Midday Roundup: Facebook's Zuckerberg likes immigration reform

Prison transfer. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Afghanistan today, hoping to shore up relations with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. At the same time, U.S. forces handed over control of Bagram prison, the last detention facility in the country operated by Americans. The transfer was supposed to take place last year, but U.S. and Afghan officials couldn’t agree on what to do with the prison’s most dangerous inmates. About 50 foreign prisoners will remain in U.S. hands.

Liking immigration reform. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is forming a comprehensive immigration reform advocacy group, pouring millions of his own money into the effort. Zuckerberg is just one of several high-tech leaders pushing for changes to the nation’s immigration laws. It’s not clear yet what exactly he plans to advocate for. Other industry leaders have asked President Barack Obama for expanded visas for high-tech workers and provisions for foreign students who get science and technology degrees to qualify for permanent resident status. Foreign-born entrepreneurs have been a fixture in Silicone Valley for years.

Mystery death. The Russian tycoon found dead over the weekend at his home in England did not leave a suicide note, British authorities said Monday. But investigators also found no evidence of third-party involvement in Boris Berezovsky’s death. Police describe the death as unexplained, but plenty in Russia and abroad think he might have been assassinated. Berezovsky, 67, was a long-time ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, until they had a high profile falling out. Berezovsky, once one of the world’s riches men, fled to England, where he received asylum.

Phil’s fall guy. The saga of the groundhog continues in Ohio, where a prosecutor who filed charges against Punxsutawney Phil for his false prediction of an early spring is reconsidering his indictment. Bill Deeley, Phil’s handler and president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle, took blame on Monday for the inaccurate forecast. Ohio prosecutor Mike Gmoser said he would be willing to let Deeley take the fall for Phil. No word on whether Gmoser will continue to seek the death penalty in the case. That might depend on how he feels about the six inches of snow that blanketed Ohio when he woke up this morning, several days into spring.