Mike Johnson battles to keep his position as Speaker of the House. Additional information regarding the background and motivation of the New Orleans attacker is revealed. Additionally, the president of South Korea disobeys an arrest warrant due to his poorly executed declaration of martial law.
What to know today is as follows.
New session of Congress begins with House speaker vote
Two pieces of the Republican trifecta of control of the House, Senate, and White House are coming together on the opening day of the 119th Congress. Additionally, lawmakers are set to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory on Monday, the fourth anniversary of the incident at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
However, the House must first select a leader. Despite receiving Trump’s endorsement and his party’s nomination in November, Speaker Mike Johnson still has a long way to go before he can hold the office for a full two-year term. His bid might be derailed by just two Republican defections due to the GOP’s 219-215-seat majority.
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The chamber would be unable to do any business if no Republican could obtain a simple majority. This may prevent bills from being filed or put to a vote, members-elect from being sworn in, and House committees from being established.
Learn more about the opening day of Congress and get daily updates by following our live blog.
When it comes to furthering Trump’s agenda, Republicans will have a long list of tasks to complete after the House selects a speaker.
The United States will start taking unprecedented steps to avoid a default this month as it approaches the debt ceiling. Members of Congress will need to extend the debt ceiling at some point this year, but that should buy them a few months.
In addition, Congress has a federal funding deadline on March 14; if past performance is any indication, House Republicans will need to cooperate with Democrats to secure the 60 votes required to approve a bill in the Senate.
Disagreements inside the GOP are already leaking into the open, despite the party’s desire to act swiftly to further Trump’s goals with legislation on taxes, energy, and immigration.
Learn more about upcoming significant tasks.
More coverage:
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The new 119th Congress
is the third oldest in U.S. history
.
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11 key House members to watch
, from newly elected freshmen to ideologically driven figures all of whom could have an outsize role in debates.
ISIS-inspired New Orleans attacker leaves family, friends stunned
The sights, bright lights, and noises of Bourbon Street were all the same when it reopened. However, a large police presence, a temporary memorial, and sparse crowds served as reminders of the fatal assault that occurred the day before, in which a vehicle crashed through throngs of partygoers, killing fourteen people.Among the fatalities were a single mother who had recently received a promotion at work, a former Princeton University football player, and a teenager who had just completed his first semester at the University of Alabama.
Authorities released additional details about Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the attacker, yesterday, including the fact that he was entirely motivated by ISIS.According to Christopher Raia, a deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, Jabbar, who was killed in a shootout with police, posted a number of Facebook videos just prior to the attack, claiming that he had initially intended to harm his friends and family but changed his mind when he became worried that the conflict between believers and non-believers would not be the main focus of news reports and headlines.
According to three U.S. defense sources, Jabbar, 42, of Texas, was on active service in the Army from 2006 to 2015 and then in the Army Reserve from 2015 to 2020. According to the corporation, he had been employed by Deloitte since 2021 in a staff-level position.
He was known as Sham, and his discipline and commitment astonished an Army officer. He was quiet, reserved, and very grounded, according to a former classmate. Jabbar’s half-brother recalled how he took charge of his father’s care following a stroke.
But after serving in the military and trying to advance in his career, Jabbar’s life started to fall apart as he dealt with serious financial issues and a third divorce. He eventually came under the influence of ISIS.Family and friends were left shocked and confused.
More coverage of the attack in New Orleans:
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Jeremi Sensky was returning to his hotel when he heard a massive noise and then he was face down on the ground with his wheelchair smashed around him. In an interview with NBC News Tom Llamas,
Sensky recalls the surreal aftermath
of the deadly attack that shattered his legs in a million pieces.
-
Trump and his GOP allies
falsely blamed the attack on President Biden s border policies
, even though the attacker was a U.S. citizen. Now, Trump
risks having that verdict flung back at him
should a comparable attack happen on his watch.
-
Notre Dame defeated Georgia
23-10 in the Sugar Bowl, which was postponed after Wednesday s attack.
Man who died in Cybertruck explosion ID d
The man who died in a Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside of Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year s Day was a decorated master sergeant in the U.S. Army s elite special forces unit. At a news conference yesterday, officials with the Clark County/Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said that the person s body was burned beyond recognition but identification belonging to Matthew Alan Livelsberger was found at the scene. Livelsberger died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Sheriff Kevin McMahill said.
An Army spokesperson said Livelsberger was assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command on approved leave from his base in Germany. His career included deployments to the Republic of Congo in 2014, Ukraine in 2016, Tajikistan in 2016 and Afghanistan in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
The incident is being investigated as a possible terrorist attack, three senior law enforcement members said. Authorities are still searching for a motive. The Cybertruck in the Las Vegas explosion and the pickup truck used in the deadly attack in New Orleanswere rented through the same app, called Turo, but federal officials said yesterday thatthey had not found any associationbetween the two events.Here s what else we know.
South Korea president defies arrest warrant
Authorities in South Korea will have to try again to arrest President Yoon Suk Yeol after they failed to enforce an unprecedented warrant over his botched attempt to declare martial law. After a more than five-hour effort that ended around 1:30 p.m. Friday local time, investigators and police officers left Yoon s official residence in central Seoul. They cited safety concerns as they were blocked by Yoon s presidential security detail, which told NBC News that it was required by law to protect the president. A growing crowd of Yoon s conservative supporters were also outside the residence and tried to form a human shield to protect him from arrest.Many held up U.S. flags and Stop the Steal signs, a slogan adopted from President-elect Donald Trump s false claims of election fraud in 2020.
Yoon was impeached last month after declaring emergency martial law in the country, only to reverse his order hours later. While he is not the first South Korean president to be impeached, he would be the democracy s first sitting president to be arrested.
Read All About It
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Two people died and 18 were injured when a small plane
crashed through the roof
of a California building.
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New year, same old real estate market.
Here s what housing industry experts expect
in 2025.
-
Researchers have developed a more precise way to
diagnose different types of asthma
with just a nasal swab.
-
An orca that drew international attention when she carried her dead calf for 17 days has lost another calf and
is repeating the behavior
.
-
Blake Lively s complaint against Justin Baldoni
has prompted questions
about the role of public relations in cases involving celebrity women.
Staff Pick:
To the moon, an asteroid and beyond
One storyline I m keeping an eye on in the new year: the return of two NASA astronauts whose weeklong trip to the International Space Station has turned into what is now slated to be a nine-month stay. But there s plenty more to pay attention to. Science reporter Denise Chow lists a few of the missions we can expect to see, like moon launches, an investigation into the origins of the universe and a first-of-its-kind mission to collect samples of an asteroid.Here s what else.Elizabeth Robinson,newsletter editor
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
A meal delivery service is a great way to enjoy fresh food without trips to the grocery store. But what are the options for those on gluten-free diets?Try these nine meal delivery serviceswith gluten-free options or an entirely gluten-free menu.
Sign up to The Selectionnewsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.
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