We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
The future of air travel is under a microscope, and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford is at the forefront of the conversation. He affirms the impressive safety record of the aviation system while outlining ongoing strategies to enhance it even further. Central to this effort is the integration of artificial intelligence in air traffic management, as well as the careful certification process for emerging technologies such as flying taxis. Bedford is keen to reassure the public that despite these innovations, the FAA’s commitment to safety remains staunchly unwavering amidst its extensive modernization endeavors.
On a separate note reflecting safety challenges in aviation, Miami International Airport witnessed a tense moment with an American Airlines flight destined for Bermuda. The airplane was forced to abort its takeoff on Friday after a business jet unexpectedly crossed the active runway, bringing the two aircraft alarmingly close to each other—within about a third of a mile.
Although air traffic controllers were managing the flow of planes, a potential disaster was narrowly avoided thanks to the vigilance of the pilots in the American Airlines cockpit. Rather than relying solely on instruments, they employed visual confirmation to identify the hazard on the runway.
American Airlines flight 308 had been cleared for takeoff, but the attentive crew made the critical decision to discontinue upon noticing the runway incursion. “After receiving clearance, American Airlines flight 308 discontinued its takeoff when the crew observed another aircraft on the runway,” the airline shared in a statement to the media. The airline expressed gratitude for the swift actions of its crew and acknowledged the patience of its customers during the situation.
The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that the incursion involved an unauthorized crossing by the other aircraft, and an investigation into the incident is now underway. The FAA’s ongoing probe aims to shed light on this serious breach of protocol to prevent future occurrences.
The American Airlines flight 308 to Bermuda averted a tragic accident on the runway before takeoff and was able to arrive in Bermuda safely due to pilots use of visual confirmation.(Flight Aware)
ATC audio captured the near tragedy.
“You just crossed an active runway,” an ATC agent told the business jet pilot after the incident around 6 p.m. ET.
“You just told me to cross the runway, sir,” the pilot replied.
“No, we said Amerijet 461,” the controller responded.
An American Airlines jet at Miami International Airport averting a near tragedy Friday night.(Ronen Tivony/NurPhoto)
ATC audio confirms the American Airlines flight was cleared for takeoff on runway eight in Miami, while the business jet, NetJets Flight EJA434, reportedly being operated by a third-party maintenance vendor, mistakenly believed clearance from ATC was intended for it.
“RNAV Jamba clear for takeoff 8R, American 308,” one air traffic controller instructed.
“Amerijet 461, cross runway eight left, hold short of runway eight right,” another said.
“Four Quebec Sierra, you just crossed an active runway: Hold short of runway eight left,” another urged.
A NetJets spokesperson told News Media that “EJA434 was not under NetJets’ operational control at the time of the encounter.”
Officials investigate the site, Monday, March 23, 2026, where an Air Canada jet came to rest after colliding with a Port Authority firetruck at LaGuardia Airport, shortly after landing Sunday night in New York.(Seth Wenig/AP Photo)
The American Airlines flight 308 later departed Miami for Bermuda, arriving around two hours late, according to FlightAware tracking data.
The scare comes as airports prepare for heavy July 4 travel and follows a series of recent close calls involving commercial aircraft and runway traffic.
In March, an Air Canada flight crash-landed after an emergency truck mistakenly crossed an active runway, with ATC urging it to “stop, stop, stop,” leaving two pilots dead and 42 injured in a fiery crash.
A United Airlines flight reported a near miss with a drone Friday while approaching Newark Liberty International Airport. The pilot said the aircraft “almost hit a drone,” which was about 100 feet below the plane, according to reports. United’s flight landed safely and passengers deplaned normally.
Last week, an American Airlines plane and a Delta jet were involved in a near miss at Boston Logan International Airport. Aviation experts estimated the two aircraft came within about 300 feet of each other, according to the New York Post.
Just days following Thanksgiving in 2011, Kristin Werkhoven received a phone call that she hadn’t anticipated.
On the other end was her ex-boyfriend Brian Brimager, a highly-regarded Marine and the father of her young daughter. He announced that after a two-month break in Panama with his military friends, he intended to return to Southern California.
Although their romantic relationship had ended previously, Brimager needed somewhere to stay. Generously, Werkhoven agreed to let him stay in her spare bedroom and went to pick him up from the airport.
It didn’t take long for them to rekindle their previous connection. Werkhoven shared with the Daily Mail that their ‘magnetic chemistry’ was irresistible, leading Brimager to propose shortly after his return.
Photos from their simple New Year’s Eve wedding in Dana Point that same year illustrate a couple deeply in love, glowing with happiness, although this blissful phase was not to last.
In the days that followed, Werkhoven began noticing a series of increasingly strange behaviors exhibited by her new husband. He refused to talk about his time in Panama, he wasn’t eating, and he was up at all hours of the night pacing around their home.
‘He didn’t sleep. He’s a Marine and he can sleep anywhere in any environment,’ Werkhoven said. ‘But when I’d go to work in the morning at five or six, he’d still be up, which was completely abnormal.’
While confused by some of his behaviors, Werkhoven said she was struck by how much attention and affection Brimager was lavishing on their daughter.
‘He was acting strangely, but at the same time, he was constantly doting on our daughter… looking back, I think it was because he was on borrowed time and knew he was about to get caught,’ she said.
All smiles: Kristin Werkhoven is pictured with her husband Brian Brimager during a recent prison visit
Brimager had been living with his girlfriend Yvonne Baldelli (left) in Panama. She vanished two days after Thanksgiving 2011
The FBI soon delivered the explanation for Brimager’s increasingly erratic behavior.
