Dem slapped with reality check for claiming Trump’s nuclear authority ‘should terrify you’
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., claimed that people should be terrified that President-elect Donald Trump will possess the power to initiate a nuclear attack.
In a post on X, Markey noted, “Come January, Donald Trump will have the sole authority to launch a nuclear strike. This should terrify you. That’s why @RepTedLieu and I are urging @POTUS to put guardrails on presidential authority to start nuclear war.”
Trump — who trounced Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 White House contest by winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote — previously served as president from early 2017 through early 2021. And during his Oval Office tenure, he never used nuclear weapons.
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He has also been outspoken about the massive danger posed by nuclear weapons.
“To me, we have one really major threat: That’s called nuclear weapons,” Trump said earlier this year. “This isn’t Army tanks going back and forth and shooting at each other. This is obliteration,” he said of the powerful weapons. “We have incredible stuff, so does Russia. China has much less but” will “catch up,” Trump said, calling the issue the “single biggest threat by far to civilization.”
Josh Barnett, who lost in a Republican primary for an Arizona state Senate seat earlier this year, responded to Markey’s post by writing, “LOL he had the authority the last four years he was in office.”
PUTIN SIGNS REVISED DOCTRINE LOWERING THRESHOLD FOR NUCLEAR RESPONSE IF RUSSIA IS ATTACKED
Others made the point as well.
“Hey buddy, he was already president once,” Tom Gillis, who describes himself on X as a “Former PGA tour player,” declared in response to the lawmaker’s post.
“He had the power before and didn’t use it,” another individual, Shonathan Perrius, tweeted.
In a letter to President Joe Biden Markey and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., declared that during his waning time in office the commander-in-chief could “safeguard the system against Donald Trump or any future unstable president, and make it constitutional.
“We urge you to announce that henceforth it will be the policy of the United States that it will not initiate a nuclear first strike without express authorization from Congress. In a situation where the United States has already been attacked with nuclear weapons, the president would retain the option to respond unilaterally,” the two Democrats declared in their letter to the president.
US MUST EXPAND NUCLEAR ARSENAL IN FACE OF RUSSIA AND CHINA THREAT, WARNS TOP OBAMA DEFENSE ADVISER
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The lawmakers have long advocated for the policy shift, repeatedly pushing legislation on the issue.
“As the coauthors of the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act — proposed legislation that prohibits any U.S. president from launching a nuclear first strike without prior congressional authorization — we urge you, in your remaining time in office, to change this unconstitutional policy,” they said in their letter to Biden.
“We first introduced this act during the Obama administration not as a partisan effort, but to make the larger point that current U.S. policy, which gives the president sole authority to launch nuclear weapons without any input from Congress, is dangerous. As Donald Trump prepares to return to the Oval Office, it is more important than ever to take the power to start a nuclear war out of the hands of a single individual and ensure that Congress’s constitutional role is respected and fulfilled,” Markey and Lieu noted.
Homeowners give Uncle Sam an ultimatum days after mystery drones first spotted
New Jersey residents frustrated with a lack of answers regarding dozens of potential drone sightings in the skies above their homes are threatening to take action on their own if the government doesn’t start providing answers.
James Ward, a Jersey Shore realtor, shared video on Facebook that he said showed “SUV-size drones” above Island Beach State Park taken Sunday. It’s difficult to judge their size in the clip, which showed a number of lights hovering in the sky.
“Dozens of SUV-size drones in all directions,” the caption read. “Emerging at same time and flying over the ocean and then heading in different directions – what do you think?”
“A good shotgun will fix that problem,” one commenter replied.
NEW JERSEY DRONE SIGHTINGS: MILITARY ANALYSTS BREAK DOWN NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS, DOUBT HOBBYISTS AT PLAY
“Why hasn’t anyone shot one down to look for a serial number to trace it back to the operator?” another wrote. “I would think that could provide a clue.”
“Semi auto 3 inch magnum 00 buck full choke!” yet another replied.
Experts warn that it is typically illegal to shoot down a drone flying over a property. The Federal Aviation Administration told Forbes in 2016 that shooting down a drone is illegal under the same federal law prohibiting the sabotage of any other aircraft.
FAA regulations also prohibit the unsafe or unauthorized operation of an aircraft — manned or not.
