The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive struggled with deputies and shouted on Tuesday while arriving for a court appearance in Pennsylvania, a day after he was arrested at a McDonald’s and charged with murder. Luigi Nicholas Mangione, 26, emerged from a patrol car, spun toward reporters and shouted something partly unintelligible, yelling “insult to the intelligence of the American people” while deputies pushed him inside. Mangione is contesting his extradition back to New York. He was denied bail at the brief hearing. He has 14 days to challenge the bail decision. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have a month to seek a governor’s warrant out of New York. Mangione, wearing an orange jumpsuit, mostly stared straight ahead during the hearing, occasionally consulting papers, rocking in his chair, or looking back at the gallery. At one point, he began to speak to respond to the court discussion, but was told to be quiet by his lawyer. Thomas Dickey, his defence lawyer, questioned whether the second-degree murder charge filed in New York might be eligible for bail under Pennsylvania law, but prosecutors raised concerns about both public safety and Mangione being a potential flight risk, and the judge denied it. Prosecutors on Tuesday were beginning to take steps to take Mangione back to New York to face a murder charge while new details emerged about his life and how he was captured. The Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland family was charged with murder hours after he was arrested in the killing of Brian Thompson, 50, who led the United States’ largest medical insurance company. Mr Dickey had declined to comment before the hearing at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg. Mangione is being held without bail in Pennsylvania on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Manhattan prosecutors have charged him with five counts, including murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument. Mangione was likely motivated by his anger with what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain for corporate greed, a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press said. He wrote that the US has the most expensive health care system in the world and that profits of major corporations continue to rise while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin, based on a review of his hand-written notes and social media posts. Mangione called “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski a “political revolutionary” and may have found inspiration from the man who carried out a series of bombings while railing against modern society and technology, according to the police bulletin. Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania — about 230 miles (370km) west of New York City — after a McDonald’s customer recognised him and notified an employee, authorities said. Officers found him sitting at a back table, wearing a blue medical mask and looking at a laptop, according to a Pennsylvania police criminal complaint. He initially gave them a fake ID, but when an officer asked Mangione whether he had been to New York recently, he “became quiet and started to shake”, the complaint says. When he pulled his mask down at officers’ request, “we knew that was our guy,” Officer Tyler Frye said. Images of Mangione released on Tuesday by Pennsylvania State Police showed him pulling down his mask in the corner of the McDonald’s while holding what appeared to be hash browns and wearing a winter jacket and beanie. In another photo from a holding cell, he stood unsmiling with rumpled hair. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Mangione was carrying a gun like the one used to kill Mr Thompson and the same fake ID the gunman had used to check into a New York hostel, along with a passport and other fraudulent IDs. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione also had a three-page, handwritten document that shows “some ill will toward corporate America”. A law enforcement official who was not authorised to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said the document included a line in which Mangione claimed to have acted alone. “To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone,” the document said, according to the official. It also had a line that said: “I do apologise for any strife or traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.” Pennsylvania prosecutor Peter Weeks said in court that Mangione was found with a passport and 10,000 dollars (£7,839) in cash, 2,000 dollars of it in foreign currency. Mangione disputed the amount. Mr Thompson was killed on Wednesday as he walked alone to a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. Police quickly came to see the shooting as a targeted attack by a gunman who appeared to wait for Mr Thompson, came up behind him and fired a 9mm pistol. Investigators have said “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on ammunition found near Mr Thompson’s body. The words mimic “delay, deny, defend,” a phrase used to criticise the insurance industry. From surveillance video, New York investigators determined the gunman quickly fled fled the city, likely by bus. A grandson of a wealthy, self-made real estate developer and philanthropist, Mangione is a cousin of a current Maryland state legislator. After his elite Baltimore prep school, he went on to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a spokesperson said. “Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement posted on social media late Monday by his cousin, Nino Mangione. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.” From January to June 2022, Luigi Mangione lived at Surfbreak, a “co-living” space at the edge of Waikiki in Honolulu. Like other residents of the shared penthouse catering to remote workers, Mangione underwent a background check, said Josiah Ryan, a spokesperson for owner and founder RJ Martin. “Luigi was just widely considered to be a great guy. There were no complaints,” Mr Ryan said. “There was no sign that might point to these alleged crimes they’re saying he committed.” At Surfbreak, Mr Martin learned Mangione had severe back pain from childhood that interfered with many aspects of his life, from surfing to romance, Ryan said. “He went surfing with RJ once but it didn’t work out because of his back,” Mr Ryan said, but noted that Mangione and Mr Martin often went together to a rock-climbing gym. Mangione left Surfbreak to get surgery on the mainland, Mr Ryan said, then later returned to Honolulu and rented an apartment. Mr Martin stopped hearing from Mangione six months to a year ago.HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Ashlon Jackson scored a career-high 30 points and No. 13 Duke defeated No. 9 Kansas State, 73-62 on Monday, in the semifinals of the Ball Dawgs Classic. The Blue