Ambushing her at a work conference, agents informed Werkhoven that the man she had just married hadn’t been away in Panama with friends as he’d told her – he’d actually been living there with his girlfriend of two years, Yvonne Baldelli, 42, who went missing days before Brimager, then 37, returned to the US.
Werkhoven had never heard of Baldelli.
She and Brimager had been emailing on and off during his time in Panama about their daughter and about his travels, but he never once mentioned Baldelli or that he was in a relationship.
Prosecutors believe those messages set in motion the confrontation that ended with Baldelli’s murder.
Baldelli and Brimager, who had been dating since 2009, moved to Panama in September 2011.
Brimager had just left the Marines and wanted to launch a singing career, touring local beach bars with his guitar, while Baldelli brought with her a sewing kit in the hope of creating her own boutique swimwear brand.
Though they were chasing a life of tranquility, what followed was anything but peaceful.
Locals recalled the pair drinking heavily and engaging in heated public exchanges. Neighbors overheard late-night shouting matches. One witness claimed to have seen Baldelli with a black eye.
Baldelli and Brimager, who had been dating since 2009, moved to Panama in September 2011. The couple shared a toxic relationship, officials said
Werkhoven tied the knot with Brimager weeks after he returned from Panama. She only learned about Baldelli when FBI agents visited her at work
Unlikely crime fighter no one saw coming
I’m Rachel Sharp, US Editor of The Crime Desk, and I want to give you a free subscriber article about the extraordinary secret life of Ray Khan…
To the world, he was a wealthy businessman with a Rolls-Royce, a designer wardrobe and first-class flights. But the story of how he became one of America’s most successful criminal informants – and the betrayals that nearly destroyed him – has to be read to be believed.
In the early weeks of their trip, a joyful Baldelli had been calling home frequently and sending a constant stream of emails detailing her adventures with Brimager.
But slowly, the phone calls and messages became less frequent before stopping altogether around Thanksgiving.
Alarm bells began to sound for her family back in California.
‘I was calling her every day, and there was just no answer,’ Baldelli’s step-mother, Lillian Faust, told the Daily Mail. ‘I got really nervous about that.
‘My daughter Michelle had been in almost constant contact with her to that point, and she knew things hadn’t been right for a while – but she didn’t tell us that at the time to protect us.’
The silence continued for two weeks before Baldelli’s sister, Michelle Valenzuela, received a text message on December 14. But it wasn’t from Baldelli.
The message, from a number she didn’t recognize, read: ‘This is Brian. May I make arrangements to pick up my truck?’
Valenzuela immediately called him back and asked him where her sister was.
Brimager told her that they were no longer together. They fought in Panama after Baldelli discovered he had secretly fathered a child with Werkhoven, and he had returned to the US without her.
In a panic, Valenzuela started combing back through her messages with Baldelli and discovered an email in her inbox that she’d overlooked.
‘Hi sis. Just an update. Brian and I are no longer together,’ it began. ‘I should have trusted my instincts that he’s a lying, cheating a**hole. I’m heading to Costa Rica with a man I met when we first got [here.]’
In the early weeks of their trip, a joyful Baldelli had been calling and sending messages back home constantly – then they stopped
Something about the message didn’t sit right with Baldelli’s family. They didn’t believe for one second that she had run off with another man. She was besotted by Brimager and would’ve been devastated by the discovery of his child with Werkhoven.
Three more weeks passed before another email arrived. This time, the message said Baldelli was missing her family and would be returning soon to California in time to attend a scheduled family get-together in the first week of January.
She never showed, and all emails ceased.
Faust and Baldelli’s father, Jim, flew down to Panama and went door to door, handing out missing posters, chasing down false leads and scouring shorelines and jungles for traces of their missing daughter.
The search proved fruitless and emotionally taxing.
Faust recounted collapsing on the beach with Jim in floods of tears, confronted by the increasing possibility that Baldelli was likely no longer alive.
Then came another shock. A friend back home texted them a link to an announcement about Brimager’s marriage to Werkhoven.
‘I opened it and I screamed,’ Faust told the Daily Mail. ‘I thought right there, this must be why he killed her.’
Werkhoven and Brimager had a second child together after he returned to the US. She never believed he was capable of harming Baldelli
Back in California, Brimager was coming under increasing scrutiny.
It was discovered that the messages sent to Valenzuela from Baldelli’s email address came from a device inside his home.
Even though her husband had lied about his reasons for going to Panama, hidden his relationship with Baldelli, and was the last person to see her alive, Werkhoven never suspected Brimager was a killer – even as the evidence began to stack up.
‘You want to believe the best in people, especially your spouse,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘He was told by his lawyer not to tell me anything, so we couldn’t really talk about it… but I wanted to believe he didn’t do this because I had never seen him violent.’
Amid the mounting scrutiny, Werkhoven asked Brimager directly if he knew where Baldelli was. He said he didn’t and Werkhoven took him at his word.
More than a year passed before Baldelli’s whereabouts became known. In a green military duffel bag hidden in jungle brush, investigators found her dismembered remains.
Prosecutors said Baldelli had been stabbed to death with a machete and dismembered in a shower.
Brimager sold the murder weapon on Facebook shortly after Baldelli’s death, authorities said. In a listing, he wrote that he had ‘only used it to chop up one stripper.’
DNA evidence found beneath the machete’s handle sealed Brimager’s fate. He later pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 26 years.
Brimager is due to be released from prison in 2035. Werkhoven believes he’s transformed behind bars
The rental where Baldelli was killed is seen in an image captured by her family
The confession caught Werkhoven off guard.
‘It was a point of contention for me for a long time. I was pissed, because – why would you marry me if you did this?’ she said.
