Controversial former WaPo reporter doubles down after seeming to cheer CEO’s murder

Former Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz doubled down Thursday on her shocking comments appearing to celebrate the reportedly targeted murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

A chilling video released Wednesday showed Thompson being shot and killed at close range while outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, New York. The suspect is still at large.

Hours after news broke of his death, Lorenz wrote on the social media site Bluesky, “And people wonder why we want these executives dead,” alongside a report about Blue Cross Blue Shield no longer covering anesthesia for the full length of some surgeries. 

Lorenz went on to share images of Blue Cross Blue Shield CEO Kim Keck and reposted calls for other health insurance executives to be targeted. 

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After facing backlash for her post about dead execs, Lorenz defended herself in comments to Fox News Digital, then in a lengthy screed posted to her Substack the next day.

In a post entitled, “Why ‘we’ want insurance executives dead,” Lorenz denied she was calling for the murder of more top executives before seeming to justify her harsh comments from the day before.

“Let me be super clear: my post uses a collective ‘we’ and is explaining the public sentiment. It is not me personally saying ‘I want these executives dead and so we should kill them,'” Lorenz said. “I am explaining that thousands of Americans (myself included) are fed up with our barbaric healthcare system and the people at the top who rake in millions while inflicting pain, suffering, and death on millions of innocent people.”

She continued, “If you have watched a loved one die because an insurance conglomerate has denied their life saving treatment as a cost cutting measure, yes, it’s natural to wish that the people who run such conglomerates would suffer the same fate.”

The post also featured the meme of a celebratory image of a smiling star and balloons with the text, “CEO DOWN.”

WASHINGTON POST’S TAYLOR LORENZ SAYS BIDEN ‘WAR CRIMINAL’ POST WAS ‘OBVIOUS MEME’ AFTER CLAIMING IT WAS EDITED

“People have very justified hatred toward insurance company CEOs because these executives are responsible for an unfathomable amount of death and suffering. I think it’s good to call out this broken system and the people in power who enable it. Again, not so they can be murdered, but so that we can change the system and start holding people in power accountable for their actions,” her post went on.

Lorenz argued that while some online commentary has gone too far and promoted violence, the media had failed to examine “the systemic cruelty of our health care system” which motivated these sentiments.

She continued to retweet social media posts comparing Thompson to a mass murderer on Thursday.

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“Brian Thompson killed more US citizens than every serial killer combined, but because he made money off it the media considered him a successful businessman and morally upstanding citizen,” one post read.

Lorenz left The Washington Post in October and launched her User Magazine Substack. The far-left writer also had a past stint at the New York Times and has been embroiled in several online controversies over the years.

Known for her extreme fears of COVID-19, she went viral earlier this week when she fretted that people not wearing masks in 2024 were “raw-dogging the air.”

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Sen Fetterman sounds alarm over ‘serious erosion’ of key support Democrats will need

Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania doubled down on his comments criticizing his party over their 2024 election losses, specifically among men, during an appearance on “The View” Thursday. 

“The View” co-hosts pressed Fetterman on his previous comments in which he bluntly told his fellow Democrats they lost male voters to President-elect Donald Trump because they were “condescending” and “insulting.”

“It forces men to kind of choose, can I really remain a Democrat?” he said. “The tone in those kinds of situations, it’s undeniable. I’ve witnessed that over the last eight years … and here we are now and now whether it’s ‘bros’ or the ‘manosphere’ and I mean clearly, those are negative kinds of terms.”

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“If you talk down with them, or you make them part of the problem, or it’s all because of you and your fault, then of course, they’re going to find an alternative,” he added. “And that’s what they’ve done.”

Fetterman said it’s “undeniable” that Democrats have lost ground with men. 

“I’m not sure we’re able to bring that back without a long-term kind of strategy to reengage them, because it’s undeniable there’s been serious erosion,” he said. 

Fetterman told the New York Times last month that the party’s condescension toward male voters had alienated a major bloc.

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“In 2016, I was doing an event with the steel workers, across the street where I live, and I was noticing different kind of energy with this, with Trump. It was clear at that time that people were voting for Trump. And the Democrats’ response was, ‘Aren’t they smart enough to realize they’re voting against their interests?’ And that’s insulting, and … that’s just not helpful. It’s condescending. And if anything, that reinforces that kind of stereotype,” he told the outlet.

