horror in the streets of new orleans. a speeding truck rams through bourbon street, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. federal authorities calling the act a deliberate act of terror, as new details about the suspect come to light. the u.s. army veteran from texas

killed in a shootout with police. we have the latest in the investigation. and the growing questions about how he was able to get the truck onto the crowded street. why security barriers failed to stop him, and the race to secure the city ahead of the sugar bowl this afternoon which was delayed after the attack. and the deadly cybertruck explosion outside the trump hotel in las vegas. why it's also being investigated as a possible terrorist attack. elsewhere, a massive fireworks explosion kills three in hawaii. what set off a deadly blast. all that and more on this busy thursday, january 2nd. "early today" starts right now. . glad you're with me this morning. i'm frances rivera. we begin with the latest details on the deadly new year's day attack on bourbon street. the fbi now says at least 15 people lost their lives after a man drove a pickup truck through

a crowd in new orleans' famed french quarter. investigators say the suspect had a flag representing the terror group isis. president biden shared more insight about the motive behind the attack. >> the fbi also reported to me that mere hours before the attack he posted videos on social media, indicating that he was inspired by isis, expressing a desire to kill, desire to kill. >> the fbi says they do not believe the driver of the truck was solely responsible. a man was seen surrendering to authorities at the suspect's home in houston before that property was searched. nbc's dan scheneman has more on the investigation. >> reporter: early morning bourbon street. >> the guy in the pickup truck punched the gas and mowed over the barricade. >> reporter: once past the

barricade, they say he plowed through pedestrians. >> after hitting the crowd he exited the vehicle and fired upon local law enforcement. law enforcement returned fire and the subject was pronounced dead at the scene. an isis flag was seen on the trailer hitch of the vehicle. >> reporter: investigators found apons and explosives in the truck. >> other potential i.d.s were located in the french quarter. as of now, two ieds have been found and rendered safe. >> reporter: the fbi has named the suspect. 42-year-old shamsud-din jabbar. >> reporter: investigators do not believe he acted alone. >> it was chaos and very, very scary. >> reporter: a frightening and sad start to the new year. dan scheneman, nbc news. >> a sold-out college football game in new orleans scheduled for last night was moved to this afternoon in the wake of the deadly bourbon street attack.

notre dame and the university of georgia will now face off in the sugar bowl at 3:00 p.m. local time. the allstate ceo saying the move was in the best interest of public safety and will allow additional security measures to be put in place. >> reporter: hours after that deadly attack on bourbon street, growing questions about the physical barriers used to secure the area. devices known as bollards are used to help control crowds and vehicles. but, on bourbon street, the bollards weren't there. the system was in the midst of repair. >> they were not up, because they are near completion. with the expectation of being completed, of course, by super bowl. >> reporter: the game set to be played in new orleans next month.

the superintendent of police says others were in place to secure bourbon street on new year's eve. but video shows how the attacker drove right around a patrol car. >> we did indeed had a plan, but the terrorist defeated it. >> anything in the midst of currently being repaired had a backup replacement? >> vehicles and officers were there where all of pollards about been. terrorists went all the way on the sidewalk. >> was it consideredmpossible or nearly impossible, or was this somomething you didn't thi you would have to account for? >> of course it wasn't something we thought we had to account for. >> reporter: following the german christmas attack last month. the berlin truck attack in 2016 and the one in nice, france the same year. jose was visiting new orleans and left the area just before the attack. >> the metal barricades were not

up. just the standard plastic ones like you see there. there was police there at the entrance. a lot of police there, but the metal barricades were not up. >> reporter: a city website showing what the new bollards might look like, set to be completed next month. but a nationally-televised college football game is supposed to be played here. moreno thinks the city is ready. >> right now, so many resources are being deployed down to the city of new orleans that no doubt about it, we will host a safe game tomorrow. everything from federal resources, state resources, additional intelligence, you name it. that's all happening. >> our thanks to jesse for that report. president biden has promised to keep the public informed as the investigation into the attack moves forward and vowed to provide every possible resource. >> i directed my team to make sure every resource, every resource, is made available to

