DL Open Thread Monday, May 20, 2024

Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, was killed when his helicopter crashed. That should give conspiracy theorists plenty of grist, but analysts agree the effects will be internal, because he was seen as a likely future Supreme Leader. Gee, he seemed like such a swell guy.

It turns out there were outside agitators. The Washington Post reported that “business titans,” meaning rich Jewish guys, pressured NYC Mayor Eric Adams to call the cops on the protesters at Columbia. If you guys are trying to stoke belief in a Vast Jewish Conspiracy, well done. Otherwise, WTF is wrong with you assholes? That story encapsulates the problem Biden has had since Oct. 7: his big donors back Israel while his constituents back Gaza.

Americans are adept at saying one thing and doing another, and nothing illustrates that better than their incessant whining about inflation. Yes, corporate America is gouging its customers, but guess what? Even after adjusting for price increases, Americans just kept buying more, outstripping the growth in their disposable income. But whine on, big electorate, whine on.

SCOTUS scuttling Roe was supposedly the dogs of the GOP finally catching the car. Turns out the car was empty, because despite near-total abortion bans in 13 states and tighter restrictions in another dozen, the number of abortions in the U.S. rose since the decision. This reinforces the theory that it’s not so much about saving babies as fucking over women.

Delaware’s new gun law wasn’t five hours old when attorney Tom Neuberger filed a lawsuit challenging it. He outlines his concerns in an interview with the News Journal’s Esteban Parra. It shows how hard it is to fight gun violence when the courts have stacked the deck in favor of guns.

The floor’s yours.