Arrest In UnitedHealthcare CEO Killing, Netanyahu Trial, Jay-Z Rape Allegations

0:02Police have arrested a 26-year-old man in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Authorities have charged Luigi Mangione with murder. What do we know about him and any possible motive? I'm Michelle Martin. That's A Martinez. And this is Up First from NPR News.

0:19Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will testify today in a fortified courtroom in his own corruption trial. Netanyahu was charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust back in 2019. The start of his defense comes amid Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. What can we expect from Netanyahu's testimony. And Jay-Z is being accused of raping a teenage girl more than two decades ago. The allegation against the rapper was made public in a civil suit against Sean Diddy Combs. How is Jay-Z responding? Stay with us. We've got all the news you need to start your day.

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2:19We are learning more this morning about Luigi Mangione. He is the 26-year-old arrested yesterday and charged late last night with murder in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Thompson was gunned down last week in New York City. NPR's Brian Mann has been following all of this. So Brian, how did police capture Mangione and why do they think he's a gunman? Yeah, so after Brian Thompson was killed last week, the NYPD was able to isolate one surveillance photo that showed part of the suspect's face. They distributed that photo not just in New York City, but nationwide. Yesterday morning, people at a McDonald's restaurant in central Pennsylvania saw a man who resembled that photo.

2:59They called local police. And Altoona, Pennsylvania, patrolman Tyler Fry was among those who arrived to question the man. He was wearing a blue medical mask. As soon as we pulled that down, or we asked him to pull it down, me and my partner and I recognized him immediately. Just didn't even think twice about it. We knew that was our guy. Now, it wasn't just a physical resemblance to that photo. Mangione was also allegedly carrying an illegal firearm, false documents, and other evidence that police say link him to Thompson's death. So he was arraigned late last night on five relatively low-level state charges in Pennsylvania.

3:33Then prosecutors back in Manhattan charged Mangione with second-degree murder along with other crimes. What are they saying about maybe a possible motive? You know, we don't know yet why Mangione appeared to target Thompson so deliberately, but speaking yesterday, the NYPD's chief of detectives, Joseph Kenney, said Mangione was carrying a three-page handwritten document that may have detailed some of his motives. We don't think that there's any specific threats to other people mentioned in that document, but it does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America. And Mangione's writings on social media also include one post about the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski.

4:11Mangione expresses fascination with some of Kaczynski's ideas, including the belief that political violence may be necessary. Tell us more about Luigi Mangione. Where's he from? Well, he came from an affluent family with property and businesses in Maryland, well-educated, attended the private Gilman School in Baltimore where he was valedictorian. And then he went to the University of Pennsylvania, studied computer science. A lot of his early social media posts show an apparently happy young man, a college student, an athlete who lived later in Hawaii. The path that led him from that life to this alleged shooting, A, that's still not clear.

4:45Yeah, looking on social media, I mean, some people have essentially described Brian Thompson's killing as a kind of a justice in some kind because he worked for an insurance company that often sparked controversy by denying people's medical claims. I understand the Pennsylvania's governor spoke about that part of the public reaction. What do you have to say? Yeah, that's right. Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said last night he understands the health insurance industry has enraged many Americans, but Shapiro blasted people who've embraced what he described as vigilantism. In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero.

5:19Hear me on this. He is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald's this morning. And Shapiro pointed out that Thompson was a husband, the father of two sons, just 50 years old at the time of his murder. Brian Thompson was buried yesterday in a private ceremony. That's NPR's Brian Mann in New York. Brian, thank you. Thank you.

5:51It's a pivotal day in Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking the witness stand in his own corruption trial. Yes, for the first time in the country's history, a sitting prime minister is testifying as a defendant in court. And today he's doing so in a fortified courtroom underground in the middle of a war. NPR's Daniel Estrin is at the Tel Aviv courthouse. Daniel, Neil, what's the situation like? What's it like in the courtroom? Well, here at the courthouse, it is full of the prime minister's security guards. There are pro and anti-Netanyahu demonstrators outside the courthouse. In the courtroom, Israeli cabinet ministers and lawmakers from Netanyahu's party came to support him as he's giving his witness testimony.

6:35I am on the ground floor of the courthouse. We've been watching Netanyahu's testimony on a big screen where journalists are gathered. Netanyahu is testifying one floor below me in a small underground fortified courtroom. That's because it is wartime. And just yesterday, there was a rocket fired from Yemen that hit a building in Israel. So there are security concerns. But it is a really momentous day. The police started investigating Netanyahu in 2016. And finally, for the very first time, he's taking the witness stand. and on the witness stand, Netanyahu said he's been waiting eight years for this day to present the truth.

7:13So I mentioned it's a corruption trial. What are the charges Netanyahu faces? He's charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust. There are three separate cases that he is facing. They all involve his dealings with wealthy media moguls, a Hollywood producer, owners of media outlets. He's accused of using his influence as a prime minister to help their business interests And in exchange, he's accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars worth of champagne, cigars, and also secret deals to give him and his family flattering news coverage. What's it like seeing him testify? And what's his defense?

7:52It is extraordinary. I mean, on the witness stand, he started with an opening speech talking about how the momentous events in Syria means that his aides may need to pass him special notes as he gives his testimony. I mean, it's really extraordinary seeing an acting prime minister on trial in the middle of war. He began by saying the charges are an ocean of absurdity. He said the only thing that matters is his role as defender of Israel. And when he was asked about the accusations that he sought positive press coverage and got cigars and champagne, he said he does not live a lavish life. He can't finish his cigar because of all the work he does.

