Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The FBI told reporters today that the suspect in New Orleans appears to have acted alone: “The driver behind the deadly New Year’s terror attack in New Orleans posted videos online proclaiming his support for the Islamic State terror group before he rammed his truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street, killing at least 14, the FBI said Thursday.”
* The latest from Las Vegas: “A decorated U.S. Army soldier believed to be the person killed in an explosion in a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas sustained what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said Thursday.”
* Mass shooting in Queens: “At least 10 people were shot when three to four gunmen opened fire on a group standing outside a Queens nightclub where a private event was taking place Wednesday night, the New York City Police Department said in a press briefing early Thursday.”
* More than 150 explosive devices were found at a suspect’s home in Virginia: “A Virginia man was arrested this month with what federal prosecutors described in court papers on Monday as the largest cache of ‘finished explosive devices’ ever found in the F.B.I.’s history.”
* The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals isn’t doing internet users any favors: “A U.S. appeals court ruled on Thursday the Federal Communications Commission did not have legal authority to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules. The decision is a blow to the outgoing Biden administration that had made restoring the open internet rules a priority.”
* I can think of a certain president-elect who probably won’t be pleased to hear about this: “President Joe Biden will award Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who served as chair and vice chair of the now-defunct House Jan. 6 committee, with the Presidential Citizens Medal during a ceremony at the White House on Thursday. The medal is the second-highest civilian award in the United States, behind only the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
* Moscow’s desperation: “Russia has ground through repeated waves of soldiers in Ukraine. It lost some of its most experienced troops at the very start of the invasion, then shipped off tens of thousands of convicts without seeming to care whether they survived. Now, still desperately seeking sufficient manpower to maintain pressure on Ukraine, Russia has expanded recruitment even more. Men (and women) no longer have to be convicted of a crime — under new laws, any suspects detained by the police are informed that pending charges will disappear if they volunteer. The military also is taking anyone with large, unpaid debts; recent immigrants caught in repeated dragnets; and even corrupt officials.” * Speaking of Russia: “The Treasury Department announced new sanctions Tuesday on Iranian and Russian entities accused of trying to interfere with the U.S. 2024 elections, including by allegedly using artificial intelligence to disseminate false information.” * This is unlikely to amount to much, but for those who’ve followed the case, it’s a notable development: “Special counsel Jack Smith formally withdrew from the Mar-a-Lago documents case Friday, referring the ongoing prosecution of President-elect Trump’s two co-defendants to federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida.” See you tomorrow.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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