In a surprising turn of events, friends of Luigi Mangione have come forward to show their support after Mangione’s shocking confession last week. The young man admitted to the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.

Mangione, aged 28, made his confession in a federal courtroom on Friday, revealing that he shot and killed the 50-year-old healthcare executive on December 4, 2024. This tragic event unfolded on the streets of New York City as Thompson was en route to a conference.

During his plea, Mangione claimed that “severe” back pain drove him to commit the crime. He pleaded guilty to charges of interstate stalking resulting in death, alongside stalking through interstate facilities, both leading to Thompson’s untimely demise.

Notably absent from the courtroom were Mangione’s family and friends during the unexpected hearing on Friday. This surprising legal maneuver came shortly before Mangione’s impending murder trial in New York State, initially set to commence on September 8.

Following his guilty plea in the federal case, Mangione’s friends shared their reactions with Rolling Stone. They expressed a mix of shock and steadfast support for the 28-year-old.

RJ Martin, Mangione’s friend and former landlord when the killer lived in Hawaii, told the outlet: ‘Friday was deeply emotional.’ 

‘Beyond the noise, Luigi is a human being with a circle of longtime friends who know who he is, stay in touch, and care about him deeply,’ he added.

Martin added that he believes the government painted Mangione as guilty from the moment he was arrested, which would have made ‘a truly fair trial difficult to imagine.’

Other friends who declined to go on the record likewise said they were surprised by Mangione’s guilty plea and expected his case to go to trial, Rolling Stone reported. 

Many said they were saddened to learn the 28-year-old would spend much of his life behind bars.

Another friend, who requested to be referred to by the initials RK, told Rolling Stone that he finds the murder of Thompson ‘unacceptable and deeply sad.’

RK said: ‘[Mangione] never struck me as a political person. I think it speaks to the radicalization in this country in the current day.’ 

Although he disagrees with his friend’s actions, RK said he hopes that Mangione’s guilty plea will not stop the conversation about injustices within the American healthcare system that was sparked by Thompson’s murder.

Those injustices were at the core of Mangione’s motivation to kill the UnitedHealthcare CEO, he said in the prepared statement he read aloud in court on Friday. 

‘After years of enduring severe pain from a broken back, navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system and witnessing similar experiences of countless others, I learned that UnitedHealthcare would be holding its annual investor conference in New York City on December 4, 2024, although the specific location was not publicly disclosed,’ Mangione began as he addressed the court. 

‘I then searched the event online. I observed that the annual conference of America’s largest health care organization and the stated mission… to make the health system work better for everyone, would be attended by company executives, the board of directors, and hundreds of investors, not doctors, nurses, and patients,’ he continued.

‘In November of 2024, I traveled from outside of New York State to Manhattan. I then emailed UnitedHealthcare leadership posing as an investor at a firm managing over $50 billion in assets and requesting information about the conference,’ he said.

‘Unlike my previous interactions with insurers, I received an immediate response within an hour. Before traveling to New York, I used a 3-D printer to make part of a gun, and I equipped the gun with the silencer and magazine. My travel to New York and email to UnitedHealthcare was with the intent to shoot Brian Thompson.’

Mangione concluded: ‘On the morning of December 4, 2024, I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan, and he died. When I did so, I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or serious bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal.’

The federal stalking charges he admitted to carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. His federal sentencing hearing has been scheduled for December 18.

While there is no formal plea deal in place, the judge told Mangione that federal sentencing guidelines call for roughly 24 to 30 years in prison – though she stressed she is not bound by that range.

The Thompson family, who came face-to-face with Mangione for the first time at the hearing, issued a statement after the plea, calling for him to face a strong punishment.

‘Today’s guilty plea marks an important step toward justice for Brian and for our family. While nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable,’ the family said.

‘Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime. We remain mindful that additional proceedings in New York and Pennsylvania are still to come, and we will continue to seek the justice Brian deserves.’

