New Orleans Attack, Puerto Rico, and Resolution History

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New Orleans Attack

At least 15 people were killed and 30 injured after an attacker intentionally drove a pickup truck through a crowd on New Orleans' Bourbon Street during New Year's Eve festivities. Officials are describing the attack as an act of terrorism. The driver was killed in a shootout with police shortly after exiting the vehicle. 

Officials identified the suspect as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar. As of this writing, details remain forthcoming, though Jabbar was said to be flying an ISIS flag in the bed of the truck during the attack. According to reports, Jabbar—a US Army veteran and US citizen from Texas, said to be outfitted in full military gear—shot two first responders, both of whom were in stable condition. City officials said barriers to prevent attacks, installed in 2017 along the street, were being replaced and had been removed in November. 

Federal officials had some (but not conclusive) evidence Jabbar may not have acted alone. While no evidence as of late Wednesday linked the two events, officials are also probing the explosion of a Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas that killed the driver and injured seven others.  

Puerto Rico Goes Dark

Puerto Rico suffered an island-wide power outage early morning on New Year's Eve, plunging millions of people into darkness as officials continue to grapple with a faulty power grid. As of yesterday afternoon, less than 5% of customers remained without power. 

The US territory has suffered from frequent power outages over the past eight years. In 2016, a fire significantly damaged one of Puerto Rico's largest power plants, while one year later, Hurricane Maria devastated the island's already aging power infrastructure. The total damage from Maria was estimated at $90B, and blackouts persisted into mid-2018—ultimately becoming the second-worst blackout on record.  

The somewhat unique relationship between Puerto Rico and the US—residents are US citizens but lack meaningful political representation—has left the island at a disadvantage, making it difficult to receive federal funds to repair infrastructure. Estimates to modernize the power grid have been in the range of $20B. 

Lions, Longhorns, and Buckeyes

The semifinal round of the inaugural College Football Playoff is nearly set after a slate of matchups over the New Year's holiday winnowed the field (see bracket) to three teams, with a final game scheduled today.

No. 6 Penn State topped No. 3 Boise State Tuesday night, holding star running back Ashton Jeanty to three-and-a-half yards per carry and no touchdowns. Yesterday, No. 8 Ohio State avenged a midseason loss against top-seeded Oregon, beating the Ducks 41-21. The Buckeyes will face No. 5 Texas (Jan. 10, 7:30 pm ET, ESPN), who beat No. 4 Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime in the closest game of the inaugural playoff season. 

The Sugar Bowl, featuring Notre Dame and Georgia and played in downtown New Orleans, was postponed following the New Year's Eve attack described above. The teams will play this afternoon at 4 pm ET (ESPN). 

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