Miscellaneous News

9dashline said:

Telegram is now fully compromised guys, the CEO, who is still on house arrest in France, caved 100% , every telegram message is now being scanned/searched/intercepted...

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GulfLander said:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1864606662864113976

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NEW YORK (AP) — The masked gunman who stalked and killed the leader of one of the largest U.S. health insurance companies outside a Manhattan hotel used ammunition emblazoned with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” two law enforcement officials said Thursday.

The words were written in permanent marker, according to one of the officials, who were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, died in a dawn ambush Wednesday as he walked to the company’s annual investor conference at a Hilton hotel in Midtown, blocks from tourist draws like Radio City Music Hall and the Museum of Modern Art. The reason behind the killing remained unknown, but investigators believe it was a targeted attack.

The message left on the ammunition echoes the phrase “delay, deny, defend,” which is commonly used by attorneys and insurance industry critics to describe tactics used to avoid paying claims. It refers to insurers delaying payment, denying a claim and then defending their actions. Health insurers like UnitedHealthcare have become frequent targets of criticism from doctors and patients for complicating access to care.

Investigators recovered several 9 mm shell casings from outside the hotel and a cellphone from the alleyway through which the shooter fled.

The killing and the shooter’s movements in the minutes before and afterward were captured on some of the multitudes of security cameras present in that part of the city.

The hunt for the shooter brought New York City police Thursday morning to at least two hostels on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, based on a tip that the suspected shooter may have stayed at one of the residences, according to one of the law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation.

Police also released photos of a person they said was wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting. The photos appeared to have been taken in the lobby of the HI New York City hostel, according to images of the lobby available online.

“We are fully cooperating with the NYPD and, as this is an active investigation, can not comment at this time,” Danielle Brumfitt, a spokesperson for the hostel said in an emailed statement.

Investigators believe, judging from surveillance video and evidence collected from the scene, that the shooter had at least some prior firearms training and experience with guns and the weapon was equipped with a silencer, said one of the law enforcement officials who spoke with the AP.

Investigators also were looking into whether the suspect had pre-positioned a bike as part of an escape plan, the official said. The shooter fled on a bike and was last seen riding into Central Park.

Security camera video showed the killer approach Thompson from behind, level his pistol and fire several shots, barely pausing to clear a gun jam while the health executive tumbled to the pavement.

Cameras showed him fleeing the block across a pedestrian plaza, then escaping on the bicycle. Police issued several surveillance images of the man wearing a hooded jacket and a mask that concealed most of his face, which wouldn’t have attracted attention on a frigid day. Authorities also used drones, helicopters and dogs in an intensive search, but the killer’s whereabouts remained unknown.

Thompson, a father of two sons, had been with UnitedHealthcare since 2004 and served as CEO for more than three years.

The insurer’s Minnetonka, Minnesota-based parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., was holding its annual meeting with investors in New York to update Wall Street on the company’s direction and expectations for the coming year. The company ended the conference early in the wake of Thompson’s death.

“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” UnitedHealth Group said in a statement. “We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.”

Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that he told her “there were some people that had been threatening him.” She didn’t have details but suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage.

Eric Werner, the police chief in the Minneapolis suburb where Thompson lived, said his department had not received any reports of threats against the executive.

UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the U.S. and manages health insurance coverage for employers and state and federally funded Medicaid programs.

Balsamo reported from Washington.

JAKE OFFENHARTZ
Offenhartz is a general assignment reporter in the New York City bureau of The Associated Press

MICHAEL R. SISAK
Sisak is an Associated Press reporter covering law enforcement and courts in New York City, including former President Donald Trump’s criminal and civil cases and problems plaguing the federal prison system.

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RedMetalSeadramon said:

Superhero/Supervillain origin story in progress

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About the Book​

Do you think your insurance policy has your property protected from life's many mishaps? That those premiums you pay every month guarantee you the help you need when you need it? That your insurance company is a benevolent entity that strives to pay claims fairly and promptly? Think again.


Your insurer's main objective is not to protect you; in fact, insurers often try to avoid paying justified claims. Today the name of the game is delay, deny, defend: to improve their profits, insurance companies delay payment of justified claims, deny payment altogether, and defend their actions by forcing claimants to enter litigation.


It's unconscionable, and it's widespread. From stonewalling and lowballing claims to instigating arbitrary fraud investigations, insurance companies are increasingly failing to live up to their contractual commitments. Some major insurers even hired the big-name consulting firm McKinsey to help them squeeze even more cash out of their claims centers. Why? Because insurance companies have realized they can add to their bottom line by using your monthly payments as a profit center, rather than a fund for giving you what you deserve if tragedy strikes.

Expert Jay M. Feinman details the infuriating systemic abuses, including:

• Katrina victims left homeless because of an obscure flood exemption clause in their homeowners insurance policies.
• Computer programs that arbitrarily cut the settlements offered to auto accident victims on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.
• Claims adjusters who receive cash incentives to reduce the amount paid out on each claim.

Feinman shows you how to fight back, explaining how to choose a carrier that won't take advantage of you, how to file a claim so that your provider can't avoid paying you, and what to do when your insurer disputes your claim. He also details the steps lawmakers need to take to protect consumers and thwart the aggressive and abusive tactics of insurance companies. No matter what the advertisements say, your insurance provider is not your friend or a "good neighbor." You need to be smart and savvy to deal with your insurer-Delay, Deny, Defend tells you what you need to know.

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Sardaukar20 said:

Provided that Syria could even survive in time for such help to arrive. The SAA's so-called legendary "fortress city" Hama had fallen to the terrorists.

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Then there are rumours about "reconciled rebels" picking up arms again against Assad in the south and Damascus. Also there are rumours about the IDF amassing a serious armoured force on the Golan Heights. Even if those rumours are false, Assad and Syria still appears to be in serious trouble now.

How Russia would regret moving the S-300 systems that Syria bought and paid for to Crimea in 2022 to please Israel. How Iran's current president continues to grovel at the feet of the West to lift their sanctions. How Assad might regret neglecting his military for years since the Astana agreement, attempts to humiliate Erdogan diplomatically, but also ignored Erdogan's Jihadist army buildup in Idlib for months. This is an epic military and diplomatic blunder by all three of them.

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iewgnem said:

SAA has been outnumbered at Hama since the beginning, falling back eventually was the expectation, the only question is how much time they bought. There's no sense in holding positions when outnumbered, throwing men into defending land for propaganda is why Ukraine now has to conscript 18 year olds.

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iewgnem said:

All parties know if Iran send troops and Russia divert their airforce ISIS will lose, conversely if they do nothing Syria will fall. So the first question is will Russia and Iran abandon Syria, and second question is if not can they arrive in time.

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iewgnem said:

If you believe Russia and Iran has abandoned Syria, then Russia will pull out of their bases, Assad will be in Russia and SAA will be surrendering rather than retreating. If on the other hand Russia and Iran hasn't abandoned Syria, then SAA's objective becomes buying time and Russia will be flying sorties to slow down ISIS advance while bombing Idlib to degrade logistics.

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iewgnem said:

The war wasn't frozen in a satisfactory state but NATO is desperate and it's unfrozen now, unfrozen means it can go either way, it could mean fall of Syria, or it could mean much more satisfactory condition with even greater Iranian presence on Israel's border.

We already went through this 10 years ago, nobody thought Russia would even join and after they did most thought Russia won't make a difference. A lot has changed in the last 10 years but Iran and Russia are certainly no closer to NATO.

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GZDRefugee said:

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Based. That is all.

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