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In conclusion, Rio Ferdinand's condemnation of Manchester United's decision to sack ordinary staff members while retaining underperforming players shines a light on the wider issues of financial mismanagement and skewed priorities within top football clubs. The absurdity of such a practice has not gone unnoticed, and the club must now face the consequences of its actions as it navigates through the fallout from this controversy.

As I watched her disappear into the fluorescent-lit corridors of the hospital, I couldn't help but reflect on the immense strength and resilience that lies within us all, waiting to be summoned in times of crisis. The bond between a parent and child is one of the most sacred and powerful forces in the universe, capable of overcoming any obstacle that stands in its way.Right of Reply: It is about meritocracy and milestones at NNPC

She’s Not a Robot! Discover the Hot Pot Wonder in China.Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, will be looking to capitalize on any weaknesses displayed by Barcelona and seize the opportunity to overtake them in the standings. With everything still to play for, the race for the La Liga title is set to go down to the wire, providing fans with a thrilling spectacle of footballing drama and excitement.Oregon already secured its spot in the Big Ten championship game, but the top-ranked Ducks have plenty to play for in their regular-season finale. Revenge may be on Oregon's mind when the Ducks host longtime rival Washington on Saturday in Eugene, Ore. Oregon (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) would perhaps be closing in on its second straight College Football Playoff appearance had the Huskies (6-5, 4-4) not dealt the Ducks their only two losses last season. Washington edged Oregon 36-33 in Seattle last October, then slipped past the Ducks 34-31 in the Pac-12 title game to secure a playoff spot for the second time in school history. Both teams joined the Big Ten in August. Third-year Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is 33-5 leading the Ducks. But he remains winless against the Huskies (0-3). Oregon plots to sprint out of its late-season bye after using time to heal injuries, but Lanning doesn't believe the break should stall the flow of an undefeated season. "It's always about what we're able to do on the field. Motivation is overrated," Lanning said. "Our guys have to want to go out there and execute at a really high level. Since the beginning of the season we've talked about playing our best football at the end of November. We're there. This is our opportunity to go play our best football against a good team." The Ducks could have star wide receiver Tez Johnson back from a shoulder injury this week. Johnson has missed the past two games. That would be good news for quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who would regain the team's leader in receptions (64), receiving yards (649) and receiving touchdowns (eight). Washington, under first-year head coach Jedd Fisch, is 63-48-5 all-time against Oregon but is just 1-12-1 when facing the No. 1-ranked team in the country. The Huskies are led on offense by running back Jonah Coleman, who has racked up 1,008 yards and nine scores on the ground this season. Coleman averages 5.8 yards per carry and has 36 runs of at least 10 yards. In the passing game, wide receiver Denzel Boston is tied for the Big Ten lead with nine in touchdown catches and ranks sixth in the conference with 764 receiving yards. Whom Boston will be catching passes from is not yet known, however. Washington has not revealed whether Will Rogers or Demond Williams Jr. will start at quarterback. Rogers has started every game for the Huskies but was benched in favor of Williams two weeks ago after throwing a pair of interceptions in a 31-19 win over UCLA. Fisch said he has a "good idea" of how he will use his quarterbacks on Saturday, and while he wouldn't go as far as to name a starter, he did say Rogers responded well in practices last week. "On the same token, Demond's energy and Demond's confidence showed up. His ability to jump right in and feel really good about leading the group whenever it was his turn... he did a really nice job there as well," Fisch told Seattle Sports. "I think both guys responded well to the week of practice, and now, really, it's important for us that the guy we believe will start the game gets a significant amount of reps in practice week. But as you know, we're not afraid to play two quarterbacks." --Field Level Media

Trump has flip-flopped on abortion policy. His appointees may offer clues to what happens nextMeanwhile, the suspect, Mark Johnson, remains behind bars as the legal process unfolds. Authorities are urging the public to come forward with any information that may shed light on the circumstances surrounding the shooting. The case is being closely watched by the public, with many hoping for swift justice to be served for the heinous crime.

