Summary
Luigi Mangione’s lawyer accused New York Mayor Eric Adams of politicizing Mangione’s arrest for the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Adams attended Mangione’s perp walk, calling it symbolic, but Mangione’s attorney claimed the spectacle aimed to distract from Adams’ own federal corruption charges.
Mangione, arrested in Pennsylvania, faces first-degree murder charges in Manhattan tied to terrorism, as well as federal charges potentially carrying the death penalty.
His lawyer emphasized the presumption of innocence during his Monday court appearance. Trial dates for both cases have yet to be set.
Oligarchs don’t have nationalities, just spheres of influence. There is not one billionaire who actually gives a rat’s ass about America as a country. They have built their own nation separate from ours in everything but an overlap in geography.
They have privatized the courts with forced arbitration. They have privatized the military with security contractors. They have their own travel on private planes. They have their own stock market in private equity. They don’t know us, and they don’t see us.
The CEO assassination was an unwelcome reminder that we still exist with individual agency, and that shocks and horrifies them more than whatever physical threat it might represent. They hate us and long for the day when automation can fully replace us.