
BROWN: They're just a vessel.
WILSON: No, it doesn't take any talent to simply reproduce biologically. The wife and mother, who is the chief executive of the home, is entrusted with three or four or five eternal souls.
BROWN: Well, I'm here as a working journalist, and I'm a mom of three.
WILSON: Good for you.
BROWN: Is that an issue for you?
WILSON: No. No, it's not automatically an issue.
BROWN (voice over): Josh and Amy Prince, along with their four kids, moved here from Washington state.
BROWN: Do you see Amy as your equal?
JOSH PRINCE, MEMBER, CHRIST CHURCH: Yes and no. In the sense that we're both saved by grace, we're absolutely on equal footing. But we have very different purposes, God-given.
BROWN: But do you see yourself as the head of the household? As the man?
AMY PRINCE, MEMBER, CHRIST CHURCH: He is the head and I -- of our household.
BROWN: Yes.
A. PRINCE: Yes. And I do submit to him.
BROWN: So, like, moving here was ultimately your decision.
A. PRINCE: Yes.
J. PRINCE: That's a great example.
A. PRINCE: That's a great example.
BROWN (voice over): Wilson says in his vision of a Christian society, women, as individuals, shouldn't be able to vote. His fellow pastors, Jared Longshore and Toby Sumpter, agree.
TOBY SUMPTER, SENIOR PASTOR, KING'S CROSS CHURCH: In my ideal society we would vote as households. And I would ordinarily be the one that would cast the vote. But I would cast the vote having discussed it with my household.
BROWN: But what if there's a -- your wife doesn't want to vote for the same person as you?
SUMPTER: Right. Right. Well, then that's a great opportunity for a good discussion.
BROWN: There are some who have gone so far as to say that they want the 19th Amendment repealed.
JARED LONGSHORE, EXECUTIVE PASTOR, CHRIST CHURCH: I would support that. And I'd support it on the basis that the atomization that comes with our current system is not good for humans.
BROWN: And Wilson, a veteran himself, is unapologetic about his view that women shouldn't be in certain leadership or combat roles.
BROWN: Looking at the leadership page for Christ Church, it's all men.
WILSON: Right.
BROWN: Do you accept women in leadership roles in the church and government?
WILSON: In the church, no.
BROWN: Why?
WILSON: Because the Bible says not to.
JENNIFER BUTLER, FOUNDER, FAITH IN DEMOCRACY: Well, that's not what happens in the Bible. Women do lead all the time.
BROWN (voice over): Progressive faith leader Reverend Jennifer Butler is concerned about Wilson's growing influence. BUTLER: He is rapidly gaining in power. He has hundreds of churches
established around the country. They actually literally want to take over towns and cities. And they have access to this administration.
BROWN (voice over): Wilson is part of a broader Christian nationalist movement making inroads with the Trump administration, with a newly created faith office led by Evangelical Pastor Paula White Cane (ph) and people seen right outside the White House entrance praying and speaking in tongues.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are standing on the soil of the White House, and we are declaring your word.
BROWN (voice over): And now there's a monthly prayer service at the Pentagon, initiated by Hegseth, Wilson's highest level connection to the administration.
WILSON: It's not organizationally tied to us, but it's the kind of thing we love to see.
BROWN (voice over): For his part, Hegseth has publicly praised Wilson.
PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Now we're standing on the shoulders of a generation later, the Doug Wilsons and the others.
BROWN (voice over): Wilson's influence spans the globe, with more than 150 churches.
[09:30:04]
Lennox Kalifungua moved to Moscow from Africa.
BROWN: Are there other black families in this community?
LENNOX KALIFUNGUA, NEW MEMBER OF CHRIST CHURCH FROM ZAMBIA: Oh, absolutely.
