Don’t just celebrate marijuana on 4/20; Help us change the failed and harmful marijuana laws.

Given the many potential uses for reconciliation, progressives should all pay very close attention to exactly what instructions — if any — are included in the budget. The earlier the effective date and broader the scope, the better. A potential reconciliation bill remains the only hope of any meaningful changes this year. Without reconciliation instructions, it will take the support of Ben Nelson, Joe Lieberman and at least one Republican for anything to pass the Senate for the next year.

Today, starting at 11 pm, the House Financial Services Committee will begin hearings on the collapse of Lehman Brothers and its role in the financial crisis. The hearing will be broadcast live on C-SPAN 3.

Expected to testify: a who’s who of the world of financial regulation. Former chief executive of Lehman Brothers, Dick Fuld, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Schapiro, and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are all expected to testify before the committee.

FDL will be monitoring the hearing and will report on and/or begin liveblogging the hearing if something of note happens.

[Ed Note: A liveblog by any other name. . . Scarecrow is doing a great job of keeping up with all the action in the comments below.]

The President can run but he cannot hide on this issue. As John Aravosis said last night, this has been an ongoing public relations disaster for this White House. The strains with the gay community started last year, and they basically haven’t stopped, despite the bone or two thrown the way of the LGBT community. The President insisted that he supports repealing DADT and has “begun to do that,” but everyone can plainly see that the Pentagon’s one-year study has blocked progress, and by 2011, the majorities needed for passage simply won’t be there.

Andy Worthington, who has conscientiously and effectively documented the fates of hundreds of prisoners held at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo has posted a “Habeas Corpus Scorecard” at his website. His first entry in the series considers the case of Yasin Qasem Muhammad Ismail, a Yemeni who was captured (or sold to U.S. forces) in Afghanistan in 2001.

If you needed further proof that Sen. Dodd’s threat to hold a vote on financial reform was somewhat idle, other than the fact that Susan Collins emerged from a meeting with the Treasury Secretary today still opposed to the bill, consider what the Senate will spend their time on this week. . . .

The Quitter’s makin’ stuff up again.

A use of investment money even Goldman Sachs could admire.

Featuring marijuana related videos by Kevin O’Grady and Toby Keith.

Our lives are filled to the brim; we have literally hundreds if not thousands of pieces of media throw up at us every single day. We don’t have a single moment to spare to figure out what to pay attention to. It’s mind-boggling. So, here, tonight, right on our stage, Aunt Toby is going to give you The Guide to the Un-News using today’s headlines (sort of like “The Guide to the Recently Deceased” only the bodies involved probably stink more).