It’s Wednesday: Luigi Mangione shouts at press and fights extradition to NY after being charged with murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO; What we were Googling in 2024.

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Good morning,

Kylie Kelce is making waves with her brand-new podcast “Not Gonna Lie.” Its first episode skyrocketed to the top of the Apple and Spotify charts in the U.S., dethroning “The Joe Rogan Experience” this week. For now.

• The 45-minute premiere episode dropped last Thursday. Kelce, who is married to former NFL star Jason Kelce, spoke about their growing family and how she’s navigating the spotlight.

  • The mom of three (soon to be four) shared her thoughts on embracing the newfound attention, saying that while she would rather be “behind the scenes,” she has found a way to "turn [the attention] into a positive."

• Jason and his brother Travis Kelce (yes, Taylor Swift’s boyfriend) host the “New Heights” podcast, which signed a $100 million deal with Amazon’s podcast studio Wondery this summer… no wonder they are expanding the Kelce podcast empire.

Have a good one!

Mosheh, Jill, Sari, & Lauren

PS: Please take a few minutes to fill out our audience survey at mo.news/feedback. Your feedback will help us create content that speaks to the people who matter most: you, our community! The survey is open until Friday, December 13.

What We’re Searching With.

Oh, the internet. It can be a scary place… but less so with Freespoke. Freespoke is a search engine that does a few important things differently:

• News results show all sides with media biases labeled (left, middle, right)

• Their new election portal delivers unbiased election coverage so you can make up your own mind

• No adult content by default – they’re a partner in protecting your families from bad content.

Freespoke is the search platform that respects your privacy and doesn’t manipulate the information you find online.

Try searching on Freespoke, and search beyond the bias.

📌 NEW DETAILS ON THE SUSPECTED KILLER OF HEALTHCARE CEO

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in last week's killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, contested his extradition to New York during a court hearing in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

• As he entered the courthouse, Mangione shouted to reporters (what sounded like): “This is completely out of touch and is an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!”

It comes as a police report suggests Mangione views himself as a hero acting against what he views as a corrupt, “parasitic” health insurance industry. In a leaked copy of a short “manifesto” Mangione was carrying on him, he wrote that insurance companies “abuse our country for immense profit” and that “I am the first to face it with such brutal honesty.”

• Authorities are concerned that growing online support for Mangione could inspire similar acts of targeted violence against prominent business leaders and politicians.

UPDATE ON THE CASE
Mangione, who has a private defense attorney, is fighting extradition to New York, where he faces charges including second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He is currently being held without bail in a state prison in Western Pennsylvania, where he faces additional charges related to providing a fake ID to police, forgery, and illegal possession of a gun – to which his lawyer says he will plead “not guilty.”

Fighting extradition is a delay tactic that could push a NY hearing back 4-6 weeks. His attorney says they are fighting it because they have a constitutional right to do so.

• Hours after the Tuesday hearing, a spokesperson for New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced she plans to issue a warrant for Mangione’s extradition from Pennsylvania.

  • Local prosecutors have 30 days to get it, and then another hearing will follow.

• On Tuesday, Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks told reporters that his office will let NY prosecute Mangione first since their murder charges take precedence of gun charges in Pennsylvania.

CLUES INTO MOTIVE
Mangione’s extensive online presence is shedding light on his potential motives. In a Reddit post believed to be his, Mangione described suffering from back pain that grew extreme after a surfing incident in 2022. His previous landlord told the New York Times that the pain seemed to impact his mobility and ability to be physically intimate.

• In the summer of 2023, it seems Mangione underwent spinal fusion surgery, which appeared to alleviate his symptoms.

  • He also posted about previous struggles with “brain fog” and getting tested for irritable bowel syndrome, which was covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

• Something shifted around six months ago, when Mangione stopped communicating with friends and family. Investigators are expected to zoom in on that timeframe and see what changed — as friends and classmates report a smart, well-liked guy before that.

  • His mother reported him missing to the San Francisco Police Department on November 18, believing he was living in the area at the time.

• Mangione’s manifesto (only about 300 words) speaks less to a personal struggle with health care, than to a general issue with American health outcomes while insurance companies profit.

