This WOFL FOX 35 extensive interview last night of George Zimmerman's father, Robert Zimmerman, a former judge and Vietnam Veteran, deserves equal time with the video released yesterday of Zimmerman arriving at the jail from which so many people are deducing Zimmerman wasn't injured.

There's no resolution in the interview, we're still left with George's version vs. the Martin family's version. While he discusses what he's learned from George and others about the fatal encounter with Trayvon Martin, the interview is as much about the effect of the incident on George and the family, and the hate that the case has generated, as it is about the facts. It's long and painful to listen to because there is so much grief in his voice. My synopsis is below:

Link.

In my view, it severely undermines Zimmerman's claims.

Speaking for me only

(TL:) Comments now closed.)

Clayton Osbon, the Jet Blue pilot who freaked out today on a flight causing the plane to be diverted to Amarillo, has been charged with interfering with a flight crew. He's also on a psychiatric hold.

The transformation of our federal government by FDR was made possible because the Supreme Court made a dramatic shift in view of how it should review congressional legislation. The Court adopted a policy of deference to the legislative judgments of the Congress when it exercised its commerce power, requiring only that the means chosen bear a rational relation to the ends the Congress sought to achieve. Of course, the Congress could not act in a manner that was expressly prohibited by the Constitution, but absent that, its policy choice need only be rational.

With this freedom of action, our federal government has acted countless times to address problems that were national in character. Thus we have an Environmental Protection Agency, a National Transportation Safety Board, a Federal Emergency Management Agency and, yes, a Social Security Administration and Medicare.

This change of approach by the Court was famously described in the 1938 case United States v. Carolene Products.

More from me on the SCOTUS and ACA.

Update: (TL): Here's the transcript from today's oral argument. You can also listen via these links.

Here are Monday's transcript and audio and Tuesday's transcript and audio.

Open Thread.

Update: The judge's ruling is here. Selected quotes have been added below.

After a six week trial, a federal judge in Detroit has acquitted 7 members of the Hutaree militia group charged with terror offenses.

Only weapons charges remain against the supposed leader, David Stone and his son Joshua.

On the second anniversary of the Hutaree arrests, U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts granted a defense motion Tuesday to acquit the militia members on seven charges, including seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. The most serious charge could have resulted in life prison sentences. She ordered the trial to continue against Hutaree leader David Stone Sr. and his son, Joshua Stone, on weapons-related charges.

Congrats to Jim Thomas, Bill Swor and the rest of the defense team. [More...]

Everyone seems to have an opinion about the Trayvon Martin case. Even though the facts aren't fully known, and few take the time to actually examine Florida's laws and the multiple fact-driven jury instructions in self-defense cases, those invested in one side or the other either make stuff up or selectively choose certain facts and ignore others to fit their agenda.

Let's look at a case that happened in Illinois. It went to trial and there was a sentencing. Where do you come down on the outcome? It is not equivocal to the Trayvon Martin case, although it does have a few parallel issues.

In University Park near Chicago, a man was walking his dog when it ran up on neighbor's lawn and peed. The homeowner came out and displayed a gun. He didn't use it at the time, but the dog owner, after seeing it, cursed the homeowner and punched him. The homeowner shot and killed the dog owner. [More..]

My preview of today SCOTUS oral argument on the mandate.

Open Thread.

Amnesty International has released its report on the global use of the death penalty in 2011. The full report is available here. The U.S. ranks 5th in the world for the number of executions. The only countries executing more people were China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq, Great company we're in.

MegaUpload news: Turns out, the same major studios behind the push to take MegaUpload down tried to make licensing deals with it and have MegaUpload host copyrighted content.

In Toulouse news, slain gunman Mohamed Merah will be flown to Algeria for burial. And footage from his recorded videos of his killings were mailed to Al Jazeera. Police don't know whether he mailed them the night before he was killed or an accomplice mailed them the day he was killed. Al Jazeera turned them over to police.

I'm about to watch The Voice and Smash. This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

There are new details of George Zimmerman's account of the fatal encounter with Trayvon Martin.

In an account given to Sanford police that was passed on to the state attorney’s office, George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, said that Trayvon had punched him and then repeatedly slammed his head into the sidewalk in the moments leading up to the shooting.

....In Mr. Zimmerman’s sequence of events to the police, he returned to his S.U.V. after he was unable to find him, Trayvon then approached Mr. Zimmerman from behind and they exchanged words. Then. Mr. Zimmerman said, Trayvon hit him hard enough that he fell to the ground — which, if true, would explain what Mr. Zimmerman’s lawyer, Craig Sonner, has said was a broken nose—and began slamming his head into the sidewalk.

More details of the leaked police report revealed by the Orlando Sentinel are here. The Sun Sentinel also describes a witness' account: [More]

Dominique Strauss-Kahn was placed under formal investigation today in France on charges of participating in an organized vice ring. According to Reuters,

Judges had the option of putting him under investigation for having potentially benefited from misappropriated company funds if he knowingly attended prostitute sessions paid for by his executive friends using expense accounts.

Instead, the investigation will focus on the pandering angle, and whether Strauss-Kahn was aware that the women at the parties were prostitutes supplied by pimps.

He may or may not have to stand trial:

Under French law, "juges d'instruction," which are a cross between investigating prosecutors and criminal magistrates, notify the accused they are under investigation and can hold the person if they believe it warranted. It is they who later decide whether to send the case to court.

Put another way: "Under French law, preliminary charges mean authorities have reason to believe a crime was committed but allow more time for investigation."

He has been released on bond. [More..]

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld 10 of the 11 counts of bribery, money laundering, wire fraud and RICO (organized crime) on which former LA Congressman William Jefferson. Jefferson was convicted. Jefferson is serving a 13 year sentence. The Court vacated a wire fraud count but that will not affect his sentence. The Court said Virginia was not the appropriate place for a count involving a phone call between Kentucky and Africa. More on today's decision here.

Here how the jury decided the 16 counts against him. The case began when: [More...]