Faith, socialism, Millennials. Takeaways on Mamdani's NYC inauguration

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's Jan. 1 inauguration and block party reflected a diverse city looking to make good on the34-year-old democratic socialist's promises to address affordability.

On a freezing New Year's Day, theDemocratic mayor took his ceremonial oath of officeon the steps of City Hall, with thousands of people lining several Manhattan blocks and a slate of celebrities championing him with Millennial cultural touchstones. Mamdani acknowledged people, includingthose outside the five boroughs, want to see how a leftist will manage a municipal government.

The former state assemblyman from Queens vowed to govern the in same as manner as he was elected: as anunapologetic democratic socialist.

Here are five takeaways on his inauguration.

Zohran Mamdani sworn in as mayor of New York City

Mamdani's faith on full display

Mamdani's Muslim faith was front and center during his inauguration.

He took the oath of office at midnight byswearing in on a pair of Qurans, Islam's holiest book, and then again during his public inauguration ceremony.

Imam Khalid Latif, joined by representatives of multiple faiths, offered an invocation focused on how Mamdani's coalition speaks for ordinary New Yorkers, not the wealthy or the powerful.

Mamdani is the first Muslim mayorof the nation's largest city. He is an outspoken proponent of Palestinian rights and critic of Israel. His election sparked concern among many conservatives and Israel supporters. Some political adversaries have sought to link him to Islamist terrorists. Mamdani has previously said he had been told to downplay his faith when seeking elected office.

Latif is the executive director and co-founder of the Islamic Center of New York City, and was appointed a New York City Police Department chaplain in 2007.

"Never let him forget that this office exists to serve the people, not to rise above them," Latif said in his prayer. "We lift up all those who came together to make what many said could never happen, happen."

He continued: "Let no one have to choose between rent and dignity, between medicine and meals, between staying and surviving," Latif said. "Let policy be shaped by compassion and budgets reflective of our values."

Democratic socialists take power

Nearly a decade ago, democratic socialism was an obscure term, unknown to most Americans.

A few lawmakers have since brought it to the forefront, including Mamdani.

Before administering Mamdani's oath of office,U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, a fellow democratic socialist and a Brooklyn native, said Mamdani's agenda on addressing affordability is not radical.

But Sanders said supporters needed to keep pushing for his policies such as free buses, universal childcare and even city-run grocery stores. Sanders' trademark message, to have wealthy and large corporations pay more in taxes, was met by chants of "tax the rich."

"The billionaire class in this city and country have got to understand that in America they cannot have it all," Sanders said. "That America, our great country, must belong to all of us, not just a few. And that lesson begins today in New York City."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, another democratic socialist, opened the inauguration with an introduction. Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani look to Sanders as a source of inspiration for progressive politics.

Ocasio-Cortez highlighted Mamdani's campaign platform focused on addressing affordability through free universal childcare, affordable rent and "clean and dignified" public transit for New Yorkers.

"We have chosen that over the distractions of bigotry and the barbarism of extreme income inequality," Ocasio-Cortez said. "We have chosen this path because we know that it's the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do. And that, if we can make it here, we can make it anywhere."

In his speech, Mamdani said he was elected as a democratic socialist and will govern as a democratic socialist. On stage, Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Mayor Eric Adams, two moderate Democrats, sat by listening.

Time to govern, acknowledging the world is watching

Mamdani acknowledged the world was watching what ademocratic socialist can do in office. National Republicans including President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson have usedMamdani as a boogeyman, but his inauguration address didn't reference them or Congress. Instead, he focused on New Yorkers and their city.

His campaign promised to ease the cost of living, a message that has expanded far beyond New York and has transformed Democratic politics. But now, he said his administration has to implement his platform.

"They want to know if the left can govern," Mamdani said. "They want to know if the struggles that afflict them can be solved. They want to know if it is right to hope again."

Mamdani said New York City will make an example for the world. "The work, my friends, has only just begun," he said.