“Telling them that ‘I know better than you do,’ that’s not helpful,” he added. 

He also warned his party that they need to stop their pearl-clutching over Trump’s win, adding that the outrage from Democrats “has to be candy for Trump.”

“We’re not even at Thanksgiving, and Democrats just can’t stop losing our minds every 15 minutes. We really need to pace ourselves, or, you know, FFS [for f—‘s sake], just grab a grip,” he said. 

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State’s attorney general predicts Supreme Court ruling in historic transgender case

In oral aruments, Supreme Court justices discussed the high-profile, first-of-its-kind case involving transgender medical treatment for children. 

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, the lawmaker at the center of the suit against the Biden administration, told Fox News Digital that over the next few months, the justices will be “thinking a lot about the case.” 

When asked whether he ever foresaw himself in such a high-profile legal matter, he said, “not remotely.”

“I do think the fact that there’s so much disagreement weighs in favor of our side,” Skrmetti said in a phone interview. “This is an area where the court really shouldn’t come in and pick a winner. The data is still very underdeveloped.”

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“All the research that both sides point to is unresolved,” Skrmetti said. “This is an unsettled area of science, and in situations like that, the best way to resolve it is through the democratic process. Our legislators appropriate people to deal with that uncertainty and make the call for each individual state.”

The justices appeared divided on Wednesday after oral arguments, and the three appointed by former President Trump could be the key to deciding the socially divisive question. Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett asked tough questions of both sides, and Justice Neil Gorsuch did not speak during the marathon public session.

For its part, the Supreme Court is considering whether the Equal Protection Clause, which ensures equal treatment under the law for similarly situated individuals, bars states from prohibiting medical providers from administering puberty blockers and hormones to help minors transition to a different gender. The case is and is challenging Tennessee’s state law which bans medical procedures for minors.

Outside the court, hundreds of demonstrators rallied both for and against gender transition treatments for children. One of those rally-goers, detransitioner and activist Chloe Cole, told Fox News Digital in an interview that if the justices oppose the ban on trans medical treatments, “it’s going to make things a lot more difficult on legislative fronts in terms of protecting our children and our youth.”

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“If we want to create a precedent for other states, for first this law, to be upheld in courts and for other states to be upheld as well, we have to do this now,” Cole said.

Cole, who detransitioned at the age of 16, told Fox News Digital that doctors had done an “incredible disservice” to her at a young age by helping her transition in the first place.

“I’m never going to even have a chance at nursing my children with what God gave me,” Cole said. “An incredible disservice has been done to me by these irresponsible doctors who knew better. They knew better than to do this to a child. They still chose to do it. But they messed with the wrong kid, and I am going to make sure there is never another child in America who is abused in the same way I was ever again.”

The court’s decision could have sweeping implications, potentially shaping future legal battles over transgender issues, such as access to bathrooms and school sports participation. A decision is expected by July 2025.

“So if the court puts a thumb on the scale and says that the courts could be second-guessing state governments on these issues, I think you’re going to see an inhibited debate, and we’ve seen this happen before in other contexts where democracy is subverted by judges who step a little too far into the policy arena, and that ultimately hurts the country,” Skrmetti said. 

“It de-legitimates the government,” he added. “It makes people feel alienated from the political process. The alternative is it stays open to our democratic system of resolving disagreements, and you’ll see a lot of debate, and different states will go in different directions, and over time, we’ll have better research, and people will have a chance to debate this extensively, and that’s just the better way to come to a resolution on such a hot button issue where the Constitution is silent.”

The Justices’ decision may also influence broader debates about whether sexual orientation and gender identity qualify as protected classes under civil rights laws, akin to protections for race and national origin.

SUPREME COURT WEIGHS TRANSGENDER YOUTH TREATMENTS IN LANDMARK CASE

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When asked whether Skrmetti believes the incoming Trump administration could persuade the justices one way in the case, he said, “It’s ultimately up to the court how they want to handle that.” Trump promised during his campaign he would outlaw transgender medical procedures for minors and open the doorway to allowing individuals to sue medical providers for conducting them.

