The first people in line on Tuesday, I was told, started camping out on the sidewalk two days ago. Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, was due in court at 9AM ET for a hearing in one of three concurrent criminal cases against him. And this time everyone was prepared for the mayhem: the signs, the fans, the livestreamers, the protests, the media circus. That’s why the line started even earlier than last time — the people who really wanted to get in to see him knew that no time was too early.
Technology
Can Luigi Mangione get too big to jail?
Mangione is both ubiquitous and fleeting. The last time the public saw him (aside from a bizarre, unauthorized appearance in a men’s shirt listing on Shein) was in February at this same courthouse in Manhattan, when hundreds of members of the general public and media convened for a routine pretrial hearing. He exists in memes, in passing references, and in content moderation decisions, and he lives rent-free in the mind of Donald Trump — yet most people are likely not thinking or talking about Mangione day to day. They are reminded of him when new photos drop or when there are incremental updates in the cases against him. But the wall-to-wall coverage of the case has waned, and it’s the people who are the most tapped in that are working to keep interest in the case alive. Mangione and the larger discussions around healthcare reform are one item in a list of approximately 8,000 pressing topics swirling in the US. How do you keep attention and energy alive in an information ecosystem defined by its fragmentation?
Court officials and police seem to have learned their lesson from February: don’t let a million people inside
The hearing on Tuesday was much more eventful than the one in February: Mangione’s team successfully got two terrorism-related charges tossed in the New York case, a development that supporters of his are celebrating. Given the magnitude of the news, the tempered atmosphere — and the smaller crowds — was noticeable.
Court officials and police seem to have learned their lesson from February: don’t let a million people inside. Instead of admitting members of the public to a hallway outside the courtroom where they could set up camp, the court kept most on the sidewalk.
There are fewer people here than in February, but in some ways the supporters and frenzy are even more fervent. Mason Alexander, who told The Verge he’d been one of the few to make it inside the courtroom for the first hearing, arrived at 11PM the night before and was 25th in line, meaning he wouldn’t get a spot the second time. Some in line have numbers written on the backs of their hands, which I later am told are not part of any official numbering system from the courthouse but were the work of an attendee walking around with a marker, trying to bring order to the line.
“The case just resonated with me,” Alexander says, explaining why he showed up. “Obviously what he allegedly did isn’t something to be cheered about, but I think it was beneficial in the way that it put a spotlight on [the healthcare system issue] that I think is probably the most important in the country, and how much it affects everyday people. It got people talking.”
People Over Profit NYC, a grassroots healthcare reform group with a focus on Mangione’s case, again organized a rally outside. A giant homemade spinning wheel has slots reading “APPROVED” and “DENIED” — spin the wheel to learn the fate of your insurance claim. There are Luigi hats, keychains, DIY T-shirts, flyers about local healthcare legislation. When I arrive shortly after 8AM, reporters and news crews outnumber rally attendees — there are fewer people here, too, than six months ago.
A POPNYC rally attendee who asked to remain anonymous, citing the current political climate, says “protest fatigue” could be a reason attendance dipped (the early morning timeslot also may have contributed).
“I think people are just tired, and they just want to either ignore what’s going on or just give up,” the attendee says. “That’s why we’re out here, to let them know we’re still here. Even if you’re tired, we’ll still go on. And maybe they’ll join us next time.”
There’s also the unavoidable reality that the hearing is happening a week after right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk was killed at a public event in Utah. Though the two cases are not obviously connected, there’s been a swift and brutal crackdown from the American right wing, directed at anyone who is deemed to be “celebrating” Kirk’s murder. Private and in some cases innocuous social media posts are being used to report people to employers or dox them. It’s not surprising that Mangione supporters may be reluctant to be photographed at a rally for him.
