U.S. Says New Year’s Eve Strike On Alleged Drug Boats Killed 5

23:48I don't think there's a lot of people that would take this on. Because they're not crazy like we are. Renovation Aloha, season premiere March 31st at 8 on HGTV. The relationship between the FBI director and the president has always been complicated. Unravel the complex dynamic in the CNN original series, Standoff, the FBI, Power and Paranoia. Now streaming on the CNN app. What you might call a case of unintended consequences tops our health lead. The U.S. maintains a comprehensive economic embargo on Cuba in the hopes of changing the behavior of its government. But because of that embargo, ordinary people are suffering, especially now, as they can't get basic medicines like painkillers to combat a widespread outbreak of painful mosquito-borne disease.

24:36We asked CNN's Patrick Oppmann to look into the crisis. This is the front line of Cuba's war against mosquito-borne diseases. It's a war the island is losing as World Health Organization data shows infection rates of illnesses like dengue, chikungunya, and Oropuche are soaring. Part of the problem is that as Cubans confront the worst economic crisis in decades, there are fewer resources to combat and treat the rising number of cases that are spread by mosquitoes. Outside hospitals in Havana, we find many people waiting to be treated who say they're still suffering the after effects of chikungunya, which originally was first identified in Africa, and whose name means bent over for the severe joint pain the disease causes for weeks and sometimes months.

25:27It was terrible, very strong pain. This virus is a living hell, this man tells us. So far, the Cuban government says, the health crisis has cost the lives of at least 55 people. The majority of the deceased are children, they say. But the true toll could be far higher as many hospitals are overwhelmed and unable to test for the viruses. Video posted to social media shows waiting rooms in government-run hospitals overflowing with patients. The painful aches and pains of chikungunya seem to go away and then return, causing people to seek treatment again and again, Cuban health officials say. The chikungunya is very explosive, she says, with lots of symptoms and it lasts longer.

26:15The Cuban government acknowledges that their inability to provide many basic services, like picking up trash, that now covers whole streets and many neighborhoods across the island, is also fueling the outbreak. One byproduct of Cuba's economic collapse is that the government no longer has the trucks or even the gasoline to pick up the garbage. And these piles of trash that you see nearly everywhere you look have become the ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes carrying dengue chikungunya and other diseases. In treating those illnesses in a country where basic medicines are increasingly scarce, a crisis the Cuban government blames on US economic sanctions only contributes to the misery.

26:59I had a lot of pain in the joints, a fever that was higher than 39, and a constant pain in the body, this man tells us, who said he used homemade remedies since no painkillers were available to treat the virus' symptoms. The spread of these viruses is unlikely to stay within Cuba's borders, especially as Cubans living abroad return to the island over the holidays. Countries like the U.S. and Spain are warning travelers heading to Cuba to take precautions against mosquitoes to reduce the risk of infection and the further spread of an already deadly outbreak. Patrick Oppmann, CNN Havana. Our thanks to Patrick Oppmann for that piece.

27:43Well, up next, two politicians with some very strong words about President Trump. One of them, California Governor Gavin Newsom. Maybe no surprise there. The other, though, Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, a longtime MAGA loyalist. It's how they're both taking on the president in very different ways. That's next.

28:26We'll be right back. excludes Alaska and Hawaii.

28:35The decision to bring charges against President Trump was mine, but the basis for those charges rests entirely with President Trump and his actions. In our Law and Justice League, that's newly released video of former special counsel Jack Smith defending his two cases against President Trump, the mishandling of classified documents in the attempt to overturn the 2020 election. That video was a deposition with the House Judiciary Committee behind closed doors that took place last month, an interview that lasted more than eight hours. The committee released the video and the transcript yesterday.

29:09Joining now is CNN's Evan Perez. Evan, you covered every element of every twist and turn of these two cases. What stood out to you? Well, what stood out is the fact that Jack Smith can't talk about the one part of the investigation that is still under seal, essentially, from a judge. This is the classified documents case. And the report that he completed at the end of that investigation, that remains under seal by a judge in Florida. And so, as a result, all we had was eight hours of testimony over the January 6 case, which we've already known a lot about because the special counsel released a report.

29:51There were, of course, indictments in there that he had filed against the president. And, of course, we heard him defend those charges that they brought against the president. For instance, saying that President Trump knew he had lost the election, or at least acknowledged that he had lost the election to a number of people that he had spoken to. Also, that Rudy Giuliani didn't really believe the vote fraud claims that he was pushing forward. All of those things we've heard before. But the thing that we all wanted to know more about, of course, was what did he find in the classified documents case?

30:28What what did they what evidence did they not get to present? Because those cases never went to trial, thanks to the way the end that the way the end of the election happened in 2024. Do we have any sense, Evan? Will any of that ever be public? This is Eileen Cannon's decision. Is there some process that plays out here that could end up making it public? Well, I think there's a lot of efforts, including from the media, to try to get the judge to recognize that this is in the public interest for us to know what happened in that case. And so there's a lot of effort. There's going to be lawsuits and so on that will possibly change the course of that.

31:07But until the judge changes her mind or whether the Justice Department decides to put its force behind that, it's very unlikely to happen. All right, Evan Perez, thanks so much. We're in studio now to discuss this and much more. It's our panel. Happy New Year to both of you guys. Thank you for coming in. Maria, I know this isn't the most important element of what Evan was just discussing, but like the timing of the release of the video and the deposition in general, like I'm fairly cynical at this stage in my Washington career, but like New Year's Eve, late afternoon New Year's Eve, do you think that was intentional?

