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Police arrested a “strong person of interest” Monday in the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO after a quick-thinking McDonald’s employee in Pennsylvania alerted authorities to a customer who was found with a weapon and writings linking him to the ambush. The 26-year-old man had a gun believed to be the one used in the killing and writings suggesting his anger with corporate America, police officials said. He was taken into custody after police got a tip that he was eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference. Police identified the suspect as Luigi Mangione. Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco, and his last known address is in Honolulu, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing. Here's the latest: When an officer asked Mangione if he’d been to New York recently, he “became quiet and started to shake,” the court documents say. A police criminal complaint charged him with forgery, carrying firearms without a license, tampering with records or identification, possessing an instrument of crime and providing false identification to law enforcement. Video posted on the social platform X shows a handcuffed Mangione arriving at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. For example, it took about 10 months to extradite a man charged with stabbing two workers at the Museum of Modern Art in 2022. The suspect, Gary Cabana, was also arrested in Pennsylvania, where he was charged with setting his Philadelphia hotel room on fire. Cabana was sent back to New York after he pleaded guilty to an arson charge in Pennsylvania. Manhattan prosecutors could seek to expedite the process by indicting Mangione for Thompson’s killing while he’s still in custody of Pennsylvania authorities. They could then obtain what’s known as a supreme court warrant or fugitive warrant to get him back to New York. Freddie Leatherbury hasn’t spoken to Mangione since they graduated in 2016 from Gilman School in Maryland. He said Mangione was a smart, friendly and athletic student who came from a wealthy family, even by the private school’s standards. “Quite honestly, he had everything going for him,” Leatherbury said. Leatherbury said he was stunned when a friend shared the news of their former classmate’s arrest. “He does not seem like the kind of guy to do this based on everything I’d known about him in high school,” Leatherbury said. One of his cousins is Republican Maryland state legislator Nino Mangione, a spokesperson for the delegate’s office confirmed Monday. Luigi Mangione is one of 37 grandchildren of Nick Mangione Sr., according to a 2008 obituary. Mangione Sr. grew up poor in Baltimore’s Little Italy and rose after his World War II naval service to become a millionaire real estate developer and philanthropist, according to a 1995 profile by the Baltimore Sun. He and his wife Mary Cuba Mangione, who died in 2023, directed their philanthropy through the Mangione Family Foundation, according to a statement from Loyola University commemorating her death. They donated to a variety of causes, ranging from Catholic organizations to higher education to the arts. A man who answered the door to the office of the Mangione Family Foundation declined to comment Monday evening. Mangione Sr. was known for Turf Valley Resort, a sprawling luxury retreat and conference center outside Baltimore that he purchased in 1978. The father of 10 children, Nick Mangione Sr. prepared his five sons — including Luigi Mangione’s father, Louis Mangione — to help manage the family business, according to a 2003 Washington Post report. The Mangione family also purchased Hayfields Country Club north of Baltimore in 1986. On Monday afternoon, Baltimore County police officers had blocked off an entrance to the property, which public records link to Luigi Mangione’s parents. A swarm of reporters and photographers gathered outside the entrance. “Our hope is that today’s apprehension brings some relief to Brian’s family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy,” a spokesperson for UnitedHealth Group said Monday. “We thank law enforcement and will continue to work with them on this investigation. We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy as they mourn.” In an email to parents and alumni, Gilman headmaster Henry P.A. Smyth said it “recently” learned that Mangione, a 2016 graduate, was arrested in the CEO’s killing. “We do not have any information other than what is being reported in the news,” Smyth wrote. “This is deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation. Our hearts go out to everyone affected.” Mangione, a high school valedictorian from a Maryland prep school, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a spokesman told The Associated Press on Monday. He had learned to code in high school and helped start a club at Penn for people interested in gaming and game design, according to a 2018 story in Penn Today, a campus publication. His posts also suggest that he belonged to the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. They also show him taking part in a 2019 program at Stanford University, and in photos with family and friends in Hawaii, San Diego, Puerto Rico, the New Jersey shore and other destinations. Police said the suspect arrested Monday had a ghost gun , a type of weapon that can be assembled at home from parts without a serial number, making them difficult to trace. The critical component in building an untraceable gun is what’s known as the lower receiver. Some are sold in do-it-yourself kits and the receivers are typically made from metal or polymer. Altoona police say officers were dispatched to a McDonald’s on Monday morning in response to reports of a male matching the description of the man wanted in connection with the United Healthcare CEO’s killing in New York City. In a news release, police say officers made contact with the man, who was then arrested on unrelated charges. The Altoona Police Department says it’s cooperating with local, state, and federal agencies. “This just happened this morning. We’ll be working, backtracking his steps from New York to Altoona, Pennsylvania,” Kenny said. “And at some point we’ll work out through extradition to bring him back to New York to face charges here, working with the Manhattan district attorney’s office,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. “As of right now, the information we’re getting from Altoona is that the gun appears to be a ghost gun that may have been made on a 3D printer, capable of firing a 9 mm round,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing. The document suggested the suspect had “ill will toward corporate America,” police added. Mangione, 26, was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco, and his last known address in Honolulu, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing. Police have arrested a 26-year-old with a weapon “consistent with” the gun used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson , New York City’s police commissioner says. Thompson , 50, died in a dawn ambush Wednesday as he walked to the company’s annual investor conference at Manhattan hotel. Thompson had traveled from Minnesota for the event. A man being questioned Monday in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had writings that appeared to be critical of the health insurance industry, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The man also had a gun thought to be similar to the one used in the killing, the official said. Police apprehended the man after receiving a tip that he had been spotted at a McDonald’s near Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 233 miles (375 kilometers) west of New York City, said the official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. Along with the gun, police found a silencer and fake IDs, according to the official. — Michael R. Sisak That’s also according to the law enforcement official. — Michael R. Sisak That’s according to a law enforcement official. — Michael R. Sisak New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expected to address this development at a previously scheduled afternoon news briefing in Manhattan. While still looking to identify the suspect, the FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. That’s on top of a $10,000 reward offered by the NYPD. That included footage of the attack, as well as images of someone at a Starbucks beforehand. Photos taken in the lobby of a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side showed the person grinning after removing his mask, police said. NYPD dogs and divers returned to New York’s Central Park today while the dragnet for Thompson’s killer stretched into a sixth day. Investigators have been combing the park since the Wednesday shooting and searching at least one of its ponds for three days, looking for evidence that may have been thrown into it. Police say the shooter used a 9 mm pistol that resembled the guns farmers use to put down animals without causing a loud noise. Police said they had not yet found the gun itself. Ammunition found near Thompson’s body bore the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” mimicking a phrase used by insurance industry critics . A man with a gun thought to be similar to the one used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was taken into police custody Monday for questioning in Pennsylvania, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The man is being held in the area of Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 233 miles (375 kilometers) west of New York City, the official said. