That's not a laptop in this briefcase--More Mangione

Part of me would think that the powers that be would want to see firearms more strictly regulated after this event.

On the other hand, the MP5, in particular the SP5 or any other variant without a stock, is considered a pistol (as in MachinePistol 5). That means one can carry it concealed! 

And what better way to do that than in a briefcase, which is perfect for CEO personal protection!

From HKParts

There are also holster/harnesses for the 5K. M&L Custom Shop makes them.

Both of these are designed for the professional where concealment and quick deployment of weapon is essential.  So, this isn't going to be something a CEO will be carrying, but the well cared for CEO should have a protection detail in the current political climate.

Of course, if the average civvy wants to tote around an MP5K/SP5K, then there are a few options out there. A few companies make discrete subgun cases which can pass for a laptop/brief case. Not as quck to use as the H&K briefcase, but definitely a way to carry the gun and not get a lot of attention.

Although, I am not sure I would want to carry one of the briefcases around without a fair amount of range time with it. Toss in that it isn't as convenient as it appears at first.

Still, the thought that CEO personal protection can take out a threat is worth considering.

Thompson could have used a PA like leaspeed6 that morning!

How Sweden turns its trash into gold

I would have thought that other countries would have followed Sweden's example from back in the 1970s. But, no.

The United States government is far too under the thumb of big business to do this, which is rather bizarre. I say that because being truly "green", instead of "greenwashing" is actually a great business strategy. Not only is it good for the environment, but it is also good for the bottom line.

Toss in things like recycling electronics is something which business is SUPPOSED to do, but it doesn't.

Maybe they think all the heavy metals out there in the environment making people dumber is a good thing.

Don't get your hopes up about Luigi Mangione's defence.

Funny, but this comment has gotten lost in the shuffle. On the other hand, it doesn't look too good for KFA to be expending all this energy on a client with "overwhelming evidence" against him. She would be working on mitigations if she was a barrister in the UK. Septics are a little more liberal in allowing BS in the court system.

 Karen Friedman Agnifilo, may have been providing some insight into her legal strategy when she said, "the evidence is going to be so overwhelming" that an insanity defense is on the table.

 So, of course, she's going to be filing every motion imaginable and hoping not to piss off the court. Some Judges don't take kindly to attorneys who waste the court's time on defendants the attorney KNOWS happens to be guilty.

But, why should KFA give a rat's ass?  She's got the go fund me cash and it's her's even if Mangione does plead out to get the needle.

Think I'm BS'ing you? This clip has it straight from the horse's mouth. Start at around 45 seconds in for an eye opener.

https://youtu.be/S3WzawmtMTY?t=46

And I agree with much of what everybody is saying. But I think one thing I just want to point out is it looks to me like this -- there might be a not guilty by reason of insanity defense that they're going to be thinking about, because the evidence is going to be so overwhelming that he did what he did.
Karen Agnifilo Friedman, Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees, Aired December 10, 2024 - 20:00   ET  https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/acd/date/2024-12-10/segment/01

Cut the BS--Mangione is going to trial with all the evidence being legally obtained.

 OK, My legal qualifications are: JD from the University of Maryland, LLM University of Exeter, England. Admitted to the PA bar in 1990, retired in 2023. Admitted to the DC bar,  EDPA (Fed), and MDPA (Fed). That said, I can give a legal opinion.

The picture is of the Blair County, Police Criminal Complaint, which can be found here:
https://www.pacourts.us/Storage/media/pdfs/20241209/233900-mangione12924.pdf

According to this document, the police were responding to a report of a male who resembled the person wanted for the shooting of Brian Thompson. 

 Mangione removed the mask and the police said they recognised him from the media. Then Mangione gave the police the fake ID used at the NYC hostel. Any searches according to this would be incident to arrest or an inventory search.

You get what the police will probably say in the clip of the press conference which starts at 10:50.

Unless the defence can come up with something substantial, Mangione's arrest appears to be legal based upon what I see here.

 More court documents can be found here:
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/criminal-justice/luigi-mangione-court-documents-gun-charge-ME4VXEHIOFBK7FIO5STIXXWAPQ/

MAGA? This Railroad Could Cripple America's Economy

"The upgrades now rolling across this route will do a whole lot more than safeguard millions of journeys and a huge slice of the US economy. They could enable America to finally run truly high speed trains. An ambition which has harboured since forever."

You may be someone who doesn't understand how much railraods contribute to a country's economy: even the US. The US has neglected this segment of the tranportation sector to its detriment. But it's also been neglecting an even worse segment of the transportation infrastructure: the one that services the automobile (which includes trucking).

Was Luigi Mangione's DNA collected illegally?

Rosalind Franklin By MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

 OK, this is called touch or trace DNA since it is found on an object. It doesn't need to be something that the cops gave him, since someone leaves this DNA pretty much everywhere. Yes, the Fourth Amendment analogue in Pennsylvania law has a broader guarantee of the right of privacy, but how intrusive was this would be my question? The police could just as well  get this DNA from the food he was eating at McDonald's as well as from something they gave him.

His defence could question the science, but that requires Mangione providing a sample of his DNA. Also, PA law says:

§ 58.2 . Authority of law enforcement officers.
The General Assembly has declared that nothing contained in the act shall limit or abrogate any existing authority of law enforcement officers to take, maintain, store and utilize DNA samples for law enforcement purposes. See section 506 of the act (35 P. S. § 7651.506). Failure to comply with this subchapter does not
form the basis for suppression of otherwise admissible evidence.

And Pennsylvania's law on DNA evidence (CHAPTER 58. DNA DETECTION OF SEXUAL AND VIOLENT OFFENDERS ACT) specifically mentions 18 Pa.C.S. § 2502 (relating to murder) as a reason for collecting DNA.

It sounds to me like this may be an attempt to diminish the size of the mountain of evidence which incriminates Mangione.

I mean, he was caught with the ID used to stay at the NYC hostel, the murder weapon, and his DNA links him to the crime scene. Of course, the defence wants to see this evidence suppressed. 

My opinion is that it will be allowed unless the defence can discredit the science, which would probably require Mangione to submit a DNA sample.

Italian High Speed Rail: The Trains that Killed an Airline

I finally made it to Italy, despite having spent a lot of time in the French Alps, which happen to be literally next door. In fact, we were staying in Chamonix and went to Courmayeur, that happens to be in the Vallée d'Aoste someplace I've been wanting to visit for a long time.

Anyway, I was rather surprised that Italy is a leader in High Speed Trains. These two videos give you some ideas why I support HSR. 

So much for Making America Great Again if Italy is kicking the US's but in this regard. These trains leave Acela in the dirt.