31:44A little bit. A little bit. Look, I think that this is yet another effort to kind of cover up from all of the other things that the Trump administration wants to distract from. Because I think what's clear from both the video as well as the transcript is that Jack Smith followed all the protocols. He followed all of the legal laws and things that he needed to follow in the case that he prosecuted against Donald Trump. And what is most interesting to me, and I think really is merits underscoring, is that all of the evidence, all of the people that spoke during this case for Jack Smith were not Democrats.

32:28They were not progressives. They were President Trump's allies. They were Republicans. They were conservatives who knew every single thing that President Trump was trying to do. And many of them even said what he is trying to do is illegal. He is trying to overturn a fair and legitimate election. And so I think that that is damning for the administration. I think that that will continue to underscore for the American people exactly what Trump tried to do in 2020, which I don't think any of us should forget. And I think going into the 2026 midterm elections, it certainly is not going to be the number one issue that voters vote on.

33:08But I think it will sort of underlie the kind of issues that voters have soured on Trump for, which is he doesn't care about affordability. He doesn't care about families' bottom lines. He doesn't care about our democracy. He doesn't care about trying to really make ends meet and bringing down prices, which is what he promised during the campaign. So I think all of that is going to be really helpful for Democrats going into the 2026 midterm elections. THE ISSUE ITSELF, JACK SMITH IN PARTICULAR, BECAME KIND OF A RED TEAM, BLUE TEAM THING A LONG TIME AGO, FOR BETTER OR WORSE, AND I WOULD ARGUE THE LATTER.

33:47BUT WHAT WAS INTERESTING ABOUT READING THE DEPOSITION OR SEEING SOME OF THE VIDEO IS WONDERING, DOES THIS MAKE PEOPLE SEE JACK SMITH THROUGH A NEW LIGHT? YOU ARE A LAWYER. YOU HAVE SIGNIFICANT EXPERTISE IN THIS SPACE. WHAT WAS YOUR READ ON JACK SMITH COMING OUT OF THIS? IT'S PUZZLING THAT HOUSE REPUBLICANS WOULD CALL HIM TO TESTIFY. Because if you recall a year ago, we got the special counsel report, which was required by regulations. So now you've given Jack Smith two opportunities to publicly state why he believed he had cases and evidence that are beyond a reasonable doubt would have convicted Donald Trump.

34:21And normally you would never hear this from a prosecutor. If a case is not brought, whether it's for procedural reasons or otherwise, that's it. The files are sealed and the prosecutor would never, ever talk about it. And I was very critical of some of these cases against Donald Trump. I thought the Alvin Bragg and Letitia James cases in New York were absolute nonsense. The Jack Smith cases were not nonsense. They were legitimate cases. And he was hyper-aggressive. I think he made some missteps. But at the end of the day, he had legitimate cases. And there's no telling had Donald Trump not been elected or re-elected in 2024.

34:55It's very possible he would have been convicted on one or both of those prosecutions. And I think that also answers why they released all this stuff on New Year's Eve. They belatedly realized exactly what you were saying. Like, oh, man, maybe we should not have done this. OK, I got to ask about this longtime ally, President Trump, Lauren Boebert, slamming his first veto, a veto on a non-controversial bill that I'm a fairly astute watcher of the legislative branch, wasn't even aware it passed. But it passed with unanimous support to fund a Colorado water project. What Boebert said is this. I must have missed the rally where he stood in Colorado and promised to personally derail critical water infrastructure projects.

35:37My bad. I thought the campaign was about lowering costs and cutting red tape. She goes on to say, quote, I sincerely hope this veto has nothing to do with political retaliation for calling out corruption and demanding accountability. Now, Boebert was one of the four Republicans who were instrumental in forcing the Epstein vote. There's also the Tina Peters elements of all this as well with Colorado that are going on. How big a deal is this? I think it's a pretty big deal, Phil, because even in that quote that you just quoted from Boebert, she underscores what I just said about the problem for Trump and Republicans going into the 2026 elections.

36:13He promised so much in the campaign in 2024 that he was going to bring down prices on day one, that he was going to work on inflation, make sure that that was down on day one. And he has, and in fact, everything that he has done has done the opposite, right? The tariffs have exploded prices. His mass immigration, criminal, divisive, cruel raids have exploded prices. And he is now showing the country vividly something that Vice President Kamala Harris talked about during the campaign, too, which is when he gets into office, he's not going to be focused on family's bottom lines. He's not going to be focused on helping middle class voters make ends meet.

36:57He's going to be focused on his enemies list. And because Colorado has been one of these blue states that has pissed him off, and I think, you know, Ms. Boebert is exactly right. This is about vindictiveness. I do think it's about her. I think it's about all of the Democrats that are in Colorado because there are other things as well that he is taking away from Colorado, transportation grants, interior grants. So I think this is going to be yet another check mark that Democrats can use in their messaging. Yeah, you know, it's funny because I think whether you like Trump or not, he has done some truly astounding things in his creation of his political career coming out of nowhere back in 2016.

37:35And yet once he's elected, he seems to act so radically and so emotionally. And so I know a lot of his supporters like to say he's always a few steps ahead and he's playing 3D or 4D chess or whatnot. But I have to think Congress will override his veto. So rather than just take credit for it and kind of have it as a layup, he picks this fight that he's going to lose ultimately. So I can't help but think he just acts really emotionally and he's not several steps ahead like his backers like to claim. I mean, the best part is going to be, to your point, they can override the veto. That vote is going to suck for Republicans.

