Sunday, January 5, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1933, construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge. Workers began excavating 3.25 million cubic feet of dirt for the bridge’s huge anchorages. (See Video)

New Year's resolutions are easy to imagine and hard to execute—sort of like a massive construction project. How are you doing so far? Remember, you don't have to build the bridge in one day. Just take care of today!

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Winter Storm Rolls Across America

One of the strongest winter storms in a decade is making its way across the Midwest toward the East Coast.

Fueled by the polar vortex, the storm is headed east from the Rocky Mountains and icing over roads with freezing rain and low temperatures, making travel dangerous and shutting down air traffic, including the Kansas City Chiefs' team flight to Denver, which was delayed for hours yesterday.

In Nebraska, westbound lanes of I-80 closed yesterday after a crash, and snow continues to fall atop the ice formed by freezing mist.

Winter storm and ice storm warnings are in effect across the central Plains and the Ohio Valley, and the Washington D.C. region is braced for 5-10 inches of snow. Freezing conditions can be found as far south as Florida.

New Orleans Attacker Planned to Detonate Bombs

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who plowed into a crowded New Orleans street in an ISIS-inspired attack that killed 14 people on New Year’s Day, had planned to detonate two explosive devices on Bourbon Street, according to the FBI.

Authorities say the U.S. Army veteran used a very rare explosive compound in the two devices that has never been used in a U.S. terrorist attack. It remains unclear whether the failure was due to a malfunction, lack of activation, or another issue.

Federal authorities searching Jabbar’s home in Houston found bomb-making materials and revealed that he reserved the vehicle used in the attack more than six weeks earlier.

Jabbar, who flew a black Islamic State flag during the attack, is the latest example of the extremist group’s ability to inspire violence despite suffering years of losses to a U.S.-led military coalition.

Cases of Flu, Other Illnesses “Very High”

Emergency room visits with influenza are "very high" nationwide, according to a report from the CDC on Friday.

The amount of acute respiratory illness causing people to seek health care continues to rise, including an increase of COVID-19 cases in most areas of the country.

Norovirus, known as the stomach flu, is also surging across the United States. The highly contagious virus is causing a record number of outbreaks for this time of year. Norovirus is not related to influenza viruses, which cause respiratory illness.

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➤ NFL injuries: star quarterbacks Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, and Brock Purdy will all miss Week 18 due to injury. (Full Injury Report)

➤ The Ravens beat the Browns yesterday, 35-10, and the Bengals kept their playoff hopes alive with a win over the Steelers, 19-17. (More)

➤ No. 10 Kentucky men's basketball handed No. 6 Florida its first loss of the season. 106-100. on Saturday. (More)

➤ Lebron James has broken Michael Jordan’s NBA all-time record for most career 30-point games. (More)

➤ 17-year-old Luke Littler has become the youngest darts world champion in the history of the sport. (More)

Today's election section is brought to you by:

A zoo in England uses leftover Christmas trees to improve the habitats of bears, elephants, and other animals. (Photos)

The start of each year brings new works into the public domain. The 2025 list includes Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms” and the original Popeye. (More)

One expert's opinion on why New Year's resolutions often fail: they're never turned into habits. (More)

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Trying to find your Zen in 2025? Here are 12 options, including meditation journaling or purchasing a tabletop water fountain. (See list)

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Weekly Market Report Previous Week

▲	NASDAQ Natl. Assoc. of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations	19,621.68	0.83%
▲	SPX S&P 500	5,942.47	0.37%
▼	DJI Dow Jones Industrial Average	42,732.13	-0.31%
▲	BTC Bitcoin	$98,107.43	4.90%
▲	GOLD Per Ounce	$2,645.00	0.93%

➤ Sales of new U.S. cars finished at 15.9 million in 2024, up 2.2% from the prior year, and the highest since 2019. (More)

➤ Microsoft expects to spend $80 million in fiscal 2025 on construction of data centers for artificial intelligence workloads. More than half of the spending will take place in the U.S. (More)

➤ The Department of Transportation fined JetBlue Airways $2 million for “chronically delayed flights” on four routes. The DOT will credit JetBlue $1 million of the fine for goodwill compensation already paid to passengers. (More)

Ladies and Gentlemen: our most-clicked stories of the week. Enjoy!

➤ A haunting video shows a bison riding out a blizzard in Yellowstone National Park. (See Video)

➤ Psychologists suggest using a key three-word phrase to help win or defuse many arguments. (See Phrase)

➤ Rescue dogs in Ireland were delighted to choose their own Christmas presents from a variety of donated toys. (See Video)

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➤ A sake distiller plans to ferment the Japanese rice wine on the International Space Station later this year before returning a single bottle to Earth to sell for roughly $650,000. (See Details)

➤ It’s easy to become a resident of South Dakota, a state with cheap vehicle registration and no income tax—too easy, some say. (See Details)

➤ Meet the Danish-Swedish farmdog, the newest breed to be accepted to the American Kennel Club’s lineup of recognized breeds. (See Photo)

➤ Here’s a simple trick that can help change your mood from negative to positive. (See Tip)

➤ This guide to body language breaks down the hidden meaning behind dozens of telling facial expressions and body postures. (See Signs)

➤ Looking for one-of-a-kind activities in your area? Here are three cool things to see or do in every U.S. state. (See List)

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