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The gunman who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the bustling streets of NYC carved a suspected message into the shell casings of the bullets he used to execute the executive -- and it might offer a clue into why he did it, TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... three 9MM shell casings cops recovered from the scene outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan had the words “deny,” “depose” and “defend” scrawled on them.

Our sources say two of the words appear in the title of a 2010 book, "Delay, Deny, Defend," which slams the health insurance sector -- and, as we now know, Thompson was one of the industry's bigwigs.

A man’s stepping forward with a jaw-dropping claim -- he says he may have figured out the whereabouts of the assassin who shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ... all thanks to Citi Bike's tracking data.

A data scientist named Riley, who goes by @rtwlz on X, dropped a bombshell post, revealing how he's been scraping Citi Bike data every minute ... and he could see exactly where individual bikes go.

And here's the kicker -- he says the only northbound Citi Bike to leave within 10 minutes of the shooting near the Hilton hotel where Thompson was entering, left at 6:44 AM and headed straight to a location at Madison Ave & 82nd St at 6:52 AM.

The American woman who killed and ate a cat -- sparking debunked claims by Donald Trump and J.D. Vance about Haitian immigrants dining on local pets in Ohio -- just got slapped with a year in prison.

Judge Frank Forchione didn’t hold back, calling 27-year-old Allexis Ferrell a "national embarrassment" as he sentenced her Monday ... and defense attorney Stephen J. Kandel tells TMZ she too felt some shame as soon as she came off her drug-fueled high and realized what she did.

Ferrell was arrested in Canton, Ohio in August. Kandel tells us Ferrell's actually a nice person who just majorly messed up after smoking weed laced with PCP, which led to the stomach-turning incident.

Harvey Weinstein is back at Bellevue Hospital in New York City after getting some alarming results from a recent blood test ... TMZ has learned.

Weinstein's attorney, Imran H. Ansari, tells TMZ ... the blood test, taken at Rikers Island, was related to Weinstein's leukemia diagnosis, and while the results are concerning, his condition is treatable.

It's the latest health issue for Weinstein -- his attorney says he's "been suffering from a lack of adequate medical care and enduring deplorable and inhumane conditions on Rikers Island."

An ugly display of racism from one holiday travel to another ... that's what one father says he captured when a woman went off on him and his family on a United Airlines shuttle bus.

The video, recorded at LAX, is packed with vulgar, racially charged language -- an unidentified woman spewed the words at photographer Pervez Taufiq, calling him a "f**king tandoori ass" and ranting that Indian people are "f**king crazy."

Pervez shot the vid and says it all went down last week, when the woman asked to pass by him during a flight to Los Angeles as he was checking on his 11-year-old son, who was flying in business class thanks to an upgrade. The woman's shocking meltdown happened after they'd gotten off the plane, and boarded a shuttle bus.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" had just one joke that went too far for Disney, so it was left on the cutting room floor ... and the dick joke is now out of the bag!

Here's the deal -- prior to the massive blockbuster's release, Ryan Reynolds said there was just one joke the Mouse House asked to be removed ... but he didn't want to say what it was at the time.

Thanks to Disney submitting the script for awards contention ... fans now know what the joke was ... "F***! What we can’t even afford one more X-Man? Disney is so cheap. I can barely breathe with all this Mickey Mouse cock in my throat.”

The Menendez brothers are going to spend at least one more Thanksgiving behind bars ... and TMZ has the cranberry sauce on what their gobble-gobble day is going to look like.

A source in the California Department of Corrections tells TMZ ... Lyle and Erik -- who've been in prison nearly 35 years for the double murder of their parents -- will feast on turkey slices, mashed potatoes, greens, and peach pie this Thanksgiving.

InTouch was the first to report on the Thanksgiving menu.

The "Home Alone" house is still making people scream more than 2 decades after the Christmas movie's release ... requiring police to keep a close eye on the abode each winter.

Deputy Chief Dylan Majcher of the Winnetka, Illinois police department tells TMZ ... the famed house featured in the 'Home Alone' franchise gets an increase in police presence this time of year ... every year.

Despite the amount of time that has passed, Deputy Chief Majcher says the home is "surprisingly" still a huge draw for holiday tourists ... who come and snap pictures of the property.

Jim Abrahams -- one of the creators behind classic comedies like "Airplane!" and 'The Naked Gun' -- has died.

The writer, producer and director died early Tuesday morning at his home in Santa Monica ... according to his son, Joseph.

We're told Jim had been battling leukemia for 20 years, and the cancer was a contributing factor in his death. His son says Jim was in remission at one point during his cancer battle, but the disease came back and he was always battling the cancer.

Diddy will be spending his Thanksgiving either on house arrest inside a cozy NYC apartment or behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center ... and we got the 411 on his prison meal if he stays locked up.

The disgraced music mogul will have to endure a yucky turkey dinner in the slammer if a federal judge rejects his fourth request for bail this week.

As you know, Diddy has already been shot down two other times by judges to be released on $50 million bond as he put up his Miami Beach mansion as collateral and offered to be placed on house arrest with 24/7 security, among other conditions.

Michael Villella, the star who famously played Russ Thorn in the 1982 horror film "The Slumber Party Massacre" has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

Michael's daughter, Chloe, tells TMZ ... he passed away on Saturday afternoon due to multiple organ failure after spending over a month in the hospital.

Chloe Villella posted a tribute on Facebook Saturday with the caption ... "May you rest in peace daddy ♥️💋."

While best known for his work as Russ Thorn, Michael also starred in "Love Letters," "Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue" and "Gotham."

Legendary game show host Chuck Woolery -- best known for being the first host of "Wheel of Fortune" -- has passed away ... TMZ has confirmed.

Chuck was also the host of the wildly successful dating show, "Love Connection," for a dozen years.

Chuck's longtime friend and podcast cohost Mark Young tells TMZ ... Chuck was home in Texas with his wife when she said he wasn't feeling well and went to lie down.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have bid adieu to the United States ... and Donald Trump's election win was the driving force ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Ellen and Portia have settled in a new home in the Cotswolds -- a region in South West England, about 2 hours from London.

We're told the couple scooped up the place before the election ... but were "very disillusioned" with Trump's victory ... and, as one source put it, they immediately decided "to get the hell out."

Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella are about to start a new chapter in their lives ... because we've learned they've settled their divorce.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Artem and Nikki went to mediation earlier this month and hammered out a divorce settlement.

Our sources tell us Artem and Nikki decided to quickly settle their divorce because they both want to move on, in part because it was getting very expensive to pay lawyers ... plus the whole process was becoming emotionally draining.

Paul Teal, famous for his work on "One Tree Hill," died 7 months after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer ... TMZ has learned.

The actor's fiancée, Emilia Torello, tells TMZ ... Paul was diagnosed back in April with stage 4 neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer.

Paul died Friday in a hospital in Raleigh, NC, and Emilia tells us ... "He was the most talented man I’ve ever met. When he set his mind to something, there was no stopping him. He was the most diligent and dedicated person. I truly believed with all of my heart that he would come out the other side of this because of those traits. That’s what makes this loss even more tragic."

Quavo isn't trippin' the election didn't go his way ... Kamala Harris may not be prez but he's still going hard for gun reform in America!!!

We caught up with Huncho in LAX last week after tensions over the emotional presidential race have mostly blown over ... the platinum-selling rap star commended KH for running a solid campaign in his eyes.

Quavo met with KH and other lawmakers at the White House in September 2023 alongside his family on behalf of his non-profit The Rocket Foundation, which is committed to crushing gun violence in the country.