UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting live updates

 UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown NYC, and the suspect is at large.

Follow The Post’s live updates for the latest news, reactions and more:

10 minutes ago

Police release new images of grinning gunman at UWS hostel

By Ronny Reyes

The NYPD has released new photos of the gunman who shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, on Wednesday outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown. 

The NYPD has released new photos of the gunman who shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.DCPI

These photos were taken from an Upper West Side youth hostel where police believe he might have been staying at before the shooting. DCPI

The new images show the suspect's face, which had previously been hidden behind a mask, with the gunman even seen flashing a smile. 

The photos were taken from an Upper West Side youth hostel where police believe he might have been staying at before the shooting. 

Police are still looking for the suspect after he was spotted riding away from the crime scene on Sixth Avenue and entering Central Park just before 7 a.m. Wednesday.

an hour ago

NYPD search UWS youth hostel where shooter may have stayed

By Joe Marino and Kaydi Pelletier

NYPD have searched an Upper West Side youth hostel where the shooting suspect may have been staying.

No word yet on what the search turned up.

2 hours ago

Message on bullets fired by UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s assassin bear eerie link to book condemning insurance companies

By Joe Marino, Larry Celona and Allie Griffin

The at-large suspect who gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown hotel may have left a message on the bullets he used to kill the executive Wednesday morning, according to police sources.

The NYPD is investigating the possible message — which appears to include the words “deny,” “depose” and “defend” — engraved on live rounds and shell casings left behind by the masked assassin after he shot Thompson, 50, several times at about 6:46 a.m. before fleeing, the sources said.

The words are strikingly similar to a 2010 book condemning the insurance business, in which Thompson is one of the most powerful leaders.

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The words on the bullets are strikingly similar to this 2010 book condemning the insurance business.Amazon books

2 hours ago

Assassinated UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thomson and wife had lived separately for years: report

By Ronny Reyes

The UnitedHealthcare CEO who was fatally shot outside a Midtown hotel was living separately from his wife for years, according to a report.

Brian Thompson, 50, and his wife Paulette “Pauley” Thompson, had been living in separate homes less than a mile apart from each other in Maple Grove, Minnesota, for years, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Brian Thompson was named chief executive officer for UnitedHealthcare in April 2021.UnitedHealth Group

Thompson and his wife Paulette “Pauley” Thompson, had been living in separate homes less than a mile apart from each other in Maple Grove, Minnesota, for years, The Wall Street Journal reports.Facebook / Jess Lamppa-Score

Thompson was shot and killed Wednesday morning on his way to an investor conference at the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue. The killer is still on the run, and the motive is unknown, though a former FBI agent told NBC News that all signs point to that the shooter had a personal vendetta against the victim.

READ MORE

2 hours ago

Brian Thompson’s ex-security shocked UnitedHealthcare CEO was unguarded after company’s Minn. HQ rocked by protests

By Ronny Reyes

The Minnesota headquarters of UnitedHealth were rocked by two large protests just months before CEO Brian Thompson was executed in Manhattan Wednesday — as the boss’ former security provider expressed shock he did not have protection in the Big Apple.

A social justice group protested outside the United Health building in Minnesota where assassinated CEO Brian Thompson is from.Getty Images for People's Action Institute

Slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was stationed at the company’s headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota, where more than 100 demonstrators descended in April and July to protest an alleged “epidemic” of claims denials, The Wall Street Journal reports.

https://nypost.com/2024/12/05/us-news/brian-thompson-shot-dead-live-updates-12-5-2024/

GSK Strikes Third Agreement This Week, Leans Further Into Neuro

 

The Muna partnership will give GSK access to Muna’s MiND-MAP platform, which it will apply to postmortem brain samples to identify potential therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease.

GSK has been on a dealmaking spree this week, unveiling its third agreement on Thursday—this time with Danish biotech Muna Therapeutics. According to the announcement, GSK struck the deal to advance novel therapies and uncover new treatment pathways for Alzheimer’s disease.

The new collaboration continues GSK’s increasing foray into the neuro space and follows its potential $650 million deal with Flagship venture Vesalius last month, which will see the companies develop novel therapies for Parkinson’s disease and a yet-undisclosed neurodegenerative target.

