Thanks for reading my new weekly series, “What Happened Last Week,” covering the events of 2025. This week, I cover the Southern California fires, voter remorse, the New Orleans terrorist, the Vegas Cybertruck in front of the Trump Hotel, the unofficial Quad-demic, and Luigi Mangione.

Happening Now – Fire Emergency in Southern California Burn at a Rate of “Five Football Fields per Minute”

Southern California was expecting up to 80 mph winds; that alone is cause for alarm as a highly unusual weather condition for this time of year. What happened next took the event to a much more catastrophic level. The Palisades area caught fire, and with the high wind across this part of the state, the fire has been blowing embers to other structures and setting them on fire. The fires started yesterday afternoon and, as of January 8, at 11:34 am ET, are still 0% controlled and have been tearing through at a rate of about five football fields per minute. This fire pushed into additional areas, with 2,300 acres burned down in the Eaton Fire, and 500 acres in the Hurst Fire.

The scenes resemble that of an apocalyptic movie where 5,000 acres have burned down, tens of thousands were ordered to evacuate, and the fire grew so fast that people left their cars and ran, hoping to reach safety. The wind is sending embers all the way to the beach. As of this morning, Malibu, Pasadena, Altadena, and surrounding areas are also on fire.

Los Angeles is notorious for gridlock-like roads, so evacuating with such a fast-moving fire in the area caused chaos. Bulldozers had to come in to move the cars out of the road so that other residents could flee. Residents were asked to leave the keys in the car if abandoning it was the only option.

The fire has been labeled as one of the worst ever seen. Nearly 1,500 firefighters are battling the flames in the air and on the ground, but the area is running out of water. All off-duty firefighters were called in to assist.

Here are some pictures, videos, and other resources to keep on top of developments in this story.

CNN live updates (article)

NBC News live updates (article)

LiveNOW from FOX live stream on YouTube

ABC News: California brush fires – Live continuing coverage on YouTube

Voter Remorse?

The start of the year was as chaotic as could be expected. During this past week, social media has shown voters on both sides are finding out that the election was pretty important and maybe shouldn’t have voted solely to trigger the left or right. While one side didn’t vote for Trump, both sides are now finding out how many campaign promises are already falling apart.

Here is Trump on the topic of groceries and minimum wage:

Elon Musk’s role in the new administration is starting to concern members of the MAGA party with his growing influence over Trump. Meanwhile, the free speech champion is proving to be anything but. By threatening media outlets, independent media, bloggers, and influencers with a lawsuit against them for saying negative things about him, Elon proved just how powerful his influence is on the MAGA party.

From AXIOS: MAGA vs. Musk: Right-wing critics allege censorship, loss of X badges

Laura Loomer (who traveled on the plane with him for a few weeks and was one of Trump’s inner circle) saw her verification badge disappear right after she criticized Musk’s support for H-1B visas for foreign workers to come to work in America and attacked Ramaswamy. Loomer stated that there is a “full censorship of my account simply because I called out H-1B visas. This is anti-American behavior by tech oligarchs.”

New Orleans Terrorist Attack

It didn’t take long for 2025’s first mass shooting of the year. During the New Year’s Eve celebrations in New Orleans, US citizen and Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar deliberately drove a pickup truck through a crowd of people, got out of the truck, and gunned down others, resulting in 15 deaths (including himself) and 30 injured individuals. Hours before the attack, the shooter posted videos on social media that admitted his allegiance to ISIS, further illustrated by the flag found in the truck used for the attack. Jabbar also mentioned that his original intent was to target family and friends, but he decided instead to go through with the attack on the world stage because the news coverage would be focused on the “war between the believers and the disbelievers.”

The FBI confirmed that “This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act, ISIS.”  Jabbar also intended to create chaos with explosive devices found in coolers on Bourbon Street, but thankfully, they did not detonate. He left quite a footprint online leading up to the attack, including videos recorded through his Meta smart glasses.

Why this Houston-based terrorist chose New Orleans is up for speculation, but it is not far-fetched to believe the Sugar Bowl and upcoming Super Bowl made the city a target. Driving from Houston to New Orleans is only a 4-hour trip, and his actions did cause a major disruption to the schedule, postponing the game for a day. Georgia and Notre Dame faced off in the 2025 Allstate Sugar Bowl for a spot in the College Football Playoff Semifinal”. The story is developing.

Las Vegas Cybertruck Explosion in front of Trump Hotel

Early on New Year’s Day, a Cybertruck loaded with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters parked in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on the morning of January 1st, 2025. The Cybertruck was rented by Matthew Livelsberger, an Army Special Forces operations master sergeant and senior enlisted rank on active duty in Germany with the 10th Special Forces Group. Livelsberger lit the fireworks inside the Cybertruck and shot himself, resulting in the one death that came from this event. 7 others were injured, and it has been determined by officials that Livelsberger acted alone.

When it comes to the motive and state of mind, there are inconsistencies all around, and some are wild. Some of the headlines across traditional media show that everyone wasn’t exactly on the same plot line.

