Friday Briefing: New Orleans cautiously reopens

Plus, a standoff in South Korea

View in browser|nytimes.com January 3, 2025 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering the aftermath of a New Year's attack in New Orleans and a standoff in South Korea. Plus: How to eat better this year. Bourbon Street in New Orleans reopened to tourists, with extra security. Edmund D. Fountain for The New York Times The New Orleans attacker acted alone, the F.B.I. said Bourbon Street in New Orleans reopened yesterday, a day after a U.S. Army veteran plowed a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year's revelers, killing at least 14 people. People cautiously trickled back into the French Quarter, live bands resumed playing at their usual corners and mourners stopped by a makeshift memorial adorned with flowers and Mardi Gras beads. Investigators said yesterday that the assailant, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, had acted alone. Jabbar, who died in a gunfight with the police, had said in a video he posted online that he had joined the Islamic State group. "He was 100 percent inspired by ISIS," Christopher Raia, an official with the F.B.I.'s counterterrorism division, said at a news conference. Here's what we know about the attacker. "We're confident, at this point, that there are no accomplices," Raia said. The authorities said that they had conducted hundreds of interviews and reviews of the attacker's calls, social media accounts and electronic devices. Related: The F.B.I. has found no definitive link between the New Orleans attack and the explosion of a Tesla truck outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas, but investigators are not ruling anything out. The driver in Las Vegas shot himself in the head just before the explosion, which injured seven people. Supporters of South Korea's impeached president cheered as officials left his residence on Friday. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times South Korean officials moved to detain the president Officials in South Korea abandoned an attempt to take President Yoon Suk Yeol in for questioning over insurrection charges earlier today after a standoff inside the president's residence that lasted several hours. Thousands of his supporters had camped outside and were attempting to stop officials from reaching the president's residence. "We determined that it has become impossible to serve the warrant because of the prolonged standoff" with the president's personal security team, the investigators said in a brief statement, calling Yoon's refusal to comply "deeply regrettable." They said they would decide later on whether or when to try again to detain him. The attempt was the latest effort by officials to hold Yoon accountable for his short-lived declaration of martial law last month that plunged the country into a political crisis. Yoon has vowed to contest the charges, and his lawyer filed an injunction to challenge the validity of the detention warrant. Background: The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials — an independent government agency specializing in crimes involving senior leaders — succeeded on Tuesday in getting a court warrant to detain him. The officials would have to apply for a separate court warrant if they want to formally arrest and continue to hold him. An event in Tel Aviv calling for the release of captives in the Gaza Strip. Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Negotiations on a cease-fire for Gaza have stalled Negotiations between Israel and Hamas appear increasingly deadlocked, even as Hamas officials met yesterday with Egyptian officials in Cairo to discuss ways to overcome the impasse in talks on a cease-fire in Gaza. President Biden is set to leave office on Jan. 20, making it increasingly likely that his term will end before an agreement is reached. An Israeli airstrike yesterday killed Mahmoud Salah, the leader of Gaza's police force, and Hussam Shahwan, a top aide, according to the Hamas-run government media office. The Israeli military claimed responsibility for killing Shahwan but did not comment on Salah's death. Gaza's Civil Defense emergency service said "several" people had been killed or wounded in the strike, including children. Aid: Israel is moving to ban UNRWA, the U.N. agency that has been the backbone of aid delivery to Gaza, over accusations that it shielded Hamas militants. U.N. officials are preparing to shutter UNRWA's operations as experts warn of a famine threatening parts of the territory. MORE TOP NEWS Kent Nishimura for The New York Times U.S.: The House is expected to vote today on whether to re-elect Mike Johnson as speaker. He faces some resistance from hard-right Republicans. Business: Tesla's annual sales fell for the first time as the market for electric vehicles became more competitive in 2024. New York: A string of attacks in the city's subway has riders devising their own strategies to stay safe. Russia: Are sanctions against Moscow working? The answer is hotly contested as Donald Trump prepares to take office. China: The government hit dozens of U.S. companies, including Raytheon, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, with punitive trade measures. Hawaii: Fireworks during New Year's celebrations in Honolulu set off explosions that killed at least three people and injured more than two dozen others. Space junk: A glowing ring of metal weighing nearly half a ton fell out of the sky and landed on a tiny village in Kenya. Mozambique: A rap song, "Povo no Poder," or "People in Power," has become the unofficial anthem of the protests over a disputed election. SPORTS NEWS Soccer: Aston Villa is in talks to sign the Borussia Dortmund forward Donyell Malen. Boxing: The promoter Frank Warren opened legal proceedings against Chris Eubank Jr. for defamation. Golf: A German proverb provided inspiration for Xander Schauffele during his career-defining year. MORNING READ Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times Naples, Italy, has become an Instagram sensation for travelers, actors and models. But there is little mercy for its young, poor residents. "Naples is like a tomb," one resident said. "It's pretty from the outside, but you don't want to see what is inside." Lives lived: Agnes Keleti, a gymnast who survived the Holocaust to compete for Hungary and became the world's oldest Olympic champion, has died at 103. CONVERSATION STARTERS Basically, drink less: The emerging scientific consensus is that alcohol has no health benefits. Guidance in the U.S. doesn't always make that clear. Two decades of travel: Our annual "Places to Go" list debuted in 2005. It has changed a lot in the last 20 years. London's rowdiest party: The beer flows freely at the World Darts Championship. But to fans, the competition is serious. ARTS AND IDEAS Andrew B. Myers Take 5 days to eat better Ultraprocessed foods, commonly defined as any foods or drinks made with ingredients you wouldn't typically find in a home kitchen, run the gamut: potato chips, hot dogs, breakfast cereals, even flavored yogurts. Scientists have found associations between these foods and health conditions like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and even anxiety and depression. If you're interested in figuring out what's in ultraprocessed foods, and how to cut back on them, my colleagues on the Well desk can help with a week of evidence-based tips. Sign up for the five-day challenge here. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Rachel Vanni for The New York Times Bake: For an especially pretty tart, use small apples and make very thin slices. Read: "Embers of the Hands" looks beyond the soap-opera sagas of the Vikings. Watch: In "Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl," the inventor-beagle team discovers the joys and dangers of technology. Travel: Take a trip to see these nine art shows opening in Europe this year. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. See you next week. — Natasha Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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