International

United Healthcare CEO shot dead in Manhattan

The executive director of the UnitedHealthcare insurer, Brian Thompson, died this Wednesday after a man shot him near a hotel in downtown Manhattan early in the morning.

The chief of police (NYPD), Jessica Tisch, said at a press conference that it was a “premeditated, planned and selective” attack, and that the suspect waited for Thompson to approach before shooting him several times, insing him in the back and leg, and fleeing on an electric bicycle.

Thompson, 50, was heading to the Hilton hotel in Midtown, a few blocks from Times Square, to participate in his company’s investor day when he was shot shortly before 7 a.m. and taken to a hospital where his death was certified, the police confirmed.

NYPD chief detective Joseph Kenny said the suspect waited for Thompson for five minutes and shot him in the back, and initially his gun magazine got stuned, but fixed it and continued to un the trigger, according to the preliminary investigation.

Kenny indicated that, according to the security videos, the suspect, a white-skinned man dressed casually and who was apparently going to attend the conference, “seems an expert in the use of weapons, since he was able to fix the failure (of the gun) very quickly.”

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Authorities investigate the death of the director of Unitedhealth

The police are investigating whether Thompson, who was staying in a hotel near the Hilton and went alone to his company’s event, had received threats.

His wife, Paulette Thompson, with whom he has two children, told NBC News that “some people had been threatening him.”

The latest images of the suspect, shortly after the murder, show him entering Central Park on a public electric bicycle.

At the crime scene and surroundings, three bullets and a mobile phone have been recovered.

“We will not rest until we identify and capture the shooter in this case,” said Tisch, who offered a reward of 10,000 dollars to the citizens and assured that the police device will be reinforced in the lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas tree, near the Hilton hotel.

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Thompson, from Minnesota, was the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest private insurer in the United States, since 2021, and had been in the company’s parent company, the UnitedHealth group, for two decades, which also confirmed the news in a statement.

“We are working together with the New York Police Department and we ask for patience and understanding in this difficult time. Our hearts are with Brian’s family and his loved ones,” the note says.

The chief executive of UnitedHealth, Andrew Witty, told those present this morning before the day for investors, scheduled for 8 in the morning, that “a very serious medical situation” had occurred with a member of the team and the event should be suspended, according to CNBC.

International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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International

Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.