The talk of taking matters into their own hands came after Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, and two Republican congressmen called on the federal government to shoot down any unidentified drones in the area. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been pressing investigators and regulators for answers for weeks.
FBI LEADER SAYS IT’S ‘CONCERNING’ HOW LITTLE HIS AGENCY KNOWS ABOUT MYSTERIOUS DRONES SEEN OVER NEW JERSEY
The source of the drones remains a mystery, and it’s not even clear that all of the flying objects are drones and not manned aircraft. Experts note that the navigation lights are a big hint that whoever’s flying them isn’t trying to keep them hidden.
“Upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully,” White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby told reporters Thursday.
Many of the reported sightings, however, involve objects that witnesses say look larger than typical retail drones, like the ones spotted above Island Beach State Park.
MYSTERIOUS DRONE SIGHTINGS CONTINUE TO BE REPORTED IN NEW JERSEY WITHOUT ANSWERS
An Army spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Picatinny Arsenal had requested and received a temporary flight restriction until Dec. 26 for its airspace as a result of the abundance of reported drone sightings in the area.
The FAA said it is investigating the reported sightings and also issued a temporary flight restriction for the airspace around the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.
“We look into all reports of unauthorized drone operations and investigate when appropriate,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Drone operators who conduct unsafe operations that endanger other aircraft or people on the ground could face fines up to $75,000. In addition, we can suspend or revoke drone operators’ pilot certificates.”
“It is an offense to actually shoot down an aircraft,” said James McDanolds, the program chair at the School of Uncrewed Technology at Sonoran Desert Institute. “There are many people in the past that took matters into their own hands, if you will, and shot down a drone, most of them in a small area, even small drones, and have gotten fines and jail time for doing so.”
WATCH: NJ rep rips high-ranking officials for dismissing Iran drone speculation
Residents and state officials have been seeking answers for weeks since the sightings first began cropping up in mid-November.
State Sen. Joe Pennacchio, a Republican, even sent a letter to President-elect Trump asking the incoming administration to prioritize an investigation into the matter.
“Local, county, and state law enforcement officials are working diligently trying to find answers,” he wrote. “Without these answers we have no idea whether the citizens of our state are safe. Unfortunately, they depend on our federal security agencies for answer and directions. To date, almost a month into their initial sightings no answers have come from those federal agencies.”
MANY JERSEY ‘DRONE’ SIGHTINGS ARE LAWFULLY OPERATED MANNED AIRCRAFT, WHITE HOUSE SAYS
In Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was expecting a classified briefing on the drone mystery Thursday.
FBI leaders had few answers at a public hearing earlier this week.
Asked if Americans are “at risk,” FBI Assistant Director of the Critical Incident Response Group Robert Wheeler told Congress, “There is nothing that is known that would lead me to say that, but we just don’t know. And that’s the concerning part.”
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A hearing involving the FBI and other law enforcement left state lawmakers unsatisfied earlier this week, with state Rep. Brian Bergen storming out of the meeting and telling NewsNation it was “the biggest waste of five hours in my life.”
“They don’t know where the drones are coming from, they don’t know who’s doing it. They don’t know why they’re doing it,” he said. “But they say there’s ‘no credible threat.’ It was annoying to be there.”
According to Gov. Murphy, there were 49 reports of drones on Sunday alone, mostly in Hunterdon County.
In Southern California Wednesday, federal prosecutors announced the arrest of a Chinese citizen accused of using a hacked drone to take photos of the Vandenberg Space Force Base from a mile up.
“This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of the base’s layout, which is against the law,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “The security of our nation is of paramount importance, and my office will continue to promote the safety of our nation’s military personnel and facilities.”
Yinpiao Zhou, 39, was arrested Monday, more than a week after drone-detecting equipment spotted the intrusion. There’s no known connection between that case and the New Jersey sightings, leaving residents hungry for answers.
Former Obama adviser examines Trump’s victory and how ‘something is off’
Former Obama adviser Van Jones warned the political class that the strategies they believed would win over the American people are woefully outdated.
At the New York Times DealBook summit, political figures offered their autopsies of why the Harris campaign failed and how the Trump campaign rode the wave of America’s changing media. Jones argued that President-elect Donald Trump’s victory is just another example of the American people’s dissatisfaction with both political parties’ rule.
