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What We Know with Max Foster

Swiss Officials Believe Deadly Fire Caused By Sparklers; Trump: U.S. Ready To Intervene If Iran "Kills Peaceful Protesters"; Maduro Says He's "Ready" To Talk With U.S. On Drug Trafficking; Trump Addresses Scrutiny Of His Health In WSJ Interview; Netflix Allows Theaters To Show "Stranger Things" Finale. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired January 02, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:24]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN HOST: More details are emerging about a deadly fire at a Swiss ski resort.

I'm Paula Newton. This is WHAT WE KNOW.

Authorities now believe it was sprinklers inside a champagne bottle that started a raging inferno at a Swiss ski resort. The father of a missing

teen says his son was celebrating the New Year and ordered a bottle of champagne with a sparkler. One or two minutes later, he says it was the

apocalypse.

Here's what the attorney general told reporters about the cause of the fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEATRICE PILLOUD, VALAIS CANTON ATTORNEY GENERAL: Some hypotheses can be confirmed. As things stand, everything points to the fire starting from

sparklers or flares placed in champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling, which very rapidly led to a flashover fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, investigators say 40 people were killed in that rapidly spreading blaze, and another 119 were injured, many of them now fighting

for their lives in hospital. A number of people are still unaccounted for.

An anguished mother says her 17-year-old son sent her a text that read, "Happy New Year, mom. I love you." Just before midnight on New Year's Eve.

She has not heard from him since.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAETITIA BRODARD-SITRE, MOTHER OF MISSING TEEN: This was taken that night, two hours before -- two hours before he went to Le Constellation. So, if

you have seen him in hospitals, if you have seen him in the morgue, whether he's alive or deceased, please contact me. I don't know how severe his

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Unbelievable anguish there.

Our Nic Robertson has more now, from the scene of this tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: We're right in the middle of Crans-Montana here. The mountains in the background. Le

constellation bar right here. The atmosphere here is very quiet. It's very subdued. This town, it is a very upmarket ski resort. You can see that when

you look in the stores around here. What we know about what happened just over 24 hours ago now, in the very early hours of the 1st of January, the

downstairs underground bar was crowded. There were a lot of people in there, and we know from talking to youngsters in this town that this bar

was popular with sort of 16, 17, 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds, young 20s.

How many people were in the downstairs underground bar at the time? That's part of the investigation. But already investigators and fire experts and

the hospitals, in fact, are talking about a downdraft, the fire took hold and spread so quickly. They're dealing in the hospitals, they say, where

people with severe burns, in some cases, the police say that they're still trying to identify even the injured. And this is a hugely painful time for

the families. And we've seen families here in the streets. A father whose son is still missing, he was on his knees weeping in the streets. That

sense of pain and grief is very palpable here.

A lot of journalists here, there are some dignitaries arriving. We know that there have been French among the dead, injured and missing. We

understand there are Italians among the dead, injured and missing. But of course, there are so many questions about the dead and injured. The

identification police are saying that could take days. But the fact that you have senior politicians from outside of Switzerland coming really shows

the gravity and the reach of this tragedy.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Alan Friedman is a journalist and the executive director of The Lugano Global Forum, and he joins us now from Switzerland.

I want to welcome you to the program, and we obviously know that the mood in Switzerland is one of shock, but there must be a great deal of trauma as

well. I mean, we even heard that the first responders were having difficulty coping once they had, you know, some of them were on vacation.

They just kind of appeared on the scene.

And once they had attended to everyone, they were -- they really could not believe what they had just witnessed.

ALAN FRIEDMAN, JOURNALIST/DIRECTOR, THE LUGANO GLOBAL FORUM: Yeah. This has been a trauma for the village of Crans-Montana, which is less than 10,000

people, a trauma for the whole country. And these first responders who were extremely efficient in arriving and had gotten all these burned people to

hospital, nonetheless went through a trauma themselves. I mean, imagine a lot of these were children. They were 15 and 16-year olds, we're told among

those missing and presumed dead.

The horror of this is something that doesn't happen to Switzerland normally. It's -- I don't want to compare it to 9/11 in America, but it's

the kind of shock for Switzerland that they're not used to. And if you move beyond the trauma, because we're still looking to identify the victims,

some of them have not been identified, as you know, there's another question which I hope will come to, which is the potential responsibility

for the lack of safety standards.