Mamdani is thoroughly Millennial

Mamdani, like a not-insignificant number of Millennial men, had a past rap career, under themonikers Mr. Cardamom and Young Cardamom, complete with a SoundCloud.

His inauguration music, from a wide array of genres, highlighted his generation.

Broadway actor Javier Muñoz, who starred in Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In The Heights" and "Hamilton," delivered the national anthem. New York-based disc jockey DJ mOma served as master of musical ceremony playing welcome music ahead of the inauguration and during a seven block-long street party.

His set included an international selection includingJennifer Lopez's2001 song "Play" to "Thari Mummy Ne Chawe Pawno Delhi Walo" by Bharatraj Masinia, a singer from India's Rajasthan region. Mamdani, whose parents were born in India, is the first New York mayor of South Asian descent.

Jay-Z and Stevie Wonder got multiple plays in the set. Jay-Z tracks included "Beware of the Boys" a remix of the 1998 song from the British-Indian recording artist Panjabi MC, itself a remix of an original song is performed by Indian bhangra singer Labh Janjua, and, of course, "Empire State of Mind," his duet with Alicia Keys. Also in the playlist: "As" and "Another Star," from Wonder's 1976 album "Songs in the Key of Life."

Popular hits fromBad Bunny("NUEVAYoL") mixed with the seventies pop track "Dancing Queen" from ABBA. Walkup music continued during the swearing-in with snippets heard of "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone and "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" from Talking Heads.

Now a national political figure, Mamdani also represents a change in Democratic politics that have skewed heavily old and gray.

Mamdani inspires supporters in freezing cold

Temperatures in Manhattan, even with sun peering between buildings,hovered in the 20s. But that didn't stop thousands of Mamdani supporters from standing in city streets, or celebrities honoring the new mayor.

The celebration at times felt more like a concert than a political celebration.

Mandy Patinkin, the Emmy- and Tony-winning actor whocelebrated Hanukkah with Mamdani, had a musical performance with public school students. Grammy-award winning singerLucy Dacusperformed a political song often associated with the labor movement at Mamdani's inauguration ceremony.

Dacus, a solo artist and a member of supergroup Boygenius, performed "Bread and Roses," a song from the early 20th century that was derived from a poem and political slogan during the women's suffrage movement and labor protests that called for fair wages and better working conditions.

The "Night Shift" singer, 30, who is originally from Richmond, Virginia, has been outspoken about abortion rights, LGBTQ+ issues, including denouncing anti-drag legislation in Tennessee, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Assembling in front of City Hall, celebrants bopped to music from Jay-Z, Daddy Yankee andBollywood performers, along with the classic "New York, New York" song popularized by Frank Sinatra. The songs blasting from the stairs of City Hall were a love letter to the city itself, signifying New York's diversity and multiculturalism as well as Mamdani's South Asian background.

But even amid the dancing and singing along, the audience was moved to tears by several speakers, each describing their vision of a new New York.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's inauguration takeaways

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 01, 2026

Faith, socialism, Millennials. Takeaways on Mamdani's NYC inauguration

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's Jan. 1 inauguration and block party reflected a diverse city looking to make goo...

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Catholic influencer's 5-year-old son dies after contracting flu

A Catholic influencer said Thursday that his 5-year-old son died from a severe case of the flu.

Paul Kim, who posts videos about his Catholic faith and has more than 300,000 followers on Instagram, said in a video on Instagram that his son, Micah, died on New Year's Eve after "fighting 11 long, hard days." Previously,Kim said on Instagramthat his son was hospitalized after contracting a severe case of the flu.

"We are so proud of him. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, as his dad, on behalf of my family, for all the ways you guys prayed and lifted us up during this time," Kim said in the video. "This incredibly difficult, impossible time for our family. It's been the hardest thing I've ever been through in my life, and it continues to be."

On Dec. 21, Kimposted on Instagramthat his son was heading to the hospital in an ambulance after "having a medical emergency." The next day, he posted an update on Instagram saying Micah was on life support and asked for prayers.

