UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Shot and Killed in Midtown Manhattan
December 4th, 2024Update: “Delay, Deny, Defend” Written on Casings
Via: Daily Mail:
The words scrawled on the bullets used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson closely resemble the title of a book criticizing insurance companies and the tactics they use to deny claims, it has been revealed.
Health insurance boss Brian Thompson, 50, was shot in the back and calf early on Wednesday by a masked man who appeared to be waiting for him outside the Hilton hotel in Manhattan, before succumbing to his injuries in hospital.
Detectives investigating the shooting reportedly found shell casings with the words ‘depose’, ‘deny’ and ‘defend’ inscribed on them.
They are now working to determine what the words mean and if they could possibly hint at a motive for the slaying of the 50-year-old.
Curiously, the messages bear similarity to the title of a 2010 book on ‘why insurance companies don’t pay claims and what you can do about it’, called ‘Delay, Deny, Defend’.
Critics allege the tactic is used by insurance companies to ‘ensure your claim is either never paid or paid at a rate far below what you deserve’.
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UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was facing a DoJ investigation and lawsuit:
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was accused of insider trading and fraud before he was assassinated on Wednesday in Manhattan.
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Last year the DoJ launched a probe into whether the private company of the nation’s biggest insurer, led by Thompson, was unfairly restricting competitors and running a monopoly.
In May, the City of Hollywood Firefighters’ Pension Fund initiated a complaint against Thompson and other executives, accusing the CEO of failing to tell investors about the federal probe before he unloaded over 31 percent of his stock, taking in $15.1 million in proceeds.
In legal documents, the fund said Thompson and other company execs sold over $117 million worth of UnitedHealth common stock during the four-month period when insiders knew about the federal antitrust investigation but the public did not.
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System, America’s largest state public pension fund, then joined that complaint in October and filed an amendment seeking a jury trial against the UnitedHealth execs including Thompson.
The Wall Street Journal reported in February that federal investigators had been interviewing healthcare industry representatives in sectors where UnitedHealth competes, including doctor groups.
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The WSJ also reported that the DOJ was examining the company’s Medicare billing practices to see if doctors are aggressively characterizing their patients illnesses to wrongly increase payments from the government.
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United is the biggest health insurer by market share in America. The company has been the subject of frequent protests by activists for allegedly systematically denying care for patients.
Also, UnitedHealth uses faulty AI to deny elderly patients medically necessary coverage, lawsuit claims:
The families of two now-deceased former beneficiaries of UnitedHealth have filed a lawsuit against the health care giant, alleging it knowingly used a faulty artificial intelligence algorithm to deny elderly patients coverage for extended care deemed necessary by their doctors.
The lawsuit, filed last Tuesday in federal court in Minnesota, claims UnitedHealth illegally denied “elderly patients care owed to them under Medicare Advantage Plans” by deploying an AI model known by the company to have a 90% error rate, overriding determinations made by the patients’ physicians that the expenses were medically necessary.
“The elderly are prematurely kicked out of care facilities nationwide or forced to deplete family savings to continue receiving necessary medical care, all because [UnitedHealth’s] AI model ‘disagrees’ with their real live doctors’ determinations,” according to the complaint.
Many stories about this murder, including the one below, indicate that the suspect was experiencing a weapon malfunction.
Update: Police Think Murder Weapon Might Be Bolt Style Handgun
Via: New York Post:
Cops are probing whether the weapon used to kill United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was a “veterinary” gun commonly used to euthanize animals, an NYPD official said.
The murder weapon used in the assassination of Thompson “appears to be a larger handgun” similar to the style of a veterinary gun, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
“It’s a weapon commonly used on farms and ranches. If an animal has to get put down, the animal can be shot without causing a loud noise,” Kenny explained Friday.
The weapon is believed to be a modernized version of a World War-II style gun called a Welrod, sources said. Modern versions of the firearm are known as VP-9 or Station 6.
