Merry New Year!
Welcome to 2025. I hope it brings you happiness, good health, prosperity, and fun. Thanks for any time you spend reading these notes and/or listening to my show in the coming year.
(Today's blog picture is some of the fireworks in Sydney around the Opera House and Harbor Bridge. I used to live near there though I don't think I ever saw the fireworks which are truly spectacular.)
Photo: Brook Mitchell / Getty Images News / Getty Images
Just One Thing: Life in Colorado is getting more illegal
Something terrible happened early yesterday morning in New Orleans but I simply will not make my first Ross Report of the new year all about horror. I also didn’t want to act as if I didn’t recognize that it happened. I’ll take a few moments to remind you of some new laws that take effect now: Almost all eggs sold in Colorado now must come from a cage-free facility. Between that and the bird flu, expect egg shortages and high prices. It’s now illegal to use your phone while driving except for a hands-free call or as necessary during an emergency. It’s now illegal to keep a gun in your car unless it’s locked in a container or trunk or glovebox. There’s more, but just remember: In Colorado, if it’s not marijuana or an abortion it will become illegal.
10 New Colorado Laws That Take Effect on January 1: What to Know | Westword
Today's Guests
Well, this is a heck of a way to start the new broadcast year, with one of the most interesting writers and thinkers anywhere, the remarkable author and journalist Douglas Murray. Even though he's not Jewish he's become one of the most principled and effective supporters of Israel during the difficult last 15 months. He is also invaluable at never forgetting what things are truly important.
On Wednesday, January 8, Douglas Murray is coming to the Paramount Theater in Denver as part of his first ever US Tour with Live Nation.
Douglas will be sharing his experiences from Israel following October 7, including sharing never before seen footage from his time there. Long before October 7, Douglas was a widely read journalist, bestselling author, and one of the most prescient intellectuals in the world. The evening will be filled with great pride for the Jewish people and hope for the future of Western civilization.
Tickets can be purchased through Live Nation’s website—just search “Douglas Murray, Live Nation.”
And the link to purchase tickets is here: https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ917blC7/douglas-murray-events
Follow Douglas on X/Twitter: (8) Douglas Murray (@DouglasKMurray) / X
The Free Press | Douglas Murray | Substack
An example of Douglas's writing at The Free Press (where I am, and you should be, a paying subscriber): Things Worth Remembering: Before War There Is Peace
And writing about Reagan: Things Worth Remembering: ‘A Time for Choosing’
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William Doyle is an author and TV producer. We'll discuss the history and legacy of Jimmy Carter who passed away last week at the age of 100. I always thought of Carter as a terrible president and he probably was the worst of my lifetime until Biden. But he did some things that were really good, like deregulating air travel. My bigger problem with Carter is his activity after he left the presidency, much of which revolved around what I perceived as anti-Israel (and therefore anti-Semitic) activity.
William Doyle | Hachette Book Group
Jimmy Carter, 39th US president, has died at 100 | AP News
Op-ed by William (not about Carter): Don't be cynical, American bipartisanship is still possible. Here's how I know. | Fox News
.Jimmy Carter and the Jews: 10 Facts | Aish
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Other Stuff
An ISIS-inspired madman plowed into New Years revelers on Bourbon Street at 3:15 AM on New Years Day.
Initial reports had 10 fatalities but that number climbed to 15 by the time of this writing on Wednesday evening.
Law enforcement hasn't released names yet but some friends and family are going public with memories of their friends and loved ones: The victims of the deadly New Orleans truck attack | AP News
Of course, the fact that the killer had an ISIS flag on his truck seems like a giveaway. On TV, I saw a video of the killer from a few years ago introducing himself for some business purpose. He seemed...normal. One wonders what happened between than and now to turn an American citizen and veteran (but a Muslim) into a jihadist mass-murderer. He was killed in a shootout with police after he ran a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers. I wish he had lived so that we could get answers as to how he was radicalized, who else he worked with, etc....and then he could be put in prison where prison justice might handle the punishment. Yeah, I know some people don't like it when I suggest something like that. So be it.