In anupdate on Dec. 30, Kim said his son had a severe case of the flu, which caused the child to go septic and experience seizures.

"The doctors are saying it's one of the most horrific cases of this virus that they have ever seen in their life. It's very rare, what happened to my son," Kim said. "Rest assured, he needs a miracle."

Kim posted updates nearly daily since then, several including videos of the 5-year-old unconscious in the hospital. In Thursday's video, Kim said his son was in a coma before he died and that "his soul was already with the Lord."

"In many ways, we were fighting for Micah to buy him as much time as possible, until he passed," he said. "As a father, that is my duty. I was called to do that. Even if in God's ultimate will it wasn't meant for him to recover."

Kim said in the Thursday video that his account has been viewed more than 50 million times in the last few weeks since his son's hospitalization.

The influencer is now asking for privacy.

"Micah is already in heaven at work, seriously. So many testimonies, so many ways in which God is using the light in my 5-year-old to truly save souls and change the world," he said.

The 5-year-old's death comes as theflu surgesacross the U.S., withyoung children hit particularly hardby the respiratory illness. Roughly 3,100 people have died from the flu this season, including five children, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 01, 2026

Catholic influencer's 5-year-old son dies after contracting flu

A Catholic influencer said Thursday that his 5-year-old son died from a severe case of the flu. Paul Kim, who posts videos about his Catho...

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Historic 150-Year-Old Dutch Church Goes Up in Flames amid 'Unprecedented' New Years Violence

Remko DE WAAL / ANP / AFP via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Amsterdam's historic Vondelkerk church went up in flames in the early hours of New Year's Day

• The fire gutted the 150-year-old church and destroyed its spire

• Dutch police reported "unprecedented" levels of New Year's Eve violence

An historic 150-year-old Dutch church went up in flames amid "unprecedented" New Year's Eve violence in the Netherlands.

The Vondelkerk, an 1872 church overlooking Amsterdam's famous Vondelpark, caught aflame a little before 1 a.m. local time on Thursday, Jan. 1, Dutch authorities said,RTL reports. Homes in the vicinity of the church were quickly evacuated.

By the time the fire was finally under control 10 hours later, at 11 a.m., the church's 164-foot neo-Gothic spire had collapsed and "only walls" remained intact,De Telegraaf reports.

Laurens Niezen / ANP / AFP via Getty

No casualties were initially reported from the blaze, and the cause of the fire remains unknown and under investigation,The New York Timesreports.

The church, designed by Rijksmuseum architect Pierre Cuypers, served as a Roman Catholic parish for nearly a century before being deconsecrated, thereafter being used to host secular events. The building previously caught fire in 1904, which saw the loss of its original tower.

The inferno came as Dutch police faced "unprecedented" levels of New Year's Eve violence this year.

Ana Fernandez/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty

The chair of the Dutch Police Union, Nine Kooiman,said on Xthat she and her colleagues were being "pelted" with explosives.

"Unprecedented amount of violence against police and emergency workers," said Kooiman. "Lots of explosives/fireworks aimed at the colleagues. Myself already pelted three times. Really hope everyone gets home safely."

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE's free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Police arrested some 250 people across the Netherlands as the European nation's emergency number became overwhelmed,De Telegraaf reported. In Utrecht, southeast of Amsterdam, police reported being "continuously attacked by groups of young people," per the outlet.

A 17-year-old boy and a 38-year-old man were killed in separate fireworks incidents across the Netherlands overnight,the BBC reported, citing local media.

At a burn unit in Groningen, in the country's north, 19 patients were treated, including ten under age 15, per De Telegraaf. That's twice the number of patients treated at the unit after last year's New Year celebrations.

Read the original article onPeople

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 01, 2026

Historic 150-Year-Old Dutch Church Goes Up in Flames amid 'Unprecedented' New Years Violence

Remko DE WAAL / ANP / AFP via Getty NEED TO KNOW Amsterdam's historic Vondelkerk church went up in flames in the early hours of New Y...