‘To this day, he says that although it wasn’t the right thing to do, he had just done everything wrong and he wanted to do something right.
‘When people commit crimes and they go back to their mom because they feel safe – I think I was safe for him and he knew that.’
Werkhoven has stayed by Brimager’s side, and the pair are still married.
During a court hearing last year, Brimager claimed to have transformed during his more-than-decade behind bars, dedicating himself to faith by becoming a Christian worship leader and a mentor to other inmates.
Werkhoven is convinced he has turned a new leaf.
She now documents their relationship on social media, advising the partners of other convicts while also answering questions from the public and recounting her ‘love story’ with Brimager.
Baldelli’s stepmother Lillian Faust (pictured with Baldelli’s father) told the Daily Mail that she had no idea Werkhoven had built an online following around her relationship with Brimager
Werkhoven has around 50,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram.
Under the name The Real Inmates Wife, she posts images of her and Brimager alongside captions such as: ‘Our story isn’t finished… but we’ve already won.’
She told the Daily Mail that, while it has taken years, she has forgiven Brimager for his sickening acts and lies.
‘I told him the other day, “I love you, but I hate what you did,” and people find that hard to understand,’ Werkhoven said.
‘But he has transformed. Before this, he loved himself more than he loved me, but now he puts the kids and me first, and everything he is doing is because he wants to be the best person he can when he gets home.’
Brian is due to be released from prison in August 2035.
The thought of him one day being a free man is a difficult one for Baldelli’s loved ones to stomach.
‘She really believes he’s a good man, and I don’t understand that,’ Faust said.
‘He has taken so much from this family… Yvonne thought he was going to marry her and he disposed of her like trash, as if she meant nothing.’
NEW YORK — Comcast has announced its decision to reorganize by dividing its operations into two independently listed corporations, separating NBCUniversal and Sky from its core business.
According to a statement released on Monday, Comcast’s board and executive team believe that as standalone companies, each entity will be better equipped to focus on its strategic goals, cultivate growth, and enhance long-term shareholder value independently.
NBCUniversal, a prominent player in the media and entertainment industry, boasts an impressive array of assets including Universal’s film and television studios, NBC and Telemundo channels, as well as Peacock and Bravo. Additionally, it will encompass Sky’s European media operations.
A Comcast truck is shown on Jan. 24, 2019, in Pittsburgh.AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File
Headquartered in Philadelphia, Comcast will maintain its focus on providing internet services to both residential and commercial customers.
Within the new structure, Mike Cavanagh, co-CEO of Comcast, is set to lead NBCUniversal as CEO. Meanwhile, Michael Angelakis, former Chief Financial Officer of Comcast, will assume the role of CEO for the newly standalone Comcast, acting as a strategic advisor during the transition period.
Comcast Chairman and co-CEO Brian Roberts will continue to be actively involved in the leadership of Comcast and NBCUniversal, working in partnership with the CEOs of both companies.
“Comcast will continue to build on its leadership in connectivity, while NBCUniversal, together with Sky, will have the scale, brands, content and financial resources to compete as a premier global media and entertainment company,” Cavanagh said in a statement.
Once the transaction is complete, Comcast shareholders will own shares in both Comcast and NBCUniversal. The separation is expected to be completed in about a year. It still needs final approval from Comcast’s board and is subject to regulatory approvals.
Comcast expects to keep a stake of up to 19.9% ownership position in NBCUniversal for up to one year after the spinoff is complete.
At the elite level of recruitment in sports, it is often the intangible qualities of a player that set them apart from the rest.
Questions like: Does he excel in training? How does he react if he’s benched? Is his chemistry with his teammates strong? Can he grasp and implement tactical instructions effectively? How does he cope with setbacks? And can he perform under intense pressure?
For Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, it’s these very intangible traits, along with his passing, dribbling, and dynamic play on the field, that have caught the eyes of Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur this summer. Scott comes with a price tag of around £80 million.
Brian Tinnion, who chuckles at this notion, was Bristol City’s technical director when Scott was scouted from Guernsey FC, a club in the Isthmian League, and brought to Ashton Gate.
“His attitude is his standout feature,” Tinnion shares. “From his commitment to the game and his dedication in training, to the lack of any issues from the moment he arrived to when he left for Bournemouth, he was an absolute model young professional.”
Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott is being chased by Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham this summer
The former Bristol City man is now valued at around £80million
The intangibles weren’t always enough, however, and more concrete hurdles almost killed Scott’s career. His lack of height and physicality as a youngster saw Southampton cast him aside. He had a year at Bournemouth, fell out of love with the game and went back home to Guernsey, where he became their youngest ever player.
He decided to take one last swing at making it in England, with a trial at Bristol City. This was likely his last chance, and he had to take it.
‘We organised a friendly game for him against a London academy who wanted to play us,’ Tinnion says. ‘So Alex came across for the week and he scored a perfect hat-trick in 35 minutes – left foot, right foot, header. I’m like, “wow, who’s this lad?” We’d seen and watched him, but watching him close up like this, he was outstanding.’
He rose to the occasion with England, too. It was Scott’s header, coming off the bench in a semi-final against Italy, that kept the Young Lions on their path to winning the Under 19s Euros in 2022. And it was Scott who started alongside Elliot Anderson in last summer’s Under 21s Euros final, helping to throw Germany completely off their game.
So, to answer the questions posed earlier: Is he a good trainer? Among the very best. What happens when he is left out? He often changes games at the highest level from the bench. Does he get on well with team-mates? Nobody has a bad word to say about him. Can he listen and take on board tactical information? Managers spoken to for this piece insist he can take on the most detailed of briefs.
