Current Events
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Source: NYPD / NYPD
It’s been days since the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was gunned down outside of the New York Hilton Midtown hotel in Manhattan and while the manhunt for the shooter continues, police have released new photos of the murderer as the public still refuses to lift a finger to help in any way, shape or form.
According to the New York Times, the NYPD have released two new images of the suspected hitman as they continue to struggle to get a lead on his whereabouts, following the shocking murder of Brian Thompson. While we still aren’t getting a good look at his entire face, police are hoping these images will jog someone’s memory and lead to a hint or tip that’ll help them in their efforts to track him down even though he’s become sort of a folk hero to many people in the online community.
The New York Times reports:
One image, captured from the front of the cab, appears to show the unidentified suspect peering forward from the vehicle’s back seat with his face partially obscured by a blue surgical mask, a dark hat and a black hood. The other image, apparently recorded through a window, shows the man walking on the street wearing the same mask, a black puffer jacket and a hood pulled over his head.
The police have said that the man caught a taxi around 7 a.m. Wednesday on the Upper West Side, about 15 minutes after he shot Mr. Thompson. He took the cab uptown to a bus terminal near the George Washington Bridge, where they believe he may have caught a bus out of the state.
🚨UPDATE: Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4.
The full investigative efforts of the NYPD are continuing, and we are asking for the public’s help—if you have any information about this case, call the… https://t.co/U4wlUquumf pic.twitter.com/243V0tBZOr
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 8, 2024
Though it is suspected that the killer has already made his way out of New York City (and maybe even the U.S.), police might’ve gotten some evidence in their search for the gunman.
Officers also recovered a backpack in Central Park on Friday that they believe the man may have discarded as he cycled away from the scene of the shooting toward the Upper West Side, before he caught the cab. They had yet to publicly confirm if the backpack belonged to the man or contained any items of value to the investigation.
Hoping to get someone to drop dime, the NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for any information that’ll lead to the arrest of the suspect. Seems a bit low to us, but hey, it is what it is.
What are your thoughts on the UnitedHealthcare CEO suspect? Hero or villain? Let us know in the comments section below?
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Source: SOPA Images / Getty
One of the most popular insurance providers is rethinking one of their recent plan changes. Anthem BlueCross BlueShield has reversed their policy to not cover anesthesia after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was murdered.
As spotted on TMZ, the popular health insurance company is rethinking their recent coverage plan when it pertains to their subscribers going under the knife. Back in November, Anthem BlueCross BlueShield declared they would no longer pay for anesthesia for the full-length duration of some surgeries that exceed a certain amount of time. While this only impacted three states, the news took the public by surprise with many questioning ABCBS’ business ethics. An outcry on social media soon followed, but the Chicago, Ill.-based insurer didn’t seem to be reconsidering the policy change.
On Wednesday (Dec. 4), UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Brian Thompson was assassinated in New York City outside of his midtown Manhattan hotel. Local police say the murder was pre-planned but have yet to publicly reveal the shooter’s potential motive. Since then Anthem BlueCross BlueShield has changed their tune regarding the coverage limitations on anesthesia.
On Thursday (Dec. 5), UnitedHealthcare’s Vice President Janey Kiryluik gave an exclusive statement to Forbes explaining they will “not proceed with this policy change” after the announcement was surrounded with “significant widespread misinformation.” She went on to further detail ABCBS’ position. “To be clear, it never was and never will be the policy of Anthem BlueCross BlueShield to not pay for medically necessary anesthesia services,” Kiryluik told Forbes in a statement. “The proposed update to the policy was only designed to clarify the appropriateness of anesthesia consistent with well-established clinical guidelines.”
The suspect in Brian Thompson’s murder has yet to be apprehended.
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Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz / O’Shea Jackson Jr.
According to actor O’Shea Jackson Jr., the son of hip-hop icon Ice Cube, Andrew Schulz went too far with his response to Kendrick Lamar.