38:09Oh, yes. They're going to be like, oh, God, I got to vote against him on this. I'm not so sure that they will overwrite it, especially because of that. But we all know that Donald Trump's most important thing is his ego. That's the problem. Okay, I want to ask about Gavin Newsom. California Governor Gavin Newsom responding to President Trump's announcement yesterday that he's withdrawing the National Guard from L.A., Chicago, and Portland, posting, quote, we won in court and forced him to Trump's rambling here as the political version of you can't fire me, I quit. You have had a very, we talked about this last time you were on, and have a very kind of astute and nuanced view of how these deployments were playing out.

38:42But the overriding kind of Newsom taunt here, how does it threaten that? It's a shame because as a native New Yorker, I saw for 20 years after the September 11th attacks, we had National Guardsmen posted at Penn Station at the Midtown Tunnel, and it was completely non-controversial, right? The president, the governor, the mayors, both different parties all agreed. And so the fact that now, 25 years later, Donald Trump has made this so contentious and has forced the fact that he was essentially shot down in his decisions to deploy the Guard, it's going to make it so much more difficult for future presidents to make this argument that that's a legitimate use of the military, because now the Supreme Court itself has said Donald Trump lacked the basis for doing this.

39:26Yeah, precedent is set. Thanks to you both. I really appreciate it. Thank you, Phil. Well, coming up, canines on a mission. We're talking puppies. Why not? Need I say more? It is a must-watch, and it's coming up next.

39:41With rain and flooding, another risk can strike. Mold in your house that can be hazardous to your health. But now there's a potential solution to sniff out that moldy smell. It's Randy Kaye explains. This German Shepherd puppy is the newest member of an army of dogs trained to sniff out mold. His name is Spore. That's a good boy. Starting a dog from the puppy is huge. We don't want a dog that's gonna be terrified going into places like that. So getting a dog, their head inside pipes like that is going to be imperative. Sean Gallivan, co-owner of Paws on Mold, uses dog treats as a training tool to encourage spore to follow the odor inside the pipe.

40:20Good man. Florida is the number one state for mold risk. For little spore, that's pretty good job security. We have aspergillus. We have plutonium. Every mold, black mold, our dog is on all of them. Sean spent four years in the military. He's worked with dogs who can sniff out explosives and drugs, too. After I got out of the military, I started working at the airport for explosive detection. As long as it has a chemical compound, the sky's the limit when you're dealing with dogs. Spore is about eight weeks old, so he's in puppy kindergarten right now. But in about a year and a half, he'll be fully trained and ready to go out in the field, to homes and businesses here in the state of Florida, and sniff out mold.

41:00And he'll be on his best behavior. Until then, paws on mold will rely on other pups like Zuko, whose olfactory system has been sniffing out mold for some time now. Dogs' noses are believed to have up to 300 million scent receptors, compared to about 5 million in our noses. Watch when Sean hides synthetic mold, which is safe, in the scent wall or the odor box during more advanced training. The reward for Zuko's hard work? A ball, which Sean releases using a remote. You can't really drop anything out of this because it's not going to come out, so it's a ball popper, and it just literally shoots a ball up.

41:38So when the dog goes to the right one and indicates on the right one, the ball is going to come right from the source of odor. When the dogs alert for mold at someone's home or business, samples are sent to a lab to confirm their noses are spot on. Randy Kay, CNN, Jupiter, Florida. Happy New Year and welcome to The Lead. I'm Phil Mattingly in for Jake Tapper. This hour, Zoran Mondani is officially the mayor of New York City. After a midnight ceremony in an old subway station and a public swearing in this afternoon, Mondani promised to tackle the affordability crisis in one of America's most expensive cities.

42:17So what will his first action be and how much leeway are New Yorkers willing to give their new mayor? Plus, they were supposed to ring in the New Year with a performance at the Kennedy Center last night. But after the board added President Trump's name to the landmark institution, the cookers backed out of the gig. Band member David Weiss joins me live to explain why. And evacuation warnings are in place in parts of California as a new storm system threatens to dump heavy rains and trigger flash flooding. We're heading to the CNN Weather Center for a look at tonight's forecast and where the storm is heading next as we head into the first weekend.

42:53of 2026.

42:58The lead tonight's Oren Mamdani publicly sworn in as New York City's 112th mayor, the 34-year-old immigrant from Uganda making history as the city's first Muslim mayor, first South Asian mayor, and the youngest mayor to hold the high-profile office in more than a century. The former New York State Assemblyman captured the world's attention and stunned the political establishment with his win in the Democratic primary last summer, running a campaign focused on affordability. CNN's Gloria Pasmino is at the New York City Hall, where Mamdani's public inauguration ceremony took place. Gloria, what are the expectations?

43:32They're clearly high, but for the next couple of days. Absolutely, Phil. They're very high, and quite frankly, Zoran Mamdani set his own expectations very high for himself, especially during that rousing, I would say, unapologetically progressive, unapologetically liberal speech during his inauguration. We saw Zora Mambani really doubling down on his political identity, reminding the crowd that he'd been elected as a democratic socialist and telling them that he plans to govern as a democratic socialist. He also talked during his speech about how he was told that this is the moment to sort of move to the middle, to perhaps reach out to moderate Democrats, people who do not support all of his liberal proposals and ideas.

44:23And he said here today that he had no intention of doing that. He talked about the moment that got him to today, right? His focus on affordability, on working class people, talking about how those are the New Yorkers that keep the city going and promising to work on their behalf. Take a listen to some of the speech. 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.