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Update: Locked Slide / Bolt Style Weapon WAS NOT Used
Newly released photographs of the crime scene show unfired cartridges on the sidewalk, which means that a conventional semiautomatic handgun was malfunctioning. In the process of trying to cycle the weapon, the suspect caused unfired cartridges to drop free of the weapon and onto the sidewalk.
That may not be the case.
There are highly suppressed handguns that require manual cycling.
See:
Hush Puppy Slide Locked Weapons:
Via: Fox:
Newly obtained video shows the moment UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed at close range in midtown Manhattan Wednesday morning, outside the Hilton Hotel.
In the chilling video obtained by Fox News Digital, Thompson is seen walking down a New York City sidewalk when a masked man wearing a black hoodie sweatshirt and a backpack walks up behind him and raises a handgun with glove-covered hands.
The culprit fires off several shots. At one point, the gun appears to jam. The assailant then appears to smack the gun on the side while walking toward the victim, who is attempting to get away.
As he gets closer to Thompson, the man appears to continue to struggle with the pistol, possibly firing off one more round at the victim who appears to be struggling to move.
Massie: “The Next Scam Is National E-Verify”
December 4th, 2024REAL ID was sold to conservatives as a way to prevent people who are here illegally from traveling or using taxpayer resources. It’s fairly obvious now that was a ploy to take more of your civil liberties.
The next scam is national E-verify. Will you fall for it?
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 4, 2024
Bitcoin Over $100,000
December 4th, 2024ByBit BTC/USDT $102,115 just now.
FBI Investigating ‘Car-Sized’ Drones Spotted Over Trump’s New Jersey Golf Course and Picatinny Arsenal Military Base
December 4th, 2024There is also strange UAV activity happening in UK:
U.S. Air Forces in Europe reported more mysterious small drones flying around a cluster of USAF bases in the United Kingdom and said for the first time that drones had been seen at RAF Fairford, 130 miles away, where four U.S. B-52 bombers are currently deployed as part of Bomber Task Force 25-1.
U.K. officials said that jets had scrambled in response and British troops are deploying to the bases, as well.
USAFE first reported the small drones operating around and over RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Feltwell on Nov. 25. Varying numbers of drones, in different sizes and configurations, were seen from Nov. 20-24. Who owns and operates the drones and what they are doing remains a mystery.
On Nov. 26, USAFE issued an update, reporting that “small unmanned aerial systems continue to be spotted.” The update included RAF Fairford among the bases experiencing incursions.
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Via: Daily Mail:
The FBI has launched an investigation into mysterious glowing lights that have been spotted over New Jersey for the last few weeks.
Eyewitnesses reported unexplained ‘car-sized’ drones over the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster and the Picatinny Arsenal Military Base in Rockaway, among other locations throughout northern New Jersey.
Video footage revealed the drones featured green and red lights on their wings and multiple eyewitness described them as large as a small car.
How Tech Is Breaking the Rules of Biology
December 4th, 2024Via: Bloomberg:
Related: Creating a Sperm or Egg from Any Cell
Bovaer: Methane Reducing Chemical Given to Dairy Cows, “May Damage Male Fertility and Reproductive Organs”
December 3rd, 2024Via: Daily Mail:
…experts have assured customers there’s likely nothing to worry about.
More / New Zealand: Governments don’t mind exposing people to health risks as long as it appears they are doing something about climate change (even if they aren’t)
EPA Could Approve GMO Mosquitoes for Consumers’ Backyards
December 3rd, 2024Via: The Defender:
A U.K.-based biotech company is seeking U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval to sell genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes directly to U.S. consumers as a “biopesticide.”
If the EPA approves the company’s product registration application, Oxitec could sell boxes of GM Aedes aegypti mosquitoes — under the brand name “Friendly” — directly to consumers across the U.S. in stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s, according to GMO Free USA.
After customers add water to the boxes, the GM mosquitoes hatch and take flight.
