The Oscars will begin shortly.

There will be no host, no audience, nor face masks for nominees attending the ceremony at Los Angeles' Union Station - this year's hub for a show usually broadcast from the Dolby Theatre.

Steven Soderbergh is in charge this year:

The Oscars will look more like a movie, Soderbergh has said. The show will be shot in 24 frames-per-second (as opposed to 30), appear more widescreen and the presenters - including Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Harrison Ford, Rita Moreno and Zendaya - are considered "cast members." The telecast's first 90 seconds, Soderbergh has claimed, will "announce our intention immediately."

It may be a landmark year for diversity but I agree with Bill Maher - the movies are just so sad.

Then again, it was a sad year all the way around.

Justice for George Floyd!
Derek Chauvin has been convicted on all three charges.

Both sides gave their closing arguments in the case of Derek Chauvin, who is charged with the murder of George Floyd.

Was it murder?

The prosecutor reminded jurors that Floyd said "I can't breathe" 27 times in the first 4 minutes and 45 seconds of this encounter. He also said "9 minutes and 29 seconds" all throughout his presentation, reminding jurors of the length of time that Chauvin had Floyd pinned to the pavement.

"Was George Floyd resisting when he was trying to breathe? No," he said, adding that Chauvin chose to mock Floyd by saving, "It takes a lot of oxygen to complain."

Chauvin is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The prosecutor told the jury all the state had to prove was the Chauvin did it on purpose: [More...]

Six women between the ages of 18 and 48 have been afflicted with a blood clotting disorder within three weeks of taking the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. One died, one is in critical condition in the hospital. While that's a tiny number of the 9 million people in America who have received the vaccine, the government is concerned enough to put a "pause" on the vaccine until they know more.

Scientists with the F.D.A. and C.D.C. will jointly examine possible links between the vaccine and the disorder and determine whether the F.D.A. should continue to authorize use of the vaccine for all adults or modify the authorization, possibly limiting it to certain population groups. An emergency meeting of the C.D.C.’s outside vaccine advisory committee has been scheduled for Wednesday.

What population group would you exclude? Females between 18 and 48? [More...]

Our last open thread is full, time for a new one.

The trial of police officer Derek Chauvin is winding down. Judging from the reporting, it seems like the defense is going to have a hard time selling that George Floyd died of drugs and heart problems given the multiple experts called by the prosecution. The Judge expects the jury to get the case Monday, and they will be sequestered.

Nelson is presenting two key arguments. He says that whatever actions Chauvin took were reasonable and followed his training as a police officer, and that in any case those actions are not what killed Floyd.

“You will learn that Derek Chauvin did exactly what he had been trained to do over the course of his 19-year career. The use of force is not attractive, but it is a necessary component of policing,” he told the jury.

[More...]

To those of you attending seders this week for Pesach (Passover), enjoy. I made Matzoh Brei for breadfast, and will have matzoh ball soup for dinner, but I'm not willing to be in a room full of people I haven't seen in a year to do a live seder. Zoom doesn't do much for me either, so I'll take a pass.

Stay safe out there, and don't believe the hype that this virus is on its way out. This Wall St. Journal article about the P.1 variant that's overtaken Brazil is very scary. The Lancet has more on the P.1 variant and Manaus.

Maine got its first case 2 days ago. It is also in New York. [More...]

Seriously, Joe Biden intends to seek a second term? Who is he kidding? Trump's kids must be screaming with delight, thinking it's their turn next.

Politics has been completely boring lately. I think it's to be expected after four years of living on the edge of our seats and not knowing whether we'd live another year -- as a country or individually.

I had court this morning and the Judge wasn't wearing a mask. The only people in the courtroom were his clerk, 2 U.S. Marshals and me and my client (all masked). (The prosecutor and court reporter appeared by video). At one point he said the risk wasn't too big since all of us had probably gotten at least one vaccination dose. [More...]

My condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in and outside King Soopers in Boulder this week.

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, age 21, will be told today that he is facing 9 counts of First Degree Murder -- After Deliberation; 1 count of First Degree Murder of a Police Officer and 1 count of Attempted First Degree Murder of a Police Officer.

He will be represented by members of Boulder's excellent Public Defender's office. The two defenders filing his pleadings are Kathryn Herrold and Samuel Dunn. (I assume they will be the ones who appear in court.)

The DA filed the case directly in District Court so there will be no county court judge. District Court Judge Thomas Mulvahill will handle all proceedings. He's held that position since 2009. Before then, he was a criminal defense lawyer in private practice. [More...]

The news in Colorado all week has been dominated by the massive and "historic" snowstorm expected to hit the state this weekend. At 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning, downtown Denver has yet to see a single snowflake. I won't be surprised if it passes right over Denver and hits Ft Collins or Greely on its way north to Cheyenne.

I'll be upset if that happens. I want my Snowpocalypse. I braved the grocery and liquor stores Thursday where goods and foods and bottles of beverages were flying off the shelves faster than the employees could restock them. I got sucked into the mindset of the masses, stocking up on things I'll never use unless there's a big storm like flashlights, candles, an extra blanket. You better believe I want my snow storm. [More...]

Andrew Cuomo today said he's sorry he made anyone feel uncomfortable but he won't resign.

Good for him. He should not resign. This piling on of accusations from years past with automatic acceptance of the accusers' allegations is simply wrong. This country was founded on the principle of innocent until proven guilty.

Andrew Cuomo is not alleged to have physically assaulted anyone. It's not alleged that he threatened to use or used physical "force" against anyone with the intent of causing them physical injury. He's alleged to have used a "pattern of words and actions that have...made three women who are decades his junior feel deeply uncomfortable, in their collective telling."

By today's moral standards, if true, his words and actions constitutes sexual harassment. By legal standards, it might or might not constitute an actionable civil claim for damages or is unlikely to be a basis for criminal prosecution. (Personally, I think it should be neither, but I don't make the laws, I just defend people charged with breaking them.) [More...]

Due to the threat of a new assault at the Capitol for tommorrow, the House of Representatives has canceled its planned sessions.

Leaving nothing to chance, House leaders on Wednesday abruptly moved a vote on policing legislation from Thursday to Wednesday night, so lawmakers could leave town, according to a senior Democratic aide familiar with the planning.

The Capitol Police issued a release that says:

“We have obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group on Thursday, March 4,” the force said in a statement. “We are taking the intelligence seriously.”

Runaway is the new policy for responding to terror threats? That's not a sign of strength.

Trump's lawyers are presenting a First Amendment defense. I think arguing that he didn't understand what he was saying, which we all know was too often the case, would be a more credible argument. Or that there was a vast right wing conpsiracy of white supremacists who planned this for months and used him as a patsy, dressing themselves up in Trump and maga gear pretending to be his supporters but he has no idea who the h*ll they were. Shorter version: He was duped into supporting bad guys he thought were good guys.

Trump will be acquitted by spineless Republicans.

I don't think he's planning on running in 2024, I think he's trying to reserve the field for Ivanka or even worse, Don. Jr.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.