morning constitutional

Good morning, folks. Jesse James is going to rehab, there will be a Hangover sequel, and Matt Damon is going to guest star on 30 Rock. Now, your morning constitutional: The Obama administration will propose opening large swathes of the eastern Gulf of Mexico to natural gas and oil exploration and drilling. The price of oil has risen over the last year, mostly a result of investor activity. The New York Times, however, reports that oil prices are stable and are at a good place for the world economy. The Serbian Parliament passed a resolution condemning the...

Good morning, everybody. Ricky’s gay, Sandra’s dumping Jesse, but, worry not!, Heidi and Spencer are staying together. Now, your morning constitutional: President Obama will sign changes to student lending into law today. The changes will replace the current system of the government giving loans through private lenders and instead provide loans directly to students. The CERN Large Hadrom Collider succeeded Tuesday morning in colliding particles at three times the highest energy levels ever recorded. Of course, I have absolutely no idea what that means. Members of the League for Democracy Party in Myanmar voted to skip the country’s...

Good morning, folks. Butler, West Virginia, Duke and Michigan State: What in the—? Anyways, here’s your morning constitutional: President Obama made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan on Sunday to meet with President Karzai and address the troops stationed there. Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up on Moscow Metro subway trains this morning, killing at least 36. An obituary for ‘Cap and Trade.’ Seven have been arrested in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana in raids by a FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force on the militia group Hutaree, a self-described Christian militia, this weekend. They are expected to appear...

Good morning, everybody. How about those games last night? Sorry about your brackets, though. Now, your morning constitutional: Russian bombers were intercepted in British airspace. Is Russia’s military getting bolder? Protesters in Iraq are demanding a manual recount of votes in the recent election. The economics of an aging populace. The Obama administration announces plans to help homeowners. A caucus system in Utah that favors conservatives could imperil Sen. Bennett’s reelection hopes. Former militiaman urges people to vandalize offices of members of Congress who voted for health care reform. Calls himself a “Christian libertarian” but cashes government...

Good morning folks. We got a lot of news to get through, so sit down and shut up. Here’s your morning constitutional: Republicans overnight have forced the Senate to adopt changes to at least two provisions in the health care reform fix bill, citing parliamentary issues, which would require it to be sent back to the House for approval before passage. The two provisions both are related to higher education funding. Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed the execution of Henry Skinner pending a decision to take up his appeal, which would allow his defense access to...

Good morning, everybody. Jesse’s hoping for a reconciliation with Sandra, and James “The Anti-Christ” Cameron wants to debate Glenn “f—ing a–hole” Beck. And here’s your morning constitutional: The Senate begins a 20-hour debate over fixes to the the the health care reform bill today as Republicans try one last time to make arguments against the fixes. One often overlooked, but possibly very important, piece of the health care bill requires chain restaurants nationwide to post calorie counts for all menu items. Christian Science Monitor has an excellent series detailing the provisions of the health care reform bill....

Good morning, folks. Sarah has a reality show she wants to tell you about, Reese has a new beau, and Joan Jett has some advice for Lady Gaga. And we have a morning constitutional: President Obama signing the health care reform bill into law today, as Republicans vow to continue doing everything they can to kill it. Sen. Judd Gregg hopes to bring back some of that town hall anger. Tories in Britain struggle with appearances of elitism with election coming up. Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup causes rats to gain more weight, and show...

Good morning, everybody. Borat got married, Rosie wants to come back, and there’s going to be a new Shel Silverstein book. Now, on to your morning constitutional: “We proved that this government—a government of the people and by the people—still works for the people,” President Obama said last night, as the House of Representatives, in a 219-212 vote, passed the Senate health care reform bill. In a separate 220-211 vote, they additionally sent a package of changes to the Senate. The Times has some details on the contents of the bill. Reuters weighs in as well. The...

Happy Friday, everyone. John Stewart is Glenn Beck, upsets apparently abound and if you needed any more, here’s your morning constitutional: Who knew that a move from ‘This Week’ to ‘Good Morning America’ was a promotion? Rep. Steve Cohen with a touching tribute to Alex Chilton. “Oh, I keep the beer in the other fridge.” Tony Judt on Obama, the EU and Transatlanticism. Finally, this is perfect for a beautiful day.

Good morning, folks. Conan might be going to Fox, Tebow’s throwing some balls around, and Jennifer Love Hewitt isn’t that excited about being single. Basketball starts this afternoon, so let’s get on with our morning constitutional: Whoo: Jobs bill passes Senate with 11 Republican votes. Paul Volcker, a former chairman of the Federal Reserve, is mad tall, has an office in the White House but hardly ever uses it, loves fly-fishing and cheap cigars. And he might be the key to solving the world’s financial problems. The Awl with a great piece on life in post-Castro Cuba:...