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By Dan Diamond, Olivia George and Annie GowenWashington Post BALTIMORE – Luigi Mangione was a young prince of this city, his family’s name emblazoned on the walls of buildings and civic institutions. Teachers at his elite prep school described him as a student leader, on his way to an Ivy League education. Classmates called the valedictorian, athlete and budding engineer an inspiration, someone focused on society’s future. More accolades followed at college in Philadelphia. Then came worsening back pain, time abroad and a period of discontent. Friends said they lost track of the 26-year-old this year, struggling to confirm his participation in a wedding; his mother filed a missing-person report. As Mangione’s once-charmed life seemed to be crumbling, Brian Thompson’s fortunes appeared to be climbing. The 50-year-old executive, from a small town in Iowa, was entering his fourth year as CEO of the nation’s largest health insurer, UnitedHealthcare, where he was well-liked by employees and respected in the industry – even as some patients complained about the company’s practice of denying care. “I feel really good,” Thompson told investors on a January call. “Very optimistic about UnitedHealthcare ... a lot to look forward to here in the year.” The two men’s paths collided on a Manhattan sidewalk early the morning of Dec. 4, according to police charging documents, with Mangione accused of standing in wait for Thompson in what authorities are calling a targeted shooting. Police who arrested Mangione on Monday in Pennsylvania found a handwritten manifesto that blamed “parasites” and that reportedly railed against UnitedHealth Group – the parent organization of UnitedHealthcare and the nation’s largest health-care company. Mangione appeared in court Tuesday as prosecutors sought to extradite him to New York to face five charges, including second-degree murder, in connection with Thompson’s death. Separately, he faces five counts in Pennsylvania, including presenting false identification to the police officers who arrested him. Ahead of Tuesday’s court hearing, Mangione appeared to struggle with officers and seemed to shout toward a throng of journalists about “an insult to the intelligence of the American people.” Mangione was denied bail. The extradition process to New York, which he is fighting, could take weeks. The developments have staggered people who watched Mangione’s early rise and are trying to reconcile the promising high school and college student with the man now sitting in a Pennsylvania prison cell. Many of them spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid being publicly linked to Mangione or the shooting of Thompson. “That’s not the boy I know,” said one of Mangione’s former teachers at Gilman School, the all-boys private school in Baltimore where Mangione was the top graduate in 2016. Other teachers and students at Gilman discussed his humility, kindness and affability; classmates from the University of Pennsylvania similarly described a well-liked engineering student and fraternity brother who graduated from the school in 2020. What radicalized Mangione and fixated him on the health insurance industry is not fully known, though clues exist in his personal health history and in a trail he appears to have left online. Friends said Mangione struggled with years-long back problems, worsening his quality of life; he moved to Hawaii after college in pursuit of getting healthy. An X-ray he posted on social media appears to depict a person suffering from spondylolisthesis, a spinal condition in which a vertebra slips out of place and can cause chronic pain, physicians said. “When my spondy went bad on me last year (23M), it was completely devastating as a young athletic person,” read a post left by a Reddit account that had previously linked to Mangione’s personal programming site and offered personal details that match Mangione’s. Reddit declined to confirm whether the account, which was deactivated this week, belonged to Mangione. Friends said the pain hampered Mangione’s social life and culminated in major surgery last year. The X-ray posted by Mangione shows a “lumbar spine with posterior spinal instrumentation, possible fusion” – a procedure that involves screws or rods to stabilize the spine, said Zeeshan Sardar, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Columbia University Medical Center who reviewed the post at the request of The Washington Post. While patients are warned that spinal surgeries may worsen a person’s condition, the Reddit account linked to Mangione last year described the surgery as a success. Mangione also was long focused on what he saw as societal decay, posting commentary online that sometimes summarized his reading, including on the popular review website Goodreads. In his 2021 review of the Unabomber’s manifesto – written by an anonymous killer terrorizing the United States from the 1970s into the 1990s with meticulously crafted pipe bombs – Mangione awarded it four stars and shared a comment he attributed to another person: “When all other forms of communication fail, violence is necessary to survive. You may not like his methods, but to see things from his perspective, it’s not terrorism, it’s war and revolution.” Selections he made for a book club he started in Hawaii in 2023 began to alarm others, said Sarah Nehemiah, a 27-year-old producer and researcher who met Mangione the prior year and moved into his co-living space after Mangione had left. “Several members left due to discomfort in his book choices,” she said. “The Unabomber manifesto is what really pushed people over the edge.” Investigators are trying to piece together what led Mangione to allegedly fixate on Thompson. UnitedHealthcare, which provides coverage to roughly 1 in 7 Americans, declined to comment on whether Mangione or his family were customers of the health insurance company. UnitedHealth Group has been the focus of congressional oversight, watchdog groups and patient complaints that say the sprawling company’s subsidiaries have wrongly denied patients’ claims, sometimes by using artificial intelligence. The company and its largest subsidiary, UnitedHealthcare, have become proxies for many Americans’ broader complaints about health care, a phenomenon crystallized by the outpouring of complaints and mockery since Thompson’s shooting. UnitedHealth Group has defended its practices. In Baltimore on Tuesday, as fog blanketed the city, residents said they were still wrestling with the revelation that Thompson’s alleged killer is a member of the well-respected Mangione family, which is prominent in the region and has long-standing ties to Little Italy, the neighborhood just east of the Inner Harbor. The family owns Lorien Health Systems, a network of skilled nursing and assisted-living facilities, where Luigi Mangione volunteered in high school, and has founded or acquired golf and country clubs that attract top local players. A Baltimore art museum, university and a now-defunct opera company have been among the civic institutions that have benefited from Mangione philanthropy. Greater Baltimore Medical Center, a hospital long affiliated with the Mangione family, boasts a “Mangione Family Center” in the soaring atrium where obstetrics patients enter the building; a placard in another part of the hospital thanks the Mangione Family Foundation for donating more than $1 million. “You would not truly think that a member of the Mangione family would be accused of this,” said Thomas J. Maronick Jr., a criminal-defense attorney in Maryland who knows several of the suspect’s relatives. The family released a statement Monday night saying they were “shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest.” “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved. We are devastated by this news,” the Mangione family said in its statement. – – – A star student and engineer The Luigi Mangione whom teachers saw growing up was a builder. A video posted by Gilman in 2016 shows him at the center of a robotics competition, manipulating a robot and helping lead the school’s team to success in a tournament. The prep school charges nearly $38,000 for a year of high school tuition, according to its website, and many students come from some degree of wealth. But far from bragging about his family’s local prominence, Mangione was viewed as self-effacing and accessible – a volunteer who coached other students on their essays in the school’s writing center. Then came Penn, the Ivy League university, where again Mangione found himself in leadership roles, such as helping to found a video game development club. A Penn-affiliated news outlet in December 2018 reported that the club had grown to 60 members. “Passion