What about handling disappointment? Well, after joining Bournemouth in 2023 for £25m, a knee injury restricted him to three games, then a year later he tore his meniscus. He broke his jaw on the eve of the Under 21s Euros, and came off injured and in tears in the final.
He bounced back in the season just gone to get Bournemouth into Europe and still didn’t get final call for this summer’s World Cup squad, though was on Thomas Tuchel’s radar enough to join the Florida training camp.
And can he handle pressure? Without any hesitation, yes.
Scott and Elliot Anderson, who is on the brink of a £116m move to Man City, were a superb pair in England’s Under 21s Euros win last year
Scott (left) has impressed Thomas Tuchel to the point he was called up to England’s pre-World Cup training camp in Florida
Now to Scott’s appeal on the pitch. Partially this comes from the versatility that makes him an attractive target to many of the game’s elite clubs. Having been first deployed as a wing-back by Bristol City, Scott has moved inside, playing as a deeper-lying No 6, a box-to-box No 8, and an attack-minded No 10 just behind a striker.
Where Manchester United are targeting a rhythm-setting defensive midfielder to complement Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes, Arsenal are seeking ball-carriers to help get them up the pitch quicker in transition. It is why Morgan Rogers and Jeremy Monga are also among their targets.
Deceptively strong, Scott showed last season what an impressive driver of the ball he is, with 21 per cent of his carries deemed to be progressive – stats providers define this as taking the ball at least five metres closer to the opposition goal. That was the fourth-highest mark of any defensive midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues last season.
Under Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth and Lee Carsley with England Under 21s, Scott has more recently been tasked with a deeper role, working as a rhythm disruptor. He did that to great effect, particularly alongside Anderson, one of his best friends in football, on international duty.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who values players who can play in multiple positions such as Mikel Merino, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kai Havertz and any number of his centre backs who can also play at full back, got a first-hand example of Scott’s class in April, when Bournemouth came to the Emirates Stadium and played the Gunners off the park in a 2-1 victory, with Scott getting the winner.
‘He has played for us as a No 10, a No 8; today as a No 6 and he has added a lot of defensive work and a lot of duel-winning to the ability he has on the ball,’ Iraola explained after that match. ‘I’m very happy, because he is becoming a very, very complete player.’
For Foster, it is important that Scott continues to rotate through the roles he can play, rather than keeping him stuck in one position. ‘Whether it’s 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, I wouldn’t pigeonhole Alex really in terms of a number on his back,’ he says. ‘I just think he can affect the game really positively. I think he’s got really high levels of game understanding and he just knows what’s required.
‘He’s an old-fashioned all-around midfield player. If you would have asked what Paul Scholes and Roy Keane were, they were central midfield players and I think Alex is that. He can get up and down, he can hold midfield, he can burst into the box, he can score and create. I wouldn’t pigeonhole him. I think he’s an all-round, really, really good midfield player.’
Scott’s ability to dribble through the midfield is of particular interest to Arsenal, who need players that can break down opposition defences
Scott’s defensive ability is a lot better than his slight frame would make you expect
This summer transfer window will be defined by the market for central midfielders.
Anderson is on the cusp of sealing a £116m move to Manchester City, Newcastle United want £100m for Sandro Tonali, West Ham are demanding £85m for Mateus Fernandes and both Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea) and Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle) would fetch enormous fees if either was allowed to leave.
And the stats show Scott has already vaulted himself into the conversation among the Premier League’s best midfielders, able to turn a match on his own.
Among current players in the Premier League, only Anderson (306) won possession more times than Scott (195) last season, while he ranked third behind Anderson (80) and Guimaraes (75) for fouls won.
He made more clearances last season than Arsenal pair Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi (both 78) and departed Manchester United anchor Casemiro (73) and ranked third for completed dribbles (29) among central midfielders, again behind Anderson (50) and Morgan Gibbs-White (30).
‘He’s very, very brave, in terms of taking the ball under the pressure,’ Foster adds. ‘He’s got the ability as a midfield player to just beat you one-v-one, he’s very creative.’
Coaches are also quick to point to Scott’s impact in both boxes, in terms of winning headers and duels at set-pieces, as an area of the game supporters often overlook due to his Jack Grealish-like frame and appearance.
But Scott’s situation, in Bournemouth’s view at least, is clear. He’s not for sale. With two years left on his deal, and new boss Marco Rose eager to build his whole project around Scott, Bournemouth have no appetite to sell, and they are desperate to tie him down to a new deal that will increase his price tag.
Scott scores the winner against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in April
Tuchel is becoming increasingly enamoured with the man once dubbed the ‘Guernsey Grealish’
That is unlikely to deter United or Arsenal, who are growing increasingly optimistic of prising him away from the south coast. Scott’s step-sister Maya Le Tissier is captain of United’s women’s team. Her role in any pursuit may yet prove crucial.
Crystal Palace, West Ham and Tottenham, the team he grew up supporting, all looked at Scott in January 2023, before passing up and allowing Bournemouth to get him a few months later.
Scott is loved by Nigel Pearson, who gave him his debut at Bristol City; loved by Foster, and has a massive fan in Carsley. Iraola is smitten with him, and may yet push him up Liverpool’s shopping list, and Tuchel is becoming increasingly enamoured with the man once dubbed the ‘Guernsey Grealish’.
United and Arsenal know those footballing minds can’t all be wrong when it comes to the intangibles. So, let the bidding begin.
Austin Sosa, the estranged husband of actress Jaime King, has submitted legal papers seeking to expedite their divorce process.
Documents obtained by Page Six reveal that the investor has filed a Declaration for Default or Uncontested Dissolution, aiming to settle the divorce swiftly without needing a trial.
In filings from June 22, Sosa indicated there are no assets or debts requiring the court’s intervention for division between him and the “White Chicks” star.
