In what at least one scholar is describing as a concerning indication of radicalization among certain elements of the American populace, tens of thousands of people have shown support or sympathy for the death of UnitedHealthcare's CEO on social media. People sometimes question why we want these execs dead, because they wroteA few hours after the CEO, 50-year-old Brian Thompson, was shot dead in Manhattan by a man brandishing a silenced pistol, Taylor Lorenz, a former journalist for the New York Times and Washington Post, wrote a post on BlueSky. Lorenz later added, "No, that doesn't mean people should murder them," in response to criticism. Within hours following the murder, Rutgers University's Network Contagion Research Institute found thousands of posts that were identical. More than 8...

When the Los Angeles Lakers signed former shooter J.J. Redick as their new coach in the offseason, there was optimism that he would be able to maximize the worth of a group that was mismatched and only advanced five games in the previous season's playoffs. The Lakers were apparently counting on Redick to boost a club that hasn't won a conference finals game since 2020, the last time it seemed like Los Angeles was a real title threat, following a quiet summer in terms of deals and signings. Rather, following Wednesday's 134-93 thrashing at the hands of the Miami Heat, the Lakers appear to be as far from a title as they were under the previous administration, with about a quarter of the NBA season left. And one of these issues is particularly startling. Los Angeles finished the previous seas...

A policy change that will restrict reimbursements for anesthesia during surgeries and other medical procedures was announced by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield on Thursday. Under the new arrangement, doctors would have received reimbursement according to deadlines that the insurance imposed. The new payment policy for Connecticut, New York, and Missouri, which will take effect in February, was quietly disclosed last month by Anthem BCBS, one of the biggest health insurers in the United States. The American Society of Anesthesiologists expressed outrage about the policy change. After UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot in New York City on Wednesday, the policy modification gained attention after first going unreported.Anthem BCBS's decision erupted into the online hatred that the dea...

Adrian Wojnarowski, a former NBA insider for ESPN, received a prostate cancer diagnosis in March, six months prior to his abrupt departure from the network. Wojnarowski made the announcement in a Sports Illustrated feature that was published on Thursday. He told SI's Chris Mannix that a notable remark from his September retirement statement was referring to his cancer diagnosis. "Time isn't in endless supply," Wojnarowski, 55, said in his statement. According to SI, Wojnarowski's blood tests from his checkup in February of last year showed an increased PSA, or prostate-specific antigen. Wojnarowski found out about the early-stage cancer diagnosis from a March biopsy only minutes before he was scheduled to appear on "NBA Countdown." However, Wojnarowski informed Mannix that the outlook is f...

Taylor Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour is finally coming to an end after almost two years of friendship bracelets and glittering bodysuits. Swift will play her final three shows on the tour, which has spanned five countries and nearly 150 performances, this weekend in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Eras Tour, which began in March 2023, has become the highest-grossing concert tour in history and has established itself as a cultural phenomenon, regularly garnering headlines and igniting a never-ending frenzy of fan conjecture and excitement. The tour was already being credited by the Federal Reserve with benefiting the U.S. economy by promoting tourism by the summer of 2023. By the end of its first weekend in North America, her October release, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, had become the...

According to a person familiar with the trip, Vice President-elect JD Vance is scheduled to visit Fairview, North Carolina, on Friday to assess Hurricane Helene recovery work, as reported by NBC News. This person said that Vance is expected to visit a house remodeling project and meet with first responders. Additionally, he will meet with the family of Tony Ray Garrison, a fire battalion chief who lost his life in late September while attempting to rescue people from a mudslide caused by Helene. The travel to North Carolina will be Vance's first since the election last month, except from meetings and activities related to President-elect Donald Trump's transition efforts. While touring storm-ravaged Damascus, Virginia, in October, Vance assessed the devastation caused by Helene. When Vance...