is what we’re looking for,” Mangione said in an interview, adding that the club didn’t turn away people who lacked programming experience. Mangione graduated from Penn with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in four years. He went to work as an engineer for TrueCar, a web platform for people to shop for automobiles. The company, which instituted broad layoffs in 2023, has said Mangione has not been employed by it since that year. Mangione spent early 2022 at Surfbreak HNL, a shared living space tucked along Oahu’s south shore and about a mile from Waikiki Beach, a former resident told The Post. Mangione arrived in January 2022 and left by mid-April, said Nehemiah, who has remained close with other residents, some of whom were hesitant to speak publicly about their interactions with Mangione but authorized her to speak on their behalf. Surfbreak, which sits on the 40th floor of a Honolulu high-rise, boasts floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the water and bills itself as the “the first co-living and co-working penthouse for remote workers in Hawaii” on its website. Monthly rent for a twin bedroom starts at $1,605, while “king corner” rooms command up to $3,305, according to the Surfbreak website. Nehemiah and her friends at Surfbreak believed Mangione had left “due to a lifelong back injury that was exacerbated by surfing and hiking,” she told The Post. “To our knowledge, nearly all members of Surfbreak from his tenure lost contact with him after he left.” Posts circulating on social media and conversations with those who knew him indicate Mangione withdrew and dropped out of touch with friends this year. In since-deleted posts this July on X, one person tagged an account that appears to be Mangione’s and said he hadn’t heard from Mangione in months. “Hey man I need you to call me ... [You] made commitments to me for my wedding and if you can’t honor them I need to know so I can plan accordingly,” the person wrote. In another post from the same account, posted in November, just two weeks before Mangione was taken into custody, the person wrote: “Thinking of you and prayers every day in your name. Know you are missed and loved.” It appears that Mangione spent time in Japan this year. In a post Monday on X, Japanese professional poker player Jun Obara recounted a chance encounter with him in a Tokyo restaurant after a photo of them posted to the platform in February circulated online. Former classmates said they couldn’t square this new, darker portrait of Mangione with the person who was once so optimistic. “I can’t help but feel sorry for Luigi and really the American people – that he had so much to offer, to innovate and create for the world and wound up so damaged that he did the unthinkable instead,” said a former Gilman student, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “As I knew him, he was a creator, not a taker of life.” On social media, Mangione in 2022 posted excerpts from a speech he delivered to high school classmates – part of a tradition in which Gilman seniors have long been allowed to deliver a speech to the assembled high school on any topic of their choosing. Mangione chose to discuss the arc of human progress, warning that the audience might think he was “crazy.” “We may have been born into one of the most exciting times on earth,” Mangione said in his prepared remarks, talking about the arrival of artificial intelligence and other technological breakthroughs that could even lead to immortality. “We might not recognize it in our day-to-day lives, but the world is changing fast.”DraftKings Sportsbook and Caesars Sportsbook are two of the best online sports betting sites in the country. DraftKings is a market leader in several states. Caesars is locked in a battle for third place with BetMGM Sportsbook in some states. DraftKings has a 30% to 45% market share in dozens of states. Caesars averages about 10% to 15%. However, there’s not much of a difference between the two online sportsbook products. Both have: Generous welcome bonuses for new bettors Ongoing promotions for existing bettors All kinds of odds boosts, contests, and other betting promos Competitive odds Easy-to-use software available via mobile apps and websites We've compared the two below in several important categories. If you’re asking whether you should place a bet with Caesars or DraftKings, this comparison might help you make that decision. Caesars Sportsbook Caesars is using a generous welcome bonus and the allure of its Caesars Rewards program to gain market share in several states. Caesars Sportsbook posts consistently better odds than its competition does, and it regularly runs odds boosts, parlay boosts, profit boosts, bonuses, and free-to-play contests. Pros of Caesars The most competitive odds Caesars Rewards Generous welcome bonus Cons of Caesars Mobile app features are limited Slow load times reported Lengthier wait times for withdrawals reported DraftKings DraftKings Sportsbook is a market leader in several states due to its massive welcome bonus and the broadest range of available betting markets online. That welcome bonus is worth up to $2,550. The value continues with various ongoing promos and DK’s always competitive odds. DraftKings also allows seamless movement between the sportsbook and DFS contests. Bettors earn Crowns and Tier Credits in DraftKings' Dynasty Rewards loyalty program with every bet and contest entry. Ongoing promos also include free-to-play contests, odds boosts, and bonus bets. Pros of DraftKings Easy-to-use software Single-account DFS and sportsbook access Generous welcome bonus Cons of DraftKings Customer support access is sometimes limited Slower withdrawal times reported Higher vig reported DraftKings vs. Caesars comparison From a product perspective, there isn’t much difference between DraftKings Sportsbook and Caesars Sportsbook. The big difference is how popular the DraftKings product seems to be with players. Both offer competitive odds, but the odds at Caesars are consistently better. Both have loyalty programs, but Caesars Rewards is widely considered the top loyalty program in US gaming. Both use generous welcome bonuses and ongoing promos to attract new players and keep existing ones on board. So, why is DraftKings beating Caesars in almost every market? The answer may be that the DraftKings brand has been around longer via daily fantasy sports. It has successfully leveraged its large DFS customer base and popular marketing and advertising campaigns. Caesars vs. DraftKings banking options Caesars and DraftKings have mostly the same banking options, although Caesars has a few more and faster options. As a result, Caesars wins the head-to-head comparison in this category. Here’s a look. Banking Methods DraftKings Deposits DraftKings Withdrawals Caesars Deposits Caesars Withdrawals Online Banking Instant w/ no maximum 2-4 business days (Trustly) Instant w/ no maximum 2-4 business days Instant Banking Instant w/ no maximum 2-4 business days N/A N/A Debit/Credit Card Visa, Mastercard Within 24 hours (Visa); 1-3 business days (Mastercard) Visa, Mastercard, Discover (Direct to Debit) Less than 1 hour after approval ACH/eCheck Instant w/ variable maximum 3-5 business days Instant w/ variable maximum At least 1 business days PayPal Instant w/ variable maximum Up to 48 hours Instant w/ variable maximum Same day Branded Prepaid Play+ Card Instant w/ $2,000 maximum Within 24 hours Instant w/ $2,000 maximum Less than 1 hour Cash at Sportsbooks Instant w/ no maximum Within 10-12 hours Instant w/ no maximum Instant Check N/A 7-21 business days N/A Up to 14 business days PayNearMe 15 minutes w/ $500 maximum N/A 15 minutes w/ $500 maximum N/A Venmo Instant w/ $5,000 maximum Within 24 hours Instant w/ $5,000 maximum At least 1 business day Caesars vs. DraftKings registration process The registration processes are practically identical for Caesars and DraftKings. Neither wins this category as a result. Caesars and DraftKings both offer website and app registration. Both ask for a username, password, and personal info that includes your name, email address, address, phone number, date of birth, and the last four digits of your SSN. While Caesars asks you to enter a promo code to get the best bonus available, you must sign up through the links here to get the same from DraftKings. Both will also ask you to accept specific terms and conditions and may require a copy of your driver’s license. Verification is almost always a same-day process with Caesars and DraftKings. DraftKings vs. Caesars betting apps DraftKings and Caesars have both designed fully functional sports betting apps for Apple and Android devices. The ratings on the App Store and Google Play are both high. Plus, both make account management