NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-02-2025 12AM EST

Episode Date: January 2, 2025

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Okay, so does this sound like you? You love NPR's podcasts, you wish you could get more of all your favorite shows, and you want to support NPR's mission to create a more informed public. If all that sounds appealing, then it is time to sign up for the NPR Plus bundle. Learn more at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Federal authorities are now investigating a deadly New Year's attack in New Orleans. As NPR's Debbie Elliott reports, a truck rammed through a crowd on Bourbon Street early Wednesday, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more.

The FBI identifies the driver of the truck as 42 year old Shamsuddin Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas. He was killed after shooting at New Orleans police who responded to the attack. FBI Special Agent Alethea Duncan says authorities do not believe Jabbar acted alone. An ISIS flag was located on the trailer hitch of the vehicle and the FBI is working to determine the subject's potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations. The FBI is asking anyone who may have had interactions with Javar to come forward. Debbie Elliott, NPR News, New Orleans. Police in Las Vegas say they're trying to determine whether the explosion of a Tesla

cyber truck there has any terrorist connections, particularly with the Islamic State. We don't have any indication of that here in Las Vegas. No overt ISIS flag as was seen in New Orleans, but again, we are investigating every aspect of this and if that comes to light, we'll certainly update you. That's Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMayhill. He says police crews found fuel canisters and fireworks mortars on the back of the truck. One person was found inside the truck and seven people outside received minor injuries from the blast. Three people died and 20 others

were critically injured in a New Year's Eve fireworks explosion in a neighborhood near Honolulu. Fire officials say the accident occurred just before midnight outside a private home and it remains under investigation. The accident took place near Honolulu's International Airport. Minimum wage hikes took effect in 21 states today. As NPR's Andrea Hsu reports, a third of U.S. workers now live in states with a minimum wage of $15 an hour or more. The latest states to hit a $15 minimum wage are Delaware, Illinois and Rhode Island. The new wage floors there and elsewhere are expected to raise the wages of more than 9 million people according to the

Economic Policy Institute. Women make up almost 60% of workers getting raises on January 1st. Hispanic workers make up more than a third. Most full-time minimum wage earners are expected to earn about $400 more per year. Researchers say the additional earnings are meant to ensure workers don't lose ground as prices rise. But in many states, including those that follow the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour,

workers don't have that protection. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed at least 12 people. Most of the dead were women and children. The Israeli military says it only targets militants. They instead blame Hamas for operating in dense residential areas. Gaza's health ministry, meanwhile, says Israel's air and ground offensive has now killed more than 45,000 Palestinians.

You're listening to NPR News. In California, the 136th Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena helped to start the new year just north of Los Angeles. Yusra Farzana, member station LAist, has more. Hundreds of thousands of people cheered as floats carrying giant Frolicking Pandas, a dog the size of a giraffe, and a volcano spouting fire. All the floats are decorated with seeds, fruits, vegetables, dried florals, grass, and of course, fresh flowers.

But for Angela Butler, who drove over 70 miles to come to the parade, the floral floats were not the draw. I just love watching the marching bands, but the Jackson State Marching Band is one of my favorite marching bands. They're very exciting. I love the drum majors and so that's why I'm here. The parade was momentarily disrupted by protesters calling for an arms embargo on Israel. A city spokesperson said around 14 people were detained. For NPR News, I'm Yusra Farzad in Pasadena. Major storms in the UK have caused flooding in a number of areas there. In Manchester, cars were submerged up to their roofs after nearly a month's worth of rain fell in just two

days. Greater Manchester police meanwhile have declared a major incident and mountain rescue teams have been called in to help firefighters respond to the flooding there. At least ten people were killed today in a shooting attack in a small Montenegro city. Officials say the shooting followed a fight in a bar. The attacker killed the owner of the bar, his children, and his own family members. The shootings took place in four separate locations in the city. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News. What's in store for the music, TV, and film industries for 2025? I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.