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The development came as dogs and divers returned Monday to New York’s Central Park while the dragnet for Thompson’s killer stretched into a sixth day. — Michael R. Sisak Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox!AS the phone started to ring, dread flooded through me. I knew who would be calling. “There’s been an incident and we are suspending Josh again,” said a familiar voice. “How soon can you collect him?” I had only dropped my seven-year-old son at school an hour before, but taking him home early had become a regular occurrence. Over the previous year, he had been suspended ten times, missing more than 40 days of learning as a result. As his mum, I am well aware of how challenging Josh can be. His misdemeanours are serious and usually involve lashing out at others. On one occasion he hit a staff member with a piece of wood, and he stabbed another one with a fork at lunchtime. He also set off the fire alarm. READ MORE ON ADHD AND AUTISM But his actions were also a child crying out for support and help. Football-loving Josh has ADHD , autism , pathological demand avoidance and sensory processing disorder. It means he struggles emotionally with the rigid rules in a busy school and can be overwhelmed by all the noise and people. We aren’t the only family dealing with this. Most read in Fabulous Last week it was revealed that suspensions in England’s state primary schools have more than doubled in the past decade. There were 37,700 in autumn term 2023-24, according to the Department for Education — almost as many as in the whole of the 2012-13 academic year. Permanent exclusion rates have also gone up by almost 70 per cent in the same period. I suspected Josh had additional needs from the time he was a toddler, but it took until November last year to get official recognition and an Education, Health and Care Plan to set out the support he needs. Devastating consequences His mainstream primary school was unable to provide this or manage his behaviour, even after introducing a one-to-one teaching assistant and reducing his timetable to a couple of hours a day. Josh’s young age and his neurodiversity meant he didn’t understand what he’d done wrong and why he wasn’t welcome at school The suspensions left me at breaking point. As a solo mum, I was struggling to deal with the fallout of Josh missing so much school. He has regular meltdowns at home and can get aggressive. He also struggles with his sleep . I fretted he would never get an education if he was rarely in lessons and struggling to engage when he did attend. He was only in Year 2 and it felt like society was giving up on him already. As a former prison officer, I strongly believe my son is going to end up behind bars if he doesn’t get the right support now Josh’s young age and his neurodiversity meant he didn’t understand what he’d done wrong and why he wasn’t welcome at school. Like Josh, 97 per cent of those suspended or excluded from primary school over the past five years also had special educational needs, according to analysis carried out by children’s charity Chance UK. The consequences of these decisions by schools are devastating. I believe they send a terrible message to children who already have great difficulties in their young lives. It tells them: You don’t belong. You are not welcome. Then there’s the academic impact and the long-term consequences for individuals and society. That should be a worry to everyone, not just their parents. Chance UK says 90 per cent of children excluded at primary school fail to pass GCSE English and maths. As a former prison officer, I strongly believe my son is going to end up behind bars if he doesn’t get the right support now. I’m not being overly dramatic — I’ve seen first-hand the impact of school absenteeism. I worked for four years at a Category-A, all-male jail. Many of the prisoners I worked with were neurodivergent and fell into crime after missing school and being failed by an education system that didn’t provide for them. I was a key worker for five inmates and part of my job was taking them to weekly meetings, like appointments at an ADHD clinic, but also reading to them. Many didn’t have a basic reading level because they had missed so much of their education. I got to know their back stories well and whenever I asked how they ended up in prison, it was almost always the same starting point — they had been expelled from school. Their stories resonated with me because one of my relatives dropped out of school aged 11 and ended up in jail, barely able to read and write. I was also expelled at 15, for being disruptive, smoking and truancy. Luckily, I was allowed by the local authority to take my GCSEs as I was bright. It was only when I got a diagnosis for Josh that I realised I also had ADHD and understood why I had struggled with the school regime. I wasn’t “naughty” — I needed extra support. Instead of building more prisons, why aren’t we building more specialist schools? It’s only now I’m in my forties that I have managed to follow my dream of going to university to study for a degree in forensics and criminology. But it’s extremely difficult to make this work with caring for Josh, especially when he is constantly being sent home. There are tens of thousands of parents in a similar position. The We Can Learn campaign, led by charities SEND Reform England , The Disabled Children’s Partnership and Let Us Learn Too, says 80 per cent believe their children are not getting enough support to go to school, while almost four in ten have had to leave employment as a result. I don’t blame the schools. Teachers are under tremendous pressure to get good marks and ensure other pupils can learn without disruption. But I do blame successive governments who are failing SEN children with a lack of investment and an obsession with league tables. Given that almost all primary school exclusions are SEN students, surely helping them access education in an appropriate and safe way would benefit everybody? That means quicker diagnosis, more support within mainstream schools, more specialist classes and more SEN schools for the neediest cases. I believe we would see a massive reduction in crime further down the line — and fewer people in jail. Instead of building more prisons, why aren’t we building more specialist schools? Heartache along the way It makes financial sense. It costs £65,000 to imprison someone once police , court costs and all the other steps are taken into account. Then it’s £40,000 a year for the duration of their sentence. An SEN school place costs £10,000 a year. The system is broken and soaring suspension figures are a symptom of that. Families are being completely let down and the treatment of these kids is inhumane, pushing them into the margins at a young age. Josh finally moved to a SEN school in September. But it took me three years of fighting to get him this specialist provision — and a lot of heartache along the way. Missing so much school time means Josh has struggled to maintain friendships and not been invited to parties. He feels rejected and thinks everyone is talking about him, which has damaged his self-esteem. I’ve had many times when I’ve felt judged, too, mostly by other parents or strangers when we are out. I am trying my best, but it does make you feel like a bad mum. I don’t have any help and when I asked for a carer’s assessment, I was told I don’t meet the criteria. Even now, after moving Josh to the SEN school, problems persist. READ MORE SUN STORIES He is only accessing school about half of the time because of all the trauma he has gone through. My son — and all of our children — deserve so much better. UNMET needs and pressure to get top academic results are driving suspension rates up, according to Beth Prescott from think tank the Centre for Social Justice. Beth, the CSJ’s programme lead on exclusion and absence, says: “Exclusion should be a last resort, but one that is available for schools in order to ensure safety and a fair education for all. “But the most common reason for suspension and exclusion is persistent, disruptive behaviour – and often that is a result of unmet needs, with the impact of the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, mental ill health and an increase in the level of SEN contributing to this.” The CSJ is calling for a national parental participation strategy to improve the relationship between school and home. It also wants a national inclusion framework to support vulnerable pupils and additional extra curricular activities such as sport to help children re-gage. “It’s important that action is taken now,” says Beth. “A child who has been previously excluded is less likely to end up in education, employment and training, and has a higher risk of ending up in the criminal justice system.”