45:05At one point, a chance of tax the rich broke out during that speech. That is, of course, how Zora Mamdani has said he wants to pay for his initiatives by taxing New York City's wealthy as residents, something that will likely be an uphill battle here in New York because the governor has said she does not want to raise taxes and she and the state legislature are actually the ones with the power to do it. Bazzara Mamdani already getting back to work in the last hour. He signed a handful of executive orders, all of them aimed at trying to deal with the housing crisis here in New York City. It directs the city to create two task forces so they can analyze sort of the blocks that exist right now to building housing.

45:53He also appointed a new housing director and he is directing the city to study what they can do right now to try and tackle the housing crisis quickly. So he has an ambitious and complicated agenda ahead of him. But today, certainly was about celebrating his administration, celebrating this moment. And I think a lot of people here who were inspired by his election really took in the moment and were able to be a part of it during that ceremony. Phil. Gloria Pasmino, who has been leading a stellar coverage for months on this beat. I really appreciate your time from New York City Hall. Thanks so much.

46:37And I want to bring in staff writer at the Free Press, Olivia Reingold, has also been doing extensive coverage on this race up to this point. Former Democratic New York Congressman Max Rose joins us as well. Olivia, to start with you, I think what was fascinating about the speech is, and I guess we shouldn't be surprised at this point, but there's no kind of pragmatic pivot. There's no triangulation. There's no attempt to be, I guess, more, some people would say realistic about some of the policy promises. How realistic is this focus going to be from a policy perspective going forward? So there isn't a lot of compromise so far from Zoran.

47:16I mean, he's only been mayor for less than 24 hours, so perhaps it is coming. But he is going to need to build a coalition beyond the DSA, which he shouted out in his speech, actually. That stands for the Democratic Socialists of America, which is really how he got his start. He's going to need to grow beyond that. And this really matters because he's facing an uphill battle here. The city is has a budget deficit that he is going to have to deal with. And a lot of this, he's just going to have to hike uphill to Albany and convince Hochul to go along with this. Congressman, CNN interviewed a few Mamdani supporters ahead of today's ceremony.

47:58I want you to take a listen. He spoke for the people I think that things that resonate with me. I think we're all looking for something different. You know, and I'm just saying we needed a change. We've been keeping up with the transition and been liking everything that I've been seeing so far. We need Democrats with backbones and Zoran has one. Look, the enthusiasm, the positivity, the embrace of the way he's campaigned and the way he's kind of shaped himself as a politician. That's why he won, period, end of story. How much patience and time do you think New Yorkers will give him to deliver on the promises?

48:38Look, three New Yorkers, four opinions. So certainly there's nothing like the first day of office in terms of high level points of positivity and optimism. But people will definitely give him at least a year. I mean, I think New Yorkers understand that you can't make these changes on day one. But what Zora Mamdani really was talking about when it comes to affordability, that is a fight that Democrats are taking up nationwide. So as we consider the leeway that Mamdani will get, this will also be the leeway that the Democrats will get as a party And when voters are considering that, they're taking into account the other side.

49:25They're taking into account the failures of the Republican Party, who currently has the reins of power to do absolutely anything. So whenever we're considering Mamdani, we have to consider, you know, Trump and his Republican Party as well. Congressman, were you surprised that there wasn't any kind of move to the middle or shift change of course in the speech today? Yeah, you know, I was a little bit surprised because that certainly has not been the story of his appointments. His appointments have been highly technocratic, experienced folks who really don't have virtually any history of being ideologically far to the left.

50:06So now he's doubling down with his rhetoric. So you might see him walk this pathway over the course of at least this next year, where on the rhetorical side, he is talking about socialism. And on the governance side, he is not. The point on taxing the rich, yes, that will absolutely take the governor. But that's not the whole story here. Really what he's talking about is I need$10 to$15 billion more. There's a chance that he might not even be able to get that from his tax plan of taxing the rich an extra 2 percent per year, particularly if New York State's coffers and their aggregate revenue goes down as some are predicting it to be.

50:55So this is going to be far more complex than even he pointed to in his speech. It's a really great point. Olivia, it's part of why one of the things, and I really want to ask you this because you've been on the ground. You've covered this kind of day in, day out now for several months. Are people simplifying this into a national narrative, national movement, national figure in a way that isn't actually representative of what it is? Or is Zoran Mamdani heading into the midterm years like this is the guy? This is for the Democratic Party, the kind of barometer? I travel a lot for my job. I report across the country and I am astounded everywhere I go.

51:32I mean, I spoke to a handyman in Florida a few weeks ago, and he knew almost as much about Zoran as I do. And I've been on this beat since the beginning of his trajectory, his ascendant rise. So I you know, when you look at polling nationally, there is a huge appetite amongst average Democrats that they want to see new leadership. And Zoran has huge name ID across the country. And I think that there is this real populist bent and populist hunger. You look at the Democratic Socialists of America and they are having chapters pop up all across the country, even in the South, too, in unexpected places also.

52:19Olivia Reingold, former Congressman Max Rose, really appreciate you guys. Thanks so much. Thank you. Thanks again. Well, an investigation is underway tonight after a fire broke out at a bar at a Swiss ski resort during a New Year's Eve party. Officials estimate 40 people were killed, more than 100 others injured. CNN's team just arrived on the scene where a tribute is growing. We're going to check in with them live next.