“But there is a path there for them to continue this, and I think it’s important that we get clarity soon, because there are so many cases involving these issues, and the lower courts have not been consistent and are looking for guidance, and it would do everyone good to have a more clear answer to the state of the law,” he said.

Dem whose name has been floated for a preemptive pardon urges Biden’s team not to do it

President Biden’s White House is reportedly considering preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. 

White House counsel Ed Siskel is arranging discussions about the potential pardons with several other senior Biden aides, including chief of staff Jeff Zients, Politico reported, citing senior Democrats familiar with the talks. 

The president, who granted a sweeping pardon to his son, Hunter, for the past 11 years of crimes or potential crimes earlier this week, reportedly has not been roped in on the deliberations, according to Politico. 

The conversations included whether Fauci, Schiff or Cheney would even accept a preemptive pardon, which could suggest wrongdoing and exacerbate criticisms brought by President-elect Trump’s team. 

“I would urge the president not to do that,” Schiff told Politico. “I think it would seem defensive and unnecessary.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back. 

Trump’s appointment of Kash Patel to be the next FBI director reportedly drove the talks of preemptive pardons amid concern of possible forthcoming inquiries or indictments once the new administration takes over in January. 

Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., who hosted Biden in battleground Pennsylvania before the election, called on the president to issue blanket pardons when Patel’s nomination was announced — though he did not specify the intended recipients. 

“By choosing Kash Patel as his FBI Director, Trump has made it clear that he is more focused on settling personal scores than on protecting the American people or upholding the rule of law. Patel has openly published an ‘enemies list’ in his book, naming individuals he and Trump plan to investigate and prosecute — targeting those who stood up to Trump’s lies, abuses of power, and baseless attempts to overturn the 2020 election. This is no hypothetical threat,” Boyle said in a statement. “The people they’re targeting include law enforcement officers, military personnel, and others who have spent their lives protecting this country. These patriots shouldn’t have to live in fear of political retribution for doing what’s right. That’s why I’m urging President Biden to issue a blanket pardon for anyone unjustly targeted by this vindictive scheme.”

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Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., also spoke in favor of preemptive pardons last week, noting how former President Gerald Ford granted one to Richard Nixon. 

“If it’s clear by January 19 that [revenge] is his intention, then I would recommend to President Biden that he provide those preemptive pardons to people, because that’s really what our country is going to need next year,” Markey told WGBH.

Schiff and Cheney both led the Jan. 6 select committee that investigated the U.S. Capitol riot. 

Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is under renewed scrutiny this week in light of the over 500-page final report dropped by the House subcommittee that has been investigating government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report — which found that COVID-19 most likely emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, China — supported how Fauci “played a critical role in disparaging the lab-leak theory” among top scientific circles early in 2020 and later to the public. His congressional testimony to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the report states, misled the public regarding National Institute of Health funding of gain-of-function research at coronavirus labs. 

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It goes on to cite how Fauci testified that the six-foot social distancing rule imposed on Americans “sort of just appeared” and did not support quality scientific standards, when he was grilled on what studies he and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reviewed before announcing the policy. He also gave similarly vague testimony when asked what science supported K-12 public school mask mandates. 

Bill Belichick reportedly interviewing to replace legendary college coach

Bill Belichick could be headed to parts unknown to him.

The 72-year-old spent nearly 50 years on the NFL sidelines, but a new report says he may just be interested in heading to the college ranks.

According to Inside Carolina, the legendary coach has interviewed for the head coaching job at the University of North Carolina.

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Belichick would replace another legend in Mack Brown, who owns a 288-155-1 record with UNC, Texas, Tulane and Appalachian State.

Belichick and the New England Patriots parted ways after the 2023 season, which was Belichick’s 24th season with the team. He won six Super Bowls while there, and he notched another pair with the New York Giants as their defensive coordinator.

UNC announced that Brown would leave the program ahead of their final regular-season game against N.C. State, a matchup which resulted in a melee following a flag-planting incident by the Wolfpack on Saturday.

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Belichick’s name has swirled around the rumor mill amid recent coaching changes, with several others possibly on the horizon.

He interviewed for openings with both the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers in the offseason, but each went in different directions.

The eight-time Super Bowl champion has since become a media sensation, often making appearances on the “ManningCast” on “Monday Night Football.” He was also an analyst during this year’s NFL Draft.

