News Brief: FBI Says New Orleans Attack Carried Out by Lone Suspect; US Soldier IDed as Suspect in Vegas Cybertruck Explosion

Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies work the scene on Bourbon Street after at least ten people were killed when a person drove into the crowd in New Orleans, La., in the early morning hours of New Year's Day, on Jan. 1, 2025. Michael DeMocker/Getty Images

Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some urgent stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.

New details emerge in the deadly New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans, authorities identify the remains of the individual inside a Cybertruck that blew up in Las Vegas, and experts share a stark warning about our country’s ability to handle a growing number of security challenges.

Also, a new Congress convenes today and they’re dealing with a number of critical national issues, and President Joe Biden hands out a score of coveted civilian awards—and we’ll tell you who were singled out for this very high honor.

We have a number of pressing stories to share with you today, and we begin here. We’re learning more about the New Year’s Day murderous attack in New Orleans; many were killed, dozens injured, and what we now know about the suspect who was shot and killed by police.

FBI Says New Orleans Attack Carried Out by Lone Suspect

A senior FBI official says the agency believes that the suspect who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers at around 3:15 on New Year’s morning acted alone, in order to carry out what the official called an “evil act” of terrorism.

Yesterday, that official said at least 14 people have been killed and no fewer than 35 were injured in the “senseless attack,” which ended when the suspect died in a shootout with police after driving down Bourbon Street, crashing his vehicle, jumping out, and firing at officers.

The official went on to say that, at this time, the FBI does not believe that the suspect—who has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar of Texas—had any accomplices. He also said that authorities are receiving hundreds of tips about the incident and that investigators are running each of them down aggressively.

The FBI says it believes the suspect picked up a rented Ford F-150 pickup truck in Houston on Dec. 30 before driving to Louisiana the next day. The agency added that on that same day, he posted several videos online, including five on his Facebook page, which proclaimed his support for the terror group ISIS.

The agency also says that in one post, the suspect admitted to joining ISIS earlier this year, and that the suspect’s last video was posted shortly after 3 a.m.—only minutes before the deadly attack.

Additionally, in one of the videos, the suspect said that originally, he had planned to harm both his family and his friends; however, he ultimately decided against doing so because he was concerned that the news headlines generated by his actions would not focus on what he called the “war between the believers and the disbelievers.”

To the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada now with new information regarding an explosion in front of the Trump International Hotel. One person is dead, several people are injured, and more now on what we’ve learned.

US Soldier IDed as Suspect in Vegas Cybertruck Explosion

Yesterday, an FBI official said that the agency’s investigation is still at an early stage, and so far, they have not found any connection between the Cybertruck explosion and the deadly attack in New Orleans, both of which involved the use of rented vehicles.

In the Las Vegas incident, a rented Tesla Cybertruck packed with fireworks, mortars, and fuel canisters was detonated outside of the Trump hotel, several hours after the New Orleans attack. The sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department says the blast killed the occupant of the Cybertruck and left seven people with minor injuries, and that officials don’t believe there’s any further threat to the public.

Yesterday, he said that a military ID, a passport, and a number of credit cards were recovered in the Cybertruck, and that they belonged to 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger of Colorado Springs.

He went on to say that investigators initially struggled to identify Livelsberger’s body because he was “burnt beyond recognition” and had suffered an apparent gunshot wound to the head.

However, he says he now feels more comfortable positively identifying Livelsberger, after authorities matched the tattoos of the suspect, along with rental records for the Cybertruck.

Additionally, he pointed out that Livelsberger was an active-duty Green Beret operations sergeant with the U.S. Army, and that he was on approved leave from his post in Germany, where he was serving with the 10th Special Forces Group, which is based in Colorado.

The Army said that Livelsberger had served since 2006; that his military career spanned multiple overseas assignments, including two deployments in Afghanistan; and that he’d been awarded two Bronze Stars for his service.

We’ll continue now with some experts suggesting that militarily, the United States is behind the curve, vulnerable to global threats, and immediate action is paramount. More now on this very timely story.

US Is Unprepared for War Amid Mounting Security Risks

Defense professionals say that right now, the United States is dangerously underprepared for a major war involving countries with strong security forces, such as China and Russia. They also say that the threat of such a global conflict is growing, due to new technologies, greater access to advanced weaponry, and heightened geopolitical tensions.

They also say that our country’s current national defense strategy, which was written in 2022, is already outdated. They say that the current threats against the United States are the most challenging we’ve faced since the end of World War II, and that they could potentially lead to a major war in the near future.

In a recent national security report, the experts pointed to the expanding partnerships between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea as part of the reason why any conflict could escalate quickly and drag the United States into a multi-theater, global war. They also said the U.S. military has not planned and is therefore not prepared for such a large-scale situation.