By LISA MASCARO and FARNOUSH AMIRI WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country’s hardline Assad rule. Gabbard ignored shouted questions about her 2017 visit to war-torn Syria as she ducked into one of several private meetings with senators who are being asked to confirm Trump’s unusual nominees . Related Articles National Politics | Trump promises to end birthright citizenship: What is it and could he do it? National Politics | Trump has flip-flopped on abortion policy. His appointees may offer clues to what happens next National Politics | In promising to shake up Washington, Trump is in a class of his own National Politics | Election Day has long passed. In some states, legislatures are working to undermine the results National Politics | Trump taps his attorney Alina Habba to serve as counselor to the president But the Democrat-turned-Republican Army National Reserve lieutenant colonel delivered a statement in which she reiterated her support for Trump’s America First approach to national security and a more limited U.S. military footprint overseas. “I want to address the issue that’s in the headlines right now: I stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statements that President Trump has made over these last few days with regards to the developments in Syria,” Gabbard said exiting a Senate meeting. The incoming president’s Cabinet and top administrative choices are dividing his Republican allies and drawing concern , if not full opposition, from Democrats and others. Not just Gabbard, but other Trump nominees including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, were back at the Capitol ahead of what is expected to be volatile confirmation hearings next year. The incoming president is working to put his team in place for an ambitious agenda of mass immigrant deportations, firing federal workers and rollbacks of U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO allies. “We’re going to sit down and visit, that’s what this is all about,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., as he welcomed Gabbard into his office. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary pick Hegseth appeared to be picking up support from once-skeptical senators, the former Army National Guard major denying sexual misconduct allegations and pledging not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed. The president-elect’s choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel , who has written extensively about locking up Trump’s foes and proposed dismantling the Federal Bureau of Investigation, launched his first visits with senators Monday. “I expect our Republican Senate is going to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on social media. Despite widespread concern about the nominees’ qualifications and demeanors for the jobs that are among the highest positions in the U.S. government, Trump’s team is portraying the criticism against them as nothing more than political smears and innuendo. Showing that concern, nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials have urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings to allow for a full review of the government’s files on Gabbard. Trump’s allies have described the criticisms of Hegseth in particular as similar to those lodged against Brett Kavanaugh, the former president’s Supreme Court nominee who denied a sexual assault allegation and went on to be confirmed during Trump’s first term in office. Said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., about Hegseth: “Anonymous accusations are trying to destroy reputations again. We saw this with Kavanaugh. I won’t stand for it.” One widely watched Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and sexual assault survivor who had been criticized by Trump allies for her cool reception to Hegseth, appeared more open to him after their follow-up meeting Monday. “I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst said in a statement. Ernst said that following “encouraging conversations,” he had committed to selecting a senior official who will “prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.” Ernst also had praise for Patel — “He shares my passion for shaking up federal agencies” — and for Gabbard. Once a rising Democratic star, Gabbard, who represented Hawaii in Congress, arrived a decade ago in Washington, her surfboard in tow, a new generation of potential leaders. She ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020. But Gabbard abruptly left the party and briefly became an independent before joining with Trump’s 2024 campaign as one of his enthusiasts, in large part over his disdain for U.S. involvement overseas and opposition to helping Ukraine battle Russia. Her visit to Syria to meet with then-President Bashar Assad around the time of Trump’s first inauguration during the country’s bloody civil war stunned her former colleagues and the Washington national security establishment. The U.S. had severed diplomatic relations with Syria. Her visit was seen by some as legitimizing a brutal leader who was accused of war crimes. Gabbard has defended the trip, saying it’s important to open dialogue, but critics hear in her commentary echoes of Russia-fueled talking points. Assad fled to Moscow over the weekend after Islamist rebels overtook Syria in a surprise attack, ending his family’s five decades of rule. She said her own views have been shaped by “my multiple deployments and seeing firsthand the cost of war and the threat of Islamist terrorism.” Gabbard said, “It’s one of the many reasons why I appreciate President Trump’s leadership and his election, where he is fully committed, as he has said over and over, to bring about an end to wars.” Last week, the nearly 100 former officials, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, said in the letter to Senate leaders they were “alarmed” by the choice of Gabbard to oversee all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. They said her past actions “call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and to the entire national security apparatus.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate the nation’s intelligence agencies and act as the president’s main intelligence adviser. Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.Stock market today: Wall Street rises toward records despite tariff talk
FBI Releases Wanted Poster for 14 North Korean IT Workers Targeting US CompaniesCLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs’ recent layoff led to renewed health. Sources tell cleveland.com that defense-first swingman Isaac Okoro, listed as questionable going into the night, will return Sunday against the Toronto Raptors. More Cavs coverage Cavs vs. Raptors: preview, odds, injury report, TV Special Streakin’ Cavs Edition: Lots of thoughts, scribbles and fun – Terry Pluto Cavs provide injury updates on Max Strus, Dean Wade and Caris LeVert Who are The 40 Most Influential People in Cleveland Sports when it comes to fan happiness? See our list and how we ranked them.
If you’re sitting on a pile of travel or credit card rewards with no immediate travel plans, donating them to a charity is an easy way to have a positive impact. And it's a popular way to give: In 2021, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members donated around 94 million miles to charities at an approximate cash value of $2.6 million, according to the airline. Beyond the social benefits, miles donations also qualify as activity on your loyalty account and can prevent the rest of your rewards from expiring . But if you’re in the habit of maximizing points and miles, you might also want to stretch the value of your charitable donations as far as possible. And by that measure, some methods of donating points and miles fall short. Here’s what to consider before donating your miles and points . Many loyalty programs make it easy to redeem your points and miles for a donation directly through their rewards portals. But some portals — especially those from airline and hotel programs — don’t publish the cash value a charity will receive for your miles or points. That means the charity may receive less value for your donation than you’d think, while also making it hard to compare the value of a donation with the value of other options for redeeming your points. Best Western Rewards is one of the few loyalty programs that publishes a cash value for charitable points donations. The charity will receive $2 for every 500 points you donate, for a point a value of 0.4 cent each. NerdWallet values Best Western points at 0.6 cent apiece, so you would receive 33% less value for your donation relative to using them for a hotel stay. Generally, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) doesn’t count points and miles as a source of income, so if you donate them, you can't deduct the cash value of your gift. This lack of favorable tax treatment for the consumer combined with the uncertain value you’ll often receive for miles and points donations should have you at least consider other avenues for your philanthropic endeavors. Keep in mind that this drawback only matters for