jili k.o
jili k.o
(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is disappointed in an electric vehicle manufacture that’s been approved for state tax credits but is struggling. In July 2023, Pritzker joined other officials and Lion Electric in Joliet for the company's ribbon cutting. The Canadian company produces electric school buses and is in line for Illinois tax credits through the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles, or REV tax credit. Since then, Lion Electric’s stock has dropped and Bloomberg reported the company plans to lay off 400 people, or half its workforce. Pritzker said the company has not received any state tax dollars. “If they reach the goals that they’ve set with us, and there’s an agreement that gets set, hiring a certain number of people, fulfilling on a certain amount of investment, then they receive the benefit of those tax credits,” Pritzker said Wednesday at an unrelated event. “But if they don’t, then they haven’t lived up to their part of the agreement, the state does not owe them anything. But look, I’m very disappointed in their progress.” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Lion Electric, which reportedly is laying off half its staff, have not received any state tax dollars. He says if they don't meet a certain agreement, they won't get tax credits. Pritzker laid the blame on President-elect Donald Trump for the sluggish EV market. “There’s an awful lot of pressure that’s been put on electric vehicle companies as a result of Donald Trump’s rhetoric and promises that he’s made to kind of tear down the electric vehicle ... industry development,” Pritzker said. State Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, said Pritzker’s vision of using tax funds to prop up the EV industry is wrong and the market should cater to what consumers want. “You can’t force people to buy electric cars,” Caulkins said. “It’s not going to work.” Lion Electric’s stock dropped from $2.47 a share in July 2023 to 34 cents a share this week.
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UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down outside of a Manhattan hotel on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Luigi Mangione, 26, has since been arrested and charged in the killing . In the days after Thompson’s death, UnitedHealthcare came under fire on social media over its alleged high rate of health insurance claim denials. A chart shared in many viral posts across social media shows claim denial rates for major insurance companies. UnitedHealthcare’s denial rate is highest at 32%, according to the posts. VERIFY investigated available data to determine whether the viral chart is accurate. THE QUESTION Does UnitedHealthcare deny patients’ claims at the highest rate of any major insurer, like the viral chart claims? THE SOURCES THE ANSWER The claim that UnitedHealthcare denies patients’ claims at the highest rate of any major insurer is inconclusive. The federal government and private health insurers don’t make data on claim denials for all types of insurance plans available to the public. WHAT WE FOUND We can’t VERIFY that UnitedHealthcare denies claims at the highest rate of any major health insurer. That’s because the federal government and private health insurers, like UnitedHealthcare, don’t make data on claim denials for all types of insurance plans available to the public. Former President Barack Obama signed a comprehensive health care reform law called The Affordable Care Act (ACA) , which is also known as Obamacare, into law in 2010. That law tasked the federal government’s Department of Health and Human Services with “monitoring denials both by health plans on the Obamacare marketplace and those offered through employers and insurers,” Elisabeth Rosenthal reported for KFF Health News , which is part of the nonprofit health policy research and news organization KFF, in May 2023. But HHS “hasn’t fulfilled that assignment,” Rosenthal said. Data the federal government has collected and shared so far isn’t comprehensive and it isn’t audited to ensure it’s accurate, a ProPublica investigation and KFF found. VERIFY reviewed the ACA and found it also tasked the head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) with conducting a “study on the incidence of denials of coverage for medical services and denials of applications to enroll in health insurance plans.” That GAO report was published in March 2011 but it doesn’t break down denial rates by individual insurers. Where the data in the viral chart comes from VERIFY traced the viral chart back to an article published by ValuePenguin, a consumer research website owned by LendingTree, in May 2024. ValuePenguin has since removed the chart from its article, though the alleged denial rates are still included in the article. The website said on Dec. 6 that it “removed certain data elements” from the piece “at the request of law enforcement.” The chart published by ValuePenguin, which is shown in an archived version of the article here , alleges that UnitedHealthcare denies nearly one-third of claims