Devils (6-1) overcame an early 11-point deficit behind Jackon’s shooting hand to advance to Wednesday’s championship game against the winner of the game between No. 9 Oklahoma and DePaul. Jackson, who has scored in double figures in all six of Duke’s games, shot 12 of 19 (63.1%) from the floor, including 6 of 9 (66.7%) from 3-point range. Reigan Richardson added 16 points for the Blue Devils. Kansas State (5-1) was led by Ayoka Lee, who had 16 points. Serena Sundell scored 15 and Kennedy Taylor came off the bench to add 11 for the Wildcats. Kansas State: With her 16-point performance, Lee needs 48 points to pass Kendra Wecker (2001-05) for the Kansas State career scoring record. Wecker scored 2,333 points. Lee, the 2024-25 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, is averaging 15.3 points. Duke: Jackson hit her season average of 13.3 points by the 3:54 mark of the second quarter when her pull-up jumper gave her 14. The junior guard was 8 of 11 from the floor, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and had 20 points by halftime. With the Blue Devils trailing by six midway through the second quarter, Jackson triggered a 15-0 run with 13 of the team’s points to help Duke take a lead they’d never relinquish. Duke will face the winner of No. 9 Oklahoma-DePaul on Wednesday in the championship game, while Kansas State will face the loser in the consolation game. Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball 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‘I’m exhausted:’ Miami basketball coach Jim Larrañaga resigns, citing new NIL challenges
(The Center Square) – Prosecutors introduced secretly recorded audio and video along with a troubled star witness at the public corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Former Chicago Alderman Daniel Solis returned to the Everett McKinley U.S. Courthouse Monday. Solis is facing one federal count of bribery under a deferred prosecution agreement. The ex-alderman began cooperating with federal investigators in 2016. Separately Monday, former Chicago Alderman Daniel Solis, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and Madigan codefendant Michael McClain enter the federal court building in Chicago Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. U.S. government attorney Diane MacArthur first introduced a recording of Madigan and Solis nearly two years before the alderman started cooperating with the government. The recording involved a conversation with Chinese developer, See Wong, who wanted to build a hotel on a parcel of land in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood. The land was owned by the state of Illinois at the time, but Solis said a zoning change would be required from the city in order for a hotel to be built. At Madigan’s request, Solis said he facilitated the meeting on Aug. 8, 2014, at Madigan’s law firm, Madigan and Getzendanner, about the land along Wentworth Avenue between Archer Avenue and Cermak Road. Madigan’s law partner, Bud Getzendanner, discussed how successful the firm had been in working with hotels to make sure they were not taxed more than necessary. ”A large component of your expense for hotels is real estate taxes,” Getzendanner said during the recorded meeting. Getzendanner said the firm charged 12.5% of the tax savings obtained. Madigan told Wong and an interpreter about the quality of service his firm provided. “We don’t take a second seat to anybody,” Madigan said. The developer then asked for a picture with Madigan and Solis. Solis told the group that Wong would benefit from working with Madigan. “If he works with the Speaker, he will get anything he needs for that hotel,” Solis said on the recording. Solis testified that he meant the city would provide the zoning change the developer needed from the city if the developer hired Madigan’s law firm. Solis said the zoning change was approved, but the proposed hotel was never built. MacArthur asked Solis about the bribery charge he is still facing, which Solis said involved the redevelopment of a property in Chicago from a restaurant to a residential building in 2015. Solis said two problems prevented the project from moving forward: labor unions’ perceived lack of representation in the development and residents' concerns in the ward. The former alderman admitted that he solicited a campaign contribution from the developer or from one or more of the developer’s vendors while the project’s zoning change was still under consideration. Solis said he believed the developer was on board and that he would be getting donations from the developers’ vendors. The zoning change was approved by the city council, Solis said. He testified he solicited and accepted campaign contributions from other developers who had matters pending before the city council’s zoning committee. Solis then testified about about a variety of things like massages that turned sexual, trips to Las Vegas, tickets to professional sporting events, no-paperwork six-figure loans he'd paid back. He even admitted to an extramarital affair he had with an interpreter. Solis said he was separated from his wife for about five years and their house went into foreclosure. He also confessed that he lied to a collection agency by saying he was out of work. MacArthur asked Solis about his sister, Patti Solis Doyle, who worked on campaigns for former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, former President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton, D-New York. Solis Doyle also managed Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2008. Solis said his sister was involved in a hotel project in which the developer offered her $100,000. Solis said his sister offered to split the sum with her brother. As chairman of the city’s zoning committee, Solis said he told his sister he could not accept money regarding a hotel development. Solis said his sister told him there would be another way she could compensate him. The former alderman said he did receive funds from his sister for referring her to his friend Brian Hynes’ state vendor assistance program. Monday afternoon, Solis testified that FBI agents visited his home on June 1, 2016, and played audio and video recordings. After considering an attorney, Solis said he decided to cooperate with the FBI a few days later and agreed to let investigators tap his phone. Solis also said he told an attorney friend that he was cooperating with the FBI in regard to an investigation of an organization he was involved in. Solis said he made recordings for several investigations he was involved in as part of his deferred prosecution agreement. He began communicating with Madigan after receiving a voicemail message on June 12, 2017. Solis said he discussed the Chinatown land deal, his interest in getting a state board appointment, and referring clients to Madigan’s law firm while