President-elect Donald Trump is counting down the days until his return to the White House, using social media to build anticipation for his upcoming inauguration. On Thursday, Trump posted a photo on Truth Social showing himself standing beside a desk with his longtime aide, Dan Scavino, sitting nearby. The image was overlaid with the words, "Back in 18 days…to be continued," signaling the final countdown before Trump’s return to power.
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday placed the blame for the deadly New Year’s Day attacks squarely on outgoing President Joe Biden’s “open borders” policy, tying it to the rise of “radical Islamic terrorism” in America.
On Thursday, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser officially announced his candidacy for the state’s 2026 gubernatorial election. Weiser, a Denver Democrat, has held the position of Attorney General since 2019 and is the first major figure to declare their intention to run for governor in the upcoming election.
The 2025 Sugar Bowl, which was scheduled to take place Wednesday night in New Orleans, has been postponed following a deadly terrorist attack that shocked the city. The attack, which took place earlier in the day, left at least 10 people dead and dozens more injured, prompting authorities to continue their investigation. The Sugar Bowl, one of the four college football playoff quarterfinals this year, was set to feature a highly anticipated matchup between Notre Dame and Georgia. The game will now be played on Thursday night, though the change has cast a shadow over the event.
On December 31, 2024, a San Diego police officer rescued a non-breathing one-year-old infant in Point Loma. Around 1:35 p.m., a woman frantically called police about a baby not breathing in the 1100 block of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.
Los Angeles County authorities have recovered additional human remains near the Palos Verdes Peninsula, following the discovery of a human leg that washed ashore earlier last week. Palos Verdes Estates Police Captain Aaron Belda confirmed on Thursday that investigators and coroner officials recovered a second leg and a femur in the area. The discovery comes after a hiker found the first leg washed up on Wednesday, sparking a search operation.
An Alaska Airlines flight experienced significant turbulence while approaching Phoenix during the bustling holiday travel season, resulting in injuries to several crew members and one passenger, according to an airline spokesperson.
Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells has publicly supported a Bradenton, Florida, homeowner who fatally shot an alleged intruder during a break-in on Thursday night, emphasizing Florida’s strong stance on self-defense.
Outgoing West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin expressed strong disapproval on Thursday over President Joe Biden's decision to commute the death sentences of two men convicted in the brutal 2002 murder of Samantha Burns, a 19-year-old student at Marshall University. The two men, Brandon Basham and Chadrick Fulks, had been sentenced to death for their roles in Burns' killing. On Monday, as part of a larger commutation effort, Biden reclassified their sentences from execution to life in prison without the possibility of parole, along with 35 other inmates on federal death row.
