puerto rico ringing in the new year in the dark. the massive power outage triggering a blackout for most of the island. how long it could last. new this money, the virginia man in custody and facing serious charges after the fbi uncovered the largest cache of finished explosive devices in

the bureau's history. the stock market closes out 2024 with a streak not seen in a generation. the major milestone as we look back at an unusual year for the economy. the college football playoff semifinal picture coming into focus as penn state punches their ticket to the next round. we have all the highlights ahead of the action-packed new year's day slate. if you're just waking up, or still having fun, it's 2025 and we're starting the year with a bang. we'll take you around the globe for the biggest celebrations and epic sendoffs to 2024 from new york to new zealand. it's january 1st. "early today" starts right now. glad you're with me, especially this morning. i'm frances rivera. happy new year. we begin today with a new year's celebration around the world. here in new york city, over 1 million spectators braved the

rain to watch the times square ball drop and 3,000 pounds of confetti fall to frank sinatra's "new york, new york." each piece of confetti holding the wishes and dreams from people around the world submitted in person or virtually. >> i wish to spend more time with those that i love. >> i wish for more blessings for all. >> i wish for love, joy, and a second cat. >> i wish my friends and family all the happiness and success in the new year. >> my wish is to get my dream job teaching history. >> i wish to get accepted into my dream college, f.i.t. or u.c.s. >> my wish is to get my dream job in the nfl. >> we wish for another year together. >> we wish to create new memories together. >> be friends forever! >> have lots of fun and meet new people. >> i wish to be a real new yorker. >> i hope those wishes come true. around the world, celebrations began as the clock struck 12:00 in each time zone.

in australia, fireworks lit up the sky at sydney harbor. london rang in the new year with a dazzling firework display around big ben and the london eye. in pis, the city of love and light, fireworks lit up the sky in a stunning display. now to president-elect donald trump, who spent new year's eve at his mar-a-lago club in palm beach appearing on the red carpet with wife melania before their new year's eve gala. there, he shared his predictions for 2025. >> great year. i think we're going to do fantastically well as a country. we're going to bring it back. it has to be brought back. people are not respecting our country very much, and they're going to respect us a lot. >> meanwhile, the gop may begin the new year with a possible showdown over who should serve as house speaker. nbc's gabe gutierrez has the details on how far an endorsement from the president-elect will go. >> reporter: house speaker mike johnson is hanging on after president-elect trump's complete

and total endorsement. >> i'm really humbled and honored to have president trump's endorsement for speaker again. >> reporter: he's hoping to avoid a repeat of the chaotic 22-day fight to replace ousted speaker kevin mccarthy last year. now, after barely avoiding a government shutdown, johnson's speakership is in jeopardy. his majority in the house will be razor-thin. one republican congressman has already said he won't back him for speaker. that means johnson can only affo to lose one other republican vote. it's not clear whether trump's endorsement will prevent more defections. >> right now, i don't believe that he has the votes on friday -- the president-elect tonight preparing for new ye's eve here in florida, but he'll need a unified republican party to dlilg quickly deliver on an ambitious agenda. >> reporter: with big plans for tax cuts and an immigration crackdown, there are other rifts within the gop. over the weekend, trump sided with billionaire meelon musk.

arguing it amounts to cheaper labor. the h-1b visa program is a total and complete tam from its top to the bottom. >> reporter: more urgently, a dragged-out speaker showdown would paralyze the house and could potentially even delay the certification of the election on january 6th. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, palm beach, florida. the fbi has arrested a virginia man after finding a rifle and a stockpile of more than 150 homemade explosives, some of which they say were marked athletal. it is the largest seizure of finished explosive devices in the agency's history. brad stafford was charged with unlawful possession of an unregistered short-barrel rifle. according to a detention memo, prosecutors argued his release poses an extreme danger to the community and the people he lives with, which includes two young children. an attorney for spafford did not

respond. a warning to viewers, the video is disturbing. surveillance video captures the moment a 45-year-old man was looking at his phone on a platform when he was suddenly shoved onto the truck tracks as a train pulled into the station. the victim suffered a skull fracture and broken ribs. he is in critical but stable condition. the 23-year-old suspect is in custody and charged with attempted murder. turning to puerto rico, where a huge power outage wiped out electricity for nearly the entire island, and it could be days before everyone gets it back. nbc's george solis has the details. >> reporter: puerto rico is on edge again after being hit with a massive power outage on new year's eve. >> it's sad that at this day, the last day of the year that impacts our traditions. >> reporter: the blackout affecting more than 1 million people. 90% of the island.

