Dozens Killed in New Year’s Fire, and Trump Abandons National Guard Push in 3 Major Cities

Summary

The Headlines – January 2, 2026

Host: Tracy Mumford, The New York Times
Episode Title: Dozens Killed in New Year’s Fire, and Trump Abandons National Guard Push in 3 Major Cities

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers an update on top world and U.S. news stories, reporting and analyzing major events such as the devastating New Year’s Eve fire in Switzerland, President Trump’s reversal on National Guard deployments in several major cities, the spike in health insurance costs following a lapse in congressional subsidies, the rapid adoption of AI in classrooms worldwide, and a quirky new workplace trend in tech startups. It concludes with a news quiz reflecting on the biggest winners of 2025.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New Year’s Eve Fire in Swiss Ski Resort

• Situation: A deadly fire swept through a packed bar in a popular ski town in Switzerland (Kran, Montana), resulting in about 40 deaths and 115 injuries, overwhelming the nation’s burn units.
• Details of the Incident:
  • The fire triggered a flashover, causing surfaces to ignite almost simultaneously. At least one explosion followed.
  • Many victims were young adults, as the bar was a go-to spot for those aged 18–20.
• First-Hand Report:
  • Segalin Lustradique, Times correspondent, described the aftermath and the community’s response.
  • Quote (Segalin Lustradique, 01:51):

    “I talked to this group of four. They were all 17 and they were supposed to be at the bar. They arrived a little bit late and when they got there, police and firemen were already there. People were rushing out. They said that people were trampling each other, that it was total panic.”

  • Emotional impact on survivors and bystanders; makeshift memorials are forming.
• Accountability & Next Steps:
  • Focus will turn to safety measures and questions about why there appeared to be only one exit; social media videos suggest crowding and dangerous building design.

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2. Trump Drops National Guard Efforts in Major Cities

• Event: President Trump retreats from efforts to deploy the National Guard in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland following a preliminary Supreme Court ruling blocking such deployments where not backed by state/local governments.
• Key Notes:
  • In Chicago and Portland, Guard presence had already been minimal; LA saw the White House deescalate earlier.
  • Trump maintains National Guard troops in places like Washington, D.C., Memphis, and New Orleans, where Republican governors support deployment.
  • Trump’s statement on social media:

    “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form when crime begins to soar again. Only a question of time.” (03:09)

• Legal and Political Dynamics:
  • The controversy highlights ongoing legal/friction between federal, state, and local authorities regarding the use of military force in domestic affairs.

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3. Obamacare Plan Price Hikes – Impacts Nationwide

• New Reality: Millions of Americans are facing much higher health insurance premiums due to the failure of Congress to extend enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) plans.
• Examples:
  • California family: Premiums rise from $1,300 to $4,000/month
  • North Carolina couple: $600 to $3,000/month
• Difficult Choices:
  • Some are dropping coverage, choosing bare-bones high-deductible plans, or reducing reported income to qualify for subsidies.
  • Profiled Story:

    Woman in Oregon keeps coverage for her husband but not for herself due to skyrocketing costs.

• Political Outlook:
  • Enhanced subsidies could still be extended later in the year, but infighting among Republicans in Congress makes action uncertain.

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4. AI’s Rapid Spread in Global Classrooms

• Trend: Major tech companies are accelerating the adoption of AI-powered tools in schools worldwide (Thailand, Iceland, India, the UAE, El Salvador, and U.S. cities).
• Key Actors:
  • Microsoft, Elon Musk’s AI firm (“Grok”), and others are piloting chatbots and AI tutors.
• Perceived Benefits:
  • Quicker content creation, improved lesson planning, tools for responsible AI literacy.
  • Many teachers support classroom AI integration to guide students’ responsible use.
• Warnings and Critiques:
  • UNICEF policy expert cautions that hasty integration could “actively de-skill students and teachers.”
  • Recent study: Popular chatbots may diminish critical thinking.
  • Quote (via UNICEF digital policy expert, 05:38):

    “Without proper guidance, the global push could…actively de-skill students and teachers.”

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5. The “No Shoes” Trend in Tech Startups

• New Practice: A trend of removing shoes and wearing custom slippers in small tech offices is growing, symbolizing a wish for homelike comfort at work (“pajama culture”).
• Rationale:
  • Startup leaders say it “disarms you in a positive way” and fits with both personal and cultural origins.
  • Quote (Startup CEO):

    “It makes it feel like home and disarms you in a positive way.”

