Luigi Mangione avoids state terrorism charges

Luigi’s mansion

It’s money well-spent for those who contributed to Luigi Mangione’s million-dollar defense fund. Two state terrorism charges against the accused CEO-killer have been thrown out by a New York judge today, including a first-degree murder charge which could have landed Mangione in prison for life.

Judge Gregory Carro ruled that, despite the ideological motive behind Mangione’s alleged actions – a sort of “eat-the-rich” philosophy which has made him a grotesque folk hero for many on the far left – a murder committed for ideological reasons isn’t necessarily terrorism.

“While the defendant was clearly expressing an animus toward UHC, and the healthcare industry generally, it does not follow that his goal was to ‘intimidate and coerce a civilian population,’ and indeed, there was no evidence presented of such a goal,” Carro wrote in his dismissal of the charges.

The news should be a warning against overreaching charges, which can make it more difficult to secure a conviction. Mangione still faces other state charges, including second-degree murder, to which he has pleaded not guilty, as well as federal charges which could result in the death penalty. Attorney General Pam Bondi, continuing her revenge tour, has instructed federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty. Let’s see if she can manage this one without a major comms crisis.

On our radar

CHEERIO MATE President Trump is currently crossing the Atlantic on his way to the United Kingdom, where he is being hosted for a state visit by King Charles III.

START SPREADING THE NEWS Trump has also filed a $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times and several of its authors, saying the paper is “a full-throated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party.”

RIP SUNDANCE Iconic Hollywood actor and director Robert Redford died this morning. He was 89. More from Alexander Larman.

TikTok deal imminent?

The latest extension to the US TikTok ban is set to expire tomorrow. Yet President Trump and Scott Bessent say they have a deal in place to sell the app’s US entity to American buyers, keeping it operational in this country.

“We have a deal on TikTok. I’ve reached a deal with China,” the President said aboard Air Force One today. “I’m going to speak to President Xi on Friday to confirm everything up.”

”We have a group of very big companies that want to buy it,” Trump continued. “The kids wanted it so badly. I had parents calling me up… They say, ‘If I don’t get it done, they’re in big trouble with their kids.’ I think it’s great. I hate to see value like that thrown out the window.”

Critics had expressed concern about TikTok’s existing ownership structure for a number of reasons. Among them is the “golden share” agreement which gives the Chinese Communist party oversight of Chinese parent company ByteDance and ownership of the app’s much-vaunted algorithm.

Can you keep a secret?

Against all odds, Cockburn found himself at a DC party with the best dressed guests in decades Saturday night, at a Columbia Heights townhouse for the launch of Secret Ballot, a new weekly Substack from Kelly Chapman and Sarah Beth Spraggins.

Guests adhered to the “Watergate midcentury glam” dress code and were treated to the release of the newsletter at 8 p.m. It’s an eclectic cocktail of sociocultural commentary, reviews, fiction, poetry and takes from a mixture of bylined and pseudonymous writers.

“We’re soliciting things people might not publish elsewhere, but say to their friends when they’re feeling like a genius over drinks,” Spraggins told Cockburn.

Speaking of cocktails, two bartenders were serving martinis and Dirty Shirleys on the top floor; attendees looking to pace it could treat themselves to beer provided by Right Proper brewery. The age range was as wide as at any party Cockburn has been to in this town; some were pushing 60, while you could spot a sleeping baby in the second-floor poker room (not part of the pot).

“We want to highlight when people’s opinions or dispositions contradict the expected attitude at work,” said Spraggins. “That’s what the pseudonyms are for, like a conservative congressional staffer who cares a lot about racial justice or a cold, factual beat reporter who is also a poet.”

Spotted: Cami Fateh; Damir Marusic; Diana Brown; Emma Collins; Emilia Tripodi; Emma Camp Orr; Freddie Hayward and Alice Inman; J.J. Gould; Jackson Bierfelt; James Kirchick and Josef Palermo; Jed Miller; Jerome Copulsky; John Hudson; Josh Christenson; J.P. Freire; Kara and Nick Clairmont; Katherine Doyle; Maria Copeland; Michael Barron; Mikra Namani; Molly Marlow; Sami Gold; Savannah Galvin; Shadi Hamid; Sophia Morales; Teddy Schliefer; Tonya Riley; Victoria Marshall; Vienna Scott and Will Simpson.

Subscribe to Cockburn’s Diary on Substack to get it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Fridays.