It’s hard enough to keep major events and causes in the news, but Mangione’s case has unique, complicating factors. The central character — who many see as sympathetic — is accused of stalking and shooting Thompson point-blank (Mangione has pleaded not guilty). UnitedHealth Group has waged an all-out attack on critics, targeting filmmakers, social media users, and news outlets. Tech companies are working to moderate Mangione-related content, though some supporters complain that their content and accounts are being taken down without explanation. There is also the general specter of violence that clouds current US political discourse. It’s never a good time to be an alleged assassin, but especially not now.
Part of what makes the Brian Thompson murder case so strange is the way most people consume and follow it: through the hundreds of photos and videos of Mangione looking “hot.” Mangione’s overlapping and high-stakes legal battle is relayed to the public via new photos of him; it obfuscates both the seriousness of the crime and charges, as well as the punishment he faces if convicted. There is a clear tonal disconnect in coverage of the case: the Daily Mail is both running stories about the “sick” fans that support him and posting 29-photo slideshows to TikTok that are a collection of Mangione’s face from every possible angle.
On Tuesday, Mangione wore a khaki prison outfit instead of street clothes. He was once again shackled at the ankles, wrists, and waist — something his attorneys have complained about. As we waited for him to enter, another reporter remarked that it felt a bit like a wedding: the press and two dozen or so members of the public kept glancing back at the slightest of noises, like we were waiting for a bride to walk down the aisle. A supporter who managed to get into the courtroom, who asked to be named as SAS, later told me she could hear his shackles before she saw him. Some online commenters described him as looking “pale,” “skinny,” and like he had been “crying a lot.” (I’m not really seeing this, personally.) After both hearings, there’s been a lot of reading into Mangione’s demeanor — but the truth is that the court dates have been exceedingly normal and professional. There is no deeper personality or psychology to be gleaned from being inside a room with him for 20 minutes.
The most significant development from Tuesday’s hearing brought good news for Mangione: Judge Gregory Carro, who is overseeing the New York state case against Mangione, dropped two major terrorism-related charges in what is seen as a major win for the defense. The state argued that Thompson’s murder was meant to “intimidate or coerce a civilian population,” but Carro found the claims to be “legally insufficient.” Carro says in essence that under New York law, the alleged “ideological” motive doesn’t fit the definition of terrorism.
As Carro announced that he was dropping the terrorism charges, a few supporters in the courtroom audibly reacted
“The court agrees with the defendant that the [state] appear[s] to conflate an ideological belief with the intent to intimidate or coerce a civilian population,” Carro writes. “While the defendant was clearly expressing an animus toward UHC, and the health care industry generally, it does not follow that his goal was to ‘intimidate and coerce a civilian population,’ and indeed, there was no evidence presented of such a goal.” Mangione still faces charges of second-degree murder in the New York state case.
As Carro announced that he was dropping the terrorism charges, a few supporters in the courtroom audibly reacted — a faint exclamation, maybe even a gentle clap, that drew a scolding from a guard.
On other motions, Mangione’s defense was less successful. Mangione is facing three concurrent cases: the one in New York, a separate state case in Pennsylvania, and a federal case. Mangione’s defense team has argued that the state and federal cases happening at the same time amounts to double jeopardy: the US Constitution bars defendants from being prosecuted for the same crime twice. Carro rejected the double jeopardy argument. Mangione’s lawyers have also argued that the federal case against him — which carries the possibility of the death penalty — should proceed before the state case. On Tuesday, Carro denied Mangione’s request to put the state case on hold. The next hearing in the state case is scheduled for December 1st. Mangione is due in court for the federal case a few days later.
Luigi Mangione’s fate and his public persona are inextricably linked. Widespread and sustained attention on his case depends on how often he can get in front of people through their digital feeds. The windows of opportunity to grab attention and deeper public engagement are limited because he is making public court appearances only once every several months. The public spectacle of the case is ever-present: Mangione’s attorneys have written at length objecting to him being shackled during court appearances that are then photographed and shared, saying they are “deeply prejudicial” and damaging to his right to a fair trial.
