| | | | |  | | By Calder McHugh | | Presented by |  | | | |  Luigi Mangione is led into the Blair County Courthouse for an extradition hearing on Tuesday in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. | Jeff Swensen/Getty Images | TRUST NO ONE — In the days since the arrest of Luigi Mangione, the alleged shooter of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, his public social media accounts have been picked clean to better understand his political leanings. In conservative media spaces, Mangione’s review of the Unabomber’s Manifesto on Goodreads has been viewed as an indication that he’s a radical leftist. A comprehensive review of his public persona in a piece in the San Francisco Standard suggests that he could be a member of the “TPOT” community, an internet subculture that’s interested largely in self-improvement and personal agency. We’ve learned thinkers, writers and podcasters like Andrew Huberman, Michael Pollan, Jon Haidt, Jash Dholani and Tim Urban were staples of his information diet, frequently reposted from Mangione’s X account. On a traditional right-left spectrum, Huberman, Pollan, Haidt, Dholani and Urban share few political views. They’re linked, instead, by a couple of common themes. Each of their careers is defined in large part by their ideological heterodoxy — their willingness to challenge what might be considered “mainstream” or “acceptable” thought. What’s most notable about Mangione’s philosophy, it turns out, is just how common it appears to be. His media consumption suggests that he was broadly interested in AI, self-improvement, mental and physical health and how the modern world can make it difficult to be well-adjusted or content. His interests and political leanings are mostly shared not by the mainstream left or right, but by people like him: young, well-educated men who often work in tech or a related field. Essentially all of the thinkers that Mangione has promoted online traffic in — to greater or lesser extents — a break from the orthodoxy, a different path than what the government or the American school system teaches. In doing so, they’ve found immense popularity. They have hundreds of thousands of social media followers and regularly find themselves on bestseller lists and atop podcast charts. Taken together, Mangione’s influences ironically replace an old kind of conventional thinking defined by an inherent trust in civic institutions with a new one. Its main tenet is one of distrust. The two prominent politicians that Mangione follows on X — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — are similarly bound together by little except a willingness to challenge political shibboleths. And that willingness to challenge orthodoxy has made them popular. The same goes for Huberman — who talks a lot about biohacking and personal enhancement — and Pollan, who’s concerned with sustainability and environmentalism. Even the more frightening thinkers to hold Mangione’s interest subscribe to a similar worldview. The most naturally shocking piece of content on Mangione’s reading list — the Unabomber Manifesto — was actually suggested to him as part of a book club of like minded individuals by his landlord, roommate and friend in Hawaii. And its content served to reinforce Mangione’s politics of distrust; the manifesto is in large part a screed against technology and industrial society that wouldn’t look particularly out of place on an episode of The Huberman Lab. The increasing popularity of Mangione’s philosophical outlook stands in stark contrast to his alleged actions — his distillation of all these ideas was uniquely disturbed. Given that Mangione’s online footprint cut off earlier this year and he was reportedly missing for months, it’s impossible to know how his outlook on the world or his personal health circumstances may have shifted in the leadup to the alleged murder. But it’s exactly that contrast that makes Mangione fascinating. He’s not a right-wing or left-wing nutjob who spun off the rails. He’s someone who seems to share a belief system with much of his generational cohort. In the wake of Thompson’s death, much has been made about how growing anger with the American health insurance system played a part in his murder. Today on Capitol Hill, for example, Ocasio-Cortez, after condemning the violence, said that “for anyone who is confused or shocked or appalled, they need to understand that people interpret and feel and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them.” Yet there’s also another issue implicated by Mangione’s worldview. The growing distrust central to Mangione’s politics doesn’t stop with the health care industry. His media diet suggested he’d lost faith in American institutions across the board — and modernity in general. And the thinkers that encourage those sentiments regularly find themselves at the top of bestseller lists and podcast charts, powered by a generation of young, disaffected men. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at cmchugh@politico.com on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @calder_mchugh.
| | | | A message from American Beverage: America’s beverage companies – The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo – are iconic American companies making American products with American workers in America’s hometowns. And we’re committed to doing our part to address today’s health challenges. We’ve taken real steps for more than a decade to transform the beverage aisle, like offering smaller portion sizes, more zero-sugar options and putting nutrition information right up front. Explore more at BalanceUS.org. | | | | | — Congress nears deal on disaster aid, funding patch to avert pre-Christmas shutdown: Congressional leaders are closing in on a deal to fund the government into early next year, along with tens of billions of dollars in disaster aid, as they work to avoid a holiday shutdown. The burgeoning agreement comes after weeks of House and Senate leadership negotiations, which included top appropriators, ahead of the Dec. 20 deadline. Text of the funding bill is expected over the weekend or early next week to allow both chambers to pass the measure before lawmakers leave town until January. — FBI didn’t deploy undercover agents on Jan. 6, watchdog report finds: A Justice Department watchdog found no evidence that the FBI deployed undercover agents to the Capitol or nearby protests on Jan. 6, 2021, further undercutting debunked conspiracy theories about the riot being instigated by law enforcement. The long-awaited report from Inspector General Michael Horowitz also found no evidence that the bureau authorized or encouraged any illegal behavior by members of the mob who stormed the Capitol that day in an effort to disrupt Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. — Biden commutes nearly 1,500 sentences, promises ‘more steps in the weeks ahead’: President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of almost 1,500 people and pardoned another 39, the most ever in a single day, the White House announced today. The White House said in its announcement that those receiving clemency “have shown successful rehabilitation and a strong commitment to making their communities safer.” The 39 pardon recipients had all committed non-violent crimes, and the commutations were for people who were placed in home confinement during the pandemic. Following Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter, he faced pressure from some Democrats, as well as outside advocacy groups, to use his clemency powers more widely before his term ends in January.