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The incident took place in a quiet suburban neighborhood, where the CEO was reportedly at home with his family when the suspect, armed with a firearm, entered the premises. The suspect, identified as a former employee of the insurance company, reportedly had a history of grievances with the CEO over work-related issues.Among the hundreds of bills introduced in every session of the California Legislature, a few deal with what state officials term “tax expenditures,” which requires some explanation. The term refers to provisions in personal and corporate income taxes and sales taxes that exempt specific financial transactions from levies that otherwise would be applied. They have exactly the same fiscal effect as direct appropriations in the budget, which is why they are dubbed “expenditures.” While many loopholes reflect a broad public and political consensus that they serve positive purposes — such as making prescriptions drugs and most grocery store foods tax-free — others provide subsidies to special interests with political clout. My personal favorite among the latter was enacted about 35 years ago at the behest of Silicon Valley interests. It exempted custom computer programs from sales taxes, generally benefiting corporations willing to pay millions of dollars for such software, while continuing to tax off-the-shelf programs such as Quicken or TurboTax purchased by ordinary consumers. It’s certainly not California’s largest tax loophole, costing state and local governments $119 million a year in lost revenue, but it exemplifies the narrow focus of many exemptions. The software loophole estimate comes from an annual report issued by the state Department of Finance that gets scant public, media and political attention even though, as this year’s version confirms, the accumulated effect on state and local government revenues is $107 billion, counting only exemptions of $5 million or more. “The result: California’s $204 billion of estimated General Fund revenues (excluding transfers) in 2024-25 would be roughly 45% greater if there were no personal income, sales and use, or corporate income tax expenditures in state law,” Jason Sisney, a fiscal consultant for the Legislature, says in an analysis of the data. Over time, the number and size of tax expenditures has tended to increase because they often enjoy political support from their beneficiaries, while there’s little or no pressure on governors or legislators to reduce or eliminate those with little or no rational basis, such as the custom software exemption. The legislation creating it was carried by a Silicon Valley legislator, now deceased, known for his laments about the state’s parsimonious attitudes toward vital education, health and social services. What happened a couple of decades ago in the state Board of Equalization, which was then the collector of sales taxes, is another illustration. State law taxes hot prepared foods, such as those served in restaurants, or offered by delis, but exempts cold prepared foods — for reasons lost in antiquity. The owner of a theater chain asked the board to exempt popcorn from the hot food tax, arguing that while it may be warm when purchased, it’s cold by the time theater patrons return to their seats. The board granted the exemption. The new report lists the income tax exemptions for employer-provided medical care and pension contributions, totaling $29 billion in reduced revenues, as California’s two largest tax expenditures. Other personal income tax biggies are exemption of some Social Security benefits ($5.5 billion) and capital gains on inherited properties ($5 billion). The largest corporate income tax provision, valued at $3.1 billion, limits taxation on the revenues of multinational corporations, an issue that has kicked around the Capitol for at least 50 years with several iterations. Among the newer items on the list are income and sales tax credits for motion picture and video production ($213 million) and a sales tax exemption for menstrual products ($28 million) and children’s diapers ($81 million). Each year, the governor and the Legislature spend months negotiating thousands of items in the state budget. With $107 billion at stake, perhaps they should spend some of that time reviewing off-budget tax expenditures. — CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary .

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The victim, identified as John Smith, the CEO of AllSafe Insurance Group, was walking to a business meeting when he was approached by a masked assailant who opened fire without warning. Witnesses described a scene of chaos and confusion as gunshots rang out, sending bystanders fleeing for safety.