The Straight Outta Compton star hopped on X and let Andrew Schulz know he did not feel the comedian’s response to Lamar’s bars on the track “Watch Out Murals” off his latest album GNX.
Schulz took things to the extreme when he described, hypothetically speaking, what he would do to the “luther” crafter if they were in jail together.
“Kendrick’s people and the gang affiliate, you know, everybody, his security, they will kill me, they will destroy me. They’ll find me in the street, they’ll f**king cut me up, they’ll shoot, they’ll do whatever, I’m not a tough guy … But just Kendrick? I would make love to him and there’s nothing he could do about it. Just Kendrick Lamar? I would make love to him. And the only thing that he could do is decide if it’s consensual or not,” Schulz said.
He continued his weirdness by adding, “He’s talking a lot of sh*t, but if it came down to it, I could put him on my lap, I could feed him a bottle … and make love to him if I wanted to.”
Terrence “Punch” Henderson, president of Lamar’s former label, TDE, responded to Schulz’s comments saying, “Wait… wait… I know as a Blackman who’s involved in Hip Hop Music, that we are a bit slow and don’t really understand sarcasm and humor… but did my guy say he want to sleep with Dot??”
O’Shea Jackson Jr. Had Time For Andrew Schulz
In a quote post of a clip of Schulz’s podcast Flagrant with Akaash Singh, Oshea Jackson Jr. called Schulz a “weird n***a” for insinuating that he could take advantage of Kendrick Lamar in a one-on-one fight due to the rapper’s height.
Schulz then responded, “Google ‘No Vaseline’ by Ice Cube,” with Jackson clapping back, “A metaphor about getting f**ked business wise by your manager Is not the same homie. He ain’t call you a b**ch. He ain’t say f**k you. Didn’t even say your name. And your response was buck breaking. S**t was just crazy.” He later shared, “My post was from two days ago. He bring up my dad and I can’t respond? Ain’t no beef. I just didn’t like the statement.”
An X user responded to Jackson, telling him to “let it go” because Schulz is a comedian. The Den of Thieves star responded, “My post was from two days ago. He brought up my dad, and I can’t respond? I have no beef. I just didn’t like the statement.”
Social media also had thoughts about the back-and-forth between Jackson and Schulz. You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
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Donald Trump appeared on Meet The Press Sunday morning (Dec. 8), marking his first televised interview since becoming the president-elect in November after a tight race with Vice President Kamala Harris. Sitting down with Meet The Press moderator Kristen Welker, Donald Trump was measured at times but also slippery on some of his positions as observers on the X social media platform pointed out contradictions and flat-out lies in his statements where he received little pushback.
President-elect Donald Trump, 78, spoke in a conversational tone as he sat across from Kristen Welker, displaying a muted version of expressing himself in comparison to some of his fiery and off-the-rails campaign speeches. With the presidential victory in hand and emboldened by officially winning the Republican Party majority of both the House and Senate, Trump toned down the rhetoric but also said that he would carry out unpopular policies despite growing murmurs of discontent among his base and those far outside of it.
Trump spoke to Welker’s inquiry about his plans for the first 100 days in the White House, a longstanding marker of the president making his intentions known and setting a tone for the government as his leadership continues to come into view over the next four years.
After a rambling answer that covered everything from tackling crime in major cities and extending the so-called “Trump tax cuts,” Trump defended his nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth despite the mounting allegations against him. Trump’s answer was a masterclass of avoiding the actual question by using filler words and highlighting how much Fox News supported Hegseth, once more ignoring the fact that some of the allegations against his nominee originated within the network.
Early in the chat, Welker lobbed a question regarding tariffs, which some felt was one of several softballs tossed at Trump. Instead of getting Trump to explain how he’ll attack inflation and lower prices, since it was a key campaign point and why many voters pulled the lever for him, he elected not to offer a guarantee on one of his top promises.
