The Latest: UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect contests his extradition back to New York
The Latest: UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect contests his extradition back to New YorkOTTAWA — The federal Liberal government isn’t yet naming a new point person on Jasper after Alberta MP Randy Boissonnault’s departure from cabinet, but says that rebuilding the fire-ravaged Alberta town remains a top priority. “Multiple members of our caucus are engaged on the file,” a senior government official told the National Post. “We’ll continue to coordinate recovery efforts with provincial and local officials.” Boissonnault, the only Albertan in Trudeau’s cabinet until Wednesday, was named ministerial lead for Jasper in October. He said at the time that this was an important role for him to take on as the province’s lone federal minister. “As the Alberta minister, it’s really important that I’m able to do that work with a number of ministers at the provincial level so we can get the work done,” Boissonnault told reporters in Ottawa. Boissonnault was put in charge of a cabinet-level working group on Jasper, subsequently overseeing the distribution of more than $20 million of federal aid to the municipality. Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said on Wednesday he was sad to see Boissonnault step away from the role. “We are disappointed to be losing Minister Boissonnault as federal ministerial lead for Jasper recovery,” wrote Ireland in an email. “He immersed himself in our ongoing challenges and was an engaged, active, and an effective advocate on our behalf.” The Opposition Conservatives weren’t quite as concerned about the void created by Boissonnault’s departure. “The Trudeau government was repeatedly warned but allowed Jasper to go up in flames after years of ignoring obvious severe fire risks. After nearly a decade of neglect, it doesn’t matter which Liberal is selected to replace Trudeau’s fake advisor,” said Conservative emergency affairs critic Dane Lloyd on Wednesday. Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver, the province’s lead on Jasper, declined to comment on Boissonnaut’s departure. The Town of Jasper lost a third of its structures in July after a wildfire that started in nearby federal parkland jumped the Columbia river, forcing some 25,000 to flee the area. The disaster came after experts warned for years about the possibility of a “catastrophic blaze” in the area, raising several questions about the federal government’s forest management practices, including its failure to remove thousands of pine beetle ravaged dead trees from the area. The House of Commons set up a committee to investigate the causes of the blaze in September. Boissonnault’s departure from the cabinet working group on Jasper leaves six remaining members, including Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, Housing Minister Sean Fraser and Minister for Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan. Guilbeault is also the minister responsible for Parks Canada. Liberal officials wouldn’t say what role Boissonnault will have on the Jasper file as a rank-and-file member of the party’s caucus. The prime minister said in a Wednesday statement that veterans affairs minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor would temporarily take on Boissonnault’s responsibilities as employment minister and minister responsible for official languages. Petitpas Taylor’s office told the National Post on Thursday that she won’t be taking on the role of ministerial lead for Jasper. National Post rmohamed@postmedia.com Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here . Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here .
Lawyer says ex-Temple basketball standout Hysier Miller met with NCAA for hours amid gambling probeAMGEN ANNOUNCES 2025 FIRST QUARTER DIVIDEND
May 25, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jordan Romano (68) pitches during the eighth inning of the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Brian Bradshaw Sevald-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo The Philadelphia Phillies signed two-time All-Star closer Jordan Romano to a one-year contract on Monday. Financial terms were not disclosed, but ESPN and The Athletic reported the deal was worth $7.75 million. The 31-year-old right-hander was non-tendered by Toronto earlier this offseason. The Phillies bolstered their bullpen after Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez hit free agency. Romano went 1-2 with a 6.59 ERA in 15 relief appearances with the Blue Jays in 2024. Romano battled injuries last season and underwent season-ending right elbow surgery in July. He saved 36 games in 2022 and 2023, earning All-Star nods in each season. Overall, Romano is 20-17 in 231 career relief appearances with 105 saves and a 2.90 ERA. --Field Level Media REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel nowNEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that's he's preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect's threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park." Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn't a trolling-free zone for Trump's adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A." In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden's spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump's taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
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Manhattan police have obtained a warrant for the arrest of 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione , suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson . Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, while carrying a gun, mask and writings linking him to the ambush. Mangione is being held without bail in Pennsylvania on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Late Monday, Manhattan prosecutors charged him with five counts, including murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument. Here's the latest: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says “violence to combat any sort of corporate greed is unacceptable” and the White House will “continue to condemn any form of violence.” She declined to comment on the investigation into the Dec. 4 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson or reports that writings belonging to the suspect, Luigi Mangione, said insurance companies care more about profits than their customers. “This is horrific,” Jean-Pierre said of the fatal shooting of Thompson as he walked in Manhattan. He didn’t appear to say anything as deputies led him to a waiting car outside. “I’m deeply grateful to the men and women of law enforcement whose efforts to solve the horrific murder of Brian Thompson led to the arrest of a suspect in Pennsylvania,” Gov. Hochul said in the statement. “I am coordinating with the District Attorney’s Office and will sign a request for a governor’s warrant to ensure this individual is tried and held accountable. Public safety is my top priority and I’ll do everything in my power to keep the streets of New York safe.” That’s according to a spokesperson for the governor who said Gov. Hochul will do it as soon as possible. Luigi Nicholas Mangione, the suspect in the fatal shooting of a healthcare executive in New York City, apparently was living a charmed life: the grandson of a wealthy real estate developer, valedictorian of his elite Baltimore prep school and with degrees from one of the nation’s top private universities. Friends at an exclusive co-living space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Hawaii where the 26-year-old Mangione once lived widely considered him a “great guy,” and pictures on his social media accounts show a fit, smiling, handsome young man on beaches and at parties. Now, investigators in New York and Pennsylvania are working to piece together why Mangione may have diverged from this path to make the violent and radical decision to gun down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a brazen attack on a Manhattan street. The killing sparked widespread discussions about corporate greed, unfairness in the medical insurance industry and even inspired folk-hero sentiment toward his killer. ▶ Read more about Luigi Mangione Peter Weeks, the Blair County district attorney, says he’ll work with New York officials to try to return suspect Luigi Mangione there to face charges. Weeks said the New York charges are “more serious” than in Blair County. “We believe their charges take precedent,” Weeks said, promising to do what’s needed to accommodate New York’s prosecution first. Weeks spoke to reporters after a brief hearing at which a defense lawyer said Mangione will fight extradition. The defense asked for a hearing on the issue. In the meantime, Mangione will be detained at a state prison in western Pennsylvania. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said Tuesday it will seek a Governor’s warrant to secure Mangione’s extradition to Manhattan. Under state law, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul can issue a warrant of arrest demanding Mangione’s return to the state. Such a warrant must recite the facts necessary to the validity of its issuance and be sealed with the state seal. It would then be presented to law enforcement in Pennsylvania to expedite Mangione’s return to New York. But Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks says it won’t be a substantial barrier to returning Mangione to New York. He noted that defendants contest extradition “all the time,” including in simple retail theft cases. Dickey, his defense 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. Mangione will continue to be housed at a state prison in Huntingdon. He has 14 days to challenge the detention. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have a month to seek a governor’s warrant out of New York. Mangione, wearing an orange jumpsuit, mostly stared straight ahead at 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 quieted by his lawyer. Luigi Mangione, 26, has also been denied bail at a brief court hearing in western Pennsylvania. He has 14 days to challenge the bail decision. That’s with some intervention from owner Elon Musk. The account, which hasn’t posted since June, was briefly suspended by X. But after a user inquired about it in a post Monday, Musk responded “This happened without my knowledge. Looking into it.” The account was later reinstated. Other social media companies such as Meta have removed his accounts. According to X rules, the platform removes “any accounts maintained by individual perpetrators of terrorist, violent extremist, or mass violent attacks, as well as any accounts glorifying the perpetrator(s), or dedicated to sharing manifestos and/or third party links where related content is hosted.” Mangione is not accused of perpetrating a terrorist or mass attack — he has been charged with murder — and his account doesn’t appear to share any writings about the case. He shouted something that was partly unintelligible, but referred to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people.” He’s there for an arraignment on local charges stemming from his arrest Monday. He was dressed in an orange jumpsuit as officers led him from a vehicle into the courthouse. Local defense lawyer Thomas Dickey is expected to represent the 26-year-old at a Tuesday afternoon hearing at the Blair County Courthouse. Dickey declined comment before the hearing. Mangione could have the Pennsylvania charges read aloud to him and may be asked to enter a plea. They include possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. In New York, he was charged late Monday with murder in the death of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione likely was motivated by his anger with what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain with corporate greed, said a a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press. He wrote that the U.S. has the most expensive healthcare system in the world and that the profits of major corporations continue to rise while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin, based on a review of the suspect’s hand-written notes and social media postings. He appeared to view the targeted killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO as a symbolic takedown, asserting in his note that he is the “first to face it with such brutal honesty,” the bulletin said. 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, the document said. A felony warrant filed in New York cites Altoona Officer Christy Wasser as saying she found the writings along with a semi-automatic pistol and an apparent silencer. The filing echoes earlier statements from NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny who said Mangione had a three-page, handwritten document that shows “some ill will toward corporate America.” Mangione is now charged in Pennsylvania with being a fugitive of justice. A customer at the McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested said one of his friends had commented beforehand that the man looked like the suspect wanted for the shooting in New York City. “It started out almost a little bit like a joke, my one friend thought he looked like the shooter,” said the customer, who declined to give his full name, on Tuesday. “It wasn’t really a joke, but we laughed about it,” he added. The warrant on murder and other charges is a step that could help expedite his extradition from Pennsylvania. In court papers made public Tuesday, a New York City police detective reiterated key findings in the investigation he said tied Mangione to the killing, including surveillance footage and a fake ID he used to check into a Manhattan hostel on Nov. 24. Police officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, found that ID when they arrested Mangione on Monday. Mangione is being held without bail in Pennsylvania on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Late Monday, Manhattan prosecutors charged him with five counts, including murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument. Mangione doesn’t yet have a lawyer who can speak on his behalf, court officials said. Images of Mangione released 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 ski cap. In another photo from a holding cell, he stood unsmiling with rumpled hair. Mangione’s cousin, Maryland lawmaker Nino Mangione, announced Tuesday morning that he’s postponing a fundraiser planned later this week at the Hayfields Country Club north of Baltimore, which was purchased by the Mangione family in 1986. “Because of the nature of this terrible situation involving my Cousin I do not believe it is appropriate to hold my fundraising event scheduled for this Thursday at Hayfields,” Nino Mangione said in a social media post. “I want to thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support. My family and I are heartbroken and ask that you remember the family of Mr. Thompson in your prayers. Thank you.” Officers used New York City’s muscular surveillance system . Investigators analyzed DNA samples, fingerprints and internet addresses. Police went door to door looking for witnesses. When an arrest came five days later , those sprawling investigative efforts shared credit with an alert civilian’s instincts. A customer at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania noticed another patron who resembled the man in the oblique security-camera photos New York police had publicized. He remains jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was initially charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. By late Monday evening, prosecutors in Manhattan had added a charge of murder, according to an online court docket. It’s unclear whether Luigi Nicholas Mangione has an attorney who can comment on the allegations. Asked at Monday’s arraignment whether he needed a public defender, Mangione asked whether he could “answer that at a future date.”
