CEO shooting: The manhunt continued today for the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson yesterday morning as Thompson was walking to the New York Hilton Hotel in Manhattan to attend a corporate event. The New York Police Department has circulated photos and video of the shooter taken by surveillance cameras. CNN quoted a source as saying that UnitedHealthcare has been aware of threats against some of its executives. CNN also reported that the way in which the gunman staged the attack suggests to some detectives that the shooter was an experienced marksman. Â
Loan: Vivek Ramaswamy, who has been named by Donald Trump to work with Tesla boss Elon Musk in a new government efficiency agency is reported to be trying to kill a federal loan to a competitor of Tesla. The Department of Energy has announced its intention to make a loan of $6.6 billion to electric vehicle startup company Rivian, which is a competitor of Tesla. Ramaswamy told CNN that once Trump takes office he’ll be looking to wipe out the loan to Rivian as well as similar spending authorized by the Biden Administration.
Syria: Rebels in Syria who captured the city Aleppo are now taking over the city of Hama as the Syrian military withdraws from that city. The success of the rebels is seen as a major setback for Syria’s President al-Assad. The rebels say they plan to move next against the city of Homs, which would bring them closer to Syria’s capital city Damascus. Â
Israel: A report released today by Amnesty International concludes that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip. The report says that since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has unleashed what Amnesty International calls hell and destruction on Palestinians in Gaza. Amnesty International said that the findings in its report should serve as a wake-up call to the international community that the genocide must stop now. The report alleges the U.S. and other allies of Israel are violating their obligation to prevent genocide and are at risk of becoming complicit in genocide.
French government: France’s parliament has voted no-confidence in French Prime Minister Michel Barnier, causing his ouster and forcing his government to collapse. Barnier had been appointed by French President Macron about three months ago. The far-left New Popular Front had wanted Macron to appoint its own choice for prime minister. It’s now up to Macron to appoint a new prime minister who would assemble a new government.
Bitcoin: The value of Bitcoin passed the $100,000 mark in Asian trading today. Investors who believe that Bitcoin will become a generally accepted currency are said to be encouraged by Donald Trump’s naming a Bitcoin enthusiast, Paul Atkins, to head the Securities and Exchange Commission during his administration. During the campaign, Trump said he’d like to see the U.S. dollar become weaker and that he would be a pro-Bitcoin president.