“I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee tomorrow. But I can say that if you look at my — just pre-Covid, we had the greatest economy in the history of our country. And I had a lot of tariffs on a lot of different countries, but in particular China,” Trump said before meandering and calling the tariffs “beautiful,” but Welker did remind Trump that those “beautiful” tariffs cost Americans billions.
In other portions of the conversation, Trump still refused to concede the 2020 election results despite overwhelming evidence that the presidency was not stolen from him. He also doubled down on false claims that he improved the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which he continues to refer to as “Obamacare,” a law that took cues from Sen. Mitt Romney when he was governor of Massachusetts and the state’s health care reform law.
Trump continues to claim he “saved Obamacare” despite his many attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and insert a law of his own, even though it could harm those who voted for Trump in the long run. Trump also stuck to his incorrect statement that 13,099 murders in the past three years were allegedly committed by illegal immigrants. Welker attempted to get Trump to understand the number includes four decades of data but Trump insisted this exaggerated number came under President Joe Biden’s tenure.
On X, formerly Twitter, Donald Trump’s Meet The Press interview found its way onto the timeline with many pointing out how it missed several marks. Check out the replies below.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Brandon Bell / Getty / Elon Musk / Donald Trump
Elon Musk was not pinching pennies during the presidential election. The Tesla Chief donated a lot of money to ensure Donald Trump slimed his way back into the White House.
NBC News reports that Musk donated over $20 million to a mysterious super PAC at the end of Felon 47’s campaign as part of the $250 million he spent to help make America racist again; oops, we meant “great” again, according to new finance reports.
Per NBC News:
Musk financed RBG PAC, according to the report the group filed Thursday night with the Federal Election Commission. The super PAC, which did not disclose its donors before the election, launched ads contending that Trump did not support a federal abortion ban.
All of the money the group pulled in — $20.5 million — came from a single donation from the Elon Musk Revocable Trust in Austin, Texas. RBG PAC spent almost all of its money on digital ads, mailers and text messages, according to the campaign finance report, which covered Oct. 17 through Nov. 25.
The news website also reports that Musk donated $238 million to the America PAC throughout the election cycle, including an extra $120 million in the election’s final weeks.
We Can’t Forget About Those $1 Million Giveaways
According to federal disclosures, America PAC used the money for canvassing and get-out-the-vote efforts via text message, printing, postage, and digital ads. America PAC also ran a controversial $1 million giveaway that saw Musk hand checks to people who signed up for the PAC’s heavily conservative-leaning petition.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner sued Musk and the PAC in late October to stop the giveaway. Still, a judge in the state sided with Musk and America PAC, allowing them to continue with the giveaway.
The Justice Department also warned America PAC that the giveaway was damn near close to being illegal, but subsequently, no action was taken by the department.
According to America PAC’s finance report, the $1 million bribes, oops, we mean prizes, were listed as payments for a “spokesperson consultant.”
Bootleg Tony Stark also gave $3 million to the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) Alliance, a super PAC affiliated with Donald Trump’s pick to run HHS, Robert F. Kenndey Jr.
So, Musk, who Sweet Potato Mussolini tapped to run the made-up Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to help cut government spending, spent a lot to ensure he had plenty of influence when President-Elect Trump took office.
We see the jig.
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Source: Courtesy / Netflix / Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx’s health scare was the talk of social media for months, as fans and the world wanted to know exactly what was going on with the talented actor/musician that landed him in the hospital. We will find out in the upcoming Netflix special, Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was…‘
It was no secret that Foxx, who will also star in the upcoming Netflix action/comedy film Back In Action alongside Camron Diaz, was doing a stand-up comedy special that would solely focus on his still mysterious health scare, which led many to speculate what happened to the Hollywood icon.
Speaking with the African American Film Critics Association, Foxx promised to tell the world what landed him in the hospital as long as he could “do it in a funny way,” and he has kept that promise.
