A week-long hearing begins today for Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes.

It is both a preliminary hearing and a "proof evident/presumption great" (bail) hearing, which the court refers to as a "preliminary/proof evident" hearing, for short. (No, bail is not really on the table, but the Judge does have to make findings regarding it.)

The defense received permission last week to subpoena and call two witnesses at the hearing, over the objection of prosecutors. The Court's order, which nicely explains the purposes and dual character of the hearing is here. [More...]

Is everyone ready for the new season of Downton Abbey? Dueling dowagers: Maggie Smith vs. Shirley MacLaine.

The Biggest Loser is also back tonight, with Jillian Michaels returning. (I haven't watched since she left three years ago.) This season, 3 juveniles are being added to include the topic of juvenile obesity. But they won't be subject to elimination and the trainers won't be shouting and torturing them.

Tuesday night: Justified is back.

What are you watching tonight? This is an open thread, all topics welcome, tv-related or not.

Cheyenne Mountain Shooting Complex, Colorado's largest shooting range ever will open Jan. 23 in El Paso County (near Colorado Springs.)

County support services director Imad Karaki says:

"This is the largest shooting complex in the state of Colorado," Karaki said. "The location here is incredible. It's about safety and fun. We also want serious hunters to come out here."

The range will rent firearms and sell ammunition. [More....]

Sonny Archuleta, 33, was reportedly on a four day meth binge when he shot and killed three family members inside their home. Sonny Archuleta is also dead. Hostage negotiators were unable to reason with him.

"Sonny, come downstairs. Sonny, we have your wife. Sonny, come out and we'll get you the help you need," [witness] Bustios recalled police telling the man.

We know you've been up for four days. What's done is done. Come out and we'll get you some help," Williams quoted police as calling out on the bullhorn.

Sonny was a very religious person. This is his Twitter page. Archuleta's wife, Stephanie Philbrook Archuleta, who jumped out a window and escaped, told police her husband is mentally ill. [More...]

President Obama has renominated 33 of his federal judicial picks that Congress has failed to act on. What's Congress' problem?

Looks like Chuck Hagel will get the nod for Defense Secretary.

Cops and prosecutors need to stop hogging the DNA Codis databases so people wrongly convicted don't have to languish yet more years in prison. [More...]

Here is President Obama's signing statement objecting to portions of the NDAA. His statement on restricting the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo:

This provision hinders the Executive's ability to carry out its military, national security, and foreign relations activities and would, under certain circumstances, violate constitutional separation of powers principles. The executive branch must have the flexibility to act swiftly in conducting negotiations with foreign countries regarding the circumstances of detainee transfers. The Congress designed these sections, and has here renewed them once more, in order to foreclose my ability to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. [More...]

Kim Dotcom claims a double-cross. More here. The brief his legal team filed yesterday in the Eastern District of Virginia is here.

Megaupload and Dotcom are also seeking to have the search warrant from June 24, 2010 against Carpathia Hosting company unsealed. (It was provided to Carpathia and Megaupload when issued by the Court, but has never been officially unsealed for the public.) It notes that Wired, in this article, has already published the search warrant. The warrant was sought in an investigation of Ninjavideo (government press release on sentencing in Ninjavideo here.)

Another good article explaining all this is here. Dotcom lawyer Ira Rothken explains the relevance here. [More...]

Good news. Hillary Clinton has been discharged from the hospital. A full recovery is expected.

Secretary Clinton was discharged from the hospital this evening. Her medical team advised her that she is making good progress on all fronts, and they are confident she will make a full recovery," Philippe Reines, a deputy assistant secretary of state, said in a statement.

Al Jazeera announced today it will launch a new U.S.-based news channel and that it has bought Al Gore's Current TV. From its press release:

Al Jazeera Media Network also announced that it has acquired Current TV in the United States and that the new U.S.-based news channel will be available on Current’s distribution network when it is launched in 2013. There will be a transition from existing programming until the new Al Jazeera channel begins to air.

The new channel will be headquartered in New York City. In addition to the existing Al Jazeera news bureaus in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago, Al Jazeera will open additional bureaus in key locations across the United States. Al Jazeera’s expansion will double the network’s U.S.-based staff to more than 300 employees.

I like Al Jazeera's reporting and think it will be a welcome addition. It plans to scrap Current TV's current programming. Forbes reports the network paid in the neighborhood of $400 million for Current.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

BTD Go Gators! I actually think Florida is a great bet but I'm staying way, took under 48.

The votes on H.R. 8 are being tallied now. You can watch live here. So far, 7 Dems and 70 Republicans have voted against it. Right now it's at 122 to 75 in favor. They are voting on a motion to agree to the Senate Amendments.

Looks like it will pass. It's been running 50 votes ahead on the ayes. 10 Dems and 100 Republicans have so far have voted no.

Vote's over. It passed easily. Final vote was 257 to 167. 16 Dems voted against it. Here's the roll call vote.

Happy New Year!

My bowl game picks for today:

Florida State -15 over Northern Illinois (6 units), Stanford -6 over Wisconsin (10 units), Georgia -9 over Nebraska (12 units), Purdue +17 over Oklahoma State, Northwestern -2 over Mississippi State, South Carolina -5 over Michigan.

Open Thread.