The FBI now believes the driver responsible for the rampage in New Orleans acted alone and was 100% inspired by ISIS. The individual, a U.S. citizen, carried out an act of terrorism. No definitive link has been found between this incident and the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas.
As the investigation progressed, the FBI gathered more information and received hundreds of tips, leading them to revise their initial belief that others were involved. This is a typical progression in ongoing investigations.
The Cybertruck explosion occurred on the same day as the New Orleans attack, but no definitive link has been established between the two. The driver, identified as Matthew Alon Levensberger, died in the explosion, and seven others were injured. Officials are investigating whether it was a deliberate act or terrorism, but no conclusions have been reached.
Elon Musk quickly clarified that the Cybertruck explosion was unrelated to the vehicle itself. Firework explosive materials were found in the car, indicating the explosion was caused by external factors.
Incumbent Speaker Mike Johnson is running to retain his position, with support from President-elect Donald Trump. However, the narrow House margin means he can only afford one defection. Congressman Thomas Massey has already stated he will not vote for Johnson, raising uncertainty about the outcome.
The House must elect a Speaker to certify Donald Trump’s election victory, and prolonged delays could hinder addressing national security concerns, such as the New Orleans attack and the Cybertruck explosion. The narrow margin and recent events add urgency to the process.
Trump’s endorsement signals to the party that Johnson is the preferred leader, which could influence undecided Republicans. However, the narrow House margin and expected Democratic support for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries mean the outcome remains uncertain.
Now, here with the latest news from the US is campaign reporter for The Hill, Caroline Vakil. Caroline, good afternoon and welcome to News Talk. Thanks so much for having me. We have a couple of stories that we want to explore with you. And the first, obviously, is the biggest news story, and that is the New Orleans attack on
And the FBI now believe in a complete U-turn that the driver responsible for the rampage in New Orleans acted alone.
Right. That is what officials are saying today as new information is being gathered. They also believe that this is an act of terrorism. And one high profile FBI official is saying that, quote, he was 100 percent inspired by ISIS.
this individual is a U.S. citizen, I should also note. And the FBI has also said today that it has found no definitive link between both this incident that took place in New Orleans on Wednesday and a Cybertruck explosion that also took place in Las Vegas outside of the Trump Hotel, which also happened on Wednesday. So the individual...
Indications were at the start that there were other people involved and they were quite open about saying they believe other people were involved. So what new information has come to light that leads them to now believe that Shamsuddin Jabbar acted alone?
I think that this is more so just as more information is unfolding. The FBI is getting more information regarding sort of the parameters of it. Obviously not unusual for law enforcement agencies like the FBI to sort of revise sort of aspects of this picture, which is still unfolding. You know, the FBI has said that it has received hundreds of tips.
So I think this is sort of an actual progression of sort of this investigation, which is obviously still ongoing. Now, meanwhile, New Orleans is slowly getting back to life. The college football playoff game that was postponed is taking place this evening.
It is. It is. And so I and also Bourbon Street is is also going to be opening ahead of the of the Sugar Bowl, according to the mayor. And so I think things are slowly getting back to normal, you know, sort of a day or two after this incident.
OK, well, we wish everybody well in getting back to normal in New Orleans. Now, let's look to this cyber truck attack outside Trump Tower in Las Vegas. What do we know about this? And firstly, what we believe is that there's no link between this explosion and what happened in New Orleans. But what do we know?
Sure. So, um, the FBI, um, has said that they have found no definitive link between the two events. They did take place both on Wednesday and there was, um, uh, one commonality between the two, which was that, um, both of the vehicles that were used in each incident were rented through an app called, um, called, um, just making sure that I'm, uh,
It was a it was a app online. And so essentially, they want to make sure that there was no sort of link between the two. And I should say the app is called Turo, by the way. And so now that there is no definitive link right now that has been established between the two.
What we do know is that there was a Cybertruck that essentially kind of made its way into the Las Vegas Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas and essentially exploded. There was an individual identified as Matthew Alon Leibniz.