cooperating with the government from June 2016 to December 2017. Solis admitted that he was not really interested in a state board appointment, but he raised the issue with Madigan at the direction of law enforcement. Solis said he began communicating with Madigan codefendant Michael McClain about the Chinatown parcel in the fall of 2017. He said he had to continue to perform his duties as an alderman while cooperating with the FBI because of “the farce” that he was involved in. Solis discussed a 2017 redevelopment project that required a zoning change involving a Union West development in Chicago’s West Loop. MacArthur played a recording, dated June 12, 2017, of Madigan asking Solis about the development. During the call, Solis told the speaker he would try to arrange an introduction for Madigan with the developers. In a subsequent call, Solis promised to arrange a meeting and said, “I think these guys get it, the quid pro quo and how it works.” When MacArthur asked Solis why he said that, Solis said he didn’t know and said it was “dumb.” MacArthur asked Solis if he used the words “quid pro quo” at the direction of law enforcement. “No,” Solis said. Union West developer Andrew Cretal agreed to meet with Madigan and told Solis, “confidentially,” that his company was working with Goldman Sachs as an equity partner and that he would “circle back” with Solis. MacArthur played a recording of Madigan privately telling Solis not to use the words, “quid quo pro.” The conversation immediately preceded the meeting Cretal and the Union West group had at Madigan's and Getzendanner’s law office. During the meeting, Madigan repeated to Cretal’s group what he had said to See Wong. “We don’t take a second seat to anybody,” Madigan said. Solis said he met with Madigan again privately after the meeting with the intention of discussing the Chinatown parcel. Solis said he had been having frequent meetings about the land with potential developers. During the recording, Solis said that nothing could really happen until the state transferred the land. Connie Mixon, professor of Political Science and director of the Urban Studies Program at Elmhurst University, served as an expert witness at the corruption trial of longtime Chicago Democrat Ed Burke, who served on the city council from 1969 to 2023. A jury convicted Burke in December 2023 on 18 counts of racketeering, bribery, attempted extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion and using interstate commerce to facilitate an unlawful activity. Mixon said that Solis also testified as a cooperating witness during Burke’s trial. “It seemed as if, in the sentencing for the Burke trial, the judge did take a bit of exception to the fact that Solis, who also had potential criminal charges, was essentially getting away without any sort of repercussions,” Mixon told The Center Square. Mixon described Solis as a damaged witness. “He’s absolutely damaged, but as much as he’s damaged, you have the words on the wiretap. Having the defendants’ words played in the courtroom, they are really the witness against themselves when you have those wiretaps,” Mixon explained. Before the jury was seated Monday morning, prosecutors said they would provide the court with revised jury instructions by Dec. 3. Judge John Robert Blakey said he could deny admittance of new materials after that date if he deemed them to be untimely. Madigan and McClain are charged with 23 counts of bribery, racketeering and official misconduct. The trial is scheduled to resume Tuesday morning in Chicago.The UK Government was warned that a “save David campaign” for UUP leader Lord Trimble would ruin progress made under the Good Friday Agreement. Extensive confidential documents in the lead-up to the collapse of Northern Ireland’s institutions in 2002 have been made available to the public as part of annual releases from the Irish National Archives. They reveal that the Irish Government wanted to appeal to the UK side against “manipulating” every scenario for favourable election results in Northern Ireland, in an effort to protect the peace process. In the years after the landmark 1998 Good Friday Agreement, a number of outstanding issues left the political environment fraught with tension and disagreement. Mr Trimble, who won a Nobel Peace Prize with SDLP leader John Hume for their work on the Agreement, was keen to gain wins for the UUP on policing, ceasefire audits and paramilitary disarmament – but also to present his party as firmer on these matters amid swipes from its Unionist rival, the DUP. These issues were at the front of his mind as he tried to steer his party into Assembly elections planned for May 2003 and continue in his role as the Executive’s first minister despite increasing political pressure. The documents reveal the extent to which the British and Irish Governments were trying to delicately resolve the contentious negotiations, conscious that moves seen as concessions to one group could provoke anger on the other side. In June 2002, representatives of the SDLP reported to Irish officials on a recent meeting between Mr Hume’s successor Mark Durkan and Prime Minister Tony Blair on policing and security. Mr Blair is said to have suggested that the SDLP and UUP were among those who both supported and took responsibility for the Good Friday Agreement. The confidential report of the meeting says that Mr Durkan, the deputy First Minister, was not sure that Mr Trimble had been correctly categorised. The Prime Minister asked if the SDLP could work more closely with the UUP ahead of the elections. Mr Durkan argued that Mr Trimble was not only not saleable to nationalists, but also not saleable to half of the UUP – to which Mr Blair and Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid are said to have laughed in agreement. The SDLP leader further warned that pursuing a “save David” campaign would ruin all they had worked for. Damien McAteer, an adviser for the SDLP, was recorded as briefing Irish officials on September 10 that it was his view that Mr Trimble was intent on collapsing the institutions in 2003 over expected fallout for Sinn Fein in the wake of the Colombia Three trial, where men linked to the party were charged with training Farc rebels – but predicted the UUP leader would be “in the toilet” by January, when an Ulster Unionist Council (UUC) meeting was due to take place. A week later in mid September, Mr Trimble assured Irish premier Bertie Ahern that the next UUC meeting to take place in two days’ time would be “okay but not great” and insisted he was not planning to play any “big game”. It was at that meeting that he made the bombshell announcement that the UUP would pull out of the Executive if the IRA had not disbanded by January 18. The move came as a surprise to the Irish officials who, along with their UK counterparts, did not see the deadline as realistic. Sinn