Trump pulls National Guard out of major cities; America rings in 250th year
President Donald Trump announced he’s pulling the National Guard out of Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland. However, he’s still claiming victory despite losing in the courts.
Plus, the U.S. blasted more suspected drug boats, but this time, people jumped overboard and tried to swim for it.
And the tragedy of a deadly fire at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps, as people were ringing in the new year, may get even worse.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, January 1, 2026.
Trump removes National Guard troops from Chicago, LA and Portland
President Donald Trump announced plans to remove National Guard troops from multiple cities across the country.
In a post on Truth Social, the president said that he is removing National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon. The move comes after a major setback in the Supreme Court late last month.
Trump said the federal government’s stepping in “greatly reduced” crime in those cities. He noted that they would be “gone” if the Guard had not been sent.
However, he did say, “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again – only a question of time.”
Last week, the Supreme Court denied an emergency request from the Trump administration, saying troops were necessary to protect federal agents working in Chicago to enforce immigration policy.
And while the decision only applied to Chicago, it likely would have strengthened other cities’ challenges to National Guard deployments.
Trump initially deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June amid fiery clashes between anti-immigration protesters and law enforcement.
Then, in October, he sent 500 Guard members to Chicago and activated 200 troops for Portland. However, none were actively operating in either city because of the pending Supreme Court case.
On Wednesday, an appeals court ordered the Trump administration to return control of the California National Guard to Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.
Trump’s new order does not affect Washington, D.C., where troops have also been deployed, because it’s a federal district, not a state.
U.S. strikes 5 more alleged drug boats, search for survivors underway
The U.S. has struck nearly a half-dozen more alleged drug trafficking boats, leaving survivors this time and triggering a Coast Guard search and rescue operation.
In a post on X on Wednesday, the U.S. Southern Command said three boats were traveling on Dec. 30 as part of a convoy.
SouthCom says all three suspected “Narco-terrorists” on one boat were killed in the first strike. However, those on the other two vessels jumped overboard, “distancing themselves” before the other two boats sank.
SouthCom says it immediately notified the coast guard to activate search and rescue efforts.
In a separate post, the military also announced two more strikes on New Year’s Eve.
Southern Command says a total of five alleged narco-terrorists were killed in that operation, three on one boat and two in the other.
The posts did not specify what waters these strikes occurred in.
Smith says Capitol riots were Trump’s fault in newly released House committee testimony
Jack Smith, the former special counsel who prosecuted Donald Trump on charges of conspiring to undo the 2020 election, insists the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection was Trump’s fault, and that he failed to stop it.
Smith told the House Judiciary in December that Trump was “the most culpable and most responsible person” for the uprising.
The committee released details of his testimony on Wednesday.
In Smith’s words, the attack at the Capitol would not have happened if it weren’t for Trump and the “crimes were committed for his benefit.”
Grand juries in 2023 eventually indicted Trump on charges of conspiracy, as well as retaining classified information at his Mar-a-Lago resort. The charges were dropped, and the cases ended when Trump won the 2024 election.
Jack Smith resigned as special counsel just before Trump was inaugurated last January, noting that a sitting president cannot be indicted or face criminal prosecution.
President Trump has stated that he persevered against all odds and won.
Dozens presumed dead in New Year’s Eve fire at Swiss ski resort
New Year’s celebrations took a horrible and deadly turn in the Swiss Alps, and the tragedy is still unfolding.
An unknown number of people were killed, and many others were injured when a fire broke out in a bar where folks were ringing in the new year.
The fire started at about 1:30 a.m. local time in a bar called “Le Constellation” in the Alpine ski resort municipality.
A police spokesman says there were more than 100 revelers in the bar at the time, and “several dozen” people are now presumed dead and dozens more injured.
He did not give a specific number, only saying, “We’re just at the beginning of our investigation, this is an internationally renowned ski resort with lots of tourists.”
The location is about two hours from the Swiss capital of Bern in a region known as Valais.
Mamdani sworn in as NYC mayor with public ceremony to be held Thursday
While about one million people were dancing and celebrating the start of the new year in Times Square, nearby, Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City’s new mayor.
Mamdani, the progressive socialist who won the election in November, is also the first Muslim ever to become mayor of the nation’s largest city.
He placed his hand on the Quran and took the oath of office at a decommissioned subway station in Manhattan just after midnight.
Mamdani called it an honor and the privilege of a lifetime.
He says the subway is a testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, health and legacy of the city.
His political ally, New York Attorney General Letitia James, administered the oath.
Later Thursday afternoon, Mamdani will be sworn in again in a public ceremony at City Hall by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the mayor’s political heroes.
There will then be a block party on a stretch of Broadway in celebration.
World welcomes 2026 with massive celebrations across the globe
Finally, this morning, while the Unbiased Updates crew was fast asleep, people across the world were celebrating the start of 2026.
In New York City, they say about one million revelers packed Times Square for the annual ball drop and fireworks show. But this year, it was a little different.
Organizers re-lit the ball in red, white, and blue before sending it back up to mark the start of the United States’ semiquincentennial, or 250th year.
Washington, D.C.’s annual celebration also put the spotlight on America’s upcoming 250th birthday with a live show projected on the Washington Monument, highlighting “discovery, expansion, independence and the future.”
The Las Vegas strip was lit up with more than just casino lights for the start of 2026, with a grand fireworks display in the night sky.
To the north, fireworks over Lake Ontario in Toronto, as Canadians welcomed the start of a new year.
A massive crowd packed Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach in Brazil to watch a grand 12-minute firework show accompanied by live music.
Earlier this week, Rio’s New Year’s Eve celebration was officially recognized by Guinness as the world’s largest.
And festivities unfolded all across China, from a spectacular drum performance and the tolling of the historic 600-year-old Yongle bell near the Great Wall in the capital city of Beijing, to a magnificent light show along Wuhan’s riverbanks and a nearly 60,000 fireworks display in northeast China.
It was a really neat sample of our country and the world celebrating the start of 2026.
A special message from Straight Arrow News’ Craig Nigrelli:
As 2025 winds down, I want to thank all our viewers and listeners across SAN platforms for your support over the past year. Thank you for your kind comments throughout the year. Even the simplest, kind gesture still means a ton to this news veteran.
That said, I was wondering: are you a “look back” or “look ahead” person when it comes to New Year’s?
While there is no wrong answer, I’m a look-ahead person. To me, waking up in a new year (2026) is a sign of optimism and hope. What do I have to look forward to in the coming weeks and months? More often than not, it’s the positive things in my mental calendar that I think about. They often give me great joy and anticipation.
So as we approach the new year, I wish each and every one of you the same: great joy, anticipation and much positivity to start 2026!
Happy New Year!
More from Straight Arrow News:
Why less than 10% of us actually complete our New Year’s resolutions
It’s a new year, and millions of people have resolved to go to the gym, stick to a budget or focus on their mental health in 2026. But less than 10% of people who make New Year’s resolutions keep them.
The gap between those who stick with it and those who don’t is formed by more than just discipline and motivation. Instead, psychologists say it’s about deeper differences in how people think about identity, reward and failure.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