and navigation easy. The DraftKings app may have more features, but Caesars’ is more stable. Ultimately, the choice is between additional features at DraftKings and the more stable software at Caesars. We prize the features, and since DraftKings doesn’t crash often, it’s tops in the mobile app category. See more: Best sports betting apps Caesars vs. DraftKings promotions and bonuses Sign up for a new account with Caesars Sportsbook using the promo code NEWS1000 and double your winnings on the 10 bets you make after you place a bet of $1 or more. Sign up for a new account with DraftKings Sportsbook through the links on this page, and you'll get a 20% deposit match bonus of up to $1,000, a $50 bonus bet with a $5 deposit, and $150 in bonus bets instantly after placing a $5 real-money bet. The sheer size of DraftKings’ welcome bonus gives it the edge here. The available promos and the size of the welcome bonus give DraftKings a clear win in this category. See more: Best sports betting bonuses & promo codes DraftKings vs. Caesars state accessibility Caesars Sportsbook is legal in: AZ, CO, DC (on-site only), IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA (varies by parish), MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NJ, NV, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY. DraftKings Sportsbook is legal in: AZ, CO, CT, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA (varies by parish), MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV, WY. Even though DraftKings' welcome offer isn't available in all states, it wins the accessibility and market share battle. North Carolina launched online sports betting on March 11, 2024, and both DraftKings and Caesars sportsbooks have their respective NC sportsbook promos for bettors in the Tar Heel State. Caesars vs. DraftKings odds DraftKings may offer a more extensive variety of betting options surrounding major US and international sports. However, Caesars consistently provides the best odds. In fact, Caesars is known for posting the best odds in the business, while DraftKings is the sportsbook with the highest vig. Consistently better odds give Caesars an edge over DraftKings (and others) in this category. Caesars vs. DraftKings payout speed Caesars and DraftKings offer similar withdrawal options along the same timelines. Payout speeds are mostly the same, but since Caesars has a slight edge in the number of fast payout options, it wins this payout speed category. See more: Top 7 fastest paying sports betting sites DraftKings vs. Caesars loyalty programs You can connect your Caesars Sportsbook account to the popular Caesars Rewards program, allowing you to earn and redeem in a top loyalty program in the country. Similarly, DraftKings offers membership in its Dynasty Rewards loyalty program, where you earn points with every bet redeemable for cashback and other bonuses. Caesars Rewards is the top loyalty program in the US, giving Caesars the win in this category. DraftKings vs. Caesars responsible gambling Caesars Sportsbook has a responsible gaming program to prevent problem gambling and underage gambling. It also lets you set personal limits on gambling and self-exclude if necessary. DraftKings is equally committed to responsible gaming. It encourages players to keep things fun, only bet what they can afford, and set reasonable limits. DraftKings also participates in problem gambling awareness and underage gambling prevention initiatives. This category is tied, as both are doing more than required on the responsible gambling front. Caesars vs. DraftKings customer service DraftKings’ customer support is available via online request on the DraftKings Help Center. Live chat is also available via the Help Center during standard business hours. The Caesars Sportsbook customer support team is available via phone, online, and email. They’re easier to get a hold of, so Caesars wins the customer service category. Conclusion: Is Caesars better than DraftKings? DraftKings is the second-biggest online sportsbook in the country in terms of market share, behind only FanDuel. Caesars is in a battle for the leftovers with BetMGM. DraftKings has a more feature-rich sports betting app; it’s in more states, has a bigger welcome bonus, and runs more ongoing promos at slower times. But Caesars wins in terms of its loyalty program and customer service. Plus, its odds are consistently better. However, in the end, DraftKings odds are competitive enough that it is the better online sportsbook when you add up the many things it does so well. Compare other sportsbooks DraftKings vs. FanDuel BetMGM vs. DraftKings FanDuel vs. BetMGM Caesars vs. FanDuel DraftKings vs. Caesars FAQ Which sportsbook is better: DraftKings or Caesars? A comparison between these two licensed online sportsbooks shows they’re close, but DraftKings has a slight edge. Better odds usually make for the better sportsbook, but Caesars and DraftKings are too close to call on that front. All the other things DraftKings does well make it the better online sportsbook. Can I use DraftKings and Caesars at the same time? You can have accounts with both DraftKings and Caesars, and why not? Having accounts at both means you can take advantage of all the promos and contests each one makes available. Which sportsbook is better for NFL betting? Caesars and DraftKings are both great for NFL betting odds . See more: Best football betting promos & bonuses Is Caesars or DraftKings better for bonuses and promotions? DraftKings has a bigger welcome bonus and runs more ongoing promotions in lean times for sports fans. This makes DraftKings the place for better bonuses and promos. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >g star 28 。

MEMPHIS, Tenn. , Nov. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- First Horizon Corporation (NYSE: FHN or "First Horizon") is pleased to announce the naming of Tyler Craft as Head of Investor Relations, effective January 1, 2025 . Craft will succeed Natalie Flanders as Head of Investor Relations, reporting to Chief Financial Officer Hope Dmuchowski . In this role, he will manage relationships with investors and articulate First Horizon's financial vision and strategy. Currently serving as Director of Transformation - Fintech and Emerging Technology, Craft has been instrumental in advancing the company's fintech initiatives, leading ventures in robotic process automation, artificial intelligence and fraud prevention enhancements. Throughout his 14-year tenure with the organization, he has held numerous positions, played a lead role in the company's 2023 Investor Day and has made key contributions to major integrations. Prior to First Horizon, he was the Director of Product at Capital Bank, leading finance-related functions and overseeing the bank's ALLL and loan valuation modeling, in addition to his involvement in multiple mergers. "Tyler will do an exceptional job leading our investor relations efforts," said Hope Dmuchowski , Chief Financial Officer for First Horizon. "His experience in the financial services industry and tenure with our organization make him an invaluable resource to our investors, executive leadership team and our board of directors as we remain focused on delivering long-term shareholder value." Flanders will join the Risk Organization as Director of Credit & Financial Risk. Dmuchowski commented, "Natalie took on this role at a very critical time and has done an exceptional job over the last 18 months re-engaging with investors and strengthening our investor relations strategy. As she has in each role she has served, Natalie will continue to be a tremendous asset to the organization and in her leadership role within our risk management organization." About First Horizon First Horizon Corp. (NYSE: FHN), with $82.6 billion in assets as of September 30, 2024 , is a leading regional financial services company, dedicated to helping our clients, communities and associates unlock their full potential with capital and counsel. Headquartered in Memphis, TN , the banking subsidiary First Horizon Bank operates in 12 states across the southern U.S. The Company and its subsidiaries offer commercial, private banking, consumer, small business, wealth and trust management, retail brokerage, capital markets, fixed income, and mortgage banking services. First Horizon has been recognized as one of the nation's best employers by Fortune and Forbes magazines and a Top 10 Most Reputable U.S. Bank. More information is available at www.FirstHorizon.