Newt Gingrich is running for President. Does anyone care? I don't. He's got so much baggage he doesn't have a prayer.

Republicans today blocked the nomination of James Cole as #2 at the Justice Department. The vote is here.

President Obama will stand at the U.S. Mexican border tomorrow, and according to the Washington Post, take credit for "cracking down on illegal immigration."

The president is expected to reel off what his aides say is evidence of an unprecedented focus on border security: hundreds of millions of dollars spent since he took office on high-tech fencing, aerial drones and a doubling of the border patrol since 2004. The result, aides say, has been a steep decline in illegal incursions and plummeting crime rates in U.S. border communities from Texas to California.

How depressing. All of it. Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

The Giro d' Italia starts today. Podium Cafe is a great place to follow it.

The Lakers are almost done.

The Celtics will basically be done if the Heatles win tonight. The most interesting series remains the least noticed - the Thunder-Grizzlies. I like the Griz at home today.

My big viewing event this weekend is Chelsea-ManU at Old Trafford. Go Blues!!

Seve Ballesteros has passed away. R.I.P.

Open Thread.

It's a busy day.

Here's an open thread for news updates and other things, all topics welcome.

Survivor, American Idol, and Justified tonight. A welcome break from the continuing contradictions in the retelling of the death of Osama bin Laden.

I'm sure there's also other news. Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

I'm done with Osama for a while. There has to be other news, the world hasn't stopped.

The singers on The Voice are really good.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

The accounts by unnamed administration officials on the strike against the Osama bin Laden compound diverge on so many key points, I'm not spending any more time reading them right now. Everytime I start to write something up, another news story pops up with contrary information.

Whether it's Osama bin Laden, his courier, the bloody bedroom scene where he was killed, what happened to the other bodies, whether the helicopter crashed or was shot down, the blatantly false claim by Republicans that torturing detainees at secret overseas prisons led to the courier who led them to Osama's hideout, or other news of the day, here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Open Thread.

After attacks at U.N. offices in Tripoli today, the U.N. has announced it's pulling out of Libya. The U.K. embassy in Tripoli was attacked and the U.K, has expelled he Libyan ambassador, giving him 24 hours to leave Britain. Italy closed its embassy in March after attacks. Meanwhile, Nato says its attacks yesterday were targeted military attacks:

Nato has insisted its raid targeted a "command-and-control" building, and that all Nato targets were "military in nature".

Libyan officials say funerals will be held tomorrow for Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Arab Gaddafi and "the other victims," described yesterday as Saif Gaddafi's three children. What a mess.

On another topic, many immigration reform rallies were held today. In LA, the protesters called on Obama to keep his 2008 campaign promise to provide a path to legalization for the undocumented. But they are not threatening to vote against him. [More...]

Around 10 pm last night, I noticed site traffic was crazy. There were 4,000 visits an hour -- on a Saturday night. It's still going on. Almost all visitors are coming from Reddit, where someone recommended my post about Donald Trump shelling out $85,000. in 1989 for newspaper ads seeking the death penalty for the teens arrested for raping the Central Park Jogger. (They were convicted and 13 years later, exonerated and freed from prison. They are suing New York, and there was a news article this week reporting that one of them is outraged that Trump to this day refuses to apologize for the ad.)

There are more than 600 comments to the post at Reddit, most critical of Trump.

The post is still #1 at Reddit with more than 1,750 recommendations. I don't know if TalkLeft's server can withstand this kind of traffic for so many hours, so if we go down, you know why. I'll post updates if necessary at our backup site.

This TrumpMania is so odd. Do people really think Trump is going to run? I don't. Other than Celebrity Apprentice (which I watch and like) I don't get why he is such a headline-grabber. What makes him even remotely qualified? And why are people taking him so seriously?

Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs start today.

Heatles v. Celtics at 3:30. The more interesting game imo, is at 1 - Memphis v. OKC. In the serieses (?) I like the price on the Celtics (+155), though I like the Heat today (-4). I like the Grizzlies (+7) over OKC in Game 1.

Right now I am rooting for Arsenal to beat ManU so that Chelsea can have a chance catch them in the EPL.

Open Thread.

Is anyone watching the White House Correspondent's dinner? Who's there? Donald Trump, Bristol Palin and Bill O'Reilly. Also, President Obama, who is lauughing at SNL's Seth Meyers. And Sean Penn. Here's a photo gallery of "red carpet" arrivals.

Update: Meyers is killing Trump. Trump is so not amused. And Obama is laughing out loud. He then moves to Obama, who's a good sport and laughs at all the jabs, from how he's aged to how the only person who can beat Obama in 2012 is the Obama who ran in 2008.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome. Updates and video from the dinner below:.

Madison NORML Examiner:

Sad news this morning as we learn that longtime Madison cannabis activist Ben Masel passed away shortly after 9am today from complications of cancer at hospice care in Fitchburg. Further details coming. Today's Global Cannabis Freedom March, scheduled for noon on Capitol Square, will be dedicated to Ben's memory.

R.I.P.