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Mangione admits to killing health care executiveLuigi Mangione showed little emotion as he pleaded guilty today to a pair of federal stalking charges tied to the 2024 killing of Brian Thompson, a health care executive. He sat in a Manhattan courtroom, in ankle shackles, and admitted: “I shot Mr. Thompson.” He added, “I knew what I was doing was illegal.” Mangione acknowledged that he had killed Thompson with a gun he made using a 3-D printer. His comments lasted just a few minutes, but it was the first the public had heard from him since the shooting. The family of the victim, who was the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, was seated in the front row. Prosecutors said they would seek a life sentence. Mangione, 28, still faces a separate murder charge in state court, where he is scheduled to go on trial next month. His lawyers said they were seeking to dismiss that indictment on double jeopardy grounds, which bars someone from being tried twice for the same offense. Experts said exceptions might apply in this case. The case has riveted the country. Many Americans were shocked by what appeared to be a brazen assassination. But others were sympathetic to Mangione’s deep anger at the health care industry. For more: My colleagues talked to people who knew Mangione and traced the pivotal months before the killing.
Jason Arday, British scholar accused of fabrications, is reported deadA 41-year-old man was found dead today at a London home connected to Jason Arday, the Cambridge University scholar whose remarkable rise was followed by a rapid fall from grace. The authorities did not confirm the man’s identity, but his age matched Arday’s, and British outlets reported that it was him. Last week, Arday resigned from Cambridge amid accusations that he had plagiarized parts of his academic papers, embellished elements of his recently published memoir and fabricated aspects of his life story.
Alaska Democrat says no thanks to Kamala Harris’s supportIn their effort to take control of the Senate, Democrats are counting on candidates in red states, like Mary Peltola of Alaska. Polls indicate she is a real contender, but in order to win, Peltola will have to vastly outperform Kamala Harris, who lost the state by 14 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election. Maybe that’s why Peltola was quick to distance herself from Harris after the former vice president signed a fund-raising email supporting her. Peltola’s campaign indicated that it had not approved Harris’s note and did not want her endorsement. In other politics news: Members of Congress have collectively traded well over $100 million in individual stocks this term. These are the biggest traders.
Inside Russia’s campaign to undermine Moldova’s electionsMonths ago, Vladimir Putin gathered Russian leaders for a secret briefing. Their goal for 2026, he said, is “the collapse of NATO and the E.U. from within.” Moldova, a tiny nation bordering Ukraine, is central to this effort. A new Times investigation found that the Kremlin had conducted an audacious election interference campaign in Moldova — including training camps run by Russian spies and a sophisticated vote-buying scheme. And they almost pulled it off. Pro-Western forces barely squeaked by in recent elections. “We won the battle,” a Moldovan official said. “But we did not win the war.” Related: Listen to today’s episode of “The Daily,” on a Russian spy network in Japan. More top news
This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link is free.) Bob Iger, who led Disney as its chief executive for most of the 21st century, is set to become an owner of which sports team?
The long, winding path to HollywoodIn 1990, the humorist Ian Frazier sat down at his Olympia manual typewriter and tapped out a 1,600-word story about a legal dispute between Wile E. Coyote, the Looney Tunes character, and Acme Corporation, the company whose devices so often failed him in his pursuit of Road Runner. Later this month, a movie based on that story arrives in theaters. The 36-year saga from page to screen included several expired deals, multiple drafts and a three-year delay that allowed the studio behind it to take a $30 million tax write-down. When Frazier finally received a check for his work, he decided to buy a Toyota Camry hybrid. “I have never loved an object that much,” he said.
You all had a lot of thoughts about thrillersOver the past week, hundreds of Times readers have weighed in on our list of the 50 best thrillers of the 21st century. Some had different recommendations; others had thoughts about what qualifies as a “thriller.” Today, we’re out with a new list that’s all yours. Take a look through the top reader-recommended thrillers, and join the comments to let us know what’s still missing:
For more: Our Book Review editor explains what makes a great opening line for a thriller.
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