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-horizon-names-new-head-of-investor-relations-302317921.html SOURCE First Horizon CorporationFrancisco Conceiçao, Manuel Locatelli and Federico Gatti were the best players at Villa Park on Wednesday where Juventus collected a Football Italia was among the accredited media in Birmingham this evening, where Juventus picked up a 0-0 draw against Premier League side Aston Villa in the Champions League Round 5. Clearly fouled by Diego Carlos in the final second, the Juventus keeper was always focused throughout the game. Not many forward passes, but good defending down the right. Better safe than sorry. (66′ Danilo 6) A solid performance that contributed to another clean sheet for the Old Lady. One of the best performers of the night, with so many duels won. Old-style defending. Not as involved in the build-up as he usually is, but still impressive quality with 90% passing accuracy. Much-needed physicality in the middle of the park. He has played many games lately, so he looked tired in the final part. (86′ ) Tactically crucial for Juventus, the Italian even performed a goal-line clearance in the second half. Gatti and Locatelli impressed with their physicality and reading of the game; Conceiçao was entirely the opposite, but he was so equally good. An unpredictable presence on the right flank, he completed eight dribbles from 12. Dibu Martinez performed the save of the night to deny him in the second half. Can’t be blamed for his commitment, but he hasn’t been decisive in the final third yet. The Dutchman didn’t do much in Birmingham, aside from the corner kick that could lead to Conceiçao’s goal in the second half. Juventus played more on the right flank than the left, so Yildiz didn’t receive the ball too often. When he had it, he didn’t waste it has he completed 24 passes from 25. (82′ ) Picked as a false nine, Weah had 30 touches but was never dangerous with any of them. It’s not a 5 because he was forced to play out of position. Another 0-0, and honestly, it was hard to expect more from Juventus. Motta could only count on 17 players, including three goalkeepers. Dusan Vlahovic may not be the ideal striker for his playing style, but surely Motta can’t wait to have him back. Martinez 7.5; Cash 6.5, Torres 6.5, Carlos 6.5, Digne 5.5; Kamara 6.5 (78′ Barkley N/A), Tielemans 5.5; Bailey 6.5 (86′ Philogene N/A), Rogers 6, McGinn 5.5; Watkins 5.5 (78′ Duran N/A). Coach: Emery 6Dartmouth sorority, two members of fraternity face charges after student who attended party drowned HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — A sorority at Dartmouth College and two members of a fraternity faces charges related to the death of a student who drowned after attending an off-campus party. The Hanover, New Hampshire police department, where Dartmouth is located, said Friday that Alpha Phi was charged with one count of facilitating an underage alcohol house. Two members of the Beta Alpha Omega face a charge of providing alcohol to a person under 21. Won Jang, 20, of Middletown, Delaware, had attended an off-campus party in July hosted by Alpha Phi sorority. Police said the alcohol was provided by Beta Alpha Omega. Tens of thousands of Spaniards protest housing crunch and high rents in Barcelona BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of Spaniards are marching in downtown Barcelona to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in the popular tourist destination. Protesters cut off traffic on main avenues in the city center, holding up homemade signs in Spanish reading “Fewer apartments for investing and more homes for living." The lack of affordable housing has become one of the leading concerns for the southern European Union country, mirroring the housing crunch across many parts of the world, including the United States. The average rent for Spain has doubled in the last decade. In cities like Barcelona, rental prices have also been driven up by short-term renters including tourists. Jason Kelce's wife announces she is pregnant with the couple's fourth child Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce's wife is announcing she's pregnant with the couple's fourth child. Kylie Kelce posted a photo on Instagram on Friday of the couple's three young daughters reacting to the news. The oldest daughter, Wyatt, appears to be cupping her head in shock. The middle daughter, Ellioette, is smiling. The youngest, Bennett, is in tears. A caption attached to the photo reads: “I feel like we captured a very accurate representation of how each of the girls feel about getting another sister. At least Ellie, mom and dad are on the same page!” Israeli-Moldovan rabbi living in UAE is missing. Israeli officials fear he may have been kidnapped DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Israeli-Moldovan rabbi living in the United Arab Emirates has gone missing, with Israeli authorities raising the suspicion he may have been kidnapped as tensions remain high with Iran. The Israeli prime minister’s office said that Zvi Kogan has been missing since noon Thursday. It said that against the backdrop of information that this was a terrorist incident, an extensive investigation has been opened in the country. Emirati officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. State-run media in the UAE, an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, did not immediately report the incident. Alyssa Nakken, first full-time female coach in MLB history, leaving Giants to join Guardians CLEVELAND (AP) — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in an MLB game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 and was promoted to a spot on manager Gabe Kapler’s staff in 2020, becoming the majors’ first full-time female coach. Nakken has been hired as an assistant director within player development for the Guardians, who won the AL Central last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt. Nakken, 34, will work with former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa. Officer kills pet dog mistaken for a coyote in Massachusetts town. The owner says it was unnecessary An animal control officer shot and killed a pet dog in a Massachusetts town after mistaking it for a coyote in an incident local police are describing as a sad mix-up. Police in Northbridge, Massachusetts, say the shooting happened on Tuesday after police received a call of a report of a coyote in a residential backyard. Police say the animal control officer went into the woods to look for the coyote and found what they thought was the animal in a threatening position and shot it. The incident happened as communities around Massachusetts and the country have dealt with an uptick in interactions between coyotes and people. Kendrick Lamar surprises with new album 'GNX' LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present with a new album. The Grammy winner released his sixth studio album “GNX” on Friday. The 12-track project is the rapper’s first release since 2022’s “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.” Lamar’s new album comes just months after his rap battle with Drake. The rap megastar will headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans. The 37-year-old has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize. NBA memo to players urges increased vigilance regarding home security following break-ins MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo sent to team officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Ancient meets modern as a new subway in Greece showcases archaeological treasures THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, is opening a new subway system, blending ancient archaeological treasures with modern transit technology like driverless trains and platform screen doors. The project, which began in 2003, uncovered over 300,000 artifacts, including a Roman-era thoroughfare and Byzantine relics, many of which are now displayed in its 13 stations. Despite delays caused by preserving these findings, the inaugural line has been completed, with a second line set to open next year. Conor McGregor must pay $250K to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules LONDON (AP) — A civil jury in Ireland has awarded more than $250,000 to a woman who says she was raped by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel penthouse after a night of heavy partying. The jury on Friday awarded Nikita Hand in her lawsuit that claimed McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in 2018. The lawsuit says the assault left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced her to do anything and that Hand fabricated her allegations after the two had consensual sex. McGregor says he will appeal the verdict.

Congress, NCP (SP) face setbacks in Saoner, Katol seats in Nagpur distThe last mayor to go through three police commissioners in a single term quit in the middle of that term, before the governor could fire him or prosecutors could charge him for all the “beneficences” he’d pocketed.