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Federal payment freeze puts some Minnesota families in danger of losing child care amid investigation into alleged fraud

Some Minnesota families are in danger of losing child care after the US Department of Health and Human Services announced a freeze on child care payments to the state Tuesday amid a federal investigation into allegations of fraud, providers say.

It's the latest show of federal force in the state — home to the country'slargest Somali population.

Deputy Secretary of HHSJim O'Neillannounced the funding freeze on X Tuesday, weeks afterICE launched operationsin the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to specifically target undocumented Somali immigrants, precipitated by revelations aboutwidespread fraudas well as President Donald Trump's comments that he "doesn't want" Somalis in the country.

The stepped-up effort also comes days afterYouTube content creator Nick Shirley, who has created anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim videos in the past, posted a viral video in which he claimed to find widespread fraud at Somali-run child care centers. Thevideo, which includes limited evidence for the creator's allegations, has received more than 2.6 million views on YouTube as of Wednesday and was retweeted by Vice President JD Vance, FBI Director Kash Patel and former Department of Government Efficiency le ader Elon Musk.

To receive funding, child care centers suspected of committing fraud will be subject to an "additional level of verification," including providing complaints, internal state discrepancies and attendance and inspection records, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told CNN. "Administrative data" will be expected from other centers in the country, he added.

"Funds will be released only when states prove they are being spent legitimately," O'Neill said.

Minnesota receives $185 million in federal child care funding for 19,000 children, the agency said in its post. The announcement did not specify any alternate plans for families across the state who will be affected by the freeze.

"If we allow this funding freeze to happen, all Minnesotans are going to suffer," Minnesota state Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn, co-chair of the Children and Families Committee, said at a news conference Wednesday. "Instead of tearing down our Somali community and our child care centers, let's lift them up. Let's make sure that our children have safe places to learn and grow."

"Minnesota is one of the more expensive states in the nation to afford child care," Kotyza-Witthuhn continued."These aren't exorbitant amounts of money. They're just real numbers because it is costly to provide quality care for kids."

While there are legal avenues for the federal and state government to ensure programs are being run properly, "this hasty scorched earth attack is not just wrong, it may well be illegal, and my team and I remain committed to protecting the people of Minnesota to the fullest extent of the law," Carin Mrotz, a senior adviser with the Minnesota Attorney General's office, said in a statement on behalf of state Attorney General Keith Ellison.

Child care center providers at the news conference warned the funding freeze could soon have a direct impact on the families they serve.

One child care center director said 75% of the children at her program qualify for state child care funding, and that her center would close in a month without assistance funding. Another, Maria Snider, said many families at her St. Paul center are one paycheck away from becoming homeless.

"I'm generally scared for what can happen next if funding is stopped, and I can't help but think that this is part of a larger design plan and strategy to cut public funding," Snider said.

She said child care providers are subject to "extremely detailed," randomized audits that include attendance records.

Small Business Administration head Kelly LoefflerannouncedMonday that agency funding to Minnesota would be suspended to "investigate $430 million in suspected PPP fraud across the state." She did not say whether that investigation into the Covid-eraPaycheck Protection Programinvolved any businesses seen in Shirley's video.

By Monday, DHS began postingvideosshowing agents from Homeland Security Investigations entering what it called "suspected fraud sites," as some members of the state legislature demanded a new investigation.

"If true, the revelations … highlight obvious misuse of taxpayer dollars and raise serious questions about the oversight and integrity of programs aimed to help children," said aMonday lettersigned by 30 Republican state senators.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walzsaid Tuesday his administration has spent years cracking down on fraud, by "referring cases to law enforcement, shutting down and auditing high-risk programs." He also asked the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action, a spokesperson for the governor told CNN.

The governor and other state leaders have been called to testify in front of the Republican-led House Oversight Committee in two separate hearings starting next week.

Here's what we know about the investigations and the viral video.

