By Olivia Graffeo

Here’s your weekly recap of events from around the city, nation, and world:

1. Murder and Shooting Rates in NYC Down 5% From Last Year

In a recent press conference with Mayor Eric Adams and new Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, it was reported that major crime, including shootings and murders, are down by 5%. While there were 391 murders in New York City in 2023, last year tracked only 377. In addition, 2023 showed almost 50 more people shot. “This translates to 3,362 fewer incidents of major crime last year compared to the year before — and these are not just numbers,” Tisch said. Despite the recent highly publicized acts of violence on the subway, a 5% decrease in major crimes was also found there. Tisch and Adams noted plans to increase police presence on New York City subways even more, with 200 officers rolled out this week. A new plan to increase police presence in certain high-crime “zones” is also being implemented, with reports of positive outcomes during a trial in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, rates of rapes, domestic violence, felony assaults, and stranger attacks have increased in the city. 

2. New Orleans Had Visited the City Twice Before to Conduct Surveillance

The alleged attacker who killed fourteen people at a New Years celebration on News Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street apparently visited the city to conduct surveillance. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a former U.S. Army soldier, drove his truck into a crowd of people that left over a dozen dead and even more injured. The truck was outfitted with technology to ignite two bombs he had previously placed, but they did not detonate. Afterwards, Jabbar exited his vehicle and shot at police before he was killed by the returning fire. FBI investigators reported that after Jabbar’s time in the military, he became inspired by the terrorist group ISIS, revealed through flags and other materials in his possession. As more information has come to light, officials have found that Jabbar had visited New Orleans (from his home in Houston) twice in the weeks prior to the attack. Records show that Jabbar rode around the city on a bicycle, recording his surroundings with “smart-glasses,” which he later used to map the area he would kill in. Investigators are still looking into any possible motives Jabbar could have had, and any accomplices domestic or foreign. New Orleans has expressed to the public they are working to beef up security measures, especially ahead of next month’s Super Bowl. Mourners have gathered throughout the city to pay respects for the fourteen people killed. 

3. Donald Trump Interested in Buying Greenland, Staff Visit This Week

This week, some of President-Elect Donald Trump’s staff, including his son Donald Jr. visited the country of Greenland. While Greenland is technically owned by the country of Denmark, it is governed autonomously. Trump first expressed interest in buying Greenland in his first term, noting possible strategic assets for America. He has touched on the idea again, saying controlling Greenland is “an absolute necessity.” However, Greenland’s Prime Minister, Múte Egede, has made it very clear that he has no objective or intention to help broker such a deal. “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,” Egede said. Greenland is not the only place Donald Trump has set his sights on acquiring. In recent statements, Trump noted that America could possibly take control of the Panama Canal, which was met with similarly negative sentiments from President Mulino. In addition, Trump said that Canada could possibly become America’s 51st state. 

4. Brazilian Woman Kills Family Members with Poisoned Cake

On December 23 in a small town in Brazil, three women died and three other family members hospitalized from what was found to be a poisoned cake. Brazilian police have arrested a woman, another member of the family, but have not released her identity. The woman allegedly poisoned the cake with arsenic, a highly toxic chemical, resulting in fatalities and injuries. “To give an idea, 35 micrograms are enough to cause the death of a person. In one of the victims there was a concentration 350 times higher,” said Marguet Mittman, Forensic police director of Rio Grande do Sul. Calls have now been made to exhume the body of another man in the family who had reportedly died in September from food poisoning. Brazilian authorities are looking into motives for the crime, but reports from family say relations were mostly “harmonious.”

5. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Resigns 

First elected as Leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada in 2015, Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation after nearly ten years in office. Calls for Trudeau to step down have been mounting for months, many from those in his own party. With Canadian federal elections eight months away, Liberal Party members do not believe Trudeau will be able to win the seat again. Polling shows conservative numbers only growing in Canada during a cost-of-living crisis. This has only been exacerbated by President-Elect Donald Trump’s threats to place a 25% tariff onto Canada. Until the Liberal Party chooses a replacement for Trudeau, he will remain Prime Minister. “… I care deeply about Canadians. I care deeply about this country, and I will always be motivated by what is in the best interest of Canadians,” Trudeau said. “Removing me as the leader who will fight the next election for the party should decrease the polarization that we have right now,”