NEWTON: And we will get to that in a moment. I do want to talk about all of those fighting for their lives in hospital right now. The seriousness of

the injuries. I know some of them are going to try and be medivaced to other countries, other burn units, but what more are you learning about the

seriousness of the injuries and the fact that others may still lose their lives from this tragedy?

FRIEDMAN: Well, if you look at the total numbers, we know there's at least 40 people who have died. But the Swiss authorities told us just a few hours

ago that of the remaining 115, 119 people 80 percent of them are in critical condition. And the head doctor in the local hospital in Sion,

which is near Crans, said that most of these people are so badly burned with third degree burns, they will have to remain in intensive care for at

least six to nine months. The next six to nine months, if they survive.

So unfortunately, we're going to see the death toll, unfortunately rising above 40. And we're going to see lives and families destroyed. But again,

it's also a trauma that hits the normally well-run and well administered Switzerland, which this time something went wrong.

NEWTON: And I do want to get to that because it has been a struggle to really understand how this happened. This was in a basement. We could

clearly see, and officials have said that it was the sparklers that ignited in the roof, which was highly combustible material in the roof. I mean,

there was no fireproofing there whatsoever.

CNN is now reporting that the French co-owner of this bar has spoken to media in Switzerland, Jacques Moretti, and he's saying that, look, we

followed all the rules. What kind of investigation do you think will happen going forward? And I should say authorities are not ruling out any kind of

criminal negligence responsibility. They're just saying it's far too early to speculate on that

FRIEDMAN: Yeah. And clearly, we go through this period of we're still in an emergency situation and of trauma. But when the dust begins to settle, the

local prosecutor and the state prosecutors in Switzerland are going to have to look at the adequacy of security standards. Now, I spoke just a couple

of hours ago with a former top Swiss prosecutor from another canton, another state, and he said there is no way, in his opinion that there could

have been an observance of all this.

It's true, I said, but the owner has said that they had inspections three times over the last decade. But where were the fire extinguishers? Why was

there a soundproofing ceiling made of foam, a highly flammable material? Where were the emergency exits? They didn't exist.

And how could a Swiss insurance company sign off on a policy? Because this bar has an insurance company. And it's a horrible thing to say. But

there'll be lawsuits in future as well. How could a Swiss insurance company sign off and say this was certified as fully secure if it seemed to be

deficient in different areas, which means there will be an investigation, and it may be that, it looks like -- I don't want to prejudge anything, but

it looks like it's difficult to see how everything could have been in order if there was no fire extinguisher at hand, if there was only one exit, and

if the insurance company signed off on something that was ultimately a death trap.

NEWTON: Yeah, it's chilling to hear you use those words. I am wondering what kind of reckoning there will be from the families themselves. I mean,

a lot of them are just totally traumatized right now, which is understandable. But when you see that not only could it have been

preventable, but that those young people were just there in the room. When you see the video, you know all of them should have just been running for

whatever exit existed.

FRIEDMAN: The one exit, and indeed some did.

[15:10:02]

And the reports we're hearing locally are that there were some who were trampled. There were some who couldn't get out. And the things spread as

Nic, your colleague, just reported in this downdraft, it sort of spread very rapidly.

So, we -- we're understanding the dynamics of this. We're understanding the human tragedy, but we're going to have to start the next chapter of this,

which is how could there have been, no real emergency exit, where there deficiencies in safety.

NEWTON: And I've got to say, just more than a generation ago, the fire in Rhode Island, here in the United States, same thing, flammable

soundproofing in the ceiling, 99 people dead. It's not like the lessons there aren't there to be learned.

Alan Friedman, grateful to you. Thanks so much.

FRIEDMAN: Thanks.

NEWTON: Now, Donald Trump says the U.S. is locked and loaded and ready to intervene to protect protesters rallying against Iran's ruling regime.

Tempers have flared in several Iranian cities this weekend amid widespread anger over the country's crippling economic problems. At least five

protesters have died in clashes with police, including three who were killed Thursday night.

With more on the role Trump is playing in all of this, we want to go straight to our Kevin Liptak.

And happy New Year to you, Kevin. You've been at the president's side there in Florida. There's been a lot of news to cover, and something which is

really unpredictable at this point. The president posting on social media saying that he's locked and loaded. Is there any substance to this kind of

threat?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. Happy New Year to you, Paula.