taxpayers who itemize deductions on their income tax returns. If you're like most people and take the standard deduction instead of itemizing, you wouldn't be able to get a charitable tax deduction from any donation. Some rewards programs have a minimum donation amount for select charities. For example, you’d have to donate at least 2,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points for a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. That minimum amount makes it tougher to donate points that may be collecting dust in your loyalty account. To maximize the value of your donation, consider a charity that books travel directly with your miles or points rather than donating directly through your loyalty program's portal. For example, Miles4Migrants uses donated airline miles and credit card points to directly book award travel for refugees and asylum seekers. “Instead of maximizing points and miles to book a dream trip, we do it to help refugees reach safe new beginnings,” said Patrick Stouffer, partnerships manager at Miles4Migrants, in an email. Miles4Migrants has redeemed over 775 million donated miles in pursuit of their mission, with a cash value of over $17 million. That expertise allows them to get more value out of every donation. “Our team has the specialized knowledge necessary to stretch the value of every point or mile, ensuring donations go as far as possible,” Stouffer said. “Even if you aren’t able to reap any tax advantages of donating your points, at least you’ll know they made the largest possible impact.” Direct cash donations help avoid the downsides of donating miles and points. If you have a credit card that earns cash back , or if you earn cash rewards through a shopping portal like TopCashBack or Rakuten , consider cashing out and donating those rewards instead of your miles and points. With a cash donation, you’ll know the exact value a charity will receive from your donation and likely qualify for a potential itemized deduction on your taxes. Some rewards programs make this process simple and transparent. Travel rewards programs sometimes incentivize charitable giving by offering bonus points for your cash donations. For example, American Airlines offers 10 AAdvantage miles for every dollar members contribute to the charity Stand Up To Cancer. That extra incentive can be an individual boon for your charitable donation. Just be aware that any points or miles you receive from such promotions will reduce the tax deductibility of your contribution. American Airlines values those bonus miles you receive through donations at 3 cents each. So if you donate $100 and receive 1,000 AAdvantage miles, American values those miles at $30. You’ll receive a tax form declaring those rewards as $30 in income, giving you a qualifying tax deduction of $70. When you donate cash and receive bonus points, the charity still receives your full donation and you get a slug of points. While you'll have to pay taxes on those points, it can still be a big win for your future travel plans. The article Should You Donate Your Points and Miles to Charity? originally appeared on NerdWallet.After delay, Trump signs agreement with Biden White House to begin formal transition handoff
MEDINA — Cole Callard poured over the Medina record books growing up. But it took years before realizing he could etch his name in them. With the ball at his dancing feet, Callard would make a move in either direction, keeping defenders on high alert in the process. And once an opportunity presented itself, the 6-foot-1 midfielder fired a shot and the goals began to pile up. By season’s end, Callard walked away with numerous accolades, his name at the top of numerous. In 69 career games, Callard recorded 98 goals, 42 assists and 140 points, all new school records . And, along with receiving the Niagara-Orleans League Player of the Year, Callard helped Medina win 15 games and advance to its first Section VI final in four years, finishing as B2 runners-up to Southwestern. Callard was at the top of the section, leading all goal scorers and Medina’s new single-season record 44 goals and had 64 total points. The combination of breaking Medina’s records and being unstoppable on the pitch earned Callard Greater Niagara Newspapers Player of the Year. As Callard gained more experience at the varsity level, the stronger his desire for the records became, after an 18-goal campaign two years ago. “After my first couple years, I was like, ‘I can definitely do this,’” Callard said. “And then, obviously, being able to do it is a big accomplishment, as fun as putting the ball in the back of the net.” Cole Callard, Sr., Medina Named the Niagara-Orleans League Player of the Year, Callard led the Mustangs to a runners-up finish in Class B2. Callard tallied 64 points on 44 goals and 20 assists. Callard led Section VI in goals and points. Callard registered a point in 17 of 19 games, including 11 multi-goal games and five multi-assist games. Callard leaves as Medina’s all-time leader in goals (98), assists (42) and points (140). Jeffrey T. Barnes Photography Keegan Herrmann, Sr., Wilson A first-team All-Niagara-Orleans League pick, Herrmann helped the Lakemen defend their league title. He posted a team-high 26 goals and 47 points. Herrmann recorded a point in 16 of 18 contests, including nine multi-goal games. Herrmann scored a season-high three goals in the season opener against Kenmore West. Herrmann also had seven multi-assist games.. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Tyler Kroening, Sr., Medina In his final season, Kroening was second on the team with 17 goals and finished with 26 points. Kroening recorded a point in 13 contests for the Mustangs, including two four-point outings. Kroening also scored in 11 games and had multi-goal outings five times. Kroening scored a season-high three goals in a regular season contest against Akron. Jeffrey T. Barnes Photography Luke Leardini, So., Lewiston-Porter In his second varsity season, Leardini doubled his scoring totals for the Class A runners-up Lancers, tallying 54 points on 38 goals and 16 assists. Leardini scored at least three goals in six contests, including two five-goal games against CSAT. An All-NFL first team selection, Leardini recorded one point and one goal in 14 of Lew-Port’s 20 games. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Nick Leardini, Sr., Lewiston-Porter Leardini recorded 11 goals and 24 assists for the Class A sectional champions. Leardini recorded a point in 14 contests and scored a season-high three goals against CSAT. Leardini tallied two or more assists in seven contests, including a season-high five in the second meeting with CSAT. Leardini was a first-team All-Niagara Frontier League selection. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Joey Mullen, Sr., Lewiston-Porter Mullen finished with 10 goals and tied for the team-high of 24 assists. Mullen recorded a point in 11 contests and had one multi-goal game when he scored twice against CSAT. Mullen recorded an assist 11 times, including more than two assists in five contests. Mullen recorded a season-high three assists against North Tonawanda. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Aidan Neumann, Jr., Wilson Named to the All-Niagara Orleans League first team, Neumann finished with 20 goals and 32 points to help the Lakemen earn the No. 1 seed in Class C. Neumann scored in 10 contests, including a season-high four goals against Albion. Neumann recorded a point in 12 of the Lakemen’s 18 contests, with six multi-goal games and three multi-assist games. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Seamus O'Keefe, So., Lewiston-Porter After competing abroad in Brazil for two years, O’Keefe scored a hat trick in his debut against CSAT. O’Keefe finished second on the team in goals (28) and points (37). An All-NFL third team pick, O’Keefe recorded a point in 15 of 20 games and 10 multi-goal games. O’Keefe also tallied at least three points seven times, with a season-high five in two separate contests. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Jack Pachla, Jr., Grand Island Pachla led the team in goals (21) and assists (24). Pachla scored twice in Grand Island’s Section VI Class A1 championship win against Williamsville East, one of five multi-goal games. Pachla recorded a point in 12 of 20 games, including five multi-assist games. He notched a season-high five assists against Cheektowaga to open sectional play. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Tyler Parrish, Sr., Lockport In his final season, Parrish led Lockport to the Niagara division title of the Niagara Frontier League. An All-NFL first-team pick, Parrish led the 12-5 Lions with 14 goals and 25 points. The forward recorded a point in 13 of 16 games, including two multi-goal games and three multi-assist games. Parrish scored a season-high four goals against North Tonawanda. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Owen Redfern, Sr., Grand Island Named Niagara Frontier League Player of the Year for his defensive prowess, Redfern also tallied a career-high eight goals Redfern scored twice against CSAT and later in the Class A1 semifinal against Williamsville South. Redfern also recorded a point in five contests for Grand Island and scored his final goal in the Class A1 championship against Williamsville East. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging SLIDESHOW: Meet the GNN Sports All-Area boys soccer team Cole Callard, Sr., Medina Named the Niagara-Orleans League Player of the Year, Callard led the Mustangs to a runners-up finish in Class B2. Callard tallied 64 points on 44 goals and 20 assists. Callard led Section VI in goals and points. Callard registered a point in 17 of 19 games, including 11 multi-goal games and five multi-assist games. Callard leaves as Medina’s all-time leader in goals (98), assists (42) and points (140). Jeffrey T. Barnes Photography Keegan Herrmann, Sr., Wilson A first-team All-Niagara-Orleans League pick, Herrmann helped the Lakemen defend their league title. He posted a team-high 26 goals and 47 points. Herrmann recorded a point in 16 of 18 contests, including nine multi-goal games. Herrmann scored a season-high three goals in the season opener against Kenmore West. Herrmann also had seven multi-assist games.. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Tyler Kroening, Sr., Medina In his final season, Kroening was second on the team with 17 goals and finished with 26 points. Kroening recorded a point in 13 contests for the Mustangs, including two four-point outings. Kroening also scored in 11 games and had multi-goal outings five times. Kroening scored a season-high three goals in a regular season contest against Akron. Jeffrey T. Barnes Photography Luke Leardini, So., Lewiston-Porter In his second varsity season, Leardini doubled his scoring totals for the Class A runners-up Lancers, tallying 54 points on 38 goals and 16 assists. Leardini scored at least three goals in six contests, including two five-goal games against CSAT. An All-NFL first team selection, Leardini recorded one point and one goal in 14 of Lew-Port’s 20 games. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Nick Leardini, Sr., Lewiston-Porter Leardini recorded 11 goals and 24 assists for the Class A sectional champions. Leardini recorded a point in 14 contests and scored a season-high three goals against CSAT. Leardini tallied two or more assists in seven contests, including a season-high five in the second meeting with CSAT. Leardini was a first-team All-Niagara Frontier League selection. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Joey Mullen, Sr., Lewiston-Porter Mullen finished with 10 goals and tied for the team-high of 24 assists. Mullen recorded a point in 11 contests and had one multi-goal game when he scored twice against CSAT. Mullen recorded an assist 11 times, including more than two assists in five contests. Mullen recorded a season-high three assists against North Tonawanda. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Aidan Neumann, Jr., Wilson Named to the All-Niagara Orleans League first team, Neumann finished with 20 goals and 32 points to help the Lakemen earn the No. 1 seed in Class C. Neumann scored in 10 contests, including a season-high four goals against Albion. Neumann recorded a point in 12 of the Lakemen’s 18 contests, with six multi-goal games and three multi-assist games. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Seamus O'Keefe, So., Lewiston-Porter After competing abroad in Brazil for two years, O’Keefe scored a hat trick in his debut against CSAT. O’Keefe finished second on the team in goals (28) and points (37). An All-NFL third team pick, O’Keefe recorded a point in 15 of 20 games and 10 multi-goal games. O’Keefe also tallied at least three points seven times, with a season-high five in two separate contests. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Jack Pachla, Jr., Grand Island Pachla led the team in goals (21) and assists (24). Pachla scored twice in Grand Island’s Section VI Class A1 championship win against Williamsville East, one of five multi-goal games. Pachla recorded a point in 12 of 20 games, including five multi-assist games. He notched a season-high five assists against Cheektowaga to open sectional play. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Tyler Parrish, Sr., Lockport In his final season, Parrish led Lockport to the Niagara division title of the Niagara Frontier League. An All-NFL first-team pick, Parrish led the 12-5 Lions with 14 goals and 25 points. The forward recorded a point in 13 of 16 games, including two multi-goal games and three multi-assist games. Parrish scored a season-high four goals against North Tonawanda. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Owen Redfern, Sr., Grand Island Named Niagara Frontier League Player of the Year for his defensive prowess, Redfern also tallied a career-high eight goals Redfern scored twice against CSAT and later in the Class A1 semifinal against Williamsville South. Redfern also recorded a point in five contests for Grand Island and scored his final goal in the Class A1 championship against Williamsville East. Jim Hibbard/Total Sports Imaging Callard provided his talents in other facets for Medina’s offense, too. He registered a point in 17 games, with five multi-assist games, including a season-high three in a Class B2 quarterfinal win against Silver Creek/Forestville. But once he found the back of the net, Callard couldn’t be stopped, scoring multiple goals in 11 contests. Callard recorded a season-high five goals twice in contests against Albion and Roy-Hart, one year after his seven-goal performance against Buffalo Academy set the single-game record at Medina and the second most ever in a New York State game. Callard didn’t have to look far to get hooked on playing soccer. Growing up, Callard enjoyed watching his cousin, Medina 2018 graduate and Roberts Wesleyan player Ethan Leonard, play as a center midfielder, the same position he would eventually play. But along with watching YouTube videos and Medina games or competing in travel leagues, Callard participated in multiple camps. To start, Callard’s parents enrolled him in the Olympic Development Program, a once-a-month program for five months at Sahlen's Field when he was 13 or 14 years old. Callard later joined training camps at Buffalo State and Roberts Wesleyan two years ago, where he learned how to attack the open space and not be afraid to make mistakes. But the ODP camp helped develop his craft. “The ODP helped a lot with my ball skills, learning different touches and different moves,” Callard said. “That was probably the main thing I learned from them, just a lot of ball skills and stuff that helped open up space on the field. ... Just doing 100 touches or 1,000 touches, it’s a bunch of different skills that you can do. Just working on your first touch. Wall ball is a big thing.” Since attending the offseason camps, Callard also spent three years playing year-round with the Lockport Lightning of the Lockport Soccer Club, allowing him to compete against faster and more skilled players. But the progression also came during each of his four seasons at Medina. With Callard in the lineup, the Mustangs won 48 games, the most by any player in program history, and posted double-digit wins three times. Along with his skill with the ball, Callard expanded his offensive style of the play with his passing over the four years. “He knows to give the ball up to get it back in a better position,” Medina head coach Steve Luksch said. “Let the defense concentrate on him, whoever has the ball, and he just takes off and everybody forgets about him for a second or two and then he’s got you beat... He’s super unselfish but he’s super smart at the same time ... I knew he wouldn’t take a bad shot.” Medina’s Cole Callard was named Greater Niagara Newspapers Player of the Year after tallying 44 goals and 64 points this season. With the high school season over, Callard faces a decision on what he wants to play next, between continuing with soccer or pursuing kicking in football, which he dual sported with the Mustangs for three seasons. Callard is weighing his options and hasn’t made an official choice, but is contemplating a roster spot for kicking at SUNY Cortland and an offer for soccer from Berkeley College, a USCAA Division II school in New Jersey. Soccer became Callard’s first passion at age 5, but his interest in kicking grew as he got older. For three years, Callard worked with Medina coach and NFL Pro Bowler Mike Vanderjagt on his kicking, which led to competing in events, including the Kohl’s Eastern Showcase in May in Pennsylvania . “It kind of opened my eyes,” Callard said. “I think, with football, I kind of have a better opportunity, because it’s here in America. And then soccer, you got all those European countries where there’s a lot of good, good players, so I think I have a better chance to go farther at football.”Could comeback spark winning streak for West Virginia or NCCU?FTAI Aviation stock soars to all-time high of $27.5
