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MINNEAPOLIS — Brian Thompson, the chief executive of Minnetonka-based UnitedHealthcare, has been shot and killed in Manhattan in what police officials called a brazen attack that apparently targeted the Maple Grove resident. Thompson, 50, was fatally shot outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown where video evidence indicates the gunman was “lying in wait” for several minutes and approached from behind, firing several rounds, said Jessica Tisch, commissioner of the New York Police Department, at a Wednesday news conference. The executive was struck at least once in the back and leg. “Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in what appears — in this early stage of our investigation — to be a brazen, targeted attack,” Tisch said. “This does not appear to be a random act of violence.” The police commissioner added: “I want to be clear, at this time, every indication is that this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.” Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information on what they described as a homicide. They said the shooting occurred at about 6:40 a.m. Eastern time. Thompson was walking toward the hotel, police said, to attend the annual investor day conference for parent company UnitedHealth Group. The shooter arrived on the location about five minutes ahead of Thompson, who was walking alone without a security detail, said Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. Video shows the suspect step out from behind a car and ignore other pedestrians before shooting Thompson from behind, Kenny said. The suspect then walked toward Thompson and continued to shoot, until the gun apparently malfunctioned. After clearing the jam, the shooter began to fire again, Kenny said, and then fled on foot. Responding to reporter questions, Kenny said police don’t know if the shooter could have been a professional, nor could investigators say if there was a silencer on the weapon. From watching the video, he said, “it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly.” After his initial flight from the scene, the suspect was later seen riding an e-bike, including when he was spotted in Central Park. “The motive for this murder currently is unknown,” Kenny said. “Based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear that the victim was specifically targeted. But at this point, we do not know why.” Thompson was CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest health insurer. It is a division of Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group, which is the fourth-largest public company in America behind Walmart, Amazon and Apple. His wife, Paulette Reveiz Thompson, told NBC News that he had been receiving threats. “There had been some threats,” she said in a phone call to NBC News. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.” During the police news conference, reporters asked Kenny if there was any evidence to suggest a connection between the killing and a patient upset over insurance coverage. ”We’re looking at everything,” the chief of detectives said. “We’re looking at (Thompson’s) social media. We are interviewing employees. We are interviewing family members. We will be speaking to law enforcement in Minnesota.” Thompson arrived in New York on Monday, Kenny said. Police had begun the process to search Thompson’s hotel room, he said, adding: “We’re reaching out to law enforcement in Minnesota and we’re also interviewing his co-workers and family members to see if there have been any specific threats against him in the past.” Thompson was named chief executive of the insurance division in April 2021. For several years prior, he ran the Medicare Advantage business within UnitedHealthcare, which has been at the center of recent industry scrutiny over risk adjustment payments and prior authorization denials . Company leaders were gathered at the annual conference for parent company UnitedHealth Group when CEO Andrew Witty abruptly halted the meeting just after 9 a.m. Eastern time. “We’re dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members,” Witty said. “As a result, I’m afraid, we’re going to have to bring to a close the event.” Thompson’s two sons are Wayzata High School students, one current and one who graduated this past spring. His elder son lettered three years on the lacrosse team, said one of his coaches. His parents “were present around all of the team events,” said assistant coach Brandon Carlson, who saw breaking news reports of Brian Thompson’s death but had not realized it was the father of his former athlete. Brian and Paulette Thompson “were very supportive of their son,” Carlson said. “He’s an amazing young man and a teammate everyone would want to have.” His second son is a sophomore and active on the track and field team. Wayzata High School Principal Scott Gengler sent a note to staff Wednesday morning expressing deep sympathies to the family. “Wayzata High School has taken immediate steps to support our students and staff as they process this devastating event,” Gengler wrote in a memo shared with the Star Tribune. Thompson was an executive with the company for two decades. He graduated in 1997 from the University of Iowa, where he studied business administration and accounting, according to a LinkedIn page . “He was humble, a servant-leader and family man,” said John Penshorn, a former UnitedHealth Group executive who worked with Thompson for more than a decade before retiring in 2019. Steve Parente, a health economist at the University of Minnesota and former health care official in the Trump administration, said he worked with Thompson to help create a system for distributing federal financial aid to health care providers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. ”He was just an incredible guy — nice, resourceful,” said Parente, who worked in the White House at the time. “This is just a total tragedy.” Several prominent Minnesotans took to social media Wednesday morning to express their condolences over the loss. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said on social media : “This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota. Minnesota is sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.” Sen. Amy Klobuchar said , “This is a horrifying and shocking act of violence. My thoughts are with Brian Thompson’s family and loved ones and all those working at UnitedHealthcare in Minnesota.” The scene at UnitedHealthcare’s headquarters in Minnetonka was somber Wednesday. Snow squalls battered the U.S., Minnesota and company flags flying at half-staff as television news crews filmed. A bouquet of flowers lay inside the building’s front entrance. Several Minnetonka police cars camped outside the campus, and the department appeared to position a security tower to monitor the headquarters. A spokesperson for the Minnetonka Police Department said it’s proactively stepping up patrols in the area of UnitedHealthcare’s campus and has been in touch with the company’s security team. The spokesperson was not aware of any specific threats targeting the campus. Police records show there have been many calls from company headquarters since January 2021, but a substantial number of those were 911 hangups. On July 15, 11 people were arrested when the People’s Action Institute staged a protest over the company’s allegedly improper refusals to authorize or pay for care. UnitedHealth Group said at the time the safety of its workers was a top priority, and it had resolved the group’s specific concerns, remaining open to a broader dialogue on access to care matters. Other calls have included three for an “unwanted person” and one each for an alleged threat, a civil matter and a disturbance. The civil matter involved a UnitedHealthcare client living in California who was in a reimbursement dispute in May involving $1,000. Following Thompson’s shooting, UnitedHealth Group issued a statement saying the company was working closely with the New York Police Department. “We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague,” the company said. “Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. ... Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.” (Minnesota Star Tribune reporters Victor Stefanescu and Paul Walsh contributed to this report.) ©2024 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit startribune.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
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As DOGE, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s “Department of Government Efficiency” gets underway, the two billionaires are looking for federal programs and agencies to cut, as they seek to advance Musk’s espoused goal of trimming $2 trillion from the federal budget. While critics have noted that this goal is—like much of Musk’s rhetoric—hyperbolic to the point of being impossible, that hasn’t stopped the duo from loudly proclaiming a growing list of targets, in an effort to inspire fear and make it look like they’re doing something. One of their recently espoused targets is California’s long-suffering high-speed rail project. A federally funded effort that Musk has previously taken shots at, the rail project was originally approved by voters during a ballot initiative in 2008. Since then, billions of dollars have been spent and less than a quarter of the proposed rail line has been built. The project is partially funded by federal grants, though Trump—during his first term— temporarily put an end to that . When Biden came into office, he turned the funding spigot back on . Now, presumably, it will be turned off again. It’s previously been reported that Musk promoted the Hyperloop , a futuristic underground shuttle, in order to cause problems for California’s rail project. Musk talked a lot about the Hyperloop for years but never intended on building it. It was a strategy of diversion that the car magnate reportedly hoped could make “the public and legislators rethink” their investment in the train system. You know, because he’s in the business of selling cars. Last week, Ramaswamy similarly took aim at the project in a post on Musk’s platform , X, calling the rail “a wasteful vanity project” that had wasted “billions in taxpayer cash, with little prospect for completion in the next decade.” He added: “President Trump correctly rescinded ~$1BN in federal funds for this boondoggle in 2019, but Biden reversed that & doubled down. Time to end the waste.” Ramaswamy’s comments came not long before he and Musk descended on Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers and discuss their upcoming plans. The two billionaires appeared in D.C. on Thursday for a closed-door session with Republicans, during which they reportedly discussed how DOGE would “revive the principle of limited government.” During that meeting, which involved the new Senate Republican leader John Thune, potential targets for funding cuts were discussed, which apparently included mandatory spending programs like Social Security and Medicare . Indeed, NBC reports that Thune expressed to a journalist that “perhaps mandatory programs are areas that they’re looking to make cuts in, like Social Security, for example.” The news comes after a concerted push by some Republican leaders to demonize those programs. Another target that Musk discussed was federal subsidies for electric vehicles. In what seems to have been a rather brazen effort to push a policy that would doubtlessly benefit his own EV company Tesla, Musk reportedly told a journalist that he thought the government “should get rid of all credits.” In July, Musk similarly suggested doing away with federal subsidies for EV companies, posting on X : “Take away the subsidies. It will only help Tesla.” He added: “Also, remove subsidies from all industries!” The whole reason that Musk is in the position that he’s currently in is that he used his immense wealth to help get Trump elected, and new information also came to light Friday on just how much money Musk had spent in that regard. An analysis of recently released Federal Election Commission filings found that the tech magnate had spent over a quarter of a billion dollars —or roughly $277 million—in his effort to get Trump back in the White House. The Washington Post has noted that Musk probably spent more than that, since the “entirety of Musk’s donations this election cycle” may not “be reflected in publicly available documents.” While much of Musk’s financial contributions went towards America PAC, the political action committee he created, he also donated a large amount to lesser-known groups, including a little-known PAC designed to convince Americans that Trump did not want to take away their abortion rights. That PAC, named “RBG” after Ruth Bader Ginsberg, received as much as $20 million from Musk, the New York Times has reported . Musk has also made it known that he plans to use much of the infrastructure that was built during the campaign to continue pushing his political agenda in D.C. He has said he wants to keep America PAC active , with plans to use it during, as well as to potentially use it to oust liberal district attorneys across the country . Musk also apparently plans to continue using X (formerly Twitter) to broadcast his and Trump’s agenda to the public.