You know, the president didn't say what exactly is locked and loaded here. And the White House has not clarified that either. So, the president being

sort of characteristically vague about what exactly he's talking about.

When you talk to officials, they do say that there are some hypothetical options that would stop short of firing a missile into Iran if the

president wanted to show his support for these protesters. One could be sort of akin to what the president did or the -- his predecessor did, Joe

Biden, back when protests flared in 2022, which is to use American technology to bolster Internet connectivity and cell connectivity, sort of

ensuring that the protesters were able to get around the regimes crackdown on information.

You also could envision the president using sanctions on regime officials or on some sectors, you know, the oil or banking sectors, although Iran

already has a heap of U.S. sanctions on it. So, not clear how effective those would be.

And then the other hypothetical that you hear mentioned is some sort of potential cyber action that the U.S. has used previously in Iran to kind of

stymie some of the regime's actions. But to be clear, those are all sort of hypotheticals. What we've heard from officials is that the president has

not sort of decided on any action, not taken, any action that this was really intended as a stern threat, and that U.S. forces in the region

haven't necessarily been repositioned in preparation for any sort of moves that the president might order.

On the other hand, the president, I think, has shown and demonstrated that he is more willing to take action or take risks in Iran than some of his

predecessors. You know, we saw him a target with airstrikes. Those Iranian nuclear facilities back in June, even sort of demonstrating support for

these protesters goes further than what we've seen previous presidents do. You know, I'm thinking back to when Barack Obama in 2009 kind of refused to

say anything about the street protests that were engulfing Iran at the time, fearful that the regime could potentially use that as pretext to

claim that the protests were backed by the west.

Now, Obama later said that he regretted not saying more in doing more there, but I think that does, I think, underscore some of the risks that

the president is taking here. And already, you've seen the authorities in Iran really react quite forcibly. You saw the head of Iran's parliament say

that American bases and forces across the region could be legitimate targets. And we've seen Iran target American bases, including the Al Udeid

air base in Qatar just back in June.

And so that's something that they have done previously. And so, you see how the president has kind of created something of a dilemma here by following

through on some action. It could certainly escalate tensions with Iran. But if he doesn't, it would seem to embolden the regime and potentially lead

them to crack down further on some of these protesters. And so how the president proceeds here, I think, is something to watch very carefully.

NEWTON: Watch very carefully. I have to say, the outcome is supposed to be to try and keep protesters safe and to make sure that there -- whatever

freedom of speech they have in Iran is protected. The president himself has not always protected that right, even here in the United States. And I am

thinking about some of the protests in 2020.

I'm quoting the president here, Kevin, in 2020, saying that he warned on flag day that in his military parade that they -- those protesters, if they

disrupted anything, would be met with his words, very heavy force, which is why it is kind of confusing as to if he wants to elicit a reaction from

Iran, exactly, why post this? And what reaction are you looking for?

LIPTAK: Yeah, and you know, ideological dissonance is not something new for Trump. You know, he's also threatened protesters at his own rallies saying

that they should be beaten up and dragged out. And so, you know, when it comes to freedom of expression, the president certainly backing the

protesters in Iran.

But even in the United States, you hear him going after, you know, TV networks threatening to pull their licenses about late night hosts for what

they say. So it's not as if the president doesn't have his own sort of track record on that front.

I think when it comes to Iran, the context of all of this is what the president was talking about. I think earlier this week when he was hosting

the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, here in Palm Beach. They were talking about what the president said were some reports that Iran is

rebuilding its nuclear program, rebuilding some of its ballistic missile programs.

And the president then issued a warning that the U.S. could go back and strike again, or at least greenlight Israel to do that. And so, you hear

quite bullish rhetoric from the president when it comes to this particular country. I do think it's worth noting that that is not universally popular

among the president's allies.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, by now a pretty fierce critic of Trump, said that Trump threatening war and sending troops to Iran is everything we voted

against in 2024.

NEWTON: Yeah, and that will be a story that will continue in 2026 as we see that MAGA movement say, we want you to concentrate on issues at home, not

necessarily abroad.

Kevin Liptak, doing great work there for us -- still at the president's side in Florida. Appreciate it.

LIPTAK: Yeah.

