Comment on Today's NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 27, #565

Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO murder, Luigi Mangione, pleads not guilty as defense fund soars Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty in the assassination of UnitedHeathcare CEO Brian Thompson on Monday. Following the plea, an uptick in donations to Mangione’s legal defense fund rolled in on the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo. At present, the sum sits at a staggering $212,426.

Unsurprisingly, 2024 is also set to break 2023’s record for the hottest year ever. This year is set to break the previous year’s record for the hottest year, and according to new research, much of that heat was a result of human-caused climate change.

The federal proposal follows years of lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson and other companies alleging links between talc-based baby powder and cancer. Cosmetic companies would have to take extra steps to ensure that any products containing talc are free of asbestos under a federal rule proposed Thursday. The proposal from the Food and Drug Administration and mandated by Congress is intended to reassure consumers about the safety of makeup, baby powder and other personal care products.

The oil companies’ retrenchment is bad news for efforts to mitigate climate change. Major European energy companies doubled down on oil and gas in 2024 to focus on near-term profits, slowing down—and at times reversing—climate commitments in a shift that they are likely to stick with in 2025.

Massive data centers power large language models but produce fine particles linked to asthma, cancers, and premature deaths. The data centers powering the AI industry are fueling higher levels of dangerous air pollution, according to new research. In a paper titled The Unpaid Toll: Quantifying the Public Health Impact of AI, scientists say this pollution could lead to up to 1,300 premature deaths each year by 2030.

SAN FRANCISCO — The parents of a former OpenAI researcher known for recently blowing the whistle on the company’s business practices are questioning the circumstances of their son’s death last month. In an interview this week, Suchir Balaji’s mother and father expressed confusion and shock over his sudden passing, expressing doubt their son could have died by suicide, as determined by the county medical examiner. The family hired an expert to perform an independent autopsy but has yet to release the report’s findings. “We’re demanding a thorough investigation — that’s our call,” said Balaji’s mother, Poornima Ramarao. San Francisco police found Balaji dead in his Lower Haight apartment on Nov.