the search for answers after at massacre in new orleans. federal authorities now saying that isis-inspired attacker acted alone. we learn about the victims who lost their lives in the attack.

in las vegas. authorities say the man who died in the cybertruck explosion outside the trump hotel was an army special ops soldier, but the motive still a mystery this morning. chaos in california. two people are dead and nearly 20 more injured after a plane crashed into a building just minutes after takeoff. the battle for the gavel. mike johnson facing an election today to remain house speaker. we're live with why it could be an uphill battle, despite a republican majority. new overnight, president biden ready to test his mettle. why he could move to block the sale of u.s. steel to a japanese competitor. and hey, siri, settle this lawsuit. apple set to pay nearly $100 million in a class action case over privacy. and you could be eligible for a payout. it's friday, january 3rd. "early today" starts right now. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

good morning. i'm frances rivera. we begin today with chilling details about the suspect in the new orleans terrorist massacre on new year's day. the fbi now saying the 42-year-old army veteran acted alone and was inspired by isis when he drove a pickup truck through bourbon street, killing 14 and injuring dozens. >> we do not assess at this point that anyone else involved in this attack is involved in this attack. th was an act of terrorism. it was premeditated and an evil act. we recovered an isis flag from the back of the vehicle. jabbar declared his support for the terrorist group on social media as i stated before, as he made his way to new orleans. what i can tell you right now is that he was 100% inspired by isis. >> the fbi is said to have also founund what has been describeds remnants of bomb making inside the suspect's home in houston, according to a senior law

enforcement officialriefed on the investigation. and today we are learning more names of the victims killed in the attack and eir stories. lester holt honors them now. >> reporter: an aspiring nurse, a college student, a single mom, among the 14 people celebrating the new year when their lives were stoleby what authorities say was an isis-inspired terrorist. 27-year-old tiger bech grew up in louisiana and played football at princeton. i spoke to his mom and brother. tell me what it's been like to be tiger's mom for all these years. >> um, he's been a shining star. um, a bright boy. a clever boy. >> he was my role model. my whole family's role model. our inspiration, and now everything we do will be for him and through him. >> reporter: kyra dedeaux was

dreaming of being a nurse. her mom posting, when your parents say don't go anywhere, listen to them. i lost my baby. just pray for me and my family. >> reporter: hubert gauthreaux's mom saying he would give anything to anybody. his text just after midnight, he wrote, i love you. the single mom who didn't have a car would walk to work to provide for her 5-year-old son. drew dauphin recently graduated from auburn university. his family saying he could light up a room. 18-year-old kareem badawi just finished his first semester at the university of alabama. he was 6'5", but his dad saying he still always called his youngest the baby. reggie hunter adored his 11 and

1-year-old sons. his cousin telling us reggie was a little guy with a big heart who didn't deserve this. and thew ten dor yoe had just had dinnerith his parents before going out to ring in the new year. >> he had the job of his dreams. our hearts go out to the families who lost their loved ones two. we're just grieving right now. >> our thanks to lester holt for that. authorities have identified the suspected driver of the cybertruck that exploded outside a trump hotel in las vegas. they found theilitary id of matthew livelsberger inside the burned vehicle. he served as a green beret and was based in germany but was approved on leave. authorities are waiting for dna confirmation but tattoos also point to the 37-year-old being the suspect. >> his body is burned beyond recognition, and i do still not

have confirmation 100% that that is the individual that was inside of our vehicle. we also discovered through the coroner's office, that the individual had sustained a gunshot wound to the heaprior to the detonation of the vehicle. >> livelsberger rented the cybertruck in denver on december 28. officials tracked his route from colorado to las vegas using data from charging station. the fbi searched at least one home in colorado springs. the motive in this case is still unknown. let's turn now to the happenings today on capitol hill where house speaker mike johnson is fighting to hold onto his gavel. he has the endorsement of president-elect trump, but it's not clear if that will be enough to win a vote today. nbc's chris pollone joins me from d.c. hi, chris, good morning. johnson is hoping to avoid the long, drawn-out fight that we witnessed two years ago. >> reporter: that's right. even with the support of

president-elect trump, johnson knows his chances today are a little bit shaky. he acknowledged that republicans hold one of the smallest house majorities in the country's history. democrats are expected to cast their votes today for hakeem jeffries. johnson can only afford to have one or two republican defectors, but he has been facing backlash on striking deals over government spending. there are a handful of holdouts who say they aren't sure about him. >> he doesn't have my vote. and i think he's losing political capital by the second. >> i'll make up my mind on friday. >> i don't trust him that he's going to deliver. for the last year he's been the speaker, every time he folded to the swamp. >> reporter: president-elect trump did give his endorsement to johnson several days ago, and yesterday the speaker met with several of his detractors to hear their demands. no other business can get done

until the house elects a speaker, including certifying the election results. johnson says these are serious times, and they cannot afford any palace drama. a public roll call vote is scheduled for noon today. >> chris, thank you. at least two people were killed and 19 others after a small plane crashed into the roof of a furniture manufacturing building near los angeles. according to our nbc station in l.a., the two deceased are believed to have been inside the aircraft. but it's unclear how many were on board. it crashed just 200 miles from the airport. the faa and ntsb are investigating. just days after the new year's eve attack, fans gathered at the superdome on a day mixed with excitement and anxiety.

