>> 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. in vegas, the man who died

in the cybertruck explosion outside the trump hotel identified as an army special ops soldier. the search for a motive and the growing safety concerns for the rental car app used in that vegas blast and the new orleans attack. new clues for the suspect who left a pair of pipe-bombs outside the rnc and dnc the night before the riots. a plane crashed into a building in california minutes after takeoff. the investigation into the accident. and a special bond between sorority sisters. the life-saving gift that connected the old friends forever. it's friday, january 3rd. "early today" starts right now. ♪ ♪ good morning, i'm frances rivera. we begin today with the chilling details in the new orleans terrorist massacre. the fbi now saying the

42-year-old suspect acted alone in the new year's day attack that left 14 dead. the fbi also found what has been described as the remnants of bomb making inside the army veteran's home in houston. that's according to a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. jay gray is in new orleans with more. >> reporter: barricades moving into place along bourbon street, part of stepped-up secury in the french quarter after a terror attack here. >> 14 innocent victims were killed in this senseless attack, and at least 35 are injured. >> reporter: the suspect, shamsud-din jabbar, a 42-year-old military veteran behind the wheel of a pickup truck, plowing into crowds along bourbon street, jumping out, opening fire on police officers, was killed during the shootout. >> jabbar picked up the rented f-150 in houston, texas on december 30th. he then drove from houston to new orleans on the evening of the 31st, and he posted several

videos to an online platform, proclaiming his support for isis. >> reporter: investigators say they believe jabbar acted alone, but why he picked the french quarter in new orleans, that's not exactly clear at this point. for those who knew and loved the victims, the mourning has just started. in lafayette, louisiana a prayer service for tiger bech, a graduate of a local catholic high school who went on to princeton and wall street. >> we're a very tight-knit community. any time we lose one of our alumni, it's felt by many. >> reporter: the investigation still unfolding. jay gray, nbc news, new orleans. >> and the fbi has been searching multiple locations for clues about the deadly attack. for more on the federal response, here's alice barr. >> reporter: president biden

meeting with his homeland security team about the two stunning acts of violence on new year's day. >> as of now, i've just been briefed. they have not found any evidence of such a connection thus far. >> reporter: the fbi believes shamsud-din jabbar acted alone when he plowed his car through bourbon street, killing at east 14 people. they're tracing how the military veteran could have become radicalized. >> he was 100% inspired by isis. and so we're digging, we're digging through more of the social media, more interviews. >> reporter: federal investigators do not believe the attack is linked to a tesla cybertruck explosion hours later outside the las vegas trump hotel. seven bystanders had minor injuries and one person died

inside the truck. the fbi is awaiting dna confirmation, but the driver is believed to be 37-year-old matthew allen livelsberger, an active duty u.s. army soldier in the elite special forces unit. the driver appears to have shot himself in the head before the explosion. like the new orleans attacker, he also served in afghanistan and at the north carolina army base formerly known as fort bragg. so far, no evidence they ever crossed d paths. >> we have no record that they served in the same unit or even the same years. >> reporter: there were fuel canisters and large fireworks in the truck when it exploded. they believe livelsberger drove to vegas from colorado and are searching a home there. new concerns over turo, the car rental app used by the suspects in the new orleans attack and the cybertruck explosion in las vegas. while authorities say there is

no connection between both attacks, questions are being raised over the car-sharing app. antonia hylton has the details. >> reporter: car rental app turo under new scrutiny. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: after authorities say it was used in connection with the deadly terror attack in new orleans. and the cybertruck explosion in las vegas. the peer-to-peer rental app is similar to airbnb. users can meet car owners in person to pick up the ride or organize a remote handoff in which renters unlock the car using a lock box code or the app. why do you think someone would seek out an app like turo over more traditional companies like, say, a h hertz? >> i thihink it makes it a litt more anonymous. when you go to a place like hertz or avis or budget, one, you're probably in an airport. there are going to be a ton of

cameras around. everybody's going to see you. they have access to data streams that maybe an app like turo does not. >> reporter: turo confirmingity platform was used to rent the ford pickup truck that plowed through new orleans' bourbon street early wednesday morning and the tesla cybertruck that was filled with explosives outside trump international hotel in las vegas. authorities say right now there is no definitive link between the two incidents. there is going to be a lot of scrutiny on whether or not they are doing best practices, relative to their industry peers. are they doing enough background checks? are they providing enough safeguards? because the question will be what is their responsibility? and how far did they deviate from that? >> reporter: in a statement, a turo spokesperson saying in part, we do not believe that either renter involved in the las vegas and new orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat. we remain committed to maintaining the highest standards in risk management.