NEWTON: Now, Venezuela's leader says he's ready to talk with the U.S. after months of tensions between the two nations. In an interview, President

Nicolas Maduro described Venezuela as a brother country to the United States and proposed serious discussions on ways to combat drug trafficking.

He even offered American companies ready to access -- American companies that were ready to access Venezuela's oil.

I want you to listen to him now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): 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)

NEWTON: This now, as a U.S. official says, Venezuela has detained at least five Americans in recent months as the U.S. keeps up its pressure campaign

on Maduro.

For more on these developments, we're joined by Sean Lyngaas. He is in Washington, D.C.

Sean, you know, full disclosure, that video was a bit bizarre. It is not the first bizarre thing that I've seen President Maduro do, even in person.

But he has made overtures like this before.

What kind of posture can we expect from the Trump administration? Because they do not seem to be backing off in any way so far?

SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: Right. I think that this kind of overture will be met very skeptically here in Washington, where the

pressure on Maduro has been relentless in the form of strikes against suspected or alleged drug boats. A CIA drone strike on the port facility in

Venezuela. And so, this kind of, appealing to public media to try to get a message out that he's sincere about talks. I think we've met very

skeptically.

And the fact is that the relations are so frayed that any kind of talks would have to be really substantial, and I would assume, mediated by a

third party, to try to get anywhere on this, because, as you said, we're reporting now that U.S. officials believe that at least five Americans have

been detained by Venezuelan security forces in recent months. And it's hard not to read that as anything but a direct response to the U.S. military

campaign, Paula.

So I think Maduro is trying to, use the media to try to send a message here that he could be open to business, but deliberately being vague about what

that is. And it remains to be seen really in the next, next several days or weeks, whether there will be any kind of tapering off of the pressure that

the U.S. has put on.

NEWTON: Yeah. And in the meantime, the U.S. military continues its actions in both eastern pacific and the Caribbean on those boats. And also,

apparently, covert operations.

Sean Lyngaas for us, thanks so much.

Turning now to Mexico, where at least one person died and 12 others were injured after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the southern Mexican state

of Guerrero, near Acapulco, earlier today.

[15:20:11]

Now, the quake was felt as far as Mexico City, where a 67-year-old man died after tripping while evacuating his second floor apartment there. The

capital's mayor also reported a fire at an electrical substation and the collapse of several utility poles and trees.

Nigerian police, meantime, have charged the driver of British boxer Anthony Joshua after a crash that killed two of his close friends. Joshua, a former

heavyweight world champion, sustained minor injuries in the crash. Authorities believe the car was speeding and attempted to overtake before

hitting a stationary truck. The 46-year-old driver has appeared in court and is facing charges including dangerous driving, causing death.

Okay, coming up for us, new information on what might be causing those bruises on Donald Trump's hands. We'll hear about the president's -- we'll

hear from the president's own explanation about this. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: U.S. President Donald Trump is addressing recent scrutiny of his health in a new interview with "The Wall Street Journal". He says the

bruises seen on his hand for months now are because he takes a higher daily dose of aspirin than his doctors even recommend. The reason he says it's to

thin out his blood.

CNN's Alayna Treene picks up the story from there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: This is a big interview because the president very rarely talks openly about his health, certainly not with

reporters. And this was one of the most extensive conversations she's had with journalists about his medical information. What I actually found very

interesting was the nature of how this interview actually came about.

"The Wall Street Journal" made clear that they had reporting they were going to put out. They sent it to the White House as reporters typically

do. But this was a story that essentially landed them an impromptu interview with President Trump, because he wanted to weigh in and defend

himself, really, for this story.

[15:25:10]

And that's how they got some of these remarkable quotes from the president in it. And part of the reason he did that -- this is something Trump tends

to do if he feels like he wants to have his say on a story that might be misrepresenting him, but it's really normally on stories that he cares a

lot about. This is one the president is very much wary, you know, conversations around his health, particularly because I would remind you

for basically the entirety of the 2024 campaign trail and even now into his second term in office, he would talk about Joe Biden's health and arguing

that the former president was shielding too much information, was not being transparent, arguing that he was mentally unfit for the office.

And so, this is a very sensitive subject for President Trump. But I do want to get into some of what he mentioned. One of the best quotes I thought

from this interview that he gave the wall street journal was when he was talking about why he doesn't listen to his doctor's recommendations when it

comes to the high dosage of aspirin that he takes daily. He said he wants thick blood pouring through his veins.