In the first trailer for the special, that is Foxx’s way of giving back to his fans who have supported him throughout his career and during his health scare, he tells the audience, “If I can stay funny, I can stay alive.”
Netflix describes the special: “Jamie expresses deep gratitude to those who prayed and supported his recovery, turning this performance into a touching thank you to his fans. This comedy event is a celebration of resilience, humor, and the power of community, reminding us all of the healing power of laughter.”
Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was… is directed by Hamish Hamilton. Hamilton also serves as an executive producer along with Foxx, Marcus King, Datari Turner, James Longman, Raj Kapoor, and Katy Mullan.
Foxx’s tentpole Foxxhole Productions and Done + Dusted are also producing. The special premieres on Netflix on December 10. Peep the trailer below.
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Source: Scott Olson / Getty
The Department of Justice issued a report detailing the numerous abuses by the Memphis Police Department based on their investigation after the death of Tyre Nichols.
On Wednesday (Dec. 4), the Department of Justice released a scathing report containing the findings of an investigation into the Memphis Police Department, revealing that the department “engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, conducting unlawful stops, searches and arrests and discriminatory policing of Black people and residents with behavioral health disabilities,” according to DOJ’s Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke. The department began its investigation 17 months after the beating death of Tyre Nichols by Memphis Police officers in 2023 after a traffic stop.
The report went into detail on how officers would employ excessive force “almost immediately in response to low-level, nonviolent offenses, even when people are not aggressive.” One example detailed how nine police cruisers and 12 officers responded to a call of a mentally ill person who stole a $2 soft drink from a gas station, using a Taser and pepper spray in the process. Another data point by Clarke highlighted the disparity of police interactions between Black and white residents, where she noted: “MPD cites or arrests Black adults for marijuana possession at 5.2 times the rate of White adults.” Another instance detailed how a Memphis Police officer picked up an 8-year-old with behavioral issues and tossed him onto a couch. These were in addition to “inconsistencies” between written reports and body camera footage.
The city of Memphis held a press conference to respond to the findings of the report. “In the last three years we have changed over 700 policies… that help to direct process, help to improve officer response. Community engagement has been a significant part of the work we have been doing,” said Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn “C.J” Davis. Davis is Black, as is 50% of the police department, including the five officers involved in beating Nichols. Memphis City Attorney Tannera George Gibson stated that the city had been presented with a consent decree granting further federal oversight over the department, but it declined in a letter, writing: “Until the City has had the opportunity to review, analyze, and challenge the specific allegations that support your forthcoming findings report, the City cannot — and will not — agree to work toward or enter into a consent decree that will likely be in place for years to come and will cost the residents of Memphis hundreds of millions of dollars.”
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Source: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / Getty
President-elect Donald Trump has agreed to sit down with NBC’s Kristen Welker for his first network interview after winning the 2024 election last month.
According to reports, Donald Trump has agreed to sit down with Meet The Press moderator Kristen Welker for his first network interview since being reelected to the White House in last month’s presidential election. The interview with Welker will take place Friday (Dec. 6), and will be recorded and aired Sunday (Dec. 8), during the 10:30 a.m. time slot that Meet The Press usually airs in, as announced by NBC.
Trump and Welker have a turbulent history as interviewer and subject. Welker interviewed him for Meet The Press in September 2023, which would be Trump’s only major network appearance. Welker was taken to task by critics for not firmly fact-checking Trump on his talking points, which included immigration and the policies of his then-Republican primary opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. That interview stood out among his appearances on Fox News networks and with podcast hosts such as Joe Rogan and Adin Ross during the presidential election cycle.
Welker was also attacked by Trump as being “biased” before his debate against then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in September 2020. He’d later praise her during the debate, hosted by NBC News. “By the way, so far, I respect very much the way you’re handling this. I have to say,” he said at the debate stage in Belmont, Tennessee. She also sparred with Vice President-elect JD Vance over his backpedaling on abortion after his debate in October.
