NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-02-2025 2PM EST

Episode Date: January 2, 2025

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Louise Schiavone, NPR News. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. The FBI says it now believes the driver who plowed through a crowd of New Year's revelers in New Orleans likely acted alone. Fourteen people were killed, more than 30 injured. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports from New Orleans the suspect had declared his support for the Islamic State before the attack. Initially, authorities said they were looking at a range of suspects,

but now FBI Deputy Assistant Director, Christopher Rea says that has changed. We do not assess at this point that anyone else is involved in this attack except for Shamsa Dinn-Jabbar. Rea says Jabbar, an Army veteran from Houston, had joined ISIS before the summer and declared his support for the group on social media on his way to New Orleans.

Jabbar died in a shootout with police. Raya says he had planted two explosive devices, concealed in coolers in the French Quarter, before ramming a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street. Debbie Elliott, NPR News, New Orleans. Flags are at half-staff outside the New Orleans Superdome as fans arrive a day later than scheduled for a college football playoff quarterfinal game between Notre Dame and Georgia. The game was delayed by the early New Year's Day attack. Numerous security officers around the stadium were handling bomb sniffing dogs.

Don Verdin is a Notre Dame alum and traveled with his son from Cincinnati for the Sugar Bowl. He says what happened was horrible, but he thinks the Superdome is even safer now. I've seen a lot of police presence around. We've been watching the news, so we've kind of heard what they've done about the Superdome and the security around there. So I have no issues. Many traveling fans extended their stay to attend the game, but many had to forego the game due to the postponement. Numerous tickets listed for resale online were priced at $30 or less.

President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration plans are taking shape and will include what's being called a victory rally, January 19th, according to a sign-up page on Trump's inaugural website. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reports on what to expect. The rally will be held in the afternoon, the day before inauguration, at Washington, D.C.'s Capital One Arena. The arena is home to the NHL's Washington Capitals and the NBA's Washington Wizards. It's now typical for President-elect to hold special events ahead of Inauguration Day. Obama held a massive concert and rally on the mall in 2008. In 2016, Trump also held a concert on the mall featuring rock band Three Doors Down and country singer Toby Keith.

In 2020, amid COVID, Joe Biden held a shorter, more somber event on the mall, billed as a COVID remembrance ceremony. Inauguration day will be Monday, January 20th, which is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News. The Dow is off 276 points. This is NPR News. The Labor Department is reporting that the number of Americans applying for unemployment checks last week dropped by 52,000 to the lowest level since March, a sign of broad

job security. In India, hundreds of Christian leaders are urging the government to tackle violence against their minority following incidents targeting Christians over Christmas. NPR's Diya Hadid has details. The Christian leaders say that they're shocked by a surge in violence against their community. They called on the Indian president and the prime minister, Narendra Modi, to take, quote, immediate and decisive action. They say that some 14 attacks were recorded over Christmas and over the year they had documented

over 720 incidents of violence. They say those incidents come amid anti-Christian rhetoric by Hindu nationalists, including senior members of the governing BJP party. Critics say over the past decade of Hindu nationalist rule there's been a step up in attacks against Indian minorities. Some states have also introduced laws that minority leaders are say discriminatory, including bans on religious conversion. Dee Hadid, NPR News. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson hopes to hold on to his gavel when the 119th Congress convenes tomorrow.

President-elect Trump has endorsed him with the margin between Democrats and Republicans close. Johnson will have to hold on to almost all of his members for the Speaker's vote. One of the first tasks of the new Congress will be to certify the results of the 2024 presidential election. The S&P 500 is off 35 points. I'm Louise Schiavone, NPR News, Washington.