Outside the courthouse, federal prosecutors emphasized that Mangione does not have a plea deal, and they will seek the maximum sentence.

Mangione’s state trial has been pushed back from September 8 to December 10 as his legal team filed a motion to dismiss the state charges because of New York’s double jeopardy laws.

‘Mr Mangione has been unfairly treated since the outset in every way and has successfully fought off terrorism charges and the death penalty, while also fighting – at the same time – two simultaneous prosecutions in two jurisdictions, who are trying to punish him twice for the exact conduct,’ Mangione’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said.

Federal and state governments can prosecute for the same conduct because they are considered independent of each other, but under New York state law, double jeopardy can come into play when a prior prosecution for the same conduct ends in a conviction by guilty plea or a resolution at trial.

A legal expert previously told the Daily Mail that a plea deal could allow Mangione to receive a lower sentence than if he went on trial.

‘Any time they’re going to get a penalty that’s anything better than Mangione spending the rest of his life in jail, that’s a victory,’ former federal prosecutor David S Weinstein said.

In a tragic incident that unfolded early Tuesday morning, two individuals lost their lives and several suffered injuries following a series of explosions at an industrial recycling plant in Toledo, Ohio. The powerful blasts ignited a significant blaze, sending ominous plumes of dense, black smoke drifting across the region, according to local authorities.

The explosions rocked Brent Industries just before the clock struck 5 a.m., coinciding with a shift transition, as reported by Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong through The Associated Press. The timing compounded the chaos as workers were either arriving or leaving the facility.

In the hours that followed, firefighters, battling both flames and debris, discovered the lifeless bodies of one male and one female employee inside the wrecked structure. While the tragedy claimed these lives, it left two to three other employees with minor injuries, highlighting the harrowing ordeal they experienced.

Footage from the disaster-stricken site revealed fierce flames consuming sections of the facility as emergency responders worked diligently to control the situation, their efforts framed by the roaring fire.

Aerial images showed extensive destruction, with nearly all of the roof gone and several walls blown out, according to The Associated Press.

Armstrong said crews initially faced hazardous materials, runoff and the threat of additional explosions as they searched for victims and accounted for employees.

Environmental officials said air monitoring detected no hazardous threat.

Demetrius Langston, who was about half a mile away, said he felt the force of the blasts.

“The shock waves came down the block,” he said. “Then we all heard it again. Boom! You could feel it.”

The fire continued burning into Tuesday afternoon, and officials said there were no preliminary indications of what caused the explosions.

Authorities urged residents who could see or smell smoke to stay away from the area and keep their windows and doors closed.

Brent Industries, based in Alabama, provides textile reconditioning and industrial recycling services and uses mineral spirits in its cleaning process, according to The Associated Press.

Fire officials said tanks containing the petroleum-based solvent were at the Toledo facility, though their role in Tuesday’s explosions remains unknown.

The company has a history of deadly accidents and safety violations, The Associated Press reported.

A 2015 explosion at its Alabama plant killed one worker after mineral spirit vapors ignited inside a washing machine. OSHA later cited the company for six violations and fined it $27,000.

Brent Industries could not immediately be reached by News Media for comment.

DEAR ABBY: Several years ago, I began receiving distressing phone calls from an unknown man who claimed to have explicit videos of me. I have no idea where such footage could possibly have come from. In an attempt to put an end to the harassment, I changed my phone number; however, the man managed to obtain my new contact information and continued the disturbing calls.

Over time, the incessant phone calls ceased, and I’ve been free from them for many years. However, I recently received a Facebook friend request from a suspicious account lacking any profile details. This person then messaged me, referencing a video and bombarding me with inappropriate sexual remarks. In response, I took the drastic step of deleting all my social media accounts.

My concern is this: What if there actually exists a video of which I am unaware? How should I proceed if such a video is leaked to the public? — SCARED AND EMBARRASSED

DEAR SCARED AND EMBARRASSED: The experiences you’ve described constitute harassment and potential extortion. It’s crucial for you to report these incidents to law enforcement authorities. I believe the existence of a video is highly unlikely and suspect this could be part of a broader scam.