52:46In our world lead, a New Year's party at a popular tourist bar in Switzerland turned deadly when a fire broke out, killing at least 40 people and injuring about 115 others. Now, witnesses described people screaming, calling for help as the fire spread. CNN's Nick Robertson is live on the scene, near the scene. Do investigators, Nick, know how this actually started? They don't. It's an underground bar. La Constellation Bar is an underground bar, and it has wooden paneling on the ceiling, quite narrow staircase to get down, capacity for several hundred people, not clear, according to the prosecutors, how many people were in the bar when the fire started.

53:28But the witnesses have described the fire literally ripping through from the moment it starts to within about 10 seconds, the balls of flame ripping through. And what, you know, sort of pyrotechnic engineers, if you will, fire services, you know, often describe in these scenarios where you have an intense fire. The fire burns out the oxygen. Somebody opens a window or a door to try to break out and get out of there. Air rushes in, which feeds the fire. And that's perhaps partly why there's this intensity that was so ferocious and there were so many casualties and injuries, but also it's sort of how the fire leapt around this enclosed space.

54:14But the prosecutor at the moment is saying, look, we just do not have those details. There were forensic teams working at the bar just a few hours ago. Undoubtedly, there's a lot more work to be done there, as well as trying to aid the injured and give solace to some of the families as well. Nick Robertson for us on the ground in Switzerland. Thanks so much. Well, the first day of 2026 means health care subsidies have expired, meaning millions of Americans will likely have to pay even more for health care or go uninsured. Is Congress working on any kind of compromise during their holiday break?

54:49That's next.

54:54In our politics lead, the start of the new year means new financial stress for millions of Americans enrolled in the Affordable Care Act after Congress missed the deadline to extend subsidies. While the House is expected to vote on a Democratic proposal to extend subsidies by three years when Congress is back in session. The bill already facing major headwinds in the Senate. Joining us now to discuss Florida Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Congresswoman, really appreciate your time. Happy New Year. I want to start with, I mean, this is one of those issues, it's tough to say Happy New Year for the people who are actually grappling with this at the moment.

55:26The director of the group covering Florida says more clients are choosing to forego health care coverage in 2026. What is your message to your constituents, to Floridians who are having to make this choice while waiting for congressional action? Well, thanks for having me and happy new year to everyone, Phil. It is just unbelievable. My message at home is that, you know, I alongside my Democratic colleagues have been fighting for months and months to try to make sure that Republicans join us in careening the healthcare affordability car off the cliff, which Donald Trump and my Republican colleagues chose to do today.

56:07And so I have 203 ,000 constituents in my district alone that are going to face, that are facing today skyrocketing healthcare costs. Many of them will lose their coverage entirely. And it's just another example of the callous indifference that Republicans have when it comes to the everyday affordability that Americans, affordability crisis that our Americans are facing today. It's really mind-blowing. And thankfully, we're going to vote on the three-year extension of the tax credits that Democrats under Hakeem Jeffries' leadership forced to the floor, joined by four Republicans. So there are Republicans that agree we should work on this together.

56:46That's what we should have done already. And hopefully we can get this done in the next few weeks. Yeah. I mean, what's always struck me is, ironic is probably not the right word, it's Congress, so everything's kind of filled with irony on some level. But the idea that there was always 218 for an extension. There was always a majority in the Senate for an extension as well. Melding those two things together, getting leadership to actually put bills on the floor has been kind of the two major roadblocks right now. Obviously, the Democrats will get their proposal onto the floor in the House. How do you reconcile these?

57:17What's kind of the way to thread the needle between two chambers? Well, the problem is, is that it's going to be very difficult for us to reconcile the bill, the difference between the House and the Senate's opinion. But overall, the Republican leadership in both the House and Senate and Donald Trump actually don't care and don't want to extend the tax credits. They had an opportunity to do that in the midst of the debate on the one big ugly bill this summer. What they chose to do was that they chose to give tax breaks to the wealthiest, most fortunate Americans, extend those from 2017 and make those permanent.

57:54Those were temporary also. They keep citing examples of how Democrats made the tax credits temporary. Well, Republicans did that in 2017 with their tax breaks for the wealthiest among us and chose to make those permanent while refusing to make the tax credits either permanent or even extend them by a few years. And now the pain that is added to a affordability crisis that already exists in America between groceries and utilities and health care now and a laundry list of housing. This is in the lap of Republicans. Democrats will continue to fight to focus on making sure that life is more affordable for all Americans.

58:34That's that's the critical issue today when I'm talking to my constituents at home. That issue, not only critical, but also politically salient like none other, I think, in the moment. And that's probably nobody's demonstrated that better than Zoran Mamdani, who was sworn in as mayor today of New York City. Again, city mayor, not necessarily the national barometer for the Democratic Party, although I think a lot of people have looked at it that way. You were sharply critical of him at points over the summer. Telling the Hill, quote, to not be willing to condemn the term globalizing Nevada. It just demonstrates his callous disregard for anti-Semitism, saying he isn't ready for primetime.

59:12What's your view on him now? Do you feel like he's there? Do you feel like he's a critical piece of the future of the Democratic Party? Well, the views that I've stated over the course of his candidacy haven't changed because, unfortunately, he has not revised his opinions or certainly expressed a clear opposition to inciting more anti-Semitism with remarks like that. when others make them. But Zoran Mondami's success was the result of his focus, like Abigail Spanberger, the incoming governor of Virginia, Mikey Sherrill, the incoming governor of New Jersey, even Eileen Higgins, who is now the mayor of the city of Miami.

