CEO suspect: The suspect in the shooting death of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione is being held without bail in a Pennsylvania prison after refusing to waive extradition to New York. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was planning to sign a governor’s warrant asking the governor of Pennsylvania for Mangione to be returned to New York to face murder charges. He is being held on gun and forgery charges by Pennsylvania. Mangione has vowed to fight extradition. It could take several weeks for the issue to be settled. Â
Inflation: The Consumer Price Index, which is a measure of inflation, has ticked up slightly to 2.7%, with a rise of the index of 0.3% during November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this morning. In each of the four months before November the index went up by 0.2%. The cost of shelter rose 0.3% in November while the cost of food went up 0.4%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that the cost of energy went down 3.2% for the 12 months ending in November. Food costs went up 2.4% over the last year.
Malibu: A massive wildfire continued to threaten Malibu, California, today where 18,000 people have now been ordered to either evacuate or prepare for possible evacuation. Actor Dick Van Dyke was among the residents already forced from their homes. The fire was reported to be zero percent contained as of this morning. The wind was expected to subside to less than 30 miles per hour this afternoon, which was expected to help firefighters battle the blaze.
Infowars: A federal bankruptcy court judge in Houston has blocked the purchase of Alex Jones’ Infowars by satire publisher The Onion. Jones’ assets were being liquidated to provide funds that Jones owes to families of the children killed in the Sandy Hook massacre that Jones defamed. Jones had called the mass shooting a hoax. The judge noted that there were only two bids received for Infowars: the one from The Onion and one from a business that has ties to Jones. The judge said that two bids was not enough and ordered a new sale effort to be made.
Ambassador: Donald Trump has named a former Fox News host who may be engaged to marry his son Donald Jr. to be ambassador to Greece. She’s Kimberly Guilfoyle and she has no experience as a diplomat. Whether Guilfoyle and Donald Jr. still are engaged was not addressed by Trump in his statement announcing her nomination for the ambassador’s job. Reporting by the publication Daily Mail has suggested that Donald Jr. recently has been romantically involved with another woman. Â
Kreskin: The magician and mentalist known as the Amazing Kreskin has died at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey, at age 89. His real name was George Kresge, Jr. Kreskin was a frequent guest on Johnny Carson’s late-night program. He first appeared on TV on The Steve Allen Show in 1964. For a time he had his own TV show.
