Daily Briefing: A manhunt ends at a McDonald's

Altoona police arrested the man suspected of killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, in Pennsylvania. The verdict in the Daniel Penny trial reveals cultural cleavages in America. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands trial Tuesday for bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Many Christmas songs are bad, but these are the 10 worst.

Suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO killer arrested at a McDonald’s

A Maryland man was charged Monday night with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City.

A McDonald's employee ended a dayslong search for the suspected gunman: Police officers responded to a tip from an employee at the fast-food chain and said they recognized Luigi Mangione right away from widely distributed law enforcement photos once he removed his face mask upon their request.

• What happened at the McDonald's: Mangione was at the Pennsylvania restaurant when a customer spied him and reported him to an employee who then called police. Mangione was wearing a blue surgical mask like the alleged shooter was seen wearing in New York City surveillance footage and seated at the back of the restaurant using a laptop.
• It's more than a murder charge: Mangione, 26, was also charged with forgery, tampering with records or identification, giving police false ID, and possessing instruments of a crime. He was arraigned and jailed without bail.
• Who is Mangione? He graduated as the valedictorian from a ritzy private school, and went on to graduate cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania. He studied engineering and applied sciences at an Ivy League school, according to his LinkedIn.

Jay-Z, Beyoncé present a united front amid rape allegations

The Knowles-Carters sent a message loud and clear at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King" Monday night. The family appeared together on the red carpet after a woman, who had anonymously filed a lawsuit claiming Sean "Diddy" Combs raped her at a MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000, amended the complaint to allege Jay-Z was the other celebrity who'd raped her. Jay-Z responded with a scathing statement calling the allegations "heinous in nature" as well as "a blackmail attempt." He emphasized the "heartbreak" this has caused his family of five.

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Jury finds Daniel Penny not guilty in NYC subway chokehold case

Daniel Penny’s criminal trial over the death of Jordan Neely has become the latest cultural flashpoint underscoring deep divisions in how Americans view issues of race, crime and mental health in the United States. A New York City jury found Penny, a former Marine, not guilty on charges of killing Neely, a homeless Black man, on the subway last year after placing him in a chokehold for roughly six minutes. Penny's lawyers argued he did not intend to harm Neely and was trying to protect other subway passengers, who witnessed Neely screaming that he was hungry, thirsty and ready to kill someone.

Reactions to the trial fall on party lines: Democrats described Neely’s death as emerging from systemic issues related to race, poor funding for mental health care and lack of social services for the homeless. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers rallied in support of Penny, painting him as a hero. 

TikTok asks Supreme Court to review ban legislation

TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance are asking the United States government to take a closer look at legislation that could ban the social media platform. Under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, signed by President Joe Biden this spring, TikTok will become illegal for distribution in the U.S. if ByteDance does not sell the platform. Users who have TikTok on their devices would still be able to use the app, but banning TikTok from app stores would prohibit future software updates. If ByteDance sells TikTok before Jan. 19, the platform will remain available in the U.S. Here's what TikTok said to the court.

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Golden Globe nominations put Oscar season in focus

Netflix's crime thriller musical "Emilia Pérez" leads the movie field with 10 total nods going into the 82nd Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 5, the first major awards show of 2025. Period epic "The Brutalist" received seven nominations including best drama, joining papal thriller "Conclave," which scored a total of six, while body horror flick "The Substance" nabbed five. "Emilia" and "Substance" are nominated for best comedy or musical alongside tragicomedy "Anora" and Broadway adaptation "Wicked." Here's the full list of nominees (and snubs!).

Photo of the day: Netanyahu to stand trial for corruption

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is set to take the stand on Tuesday for the first time in his long-running corruption trial under a court order that is likely to force him to juggle between the courtroom and war room for weeks.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.