Understanding Gen Z Sympathies For UHC CEO Shooter
Plus, Supreme Court will hear TikTok's case against a potential ban
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Good morning,
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear arguments in TikTok’s appeal to block a law that could ban the app as soon as next month.
On January 10, TikTok will argue that the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act — which requires its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform by January 19 or face a national ban — violates the First Amendment by imposing impermissible restrictions on free speech.
Congress passed the law, and President Biden signed it earlier this year, arguing on national security grounds, that the bill protected Americans from the Chinese government having access to U.S. users’ sensitive data through the app.
A lower federal court ruling last week upheld the law, saying that lawmakers’ concerns about national security threats outweighed TikTok’s free speech concerns.
Notably, the January 19 deadline to sell is just one day before Trump takes office.
While Trump attempted to ban TikTok during his first term, he has recently shown a more sympathetic stance. On Monday, he stated he has a “warm spot” for TikTok and revealed he met with the company’s CEO.
The popular social media platform reportedly has more than 170 million U.S. users. Next month, the Supreme Court will hear arguments from TikTok creators who have built their livelihoods on the app, as well as other users.
It is going to be a busy January in Washington!
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!
📌 WHAT’S BEHIND GEN Z'S POLARIZING REACTION TO THE KILLING OF UHC CEO
Gen Z’s lack of sympathy to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson (and at times celebration of the alleged killer) has drawn condemnation from business leaders, politicians and law enforcement officials, and left others puzzled.
Recent polling data from Emerson College revealed that 41% of voters aged 18-29 found Thompson's killing somewhat or completely "acceptable," compared to only 17% of the general population.
Gen Z stands in contrast to all other age groups 30 and older, where a majority find the actions of the killer to be “unacceptable.”
Emerson Poll findings.
Mo News got hundreds of responses from the Mo News community Wednesday, and spoke with Psychologist Dr. Lauren Cook, author of "Generation Anxiety," about what she makes of young people's reactions. She says the responses align with a larger trend of frustration, disillusionment, and even nihilism among young people.
WHAT OFFICIALS ARE SAYING
At a press conference announcing Luigi Mangione’s latest murder charges in New York, NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch condemned online support for the suspect. She said that “social media has erupted with praise for this cowardly attack,” and that the “shocking and appalling” activity has even sparked real-life threats.
“Wanted” posters targeting other healthcare CEOs, as well as posters of Thompson with an “X” drawn over his face, have popped up in New York City since the shooting.
Rebecca Weiner, the NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism, says, “We’ve had a torrent of online threats. We’ve had real-world activity that the police commissioner flagged, which is abhorrent, and it causes concerns.”
📊 THE DATA
U.S. voters under 30 years old disproportionately categorized Thompson’s killing as “completely acceptable” or “somewhat acceptable” in the recent Emerson survey.
The data shows what many of us were already seeing: the flood of social media memes, negative Yelp reviews of the McDonald’s he was arrested at, and even merch glorifying the incident.
However, it contrasts sharply with an NBC poll from earlier this year, which found that 85% of voters 18-29 were concerned about gun violence in schools and public spaces.
The general sentiment seems to be anger toward health insurers over coverage denials and other opaque practices.
"It's my hope that [Gen Z and Millennials] can come into places of power to move the needle so this isn't such a systemic issue...because we do have to validate that people have not been protected with their health care and that is unacceptable."
Dr. Lauren Cook
📲 MO NEWS REACTS
The Mo News Instagram community had thoughts about the polling data:
One person said they think part of it has to do with the younger generation being taught to see the world through an oppressor/oppressed lens where any actions are OK if they are taking on the “oppressor” (similar to support of Hamas after October 7).
Another community member thinks “social media and gaming play a part... Younger ones live in an online world where the line between reality and virtual is so skewed. They’ve grown up with constant shooter drills yet shoot people daily while gaming with their friends."
A GenZer said “I'm not in favor of anyone dying, but as someone who works in healthcare and sees firsthand how even some colleagues have profound medical debt—plus patients with completely valid claims delayed or denied— it almost feels like these sorts of actions are the only thing regular people can do to try to change the system.”
