this is nightline. >> tonight, the urgent manhunt for the shooter responsible for a brazen murder in new york city. >> every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack. >> gunning down the ceo of unitedhealthcare outside a popular hotel, then escaping. >> i saw him after he shot him. he ran across the street. >> the big apple on edge. beefing up security for the iconic rockefeller center tree

lighting just blocks away. the potential clues. police say the killer might have left behind. plus, the latest jab in the weight loss wars. >> within my first week, i had lost weight. and then by the first month, i had lost 10 pounds. >> a new study saying some drugs are melting off the pounds faster than others. >> sometimes targeting one is not as effective as targeting two pathways at the same time. >> what doctors say you should know for best results. and one on one with heather gay. the real housewives cast member who was the face of that iconic reality moment. the seats proof timeline, screenshots, everything. now taking center stage in her own story, being a good time girl. >> i'm reclaiming it because it's not a badge of shame to be a girl gone wild and opening up about her weight loss journey. i love myself heavy. i love myself now. plus a fortnight. >> there we were. >> how much taylor swift music

was streamed on spotify last year. many, many fortnights. year. many, many fortnights. >> nightline will sometimes s with falling asleep... ...so he takes zzzquil. the world's #1 sleep aid brand. and wakes up feeling like himself. get the rest to be your best with non-habit forming zzzquil. ♪ ♪ many remedies you take for chest congestion only mask the symptoms. you're gonna love this property. try this. mucinex 12 hour treats the mucus that causes chest congestion for all-day relief. ahhh! mucinex in, mucus out! treat the cause. to the next. did they even send my lab work...? wait, was i supposed to bring that?

then there's the forms. the bills. the 'not a bills.' the.... ”press 4 to repeat these options.” [chaotic music] [inspirational music] healthcare can get a whole lot easier when your medical records, care and coverage are in one place. at kaiser permanente, all of us work together for all that is you. >> thank you for joining us. i'm andrew dymburt. we start with breaking news this late evening in the shocking murder of a health care ceo in midtown manhattan. sources telling abc news tonight words were etched into the shell casings found at

the scene. deny. defend. depose. detectives are trying to figure out whether they were meant as a message. here's abc's senior investigative correspondent aaron katersky. >> reporter a gunman opening fire in the heart of new york city, firing several rounds. a targeted execution of united health care ceo brian thompson, leaving the 50 year old dead on the street. >> every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack. >> thompson, in town from minnesota, was walking to an annual meeting with investors at the hilton hotel in midtown when the horror began to unfold. the insurance executive alone no security detail. >> the victim here he was, walking with purpose. not worried, obviously, about anything. right in the middle of the sidewalk. and the video shows the shooting happening right there with a bystander. actually trying to flee and get out of the way. >> shortly before 7 a.m, a masked gunman in the freezing cold was lying in wait before opening fire.

>> the shooter steps onto the sidewalk from behind the car. he ignores numerous other pedestrians, approaches the victim from behind and shoots him in the back. the shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot. it appears that the gun malfunctions as he clears the jam and begins to fire again. from watching the video, it does seem that he is proficient in the use of firearms, as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly. >> the weapon appears to have been outfitted with a silencer. >> that's him. when he was running, omar abdel moula says he saw the shooting unfold from inside his car. then i heard the shot. you know. and when i looked at the guy was with a gun, like, you know, the silent gun. and he got like, a black gun. >> the gunman fleeing after shooting thompson in his back and his right calf. >> and i saw him after he shot him. he ran across the street. >> emts responding to the scene and racing him to the hospital. but it was too late. after the shooting, the killer made his escape on foot. through this alleyway. eventually, he hopped on a bike and pedaled off towards central park.

surveillance camera footage captured the suspect on that bike. the suspect then headed up sixth avenue and was last seen entering central park. >> the shooter appears to be a light skinned male. he's wearing a light brown or cream colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers, and a very distinctive gray backpack. >> this is not somebody who's an expert, certainly not somebody who's a trained killer or assassin, a military type. >> now a massive manhunt is underway. the nypd offering a $10,000 reward. detectives say the shooter's cell phone might have been left behind. >> so if he dropped a phone, if he dropped a wrapper, if he dropped anything that you can maybe link to him. it may give you forensic clues. >> thompson's wife and two sons left reeling after the tragedy in a statement to abc news, paulette thompson said we are shattered to hear about the senseless killing of our beloved brian. brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives. most importantly, brian

was an incredibly loving father to our two sons and will be greatly missed. did he have any known enemies? >> we're reaching out to law enforcement in minnesota, and we're also interviewing his coworkers and family members to see if there have been any specific threats against him in the past. >> thompson was the leader of the nation's largest health care company, earning a $10.2 million annual pay package last year, making him one of the company's highest paid executives. >> either a contract killing or it's a targeted killing. targeted killing, maybe would be this is personal. this is revenge, but it's some direct connection to him. obviously, a contract killer has got to have any relationship with the person they're killing. is there another person connected to us, to it that hired this guy to go shoot him? >> united health care issuing a statement saying in part, we are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague, brian thompson. our hearts go out to brian's family and all who were close to him tonight. just blocks away from the crime scene, the iconic

