MANHUNT: New York police released facial photographs of a young white man said to be a “person of interest” in the sidewalk assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday. They say the man may have stayed for several days at the American Youth Hostel in Manhattan and that they believe he arrived in New York on a bus 10 days before the killing.

  People who know the man would probably recognize him from the pictures that would also be useful for facial recognition software.

  It appears to have been a murder with a message. Markings on the shells from bullets used in the killing  indicate that it may have been a revenge killing by someone angry about health insurance coverage. The words  “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” were found written on a live round and shell casings. Police suspect those words might be a version of a phrase popular in the insurance industry for denying coverage; “Delay, Deny, Defend.”

  The killing has uncapped simmering anger with the health insurance industry.

  “Depose” was written on a shell casing from an expended round and “Delay” was on a live round ejected when the shooter cleared a jam in his 9-milimeter pistol, police sources have told reporters. Police also found a cellphone and water bottle with a smudged fingerprint that may have been dropped by the gunman as he ran through the alley.

  Thompson, the target, was shot in the back as he was about to enter the Hilton Hotel for a business conference. He was pronounced dead 30 minutes later.

  The shooter used a pistol equipped with a silencer and appeared to be very comfortable with the gun, even clearing the jam in the midst of his attack. But he also revealed signs of being an amateur. About 30 minutes before the shooting he bought a bottle of water and two energy bars at a nearby Starbucks and was captured in several locations on security video. 

CHRISTIAN SOLDIER: Former Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth continued to make the rounds of Senate offices on Capitol Hill yesterday, trying to lock up approval for his appointment to be Secretary of Defense. Hegseth has said no senator has looked him in the eye and said he’s not the right man for the job.

  Following reports that Hegseth left the leadership of two veterans’ organizations amid accusations of drunkenness, mistreatment of women, and financial mismanagement, CBS News says that he received a six-figure severance payment and signed a non-disclosure agreement when he exited the organization Concerned Veterans of America. 

  Hegseth oddly denies all the accusations while also saying he’s a changed man from what he was a few years ago. He is twice divorced, the second time after having an affair and a child with a Fox News co-worker, whom he later married.

  Hegseth, who lately has taken to wearing an American flag pocket square and socks with the flag on them, is a devout Christian who admires the history of the Crusades in which Christian warriors attempted to wipe out Islam. He has a giant Cross of Jerusalem, the symbol of the Crusades, tattooed on the right side of his chest. He denies that he wears it as a sign of white supremacy.

  But in his writings Hegseth has warned of the growing presence of the Muslim faith in the West, and urged Americans to employ education, media, and law to protect Christian values.

THE WAR ROOM: Syrian rebels have taken the city of Hama and are moving toward the capital Damascus, the seat of power for President Bashar al-Assad. The rebels made quick work of taking Hama as government troops retreated. This was just two days after they took the city of Aleppo. 

  Rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, issued a video in which he calls for the rebels to push on. “The people of Homs, prepare yourselves,” he said. “The people of Damascus, the people of Dara’a, the people of Deir al Zour. Victory for all, God willing.”

  Syria’s civil war has dragged on since 2011 but the rebels appear to be taking advantage of Assad’s backers  … Russia, Iran, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah … distracted by other conflicts. 

GETTING WARMER: A two-year surge in global temperatures has climate scientists worried and wondering whether it’s a permanent trend or just variability.

  The world’s oceans are unusually warm, a major contributing factor. Scientists are watching to see whether this is just a cycle and the oceans will cool, or something more concerning is happening. Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at Berkeley Earth, told The Washington Post,  “I think signs are certainly pointing toward fairly persistent warmth.”

THE SPIN RACK: A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 45 miles off the coast of Eureka, California yesterday, triggering a tsunami warning that was soon cancelled. Despite some alarmist news reports, veterans of earthquake coverage give it a magnitude of “soup cans off the shelf.” — Federal filings reveal that Tesla billionaire Elon Musk spent a quarter billion dollars to help get Donald Trump elected. — The New York City Council yesterday approved a plan they call “The City of Yes” to create 80,000 new homes in the housing-short city. — House republicans blocked the release of the Ethics Committee report on possible sexual misconduct and drug use by former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who withdrew from consideration to be Attorney General under the next Trump administration. — An Italian nun who works with prisoners is among 24 people arrested in northern Italy in a roundup of Mafia figures. She’s accused of being a go-between for people on the inside and outside.

BELOW THE FOLD: It’s the end of an era. The Taylor Swift Eras concert tour comes to an end this Sunday in Vancouver. That will be the 149^th show in the five continent tour. She’s reported to be tired.

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