  • Ties to pandemic-era work-from-home comfort, long hours at the office.
• Historical Context:
  • Silicon Valley companies experimented with shoe-free culture over a decade ago, but re-embraced footwear since.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• First-Hand Survivor Account:
  • “He rushed out when he saw the smoke, so he was not harmed. But he told me that his friend stayed inside and was injured and she was at the hospital in Sion. He waited all day to find out how she was, but they didn't let him see her.” (01:20, Segalin Lustradique)
• Local Teens’ Brush with Tragedy:
  • “They were mostly young people...they arrived a little bit late and when they got there, police and firemen were already there.” (01:51)
• Tech Startup Slippers:
  • “If you’re going to be there for 12 hours a day, six days a week, you might as well be comfortable.” (07:54, Economist cited)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Swiss Fire Tragedy: 00:32–03:09
• National Guard Withdrawal: 03:09–04:03
• Obamacare Price Hikes: 04:03–05:00
• Global AI in Schools: 05:00–06:32
• No Shoes Office Trend: 06:32–07:55
• News Quiz (Winners of 2025): 07:55–End

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News Quiz Highlights (Starts at 07:55)

• NYC Mayor Zoran Mamdani’s Inauguration: Held in the old City Hall subway station (symbol of daring civic ambition).
  • “A city that dared to be both beautiful and build great things that would transform working people's lives.” (Quote from Mamdani)
• Nvidia Becomes World's Most Valuable Company:
  • First to reach $5 trillion, responsible for the chips powering AI.
• YouTube’s Mr. Beast Dominates Streaming:
  • 457 million subscribers – “more than the entire population of the United States.”

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Tone and Delivery

The episode is direct, fact-focused, and empathetic—especially in coverage of the Swiss fire tragedy. The tone turns analytical and slightly wry when discussing tech trends and the workplace slipper phenomenon, maintaining New York Times objectivity and clarity throughout.

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For listeners:
This episode delivers crucial updates with human impact, policy implications, and cultural context—useful for staying abreast of both hard news and evolving societal trends.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

From the new York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's January 2, 2026. Here's what we're covering. Authorities in Switzerland are calling the New Year's Eve fire that ripped through a pack bar in a ski resort one of the worst tragedies the country has ever experienced. About 40 people were killed and 115 injured, many of them seriously. The country's burn units have been overwhelmed to the point that some victims have been sent to other countries. Officials say it's too early to comment on the cause of the fire, but the blaze set off a flashover when surfaces in an enclosed space become hot enough to ignite almost simultaneously, spreading flames with lethal speed. At least one explosion followed.

[C]

They met a young man who was inside when it happened. He, he rushed out when he saw the smoke, so he was not harmed. But he told me that his friend stayed inside and was injured and she was at the hospital in Sion. He waited all day to find out how she was, but they didn't let him see her.

[B]

My colleague Segalin Lustradique is reporting from the town Kran, Montana, which draws people for skiing and its views of the Alps. She went to the site of the fire.

[C]

The streets around had been cordoned off by police officers. And then on one of these streets there was a little table where people from the town came and placed flowers and candles. And I talked to some of them. They were mostly young people because as we found out from talking to people here, it was a bar where mostly 18 year old, 20 year olds would go to. I talked to this group of four. They were all 17 and they were supposed to be at the bar. They arrived a little bit late and when they got there, police and firemen were already there. People were rushing out. They said that people were trampling each other, that it was total panic. I think now there is going to be a lot of attention on understanding exactly what happened, because from what I found out talking to people and I think some of videos and photos that are being posted on social media, it seems like there was only one exit and there's a feeling that people would drop downstairs. So I think there's going to be a lot of attention now on accountability, safety measures at the bar and how it could just go up in flames so quickly.

[B]

