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Episode Date: January 6, 2025

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What's in store for the music, TV, and film industries for 2025? We don't know, but we're making some fun, bold predictions for the new year. Listen now to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Amy Held. On the eve of Congress certifying the presidential election results ushering in a new Trump era, President Biden evoked the insurrection that marred proceedings four years ago. From the White House tonight, he addressed Democratic members of Congress. Now it's your duty to tell the truth, to remember what happened, and I'll let January 6 be rewritten

or even erased. He urged lawmakers to reach across the aisle. With just two weeks left of his presidency, Biden is traveling this week to Los Angeles, then to Rome, but first tomorrow to New Orleans to pay tribute to victims of the New Year's Day attack. Authorities say the man who ran over and killed 14 people on Bourbon Street visited Egypt and Canada in 2023. Then he went to New Orleans shortly

before his rampage. Aidan McCahill with member station WWNO has more. The FBI says Shamsuddin Jabbar, an Army veteran from Houston, traveled to Cairo, Egypt and Ontario, Canada. And authorities are trying to understand where he went, who he met with, and what it meant for the attack. During his two New Orleans visits last fall, Jabbar used a meta smart glasses to record his videos of the French Quarter. Hours before driving his truck down Bourbon Street, Jabbar placed two remote controlled explosive devices in the area, which he intended to detonate during the attack. Joshua Jackson is with the ATF. So we believe that the transmitter did, would have function, but for New New Orleans PD putting him down before he could get access that transmitter The FBI says so far their investigation has found the suspect did not have an accomplice in the US or overseas

For NPR News, I'm Aidan McCahill in New Orleans Tens of millions of people are in the path of a snowstorm that's made driving conditions treacherous in parts of Kansas, Missouri and Indiana It's barreling eastward bringing heavy snow to the mid-Atlantic starting tonight. Thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed. The latest jobs data and minutes from the last Fed meeting will be top of mind for investors on Wall Street as they return to a full trading week after the holiday period. NPR's Rafael Nam has more. The first major economic report of the new year is coming on Friday with the latest monthly

data on employment. The jobs market has been one of the bright spots for the economy, but it has been slowing in recent months. A good economy is of course good for Wall Street, but there is one downside for investors. It could allow the Fed to keep interest rates higher for longer as it continues to bring down inflation. In December, the Fed cut rates for a third consecutive time but signaled it was expecting only two cuts this year. We'll get more of their thinking when the Fed releases the minutes from that meeting on Wednesday. Rel, now, NPR News. ASIAN SHARES ARE TRADING MIXED AT THIS HOUR.

AND YOU'RE LISTENING TO NPR NEWS. Flu cases are up across most of the U.S. The CDC says while emergency room visits are increasing, it's shaping up to be a pretty typical winter respiratory virus season. Norovirus outbreaks, however, are spiking. The CDC says they are exceeding numbers seen in recent years, even pre-pandemic. The fast-moving virus can present as a stomach bug. Hand washing is recommended to limit the spread.

Young children and older adults are most at risk from severe dehydration. Finland is getting more help finding out how undersea electricity and communication cables in the Baltic were cut and damaged Christmas Day. Terry Schultz reports Finnish authorities are keeping close tabs on the crew of the ship suspected of carrying out the act. Sweden is sending a Navy vessel to assist in the ongoing investigation into the severing and damage

of cables between Finland and Estonia, suspected of being caused by an oil tanker linked to Russia. Finland seized the tanker, the Eagle S, and has forbidden members of the crew from leaving while the probe continues. A petition to release the vessel, filed by the ship's owner in the United Arab Emirates, was rejected Friday by a Helsinki court. Investigators say they found substantial evidence an anchor was dragged over the cables. The Eagle S is missing one of its anchors. In response to the incident, NATO has boosted its security presence in the Baltic Sea, and

the European Union pledges to impose more sanctions on Russia. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz in Brussels. The Golden Globes are being awarded tonight. Among the winners is Demi Moore, who won her first Golden Globe for best female actor in a film, musical or comedy, The Substance. You're listening to NPR News. The Indicator is a podcast where daily economic news is about what matters to you. Workers have been feeling the sting of inflation. So as a new administration promises action on the cost of living, taxes and home prices, the S&P 500 biggest post-election day spike ever,

follow all the big changes and what they mean for you. Make America affordable again. Listen to The Indicator, the daily economics podcast from NPR.