Huawei Launches First Hyperscale Local Cloud to Safeguard Nigeria’s DataPHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have signed closer Jordan Romano to an $8.5 million, one-year contract, making a short-term bet that the right-hander can return to form following a right elbow injury. As part of the deal, which was announced by the Phillies on Monday, Romano earns an additional $500,000 if he pitches at least 60 innings. An All-Star in 2022 and 2023, Romano spent the first six seasons of his major league career with the Toronto Blue Jays. He has 105 career saves and a 2.90 ERA in 231 relief appearances. Of the 17 pitchers in the majors with at least 100 save opportunities since 2019, Romano’s 88.98% save percentage ranks second, trailing only Josh Hader (187 for 210, 89.04%). Among all pitchers in baseball since 2019, Romano’s 105 saves rank ninth. The 31-year-old Romano was limited to just eight saves in 15 games last season. He had arthroscopic surgery on his elbow in July. Romano was cut by Toronto last month, when the team declined to offer him a contract that would have made him eligible for arbitration. Romano’s arrival could lead to the departures of one or both of Carlos Estévez and Jeff Hoffman from Philadelphia. The former All-Star relievers both closed games for the Phillies last season but each suffered epic meltdowns in the postseason. Both pitchers are free agents. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Stock market today: Wall Street ends mixed after a bumpy weekTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans made claims about illegal voting by noncitizens a centerpiece of their 2024 campaign messaging and plan to push legislation in the new Congress requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Yet there's one place with a GOP supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to be a nonstarter: Kansas. That's because the state has been there, done that, and all but a few Republicans would prefer not to go there again. Kansas imposed a proof-of-citizenship requirement over a decade ago that grew into one of the biggest political fiascos in the state in recent memory. The law, passed by the state Legislature in 2011 and implemented two years later, ended up blocking the voter registrations of more than 31,000 U.S. citizens who were otherwise eligible to vote. That was 12% of everyone seeking to register in Kansas for the first time. Federal courts ultimately declared the law an unconstitutional burden on voting rights, and it hasn't been enforced since 2018. Kansas provides a cautionary tale about how pursuing an election concern that in fact is extremely rare risks disenfranchising a far greater number of people who are legally entitled to vote. The state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, championed the idea as a legislator and now says states and the federal government shouldn't touch it. “Kansas did that 10 years ago,” said Schwab, a Republican. “It didn’t work out so well.” Steven Fish, a 45-year-old warehouse worker in eastern Kansas, said he understands the motivation behind the law. In his thinking, the state was like a store owner who fears getting robbed and installs locks. But in 2014, after the birth of his now 11-year-old son inspired him to be “a little more responsible” and follow politics, he didn’t have an acceptable copy of his birth certificate to get registered to vote in Kansas. “The locks didn’t work,” said Fish, one of nine Kansas residents who sued the state over the law. “You caught a bunch of people who didn’t do anything wrong.” Kansas' experience appeared to receive little if any attention outside the state as Republicans elsewhere pursued proof-of-citizenship requirements this year. Arizona enacted a requirement this year, applying it to voting for state and local elections but not for Congress or president. The Republican-led U.S. House passed a proof-of-citizenship requirement in the summer and plans to bring back similar legislation after the GOP won control of the Senate in November. In Ohio, the Republican secretary of state revised the form that poll workers use for voter eligibility challenges to require those not born in the U.S. to show naturalization papers to cast a regular ballot. A federal judge declined to block the practice days before the election. Also, sizable majorities of voters in Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and the presidential swing states of North Carolina and Wisconsin were inspired to amend their state constitutions' provisions on voting even though the changes were only symbolic. Provisions that previously declared that all U.S. citizens could vote now say that only U.S. citizens can vote — a meaningless distinction with no practical effect on who is eligible. To be clear, voters already must attest to being U.S. citizens when they register to vote and noncitizens can face fines, prison and deportation if they lie and are caught. “There is nothing unconstitutional about ensuring that only American citizens can vote in American elections,” U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, of Texas, the leading sponsor of the congressional proposal, said in an email statement to The Associated Press. After Kansas residents challenged their state's law, both a federal judge and federal appeals court concluded that it violated a law limiting states to collecting only the minimum information needed to determine whether someone is eligible to vote. That's an issue Congress could resolve. The courts ruled that with “scant” evidence of an actual problem, Kansas couldn't justify a law that kept hundreds of eligible citizens from registering for every noncitizen who was improperly registered. A federal judge concluded that the state’s evidence showed that only 39 noncitizens had registered to vote from 1999 through 2012 — an average of just three a year. In 2013, then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican who had built a national reputation advocating tough immigration laws, described the possibility of voting by immigrants living in the U.S. illegally as a serious threat. He was elected attorney general in 2022 and still strongly backs the idea, arguing that federal court rulings in the Kansas case “almost certainly got it wrong.” Kobach also said a key issue in the legal challenge — people being unable to fix problems with their registrations within a 90-day window — has probably been solved. “The technological challenge of how quickly can you verify someone’s citizenship is getting easier,” Kobach said. “As time goes on, it will get even easier.” The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the Kansas case in 2020. But in August, it split 5-4 in allowing Arizona to continue enforcing its law for voting in state and local elections while a legal challenge goes forward. Seeing the possibility of a different Supreme Court decision in the future, U.S. Rep.-elect Derek Schmidt says states and Congress should pursue proof-of-citizenship requirements. Schmidt was the Kansas attorney general when his state's law was challenged. "If the same matter arose now and was litigated, the facts would be different," he said in an interview. But voting rights advocates dismiss the idea that a legal challenge would turn out differently. Mark Johnson, one of the attorneys who fought the Kansas law, said opponents now have a template for a successful court fight. “We know the people we can call," Johnson said. “We know that we’ve got the expert witnesses. We know how to try things like this.” He predicted "a flurry — a landslide — of litigation against this.” Initially, the Kansas requirement's impacts seemed to fall most heavily on politically unaffiliated and young voters. As of fall 2013, 57% of the voters blocked from registering were unaffiliated and 40% were under 30. But Fish was in his mid-30s, and six of the nine residents who sued over the Kansas law were 35 or older. Three even produced citizenship documents and still didn’t get registered, according to court documents. “There wasn’t a single one of us that was actually an illegal or had misinterpreted or misrepresented any information or had done anything wrong,” Fish said. He was supposed to produce his birth certificate when he sought to register in 2014 while renewing his Kansas driver's license at an office in a strip mall in Lawrence. A clerk wouldn't accept the copy Fish had of his birth certificate. He still doesn't know where to find the original, having been born on an Air Force base in Illinois that closed in the 1990s. Several of the people joining Fish in the lawsuit were veterans, all born in the U.S., and Fish said he was stunned that they could be prevented from registering. Liz Azore, a senior adviser to the nonpartisan Voting Rights Lab, said millions of Americans haven't traveled outside the U.S. and don't have passports that might act as proof of citizenship, or don't have ready access to their birth certificates. She and other voting rights advocates are skeptical that there are administrative fixes that will make a proof-of-citizenship law run more smoothly today than it did in Kansas a decade ago. “It’s going to cover a lot of people from all walks of life,” Avore said. “It’s going to be disenfranchising large swaths of the country.” Associated Press writer Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.