Election impossible to call as latest poll puts ‘big three’ neck and neck

NoneWorld War 3 Anytime Now As Putin Could Unleash Nuclear Weapons | Who Are Russia's Allies & Enemies Recommended Playlist Russia 'Kicks Out' Ukrainian Troops From Their Own Territory; Zelensky Admits 'Difficult Situation' 'Europe On Nuke Missile Target': Putin's Chilling Message To U.S. & NATO After Bombing Ukraine North Korean Soldiers Clash With Ukrainian Troops For First Time In Ukraine War, Confirms Zelensky Putin Shakes West: Russia Reveals Inside Details Of Nuclear Attack Order | Details Putin Announces New Hypersonic Missile Test In Ukraine, Threatens Countries Aiding Kyiv Russia 'Captures' 10 KM Frontline In Ukraine's Luhansk Region; 15,000+ Troops Killed, 41 Turn In Kim Jong Un Threatens US With Nuclear War? North Korean Leader Defends Nuke Buildup Amid Tensions Putin Aide's Savage Attack On Zelensky After Ukraine Missile Strike; 'He Went Into A Tailspin' Russian Forces March In Kursk With North Korean Troops; Capture 5 Ukrainian Positions | Watch 'Germany Doesn't Want To Get Involved': Scholz Refuses To Arm Ukraine With Taurus Missiles Top Viral Videos Shocking! Lawyer rams Mercedes car into Kachori shop in Delhi, Six injured In a shocking incident, six people were injured after a lawyer rammed his speeding Mercedes car into a Kachori shop in the national capital. The incident took place at Fateh Kachori in Civil Lines area. The police have taken the lawyer into custody and seized his car. The lawyer has been identified as Parag Maini who is a resident of Noida’s Sector 79. The police have registered a case against the lawyer under Section 279 (rash driving) and 337 (causing hurt by endangering life). Telangana cop punched, dragged by villagers, video goes viral On Cam: Crane drags car with senior citizens sitting inside, case registered | video goes viral Instagram influencer shot dead by husband in Rajasthan's Phalodi CCTV: Thieves arrive in car, decamp with jewellery in MP's Damoh Goons hurl abuses at toll plaza employee in MP's Chhatarpur Two goons hurled abuses at a toll plaza employee in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur. One of the assailants is reportedly the brother of an MLA. The incident was filmed by an employee of ol plaza which has gone viral on social media. The goons were upset after they had to wait in the queue. Viral: Cobra blocks road in MP's Chhatarpur district Nigeria: Lion kills zookeeper at Obafemi Awolowo University CCTV: Biker crushed to death by speeding bus in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district Four women steal tray full of earrings from a jewellery shop in MP's Raisen Shirtless British man punches air steward after destroying aircraft toilet, arrested A shirtless British man punched an air steward after destroying the aircraft toilet. The man was arrested. The man went berserk soon after the flight took off . He went up to smash the plane’s toilet. The incident took place on February 7 when the flight took off from Bangkok to London. A video of the incident went viral on social media. On cam: Several injured after swarm of bees attacks guests during wedding ceremony in MP's Guna On cam: Man hurls abuses at government school teacher in MP's Chhatarpur district On cam: Man thrashes youth with stick in MP's Ujjain Doctor loses cool, misbehaves with home guard in MP's Chhatarpur On cam: Goons thrash Dalit youth in MP's Betul A Dalit youth was thrashed in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul. The man was brutally thrashed and forced to squat while holding his ears. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media. Congress leader Jitu Patwari highlighted the plight of the Dalit man. The police have launched a probe into the matter. On cam: Govt employee consumes alcohol at work place in MP's Singrauli On cam: Goons thrash liquor shop employee in MP's Gwalior CCTV: Man thrashed, abducted in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district Fight breaks out between CHC employee and patient in UP's Barabanki Short Videos BJP Orchestrated Attack On Kejriwal During ‘Padyatra’ Campaign: Delhi CM Atishi Your Autistic Child Can Also Make A Difference Your Autistic Child Can Also Make A Difference Kejriwal Questions RSS Over BJP’s 'Dirty' Tactics Against Opposition | Watch Atishi's 1st Statement After Being Picked As Delhi CM; 'Kejriwal Made Biggest Sacrifice' Kejriwal To Give Up CM Residence; AAP's Sanjay Singh Issues Big Warning... Haryana Polls: Vinesh Phogat & Bajrang Punia Join Congress; Sakshi Malik next? Putin's Big Pledge For Russian Speakers In Ukraine; 'Will Fight For...' Ukraine’s Kursk Incursion Has Failed To Achieve Objectives, Declares Putin Putin Says Russia Will Support Kamala Harris In U.S. Elections Related Articles Big escalation: 'Russia launches ICBM strike' against Ukraine, shoots down UK Storm Shadow missiles 'Not enough to prevail': Zelenskyy warns of Ukraine's possible loss without US aid Stocks fall as Russia-Ukraine war rattles traders: Markets wrap Ukraine arrests commander for allegedly sharing intelligence with Russian military 'PM Modi deserves Nobel Peace prize for global mediation efforts,' says veteran investor Mark Mobius Do Today’s Wars Really Ever End? Russia-Ukraine war: Why North Korean soldiers are ready to die for Putin Donald Trump speaks to Russia's Vladimir Putin on phone, urges him not to escalate Ukraine war: Report

Israel’s PM condemns settler violence on soldiers in West Bank

Security up amid threat to kill MarcosLast week, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot to death on a New York City sidewalk in what was clearly a thoroughly planned-out attack. Over the next few days, as authorities hunted for the killer, online progressives did not try hard to hide their delight that a millionaire health insurance executive like Thompson was killed. Social media was flooded with posts and videos—with different ranges of subtlety—suggesting that Thompson, at the very least, did not deserve to be mourned because of all the health care his company has denied to poor and working people. Progressives framed the shooting as an act of self-defense on behalf of the working class. Before the alleged killer was caught Monday, they promised not to snitch if they saw the shooter themselves and fantasized about a working-class jury nullifying all charges, leading to other CEOs getting gunned down with impunity if they oversaw price increases. The narrative that these online progressives clearly subscribe to and perpetuate is one where, in the United States, healthcare is a totally unfettered, unregulated industry; where—because of a total lack of government involvement—wealthy CEOs charge whatever prices they want and then refuse to provide customers what they already paid for without facing any bad consequences. The characterization of healthcare and health insurance companies charging absurdly high prices while treating their customers terribly without the risk of losing them is spot on. But the idea that what caused this was a lack of government involvement in the healthcare system is completely delusional. And this delusion conveniently removes all the responsibility progressives bear for the nightmare that is the US healthcare system. Today, healthcare is one of the most heavily government-regulated industries in the economy—right up there with the finance and energy sectors. Government agencies are involved in all parts of the process, from the research and production of drugs, the training and licensing of medical professionals, and the building of hospitals to the availability of health insurance, the makeup of insurance plans, and the complicated payment processes. And that is nothing new. The US government has been intervening heavily in the healthcare industry for over a century. And no group has done more to bring this about than the progressives. It really began, after all, during the Progressive Era, when the American Medical Association maneuvered its way into setting the official accreditation standards for the nation’s “unregulated” medical schools. The AMA wrote standards that excluded the medical approaches of their competitors, which forced half of the nation’s medical schools to close. The new shortage of trained doctors drove up the price of medical services—to the delight of the AMA and other government-recognized doctor’s groups—setting the familiar healthcare affordability crisis in motion. Around the same time, progressives successfully pushed for strict restrictions on the production of drugs and, shortly afterward, to grant drug producers monopoly privileges. After WWII, as healthcare grew more expensive, the government used the tax code to warp how Americans paid for healthcare. Under President Truman, the IRS made employer-provided health insurance tax deductible while continuing to tax other means of payment. It didn’t take long for employer plans to become the dominant arrangement and for health insurance to morph away from actual insurance into a general third-party payment system. These government interventions restricting the supply of medical care and privileging insurance over other payment methods created a real affordability problem for many Americans. But the crisis didn’t really start until the 1960s when Congress passed two of the progressive’s favorite government programs—Medicare and Medicaid. Initially, industry groups like the AMA opposed Medicare and Medicaid because they believed the government subsidies would deteriorate the quality of care. They were right about that, but what they clearly didn’t anticipate was how rich the programs would make them. Anyone who’s taken even a single introductory economics class could tell you that prices will rise if supply decreases or demand increases. The government was already keeping the supply of medical