rockefeller center christmas tree lighting, thousands of people gathering while authorities continue to search for the gunman. >> our thanks to aaron, we'll continue to cover the latest developments overnight and on gma in the morning for now, we switch gears and turn to new information for the millions of americans trying to lose weight. a new study suggests that not all weight loss drugs are created equal. here's nightline co-anchor juju chang. >> tonight, the latest jab in the weight loss wars. preliminary results suggesting zep band could be more effective than wegovy in helping specific people shed those extra pounds, according to early results from a clinical trial conducted by the maker of zep band. >> it has seemed to have helped me lose the weight i needed to weight. it seemed to have changed my mindset. >> zep found a drug with the main active ingredient. tirzepatide may be more effective in helping people lose weight than wegovy, a drug with the main active ingredient, semaglutide.

>> bolsters appetite and semaglutide actually work by mimicking gut hormones that we produce naturally. what patients notice with these medications is that they feel less hungry. they feel full faster, and they stay full for longer. >> it's the weight loss craze that's taken over, not just hollywood, but stay right here. >> television icon oprah winfrey revealing she's using medication for weight loss. >> but the whole country ozempic, wegovy and manjaro are drugs experiencing a big surge in use for weight loss. >> every girl i know in la is on ozempic. >> people's dramatic weight loss transformations happening right before our eyes. >> i lost 2 pounds this week, which i honestly don't know how because i was so beyond beyond off my diet. >> today, new preliminary data released by eli lilly, the maker of zeplin, suggests that while both wegovy and zeplin showed a significant weight loss benefit after 72 weeks on treatment, people with obesity or who were

overweight with another medical condition treated with deathbound lost more weight compared to people on wegovy. the study has not yet undergone further peer review. >> several of the medications are actually combination medications and that's because weight regulation is so complex that there are multiple different pathways involved. and sometimes targeting one is not as effective as targeting two pathways at the same time. and so we see that here with wegovy, which is associated with 14% total body weight loss versus tirzepatide or set bound, which is associated with 20% total body weight loss. >> in response to the study, novo nordisk, the maker of wegovy, saying in part wegovy is the only obesity medicine proven to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack or stroke in adults with known heart disease and with either obesity or overweight. >> i've taken vyvanse,

topiramate, phentermine fen-phen when it was on the market. i've taken wegovy, but anything that's been out there, i can guarantee you that i've been prescribed that for years. >> barbara goudreau has been searching for a solution to help her reach her weight loss goals. >> girl, i've been trying to lose weight so long that i felt like i should invite the weight management people to my thanksgiving, she says. >> in 2022, she was on the highest dose of wegovy you could take, but didn't see results, she says after her insurance. no longer covered the drug, she tried a few other medications until her doctor put her on manjaro and in june switched to zep bound. both of those drugs have the active ingredient tirzepatide. >> i switched to manjaro because wegovy wasn't working, so my doctor kept saying, well, let's try something new. and it was amazing. it's so cool that the food noise stops, you know? you don't have that well, what's

going to be for lunch? what's going to be for supper? what am i going to snack on? >> just this year alone, she says she's lost over 60 pounds. >> girl, i feel good. i feel good that i've lost weight. my blood pressure is good. my heart rate is good. you know, my clothes fit really good. that's what's exciting for me, is that it's the health piece of it. >> within my first week, i had lost weight and then by the first month i lost 10 pounds. so it was instant for me. >> seeing her mom's progress, barbara's daughter alexis also turned to rebound. >> i spent most of my entire life struggling with my weight, but it wasn't until i started deathbound back in april that i was able to actually see results and start losing weight. >> now she even works as an affiliate for a telehealth company that provides drugs used for weight loss. >> let me show you how my old clothes fit me. >> that's why i share my story is because my life has changed, not just externally, but internally, and i wanted to help others be able to do the same.

>> but like all drugs, these can come with side effects. >> the main side effects associated with both wegovy and with rebound are nausea, vomiting, stomach upset. constipation. diarrhea. >> experts say when taking these types of medications, lifestyle changes should also be considered, like having a balanced diet and exercising. >> these medications are not designed to be used in a vacuum. these medications are designed to be used along with lifestyle interventions like working with a dietician, figuring out a sustainable way of eating physical activity. behavioral interventions. >> while the study has not yet undergone peer review for the drugs, they are hopeful. >> it makes me feel so good to know that my baby girl is feeling good about herself. that as a mother, i can't even express how wonderful that feels. >> so just kind of being able to come together and lean on one another on the hard days. i mean, on some days we'll call each other and be like, man, all i've done today is snack. and it's just nice to know you're

not alone. especially with her being my mom. >> our thanks to juju. when we come back, we're one on one with real housewife heather gay telling her story in ♪ are you having any fun? ♪ ♪ what you getting out of living? ♪ ♪ who cares for what you've got ♪ ♪ if you're not having any fun? ♪ ♪ are you having any laughs? ♪ ♪ are you getting any loving? ♪ ♪ if other people do, why can't you? ♪ ♪ have a little fun ♪ ♪ why should you work and save and save? ♪ ♪ life is full of ifs and buts ♪ ♪ even the squirrels save and save ♪ ♪ and what have they got? nuts ♪ ♪ better have a little fun ♪ ♪ you ain't gonna live forever ♪ ♪ so while you're young and gay, still okay ♪ ♪ have a little fun, son ♪