Surge follows viral video

What officials called a surge of federal resources follows a viral YouTube video by Shirley, a 23-year-old self-styled independent journalist who posts content on social media with a conservative bent.

One law enforcement official told CNN the buildup of DHS agents in Minneapolis on Monday, including visits to some 30 businesses, was due in part to the video.

In the video posted Friday, Shirley visits and tries to enter several child care centers in Minnesota he suggests are not actually operational, although he claims they're receiving government funding through the state'sChild Care Assistance Program, or CCAP, which provides child care funds for low-income families.

On Tuesday, Shirley told CNN's Whitney Wild he is "100% sure" the allegations in his video are true. A man whose research was featured in the video told CNN he obtained all of the information from publicly available websites and that it was not given to him by Republican politicians. CNN is looking into Shirley's claims.

CNN is looking into the centers identified in the video and has reached out to several of them. The video also shows Shirley escorted out of one building by police after reports he was trespassing and harassing people.

"While we have questions about some of the methods that were used in the video, we do take the concerns that the video raises about fraud very seriously," Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Commissioner Tikki Brown said in a Monday news conference, CNN affiliate KAREreported.

Multiple attempts by CNN to reach Brown and DCYF have been unsuccessful.

One South Minneapolis day center said they have been receiving threatening voicemails and there was a break-in at their facility after the video was released.

Important documentation on child enrollment and staff employent was taken and there was extensive vandalism, the center said a news conference.

CNN has reached out to the day care for comment and additional information.

Ibrahim Ali, a manager at Quality Learning Center, one of the centers featured in the video, who said his parents own the facility,told KAREon Monday that Shirley's video was recorded when the business was scheduled to be closed. A sign on the door says its operating hours are 2 to 10 p.m.

"There's no fraud going on whatsoever," Ali told KARE.

Shirley told CNN he visited that center on December 16 around 11:00 a.m. and made a follow up visit "later in the day" on the following day.

CNN observed families dropping children off at Quality Learning Center on Tuesday.

Astate licensing reviewfor the business from June lists several violations — including a lack of required training for some staff and inadequate documentation for medications — but nothing suggesting the business was unoccupied.

The state Department of Human ServicessaysCCAP payments to day care facilities can be withheld for fraud, but not for "licensing violations alone."

CNN tried to reach Quality Learning Center on Monday, but there was no answer at listed numbers.

It is not unusual for child care centers to keep their doors locked or to require a key card for entry due to safety concerns, according to Clare Sanford, the vice president of government and community relations for theMinnesota Child Care Association.

CCAP funding — the kind of funding Shirley says is being stolen — is based on the eligible children enrolled at a facility, not its total capacity.

Child care centers face strict regulations in Minnesota, Sanford told CNN. Under the law, each licensed center should be visited at least once a year by an unannounced licensor, who spends hours running through a checklist of roughly 400 items, she explained.

The video does not address those regulations. Its explosive impact is one example of the growing power of the right-wing media ecosystem, largely fueled by independent creators whom the president has favored over traditional news networks. Shirley wasinvited to speak with Trumpat the White House in October, part ofa roundtable discussion on Antifawith other conservative online creators. He previously filmeda video at the Capitol attackon January 6, 2021, a look at"deported migrant scammers in NYC,"and an interview withAttorney General Pam Bondi.

Hearings and investigations underway by Congress, DHS and FBI

The House Oversight Committee has called Minnesota state representatives to testify before the panel ona January 7 hearingcentered around "fraud and misuse of federal funds" in the state.

The investigative panel run by Republican Rep. James Comer is also expected to hear testimony fromWalzand Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in a separate hearing on February 10.

"Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide," the FBI director saidin a post on X.

Officials at DHS have announced their own investigation into alleged fraud.

CNN has reached out to the agencies regarding whether any arrests have been made in the latest investigations.

Five Republicans in the state legislature are calling on Walz to resign.

