Tiger Woods says he's sorry and he'll return to golf one day, he's just not sure when. Did he do a good job? Some say he didn't. Why now, other than he had a break in his therapy schedule? On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Tiger Woods or his apology to you?

I wondered why no one had made this argument proferred by Matt Yglesias:

Given the level of liberal discomfort with the excise tax, the best policy option available would be for progressives to get their way on the public option (where progressives are right) and centrists to get their way on the tax question (where centrists are right) then you’d have an excellent bill.

Forgetting about the policy judgments Yglesias makes, such a political deal could make sense. The Senate bill has no constituency outside the Beltway and a fierce opponent of its excise tax in labor. The public option could rally progressive support for the health bills even in the face of labor opposition to the excise tax. Would it work? I don't know but at least it seems plausible.

Speaking for me only

Yesterday, the Fed raised the interest rate banks pay on emergency Fed loans:

Financial markets were sent into a late-day spin after being caught off-guard by the Federal Reserve decision to raise the rate it charges banks for emergency loans. [. . .] The increase in the discount rate is just one of several moves the Fed is taking to reverse its unprecedented easing of monetary policy, but it is perhaps the most visible action taken so far. [. . .] [T]he move was widely seen as a key step in the central bank's move toward raising interest rates more broadly.

Why in heaven's name would the Fed take such an approach? Surely not a rational fear of inflation. Today, new inflation numbers were released - they show DEflation for the first time since 1982:

Who's watching the Olympics? Women's snowboarding half-pipe finals are tonight. There's also women's downhill skiing.

Who's watching Survivor?

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Fired C.U. professor Ward Churchill is appealing the trial court's decision (available here)not to order his reinstatement after a jury ruled in his favor that he was terminated in retaliation for unpopular remarks about 9/11. The judge vacated the jury verdict, finding university officials had absolute immunity because they were acting as quasi-judicial officers in firing him. The jury had awarded Churchill $1.00 in damages,

The ACLU, American Association of University Professors and National Coalition Against Censorship today filed an amicus brief on behalf of Churchill. The brief argues the trial court was wrong to grant CU Regents absolute immunity, and given that there was a proven First Amendment violation, the presumed equitable remedy is reinstatement.

The brief is here. Background is here and here.

A U.S. Magistrate Judge this afternoon granted bond to Chris Bartkowicz, arrested last weekend after DEA raided his residence, having seen a news story about him on TV in which he claimed to be growing legally under Colorado law.

The Government had requested Bartkowicz be detained without bond pending trial. A hearing will be held tomorrow morning on his lawyers' motion to require the DEA to preserve the plants.

The judge set bond in the amount of $10,000.00 cash. He will also be on electronic monitoring. [More...]

Police now say one federal employee died in today's plane attack on the building housing the IRS in Austin. (Background here .)

David Neiwert at Crooks and Liars discusses whether the plane attack on the Austin building housing IRS employees was terrorism. More on that here.

I don't see what difference it makes what you call it. The pilot's dead. It's not like they are going to try him in a criminal court for use of a weapon of mass destruction. Had he lived, that likely would have been a preferred charge.

There's already cries for increased protection of federal buildings. Seems like today's attack will cost us a pretty penny.

Update: Here's the text of Obama's remarks.

President Obama will be in Denver this afternoon to appear at fundraisers for Sen. Michael Bennet. According to his schedule (times changed to Mountain Time):

• 2:50PM: President Obama arrives in Aurora, Colorado
• 3:30PM: President Obama delivers remarks at a grassroots fundraiser for Senator Bennet
• 4:40PM: President Obama delivers remarks at a fundraising reception for Senator Bennet
• 5:35PM: President Obama departs Aurora, Colorado en route Las Vegas, Nevada

Locations:

He will deliver remarks at a fundraiser for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver. He will also deliver remarks at a fundraising reception for Bennet at the Sheraton Hotel.

Medical marijuana activists are holding protests, "Patients Picket Obama: "Get the DEA Out of Colorado" across from the Fillmore. One of the reasons for the protest is the Feb. 12 raid on Chris Bartkowicz. Bartokowicz has a detention/bail hearing this afternoon.

NPR has the purported suicide note of Joseph Stack, believed to be the pilot who crashed a plane into the Austin, TX office building housing the IRS.

Update: Hundreds of tweets and articles and the first to report on whether Kerik goes to jail immediately or not is Tony Aiello. Kerik was granted a voluntary surrender to the designated prison, he will report May 17.

Update: The Judge sentenced Bernie to four years in prison, more than the Government requested. In other words, he rejected the plea agreement, which called for 27 to 33 months. AP report on reasons the judge went above the guidelines:

Kerik was "the chief law enforcement law enforcement officer for the biggest and grandest city this nation has," Robinson said. The crimes were committed "in the process of attempting to become a cabinet level position in the government of the United States."

Bump and Update: Bernie Kerik's sentencing is set for 10 am ET. I'm following on Twitter and elsewhere and will update with live reports from those on the scene. Federal proceedings are not televised but media is present.

Original Post with details below:

Crystal Magnum, the false accuser in the Duke LaCrosse case, has been charged with attempted murder, arson, and more:

Durham police arrested Duke lacrosse accuser Crystal Mangum, 33, late Wednesday after she allegedly assaulted her boyfriend, set his clothes on fire in a bathtub and threatened to stab him.

Authorities charged her with attempted first-degree murder, five counts of arson, assault and battery, communicating threats, three counts of misdemeanor child abuse, injury to personal property, identity theft and resisting a public officer.

The identity theft relates to her giving a false name and age to police when arrested.

I will probably be a supporter of passing the likely health bills (The Senate bill + a reconciliation fix) deal that will likely emerge from the ongoing House-Senate-White House negotiations. But not because of defenses like this one from Nick Kristof:

The debate about health care in recent months has focused on the shortcomings of the reform proposals. Critics are right to be disappointed [. . .] Critics doubt that the Senate and House bills would succeed in containing health care costs very much, and they may be right. It’s hard to know. But the existing system is a runaway roller coaster. Isn’t it prudent to try brake pedals even if we’re not sure how well they’ll work?

(Emphasis supplied.) Oy. I can do a better job of arguing for the current Senate bill than this. Here's a layup for Kristof - it will cover 31 million uninsured Americans, 15 million through an expansion of Medicaid. 'Maybe it will work' is a ridiculous argument. Why might it work? What does "work" mean?

Speaking for me only