he says, "how are we going to celebrate the new year without power?" luma, the company that distributes power in puerto rico, says a faulty underground cable at a power plant on the island's southern coast is to blame, saying it's working on restoring power. officials say it could take days for it to be fully back. many residents criticizing the company. >> there's an issue. and it's luma. >> reporter: they say just the latest in a frustrating saga of outages over nearly a decade. after hurricane maria ravaged the island's already aging and crumbling power grid in 2017, the incoming governor says the energy grid is her top priority, adding, "we can't keep relying on an energy system that fails our people." in san juan, federico jesus with power for puerto rico group says residents are fed up. >> what message does this send to the world about what this island nation, u.s. territory has to cover the world if it can't turn the lights on?

>> reporter: growing frustration with no long-term solution in sight. george solis, nbc ews. now let'sget a check on your first forecast for 2025 with nbc meteorologist angie lassman. happy new year. >> good morning, frances, happy new year. we've got nice conditions across the middle of the country. even the south looks pretty good. waking up to clear skies. notice this batch of moisture that's working through parts of northeast. we've got some snow associated with that as well. that's going to be ongoing through the day today. we'll also see those real gusty winds and chilly air filter in behind the system as it works out. that snow will linger into tomorrow. we'll have a quick-moving system that works across the midwest as well. gusts up to 55 miles per hour will be possible. notice the alerts stretch for places like boston south. 40, 50-mile-per-hour winds again. power outages, downed tree limbs all a possibility in places like new york and west. lake-effect snow for folks there. we've got some snow showers out west. plenty of sunshine for parts of

the south. i think if you're traveling, places like buffalo, cleveland, seattle, portland, you could see a couple of delays. overall, things look pretty fo charleston today. 60 degrees with sunshine as well in new orleans. and mid-50s in shreveport. and that's a look at your forecast, frances, back to you. >> okay, thanks so much, angie. "early today" is back in a minute with those we lost in 2024. and the historic streak on wall street not seen in a generation. . ♪♪ the bare minimum. anti-dandruff shampoo made with only nine ingredients. no sulfates, silicones or dyes. and packaged with 45% less plastic. giving you outstanding dandruff protection.

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the s&p 500 rose 24% in 2023 and skyrocketed another 23% in 2024. something we haven't seen in over 25 years. of course, the stock market isn't the economy.y. brian cheung has a look back at the fight against inflation and a preview what was we could see in the new year. >> reporter: in a year where a lot happened, the u.s. economy kept its stride thanks to a u.s. consumer that got chooseier with their dollars. big-time names in corporate america got pushed back from consumers who balked at rising

reporter: i just spoke moments ago to a spokesperson with the governor, he has been briefed. he is still getting information in realtime from the nopd and from the state police but as brandy just said, we are just about 14 hours away from kickoff for the sugar bowl, the eyes of the college football world with tens of thousands of fans from georgia and notre dame are on the city of new orleans. then we host the biggest sporting event on planet earth in early february, the super bowl. we have been talk being security preps and plans, a big question hopefully nopd and state lis will answer, was this a drunk driver? was this an accident? or was this an act of

essentially domestic terrorism? was it intentional that somebody drove a car down bourbon street in the heart of the french quarter? we're going to get off that live look right now as soon as they start talking we will take you back live to the french quarter and ann kirkpatrick. until that happens let's go live, fletcher is a couple blocks away. fletcher, you are following an additional scene, if you will, a possible threat of a suspicious package. >> reporter: yeah, trevor, what you are looking at right now is the corner of bourbon and orleans. that is a law enforcement, some type of bomb unit. they are bringing out the droid right now, their robot unit to investigate a suspicious package. there is a huge state police presence here right now, one of the troopers that we saw saw a suspicious package on the corner of bourbon and orleans he immediately called it in and that triggered what you're

