Supporters of the Affordable Care Act were trying to come to grips with the very real possibility after Supreme Court arguments this week that the conservative majority of justices could strike down the law, or at least the crucial individual mandate. From the White House on down, it was unclear what the political response would be.
House Republicans are expected on Thursday to pass their budget proposal which would cut $5.3 trillion in spending, mostly from domestic programs that aid the poor and middle class. The controversial budget, crafted by House Budget Committee Rep. Paul Ryan would also radically change Medicare for future seniors by shifting much of the program towards private-sector insurance. Thursday's vote would come after the House rejected a bipartisan budget plan and Republicans found a way past intraparty disagreements.
Newt Gingrich met secretly with Mitt Romney over the weekend. He told a Washington Times journalist he made no deal with the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination to get out of the race. Meanwhile, Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire gambling magnate and Gingrich's primary donor, has reportedly said he's through writing big checks on behalf of Gingrich's campaign.
Sen. Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican and rising star in his party, endorsed Mitt Romney and said it was time for the GOP presidential primary to end. The unexpected endorsement furthered speculation that Rubio could be angling for the vice presidential nomination despite his repeated denials.
In the matter of Kinde Durkee, the one-time Democratic campaign treasurer used by many California politicians and charged with embezzling at least $7 million, Democrats were still trying to reconcile the person they thought they knew whose lifestyle was anything but lavish with the person expected to plead guilty Friday to stealing from scores of clients.
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