‘Wanted’ posters and intimidation against health insurers follow the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO. FBI Director Christopher Wray plans to leave his post if Donald Trump takes office. And new dietary guidelines for Americans suggest more plant-based proteins.
Here’s what you need to know today.
Threats and intimidation after the murder of CEOs
Days after the arrest of the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, business leaders, health insurance company employees and law enforcement officials have reported facing threats and intimidation.
Luigi Mangione, the shooting suspect, is being held in Pennsylvania and is fighting extradition to New York. His attorney said he plans to plead not guilty to all charges. Here’s what we learned yesterday:
→ The NYPD said a gun seized in Pennsylvania matched three shell casings found near where Thompson was shot.
→ Mangione’s fingerprints matched those found on a water bottle and Kind snack bar that police found at the crime scene, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at an unrelated news conference.
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Thompson’s killing has catapulted the masked gunman into “cause célèbre” status for some who see the crime as a symbolic rejection of the country’s health care system, and authorities fear the shooting. can inspire copycat attacks. Social media showed images of “wanted” posters put up in Manhattan, featuring photos of the CEOs of at least two health insurers. The words ‘Deny’, ‘Defend’, ‘Depose’ – written on bullet casings found at the crime scene – have been used on goods sold online glorifying the murder.
And at UnitedHealthcare, the company Thompson ran, employees have received threats by phone, an employee said. The employee indicates that he is aware of a call threatening to blow up a UnitedHealthcare building and that a caller recently asked for details about the employee’s children. “I had another person say, ‘This is why your CEO got shot, and if you’re not careful, you’re next,’” the employee said. Read more about the response and threats in the aftermath of Thompson’s murder.
Meanwhile, a review of archived Reddit posts from a now-deleted account linked to Mangione shows that the user talked about undergoing spine surgery and struggling with chronic back pain — specifically a condition called spondylolisthesis, numbness and restless sleep. Reports over the past year suggest that back problems flared up after the user went surfing. The posts are linked to the username “Mister_Cactus” and may shed light on Mangione’s interests and mental state over the past eight years. Read more about Mangione’s online activities.
Biden wants to commute the sentences of 1,500 “non-violent” offenders
President Joe Biden will commute the sentences of nearly 1,500 perpetrators and pardon 39 othersAccording to the White House, the largest number of commutations and clemencies were granted in one day.
Explaining what could be a decisive act in the final days of his presidency, Biden said in a statement: “America was built on the promise of opportunity and second chances.
“As President, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to those who have shown repentance and rehabilitation, giving Americans the opportunity to participate in everyday life and contributing to their communities, and taking steps to eliminate disparities in “remove sentencing for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offences,” he added.
The move comes nearly two weeks after Biden announced he had pardoned his son Hunter, who was set to be sentenced Thursday on a conviction on federal gun charges.
More politics and Trump transition news:
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A massive defense policy bill that the House passed includes a ban on gender-affirming care for children of soldiers. The provision sparked opposition from many Democrats, but 81 voted in favor of the bill.
American found in Syria after months of captivity tells NBC News he is a ‘pilgrim’
Travis Timmerman speaks with NBC News outside the Syrian capital Damascus on December 12, 2024.
A Missouri man found in Syria told NBC News today that he spent months in prison after entering the country on a ‘pilgrimage’ to Damascus.
It was not widely known that Travis Pete Timmerman, who went missing in Hungary in May, was in Syria. The discovery came as a shock to locals and journalists following the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad last weekend.
Timmerman, who initially identified himself only as “Travis,” was first seen in a video that surfaced overnight claiming to show a missing American found in a town just outside the Syrian capital Damascus.
New dietary guidelines proposed
A report released this week that includes updated U.S. dietary guidelines recommends that people eat more beans, peas and lentils and reduce their consumption of processed and red meat, sugary drinks, sodium and processed foods. The updated dietary guidelines, recommended by a Ministry of Agriculture advisory committee, are expected to come into effect next year and remain in effect until 2030.
Under current guidelines, beans, peas and lentils are categorized as both vegetables and high-protein foods, but the new guidelines would only list them as high-protein foods to encourage people to eat more plant-based protein. The suggestions are based on a review of published studies on the long-term link between diet and the risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Read more about the recommendations.
Read all about it
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Federal officials rejected claims that mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey are from an Iranian “mothership,” as Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew suggested on Fox News.
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Hannah Kobayashi, the Hawaiian woman at the center of a missing persons investigation in Southern California before authorities said she went to Mexico, has been found safeher family said.
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The percentage of children who do not get a flu shot is the lowest in yearsdespite a record number of children dying from the flu last year.
Personnel choice: New challenges await Bill Belichick
When news broke last week that former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was interested in a job coaching the University of North Carolina football, the sports world went crazy. Why would the 72-year-old, six-time Super Bowl-winning coach want to lead a college team? It seems that after a year away from the game, he just missed football too much. Now, Belichick’s new job has been confirmed. And as NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach writes, significant challenges lie ahead. From reporting to university presidents and boards of directors, to going out to recruit high school students, there will be many new responsibilities Belichick didn’t have anything to do with the NFL. — Greg Rosensteinsports editor
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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