One avenue Mangione supporters have been pursuing is around jury nullification, when a jury acquits even if it believes a defendant committed a crime (in February, a truck with an LED billboard on the side showing jury nullification information circled the courthouse during the hearing). But even that relies on a massive public outreach campaign in an era of short attention spans and a fractured media ecosystem.
As I wrote in February, a cycle is beginning to take shape: One day Mangione is all we see on social media. The next he is gone. Rinse and repeat. While I was in court with my phone tucked away, friends texted me about new Luigi photos, just as they did six months ago. Is becoming a meme — no matter how beloved or reviled — enough to have your life spared? The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the culture couldn’t be more fickle.
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Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chairman of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post, looks out into crowd during the New York Times annual DealBook summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 04, 2024, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.
IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:
– Jeff Bezos predicts AI will create a labor shortage, not replace human workers across the economy
– OpenAI faces multistate investigation into data handling and chatbot behavior
– AI-designed ‘universal vaccine’ passes first human clinical trial, could prevent future pandemics
WORK IN PROGRESS: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) won’t lead to the replacement of humans in the workforce and will instead create labor shortages.
Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI, during a panel session on day three of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, January 18, 2024. (Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
UNDER SCRUTINY: OpenAI faces a multistate investigation led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, scrutinizing its data handling, minor safety and chatbot behavior. This comes as the company reportedly slashes product prices and prepares for a potential IPO, amid accusations from Florida’s AG regarding unsafe product releases.
FUTURE-PROOFED: A vaccine created using artificial intelligence that could potentially provide broader protection against multiple coronaviruses and help prepare for future outbreaks has passed its first human clinical trial.
POWER STRUGGLE: As data center projects continue to get shut down across the country, “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary and other investors are warning that the facilities are needed to compete with China in the artificial intelligence race.
TABLES TURNED: As artificial intelligence (AI) companies race toward IPOs and scramble to construct data centers, a new Fox News Poll finds voters now view Big Tech — not Big Government — as the greater threat to the nation’s future, a striking turnaround from seven years ago.
PERSONAL SHOPPER: Amazon Alexa and Echo VP Daniel Rausch discusses the extensive A.I. overhaul of Alexa, now dubbed Alexa+. He explains new capabilities like personalized shopping assistance for Prime Day and more. Rausch emphasizes the vision to make customers’ lives easier, announcing global expansion into over 10 additional countries, including Brazil, while supporting devices up to eight years old.
Amazon says Alexa.com allows conversations to carry over across devices, giving users continuity between laptops, phones and smart home screens. (Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
AUTOPILOT WARFARE: We are watching a fundamental restructuring of how military power works, and most of the institutions responsible for governing it are still thinking in the previous century. And this is all due to how AI is rapidly changing warfare.
RESTORING INDEPENDENCE: In honor of America’s 250th birthday, Meta is donating Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses to every legally blind veteran. Army veteran Don Overton, who served in the 82nd Airborne, describes how the glasses have restored his independence and dignity. Meta President Dina Powell McCormick highlights Don’s collaboration with Meta to optimize features for blind veterans.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg sported a pair of Meta Ray-Ban Display AI glasses while speaking at the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. As part of its push to make smart glasses a mainstream device, the company introduced its first model featuring an integrated display. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
SILICON SHIELD: The Senate Banking Committee convened a hearing June 11 around a question that cuts to the core of American competitiveness and the American Dream: Can the United States ensure that rapid advances in artificial intelligence support “innovation, affordability, and American dominance?
CYBERCRIME BUST: The FBI, Google and Black Lotus Labs helped disrupt a massive China-based phishing-as-a-service operation known as Outsider Enterprise. Authorities say the operation powered fake websites built to steal credit card numbers, passwords and other personal information.
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Five months after returning to OpenAI, Barret Zoph — the company’s head of enterprise AI sales — has departed, The Verge has learned.