THWARTING SUPPORT FOR THE KILLER
The online response to Mangione’s arrest has been polarizing. Some people have flooded the McDonald’s where he was arrested with one-star reviews, calling the employee who tipped off police a “rat.” Others have created memes of Mangione, further fueling a disturbing online campaign in support of him. Mo News has received messages from people calling him a “hero” for committing murder.

• Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro condemned those comments on Monday night, insisting that “he is no hero.”

  • “In America, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint. I understand people have real frustration with our healthcare system, and I have worked to address that throughout my career. But I have no tolerance, nor should anyone, for one man using an illegal ghost gun to murder someone because he thinks his opinion matters most. In a civil society, we are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice,” he continued.

🌎 WHAT WE GOOGLED MOST THIS YEAR

On Tuesday, Google dropped its annual “Year in Search” for 2024 — giving us a peek into our peak curiosities this year. From epic global sporting events to viral internet theories, here’s what got the world buzzing online:

• Around the world, the top searches of 2024 were Copa América (#1), UEFA European Championship (#2), ICC Men's T20 World Cup (#3), India vs England (#4), and Liam Payne (#5).

  • These are all sporting events, except for the last one – which was top of mind when the One Direction star tragically died in October.

• Specifically looking at news events, the U.S. Election was the most-searched news story globally, followed up by excessive heat, the Olympics, Hurricane Milton, and Typhoon No. 10.

ZOOMING IN ON THE U.S.A.
Here are some of American’s top searches of 2024:

• All about the White House: Donald Trump was the most searched person, and the election was the #1 Trending Search.

• In entertainment, Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us,” TV show “Griselda,” and the movie “Inside Out 2” were the most Googled in their categories. Actor Katt Williams and musician Usher topped searches in their professions.

• And if you need some style inspo this week:

Hmm… Check out the FULL list of interesting stats HERE!

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⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Dangerous situation as fire explodes in Malibu (USA TODAY)

📌 Trump's DOJ secretly obtained phone and text message logs of 43 congressional staffers and 2 members of Congress (NBC)

📌 McConnell "fine" after falling outside Senate GOP meeting (ABC)

📌 Trump promises quick environmental permit approval for any company making $1B investment in US (AXIOS)

📌 Task force probing attempts to kill Trump urges Secret Service to limit protection of foreign leaders during election season (AP)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Israel says Syrian navy wiped out in barrage of strikes (WASHINGTON POST)

📌 From Syrian jihadist al Qaeda leader to rebel politician: How Abu Mohammed al-Jolani reinvented himself (BBC)

📌 South Korea’s ex-defense minister is formally arrested over martial law imposition (AP)

📌 Taiwan's Defense Ministry says a large Chinese military force has been detected nearby (NPR)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 A federal judge temporarily halts the proposed supermarket merger of Kroger and Albertsons (AP)

📌 Boeing restarts 737 Max production a month after strike ended, sources say (CNBC)

📌 Google says it has cracked a quantum computing challenge with new chip (CNN)

📌 The next Apple Watch Ultra could have satellite texting (VERGE)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Jamie Foxx reveals he suffered a brain bleed and a stroke, says ‘I don’t remember 20 days’ (CNN)

📌 Time names Caitlin Clark as “Athlete of the Year” (TIME)

📌 Blue Ivy attends 'Mufasa' premiere with parents Beyonce and Jay-Z (ABC)

📌 Bill Belichick has offer to coach UNC (NBC)

Mo News Podcast: A daily conversation about the news that matters.

 🗓 ON THIS DAY: DECEMBER 11

• 1936: Edward VIII became the only British monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne after failing to gain acceptance for his desire to marry American divorcée Wallis Warfield Simpson. His abdication was formally approved on this day.

• 1967: “Guess Who's Coming to Dinner,” a controversial, award-winning film promoting racial tolerance, premiered.

  • The movie starred Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy (in his final role), and Sidney Poitier. It marked the first time a white actress and a black actor kissed in a major motion picture. It was banned in a number of southern movie theaters.

• 1970: John Lennon released his debut solo album, “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.”

• 1998: The U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Republican majority recommended three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, related to his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.