Chris Sutton has hammered Andre Onana for making an 'under-12s mistake' in their loss at Wolves and absolved Ruben Amorim of any blame. The Manchester United boss saw his side lose yet again as they were undone on Boxing Day at Molineux. The opening goal of the game came direct from a corner as Matheus Cunha was able to loop the ball straight over Onana, who got himself stuck in between several Wolves defenders. Throughout his time in England the Cameroonian goalkeeper has copped criticism. Signed by Erik ten Hag, early in his spell he was extremely error-prone and, despite being more the capable with the ball at his feet, he continues to concede poor goals that undermine his side's efforts. United have lost five of Amorim's first 10 games in charge and are languishing in 14th in the Premier League, just eight points above the bottom three. Newcastle are their next assignment with Sutton backing the Magpies to win on the road and concedes Amorim's task is not being helped by poor displays from his goalkeeper. He told the BBC : "I said before Christmas that I thought Newcastle would hit their stride and they have done that. The way they are playing, they should win at Old Trafford and make it four league wins in a row. Manchester United's form is the exact opposite. "I am not concerned about Amorim getting the sack but it does not help when your goalkeeper keeps on conceding goals direct from a corner – that is under-12s stuff. I remember it happening when I was watching my son play when he was about 15 and he got done off a corner. "I told him you would never see it happen to a professional goalkeeper, but it has happened twice in two weeks to Manchester United – first to Altay Bayindir and then Andre Onana. You could not make it up." Bayindir was beaten by Son Heung-min as the Manchester outfit were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Tottenham in a seven-goal thriller. It was another chance at a trophy that slipped by the Red Devils, who exited the tournament in the last eight with their season at risk of dwindling away. Sutton claimed that the current dire form of the Red Devils is "not on Amorim because we will judge him when he has a chance to bring in his own players but, for now, we have to see them for what they are, which is a really poor side." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Amazon's Prime Video is broadcasting the Premier League Boxing Day round of fixtures on December 26-27. Each match can be streamed free with an Amazon Prime subscription or by signing up for an Amazon Prime 30-day free trial .“Compassion.” “Moral leadership. “Devoted.” Southern California’s lawmakers on both sides of the aisle r emembered former President Jimmy Carter’s public service — and his humanity — as news of his death reverberated throughout the political world Sunday afternoon, Dec. 29. Carter, the 39th president, was 100 years old. Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, cast his first presidential ballot for Carter after he had turned 18, the congressman said on social media. “President Jimmy Carter was a veteran, a military academy graduate and a humble George peanut farmer,” said Correa. “He led this nation through difficult times. Thank you, President Carter.” “President Carter was a man of rare character — whose beliefs ran true and ran deep, whose moral compass never wavered,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “He saw the common humanity in all of us, building bridges between people of different faiths and factions abroad while working to meet the needs of those at home. Despite daunting challenges and trying times, his bright energy and spirit never faltered.” “President Carter’s candor and compassion, moral leadership and sense of duty set a standard we all should aspire to,” the Democratic governor added. “His enduring example reminds us that we can still find common ground despite our differences.” Rep. Young Kim, a Republican whose district spans Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, said in a social media post that her “heart is with (Carter’s) loved ones.” “President Carter devoted his life to serving the American people, whether in public service or through his charity and humanitarian work,” Kim said. Carter was the longest-living American president. Other reactions Rep. Mike Garcia, R- Santa Clarita : “President Jimmy Carter’s passing is a loss for our nation. From his days as a midshipman at the Naval Academy to his service as our 39th president, he embodied leadership, honor, and compassion. Keeping the Carter family in my prayers tonight.” Sen. Adam Schiff : President Jimmy Carter leaves a legacy unlike any other. Ceaseless in his service, unbending in his dignity and revered for his commitment to our common humanity. He fought the good fight and kept the faith — and now he has finished his race. May his memory be an inspiration.” Rep. Norma Torres, D-Ontario : “Today, we mourn President Jimmy Carter, a leader of faith, compassion and service. His legacy of humanity and hope will endure. My thoughts are with the Carter family.” Former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa : “Jimmy Carter was a man of character and integrity whose lifelong service to the greater good was most evident when he left office. His tireless advocacy on behalf of the unhoused was something I was fortunate enough to witness firsthand and a remarkable feature of a humanitarian who never stopped believing in the dignity of our neighbors. May we continue the legacy of President Carter through acts of selfless service to others to never stop uplifting our community.” This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.Police arrested a “strong person of interest” Monday in the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO after a quick-thinking McDonald’s employee in Pennsylvania alerted authorities to a customer who was found with a weapon and writings linking him to the ambush. The 26-year-old man had a gun believed to be the one used in the killing and writings suggesting his anger with corporate America, police officials said. He was taken into custody after police got a tip that he was eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference. Police identified the suspect as Luigi Mangione. Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco, and his last known address is in Honolulu, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing. Here's the latest: When an officer asked Mangione if he’d been to New York recently, he “became quiet and started to shake,” the court documents say. A police criminal complaint charged him with forgery, carrying firearms without a license, tampering with records or identification, possessing an instrument of crime and providing false identification to law enforcement. Video posted on the social platform X shows a handcuffed Mangione arriving at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. For example, it took about 10 months to extradite a man charged with stabbing two workers at the Museum of Modern Art in 2022. The suspect, Gary Cabana, was also arrested in Pennsylvania, where he was charged with setting his Philadelphia hotel room on fire. Cabana was sent back to New York after he pleaded guilty to an arson charge in Pennsylvania. Manhattan prosecutors could seek to expedite the process by indicting Mangione for Thompson’s killing while he’s still in custody of Pennsylvania authorities. They could then obtain what’s known as a supreme court warrant or fugitive warrant to get him back to New York. Freddie Leatherbury hasn’t spoken to Mangione since they graduated in 2016 from Gilman School in Maryland. He said Mangione was a smart, friendly and athletic student who came from a wealthy family, even by the private school’s standards. “Quite honestly, he had everything going for him,” Leatherbury said. Leatherbury said he was stunned when a friend shared the news of their former classmate’s arrest. “He does not seem like the kind of guy to do this based on everything I’d known about him in high school,” Leatherbury said. One of his cousins is Republican Maryland state legislator Nino Mangione, a spokesperson for the delegate’s office confirmed Monday. Luigi Mangione is one of 37 grandchildren of Nick Mangione Sr., according to a 2008 obituary. Mangione Sr. grew up poor in Baltimore’s Little Italy and rose after his World War II naval service to become a millionaire real estate developer and philanthropist, according to a 1995 profile by the Baltimore Sun. He and his wife Mary Cuba Mangione, who died in 2023, directed their philanthropy through the Mangione Family Foundation, according to a statement from Loyola University commemorating her death. They donated to a variety of causes, ranging from Catholic organizations to higher education to the arts. A man who answered the door to the office of the Mangione Family Foundation declined to comment Monday evening. Mangione Sr. was known for Turf Valley Resort, a sprawling luxury retreat and conference center outside Baltimore that he purchased in 1978. The father of 10 children, Nick Mangione Sr. prepared his five sons — including Luigi Mangione’s father, Louis Mangione — to help manage the family business, according to a 2003 Washington Post report. The Mangione family also purchased Hayfields Country Club north of Baltimore in 1986. On Monday afternoon, Baltimore County police officers had blocked off an entrance to the property, which public records link to Luigi Mangione’s parents. A swarm of reporters and photographers gathered outside the entrance. “Our hope is that today’s apprehension brings some relief to Brian’s family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy,” a spokesperson for UnitedHealth Group said Monday. “We thank law enforcement and will continue to work with them on this investigation. We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy as they mourn.” In an email to parents and alumni, Gilman headmaster Henry P.A. Smyth said it “recently” learned that Mangione, a 2016 graduate, was arrested in the CEO’s killing. “We do not have any information other than what is being reported in the news,” Smyth wrote. “This is deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation. Our hearts go out to everyone affected.” Mangione, a high school valedictorian from a Maryland prep school, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a spokesman told The Associated Press on Monday. He had learned to code in high school and helped start a club at Penn for people interested in gaming and game design, according to a 2018 story in Penn Today, a campus publication. His posts also suggest that he belonged to the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. They also show him taking part in a 2019 