federal, state and local law enforcement. to complete the investigation in new orleans quickly and to make sure there's no remaining threat to the american people. >> and the attack to new orleans comes after months of warnings from the fbi that terror threats are on the rise. now security measures are ramping up ahead of some major events this month. here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: the nation's capital is under heightened security out of abundance of caution, though there is no specific threat. wiwith a sloh of major security vents, the january 6 anniversary, former president carter's funeral and the inauguration of president-elect trump, federal authorities are on high alert. >> the action was one of anger and frustration. >> reporter: while investigators have not yet determined a motive in the new orleans attack, they say the suspect had isis flag on his truck as he carried it out. there are also mounting questions about the las vegas

explosion outside a trump hotel. and in a sign of the growing danger, experts say the number of domestic terrorist attacks and plots against government targets alone motivated by political believes in the past five years was nearly triple the previous 25 years combined. the fbi has also been warning the threat from home-grown, violent extremists that are jihadist inspired is surging. >> since october 7th, though, that threat has gone through a whole another level. >> reporter: add to that the unprecedented two assassination attempts this summer on then-candidate trump. >> president-elect trump, who's here at mar-a-lago commenting on the new orleans attack in a social media post, praising the officers involved and pledging that his administration would fully support the city of new orleans. back to you. >> thank you. another possible act of terrorism is being investigated in las vegas. a tesla cybertruck exploding outside the trump international hotel. police say the driver was killed

and seven other people were injured. officials briefed the public about the explosive materials found inside. >> so those are gasoline canisters. they are camp fuel canisters and large firework mortars. >> investigators have not found a link to isis in this case. but law enforcement officials confirm the cybertruck was rented from the same company as the vehicle used in the new orleans attack. two law enforcement sources also tell nbc news that the suspect in this explosion had previous military experience. and officials are looking into a possible military connection to the bourbon street suspect. but they stress the investigation is still unfolding. in hawaii, at least three women were killed and over 20 hospitalized, including children, after a new year's eve celebration took a tragic turn. emergency crews arrived at a gruesome scene in honolulu in the suburb there after a massive explosion caused by what appears

to be illegal fireworks. >> we're angry, frustrated and deeply saddened at this unnecessary loss of life and suffering. it's a tragic way to srt off the new year. what should have been a night of joy and celebration has, instead, become one of sorrow and heartbreak for our community. >> officials in hawaii now promising tougher penalties for ilillegal fiworks. in ohio, authorities say a fugitive killed in shootout last month has been identified as the suspect in a decades-old, unsolved murder of a 18-year-old woman. the mansfield police department says new dna evidence established proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the 68-year-old was responsible for the death of debra miller. she was fatally beat within an oven grate inside her apartment. van ness lived in the unit above miller. he was questioned but never

considered a suspect until 2021, when they reopened the case. a 4.7 magnitude earthquake shook northern california wednesday evening. the quake hit around two miles northwest of cobb. that's about 70 miles north of san francisco, around 6:30 p.m. local time. aftershocks may happen in the coming hours and days. the year is off to a frigid start across much of the country. let's check in with angie lassman. good morning. >> good morning to you. we've got 5 million people under these winter alerts. most of it downwind of the lakes. that's where we will see lake-effect snow ongoing. even into the weekend and potentially beyond. we are tracking this one quick-moving system that's going to bring a little bit of though to folks across the northwest. then eventually, we'll see some of that pushing to the mid atlantic. it will quickly be out of here tomorrow. the winds that i mentioned, still an issue across this region.

we've got gusts up to 50, 55 miles per hour. power outages possible, maybe downed trees across that region. and then here comes the chilly air. can you already it spreads farther east and south. look what happens by the time we get into the weekend. 13 degrees for minneapolis on saturday. 20s for chicago. even new york city dropping down to those low 30s by the time monday rolls around. columbus. we head to the upper 50s in new york city. boston, 57 degrees with mostly sunny skies. and that's a look at your forecast, frances. back to you. >> thank you, angie. coming up, check your fridge. details on the walmart broccoli recall.

