Happy New Year?

On New Year’s Day, Las Vegas was rocked by an incident that stunned the nation.

A Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel, killing the driver and injuring seven bystanders.

Here's what we know:

The Cybertruck, rented in Colorado via the Turo app, was packed with firework mortars, gasoline canisters and camp fuel containers.

The driver — identified as Green Beret and Master Sgt. Matthew Alan Livelsberger — was found dead inside the vehicle.

Although the explosion was primarily contained within the truck’s interior, with the blast reportedly “venting out and up,” authorities allege Livelsberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound before the explosion.

For me, here’s where the story takes a curious turn…

Your Rundown for Friday, January 3, 2025...

Social Media Rabbit Holes

There are nine individuals named Matthew Livelsberger currently listed in the U.S.

Meanwhile, two LinkedIn profiles have emerged for Livelsberger.

• One profile is for Green Beret Matt Livelsberger, with nearly 20 years of active duty…
• The other is for Norwich University - The Military College of Vermont graduate, Matthew Livelsberger.

The two LinkedIn profiles reveal more synchronicity: Both Matthew Livelsbergers carved professional career paths in the military and defense contracting.

And both have experience working with unmanned vehicles/systems.

Granted, the similarities in name and overlapping expertise could be coincidental.

But…

What are the odds that two Matthew Livelsbergers would lead such parallel lives?

Then there’s the X account for one “matthew Livelsberger” (@BigdaddyMatt05), an account which was activated in April 2021.

The last time the account was updated? On January 6th of 2023. Interesting timing.

But it’s the X account’s penultimate repost that’s raising eyebrows today:

As it happens, the Livelsberger account follows 45 other X accounts, including Elon Musk and many of Trump’s family members… as well as the official Trump Tower New York (@Trump Tower) X account.

Adding to the mystery, of course, the Cybertruck explosion happened on the same day as a separate attack in New Orleans which involved a veteran of the U.S. Army who used an EV to kill 15 people.

Media outlets, meanwhile, are searching for sensational connections between the two events as their propensity for soap-opera storytelling persists, despite the need for deliberate fact-finding.

In light of these New Year’s Day tragedies… Are we being led down a path of carefully curated disinformation? Or, in the media’s case, misinformation?

It’s worth questioning the convenient coincidences and too-perfect details.

This isn't about spinning conspiracy theories.

It's about maintaining a healthy skepticism in a world where information can be manipulated with frightening ease.

Market Rundown for Friday, Jan. 3, 2025

S&P 500 futures are up 0.35% to 5,935.

Oil is up 0.20% to $73.29 for a barrel of WTI.

The price of gold is down 0.20% to $2,663.20 per ounce.

And Bitcoin’s down 1% to $96,500.