“I want to talk real,” he said as he turned to Republicans on the panel. “You guys shouldn’t be as happy as you are because, 2016, people voted for change because they were fed up and sick of it, gave Trump a chance. 2020, people voted for change because they were sick of Trump. 2024 they voted for change, they’re probably gonna vote for change a bunch more times because, this- something is off, man.”
He added further, “There’s something really going wrong for real everyday working folks in this country, and I’m not sure either party has an answer yet. We know how to beat each other up when the other one is in power, but can we solve any of these problems?”
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The CNN commentator argued that his hard-earned expertise comes from real world experience, something he says the political class is severely disconnected from.
“My perspective doesn’t come from the focus groups, it doesn’t come from sitting on CNN next to my beloved Anderson Cooper. I was on the ground supporting folks in Philadelphia trying to get folks to vote, I was trying to help Jewish voters get to the polls in the Philly suburbs, and I’m telling you, we are way off, the entire political class is way off,” he warned.
Jones recalled that while many initially laughed at the Trump campaign’s unorthodox tactics of focusing on internet influencers, they aren’t laughing anymore.
“First of all, digital is the new door knocking. You’ve got to understand that,” he said. “We were laughing our butts off at Donald Trump for suspending his door-knocking campaign and letting Charlie Kirk and Elon do a bunch of stuff online. We said, ‘These guys are idiots! These guys are stupid!’”
“Then you start knocking on these doors… you know what people come to the door with? Their phone in their hand. They’re in a 24-hour digital surround sound that has nothing to do with CNN, has nothing to do with any of the stuff that we do,” he added.
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Jones then recalled that his own expectations were dashed when he asked his teenage son who the most influential people in the world are today. He had expected to hear former President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Jay-Z, only to find they had been eclipsed by online video-game streamers like Kai Cenat, Adin Ross, Jynxzi, and Sketch on platforms he hadn’t ever heard of like Twitch, Kik and Rumble.
The news commentator then argued that the changing rules of American politics is something Trump and his campaign learned long before the rest of the political class.
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“I’m telling you guys, the mainstream has become fringe and the fringe has become mainstream,” Jones said. “There are platforms, there are people out there that are getting 14 million streams, and we’re on cable news getting 1 or 2 million, and so there is a whole world out there.
“Kellyanne Conway, I hate to agree with her, but I do a lot of times – Donald Trump understood that and we didn’t. And it’s not just Democrats that don’t, the entire political class is way off, way off, way off.”
Kellyanne Conway’s message for all Trump’s enemies and those who still doubt him
Fox News contributor Kellyanne Conway shredded a Never Trump activist and argued that movement helped cost Democratsthe election.
During the New York Times’ DealBook Summit, a large panel of political figures offered their autopsies of why the Harris campaign failed and how the Trump campaign successfully tapped into changes reshaping American culture in 2024.
“The Democratic Party right now, every day they wake up it’s still January 6, 2021, on the calendar,” Conway said. “You’re out of touch with the public. This election was a rejection of wokeness, and people – every state went more red except Nebraska and Washington state. That is a sweep. That is a mandate. That is President Trump coming into office and the American people saying, ‘Please make my life safer, more secure, more affordable, please get us out of these foreign engagements.’”
VAN JONES SCORCHES HARRIS FOR GIVING DEMOCRATS ‘FREEDOM’ FROM ‘HAVING TO RUN ANYTHING IN WASHINGTON DC’
But the anti-Trump Republicans, she said, were on another trajectory.
“I think the always-wrong Never Trumpers, who had unlimited money, cost the party, cost the Democratic Party, which they say they’re not even a member, another presidential election,” she said.
Sarah Longwell, publisher of Never Trump news outlet The Bulwark and host of “The Focus Group” podcast, began to respond and got into a back and forth with Conway.
“You have stage 5 Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Conway charged.
Longwell replied, “I think you guys are bad people who are bad – yes – who are bad for the country – yes – who attacked the Constitution,” while Conway continued talking and asking, “Who’s ‘you guys’? The country?”
“Stop, please, stop,” host Maggie Haberman pleaded as the women talked over each other.
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Longwell did acknowledge some of the Democrat Party’s flaws in this election, ranging from arguing that President Biden should not have run for reelection to how “Democrats have no answer, no plan on immigration, and voters really care about it.”