it receives – or 32% to be exact – the highest rate of any major insurer. It’s followed by Medica at 27% and Anthem at 23%. These rates were based on available data on insurers’ claim denials and appeals from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) public use files, which are available online, ValuePenguin said. ValuePenguin says the CMS data the website used is from the calendar year 2022 and doesn’t include any other years. Medicare and Medicaid data doesn’t include information about employer-sponsored private health plans, which cover the majority of working-age Americans . VERIFY conducted our own analysis of the most recent data from CMS comparing the total number of the in-network claims that health insurers received to their in-network denials. We did not factor in appeals. Our analysis found that UnitedHealthcare did deny claims at a rate of around 33% – the highest rate of any major insurer. This closely mirrors what ValuePenguin found. But there are a handful of caveats to the CMS data that make it impossible to draw conclusions about how often health insurers actually deny patients’ claims. Why it’s impossible to know exactly how many claims health insurers deny The data-gathering on health insurers’ denials is “haphazard and limited to a small subset of plans,” and it “isn’t audited to ensure it is complete,” Karen Pollitz, a retired senior fellow at KFF, said in the 2023 KFF Health News article . When it comes to information that the federal government has collected, it is not standardized or audited, and therefore is “not really meaningful,” Peter Lee, the founding executive director of California’s state marketplace, also told ProPublica. Data “should be actionable” and “this is not by any means right now,” he added. VERIFY reached out to CMS and UnitedHealthcare for comment, but did not receive responses by the time of publication. The VERIFY team works to separate fact from fiction so that you can understand what is true and false. Please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter , text alerts and our YouTube channel . You can also follow us on Snapchat , Instagram , Facebook and TikTok . Learn More » Follow Us Want something VERIFIED? Text: 202-410-8808
Ohio State Buckeyes athletic director Ross Bjork claims head coach Ryan Day has nothing to worry about before the College Football Playoff. Questions about Day's job security arose after the Buckeyes lost a fourth straight game to rival Michigan in their regular-season finale. On Thursday, Bjork said Day doesn't need to win the national championship to save his job, and he will "absolutely" be their HC next season. "Coach Day is awesome," Bjork told WBNS-FM in Columbus . "He's great to work with. He totally gets it. He loves being a Buckeye. And so we're going to support him at the highest level throughout." Bjork is in his first year as Ohio State's AD after spending five years at Texas A&M. Perhaps he doesn't understand how much the Buckeyes' rivalry with the Wolverines means to their fan base. Regardless, he insists the program is still in a great position. "We're still breathing. We're still alive. The season's not over. The book is not closed," Bjork said. "We've got to have confidence. I mean, Ohio State should be confident every single day. We're Ohio State." The Buckeyes remain one of the preeminent programs in college football. In six seasons with Day as HC, they've produced many NFL stars, including New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. Still, Day is 1-3 in the CFP, and the Buckeyes haven't won a national title since 2014. According to ESPN's Jake Trotter , Ohio State invested $20M into its roster in 2024. If Day loses in the first round of the CFP, that would further prove he struggles to deliver in big games despite having elite talent. No. 8 seed Ohio State hosts No. 9 Tennessee in the first round of the CFP on Dec. 21. Day better not flop. If he does, Bjork should reconsider his stance. The Buckeyes can't keep giving Day a boatload of resources only for him to keep producing the same results.Team claims NASCAR rescinded approval to buy charter
Team claims NASCAR rescinded approval to buy charterRavens suspend Diontae Johnson, saying he refused to play vs. EaglesTaking the witness stand on Thursday, Santa Clara Councilmember Suds Jain testified that he “assumed” Vice Mayor Anthony Becker gave the electric “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” report to a journalist before it was public — a slight deviation from testimony he gave to the criminal grand jury that indicted Becker last year. Jain said that Becker — one of his allies on the Santa Clara City Council since 2020 — had called him about two or three weeks before he was expected to testify in front of a criminal grand jury on March 29, 2023. During the phone call, Jain said that Becker admitted he had given the Santa Clara County civil grand jury report to Carolyn Schuk, an editor at the Silicon Valley Voice. Becker is currently on trial in Santa Clara County Superior Court in Morgan Hill for allegedly leaking the 2022 report — which