turo has approximately 150,000 active hosts worldwide, with 350,000 active vehicle listings and 3.5 million active guests. turo's website says turo screens users when they create an account and again when they book a car. after that screenings can be triggered for several reasons. however, turo says it cannot reveal information about its screening process other than it involves a user uploading their driver's licence. >> with the adapting technology, we are foolish to think that the criminals and tourists are not going to adapt. in fact, they may actually out-innovate law enforcement, which is what makes it difficult. >> our thanks to antonia for that report. the fbi released new video hoping to finally catch a suspect from the january 6 riot who planted pipe- at the

republican and democratic headquarters. they estimate the suspect is 5'7". the fbi and local police are offering a reward of half a million dollars for information leading to arrest and conviction. congress is gearing up for a possible battle today over who will hold the house speaker's gavel. the current speaker, mike johnson, is hoping to avoid another drawn-out floor fight. but it's not clear if he has enough support. republicans hold such a small majority that it would take just two defectors to block johnson. some members of the gop are on the fins. thomas massie of kentucky has said he ill not be voting for mike johnson today. johnson oes have the endorsement of president-elect trump. and, on thursday, he held a meeting with some republican hold outs. he stressed how important it is to elect a speaker quickly so congress keeps working and certifies the election results. at least two people were

killed, and 19 others injured, 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. officials say the plane was coming in for a landing shortly after it took off from the fullerton municipal airport when it crashed 200 yards from the airport. the faa and ntsb are investigating. it is a snowy start to the year for parts of the country. nbc meteorologist angie lassman is tracking the winter alert. hi, angie. >> we've got plenty of winter alerts because of a couple different systems we're 40 million people across the northeast stretching down to the ohio valley and midwest. we've got a one quick moving system that's going to bring a little bit of snow across the central appalachians through the day today. then we gear up for the next storm system to emerge out of the plains. by saturday we'll see that heavy snow expanding into the rockies,

and that system works into the midwest. we'll see the potential for strong storms on sunday across the south. but travel's going to be difficult with icy conditions and the potential for heavy rain. even as we get into next week. this is monday. you can see icy conditions still lasting. but plenty of snow expected across the mid atlantic, and the rain working its way out. when it's all said and done, the highest amounts of snow are going to be center aid cross i-70. notice up to a foot in places north of cincinnati and st. louis. right along i-70. we'll see a range of a couple inches strching fromet the pict cleveland and pittsburgh. 39 degrees in new york city today. low 40s for washington, d.c.

and that's a look at your forecast, frances. back to you. >> thanks so much, angie. "early today" is back in a minute with the tight security last night around last night's sugar bowl. listen to me, the hot dog diet got me shredded. 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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getting in the aftermath of the deadly attack on bourbon street on new year's day. inside, i can tell you having been in there myselfthat if you drop someone in this seat and they didn't have any context over what had been going on over the last few days, it would feel like any normal big-time college bowl game. they did have a moment of silence. it was about 30 minutes before kickoff, and at that point, the crowd was probably only about 60% of the seats were probably filled at that point. then they started the game. and the game proceeded as if it were any other electric college football atmosphere. that was the atmosphere while you're watching the game. but i can tell you, having walked around the concourse, i saw fbi s.w.a.t. team, federal law enforcement on the concourse, clearly visible. this was definitely a college football bowl game unlike any we've seen before. and this was something that is seen as a critical security test

for law enforcement in this city. again, set to host the super bowl right here next month. back to you. >> jesse, thank you. and the playoff semifinals are set after that unforgettable super bowl. notre dame and georgia were neck and neck until the fighting irish defense forced a fumble to change the momentum at the end of the first half. >> notre dame with a chance to add to a three-point lead. play fake, over the end zone, touchdown irish! bo collins! with the first touchdown of this game. >> and the start of the second part of the sugar bowl didn't go any better for georgia. jaden harrison took the kickoff to the house. a 98-yard run that blew the game wide open. the dogs never recovered. notre dame won 23-10 and will take on penn state in the orange

bowl next week when texas and ohio state go toe-to-toe in the cotton bowl. still to come, meghan markle reveals her star-studded new show. and we're not playing around. the third season of "squid game" could be coming sooner than you think. long layovers. surprise gate changes. and hey luggage. and it's totally middle-seat approved. secret. no sweat. have you tried these new febreze car vent clips? the new intensity dial gives you total control. i can turn it up... that smells good! or turn it down... hmm. nice and light. enjoy 40 days of freshness, your way. ♪ lalalalala ♪ can neuriva support your brain health? mary. janet. hey! eddie. no! fraser. frank. frank. fred. how are you? support up to seven brain health indicators, including memory. when you need to remember, remember neuriva. jordan's sore nose let out a fiery sneeze, so dad grabbed puffs plus lotion to soothe her with ease.