Another GenZer weighed in to say that while they see the killing as unacceptable, others in their cohort see it as creating change: “We grew up after 9/11 but during the financial crisis, Obama’s term, Sandy Hook, Parkland, increasing polarization, etc. where people don’t feel like govt, big companies are looking out for regular people…Insurance companies are viewed to my gen [as] lifeless entities that are easy to blame.”
"I can sympathize with the general frustration re: lack of accountability for corporations,” said another Mo News member. “But I think the way news is presented and consumed on social media has made us lose sight of the nuance in these situations… It’s easy to see why Gen Z folks can’t separate the individual from the corporation."
More responses are saved in the “GenZ & CEO” highlight on the Mo News Instagram page.
PERSPECTIVE FROM A PSYCHOLOGIST
Dr. Cook, author and psychologist, explains, "People are feeling detached, overwhelmed, and even dissociated. This doesn’t condone violence, but I do think it speaks to how much pain people are in."
Gen Z grew up during a time when school shootings have become all too familiar, and government responses have done little to address the country’s gun violence epidemic. They are also one of the most educated generations, but financially worse off than their parents.
On their frustrations with the U.S. healthcare industry, Cook said: "It’s so defeating to feel in fear that if something happens to them or their loved ones, to not feel protected. This is a massively systemic issue and it's really hard when the people in power are typically not people in our generations, who may see this very differently than we do.”
Health insurance denial of coverage claims have skyrocketed in the last two decades.
Cook said that feelings of frustration, fear, and doom are leading young people to increasingly turn toward nihilism — the belief that life is devoid of meaning or purpose.
Now what? Cook emphasizes the need to address Gen Z’s frustrations through meaningful dialogue: "You've got to acknowledge this is a really tough climate and environment – literally and figuratively – that people are living in. We've got to validate that.”
She warns that failing to recognize and address these concerns could lead to further isolation, which she believes will only exacerbate mental health challenges and feelings of hopelessness or despair.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Trump joins Elon Musk in opposing House GOP’s government funding bill (CNBC) Johnson’s spending nightmare points to grueling GOP problems next year (POLITICO)
📌 Congress passes Paris Hilton-backed bill to protect kids (CNN)
📌 House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release Matt Gaetz ethics report (AP)
📌 Search for answers continues three days after teen opened fire on Wisconsin private school (CNN)
📌 Former NFL running back and US Senate candidate Herschel Walker selected by Trump to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas (USA TODAY)
📌 U.S. reports first severe human case of bird flu, in a patient hospitalized in Louisiana (NBC)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Russia says it has detained a suspect in the Moscow bombing that killed a senior general (AP)
📌 Turkey looks set to play an outsize role in shaping the new Syria after Assad (NPR)
📌 Spies foiled assassination plots during historic Iraq visit, Pope Francis says (NBC)
📌 France's ex-President Sarkozy loses corruption case appeal (BBC)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Bird flu spread prompts California to declare state of emergency (USA TODAY)
📌 Dow tanks by 1,100 points, posts first 10-day losing streak since 1974 (CNBC)
📌 Federal Reserve cuts interest rates by quarter point in December (FOX)
📌 Astronauts who flew to space aboard Starliner face additional delay (CNN)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Famous Flat Earther travels all the way to Antarctica to put his theory to the test - only to realize our planet is very much round (DAILY MAIL)
📌 Tony Buzbee sues Jay-Z’s Roc Nation for allegedly soliciting his clients to file ‘frivolous’ lawsuits against his firm (CNN)
📌 ‘Bad Monkey’ gets $20 million tax credit to move from Florida to California (VARIETY)
📌 Disney pulls transgender storyline from ‘Win Or Lose’ Pixar series (DEADLINE)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: DECEMBER 18
1843: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol was published. The first edition sold out by Christmas Eve. By 1844, the novella had gone through 13 printings and continues to be a robust seller more than 180 years later.
1970: “Your Song” by Elton John was released.
1984: The United Kingdom agreed to return Hong Kong to China.
1998: President Bill Clinton was impeached by the Republican-controlled House for perjury and obstruction of justice in connection to his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
Clinton was subsequently acquitted by the Senate.