NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-02-2025 7AM EST

Episode Date: January 2, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, Onkrova Coleman, investigators are trying to learn more about the man who rammed a truck into pedestrians yesterday in New Orleans. He killed 15 people and wounded 35 more. The FBI is calling the attack an act of terrorism. An ISIS flag was attached to the truck. Some visitors to New Orleans are asking questions about the city's security. The Gulf State newsroom's Kat Stromquist has more. Hours after the deadly attack,

Jermaine Daniels and his wife stood across from Bourbon Street, the tourist drag where a man had hurdled a pickup truck into the crowd. Daniels was visiting from Texas. He said he didn't know why the street was not fully closed off. We have been to Vegas before, and they got the barricades at Vegas, and I wish they would have had them here, the steel barricades, so can't nobody get down the street. New Orleans police chief Ann Kirkpatrick said bullets that once blocked the street weren't working well and the street was blocked by police, but

that the suspect defeated that plan by driving onto the sidewalk. An investigation into the incident is ongoing. For NPR News, I'm Kat Stromquist in New Orleans. Separately, authorities in Las Vegas are investigating the explosion involving a cyber truck in front of the Trump International Hotel yesterday. The driver was killed when gasoline canisters and firework mortars in the truck exploded.

NPR's Frank Langford says Las Vegas police say they're searching for any connections between the cyber truck blast and the attack in New Orleans. They're just only superficial similarities at the moment. These are apparent attacks, both by trucks, same day, these tourist cities. Both vehicles were rented on the same app called Turo, and the sheriff in Las Vegas called it another coincidence worth investigating. And once I think they have the identity of the cyber truck driver, they'll see if there's

any connection with the person in New Orleans. NPR's Frank Lengfett reporting. The diplomatic fallout continues after Ukraine halted the flow of Russian natural gas. Some European countries still relied on Russian gas delivered through Ukraine's pipelines. NPR's Brian Mann has more from Kyiv. After Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine honored a deal allowing Russian gas to reach Europe through its pipelines. But that deal expired January 1st and the gas stopped flowing.

Officials in Transnistria, a breakaway Russian-backed region of Moldova, announced they'll ration electricity and gas for heating while they find new sources of energy. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico warned the loss of Russian natural gas will have a drastic impact on the European economy. But Oleksandr Harchenko, an energy analyst in Kyiv, says most of Europe has already found other natural gas sources. Europe is absolutely diversified source of gas for whole Europe not just for some countries for everyone. By some estimates closure of Ukrainian pipelines could cost Russia up to six billion dollars a year. Brian Man,

NPR News, Kyiv. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Police in Hawaii say three people died after fireworks exploded in a home in the Honolulu area around midnight on New Year's. Authorities say mortar-style fireworks tipped over and ignited other fireworks in a crate. More than 20 other people have been hurt with burn and shrapnel wounds. Some people are critically injured. January 1st is a traditional day for college football and two quarterfinal games in the newly expanded college playoffs took place. But Steve Futterman reports the day was affected by the tragedy in New Orleans. In the Rose Bowl game here in Pasadena, Ohio State beat number one and previously undefeated

Oregon 41-21. It was no contest. Ohio State jumped out to a 34-0 lead in the second quarter. The game was never in doubt. Oregon coach Dan Lanning. You know sometimes it's not your day and I think that was that was us today, right? It wasn't our day today. In the day's first game, Arizona State overcame a 16.4th quarter deficit to tie Texas, forcing the game into overtime, and the second overtime Texas finally prevailed. Meanwhile, in New Orleans, the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed

one day following the deadly truck attack in the French Quarter. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Pasadena, California. Police in London are searching for the armed thief who burgled a city mansion in early December. The thief made off with more than $13 million in jewels, designer handbags, and cash. One item includes a 10-carat diamond ring. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.