Good morning, and Happy New Year. It’s Thursday, Jan. 1, and if you want a tidier home in 2026, this list of 20 things to get rid of right now could help. Now let’s get to the news.
A quick note: The 7 podcast is taking a short break. It’ll be back Monday.
Dozens are presumed dead after a fire at a Swiss ski resort on New Year’s, police say.
The site of a fire at a bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Thursday. (Maxime Schmid/AFP/Getty Images)
The details: Several dozen are presumed dead and at least 100 injured after the fire broke out during celebrations at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, southwest Switzerland.
In a news conference: Local police said the incident occurred at 1:30 a.m. An official has ruled out any kind of “attack.”
President Donald Trump announced he is pulling the National Guard from some cities.
Which cities? Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon. However, troops already had a limited presence there as the states involved had sued to block their deployment.
More Trump news: A MAGA ally lashed out at him for vetoing bipartisan legislation for a project in her district, saying she hoped the move had “nothing to do with political retaliation.”
Trump is overhauling the Fine Arts panel set to review his ballroom.
President Donald Trump holds up a model of an arch while delivering remarks during a ballroom fundraising dinner on Oct. 15. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)
What to know: The White House is expected to invite these past Trump appointees to rejoin a commission that reviews Washington’s public art and national memorials.
On Wednesday: The White House laid out a nine-week timeline to win approval for the ballroom. That time span is far shorter than other comparable federal projects.
Day care providers say they are being unfairly punished after a viral video.
Why? Providers nationwide will have to submit more documents to Health and Human Services to get funds after a conservative activist made fraud allegations in Minnesota.
Flu cases are rising, and there’s a new strain that makes older people sicker.
What to know: The number of hospitalizations and deaths linked to the flu have shot up, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Digging deeper: Health officials worry current vaccines may not protect against this strain as effectively, but it will still offer some protection against the worst effects.
Farmers are using bacteria to cut pollution and fight hunger.
Mariangela Hungria has spent four decades researching bacteria that convert nitrogen from the air into a form plants can use. (World Food Prize Foundation)
In Brazil: Mariangela Hungria’s research helps save farmers about $25 billion on fertilizer costs and prevent 54 million cars worth of greenhouse gas emissions every year.
Her scientific breakthrough: Replacing costly, polluting nitrogen fertilizers with microbes that have evolved over millions of years to pull nitrogen out of the air and fuel plant growth.
This simple quiz can help you work out if your diet is healthy enough.
How it works: Experts at the Mayo Clinic developed a survey called the Mini Eating Assessment Tool. We worked with them to create a quiz for Post readers.
Get your results: Take the quiz here. And don’t worry if you’re missing out on any key food groups, we’ve included a list of simple, science-backed tips to get you back on track.
One more good read: Data centers are sparking a “fight for the soul” of this county.
We want to hear from you: Do you have questions about stories you’ve seen in The 7? Send them here. We’ll find the right person to answer them and share responses in our weekend edition.
Izin Akhabau "> 