Are you tracking your health with a device? Here’s what could happen with the dataThe case involving the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson continues to unfold. On Dec. 9, a person of interest in the case, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on a firearms charge, authorities said at a press conference hours later. Mangione was found, law enforcement confirmed, carrying a gun, a silencer and multiple fake identification cards including one with the moniker “Mark Rosario.” An employee of the establishment had “thought he looked suspicious,” and called local police, according to New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch . Another chief detective for the NYPD, Joseph Kenny , also said at a briefing that the person of interest was detained at around 9:15 a.m. at the fast food chain, noting, “He was sitting there eating.” Mangione was also carrying a “handwritten three-page document” that criticized healthcare companies for putting profits above care. Kenny noted d uring the Dec. 9 press conference that just from “briefly speaking” with investigators, they sense Mangione “has some ill will toward corporate America.” Police—who previously said they believed the alleged gunman had left New York City by bus—are currently looking into whether Mangione had traveled the 236 miles from Philadelphia to Altoona, as they hold the University of Pennsylvania graduate i n custody for questioning. “Mark Rosario,” the aforementioned name on one of Mangione’s identification cards, a New Jersey state ID, is the same as the one a man—believed by police to be the gunman who shot Thompson— who checked into a hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan prior to Thompson’s killing, police told NBC News. Mangione has not been charged in connection to Thompson’s killing and has not yet been named a suspect. Authorities told the N ew York Times that he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He was born and raised in Maryland, and has also lived in San Francisco and Hawaii. The arrest of Mangione comes five days after Thompson, 50, was shot in the early hours of the morning on Dec. 4 near Manhattan’s Sixth Avenue. Keep reading for every detail to know about Thompson’s death. Who is Brian Thompson? Brian Thompson was the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. He first joined the company in 2004 and held several positions before taking on the role of CEO in 2021. Prior to working at UnitedHealthcare, Thompson was employed at PwC, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also graduated with honors from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor's degree in business administration as an accounting major in May 1997, the school's public relations manager Steve Schmadeke told NBC News. Thompson, who lived in Minnesota, was married to Paulette Thompson —though according to a Wall Street Journal report, they had been living in separate homes—and was the father of two sons. He was shot and killed in New York on Dec. 4, 2024. Thompson was 50 years old. How did Brian Thompson die? Patrol officers from the New York City Police Department’s Midtown North Precinct responded to a 911 call at 6:46 a.m. on Dec. 4, 2024 regarding a person who was shot in front of the New York Hilton Midtown hotel, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said in a media briefing later that morning. Kenny noted officers arrived at the scene at 6:48 a.m. and found gunshot wounds on Thompson’s back and leg. The chief detective said Emergency Medical Services transported Thompson several blocks to Mount Sinai West, where the CEO was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m. “The victim was in New York City to speak at an investor conference," NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch said during the media briefing. "It appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes. And as the victim was walking to the conference hotel, the suspect approached from behind and fired several rounds, striking the victim at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf. Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target.” Tisch said the shooting appeared to be a “pre-meditated, pre-planned, targeted attack” and not a random act of violence. “The full investigative efforts of the New York City Police Department are well underway,” she noted, “and we will not rest until we identify and apprehend the shooter in this case.” What do investigators know about the shooting of Brian Thompson so far? According to Kenny, the shooter—who has yet to be named or arrested—headed to the New York Hilton Midtown on foot and arrived outside the hotel five minutes before Thompson’s arrival. In a video, Kenny continued, Thompson was seen walking alone towards the Hilton at 6:44 a.m. after exiting his separate, nearby hotel apparently for a UnitedHealth Group investors conference that was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. that day. The chief detective added the shooter—who ignored “numerous other pedestrians”—approached Thompson from behind, shot him, walked towards him and continued shooting. Kenny said the gunman then fled on foot before getting on an ebike, and the shooter was seen riding into Central Park at Center Drive at 6:48 a.m. Kenny said three live nine-millimeter rounds and three discharged shell casings were recovered during the investigation. A senior New York City law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told NBC News Dec. 5 the words "deny," "defend" and "depose" were written on the shell casings. However, Kenny noted the motive for the killing is still unknown. He added a cellphone was discovered in an alley where the shooter fled before walking on a sidewalk toward the ebike, but it's unclear if it belonged to the gunman. Kenny also said investigators are "looking at everything"—including Thompson's social media and interviews with employees and family—that could help in the case. They're also working with Minnesota and Atlanta law enforcement. What have investigators revealed about the gunman who shot Brian Thompson? During the Dec. 4 briefing, Kenny said the shooter appeared to be a "light-skin male" who was "wearing a light brown or cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers and a very distinctive gray backpack." On Dec. 4, New York police shared photos of an individual they're looking for holding a gun and riding a bike. Later that day, the NYPD tweeted out more pictures of a person they said they're searching for wearing a black mask, dark hooded jacket and gray backpack. Two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News these photos were captured from a Starbucks prior to the shooting. On Dec. 5, the NYPD released additional photos of a person of interest that showed the individual wearing a hooded jacket and lowered face mask. A senior law enforcement official told NBC News the photos came from surveillance video at an Upper West Side hostel. Two separate law enforcement officials noted to the outlet investigators are trying to determine if the individual used a fake ID and paid cash for a hostel room. Three senior law enforcement officials also told NBC News investigators think the shooter possibly took a bus to New York from Atlanta, with the outlet reporting officials are looking at names on tickets from a Nov. 24 Greyhound bus trip to see if they can identify the shooter and that Greyhound said they're cooperating with authorities. On Dec. 6, Kenny told CNN investigators think the shooter may have left New York as he was spotted at Port Authority. What has Brian Thompson’s family said about his death? After learning of the shooting, Thompson’s family mourned his passing. “We are shattered to hear about the senseless killing of our beloved Brian,” a family statement obtained by NBC affiliate KARE in Minneapolis on Dec. 5 read. “Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives. Most importantly, Brian was an incredibly loving father to our two sons and will be greatly missed. We appreciate your condolences and request complete privacy as our family moves through this difficult time.” Thompson’s wife Paulette also recalled how her husband had received threats. "Yes, there had been some threats," she told NBC News Dec. 5. "Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him." What has UnitedHealth Group said about Brian Thompson’s death? UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, also expressed how it was "deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend" Thompson, flying its flags at half-mast at corporate headquarters in Minnesota. "Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him," a Dec. 4 statement from the organization read. "We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.” And while the company noted "our hearts are broken," it shared in a Dec. 5 statement that it has also "been touched by the huge outpouring of kindness and support in the hours since this horrific crime took place." "So many patients, consumers, health care professionals, associations, government officials and other caring people have taken time out of their day to reach out," the message read. "We are thankful, even as we grieve. Our priorities are, first and foremost, supporting Brian’s family; ensuring the safety of our employees; and working with law enforcement to bring the perpetrator to justice. We, at UnitedHealth Group, will continue to be there for those who depend upon us for their health care. We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy as they mourn the loss of their husband, father, brother and friend." However, there's also been public criticism about UnitedHealthcare, Thompson and America's healthcare system overall. These have included online conversations about insurance companies' claim denial rates as well as a look at accusations against Thompson. For instance, in a class-action lawsuit filed by the City of Hollywood Firefighters' Pension Fund in May 2024 and obtained by NBC News, Thompson was accused of selling more than $15 million of his personal UnitedHealth shares after allegedly learning of an investigation of the company by the U.S. Department of Justice before the public did. When asked about the trades allegedly made by Thompson and other executives, a UnitedHealth spokesperson told Bloomberg in April 2024 "these directors and officers followed our protocols and received approval from the company." The lawsuit, per the BBC , remains active. And while a motive for the shooting has again not been revealed, many outlets have noted the words "deny," "defend" and "depose" on the shell casings are similar to the title of a 2010 book called Delay Deny Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It . (E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family).