8:31He says he goes to bed at 1 or 2 a.m. every day. and about press coverage, he said all he would have to do to get good press coverage would be to say he supports creating a Palestinian state. So how is Benjamin Netanyahu managing to appear in court while also dealing with Israel's conflicts in the Middle East? I mean, that's a lot to juggle. Yes, and he says he can juggle it all. I mean, although he did try to delay this day in court for several months, he and his lawyers argued because of the wars and the conflicts Israel is facing on multiple fronts. It should be delayed a couple months. In fact, he was unsuccessful.

9:07So he'll be testifying three days a week, six hours a day. It'll last for many weeks. And he will be battling. He will be using this trial as part of this public battle to shape his image as a warrior for Israel in the middle of a war, surviving as Israel's longest-serving prime minister in history, especially at this extraordinary time in Syria, extensive Israeli bombing campaign inside Syria. That's NPR's Daniel Estrin at the Tel Aviv Courthouse. Daniel, thanks. You're welcome.

9:43Jay-Z is the latest celebrity to be named in the web of allegations against Sean Diddy Combs. The rapper has been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl along with Combs at an MTV Video Music Awards after party in the year 2000. The lawsuit is one of more than a dozen filed by Texas attorney Tony Busby against Combs, and now Jay-Z is reportedly taking his own legal action against the attorney. NPR Culture reporter Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento has been covering the lawsuits, joins us now. So to be clear, this is not a new lawsuit against Combs. So what's new that Jay-Z is now being accused of participating in the crimes?

10:20That's right. So in October, Texas attorney Tony Busby announced he had more than 100 victims who had come forward with allegations against Combs. He's filed more than a dozen of those lawsuits already, all of them on behalf of unnamed plaintiffs. One of those lawsuits alleges that in September of 2000, Combs and an unnamed male celebrity raped a 13-year-old girl at the VMA's after party while a female celebrity stood by and watched. On Sunday, that lawsuit was amended and refiled to say that Jay-Z, whose real name is Sean Carter, was the male celebrity who took part in that rape. And I want to reiterate that the allegations against Jay-Z are part of a civil suit filed against Sean Combs, Jay-Z is not facing any criminal charges.

10:59Okay, so what's Jay-Z saying then? So Jay-Z issued a statement to NPR saying that these claims are completely false. He publicly called Busby, quote, an ambulance chaser in a cheap suit and said that Busby attempted to blackmail him to extort settlement money. He also filed a motion for the anonymous lawsuit to be dismissed or for the plaintiff's identity to be disclosed. Jay-Z's reps confirmed to NPR that he is in the process of taking action against Busby. Tony Busby. Who is Tony Busby? What do we know about him? So Busby is known for representing clients in high-profile cases. He was the lawyer for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during his 2023 impeachment trial.

11:35He also represented the women who sued football player Deshaun Watson for sexual misconduct and victims of the Astroworld deadly crowd surge who sued rapper Travis Scott. And it's not just the cases themselves that have garnered a lot of attention. Busby has also run for office several times in Texas. He self-funded a run for Houston mayor in 2019, and in 2023, he ran for city council. He ended up losing both of those races. His other professional ventures include property development and a short-lived THC-infused seltzer company. So, wide range of interests for Tony Busby, and now he's focused in on filing lawsuits against Sean Combs.

12:11Yeah, that seems to be one of the big priorities for the Busby firm at the moment. Busby has insinuated that other famous celebrities may have been involved in the alleged crimes and may be named in future lawsuits. Here he is on a YouTube stream from that initial press conference in October. The biggest secret in the entertainment industry that really wasn't a secret at all has finally been revealed to the world. And again, so far, all of the accusers have remained anonymous, which Carter and Combs lawyers have taken issue with. Combs attorneys have denied all of the allegations and have questioned Busby's credibility.

12:45At the same time, we know Combs is under federal investigation and has been indicted on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, he has pleaded not guilty. He was recently denied bail a third time, so he will remain in custody in a Brooklyn jail while awaiting his May trial for those criminal charges. All right, that's NPR culture reporter Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento. Thank you very much. Thank you.

13:13The American poet and cultural thinker Nikki Giovanni has died at the age of 81. She published more than two dozen poetry collections throughout her life and was one of the most celebrated poets of the last century. In this recording from HarperCollins, Giovanni reads from her poem, A Good Cry. Maybe since we will all soon be gone, I should be happy I found my mother and someone else who loves me. Maybe that's all that really matters. In addition to her poetry, she was a teacher, mentor, and an essential part of the Black arts movement and the civil rights era. In a statement, her friend, the author Kwame Alexander, said, quote, We will forever be grateful for the unconditional time she gave to us to all her literary children across the writerly world.

13:57Her final book of poetry entitled The Last Book is set to be published next year. For a conversation on the life and work of Nikki Giovanni, listen to Morning Edition or visit NPR.org.

14:12And that's a first for Tuesday, December 10th. I'm E. Martinez. And I'm Michelle Martin. There's an easy way to stay connected to news and podcasts from the NPR network, the NPR app. Hear community coverage from your local stations, stories from around the world, and podcast suggestions based on what you like. Download the NPR app in your app store. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Andrea DeLeon, James Heider, Otis Hart, H.J. Mai, and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Zia Butch, Nia Dumas, and Ben Abrams. We'll get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. Our technical director is Carly Strange.

14:44Join us again tomorrow.

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