Opening Arguments

Latest Episodes:

OA650: If Fake Insulin Tweet Tanked Stock, Could Eli Lilly Sue? Nov 22, 2022

Show notes

A viral meme claims that a fake Eli Lilly tweet declaring insulin to be free tanked the stock to the tune of billions and billions. Ignoring for a moment the fact that it seems incredibly unlikely that an easily debunkable fake tweet on fake tweet day would send a bunch of investors into a frenzy, could Eli Lilly sue the tweeter? Or the Twitter? It's another Section 230 deep dive!

Links: 47 U.S.C. § 230, Malwarebytes, Inc. v. Enigma Software Group, Gonzalez v. Google LLC - SCOTUSblog, Trump 9th Cir. brief

OA649: Respect for Marriage Act Advances in the Senate! Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

...despite Mitch McConnell voting against codifying his own marriage into law... This is good news! Is it perfect news? As usual, no! But is it still very good? Yes! Would this have happened without Democrats controlling congress even by the slimmest possible majority? NO! Also, MAJOR show announcement! And it's a good one! Then Liz Dye joins to talk about a judge slapping down the Stop Woke Act.

Links: Remaining House Election Results and Race Calls - The New York Times, Bipartisan senators revive effort to pass bill codifying same-sex marriage protections, U.S. v. Windsor, 570 U.S. 744 (2013), 28 U.S. Code § 1738C - Certain acts, records, and proceedings and the effect thereof, H. R. 8404 To repeal the Defense of Marriage Act

OA648: More from the Right Wing War on Free Speech Nov 15, 2022

Show notes

Today we get a breakdown on a few cases in which right wing goons are seeking to shut down free speech and freedom of the press in a pretty major way. AND they are finding success in our broken courts. Dershowitz v. CNN and Trump v. CNN. It also gives Andrew a chance to fawn over the Onion Amicus Brief that so many of you requested us to go over!

Links: Dersh v CNN motion for summary judgment, Novak v. City of Parma, Novak v. City of Parma, 33 F.4th 296 6th circuit opinion, Novak cert petition, Onion's amicus brief

OA647: Senate AND House Both Very Much In Play for Democrats! Nov 11, 2022

Show notes

It's a good news show! Of course you know by now that Democrats over-performed in the midterms. So it's time for Andrew to take a bit of a victory lap and discuss what happened, what races are still left to be called, how the balance of power might change, and what that will mean for Democrats and, you know, the future of our democracy!

OA646: A Comprehensive Guide to Watching the Midterms Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

Andrew has done exhaustive research on all the key midterm elections to deliver to you a definitive guide on what to look for on election night. How soon will we know if things are good? Or if they are terrible? Which election outcomes should we be surprised about and which should be completely not surprising? Find out! Also, patrons gain access to Andrew's entier notes on this one, which you may want because there is a lot here!

OA645: We Badly Underestimated Just How Terrible Elon Musk Is At Business Nov 04, 2022

Show notes

Hooooo boy. Ok, Elon Musk officially owns Twitter. Does that mean a big "Andrew was wrong?" Well.... kinda but it's complicated. We really just did not fathom how irrational Elon is. His wealth has taken a perhaps unprecedented hit as a result of this terrible deal. Listen for the details! Then, Liz Dye joins us for an update on Jan 6! Links: Shareholder vote twitter, How Elon Musk financed his $44bn Twitter takeover, SC 13D, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, SEC form 4 Elon, SEC filing AMENDMENT NO. 12 to SCHEDULE 13D, Banks prepare to hold $12.7bn Twitter debt on books until early 2023, U.S. exploring whether it has authority to review Musk’s Twitter deal - The Washington Post, Tesla latest 10-Q, Eastman 9th cir brief, Liz Dye Trump coverage

OA644: Andrew Seidel Is Here! But NOT To Yell About a New SCOTUS Disaster! Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

Just wanted to clarify right off the bat in case the very sight of Seidel's name on our feed might send you into a panic that some fresh church/state separation obliterating hell was dealt to us by the court. That hasn't happened at LEAST in the last few days. No, Andrew Seidel joins us to talk about his brilliant new book, American Crusade!

Whoops! Here's OA643 T3BE Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

Sorry things are a bit hectic with me being in Manchester for QED. Here is the t3be featuring Andrew Seidel!

OA643: Magnus Carlsen Accused Hans Niemann of Cheating at Chess. The Chess World Exploded. Now Hans Has Sued Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

This wild story has been on my radar for a while, but now that there's a lawsuit involved, I've convinced Andrew to give us a breakdown! But Andrew doesn't just take us through the lawsuit. We go through the accusations, and what it might take to try to prove a low frequency event to a jury. Along the way, there's a poker cheating accusation scandal as well!

OA642: Discount Mueller Probe Ends In Complete Failure for Republicans Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

But who will investigate the investigators? John Durham, as it turns out. And what will he find? F*ck all. Trump tried to have his own Mueller Probe to get to the bottom of all the deep state corruption that must have led to the Russia Investigation only to find that there wasn't any of that. But the whole affair was a massive corruption of justice that has not been covered enough. Get the full OA breakdown!

Links: Judiciary Committee Releases Transcripts of Interviews Conducted During Oversight of Crossfire Hurricane Investigation, REPORT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE, Mueller Report, 18 U.S. Code § 371 - Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud United States, 52 U.S. Code § 30121 - Contributions and donations by foreign nationals, FISA Warrant Application for Carter Page, Durham probe: Trump team says Americans should be 'waiting for the next shoe to drop', Durham says Steele dossier source lied. But the FBI long valued him, Review of Four FISA Applications, Igor Danchenko Indictment