Nonetheless, she went on to argue that Republicans won partly because they “lie to people all the time, Donald Trump is a professional liar, and as a result they are better at working the media channels.”
“So the people are stupid, you’re sitting here saying the American people are stupid?” Conway asked.
“No, I’m saying you guys are better at talking-,” Longwell started to respond as Conway again asked what she meant by “you guys.”
“The Trump campaign,” Longwell responded and the pair continued.
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Conway was Trump’s campaign manager in 2016, but did not have a role in the Trump-Vance 2024 campaign.
National Spelling Bee raises eyebrows with third-grade word list
The Scripps National Spelling Bee has drawn attention after its approved list of study words for third-graders looking to compete in the upcoming spelling competition was shared online.
Study lists for the contest found on school district websites for the 2024-2025 school year list the feminist term, “womyn,” as an acceptable alternate spelling for “women” that students can use.
Schools must be enrolled in the Scripps National Spelling Bee program for their students to qualify for the national spelling competition. The 2025 National Finals will be held next May and coincide with the competition’s 100th anniversary.
A spokesperson for Scripps explained to Fox News Digital that all words Scripps uses in its program are pulled from the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary, which has the alternate spelling for “women.”
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“All of the words used in the Scripps National Spelling Bee program are pulled from our official dictionary, Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary. During competition, our policy is to accept any correct spelling listed in our official dictionary that isn’t marked archaic or obsolete. The alternate spelling ‘womyn’ is therefore included on our study list because it is listed as an alternate spelling for ‘women’ in Merriam-Webster,” a spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“In building our study lists, we aim to include alternate spellings for any words that have them listed in Merriam-Webster. The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary is the final authority and sole source for the spelling of all words offered in competition,” the statement continued.
According to Merriam-Webster’s website, “womyn” is a variant spelling of women used in some feminist contexts, since it omits the “men” ending.
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Regardless, the approval of the term by the spelling bee drew backlash online.
“You can’t make this up,” popular conservative account, LibsofTikTok, shared to her 3.8 million followers on X in a post that drew hundreds of comments.
“You have to be kidding,” Turning Point USA also reacted.
Another X user joked, “Omg the @TheBabylonBee skit came true,” along with a comedy sketch from the right-leaning parody website.
In the skit, a student spars with judges in a spelling bee over the definition of “woman,” in an apparent reference to Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s comments during her 2022 confirmation hearings that she couldn’t define the term.
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Iconic actor ‘frustrated’ with Hollywood as hit TV show comes to an end
As one door closes, Tom Selleck hopes another will open soon.
Selleck, 79, is looking ahead to his Hollywood future as the successful series “Blue Bloods” comes to an end after 14 seasons.
The veteran actor has shown no signs of slowing down, recently revealing he wants to hop back on a horse and make a return to the Western genre.
However, Selleck has voiced his frustration with Hollywood, noting he hasn’t been a fan of his rise to fame since his early “Magnum, P.I.” days and recently felt “taken for granted” over the cancellation of “Blue Bloods.”
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While Selleck has graced television screens with his role as Commissioner Frank Reagan in the crime drama since 2010, he floated the idea of turning in his police badge for a cowboy hat.
“A good Western’s always on my list,” Selleck recently shared with Parade. “I miss that. I want to sit on a horse again.”
Selleck, who lives on a 63-acre ranch in Ventura, California, has previously starred in six Westerns.
‘BLUE BLOODS’ STAR DONNIE WAHLBERG SAYS TOM SELLECK CRIED WATCHING EMOTIONAL FINALE
He channeled his inner cowboy in the 1979 TV miniseries “The Sacketts,” starring opposite Sam Elliott, Jeff Osterhage and Glenn Ford. The show was based on two of famed Western fiction writer Louis L’Amour’s books. Later that year, Selleck teamed up with Jerry Reed in the TV movie “Concrete Cowboys.”
In 1982, Selleck reunited with Elliott and Osterhage in “The Shadow Riders.” In 1990, he appeared in one of his best-known cowboy roles, starring as sharpshooter Matthew Quigley in the hit Australian Western “Quigley Down Under.”
“I’m very proud of ‘Quigley Down Under,’ which has passed the test of time and is still very, very popular,” he told the outlet.
“That was a big Western, and he was clearly an iconic hero,” Selleck said. “I don’t mind saying I was a little anxious to play a part that maybe John Wayne could have done better.”