Fein described the resolution as a “wreckers’ charter”. Doubts were raised that there would be any progress on substantive issues as parties would not be engaged in “pre-election skirmishing”. As that could lead to a UUP walkout and the resulting suspension of the institutions, the prospect of delaying the elections was raised while bringing forward the vote was ruled out. Therefore, the two Governments stressed the need to cooperate as a stabilising force to protect the Agreement – despite not being sure how that process would survive through the January 18 deadline. The Irish officials became worried that the British side did not share their view that Mr Trimble was not “salvageable” and that the fundamental dynamic in the UUP was now Agreement scepticism, the confidential documents state. In a meeting days after the UUC announcements, Mr Reid is recorded in the documents as saying that as infuriating as it was, Mr Trimble was at that moment the “most enlightened Unionist we have”. The Secretary said he would explore what the UUP leader needed to “survive” the period between January 18 and the election, believing a significant prize could avoid him being “massacred”. Such planning went out the window just weeks later, when hundreds of PSNI officers were involved in raids of several buildings – including Sinn Fein’s offices in Stormont. The resulting “Stormontgate” spy-ring scandal accelerated the collapse of powersharing, with the UUP pulling out of the institutions – and the Secretary of State suspending the Assembly and Executive on October 14. For his part, Irish officials were briefed that Mr Reid was said to be “gung ho” about the prospect of exercising direct rule – reportedly making no mention of the Irish Government in a meeting with Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan on that day. The Northern Ireland Secretary was given a new role and Paul Murphy was appointed as his successor. A note on speaking points for a meeting with Mr Murphy in April showed that the Irish side believed the May elections should go ahead: “At a certain stage the political process has to stand on its own feet. “The Governments cannot be manipulating and finessing every scenario to engineer the right result. “We have to start treating the parties and the people as mature and trusting that they have the discernment to make the right choices.” However, the elections planned for May did not materialise, instead delayed until November. Mr Trimble would go on to lose his Westminster seat – and stewardship of the UUP – in 2005. The November election saw the DUP emerge as the largest parties – but direct rule continued as Ian Paisley’s refused to share power with Sinn Fein, which Martin McGuinness’ colleagues. The parties eventually agreed to work together following further elections in 2007. – This article is based on documents in 2024/130/5, 2024/130/6, 2024/130/15
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: A French court has indicted tech billionaire Pavel Durov on charges that he allowed a wide range of crimes to flourish on the messaging platform Telegram. STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: This is a case of interest to anybody who uses social media and of special interest if you happen to be one of the billionaires who own social media platforms. Durov is co-founder of this service. It's an app you download on your phone. You can send private, encrypted messages or talk on public channels. He's not accused of committing crimes himself but of running the platform where crimes took place and then of failing to cooperate with authorities. The charges followed Durov's surprise arrest, and they add to the debate about free speech and the internet. MARTIN: Reporter Rebecca Rosman has been following the case. We caught up with her in London. Good morning, Rebecca. REBECCA ROSMAN, BYLINE: Good morning. MARTIN: Before we get into these charges, can you just tell us a little bit more about Telegram and its CEO? ROSMAN: So the CEO Pavel Durov is someone who has long been seen as an antiestablishment figure. He was born in the then-Soviet Union in the mid-1980s. His first big social media company was actually a site called VK, which is Russia's answer to Facebook. He famously left Russia in 2014, though, after refusing to comply with the Kremlin's demands that he turn over information about the site's users. This is what prompted him to start Telegram, which he now runs from Dubai. And while it's less popular in the U.S., it has nearly a billion users worldwide and is especially popular in countries like Brazil, India, Russia and Ukraine. One thing that users find particularly attractive about the platform is its limited oversight of what users can say or do. But this has also made the app a favorite tool for far-right extremist groups, terrorist organizations and criminal gangs. MARTIN: Is that what led to these charges? ROSMAN: Yeah, more or less. So the Paris prosecutor's office announced a pretty wide range of charges yesterday evening, but they're mostly tied to allegations that Durov was complicit in the spread of all kinds of illegal activities on Telegram, so things like the spread of child sexual abuse materials, drug trafficking and money laundering. French investigators say Durov failed to cooperate with them or provide information that would have helped them shut down these illegal operations. And he's now under judicial supervision and is banned from leaving French territory. He also had to post a bond of $5.5 million dollars and will be required to report to French police twice a week while he's under investigation. And if he's convicted, he could face up to a decade in prison. And I should say these charges are groundbreaking in the sense that this would certainly appear to be the harshest action any government has taken against a social media executive to date. MARTIN: OK, France is not the only place where people are worried that these platforms are being used to commit crimes and also to spoke (ph) social division, which has actually led to violence in many places. But there are also the free-speech absolutists who consider rulemaking a form of censorship. And I take it we're hearing a lot of outrage from some of these folks, especially from other tech moguls. ROSMAN: Right. And what these tech moguls say is that it is simply not their job to be policing these platforms and that forcing them to do so actually sets a dangerous precedent for free speech on the internet. A number of well-known individuals have spoken out against Durov's arrest. You have people like Elon Musk who posted the hashtag #FreePavel on his platform, X. But the French government has defended its actions, with even French President Emmanuel Macron himself taking to X earlier this week to write his country was, quote, "deeply committed to freedom of expression" but that in a state governed by the rule of law, things need to be upheld within a legal framework, whether that's in real life or on social media. MARTIN: That is reporter Rebecca Rosman in London. Rebecca, thank you. ROSMAN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
