Scalia Funeral Mass Being Held at Largest US Catholic Church

WASHINGTON (AP) — A funeral Mass for Justice Antonin Scalia is scheduled to be celebrated today at the nation's largest Roman Catholic church, a place where popes have prayed and millions of pilgrims and tourists have visited.

The Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington caps two days of official mourning for Scalia. The 79-year-old jurist died unexpectedly last weekend after nearly three decades on the high court.

More than 3,000 people — from President Barack Obama and former law clerks to locals and tourists — paid tribute to Scalia at the Supreme Court on Friday, where his casket was lying in repose.

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, will be among dignitaries attending the Mass. President Barack Obama is not attending.

All eyes on Iowa's Grassley for Supreme Court nominee's fate

WASHINGTON (AP) — The decision over whether to hold Senate hearings for President Obama's eventual Supreme Court nominee rests with one person: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley.

So far, the 82-year-old Iowa senator has offered a muddled message on the subject.

Hours after Justice Antonin Scalia's death, Grassley echoed his Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, saying it only makes sense that senators defer to the American people as they prepare to elect a new president.

But three days later, Grassley told reporters that he would wait until a nominee is announced before making any decisions on whether to hold a hearing.

Grassley is seeking his seventh term in the Senate and is a veteran of intense, partisan battles who also has worked well with Democrats on some issues.