Morning Constitutional – Friday, 12 March 2010

Good morning, everyone. Idol\’s down to a dirty dozen, Corey\’s heart was just too big, and Leno\’s back at number one. Now, on to your morning constitutional:

From the bad-ass files: In New York state, a 91-year-old pharmacy cashier gets punched fending off a thief, refuses medical attention, says she doesn\’t want to just \”sit there and be bored.\”

From the \”Science is freaking crazy\” files,  NASA says that the Chilean earthquake may have actually shifted Earth\’s axis.

Yesterday, Sens. Dick Durbin and Jeff Sessions announced they had reached a compromise on eliminating the 200-1 sentencing disparity between getting caught possessing crack and powder cocaine. Instead of eliminating it entirely, the deal reduces it by one-fifth to 20-1. Senators on the committee apparently spent the rest of the markup period complimenting each other on their bipartisanship. Granted, that hasn\’t happened very often lately.

A shocking report released Monday finds that the median wealth for a single black woman is $5.

The Senate parliamentarian ruled that President Obama has to sign a health care reform bill into law before Congress can approve changes to it through reconciliation, a setback for reform efforts.

Newest Capital Scott Walker thinks his new city is full of nice people, still has yet to master the train.

Senator Reid\’s wife and daughter were injured yesterday in a car wreck in Fairfax County, Virginia.

FiveThirtyEight on gerrymandering in the U.K.

Senators give the president a vague, but bipartisan, plan on immigration reform.

Killed by its own popularity: A cheese-rolling competition in Gloucestershire has been canceled due to safety concerns for spectators. Last year, 15,000 people attended the event, more than three times the site\’s capacity.

Where did President Obama spend the $1.4m Nobel money?

In a BBC interview yesterday, former White House adviser Karl Rove says he\’s proud of the U.S. waterboarding terrorism suspects.

In happier news, soon you may be able to take a pill for hard-to-treat head lice.