59:57The Democrats have won across the board this year in focusing on the number one issue, the most important issue, what is coming out of people's pocketbooks and that life has become unaffordable. And if he sticks to that and can work across the divide of philosophical differences, then hopefully life can become more affordable for New Yorkers and Democrats will continue, unlike the Trump administration and Republicans, to focus on making sure that the kitchen table issues that people are struggling with are at the top of the agenda. It's a really good point that there's a through line between very different types of Democratic candidates in the off-year elections and its affordability.

1:00:39There are very different types representing very different kind of elements of the Democratic Party, but they all focused on one critical issue and they all ended up victorious. Real quick before I let you go, the Trump administration's decision to freeze child care payments to Minnesota amid the federal investigations into allegations of fraud at child care centers, it's having real repercussions on the ground in Minnesota. What's your response to that? Well, look, again, it's more distraction from the affordability crisis that is being exacerbated by Donald Trump. I mean, listen, anybody who violates federal law and fraudulently uses federal funding should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, which is exactly what the Biden administration has been doing in Minnesota in this child care investigation of fraud for years now, in fact, securing convictions of people who have engaged in fraud.

1:01:34What Donald Trump is trying to do here is distract from the fact that he's pardoned people who, a guy who was convicted of insider trading, a guy who was convicted of being a drug kingpin. He pardoned George Santos. Donald Trump is not someone who cares about making sure that people who are the worst criminals are actually put in prison. And at the end of the day, we need to make sure that you don't hold children accountable and their parents who are trying to make sure that they can afford to send their child to a daycare center so that they can afford to go to work and they have a safe place for their children to stay.

1:02:20So this is nothing more than a distraction. Donald Trump has no credibility when it comes to fighting fraud or actually, you know, holding criminals accountable because he's pardoned so many just in the single year he's been president. So spare me the tough on crime fraud that he's representing himself. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Democrat from Florida, thanks so much for your time. I I really appreciate it. Thanks, Phil. Well, my next guest was supposed to perform at the Kennedy Center last night, but just days before his group canceled their performance. Why? We'll ask next.

1:03:08Our pop lead comes with a rather large helping of politics on the side. Ever since the Kennedy Center Board of Directors added President Trump's name to the Performing Arts Center here in Washington, artists have been canceling scheduled performances. My next guest's group, the Cookers, pulled out of a pair of New Year's Eve shows. Trumpeter, composer, and arranger David Weiss joins me now. David, I really appreciate your time. The statement on the Cookers' website says the decision here came together, quote, very quickly. Explain the decision, the abrupt cancellation here.

1:03:42We were discussing it for quite some time. And of course, in the last couple of weeks, things seem to be escalating a lot. We were more talking about more of the general condition of the world we were living in at the moment. And I don't believe the name change to us made that big of a difference in the overall scope of everything that's going on. But it seemed to, I mean, blow up on social media and affect our fans and affect our families. And the discussion intensified, and finally we decided that we just couldn't do this. Like I said, a lot of pressure from longtime friends and family made a big difference.

1:04:24We didn't anticipate the name change to create such a backlash, but it clearly was something that spoke very strongly to a lot of people. You never know when these symbolic things are just going to blow up. And we just, I don't know, reacted accordingly. But it was mostly about pressure from fans and friends and family. The group issued a statement on its website saying, in part, we remain committed to playing music that reaches across divisions rather than deepening them. You talk about what you were hearing in advance of the decision. What have you heard in the wake of the decision? Are you concerned that the decision itself might actually exacerbate some of the divisions?

1:05:07There's always that concern. And in this world, again, this world we're living in seems to be creating these divisions. And honestly, even seeing some of the social media stuff that was written about us when we were still slated to perform was, you know, scary, nasty. It was it was a lot to take in. It's social media. So, I mean, you don't weigh it as much as other things, like I said, friends and family. but um it was we weren't quite taken aback by by the um by the backlash um you know this this band has been together for 18 years and the the main members of this group have been playing music for 60 years and they performed music in the 60s that always had elements of protest music uh um in fact i think a lot of the music they played in the 60s were the soundtrack to the civil rights movement so they're been part of that fabric but in in the 60s if you had something you say you said it by playing music by making making an album you know albums that said freedom now sweet we insist freedom now there i mean there's a lot of a lot of stuff going on then um but they didn't have social media then they didn't have cnn cable news then they did the only way to express themselves was for their music and they still really feel that way um for a long time the intention was to do the performance because we thought that in itself going there and playing this music and maybe playing some protest music or saying things was the former protest we were going to go to but it seemed like once the name change was made the tide had turned and and we that option was let's say the option wasn't considered by this world i mean i guess you know screaming on social media is the only way to make a point now.

1:06:54And it's unfortunate because, like I said, these musicians have always played music as a way to express themselves. I feel, and correct me if I'm wrong here, I can almost hear, there's a combination of weight, but also, I think, a struggle in your voice about how this is all played out and trying to figure out what the right answer is to convey what you want to convey. And you kind of got stuck in the middle of something that I don't think you or the group necessarily was looking for or has wanted since. Is that a fair characterization? I think we had no idea. I mean, we watch TV. Some of us dabble in social media.

