What did you think?
What stood out to you?
What will happen?

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Big Tent Democrat and I will be live-blogging here.

Please comment below as usual if you want to live blog along with us or post comments. If you use the commenter screen in our live-blogging software, no one will see the messages but us.

We'll start new threads when comments reach about 200.

The live-blog is below the fold so that we could make it larger than the front page allows.

Comments now closed, new threads are up.

Do you like what Talk Left does? Do you like Jeralyn's writings on crime issues and politics? Will you enjoy her on the spot coverage of the Democratic Convention in August? Will you follow our live blogging of tomorrow's DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting about the Michigan/Florida travesty? Do you like TChris' stellar work on civil liberties, the law and the rights every person should enjoy? Do you like the trouble I stir up? Do you enjoy the community atmosphere Talk Left provides for reasoned discussion?

Well, it costs Jeralyn a fair amount of money to operate this web site. Much more than before as more and more and more readers come to see what's up and participate at Talk Left. If you like what you are reading and writing, please give Jeralyn a hand in paying for the upkeep. Here is how you can donate:

More...

The Rules and Bylaws Committee Hearing should begin momentarily. Here's a thread for readers to live-blog or post reactions.

We'll be joining you shortly.

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Can the Dems come together tomorrow? Is there a solution that won't leave one side angry?

Thanks to all for your donations today, every one of them is sincerely appreciated.

For tomorrow, we will begin bright and early to live blog the meeting. BackFromOhio is our credentialed correspndent at the meeting and will be live-blogging in one thread while BTD and I will have a separate live-blog going. You can all live blog on your own or post reactions in the comments .

It starts at 9:30 am ET. CNN will be televising and live-streaming it.

Take the poll below, this is an open thread.

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Hillary Clinton is back in Puerto Rico where she will remain all weekend. 1,000 showed up to greet her tonight. (In Spanish.)

500,000 are expected to vote out of the more than 2 million registered voters. Recent polls had Hillary up by more than 10 points.

Prison inmates, by the way, are allowed to vote in Puerto Rico, even in the presidential primary. They vote at the prison. (article is in Spanish.)

Here's the translation of the article on Hillary's event tonight prepared from one of our new correspondents, a criminal defense attorney on scene in Puerto Rico: [More...]

For once, a primary result is a good indicator for the general election as Barack Obama wins white voters in Wisconsin and defeats McCain by 6 points, according to SUSA. Obama won white Wisconsin voters against Hillary Clinton by 9 and he wins them by 5 over McCain.

Wisconsin will not be a problem for Barack Obama in my view. Now Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida? Well, that could be another story.

By Big Tent Democrat

Two veteran Miami police officers have been charged in an FBI undercover operation:

Two veteran police officers were charged Friday with providing protection for purported shipments of cocaine and stolen goods in what was actually an undercover FBI operation.

Officer Geovani Nunez and Detective Jorge Hernandez are accused in court documents of helping protect shipments of what they thought were stolen televisions and computers and at least 12 kilograms of cocaine — sometimes by using their police cars to escort trucks.

The officers have been fired. This isn't the first time cops have gone bad in Florida.

The case is similar to a recent FBI sting that led to guilty pleas from five officers in Hollywood, Fla. Four received lengthy prison sentences.

More...

McClatchy reports:

Party officials and challengers will make presentations first Saturday, and the campaigns will then make their cases. Former Michigan Gov. Jim Blanchard and Arthenia Joyner, a Tampa, Fla., civil rights activist, will present Clinton's case, while Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., and former Rep. David Bonior, D-Mich., will argue Obama's side. Levin is also expected to speak.

Mark Bubriski, a spokesman for the Florida party, said that while Democrats there want all delegates seated, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who will present the state's case, is expected to use a conciliatory tone. According to Bubriski, Nelson is likely to argue, "We want this to be over. Our goal is that this is the day to end it, to move on, to put this entire dark chapter behind us."

After hearing the arguments, the committee plans to break for a private lunch, followed by an afternoon of deliberations.

Legal arguments are not likely to hold sway tomorrow. Why? [More....]

Here's Richard E. Berg-Andersson of Green Papers who says he has no dog in this fight on the correct solution to seating Michigan and Florida:

On Michigan

[W]hat is fair is that 73 pledged delegates be seated for Mrs. Clinton and 55 be free to vote for whomever they might wish (after all, they are 'Uncommitted'!)-- for Michigan constitutionally set its Presidential Primary date as 15 January 2008 under State law, held said election- again, under State law. The voters who wished to do so, thereby, voted on that date and the results, if the rules set for all jurisdictions under Democratic Party national rules be applied, would be 73 Clinton/55 Uncommitted... period!

....To my mind, the Michigan Democratic Party has done both their Party and their State a disservice by being so willing to advance a 69/59 split (that, and they are also ignoring the fact that, in the end, it is not really their "call" anyway...

On Florida: [More...]

When discussing the Florida and Michigan situations, I believe the Clinton campaign had viable arguments based on fairness, self interest and the rules for fully seating the Florida and Michigan delegations based on the results of their respective primaries. Today, I believe the Clinton camp damages the viability of its rules-based argument for Florida. I also believe they damaged the fairness-based argument for Michigan. They are now left solely with a self interest argument for the Democratic Party.

As I explained earlier, by conceding that Florida and Michigan Democrats broke the DNC rules, I believe that the Clinton camp has lost its rules argument for full seating of the delegates based on the existing primary results. The Clinton camp's invocation of Rule20(c)(7) ignores the fact that that rule requires that Florida and Michigan Democrats had taken prompt positive steps to prevent the passage of legislation that would violate the DNC primary schedule. On August 25, 2007, the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee ruled that neither Florida nor Michigan had done that. That was one of the bases for stripping of the Florida and Michigan delegations. By conceding that the August 25 RBC determination was correct, I believe the Clinton camp has already lost the argument that the RBC can reinstate the full Florida and Michigan delegations. MORE . .

Update: FL State Senator Arthenia Joyner will argue for Hillary. Bill Nelson is arguing only for the Fla. Democratic Party. Katherine Seelye of the NY Times was mistaken.

Update: Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman sent out an email saying Bill Nelson will be arguing for the Florida Democratic Party. Is he arguing for both Hillary and the Florida Party? She says she expects the Committee will "restore at least half of our delegates." From the e-mail, which was forwarded to me:

The Party has not made any specific recommendations to the DNC since we submitted our delegate selection plan, but we have consistently noted that a record-breaking 1.75 million Florida Democrats voted in the state-run January 29th primary, which had all the candidates on the ballot.

Tomorrow, the Rules & Bylaws Committee will hear an appeal written by Florida DNC Member Jon Ausman. I have asked our senior U.S. Senator, Bill Nelson, to present on behalf of Florida Democrats