Good morning.
Prosecutors in New York have charged Luigi Mangione, 26, with the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, court records show.
The charges follow Mangione’s arraignment at the Blair county courthouse in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday night, where gun and forgery charges were read against him. Prosecutors in Pennsylvania argued he was a flight risk and his bail was denied.
The Mangione family released a statement saying: “Our family is 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.”
The 26-year-old was arrested after he was spotted at a McDonald’s in Altoona by someone who called local police. Police said Mangione had a gun silencer, a mask like the one worn by the gunman, a fake New Jersey ID matching that used by the gunman to check into a New York City hostel before the shooting, and a handwritten document outlining his motivation.
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What weapon did he allegedly use? Police said that Mangione had a weapon made with a 3D printer.
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What did his document say about his aims? According to CNN, among other statements, he said “these parasites had it coming” and expressed anger over US healthcare costs and inequalities.
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Did he act alone? Mangione indicated in his document that he was self-funded and acted alone.
IDF denies reports that its tanks have reached Qatana near Damascus, as US, Israel and Turkey strike Syria
Israel has rejected reports that its tanks have reached Qatana, a city 16 miles south-west of Damascus and six miles into Syrian territory.
The IDF rejected the claims, Sky News in the UK reported, after Reuters cited Syrian security sources who said that Israeli troops had reached Qatana.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday said that the Golan Heights, which have been occupied by Israel for almost 60 years, would remain part of Israel “for eternity” after it seized a demilitarized buffer zone within the territory.
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Who has the US hit? It struck targets associated with Islamic State (IS) in central Syria.
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What about Turkey? Turkey attacked US-backed Kurdish forces.
Netanyahu arrives in court for corruption trial
Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in court in Tel Aviv to give evidence in his corruption trial, in a development he has long tried to avoid. He is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to be tried as a criminal defendant.
He appeared in the courtroom on Tuesday after 11th-hour attempts by his political allies in the Knesset to delay the date, citing clashes over voting and the security situation in Israel.
The 75-year-old Netanyahu, who is also wanted under an international warrant issued by the international criminal court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Gaza, is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. He has denied wrongdoing and claimed the charges against him amount to a witch-hunt.
In other news …
Stat of the day: Up to three insect species become extinct in Australia each week
Up to three native insect and other invertebrates are going extinct in Australia each week, research shows, with experts describing the climate crisis as a “major factor”. Since Europe colonized Australia, more than 9,000 invertebrate species have disappeared – and between 39 and 148 species are expected to vanish in 2024, despite the government’s commitment to ending extinctions.
Don’t miss this: My father, the serial killer – how April Balascio put her dad behind bars
April Balascio’s father had many sides to him: he was “a well-liked” man who went all out to celebrate Christmas with his children and drove his daughter door to door to sell cookies. But the same man, whom his family knew to be violent, was also a serial killer. Balascio tells how she joined the dots from her childhood, which involved constantly moving around the US – and how she got justice for her father’s victims.
Climate check: Small island nations face climate-induced ‘catastrophe’, warn experts
The climate crisis is threatening the 65 million people living in the world’s small island nations with catastrophic health impacts, experts have warned in the first comprehensive analysis of the state of climate change and health in island states. The climate emergency is worsening heatwaves, drought and insect-borne diseases in these vulnerable nations, while also increasing food insecurity.
Last Thing: Would you include marathon times on your resume?
Enough people are reported to be bragging about their marathon records on their resumes for the Wall Street Journal to have published a trend piece about it. So let’s clear things up once and for all: unless you’re applying for the role of professional marathon runner, recruiters and hiring managers are highly unlikely to want to know just how quickly you can run 26.2 miles. Or whether you’ve had a brat summer, which is also apparently a qualification at least one person has listed.
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