The Republican party is imploding at the realization that it's been hijacked by Donald Trump. So many news articles are leading with the question of whether it's too late to stop him, or how he has turned the presidential primaries into a reality show, and how debased the conversation has become, as he's managed to drag his opponents with him into the mud. Others are questioning whether Republican legislators will be able to back him or work with him.

I'm not sure it matters whether Trump is the ultimate nominee. It seems like he's already shot the party through its heart. [More...]

Justice Clarence Thomas asked questions of a government lawyer during oral arguments yesterday. It was the first time in 10 years he's asked a question. What was the case? A gun rights case.

"Ms. Eisenstein, one question," Thomas said. "This is a misdemeanor violation. It suspends a constitutional right. Can you give me another area where a misdemeanor violation suspends a constitutional right?"

What misdemeanor is that? The federal law that prohibits someone convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence in state court from owning a firearm.The case is Voisine v. United States.

A new season of The Voice begins. The Bachelor is close to wrapping up. James Corden should have some funny commentary on the Oscars tonight.

In more important news, U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein ruled Apple does not have to decrypt an iPhone (not really a surprise.) [More...]

For those not watching the Oscars, or tuning in afterwards, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

(If you're not into the Oscars, Season 2 of La Viuda Negra (about Griselda Blanco) begins tonight on Unimas, with English subtitles. A 2 hour recap of the first season is starting right now.)

Final Update: Here is a transcript of Chris Rock's opening monologue.

The Oscars are about to begin. Who looked great on the Red Carpet? Lady Gaga and Charlize Theron are getting lots of press. I agree, they both looked terrific.

Will Leonard DiCaprio take home Best Actor?

I haven't seen most of the films, but that won't stop me from commenting on the show.

This is a thread for all things Oscar and movie related. Updates below: [More...]

Hillary Clinton won South Carolina in a landslide. She did especially well among African Americans.

About 6 in 10 voters in South Carolina's Democratic primary were black, by far the largest proportion of African-Americans in any of the contests so far. And nearly 9 in 10 black voters supported Clinton.

As one African-American voter told the L.A. Times, "It's Hillary's turn now."[More...]

Last week it was former Mexican President Vicente Fox who said he wasn't to pay for Trump's F*cking Border Wall." Today it was former Mexican President Felipe Calderon complaining about Trump and his "white supremacism."

Trump’s political rhetoric was “racist” and evocative of the Nazi dictator.

“This logic of praising the white supremacy is not just anti-immigration,” Calderon said. “He is acting and speaking out against immigrants that have a different skin color than he does, it is frankly racist and [he is] exploiting feelings like Hitler did in his time,” Calderon said.

[More...]

It's not easy to find a list of the Oscar nominees in text format -- who wants to watch a video to see the list of nominees, or view a list in photospread format? Not me. I want text. I know how to read. Whoever designed this year's Oscars site should be fired. It's horrible. Here's a list of the nominees in the major categories.

• The Big Short
• Bridge of Spies
• Brooklyn
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Martian
• The Revenant
• Room
• Spotlight

• Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
• Matt Damon, The Martian
• Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
• Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
• Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

[More...]

Shepherds and Butchers premiered this month at the Berlin Film Festival. It's about the death penalty in South Africa, and the country's notorious Pretoria Prison, which houses its Death Row. The film is adapted from the book by a former South African defense lawyer, Chris Marnewick, who moved to New Zealand. Marnewick says the film's message isn't the same as the one he wanted to portray. He may not want to see it. The book earned several awards. You can get it here or read the first chapter here. [More...]

Should be a big day for Hilary Clinton in South Carolina today and may be followed by a big Super Tuesday 3 days later.

The results may define the contours of the contest from that point, or perhaps the March 15 contests (when Florida and Ohio vote) will do that.

What I mean by that is these contests MAY relegate Sanders to a "message" candidate, which is not unimportant by the way. But it does lower the tolerance for negative attacks. Remember how Hillary Clinton should have dropped in February of 2008? When she was nearly tied? I would think Sanders wouldn't be asked to drop out, just drop the attacks.

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of the voters which is always a mistake. Let the voters vote! Starting in South Carolina today.

From the AP, here's what happened today with the presidential hopefuls of both parties.

Bernie Sanders has never run for national office as a Democrat. Donald Trump has never run for office, let alone as a Republican. Jack Shafer at Politico calls them the "Political Parasites of 2016."

Trump isn’t the only political parasite on the hustings this season. Bernie Sanders, who never ran as a Democrat before this election, has likewise attempted to colonize the gastrointestinal tract of a major party in hopes that it will eventually deposit him at the White House. True to his parasitical nature, Sanders loves the idea of the party but has little interest in actually supporting it. He has raised only $1,000 for the Democratic Party’s fundraising alliance, while Hillary Clinton, who is many things but assuredly not a parasite, has raised $26.9 million.

I don't really get why Chris Christie's endorsement is important. Reuters has this article on Christie's benefit to Trump. I wonder what position Trump has promised him if he wins the election.

In other news, the Guardian has a very interesting article on how both the media and terrorists have adapted and made use of new technologies to capture viewer attention.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Trump vs Cruz vs Rubio at the debate in Houston tonight on CNN.

If sparks fly, can we expect John Kasich to hug it out and fix things for everyone? [More...]