Good Morning! Today’s edition is 1,093 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Winter Storm Blair

• Jimmy Carter’s farewell tour

• Why humans have toenails

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Big Story

New Orleans Attack Security Failures

Months before a New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, city engineers modeled scenarios of vehicle attacks on Bourbon Street.

• The attacker used a faster and heavier pickup truck than anticipated, exploiting gaps in the city’s temporary security measures. The city planned to install new 10-mph-rated barriers called “bollards” by February, but they weren’t in place at the time of the attack.

• New Orleans chose the new barriers for their ease of use because the older, more crash-resistant systems would often get clogged with trash and grime. Even if installed, the bollards may have slowed but wouldn’t have stopped the high-speed vehicle that killed 14 people.

• Additionally, attack suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar found another vulnerability in the city’s security planning. He squeezed his pickup truck onto a sidewalk between a building and a police SUV before plowing through a crowd.

• The city’s security modeling only considered attacks on the roadway since most Bourbon block sidewalks are too skinny for a vehicle to enter.

Big Story

Winter Storm Blair

Over 40 million Americans are under winter weather alerts as a massive storm brings snow, ice, and freezing temperatures across the central and eastern US.

• Blizzard warnings are in place for parts of Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri, with heavy snowfall of up to 15 inches and winds over 40 mph expected. The storm will also affect the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and even Florida with freezing temperatures and dangerous roadways.

• The severe weather is causing widespread travel problems, including overturned vehicles and icy roads in Kansas and Missouri. Kansas City International Airport briefly halted flights. Governors in Kentucky, Virginia, Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri have declared states of emergency.

• Freezing rain and sleet are expected from Kansas to the Ozarks, with significant ice accumulation threatening power lines and causing outages. Upstate New York also faced over 3 feet of lake-effect snow

• Temperatures in the eastern two-thirds of the US will be 12 to 25 degrees below normal which could make January the coldest since 2011.

Big Story

America’s Elevator Problem

America's 1 million elevators are aging, making repairs slow and expensive.

• Many technicians who fix them are retiring, and finding replacement parts is tricky because many are no longer available and need to be custom-made. Supply chain issues also delay repairs because parts suppliers often prioritize builders in countries like China, where most new elevators are installed.

• Broken elevators create serious challenges, especially for people who can’t use stairs. Tall building floors become unreachable, and residents can be stuck for weeks or months.

• Elevator expert Stephen Smith says, "The real safety problem with elevators is we don't have enough of them." He notes that they are much safer than stairs, which cause over 1 million emergency room visits annually.

• Fixing the system is hard because of patchy state and union rules. But there is good news. Around 80% of problems can be fixed by replacing worn-out doors, according to Schindler Elevator VP Joseph Bera.

Quick Stories

US News

• President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law, increasing payments for nearly 3 million retired public employees, including teachers, firefighters, and police officers. (More)

• Jimmy Carter's farewell began in Georgia, where his life started over 100 years ago. A motorcade carried his flag-draped casket through his hometown of Plains, passing his boyhood home on the way to Atlanta. (More)

• The US State Department has informally informed Congress of an $8 billion proposed arms sale to Israel. The deal includes munitions for fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery shells. (More)

World

• A fire devastated Ghana's Kantamanto market in Accra, destroying around two-thirds of the world's largest secondhand clothing market. Thousands of traders lost their stalls and goods worth millions of Ghanian cedi. (More)

• Transdniestria, a pro-Russian breakaway region in Moldova, is experiencing extended power cuts after Russian gas supplies through Ukraine stopped on New Year's Day. Temperatures there can dip below 14° F in January. (More)

• Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite internet service, is reportedly being used by militant groups in India's Manipur state to bypass government-imposed internet shutdowns. Starlink is legal in neighboring Myanmar, where militants allegedly access the service. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed higher on Friday (S&P +1.26%, Nasdaq -1.77%, Dow -0.80%). The S&P and Nasdaq snapped five-day losing streaks but still finished lower for the week. (More)

• In Tokyo's first auction of the year, a 276-kilogram bluefin tuna sold for 207 million yen (around $1.3 million). This price is lower than the record $2.1 million paid for a bluefin tuna in 2019. (More)

• General Motors had a strong 2024, increasing US sales by 4% to 2.7 million vehicles, the highest since 2019. All of its brands, including Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac, posted gains. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• Rookie quarterback Bo Nix set a Denver Broncos record by completing his first 18 passes, leading the team to a 38-0 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. This will be Denver’s first postseason appearance since their Super Bowl 50 win in 2015. (More)

• Cole Eiserman scored in the second period to break a tie, helping the U.S. secure a 4-1 win over Czechia in the World Junior Hockey Championship semifinals. The U.S. will face Finland in the final, after Finland's 4-3 overtime victory over Sweden. (More)

• Baker Mayfield led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 27-19 win over the New Orleans Saints, securing their fourth consecutive NFC South title. Mike Evans surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the 11th straight season, tying Jerry Rice's NFL record. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is rising among children in China, causing respiratory infections, ranging from mild colds to severe lung issues. It is now one of the four most common viral infections seen in hospitals. (More)

• The sun kicked off 2025 with a powerful X-class solar flare, reaching an X.12 rating on January 3. It caused a radio blackout in parts of the Southern Atlantic, Africa, and eastern South America. (More)

• Researchers from the Max Planck Institute studied migrating common noctule bats across Europe and discovered they “surf” warm storm fronts during migration. This allows them to travel thousands of miles using less energy. (More)

Extra Credit

🎄 Zoo animals feast on leftover Christmas trees.

🔮 Predictions about 2025 from 100 years ago.

🦶 Why do humans have toenails?

🪲 Watch: Why some insects have extra eyes.