(CNN) — President Joe Biden and key Democrats have come out against a once broadly bipartisan bill that would create 63 new permanent judgeships now that President-elect Donald Trump would be the one to fill 22 of them. The White House said Tuesday that Biden would veto the bill – passed unanimously by the Senate this summer and set for a House vote this week – that would add judgeships to the most overburdened federal courthouses in the country. Judges across the ideological spectrum have warned that staffing shortages have created a major backlog in cases. The apparent collapse in support of legislation that would address the judicial shortfall shows how polarized the political environment around the judiciary has become has become, and how any measure that would expand the already-large imprint that Trump has made on the courts is deemed toxic to Democrats. The bill’s Senate champions and outside supporters had hoped that the House would take up the bill before the election, when neither party would know which side would initially benefit from its passage. Democrats are now pointing to House GOP leadership’s failure to do so as reason why they’re reversing their support. “Under this legislation, we all promised to give the next three unknown presidents a certain number of judges,” New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said at a House hearing on the bill Monday. “Because no one can tell the future we were all at an equal disadvantage, but for this deal to work, the bill had to be passed before Election Day.” House Republicans have said they would have taken up the bill regardless of who won last month, and that they were unable to vote on it before the election because work needed to be done for it and because of the must-pass legislation that was before Congress before the election as well. Rep. Darrell Issa, the California Republican who spearheaded the legislation, said Tuesday that the legislation was a “durable solution to a national judge shortage” and was the product of the “the work of a national array of stakeholders over a number of years,” ultimately earning “the support of a unanimous Senate and a strong bipartisan majority in the House.” “The Biden White House can veto this bill, but it can’t stop a consensus idea whose time has come,” he said in a statement to CNN. Judges – including in interviews with CNN – have said that the judiciary faces a staffing crisis that is undermining litigants’ right to speedy justice. The bill’s architects used the recommendations of the Judicial Conference, the policymaking body of the judiciary, to decide which courthouses would get additional judges – all for trial courts – under the bill, the “Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act” or JUDGES Act. Fix the Court, a judicial transparency organization that is often on the opposing side of Republicans on issues concerning court ethics, is calling on the Biden White House to reverse its opposition, with its executive director Gabe Roth calling the veto threat “a slap in the face to our overworked federal judges.” However, the left-leaning judicial advocacy Alliance for Justice praised Biden’s veto threat, arguing that “Every chance to protect our courts over the next four years must be taken.” The Judicial Conference undertook a meticulous analysis to come up with its recommendations, while the bill’s authors used the feedback from lawmakers to craft the staggered, 10-year roll out of the additional judges, so to cover three different presidential terms and five Congresses. In some of the overburdened courthouses targeted by the legislation, the median criminal case can take years to resolve. Still, the White House , while also acknowledging the post-election timing of the House vote, claimed in its announcement that the judges were being “hastily” added and that they were “unnecessary to the efficient and effective administration of justice.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a speech shortly before the White House’s announcement that it was “almost inconceivable that a lame-duck president could consider vetoing such an obviously prudential step for any reason other than selfish spite.” “Litigants across America deserve their day in court,” McConnell said. “And they deserve to know the federal judiciary has the bandwidth to carefully and thoroughly consider their cases.” McConnell has led Republican efforts in the past to block Democratic nominees for existing court vacancies, including the blockade of President Barack Obama’s 2016 Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. The White House’s announcement on Tuesday noted that some of the new openings the JUDGES Act would create were in states “where senators have sought to hold open existing judicial vacancies.” “Those efforts to hold open vacancies suggest that concerns about judicial economy and caseload are not the true motivating force behind passage of this bill now,” the White House said. Lawmakers may try to get the bill passed in the new Congress, but getting Democratic support may require delaying the first allocation of new judges until 2029, when White House control will be unknown. The-CNN-Wire TM & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.Trump 2.0 has a Cabinet and executive branch of different ideas and eclectic personalities
The suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, was thought by his mother to be living in San Francisco earlier this year, though it's not at all clear that he ever did. Social media has been flooded for the last 24 hours with postings that cast Luigi Mangione as both folk hero and murderer, and with plenty of images of him shirtless and smiling culled from his Instagram and Twitter accounts, which have since gone offline. As CNN reports , friends have known him for years to post images from his travels, and to maintain a mostly positive-seeming social media presence. That seems to have stopped earlier this year, and by July, friends were posting things publicly like "I haven’t heard from you in months," and "I don’t know if you are okay." One user also posted to Xitter in October, "Nobody has heard from you in months, and apparently your family is looking for you." Now we learn, as the Chronicle reports , that Mangione's mother filed a missing persons report with the San Francisco Police Department just a few weeks before the shooting, on November 18. In it she stated that she had last spoke to Mangione in July, and she believed he was working in the city at car-sales startup TrueCar, which is where he was listed on his LinkedIn as being employed. Kathleen