Under the terms of the Muna partnership, GSK will make an upfront payment of around €33.5 million ($35 million) and will put up to €140 million ($147.6 million) per target on the line in milestones. Meanwhile, Muna will be entitled to tiered royalties on net sales of any product under the partnership that reaches commercialization.

The companies did not specify the number of targets under the partnership, only disclosing that GSK will have the opportunity to consider “multiple, high-value, validated” targets related to Alzheimer’s disease. Muna will be responsible for identifying and validating these targets, after which GSK will take charge of drug development, including preclinical and clinical studies, regulatory activities, manufacturing and commercialization.

The centerpiece of Thursday’s deal is Muna’s proprietary MiND-MAP platform, which the biotech on its website calls an “all-in-human target discovery and validation approach.” MiND-MAP makes use of single-cell spatial multi-omics and bioinformatics techniques to identify genetic, cellular and other molecular mechanisms linked to a specific disease—or to some people’s resilience to it.

With its extensive structural biology and computational chemistry expertise, Muna can then zero in on potentially disease-causing proteins with novel small molecule drugs. GSK and Muna plan to leverage this approach using postmortem human brain samples to identify promising new therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease.

“By applying spatial multi-omics to unique patient phenotypes, Muna’s MiND-MAP platform is able to determine the genetic and cellular basis of progression and resilience in neurodegenerative diseases,” Kaivan Khavandi, GSK’s senior vice president and global head of respiratory/immunology R&D, said in a statement. Thursday’s agreement will help the pharma “bring desperately needed new therapeutic solutions in Alzheimer’s disease.”

The Muna partnership is GSK’s third deal inked this week. On Wednesday, the pharma bet more than $1 billion in an agreement with DualityBio, granting it an exclusive option to license the Chinese biotech’s potentially best-in-class antibody-drug conjugate for an undisclosed gastrointestinal cancer target.

Additionally, GSK also on Thursday extended its original agreement with Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products, giving the Chinese firm eight more years of exclusive rights to import, distribute and co-promote the pharma’s shingles vaccine Shingrix in China.

https://www.biospace.com/deals/gsk-strikes-third-agreement-this-week-leans-further-into-neuro

Grace Therapeutics Eyes Phase 3 Readout

 Grace Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: GRCE) formerly Acasti Pharma Inc. (Nasdaq: ACST) (Grace Therapeutics or the Company), a late-stage, biopharma company advancing GTx-104, a clinical-stage, novel, injectable formulation of nimodipine being developed for intravenous (IV) infusion in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients to address significant unmet medical needs, today announced that the Company will be participating in the mid-year clinical meeting of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) to be held December 8–12, 2024, in New Orleans, LA.

“As we look forward to data readout from our Phase 3 STRIVE-ON trial in the first quarter of 2025, we are pleased to participate in the ASHP mid-year clinical meeting and to begin educating health-system pharmacists on the unmet needs in the treatment of aSAH patients and the potential of GTx-104 to address limitations with the current standard of care,” said Prashant Kohli, CEO of Grace Therapeutics. “We look forward to engaging with the ASPH community, which represents 60,000 pharmacists and other professionals in all patient care settings, including hospitals, ambulatory clinics, and health-system community pharmacies.”

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/12/04/2991437/0/en/Grace-Therapeutics-to-Exhibit-at-the-American-Society-of-Health-System-Pharmacists-Conference.html

Protera Positive Results from the Ongoing Phase 2 Bladder Cancer Trial

 

• TARA-002 demonstrates 72% six-month landmark complete response rate and 70% complete response rate at any time across BCG exposures
• 100% six-month landmark complete response rate and 80% complete response rate at any time observed in BCG-Unresponsive patients
  
• 64% six-month landmark complete response rate and 67% complete response rate at any time observed in BCG-Naïve patients
  
• 80% reinduction salvage rate and compelling durability observed with 100% of patients maintaining a complete response from three months to six months across BCG exposures
  
• Favorable safety and tolerability profile with no Grade 2 or greater treatment-related adverse events
  
• Company to host conference call and webcast today at 8:30 a.m. ET

Conference Call and Webcast

Protara will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the data today at 8:30 am ET. The live call can be accessed by registering as a participant here. Upon registration, participants will receive conference call dial-in information. A live webcast of the event can be accessed by visiting the Events and Presentations section of the Company’s website: https://ir.protaratx.com. The webcast will be archived for a limited time following the presentation.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/12/05/2992222/0/en/Protara-Announces-Positive-Results-from-the-Ongoing-Phase-2-ADVANCED-2-Trial-of-TARA-002-in-Patients-with-NMIBC.html