chastised five members of the Santa Clara City Council for their relationship with San Francisco 49ers lobbyists — as well as felony perjury for allegedly lying about the leak under oath. The controversial report was supposed to be released publicly on Oct. 10, 2022, but appeared in several media outlets a few days prior. Rahul Chandhok, the 49ers’ former chief of communications, testified last week that Becker leaked him the report . During Jain’s March 29 testimony to the criminal grand jury, Deputy District Attorney Jason Malinsky asked the councilmember if Becker told him that he sent the report to a journalist “before it was public.” Jain confirmed that Becker had. But back in court on Thursday, Jain said he didn’t recall his prior testimony. “He told me that he had given the report to Carolyn Shuk,” Jain said. “I assumed it was during that period.” At one point, Malinsky showed Jain his prior testimony, to which he responded that he believed he was “confused.” The recently re-elected councilmember said that he wished Becker hadn’t told him. At the time, the two were discussing “how much stress he was under.” “I knew I had a subpoena, and it would have been better if he hadn’t told me,” he said. “It put me in a difficult position.” Jain testified that he didn’t ask his colleague any follow-up questions because he “did not want to know anymore.” When asked by a juror why Becker would have to give a journalist the report if it was already publicly available on the county’s website, Jain said “it’s possible that a reporter didn’t know where to find it. I don’t know.” Following Jain’s testimony, the prosecution played an audio recording of their interview with Becker on Dec. 28, 2022. Fernando Ramirez Jr., a criminalist with the Santa Clara County Crime Laboratory, testified as an expert witness the day prior that a forensic analysis of Becker’s phone showed that he had uninstalled Signal — the encrypted messaging app he allegedly used to leak the report — on Dec. 28 at 9:09 a.m. Becker’s meeting with Malinsky and Ben Holt, a criminal investigator with the DA’s office, commenced at 9:17 a.m. — less than nine minutes after data showed he deleted the app. In a snippet of the interview that was played for the jury, Becker said he hadn’t communicated with anyone from the 49ers “for a while.” He told Malinsky and Holt that he only used his phone’s native texting app to communicate with Chandhok, his main contact at the 49ers. Becker said he didn’t use Signal. But when asked by Malinsky if he used it in the past, he questioned why he was being asked so much about Chandhok. “Do I need a lawyer, because this is starting to get really inquisitive about my relationship with the 49ers?” Becker said. The vice mayor eventually admitted to having used the app in the past with one of his campaign staffers. When Malinsky asked Becker if he had used it to communicate with Chandhok, he said he didn’t know. “I don’t know why this is so important if we had conversations on Signal,” he said. Becker also denied leaking the grand jury report during the interview, and said he deleted Signal off of his phone “some time after the election.” The DA’s office served Becker with a search warrant following the interview.
BALTIMORE — One of Baltimore’s most prominent families was thrust into the spotlight this week, when a son of the clan, Luigi Mangione, was arrested by Pennsylvania police and charged in the Dec. 4 fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Locally active in philanthropy, both via individual donations and through the Mangione Family Foundation, the Mangiones gave millions to Baltimore’s various institutions and nonprofits, including more than $1 million to the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and more to the American Citizens for Italian Matters, Baltimore Opera Company and others. Loyola University, which counts Mangione alumni among their ranks, has an aquatic center named after the family, and GBMC previously had a high-risk obstetrics unit, since closed, that bore their name. Their story is a uniquely American one: The Mangiones went from deep poverty to massive wealth in just three generations, with one cousin, Nino Mangione, now a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates. Despite an eventually deep portfolio of development properties and government contracting for 20 years, the family patriarch, Nicholas Mangione Sr. , said he still faced prejudice for his background when he attempted to buy land to build the Turf Valley Golf and Country Club, now the Turf Valley Resort, in Ellicott City. “Tongues started wagging,” Mangione told The Baltimore Sun in 1995. “People (were) wondering where an unknown Italian could get the money for a $5 million project. In those days, there were no Italians in real visible positions (in Howard County).” Mangione said the implication was that he must have backing from the mob, so he countered sharply. “People thought I needed money from the Mafia to buy this place. They asked me what family I belonged to,” he said. “I told them, ‘I belong to the Mangione family. The