The Nuke Option

Trump on the nuclear option: “Go for it.” Thankfully, he wasn’t talking about actual nukes, but rather a filibuster-busting tactic that Senate Republicans could deploy to push through his Supreme Court nominee, Colorado federal appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch: a justice who is likely to follow in the legal footsteps of Antonin Scalia.

+ Neil Gorsuch wrote a book on assisted suicide. Here’s what he said: “All human beings are intrinsically valuable, and the intentional taking of human life by private persons is always wrong.”

+ “The White House aides ferried Gorsuch down a quiet farm road to the airport, where they boarded a military jet for the flight to Joint Base Andrews.” As he announced his pick, Trump asked, “Was that a surprise?” Here’s how hard the White House worked to keep the pick a secret. (I imagine keeping the boss away from Twitter was the most difficult aspect of the strategy.)

+ After being picked, who did Neil Gorsuch call first? Merrick Garland. And Merrick Garland will be one of the determining factors as the Dems decide how hard to fight the president’s pick.

+ In other DC news, Rex Tillerson has been confirmed as Secretary of State, and Mike Flynn reacted to a recent ballistic missile test launch by ripping the Obama administration and putting Iran “on notice.”