“Wanted” posters and harassment toward health insurance workers follow the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing. FBI Director Christopher Wray plans to leave his post when Donald Trump takes office. And new dietary guidelines for Americans suggest more plant-based proteins.
Here’s what to know today.
Threats and harassment in wake of CEO killing
Days after the arrest of the man suspected in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, business executives, health insurance industry employees and law enforcement officers have reported facing threats and harassment.
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting, is being held in Pennsylvania and is fighting extradition to New York. His lawyer 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 the scene 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 shooter into cause célèbre status for some who consider the crime a symbolic repudiation of the country’s health care system, and authorities fear the shooting may inspire copycat attacks. On social media, images of “wanted” posters put up in Manhattan featured photos of the CEOs of at least two health insurance companies. The words “Deny,” “Defend,” “Depose” — written on the bullet shell casings found at the crime scene — have been used on merchandise sold online glorifying the killing.
And at UnitedHealthcare, the company Thompson led, employees have received threats over the phone, one worker said. The employee said that they were aware of a call involving a threat to blow up a UnitedHealthcare building and that one caller recently asked for details about the employee’s children. “I had another one say, 'This is why y’all’s CEO was shot, and if you’re not careful, you’re going to be next,'” the employee said. Read more about the reaction and threats in the wake of Thompson’s killing.
Meanwhile, a review of archived Reddit posts from a now-deleted account linked to Mangione shows the user discussed undergoing spinal surgery and struggles with chronic back pain — specifically a condition called spondylolisthesis, numbness and restless sleep. Posts from the last year suggest the 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 last eight years. Read more about Mangione’s online activity.
Biden to commute sentences of 1,500 ‘non-violent’ offenders
President Joe Biden will commute the sentences of almost 1,500 offenders and pardon 39 others, in what the White House says is the biggest number of commutations and clemencies granted in a single day.
Explaining what may become a defining act in the dying days of his presidency, Biden said in a statement: “America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances.
“As president, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses,” he added.
The move comes almost two weeks after Biden announced that he had pardoned his son, Hunter, who was due to be sentenced on Thursday for a conviction on federal gun charges.
More politics and Trump transition news:
- FBI Director Christopher Wray plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden’s time in office, he told bureau employees yesterday. It came after President-elect Donald Trump named a pick to take over the agency.
- A massive defense policy bill that cleared the House includes a ban on gender-affirming care for children of servicemembers. The provision sparked opposition from many Democrats, but 81 voted to advance the bill.
- The Biden White House is circulating a memo warning Trump and Republicans of the consequences of repealing the president’s key achievements.
- Trump announced that he wants Kari Lake, a former news anchor who ran failed bids for both the Senate and governor of Arizona, to be the next director of Voice of America.
- The incoming Trump admin intends to rescind a long-standing policy that has prevented ICE agents from making arrests at churches, schools, hospitals and other so-called sensitive locations.
American found in Syria after being imprisoned for months tells NBC News he's a 'pilgrim'
A Missouri man found in Syria told NBC News today he spent months in prison after crossing into 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 in the wake of the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad over the weekend.
Timmerman, who initially identified himself only as “Travis,” was first seen in a video that emerged overnight, claiming to show a missing American found in a town just outside the Syrian capital of Damascus.
New dietary guidelines proposed
A report released this week containing updated U.S. dietary guidelines recommends that people eat more beans, peas and lentils and decrease their consumption of processed and red meat, sugary drinks, sodium and processed foods. The updated dietary guidelines, recommended by an advisory committee to the Agriculture Department, are expected to go into effect next year and remain in effect until 2030.
Under current guidelines, beans, peas and lentils are categorized as both vegetables and protein foods, but the new guidelines would list them only as protein foods to encourage people to eat more plant-based protein. The suggestions are based on a review of published studies on long-term links between diet and the risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Read more about the recommendations.
Read All About It
- California firefighters made progress battling the Franklin Fire in Malibu, which has burned around 4,035 acres. Among the thousands of residents who have evacuated are Dick Van Dyke and Cher.
- Federal officials rejected claims that mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey are coming from an Iranian “mothership,” as Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew suggested on Fox News.
- Hannah Kobayashi, the Hawaii woman who was at the center of a missing persons investigation in Southern California before authorities said she went to Mexico, has been found safe, her family said.
- “The Golden Bachelor” star Gerry Turner said he has been diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer.
- The percentage of children going without flu shots is the lowest in years, despite a record number of kids dying from the flu last year.
- The 12-1 Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl contenders. They’re also currently the most vulnerable team in the NFL.
Staff Pick: New challenges ahead for Bill Belichick
When news broke last week that former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had interest in a job as the University of North Carolina’s football coach, the sports world went crazy. Why would the 72-year-old, six-time Super Bowl-winning coach want to lead a college team? It appears, after a year away from the game, he just missed football too much. Now, Belichick’s new job is confirmed. And as NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach writes, significant challenges await. From reporting to university presidents and boards of trustees, to hitting the road to recruit high school players, there will be plenty of new responsibilities Belichick didn’t have to deal with in the NFL. — Greg Rosenstein, sports editor
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Today is the final day of Best Buy’s Apple sale, so our tech reporter rounded up the top deals to shop. Plus, NBC Select’s 12 Days of Deals, a virtual advent calendar of exclusive discounts, is almost over, so take advantage before it ends.
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