Workaholic Provincial duo and Ben Fulford have gained their highest representative honours after being selected for Victoria Country. or signup to continue reading The pair will contest the Australian Country Championships in South Australia's Barossa Valley from January 3-10. "It means a lot, I've put in a lot of effort over the last couple of years to take my game to the next level," Lavington captain Galvin explained. The 27-year-old and Fulford, 30, both represented Riverina in the recent NSW Country Championships. "It's a reward for some hard work, individually been putting in a lot of effort," Fulford offered. CAW players can represent either NSW or Vic Country given the association's affiliation with both states and Galvin outlined last month his desire to play for his home state of NSW. Wicketkeeper-batter Fulford has 246 runs at 49.2 after CAW's first six rounds, while Galvin has 209 at 41.8, starting in style with a century. Galvin is also a crafty right-arm medium-pacer, but Lavington's lethal pace attack, spearheaded by Riverina stars Ryan Brown and Luke Docherty, means he has bowled only five overs. The pair works incredibly hard and both have teamed up with association gun Matt Condon. "He fixed me up technically and since then it's shifted to mindset and how I approach my batting and how I can get into a really good place in my innings," left-handed top order bat Galvin revealed. "My hands and my bat lift needed some work and I was struggling to access different parts of the ground but through a few tweaks; basically it all starts with the set-up, once you fix that it helps everything else." Fulford is a North teammate of Condon. "Condo's been a big help, understanding the game, we've all got ability but to understand the game and know when we can take it away from a team and knowing when to absorb the pressure," he outlined. "You can't pump up his tyres too much (laughs), but he's an absolute legend of a bloke, a wonderful cricketer and wonderful coach." DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement Advertisement
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The Biden administration withdrew two major student loan forgiveness plans Friday, just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. Here's a look at what it means for borrowers and student loan service providers. The Details: The Education Department posted notices in the Federal Register that it was withdrawing two proposals that could have reduced student loan debt for millions of borrowers, including those with financial hardship and those who have been in repayment for years, CNBC reported. Read Next: Waymo’s Autonomous Vehicles Are Safer Than Human Drivers: Report The department wrote that it was withdrawing the proposed rules due to "operational challenges in implementing the proposals." It also said it would focus its resources on "helping at-risk borrowers return to repayment successfully" as the administration prepares to leave office in the next month. "The Biden administration knew that the proposals for broad student loan forgiveness would have been thwarted by the Trump administration," higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz told CNBC. What Else: Also on Friday, the Department of Education announced another $4.28 billion in loan forgiveness for nearly 55,000 public service workers which brought the total amount of student loan forgiveness under the Biden administration to $180 billion. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona emphasized the administration's commitment to student loan relief for public service workers in a statement Friday. "Four years ago, the Biden-Harris Administration made a pledge to America’s teachers, service members, nurses, first responders, and other public servants that we would fix the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and I’m proud to say that we delivered," Cardona said. Loan Servicers: The administration's withdrawal of the additional loan forgiveness proposals is potentially a positive development for student loan providers including SoFi Technologies, Inc. SOFI , Navient Corp. NAVI and SLM Corp. SLM Student loan providers would have lost revenue if Biden's student loan forgiveness plans had gone through. Additionally, the rollout of forgiveness programs often requires servicers to update systems, retrain staff and manage complex transitions, all of which would increase expenses. Read Next: ‘Santa Came Early’ But Fed Brings ‘Coal Next Year’: Experts Weigh In On Interest Rate Cut, 2025 Projections Image: Shutterstock. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.CU Buffs star Travis Hunter named as finalist for Heisman Trophy