Wednesday Morning: U.S. attorney general seeks death penalty for Mangione

Wednesday, April 2

Good morning, Penn.

Happy National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day! I hope you’ve got a sandwich in hand as you read through today’s jam-packed news.

Penn’s International Student and Scholar Services is “not aware” of any University-affiliated student or faculty members who have been affected by recent visa revocations, and Democrats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives are pushing for the legalization of recreational marijuana in the Commonwealth.

But first, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi directed prosecutors to pursue the death penalty against 2020 Engineering graduate Luigi Mangione for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

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TODAY'S TOP STORY

Photo courtesy of Penn Engineering

U.S. attorney general directs prosecutors to seek death penalty for Penn graduate Luigi Mangione

Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered prosecutors to pursue the death penalty in the federal case against Luigi Mangione. Mangione was charged with murder as an act of terrorism in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.

In the April 1 press release, Bondi described the murder as an “act of political violence” and emphasized the risk it could have posed to individuals other than Thompson due to its public nature and the fact that it occurred in the presence of bystanders.

“After careful consideration, 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,” the press release read.

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FIVE MORE BIG STORIES

Democrats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives are continuing their push to legalize recreational marijuana in the state.

Penn’s International Student and Scholar Services wrote in an email that it was “not aware” of recent visa revocations affecting community members.

Penn AI’s launch event, held yesterday, featured speeches from Penn President Larry Jameson, Provost John Jackson, Jr., and the PennAI council.

The Kelly Writers House launched the final Brodsky Gallery exhibit of the semester, featuring art created by Penn students that highlights stories of friendship and community.

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope, an observatory that collaborates with Penn, has released the most precise images yet of the universe’s early years.

OPINION

Photo by Abhiram Juvvadi

SENIOR COLUMNIST MARIANA MARTINEZ argues that research is a crucial part of American society, and funding cuts should be evaluated very carefully.

SPORTS

Penn track and field continued to break records at Raleigh Relays and the Hurricane Collegiate Invitational.

Eileen Wang of Penn women’s tennis has mastered the individual and team aspects of the sport.

TODAY IN DP HISTORY

Photo by Alex Fisher

In 2018, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that Penn track and field set five new school records at the Florida Relays and Raleigh Relays. This past weekend, the men and women’s track and field teams broke several records as they competed in the Raleigh Relays and Hurricane Collegiate Invitational.

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Click here to play today’s DP mini crossword, which was constructed by Clarice Wang.

Click here to play today's password puzzle, which was constructed by Nira Goyal.

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Today's newsletter was copy edited by Uma Mukhopadhyay.

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