"People in our districts raise this issue constantly. It is the number one issue we hear about," they said in astatementMonday. "They want to know why nobody is being held accountable. They want to know when somebody is going to fix it. And they want to know why the governor isn't resigning."

State Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth said the chamber's Fraud Prevention Committee has beeninvestigatingallegations of fraud regarding CCAP funding for months.

"No one's lost their job," Demuthsaidin a Monday news conference. "No one has been publicly disciplined in any way."

The state's child care auditors refer an average of five cases a year to law enforcement for criminal investigation, the Department of Human Services said in areportpresented to the House committee in February.

Authorities have targeted fraud in the state previously, including in July, when the FBI raided five businesses in the Twin Cities which had allegedly committed Medicaid housing assistance fraud,according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Half or more of the roughly $18 billion in Medicaid funds that supported 14 Minnesota-run programs since 2018 may have been stolen due to fraud, a federal prosecutor said on December 18,according to The Associated Press.

"The magnitude cannot be overstated," First Assistant US Attorney Joe Thompson said. "What we see in Minnesota is not a handful of bad actors committing crimes. It's staggering, industrial-scale fraud."

Walz accused Thompson of pulling the $9 billion figure out of thin air.

"You should be equally outraged about one dollar or whatever that number is, but they're using that number without the proof behind it," Walz said in a December 19 news conference,according to KARE. "To extrapolate what that number is for sensationalism, or to make statements about it, it doesn't really help us."

"I am accountable for this, and more importantly, I am the one that will fix it," Walz added.

Dozens arrested in previous fraud scandal

Most of the outrage regarding allegations of fraud in the Somali community has focused onFeeding Our Future, a nonprofit prosecutors say falsely claimed to be providing meals to needy children during the Covid-19 pandemic. Federal charges were brought against dozens of people — the vast majority of them Somali — beginning in 2022.

A raft of state audits into lax oversight of Minnesota funds was dismissed by Walz,CNN reported last year. This came amid allegations the Somali community's strong support for — and contributions to — Democrats helped shield them from scrutiny.

An early investigation by the Minnesota Department of Education into alleged fraud by Feeding Our Future was stymied in part by a lawsuit filed by the organization and its founder, Aimee Bock — who is not Somali — alleging the investigation was discriminatory. She later voluntarily dropped the suit a week after federal agents raided her home and the nonprofit's offices.

Bock waslater convictedof seven federal charges, including bribery. She has not yet been sentenced, but a judge denied her request for a new trial.

Thompson, the lead federal prosecutor in the case, said authorities have recovered only about $60 million of the $250 million stolen in the Feeding Our Future conspiracy, according to the AP.

"I hear they ripped off — Somalians ripped off that state for billions of dollars," Trump said. "Billions. Every year, billions of dollars, and they contribute nothing."

President has long-standing grudge against Somalis

The fraud allegations — producing more than 40 convictions in the Feeding Our Future case alone — have proved a lightning rod for Trump's invectives against Somalis. The president has long railed against Minnesota's Somali diaspora, the vast majority of whom are US citizens. Around 84,000 people of Somali descent live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, many of whom resettled after fleeing a bloody and lasting civil war in their home country.

His attention to Somali immigrants and Americans of Somali descent date to his first presidential term, when he included Somalia on a travel ban alongside other Muslim-majority nations.

Although state leaders have rejected the label, the Trump administration calls Minnesota a "sanctuary jurisdiction."

US Rep. Ilhan Omar, a naturalized citizen who came to the country from Somalia as a refugee, has been a frequent target of the president's ire.

Earlier in December,Trump saidOmar and "her friends" shouldn't be allowed to serve as members of Congress. He also called Somalis in Minnesota "garbage" who should "go back to where they came from."

"When they come from hell, and they complain and do nothing but bitch, we don't want 'em in our country," Trump said in a cabinet meeting this month. Vance loudly rapped his fist on the conference table in support.

Somalis and their advocates, however, point out the group convicted of fraud does not reflect the entire community.

