WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will visit New Orleans next week, with the city still reeling from the deadly New Year’s rampage in which an Army veteran plowed a truck into revelers.
The White House says the president and first lady will travel to New Orleans on Monday to “grieve with the families and community members impacted by the tragic attack."
Fourteen people were killed in the attack. The driver, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an American citizen from Texas, was later killed during an exchange of gunfire with police.
Biden said Thursday that he had ordered an “accelerated” investigation into the attack. He also praised the spirit of the people of New Orleans.
After visiting Louisiana, Biden will travel to California for an event in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
A memorial to the victims of a deadly truck attack is seen on Canal Street in the French Quarter, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk across the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Washington, after returning from Camp David. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Notre Dame women's basketball coach Niele Ivey tried to focus on preparing her third-ranked team for a road game at No. 17 North Carolina. It wasn't easy amid the worry about her son — NBA player Jaden Ivey — after he sustained a serious leg injury that required surgery this week.
That's why she was so thankful of the way her Fighting Irish handled Sunday's 76-66 win.
“They really ignited me as a person, and a mother," said Ivey, her voice fragile with held-back emotion in the postgame news conference. “So I'm really grateful for that because I knew this was going to be a tough one for me.”
Ivey, 47, is in her fifth year as Notre Dame's coach and leads a team picked as the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference favorite as well as a potential Final Four contender. Her son, 22-year-old Jaden, was the No. 5 overall NBA draft pick in 2022 and was having a breakout year (17.6 points) in his third year with the Detroit Pistons.
Ivey was hurt Wednesday night when Orlando’s Cole Anthony slipped as he and Ivey went for a loose ball, and Anthony crashed into Ivey's planted left leg. Ivey was in obvious pain as members of the training staff held up towels to block the crowd’s view of the injury while players from both teams formed a circle around him. He was eventually loaded onto a stretcher and wheeled out of the arena with a towel covering the injury.
The team said after the surgery that he would be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Niele Ivey's Irish, who hadn't played since her son's injury, took control in the second quarter at UNC behind the latest big performances from Hannah Hidalgo (24 points) and Olivia Miles (19) — two previous Associated Press All-Americans in the backcourt.
Afterward, Ivey patted Miles gently on the back as she talked about the past week, saying she told her players afterward that they gave her a lift.
“It's a really, rough week for me having my son go down a couple of days ago,” she said. “They really played for me, and I really really appreciate that because it was really tough. I'm really grateful for them because they really kept my spirits up.”
Miles said it's “routine” that the players try to play hard for Ivey, but that they were also aware of the family's emotion.
“We always want to play for Coach Ivey in every game,” Miles said. “But there was definitely some added fuel to the fire just given the circumstances.”
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
Teammates look over Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) after an incident during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Detroit. Ivey was carted off the court by stretcher. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
