I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, for the first time in years. I'm about to start. Is anyone else here cooking? What are you making?

I'm making a cornbread and fruit stuffing, two kinds of mashed potatoes ( regular and sweet), a green bean casserole, gravy, cranberry sauce and salad. In addition, of course, to the turkey.

I also made a giant lasagne last night, and put it in the freezer, just in case the turkey doesn't come out right. I'm much better at cooking one pot meals: sauces, noodle dishes and stews, than one big bird and a lot of side dishes.

I'm also checking out Black Friday deals. Be careful about clicking from Google, there are tons of links with m*lwAre. Who do you think has the best deals on whatever you are looking for?

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

A Las Vegas judge has denied O.J. Simpson's bid for a new trial. Lawyers for Simpson argued at a hearing held months ago that his trial counsel was ineffective and had a conflict of interest. From the opinion:

“Mr. Simpson failed to demonstrate that counsel experienced an actual conflict of interest that substantially impacted counsel’s performance at trial. Mr. Simpson also failed to establish that the State withheld exculpatory evidence. Finally, Mr. Simpson failed to establish that appellate and trial counsel were ineffective or that any deficient performance by counsel resulted in prejudice. Given the overwhelming amount of evidence, neither the errors in this case, nor the errors collectively, cause this court to question the validity of Mr. Simpson’s conviction.”

Simpson's current attorney says he will appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court, and if he loses, file a habeas action in federal court.

Busy work day. Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

This week's Amato and Armando Show:

Our picks (Disagreement in BOLD (A) for Armando (J) for Amato): San Francisco 49ers -6 over Washington Redskins, New England Patriots +2 over Denver Broncos, (A) Arizona Cardinals -3, (J) Indianapolis Colts +3, (A) St. Louis Rams -1, (J) Chicago Bears +1, Pittsburgh Steelers +1 over Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers -4½ over Miami Dolphins, (A) Kansas City Chiefs -4½, (J) San Diego Chargers +4½, (A) Minnesota Vikings +4, (J) Green Bay Packers -4, Detroit Lions -9 over Tampa Bay Buccaneers, (A) New York Jets +4, (J) Baltimore Ravens -4, (A) Oakland Raiders + 1 1/2, (J) Tennessee Titans -1 1/2, (A) Dallas Cowboys +3, (J) New York Giants -3.

Open Thread.

An accord has been reached with Iran about its nuclear weapons program.

Iran has agreed to stop enriching uranium above 5%. The accord is to last six months. (Sounds more like a pause than a cessation.)

In return for the initial agreement, the United States agreed to provide $6 billion to $7 billion in sanctions relief. Of this, roughly $4.2 billion would be oil revenue that has been frozen in foreign banks.

Crystal Mangum, who falsely accused the Duke Lacrosse players of sexual assault, has been convicted of second degree murder in the stabbing death of her boyfriend. The judge sentenced her to 14 to 18 years in prison.

Mangum testified at her trial and claimed self-defense. The victim, who lived for 10 days after she stabbed him, told investigators before he died that he had been trying to get away from her.

She testified he beat her that night, but "she was unable to explain why paramedics who checked her out after her arrest found no evidence that she had been beaten or choked." Also, "blood drops were on the carpet in the hallway where Daye said she stabbed him, but not in the master bedroom where Mangum said she stabbed him. [More...]

The picks (2 units unless otherwise indicated): Nebraska +2 over Penn State, Missouri -3 over Mississippi (3 units), Michigan State -7 over Northwestern (3 units), Kansas State -5 over Oklahoma, Iowa State -6 over Kansas, Cincinnati +3 over Houston (3 units), BYU Pick over Notre Dame (3 units), LSU -4 over Texas A&M (3 units), Oregon -20 over Arizona, Tennessee -3 over Vanderbilt, Boise State -6 over San Diego State (3 units), Baylor -8 over Oklahoma State (3 units).

This week's Amato and Armando Show:

Open Thread.

It was 50 years ago today that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Today, the nation still pauses to remember.

One of my favorite JFK memorabilia items: Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday Mr. President" at Madison Square Garden on May 29, 1962.

The LeRoy Neiman painting of the event is one I had over my fireplace for years. I loved picking out all the politicians in it, from Bobby Kennedy and Ted Kennedy (and Ethel) to Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird and Mayor Robert Wagner. Check it out below:[More...]

Former MA state chemist Annie Dookhan was sentenced to 3 to 5 years in prison today for falsifying lab tests.

Dookhan’s falsification of drug tests, in an attempt to look like a highly productive employee, prompted the release of hundreds of convicts, raised questions about thousands of cases, and forced the state to spend millions to address the problems

I reported the details of her fraud, and the implications here.

No more filibustering of presidential appointees. The Senate voted today to end it. Via the New York Times:

The Senate voted on Thursday to eliminate the use of the filibuster against most presidential nominees, a move that will break the Republican blockade of President Obama’s picks to cabinet posts and the federal judiciary. The change is the most fundamental shift in the way the Senate functions in more than a generation.

This is a big deal for the judiciary. Republican efforts to thwart Obama's picks will be diminished, particularly on the influential DC Circuit Court of Appeals which has three vacancies.

Overall, there are 18 vacancies on federal appeals court and 75 on federal district courts.

The DEA, IRS and Denver Police Department have raided multiple marijuana businesses today -- more than a dozen. Westword has all the ongoing details. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver has confirmed the raids:

"The Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, the Denver Police Department and state and local law enforcement are today executing lawfully obtained search warrants and seizure warrants."

...."Although we cannot at this time discuss the substance of this pending investigation, the operation under way today comports with the Department's recent guidance regarding marijuana enforcement matters."

Westword reports Swiss Medical in Boulder was also raided. The Denver Post has more and says it's the largest raid since medical marijuana became legal. Photos here.

After serving 11 years for the murder of Martha Moxley, Michael Skakel has been freed on $1.2 million bond pending a retrial.

Skakel, the nephew of Ethel Kennedy, was 15 years old in 1975 when Martha Moxley was murdered. The crime went unsolved for more than 20 years and suspicion had always focused on his brother Tommy. After Dominick Dunne and Mark Fuhrman re-ignited interest in the case through their books, suspicion shifted to Skakel and in 2000, he was charged with murder. He was convicted at trial and sentenced to 20 years to life.

Had Michael Skakel been charged in 1975 when the murder occurred, he would have been tried in juvenile court and if convicted, received a sentence of no more than two years. That's how juveniles were treated back then in Connecticut.

At the time of the crime, there was a five year statute of limitation on murder, which had expired by the time Michael was charged. In upholding the conviction, the Court overruled its own 1983 precedent. (More on that below.)

I'm glad Skakel's conviction was overturned, but I don't agree his conviction was the result of inadequate representation at trial. Here's what I think went wrong at the Skakel trial and on appeal. A recap: [More...]