| | | | Billions in spending. Critical foreign aid. Immigration reform. The final weeks of 2024 could bring major policy changes. Inside Congress provides daily insights into how Congressional leaders are navigating these high-stakes issues. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | | | QUICK PIVOT — Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s embattled pick for Defense secretary, is shifting his stance on LGBTQ+ service members. The former Fox Host has previously labeled policies allowing gay and transgender troops a “Marxist agenda.” But when asked by reporters today during a meeting with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) whether he supports gays serving in the military, he said, “Yes.” The apparent pivot comes after meetings with more moderate Republican senators, including Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). And it follows a CNN report today highlighting comments Hegseth made in his 2024 book, The War on Warriors, and in recent media appearances. He has called the original “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and its 2011 repeal a “gateway” and “camouflage” for broader cultural shifts that he argues have weakened military cohesion and effectiveness. NOT MY PROBLEM — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of longtime loyalist Kari Lake to lead Voice of America has some Arizona Republicans breathing a sigh of relief. Lake has for the last two election cycles dominated Republican politics in Arizona, running and losing back-to-back races for governor and Senate — and earning her the ire of some of her fellow conservatives in the state. Some Arizona Republicans had already been skeptical of her political future in the state, given the losses, though her name had been floated both for state Republican Party chair and Arizona secretary of state. Trump’s decision now all but removes her from those conversations, creating space for other Republicans to rise to the fore.
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A woman waves a Syrian opposition flag as she celebrates at Umayyad Square in Damascus on December 8, 2024. | Bakr Al Kassem/AFP via Getty Images | RETURN TO SENDER — While Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s fall was met with delight by many Syrians across Europe, the news of the dictator’s demise had barely broken before politicians across the continent began talking about whether it was time for Syrian refugees to return home en masse. In Austria, the interior minister announced preparations for “an orderly return and deportation program to Syria,” while in Germany — the EU country that has taken in the most Syrian refugees — conservative politicians demanded the government establish a plan for the return of Syrians. “As a first step, I would say we make an offer. How about the German government saying: ‘Anyone who wants to return to Syria, we’ll charter planes for them and give them starting money of €1,000,’” conservative German politician Jens Spahn said on television on Monday. He also suggested that the countries that have taken in the most Syrian refugees plan a “reconstruction and return conference” in the spring to facilitate repatriation. Only one day after rebel forces ousted Syria’s dictator, a number of EU countries — Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and the U.K. — said they will halt consideration of Syrian asylum applications. ANNOUNCEMENT EVE — French President Emmanuel Macron has missed a self-imposed 48-hour deadline to appoint a new prime minister, and will present a name on Friday. Macron had told the leaders of several political parties on Tuesday that he would name a premier within 48 hours to succeed Michel Barnier, whose government was toppled last week. However, the Élysée told reporters today that a new prime minister would be named Friday morning.
| | | | Write your own chapter in the new Washington. From the Lame Duck Congress Series to New Administration insights, POLITICO Pro delivers intelligence across 22+ policy areas to help you anticipate and navigate change. Discover how a Pro subscription empowers you. Learn more today. | | | | | | | | | | | | | RIDING THE ROLLERCOASTER — How does the market capitalization of a digital asset — plagued by no scandal or other context — plunge from $490 million to $17 million seemingly overnight? It might have to do with what it’s based on in the first place. The asset in question is a “memecoin” — or cryptocurrency asset based on nothing but pure gambling — launched by internet sensation Hailey Welch. These “memecoins” are often simple scams; ways for online personalities to rip off their followers, potentially illegally. But they’ve grown in popularity over the last year, as crypto enthusiasts get involved with increasingly risky gambles that can spike up or down over the course of a few minutes, without any intrinsic value backing them. Dan Milmo reports on the trend of wild action in the market for The Guardian.
| | |  On this date in 1971: Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi speaks to a crowd of over 25,000 at Ramlila Ground, an open space between old and New Delhi. | Max Nash/AP | Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.
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