Additionally, the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) has noted that two decades of nearly constant conflict have chipped away at the readiness of America’s armed forces. The GAO says our military now faces a number of significant challenges, including the modernization of equipment and service member fatigue.

Another recent security report pointed out that China is investing in its advanced weaponry at a rate that is five to six times faster than the United States’, while also pointing out that the shipbuilding capacity in China is estimated to be more than 230 times larger than ours.

That report says right now, the United States lacks the “surge capability” to ramp up and meet our country’s growing military needs, and unless urgent changes are made, our country’s war-fighting capabilities against countries like China will be weakened.

Additionally, some experts say that a larger number of non-state actors, including radical terrorist groups and cartels, are increasingly getting hold of sophisticated weaponry, and earlier this year, the secretary general of the United Nations warned of a growing risk of nuclear conflict.

That’s a situation that has all of us very concerned as we begin a brand new year.

Let’s make a move now to the 119th Congress; they assembled for the first time today, Republicans are in the majority, the agenda is lofty, and here’s what we know.

What to Expect From the 119th Congress

When the incoming administration takes over in less than three weeks, it’s widely expected that Congress will attempt to enact a number of conservative policies into law, and to get things started, the first task for the House of Representatives will be to choose a speaker to preside over the body.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is currently favored to keep his job, but some GOP criticism is mounting, leaving the ultimate outcome uncertain.

In case you missed it, Johnson recently got an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump; however, some members of the Republican Conference have publicly said they may not vote for him, and with only a razor-thin advantage to begin the session, the opposition of just two members could doom Johnson’s leadership.

Meanwhile, just three days from now, on Jan. 6, a joint session of Congress will convene to certify the results of the 2024 presidential election. By the way, in her final major act while still in office, Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost the election to President-elect Donald Trump, will preside over the count.

Further down the road, another substantial policy item that Republicans are expected to address deals with taxation. During Trump’s first term, the party got an act passed that reduced both personal income tax brackets and corporate taxes, and this term, the GOP looks to renew these reductions and prevent taxes from returning to previous levels.

Additionally, the president-elect has promised to take control of the border, reform asylum laws, and launch what he calls the largest deportation program in American history. However, funding these initiatives will require Congress to pass a number of new spending laws, and several months from now, it’ll be forced to deal with measures to extend our country’s ballooning debt ceiling.

Finally, President Joe Biden just awarded medals to 20 people in recognition of all that they’ve done for the United States of America. More now on the recipients, the medals, and the ceremony.

Biden Awards Presidential Citizens Medals

Yesterday at the White House, Biden awarded 20 people with the Presidential Citizens Medal, which is handed out to individuals who have performed “exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.” It is the country’s second-highest civilian honor behind only the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The White House said that Biden believes this year’s award winners are bonded by their common decency and commitment to serving others, and that our country is better because of their dedication and sacrifice.

The president’s recipients include Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), two leaders of the now-disbanded Jan. 6 congressional panel.

Biden said that throughout two decades in public service, Cheney has defended our nation and the ideals that we stand for, including freedom, dignity, and decency.

Additionally, he praised Thompson for his efforts to register black voters in the South after the congressman was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement.

By the way, some of the other recipients include a pioneer in treating wounded soldiers, Americans who fought for legalizing same-sex marriages, and two of the president’s longtime friends, former Sens. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) and Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.).

Now this is something very interesting: One of the award-winners is one-time professional basketball star and 2000 Democratic presidential candidate former Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey.

By the way, last year, the president chose to give the prestigious honor to some of the Americans who were involved in defending the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach, and to a number of others who safeguarded the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Before we go, some other headlines we’re following very closely in the News Brief newsroom:

Russia’s defense ministry says that its country’s forces have staged a fresh round of strikes on both military targets and energy infrastructure in several parts of Ukraine.

And Trump says that our country needs “more smart people,” amid an online debate between billionaire Elon Musk and a number of conservatives regarding the H-1B visa program for highly skilled foreign workers.

And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Friday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.

To make contact with the News Brief crew, simply reach out to us via email, and we’re at [email protected]. You can also leave comments for us on the Epoch Times app, which you can download for free on either the App Store or Google Play.

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And finally, as we do each and every day on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote, and this one comes to us from Tom Hanks, who said:

“If you have to have a job in this world, a high-priced movie star is a pretty good gig.”

Nice work if you can get it. Tom Hanks is an actor known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, and he’s one of the most popular and recognizable movie stars on the planet. “Splash,” “Forrest Gump,” “Apollo 13,” and all the rest. By the way, if you have a favorite Tom Hanks film, tell us about it at [email protected].

For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.

The Epoch Times News Brief program is written each day by David Ross.

Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and unbiased daily synopsis of many of the news stories you need to know about.

Enjoy the remainder of your day, and we’ll see you right back here tomorrow for the Saturday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.

For now, it’s imperative that we all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.