Manhattan DA to propose next steps in Trump’s criminal hush money case

(NEW YORK) — The defense attorney representing Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, said he has seen “no evidence” linking his client to the killing, adding that “a lot of guns look the same.”

“I have not been made aware of any evidence that links the gun that was found on his person to the crime so these are things that we’re looking to see,” attorney Thomas Dickey told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Wednesday.

“Today’s another day,” he added. “We’re looking forward to beginning our inquiry as to what evidence may or may not be out there.”

The attorney said Mangione is “taking it as well as he can.”

Mangione, 26, plans to challenge his extradition from Pennsylvania to New York, where he faces a charge of second-degree murder in connection with Thompson’s Dec. 4 outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel.

The Ivy League graduate was arrested on Monday in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and charged in Pennsylvania for allegedly possessing an untraceable “ghost” gun.”

“He has constitutional rights and that’s what he’s doing” in challenging the interstate transfer, Dickey told reporters on Tuesday.

Police officials in New York have not said whether the gun recovered in Pennsylvania is considered a match for the one used in the killing last week, but said it looks similar and that it would undergo ballistic testing.

“A lot of guns look the same,” Dickey said on Wednesday. “If you brought a gun in and said, ‘Well, it looks like that,’ I don’t even know if that evidence would be admissible. So I would argue it wouldn’t be given much weight.”

He also cautioned that anyone speculating on the case should take the potential evidence “in its entirety,” not taking pieces of writing or other evidence “out of context.”

“People put out certain things, parts of different things,” he said. “I think any lawyer involved in this situation would want to see it all.”

Mangione plans to plead not guilty to the charges filed against him in Pennsylvania, Dickey said. A judge in Pennsylvania ordered Mangione held without bail on Tuesday.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it will seek a governor’s warrant to try to force Mangione’s extradition. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement that she’ll sign a request for the governor’s warrant “to ensure this individual is tried and held accountable.”

Dickey said he anticipates that Mangione would also plead not guilty to the second-degree murder charge in New York.

Mangione yelled to the press about “an insult to the intelligence of the American people” as he was physically dragged into the courthouse on Tuesday.

When Mangione was arrested on Monday, he had “written admissions about the crime” with him, according to the New York arrest warrant.

Mangione’s writings, obtained by ABC News, were addressed to the “Feds” and said, “I do apologize for any strife of traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.”

He claimed that the U.S. has the most expensive health care system in the world, but ranks about No. 42 in life expectancy. He said UnitedHealthcare “has grown and grown, but as our life expectancy? No the reality is, these [indecipherable] have simply gotten too powerful, and they continue to abuse our country for immense profit.”

Whether Mangione has a personal connection to UnitedHealthcare is unknown, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

A UnitedHealth Group spokesperson said in a statement that they hope the arrest “brings some relief to Brian’s family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy. We thank law enforcement and will continue to work with them on this investigation.”
 

ABC News’ Peter Charalambous and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.

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(PHOENIX) — A number of ballots were damaged after a United States Post Office collection mailbox was lit on fire in Phoenix, police said.

An unknown individual lit a fire inside a drive-up collection mailbox at a USPS station early Thursday morning, according to the Phoenix Police Department, which said it responded to the scene at 1:20 a.m.

The Phoenix Fire Department was able to open the mailbox and extinguish the fire and the Postal Inspector took possession of the damaged ballots and miscellaneous mail, police said.

Phoenix police initially said that approximately 20 electoral ballots were damaged, though the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office later said it believes the fire only destroyed five ballots while warning that the final figure could still change.

The Phoenix Fire Investigations Task Force — which includes police detectives and fire investigators — is working with U.S. Postal Inspectors on the investigation, police said.

“I’m deeply troubled by the arson attack on a USPS collection box in Phoenix,” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said in a statement. “This deliberate act of vandalism undermines the integrity of our democratic process.”

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said in a statement Thursday that officials are “waiting for details from law enforcement” regarding the incident.

Voters who used that mailbox in the last 36 hours can check the status of their ballots here, with an update on successful delivery usually reflected within 72 hours, he said.

The last day for registered voters to request an early ballot for the election in the battleground state is Friday.

“If a voter believes they were impacted by this incident they can learn more about how to make that request at Request.Maricopa.Vote,” Richer said.

Unlike USPS mailboxes, county ballot drop boxes across Arizona have fire suppression equipment, according to Fontes.

“One of the things that we have done in my office, for the drop boxes across the counties, is make sure that they have fire suppression equipment inside of those drop boxes,” Fontes said during a Zoom call with election officials on Thursday. “Unfortunately, the United States Postal Service doesn’t have that.”

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(NEW YORK) — Snow and rain are in the forecast for some parts of the U.S. as travelers hit the road and head to the airport for Thanksgiving.

Here’s your weather forecast for the holiday week:

Tuesday

Rain is sweeping across the East Coast from New York to Alabama on Tuesday morning.

There’s a slight chance for freezing rain in southern Vermont and the southern Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York before it warms enough to change to rain mid-day.

The rain will end in New York City and the Mid-Atlantic by mid-afternoon. Boston will be dry by 7 p.m.

In the West, 3 to 6 inches of rain is possible for the foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range through Tuesday morning.

Heavy rain is also hitting California’s San Joaquin Valley.

Snow is falling at higher elevations from California to Colorado, with winter storm warnings in effect.

California’s snow will end Tuesday night; totals could reach 3 to 5 feet in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains.

Treacherous travel is expected in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains as snowfall there continues through Wednesday. Up to 3 feet of snow is possible and avalanche warnings are in place.

Wednesday

The East Coast and West Coast will be dry on Wednesday, setting up a good holiday travel day for both coasts.

Interstate 70 will be the hardest-hit by rough weather, with snow in the Colorado Rockies and rain in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio.

In the South, temperatures will be well above average, with highs in the 70s and 80s. Houston may reach a record high for the second time this week.

Thanksgiving

Spectators heading to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City should bring umbrellas and raincoats, as the parade will be rainy with temperatures in the 40s. The breeze could reach 10 to 15 mph.

Rain will be falling across most of the East Coast Thursday morning, while snow hits northern Pennsylvania and upstate New York.

Much of the Interstate 95 corridor will be soggy throughout the day, especially north of Philadelphia where the rain will continue through the afternoon.

Meanwhile, temperatures will reach the 70s in Arizona and the 80s in Florida. But highs will only be in the 30s and 40s in the Midwest.

Friday

On Friday, snow will be falling from West Virginia to Pennsylvania to western New York.

Rain will move through north and central Florida, but it won’t reach Miami until Saturday morning.

Low temperatures may plunge to the single digits in Minneapolis for the first time this season Friday or Saturday morning.

High temperatures will only reach near freezing in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Omaha, Nebraska. The highs will only be in the 20s in Chicago.

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