Luigi Mangione Charged With Terrorism In CEO Killing
Plus, Ukraine kills high-profile Russian general, and incumbent leaders get voted out around the world
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up!
Need a unique gift idea for the holidays? Forget gift cards for a spa or massage — $100 back scratches are the latest (and greatest?) form of relaxation.
The trick: Professional “scratchers” use fake 3-inch nails to help people reach a new level of zen.
One person who tried WhisperWave in New York City — where an hour treatment costs $162 — reported feeling “a sense of floating. It’s almost like you’re dreaming, but you’re conscious,” as she was softly scratched by nails, makeup brushes, and feathers.
The science behind it? Gentle scratching can trigger ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) — often described as a mix of floating, dreaming, and calmness that can create a deeper relaxation than a massage.
According to Craig Richard, a biomedical sciences professor, ASMR from gentle scratching releases chemicals in the brain that can lead to a relaxation level so profound, it’s like slipping into a dream while still awake.
Have a good one!
Mosheh, Jill, Sari, & Lauren
PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!
📌 LUIGI MANGIONE INDICTED ON FIRST-DEGREE MURDER CHARGES IN NY
On Tuesday, Luigi Mangione was indicted by a grand jury in New York on charges including first-degree murder as an act of terrorism in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced.
The charges stem from the fatal shooting on Dec. 4 outside a Manhattan hotel. Mangione was arrested on Dec. 9 at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, following a multi-state manhunt.
MORE ON THE CHARGES
The 26-year-old was also charged with two counts of murder in the second degree — one of the counts accuses Mangione of killing as an act of terrorism. NY law specifically requires additional aggravating circumstances for murder to be raised to a first-degree charge.
Prosecutors said they determined Mangione’s actions were “intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population” and to “affect the conduct of a unit of government by murder.” Terrorism is typically defined as an act of violence for political effect. Hence, the first-degree charge.
He also faces felony charges in Pennsylvania for forgery and carrying a firearm without a license. In New York, he faces additional charges that include illegal possession of a 3D-printed gun.
Now, New York Governor Kathy Hochul is expected to send extradition paperwork to Pennsylvania, where Mangione is being held. Prosecutors in the county have said the New York charges “take precedent."
Up next: An extradition hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 19, which will occur right after a preliminary hearing on Mangione’s Pennsylvania charges.
"We'll be ready whether he is going to waive extradition or whether he's going to contest extradition," Bragg said. Mangione had said he’d fight extradition to New York, but Bragg said late last week that he may no longer contest it.
📌 RUSSIAN GENERAL ASSASSINATED IN MOSCOW BY UKRAINIAN SPECIAL OPERATION
A top Russian military official, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, was killed in Moscow on Tuesday in what Ukrainian officials are calling a special operation. He is the highest-level Russian military officer to be killed outside combat in the war, which began in February 2022.
Kirillov, who led Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces since 2017, has been accused by Ukraine and other nations of using chemical weapons against its troops.
He was reportedly killed by an explosive device that was planted in a scooter near a residential building in southeastern Moscow.
INSIDE THE ATTACK
Russian state media reports the bomb was triggered remotely and carried an explosive force equivalent to 300 grams of TNT.
Ukraine has said its domestic security service was behind the attack.
It comes one day after Kyiv published an investigation accusing Russia of deploying banned chemical weapons nearly 5,000 times since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – all under Kirillov’s leadership.
Russia has denied that accusation; but the U.S. said in May that it believed Russia was using tear gas and other chemicals that cause choking, dizziness, and vomiting on the battlefield.
The Kremlin said that Ukrainian leaders would “pay in full” for Kirillov’s assassination, which it called a terrorist attack.
WHAT’S NEXT IN WAR
The assassination underscores escalating tactics and tensions in the Ukraine-Russia conflict in recent months.
The U.S. issued new sanctions against North Korea and Russia on Monday related to Pyongyang’s financial and military support for Moscow, as well as its ballistic missile program.
