WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite calls to select a Supreme Court nominee from outside the judicial monastery, President Barack Obama doesn't appear to be ready to leave the faith.
In his search for a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, President Barack Obama is zeroing in on a small group of appellate court judges with largely traditional credentials and a history of bipartisan backing. The choices suggest the White House plans to challenge the Republican Senate to block a nominee whose pedigree might have paved the way for a relatively easy confirmation — if the fight weren't playing out in an election year.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Anxious Republican officials are coming to terms with the idea that their second least favorite GOP presidential candidate — polarizing Texas conservative Ted Cruz — may be the party's best last chance to stop Donald Trump.
Possible Cruz supporters include reluctant Senate colleagues and former presidential rivals with strong ties to major donors, who have long feared Cruz's purist ideology but dread the prospect of a Trump nomination even more. The first-term Texas senator on Wednesday announced the backing of one former primary opponent, Carly Fiorina, and is seeking the backing of another, Jeb Bush, on Thursday.
