The Morning Scroll: 'Avengers: Endgame' to Be the Longest MCU Movie & Trump Admin Seeks to Strike Down Obamacare

Morning! While you were sleeping (or staying up to binge-watch Friends for the tenth time, or pulling an all nighter in the library), a few things went down that you’ll probably want to know about. So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and get scrolling.

What in the World

British Prime Minister Theresa May told U.K. lawmakers Wednesday that she was prepared to quit in order to deliver Brexit as lawmakers failed to find a majority for any of the measure they voted on.

May’s announcement came just before lawmakers voted in a series of “indicative votes,” which is essentially when members of parliament (MPs) vote on a series of options to see what, if any of the measures, are able to garner a majority, ABC News reports. Since May’s Brexit deal has been heavily rejected, Parliament decided on Monday to hold the indicative votes. MPs voted on a series of alternative Brexit plans, including leaving the European Union (EU) without a deal and holding a second referendum.

None of the alternative plans, however, found a majority.

May’s Brexit plan has been criticized from politicians from different parties, with some suggesting that her plan will leave the U.K. too closely aligned with the EU, and others suggesting that the deal would hurt the U.K.’s economy.

According to her office, May told members of the 1922 Committee, which consists of Conservative MPs, “I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party.”

As the deadline for departing the EU quickly approaches, May’s announcement was an attempt to convince members of her own Conservative Party dissatisfied with her leadership to vote her plan through as someone else would take over in her place to lead the next phase of Brexit negotiations.

MPs are now set to vote on a narrower set of Brexit options on Monday, Politico reports. It remains unclear, however, if May will bring back her own Brexit deal for a third attempt at ratification before the end of the week.

The latest developments come as a petition to cancel Brexit and stay in the EU has gained nearly 6 million signatures, and an estimated 1 million people participated in a protest Saturday to demand a second referendum on Brexit.

Rumor Has It

New reports say that Avengers: Endgame will be the longest movie yet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the film running approximately three hours long.

With less than a month until the highly-anticipated film, Marvel Studios has been getting us fully excited for the movie, releasing new character images on Tuesday.

The images contained the caption “Avenge the Fallen,” with the pictures featuring the “fallen” and those that are still remaining after Thanos snapped his finger and wiped out half of the universe.  

But the images come as reports say the movie will clock in at three hours.

According to ABC News, the website for the theater chain AMC had posted the alleged running time of the film, but it has since been removed. Online ticketing service Fandango also suggested that the movie would run three hours and two minutes. But like AMC Theatres, Fandango scrubbed any such mention of the running time, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Disney and Marvel have not released the official running time, but sources said that while three hours and two minutes might not be the exact time, it’s close.

In an interview with Collider last month, directors and brothers Joe and Anthony Russo mentioned that early cuts of the film were coming in at over three hours long.

Joe Russo said at the time: “We’re still at the three-hour mark. I think the studio is down with what the best story is.”

“When you have to tell a really complicated story and you want strong emotional moments with the characters, it just requires a certain amount of real estate,” he added. “This one, in particular, feels like three hours’ worth of real estate.”

Avengers: Endgame hits theaters April 26.

Then This Happened

After the Justice Department backed a federal judge’s ruling this week that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) should be invalidated, President Donald Trump defended his administration’s decision Wednesday to back the legal fight to strike down the law.

The move, however, has lead Congressional Democrats to blast the administration, and some Republicans were rattled, as they are scrambling to find an alternative.

But when asked about the Justice Department’s decision to strike down the ACA in an ongoing court case, Trump showed no signs of backing down, calling the ACA a “disaster,” The Hill reports. Trump added that insurance premiums are “too high” and the law is “far too expensive for the people, not only for the country.”

The president pledged the Republican Party would have a “far better” health care proposal than the ACA if the law is eventually struck down by the Supreme Court.

“If the Supreme Court rules that ObamaCare (the ACA) is out, we’ll have a plan that is far better than ObamaCare,” Trump said at the White House.

“I understand health care now, especially very well. A lot of people don't understand it, we are going to be, the Republicans, the party of great health care,” Trump said, reiterating a promise he made Tuesday. “The Democrats have, they've let you down, they came up with Obamacare, it’s terrible.”

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who joined moderate Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and the-late John McCain to block the GOP’s last effort to repeal and replace the ACA, told reporters she was not pleased with the administration’s decision to strike down the law in the courts, ABC News reports.

“I know the president has said that he wants the Republican party to be the party of health care, and I'm glad to hear him say that — but it seems to me the cart is before the horse here,” Collins said. “If he has some good ideas for improving the ACA or our system of health care in this country, then those initiatives need to be put forth first before you try to strike down the entire ACA.”

“It is highly irregular and unusual for the department not to defend the duly enacted laws of this country regardless of whether or not the president agrees with those laws,” Collins added. “This is a major departure from the traditions of the department and I disagree with it. That's not to say that the ACA is perfect, it has led to higher premiums. There are a number of problems with the law that should be remedied, but this approach of trying to strike down the law in its entirety in the courts is not the right way to go.”

But Democrats worry that millions of Americans could lose their health insurance if the law is stuck down without a safety net in place, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York who told ABC News that she’s “upset.”

“I’m not shocked because this entire administration and the Republican Party seems hell-bent on making health care more expensive and skyrocketing prescription drug prices because they care more about corporate profits than they do about the livability and cost of living of American people,” Ocasio-Cortez said . “This means that insulin is going to get more expensive. This means that less people are going to be covered by health insurance. And this is putting people’s lives at risk. So, I’m not surprised but I am disappointed, and I’m upset.”

Lawmakers think Congress shouldn’t wait while the ACA battle rages on in the courts, with lawmakers wanting to immediately get to work on improving choice, lowering costs, and protecting pre-existing conditions.

“I think we can make some very important steps to assure people that pre-existing conditions are going to be covered and at the same time lower the cost of healthcare for family budgets,” Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said.

With the showdown likely to draw out into the 2020 election, Ocasio-Cortez signaled that Democrats should use their House majority to pass legislation to protect the ACA.

“What we’re trying to do, I think, is respond immediately and have a legislative response as things work their way through the courts,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We’re trying to shore up and strengthen the ACA.”

Happy Thoughts

Dole Whip just got the ~slushy treatment~ with vodka at Walt Disney World!