News

KEY POINTS

• Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, whom President-elect Donald Trump appointed to lead a new government efficiency team, said they intend to call federal employees back to the office five days a week.
• Companies such as Amazon and The Washington Post are adopting a similar policy in 2025.
• But many companies will keep remote or hybrid work arrangements, largely because they boost profits, economists said.
• Some view return-to-office mandates as a stealthy way to reduce employee head count.

Summary

Matthew Livelsberger, the suspect behind the Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, was described as a “big” Trump supporter and a highly trained Green Beret with 19 years of military service.

Livelsberger, who died in the blast, rented the Cybertruck in Colorado and filled it with explosives, injuring seven.

Authorities are investigating the incident’s symbolism, speculating it may have been a political statement due to its location and links to Trump and Elon Musk.

No clear motive has been established.

Summary

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the suspect in the New Orleans terrorist attack that killed 14 and injured 35, had long expressed extremist religious views, including condemning music, intoxicants, and other pleasures as evils.

Recordings and social media posts linked him to ISIS ideology, including plans to kill. Jabbar, a U.S.-born Army veteran, used a truck flying an ISIS flag and planted explosives near the attack site.

Authorities suspect he acted alone but are investigating further.

Officials emphasized resilience while condemning the violence and supporting victims.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill says Livelsberger sustained a gunshot wound to the head prior to the Cybertuck detonating; investigators believe it was self inflicted.

Avi Steinberg, an Israeli-born author, announced on Thursday that he had formally renounced his Israeli citizenship.

Justifying his decision in an article for the left-leaning news publication Truthout, Steinberg said that Israeli citizenship had "always been a tool of genocide" that legitimised settler colonialism.

"Israeli citizenship is predicated on the worst kinds of violent crimes we know of, and on a deepening litany of lies intended to whitewash those crimes," he argued in the op-ed.

Summary

Tesla reported its first annual decline in deliveries, with 1.79 million vehicles delivered in 2024 compared to 1.81 million in 2023.

Fourth-quarter deliveries (495,570) fell short of analyst estimates, causing Tesla shares to drop 7%.

Challenges included rising competition in Europe and China, declining sales despite price cuts, and growing inventory of Cybertrucks.

Analysts cited CEO Elon Musk’s political involvement as a potential distraction.

While Tesla plans to release lower-cost autonomous vehicles in 2025, its lack of affordable EVs and intensified competition have strained its market dominance.

Summary

Germany’s Interior Ministry reported 189 suspected members of far-right groups, such as Reichsbürger and Selbstverwalter, are wanted under outstanding arrest warrants, including 43 suspects accused of violent crimes.

These groups reject the legitimacy of the modern German state, with some advocating for the restoration of the German Empire or declaring their properties sovereign.

The ministry linked them to antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and tax evasion.

Ongoing trials include a plot to overthrow the government and install Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss as head of state. Over 20 suspects are believed to be abroad.

Summary

A mass shooting outside the Amazura Concert Hall in Jamaica, Queens, left 10 teenagers, aged 16 to 19, injured on New Year’s Day.

Four male suspects fired about 30 rounds into a crowd of 15 people waiting outside a vigil for a 16-year-old victim of a prior shooting.

All victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to recover.

Police are searching for the suspects, who fled in a light-colored sedan. Queens officials condemned the violence, and the public is urged to assist with the investigation.

Summary

As of 2025, works from 1929, including early versions of Popeye and Tintin, have entered the public domain in the U.S., allowing free reuse and adaptation.

Iconic works now public include The Skeleton Dance (Disney’s Silly Symphonies), Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail, William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials Mystery, and Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own.

However, Tintin remains under copyright in the EU until 2054.

This follows recent public domain entries like Steamboat Willie-era Mickey Mouse, with Betty Boop and Pluto set to join in 2026.

Summary

Tesla has been quietly replacing battery packs in Cybertrucks due to issues with "side-dented cells" causing potential battery core collapse.

Reports date back to September 2024, with owners learning of battery replacements during unrelated service visits.

Tesla describes the replacements as proactive but has not issued an official recall, raising questions about transparency and regulatory compliance.

Critics suggest Tesla’s approach avoids negative press and high costs.

Concerns persist about the scope of the issue, potential safety risks, and Tesla’s lack of formal communication with owners or regulatory bodies.

At this point, is this news ? Though it highlights Trump's politics.

Summary

The FBI seized over 150 homemade pipe bombs, tools, and bomb-making materials from the Virginia home of Brad Spafford in December, marking the largest cache of finished explosive devices in FBI history.

Spafford, 36, was initially charged with possessing an unregistered short-barrel rifle, with additional charges related to the explosives expected.

Prosecutors allege Spafford supported political violence, including using President Biden’s image for target practice.

While defense attorneys argue for his release, citing a lack of evidence of planned violence, prosecutors maintain Spafford’s dangerousness due to the explosive devices and his expressed support for political violence.

The suspect in the Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas was identified on Thursday by local outlets as 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, a Colorado native.

Police have not officially named the suspect and an inquiry from Mediaite was not immediately returned. KOAA first reported Livelsberger’s name, citing local senior enforcement sources. Livelsberger reportedly lived in Colorado Springs, had multiple addresses tied to his name, and has a military background.

Summary

A U.S. Army veteran, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, killed 15 people and injured dozens in New Orleans by driving a truck into New Year’s revelers, inspired by the Islamic State group.

The FBI is investigating the attack as a terrorist act, finding videos posted by Jabbar expressing support for the Islamic State group and explosive devices in the vehicle and around the city.

Jabbar, a former Afghanistan veteran, was killed by police after opening fire.

… Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the Cybertruck was rented to Matthew Alan Livelsberger, an active duty U.S. Army servicemember who was serving in Germany but was on leave in Colorado at the time of the incident. CBS News spoke to two relatives of Livelsberger who were unaware of any involvement in the incident, but who confirmed he had rented a Cybertruck. One relative told CBS News that Livelsberger's wife had not heard from him in several days.

McMahill said gasoline canisters, camp fuel canisters and large firework mortars were found in the back of the vehicle after the explosion, which occurred about 15 seconds after the vehicle pulled in front of the building. It's still unclear how the explosives were ignited, he said.

Summary

Chinese government hackers reportedly breached the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and Office of Financial Research, which manage economic sanctions.

The hack, disclosed earlier this week, involved exploiting third-party cybersecurity provider BeyondTrust to access unclassified documents and employee workstations.

U.S. officials suggest the hackers were targeting information on potential sanctions against Chinese entities.

China denied the allegations, calling them baseless. This breach follows reports of Chinese state-sponsored cyberattacks on major U.S. telecommunications firms, heightening tensions amid strained U.S.-China relations over sanctions and foreign policy.