Arcadia Business Combination Agreement with Roosevelt Resources in All-Stock Transaction

 -- Companies to host a joint investor call on December 11, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. ET --

Arcadia Biosciences, Inc.® (Nasdaq: RKDA) and Roosevelt Resources LP announced today that they have entered into a definitive securities exchange agreement which, when completed, will combine the two companies in an all-stock transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, Arcadia will issue to the partners of Roosevelt shares of Arcadia common stock at the closing of the transaction in exchange for all of the equity interests in Roosevelt. Following the closing of the transaction, the current equity owners of Roosevelt and the Arcadia shareholders as of the closing are expected to own approximately 90% and 10%, respectively, of the outstanding shares of Arcadia, subject to certain possible adjustments as provided in the definitive agreement.

“Since July 2023, Arcadia has been undergoing a strategic review with external advisors to evaluate the best alternatives for maximizing shareholder value,” said T.J. Schaefer, president and CEO of Arcadia. “During that time, we have streamlined our operations to focus on Zola® coconut water, reduced operating expenses and generated non-dilutive capital through the sale of our GoodWheatTM brand and our wheat IP. After a comprehensive and prolonged review, we have concluded that a business combination with Roosevelt Resources is the best alternative to create value for Arcadia and its shareholders.”

Roosevelt is a privately held, Dallas, Texas based exploration and production company led by industry veteran Elliott “Tony” Roosevelt, Jr. and his team of experienced oil and gas professionals with an extensive background in development of major oil and natural gas projects. Roosevelt’s primary asset is a carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) oil and natural gas project spanning 16,208 (13,892 net) contiguous acres on the Northwest Shelf of the Texas Permian Basin that Roosevelt plans to develop over the next 40+ years as an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project reaching an anticipated peak production capacity in 2051 of 55,000 gross barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd).

At the closing of the transaction and thereafter, the following are expected to occur:

• Arcadia will effectuate a change of its corporate name to Roosevelt Resources, Inc.
• Assuming Nasdaq approval of the company’s application for continued listing of its shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market, the company’s shares are expected to trade under a new trading symbol.
• Current management of Roosevelt will manage the combined entity with Tony Roosevelt serving as chief executive officer, Jimmy Hawkins serving as president and chief operations officer, and Jerrel Branson serving as chief financial officer.
• One or more members of Arcadia management and personnel may continue to assist in managing the existing on-going operations of Arcadia.

Elliott “Tony” Roosevelt, Jr., chairman and CEO of Roosevelt stated, “This asset has been in the Roosevelt Family for over 100 years. Starting in 2007, we started the study and evaluation of the RR-Googins field to position it for field wide development. Through the application of technology, drilling and producing oil and planning and sourcing necessary components for field development, we believe we are positioned to now execute on this promising project. This business combination with Arcadia will position us to continue the next steps in this field development.”

Investor Call

Senior management from Arcadia and Roosevelt will hold an investor call on December 11, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss key details and benefits of this transaction. Interested participants may join the conference call using the following options:

• An audio-only webcast of the conference call will be available, with a link posted in the Investors section of Arcadia’s website.
• To join the live call, please register here, and a dial-in number and unique PIN will be provided.

The related slide presentation will be available in the Investors section of Arcadia’s website at www.arcadiabio.com and on Roosevelt’s website at www.rooseveltresources.com.

The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of 2025 or thereafter, and it is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, including the filing and effectiveness of a registration statement to be filed by Arcadia with the Securities and Exchange Commission, approval by the Arcadia stockholders, at a special meeting of stockholders, of proposals relating to the proposed transaction, approval by Nasdaq of the shares to be issued in the transaction and continued listing of the common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market, and other closing conditions.

Transaction Advisors

Lake Street Capital Markets acted as exclusive financial advisor to Arcadia, and Weintraub Tobin is serving as legal advisor to Arcadia.

Roth Capital Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Roosevelt, and Jones & Keller is serving as legal advisor to Roosevelt.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205151921/en/Roosevelt

Taylor Lorenz Says 'We Want These Executives Dead' Hours After Health Insurance CEO Murdered

 Former Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz encouraged people to kill health company executives just hours after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Biran Thompson.

