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

Episode Date: January 2, 2026

Plus, your Friday news quiz. Here’s what we’re covering:How a Fire Ripped Through a Swiss Bar and Broke a Village’s Heart by Ségolène Le StradicTrump Abandons Efforts to Deploy National Guard to 3 Major Cities by Tyler PagerWith Obamacare’s Higher Premiums Come Difficult Decisions by Reed AbelsonTech Giants Are Racing to Embed A.I. in Schools Around the Globe by Natasha SingerWelcome to the Office. Now Take Off Your Shoes by Lora KelleyTune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: [e-mail]. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's January 2nd, 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. I met a young man who was inside when it happened. He rushed out when he saw the smoke, so he was not harmed. But he told him. told me that his friend stayed inside and was injured and she was at the hospital in soon. He waited all day to find out how she was, but they didn't let him see her. My colleague, Segelin Lestradeke, is reporting from the town, Cran Montana, which draws people for skiing and its views of the Alps. She went to the site of the fire. 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 kindles. And I talked to some of them. There 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 their police environment were already there, people were rushing out. they said that, you know, people were trampling each other, that it was total panic. I think now there's 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. President Trump has announced that he will abandon efforts to deploy the National Guard in three major U.S. cities, Chicago, L.A., 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 L.A., 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 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'd 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 subsidy. 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. 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 GROC chatbot. And in the U.S., 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. 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, 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 text. 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, Jan Stewart, and me, Tracy Mumford. Original theme 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 Kwami. 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. According to the best of my ability.

So help me, God. So help me God. 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? Momdani'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.

Momdani 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, C, NVIDIA, D, B. Berkshire Hathaway. Amazon, OpenAI, NVIDIA, Berkshire Hathaway. The answer? Invidia. 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 U.S. economy. Quick bonus question here. Invidia comes from the Latin word, NVIDIA. What does it mean? The answer? Envy, which seems fitting.

And last question. 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.