On today’s show: A suspect was charged in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO. CNN has the latest. Jay-Z was accused of sexually assaulting a minor alongside Sean “Diddy“ Combs in 2000. NBC has the details. The Washington Post’s Tim Carman explains why it feels like food recalls are happening more frequently. Plus, Haaretz reports on Netanyahu’s corruption trial, The Hill examines a Supreme Court case that will test environmental law, and Variety breaks down the numbers for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.
Chapter 1: Who was charged in the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case?
But first, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was charged with second-degree murder late last night by authorities in New York, hours after police in Pennsylvania arrested him. The charges against 26-year-old Luigi Mangione also include forgery and carrying a gun without a license. He was ordered to be held without bail and did not enter a plea on those charges.
Chapter 2: How did police capture the suspect in the shooting?
Local authorities in Pennsylvania were tipped off to Mangione's location at a McDonald's in Altoona by an employee who thought that he resembled the suspect in photos released by the NYPD. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenney credited those photos as a critical part of capturing the suspect.
Chapter 3: What forensic evidence was found in the case?
Chapter 4: What role did public tips play in the investigation?
There's numerous linchpins in this case and the fact that we've recovered an enormous amount of forensic evidence, an enormous amount of video and the public's help. I really couldn't put it on one thing, but if I had to, it would be the release of that photograph from the media.
According to court filings, police approached Mangione as he sat alone at the McDonald's. They asked him to remove a medical mask he was wearing and asked if he'd been to New York recently. He then became quiet and began to shake. Police say they found a gun and silencer in his backpack that matched the description of the weapon used to shoot Thompson. Here's Kenny again.
Right now, the information we're getting from Altoona is that the gun appears to be a ghost gun, may have been made on a 3D printer.
Chapter 5: What are ghost guns and how do they relate to this case?
Ghost guns don't have a serial number, making them untraceable. They're not subject to background checks either. And as the trace points out, it's legal in most cases under federal law to make a gun on a 3D printer.
Police say Mangione also had a number of fake IDs on him, including one which police say matches the ID used to check into a hostel in New York, where the shooter is believed to have stayed. He also had a three-page manifesto criticizing the health insurance industry.
That document is currently in the possession of the Altoona Police Department as part of their investigation, but it does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America.
In a statement, UnitedHealthcare thanked police for their work and said, quote, The arrest comes after days of the nation's close attention on this story. And along with that attention, a lot of frustration about the health care industry on social media was
with some people sharing their stories about being denied necessary health care by their insurance providers, to others outright mocking and celebrating Thompson's death, even hailing the shooter as a hero, a notion Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro strongly rejected when he spoke shortly after Mangione was apprehended.
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Chapter 6: What was the public reaction to the murder of Brian Thompson?
We are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice. In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this, he is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald's this morning.
Let's turn now to a major development in one of the many legal cases against the rapper Diddy, whose legal name is Sean Combs. He faces federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges, plus roughly 30 civil suits. He's claimed no wrongdoing. And in one of those civil suits, rapper and mogul Jay-Z, whose legal name is Sean Carter, was newly named as a co-conspirator.
He's the first celebrity to be accused of sexual assault in connection to Combs. They are accused of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. According to the lawsuit, the girl tried to get into the VMAs by talking to limo drivers outside the venue. Combs' driver allegedly told her she, quote, fit what Diddy was looking for.
And she says he brought her to Combs' after-party, where she had to sign an NDA. Initially, the lawsuit was filed in October and only named Combs, and it referred anonymously to another male and female celebrity. But it was updated and refiled this past weekend, naming Carter, who has denied the allegations, calling them blackmail.
Jay-Z mentioned in his statement that, you know, if these allegations are so heinous in nature, I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one. Whoever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away. Wouldn't you not agree?
That's Claudia Rosenbaum, who's been tracking the cases against Combs for Vulture. She told us about Carter's response.
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Chapter 7: What are the allegations against Diddy and Jay-Z?
He's denying any involvement. And since that, his attorney has filed a request in court asking that, you know, the name of this woman not be kept anonymous, that her name should be revealed so he could defend himself in court.
His lawyers argue it's either that or this case should be dismissed. Attorney Tony Busby is representing the plaintiff and more than 120 others in civil cases against Combs. Rosenbaum told us he says more big names in the music industry will surface as they move through the legal process.
If you know what he is saying is true, there could be a lot more stuff that's going to come out in the future.
Lately, it's felt like there's a new food recall every other week. Listeria-contaminated deli meat, onions tainted with E. coli, salmonella on cucumbers and carrots. Since November, the two federal agencies primarily in charge of food safety have cataloged more than 25 recalls. People are on edge and wondering, is this normal? Washington Post food reporter Tim Carman has been looking into it.
Are these recalls a sign that our food system is more broken than it has been in the past?
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Chapter 8: What legal developments are happening in Diddy's cases?
Carmen and a colleague dug into the data and they found, no, not really. In fact, we're on track to have fewer recalls this year than 2023. But there are a number of reasons why it doesn't feel that way.
And one of them is that there is just more news about it. So it becomes kind of a cycle. Like the more food recalls there are, the more press that it gets, the more that the public worries.
Right. And this is getting kind of meta now. But part of the reason you know more about food recalls is you are listening to this new show talking about food recalls. You know, Americans once had to rely on a company press release to learn about a recall. But these days, updates come through social media, push notifications and the news.
Another factor, public confidence in the government to manage the food supply is at an all-time low, partially driven by misinformation and influential skeptics. Chief among them, Carmen told us, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president-elect Trump's nominee to lead health and human services, which oversees the Food and Drug Administration.
People both on the left and right agree with some of his positions. You know, there are loopholes with like food additives, for example. But there is also concern that, you know, people like RFK Jr. want to eliminate expertise within the FDA. And I haven't talked to anyone who thinks less expertise is better.
But to a large degree, the threat of a mass food emergency is in our heads. That's what one psychology professor told Carmen.
We tend to have this psychological association, which is sort of counterintuitive, that even though we don't see these problems around us immediately, we worry about them constantly.
In other words, humans are pretty much wired to overestimate threats like these, even when the data tells a different story. It is, after all, what's made us very good at surviving. So next time you hear about a food recall, check the area affected, follow the advice for what to toss or avoid. And remember, catching a food safety issue means that on some level, the system is working as it should.
Before we let you go, a few other stories being featured in the Apple News app. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified today in his trial for alleged corruption, becoming the country's first sitting leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant. He's charged with taking bribes, breach of trust and corruption.
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