services artificially low—leading to artificially high prices. Medicare and Medicaid left those shortages in place and poured a ton of tax dollars into the healthcare sector—significantly increasing demand. The result was an easily predictable explosion in the cost of healthcare. Fewer and fewer people could afford healthcare at these rising prices, meaning more people required government assistance, which meant more demand, causing prices to grow faster and faster. Meanwhile, private health “insurance” providers were also benefiting from the mounting crisis. In a free market, insurance serves as a means to trade risk. Insurance works well for accidents and calamities that are hard to predict individually but relatively easy to predict in bulk, like car accidents, house fires, and unexpected family deaths. Health insurance providers were already being subsidized by all the taxes on competing means of payment, which allowed their plans to grow beyond the typical bounds of insurance and begin to cover easily-predictable occurrences like annual physicals. And, as the price of all of these services continued to shoot up, the costs of these routine procedures were becoming high enough to resemble the costs of emergencies—making consumers even more reliant on insurance. With progressives cheering on, the political class used government intervention to create a healthcare system that behaves as if its sole purpose is to move as much money as possible into the pockets of healthcare providers, drug companies, hospitals, health-related federal agencies, and insurance providers. But the party could not last forever. As the price of healthcare rose, the price of health insurance rose, too. Eventually, when insurance premiums grew too high, fewer employers or individual buyers were willing to buy insurance, and the flow of money into the healthcare system started to falter. The data suggests that that tipping point was reached in the early 2000s. For the first time since the cycle began back in the 1960s, the number of people with health insurance began to fall each year. Healthcare providers—who had seemingly assumed that the flow of money would never stop increasing—began to panic. Then came Barack Obama. Obama’s seminal legislative accomplishment—the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare—can best be understood as a ploy by healthcare providers and the government to keep the party going. Obamacare required all fifty million uninsured Americans to obtain insurance, and it greatly expanded what these “insurance” companies covered. Demand for healthcare shot back up, and the vicious cycle started back up again—which is why the bill enjoyed so much support from big corporations all across the healthcare industry. Before it was passed, economists were practically screaming that the Affordable Care Act would make care less affordable by raising premiums and healthcare prices while making shortages worse. Progressives dismissed such concerns as Reagan-era “free market fundamentalist” propaganda. But that is exactly what happened . Now, the affordability crisis is worse than ever as prices reach historic levels. And, because Obamacare brought American healthcare much closer to a single-payer system, the demand for healthcare far exceeds the supply of healthcare—leading to deadly shortages. There are literally not enough resources or available medical professionals to treat everyone who can pay for care. Also, the tax code and warped “insurance” market protect these providers from competition—making it almost impossible for people to switch to a different provider after their claims are unfairly denied. If it were simply greed, denying customers who already paid would be a feature in all industries. But it’s not. It requires the kind of policy protections progressives helped implement. And on top of all that, despite paying all this money, Americans are quickly becoming one of the sickest populations on Earth. This is one of the most pressing problems facing the country. A problem that requires immediate, radical change to solve. But it also requires an accurate and precise diagnosis—something that, this week, progressives demonstrated they are incapable of making. Related Articles Commentary | John Stossel: Your tax dollars not at work Commentary | After so many years of failure, time’s up for California Democrats Commentary | Vince Fong: We don’t need Newsom to lecture us. We need him to listen to us. Commentary | Deregulation rather than fossil fuel controls needed to fix California insurance market Commentary | The FBI has been political from the start The American progressive movement is responsible for providing the political class the intellectual cover they needed to break the healthcare market and transform the entire system into a means to transfer wealth to people like Brian Thompson. Now, they want to sit back, pretend like they’ve never gotten their way, that the government has never done anything with the healthcare market, and that these healthcare executives just popped up and started doing this all on their own—all so they can celebrate him being gunned down in the street. It’s disgusting. Brian Thompson acted exactly like every economically literate person over the last fifty years has said health insurance CEOs would act if progressives got their way. If we’re ever going to see the end of this century-long nightmare, we need to start listening to the people who have gotten it right, not those who pretend they are blameless as they fantasize online about others starting a violent revolution. Connor O’Keeffe ( @ConnorMOKeeffe ) produces media and content at the Mises Institute. This commentary is republished with permission from the Mises Institute.

LONDON (AP) — Barely a month after quitting international rugby, former England prop Joe Marler has brought forward his retirement plans and will end his time in the sport completely this week. Marler’s last match will be for Harlequins, his team since 2009, at home to Bristol in the English league on Friday. The 34-year-old Marler had indicated he would continue playing club rugby until the end of the season. He has made 285 appearances for Harlequins since arriving in 2009 and retires with two English league winners medals. “The time has come to finally jump off the rollercoaster and walk away from this beautifully brutal game,” he said Wednesday. The charismatic Marler announced on Nov. 3 that his 95-cap test career was over, days after he left England’s camp ahead of the November internationals because of personal reasons. He had baited New Zealand in the build-up to England’s first autumn test match by criticizing the Haka, stating on social media that it is “ridiculous” and “needs binning.” He later apologized for the comments. ___ AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugbyMalek Fahd Islamic School unveils solar power projectTOPEKA — On Nov. 19, a Republican-led interim committee of the Kansas Legislature and out-of-state deregulation lobbyists endorsed the introduction of a new bill allowing exemption of businesses from state laws, rules or regulations hindering delivery of products or services. Under the proposal, Kansas would follow Arizona, Kentucky, Utah and Missouri by creating an innovation “sandbox” for businesses across the spectrum to operate for two or more years under a lighter regulatory framework. A state agency or official would be responsible for approving applications for exemptions. Core objectives would include giving businesses more maneuvering space, attracting entrepreneurial investment and identifying regulatory barriers to profitability. “A sandbox invites the business community to the table to highlight troublesome rules and regulations, prove they’re not working as intended and, as a result, the state is better welcoming to the innovations of tomorrow,” said Rees Empey of the Utah libertarian think tank Libertas Institute. “It’s a living and breathing approach to regulatory reform that possesses safeguards to protect consumers and the environment.” Americans for Prosperity policy analyst James Czerniawski, who previously worked for Libertas Institute, said government regulations often forced businesses to fit a square peg in a round hole. “Many regulations that are currently on the books were designed decades ago, and do not necessarily account for the new and emerging industries,” he told legislators. “It is fair to ask how many companies are crushed before they even get off the ground because regulations got in the way.” Only advocates of bringing the sandbox model to Kansas offered testimony to the interim committee. During the 2024 legislative session, however, the Kansas Sierra Club and Kansas State Board of Healing Arts raised objections to the concept. ‘Closer to a solution’ In the 2024 session, the Republicans’ sandbox bill died in the Kansas House due to questions about justification, and ramifications of reform. Issues were raised about the constitutionality of a program supervised by the state’s attorney general. Objections were made by health care regulators and environmentalists. There were questions about unfairness of state government picking which businesses could sidestep regulations. “It didn’t go anywhere,” said Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stilwell Republican who chairs the House commerce committee. “There was a lot of confusion around that bill. I feel like we’re getting much closer to a solution.” Tarwater embraced the interim House and Senate committee’s recommendation to revamp the stalled bill and press ahead in the 2025 session. Instead of an industry-specific approach tied to insurance, technology or banking, the legislation wouldn’t exclude any type of business from Kansas’ sandbox. It didn’t make sense to forbid certain businesses from applying, he said. Wichita