Mangione reportedly told the SFPD she believed he was working at TrueCar at 124 Montgomery Street, which was listed as permanently closed, and it's not clear if TrueCar, which is based in Santa Monica, ever had offices there. Mangione's mother did not suggest that her son presented any kind of threat, and she reportedly told police she didn't know where he may have frequented in town. As SFist reported Monday shortly after Mangione's arrest, we know that he had an interest in AI and engineering, and that he had spent a summer in the Bay Area at Stanford in 2019, while he was attending undergrad at UPenn. He graduated in 2020, and CNN reports that he had been working remotely for TrueCar while living in Honolulu for about six months in 2022. The New York Times reports that, according to TrueCar, he had not been an employee since 2023. According to his family, Mangione had dropped out of contact sometime after having back surgery around August 2023, and that July contact with his mother is the last we know of. (His last post on his now-removed Instagram account had been photos from the Big Island in Hawaii in 2021.) A friend who runs a co-living compound in Honolulu for remote workers, RJ Martin, has spoken to both the Times and CNN and said that Mangione was mostly "upbeat," and they had been in touch until earlier this year, but Mangione went silent sometime around March or April. Martin said that Mangione had confided in him about his back issues — a spinal misalignment that caused him a good deal of pain — and said that he said he was not able to be physically intimate with another person without pain. Martin also said that Mangione's back problems were exacerbated after he took a surfing lesson in Hawaii in 2022, after which Mangione was "in bed for about a week." After last seeing family in Baltimore sometime last year, it seems like no one is sure where Mangione has been living for the past six to 12 months or more, and many friends have expressed disbelief that he could have undergone any sort of mental break. Indeed, a brief handwritten note found in his backpack when he was arrested Monday in Altoona, Pennsylvania suggests pretty solid lucidity, and he appeared to take full responsibility for the shooting death of Thompson. Per the Times, the note reads, "To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone... [healthcare companies] continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it," and he noted that during the time UnitedHealthcare’s market capitalization has grown, American life expectancy has not. While being escorted into an extradition hearing Tuesday, as CBS News reports , Mangione was heard having an outburst before being pinned to a wall by officers in Blair County, Pennsylvania. He reportedly shouted, "This is completely unjust and an insult to the American people!" Previously: Man Arrested In Connection With Healthcare CEO Slaying Spent Time In Bay AreaHoliday Shoppers Beware: 3 Traps to Avoid as Scammers Prepare
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Justin Neely's 16 points off the bench led Albany (NY) to a 77-70 victory against Stony Brook on Sunday. Neely also contributed nine rebounds for the Great Danes (8-7). Amar'e Marshall scored 15 points, going 6 of 9 (3 for 6 from 3-point range). Kacper Klaczek had 10 points and shot 4 for 8 (0 for 3 from 3-point range) and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line. Ben Wight led the way for the Seawolves (4-9) with 19 points and seven rebounds. Joseph Octave added 13 points and five steals for Stony Brook. Jared Frey finished with 13 points. Albany (NY) took the lead with 19:30 left in the first half and did not give it up. Marshall led their team in scoring with 10 points in the first half to help put them ahead 36-31 at the break. Albany (NY) used an 8-0 run in the second half to build a 19-point lead at 55-36 with 14:01 left in the half before finishing off the win. Albany (NY) plays Saturday against UMass-Lowell at home, and Stony Brook visits Monmouth on Thursday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Temba Bavuma hid in toilet, didn't speak, was 'sulking' before South Africa beat Pakistan in thriller to reach WTC final
Are we moral blank slates at birth? A new study offers some cluesHe wants to put the member back in City Council. Disgraced ex-lawmaker Anthony Weiner has popped back into the political spotlight Tuesday — formally filing to run for New York City Council. The 60-year-old whose sexting scandal prompted an embarrassing exit from public office more than a decade ago, culminating in a criminal conviction and prison time for sexting a 15-year-old girl, has one eye fixated on the soon-to-be wide-open Council District 2 seat. The post services a handful of neighborhoods in Lower Manhattan. While Weiner tried to downplay his return as premature — telling The Post it is a “true exploratory committee” — he’s already lined up a speaking spot at a forum Thursday with Downtown Independent Democrats. “[They] made a precondition of participating in their candidate forum that you had to have an open committee, so here I am,” he said. Weiner registered his political committee, Weiner 25 , with the Campaign Finance Board Friday, and later filed for the 2nd District spot. The seat is currently held by Carlina Rivera, who is term-limited and will be out come the end of 2025. Other candidates have also put their hand up for the job — Sarah Batchu, Harvey D Epstein, Andrea Gordillo, Jason Murillo and Allison Ryan. Weiner has been out of public office since 2011 when he was forced to step down from his New York congressional seat amid a sexting scandal involving women and a minor. He had set his sights on resurrecting his career in office two years later, launching a bid to be the next Big Apple mayor before being embroiled in yet another sexting scandal. The investigation reinvigorated the FBI’s probe into Hilary Clinton’s emails ahead of the 2016 election when agents searched his laptop and discovered X-rated photos he was sending to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. At the time, Weiner was married to Huma Abedin, an aide to Clinton in her presidential run against Donald Trump. The investigation was partly to blame for Clinton’s loss — and also resulted in Weiner’s guilty plea in 2017 to one felony count of transferring obscene material to a minor. He served 18 months in prison and was released in 2019 . Over the past few weeks, Weiner has been publicly teasing his return, making the pitch to New Yorkers that he wants to be involved with them again. “I love doing this job on the radio, but I want to be of service,” he on his weekly 77WABC radio show last month. Weiner, who has a son, told The Post Tuesday he’s also putting the final touches on his idea book, dubbed “25 Ideas for ’25.” “Clever, huh?” he said. “The Post will like a lot of them.”
