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November 14, 2011 | | MOMENTUM With Herman Cain’s support plummeting, there’s a new guy heading to the top of the GOP heap: Newt Gingrich. In CNN’s latest survey, Gingrich rises to 22 percent, just behind Romney at 24 percent but well within the poll’s margin of error. But will it last? Jamelle Bouie at the American Prospect says: of course not. Bouie says Gingrich has only shoestring operations in key primary states, and a paltry $300,000 in the bank. “Gingrich is basking in the spotlight generated by a desperate conservative movement. As soon as it becomes clear that Gingrich is a terrible choice for facing Barack Obama, they’ll turn their attention elsewhere.” SHOWDOWN "Obamacare" is going to the Supreme Court. The justices announced on Monday that they would take up three separate cases arguing the constitutionality of President Obama’s controversial reform law, part of which mandates that individuals purchase health insurance from the market. The court will hold oral arguments sometime in the spring, most likely in March. It is expected to issue a decision by the end of its current term, which is normally in late June—and which next year will fall in the middle of the presidential campaign. FALLOUT Fans of Penn State are struggling to deal with the shock of assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's sex-abuse charges and legendary Lion Joe Paterno's abrupt firing—a tough task for a community where football is religion and religion is football, and even sermons are structured around big wins. And the fallout continues: the Big Ten has decided to scratch Paterno’s name from its conference championship trophy in the wake of his firing.Plus, sources tell The Daily Beast that Penn State faces a civil lawsuit. OUTCAST Syria’s friends are dropping fast. In an interview with the BBC, Jordan’s King Abdullah publicly urged President Bashar al-Assad to step down and put an end to his nation’s bloody crackdown on dissent. Abdullah became the first Arab leader to publicly call for Assad’s ouster—just a few days after the Arab League voted to suspend Syria. Syrian regime supporters reacted to the ouster with violence, storming regional embassies. Meanwhile, the U.N. estimates that 3,500 civilians have died since the beginning of the crackdown. This past weekend, an activist was reportedly shot dead in front of his 9-year-old son. CLAMPDOWN A day after authorities drove out hundreds of Occupy Portland demonstrators in Oregon, riot police did the same in Oakland, Calif., early Monday, removing tents from a downtown plaza and leading protesters away. There were more than 20 arrests, but the eviction was mostly peaceful: officers did not use tear gas or projectiles to clear the camp as they did on Oct. 25. After the plaza was cordoned off, some of the demonstrators simply gathered near the barricades. “There are thousands of people who are going to come back,” one protester said. LEGACY Jerry Grills Regis Seinfeld pulled into Philbin’s studio on his bicycle to reminisce. | | 
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