I'm going to read this for you, 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?" "They'd have me take the smaller one," he added. "I take the larger

one. But I've done it for years, and what it does is it causes bruising."

I remind you, the president, who is 79, added that he has been taking aspirin for 25 years. I note I actually was doing some research on this,

talking to some medical experts yesterday who are arguing that it's kind of common for people to -- older people to believe that taking aspirin daily

helps thin the blood, but they recommended the president that he does not.

There's a number of other great things in this story. And I will say even now, just moments ago, the president posted on Truth Social, on social

media, trying to defend himself from this as well, saying that his doctors say that he is an exceptional health. So again, just getting to the point

of how this is a bit of a touchy subject for him

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Our thanks to Alayna Treene.

Now the investigation continues into the deadly Swiss bar fire, and now some victims are being taken to other hospitals for treatment. Still to

come for us, we will speak with one burn specialist about what these young survivors may be going through.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:38]

NEWTON: Returning to our top story, the deadly New Year's Eve party in Switzerland. At least 40 people were killed when a fire broke out at a bar

in Crans-Montana. About 119 people from nine European countries were injured in that fire. Now, images from social media appear to show the

moment the room caught fire. You can see those sparklers lit, soundproof ceiling material and it spreads so quickly from there.

Memorials to the victims are taking place right across the region, and the search for the missing continues. The French foreign minister says eight

citizens are still unaccounted for.

Now we are continuing to hear first person accounts from this devastating tragedy. The witness described -- this witness describes how he was able to

escape the bar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AXEL, ESCAPED SWISS BAR FIRE: We were yelling "Fire, fire!" And then we thought it was a joke or that it wasn't necessarily serious. And then

suddenly a huge cloud of black smoke. We couldn't breathe anymore. And then maybe we had to get out and everyone got out.

But a crowd gathered so we couldn't get out. So, we tried to hide. Then when I got back upstairs, I thought I was either going to die or I'd

managed to get out, but the only way was through a window. But the windows were blocked. So, I grabbed a table and tried to smash it against the

window. I couldn't and I thought, well, I'm going to die.

But finally, I managed to kick the glass. It broke and then we got out. We managed to get people out. It's true.

I lost my shoes. I lost my coat. I lost all my possessions. But in the end, that's not what matters. I'm still alive and that's that. And we pray for

those who stayed behind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Joining us now is Dr. Shevonne Satahoo. She is a burn and trauma surgeon for the Jackson Health System in Florida.

Really grateful to you.

So, we can speak to you about exactly what some of these victims might be going through. Now, you heard that eyewitness account, and he describes

that we couldn't breathe anymore. We also have descriptions of some of these burn victims and the fact that some of them actually have severe

burns inside their lungs.

Can you give us some insight into the kind of specialty care that would be needed now for these survivors?

DR. SHEVONNE SATAHOO, BURN & TRAUMA SURGEON, JACKSON HEALTH SYSTEM: Thank you for having me. And my heart goes out to all of the families affected by

this tragedy. So, a lot of times with smoke, victims will breathe in the smoke and lead to inhalational injury, which can affect both the airways

and the lungs themselves.

This can make their time a little bit more complicated on the ventilator. It can even affect the way that we perform their burn resuscitation. We

often know patients with inhalational injury will require more fluids, and so it just makes things a little bit more complicated, and even increase

the time spent on the ventilator for a lot of these patients.

NEWTON: While ventilator, the fact that they must still be on life support and how long, depending on how serious the seriousness of the burns, how

delicate is it to try and treat these patients? And how long could their recovery take in the most serious cases.

SATAHOO: It is highly dependent on their burn injuries. Inhalational injury in and of itself can just complicate the resuscitation and increase the

length of stay in the hospital. Typically speaking, we do say that we expect about one day of hospitalization for each percent of burn injury.

Sometimes for a lot of these patients, though, you know, the inhalational component, because of all of the respiratory compromise, may extend beyond

that one day, it's going to be very critical in the initial phases of doing the burn resuscitation and making sure that were managing all of the fluid

shifts. And of course, with that is the respiratory issues

NEWTON: Yeah, so much for their families to really take in, even once they are grateful that their loved ones have survived.

You are treating patients even today. How intensive is the treatment? Because we certainly have seen Switzerland say, look, they must be burned,

moved to other burn units.