This is Belichick’s first reported interview since making the NFL rounds in the offseason.

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Belichick’s father, Steve, coached at Navy, but this would be Belichick’s first college gig ever. He became a special assistant for the Baltimore Colts in 1975, and his first head coaching nod came 16 years later when he was tapped as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Actress dies after reportedly consuming frog venom at spiritual cleansing retreat

A Mexican actress is dead after voluntarily participating in a spiritual cleansing ritual during which she reportedly consumed poisonous Amazonian frog venom.

Marcela Alcázar Rodríguez, 33, took some of the poison as part of a spiritual cleansing return that some South American natives have used for toxic cleansing, according to local reports. 

Rodríguez started throwing up and had severe diarrhea.

She first refused help while feeling ill but eventually gave in when her friend visited and her condition worsened, witnesses said.

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Mexican production company Mapache Films confirmed the death, saying she was a “beloved colleague and friend.”

“With deep regret, we mourn the death of our beloved colleague and friend, Marcela Alcázar Rodríguez,” the production company wrote in a social media post.

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“Her passing left an immense emptiness in our hearts and in our professional community. Her dedication, joy and commitment left a profound mark on all of us who had the privilege of working beside her.”

Kambo is a South American healing ritual that incorporates the poisonous secretions of a frog, according to Healthline.

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“The frog secretes the substance as a defense mechanism to kill or subdue animals that try to eat it. Some humans, on the other hand, apply the substance to their body for its alleged health benefits,” the outlet said.

Police are investigating a shaman’s involvement in the incident.

Nick Lachey gives rare and raw comment about divorce from Jessica Simpson

Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson have been divorced for nearly two decades. They’ve both remarried and each have three children of their own. 

In the newly released season of Netflix’s “The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On,” Nick, who hosts the show with his second wife, Vanessa Lachey née Minnillo, made a rare comment about his divorce from Simpson while trying to empathize with a cast member, admitting he has “scars” from the split.

The show follows multiple couples – all of whom are divided on the certainty of marriage – exploring an alternative relationship in an effort to determine if they want to make that commitment or move on.

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“I, too, was previously married. Divorced. So I understand the hurt, the scars that exist from that,” Nick told the cast at a dinner table while seated next to Vanessa.

He and Simpson, who starred together in the reality show “Newlyweds,” officially divorced in 2006 after initially splitting the previous year. The couple met through their mutual manager in 1998 and would have an on-again, off-again relationship before getting married in October 2002. 

Soon after their divorce, Nick released a pointed ballad called “What’s Left of Me,” referencing his failed marriage. Then-model Minnillo starred in the music video for the song, and the couple soon started dating.  But their relationship did not accelerate like his with Simpson.

“Maybe you have heard, I did issue an ultimatum to Nick. We dated for five years,” Vanessa told the cast. “And so I’ve talked about the fact that I’ve given an ultimatum. But what I’ve never talked about, is what I actually truly did.”

“I kept pointing the finger and I took that finger and I turned it to myself. And then I had to say, ‘What am I not giving him?’ I’m not giving him the respect that I’m asking. I’m not giving him the communication that I want. There’s an age gap, and I was still going out, you know, partying with my girls,” she admitted. “And I’m telling him I want to be a mom. He’s like, ‘Cool. OK. So I’ll see you at 2:30 when you get home?’ We are both Scorpios. We’re stubborn. And we were not getting anywhere.”

Nick continued the conversation, saying that by no means was their relationship perfect.

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“I just want to encourage you all, don’t let your past define your future,” Nick said to the group. “What I truly always wanted in my life was to have a beautiful marriage and a beautiful family. If I hadn’t retained my belief in that, I wouldn’t have ever realized the beautiful life that I have with this woman. And we sit up here, we don’t have it figured out.”

“But when you love each other, you believe in each other, and you’re aligned.”

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The release of the show and Nick’s comment come as Simpson and her husband, former NFL tight end Eric Johnson, are currently facing breakup rumors. Fans speculated that Simpson and Johnson, who married in 2014, were on the rocks when the singer posted a cryptic Instagram in November discussing new music.

“Interviews in my Nashville music room where I unearthed my singular magic. This comeback is personal, it’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve,” she wrote.

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Representatives for both Lachey and Simpson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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