program at Stanford University, and in photos with family and friends in Hawaii, San Diego, Puerto Rico, the New Jersey shore and other destinations. Police said the suspect arrested Monday had a ghost gun , a type of weapon that can be assembled at home from parts without a serial number, making them difficult to trace. The critical component in building an untraceable gun is what’s known as the lower receiver. Some are sold in do-it-yourself kits and the receivers are typically made from metal or polymer. Altoona police say officers were dispatched to a McDonald’s on Monday morning in response to reports of a male matching the description of the man wanted in connection with the United Healthcare CEO’s killing in New York City. In a news release, police say officers made contact with the man, who was then arrested on unrelated charges. The Altoona Police Department says it’s cooperating with local, state, and federal agencies. “This just happened this morning. We’ll be working, backtracking his steps from New York to Altoona, Pennsylvania,” Kenny said. “And at some point we’ll work out through extradition to bring him back to New York to face charges here, working with the Manhattan district attorney’s office,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. “As of right now, the information we’re getting from Altoona is that the gun appears to be a ghost gun that may have been made on a 3D printer, capable of firing a 9 mm round,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing. The document suggested the suspect had “ill will toward corporate America,” police added. Mangione, 26, was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco, and his last known address in Honolulu, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing. Police have arrested a 26-year-old with a weapon “consistent with” the gun used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson , New York City’s police commissioner says. Thompson , 50, died in a dawn ambush Wednesday as he walked to the company’s annual investor conference at Manhattan hotel. Thompson had traveled from Minnesota for the event. A man being questioned Monday in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had writings that appeared to be critical of the health insurance industry, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The man also had a gun thought to be similar to the one used in the killing, the official said. Police apprehended the man after receiving a tip that he had been spotted at a McDonald’s near Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 233 miles (375 kilometers) west of New York City, said the official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. Along with the gun, police found a silencer and fake IDs, according to the official. — Michael R. Sisak That’s also according to the law enforcement official. — Michael R. Sisak That’s according to a law enforcement official. — Michael R. Sisak New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expected to address this development at a previously scheduled afternoon news briefing in Manhattan. While still looking to identify the suspect, the FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. That’s on top of a $10,000 reward offered by the NYPD. That included footage of the attack, as well as images of someone at a Starbucks beforehand. Photos taken in the lobby of a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side showed the person grinning after removing his mask, police said. NYPD dogs and divers returned to New York’s Central Park today while the dragnet for Thompson’s killer stretched into a sixth day. Investigators have been combing the park since the Wednesday shooting and searching at least one of its ponds for three days, looking for evidence that may have been thrown into it. Police say the shooter used a 9 mm pistol that resembled the guns farmers use to put down animals without causing a loud noise. Police said they had not yet found the gun itself. Ammunition found near Thompson’s body bore the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” mimicking a phrase used by insurance industry critics . A man with a gun thought to be similar to the one used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was taken into police custody Monday for questioning in Pennsylvania, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The man is being held in the area of Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 233 miles (375 kilometers) west of New York City, the official said. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The development came as dogs and divers returned Monday to New York’s Central Park while the dragnet for Thompson’s killer stretched into a sixth day. — Michael R. Sisak Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Could comeback spark winning streak for West Virginia or NCCU?If U.S. president-elect lives up to his word and imposes a 25 per cent tariff on all imports from Canada, it would have a catastrophic impact on both sides of the border, throw an already-sputtering Canadian economy into a recession, and put the long-term future of the auto industry in this country into question, economists and trade experts say. The two countries’ economies are so intertwined — particularly in the manufacturing and energy sectors — that hitting Canada would also have a heavy impact on the U.S., argued Pedro Antunes, chief economist at the Conference Board of Canada. “This will be devastating for the Canadian economy, and devastating for the U.S. economy as well,” said Antunes. While manufacturers aren’t likely to shut down Canadian production or shift plants to the U.S. immediately, in the longer-term, they’ll likely be taking a hard look at whether they want to risk access to American consumers. “We’re going to see a deterioration of our attractiveness as an investment destination, because a lot of it is based on our access to the American economy,” said Antunes. “I think this could shut down the automotive industry in Canada.” The first impact American consumers would be likely to face is increased prices at the gas pump — particularly in the Midwest, where Canadian crude oil keeps refineries going at full-tilt, said Antunes. “There’d be an almost immediate impact on gasoline prices in the U.S., because they import a lot of Canadian crude. And we know how sensitive consumers in Canada and U.S. are to gasoline prices,” said Antunes. If the tariffs are 25 per cent across the board on all Canadian imports, the Canadian economy would shrink by 2.6 per cent, University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe estimated. “And that’s just the straight impact of the tariffs, without any of the knock-on effects, or uncertainty, so it’s almost surely an underestimate,” said Tombe. “That’s basically a recession. The typical retraction is about three per cent in a recession.” Earlier this year, Tombe had prepared a tariff impact paper for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, based on 10 per cent tariffs. After updating the numbers hastily following Trump’s Monday evening announcement on his Truth Social site, he found the potential impact to be even more grim. That 2.6 per cent drop in economic output translates into an annual loss of $78 billion for the Canadian economy, Tombe estimated. Tombe added that the tariffs would cause significant job losses, particularly in the hardest-hit sectors. “No question, there will be job losses. The tariff will result in reduced output in these heavily affected sectors, and with less production, they’re naturally going to lay off workers,” said Tombe. The U.S. market accounted for roughly 75 per cent of Canadian exports, a BMO report from economist Robert Kavcic found, making up about a quarter of Canada’s GDP. Canada sent $173 billion to the U.S. in energy exports alone last year, Kavcic’s report found, and tariffs would mean an immediate impact of higher oil and consumer gas prices in the U.S. The higher prices on goods from Canada flowing into the U.S. could depress demand for them, which could drag down an already shaky Canadian economy, Kavcic added. For the manufacturing sector, the impact of a full 25 per cent tariff would be devastating, warned Dennis Darby, CEO of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. While it might not happen in exactly the form Trump has threatened, Darby said Canada can’t afford to take the sabre-rattling lightly. “When the incoming president says he’s going to do that on Day 1, you have to take that as credible,” said Darby. In the auto sector, supply chains are so intertwined across the border that it’s hard to believe Trump would implement tariffs across the board, argued Flavio Volpe, CEO of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association. “It would be like taking a sledgehammer to his own foot,” said Volpe, who estimated that roughly half of the parts going into Canadian-made cars are sourced from U.S. producers. “We’re so integrated in the automotive industry. So there’s no way to separate the American interests from the Canadian interests here,” said Volpe. While acknowledging that Trump isn’t immune from cutting off his nose to spite his face, his first term in office shows at least some glimmer of hope for rational economic action — at least eventually, Volpe added. “He did put a national security tariff on aluminum from Quebec that U.S. defence interests need. So for a while, he taxed his own military to make a point. But I’ll remind everybody that that was also a short-term point. And that we have leverage,” said Volpe. That leverage, says Volpe, comes from desperately needed Canadian critical minerals and energy resources such as oil and gas. Both of those, said Volpe, would help the U.S. loosen its trade ties with China. “You need independence from the Chinese sphere. And that comes from the resources we have in this country,” said Volpe. “We’ll be inside the tent by the time it’s all said and done, if we put in our best efforts to demonstrate that their best interests extend to this side of the border.” Laura Dawson, executive director of the Future Borders Coalition, doesn’t expect the tariffs to hit across the board. “I feel pretty confident that Canada can negotiate its way out of many of these tariffs because, for example, the U.S. imposing a tariff on Canadian oil and gas will have an immediate effect on U.S. consumers,” Dawson said. “What we know from Trump 1.0 is he does what he says. If he has a plan, he usually acts on it, but he doesn’t act on it with the magnitude that he could.” The worst case could see tit-for-tat retaliatory tariffs, a stalemate and the same politics that led to the Great Depression, Dawson warned.
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