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ikea? ikea! shop a more convenient ikea with click & collect and more. (father & mother) ikea mom? (♪) . welcome back >> heather gay is known for one of the most viral moments of real housewives, a show with plenty to choose from. she's outspoken, hilarious, and always exactly herself. heather sat down with abc's deborah roberts. >> heather gay. welcome. >> hi. it's nice to see you. >> it's good to see you again. to so many people, of course, know you from the real housewives. and they of course,

know you from your famous quote receipts, proof timeline, screenshots, receipts, proof, timeline, screenshots, everything to prove that you are a bully and a troll. what is that all about? why does that resonate so with people? >> i think it was just kind of a crazy finale episode, and housewives, and it just all that anger and rage came out in one moment of receipts, proof, timeline, screenshots, and it went viral. >> even been quoted on the floor of congress. i understand right as an author, first of all, a bestselling author with your book bad mormon and you talked so much about your life growing up as a mormon, but also just the contradictions and all the things that were problematic for you in that life. and you were so honest about it. what led you to write a new book? >> well, it's been an interesting journey, and i've really unpacked and left the mormon church on reality television. and so my life has radically transformed in the last five years. and their stories in good time, girl, that

i wasn't ready to tell in bad mormon because i still had too much shame. too much fear. >> good time girl. it kind of was like, not necessarily a positive. women on the show called you good time girl, and people sort of wanted to label you that way. and so then you reclaim this label. >> i'm reclaiming it because it's not a badge of shame to be a girl gone wild. it's a badge of honor to be someone that's free enough and confident enough to live their life authentically. and i think that i've always looked at my life through the lens of mormonism and really right, wrong. and no in between. and so that's a hard line to walk. growing up as a young adult. and i didn't give myself the opportunity to really be wild. and what i thought was wild was really banal. so it's kind of a way to look at these goodtime girl stories as really moments in my life where i chose loyalty to a church and to a planned identity, rather than to what my heart really wanted. >> you talk in the book about, you know, who you are at your

core and you say, who i am at my core, contradicted the person my family and my church wanted me to be. so how would you describe heather today? >> i think i'm still that like same hopeful, brave ten year old girl that wanted the world and wanted the stardom, wanted the lights of broadway, wanted to feel, eat, drink, sing, feel it all. but just knew that that would never be available to her. and now it is. >> we're rolling and you got the chance to do it on television. >> on the real housewives of salt lake. i mean, you kind of. was that sort of your coming out from, you know, breaking away from the church? >> absolutely. it rescued me. it was the only thing that was big enough to give me the emotional and the financial independence to change my life and to change the lives of my daughters. >> so last time you and i sat down and talked you in your very candid, open way, talked about your weight loss journey, and you talked about using actual weight loss drugs. you talked about ozempic and you sort of said you had discovered what basically is a big lie in

society. let's take a look. you represented body positivity. and now some women are saying it's kind of a cop out. >> yeah, like i've sold out. i've given up the banner of you know, relatable self. accept yourself, love yourself. and it's disappointing to sad to know that body positivity was all a big lie because it's better to not be overweight. >> did you take a lot of heat for being so honest? oh yeah. >> absolutely. i never realized how much my weight affected the way people treated me, but i have loved all the versions of myself and i. i feel like body positivity wasn't a lie for me. i mean, it changed my life. it allowed me to be on tv. it gave me this chance. everyone says you should change your opening images. don't play me. i've got the receipts because you are so much heavier then. and i look at those pictures of myself in those episodes and i think i love that girl. like that girl was braver and stronger and had more confidence than at being

overweight than i did after taking medication. >> and you continue to take it. >> i'm not on it now, but like i will if i need to. >> so you're able to maintain so the cover is that kind of a badge of excitement over. >> it's not celebrating my body. i've apologized for my body my entire life and i kind of write about it in the book that i would rather just have body neutrality. you know, i loved myself heavy. i love myself now. it's a journey and that changed the way i saw who i was. >> you talked about your daughters and wanting to pass along something that was more positive and honest to your daughters. how does goodtime girl resonate with them? >> i am raising goodtime girls when we are together, we feel like the luckiest matriarchy in the world, and i don't want them to feel the same shame and expectation that i felt growing up. >> thank you so much for taking the time to come. well, good-time girl is out now and you can find it on bookshelves everywhere. >> our thanks to deborah when we

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>> finally, tonight, taylor swift dominates spotify's wrapped. i love you. >> it's ruining my life. >> for the second year, swifties streamed more of their heroes music than anyone else. taylor's tortured poets department, with its single fortnight becoming the most popular album on the platform, helping to boost t-swift to 26.6 billion streams this year. rounding out spotify's top five were the weeknd, bad bunny, drake and birds of a feather singer billie eilish. birds of a feather we should stick together. that's nightline. you can watch all of our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here at the same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up