MURDER & MEMES

The brazen, targeted killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO by a masked gunman in New York City has touched off a torrent of online outrage — against the American health insurance industry.

• What kind of person scrawls “deny,” “defend” and “depose” on bullet casings before gunning down a multimillionaire health care executive on the streets of New York City? Police are scrambling to find out. UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was murdered in what police described as a “targeted” attack outside his hotel on his way to address an investor conference. Surveillance footage from the scene shows the killer slowly drawing a silencer-equipped pistol and shooting Thompson in the back. Police say the killer then escaped on an electric bike, and remains on the loose. Images released today show a suspect flashing a calm grin in a New York hostel — where police say he used a fake New Jersey ID — around the time of the shooting. NYPD is offering $10,000 for information about the case.

• The words on the cartridges seem to offer investigators their biggest clue for the shooter’s motive. They appear to reference a concept used by critics of the health care industry known as the “three D’s” — “delay, deny, defend” — which describe the strategy that insurers often use to avoid paying claims.

• Some outlets have tied “the three Ds” phrase, and the shooter’s slight variation, to a 2010 book by the same name, outlining the problems with the American health care industry, and how people can challenge companies over denied claims. What A Day reached out to the book’s author, who quickly responded, “Sorry, no comment.” (Side note: Weirdly, there’s a “Law and Order” episode with a similar plot to some theories about the shooting. Uh, just sayin’.)

There are lots of unusual things about this case. One of them is how many social media users took the opportunity to vent their anger at the American health care system, in which patients often find themselves entangled in agonizing feuds with private insurance companies over denied claims for reimbursement.

• “Saw mainstream news coverage about the killing of the CEO of United Healthcare on TikTok and I think political and industry leaders might want to read the comments and think hard about them,” political activist Tobita Chow wrote  in a social media post. Over 30,000 people liked a tweet from one X influencer, who wrote that “the detective show lover in me wants to know who the shooter was but the american healthcare system user in me absolutely does not.” Another user posted  that “anyone who helps to identify the shooter is an enemy of the people,” gaining 39,000 likes.

• Taylor Lorenz, an internet culture journalist, wrote about how mainstream media has largely been sympathetic about Thompson’s death without examining the cruelty of for-profit health care systems. Her article went with a deliberately provocative title: “Yes, ‘we’ want insurance executives dead.” (In the next line, she cautions: “No, that does not mean people should murder them.”) She proceeded to cite journalist Ken Klippenstein, who posted: “No shit murder is bad. The [commentary and jokes] about the United CEO aren’t really about him; they’re about the rapacious healthcare system he personified and which Americans feel deep pain and humiliation about.”

• It’s not hard to find public examples of the kind of things that have helped make the American health insurance industry so controversial. Just take a look at a few recent ProPublica headlines: “How Cigna Saves Millions by Having Its Doctors Reject Claims Without Reading Them.” Or this one: “Health Insurers Have Been Breaking State Laws for Years.” Or this one: “You Have a Right to Know Why a Health Insurer Denied Your Claim. Some Insurers Still Won’t Tell You.” In the meantime, big insurance companies rake in billions. UnitedHealthcare’s profits topped $16 billion last year.

• While some have speculated the targeted killing could be the work of a hitman, Dennis Kenney, an expert on professional killers, told Slate, that he thinks it’s more likely that the shooter is “somebody with a particular grudge” rather than an expert for hire.

• Americans frustrated with the health care system often point to Canada and European countries as examples of successful, public health care systems that are widely popular and don’t leave people in mountains of debt. I asked a Finnish official about that dynamic — Is this type of violence, which some believe is fueled by frustration with the health care system, imaginable in Europe? “People are nowadays upset with so many issues, but luckily very few end up killing people because of that,” he said, emphasizing that he can’t speculate about the motive.

Predictably, Fox News is trying to tie the murder to its own favorite narrative about undocumented immigrants . This is irresponsible and incredibly stupid, but what’s new?

THE STRUGGLE ISRAEL

Amnesty International accused Israel today of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip in its war with Hamas militants, saying the country has taken steps “with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza” — a charge Israel firmly denies.

Over the past 14 months, Israeli attacks have killed more than 44,000 Palestinians in the territory, according to local health officials. Numerous countries and humanitarian aid groups have repeatedly accused Israel of committing war crimes. Israel has also been repeatedly accused of intentionally blocking shipments of humanitarian aid, like food and medicine, to parts of Gaza.

“Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: this is genocide. It must stop now,” Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said in the report.

An Israeli official slammed the report. “The deplorable and fanatical organization Amnesty International has once again produced a fabricated report that is entirely false and based on lies,” Oren Marmorstein, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, posted online.

British surgeon Nizam Mamode, who worked in Gaza hospitals in recent months, told What A Day that he agrees with Amnesty International’s genocide accusation. “Things are getting worse,” he wrote in a text.

NEWS NEWS NEWS

Donald Trump’s family is planning new business ventures to capitalize off his presidency, the New York Times reports. That’s convenient, because the Trump Organization isn’t barring foreign deals in its new ethics plan. Nothing shady to see here!

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) is expected to run to be the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, which has the power to subpoena and investigate officials. Democrats don’t have much power on the committee right now, but they’ll be key to holding Donald Trump accountable if they flip the House in two years.

Embattled Fox News host Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be Trump’s defense secretary is still looking pretty bleak. Reports about his alleged abuse of women and alcoholism continue to come out. A new unflattering anecdote depicts Hegseth getting “so drunk at a wedding of a Fox News producer that he struggled to stand upright in a men’s bathroom,” the New York Times writes.

Influencer Haliey Welch, aka “Hawk Tuah” girl, apparently launched a memecoin on Wednesday, but it immediately dropped 95 percent. If none of those words make sense to you, you’re one of the lucky ones among us. Meanwhile, bitcoin hit a record $100,000 boosted by investors excited about how much Trump loves the stuff. How do these stories fit together? How does anything fit together anymore? (I need a drink!)

A 7.0 earthquake rocked Northern California today, leading to an evacuation order in parts of the Bay Area over fears of a possible tsunami. It was canceled soon after the warning, though I imagine many tech bros immediately peeled out into the hills in their Cybertrucks.

Trump posted his campaign’s TikTok stats on Truth Social. This is, of course, the same Chinese-owned platform that Congress wants to ban because they believe it’s a national security threat.

Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) was elected to lead the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the highest-ranking position for progressives in Congress. He replaces Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who reached her term limit.

The ACLU has a plan to hold the Trump administration accountable on day one:

• File legal actions to combat discriminatory tactics, including attacks on housing, health care and employment for LGBTQ individuals
• Challenge the administration’s dangerous attacks on reproductive freedom – including attempts to take abortion medication off the shelves – through advocacy efforts in Congress and at the state level
• Work with state and local officials to push back against federal overreach and ensure our rights and freedoms aren’t stripped away by federal force

If Trump’s campaign promises – discrimination against LGBTQ individuals and other vulnerable populations, complete bans on abortion access, and threats of mass deportation– are any indication, we must prepare for a full-scale attack on our most fundamental rights.

Join the ACLU today to help stop the Trump administration’s attacks through legal action, advocacy, and community organizing. With your support, the ACLU will be ready to fight back the first moment Trump attacks our rights.

The fights ahead will be challenging, but with the support of millions of members like you, the ACLU’s legal, advocacy, and organizing teams can put their plans into action and win.

Join the ACLU today. Together, we can fight the inevitable attacks from the Trump administration and protect everyone’s rights and freedoms.