Same-Sex Marriages Proceed in Alabama as State Judge's Order Is Defied  —  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Amid conflicting signals from federal courts and the chief justice of Alabama's Supreme Court, some Alabama counties began granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Monday in a legal showdown …

BROKAW IS NBC FORCE amid Williams woes — OBAMA courts GOP on Air Force One - POLITICO's new gossip columnist — MARC CAPUTO debuts - BRENDAN DALY's new job — B'DAY: Manu Raju, Terry McAuliffe  —  By Mike Allen (mallen@politico.com; @mikeallen), with Daniel Lippman (dlippman@politico.com; @dlippman)

Obama on American politics and economy: the Vox conversation  —  In his 2007 book The Audacity of Hope, then-Sen. Barack Obama laid out his theory of America's political and policy problems as it stood on the eve of his first presidential campaign.  He worried, he said, about …

Louisiana Congressman: Obama Defended ISIS With “Unpresidential” Prayer Breakfast Speech  —  “Not only did he vilify Christianity, but he actually made a case to defend radical Islam, that's killing people around the world.”  —  w.soundcloud.com  —  Louisiana Republican Rep. John Fleming …

Professor Marco Rubio  —  Inside the classroom, the Florida Republican gives clues about his political future.  —  MIAMI — Without notes and seemingly without taking a breath, Marco Rubio tears through a data-heavy speech about the “fault lines” in America's politics and what he calls “the middle-class trap.”

Jeb Bush In Iowa: Still A Long Way To Go  —  The family network has faded, he's unpopular on policy, and his trip next month will be Bush's first in three years.  “The first thing he needs to do is show up.”  —  Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call  —  Columbus Junction is a town in Eastern Iowa …

ISIS recruiter, once freed from Gitmo by U.S., killed in drone strike in Afghanistan  —  Story highlights  —  (CNN)He was a Taliban commander captured by the United States and held at Guantanamo Bay.  But he was let go and returned to Afghanistan.  Mullah Abdul Rauf went on to become a recruiter for ISIS in Afghanistan.

TV host asks Holder to quack like a duck  —  Attorney General Eric Holder on Sunday refused an unusual request during an interview, declining to quack like a duck.  —  At the end of an interview that touched on the Voting Rights Act and use of force by police, MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry asked …

Hillary vs. Warren would split Hollywood  —  A battle between Hillary Clinton and Sen. Elizabeth Warren could easily divide entertainers, creating a showdown that might split Hollywood and force A-list stars to choose sides.  —  The lines are already being drawn in the fight for La La Land's love …

Obama prepares for divisive veto  —  President Obama is just days away from issuing the biggest veto of his tenure, with Republicans poised to send him legislation that would authorize construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.  —  Obama's veto — just the third of his presidency and the first since 2010 …