Your turn. Here's an open thread, all topics welcoem.

I've got a few more episodes of Downton Abbey to catch up on before tonight's finale. Have any of you been watching it? You can watch the entire season 2 without commercials on PBS here, and Season 1 is streaming on Netflix.

Michelle Obama and the First Daughters are in Aspen for a ski vacation.

For those of you following other things today, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

The U.S. has filed a 90 page superseding indictment against Kim DotCom and the other Megaupload defendants, adding several wire fraud and copyright infringement charges. The U.S. has seized $50 million from the defendants so far. [More...]

Congress has passed the extension of the Payroll Tax Cut.

According to the AP, ICE is now saying the agent shooting involved a workplace matter. A subordinate agent shot a supervising agent, a third agent intervened and shot the subordinate agent. The subordinate agent/first shooter is the one who died. The agent he shot is in the hospital. The intervening agent who killed the shooter is fine.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Medical marijuana dispensaries are officially out of business today in Fort Collins.

Underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, will be sentenced tomorrow in Detroit for his failed attempt to blow up a plane on Christmas Day. He represented himself and pleaded guilty. At least one count mandates a life sentence. His stand-by counsel is seeking less time, alleging the statute violates the 8th Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment and the Commerce Clause. He also moved to strike the report of the Government's "martyr" and suicide bombing expert, Simon Perry from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who has never been qualified by the court in this case as an expert and whose reference materials for his conclusions about future risk of dangerousness were not provided to the defense. Having read Dr. Perry's report (available on PACER and described at length here) I agree the expert's report should not be considered. Plus, excluding it won't make a difference given the mandatory life sentence requirement -- so all the Government is doing is providing Abdulmutallab provide another ground for appeal. [More...]

Bump: Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

President Obama is heading west for three days of fundraising. There will be 8 events in all. Musical headliner for the LA fundraiser: The Foo Fighters.

Is the Megaupload extradition on shaky ground? The issue was raised by the Judge at Kim DotCom's bail hearing. The prosecutor acknowledged the extradition treaty doesn't refer to copyright offenses, but said the U.S. could bootstrap through the 2000 United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and New Zealand's Extradition Act. [More...]

I'm out for the rest of the day.

Open Thread.

I'm still focused on the Grammy Awards show and Whitney Houston. The latest: Her daughter, 19 year old Bobbi Kristina, has been taken by ambulance from the Beverly Hilton to the hospital, for issues reportedly related to her emotional distraught over her mother's death.

Check out Big Tent Democrat's post at Daily Kos, E.J. Dionne Breaks Faith With Progressive Values.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

The Hutaree Militia members trial begins Monday. They've been picking the jury for weeks. 48 have been approved and Monday morning both sides will exercise their challenges to end up with a jury of 12 and 4 alternates. The defense says their clients were all talk and their speech is protected under the First Amendment. Most of the evidence comes from two informants who infiltrated the group and made secret recordings. The defense says:

"The recordings tendered thus far make it eminently clear that the group's objectives, even in their darkest light, included (1) exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech ... and (2) training to survive and defend themselves and their families in the event of chaos or an invasion by anti-American forces."

[More...]

Not much news today so far.

The southern border fence in Arizona doesn't seem to be working too well. Borderland Beat has a video of some guys using a lift jack to raise the fence off the ground and walk right under it with their duffle bags of (presumably) drugs. How much did we pay for that fence? $3 million per mile.

Federal estimates put the cost of building a mile of solid border fence at $3 million – meaning a border fence running the length of Arizona would cost about $1 billion. But Smith says the state will use inmate labor and donated supplies to cut expenses and meet his initial $50 million budget, though fundraising is expected to continue even after that point if it is reached.

President Obama is ready to send his 2013 budget plan to Congress. It proposes higher taxes on the wealthy, but what will be cut?

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Sorry about the dearth of posting. Really busy time for me.

If I can squeeze some time, I'll write about the reported Obama "accommodation" on contraceptives. My Sunday Daily Kos piece will be on the issue.

Open Thread.