Your turn.

This is an Open Thread.

There are great Michael Jackson videos on all the music channels this weekend. I can't believe Comcast doesn't have a live MTV HD channel. Anyway, you can watch online above. MTV is doing a tribute to him this evening, but there are too many interviews. Better to watch online, or one of the other channels.

The autopsy showed no signs of foul play or trauma to his body. Michael's body has been released to his family. Toxicology tests will take 6 to 8 weeks. His doctor, Houston cardiologist Conrad Murray, who was living with Jackson, has agreed to be interviewed. He's not suspected of criminal activity. Jackson's ex-wife and the mother of two of his children, Paris and Michael, will get custody as she never relinquished her parental rights.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Sorry to have been AWOL from the blog the past few days, but J and TChris have been filling the page with great stuff.

I should be back tomorrow blogging on things politics and SCOTUS.

This is an Open Thread.

I've been writing mostly about crime issues here today. In case there are other things you'd like to discuss, here's an open thread for you.

All topics welcome.

I'm watching The Bachelorette, Weeds and Nurse Jackie. I have a recap of The Bachelorette with predictions and spoilers over at PopLeft.

What are you watching tonight? And if the answer is nothing, what are you doing instead and what else is on your mind?

First Monday of the Summer. Sportswise, it is more interesting than one would have thought, with the final round of the US Open at Bethpage Black to be played today. Wimbledon starts today, but it has been deflated somewhat by Rafa Nadal's withdrawal. Next month you have the Tour de France, the British Open and of course, baseball and the Boys of Summer.

Politically and policywise, the two big stories this summer will be health care reform and the Sotomayor confirmation process.

What will you be paying attention to this summer? Besides your tans of course.

This is an Open Thread.

I was with my girls all day. So it was a Happy Fathers' Day for me. Hope it was the same for you.

This is an Open Thread.

A lot is happening in Iran and a lot is being written about it. Besides not having the time for it, I have been reluctant to write about it because I think we know so little about how Iran is actually governed.

If you have thoughts about this issue, or anything else, feel free to comment here.

This is an Open Thread.

In the news this morning:

• Walter Cronkite Gravely Ill, May Be Near Death

• NY Times Blasts Supreme Court for Rejecting Right to DNA Innocence Test

• New Study Shows 88% of Criminologists Believe Death Penalty is Not a Deterrent to Murder. The study, by Univ. of Colorado Sociology Professor Michael Radelet, is published in the Northwestern University School of Law’s Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology.

[More...]

It's barbecue night here. Which means an open thread for you. All topics welcome.

The ACLU has a lot of news today I didn't get to blog about.

• Report Confirms Continued Dragnet Collection Of Americans’ Communications

• Obama Administration Should Release CIA Inspector General Report Without Substantial Redactions, Says ACLU. Apparently, the Newly Released Detainee Statements Provide More Evidence Of CIA Torture Program (CIA Continues To Suppress Information From Detainee Tribunals With Heavy Redactions)

And, in the mail: a new novel, The Legal Limit, about a drug offender who faces a moral quandry and laws that always do justice. I can't tell yet if it's a pro-prosecution book or not. If you've already read it, let me know:[More...]

Hump day.

This is an Open Thread.

I just posted a piece at TPM Cafe Book Club on Eric Boehlert's book, "Bloggers on the Bus". The themes will be familiar to regular readers.

I will be writing more this week about a meeting with Bill Clinton I attended yesterday at his Harlem offices. A lot of food for thought was put on the table there.

Finally, please consider donating to Talk Left. If you like what we do, it would be nice if some of Jeralyn's costs could be defrayed. Here is the the paypal link, it's very easy (and takes credit cards even if you don't have a paypal account.)

If you don't like paypal, feel free to pull a few dollars out of your pocket and send it snail mail.

Speaking for me only. This is an Open Thread.