SATAHOO: It is a very labor and resource intensive process. A lot of these burn patients will require dressing changes at least once or twice per day.

As you can imagine, there's a lot of pain associated with each of these dressing changes. For the nursing care, it becomes very intensive because

in very severe burns, dressing change can sometimes last anywhere from two to three hours.

[15:30:06]

And if you think about doing that twice a day, that's a very heavy burden for the nursing staff.

For the physicians, of course, there's all the critical care aspects that go into it. The fluid shifts that happen. You know, we've spoken a little

bit more about the respiratory issues, and even for the families, it can get as, as you can imagine, very difficult to have to see their loved ones

in that state.

There are going to have to be on supplemental nutrition. A lot of different aspects go into it with, you know, a very heavy focus on the fluid shifts

and pain management.

NEWTON: I have to say, Doctor, it is chilling just to hear you describe that. And again, the fact that they've survived such trauma and now will go

through this ordeal and recovery, many of them unfortunately, were young. Will this help their recovery?

SATAHOO: I think it's going to be important to have a very multidisciplinary team take care of these patients. As you can imagine,

from being in the hospital for an extended period of time, they'll become a very deconditioned. So physical therapy is going to be very important.

We do have the benefit of having a specialized psychologist to help because as you can imagine, once you're through the acute phase, there is the

reintegration into society, which can be very difficult, especially for young patients. So, definitely, a psychologist is going to be very

important in their path to recovery.

NEWTON: Doctor, so grateful for you for taking some time out of your very busy day. It just helps us understand what's ahead here and why it is

important for these victims to be close to their families, wherever they will be living.

Again, thank you. And we wish you strength in your work because it does sound quite difficult. Appreciate it.

SATAHOO: Thank you very much. Thank you for having me.

NEWTON: Now, it's the final moments of trade on Wall Street, and stocks are relatively flat. The Dow Jones inching slightly up today half a percent.

That is our business breakout.

Now, if you're looking for a new chair or some linguine, we've got good news. The Trump administration has reduced the tariff on Italian pasta,

which was going to be the 100, going to be 107 percent. The government is also delaying an increase in furniture tariffs. Trump ordered the tax to

double from 25 percent to 50 percent.

China's BYD has just overtaken Tesla as the world's top electric vehicle maker. BYD reports, selling more than 2.25 million EVs last year. That's

twice what Tesla sold, and BYD doesn't even sell its cars in the United States. This as Tesla reported its second year of declining sales.

Now, in a move that would seem to defy its commitment to streaming, Netflix allowed movie theaters to show the final episode of its hit show, "Stranger

Things", when it debuted on New Year's Eve. Theaters were not allowed to sell tickets to the showings, but instead required fans to buy concession

tickets to attend. It is estimated that theaters took in about $25 million from the showings on Wednesday and Thursday.

All right. We need to understand the business side of things, if not the "Stranger Things" side of things.

Jordan Moreau is a senior online news editor for "Variety".

Happy New Year to you and grateful to have you with us.

I think, firstly, the numbers here were kind of staggering to me. As much as you might follow box office. So, I get it. They couldn't sell tickets

because of labor contracts and things like that. So, you had to buy that very expensive popcorn or the $12 bucket of, you know, Diet Coke or

whatever, but 25 million and possibly more?

JORDAN MOREAU, SENIOR ONLINE NEWS EDITOR, VARIETY: It's pretty remarkable. This has never been done before in Netflix history, normally, you know,

only movies are in movie theaters, but this is a TV show. So, you know, after building on nine years of stranger things fandom, this is the big

finale. And a lot of people showed out, 25 to 28 million is what we're seeing in box office receipts.

And to put that in perspective, you know, one battle after another, which is a huge movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, it's going to be big at the Oscars

this year. That made $22 million, in its box office opening weekend. So "The Stranger Things" fandom is a big deal. And this perhaps, you know,

signals that more Netflix content might be coming to movie theaters in the future.

NEWTON: And I do want to talk about that phenomenon. Okay. So, as you point out, this was an incredibly popular TV series. No spoilers here. I

certainly won't give you a spoiler on it, but okay, that's what drove people to the theaters. But does it tell us and more importantly, does it

tell Netflix something about how people want to watch these events, shall we say? Because this wasn't just a tv show, it's an event.

