DL Open Thread Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024

The White House promises new sanctions against Russia in the wake of Alexei Navalny’s death. We’ll see if being put on Double Secret Probation does anything to slow down Putin’s murderous regime. Meanwhile, Trump reacted to Navalny’s death by…comparing himself to Navalny. I’m not even going to link to it, because every click just encourages them to print more of his spew.

It’s too bad the MAGA pursuit of Hunter Biden isn’t getting the publicity Republicans hoped for, because this is the best clown show since Emmett Kelly retired. The whole thing was a Russian ratfucking operation – what, you thought Trump thought it up himself? – and it’s being revealed as one mainly because the MAGAts running the show can’t think through a simple two-step process. People like James Comer and Gym Jordan are the reason the Pop-Tarts box includes instructions. Sean Hannity donned the facepaint himself when he took to the cablewaves and demanded to know, “Does this look like sawdust to you?” Viewers responded that yes, actually, it does, not least because it’s on top of a table saw.

The Alabama Supreme Court actually cited Scripture in ruling that fertilized eggs held in storage at IVF clinics are people. By this logic, if the electric company cuts the clinic’s power it’s guilty of mass murder. Things like this are why I’m anti-religion and pro-secession.

Something that transcends the daily news cycle: an interview with Greek political scientist and finance minister Yanis Varoufakis about his theory that late-stage capitalism is morphing into what he dubs techno-feudalism. Call it serfing the web.

The floor’s yours.