YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP | | | |
A new Republican-controlled Congress will be sworn in on Friday. The latest updates on deadly incidents in Las Vegas and New Orleans this week. The College Football Playoff semifinals are set. |
Speaker vote comes as the GOP has small margin of power |
The 119th Congress starts work on Friday. Their first task? Vote for a leader. |
What's happening: Current House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will try to hold on to his position and lead House Republicans through two more years — under a second Donald Trump presidency where his party also holds control of the Senate. |
| • | Why the worry for Johnson? A tumultuous, last-minute spending deal to avoid a government shutdown in December prompted a handful of Republicans to publicly question their support for Johnson, raising the possibility that the House will be frozen in limbo for days or weeks without a speaker. | | • | Why is a stalled House an issue? That could create complications for the certification of electoral votes on Jan. 6 with Trump's inauguration fast approaching on Jan. 20. Members can't tackle any other business until someone is chosen — and Trump wants to hit the ground running. | | • | Trump's endorsement may make the difference. The former and future president threw his weight behind the Louisiana Republican earlier this week. | |
The latest updates on a terrifying week |
Hotel guests in Las Vegas. Party-goers in New Orleans. Americans across the country this week were faced with deadly incidents that caused anxiety and grief during moments intended to be celebratory. |
What happened this week: In Louisiana, 14 people were killed in an attack in the French Quarter of New Orleans after a man plowed a pickup into revelers on Bourbon Street in what the FBI is calling "an act of terrorism." Later the same day, a Tesla truck exploded in Las Vegas, killing its sole occupant. Authorities are still determining if it was an act of terrorism. |
Investigators revealed the latest in Las Vegas: |
| • | Authorities are using Tesla data . Tesla vehicle telematics and records are providing key insights into the New Year's Day explosion in Las Vegas – data that may not have been available decades ago but which raise troubling questions about how governments and companies track personal travel information. | | • | More about the man who rented the Cybertruck: Matthew Livelsberger, who died Wednesday, was an active-duty Green Beret and had served in the Army for 19 years. | | • | Cybertruck explosion timeline: The blast happened Wednesday morning before 9 a.m. in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. | | A monitor displays an image of a burned semiautomatic firearm recovered from a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded on New Year's Day in front of the entrance to the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Las Vegas. Ethan Miller, Getty Images |
In New Orleans, a tune of resilience: |
| • | The attacker planted explosives on Bourbon Street. At a White House news briefing with reporters Thursday, President Joe Biden said the driver in the attack, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, had a remote detonator in his truck that was supposed to set off explosive devices the suspect placed in two ice coolers on Bourbon Street. They didn't go off. | | • | New revelations about Jabbar: The U.S. Army veteran had grown increasingly withdrawn and devout in his Muslim faith, according to family and friends. | | • | A shaken French Quarter vows to rebound. Anxious and grieving residents and workers began cautiously reopening the Bourbon Street area on Thursday, a day after a terror attack that killed 14 amid New Year's celebrations at the famously raucous party destination. | | A band plays next to crosses with pictures of victims at a memorial on Bourbon Street after it reopened to the public on January 2, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS, AFP via Getty Images |
Who will win Golden Globes this weekend? |
Is "The Brutalist" building the foundation for a best picture run? Could "Anora" seduce everyone this awards season? Or might those "Wicked" witches defy gravity – and stiff competition – on the way to Oscar glory come March 2? Although no movie stands as a massive favorite so far, Sunday's 82nd Golden Globe Awards (CBS, 8 p.m. EST/5 PST, and streaming live on Paramount+ with Showtime) will begin to make the road to the 97th Academy Awards a little clearer. USA TODAY predicted who will win (and who should) in the top film categories. |
Photo of the day: The dogs go down |
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals following a 23-10 victory Thursday afternoon over the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs struggled to get the run game going, finishing with just 62 rushing yards. Read USA TODAY Sports' recap of the Sugar Bowl. | Georgia wide receiver Dillon Bell (86) reacts after dropping a pass against Notre Dame. Amber Searls, Imagn Images |
Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here . Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com. | | | | President-elect Donald Trump is expected to throw his weight around to get things done on the Hill. | | | | Federal investigators say there is no link between the New Year's attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas. | | | | Puerto Ricans can still expect some temporary outages as the power company attempts to meet demands. | | | | The SEC, which only has one team left in the College Football Playoff, is just like everyone else now. And that's a good thing. | | | | Singer Wayne Osmond, best known as a member of the family pop group The Osmonds, died on Wednesday. | | | | USA TODAY's daily news podcast, The Excerpt, brings you a curated mix of the most important headlines seven mornings a week. | | | | Our app gives you award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, eNewspaper and more. | | | | | | | Brighten your day with one of our games. | | | | | |
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