Nevertheless, if a video does exist and is released, I suggest maintaining your dignity and responding confidently to inquiries. You can acknowledge that, like many adults worldwide, you have a personal life. This approach will also help in identifying who created such content, providing you with more evidence to present to the authorities.

DEAR ABBY: I am 70. My sister is 68, and her husband is 80. He has kidney failure and needs 24/7 care. Our mother is 98. She lives independently in a condo and is mentally fully functional, but she can’t cook or do housekeeping anymore. (She has cleaning help.) 

My sister and I take turns making Mom warm meals, and my sister also does some light housekeeping. It takes one to two hours. My sister does this three times a week while her husband is at dialysis at a nearby facility. She also has my mother’s medical and financial powers of attorney and prefers to be the one to take care of things.

I am in fairly good health but have some medical issues that may eventually make it difficult (or even impossible) to travel. This fall, I plan to go to Europe for three weeks. I would like to have someone come in to help my mom three times a week while I am gone. I would introduce this person ahead of time so that Mom could get to know them and I could show them what needs to be done.

Unfortunately, Mom doesn’t want anyone other than my sister and me to care for her. My sister’s plate is already more than full, so I don’t want to add to it. Is it unreasonable of me to expect my mother to accept outside help? — PERPLEXED IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR PERPLEXED: Your plan is not unreasonable, but it’s common for someone your mother’s age to resist change. Remind her that the clock is ticking on your travel opportunities, and emphasize that the arrangement is only temporary. Tell her you will call to check in while you’re away, and promise to bring back lots of photos and stories to share with her when you resume your normal caregiving routine.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

Hayden Panettiere tragically passed away at 36 due to a suspected overdose, following years of suffering from injuries sustained in a harrowing zebra accident.

The beloved actress, famous for her role in “Heroes,” was only 14 when she embarked on an adventure filming “Racing Stripes” in South Africa, a film that tells the tale of a zebra aspiring to compete in the Kentucky Derby.

With minimal horseback riding experience—having only mounted a horse once or twice before—Panettiere dedicated six weeks to mastering the art of riding as a jockey for the role.

Incredibly, she tackled all the high-octane stunts herself, racing alongside Thoroughbred horses at breakneck speeds, as she proudly recounted in an interview during that time.

However, a tragic turn of events occurred as she was thrown from the zebra, leading to a concussion, severe whiplash, and damage to two neck vertebrae, as she disclosed in her memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” published earlier this year.

‘Over 20 years later, these injuries still bother me,’ she wrote in the memoir as she described how she would seek opioids whenever the injury flared back up.

‘The accident became much more than something that happened to Hayden on a movie set as a teenager,’ a source familiar with her struggles told Radar Online.  

Another insider also noted that ‘Hayden’s addiction had many complicated elements and nobody should reduce it to one event. 

‘But the physical pain was real; she connected increased opioid use to her neck injury flaring up and it was something she was still dealing with decades after the accident.

‘It was what really prompted her downward spiral into drugs and depression.’ 

The former child star, known for her roles on the hit NBC series Heroes and the musical drama Nashville, had previously opened up about her struggles with addiction, which began when she was just 15 years old.

At the time, she claimed she started taking ‘happy pills’ in an effort to make her seem more ‘peppy’ during interviews.

Her addiction then became worse while she was battling postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter Kaya in 2014. 

Panettiere has said that in the days after giving birth, she felt ‘nothing’ when looking at her young daughter – prompting her to turn to drinking.

She said: ‘I turned to wine, which ultimately ended up leading to an alcohol dependency. It was how I would get through each day.’

Although she underwent treatment, Panettiere felt the ‘root cause’ of her drinking, the depression, was not addressed.

‘I wish more people had known what it was at the time. Maybe I wouldn’t have waited so long to get help,’ she said. 