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we are back with a blowout in the college football playoffs. ohio state got their revenge and then some for that regular-season loss to number-one-ranked oregon. >> over to the right guard, and luke montgomery played at right guard. >> off the fake, down the middle! caught! touchdown! buckeyes on fire! >> on fire is right. the buckeyes never took their foot off the gas. the ducks finally got on board at the end of the second quarter but already looked cooked. jeremiah smith reeled in three long touchdown passes from will howard. and the buckeyes rolled to a 41-21 win. ohio state advances to face texas in the semi-finals next

friday. it was all horns in the first half with 77 yards in the first two plays for a quick touchdown and then a 75-yard punt return. texas cruising into the fourth quarter with a 16-point lead. but here comes cam scateboo. long horns doink what would have been a game-winning field goal to send it into ot. >> texas must convert, fourth and 13. >> it's a blitz look here. trying to audible. >> to stay alive! can they hook'em? touchdown! matthew golden! >> an interception by a texas safety sealed it. this afternoon, georgia and notre dame will face off in the

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now that it's public we can learn a little history. >> very cool. rihanna revealed a major milestone. she took to instagram to share that she was alcohol free for the past 12 months as she counted down to 2025. >> four, three, two, one! happy new year! y'all, i didn't drink all year! i didn't drink all year! four, three -- >> she captioned the post, "new year, new me." i know s so many people set the goals january 1st. this must have been one of hers or maybe it developed that way. but good for her. >> what a great milestone, and the incentive all of us need, those of you doing dry january, there you go. she did 12 months.

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(♪♪) skincare can start in the laundry room. that's why i always recommend all free clear for sensitive skin. it's free of dyes and perfumes. it's a key part of my self-care routinine. and is gentle for my skin, and her's too. for an effective clean that's gentle on skin, all you need is all free clear. horse racing is ping into the new year, that's in part to a boom in gambling with higher purses and higher-quality horses. >> and, they're off!

>> reporter: horse racing could be poised to take off in the new year. its most famous trainer, bob baffert has returned after suspension from chchurchill dow. in kentucky, churchill downs is spending $300 million in renovations. at belmont park in new york, nearly half a billion. the kind of improvements industry insiders say are needed everywhere to attract new fans >> they don't want to go to a facility that's been there since the 1960s with old infrastructure and old bathrooms. >> reporter: the races themselves could get an overhaul. a gate race where investors own the positions or slots, secure a grade horse and owners can buy, sell and trade in an effort to win multi-million dollar purses. >> i think it's a good way to increase the handle for the racetrack. >> reporter: fan duel's all in.

and draftkings sponsored this year. as gambling increases, so does the size of the purses and the number of eyeballs. there are challenges, including concerns over the welfare of the horses, though owners and trainers hope enforcement by a new horse racing integrity agency will reassure fans and investors. >> we're seeing consolidation, smaller foal crops and fewer horses racing. in some ways the market's shrinking, but i think there's potential for growth. >> reporter: and that potential is attracting wall street money. danny moses is a trader famous for short calls. but as an investor, he's long on horses. >> i can't think of a better experience than being with friends, trying to make money, enjoying yourself, gambling on the horses that you also own. it's a lot of fun. >> our thanks to contessa brewer for that report. maybe that will mean more of

those fancy hats a fascinators, way beyond the kentucky derby. all right, the country's biggest new year's eve bash was just over 24 hours ago in times square, but you wouldn't know that this morning. it took 300 workers, 45 machines and trucks to get the job done. the screws say they cleaned up 53 tons of debris last year. and they say this we're was about the same, although it may have been a little bit messy, considering, you know, all the considering, you know, all the rain, so a soggy mess out (♪♪) years of hard work. decades of dedication. committed to giving back. you've been there, done that. and you're still here for more. so now that you're 50 or older, and at increased risk for pneumococcal pneumonia and ipd be proactive with capvaxive- a vaccine specifically designed for adults to help protect against pneumonia and invasive disease caused by certain types

of pneumococcal bacteria. capvaxive is the only vaccine that helps protect against the strains that cause 84% of ipd in adults 50 or older compared with up to 52% by other pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. don't get capvaxive if you're allergic to the vaccine or its ingredients. tell your doctor if you have a weakened immune system. common side effects include injection-site reactions, feeling tired, headache, muscle aches, and fever. whether you've had another pneumococcal vaccine or not ask your doctor or pharmacist about capvaxive. (♪♪) possible right now at five. terror in america. an army veteran plows a truck into a crowd in new orleans on bourbon street, killing 15. at least the new revelations about the suspect as investigators continue to search for answers and the response from president biden. all this as the sugar