Additionally, he has opted to waive his right to seek any form of spousal or partner support in the proceedings.
Page Six reached out to both King and Sosa but did not immediately hear back.
In January, Sosa filed for divorce from the “Hart of Dixie” alum after she was seen getting cozy with hotelier Vikram Chatwal.
King exclusively told Page Six that she was caught completely off guard by Sosa filing for divorce.
“I was completely blindsided by the divorce filing, which came out of nowhere,” the “Sin City” star told us in January.
“I was with Austin the night before it became public, and while like many marriages we had normal challenges, I genuinely believed we were working on our relationship,” she added.
King also denied that anything romantic was going on between her and Chatwal.
“Any recent interactions being referenced publicly were strictly professional business meetings and have no connection to this private matter,” she told us.
Sosa and King kept their secret marriage under wraps. However, Page Six exclusively reported that the pair wed in April 2025.
In the divorce filing, Sosa listed their date of separation as Nov. 11, 2025, and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split.
King shares sons James, 12, and Leo, 10, with her ex-husband, Kyle Newman, whom the actress was married to from 2007 to 2023.
The exes had contentious divorce proceedings, with King accusing the filmmaker of abuse.
Newman denied her allegations and claimed the “Pearl Harbor” star was a “chronic drug addict and alcoholic” who would allegedly be “strung out” and “drunk” while the kids were in her care.
Newman and King settled their split in September 2023.
The following month, the “My Bloody Valentine 3D” actress lost physical custody of the boys after failing to complete a drug and alcohol rehab program.
Luigi Mangione, who is accused of plotting to kill the UnitedHealthcare CEO, will appear in court this Monday for a hearing focused on selecting the jury for his upcoming federal trial. This comes shortly after negotiations for a potential plea agreement reportedly broke down.
At 28, the former Ivy League student is not only embroiled in the federal case but is also facing a separate state-level murder charge regarding the fatal shooting of 50-year-old Brian Thompson in December 2024.
Since April, both the Justice Department and Mangione’s defense attorneys have been engrossed in crafting a jury questionnaire for the federal trial.
On September 16, 2025, Luigi Mangione was seen in Manhattan state court in New York during a hearing that resulted in a judge dismissing terrorism-related charges linked to the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.(Steven Hirsch/New York Post)
While the jury questionnaires remain under wraps, court filings reveal that both sides are contesting their contents. Attorneys for the prosecution filed a court letter in May, raising concerns over some of the defense’s suggested questions, labeling them as excessively probing or redundant.
Some things the defense is looking to learn about prospective jurors includes their living situations, including whether they own or rent a home, their employment status, and if they have worked toward a goal as a part of a group, whether they have children and background information on their children, and details about their faith.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4, 2024, while heading to a shareholder conference.(Steven Hirsch for New York Post via Pool)
The defense also seeks to ask jurors about their background in the context of jails, firearms and law enforcement, the type of television shows they watch, and any prejudices with the criminal justice system. The defense wants to know if a juror regularly stays at the Hilton on 6th Avenue, the scene of the crime — and whether the potential juror works for or holds stock in UnitedHealthcare.
Last week, reports citing anonymous sources claimed that Mangione’s attorneys and federal prosecutors were having discussions about a plea deal but were unable to come to an agreement.
In a statement to Fox, Mangione lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo called information attributed to anonymous sources, “a troubling, deliberate pattern by prosecutors and law enforcement to prejudice Luigi.” A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York declined to comment on the reported plea negotiations.
Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, is shown in an undated portrait provided by UnitedHealth. He was shot and killed on his way to an investor conference in New York City in what prosecutors described as a politically motivated assassination.(AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group via AP)
Separately, Mangione’s lawyers floated and then withdrew a potential psychiatric defense in the state case.
They sent a one-sentence letter to the court, telling Judge Gregory Carro that they were withdrawing a notice made public just a day earlier that signaled plans to pursue an extreme emotional disturbance defense in his state case.
Evidence including Luigi Mangione’s gun was presented by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office during a suppression hearing in the investigation of the murder of UNC CEO Brian Thompson.(DOJ)
The move would have required Mangione to concede that he shot Thompson, a father of two, at his state trial. If he were later convicted under New York’s extreme emotional disturbance law, the murder charge would be reduced to manslaughter, and the potential sentence would be reduced from 25 years to life in prison to five to 25 years.
With his federal trial not scheduled to begin until early next year, it’s unclear how such a defense in the state case would have impacted that one. The federal case carries stiffer potential sentences, and there is no federal equivalent to New York’s emotional disturbance law.
Mangione is accused of plotting the murder, traveling across state lines to New York City ahead of a UnitedHealthcare business conference and shooting Thompson in the back outside the venue.
Prosecutors have alleged he had used a fake name to check into a Manhattan hostel and then fled to Altoona, Pennsylvania, where police arrested him at a McDonald’s restaurant.
Chris Johnson, the former running back for the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets, has made a deeply personal announcement: he has been diagnosed with ALS.
In an anticipated interview with fellow football legend Michael Strahan on Good Morning America, Johnson shared this life-altering news, leaving many fans in disbelief on Monday morning. The 2009 NFL Offensive Player of the Year had teased the appearance, but few expected the gravity of the revelation.
ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurological disease. It gradually damages motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, leading to the deterioration of muscle function over time.
Diagnosed just last year at 39, Johnson, renowned as one of the NFL’s fastest running backs, has already endured significant challenges due to the disease. He has lost his ability to speak and now relies on a voice machine activated by his eye movements. During the interview, he was accompanied by his wife, showcasing his enduring spirit despite the hurdles.
