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The gunman who stalked and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fled New York City by bus, police officials told CNN on Friday. Video of the suspected shooter leaving the scene of the shooting Wednesday showed him riding a bicycle to Central Park and later taking a taxi cab to a bus depot, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told CNN. Here's the latest: The gunman who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer may have fled the city on a bus, New York City police officials told CNN on Friday. Video of the suspected shooter leaving the scene of the shooting Wednesday showed him riding a bicycle to Central Park and later taking a taxi cab to a bus depot, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told CNN. “We have reason to believe that the person in question has left New York City,” Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. The gunman who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer made sure to wear a mask during the shooting yet left a trail of evidence in view of the nation’s biggest city and its network of security cameras that have aided authorities piecing together his movements and his identity. A law enforcement official said Friday that new surveillance footage shows the suspect riding the subway and visiting establishments in Manhattan and provided more clues about his actions in the days before he ambushed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson . The gunman’s whereabouts and identity remain unknown Friday, as did the reason for Wednesday’s killing. New York City police say evidence firmly points to it being a targeted attack . ▶ Read more about the search for the gunman In many companies, investor meetings like the one UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was walking to when he was fatally shot are viewed as very risky because details on the location and who will be speaking are highly publicized. “It gives people an opportunity to arrive well in advance and take a look at the room, take a look at how people would probably come and go out of a location,” said Dave Komendat, president of DSKomendat Risk Management Services, which is based in the greater Seattle area. Some firms respond by beefing up security. For example, tech companies routinely require everyone attending a major event, such as Apple’s annual unveiling of the next iPhone or a shareholder meeting, to go through airport-style security checkpoints before entering. Others forgo in-person meetings with shareholders. ▶ Read more about how companies protect their leaders Those images include New York’s subway system, a law enforcement official said. In establishments where the person was captured on camera, he always appeared to pay with cash, the official said. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. — Mike Balsamo Medica, a Minnesota-based nonprofit health care firm that serves 1.5 million customers in 12 states, said it’s temporarily closing all six locations. The firm has offices in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and North Dakota, and employs about 3,000 people. Employees will work from home, Medica spokesman Greg Bury said in an email Friday. “The safety of Medica employees is our top priority and we have increased security both for all of our employees,” a statement from Medica said. “Although we have received no specific threats related to our campuses, our office buildings will be temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution.” Bury also said biographical information on the company’s executives was taken down from its website as a precaution. The insurer cited the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in its announcement about the Dec. 12 event. “All of us at Centene are deeply saddened by Brian Thompson’s death and want to express our support for all of those affected. Health insurance is a big industry and a small community; many members of the CenTeam crossed paths with Brian during their careers,” Centene CEO Sarah M. London said in a news release. “He was a person with a deep sense of empathy and clear passion for improving access to care. Our hearts are with his family and his colleagues during this difficult time.” Centene Corp. has grown in recent years to become the largest insurer in Medicaid, the state- and federally funded program that covers care for people with low incomes. Insurers manage Medicaid coverage for states, and Centene has more than 13 million people enrolled in that coverage. The insurance company also said it’s focused on ensuring the safety of employees and assisting investigators. “While our hearts are broken, we have been touched by the huge outpouring of kindness and support in the hours since this horrific crime took place,” the company said. But he said Friday that he’s confident police will arrest the shooter. “We are on the right road to apprehend him and bring him to justice,” Adams said on TV station WPIX. Later, it removed their names and biographies entirely. Police and federal agents have been collecting information from Greyhound in an attempt to identify the suspect and are working to determine whether he purchased the ticket to New York in late November, a law enforcement official said. Investigators were also trying to obtain additional information from a cellphone recovered from a pedestrian plaza through which the shooter fled. The fatal shooting of Brian Thompson while walking alone on a New York City sidewalk has put a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take to protect their leaders against threats. Experts say today’s political, economic and technological climate is only