• CNN: Green Beret who exploded Cybertruck in Las Vegas struggled with injuries and said he was depressed, ex-girlfriend says
• Washington Post: Cybertruck explosion outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel was probably a suicide, sheriff says
• Fox News: Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion suspect was ‘No Labels’ voter, no ‘animosity’ towards Trump
• New York Times: Soldier in Tesla Blast Had PTSD and Feared U.S.‘Collapse,’ Officials Say
• Newsweek: Matthew Livelsberger—More Messages Allegedly From Cybertruck Suspect Shared

Speculation: For those who are interested in a wild story, a notable conversation took place on the Shawn Ryan Show, where his guest – retired army officer Sam Shoemate – had a very different take that is being roasted online by other military experts.

For those familiar with Dr. Steven Greer and his timeline of the disclosure of extraterrestrial government programs, Shoemate’s perspective makes a lot of sense. Livelsberger had been in contact with Shoemate up until the day before driving the Cybertruck to the Trump Hotel, emailing a “manifesto” separate from the other manifesto shared by mainstream media.

Newsweek provided a perspective that other media outlets didn’t:

“After the alleged manifesto began circulating on social media following the podcast, reporters asked Las Vegas police and the FBI at a press conference if the suspect had written it. Authorities said they believe the letter shared by Shawn Ryan was authored by the bombing suspect.”

In addition to the email, Livelsberger left a message behind on his cell phone, giving a glimpse into one of the motives for his actions. He also used ChatGPT to help plan the attack.

The so-called“Quad-demic” is crowding emergency rooms

USA Today: What virus is going around right now? Influenza, COVID, Norovirus, and RSV

• Norovirus: Norovirus (sometimes contracted from foodborne illnesses and also known as “food poisoning”) is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea from acute gastroenteritis among people of all ages in the United States. Norovirus Outbreaks Are Rising Nationwide, C.D.C. Says The CDC reports about 19 to 21 million annual cases.
• Flu: Cases of influenza, or the flu, reached 40 million between 2023-2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Cases of influenza are up 18.7% (week ending 12/28). 28,000 people died last flu season.
• COVID-19: The infamous virus that caused all the shutdowns and mandates in 2020 is another one to look out for this winter, but going forward COVID will likely be just another virus that spikes during the colder months of the year.
• RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus): RSV can also cause more severe illnesses such as bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lungs) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs). Like many other respiratory illnesses, the infant and senior populations are the most at risk for severe cases requiring hospitalization.

National Nurses United called out how it is not that these illnesses are active; it’s about how they are all active at the same time and some of the underlying, non-health-related reasons for it.

“In addition to the three circulating respiratory viruses, a fourth factor is at play in the current crises—hospital disaster capitalism and the health care industry’s embrace of crisis standards of care. The hospital industry has implemented changes motivated by increasing profit and excess revenues and this has set the stage for the current surge in RSV, influenza, and Covid-19 patients needing care and hospitalization to be a crisis.

The hospital industry has long implemented programs to increase profits and excess revenues without regard for patient care—such as by intentionally short-staffing units, closing units and facilities that aren’t “profitable” enough, and failing to prepare for infectious diseases like seasonal influenza surges and Covid-19. Additionally, for several decades, the hospital industry has desired to replace registered nurses (RNs) entirely. The hospital industry’s aim has been to deskill the nursing process by inappropriately pushing care to the lowest-cost and least-regulated setting, including retail clinics, outpatient surgery centers, and the patient’s home.”

Luigi Mangione’s is pretty popular.

The shooting of the United Healthcare CEO has prompted many media outlets, politicians, and other wealthy people to show their true colors. Luigi Mangione’s personal life continues to be a focus, and some theories have started to spin off that have been interesting to follow. Here are some headlines:

• Pro-Luigi Mangione content is filling up social platforms — and it’s a challenge to moderate it
• ‘New York Post Presents: Luigi Mangione Monster or Martyr?’ gives inside look into shocking UnitedHealthcare murder
• Luigi Mangione Featured on Birthday Cake
• Experts say the handling of Luigi Mangione’s case could backfire
• Luigi Mangione’s Apologists Are Undermining the Pursuit of Social Justice
• Sick obsession with alleged killer Luigi Mangione shows just how broken US health system is

His case seems very open and shut, but the rush to sensationalize and make an example of Luigi may backfire.

Former Manhattan prosecutor Jeremy Saland said, “I don’t recall the Southern District swooping in or Mayor Adams coming in for any time a domestic abuser crosses state lines,” Saland said. “Unless you’re going to stand behind victims of domestic violence with the same voice.”

Saland says what is a consensus among much of the public:

“First, it sends a message to the families of victims of more mundane murders that the state and city see Thompson’s murder as far more important than others. Secondly, he said that delving into the alleged political motivations of the shooting has shifted the focus of the case.”

Predictions for the top stories next week: Certification of the 2024 election, Justin Trudeau’s resignation, something Elon Musk-related, and maybe TikTok…

Until next week!