1:07:36We see people get canceled. We see backlash. But we never, I guess, fully realized it would fall on us or that people would, you know, cancel us, for deciding to play the show if we went ahead with it. So yeah, it's kind of a new thing. I'm trying to speak for everybody in this band. And again, three of the guys are in their 80s. One guy's actually 90 years old now. And they're certainly moving with the times, and their music is modern and vital and important. but that's what they do um and it's it's hard to to grasp how much how much backlash they got and how much it was affecting them and now that we've canceled it's potentially going the other way um and i don't want to i hope 85 year olds and 90 year old guys are not subjected to that kind of kind of thing at this point in their lives i just hope you know they're just trying to play music and make their statements musically and move on.

1:08:48But yeah, the world's got a different idea for him, I guess, for us. I'm sorry. Yeah, well, I appreciate you taking the time. There's a lot of value to actually having a conversation about it and conveying what you've been able to do so in the last several minutes. David Weiss, thanks very much. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Well, the advice from his doctors that President Trump says he ignores. That's next.

1:09:19In our health lead, President Trump is dismissing concerns that he's slowing down or showing any signs of aging, telling The Wall Street Journal in a new interview, quote, My health is perfect. And he admits to sometimes relying on his, quote, good genetics over the advice of his doctors and accepted health recommendations. A 79-year-old also told The Journal he regrets undergoing a CT scan last year because of the scrutiny it generated about his health, saying, quote, I would have been a lot better off if they didn't because the fact that I took it said, oh, gee, is something wrong. Well, nothing's wrong.

1:09:51Let's discuss now with Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University. He's also a CNN medical analyst. Doctor, really appreciate your time. Just last month, you said you were seriously concerned about the president's health. What's your level of concern after hearing from the president who says he's in perfect health? well i'm mostly concerned that the public really hasn't been told essentially anything meaningful about the president's health here so let's turn the clock back and and look what's gone on over the last nine months the president had a physical exam a comprehensive physical exam in april walter reed and you know they listed a bunch of studies which were essentially all normal The president was great, and there was nothing else to see.

1:10:37Over the summer, the president developed really greatly swollen ankles, which prompted another series of tests. They called that chronic venous insufficiency, despite the fact that just a few months earlier during his comprehensive exam, the president's physician said he had no swelling of the leg, so it doesn't sound so chronic to me. It sounds more acute. And then something happened in the fall. Something happened in October that prompted an off-cycle series of tests by the president's medical team. And when the results of those were released to the public, they used some basically euphemisms to describe what the president, the test the president went through.

1:11:19And the euphemism was advanced imaging. And they didn't describe whether it was a CT or an MR. And then later on, a few days later on Air Force One, the president basically said he had an MRI. Couldn't describe what body part, but he said he had an MRI, which prompted the president's physician again to release another statement, at which time he again did not describe the specific test the president underwent and said that, again, everything looked fine. And now we learn that the president didn't have an MRI. he actually had a CT scan, which explains why the president's physician didn't describe the test after the president disclosed his MRI because he didn't have an MRI.

1:12:00So as best we can tell, the president had a cardiac CT or what looks like a CT angiogram, which is basically a non-invasive way to tell whether the president has any significant coronary artery disease. And in his statement to the Wall Street Journal, the president's physician, Dr. Sean Barber-Bella, basically said the test looked great. There was no abnormality, which actually doesn't correlate with what Dr. Ronnie Jackson told the public in 2018 when he disclosed that the president had a similar CT scan that showed the presence of coronary calcium, which is a marker of coronary artery disease.

1:12:42So I'm almost less concerned about the actual cause of the president's bruising, we can talk about that, than I am about why the White House medical team has felt the need to study him in the last few months. What symptoms, what clinical concerns have prompted this? Because the president is right. When you test the president of the United States, it creates a lot of concern, And rightfully so. What the president said about aspirin, which has gotten a lot of attention, taking more aspirin than what his doctors are recommending, and his rationale for doing so, which is, he said, quote, they say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart.

1:13:25I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense? Does that make sense? Yeah, so that makes no sense. That actually makes nonsense. So first of all, when we use any kind of anticoagulant medications to prevent clotting, those don't thin the blood. It's not like changing something from gumbo to chicken soup. It doesn't make it thinner. It makes you less likely to clot. And it used to be that we would treat a lot of people with aspirin therapy to prevent heart attacks. But we've learned in recent years that particularly people over the age of 70, not only is there no benefit in terms of just primary prevention, trying to prevent a cardiac event by giving them aspirin, that there can be hazard.

1:14:17And the hazard can be bleeding, significant bleeding. So here's the interesting thing about this. The president apparently is taking 325 milligrams of aspirin per day, which is essentially one adult size aspirin tablet. But the dosage that we use for patients, even with documented coronary artery disease, is a quarter of that, is 81 milligrams per day. So why is the president taking, you know, an unorthodox dose of aspirin? And the media has published many photos of his right hand and now maybe his left hand with this chronic bruise. The White House has said that this is related to chronic aspirin therapy.

1:15:01So if you're bruising a lot and your doctor says you're on too much aspirin, why wouldn't you go down to the lower dose? It makes no sense to me. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, that was actually a very helpful and nuanced explanation of a lot of things people have been talking about. Thank you very much. Really appreciate it. My pleasure. Well, turning now to our Business Leaders series, where we speak with small business owners about President Trump's tariffs. Today, we're visiting Tesoro, a gift store in Beverly Hills, California, selling gifts for all ages, from clothing to antiques and everything in between.