going to make the job of evaluating threats against executives and taking action to protect them even more difficult, experts say. Some organizations have a protective intelligence group that uses digital tools such as machine learning or artificial intelligence to comb through online comments to detect threats not only on social media platforms such as X but also on the dark web, says Komendat. They look for what’s being said about the company, its employees and its leadership to uncover risks. ▶ Read more about the steps companies take to protect their leadership Police said Thursday they found a water bottle and protein bar wrapper from a trash can near the scene of the ambush and think the suspect bought them from a Starbucks minutes before the shooting. The items were being tested by the city’s medical examiner.SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) stock saw another day of explosive gains in Friday's trading. The conversational-AI company's share price closed the day up about 12.5%. While there wasn't any direct business news pushing SoundHound AI's stock higher today, the company's share price was gaining ground in conjunction with news from other corners of the artificial intelligence ( AI ) market. The software specialist is now up 600% across 2024's trading. Are You Missing The Morning Scoop? Wake up with Breakfast news in your inbox every market day. Sign Up For Free » AI stocks surge on Trump AI czar announcement and ChatGPT news Artificial intelligence stocks saw widespread bullish momentum today in conjunction with developments in the space. For starters, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he intends to appoint venture capitalist David Sacks as his administration's AI and crypto czar. The move signals that the incoming administration will likely make AI a key priority. Yesterday, OpenAI also announced the launch of its o1 reasoning model and a $200 monthly subscription for its new ChatGPT Pro service. SoundHound AI's in-car audio software platform features ChatGPT integration, and it's likely that new feature support from the AI leader will eventually will make it to the audio software specialist's auto offerings. More broadly, OpenAI's move to price its new ChatGPT software at $200 per month has investors feeling bullish about monetization opportunities in the AI space. What comes next for SoundHound AI stock? Artificial intelligence has been the hot story in 2024, and no stock has been hotter than SoundHound AI. Its returns have outperformed all other big name AI stocks across the stretch, and gains have pushed the company's market capitalization to roughly $5.4 billion. Its also gotten more expensive. SoundHound AI stock is now valued at roughly 64 times this year's expected sales. While the company has been increasing its revenue at a rapid pace and still has big growth opportunities ahead, investors should understand that the company's highly growth-dependent valuation sets the stage for downside risk if growth misses expectations or macroeconomic and political conditions evolve in less favorable directions. If you're considering investing in SoundHound AI, utilizing a dollar-cost averaging approach through volatility could be the right move. Don’t miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you’d have $376,143 !* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $46,028 !* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $494,999 !* Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon. See 3 “Double Down” stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of December 2, 2024 Keith Noonan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . Why SoundHound AI Stock Rocketed Higher Again Today was originally published by The Motley FoolFederal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in the US A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the law - which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — is constitutional, rebuffing TikTok’s challenge that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and unfairly targeted the platform. TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. Police believe the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO left NYC on a bus after the shooting NEW YORK (AP) — Police officials say the gunman who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer three days ago may have quickly left New York City on a bus after escaping on a bicycle and hopping in a cab. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told CNN on Friday that video of the gunman fleeing Wednesday’s shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson showed him riding through Central Park and later taking a taxi to a bus terminal, directly across from New Jersey. Kenny said police have video of the man entering the bus station but no video of him exiting, leading them to believe he left the city. Investigators also believe the shooter left his backpack in Central Park and are trying to find it. Trump offers a public show of support for Pete Hegseth, his embattled nominee to lead the Pentagon WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is offering a public show of support for Pete Hegseth, his embattled choice to lead the Pentagon. Hegseth's ability to win confirmation by the Senate is wavering as he faces questions over allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and his views on women in combat. Trump posted on social media that Hegseth is a winner “and there is nothing that can be done to change that.” Hegseth spent much of the week on Capitol Hill trying to salvage his Cabinet nomination and reassure Republican senators that he is fit to lead the Pentagon. IAEA chief: Iran is