The FBI unveils more information about the man who drove a truck into a New Orleans crowd on New Year’s Day, killing more than a dozen. And multiple reports indicate President Joe Biden could make a big decision on the proposed takeover of U.S. Steel. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Jan. 3, 2025.

South Korean investigators suspend efforts to detain impeached president after standoff

After an hours-long standoff, South Korean investigators suspended efforts to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. The standoff between South Korea’s anti-corruption agency and the presidential security service lasted nearly six hours at Yoon’s presidential residence Friday, Jan. 3. 

The agency called off its agents due to concerns for their safety after the presidential security service and Yoon’s supporters blocked them from entering Yoon’s residence.

Yoon, a former prosecutor, defied investigators’ attempts to question him for weeks in connection with the short-lived period of martial law he imposed at the beginning of December.

A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s detention Tuesday, Dec. 31, but enforcing it is complicated. Yoon’s lawyers, who filed a challenge to the warrant Thursday, Jan. 2, said it could not be implemented at his residence due to a law that protects locations potentially linked to military secrets from search without the consent of the person in charge.

The anti-corruption agency said it would discuss the next steps but did not immediately say whether it would make another attempt to detain Yoon. The warrant for his detention is valid for one week.

New Orleans attack investigation continues as city hosts Sugar Bowl

The FBI now believes the suspect in a deadly New Orleans truck attack on New Year’s Day likely acted alone. The agency said Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, killed 15 people and injured dozens more early Wednesday, Jan 1, after driving into a crowd on Bourbon Street in the city’s French Quarter.

The agency called the attack “a deliberate act of terror,” and said Jabbar was “100 percent inspired” by the radical Islamic terror group ISIS. 

The FBI concluded this after conducting hundreds of interviews, reviewing phone calls, social media accounts and electronic devices connected to the suspect. 

Investigators said there appears to be no “definitive link” between the New Orleans attack and the explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas at this time.

Law enforcement investigating the Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas identified the man who carried out the attack as Matthew Alan Livelsberger on Thursday, Jan. 2.

Livelsberger was an active-duty U.S. Army Green Beret. He was reportedly on leave at the time of the attack. 

Authorities identified Livelsberger’s burned body by matching his tattoos. 

Back in New Orleans, life started to return to normal Thursday as the city hosted the Sugar Bowl at the Superdome. Plus, visitors were once again allowed back into the French Quarter.

Notre Dame went head-to-head with the Georgia Bulldogs and came out on top. With Notre Dame’s victory, the college football playoff semifinals are now set.

WE’RE GOING TO MIAMI #GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/lyFVXjL5ht

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) January 3, 2025

The Fighting Irish will face Penn State in the Orange Bowl next Thursday, Jan. 9. Texas will meet Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10. 

The two winners will play in the National Championship game on Monday, Jan. 20. It will be the first championship game since the NCAA went to a 12-team playoff format.

2 dead, 19 hurt after small plane crashes into California building

Two people are dead and 19 more injured after a small plane crashed into a furniture manufacturing building in southern California on Thursday. 

The people who died were believed to have been on the plane while those injured were among the 200 or so people inside the building. Paramedics transported 11 people to the hospital and treated eight others at the scene. 

The crash occurred about half a mile from the Fullerton Municipal Airport. Investigators are working to learn what led up to the incident.

Biden to block Nippon Steel’s bid to take over US Steel: Reports

President Joe Biden decided to block Nippon Steel’s bid to purchase U.S. Steel due to national security risks, according to multiple reports. Biden is expected to announce his decision as early as Friday, reports said.

Senior advisers warned Biden that the U.S. rejecting the Japanese corporation’s $14.9 billion offer could damage relations between the two countries.

Biden’s decision comes after the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment could not conclude the risks of Nippon’s offer, leaving the decision up to the White House. 

While U.S. Steel shareholders backed the takeover, the proposed deal faced opposition from union members and politicians.

President-elect Donald Trump, who a group of American steelworkers backed during his campaign, also vowed to block the deal when he takes office later this month. 

Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel indicated they would take legal action if the federal government blocked the deal.

119th Congress begins Friday with GOP taking control of House and Senate

The 119th Congress starts Friday with Republicans in full control of the House and Senate for the first time since 2019. The new term, which lasts two years, begins when House members are sworn in. 

The first thing the House must do is elect a speaker.

Despite narrowly hanging on to the GOP majority 219-215, Rep. Mike Johnson’s speakership hangs in the balance. At least one Republican said he would not back Johnson and others expressed concerns about his leadership. 

Johnson received a major boost this week when Trump publicly backed Johnson.  

In the Senate, Republicans will officially take the reins after flipping the majority in the November election. The new Senate Majority Leader will be Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.

Golden Globes kick off award season this Sunday

Hollywood’s award season officially kicks off Sunday, Jan. 5, with the Golden Globes. 

Nominees include Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez and Angelina Jolie. 

Movies looking to win big include “A Complete Unknown,” “Emilia Perez,” “Wicked” and “The Brutalist.”

“The Bear,” “Shogun,” “Nobody Wants This” and “Only Murders in the Building” are among the television series looking to take home trophies. 

Comedian Nikki Glaser, who hosted the Tom Brady roast, will lead the award ceremony. This year, the Golden Globes will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+.