She ultimately underwent an eight-month stint at a rehab facility in 2020, revealing in her memoir how a doctor told her she would be dead within five years if she did not stop drinking.

It was during that rehab stint that she said she stopped ‘running from myself’ and started to face her hardships.

‘If you stay in rehab more than a few weeks, you have lots of time to be bored,’ the actress wrote in her New York Times bestselling memoir.

 ‘When you’re sitting with your feelings, stone cold sober, there’s little room for denial.

‘But in those long, empty spaces, you start to grow.’

Still, she noted in a 2022 interview that ‘it’s an everyday battle’ to remain sober. 

Panettiere was pronounced dead at the scene of an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday.

Authorities have not yet released a cause of death, but in audio of a 911 call made at 1.51pm Sunday, a female dispatcher described the actress as suffering a ‘cardiac arrest.’

A few moments later, a male dispatcher could be heard saying that Panettiere had suffered a suspected overdose at the home.

The actress, who was due to turn 37 this Friday, was pronounced dead at the scene at 2.32pm, just over 40 minutes after the first 911 call was made. Her ex, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach, were in the apartment when she died, according to a police report released on Tuesday.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office has since completed the star’s autopsy, with the coroner telling the Daily Mail that ‘no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.’ 

Further investigations will now take place to establish her cause of death, with chief deputy coroner Shelton England telling the Daily Mail that it was too early to discuss the drug overdose theory.

In a developing story from the aviation world, the Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation following reports of two commercial planes suffering blown tires merely hours apart at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Monday. This follows a troubling trend of tire-related incidents that have recently plagued passenger flights at Chicago airports.

According to an FAA statement provided to News Media, the crew of American Airlines Flight 386 reported experiencing two blown tires upon safely landing at O’Hare around 2 p.m. on Monday.

Originating from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, the Boeing 737-800 required passengers to disembark using stairs before being transported to the terminal via buses, as detailed by the FAA.

American Airlines categorized the incident as a “tire issue” in a statement to News Media, noting that first responders were on standby to meet the aircraft purely as a precautionary measure.

“American Airlines flight 386 experienced a tire issue after landing safely at Chicago (ORD). Per procedure, first responders met the aircraft out of an abundance of caution, and customers were transported safely to the terminal by bus,” the statement read. 

“The aircraft has been taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team. We thank our team members for their professionalism, and we apologize to our customers for their experience.”

The FAA said its information was preliminary and subject to change and that it will investigate the incident.

Just over three hours later, the crew of United Airlines Flight 739 reported a blown tire after landing safely at O’Hare around 5:15 p.m., according to the FAA.

The Airbus A320 was traveling from Omaha, Nebraska, to Chicago with 121 passengers and five crew members aboard, United Airlines confirmed to News Media.

“After arriving at Chicago O’Hare, United flight 739 sustained tire damage. Customers deplaned via airstairs and buses took them back to the terminal,” a spokesperson for the airline said.

United said there were no reported injuries.

The FAA said it will also investigate the United incident and cautioned that its information was preliminary and subject to change.

The incidents add to a recent series of tire problems involving commercial flights in Chicago.

Less than a week earlier, another United Airlines plane reported blown tires and aborted a takeoff at O’Hare.

Earlier this month, Southwest Airlines Flight 1243 blew a tire after landing at Chicago Midway International Airport at about 6:45 a.m. on Aug. 3, according to the FAA.

The Southwest Boeing 737 had departed from Southwest Florida International Airport. The FAA also opened an investigation into that incident.

No injuries were reported in the Midway incident.

Monday’s incidents occurred during a busy summer travel season at O’Hare. The FAA said earlier this year that more than 3,080 flights were planned at the airport on peak days during the summer 2026 travel season, a 14.9% increase from the previous summer’s peak-day schedule.

The agency subsequently imposed limits on scheduled operations at O’Hare in an effort to reduce delays and manage operational constraints at the airport.

News Media also reached out to the Chicago Department of Aviation for additional information about Monday’s incidents and any impact on airport operations.