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Kansas Defender Called Out After ‘Dirty’ Hit on Shedeur SandersMinutes of an Executive meeting from June of that year state further action would be considered “as appropriate” if the DUP went ahead with a threat to rotate its ministers. The minutes are within files which have been declassified at the Public Record Office in Belfast. Devolved powersharing had been restored to Northern Ireland in May 2000 when Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble had received the backing of his party to go back into the Assembly, despite there having been no decommissioning of IRA arms at that point. Then DUP deputy leader Mr Robinson and Mr Dodds took up the offices as ministers for regional development and social development, but refused to attend Executive meetings due to the presence of Sinn Fein ministers. The party also said it would rotate its ministerial posts to prevent other parties from taking them. A minute of an Executive meeting on June 8 said Mr Robinson and Mr Dodds had refused a request from First Minister Mr Trimble and deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon to meet with them “to discuss recent public comments by the DUP concerning their positions as ministers”. The minute records that the Executive endorsed a proposal from the First and deputy First Ministers to write again to the two DUP ministers setting out sanctions against them. It says: “The First Minister and and Deputy First Minister would assume responsibility for representing the Executive Committee on transport matters at the British-Irish Council in place of the Minister for Regional Development. “The Minister for Social Development and the Minister for Regional Development would not be nominated to attend meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee. “Pending the receipt of satisfactory assurances from DUP Ministers regarding the confidentiality and integrity of Executive Committee business, the Minister for Social Development and Minister for Regional Development would not receive Executive Committee papers as of right. “The First Minister and Deputy First Minister would seek briefing, as appropriate, from officials in the Department for Regional Development and Department for Social Development.” The minute continues: “If the DUP carried out their threat to change the holders of the two Ministerial offices on a frequent basis, the Executive Committee would consider other action as appropriate.” Mr Robinson and Mr Dodds resigned as ministers on June 27 and were replaced by party colleagues Gregory Campbell and Maurice Morrow. A minute from an Executive meeting that day says: “The Executive Committee noted that the Minister for Social Development and Minister for Regional Development would be resigning their posts that afternoon, and expressed concern at the proposed rotation of the ministries held by their Party Members.”Eagles try to clinch NFC East title with Hurts' head injury looming large
SUVs may be the pick of the bunch right now, but there's a lot to love about the handful of small passenger cars still on offer. or signup to continue reading Our rewind through 2024 has brought us to these small cars, and we've compiled a list of the top five highest-rated models we reviewed throughout the year. We've kept budget in mind here, as the cars here are only found in the small for less than $40,000 category on the VFACTS sales charts. We of course reviewed multiple more premium cars too, but this article will focus on the more palatable cheaper alternatives. Some of these models have been reviewed on multiple occasions this year, so we've only featured the variant that achieved the highest rating. Prices are based on each manufacturer's configurators using a Victorian postcode, which should provide a representative estimate of what the average Australian buyer will end up paying. The cheapest Corolla proved to be a solid car as a sedan, evidenced by marketplace editor James Wong's class-leading score of 8.5 out of 10. We praised the Corolla for its efficiency and interior practicality, the latter of which is particularly strong in the Ascent Sport sedan we reviewed. It also scored well on cost of ownership and safety, while its ride comfort, handling dynamics, and value for money were identified as general strengths. We also expect it to be "endlessly reliable" given its Toyota construction, something that will be a benefit for new Corolla buyers. Its uninspiring nature was listed as a negative though, and supply constraints at the time of our original review also put a question mark over the Japanese brand's ability to meet demand. We felt its performance wasn't quite up to scratch either, but we thought it was overall a strong iteration into the traditionally safe Corolla range. Given the size of the i30 range we had loads of reviews of the various variants published over 2024, four of which shared in the same score of 8.4. The only hatchback to receive 8.4 in 2024 was the N Line, which is the entry to the updated i30 Hatch range. We liked its sporty handling and surprisingly peppy engine, but it lost marks for value as it's too expensive for an "entry" model. Then there was the base i30 Sedan, which opens the entire range by sneaking under $30,000 drive-away. We appreciated the space available in the second row as well as its engine and transmission combo, but felt it was cheap in places and was hindered by its annoying speed limit assist. Equally, the i30 Sedan N Line was praised for its interior space, as well as its "great pricing and specs" and its "sharp looks". It suffered from the same drawbacks as the standard sedan, and we weren't impressed by its "terrible shut lines". At the top of the range is the i30 Sedan N, which was commended for its blistering performance, handling, and its ability to make you "smile from ear to ear". Again the speed limit assist and interior