Zoph returned to OpenAI in mid-January after a stint as co-founder and CTO of Thinking Machines Lab, the competing AI company founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati. Shortly after Zoph returned to OpenAI, the company said he would lead its push into enterprise — a significant role at OpenAI, since in recent months it had vowed to stop chasing so-called “side quests” and focus on key revenue drivers like enterprise and coding ahead of its planned IPO.
OpenAI confirmed to The Verge that Zoph will be departing. He posted a goodbye message in the company’s Slack channels. Zoph did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Zoph originally left OpenAI in the fall of 2024 for Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab, but departed the role abruptly in January 2026 after reports of alleged misconduct involving an undisclosed relationship with a colleague. Murati posted on X in January that Thinking Machines Lab had “parted ways” with Zoph and that he would be replaced as CTO.
Thinking Machines Lab has its own tensions with OpenAI. Murati briefly took over as CEO from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during his November 2023 ouster, and during the recent OpenAI trial, Murati testified that she couldn’t trust everything Altman said. In September 2024, when Murati left OpenAI to start Thinking Machines Lab, a group of OpenAI employees followed shortly after. But three of them — including Zoph — all returned to OpenAI together this past January. Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, wrote on X at the time that she was “excited to welcome Barret Zoph, Luke Metz, and Sam Schoenholz back” and that the decision had “been in the works for several weeks.”
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For years, two women in Bremerton, Washington, opened credit cards and lines of credit in other people’s names, working from documents they pulled out of stolen mail. Emily Vranic and Heather Marquis redirected the new accounts’ statements to an address they controlled, so no bill ever reached the victims. They pleaded guilty in federal court this month to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in a scheme prosecutors say stole nearly $229,000 from banks and bank customers.
If you have ever worried about a credit card opened in your name, this case shows how quickly stolen mail can turn into a much bigger identity theft problem. Opening a new account is the leading form of identity misuse reported to the Identity Theft Resource Center. In its latest data, 62.1% of attempted misuse cases began with a new account application rather than the takeover of an account the victim already held.
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WARNING SIGNS YOUR MAIL HAS BEEN FRAUDULENTLY REDIRECTED
A credit card opened in your name can start with stolen mail, exposed personal details or documents pulled from the trash. (Nastasic/Getty Images)
How stolen mail helped thieves open credit cards
When people picture an account opened in their name, they may imagine a checking account at a bank they have never set foot in. The more likely target is a credit card. Credit cards made up 41% of attempted account misuse reported to the ITRC last year. Checking accounts came to 17.7% and personal loans to 8.5%.
A credit card is one of the easier accounts to open in someone else’s name, and the reason is in how the application is cleared. A lender matches the submitted name, date of birth, address and Social Security number (SSN) against the bureau file. When those details fit a record that already exists, an automated system can approve the application with no one confirming that the applicant is the person being described. Assemble enough of someone’s information from breaches and stolen mail, and the check clears.
Why identity thieves rarely stop at one account
Vranic and Marquis did not stop at one account per victim. Once they controlled someone’s identity, they activated existing cards, opened new credit lines and moved money out of bank accounts tied to the same name.
This is common. The ITRC found that 25.6% of victims are now handling two or more identity incidents at once, up from 23.5% the year before. The same stolen details, including name, date of birth, address and SSN, can open the next account as easily as the first.
DON’T LET THIS CREDIT CARD FRAUD NIGHTMARE HAPPEN TO YOU
A fraudulent credit card may stay hidden for weeks if statements and notices are sent to an address controlled by the thief. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Why weeks can pass before you learn about the account
A new account does not announce itself. It reaches your credit report only after the first statement closes, which puts the first record 30 to 60 days behind the opening. Banks report to the bureaus monthly, and the bureaus need up to two weeks more to post the change.
The first paper notice goes wherever the application is listed. Vranic and Marquis had the statements mailed to their own address, not the victims’. When the mail reaches the right house, it may read like a routine offer or a card no one ordered, which makes it easy to set aside.