MOREAU: The big question right now is Netflix acquiring Warner Bros. This is the movie studios movie studio behind "Harry Potter", "Game of Thrones",

"Superman" and DC. When Netflix acquires this, once its finalized in the next year or so, you know, what will their strategy in movie theaters look

like?

[15:40:00]

This is a streaming service company where you log on your computer, on your TV, and you watch something, you know, what are they going to do with movie

theaters?

So a lot of people are worried that they're going to put movies in theaters and then put them on Netflix. You know, a few weeks later, they're not

going to let you go and experience this with your popcorn, with your soda. So, people are hoping that this signals that they're going to hopefully

keep the status quo and keep movies in theaters for a bit longer.

But you're not -- you're not really sure what that's going to look like. And, you know, by 2030, you know, how many movie theaters will be around,

what's going to be playing in them? We know right now that Netflix is putting Greta Gerwig's "Narnia" movie, which is based on the popular

fantasy novels.

This is Greta Gerwig's big movie after "Barbie". That's going to be in theaters at the end of 2026. And then after that, you know, we'll have to

see.

NEWTON: Yeah, so much changing in this industry and a lot of transformation, no matter what happens with the Warner Bros. deal. We

should say that CNN is a company right now that is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

In terms of what -- I mean, a lot of theater goers, a lot of theater industry people are quite concerned right now when you saw this, especially

when you give the comparison between $25 million and $22 million for the Leonardo DiCaprio movie, which we shall say was incredibly well reviewed

and would be up for rewards. What does it tell you about the economics of this industry right now?

MOREAU: You know, things are bleak. Post-pandemic, movie theater box office receipts are not at those high totals that we saw. You know, 2019 was a

major year for theaters that we have not returned to those heights. You know, people like to stay at home and, you know, the different hobbies.

They're not going to theaters, you know, with the price of tickets and concessions, you bring a family of four out to a movie theater. That price

is very high for some people.

So just consumer habits have really changed, you know, in the last five years or so. But, you know, Netflix is giving a lot of content on TV to

watch at home. You know, they're trying to keep movies still in theaters, you know, for the time being. But, you know, what would that look like in

the next few years? We're not 100 percent sure.

But, you know, right now, movies, it seems like, you know, we have a good slate ahead this year. We have a lot of big tent poles. You know, on the

superhero side. "Avengers" is coming out at the end of this year. We have Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey", which is his follow up to "Oppenheimer".

People are excited for that.

So, you know, we're keeping our fingers crossed that 2026 will be even bigger than 2025, coming up.

NEWTON: Yeah, I mean, certainly on the creative side, people just want to see that fabulous storytelling out there in the theater, which is where

it's meant to be watched in so many cases. Jordan Moreau learned a lot. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Now, still to come for us, New York's new mayor gets to work. Details on what actions he's already taken after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:53]

NEWTON: So, it's only his first day in office, but New York's Mayor Zohran Mamdani has already signed several executive orders. They focus on housing,

and he revoked Israel related orders put in place by his predecessor. It's all part of the progressive agenda he's promised to put in place. One

directive by former Mayor Eric Adams that's now gone had expanded the definition of antisemitism.

Joining us now from outside city hall is CNN correspondent Gloria Pazmino.

Gloria, can you explain these executive orders? Because, as you've pointed out, doing this kind of thing on your first day in office or your second

day in office is not unusual, but the Israel related ones could be controversial.

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly right, Paula. In fact, you know, mayors who are newly elected used the power of the executive office on the

first day, the second day to kind of set the tone for the -- their incoming administration. That's what executive orders can do. And just to kind of

explain to the viewers, executive orders can do everything from sort of -- sort of send symbolic messages and symbolic action in local government, but

they can also do significant action like enact policy outright and direct city agencies to take specific actions.

So, they are certainly a way for a new executive to send a message about the tone of their new administration. And I think that is the reason why

these two specific orders related to Israel have caused some criticism and some concern from Jewish leaders here in New York.

So, what Zohran Mamdani did last night was first, he signed three executive orders focused on housing. That's very much about his agenda to tackle the

affordability crisis. He wants his new administration to look at ways to build faster, to develop housing more quickly and more efficiently.