seeing right now, them investigating a suspicious package on the borner of bourbon and orleans to make sure there isn't some type of second attack or this isn't part of the original plan. we don't have details, don't want to speculate or jump to conclusions but we are hearing what they are hearing right now. cassidy reported that nopd is working on a suspicious package this is it, right in front of tropical aisle bar on the corner of bourbon and orleans. we did our initial live shots on the front of tropical isle and we were moved back here to dauphene. we are going to stay on the shot right now to show you the work they continue to do about a block away. but, again, there's a half dozen more law enforcement officers in this area as this situation continues to unfold, again, law enforcement very vigilant right now with a massive perimeter and

the french quarter blocked off. >> fletcher, stand by. we can security expert mike khan. let's get back to the heart of the french quarter. what we have been reporting from a lot of our sources, more than ten people tragically killed on bourbon street during this mass-casualty event, maybe 27 more sent to the hospital as somebody drove a car right down bourbon street. we also know that shots were fired. when is this press conference expected to start? i think people are trying to get clarity and real information from nopd superintendent ann kirkpatrick and from the state police in colonel robert hodges. >> reporter: right. travers. nopd superintendent ann kirkpatrick is supposed to come out and address us here. that is when i will ask her all of those questions and run those numbers by her like you mentioned. at least ten people killed,

almost 30 people hurt. i will ask exactly those questions to her to get those numbers confirmed. other things that i plan on asking her are all around -- all around social media and witnesses i have spoken to tell me that they witnessed a white f-150 plow on to bourbon street, running over so many people, that is also something that i do want to confirm with her. we've been standing out here for about half an hour now so i do want toell you what we've been noticing. i've seen of course dozens of nopd officers here, we've seen the homicide -- homicide unit here. we've seen also the fbi, louisiana state police. so we do expect several agencies to address us. of course, we will run that media briefing here on air and also online, that way you all at home who may have had family or friends on bourbon street or are just concerned about what's happening in our city that way you all can tune in.

travers, back to you. >> keep us posted and give us an update. we will come back live. everybody wants to get the latest information. here is what we know, we know at least ten people, possibly 12 have been killed. tens of thousands of people are in the city for the sugar bowl right now. notre dame fans, georgia fans. on top of the fact this is one of the biggest tourism weekends or tourism times in the city of new orleans with tens of thousands of people here to celebrate new year's. let's go back to security expert mike khan. mike, it is appearing more and more likely that this was not a drunk driver. incidents like we've seen before in 2017 and 2019 when drunk drivers, tony as well as rizutto plowed their vehicles into people after mardi gras carnival parades in other parts of the city. it is seeming to be like this is going to be an intentional act. bourbon street is not drivable, there are bollards on the street that prevent that. nopd also has cranes in the skies with spotters.

how can something like this happen on bourbon street with so many law enforcement officers down there? we just reported two days ago more than 300 nopd officers are assigned to that one area of the french quarter. >> so you can do your best to prevent an incident like this, in this incident, again, if you had bollards up and other things that were set up like we had in the pastt that preves a vehicle from further egressing through the street and creating more carnage. you can't stop it completely from entering the area without a massive amount of, say, dump trucks kwild with sand or things like that. we don't know what we don't know still. we don't know how they -- how far they got down, how many blocks they got down and what their intent was and we should find that out by now nopd, state police, the fbi should have that and i'm sure they're putting everything together so they want to sound, you know, reasonable when they speak to you and give

you your press conference. >> mike, look, if this is an act of domestic terrorism and it's hard to wrap your head around something like that because no one wants to believe that something like this can happen in their city but unfortunately we see it play out all too often across america these days. are they going to the person's home? was the person on scene? we do understand that shots were fired. with the nopd if somebody was driving down bourbon street inintentionay would they be allowed to use lethal force to stop somebody like this on bourbon street? >> in answer to that question, yes, that individual would. so anyone who is trying to take the life of someone else or engage in taking the life of someone else, you do have the right to use lethal force in order to prevent that person from furtherance of taking someone else's life. in this situation if you would have multiple police officers at different angles shooting at a moving vehicle, it can be where other people end up getting