Mangione family of Baltimore County.’” The family is now defending its name again. On Monday, members released a statement on social media expressing dismay at Luigi Mangione’s arrest, saying they were stunned by the news. “We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved,” the family wrote . “We are devastated by this news.” The family did not respond to a request for comment via a family attorney or their foundation. From poverty to philanthropic elite How they went from the Depression-era streets of the city’s Little Italy to its philanthropic elite is straight out of a Horatio Alger novel. Nicholas Sr. was born in Baltimore’s Little Italy, and spent his first eight years in a one-room apartment with an outdoor privy, according to a 2008 Sun article. He earlier told The Sun his Italian immigrant father, Louis, could neither read nor write, and worked in the city water department until he died of pneumonia. Today, the Mangione family is a sprawling one, with a business empire to match: Nicholas Sr., made the beginning of the family’s fortunes in the post-World War II years as a bricklayer and contractor . He built up his business holdings throughout the following decades, with his wife, Mary , growing their family to include five sons, five daughters, and 37 grandchildren, including Luigi. The family’s holdings range from construction to commercial real estate to local radio station WCBM-AM and a majority stake in Lorien Health Services, which operates multiple assisted living facilities in Maryland. Aside from the Turf Valley Resort, with its 10,000-square-foot ballroom, 220-room hotel, and 85-seat amphitheater, the Mangiones also own the Hayfields Country Club in Cockeysville and a slew of companies registered in Maryland . Its family foundation had net assets of $4.4M as of its 2022 tax filing , the most recent on record. The Mangione Family Foundation’s stated focus is supporting, “Organizations for any of the following purposes: religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition (as long as it doesn’t provide athletic facilities or equipment), or the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.” Politically active across the aisle Politically, the Mangiones have been active across the aisle. Luigi Mangione’s parents, Louis and Kathleen Mangione donated $35,935 to state and local politicians from 2005 through 2023, according to data from the State Board of Elections. Half went to Nino Mangione ’s campaign account for his state delegate races from 2018 through 2023. Other donations went to Howard County executives Calvin Ball and Ken Ulman, both Democrats, and Allan Kittleman, a Republican, along with additional high-profile candidates of both parties, including former Govs. Martin O’Malley and Robert L. Ehrlich, and former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon. Large family The immense number of Mangiones also was briefly confusing for Baltimoreans on Monday. Aside from Nicholas Sr. and Mary Mangione’s 10 children and 37 grandchildren, city counts at least two other Mangione families, who were briefly inundated with phone calls from the media and queries from former schoolmates and acquaintances. One of Luigi Mangione’s two sisters is a physician at the University of Texas Southwestern, according to her LinkedIn profile. Another sister is a visual artist. Neither sister responded to requests for comment. His mother, Kathleen, comes from a family that owns a funeral home, the Charles S. Zannino Funeral Home in Highlandtown, the Baltimore Fishbowl reported , and now runs a travel agency, KZM Boutique Travel, which had removed its website as of Tuesday evening. His father, Louis was groomed to help take over the family’s business empire, according to a 2003 Washington Post article . ©2024 Baltimore Sun. Visit baltimoresun.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
, wife of legend , is making waves, not just in the podcast world, but also on social media. After the launch of her , which recently claimed the No. 1 spot on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts, took the opportunity to respond to a her husband made about her appearance. Kylie Kelce outsmarts Jason The lighthearted exchange began when a fan tweeted about humor after the release of her first episode, writing, chimed in, joking, The tweet quickly went viral, racking up over 11,000 likes and sparking laughter from fans. But wasn't about to let her husband off the hook. said in her latest podcast episode. She didn't stop there, taking aim at the Kelce family's strong resemblance. didn't let comment slip by unnoticed either, noting, , in an attempt to recover, responded during the podcast with, The playful back-and-forth between the couple only endeared them more to fans. Kylie Kelce makes Jason look bad for his parenting skills Aside from her humorous clapbacks, Kylie also shared insights into her family life. Addressing a fan question about childcare responsibilities, revealed, even if is home. Her comments sparked a debate online, with some fans questioning Jason's involvement in parenting. With their and a household of three daughters, it's clear that life in the household is as entertaining off the field as it is on. Fans are eagerly tuning in to to hear more from the witty and candid , whose star power is quickly becoming undeniable.White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaignOncocyte Demonstrates Potential for Liquid Biopsy of Brain Tumors in New Study