"The Somali community in the Twin Cities is overwhelmingly made up of hardworking families, small business owners, healthcare workers, students, and taxpayers who contribute every day to Minnesota's economy and civic life," Jaylani Hussein, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relation's Minnesota chapter, told CNN in an email.

"There's a few bad apples, you know, that committed crimes and broke the law, " Kamali Ali, a 39-year-old who came to the US from Somalia as a child,previously told CNNafter the ICE operation targeting Somalis was announced. "But at the same time, you can't do a collective punishment."

CNN's Sarah Owermohle, Whitney Wild, Hannah Rabinowitz, Omar Jimenez, TuAnh Dam, Rob Kuznia, Emma Tucker and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 01, 2026

Federal payment freeze puts some Minnesota families in danger of losing child care amid investigation into alleged fraud

Some Minnesota families are in danger of losing child care after the US Department of Health and Human Services announced a freeze on child...

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Coast Guard searches for 77-year-old woman who went overboard from cruise ship

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 77-year-old woman who went overboard from a Holland America Line cruise ship.

The woman was a passenger on the Nieuw Statendam ship, which was roughly 40 miles northeast of Sabana, Cuba, when she went overboard on Thursday, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard has deployed Cutter William Trump and an MH-60 helicopter to help with the search.

The ship departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Saturday and was on a seven-day journey through the eastern Caribbean, according to Holland America Line.

"The captain and crew initiated search and rescue procedures and are searching the area working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard," the cruise line said in a statement. "Our family assistance team is supporting the guest's family, and our thoughts are with the guest's loved ones during this difficult time."

The ship was scheduled to dock at Key West, Florida, on Friday, but that stop was canceled because of the ongoing search, the cruise line said.

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byVincento Seyarto

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January 01, 2026

Coast Guard searches for 77-year-old woman who went overboard from cruise ship

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 77-year-old woman who went overboard from a Holland America Line cruise ship. ...

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Yemeni transport ministry says Saudi Arabia mandated inspections of flights between Aden and UAE

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Yemen's transport ministry, which is aligned with Emirati-backed southern separatist authorities, on Thursday said Saudi Arabia has imposed requirements mandating that flights to and from Aden International Airport undergo inspection in Jeddah.

The ministry, which is affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council, or STC, said in a statement that it was "shocked" by what it denounced as "sudden procedures" requiring international flights departing from or arriving in Aden to stop in Jeddah for inspection before continuing their journeys.

When local officials sought clarification, Saudi authorities said the restriction applies only to flights operating between the Yemeni city of Aden and the United Arab Emirates, according to the ministry's statement.

The reasons behind the measures reportedly imposed by Saudi Arabia remain unclear. The Saudi and Emirati foreign ministries didn't immediately respond to requests for confirmation and comment.

In its statement, the ministry demanded "an end to the air blockade imposed on the Yemeni people, a reversal of these measures, and a continuation of the previous mechanisms that have been in place for years."

This latest development comes amidfurther strained ties between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, neighbors on the Arabian Peninsula that increasingly have competed over economic issues and regional politics, particularly inthe Red Sea area.

Tensions rose after the STC moved last month into Yemen'sgovernorates of Hadramout and Mahraand seized an oil-rich region. The move pushed out forces affiliated with the Saudi-supported National Shield Forces, another group aligned with the coalition in fighting the Iran-backed Houthis.

Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war for more than a decade with the Iran-aided Houthis controlling much of the northern regions, while a Saudi-UAE-backed coalition supports the internationally recognized government in the south. However, the UAE also helps the southern separatists who call for South Yemen to secede once again from Yemen. Those aligned with the council have increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967-1990.

The United Statesurged diplomacyin Yemen while the Saudi-led coalition in Yeme now demanded the withdrawal of STC forces from the two governorates as part of de-escalation efforts, with local authorities returning to oversee them, and the handover of their military camps.

Faez bin Omar, a leader with the Hadramout Tribes Confederacy, told The Associated Press Thursday that UAE-backed forces started withdrawing from al-Rayyan base, which is located inMukalla city, the capital of Hadramout, two days ago.