By the time a denied loan or a collections call makes the account impossible to ignore, it has been open and drawing money for weeks.
WHY THAT $4 CHARGE ON YOUR STATEMENT COULD BE FRAUD
Freezing your credit, watching for new accounts and acting quickly can help limit the damage if your identity is used. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What to do if a credit card appears in your name
Move quickly, because every day an account stays open gives a thief more time to spend money, damage your credit or try the same information somewhere else.
1) Contact the card issuer immediately
Call the credit card company or lender that opened the account and tell them the account is fraudulent. Ask them to close or freeze the account, stop any pending charges and send written confirmation that you are not responsible for the debt.
2) Start at IdentityTheft.gov
Go to IdentityTheft.gov. The Federal Trade Commission’s site generates an Identity Theft Report and recovery plan to help you report identity theft, limit the damage and fix your credit.
3) File a police report if a creditor asks for one
Your FTC Identity Theft Report is usually the key document for disputing fraudulent accounts. Some lenders, banks or debt collectors may also ask for a police report. If that happens, file one with your local police department and keep a copy for your records.
4) Save every document and confirmation number
Keep copies of account statements, collection letters, emails, dispute letters, FTC reports, police reports and confirmation numbers. A clear paper trail can make it easier to prove the account was fraudulent if a creditor, credit bureau or debt collector questions your claim.
5) Dispute the account in writing
Dispute the fraudulent account directly with the lender that opened it, in writing. Also dispute it with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion if it appears on your credit reports. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, companies that furnish information to credit bureaus have a duty to investigate disputed information.
6) Freeze your credit at all three bureaus
Place a freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to help block the next application. Freezes have been free since 2018 and can be lifted online when you need to apply for credit.
7) Add a fraud alert
A credit freeze blocks access to your credit file. A fraud alert tells lenders to take extra steps to verify your identity before opening new credit in your name. You only need to contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert, and that bureau must notify the other two.
8) Report suspected mail theft
If you believe stolen mail helped someone open the account, report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement arm of the Postal Service. You can report mail theft, identity theft, fraudulent change-of-address requests, fraudulent mail holds and fake Informed Delivery accounts at mailtheft.uspis.gov.
9) Request an IRS Identity Protection PIN
If your Social Security number was used, request an IRS Identity Protection PIN at irs.gov/ippin. This helps keep a thief from filing a tax return in your name.
10) Change passwords and lock down your accounts
Change the passwords on your bank, credit card and email accounts, especially if your email address was part of the fraud. Use a password manager to create and store strong, unique passwords for each account, so one exposed password cannot unlock the rest of your financial life. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) where available. Then review recent transactions, saved payment methods and automatic payments for anything you do not recognize.
11) Get help cleaning up the damage
Cleaning up identity theft can mean dealing with creditors, credit bureaus, debt collectors and repeat follow-ups. Keep copies of every report, dispute letter, confirmation number and account closure notice so you have a clear paper trail if the fraud resurfaces.
No service can prevent every account opened in your name. Continuous three-bureau credit monitoring may alert you to new accounts as they are reported, rather than weeks later when a lender turns you down or a collections notice arrives. See my tips and best picks on Best Identity Theft Protection at Cyberguy.com
Kurt’s key takeaways
A stolen credit card account can quietly grow into a much bigger identity theft mess before you ever see a bill. That is what makes this Washington case so alarming. The victims were not ignoring warning signs. The statements were being sent somewhere else. The best move is to make it harder for thieves to open the next account. Freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, watch for hard inquiries and check your credit reports for accounts you do not recognize. If something appears, go straight to IdentityTheft.gov, file a report and dispute the account in writing with the lender. Credit monitoring can also give you a faster heads-up when a new account or inquiry hits your file. It will not stop every scam, but it can shorten the time between the fraud starting and you finding out.
Have you ever found a credit card, loan or account on your credit report that you did not open? Let us know how you discovered it and what it took to fix it by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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