According to Oxitec:
“Friendly males carry a self-limiting gene that when passed on, prevents their offspring from surviving to adulthood. With regular releases of Friendly males, the number of offspring … is reduced, resulting in a reduction in the pest insect population.”
Critics say Oxitec has failed to scientifically show that its GM mosquitos are safe for human health, endangered species and the environment.
SOUTH KOREA’S PRESIDENT DECLARES MARTIAL LAW, CLAIMS THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA
December 3rd, 2024Updated: Martial Law Lifted, Lawmakers Call to Impeach President Yoon
Via: Reuters:
South Korean lawmakers on Wednesday called for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law only to reverse the move hours later, triggering the biggest political crisis in decades in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
The surprise declaration late on Tuesday ignited a standoff with parliament which rejected his attempt to ban political activity and censor the media, as armed troops forced their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul.
A coalition of lawmakers from opposition parties said they planned to propose a bill to impeach Yoon on Wednesday which should be voted within 72 hours.
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Update: South Korea Military Says Will ‘Maintain Martial Law Until Lifted by President’
#BREAKING South Korea military says will 'maintain martial law until lifted by president', according to broadcaster pic.twitter.com/024LW2ZfcP
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 3, 2024
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Update: South Korea Parliament Rejects President’s Martial Law Declaration
Via: Reuters:
President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday night in a move that stunned South Koreans and triggered a short-lived attempt by troops to enter parliament, as lawmakers and protesters quickly voiced opposition to the most serious challenge to the country’s democracy since the 1980s.
The speaker of parliament declared the martial law announcement invalid and lawmakers early on Wednesday voted to reject it.
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Update: South Korea Troops Try to Storm Parliament After Martial Law Declared
Via: Reuters:
Troops were seen trying to enter the South Korean parliament on Wednesday after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in a surprise late-night TV address that slammed domestic political opponents and sent shockwaves through the country.
Live television footage showed troops apparently tasked with imposing martial law attempting to enter the assembly building, and parliamentary aides were seen trying to push the soldiers back by spraying fire extinguishers.
Yoon said on Tuesday night that opposition parties had taken the parliamentary process hostage. He vowed to eradicate “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces” and said he had no choice but to take the measure to safeguard constitutional order.
Shortly after Yoon made his announcement, people began gathering outside the parliament building, some of them shouting: “Withdraw emergency martial law!”
The military said activities by parliament and political parties would be banned, and that media and publishers would be under the control of the martial law command.
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Via: Independent:
South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol has declared martial law in a surprise late-night TV address, claiming he would eradicate “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces”.
He did not cite any specific threat from the nuclear-armed North, led by Kim Jong Un, instead focusing on his domestic political opponents, who he accused of throwing the country into a crisis.
“I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order,” he said.
Mr Yoon’s poll ratings have fallen in recent months as he dismisses calls for independent probes into scandals involving his wife and top officials, while his conservative People Power Party has been locked in an impasse with the liberal opposition Democratic Party over next year’s budget bill.
It remained unclear what specific measures would be taken under the new powers. Democratic Party leader Lee Jae Myung said his party would try to nullify the move but expressed fears that parliamentarians could be arrested.
Mexico Stops 2 Migrant Caravans After Trump Tariff Threat
December 3rd, 2024Via: ZeroHedge:
Days after Donald Trump announced that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had “agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States,” or face 25% import duties on Mexican goods, it appears she’s done just that.
China Bans Exports of Gallium, Germanium, Antimony to U.S.
December 3rd, 2024Escalating trade war.
Via: Reuters:
China will ban exports to the U.S. of items related to gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials that have potential military applications, its commerce ministry said on Tuesday, a day after Washington’s latest crackdown on China’s chip sector.
Beijing’s directive on so-called dual-use items, which cites safeguarding national security and interests and takes immediate effect, also requires stricter review of end-usage for graphite items shipped to the United States.
