Aurora movie theater suspect James Holmes is now a defendant, charged with 24 counts of first degree murder, 116 counts of attempted first degree murder, one count of possession of an explosive or incendiary device, and one count which is a sentence enhancement for commission of a violent crime.

The Complaint and Information is here.

The first degree murder charges are under CRS 18-3-102(1)(a) and (1)(d). [More...]

Masterpiece Bakery and its owner Jack Phillips in Lakewood, CO (just west of Denver) are engulfed in a storm of controversy after Phillips told a gay couple picking out their wedding cake he wouldn't make one for them because he doesn't support gay marriage.

Philips claims he isn't discriminating against gays, he will make them birthday cakes or cakes for any other occasion besides a marriage.

Phillips is taking a beating on Facebook and even on Yelp. A large protest is scheduled for next Saturday. Phillips doesn't seem to be fazed.

We would close down that bakery before we closed our beliefs, so that may be what it comes to … we’ll see,” Phillips said.

There are plenty of other bakeries in Lakewood. Elegant Bakeries has won lots of awards for its wedding cakes and is family owned and operated. There's also Et Cetera Gourmet and Cakes by Karen. Masterpiece's discrimination is unacceptable. [More...]

Monday morning, James Holmes, the suspect in the Aurora movie theater shootings, will be advised of the charges against him. The DA previously said in a pleading not under seal there will 12 counts of first degree murder, attempted murder and other charges.

Holmes will not be called upon to plead tomorrow. It is not an arraignment, but an advisement.

There is one motion of interest that will be heard tomorrow -- the defense request for discovery pertaining to leaks about the package Holmes allegedly sent to a psychiatrist/professor (described here.) The DA filed this response, denying it has been established that law enforcement leaked the information. The DA says the news reports got so much wrong, they may just have fabricated their stories. The DA also says their office hasn't yet looked at the contents of the package. It was the Aurora Police Department, not the FBI, who obtained the search warrant, and there was one warrant, not two. [More...]

Dick Cheney has some advice for Mitt Romney: Don't pick a Sarah Palin. Cheney says he likes Palin but McCain shouldn't have picked her for his running mate because she wasn't qualified. He says the test has to be whether the person is qualified to assume the Presidency and she was not.

The interview will air tomorrow and highlights, including the part about Palin, are already available. I couldn't stand to watch for than 10 seconds of Dick Cheney, so I didn't see the actual remarks.

Adm. Dennis Blair, the former director of National Intelligence, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum this weekend, told the audience that it is virtually impossible for the feds to identify and prevent a lone wolf attack like James Holmes, Jared Laughner or the Fort Hood shooter, without severely curtailing civil liberties:

[T]here would need to be a higher level of surveillance and government agencies would have to share more information, which could contradict an individual’s right to privacy, Blair said. “The cost in civil liberties and privacy that we would have to pay to get our intelligence to that level would [be high],” Blair said.

Matthew Olsen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said there's a better way:

While there are 12,000 FBI agents, there are 2 million first responders, Olsen said. The government can help prevent the lone wolf attack by training those first responders on how to identify the potential threat, Olsen said. [More...]

Are you watching the Olympics or following Mitt Romney's latest foibles abroad?

Romney's latest problem at home: Americans just don't like him as much as they do Obama. Here are the Gallup-USA poll numbers.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Happy Birthday to Mick Jagger, who turned 69 on July 26.

There's not many groups that prompt lists of their top 100 songs. Among my personal favorites:

“Gimme Shelter“ (1969)
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want“ (1969)
“Sympathy for the Devil“ (1968)
“Street Fighting Man“ (1968)
"Dead Flowers" (1971)

[More...]

Opening ceremonies will be replayed on NBC tonight. Here's a recap from Reuters.

Who are you expecting to soar? What are the most anticipated events?

Here's a thread to talk about the Olympics.

Update: Absurd decision by NBC to make the opening portion of its Olympic coverage about security and the problems. Plus too many commercials and too much commentary. I'm already done watching -- 8 minutes.

Update: The judge will set a briefing schedule and hearing date on Monday for a newly filed new motion by the media to unseal the court file. The motion is jointly filed by a variety of local and news groups. With exhibits (which include orders from the unsuccessful Kobe Bryant and Perrish Cox prosecutions), it's 85 pages. As to their request to unseal the docket (called register of actions in Colorado courts) I think the argument is good. We should be able to know what was filed, even if the contents of the actual documents are sealed. I don't think every document filed in the case is deserving of sealing, and a showing should be made with each such request. That said, I hope the media doesn't prevail on its request for public access at this juncture to search warrant affidavits.

Lawyers for James Holmes, the suspect in the Aurora movie theater shootings, today filed this motion requesting discovery concerning the federal and state law enforcement agents who were were aware of or involved in the investigation of the package Holmes allegedly sent to a psychiatrist/professor at C.U., details of which were leaked to the media. [More...]

Via Balloon Juice, Jennifer Rubin:

The Obama campaign can’t bear the thought that the well-traveled Mitt Romney will make a nice impression on his overseas tour.

One less thing for the Obama campaign to worry about.

See also Daily Kos Radio, The Ministry of Truth Show, July 27.

Both Matt Yglesias and Kevin Drum simply ask the wrong questions with regard to the disastrous tenure of Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary.

The startng point of the discussion is Neil Barofsky's criticisms of Geithner's refusal to consider measures that truly help homeowners and consumers if such measures in any way are opposed by the banks.

Using Ezra Klein's interview of Barofsky, Yglesias writes:

The opening ceremony of the Olympics is today.

Yesterday, Mitt Romney easily won the Upper Class Twit Olympics:

[10/15/2024) Embedded You Tube Video deleted due to DCMA complaint by Lumens saying it belongs to NBA]

Open Thread.