Wednesday, 11 December - We're giving love in a family dose

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, 11 December. In your Squiz Today…

• Charges laid over the Manhattan CEO shooting

• Rupert Murdoch’s family trust fail

• And the buzz about modified mozzies… 🦟

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Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

Said cereal makers Sanitarium after a customer posted online about an unusual sight he was confronted with at breakfast time - a dark brown smear in the middle of his Weet-bix. If you were eating Weet-bix while reading this - we’re sorry…

Police nab the Manhattan shooting suspect

The Squiz

Prosecutors in New York charged Luigi Mangione yesterday with the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan last week. After a multi-state manhunt, he was arrested at a McDonald’s in the Pennsylvania city of Altoona. NY Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that when he was arrested, Mangione had a 3D-printed gun, a silencer, cash and a handwritten manifesto in his possession. A hearing for his extradition to New York is expected later today. 

How did they find him?

Another customer spotted him at the McDonald’s and let staff know, who called the police. When they turned up and asked for his ID, Mangione gave them a fake one - they asked if he'd been to New York recently and he "started to shake," according to the criminal complaint filed by police. A search of his backpack turned up the gun and silencer, which is when he was first arrested on weapons and false ID charges, at which point he stopped cooperating with the police. When he appeared in court, he was handcuffed by his wrists and ankles. Mangione's arrest brought a week-long investigation involving drones, police dogs and digital surveillance to an end - investigators say his name never appeared on a list of suspects in that time.  

What do we know about him?

Mangione is from a prominent Maryland family - they released a statement through his cousin saying they were "shocked and devastated". He was valedictorian of his high school, university-educated and spent time working in tech and video game development. His former roommate R.J. Martin has told CNN that it was "unfathomable" he was the suspect and that "he was a very thoughtful person" when they lived together in Hawaii. Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro said Mangione "is no hero" - he’s been lauded for his actions in some corners, particularly online, where his social accounts remained open. Meta and Google have confirmed they’ve since removed Mangione’s accounts, but the info’s out there - a Goodreads review in his name of the 1995 manifesto written by Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, has drawn a lot of attention.

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Squiz the Rest

Waiting on the coroner

A month after the long-running inquest into 3yo William Tyrrell’s disappearance resumed in the NSW Coroners Court, the last week of hearings has been dropped. It’s more than 10 years since the little boy in a Spiderman suit went missing from a home on the NSW Mid North Coast on 12 September 2014. It’s also more than 5 years since the inquest into his disappearance began… That’s down to many delays, including prosecutors needing time to consider charging William’s foster mother for covering up his accidental death - something she’s denied. More evidence was due to be presented this week, but a spokesperson for Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame - who’s overseeing the inquest - said she’s “closed the evidence”. It’s now up to her to deliver her findings, but she hasn’t set a date yet…

A family drama plays out

Rupert Murdoch has lost a bid to give his son, Lachlan, control of his media empire, with a court in the US state of Nevada ruling the irrevocable family trust must stay as is. That means after 93yo Murdoch dies, voting rights for Fox News and News Corp will be split between his 4 oldest children - Lachlan, James, Elisabeth and Prudence. Much of the case played out behind closed doors, but reports said Murdoch was gunning for Lachlan to gain control so he could maintain the company’s conservative-leaning ways. Ultimately, Nevada Commissioner Edmund Gorman ruled Rupert and Lachlan had acted in “bad faith” to alter the trust. The decision still needs to be signed off by a district judge, but reports say if it holds, it could have a major impact on the company’s future…

Pointing the finger at underlying inflation

The Reserve Bank board has opted to leave the cash rate at 4.35% - a 13-year high - at its final meeting of the year. That didn’t come as a surprise to many economists, who broadly expect our central bank to hold rates steady until May next year… Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock says although inflation is still tracking in the right direction (aka down), underlying inflation is running at around 3.5% - which is about 1% higher than the board wants it to be. FYI - underlying inflation, or the trimmed mean, is the Reserve Bank’s preferred way to measure inflation. That figure cuts out temporary things, like government subsidies, giving a clearer idea of where inflation is really at. And while inflation is coming down, the economy is still under pressure. Clothing retailer Katies is the latest victim…

* If you want to know a bit more about underlying inflation (and why wouldn’t you?), keep an eye out for our Shortcut in your podcast feed/inbox today. Sign up here if you want in…

Modified mozzies move in…

If that makes them sound like some sort of superbug - it’s not far off… British pest control company Oxitec wants to release genetically modified mosquitoes carrying dengue and yellow fever onto Aussie shores. But (and it’s a big but…) they’re only deadly to themselves. The idea is they’ll pass on DNA that kills off female larvae, preventing the spread of the deadly diseases. Another fun fact: they’ll glow red (paywall). That’s science for ya… The Oxitec plan is in partnership with the CSIRO, and it’s not the first of its kind - in fact, the company is already working with communities in the Torres Strait to control local Asian tiger mosquito populations. It’s created a bit of buzz - you can read up here.

US election tops our searching habits

Aussies looked up Trump vs. Harris more than any other topic, says Google - with the Paris Olympics medal tally in second place. Sport dominated the top 10 searches - the Euro and Copa America football tournaments, wheelchair tennis at the Paralympics and the T20 cricket world cup were all front of mind for us. After his passing in October, Liam Payne was the most-searched celebrity, and Taylor Swift got plenty of Googles too - not coincidentally, so did 'Ticketek marketplace." One other tidbit - among all the sports, news and celebrities was the NYT Connections game, which was #6 on the list. For recipe lovers, a cucumber salad's online popularity was a popular search, and for fans of language, we were very mindful of the word demure after it went mega-viral on TikTok.

Apropos of Nothing - Surprising sports edition

Brazil might not be the first country that comes to mind when you think “competitive skiers”, but that could be about to change… Lucas Pinheiro Braathen has become the first Brazilian skier to finish on a World Cup podium, and celebrated with a “snow samba”. But of course… 

Cancellations and delays have struck many of us in recent times, but spare a thought for 15yo Aussie Mackenzie Kinsella, who spent his savings on flights to the UK for a historic football match - only for it to be postponed. Thankfully, his team came through for him…

If you like golf and you like being indoors, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s new golf league, TGL, could be of interest… The interactive, tech-heavy golfer’s oasis is in a custom-built arena in Florida. It’s a hole new game…

Squiz the Day

10.15am (AEDT) - Pre-trial hearing continues for Erin Patterson charged with serving a fatal mushroom lunch to her former in-laws (set down for 15 days) - Melbourne 

12.15pm (AEDT) - PM Anthony Albanese will announce a pre-election pledge for families earning up to $530K that will allow them to access 3 days a week of subsidised childcare - Brisbane

12.30pm (AWST) - Women's Cricket: Third ODI - Australia v India - Perth, and watch on Kayo

ABS Data Release - Overseas Arrivals and Departures, October 

International Mountain Day

💃 National Tango Day - Argentina 

Anniversary of:

• Anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (1946)

• A birthday for media personality/cake baker extraordinaire Hamish Blake (1981)

• The abdication of Edward VIII being approved, freeing him of his obligations to the Crown so he could marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson (1936)

• Russian troops invading Chechnya to suppress a rebel government (1994)

• Champion boxer Muhammed Ali fought his last professional bout, losing to Trevor Berbick (1981)

• Yesterday we mistakenly listed the 10-year anniversary of the Martin Place Siege when it’s on Sunday 15 December. This week, the NSW Government is displaying 2 commemorative boards in Martin Place showing images of the floral tributes laid in December 2014 for the public to pay their respects in the lead up to the anniversary.