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1.) The Supremes shall dine on the entrées — Ilya Shapiro reports for TheDC that on the first day of oral arguments over Obamacare, the Supreme Court seemed uninterested in dismissing the case over a technical argument:
“Despite the Court’s having spent much of today discussing the hyper-technical issue of whether the [Anti-Injunction Act] is ‘jurisdictional’ … it quickly became clear that the justices would set aside their legalistic doubts enough to entertain the heart of the matter presented. In other words, it would be quite surprising based on the argument we heard if the Court does not get past this AIA appetizer to the constitutional entrées yet to come.”
The question is shall the high court find the entrées wanting? Or will they find them scrumptiously delightful?
2.) Biggest Scoop of 2012 — In a scoop that transcends time and place, The Daily Caller has obtained email exchanges between Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney that reveal a passive aggressive hostility between the two after August’s Republican National Convention picks Romney as the nominee and Santorum as his running mate. At one point, Santorum apologizes to Romney for some ill-advised remarks he made during October’s vice-presidential debate, TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein and Will Rahn reveal:
“Hey buddy, Let me just apologize for some of my comments in last night’s vice presidential debate. I think part of the problem was that I haven’t spoken in front of people who speak English in some time thanks to Tagg’s brilliant idea to have me extensively campaign in the Northern Marianas Islands (by the way, if you decide to send me back there, I would appreciate if the campaign could find enough funds so my accommodations include both a roof and running water this time). But back to the debate. I realize now that referring to Tagg and his brothers as your “merry band of sissies” during a nationally televised debate was uncalled for. Also, referring to you as Gov. Mandate may not have been the best turn of phrase. I will also cease saying I will leave the country if you are elected president.”
Read the rest of exchange. Now. Then have a good laugh. And then share it with your friends.
3.) What surprises await with Obama, term deux? — Republicans are slamming President Obama for his hot mic comment to the outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that the Russians have to give him some pre-election slack and that he will have more room to maneuver on missile defense after his reelection. TheDC’s Neil Munro reports:
“Republicans are using President Barack Obama’s cryptic pledge to Russia of post-election ‘flexibility’ highlight the numerous occasions when the president has hinted he’ll embrace unpopular and controversial policies once he’s free of electoral pressures after November. He’s ‘not telling us what he’s intending to do with regards to our missile defense system, with regards to our military might and with regards to our commitment to Israel,'” declared Gov. Mitt Romney.”
4.) Honoring Breitbart — TheDC’s Matt Labash argues that the best way you can honor the late Andrew Breitbart is by donating to a trust established for his children:
“So you could honor Andrew’s memory by walking around with your ‘I Am Breitbart’ t-shirt or lunchbox or beer-can koosie, or you can start Twitter fights with Media Matters, or you can rollerblade down to Occupy encampments if that’s what floats your boat. We each mourn in our own peculiar way. But chances are, you are not, in fact, Breitbart. He was hilarious and entertaining and lion-hearted and maddening. Something close to one of a kind. So why not just be yourself, and do something useful in that capacity. Help the people closest to Andrew who lost more than a political lightning rod or a performance artist or the leader of a movement. They lost a husband and a father. After all the affectionate eulogizing and hit-obituaries have been written, and attention inevitably subsides, those five people still have to get down to the hard business of living. So if you liked Breitbart, you can honor him by helping out his family.”
You can send donations to The Breitbart Children’s Trust at: 149 S. Barrington Avenue #735 Los Angeles, CA 90049
5.) Poll of the day: Americans want to see Supreme Court proceedings — CNN/ORC poll asks “Do you think the U.S. Supreme Court should or should not allow television cameras into their courtroom when they hear arguments in their cases?”: 61% say “should allow”, 35% say “should not allow,” 4% unsure.
6.) BIRTHDAYS! — Luxury automobile pioneer Sir Henry Royce turns 149 (hat tip: rich people) … Greatest NFL quarterback of all time Randall Cunningham turns 49 … Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino turns 49 (h/t: Jack the Ripper) … Singer Mariah Carey turns 42.