FBI says deadly New Orleans attack suspect acted alone. And, the House speaker vote

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Today's top stories

The FBI says Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the driver who rammed a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans on New Year's Day, acted alone. The agency backed off of an earlier statement that Jabbar was "not solely responsible" for the attack that left at least 14 people dead.

• 🎧 A better look at surveillance footage revealed Jabbar placing explosive devices concealed in coolers in the French Quarter, an act the FBI previously thought he had help with, NPR's Debbie Elliot tells Up First. The FBI also found that Jabbar posted several online videos proclaiming support for ISIS. New Orleans is determined not to let the attack sap the city's culture. Drummer Darnell Simms tells Elliot that he wants to let people know "the love is still out here." This event has shaken people up, and soon, national events like the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras will draw millions to the city.
• ➡️ Bourbon Street re-opened yesterday afternoon, over 24 hours after the attack. The scene was cleared just in time for the Sugar Bowl, a NCAA College Football Playoff game. Check out photos of Bourbon Street's reopening here.
• ➡️ Pedicab driver Tyler Burt ended a long day of work on New Year's Eve with a short ride that took him to the start of Bourbon Street. He gives NPR network station WWNO an eyewitness account of the tragedy.
• ➡️ Kareem Badawi had just finished his first semester at the University of Alabama, where he was studying engineering. His father speaks to All Things Considered about losing Badawi in the attack.

A new Congress is set to be sworn in today. The first order of business in the House is to elect a speaker. Republicans have a narrow majority, meaning they must almost unanimously decide on a leader. House Speaker Mike Johnson has the endorsement of President-elect Donald Trump, but he faces the challenge of some GOP holdouts.

• 🎧 Trump's endorsement is key to the position but may not be enough for Johnson, NPR's Claudia Grisales says. Johnson faces tight margins and will need a simple majority of the 435-member House. He needs 218 votes, and there are 219 Republicans, leaving him little breathing room. Democrats are not expected to help Johnson or any other Republican get over the line. GOP congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky has been vocal about voting against Johnson. "That could open the floodgates for other House Republicans who'd like to vote no on Johnson," Grisales says.

The FBI is sharing new details and footage about the person who planted pipe bombs in Washington, D.C., on the night before the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021. The agency is still trying to identify the person who placed the devices, which didn't detonate. Authorities have combed through 39,000 videos, conducted 1,000 interviews and sifted through 600 tips, but the alleged bomber remains elusive. For the first time, the FBI shared an estimated height of the person — approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall — as one of the details they hope will lead to the suspect's capture.

25 goals for 2025

Can't decide on a resolution for 2025? NPR's Life Kit has expert guides to make any goal a reality. We'll share a few of them every week this month. View all 25 guides here.

Keeping tabs on where your money is going is a good first step to cutting back on spending and saving more. Here are some budgeting tips to get you started and make more informed decisions about your money:

• 💵 Don't budget just because you think you should; instead, set a specific goal that has meaning to you.
• 💵 Take advantage of the budgeting momentum that comes with big life changes — like moving or a job loss — while it lasts. If you mess up or overspend later on, don't quit.
• 💵 Follow the 50-30-20 method. Dedicate 50% of your take-home income to basic living expenses, 30% for discretionary expenses like entertainment and 20% for savings.

Life Kit has several more guides to help you manage your money in 2025. Check out some of them here:

• ➡️ Avoid these common financial mistakes.
• ➡️ These five big purchases can help you reduce your carbon footprint and save money at home.
• ➡️ Have you heard of the no-buy challenge? You stop spending money on non-essential items for a set period. Here's how it works.

Weekend picks

Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:

🍿 Movies: Timothée Chalamet plays Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. The biopic covers the period shortly after Dylan arrived in New York City and started to fall in love with the city's folk music scene.

📺 TV: In Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, Colin Firth plays a grieving father searching for justice following the death of his daughter in the 1988 bombing of Lockerbie, Scotland. Firth speaks with NPR's A Martinez on Morning Edition about what inspired him to star in the series.

📚 Books: NPR staff and book critics have recommended 10 heart-pounding mystery or thriller novels perfect for winter reading by the fire. You can find more in the annual Books We Love guide.

🎵 Music: SZA's expanded edition of SOS, titled SOS Deluxe: LANA, landed her on top of the Billboard 200 chart. The album sports a whopping 38 songs, with reports of more tracks being added soon.

🍔 Food: Sour cherry and pistachio have been picked by industry groups, famous chefs and trendwatchers as some of the predicted foods and flavors that will be hot this year.

3 things to know before you go

1. In 1985, Mark Metersky was a medical student at a New York City hospital and had a patient who was giving him some difficulty. The patient roomed with a man dying of AIDS-related lymphoma. One day, Metersky's patient supported the man when he was in discomfort. This unsung hero's generosity left a lasting impression on Metersky over the years.
2. President Biden will award the Medal of Honor today to seven U.S. Army soldiers who served in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
3. New research shows that the marsupial mole, a creature that swims through the sands of remote Australian deserts, might have suffered a population crash about 70,000 years ago due to climate change.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.