The last time Selleck donned a cowboy hat was in the 2003 television film “Monte Walsh,” and he hopes to potentially collaborate with “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan in the near future.
Selleck expressed interest in sharing the screen again with his co-star Elliot, who worked with Sheridan in the “Yellowstone” spin-off series “1883.”
“Sam was great in [‘1883’],” he said. “Sam’s always great. We go way, way back. I love him dearly. I’d love to work with Sam.”
While Selleck quipped that offers for new acting roles aren’t “pouring in,” he added that “some people are thinking of me.”
“I don’t know where my next job will take me,” he said. “People ask, ‘What do you want to do next?’ I’m not sure. I don’t want to do Frank Reagan II.”
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Selleck added that he’s open to a “Blue Bloods” spin-off, but he clarified that nobody has spoken to him about one.
He is, however, upset about the hit show being canceled.
“I’m kind of frustrated. During those last eight shows, I haven’t wanted to talk about an ending for ‘Blue Bloods’ but about it still being wildly successful,” he said to TV Insider.
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He continued, “My frustration is the show was always taken for granted because it performed from the get-go. So, how do I feel? It’s going to take a long time to sort all of this out.”
The “Magnum, P.I.” actor’s comments came after he confessed he may be forced to give up his California ranch without the income he earned from the show.
In May, he told “CBS Mornings,” “You know, hopefully I keep working enough to hold onto the place.”
“The place” is his 63-acre ranch in Ventura County, California. He purchased it in 1988 after he quit “Magnum, P.I.” It used to be an avocado farm before a drought hit, but now, Selleck is focused on rebuilding the place.
“That’s always an issue,” the actor admitted. “If I stopped working, yeah. Am I set for life? Yeah, but maybe not on a 63-acre ranch.”
“My frustration is the show was always taken for granted because it performed from the get-go. So, how do I feel? It’s going to take a long time to sort all of this out.”
TOM SELLECK RISKS LOSING CALIFORNIA RANCH WITH CANCELLATION OF ‘BLUE BLOODS’
His first credited roles came in the late 1960s, and since then, he has developed a huge name for himself.
Selleck skyrocketed to fame for his 1980s role as the private investigator Thomas Magnum in “Magnum, P.I.,” but he admitted he wasn’t happy with his early stardom.
“I didn’t like it,” Selleck said on the “Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson” podcast, “mainly because of family and a sense of privacy.”
“I started getting asked questions in interviews that I didn’t want to say – give an answer to,” he remarked. “I was trying to – I said, ‘You better find a way and find a line about what you’re going to talk about.’ I didn’t always succeed, but it just grew, and I still can’t quite describe it.”
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“But I wasn’t going through it every day,” Selleck added.
“I had a lovely house in Hawaii,” he said. “It was a tiny little house, a one-bedroom house. I rented it. I later bought it. It’s the first house I could ever afford. And I belonged to a place called the Outrigger Canoe Club, and that was local people.”
He continued, “I actually was living Magnum’s life at the beach and stuff.”
However, the fame that came with the huge success of “Magnum, P.I.” was difficult to get used to.
“It was really, I don’t know, a lot to adjust to, I think,” he said.
In 1981, Selleck earned his first People’s Choice Award. Selleck also received a Golden Globe and Emmy nomination every year from 1982 to 1986 for his role in “Magnum, P.I.”
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Following that famous role, Selleck had various television and film credits, including “Three Men and a Baby,” “Friends,” “Boston Legal” and “Meet the Robinsons.”
Selleck married wife Jillie Mack in 1987. He was previously married to Jaqueline Ray. The two share a daughter named Hannah and a son named Kevin.
Vance announces a special guest will attend Army-Navy game with him and Trump
Vice President-elect JD Vance confirmed Friday that Daniel Penny, the Marine veteran found not guilty in the subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely, has officially accepted his invitation to be his guest at the annual Army-Navy game in Landover, Maryland.
NOTUS reporter Reese Gorman first reported that Penny had been invited early Friday morning, adding that he would join President-elect Donald Trump in his suite at Northwest Stadium, the home of the Washington Commanders.
Vance responded on social media confirming Penny’s attendance.
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“Daniel’s a good guy, and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone,” Vance wrote in a post on X.
