Tonight's DWTS is just another reminder this show is merely a popularity contest and has little to do with dancing ability. Nancy Grace, whose schmaltzy waltz last night got the second lowest scores of the night, is safe. David Arguette, whose feet didn't do any more dancing than Chaz Bono (who got the lowest score) is safe. Neither Nancy or David have the redeeming quality that Chaz Bono has -- a likeable TV presence and a buoyant personality. So I'm not criticizing voters for keeping Chaz. I'm glad about that. But to keep Nancy Grace or David Arquette or Rob Kardashian and send Kristin Cavalieri home? Or put Hope in the bottom two? Ridiculous.

Of course, Hope may not have really been in the bottom two. The announcer always reminds the audience that one of the final two couples might not have received the second lowest combined votes and judge scores. In other words, the safe couple in the final two is placed there because the producers think it will make the show more interesting. It's a total manipulation. [More...]

Update: 6:43 pm MT: It's over. Amanda had a range of emotions from happy to teary. Here's Amanda walking from the plane into the terminal with lawyer Ted Simon; Here's Ted speaking at the press conference; Here's Amanda speaking.

Update: 6:10 pm MT: The plane has landed. It's now arrived at the gate. Here's a picture of the media waiting. [More...]

Why has the administration’s flagship foreclosure prevention program been so ineffective in helping struggling homeowners get loan modifications and stay in their homes? One reason: The government’s supervision of the program has apparently ranged from nonexistent to weak.

[. . .] “For two years, they’ve known how abysmal servicers were performing, and decided to do nothing,” said Neil Barofsky, the former special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, better known as TARP or the bank bailout, which provided the money for HAMP. “It demonstrates that if you have a set of rules for which compliance is completely voluntary and no meaningful consequences for those who violate them, having all the audits and reviews in the world are not going to make a bit of difference,” he continued. “It’s why the program has been a colossal failure.”

Remember, this was the Obama Administration's major initiative to address the homeowners crisis in America. Geithner is an incompetent scoundrel. If Obama loses next year, it will be because of Tim Geithner.

Speaking for me only

Via Greg Sargent, who writes:

The story here is not what the White House said but that it was asked to weigh in on the protests at all — another sign of the remarkable speed with which it has grown from a crowd chanting at police two weeks ago. As for the substance of the White House response, it would have been a mistake for it to go any further than it did here — registering an understanding of economic frustration. Because if there’s one thing that’s growing clearer by the hour, it’s that this is an entirely organic effort, one that’s about nobody but the protestors themselves.

I think Greg misses an important point - the White House's cozy relationship with Wall Street is part of what is being protested. Hard to see an Administration that has Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary being in tune with a protest against Wall Street. BTW, as long as offering "an agenda" to Occupy Wall Street seems to be the latest rage, here's my contribution - demand the firing of Tim Geithner.

After criticizing Rick Perry for being "insensitive" regarding the name of a ranch apparently owned by Perry, Herman Cain, the African American former Godfather's Pizza honcho came to understand that the only acceptable claims of racial insensitivity from African Americans can be made against Democrats:

I think that Herman Cain hurts himself by joining in on these attacks. His big appeal is that he’s not just another black race-card-playing politician. Climbing on board with the Post’s hit piece suggests that actually, he is.

Cain has learned his lesson:

Medical marijuana is legal in Colorado, as the result of a constitutional amendment passed in 2000. In 2005, Denver passed an ordinance legalizing adult possession of up to an ounce of medical marijuana. Because the state has not followed suit, and still criminalizes non-medical possession by a $100 fine, in 2007, Denver passed an ordinance designating private adult marijuana possession the city's "lowest law enforcement priority." A city panel was to be created to ensure the ordinance was implemented "to the greatest extent possible."

Papa John's is a local pizza delivery company. On Friday night, a customer who lived in Aurora, a city next to Denver, ordered a pizza from Papa Johns. The delivery guy called the police after dropping off the pizza because he smelled marijuana at the house. The delivery guy said he was concerned because the man's daughter was in the house.

The customer had a valid medical marijuana card. The Aurora police came to his house on a child welfare check. They searched his house. No charges were filed. Papa John's says their delivery guy did the right thing. [More...]

The trial of Umar Farouk Umadullatab, charged with a failed attempt to bring down an airline en route to Detroit on Christmas Day, begins tomorrow.

The Superseding Indictment is here. All of our coverage is assembled here.

Abdulmutallab is representing himself, with the assistance of standby counsel Anthony Chambers. I wonder how he'll do at cross-examining witnesses. "F. Lee Underpants" for the defense?

Will a conviction on all counts and a life sentence cause Republicans to admit that terror suspects can be successfully prosecuted in federal court? Don't hold your breath. [More...]

The ACLU has obtained a chart from the Department of Justice showing what types of records the major cell phone carriers keep and for how long. The chart is here. It was prepared for law enforcement to assist them in obtaining cell phone records.

The ACLU filed 381 requests in 32 states with local law enforcement agencies in an attempt to determine when, why and how they are using cell phone location data to track Americans.

Here's a map where you can click on your state to learn more. Here's why it's a problem. [More..]

I usually like the Daily Mail reporting despite its tabloid nature. It also has good photos. Today it made a big misstep. Via Gawker and Malcolm Coles: In its hurry to be first reporting the Amanda Knox verdict, the Daily Mail got it wrong, and hit the "publish" button on a pre-written article pronouncing Knox guilty. The article even included reaction quotes from the prosecution.

Prosecutors were delighted with the verdict and said that 'justice has been done' although they said on a 'human factor it was sad two young people would be spending years in jail'.

Here's a screen grab of the article, which the Daily Mail corrected minutes later.

Update: Amanda Knox's nightmare is over. She's free. Her murder conviction is overturned. Only the slander charge against police was upheld. Raffaele Sollecito was also freed. Here's Amanda listening to the verdict, after the verdict is announced, being led out of court, and the crowd outside which was cheering. One half hour later, they are still outside. Amanda will soon leave this prison.

Update: 1:45 pm: Amanda is seated now. She looks as nervous as she must feel. She's surrounded by police. [More...]

Here's Johnny Cochran: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit...." (4 min. 30 seconds in). Another great line: "They allowed this investigation to be infected by a dishonest and corrupt detective."

You can watch OJ try on the gloves here.

Open thread.