You’ve perhaps heard of GOG.com’s game preservation efforts. And that . And then there are the modernization projects for games like and , including side efforts like . And . But there’s more: Two recent open source projects highlight yet another major game reservation push, in this case to help classic games run well on modern PCs. This isn’t about piracy: In both cases, you have to own the original game. Both are quite interesting. Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift! The first is called . This is an “open re-implementation of including the Spearhead and Breakthrough expansions with modern features and bugfixes [and] with cross-platform support.” This project just hit a major (beta) milestone which its developers say make the game fully implemented on modern PCs. This includes the single-player campaigns provided by the core game and its two expansions, and even the multiplayer experience. And it’s not just for Windows. It works on Mac and Linux too. And on Windows 11 on Arm (!). To use openmohaa, you have to own , and as the developers note, (and maybe elsewhere). . There’s also TRX, which is described as an open source implementation of the original two games. As with openmohaa, there’s a GitHub page for the project, and as with that project, you need the original games, which you can find on ($9.99 for both) and ($6.99 each). works now on Windows, Mac, and Linux, but is currently Windows-only. Interesting stuff. I assume there are more projects like this, so let me know if you’re aware of any. And there will be almost certainly others coming in the future as well. Paul Thurrott is an award-winning technology journalist and blogger with 30 years of industry experience and the author of 30 books. He is the owner of and the host of three tech podcasts: with Leo Laporte and Richard Campbell, , and with Brad Sams. He was formerly the senior technology analyst at Windows IT Pro and the creator of the SuperSite for Windows from 1999 to 2014 and the Major Domo of Thurrott.com while at BWW Media Group from 2015 to 2023. You can reach Paul via , or . Join the crowd where the love of tech is real - become a Thurrott Premium Member today! Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday
Cavaliers vs. Raptors Injury Report Today – November 24
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With Penn State’s strong push for a spot in the College Football Playoff still a couple of wins from completion, the biggest roadblock to a bid for the Nittany Lions in this favorable final third of their schedule has appeared with a trip to Minnesota . That’s why this week, naturally, is too early for them to talk about making the inaugural 12-team tournament — as enticing as their prospects might be. “I think the quality of teams that we go in and play each week speaks for itself,” quarterback Drew Allar said. “But as far as rankings, it doesn’t really matter until it matters.” Penn State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) is fourth in both the AP poll and the CFP rankings this week, needing help for a long-shot hope of reaching the Big Ten title game because of a loss to now-No. 2 Ohio State on Nov. 2. In this new era of playoff expansion, the Nittany Lions are on firm footing for an at-large bid. Lose to the unranked Gophers (6-4, 4-3), however, and that ground could become shaky given the current collection of standout two-loss teams in the SEC. In case the Nittany Lions needed proof of the danger of letting focus diverge, coach James Franklin and his staff can call up the tape from Nov. 9, 2019. That’s when an undefeated Penn State team came to Minnesota and lost 31-26 . The Nittany Lions lost again at Ohio State two weeks later and finished 11-2, one of several not-quite performances for this storied program that last went unbeaten in 1994 and hasn’t been recognized as national champions since 1986. The Gophers were undefeated themselves after that game before losses to rivals Iowa and Wisconsin ended their Rose Bowl quest. This team isn’t on that level of talent and success from five years ago, but the chemistry has been off the charts. Coach P.J. Fleck drew attention to some of the individual standout performances that fueled the signature victory in 2019 in meetings with players this week. “We need our best playmakers to play their best. Penn State’s going to need their playmakers to be their best. That’s what happens in November,” Fleck said. Tyler Warren has already shattered nearly every record for Penn State tight ends. The do-it-all senior become such a force his teammates insist he’s worthy of the Heisman Trophy, tracking toward the top of the NFL draft board for his position next spring. “He’s the best tight end in America, but he’s also the most complete tight end in America,” Allar said. Warren is coming off a 190-yard performance at Purdue that included 63 yards on three rushes and 127 yards on eight receptions. “He has the ability to take a play that should be 2 or 3 yards and turn it into 30 or 40,” Gophers defensive end Danny Striggow said. Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter has 171⁄2 tackles for loss, the second-most in the FBS, and eight sacks to match the third-most in the Big Ten. He has a challenging matchup this week with Minnesota left tackle Aireontae Ersery across from him in a battle of projected first-round NFL draft picks. Gophers coaches told Striggow and his fellow defensive linemen a couple of seasons ago to relish the opportunity to face Ersery in practice. “That’s one of the best looks in the country that you’re going to get,” Striggow said. Carter has successfully made the transition from linebacker this season. “He is impacting the game in a number of ways, which creates opportunities for other guys on our defensive line and within our defense and causes a lot of headaches,” Franklin said. “He is becoming more and more of a leader every single day.” Allar and the Nittany Lions have paid particular attention to protecting the ball this week, given the Gophers have 16 interceptions, one short of the national lead. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar feels he’ll need to be especially accurate this weekend considering Minnesota has 16 interceptions on the season. “We’re just going to have to be disciplined and stick to our game plan,” Allar said. The Gophers have a strong group of departing players who will take the field at Huntington Bank Stadium for the final time, including Ersery, quarterback Max Brosmer, wide receiver Daniel Jackson, right guard Quinn Carroll, cornerback Justin Walley, kicker Dragan Kesich and Striggow. “It’s been good to reflect, but it’s not over yet,” Striggow said. “Those short windows of reflection, I cut ’em out and then say, ‘We’ve got some more memories to make.’”
10 hot-ticket gifts we predict will sell out on Black Friday 2024The Washington Capitals failed to get their offense untracked in their first game since the team announced superstar captain Alex Ovechkin will be sidelined four to six weeks with a broken left fibula. The Capitals will look for a better showing on Saturday night when they host the New Jersey Devils. The Metropolitan Division rivals each skated away with a win on the other's home ice last month. Washington was unable to generate much in the way of offense in Thursday's 2-1 setback to the visiting Colorado Avalanche, save for Pierre-Luc Dubois' goal late in the first period. As a result, the Capitals saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt. The game was Washington's first since Ovechkin exited Monday's 6-2 win over the Utah Hockey Club with 14:30 remaining following a collision with Utah forward Jack McBain. Ovechkin, 39, has scored 13 of his team-leading 15 goals over his last 11 games played. "It's an unfortunate injury," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. "Anytime you lose your captain, anytime you lose a player that is having the year that he's having and playing as well as he's playing -- he's such a big part of our team. ... He'll be back at some point for us. Now we just need other guys to do more." Andrew Mangiapane was elevated to the top line to play with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas on Thursday, while Hendrix Lapierre was inserted into the third line to work alongside Lars Eller and Jakub Vrana. "We had a couple new combinations, guys maybe feeling each other out a little bit," rugged forward Tom Wilson said, per the Washington Post. "But I think we could definitely hold on to more pucks and create a little bit more offensively." Ovechkin, naturally, would have a hand in that -- as the Devils would attest. The three-time Hart Trophy recipient had an assist in Washington's 5-3 loss to New Jersey on Oct. 12 and a goal in a 6-5 overtime victory versus the Devils seven days later. New Jersey captain Nico Hischier collected two goals among his four points in the two previous games against the Capitals. Hischier scored all 10 of his goals this season in October and is joined by Jesper Bratt and Stefan Noesen for the team lead. Speaking of Bratt, he scored two goals and set up another while Jack Hughes had three assists in the Devils' 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. "Bratter is just playing elite right now," Hughes said. "We're connected. We're moving the puck well and finding our groove but it's about staying consistent throughout the year." Noesen also scored a goal against his former team while battling an illness. The goal was his third in his last three games and 10th in 22 contests this season after recording a career-high 14 in 81 games in 2023-24 with the Hurricanes. "Noesen was a game-time decision," New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said. "He almost didn't play ... Then he scores that goal against his former team." This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.