>> reporter: after a nearly 24-hour delay, the game went on. the sugar bowl between georgia and notre dame kicking off at the superdome. but first came a moment of silence for the 14 people killed by an alleged isis-inspired terrorist. only about a mile from the stadium. ahead of the high-profile game, the superdome fortified with barriers, law enforcement and k-9 units. >> we have reinforced the area. >> reporter: just like any other game day, you've got all these fans making this way toward the stadium. but how many football games have you been to with this just blocks away. these two are from georgia. >> i have anxiety walking to the game. not being in the stadium, i don't think. >> not in the stadium. >> but walking. >> reporter: new orleans locals have faith in their city leaders. was there a moment at all when you guys thought i'm not going to this game? >> no. no. i was a little concerned, but i thought they were going to make everything safe and secure. >> reporter: others like life-long bulldogs fan daryl

huckabee chose not to stay. he's already back home in geora. >> our plane was full of notre dame and georgia fans that were very sad to have to be leaving the city without watching the football game. >> reporter: his hotel was right on bourbon street. >> i could see seven bodies still lang in the street right outside my window. >> reporter: a critical security test for law enforcement teams like this one in a city hosting the super bowl next month. >> our thanks to jesse for that report. and the playoff semifinals are set after that unforgettable sugar boil. notre dame and georgia were neck in neck until the momentum was changed at the end of the first half. >> notre dame with a chance to add to a three-point lead. play fake, touchdown irish! bo collins! with the first touchdown of this

game. >> the start of the second half didn't go any better for georgia. the 98-yard run blew the game wide open. the dogs never recovered. notre dame won 23-10 and will take on penn state at the orange bowl next week, while texas and ohio state go toe to toe in the cotton bowl. it is a snowy start to the year for parts of the country. nbc meteorologist angie lassman is tracking the winter alert and some major drops in temperatures. >> yes, it's going to be chilly, we could see ice, maybe some rain. we have it all on the table. but right now 43 million people under winter alerts. this is going to bring a bit of snow. then we gear up for the more impactful system which emerges into parts of the plains by saturday, bringing heavy snow across the rockies.

we'll see a wintry mix into the evening hours across the plains. then on sunday we have the chance to see strong storms potentially across the south. but also icy and snowy conditions across really this entire region. that continues shifting its way to the east into monday. this is the start of the workweek. notice the snow, the ice and the rain still in the picture. now, when it comes to the heaviest amounts, we're looking at along i-70, specifically parts of illinois, north of cincinnati in st. louis. we could see upwards of a foot. it will be impactful when it comes to driving. on top of that, we have chilly air to the northiner cleveland. some showers in the forecast in philadelphia. upper 30s and mostly sunny conditions in boston today. and that's a look at your

forecast, frances. back to you. >> thanks, angie. "early today" is back in a moment with why president biden may soon block a multi-billion dollar deal to sell u.s. steel. and how much iphone owners could get after apple settles a suit over privacy. it's time we listen to science. one a day is formulated with key nutrients to support whole body health. one a day. science that matters. oh... stuffed up again? so congested! you need sinex saline from vicks. just sinex, breathe, ahhhh! what is — wow! sinex. breathe. ahhhhhh! i am obsessed with olay's retinol body wash. with olay retinol body wash, 95% of women had visibly renewed skin. makes my skin feel so smooth and moisturized. olay body wash & lotion. discover yours. ♪♪ every parent knows when it's time to go into...

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consensus. now they had to evaluate whether this takeover represented a national security risk. and it was concern that after the acquisition nippon steel could cut the production capacity of u.s. steel. it was very much a focus during the presidential campaign. it was opposed by the united steelworkers union. and we know president-elect trump was previously opposed to the deal. apple has agreed to pay $95 million in cash to settle a proposed class action lawsuit claiming that siri violated users' privacy. in the case. customers complained that siri recorded their phone conversations and that it was shared with advertisers.

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here's what's making headlines this morning. doctors have found a new way to help kids with asthma. a test was created using nasal swabs to test for different types of asthma. it can find t-2low linked to pollution. but the test still needs fda approval and more studies. denver is getting a new team in the women's national soccer league. the city will pay $110 million to join as the 16th team. colorado journey polis said a formal announcement is coming soon and is excited to welcome the new team. starbucks is launching a new drink called the tado and a brown sugar cortado.

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new orleans still under a heavy police presence. there's a lot of security across the city. as you talk about this community coming together to try and honor those who were lost here, as the investigation continues. ♪ ♪ music is the pulse of this city. and, in the wake of the attack on bourbon street, local performers want the world to know the heart of new orleans is still beating. >> we do it to memorial identifies all those innocent people who lost this lives through this senseless act of terrorism. but more importantly, we want people to know we're proud to be american, proud to be a louisianaen and a new orleansen. >> reporter: it's why after the moment of silence, a cheer.

and s crowds returned to the french quarter. but its loss, the family of tiger bech and 13 other victims are dealing with. >> he's been a shining star, a bright boy a clever boy. >> he was my role model, my whole family's role model. >> reporter: agents and officers on the ground. >> there's an unprecedented amount of law enforcement resources that are being utilized to close out and to hunt down and to finalize this investigation. >> reporter: an investigation that, like the healing here, is going to take some time. yeah, and that investigation continues to be focussed not only here in new orleans but at the suspect's home in the houston area as well, frances. >> jay gray for us, jay, thank you so much.

coming up on "today", we will have continuing coverage from the investigation into the attack and the legal drama over it ends with us. the interview with justin baldoni's attorney and the $250 million lawsuit against blake lively. the he said-she said situation heating up. and as we're cruising into 2025, the new features set to make waves on board some of the most popular cruise lines in the new year.

>> the search for answers after the massacre in new orleans. federal authorities now say the isis-inspired attacker acted alone, driving a truckhear from victims' loved ones for the first time