Luigi Mangione hearing set as prosecutors push death penalty

(NewsNation) — A hearing is set for Friday in Manhattan federal court for Luigi Mangione as prosecutors work to make good on the Trump administration’s order to seek the death penalty for what it has called a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”

Mangione is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4 as the executive arrived for the company’s annual investor conference.

If convicted, Mangione could face life in prison, but his lawyers have asked a federal judge to block U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi from seeking the death penalty

Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, isn’t expected to be in court in person.

However, it’s an important day for his legal team, which faces a Friday deadline to reply to the federal government regarding the death penalty.

Luigi Mangione indicted in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing

Mangione faces separate federal and state murder charges in Thompson’s killing.

A federal grand jury in Manhattan indicted Mangione on Thursday on four counts of stalking, the use of interstate facilities, murder through the use of a firearm, and firearms offense.

Mangione’s indictment came just before a Friday deadline for prosecutors to file an indictment or seek a delay. It was not immediately clear when Mangione would be brought to federal court in Manhattan for an arraignment.

Mangione remains locked up at a federal jail in Brooklyn. His state charges carry a maximum punishment of life in prison.

Prosecutors directed to seek death penalty for Luigi Mangione

Bondi announced April 1 that she was directing prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Mangione, describing Thompson’s killing as “an act of political violence.”

“Luigi Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America. I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again,” Bondi wrote in a statement.

Mangione’s lawyers have argued Bondi’s announcement was a “political stunt” that corrupted the grand jury process and deprived him of his constitutional right to due process.

His legal team filed a motion aiming to “preclude the government from seeking the death penalty.”

The government responded to the motion, and now, Mangione’s legal team has a final chance to respond to the government in an effort to stop it from seeking the death penalty.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. nauseated the nation Thursday when he launched a cooking show critics feared would likely include roadkill.

"The Real Food Show" launches Thursday on his department's website and will feature celebrity chefs helping to prepare meals like "Crispy Salmon Cakes with Apple, White Bean & Green Salad" and highlighting some personal favorites like kimchi, yogurt and sauerkraut, reported USA Today.

“I use store-bought sauerkraut,” he told the newspaper, then described the correct way to eat the fermented cabbage. “The way that you're supposed to eat it is bite for bite. You take a bite of the meat, take a bite of the sauerkraut. That is kind of the prescribed, perfect way of eating it. You know, I don't do that perfectly every time that I try.”

Kennedy converted other Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, to the sauerkraut diet, and he said they'd all lost weight since then.

“I will literally eat anything because I don't have a gag reflex," Kennedy said. “I love experimenting with foods. When I travel, I'll eat … street vendors’ cooking."

Kennedy said he cooks two “rudimentary” meals a day, adding that his repertoire was eggs, bacon, cheeseburgers and hamburgers, but he said his wife Cheryl Hines is a much better cook.

“I can cook a really good omelet,” Kennedy said, "and then my specialty would be steaks and meat and fish.”

The show's launch generated some skeptical coverage given Kennedy's history of handling roadkill and overseeing an outbreak of several food-borne illnesses since taking over the nation's public health.

"Why is Kennedy directing his attention to making cooking videos instead of managing these real problems? One reason could be that Kennedy has reportedly 'checked out' of his job and barely attends meetings, showing up to work at 10 a.m. only to leave around 4 p.m. He seems to care only about overhauling dietary guidelines and pushing an anti-vaccine agenda. The latter has led to a 35-year record high for measles cases in the U.S.," noted The New Republic.

"Because who doesn’t want to prepare grub with the guy who, among many things, has a brain part-eaten by worms; a supposed car full of severed animal parts; and a history of snorting lines off toilets?" asked Jezebel, suggesting that Kennedy might share recipes with viewers for "Roadkill Ratatouille," "Lemongrass Liver Salad" and "Anti-Diarrhea Yogurt."

"Roadkill Collector Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Launches Cooking Show and Warns America: ‘I Don’t Have a Gag Reflex,'" announced Mediaite.

"Someone posted this in slack and I actually thought it was The Onion," laughed MS NOW's Brandy Zadrozny.

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