Joe Biden says there is no reason he shouldn't run for President in 2016. He hasn't yet decided.

I can think of a dozen reasons, almost all related to his crime-warrior legacy.

If he runs, it will be the first time I sit out a presidential election.

Philip Seymour Hoffman's funeral was today.

According to NYC police chief Bill Bratton, his death is not a criminal investigation.

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said the search for the dealer who sold Hoffman the lethal dose was continuing — although he noted it was not a criminal investigation.

“We’re dealing with a death,” Bratton said Friday. “It is, I would emphasize, not a narcotics investigation ... but rather the investigation of a death.”

Update 1:50 a.m: Schapelle Corby has been granted parole. She could be released at any time -- as soon as the prison receives written confirmation. It most likely will be Monday. More here. Here's a live video of the press conference with translation. She will have to remain in Indonesia until 2017. This is interesting: Had she not asked for or been granted parole, she could have returned to Australia in 2015 as her sentence would have expired and there would be no requirement of supervision.

Update 1:45 am: More media confirm parole was granted at what sounds like one of the most confusing press conferences ever.

Corby has got parole. Press statement clarifies that she has "fulfilled all substantive administrative requirements". Date up to prison

Update 1:35 a.m. What he said was 1,291 cases of the 1,700 have been processed. He didn't specifically say Schapelle was one of them. But reporters say his press release says she got parole. And ABC News Australia says parole was granted. [More...]

The comments to this Gawker article about the two-toilet stalls at Sochi are pretty funny. Here's a photo.

Sochi will be the most expensive Olympic games in history, coming in around $50 billion, which is $40 billion over budget.

Shaun White has dropped out of the Slopestyle. Too much risk of injury on the oddly built course. He'll still compete in the half-pipe.

"There are definitely concerns about the course," he said. "It's been interesting to see how it's developed and changed over the past couple days. The big question is if it will continue to change. Because every day, they have riders meetings and they give feedback. Sometimes there's changes, sometimes there's not."

In TV news, Hollywood week starts tonight on American Idol. The show is much improved with new Judge Harry Connick, Jr. All the judges are good this year. [More....]

The autopsy results of Philip Seymour Hoffman are inconclusive. Authorities say further tests are needed to determine the cause of death.

My translation: He had multiple substances in his system and they can't say for sure whether any specific substance or combination caused his death.

The four people arrested last night have been charged with misdemeanor or felony drug possession. While one, a musician, knew Hoffman, it's not at all clear he was the source of Hoffman's heroin. The drugs seized during the search of their apartments did not have the markings found on the bags at Hoffman's apartment. Also, the heroin found at Hoffman's house did not contain Fentanyl.

The stepdaughter of arrestee Robert Vineberg, a jazz musician, said he hadn't seen Hoffman since November.

After 9 long years in Bali's notorious Kerobokan Prison, Australian Schapelle Corby is likely to be released on parole on Friday.

She will have to remain in Indonesia while on parole for 3 years. She'll live with her sister.
Her case was heard last week, and Prison Minister Akbar Hadi Prabowo is said to have approved. The final decision belongs to Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin, who has previously said he does not object.

“Some 1,700 inmates will be paroled, and Corby is indeed one of them,” Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin said in Jakarta. He added that the letter authorizing Corby’s release would be signed within the next three days, after which she could leave Kerobokan Penitentiary in Bali.

Schapelle was approved for parole by the Bali Parole board last August. She became eligible for parole in 2012. The delays and bureaucratic wrangling are finally ending. All of our coverage of her case since 2005 is available here.

Schapelle was convicted of bringing 4 kilos of marijuana into Indonesia. She has always maintained her innocence.

Since the sad death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is still prominent in the news, bringing with it the predictable wave of hysteria over heroin use and clamors for more restrictions on pain pills, I will use the opportunity to point out the futility of using our criminal laws as a response to heroin addiction, and the origins of heroin. [More..]

Not a good day for the Broncos, to say the least.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has died of a drug overdose. His personal assistant found him on the bathroom floor of a Manhattan apartment he had recently rented with a needle still in his arm. There was heroin nearby.

Hoffman had been struggling with drug issues since 2012, after being clean for more than 20 years. He last went through rehab in 2013.

Hoffman and his longtime partner, Mimi O'Donnell, had three children. He was nominated for an Oscar four times, and won Best Actor for "Capote." He had several current film projects on tap. [More...]

My wagers:

Pre-game - SUPER BOWL XLVIIi SPECIALS - Who will Barack Obama pick to win the game? Denver

On the national anthem: SUPER BOWL XLVIII SPECIALS - How long will it take Renee Fleming to sing the official US National Anthem? Over 2 minutes 25 seconds +150

SUPER BOWL XLVIII SPECIALS - Will Knowshon Moreno cry during the singing of the National Anthem? No -140

On the coin toss - SUPER BOWL XLVIII - Coin Toss Tails -105

SUPER BOWL XLVIII - Will the team that wins the coin toss win the game? Yes

On the game result: Denver Broncos -2 1/2, Under 48

More on the flip.

Gov. Chris Christie sent this email in response to the media flap caused by a letter written by the lawyer for David Wildstein, the former Port Authority official involved in the lane closure scandal who has been seeking an immunity deal and payment of his legal fees.

I had written a long post with a lot of links on this yesterday but it got eaten by the computer when I accidentally closed the tab before publishing it. I don't have time to rewrite it all, so I'll just say it made many of the same points Christie does about the letter.

The lawyer's letter, which was carefully and ambiguously worded, didn't prove anything, let alone that what Christie said at the news conference was false. Here's the transcript of Christie's Jan. 9 press conference. [More...]

A chemist with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in Pensacola who conducted drug tests in 2,600 cases in 35 counties around the state has been relieved of duty after it was determined some of the drug samples in his cases were tampered with. The chemist allegedly swapped out some of the prescription pills with over the counter pills. Hundreds of drug convictions are now imperiled.

Head-scratching comment from Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi:

"This situation simply underlines the extent of the problem our country faces with prescription drug abuse."

Really? A police chemist falsifies evidence and the blame lies not with him but with those using the medication?