But then he also signed a set of orders which essentially revoke and reverse many of the orders that Mayor Adams, his predecessor, signed,

specifically ones that took place after September 2024. And the reason that time frame is, is relevant is because that's when the former mayor, Eric

Adams, was federally indicted and we heard Zohran Mamdani explained that he believed it was at that moment that New Yorkers lost faith in their

government.

Now there's two directives in there that had originally expanded the definition of antisemitism to match that of the International Holocaust

Remembrance Alliance, and that says that when you are critical of Israel, that equates to antisemitism. And that had raised serious free speech

concerns. Eric Adams had also barred city employees from boycotting and divesting in Israel, and Zohran Mamdani reversed that action.

He explained that this was part of the structuring restructuring of government that he was attempting to do, and he said that he remained

committed to protecting Jewish New Yorkers. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), NEW YORK: That structure also includes the continued incorporation of the office to combating antisemitism. That is an

issue that we take very seriously. And as part of the commitment that we've made to Jewish New Yorkers to not only protect them, but to celebrate and

cherish them. What I would say about the executive orders at large that were issued after that date is they are ones that time and time again come

up against the interests of working class people and what they need from their mayor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: The mayor there already proving that what he does is reverberating -- reverberating even outside of the United States.

Gloria Pazmino, thanks so much.

Now, still to come for us, there's a little known location at the edge of the world with the most beautiful views of nature. We\ll take you there and

how they're protecting it.

(COMMERCAL BREAK)

[15:52:12]

NEWTON: Chile is creating an ambitious national park in one of its most remote locations on the very southern tip of South America.

Cristopher Ulloa has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BENJAMIN CACERES, MARINE BIOLOGIST: Due to global warming, it is receding year after year. In fact, I have been coming here to this area for about 15

years, and you can clearly see a significant reduction. In fact, that exposed rock wasn't there years ago.

CRISTOPHER ULLOA, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Benjamin Caceres is a marine biologist from the Magallanes region of Chile. He has dedicated his entire

life to studying the flora and fauna of the ends of the earth. And his concern is clear.

CACERES: Glaciers are tremendously important as reservoirs of fresh water. And unfortunately, due to the global climate change crisis, we are losing

them.

ULLOA (voice-over): In the middle of the Strait of Magellan, this place, considered ancient by the indigenous people, has become a favorite area for

several species threatened by human action.

CACERES: The diversity is tremendous. Species of fish. Super important marine mammals such as the humpback whale. It is a feeding ground for

humpback whales, sea lions, Magellanic penguins, and countless other marine species that inhabit these waters.

ULLOA (voice-over): Here at Cabo Froward, and other scientists are seeking to create the world's southernmost national park. With more than 120,000

hectares, of which more than 93,000 were donated by the rewilding Chile foundation to the state, which would help protect emblematic species such

as the huemul, the puma, the (INAUDIBLE).

CACERES: The most pressing threat today is increased maritime traffic. Did you know that the Strait of Magellan is a super important international

passage, just like the Panama Canal? And today it is the most pressing threat which continues to this day with collisions between these ships and

these wells.

ULLOA (voice-over): For Caceres, the situation could become even more complicated once the far right Jose Antonio Kast takes office as president

of Chile. During his campaign, he expressed his opposition to environmental guidelines, describing them as merely ideologies.

The Rewilding Chile Foundation hopes that the park can be created in the next two years, and that the Kast government will not back down from the

initiative.

CACERES: The future national park is a refuge for these species and for the ecosystems found there. With the status of national park, we can help to

conserve these species.

ULLOA (voice-over): A landscape that at first glance appears cold and inhospitable but leaves no one indifferent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was a unique experience that everyone should have at least once in their life.

[15:55:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is so beautiful. I've never seen something like this.

MARTIN TEJEDA, JOURNALIST: As a true Magellanic, in love with my land and able to offer these experiences, bringing people to these places, which is

Patagonia at its finest, is a source of pride.

ULLOA (voice-over): For Caceres, the task ahead is decisive.

CACERES: I would like it to remain in balance, so that future generations can enjoy it in a responsible way and see that the populations of all the

individuals here remain as they are today.

ULLOA (voice-over): A territory that captivated Charles Darwin two centuries ago and today, presents experts with a continuing challenge -- to

protect the life of the entire local ecosystem.

For CNN, Cristopher Ulloa, Magallanes, Chile.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: I'm Paula Newton. That is WHAT WE KNOW. We'll have more news after a quick break.

END

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