“First, I want people to know that I’m still me,” he expressed. “ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn’t changed who I am.”
His rapid decline left fans in tears as they watched him explain his diagnosis and the subsequent effects on his body.
NFL icon Chris Johnson can no longer speak, a year on from being diagnosed with ALS
His wife Brittany sat alongside him for the interview on Good Morning America
Johnson has four children. He admits life is not like it was a year ago as he lives with ALS
When asked why he had chosen now to share his story, Johnson revealed: ‘Because if sharing my story helps even one person get diagnosed sooner, inspires more research or gives another family hope, then it’s worth it.’
The ex-NFL star was in what he describes as the ‘prime of his life’ when he received the diagnosis and had been working out every day and spending time with his wife and four children.
‘I first noticed weakness in my right hand,’ he told Strahan. ‘At first it was little things like, my grip didn’t feel right. And I wasn’t as strong as I’d always been.’
His wife Brittany explained how she had initially thought it was a simpler, football-related injury like a pinched nerve, before their world began to unravel.
‘We hoped it was something else, but after thorough testing, they finally came down with a diagnosis of ALS,’ Johnson then explained. ‘They told us about a medication that might extend life by a few months, then they told us to get our affairs in order.
‘It was hard hearing that but after watching Good Morning America and seeing Dr Merit [Cudkowicz] with Eric Dane, we reached out to her. She was willing to think more creatively and offer experimental treatments that might help and advance research.’
Johnson was diagnosed last year and now uses his eyes to trigger a voice machine to speak
Johnson only retired in 2017 and was previously the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2009
Brittany said during the interview that the family’s previous life was a ‘thing of the past’
Johnson has no history of the disease in his family and doctors believe his condition to be a case of ‘sporadic ALS’, which is the most common form of the disease and occurs randomly.
‘It can happen to someone who never expected it,’ Johnson revealed. ‘I don’t know if you can ever fully process it.
‘At first you’re in shock, then you realize you have two choices: you can give up or you can fight. I chose to fight.’
After his diagnosis, doctors recorded Johnson’s voice, so that even when he is using a machine to speak, it still sounds exactly like him.
Johnson, 40, only ended his professional career in 2017 after three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, totaling 11,000 yards in his ten years in the league.
He is best known for his six seasons in Tennessee, during which he was voted to the Pro Bowl three times and won Offensive Player of the Year, before moving to the New York Jets.
Johnson spoke through the machine alongside his wife during the ABC interview at their home
Johnson holds his Offensive Player of the Year trophy in February 2010 alongside Phil Simms
Johnson on vacation before his ALS diagnosis changed his life last year
Brittany went on to reveal that she was initially ‘in denial’ about the diagnosis, and that her thoughts immediately went to their four children.
‘You want it to be anything else, you want the doctors to be wrong,’ she revealed. ‘The life that we previously had is now a thing of the past, but we’re still hopeful that a breakthrough will happen, and that God, a miracle will happen.’
Chris added that Brittany ‘hasn’t left my side’ since his diagnosis, and that his children give him reason to carry on.
‘It’s continued to progress much faster than I imagined,’ Johnson explained. ‘I want people to understand just how quickly ALS can attack your body.
‘Just over a year ago I was picking up my seven-year-old daughter so she could make a wish with her birthday cake. Today, I couldn’t do that.’
Catherine, Princess of Wales, recently showcased a remarkable feat of courage and resilience by conquering the Three Peaks Challenge. Her endeavor serves as a powerful testament to living life fully following a cancer diagnosis.
The 44-year-old royal, who bravely paused her official duties in 2024 to undergo treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer, tackled the challenge with determination. She climbed Ben Nevis in Scotland, standing at 1,345 meters, Scafell Pike in England at 978 meters, and Mount Snowdon in Wales at 1,085 meters, all within a demanding 24-hour period. Catherine triumphantly completed her journey on Sunday, June 28th.
Catherine – who was supported along the route by Mountain Rescue – was greeted by husband, William, Prince of Wales, 44, their children Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, as well as her parents Carole Middleton, 71, and Michael Middleton, 77, and her brother James Middleton,39, at the base of Mount Snowdon after completing the challenge.
It followed a 23-mile trek, 3,064m of ascent, and a 462-mile journey between peaks driven by her aides.
Among the regulars on the 4:33 pm train bound for Newcastle is Jon Staniland, who is ready for the lengthy commute home.
Staniland’s door-to-door journey from Sydney’s CBD to his home in Woy Woy on the Central Coast can stretch to two hours, although catching an express train can sometimes shorten it to just one hour and 40 minutes.
On a Monday afternoon meeting with SBS News, Staniland is immersed in work on his laptop. His job permits him an early departure — leaving work around 3 pm — to complete his tasks while traveling.
The 51-year-old endures this four-hour round trip twice a week, but he insists he wouldn’t trade it for anything. Having called Woy Woy home for a decade, he cherishes the lifestyle it offers.
“Every day feels like a vacation on the Central Coast,” he shares with SBS News.
Staniland is one of the growing number of Australians choosing to live in regional areas for lifestyle and cost of living reasons, while maintaining jobs in the capital cities.
He’s also among the commuters who stand to benefit from a proposed high-speed rail line between Newcastle and Sydney, a project described as a once-in-a-century opportunity to reshape Australia and redefine how people live, work and travel.
The project has progressed to a two-year development phase following the release of a partially redacted business case by the High Speed Rail Authority in February.
The new rail line would slash travel times from Sydney to the Central Coast to around 30 minutes, while the journey to Newcastle would take less than an hour — compared with about two and a half hours by train today.
It would also allow passengers to travel from Newcastle to the new airport in Western Sydney in about 90 minutes.
