Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono granted Schapelle Corby clemency this week by cutting five years off her 20 year sentence. What does it mean? The latest her sentence will now end is September, 2017.

Kerobokan Prison Chief Gusti Ngurah Wiratna confirmed at a press conference yesterday Schapelle is eligible for parole starting Monday, since she has served 2/3 of her sentence. But, she's unlikely to be granted parole immediately, and there are other issues. [More...]

The District Attorney of Boulder, CO says no charges will be filed against a couple who shot a 21 year old student who walked into their home and their bedroom at 3:30 a.m. a few days ago. The lights were out and the couple had been asleep when they heard an intruder. Colorado's Make My Day law justifies shooting an intruder in the home if the homeowner "reasonably believe[s] a trespassing person intends to use any measure of physical force on any occupant of the home."

Zoey Ripple, who graduated from the University of Colorado two weeks ago, was intoxicated and ignored the couple's warning to leave, even though they said they had a gun. She was shot in the hip and is recuperating in the hospital. [More...]

Uh-oh. No, I don't think it's the flirting juror. It sounds like some jurors have discussed the case in a small group. The judge held a closed meeting with counsel for 35 minutes today and then sent the jury home with a stern warning:

"All of your deliberations should take place while you are in the jury room and together," Eagles said. "Don't discuss the case in small groups."

Is this related to the coordinated clothing? Four alternates and 2 jurors wore bright red shirts today.

The judge will start court early on Tuesday and make take up the issue again then. If an alternate gets on, the jury has to start deliberating all over. What's transpired so far doesn't count.

A new Quinnipiac poll in Florida shows a majority of Floridians still approve of the state's Stand Your Ground law and oppose gun control

Republicans lean heavily in favor of the law, with 78 percent supporting it, while 59 percent of Democrats are against it. Fifty-eight percent of independent voters support the law, while 35 percent are against it.

The poll shows there remains a gender gap on the law as 65 percent of men and 48 percent of women say they support "stand your ground." There is also a major gender gap in Florida over gun control. According to the poll, 62 percent of men are against more gun control. A majority of women surveyed -- 54 percent -- back increased gun control in the Sunshine State.

The George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin shooting doesn't seem to have changed their opinions. [More...]

Busy day.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend.

Open Thread.

The jury in the John Edwards trial seems to have progressed to considering the charges involving Fred Baron.

Busy day here, this is an open thread, all topics welcome.

The exclusionary rule is alive in Kentucky. A federal judge in Kentucky is the latest to rule the DEA cannot place a GPS device on a suspect's vehicle without a warrant. It ordered all evidence suppressed that resulted from the stop of the defendant's vehicle, including the seizure of 150 pounds of marijuana.

In this case, the DEA agents had their fishing poles out to catch Lee,” U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar wrote. “Admittedly, the agents did not intend to break the law. But, they installed a GPS device on Lee's car without a warrant in the hope that something might turn up.”

The judge also found that "good faith" doesn't save the DEA's action. There was no evidence apart from the search to support the charges. The defendant, who was facing a 20 year mandatory minimum due to his prior record, should be released from custody. (The feds say they will review the decision and decide whether to appeal.)

The 19 page decision is a good one. I've uploaded it here.

Pakistan has sentenced Dr. Shakil Afridi, who aided the CIA in finding Osama Bin Laden to 33 years in prison. The New York Times has more here.

The CIA had asked Afridi to run a fake Hepatitis vaccine program. Details here. Leon Pannetta criticized his arrest on "60 Minutes".

As Mark O'Mara reminds people on the George Zimmerman website, not all discovery has been provided. Some we will never see.

Things I'd like to know: What time did George Zimmerman leave his house? What route did he take from his house to where he parked his car? How long was he driving before he parked his car and called the non-emergency number to report Trayvon Martin? Where exactly was his car parked? What route did Trayvon take after walking close to GZ's vehicle? [More....]

The Orlando Sentinel reports that four "key witnesses" provided statements in March that differed in part from their earlier statements. The Sentinel portrays the changes as "major" and says they are potentially damaging to Zimmerman's case.

The four witnesses the Sentinel lists are witnesses W-2, W-6, W-12 and W-13. Two of them aren't "key" to anything. The other two, W-6 and W-13 are key, but neither changed the most critical elements of their accounts. W-6 didn't budge from his assertion that during the struggle he witnessed (in which someone cried out for help) Trayvon was in black and on top of Zimmerman whose shirt or jacket was red. W-13 didn't change his account of what he saw or what Zimmerman said, he just provided his perception of Zimmerman's demeanor when later asked. [More...]

In a column arguing for short term stimulus, Peter Orzag writes:

When policy makers put in place measures carefully designed to reduce the federal deficit in the future, most of them happen. This is a good thing, since enacting more stimulus today and more deficit reduction to take effect later is exactly what the U.S. needs. It’s also what makes the ongoing jobs-versus-austerity debate so frustrating. What we really need is to be bolder on both jobs and austerity, by pursuing a combination policy.

Those who are most concerned about the weak labor market should be most willing to do whatever it takes -- including combining delayed budget cuts with stimulus -- to get the most stimulus passed. And those who favor a combined approach shouldn’t be characterized (as I have been) as pro-austerity and anti-stimulus.[...] [Emphasis supplied.]

Someone hurt Peter Orzag's fee fees. A couple of points: Orzag is arguing for "maximum stimulus now." Where was he in January 2009? Second, his statement about spending cuts in the social safety net is true. But tax increases for deficit reduction NEVER survive. It's funny how to Orzag, the Clinton tax increase of 1993, the most important deficit reduction measure of the last 25 years, is not even worth a mention. Of course we know why, it undermines his argument. THAT deficit reduction measure did not hold. Taxes were cut twice during the Bush Administration. So Orzag says we should agree with him to cut spending in the future for more spending now. But what about the Bush tax cuts?

Sorry Mt. Orzag, you are pro-austerity and pro cutting the social safety net. It's what you don't write about that proves it to me - tax policy.

Speaking for me only

I generally start my day by reading the New York Times Online. Today was no different. But I looked at it from a different perspective -- what in the news today would have an effect on the election and what would that effect be?

Here''s what I found today - Egyptians vote for President in First for Arab World. What of this? Election itself a slight positive for Obama but not really important. Just part of the sheen of a perceived successful foreign policy. Facebook IPO Raises Regulatory Concerns. A story about how insiders get better information than average investors. But Facebook is sort of tied to Obama in an image way (and probably in a monied way as well.) A wash. Global Powers Resume Talks With Iran. Good for Obama, especially if Romney feels compelled to appease the neocons who want war with Iran.

But here is the news that matters politically - Stocks Fall as EU Leaders Gather In Brussels. It is in Europe where the big story is today. The adoption of the most senseless economic policy in some time - austerity in the face of economic recession, threatens the world economy. And in fact, threatens Obama's reelection. I'll explain why on the flip.