UConn announced a two-year contract extension for head football coach Jim Mora on Saturday, just before the team took the field for the Fenway Bowl against North Carolina. Mora’s contract extension will run through 2028 and will pay him $10 million through the remaining four years, with the opportunity to earn more in incentives. The 63-year-old coach is set to make $1.7 million next season, $1.9 million in 2026 and $2.3 and $2.4 million in 2027 and 2028, respectively. UConn then went out and thrashed North Carolina, 27-14, in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. “I am forever grateful. I’m grateful to (athletic director) David (Benedict) and (school president) Radenka (Maric) and the Board of Trustees, but this is about what the (UConn players) did today,” Mora said when asked about the extension in the postgame press conference. In a statement released by UConn ahead of the game, Mora said: “I’d like to thank David Benedict, Radenka Maric and the University of Connecticut leadership for their trust in me and their commitment to our football program. When I first got here, I talked about where we wanted this program to go and we have shown great progress but we still have plenty of work to do. The commitment and dedication from the university and the athletic department has me excited about the future for our football team.” “Three years ago, I tasked Jim Mora with the challenge of leading our football team back to success and through his experience, energy and leadership he has done just that,” UConn athletic director David Benedict said in a statement. “He has taken our program to post season bowl games twice and just guided our team to one of the best seasons in UConn football history, building a momentum to keep this program moving forward. I look forward to his leadership of our football team in the years ahead.” Mora is coming off one of the most successful seasons in UConn football history, having led the team to an 8-4 record and an appearance in the Fenway Bowl. It’s the Huskies’ second bowl appearance in three years. UConn’s eight wins is the most for the program since 2010, and the Huskies had their first winning season since that year, too. A win Saturday would give UConn nine wins for just the third time in program history, with the last two such seasons coming in 2003 and 2007. UConn quarterbacks coach Brad Robbins is heading to Tulsa as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, according to a report from CBS Sports. Robbins was part of a coaching staff that helped the offense produce its most prolific attack since the 2009 season and fifth-most in program history (32.3 points per game). Robbins worked at FCS Tennessee Tech and Division II North Greenville before joining Jim Mora’s staff in spring 2023. Get local news delivered to your inbox!