poised to 'quite dramatically' increase stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Iran is poised to “quite dramatically” increase its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium. That's according to comments by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday. Rafael Mariano Grossi spoke in Bahrain, on the sidelines of the International Institute of Strategic Studies’ Manama Dialogue. He says Iran had begun preparing advanced centrifuge cascades to spin at nuclear facilities to increase its supply of 60% enriched uranium. That kind of material is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Grossi says this is “very concerning." Iran did not immediately acknowledge the preparations, which Grossi said had begun on Friday. Inspectors hope to examine what’s going on. US added a strong 227,000 jobs in November in bounce-back from October slowdown WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s job market rebounded in November, adding 227,000 workers in a solid recovery from the previous month, when the effects of strikes and hurricanes had sharply diminished employers’ payrolls. Last month’s hiring growth was up considerably from a meager gain of 36,000 jobs in October. The government also revised up its estimate of job growth in September and October by a combined 56,000. Friday’s report also showed that the unemployment rate ticked up from 4.1% in October to a still-low 4.2%. The November data provided the latest evidence that the U.S. job market remains durable even though it has lost significant momentum from the 2021-2023 hiring boom, when the economy was rebounding from the pandemic recession. Trump taps forceful ally of hard-line immigration policies to head Customs and Border Protection WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's immigration and border team is filling out. Trump has announced a former Border Patrol chief, Rodney Scott, to head the Customs and Border Protection agency. Scott is a career Border Patrol agent who rose to head the agency during Trump's first term. He's been a vocal supporter of tougher enforcement measures. At CBP he'll head a department of roughly 60,000 employees responsible for protecting the country’s borders while also facilitating trade and travel. Trump also said he’d nominate Caleb Vitello as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that, among other things, arrests migrants in the U.S. illegally. Vitello is a career ICE official with more than 23 years in the agency. Romania's top court annuls first round of presidential vote won by far-right candidate BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A top Romanian court has annulled the first round of the country’s presidential election, days after declassified intelligence alleged Russia ran a coordinated online campaign to promote the far-right outsider who won the first round. Friday's unprecedented and final decision by the Constitutional Court came after President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence on Wednesday that alleged Russia ran a sprawling campaign comprising thousands of social media accounts to promote Calin Georgescu across platforms like TikTok and Telegram. Despite being a huge outsider who declared zero campaign spending, Georgescu emerged as the frontrunner on Nov. 24. He was due to face reformist Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party in a runoff on Sunday. Crews recover the body of a woman from a Pennsylvania sinkhole after a 4-day search Police say the remains of a woman who fell into a sinkhole have been recovered four days after she went missing while searching for her cat. Trooper Steve Limani said Friday that the body of 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard was sent to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy. Pollard disappeared while looking for her cat on Monday evening, and authorities found her car close to what is thought to be a newly opened sinkhole above a long abandoned coal mine a few hours later. The sinkhole is in the village of Marguerite, about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh. Jury will consider lesser charge in NYC subway chokehold case, judge dismisses manslaughter charge NEW YORK (AP) — The judge overseeing the trial of a man accused of using a deadly chokehold on an unruly subway passenger has dismissed the top charge in the case at the request of prosecutors, allowing the jury to consider a lesser count after the panel indicated it was deadlocked on whether Daniel Penny was guilty of manslaughter. The judge’s decision on Friday came hours after Manhattan jurors sent him a note saying they were unable to agree on a manslaughter verdict. Penny is facing charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely, who Penny held in a chokehold for about six minutes on a New York City subway in 2023. Vance tells residents in hurricane-stricken North Carolina that they haven't been forgotten FAIRVIEW, N.C. (AP) — Vice President-elect JD Vance is surveying hurricane damage in western North Carolina in one of his first public appearances since the November election. Vance and his wife, Usha, visited the Fairview Volunteer Fire Department, which was flooded with 4 to 6 inches of water in the storm. They heard that roughly a dozen people contracted walking pneumonia while responding to the hurricane's destruction and that power outages prevented some first responders from talking with their families. Vance said, “My simple message to the people of Appalachia is that we haven’t forgotten you — we love you.” Vance has largely stayed out of the public eye since the election aside from shepherding Trump’s Cabinet nominees around Capitol Hill.