Democratic Rep. John Carmichael, among members of the committee opposed to the sandbox, said it was alarming the Republican majority was intent on creating two classes of businesses — those with regulatory exemptions and those without. “Do you find anything objectionable that under this scheme some businesses are subject to regulation and others aren’t?” Carmichael said. “Is that a fair and level playing field?” Dane Ishihara, director of the Utah Office of Regulatory Relief, told legislators that Utah’s system generally required at least two business applicants to step forward and apply for an exemption. If there was a single applicant, he said, the state was likely to deny the application unless it was the only player in that piece of the state’s economy. The Kobach factor In 2024, the Kansas House considered a bill placing Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach in charge of a division of regulatory overreach in which laws, regulations or rules could be suspended up to 24 months for the benefit of select businesses. The attorney general’s division also would be responsible for identifying regulations ripe for repeal by the Legislature and governor. Rep. Rui Xu, a Westwood Democrat on the interim committee, said he saw potential in state regulatory reform. However, the idea of placing Kobach in charge would alarm his constituents. “It’s harder to say, especially in my district, that ‘Oh, Kris Kobach has an agency that’ll review and he’ll make sure it’s okay.’ That’s a hard sell for my district,” Xu said. Robert Hutchison, deputy attorney general in the civil rights division of Kobach’s office, said the GOP attorney general was supportive of the deregulation initiative. He said Kobach didn’t want responsibility for the program because it could raise conflicts of interest. The attorney general’s office currently reviews about 1,000 state regulatory changes annually and provides lawyers who serve as general counsel to as many as 30 state government entities. It would be a problem for a member of Kobach’s staff to consult with a business fighting for a waiver from a state agency while another member of the attorney general’s staff represented the targeted agency. Hutchison said legislation placing the program within the attorney general would need to include “significant firewalling” provisions. At the suggestion of Wichita GOP Sen. Renee Erickson, the interim committee agreed to seek from the attorney general a nonbinding legal opinion about constitutionality of the sandbox model. She said the opinion should end speculation about the legal framework. “We’ve done a cursory review and didn’t initially identify any constitutional issues,” Hutchison said. Under last session’s bill, an 11-person advisory council would be appointed by Republican politicians to make recommendations on exemptions. That bill required Kobach to appoint the regulatory office’s director. That individual would appoint six members with business backgrounds and three from government to the council. The Kansas House and Kansas Senate leadership would fill the other two slots, leaving no voice for Democrats. Applications would be exempt from disclosure under the Kansas Open Records Act and deliberations of the advisory council would be conducted behind closed doors beyond reach of the Kansas Open Meetings Act.

LAFIA – Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, on Thursday awarded scholarship to 92 students of Phoenix University, Agwada in Kokona local government area of the state as the institution set to matriculate 260 first pioneer students Prof. Abdullahi Bala, the Vice Chancellor of the university, disclosed this at a press briefing held in the institution’s Senate building in Kokona LGA of the state Speaking on the activities line up for matriculation, the Vice chancellor explained that the university was allocated an admission portal of 500 for the 2024/2025 academic cycle, nothing that out of a total of three hundred and forty two candidates that applied for admission, about two hundred and sixty met all the requisites criteria for admission.and they were admitted accordingly. He, further explained that 38 students were admitted into the faculty of computing, 32 into the faculty of applied science and agriculture and 52 students are admitted into the faculty of social science and management science, saying that academic activities have since commenced. The VC, appreciate the governor’s kind gesture for awarding scholarship to 92 indigenous students across the 13 local government areas of the state, revealing that the governor has equally awarded the contract for the reconstruction and of 24-KM portion of the Kokona junction-Agwada road to easy free flow of movement of students and the hosting community. He then applauded his deep gratitude to the university’s Founder, visitor and chairman of the Board of Trustees, former senator representing Nasarawa West at the national assembly, Abdullahi Adamu for his leadership, unflinching support and relentless towards development of humanity.

Utah Hockey Club walks to arena after bus gets stuck in Toronto trafficNone

Agilent Technologies Inc. stock falls Wednesday, underperforms marketWorld War 3 Anytime Now As Putin Could Unleash Nuclear Weapons | Who Are Russia's Allies & Enemies

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Keep an eye on your money and your assets today, because something is a little unpredictable. You might find money; you might lose money. Protect what you own against loss, theft or damage. Someone in authority, like a boss or a parent, might do a favor for you. Ka-ching! Tonight: A gift or help? TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Today you will have to go more than halfway when dealing with others, especially partners and close friends. Be prepared to accommodate them. It won't be a big deal. In fact, someone from another culture might be helpful. Travel plans might be exciting! Tonight: Romance. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Work-related stress or stress related to your health might occur today. Fortunately, this is minor. In fact, gifts, goodies and favors from others might come your way. Major bonus! (Note: Pet owners should keep an eye on their pets to avoid mishaps.) Tonight: Good deeds. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Parents should be vigilant today, because this is an accident-prone day for your kids. Meanwhile, social plans might be canceled or delayed, or perhaps you will receive a surprise invitation. Actually, this is a lovely day to schmooze with others. Enjoy good times! Tonight: Socialize! LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Your home routine will be interrupted today. A small appliance might break down or a minor breakage could occur. Someone might surprise you by knocking on the door. Nevertheless, you will enjoy entertaining at home. Buy good food and drink. Tonight: Be friendly. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Pay attention to everything you say and do, because this is a mildly accident-prone day for your sign. Therefore, think before you speak or act. Don't blurt out something. Nevertheless, this is a great day to socialize, especially with siblings, relatives and neighbors. (Just be aware of what you say.) Tonight: Warm conversations. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) You might spontaneously buy something for your home or a family member today. Be smart and keep your receipts. Keep an eye on your money and your possessions as well. Meanwhile, this is a lovely day to redecorate at home as well as entertain. (You're an excellent host.) Tonight: Extravagance? SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Today is a mixed bag. In one way, relations with others are smooth and charming. People are happy to see you. They want to socialize and chat. Nevertheless, a partner, spouse or close friend might do something that surprises you. Be aware that something unexpected is in the mix. Tonight: Kindness. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) This is a restless day for you. Possibly, you have a feeling that you're not sure what's happening; you feel a bit at loose ends. That's OK. Take some time off for good behavior. Hide somewhere and enjoy some peace and quiet with good food and drink. You deserve it. Time for a little R & R. Tonight: Solitude. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) You relations with friends and groups are warm and friendly today. Nevertheless, someone might say something that surprises you. You might acknowledge this, or you might just observe it quietly. (The latter is more likely.) Why ruffle feathers needlessly? Tonight: Friends. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) This is a tricky day. Relations with parents, bosses and authority figures are warm and supportive. In fact, you might feel quite cozy with someone in authority, to the point that you blur the lines between personal and formal. A flirtation might take place. Either way, something will surprise you today. Tonight: You're admired. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) You'll enjoy talking to others today, especially people from different backgrounds and cultures. You'll also enjoy travel if you get a chance to do this. Nevertheless, this is a mildly accident-prone day for you, so pay attention to everything you say and do. Be smart. Tonight: Be helpful.SPAR Group Affirms Intent to Close Highwire Merger