"And people wonder why we want these executives dead," Lorenz wrote on Bluesky in response to Thompson's murder.

Lorenz then posted an image of Blue Cross Blue Shield CEO Kim Keck.

"People have very justified hatred toward insurance company CEOs because these executives are responsible for an unfathomable amount of death and suffering," Lorenz said in another post. "As someone against death and suffering, I think it’s good to call out this broken system and the ppl in power who enable it."

Of note, bullet casings recovered at the scene of Brian Thompson's murder were inscribed with the words "Delay, Deny & Depose."

Lorenz also shared other left-leaning journalists' posts, including Ken Klippenstein and Jezebel staff writer Kylie Cheung, the latter of whom wrote " the way we're socialized to see violence only as interpersonal—not see state violence (policies that create poverty/kill), structural violence, institutional violence—is very deliberate. same w/ panics about ~shoplifting~ vs how much corporations steal from every single one of us."

"No s--- murder is bad. The jokes about the United CEO aren’t really about him; they’re about the rapacious healthcare system he personified and which Americans feel deep pain and humiliation about," wrote Klippenstein, who joked that he hoped Thompson's ambulance ride "was in network."

Lorenz also reposted another Bluesky user who wrote, "[H}ypothetically, would it be considered an actionable threat to start emailing other insurance CEOs a simple ‘you're next’? Completely unrelated to current events btw."

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/taylor-lorenz-says-we-want-these-executives-dead-after-health-insurance-ceo-murdered

Jihadists Take 2nd Major Syrian City After Assad's Army Withdraws

 In another stunning advance by Syrian jihadists led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Hama has become the second major Syrian city to fall to the anti-Assad insurgents since the shock campaign based out of Idlib began last week.

The Syrian national army confirmed in a Thursday statement that it has withdrawn from the city, redeploying its forces "to preserve civilian lives and prevent urban combat."

Via The Daily Guardian

Al Jazeera correspondent Resul Serdar observed of the "major development" that "In just over a week they have managed to take full control of Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, and now the fourth-largest city."

The assault had been happening since Tuesday night, reportedly with violent clashes with the Syrian Army being most concentrated in the Jabal Zayn al-Abidin area, just north of Hama.

Hama is one-third of the way from Aleppo to Damascus, and puts the HTS jihadists a significant step closer to accessing Syria's most populous government regions. One of the largest Christian towns of Syria, neighboring Muhrada, is now under direct threat.

Longtime Syrian al-Qaeda leader and head of HTS, Abu Mohammed al-Golani has issued a video statement telling outside Iranian-backed powers they must not intervene. The warning was specifically directed against Iraq's Hashd al-Shaabi militias.

Pretty incredible footage of clashes between Syrian rebels and the Assad regime forces in town of Khattab pic.twitter.com/TTtk6dAg8T

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) December 5, 2024

Golani said in reference to Iraq's prime minister: "We urge him again to keep Iraq away from entering into the flames of a new war tied to what is happening in Syria."

There have been days of reports of pro-Iranian militias pouring across the border in the multiple hundreds from Iraq, near the Abu Kamal area. US warplanes have also engaged Syrian national forces and militia in the Deir Ezzor region.

Another key faction within Golani's group is the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army. Reuters summarized of a near-term of goal of these groups, "HTS and the other rebel groups are trying to consolidate their rule in Aleppo, bringing it under the administration of the so-called Salvation Government they established in their northwestern enclave."

Footage by the Islamist fighters showing they have entered the center of the city of Hama:

Syrian rebels are inside Hama city pic.twitter.com/7ypodlNqnd

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) December 5, 2024

Currently, people in Aleppo have said there are shortages of bread, food, and fuel - and that there are no longer any telecom services in the area.

The militants could seek to strike Homs next, but it's likely that the Syrian government will muster most of its forces at the strategic city in anticipation of such an assault.

Via BBC

Takeover of Homs would give HTS easier access to all other parts of the country. At this point Hama's populous Christian community has reportedly been fleeing, seeking shelter closer to the coast in the nearby 'Valley of the Christians' area, not trusting the pledges of Golani to 'protect' religious minorities.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/jihadists-take-2nd-major-syrian-city-after-assads-army-withdraws