Friday, December 6, 2024

December 6, 2024

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Unmasked suspect caught grinning, 'flirting' with hostel receptionist . . . A chilling photo shows a suspected gunman grinning widely while supposedly "flirting" with a hostel clerk days before he calmly executed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown hotel Wednesday. The photo — the first to show the alleged masked assassin's full face — was released by the NYPD Thursday as a desperate manhunt for the cold-blooded killer led authorities to an Upper West Side youth hostel, where they believe he stayed before the shocking killing. New York Post

Police test DNA and fingerprints on discarded bottle as they hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's killer . . . The masked gunman who killed the leader of one of the largest U.S. health insurance companies in front of midtown Manhattan surveillance cameras remained at large Thursday as the nation's largest police department hunted for him. UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, died in the dawn ambush Wednesday. Thompson was walking to the company's annual investor conference at a Hilton in Midtown. Associated Press

After Shooting, Americans Express Frustration With Health Insurance Industry . . . It is unclear what motivated the incident. But that did not stop social media commenters from leaping to conclusions and from showing a blatant lack of sympathy over the death of a man who was a husband and father of two children. The dark commentary after the death of Mr. Thompson, a 50-year-old insurance executive from Maple Grove, Minn., highlighted the anger and frustration over the state of health care in America, where those with private insurance often find themselves in Kafka-esque tangles while seeking reimbursement for medical treatment and are often denied. New York Times

Politics

Senate GOP sees Hegseth nomination as likely doomed . . . Pete Hegseth's nomination to serve as secretary of Defense appears doomed despite his fiery declaration that he's "not going anywhere," Republicans on Capitol Hill told The Hill on Thursday. "I think most people do not expect Hegseth to make it," said one Republican senator. "There's seven or eight [Republican] votes against him. It's a matter of time." The Hill

'Like being on vacation': Federal employees are abusing remote work, senator's audit finds . . . Telework has become a bit of a feds-gone-wild situation under President Biden, according to a new Senate report that says government workers have been caught taking bubble baths, drinking and driving or getting medical treatment — all while they were supposed to be on the clock. Just 6% of federal workers are showing up in person for a full day's work every day, according to Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican who has been studying the issue. Meanwhile, one-third are remote employees, and they're often soaking colleagues and taxpayers with their on-the-job antics. Washington Times

This is an outrage. How can people expect bureaucrats who don't do anything at the office to do anything at all from home?

Fetterman Says Bragg's Case Against Trump Was 'Politically Motivated' . . . Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman stated that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case against President-elect Donald Trump was "politically motivated" during a Thursday segment on "The View." The senator argued that a pardon is "appropriate" for Bragg's case and the criminal prosecution against President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, as they were both brought about for political purposes. He argued the politicization of both cases has led to a growing distrust in U.S. institutions among the American public. Daily Caller

Fetterman is turning out to be one of the most GOP-friendly Democrats in the Senate.

Trump appoints David Sacks "White House A.I. & Crypto Czar" . . . A venture capitalist who was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump during the campaign — and a critic of U.S. support for Ukraine — will be joining the new administration. David Sacks will be the "White House A.I. & Crypto Czar" and lead the Presidential Council of Advisors for Science and Technology, the president-elect announced Thursday in a social media post. Sacks "will focus on making America the clear global leader" in artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, Trump wrote on Truth Social. Politico

Culture

The Trump NIH Pick Who Wants to Take On 'Cancel Culture' Colleges . . . President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health wants to take on campus culture at elite universities, wielding the power of tens of billions of dollars in scientific grants. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford physician and economist, is considering a plan to link a university's likelihood of receiving research grants to some ranking or measure of academic freedom on campus, people familiar with his thinking said. Wall Street Journal

National Security

Pentagon alert: U.S. runs out of missiles in a 'matter of days' in China war, can't match production . . . American defense industries lack the capacity to supply the missiles and other weapons needed for a war with China, and U.S. forces would lose the conflict as a result, members of Congress and private defense experts warned Thursday. The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party recently held a simulated conflict with Beijing that revealed the U.S. military would quickly run out of bombs, missiles and other weapons within days of a war. The Pentagon has identified China as the U.S. military's "pacing challenge." Washington Times

Secret Service leader erupts at GOP lawmaker over 9/11 questioning . . . Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe and Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) engaged in a shouting match that persisted over gavel banging, as Rowe accused the lawmaker of politicizing the 9/11 attacks. The Republican hit a nerve with Rowe when he began asking about security planning ahead of a 9/11 memorial held at ground zero on Sept. 11 of this year. The Hill

International

The Sudden Rebel Advance in Syria Creates 'Real Possibility' of Assad's Fall . . . Syrian rebels were poised to take control of the strategic city of Hama on Thursday, dealing a serious blow to President Bashar al-Assad and his allies Russia and Iran and raising the stakes for an insurgency that now controls a huge swath of territory. Capturing Hama would leave only one major city, Homs, in government hands on the road from rebel-held northern Syria to Damascus, the capital. The rebels have vowed to take Homs, potentially cutting off Assad from his ancestral homeland near the country's coast and jeopardizing his hold on power. Wall Street Journal

Money

Elon Musk Backed Trump With Over $250 Million . . . Elon Musk, the world's richest man, spent over a quarter of a billion dollars in the final months of this year's election to help Donald J. Trump win the presidency, federal filings revealed on Thursday. The sum is a fraction of Mr. Musk's wealth. But it is nonetheless a staggering amount from a single donor, who poured the cash into allied groups and is now playing a role in helping shape the next administration. New York Times

Everyone is enamored of him now. But what does he want in exchange?

You should also know

CDC breaks silence as mystery flu-like infection kills dozens of children in Africa . . . The CDC is 'standing ready' amid an outbreak of a mystery disease in Africa. There are rising concerns about the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where dozens of people have died from a flu-like respiratory illness. A source at the CDC told DailyMail.com they were 'aware' of the outbreak and were in contact with health officials there 'and stand ready to provide additional support if needed'. Daily Mail

How to Spot a Rich Guy? Look for This Jacket . . . "It's a Cary Grant moment," said Harry Slatkin, the chairman of a luxury fragrance and personal-care company, when describing his favorite jacket style. The 64-year-old finds Grant-like elegance in tailored button-up designs with a stand collar some might call "Nehru." Though Grant was not known for sporting band-collar styles, Slatkin sees these jackets as debonair, a quality the "To Catch a Thief" star pulled off with the same unblinking ease he brought to breathing. For Slatkin, they deliver the gravitas of a blazer without the stuffiness. "It's just such a gentleman's way of dressing." Wall Street Journal

Guilty Pleasures

Target unveils "Hot Santa" . . . Santa has a more modern and rugged way about him - and clearly has been hitting the gym to work off the milk and cookies. Target dropped this year's holiday commercials with titles like 'Born to Be Kris' and 'He's Hot, But These Turkey Deals Are Hotter'. The 'He's Hot' commercial - which has been viewed on YouTube more than seven million times - showcased the silver fox in khaki pants and a form-fitting quarter-zip red sweater that shows off his physique. Daily Mail

Biden looks like the Grinch during National Christmas Tree lighting . . . In the president's first major appearance since his shock pardon of son Hunter, one photo showed Biden's hair in tatters, leading to social media to pile on. 'Biden's entire presidency summed up in a hairdo,' joked one commenter on X. Another joked that Biden's hair represented 'Me trying to get through the day.' Daily Mail