Last week, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot to death on a New York City sidewalk in what was clearly a thoroughly planned-out attack. Over the next few days, as authorities hunted for the killer, online progressives did not try hard to hide their delight that a millionaire health insurance executive like Thompson was killed. Social media was flooded with posts and videos—with different ranges of subtlety—suggesting that Thompson, at the very least, did not deserve to be mourned because of all the health care his company has denied to poor and working people. Progressives framed the shooting as an act of self-defense on behalf of the working class. Before the alleged killer was caught Monday, they promised not to snitch if they saw the shooter themselves and fantasized about a working-class jury nullifying all charges, leading to other CEOs getting gunned down with impunity if they oversaw price increases. The narrative that these online progressives clearly subscribe to and perpetuate is one where, in the United States, healthcare is a totally unfettered, unregulated industry; where—because of a total lack of government involvement—wealthy CEOs charge whatever prices they want and then refuse to provide customers what they already paid for without facing any bad consequences. The characterization of healthcare and health insurance companies charging absurdly high prices while treating their customers terribly without the risk of losing them is spot on. But the idea that what caused this was a lack of government involvement in the healthcare system is completely delusional. And this delusion conveniently removes all the responsibility progressives bear for the nightmare that is the US healthcare system. Today, healthcare is one of the most heavily government-regulated industries in the economy—right up there with the finance and energy sectors. Government agencies are involved in all parts of the process, from the research and production of drugs, the training and licensing of medical professionals, and the building of hospitals to the availability of health insurance, the makeup of insurance plans, and the complicated payment processes. And that is nothing new. The US government has been intervening heavily in the healthcare industry for over a century. And no group has done more to bring this about than the progressives. It really began, after all, during the Progressive Era, when the American Medical Association maneuvered its way into setting the official accreditation standards for the nation’s “unregulated” medical schools. The AMA wrote standards that excluded the medical approaches of their competitors, which forced half of the nation’s medical schools to close. The new shortage of trained doctors drove up the price of medical services—to the delight of the AMA and other government-recognized doctor’s groups—setting the familiar healthcare affordability crisis in motion. Around the same time, progressives successfully pushed for strict restrictions on the production of drugs and, shortly afterward, to grant drug producers monopoly privileges. After WWII, as healthcare grew more expensive, the government used the tax code to warp how Americans paid for healthcare. Under President Truman, the IRS made employer-provided health insurance tax deductible while continuing to tax other means of payment. It didn’t take long for employer plans to become the dominant arrangement and for health insurance to morph away from actual insurance into a general third-party payment system. These government interventions restricting the supply of medical care and privileging insurance over other payment methods created a real affordability problem for many Americans. But the crisis didn’t really start until the 1960s when Congress passed two of the progressive’s favorite government programs—Medicare and Medicaid. Initially, industry groups like the AMA opposed Medicare and Medicaid because they believed the government subsidies would deteriorate the quality of care. They were right about that, but what they clearly didn’t anticipate was how rich the programs would make them. Anyone who’s taken even a single introductory economics class could tell you that prices will rise if supply decreases or demand increases. The government was already keeping the supply of medical services artificially low—leading to artificially high prices. Medicare and Medicaid left those shortages in place and poured a ton of tax dollars into the healthcare sector—significantly increasing demand. The result was an easily predictable explosion in the cost of healthcare. Fewer and fewer people could afford healthcare at these rising prices, meaning more people required government assistance, which meant more demand, causing prices to grow faster and faster. Meanwhile, private health “insurance” providers were also benefiting from the mounting crisis. In a free market, insurance serves as a means to trade risk. Insurance works well for accidents and calamities that are hard to predict individually but relatively easy to predict in bulk, like car accidents, house fires, and unexpected family deaths. Health insurance providers were already being subsidized by all the taxes on competing means of payment, which allowed their plans to grow beyond the typical bounds of insurance and begin to cover easily-predictable occurrences like annual physicals. And, as the price of all of these services continued to shoot up, the costs of these routine procedures were becoming high enough to resemble the costs of emergencies—making consumers even more reliant on insurance. With progressives cheering on, the political class used government intervention to create a healthcare system that behaves as if its sole purpose is to move as much money as possible into the pockets of healthcare providers, drug companies, hospitals, health-related federal agencies, and insurance providers. But the party could not last forever. As the price of healthcare rose, the price of health insurance rose, too. Eventually, when insurance premiums grew too high, fewer employers or individual buyers were willing to buy insurance, and the flow of money into the healthcare system started to falter. The data suggests that that tipping point was reached in the early 2000s. For the first time since the cycle began back in the 1960s, the number of people with health insurance began to fall each year. Healthcare providers—who had seemingly assumed that the flow of money would never stop increasing—began to panic. Then came Barack Obama. Obama’s seminal legislative accomplishment—the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare—can best be understood as a ploy by healthcare providers and the government to keep the party going. Obamacare required all fifty million uninsured Americans to obtain insurance, and it greatly expanded what these “insurance” companies covered. Demand for healthcare shot back up, and the vicious cycle started back up again—which is why the bill enjoyed so much support from big corporations all across the healthcare industry. Before it was passed, economists were practically screaming that the Affordable Care Act would make care less affordable by raising premiums and healthcare prices while making shortages worse. Progressives dismissed such concerns as Reagan-era “free market fundamentalist” propaganda. But that is exactly what happened . Now, the affordability crisis is worse than ever as prices reach historic levels. And, because Obamacare brought American healthcare much closer to a single-payer system, the demand for healthcare far exceeds the supply of healthcare—leading to deadly shortages. There are literally not enough resources or available medical professionals to treat everyone who can pay for care. Also, the tax code and warped “insurance” market protect these providers from competition—making it almost impossible for people to switch to a different provider after their claims are unfairly denied. If it were simply greed, denying customers who already paid would be a feature in all industries. But it’s not. It requires the kind of policy protections progressives helped implement. And on top of all that, despite paying all this money, Americans are quickly becoming one of the sickest populations on Earth. This is one of the most pressing problems facing the country. A problem that requires immediate, radical change to solve. But it also requires an accurate and precise diagnosis—something that, this week, progressives demonstrated they are incapable of making. Related Articles Commentary | After so many years of failure, time’s up for California Democrats Commentary | Vince Fong: We don’t need Newsom to lecture us. We need him to listen to us. Commentary | Deregulation rather than fossil fuel controls needed to fix California insurance market Commentary | The FBI has been political from the start Commentary | A new Legislative session: Time for pocketbook pragmatism The American progressive movement is responsible for providing the political class the intellectual cover they needed to break the healthcare market and transform the entire system into a means to transfer wealth to people like Brian Thompson. Now, they want to sit back, pretend like they’ve never gotten their way, that the government has never done anything with the healthcare market, and that these healthcare executives just popped up and started doing this all on their own—all so they can celebrate him being gunned down in the street. It’s disgusting. Brian Thompson acted exactly like every economically literate person over the last fifty years has said health insurance CEOs would act if progressives got their way. If we’re ever going to see the end of this century-long nightmare, we need to start listening to the people who have gotten it right, not those who pretend they are blameless as they fantasize online about others starting a violent revolution. Connor O’Keeffe ( @ConnorMOKeeffe ) produces media and content at the Mises Institute. This commentary is republished with permission from the Mises Institute.

Littler falls victim to Humphries in Players Championship final

Alabama A&M's Medrick Burnett Jr. dies after head injury