It's a busy work day for me, here's an open thread for you, all topics welcome.

The New York Times will require paid subscriptions to access more than 20 articles a month commencing March 28. Here's the letter from the publisher outlining the terms.

When the Times went this route a few years ago with respect to its editorial content, the plan backfired. Will it be different now? And what if other major dailies follow suit?

It may not be as bad as it sounds. First, even non-subscribers will get 20 free articles a month. And, if you get home delivery, even for just the Sunday Times, you get free, full digital access on your computer, smartphone and tablets.

For blog writers and readers, the silver lining is this:

Readers who come to Times articles through links from search, blogs and social media like Facebook and Twitter will be able to read those articles, even if they have reached their monthly reading limit.

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Not only did Hillary Clinton rule out a presidential and vice-presidential bid today, she also said she wouldn't accept a position as Secretary of Defense. More significantly, she said she's not staying in her current position as Secretary of State in 2012.

Clinton, visiting Cairo, was asked whether she would stay on in a second Obama term. She also was asked if she would like the jobs of president, vice president or defense secretary. She offered single word responses to each: "No."

I wonder if she already has an offer so good she can't refuse it in the private sector.

Owsley Stanley died at age 76 this past weekend, following an automobile accident in Australia, where he has lived with his wife for the past 30 years. Revered in the 1960's for the quality of his acid, his name may not be as familiar as Ken Kesey or Timothy Leary, but he was a legend.

Among a legion of youthful seekers, his name was synonymous with the ultimate high as a copious producer of what Rolling Stone once called "the best LSD in the world … the genuine Owsley." He reputedly made more than a million doses of the drug, much of which fueled Kesey's notorious Acid Tests — rollicking parties featuring all manner of psychedelic substances, strobe lights and music. Tom Wolfe immortalized Stanley as the "Acid King" in the counterculture classic "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" (1968).

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Disclosure: I represent and have represented clients involved in antitrust matters, both as plaintiffs and defendants.

The National Football League and the NFL Players Association failed to reach agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement last week. This failure has led to a number of actions. First, prior to the expiration of the then existing collective bargaining agreement, the NFLPA decertified as a union. Second, the NFL has locked out the players (meaning that they are refusing to hire or continue the employment of the players.) Third, NFL stars Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees, among others, have filed an antitrust suit (PDF) against the NFL. Lester Munson provides a good (though NFLPA friendly) recap. To understand how all of this happened, it is important to revisit how they got here. On the flip, I'll review some of the issues, and give my view of where this might go.

Executions may be on hold for a while in Georgia. The DEA has seized the state's supply of drugs used to execute inmates, after allegations were made that Georgia imported thiopental in circumvention of federal law.

CIA contractor Ray Davis, accusing of shooting and killing 2 Pakistanis, has been released from jail. The U.S. paid the victims' families $2 plus million in "blood money." Davis is on a flight back to the U.S. More from Bloomberg News here.

The New York Times reports the U.S. is employing unmanned drones in Mexico to track the cartels.

The Pentagon began flying high-altitude, unarmed drones over Mexican skies last month, American military officials said, in hopes of collecting information to turn over to Mexican law enforcement agencies.

The U.S. and Mexico have also agreed to open a second "counternarcotics “fusion” center" to better share information.

In addition, the United States trains thousands of Mexican troops and police officers, collaborates with specially vetted Mexican security units, conducts eavesdropping in Mexico and upgrades Mexican security equipment and intelligence technology, according to American law enforcement and intelligence officials. [More...]

Here are my winning picks:

EAST 1st Round

(1) Ohio St (32-2)
(16) TexSA/AlaSt Ohio St

(8) George Mason (26-6)
(9) Villanova (21-11) George Mason

(5) W Virginia (20-11)
(12) UAB/Clem W Virginia

(4) Kentucky (25-8)
(13) Princeton (25-6) Kentucky

(6) Xavier (24-7)
(11) Marquette (20-14) Marquette

More one the flip . . .

Yoga classes are coming to the Pitkin County jail in Aspen.

The House today passed a spending bill to keep the Government going another three weeks.

Radiation fears are still rising in Japan.

What's on your news radar tonight? Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

The U.S. Attorney in Montana issued this press release today about the 26 search warrants executed yesterday in Montana. (More here.) The targets: medical marijuana businesses, which the U.S. Attorney calls "criminal enterprises."

According to the list of items to be seized, it's not just records of the businesses they were after, but customer records too:

According to the warrant, signed Thursday by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Jeremiah C. Lynch, authorities were authorized to seize “items that are evidence of the commission of drug trafficking offenses” under federal law, including marijuana; packaging materials and related paraphernalia; cell phones, firearms; books and records.

“Books and records,” include items and “papers with names, addresses and telephone numbers, including but not limited to (those) of co-conspirators and/or persons to whom dangerous drugs have been delivered to or obtained from,” according to the warrant. Also sought: “documents and/or papers which may aid in the identification and location of customers, suppliers and/or co-conspirators.”

The U.S. Attorney insists "Individuals with illnesses who are in clear and unambiguous compliance with state law are not the focus of this investigation." Then why get a warrant for customer records? [More...]

My earlier condemnation of President Obama's endorsement of the abusive treatment of Pfc Bradley Manning is here. In that piece, I stupidly predicted State Dep't spokesman P.J. Crowley would not be dismissed because of his remarks criticizing the treatment of Manning. By now, you all know Crowley was in fact dismissed. This dismissal has triggered a new round of condemnations of President Obama and rightly so. (see Glenn Greenwald's roundup and this NYTimes editorial Frankly, I thought Crowley would not be dismissed because these condemnations would be inevitable. The political geniuses (set aside right and wrong, as pols always do) of the Obama team would know better. They didn't.

What I have not seen is criticism of Crowley's boss, the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who should have defended Crowley. Instead, she is now complicit in the Obama Administration's disgraceful behavior. Shame on the Secretary of State. This is the most disgraceful moment of her tenure.

Speaking for me only