The interview is significant as other outlets are plotting on how to cover and approach Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to get revenge on those whom he felt had wronged him. Most recently, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the hosts of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, have been under constant criticism after they visited Mar-a-Lago last month after the election. Scarborough blasted critics of the meeting in a 20-minute rant Thursday morning (Dec. 5), claiming that other networks are plotting out their own sit-downs with Trump. “Do we judge CNN for doing it? No,” he said. “You know why? It’s their jobs! Grow up! It’s their jobs. The only thing we did that caused this Twitter storm is we told you. Now, if you’d prefer that we don’t tell you everything that we do that’s fine. But we just thought in this case that transparency was best.”
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Source: Alex Kent / Getty / UnitedHealth
The targeted attack on UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson has already taken an eyebrow-raising turn following some new developments.
Once news broke about the assassination of Brian Thompson in Midtown, NYC, hit social media timelines, it didn’t take long for many to jump to the conclusion the UnitedHealth CEO’s murder could have something to do with the health insurer’s track record of denying people coverage.
TMZ reports that the 9MM shell casings from the bullets that took Thompson’s life shot from the alleged silenced weapon were engraved with the cryptic message “deny,” “depose,” and “defend,” possibly revealing the assassin’s motive behind the attack.
Sources revealed to the celebrity gossip site that the message is no coincidence, has a significant meaning, and could confirm that social media was on the right track when the story first broke.
Per TMZ:
Our sources say two of the words appear in the title of a 2010 book, “Delay, Deny, Defend,” which slams the health insurance sector — and, as we now know, Thompson was one of the industry’s bigwigs.
We’re told detectives believe the words on the shell casings could be a window into why the assailant committed the murder.
Our sources say the suspect or one of his relatives might have been denied coverage by Thompson’s company for a medical procedure. However, our sources also say he could be a disgruntled ex-employee … or a hitman hired by someone for some other reason.
Other Developments In The Case
The cryptic message on the shell casings is not only a development from the rapidly developing case. The New York Daily News reports that Thompson’s home has been the target of bomb threats.
Also, the NYPD has released surveillance photos showing the shooter’s face.
Of course, social media is still slamming UnitedHealthcare. Spoiler alert: don’t expect to see any sympathy.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
3. No chill
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Source: Alexander Tamargo / Getty / 50 Cent
50 Cent is getting a Roku Channel.
Spotted on Deadline, Curtis Jackson and his G-Unit Film & Television imprint, in partnership with Lionsgate, are launching the 50 Cent Action Channel on the Roku Channel on Tuesday, December 10.
According to the website, the channel will be curated by the Grammy-winning and Emmy-winning multihyphenate. It will feature his favorite action films from Lionsgate’s library, which features over 20,000 titles. So expect to see films like The Expendables, Rambo, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, and over a dozen movies Diddy’s favorite troll starred in.
But that’s not all. The channel will also air reruns of Power, the Starz crime drama he also starred in and served as an executive producer for the many spinoffs that followed.
There will also be programming stunts around the Queen’s rapper’s No. 1 albums and hit records.
Per Deadline:
Examples include a heist-themed stunt tied to his album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, including films like Empire State, Reservoir Dogs, and Man on a Ledge as well as a female-led action stunt based on 50’s album I Like The Way She Do It, including Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2, The Protégé and Haywire.
In a statement about the channel, 50 Cent said, “Roku’s reach and success in the free TV space make them the perfect launch partner for 50 Cent Action. My channel created in partnership with Lionsgate will deliver exactly what my audience loves to watch all in one place. We’ll be number one in no time.”
50 Cent Is Still Making Music
Outside of music, 50 Cent continues to cement his legacy in Hollywood. He recently launched G-Unit Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana, and teamed up with Netflix for a forthcoming Diddy docuseries.
On the music front, in a recent interview with Cam’ron, 50 Cent revealed to his one-time rival that he has new material on the way and plans to use it in upcoming television projects.