1:15:32Joining me now is owner and self-proclaimed curator of happiness, which I think we can all use in 2026, Tara Riceberg. Tara, really appreciate your time. Just to start off, we're going to talk about how tariffs impacted your products in a minute. But I also understand your store was damaged on Christmas morning. There's actually been an impact on the repair process as well. Yep. 6 a.m. Christmas morning, I get the call. The fire department is there. And the business that I have been scrambling to save since COVID is now gone. And the idea that I need to rebuild and navigate that when I do not know what the cost of building materials is going to be.

1:16:13I'm looking at a four to 12 month build out before I can even get back in. I don't even know how to source product and what that's going to even look like for me to be open, hopefully by fourth quarter next year. The tariffs are real. There are taxes. There are taxes Americans are paying. And I think there's a disconnect that people think it's only 30%. I have a store because of COVID can no longer stock Amazon products. So I stock with handmade by American artists. I import from Europe and my European imports now carry tariffs between 65 % and 167%. So I obviously cannot bring product into my store.

1:17:05The scramble, I have gone from the COVID pivot to the tariff spin out. There is no way to plan, forecast, anticipate. We're just all holding our breath. And just to kind of give you a visual, customers come in, but they're spending less. You know, I'm a blonde, but now I have brunette hair because I can't afford to hair color as a blonde anymore. The costs are everywhere. It's in the packaging. It's in the merchandise. There is not one aspect that has not been impacted by these tariffs, these illegal taxes. And then nobody talks about this. But the insult to injury is sales tax on the tax. So all we're doing is spending money and I don't see any return for it.

1:17:55It's frustrating. It's scary. We are going to kill Main Street. And if we're not already headed into a depression, we're going to be. There is no way small business can sustain. And honestly, these tariffs, these taxes, they are the final nail in the coffin of small business. We don't have a lot of time left. And I have about 34 questions that I would like to ask you. Just quickly, how are you doing? You doing okay? Yeah, I just lost my business on Christmas Day. I'm great. but I am a retail champion and I want to see, I want to see our country and my stores and my retail community thrive. And honestly, as much as I want to say to Congress, do your job, stop with these illegal taxes.

1:18:47I also want to say to, to the viewers, Hey guys, we got to participate. You got to write to your Congress people. You got to shout out and say that we're, we're hurting here. And honestly, you got to shop small. The death of small business is the online shopping. We got conditioned during COVID to shop from home, but we need to re-engage. You know, community isn't convenient. It takes an effort. You got to get out and be with people and be one-to-one and say to a small business owner, thank you for being here. Even if you're just buying a greeting card, just walking through the door of your local store gives that business owner hope that it's all going to work out and it's all going to be okay.

1:19:25To be very clear, I wasn't trying to be flippant. I know that wasn't how you were answering it, but like your story and what you're conveying and your willingness to come on and convey it in the wake of what you've been dealing with recently, but also writ large, I really do appreciate it. And I think it carries a lot of value. And I hope the people who are watching policymakers in particular pay attention to what you're saying. And I hope you have a much better 2026 than the back end of your 2025. Tara, thank you very much. Thank you so much. And if you want to check out what's for sale or see how you can offer fire support, please visit bestgiftstoreever.com or follow Instagram bestgiftstoreever, Tara Riceberg.

1:20:04Thank you very much. Well, evacuation warnings are in place as a new storm system pummels California. That's next.

1:20:16In our national lead, the new year bringing a new round of heavy rain across Southern California and reigniting a flood threat after last week's destructive storm that brought mudslides and flooding around Christmas. While this round won't be as extreme, it could create new flooding and mudslide concerns. Well, in our health league, where a multi-state salmonella outbreak that's likely linked to raw oysters has sickened more than 60 people across 22 states. The CDC says it's working to identify the source of the contaminated oysters. Raw seafood, undercooked meat, unpasteurized dairy, and raw eggs are some of the most common sources of foodborne illness.

1:20:53And in our money lead, President Trump rang in the New Year at Mar-a-Lago, where he auctioned off a painting of Jesus for nearly$3 million. The massive portrait was painted in less than 10 minutes while the president watched on. President Trump says half of the money raised will go to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, and the rest will go to the local sheriff's department. And a special treat on CNN Tonight, he helped define a generation of comedy and became a widely recognized name. From his early days on SNL to becoming a movie star and even the sometimes complicated moments in his private life, the CNN film I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not explores the man both on and off the screen with candid interviews with Chevy himself and those who know him best.

1:21:36The film boldly explores the life and career of an unforgettable comedy icon. I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not premieres in just a little bit over an hour at 8 p.m. here on CNN. And starting tomorrow, you can stream it on the CNN app. And, of course, you can follow the show on X and Instagram at TheLeadCNN. If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can watch the show on the CNN app. I'll see you here again tomorrow. Happy New Year, everyone.

1:22:07I'm Eva Longoria, and I'm setting out to really experience France, to savor its world-celebrated cuisine and explore the country's rich history. Eva Longoria, Searching for France, premieres April 12th on CNN and next day on the CNN app. I'm CNN tech reporter Claire Duffy. This week on the podcast Terms of Service, there's a growing category of products aimed specifically at addressing women's unique health needs. These tools and services are sometimes known as femtech, and they can provide big opportunities and benefits, but they can also come with some risks. To walk us through all of this, I spoke with Bethany Corbin.

1:22:45Bethany is an attorney and CEO of Fem Innovation, where she advises startups, clinicians, and healthcare organizations. In my opinion, what it really does is gives us a collective language to talk about women's healthcare innovation and the tools that are out there so that we can take control of our healthcare experiences and know how to advocate for ourselves in a system that's probably not been designed to advocate for us. Listen to CNN's Terms of Service wherever you get your podcasts.