However, Ukrainians are finding that the inexperienced North Korean troops deployed to help Russia are easy targets. About 30 North Koreans fighting for Russia were killed or wounded over the weekend.
The Pentagon confirmed it has “indications” that North Korean troops “have suffered casualties, both killed and wounded” in Russia. North Korea reportedly has up to 12,000 troops in the region.
📌 A WAVE OF GLOBAL RESIGNATIONS & SNAP ELECTIONS
The political winds have shifted in Canada, Germany, and many other democratic countries this year. The common thread: incumbents around the world are struggling to hold on to power.
LATEST IN CANADA & GERMANY
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is reeling after Chrystia Freeland, his long-time deputy and finance minister, abruptly resigned on Monday. The opposition leader, which Trudeau’s ruling party has relied upon to stay in power, called for him to resign shortly after.
Freeland left over disagreements about Trudeau’s handling of a potential trade war with the U.S., after President-elect Donald Trump threatened 25% tariffs on Canadian goods last month.
Trump responded that Freeland “will not be missed!”
While Trudeau has vowed to lead the Liberal Party into the 2025 election, polling suggests the party would be on track for a wipeout if elections were held today.
Freeland is seen as a frontrunner to replace Trudeau, who has been the prime minister for 9 years.
Over to Europe, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a vote of confidence in parliament on Monday. Scholz’s three-party coalition fell apart last month amid disputes over economic revitalization plans.
The fallout means Europe’s largest economy will be temporarily led by a caretaker government – which is unable to make major policy decisions – until early elections scheduled for February 2025, seven months ahead of schedule.
All elections in developed countries in 2024 found incumbent parties losing vote share. via Financial Times
THE ANTI-INCUMBENCY WAVE
According to trends highlighted by the Financial Times, this year marks the first time in 120 years that every party in power of at least 10 major countries — whether left-wing or right-wing — has been punished at the polls or in leadership struggles.
Even traditionally dominant political forces like Japan’s Liberal Democrats, France’s Ensemble coalition, Britain’s Tories, and India’s BJP have faced unprecedented setbacks.
Driving voters: Despite low joblessness numbers, voters expressed major discontent over post-pandemic inflation and migration trends.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Trump sues Des Moines Register, pollster for ‘election interference’ after pre-election poll (AP)
📌 Madison police chief says alleged motive of Wisconsin Christian school shooting suspect seemed to be ‘combination of factors’ (THE HILL)
📌 Congress scrambles to finalize a short-term bill with shutdown deadline days away (NBC)
📌 Connolly wins vote to be top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, defeating Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (POLITICO)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Israel plans an extended occupation of Syrian buffer zone (AP)
📌 Hundreds of thousands of bodies could be buried in Syrian mass graves, advocacy group says (CNN)
📌 Magnitude 7.3 earthquake causes widespread damage in Pacific island nation of Vanuatu (ABC)
📌 Filipina who won a last-minute reprieve from an Indonesian firing squad is returning home (AP)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 An Alabama woman is doing well after the latest experimental pig kidney transplant (AP)
📌 Japan's Honda and Nissan to reportedly begin merger talks (CNBC)
📌 FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices (CNN)
📌 Walmart employees testing body cameras at some stores for 'security measures' (USA TODAY)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Chance the Rapper's wife Kirsten Corley Bennett files for divorce 8 months after split (USA TODAY)
📌 Tom Cruise honored with US Navy's highest civilian award (BBC)
📌 ‘Bluey’ film in the works from Disney and BBC Studios, set to hit the big screen in 2027 (USA TODAY)
📌 With Sports gambling surging, federal regulation is discussed (NY TIMES)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: DECEMBER 18
1892: Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia. It wasn’t an immediate hit and received lukewarm reviews.
1966: “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” aired for the first time on CBS.
1985: Steven Spielberg’s “The Color Purple” premiered in theaters.
2019: Former President Trump was impeached for the first time by the U.S. House of Representatives — the third U.S. president to be impeached by the House — over a call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, where he allegedly sought help in the 2020 election.
The Senate acquitted Trump on this impeachment and another he faced in January 2021.