Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) has introduced a bill to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and allow states to decide whether to legalize it. The DEA would no longer have control of marijuana policy. Instead, the ATF would assume control. The ATF would be renamed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms. The bill is the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act. Polis' fact sheet on the bill is here.

A comprehensive report on the CIA's extraordinary rendition and secret detention programs under GW Bush was released this week by the Open Justice Society. The full report, Globalizing Torture, is here. It documents 136 individual cases and the participation of 54 countries in the two programs. On a related note, law prof Jonathan Hafetz discusses the "proxy detentions" of terror suspects in Djibouti and extradition to the U.S. to face criminal trials under Obama's administration.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

The video of the hour long hearing in the George Zimmerman case today is here. As multiple news agencies report, the judge denied the defense request for a continuance.

Additional matters that were addressed: Martin family lawyer Benjamin Crump filed a 15 page affidavit about his telephone interview with Witness 8, Trayvon's phone friend who was on the phone with him before the shooting. Crump's lawyer addressed the court, asking that Crump's deposition be postponed until the Court had time to review the Affidavit. [More...]

Anonymous hacked the Department of Energy last month, the agency confirmed. No classified info was taken, just personal data. There are also claims that Anonymous is responsible the release of 4,000 bank executives' data today, as part of Operation Last Resort. But the database posted as the U.S. Sentencing Commission's data may not have been a fake. Anyone can claim to be Anonymous.

There's a hearing tomorrow morning in the George Zimmerman case. Here are the motions that will be addressed. His family won't be attending, but his supporters will be singing "Happy Birthday Travyon" in front of the courthouse. (Trayvon would have turned 18 tomorrow.)

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Via Michael Isikoff at NBC News, here is the 16 page DOJ white paper titled "Lawfulness of a Lethal Operation Directed Against a U.S. Citizen who is a Senior Operational Leader of Al Qa’ida or An Associated Force." Isikoff writes:

It concludes that the U.S. government can order the killing of American citizens if they are believed to be “senior operational leaders” of al-Qaida or “an associated force” -- even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S.

The paper has an expanded definition of threat. [More...]

The highest court in Italy has reversed a lower court's decision to acquit three CIA agents for their conduct in a 2003 extraordinary rendition case. This brings the number of Americans convicted for participating in the CIA's torture program to 26. The court also increased the sentences of some of those convicted earlier, from 5 to 7 years.

Among those sentenced: Former Rome CIA Station Chief Jeff Castelli who received a sentence of 7 years. The former CIA Station Chief in Milan, Robert Lady, had his sentence increased to 9 years, which makes him eligible for extradition. [More...]

The New York Times had an op-ed this weekend, Why Police Lie Under Oath. The article quotes Peter Keane, a former San Francisco Police commissioner, who wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle:

Police officer perjury in court to justify illegal dope searches is commonplace. One of the dirty little not-so-secret secrets of the criminal justice system is undercover narcotics officers intentionally lying under oath. It is a perversion of the American justice system that strikes directly at the rule of law. Yet it is the routine way of doing business in courtrooms everywhere in America.”

Why do they do it? [More...]

Here's Beyonce at a news conference the other day, singing the Star Spangled Banner live. Just amazing. I'm really looking forward to her half-time performance today.

Beyonce's performance today is expected to start around 8:15 pm ET and last around 30 to 35 minutes.

President Obama is ready for the Superbowl (Posted on Twitter by the White House.)

Here's Alicia Keys singing the National Anthem.

It's that time of year again - exotic Super Bowl bets time.

Here what I did:

SUPER BOWL XLVII - The largest points lead of the game by either team will be Over 13½ (6 units)

SUPER BOWL XLVII - Margin of Victory - San Francisco 49ers 7 to 12 points 4/1 (2 units)

SUPER BOWL XLVII - The First Score of the Game will be? Field Goal or Safety (+120) (2 units)

SUPER BOWL XLVII - Will the opening kickoff result in a touchback? No (2 units)

SUPER BOWL XLVII - Who will win the coin toss?Baltimore Ravens (2 units)

SUPER BOWL XLVII - Coin Toss Tails (2 units)

UPDATE - Took the Niners on the moneyline at the half +300, 5 units.

More on the flip.

Big Tent Democrat will be posting some Superbowl things tomorrow.

I'm searching for a good fajita recipe to make for the TL kid and his girlfriend/s.o tonight. I'm also looking looking for a store that sells fresh pomegranate juice. In case I strike out, does anyone know whether you can make pomegranate juice by putting the seeds in a Vitamix?

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

R.I.P. Mayor Ed Koch. Here are some reactions from prominent New Yorkers. He died on the day a new documentary about his life and three terms as Mayor opened.

President Obama has offered a compromise on birth control.

At least 60 Harvard students have been forced to withdraw from the school in the aftermath of a cheating scandal. [More...]

When Mark O'Mara was interviewed by Fox 35 in Orlando the other day about his motion to continue George Zimmerman's trial, he said (3 min. 30 sec mark) the defense fund was down to $5,000. and he might have to ask that the Court declare George indigent so that the state would pick up some expenses. In the 24 hours after the interview, Zimmerman's attorneys say 160 people have donated $5,200.00. They would like the contributions to keep coming. [More...]

George Zimmerman's attorneys have filed a motion to delay George Zimmerman's trial until November. The motion to continue is here.There is quite a bit of new information in it.

I think the biggest revelation is about Trayvon Martin’s cell phone and mysteriously missing data. Even if you have no interest in the George Zimmerman case, you should read this to see the extent to which information stored in your phone is capable of being retrieved and provided to law enforcement (or anyone else who gets their hands on your phone and wants to know what’s on it.) It's a new dawn in the age of the Tele-Rat. [More....]