The federal government announced the start of a two-year development phase in March. Last week, expressions of interest closed for the design and construction of the rail line between the Central Coast township of Ourimbah and Central Station in Sydney’s CBD.
In an opinion piece published on 4 March, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “The time has come for high-speed rail in Australia — for the good of Australians and, as the business case now shows, for the good of the economy.”
While the project still faces significant engineering, funding and political challenges, some experts believe this is the closest Australia has come to getting a high-speed rail project off the ground, and the timing may finally be right.
Is high-speed rail set to become a reality?
The idea of high-speed rail excites many Australians, but previous plans have often been stymied by the high costs required.
Wollongong University associate professor Philip Laird, who specialises in the rail freight and passenger transport industries, says proposals have been discussed since the 1980s.
Former prime minister John Howard even announced a $3.5 billion project in 1998 that would have transported people between Sydney and Canberra in 81 minutes. The proposal was ultimately abandoned after being deemed too expensive, while the NSW government was also reluctant to provide funding.
The Howard proposal went as far as selecting a successful proponent — the ‘Speedrail Consortium’ — to build and operate the line, but it was noted that the project would only proceed on the basis of “no net cost to taxpayers”.
It also included stations built in the Southern Highlands, Goulburn and Canberra Airport, as well as the refurbishment of Campbelltown Station.
Laird says the Albanese government’s proposal has “gone beyond studies”.
“It’s formed a high-speed rail authority — which required legislation — it’s funding it to go step-by-step [from] a proposal stage to a development stage, and all going well it’ll say ‘go ahead and build it in 2028’.”
Laird also points to statements made by Albanese and says: “We’ve never seen so much support for an actual project.”
The partly redacted business case for the Newcastle to Sydney line released in March by the High Speed Rail Authority — which has been tasked with planning, developing and delivering the network — found the project was feasible, economically viable and an important priority for the country.
Laird says there has been scepticism around high-speed rail projects in the past but he believes “we’re beyond that now”.
“But there’s a challenge to build up public confidence in the project and also to ensure that it can survive any change of government, and we’ve got to make sure that it doesn’t go the way of inland rail in Australia, where the costs blow out too [much].”
Why start with Newcastle-Sydney?
Current transport options on the Newcastle to Sydney corridor, which is Australia’s busiest intercity rail route, are already limited, slow and congested.
But experts say the project will be the most difficult section of the network to deliver.
About 60 per cent of the line — 115km — is expected to be built as twin-bore tunnels, making it both expensive and technically challenging.
According to the business case, the Newcastle stretch is favoured over the less complex Sydney to Canberra route, partly because the economies of Newcastle, Central Coast and Sydney are already well integrated, with significant movement of people travelling between these regions for work, education and other activities. There is also greater potential to provide a long-term pipeline for housing.
The authority says the rail line could support the construction of 160,000 new homes, create more than 99,000 new jobs and deliver a $250 billion economic boost over 50 years.
In contrast, a line to Canberra is estimated to add 32,500 dwellings.
Not everyone agrees with this approach, though.
Laird says linking the south-west Sydney suburb of Macarthur to Mittagong in the Southern Highlands would be cheaper and could be completed faster, as it would require less tunnelling.
“If we were to build this within five years, it would develop an appetite for more,” he says.
The broader vision of a high-speed rail network linking Melbourne and Brisbane would take decades to achieve, and professor Ravi Ravitharan, director of the Institute of Railway Technology at Monash University, says delivering a smaller section, such as the Newcastle-Sydney corridor, would help demonstrate the project’s value and build public support.
Without a railway network connecting the major east coast cities, [how are we going to achieve] the mobility required? The population is going to be significantly more than it is now.
Ravitharan says the effectiveness of this approach has been seen in projects such as light rail on the Gold Coast, which was initially opposed by some local residents and politicians but has gained support since opening and secured further extensions.
This strategy has also been adopted in Spain and France, which continue to expand their high-speed rail networks by 70-120km each year.
It allows projects to build momentum while also developing the expertise required to deliver future links.
An idea whose time has come?
NSW’s rail line was built more than 100 years ago and has an average speed of 60km/h.
If it’s not upgraded, Laird argues the government will eventually be forced to widen the M1 Pacific Motorway — an option that would also be expensive and less environmentally friendly. There is already significant congestion on these roads during peak periods.
The business case notes that the punctuality of train services in NSW is declining, with 79 per cent of services meeting targets in the 2024 financial year. Road crashes have also increased amid heavier traffic.
Ravitharan believes a variety of other factors are also making high-speed rail even more attractive.
We are talking about carbon emissions, we are talking about a fuel crisis, we are talking about sovereign capability, we are talking about growth, we are talking about housing. All of these stack up with high-speed rail.
“I think it’s a great time to build it. If you don’t build it, I think the cost will be much higher.”
Because it is electric, high-speed rail could produce as little as 1 per cent of carbon emissions of a comparable flight, he says, helping Australia achieve its net zero target by 2050.
It could also reduce reliance on imported fuel and open up new areas for housing development.
The population shift to regional areas since the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the entrenchment of work-from-home arrangements, has further strengthened the case for faster connections to cities and the specialist services they provide.
“With [the COVID-19 pandemic], a lot of people moved away from the cities into regional centres, but once they’ve moved, you have to provide them with facilities that are equivalent to what they’re used to,” Ravitharan says.
He says high-speed rail would provide easier access to city-based services but could also enable professionals like surgeons to travel more easily to regional areas.
[A surgeon could] travel to a regional city in the morning and come back in the evening, or stay there for a couple of days [to perform surgeries] and come back.
“That would actually change the whole medical requirement for people to move to the city to get surgery done.”