New Orleans: What we know about the attacker
(The link had the killer's name in it but I took it out even though you can read it in the article and hear it on the news. My policy is to avoid giving mass murderers names any mention on air or screen.)
New Orleans truck attack: FBI doesn’t believe driver acted alone | AP News
There remain quite a few questions: Did he work alone? (The FBI says they don't think so but it wouldn't surprise me if they change that position. After all, they said originally that it wasn't even terrorism.) Was his attack orchestrated by others (a separate question from just working with others)? Should there have been better protection of pedestrians in that area? Where did he get the materials for the IEDs aka bombs that were found and who built them? What more can we gather from his social media? And was anything he posted on social media something that should have been reported to police (although I doubt there was anything that got close to naming a specific target)?
The killer rented an all-electric Ford F150 Lightning pickup truck for his heinous deed. This makes sense because it's much quieter than a gas/diesel truck and also weighs somewhere around 2000 pounds more than the gas version of the F150. Ugh.
President Biden: New Orleans attacker's social media posts indicated ISIS ties
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Hours after the New Orleans attack, in Las Vegas a Tesla Cybertruck pulled up in front of the Trump Las Vegas Hotel...and exploded. The vehicle occupant was killed and others nearby were injured though the police chief suggested that the insanely strong frame/body/construction of that vehicle probably kept the damage to less (outside the vehicle) than it otherwise might have been. Elon Musk wants to make sure that it wasn't the car itself that exploded, and law enforcement hasn't ruled out terrorism. Musk and others are rightly annoyed that the headlines consistently suggested that it was the Cybertruck, rather than stuff inside it, that exploded.
One line of investigation: New Orleans attack; Authorities probe possible military link to Trump Tower Cybertruck blast, officials say
Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas: What Musk says caused the blast
Las Vegas police looking for links between Cybertruck blast and New Orleans attack - ABC News
BOTH VEHICLES (NEW ORLEANS AND VEGAS) WERE RENTED ON THE SAME APP, CALLED TURO, which is something like AirBnB for cars where renters rent from individual car owners. So far it's being reported that neither renter had a criminal record that would have been flagged on a rental, though I do think the New Orleans killer had some low-level criminal record.
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Speaking of Tesla: Tesla’s Global Vehicle Deliveries Fell in 2024 for the First Time in Years - WSJ
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Senator (and Doctor) Rand Paul released his 10th Annual Festivus Report on government waste: FESTIVUS-REPORT-2024.pdf
5 Absurd Examples of Government Waste in 2024 - FEE
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Interesting move: Ukraine halts Russian gas supplies to Europe | AP News
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I wish him much success and hope that he will find approaches that other cities can use to save themselves from the bad outcomes of “progressive” excesses, union domination, and sheer stupidity. The Levi Strauss Heir Elected to Save San Francisco - WSJ (Gift link...no subscription required.)
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Probably won't mention on the show, but interesting: Study shows ancient Golan stone circle was not an astronomical observatory after all | The Times of Israel
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Be careful with these "weight loss" drugs: GLP-1 withdrawal can have lasting health effects
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Cool Broncos story: Art Hauser is oldest living former Broncos player at 95 | Sports Coverage | denvergazette.com
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Beware the polar vortex if you live in the southeast or are traveling there! Polar Vortex Forecast Gets Worse as Meteorologists Sound Alarm - Newsweek
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Nice work if you can get it: Harris County voter registrar hasn’t keyed into her office in 4 years
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Seems like a bad thing to do to your parents: Missing Coventry woman found after 50 years
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Thank you, BBC!: Neil Young pulls out of Glastonbury over BBC involvement
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Today's Video
Interesting commercial, clearly in response to Trump's tariff threats
Let's nerd out