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i've always loved taking something pretty ordinary and elevating it. surprising people with moments that let them know i was really thinking of them. ♪ ♪ >> what? >> this is probably one of the most glamorous moments of my hive. >> the duchess of sussex, meghan markle returns to instagram to reveal the trailer for her new lifestyle show. the eight-episode series "with love, meghan" features meghan in her garden and kitchen as she shares tips for gardening, crafting and more. you can see other celebrities in the kitchen with her. i wonder if this one's going to stick, right? there have been so many ventures from the two of them, from

streaming to products that haven't really gotten that momentum. >> of course, everybody always goes back to what else has happened. the relationship between them and the rest of the royals. the interesting thing about this, it gives my the vibes of her old blog she used to have, well before she was with harry. maybe she's going full circle saying stick with what we know. netflix just announced that fans will not have to wait so long for the next round of "squid game." they announced season three will be relsed this year. season two had a record-breaking launch last week and ended on a major cliff-hanger. in an interview with netflix, one of the actors says season three will make you break into tears. i have not watched just yet. that is part of my plans this weekend. but thank god we don't have to wait as long as we waited for season two. >> that's the reason i haven't jumped on season two. there was such a huge gap. maybe that will make the difference.

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here's what's making headlines this morning. a u.s. appeals court has blocked the biden administration's attempt to restore net neutrality rules, saying that the fcc lacked authority to do so. the rules were initially implemented by president obama in 2015 and then later repealed in 2017 under president trump. apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges its voice-activated assistant recorded private conversations after activating siri unintentionally. apple has denied any wrongdoing. tesla's 2024 global sales dipped 1%. 1.1% in fact. marking the first annual sales drop in over a dozen years.

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>> reporter: for jess haas it was a diagnosis of kidney failure that completely changed her life. not only did she move back home, she started the grueling process of dialysis. >> just this lifestyle is really hard. you have to watch all your fluids. watch what you eat and go to the doctor all the time. and so that, the vulnerability is terrifying. >> reporter: she was also vulnerable when she took to social media, sharing her story and making a big ask, for someone to donate a kidney. the answer yes came from an old friend, megan schultz, a college friend and sorority sister from the ohio state university. they first met almost 20 years ago. >> i am a match! >> no, megan, you're not! >> yes, and i've been through all, like, the testing and everything. >> oh, my god.

>> we hadn't spoken for ten years in person or on the phone even. and so, after this, we talk almost every day on phone. we're texting constantly. our parents are texting. it's just been a wonderful way to create such a close relationship again. >> reporter: in mid december, the big day arrived. the procedure was done at christ hospital in cincinnati. surgeons first started on megan, the donor, and jess's procedure began a half hour later. the surgeries took place in neighboring rooms. >> and this just totally reinstalled my belief in humans, man, that they are good peop, most of them. and want to help people. and would do something like this is just amazing. >> reporter: it didn't take long for jess's body to accept a new, functioning kidney. both women say they are blessed by the experience and only the new outlook on life but the chance to embrace and reconnect

with friends turned lifesavers. >> i mean, she'll get her life back, freedom. >> instead of just sorority sisters, it's life sisters, i joke, you guys are not going to be able to get rid of me. i'm here for the long haul. >> when they joined the sorority, they may have known it was a li-long bond but not a life-saving one. thanks to you for ending the first week of the year with "early today." hope it's a great 2025 for you. hope it's a great 2025 for you. vem cerira an dupixent helps people wih asthma breathe better in as little as 2 weeks. so this is better. that too. dupixent is an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. it works with your asthma medicine to help improve lung function. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems and doesn't replace a rescue inhaler. it's proven to help prevent asthma attacks. severe allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for face, mouth, tongue or throat swelling, wheezing or trouble breathing. tell your doctor right away of signs

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