“I’m grateful he accepted my invitation and hope he’s able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage.”
Penny, 26, was charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for the May 2023 subway chokehold death of Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man with schizophrenia who had barged onto the train shouting death threats while high on a type of synthetic marijuana known as K2.
DANIEL PENNY FOUND NOT GUILTY IN SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD TRIAL
Last week, jurors couldn’t reach a decision on the second-degree manslaughter charge. Prosecutors moved to dismiss it, and the judge allowed the jurors to deliberate on the second charge alone, and they found Penny not guilty on Monday.
Penny is expected to join Trump and Vance at the 125th meeting of the Black Knights and Midshipmen. Sources told Fox News Digital last week that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida will also be present at the game on Saturday.
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This season has been a banner year for both football programs, adding buzz to the annual rivalry match. The teams have a combined 19 wins this year and with victories over Air Force, the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy will be awarded to the winner of Saturday’s game.
This will also mark Trump’s fifth time attending the Army-Navy game. He first attended in 2016 and appeared three times during his first administration.
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Body language expert breaks down accused Ivy League killer’s behavior
Luigi Mangione’s body language as he was escorted into a Pennsylvania courthouse gives insight into the accused killer’s mindset, according to a body language expert.
Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday when a McDonald’s customer saw he resembled images of the suspect in the shooting.
Charged in Pennsylvania with forgery and carrying a firearm without a license, he has not waived his right to an extradition hearing to face murder charges in New York.
As he was escorted into Blair County Court on Tuesday by a cadre of officers, the jumpsuit-clad 26-year-old was wide-eyed and had his head on a swivel as he shouted at surrounding reporters. Susan Constantine told Fox News Digital that Mangione showed a “rigidity” that indicated he was fearful.
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But through that, Mangione showed “a sense of arrogance and pompousness” through “just a slight raise of [his] chin” and the way that he literally looked down his nose at his surroundings.
“Keep in mind what we’re dealing with – a person who has been wronged in his own mind in some sort of way… We don’t know yet exactly all the reasons why,” she said. “We also know he’s adopted some sort of radical belief system, and he also feels that he is the one that needs to act.”
Likewise, Constantine said Mangione’s chin is pointed up in his mugshot photos – both the ones taken in his orange jumpsuit and the one taken in a blue suicide prevention smock.
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“Remember I told you that chin is up – when we see the chin up, we can see the Adam’s apple pop out… the Adam’s apple pops up…his nose pops up in the air,” she said. “All of this is pride and arrogance and pompousness – militant and prideful.”
His expression, she said, is a stark contrast from the smiling photograph of the suspect flirting with a hostel employee in New York before the Dec. 4 assassination.
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“This was not the sinister killing [face] – this was him, his charismatic personality, his flirty personality, the one that everybody and his friends and family are all talking about,” Constantine said. “He’s a great guy. They like him. He’s, you know, engaging and he’s, you know, speaks in front of the public and doesn’t have any fear about it. That’s his personality.”
“These types of killers disassociate – it’s called cubing,” Constantine continued. “So when they’re in active pursuit, there is one personality. And then when he’s in relationships, he has another one… he’s able to disassociate from what is the sinister thoughts and ideas and radicalism that’s actually flooding through his mind.
“All of a sudden, that smile turned to a frown [during his perp walk] – the lifted cheeks turn into droopy cheeks. And then he had a more rigid and more tension in his facial expression that was dissimilar to what we have seen in the past. So this was a game over expression.”
The suspect’s confident stance during the shooting, captured on surveillance footage, is another side to the “cube” – and indicates the planning that went into the attack.
“He had already rehearsed – he was ready for the engagement. This was not something that just happened spontaneously. This is something that he thought out, measured and planned,” Constantine said. “That’s why you see his body language being very much in control. He’s not startled. He knows exactly what he’s going to do. That’s why his countenance is down. His energy level is down because he’s in hyper-focus.”
Constantine told Fox News Digital that Mangione’s body language – both during his perp walk and in a photograph snapped by police in a holding cell the day before – indicated that he did not expect to be apprehended by police.
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“There are behavioral signatures and cognitions of people that are being deceptive,” Constantine said. “[People display] rigidity when [they are] caught. What do they do? They sit up straight, they’re very militant… So when you think about his structure, he’s just very robotic.”