ALBANY (NY) (5-3) Adewale 0-2 0-0 0, Klaczek 0-5 4-4 4, Briggs 4-9 6-6 17, Marshall 3-7 9-10 17, Strand 1-4 2-2 5, Neely 6-14 0-0 12, Matulu 1-1 0-0 2, Lindsey 4-5 0-0 8, Taylor 1-4 0-0 3, Adnan 0-2 0-0 0, Reddish 0-1 0-0 0, Topuz 0-2 0-0 0, Giralt 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 20-56 21-24 68. GEORGETOWN (6-1) Fielder 3-6 3-3 10, Sorber 6-9 1-1 14, Epps 4-7 0-0 8, Mack 6-8 1-1 16, Peavy 9-14 3-3 24, Burks 5-6 0-0 11, Mulready 1-3 0-0 2, Ca.Williams 4-6 1-1 9, Cu.Williams 2-3 0-0 4, McKenna 1-1 0-0 2, Asadallah 0-1 0-0 0, Montgomery 0-1 0-0 0, Van Raaphorst 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 41-65 9-9 100. Halftime_Georgetown 49-35. 3-Point Goals_Albany (NY) 7-22 (Briggs 3-5, Marshall 2-3, Strand 1-3, Taylor 1-3, Adnan 0-1, Reddish 0-1, Topuz 0-1, Klaczek 0-2, Neely 0-3), Georgetown 9-22 (Mack 3-4, Peavy 3-6, Burks 1-2, Fielder 1-2, Sorber 1-2, Montgomery 0-1, Cu.Williams 0-1, Epps 0-2, Mulready 0-2). Rebounds_Albany (NY) 21 (Neely 5), Georgetown 33 (Sorber 13). Assists_Albany (NY) 6 (Marshall, Neely 2), Georgetown 26 (Peavy 8). Total Fouls_Albany (NY) 14, Georgetown 17. A_4,227 (20,356).
DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos signed left tackle Garett Bolles to a four-year extension on Thursday, locking up a big piece to protect rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Bolles has spent his entire career with the organization after being drafted out of Utah with the 20th overall pick in 2017. He has a chance this season to help the Broncos into the postseason for the first time since they won Super Bowl 50 after the 2015 season. The Broncos (8-5) are currently in the seventh and final playoff spot in the AFC. They can put some distance between them and Indianapolis on Sunday (6-7) with a win over the Colts. After an up-and-down start in Denver, Bolles has developed into a dependable pass protector. He's allowed one sack and 24 quarterback pressures over 13 starts this season. What's more, his 4.9 percent quarterback pressure rate is the second-lowest mark among tackles with at least 200 pass blocking snaps this season, according to NextGen Stats. With time to scan the field, Nix leads all rookies in completions (277), yards passing (2,842), offensive touchdowns (22) and passing touchdowns (17). Bolles earned second-team Associated Press All-Pro honors after the 2020 season. On social media , Bolles posted: “Broncos Country, It’s been a great 8 years! Thanks for everything! And ... I’m not leaving. The show goes on!” Since 2017, Bolles has allowed the sixth-fewest sacks (36) among tackles with at least 3,100 snaps. The extension of Bolles means the Broncos have all five starting offensive linemen on board through next season. Guard Quinn Meinerz agreed to four-year contract extension in July. The Broncos also signed cornerback Patrick Surtain II to a four-year contract extension in September worth $96 million, including $77.5 million in guarantees. Linebacker Jonathon Cooper agreed to a four-year, $60 million extension in November. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Over the years, TikTok has quickly cemented itself as one of my go-to hubs for styling inspiration. From to must-know the platform has served me well. At the risk of sounding overly Gen-Z, I can confirm that my phone is currently flooded with screenshots I have taken of product recommendations and pieces that content creators have shared. Many of which now make up a huge part of my wardrobe basics. As a true magpie for all things expensive-looking, most of these pieces come from three of my failsafe retailers on rotation: , , and . Known for their sleek pieces that can be worn repeatedly, it's no surprise why they're an instant hit for those looking to invest in that won't break the bank. Lucky for me, I have found that my top saved pieces have fortunately fallen into all retailers' Black Friday 2024 sales. This includes the from COS that the style set can't stop wearing and the from Mango that continue to sell out. Below, find my top picks to invest in now and wear forever.The people that president-elect Donald Trump has selected to lead federal health agencies in his second administration include a retired congressman, a surgeon and a former talk-show host. All of them could play pivotal roles in fulfilling a new political agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans' health — from health care and medicines to food safety and science research. And if Congress approves, at the helm of the team as Department of Health and Human Services secretary will be prominent environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine organizer Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