The Council's forces operating in the airport at al-Rayyan base are working to remove weapons and military vehicles left behind their allied forces, however, the situation could still develop, according to Bin Omar. "The Council forces are present inside and around the airport, apparently waiting for the UAE-backed forces to complete their withdrawal tomorrow morning. The base is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, and there has been a military operations room there for several years, used by the UAE allegedly combating terrorism," he said.

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 01, 2026

Yemeni transport ministry says Saudi Arabia mandated inspections of flights between Aden and UAE

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Yemen's transport ministry, which is aligned with Emirati-backed southern separatist authorities, ...

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Trump says he got a CT scan instead of an MRI

For weeks, President Donald Trump has said that he received an MRIat Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in October, but when asked about the procedure by the Wall Street Journal in an interview published Thursday, Trump and his doctor said that he actually got a CT scan instead.

"It wasn't an MRI," Trump told the Journal. "It was less than that. It was a scan."

Last month, Trump maintained that he got an MRI, telling reporters on Air Force One that he would "absolutely" release the results.

The White House has not specifically said why Trump received the scan. In November, Trump claimed the MRI was part of his yearly physical.

Trump's physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella told the Journal that the president had received a CT scan -- not an MRI. Barbabella said Trump's doctors initially told him they would perform either an MRI or a CT scan.

Both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans are imaging methods used by health care professionals to look at organs and structures inside the body to help diagnose a variety of conditions. While an MRI scan uses a large magnet and radio waves to generate a picture, a CT scan uses X-rays.

White House physician says Trump's imaging test results were 'perfectly normal' in memo

On Dec. 1,the White House released the resultsof Trump's advanced imaging tests, describing them as "perfectly normal." Barbabella said then that the imaging helps confirm Trump's overall health and identifies any early issues before they become serious.

Barbabella told the Journal that the CT scan was done "to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues" and showed no abnormalities.

Barbabella told ABC News in a statement on Thursday that the president remains "in exceptional health and perfectly suited to execute his duties as Commander in Chief."

In late October, Trump first said he had an MRI as part of the "advanced imaging" tests he received at Walter Reed.

"I got an MRI. It was perfect," Trump said at the time. "I mean, I gave you the full results. We had an MRI and the machine, you know, the whole thing, and it was perfect."

Trump remains in 'exceptional health,' doctor says after president's check-up at Walter Reed

Even though Trump said multiple times that he had received an MRI, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ABC News on Thursday that Trump's "physicians and the White House have always maintained the president received advanced imaging."

Although the advanced imaging was taken as a preventative measure, according to the White House and Barbabella, Trump told the Wall Street Journal that he now regrets getting it done, saying in the interview that it's being used as "ammunition" against him.

"In retrospect, it's too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition. 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," Trump said.

In his Wall Street Journal interview, Trump said that the large dose of aspirin he takes daily has caused him to bruise easily, adding that he's refused his doctors' advice to take a lower dose, adding that he has taken that specific aspirin for 25 years.

"They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart," Trump said told the Wall Street Journal. "I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?"

In the Wall Street Journal article, Trump pushed back against criticism that he has struggled to keep his eyes open during several White House events, appearing to fall asleep.

"I'll just close. It's very relaxing to me," Trump said to the Wall Street Journal about not falling asleep at White House events. "Sometimes they'll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they'll catch me with the blink."

One of the most notable recent examples of this occurred during Trump's Cabinet meeting in December and his November announcement to reduce the cost of weight-loss medication.

The Wall Street Journal reports that staff has counseled Trump to try to keep his eyes open during public events and that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has urged Cabinet members to shorten their presentations.

The Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz, who was at the November event where Trump appeared to doze off, told the Journal he believes Trump became bored.

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 01, 2026

Trump says he got a CT scan instead of an MRI

For weeks, President Donald Trump has said that he received an MRIat Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Octo...

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