The Short List

Wed Dec 4 2024

Laura L. Davis | Audience Editor

@lauradavis

The CEO of a major insurance company was shot and killed in New York City. Supreme Court justices clashed over transgender care. And Spotify Wrapped 2024 is here.

👋 Hi there! Laura Davis here. Ready for Wednesday's news? It's ready for you. Let's go.

But first: Check this out. 📚 A book checked out 51 years ago finally made its way back to the library.

CEO killed in 'brazen targeted attack'

The search for a killer is underway after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest insurance providers in the nation, was shot dead Wednesday morning outside a hotel in Manhattan in what police said was a "targeted attack."

What happened? Brian Thompson, 50, was shot by a masked gunman around 6:45 a.m. near the New York Hilton Midtown, where he was set to speak at an investment conference. Though a motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, officials said the attack was likely premeditated. 👉 Here's everything we know so far.

•	Who was Brian Thompson? What we know about the victim.
•	See the scene: New York officials respond to deadly shooting.

A masked gunman shot and killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare outside the Hilton in Midtown Manhattan, where the company's annual investor conference was about to take place.

Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY

Transgender care clash

The Supreme Court appeared split along ideological lines Wednesday as it debated a major case over transgender health care for minors. The case focuses on Tennessee's ban on the treatment for minors in the state.

From the hearing: The court's conservative justices hammered over and over why courts – and not state legislatures – should be deciding whether states can prevent transgender adolescents from using puberty blockers and hormone therapy. That elicited concern from the court's liberal justices that the court was giving short shrift to the Constitution's promise that people be treated equally under the law. 👉 Our takeaways.

Lawyer and transgender rights activist Chase Strangio made history on Wednesday as the first transgender lawyer to argue before the Supreme Court.

Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images

Real quick

•	Lindsay Lohan and the 'undetectable era' of plastic surgery.
•	Nope, not just you. Some bottles are harder to open now.
•	Why fans are worried about Britney Spears' recent posts.
•	In a head-to-head weight loss trial, this drug fared better.
•	Generation lead: How leaded gas created a mental health crisis.
•	What's the deal with this Kardashian-fave 'biological age test'?

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Another wave of wicked winter weather

The latest wave of lake-effect snow began crashing across parts of the nation's northern tier Wednesday, threatening to bring havoc all the way to New York City and Washington on Thursday.

Cold snap not over yet: The biting cold that has gripped much of the Midwest and Northeast was being fueled by a new surge of arctic air that will slide east and south, with snow likely in some places and temperatures dropping into the 20s as far as Georgia and the Deep South. If you're sick of the chilly weather, bundle up and hang in there: A warm-up is in the forecast for next week. 🌨️ Everything to know from coast to coast.

•	You might not know it's black ice until you're spinning.

Charles DeJesus shovels a stoop in the Little Italy neighborhood of Erie, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday.

David Bruce, Erie Times-News/USA TODAY Network

🎁🎶 Wrap up your year in music

Today's the day, y'all! Spotify Wrapped is here. Starting today, music (and audiobook) lovers can find out which artists and songs they listened to the most throughout the year.

What is it? The Spotify Wrapped annual review shows a personalized recap of your top songs, including how many minutes you listened and your most-listened-to audio. Available only to listeners with a Spotify account, the platform allows its users to share year-end highlights with others and has become a day that lots of people look forward to. 👉 Here's how to find your Spotify Wrapped.

What everybody's playing: Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and Bad Bunny were the top 3 most listened-to artists on Spotify this year. (My top artist this year was Billy Strings. 🤘) See who else was on the most-streamed list.

•	A defining Wrapped trend: Female voices reign supreme.
•	Opinion: Is Wrapped ruined? AI is messing up playlists.

A break from the news

•	🛩️ Bring on the waterworks! Do you cry on airplanes?
•	🥘 Dig into Yelp's 25 Best New Restaurants for 2024.

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hi sometime! laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.