Every Black Friday, there’s a number of viral products that everyone has on their Christmas wish list, and we don’t expect this year to be any different. However, not all of these popular items are going to stay in stock, and we have some insight on the ones that won’t. Black Friday is big business, and last year shoppers spent $222.1 billion during the entire holiday shopping season, according to Queue-it. Sales on Black Friday reached $16.4 billion (online and in stores), and this was a 9% increase from the year before. While it comes as no surprise that electronics are the most sought-after products of the holiday season, Queue-it said this accounts for the majority of holiday sales, jumping to $50.8 billion in 2023. Apparel, furniture, groceries and toys are the other hot sellers of Black Friday. Together, these five categories accounted for 65% of sales during the holidays last year and is only expected to grow in 2024. While many items that sell out over Black Friday are driven by a good deal, we also know that a hot product is just that — a gift that most people want to open on Christmas Day. So, here are our picks for the top 10 hot-ticket items that could sell out over Black Friday. Samsung 98-inch QLED TV The holidays are ripe for TV deals, and we expect shoppers to buy a ton of them in 2024, especially at Walmart. Consumers are trending toward bigger TVs and the super low-price deals over Black Friday force many models to sell out. This is especially true of popular models from Samsung, Hisense, LG and more favorites. Apple Watch Series 9 Apple's smartwatches are a top pick among Apple fans. We’ve seen prices on the Apple Watch continue to trend downward, which was only spurred by the release of the new Apple Watch 10 in September. This pushed down prices on earlier models, with the best deals coming on the Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch 9. For Black Friday, we think the prices will drop even lower and sell out due to high demand. Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones are one of the most popular products of 2024, and Beats are one of the top brands. We’re already seeing big markdowns on Beats Wireless Headphones, and we expect these price drops to continue into Black Friday. The Beats Solo3 is likely to be on sale for even cheaper than we’ve already seen, and we think they will sell out for Black Friday, with the possibility of other popular Beats headphones joining them. Apple AirPods (3rd gen) If you haven’t picked up a pair of Apple AirPods yet, this could be your year to do it. With Apple launching a fourth generation of AirPods earlier this year, the price on prevvious models are creeping lower. We think over Black Friday they’ll be at their cheapest price ever, with the AirPods (3rd Gen) likely to sell out. JBL Flip 6 Bluetooth speakers are a must-have for many this year, and with the big sound that comes from JBL’s speakers, it’s easy to see why they might sell out for Black Friday. These popular speakers come in a variety of portable sizes and waterproof designs. We expect big deals on JBL’s top-rated Clip 5 and Flip 6 Bluetooth speaker models. Apple iPad (10th Gen) One of Apple’s most sought-after products of the year was the iPad, and we saw the 9th Gen and 10th Gen models drop to their lowest prices ever. We think this year will bring some iPad bliss with even better discounts, but these deals will disappear just as fast as they arrive. We think that mega discounts on the iPad (9th Gen) and iPad (10th Gen) could cause sell outs, especially on Amazon. Dyson Airwrap The Dyson Airwrap just might be the top product of Black Friday, as this is one of the rare times there’s a discount on the beloved hair styling tool. At $600, the Airwrap carries a hefty price tag, so any discount presented is a welcome surprise. But as we’ve seen in the past, any Black Friday deal on the Dyson Airwrap causes a crush of interest that’s followed by a sell out. Ugg Tasman slippers If you’ve tried to scoop up the UGG Tasman Slippers in previous years, you already know they never stay in stock for long. As the “it” slipper of the holiday season, UGG’s Tasman sells out multiple times over the holidays, even without a discount offered. We think that this year will be similar, with popular sizes and colors of the Tasman Slipper snatched up fast over Black Friday. Bissell Little Green The Bissell Little Green carpet cleaner is a popular home product that just can’t seem to stay in stock. With prices falling under $90, this mighty machine can be a blessing for pet owners and parents, as its compact size makes it easy to store and use when needed. We’ve seen the Little Green Machine sell out before, and we’d be surprised if it didn’t do it again over Black Friday. Furby Galaxy Edition We’d be remiss if we didn’t include a top toy that we think will be hard to find and gift this year. Our pick is the Furby Galaxy Edition. This glow-in-the-dark Furby is based on the original Furby from the late ’90s with even more features, interactive modes and more fun. Making a comeback in 2023, we saw the revival of this popular toy sell out last year, and we expect the new Furby Galaxy Edition to do the same. For the holidays: Get inspiring home and gift ideas – sign up now!