An Ignoble Experiment: The 7: An unpredictable House speaker vote; how hot your city was in 2024; daylight saving; and more

Year-end Sale Get your first year for 50¢ a week →

PUBLISHED BY

By Jamie Ross and Hannah Jewell

Listen to this briefing

Good morning. It's Friday, Jan. 3, and we're perusing the gifts foreign leaders gave to the Bidens, including a $20,000 lab-grown diamond. See what else they got here. Now let's get to the news.

The Texas man who drove a truck into a New Orleans crowd apparently acted alone.

The latest: Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, had pledged support to the Islamic State militant group, the FBI said yesterday. Parents of young children were among the 14 people killed.
In related news: Hundreds of never-seen-before text messages offer new insight into a foiled Islamic State-inspired plot to bomb a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last August.

Read this story

The Cybertruck explosion outside a Trump hotel was probably a suicide.

The details: The man behind the wheel of the Tesla shot himself moments before the vehicle blew up, officials said yesterday. Authorities believe he was a U.S. Army soldier.
What else to know: Tesla fans said the Cybertruck's steel exterior muffled the blast in Las Vegas on Wednesday, possibly saving lives. That's probably not the case, experts said.

Read this story

President Joe Biden will block the sale of U.S. Steel to a Japanese buyer.

Why? Biden and a steelworkers union have long opposed the deal with Nippon Steel, but his move may harm relations with Japan. The announcement could come today, two officials said.
In other business news: A federal appeals court struck down net neutrality rules that prohibit service providers from discriminating against websites by throttling or blocking them.

Read this story

A vote for House speaker will be held today after a new Congress is sworn in.

Where things stand: Speaker Mike Johnson is working to win over a handful of skeptical Republican lawmakers. If he fails, it would be another early setback for Donald Trump.
Digging deeper: Republican leaders are counting on savings from spending cuts and new revenue from tariffs to pay for their plans. We broke down 10 policies they could use.

Read this story

The FBI released footage from an unsolved pipe bomb case tied to the Capitol riot.

In 2021: Pipe bombs were placed near the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees the night before the Jan. 6 attack. The devices were not detonated.
What's new? Security video released yesterday shows the suspect placing a bomb, officials said. Hoping for new leads, they also disclosed the person's height as 5-foot-7.

Read this story

Many U.S. cities had their warmest year in 2024.

Locations with record or near-record warmth in 2024. Source: Southeast Regional Climate Center. (The Washington Post)

What to know: Temperatures broke heat records from border to border and coast to coast last year. To see if your city had its warmest year on record, search for it here.
One promising idea: The Earth could be cooled by an antacid for the ocean. Some start-ups have begun testing the technology along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Read this story

Brazilians are having second thoughts about eliminating daylight saving time.

In 2019: Then-President Jair Bolsonaro abolished the time changes — something Trump adviser Elon Musk wants in the U.S. (To see what that would mean for you, search here.)
How it's going: Brazilians have mixed feelings about pre-5 a.m. daylight in some parts of the country. And early-evening darkness has contributed to energy crises.

Read this story

Before you go … want to sleep better? Consider Dry January. Trying to improve your fitness? May we suggest the Swedish method of "fartleks."

One more good read: Are men finally pulling their weight around the house? Here's what the data says.

And finally … end your week by playing On the Record, The Post's quotable quiz. The weekend version is 10 questions, and you can risk all your points on a final bonus question. Ready to play? Click here. Or try our word games, Keyword and the brand-new Wridges.

You're all caught up. See you Monday.