plastics cropped up as complaints, and we felt it also had a poor turning circle. Marketplace journalist Josh Nevett was a fan of the BYD Dolphin, as evidenced by his score of 8.2 for the top-spec Premium. Though we think it's an "acquired taste", we liked the Dolphin's interior layout and were impressed by its extensive list of standard gear. Its interior practicality and space scored highly, along with its efficiency and cost of ownership. As for its 150kW/310Nm electric powertrain, we felt it had plenty of poke and did well to get the car moving at a reasonable pace. We weren't as keen on its driver assist technology, as the semi-autonomous driving system was found to be twitchy and struggled to stay in its lane on the freeway. In the same setting, we also thought there was too much wind noise. Its mix of interior materials wasn't ideal either, but the Dolphin proved to be a solid option in the budget electric hatch world. Mazda's second-smallest hatch may not be what it once was, but it's still a competitive option in the segment and was given a rating of 8.0 by marketplace journalist Max Davies. We feel it's a good-looking car backed up with loads of tech for both infotainment and safety, which was bolstered by the inclusion of the Vision Technology Package on our mid-spec tester. Our car was also the most expensive Mazda 3 variant to be fitted with a 2.0-litre engine, which meant its performance was merely acceptable rather than being anything impressive. It at least handled confidently with sporty inclinations, something that reflected positively on the car's driving experience and overall score. If you could get past a slightly smaller cabin and some hiccups with its driver monitoring, we'd say the Mazda 3 was still a good buy for the segment. The final car to crack the top five was the Subaru Impreza, which in its base 2.0L guise scored 7.8. Subaru has cemented the Impreza in its lineup over the years, and its 2.0-litre naturally aspirated boxer with all-wheel drive is a formula it continues to stick with. For that reason we felt it had a comfortable ride and benefited from well-calibrated safety tech, while it had strong interior tech despite its base model leanings. Its price is also among the lowest on this list, another selling point for Subaru's smallest hatch. While its drivetrain is a tried-and-tested setup, its boxer engine was deemed to merely be adequate with uninspiring performance. Like the Mazda 3, it's just enough to get the car moving comfortably without being anything too flashy. Its boot space is also compromised, and we were disappointed you get a urethane steering wheel instead of a leather-wrapped option. The Impreza is overall a solid car, but not particularly exciting. Content originally sourced from: Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . AdvertisementMCC has only one official Facebook page, mayor clarifies
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RIYADH: Harry Potter: A Riyadh Season Adventure is one of the many enthralling and enchanting experiences on offer at Riyadh Season this year. The pop-up experience, brought to life by Warner Bros., offers fans of all ages an immersive opportunity to step into the magical universe of witches, wizards and muggles. Set in the vibrant Boulevard City, the area is designed to showcase some of the most iconic locations from the beloved film series, such as Hogwarts and others. Interactive technology plays a significant role in the experience. Guests can take part in a Great Hall Sorting Experience, where they find out which Hogwarts house they belong to, and engage in Quidditch activities, as well as practice their Quaffle skills on the pitch. There is also a zone where visitors can try wands and cast magical words they learned from the film series, like “Expecto Patronum.” For those looking to take a piece of the magic home, the Wizarding World Shops offer exclusive merchandise, ranging from wands to house scarves, and the Three Broomsticks Food Hall offers refreshing drinks, cupcakes and other desserts. Costumes are a big part of the fun experience, and there is a dedicated area for shopping, ensuring that everyone can find the perfect outfit to enhance their visit. Maram Al-Ruwaili, a passionate fan dressed as a Slytherin, shared her excitement: “I’ve been a Potterhead since 2003. Now at 31, I still consider myself a big fan. I’ve tried one Harry Potter experience before, but not in Saudi Arabia. “This time, sitting in the Great Hall, surrounded by sound effects from the films, made it feel like we were true Hogwarts students. The atmosphere, especially with the Dementors and Christmas sounds, was magical.” The event has attracted a diverse crowd, including international visitors. Nanditha Krishnakumar, an enthusiastic attendee from India, expressed her love for the experience: “I’ve adored Harry Potter since childhood, and this is truly amazing. It feels so lifelike and brings my dreams to life. I love Slytherin; it might seem like an evil house, but it’s one of my favorites. I can’t wait to see what else is in store.” Aisleen de Asis, a nurse who has lived in Saudi Arabia for almost a decade, shared her perspective: “Harry Potter is a significant part of my childhood. I heard about this experience from friends and colleagues who enjoyed it, and I had to check it out myself. Being here brings back so many nostalgic memories.” The Harry Potter experience at Riyadh Season also celebrates community and shared passion. Fans from various backgrounds are coming together to relive the magic of their childhood, creating connections through their love for the series. The excitement is palpable, as visitors share their stories, dress up as their favorite characters, and take part in the interactive activities that bring the magic of the books and films to life. Whether you are a longtime fan or new to the series, the magical experience is not to be missed.