President Trump has announced that he will abandon efforts to deploy the National Guard in three major US Cities Chicago, Louisiana and Portland. The move marks a significant retreat from one of his most high profile attempts to test the limits of his power on the ground, though residents may not see much of a change amid multiple legal challenges. The troops in Portland and Chicago already had almost no public presence. And in la, the White House had already been backing away from attempts to keep control of National Guard soldiers there. Trump's announcement came about a week after the Supreme Court issued a preliminary ruling blocking the administration from deploying National Guard troops in Chicago, where state and local officials had objected to it. Notably, Trump is not pulling back troops from Washington, D.C. or from Memphis and New Orleans cities in Republican led states where the governors haven't challenged the deployments. Writing on social media, Trump said he would not hesitate to redeploy troops in the future. Quote, we will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form when crime begins to soar again. Only a question of time. Starting this month. Millions of Americans are now facing much higher costs for their Obamacare plans after efforts in Congress to extend enhanced health care subsidies federal failed. The Times talked with people affected by the price hikes, including a family of four in California whose plan has gone from $1,300 a month to 4,000, and a couple in North Carolina who are looking at a jump from roughly $600 a month to 3,000. As a result, people say they're making hard choices. Some are deciding to go without health insurance, like a 58 year old woman in Oregon who told the Times she decided to keep coverage for her husband but drop it for herself. Others are choosing plans that have a lower premium but require them to pay thousands of dollars more in out of pocket costs. And still others say they're planning to limit the amount of money they make this year so they can try and qualify for subsidies still available to those at lower income levels. Lawmakers could still decide to extend the enhanced subsidies sometime this year, but there's been infighting in the Republican Party, which controls Congress, about whether or not to do so. In the past several months, a push by the tech giants of Silicon Valley to embed AI in classrooms has been picking up steam. It's happening around the world. Thailand, Iceland, India. Microsoft has signed a deal to bring chatbots to schools in the uae. In El Salvador, Elon Musk's AI company is developing a tutoring system using the Grok chatbot. And in the us, some of the country's biggest school systems have introduced their own collaborations with tech giants. The companies argue that their technology can be a boon for learning and teaching quickly, creating quizzes, breaking down complex topics, and helping to write lesson plans. And some teachers in the pilot programs say that since many of their students are already using AI on their own, bringing it into the classroom gives them a chance to teach kids how to use it responsibly and not just blindly trust what chatbots say. But some health groups warn that the rapid spread of AI in schools could pose risks. One recent study found that popular chatbots may diminish critical thinking. And a digital policy expert at UNICEF recently said he was concerned that without proper guidance, the global push could, quote, actively de skill students and teachers. And finally, startups are always ushering in new office trends. We have lived through the days of companies offering yoga breaks, beanbags for chairs, beer on tap, or bring your dog to work. Now some startups are going no shoes. The trend is spreading in small tech offices. One AI startup the Times talked with offers all visitors custom slippers to slide on at the door instead of their street shoes. The CEO said it makes it feel like home and, quote, disarms you in a positive way. And she considers it in keeping with how she grew up with people taking off their shoes at home and in temples. An economist who studies how people work called it pajama culture in action. Basically, people who developed some cozy work from home habits during the pandemic are now bringing those back to the office with them. He said it also speaks to just how many hours people may be working at those startups. If you're going to be there for 12 hours a day, six days a week, you might as well be comfortable. This actually isn't tech's first go around with showing your toes. The Times checked in with a few Silicon Valley companies who went no shoes a decade ago or more. Since then, they seem to have largely re embraced footwear. Those are the headlines. If you'd like to play the Friday News quiz, stick around. It's just after these credits. This show is made by Will Jarvis, Yon Stewart and me. Tracy Mumford Original Themed by Dan Powell. Special thanks to Isabella Anderson, Larissa Anderson, Zoe Murphy and Paula Schumann. Now time for the quiz. A little New Year's theme. Here we have a few questions about three big winners of 2025 who are poised to be major players in 2026. Here we go. Please repeat after me. Raise your right hand. I I, Zoran Kwame. This week, Zoran Mamdani was sworn in as the mayor of New York City after a meteoric rise from a virtual unknown to one of the most prominent figures in American politics.

[A]

According to the best of my ability.

[B]

So help me God.

[A]

So help me God.

[B]

Congratulations, Mr. Mayor. He picked an out of the way spot in the city to take the oath of office. Your question, where was he sworn in? The answer? Mamdani's inauguration ceremony was held in an old subway station below City Hall. The station, which has been closed since 1945, is famous for its tiled arches, vaulted ceilings and chandeliers. Mamdani said it was a symbol of a quote city that dared to be both beautiful and build great things that would transform working people's lives. Moving on to the next question. All right, we head to Wall street now. As investors track the latest. It just continues to go higher and there's nobody that's near them on Wall Street. One company spent all last year smashing stock market records, becoming the first publicly traded company to ever be worth $4 trillion, then $5 trillion, and it is still at the top. What company is it? It's multiple choice. A, Amazon B OpenAI C Nvidia D, Berkshire Hathaway. Amazon OpenAI Nvidia Berkshire Hathaway. The answer? Nvidia. The company has a near total lock on the market for the chips that power AI and has become a driving force behind the entire US Economy. Quick bonus question here. Nvidia comes from the Latin word Nvidia. What does it mean? The answer, Envy. Which seems fitting. In the streaming wars, YouTube has been dominating the competition, capturing a bigger and bigger share of Americans attention. Recent data shows the platform accounts for about 13% of all viewing time. The runner up is Netflix, with just eight. Your question. Which YouTube channel has the most subscribers heading into 2026? Here's a hint. I don't care how long this takes. Whichever one of you leaves last wins half a million dollars. The answer is Mr. Beast, who has racked up 457 million subscribers. That is more than the entire population of the United States. That is it for the news quiz. I'm Tracy Mumford. The headlines will be back on Monday.