Levensberger, who died in the Cybertruck explosion. And there were about seven people who were injured in the explosion. Officials are investigating whether or not this was an act of terrorism. OK, so there's no indication yet that it was an act of terrorism. But does it appear that it was a deliberate act? I think we're still we're still
gathering more information. I certainly can't say for sure at this point whether or not it was a deliberate attack, but this is some of the information that we know so far. But the individual, the identity nor the gender of the driver in the cyber truck hasn't been confirmed 100%.
A law enforcement source told our sister news outlet, News Nation, News Nation is owned by Nexstar and Nexstar also owns The Hill, that the person who died in the Cybertruck explosion was Matthew Alon Levensberger. Now, Elon Musk was very quick to come out and reveal that the Cybertruck explosion was completely unrelated to the vehicle itself.
Right. There were some, you know, sort of firework explosive materials that were found in the car. So he did note that this was not happening from the actual car itself. Right.
OK, and then something that I always find fascinating, and that is the race for Speaker of the House of Representatives, which we know a couple of years ago, Republicans just couldn't agree on a candidate. Where are we this time around?
So it might feel a little bit like a deja vu for folks that were watching this race unfold a few years ago. Right now, the incumbent speaker, Mike Johnson, is running again to keep his gavel. He has received the support of President-elect Donald Trump, but he can only risk one defection, assuming that all GOP lawmakers are present and voting.
And, you know, with the House margin being extremely narrow, he can't really afford, obviously, to have too many Republicans come out against him. One congressman, Thomas Massey, has said that he is not going to be voting for Johnson. So it kind of remains to be seen if he's going to have enough votes to pull off, which and that vote will take place, of course, tomorrow at noon. Now, last time around, it took lawmakers several weeks to vote.
finally elect Mike Johnson. Could that same thing happen again?
Yes, we could certainly see this protracted process playing out yet again. There were, of course, many rounds in 2023. But, you know, obviously that's going to be one of the big questions. I think Republicans are going to be looking to hopefully try to coalesce around a speaker shortly because they can't really do any other sort of business until a speaker is elected. Yeah.
OK, Mike Johnson, as we said, was eventually elected in October 2023. Is it likely, do you think, that eventually Republicans will coalesce around him again?
I think right now that's, again, sort of the question that remains to be seen. I think that, you know, Speaker Johnson is likely reaching out to holdouts within his caucus to see, you know, where there are areas of negotiation or compromise so that he can secure those votes. But, you know, depending on how the lobbying between the members plays out,
You know, it's going to be sort of a test of this will be his first test of the year. And it'll also be a test of President-elect Trump's influence within the party.
Now, this particular election, there's a bit of pressure on to have this resolved quicker, sooner rather than later, because there's intense pressures. The House has to agree and elect a speaker in order to certify Donald Trump's election victory just a few days later. So it probably can't, well, it can't drag on for weeks on end.
No, I think that's one good point. Also, I think that, you know, some of the events that we were just talking about earlier, the New Orleans incident that took place, as well as the Cybertruck explosion that took place in Las Vegas. I mean, these are national security concerns potentially. And, you know, to have lawmakers still trying to figure out who their leader is going to be for
example in the House, kind of stymies efforts in terms of addressing those kinds of unfolding events, not only just in the U.S., but outside as well. And so I think there is going to be some pressure not only from the election certification, but these recent events to have, you know, Republicans electing their new leader soon. And finally, does it make any significant impact that Mike Johnson has the backing of Donald Trump? Does that make any difference?
It certainly does. I think it sends a signal to many in the party that this is, you know, he's the president-elect, he's the standard bearer of the party, and that he thinks that, you know, Johnson has the best ability to lead the House caucus forward. So I think for undecided, certainly that is going to be helpful. Of course, you know, again, Trump nor Johnson can sort of
You know, they can't help the fact that this this margin is very narrow and Democrats are going to be are expected to back House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffrey. So, of course, there's not going to be any Democratic defections. So Trump's, you know, Trump's.
Endorsement here is going to be helpful, but whether or not it helps Johnson cross the finish line right now remains to be seen. All right. Caroline Vakil, campaign reporter for The Hill. Thank you very much indeed for joining us to fill us in on the latest news from the United States. The Hard Shoulder with Kieran Cudahy. With the MG Hybrid and Electric range. Weekdays from 4 on Newstalk.