Ravitharan says flights are often less convenient than rail travel because of the time it takes to reach airports and the early check-in requirements.
“[With high speed rail] you can get onto the train within minutes and then travel and get to [your destination] in a decent time and deliver [your services or do what you need to do], fresh as you have left home,” he says.
Commuters would not be the only beneficiaries. Faster rail connections could also open up opportunities for tourism, education and business.
One of the longstanding criticisms of high-speed rail in Australia is that the population may be too dispersed to support it.
The High Speed Rail Authority disputes that assessment, noting that around 60 per cent of the nation’s population lives along the east coast. There are 624 people per square kilometre along the Newcastle-to-Sydney corridor.
“This is more than twice the density of the Spanish high-speed rail corridor between Barcelona and Zaragoza, which has a population density of 244 people per square kilometre, suggesting the corridor is prime to benefit from high speed services,” the business case states.
Will political support last?
Delivering such an ambitious and expensive project will likely require long-term support from both major parties, experts say.
“It’s a nation-building exercise,” Ravitharan says.
“So with the current government interested in supporting it, [and] the continuation of any future governments providing that required support, this is the greatest chance that we have to build a high-speed rail.”
Geoffrey Clifton, senior lecturer in transport and logistics management at the University of Sydney, says the future of the Newcastle line may ultimately depend on Albanese’s longevity as prime minister.
“This is a particular project that’s close to his heart and he’s championing it in government,” he tells SBS News.
“We have seen that when governments change, priorities change and projects like this fall by the wayside.
How far this gets will [likely] depend on how far Anthony Albanese can take it and how long he’s the prime minister for.
Why is high-speed rail so hard to build?
To reach top speeds of up to 320km/h, tracks need to be as straight as possible. Tunnelling helps achieve this and reduces environmental impacts, although trains would need to slow to around 200km/h inside these tunnel sections.
Construction of the first section of the line between Newcastle and Sydney’s CBD is expected to take about 10 years once planning is completed next year. The total cost of delivering the line, which will eventually extend to Western Sydney, is estimated to be $94 billion.
In comparison, the cost to build the Sydney Metro City & Southwest, which also required tunnelling works under Sydney Harbour, blew out to around $20 billion. The Metro West section is now projected to cost up to $29 billion.
The business case suggests two potential funding models for the high-speed network: a public-private partnership (PPP) model covering most aspects of the project, or a model in which government investment would be capped to a certain amount each year (around $5 billion per year for the Newcastle to Sydney CBD section), combined with PPP packages for specific elements such as major tunnel works.
The authority argues that incremental delivery of the network — with less than 1 per cent of the Commonwealth budget set aside for works each year — could help fund the project over a 10-to 30-year period rather than the “stop-start approach” that often pushes up infrastructure costs.
Joe Langley, chair of the Australian High Speed Rail Association, a not-for-profit organisation set up to promote the development of high-speed rail in Australia, believes funding could be assisted by capturing more of the benefits created by these projects, which tend to drive up land values.
For example, a levy on developments around the new Pyrmont Metro station has helped the NSW government fund part of its construction.
“It doesn’t affect the cost of these dwellings or businesses so much as it reduces the windfall gain that owners and developers would normally receive from the project,” Langley tells SBS News.
“Correctly done, value capture mechanisms don’t increase the cost of housing or the cost of development.”
But professor David Levinson, civil engineer and transportation analyst at the University of Sydney, is sceptical about the project and says, if delivered, it would likely feature the longest high-speed tunnel in the world.
“As shown by Snowy II and the M6 Motorway in Arncliffe, things can go wrong with tunnelling, driving up costs,” he tells SBS News.
In engineering we talk about quality, speed, and cost — and generally you can only get two out of three.
“They are proposing to open this in ten years, and make mention of using new ‘green’ concrete technology, which obviously brings with it risks, as does any new technology.”
Clifton says costs could also be driven up by Australia’s relatively high wages and the limited expertise in the country to deliver this type of infrastructure.
“As much as I would love to see high-speed rail being developed in Australia, the reality is governments only have a limited amount of money,” he says.
“Money they’re spending on high-speed rail is money that’s not being spent on education or hospitals.
“So we do need to make sure that governments are achieving value for money.”
Does the business case stack up?
Clifton says more detail is needed before it is possible to determine whether high-speed rail will be economically feasible, but he says political will may ultimately prove just as important as economics.
“We’ve had lots of plans over many years and none of them have progressed as far as actually starting to build anything,” he says.
“[But] we’ve got governments at the moment which aren’t too concerned about traditional thoughts about value for money, which means they’re more likely to go ahead with something like this.”
Langley, whose group is also pushing for social and affordable housing to be part of any development opportunities around stations, notes that the benefits of these projects are often harder to quantify than the costs.
Unfortunately, we probably know a lot more about what these things cost and what can go wrong than the appreciation of what the full benefits are.
Staniland says Australia is fortunate to have a good work-life balance, but that balance would improve further if commuters like him could cut their travel times.
“Even at two days a week, I’m commuting eight hours a week,” he says.
Access to high-speed rail would also give him more choice when it comes to work, as he currently avoids applying for jobs that require staff to work from the office five days a week.
Reflecting on the Speedrail project in the 90s, Laird says it was a “real lost opportunity for Australia” that could have resulted in a rail link built between Sydney and Melbourne by now — the cities were the fifth-busiest domestic air route in the world in 2024.
“If we had proceeded … we’d have had Sydney to Canberra done by 2005 and the intervening 20 years would’ve seen us get to Melbourne.
“The costs of not having a decent rail system are going to grow each year until we fix it up. And Sydney-Melbourne at the moment is unfit for current and future use.”
