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U.S. NEWS

New Year’s Attacks

The New Year started with chaos in New Orleans and Las Vegas after two separate incidents left 16 people dead.

What happened first?
Just after 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day in New Orleans, 14 people were killed and 35 injured after a man drove a pickup truck into crowds on a blocked-off portion of NOLA’s bustling Bourbon Street. The armed driver opened fire and was killed in a shootout with police at the scene. 

What do we know?
After initial investigations, authorities say a 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran from Texas rented an electric Ford F-150 from Turo, a car-sharing company, and drove from Houston to New Orleans. Early on January 1st, he placed improvised explosive devices in coolers on Bourbon Street—they were never detonated.

In a series of Facebook videos, the attacker said he joined ISIS last year and shared his last will and testament before carrying out the attack. The FBI is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism, saying the “lone wolf” suspect was “100% inspired by ISIS.” 

And then there was another incident? 
A few hours later, around 8:30 a.m. in Las Vegas, a Cybertruck pulled up to Trump Hotel and exploded, injuring seven bystanders; authorities say the driver died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound “prior to the detonation of the vehicle.” Fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel were found inside the truck.

The suspect is believed to be a 37-year-old U.S. Army Green Beret who drove the Cybertruck—also rented via Turo—from Colorado that morning. 

Are they connected?
As of writing, the FBI said there was “no definitive link” between the New Orleans attack and the Las Vegas explosion. 

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RADIATE HOPE
While mourning with victims and praying for our enemies, Christians have hope in the face of a violent world. The servant of God, who himself did no violence, has been afflicted by his Father on our behalf so that we can live in the Lord’s peaceful presence forever.

“Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.”  
Isaiah 53:4-5 (CSB) (read full passage)

U.S. NEWS

New Year, New Laws

A bunch (like… thousands) of new state laws went into effect January 1st, from the contentious to the mundane.

Here are just a few:

• Florida banned children under 14 from social media (and required parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds).

• California closed a loophole that made car burglary difficult to prosecute.

• Iowa and Louisiana adopted a flat income tax rate, joining 12 other states.

• New York mandated companies offer 20 hours of paid prenatal leave.

• Minnesota required transparent all-in pricing for concert tickets (looking at you, Ticketmaster).

• Illinois made canceling gym memberships easier (just in time to bail on that NYR).

• Colorado now requires all eggs to be cage-free.

Some of the most common new laws were increasing the state minimum wage and expanding or reducing gun regulation. 

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CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
Whether we agree or disagree with laws passed in our state, we can be thankful we have the opportunity to vote to elect people and effect change. Take a moment to pray for those in countries where they don’t enjoy such freedom. Pray that God would move in power to care for victims of injustice.

“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (CSB) (read full passage)

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The first order of business in the New House of Representatives: elect a speaker. Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) fate is far from certain despite President-elect Trump’s endorsement; he can afford to lose only one Republican vote today to keep his gavel. Until a speaker is seated, all other House business is delayed—including January 6th’s certification of Trump’s Electoral College victory.
 

A nearly island-wide power outage plunged Puerto Rico into darkness on New Year’s Eve. A “critical fault” at a main power plant early Tuesday morning caused a ripple effect across the archipelago’s fragile power grid. By Wednesday, 98% of lights were back on; the blackout prompted renewed calls for Uncle Sam to address his territory’s persistent power problems.
 

2025 kicked off with two College Football Playoff quarterfinal match-ups on New Year’s Day. In the Peach Bowl, 5-seed Texas pulled off a double-overtime W against 4-seed Arizona State. Later, 8-seed Ohio State dominated top-seeded Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Yesterday, 7-seed Notre Dame beat 2-seed Georgia in the Sugar Bowl (delayed one day following the attack in New Orleans).
 

It’s not over yet for the co-stars of It Ends with Us. Producer Blake Lively sued director Justin Baldoni and his publicity team on Tuesday, alleging sexual harassment on set and a scheme to “destroy” her reputation. Meanwhile, Baldoni filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, accusing journalists of ignoring evidence when it reported Lively’s story.
 

U.S. stock markets had a stellar 2024 despite ending the year on a down note Tuesday. AI enthusiasm fueled the tech-heavy Nasdaq’s 29% surge last year, while the S&P 500 rose 23%, and the Dow gained 13%. There were expectations of a 2024 slowdown, but Wall Street missed that memo.

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