Axios PM

December 05, 2024

Mike Allen

Good afternoon. Today's newsletter, edited by Sam Baker, is 391 words, a 1.5-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing.

1 big thing: Killer left anti-insurance message

a man wanted for questioning in connection to the investigation of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (New York City Police Department via AP) — A person wanted for questioning in connection to the investigation of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Photo: NYPD via AP

Three words — "deny," "defend" and "depose" — were written on the shell casings of the bullets that killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The message is similar to "delay, deny, defend," a reference to the ways insurance companies avoid paying for care.
🔎 Police searched an Upper West Side hostel today where they believe the killer might have stayed, The Wall Street Journal reports. But they still don't have a suspect in custody.

🏥 A separate insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, today rolled back a new policy that limited coverage for anesthesia during surgeries, Axios' Nathan Bomey reports.

Anthem had set a time limit for anesthesia coverage — if a procedure took longer than Anthem thought it should, the insurer wouldn't cover the additional minutes of anesthesia.
The policy was controversial when it was first announced, but has drawn fresh outrage in the wake of Thompson's murder.

More on the shooter's message.

2. 🌊 Tsunami warning called off

Map showing the area of the south Oregon and northern California coast under tsunami warning on Dec. 5, 2024, including the location of a 7.3-magnitude earthquake off the coast 45 miles southwest of Eureka, California. — Data: NOAA. Map: Axios Visuals

More than 5 million Californians were under a tsunami warning for part of this afternoon, following a 7.0-magnitude earthquake off the coast.

The earthquake struck near the Oregon border, but was felt as far south as San Francisco.
Officials have called off the tsunami warning that had extended from southern Oregon all the way down to the area near Santa Clara, Calif.

The latest.

3. Catch me up

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Co-Chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) carries his son on his shoulders at the U.S. Capitol after a media availability with businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (2nd R), Co-Chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency and Speaker of — Elon Musk carries his son on his shoulders as he and Vivek Ramaswamy meet with members of Congress today in the Capitol. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

🏛️ Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy met with lawmakers today to outline their plans to slash the federal government. Go deeper.
💊 Scoop: President-elect Trump and RFK Jr. dined yesterday with the chief executives of Pfizer, Eli Lilly and PhRMA. Drugmakers fared well under Trump's first term, but Kennedy is a vocal critic of the industry. More from Axios' Hans Nichols.
🤖 OpenAI is launching a new, $200-per-month subscription that will give users unlimited access to the most advanced version of ChatGPT. Go deeper.

4. 🦖1 for the road

TOPSHOT - The stegosaurus fossil nicknamed Apex is unveiled to the media at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, December 5, 2024. Billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin, who bought the stegosaurus fossil for $44.6 million, is loaning it to the museum for four years. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLAR — Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

The 20-foot-long stegosaurus fossil known as "Apex" will soon be on public display at New York's Museum of Natural History.

🦴 Billionaire Ken Griffin paid $44.6 million for the fossil earlier this year, making it the most expensive dinosaur ever sold at auction. He's loaning it to the museum for four years.
The media got a sneak peek at Apex today. It'll be on public display beginning Sunday.