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Congress Opens With Speaker Drama

Your unbiased daily news brief

Author

James Kratch
January 03, 2025

Good Friday morning. If you want to get away this weekend, check out Toronto's Museum of Bad Gifts. See you on Monday!

In Today’s Brief

  • California: National monuments

  • Ivory Coast: French exit

  • House: Ethics claims

  • Tesla: Deliveries dip

  • Golden Globes: This weekend

... and more

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Top Tips

1) First day

The 119th Congress begins today with all eyes on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.

  • The news: House members cannot be sworn in until there is a Speaker. And Johnson's ability to quickly reclaim the gavel is very much in doubt as he faces resistance inside his Republican Party -- even with President-elect Donald Trump's "complete and total" support.

  • Key numbers: The GOP holds a slim 219-215 majority in the House. All Democrats are expected to vote for Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, so Johnson can only lose one vote inside his caucus. There is only one confirmed internal nay vote -- Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie -- but a slew of GOP members have been noncommittal.

  • Big picture: Johnson remains favored to win re-election. He has Trump's backing and many holdouts are believed to be attainable. But it could take multiple ballots and the Louisianan needs to walk a fine line of not giving too much to the GOP's right flank to secure the gavel -- a mistake many believe did in former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. And if the process drags on and becomes a boondoggle for Trump? Who knows what happens.

2) Acted alone

The New Orleans terrorist attack is now believed to be the act of a lone wolf and not tied to an incident in Las Vegas.

  • The news: Officials no longer believe Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran from Texas, had accomplices when he rammed his truck into a Bourbon Street crowd on New Year's Day, killing 14 and injuring several dozen before being shot dead by police. Law enforcement thought other suspects laid improvised explosive devices in the area before the attack, but that assessment changed after reviewing surveillance footage.

  • In Nevada: Matthew Alan Livelsberger, a 37-year-old active-duty Army Green Beret from Colorado, was identified as the driver killed when a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump Las Vegas Hotel. Police believe he died of a self-inflicted gunshot before the explosives inside the truck were set off. Seven people in the area suffered minor injuries.

  • Connecting the dots: There are similarities to the two incidents. Both men served in the Army, sharing duty stations, and rented the vehicles on the same platform. But there is no sign the incidents were linked or that the men ever crossed paths. Livelsberger's motive remains unclear; officials said he was a five-time Bronze Star recipient and recently became a father and a family member told CNN he was a Trump supporter.

3) Warrant watch

South Korean investigators tried to arrest the country's suspended president.

  • Catch up: President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached after his failed martial law decree in December. But he is only suspended from his office until the Constitutional Court rules on whether to boot him or restore his powers.

  • Parallel track: Yoon has since become the subject of a historic arrest warrant connected to a criminal investigation that could result in charges that carry a death sentence. He claims the warrant is unlawful and has defied it.

  • The news: Authorities arrived at Yoon's residence to attempt to serve the warrant and arrest a sitting South Korean president for the first time ever. But police eventually withdrew after confrontations with Yoon's security forces and pro-Yoon protesters. The warrant remains active through the weekend.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

  • President Joe Biden is expected to establish two new national environmental monuments in California before leaving office. The decrees will protect tribal lands and protect development, among other measures (More)

  • Multiple gunmen opened fire outside a New York City nightclub, injuring at least 10 people. All victims are expectedto survive; police believe the incident was gang-related (More)

  • Two people were killed after a small airplane crashed into a California building. Eighteen people were injured; the incident occurred at Fullerton Municipal Airport (More)

World News

  • Ivory Coast said France would withdraw its troops stationed in the country as it continues a retreat from its former African colonies. French forces have also recently exited Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Nigeria; troops are still in Djibouti and Gabon (More)

  • Montenegro will consider banning all firearms, Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said. A gunman killed 12 people, including two children, in a recent mass shooting before dying by suicide (More)

  • The Netherlands published a list of 425K suspected Nazi collaborators during World War II online. The information was previously only available at the national archives; officials said living people are not listed and some deceased may be innocent (More)

Political News

  • There is "substantial reason to believe" two House members violated campaign finance regulations, according to a Congressional ethics watchdog. Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, a Republican, and Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat, may now face House Ethics Committee scrutiny (More)

  • President Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to several current and former lawmakers. Controversial ex-Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was among the recipients of the nation's second-highest civilian honor (More)

  • Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon, a pro-statehood Republican, was sworn in as Puerto Rico's new governor. She has vowed to stabilize the island territory's failing power grid following a major New Year's Eve blackout (More)

Business & Markets

  • Major indexes closed lower yesterday. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 saw their losing streaks extend to five days to begin the new year (Dow -0.36%, Nasdaq -0.16%, S&P 500 -0.22%).

  • Tesla's annual global deliveries dropped for the first time in 2024. The electric vehicle maker was down 1.1% YoY after nine years of continued growth, failing to overcome a sluggish start to the year (More)

  • Apple agreed to a $95M settlement in a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging its Siri technology violated users' privacy rights. A federal judge still must sign off on the deal; the technology giant denies wrongdoing (More)

Entertainment & Sports

  • The Golden Globes are Sunday night (8 p.m. ET, CBS). Comedian Nikki Glaser will host the event; Emilia Perez leads films with 10 nominations while The Bear received five television nods (More)

  • Notre Dame downed Georgia, 23-10, in the Sugar Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinal round. The Fighting Irish will play Penn State in the Orange Bowl; Ohio State and Texas will meet in the Cotton Bowl (More)

  • The oldest living Olympic medal winner died at 103. Agnes Keleti, a Hungarian gymnast and Holocaust survivor, won five gold medals and 10 medals in total at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Games (More)

Quick Hitters

  • Feel Good: A Florida family's dog went missing for nine days. She then came home on Christmas Eve and rang the doorbell.

  • Take Note: Frozen pipes are a wintertime scourge. Here are some tips to prevent it from happening to you during the next cold snap.

  • Go Deep: Dungeons & Dragons is not everyone's cup of tea. But the tabletop game has become very popular (and lucrative) in its 50 years, transitioning from "nerd" culture to the mainstream.

  • New Idea: Researchers at the University of Oregon have developed technology to catalyze the healing of broken bones. Tiny implanted sensors provide real-time data to inform rehabilitation strategies; some trials have shaved weeks off the process.

  • Life Hack: Science can help us be happier. Here are some proven techniques to accomplish that goal, including volunteer work and connecting with the past.

An Arctic explorer dishes on polar expeditions.

Looking Ahead …

Another dockworker strike at East and Gulf Coast ports looms. The International Longshoremen's Association will reportedly resume talks with the United States Maritime Alliance next week as the temporary contract extension the sides reached gets set to expire on Jan. 15.

Question of the Day — Friday Trivia

Which city has never hosted a Notre Dame-Penn State game?

Take your pick!

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Yesterday’s results:

Did you set off your own fireworks on New Year's Eve/Day?

  • No (97%)

  • Yes (3%)