Rand Paul: Government Should Get Out of the Marriage Business Altogether  —  Paul is the junior U.S. Senator for Kentucky.  —  While I disagree with Supreme Court's redefinition of marriage, I believe that all Americans have the right to contract.  —  The Constitution is silent on the question …

Attorney General Paxton: Religious Liberties of Texas Public Officials Remain Constitutionally Protected After Obergefell v. Hodges  —  Attorney General Ken Paxton today made the following statement and issued an opinion in response to questions about the impact of Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that redefined marriage:

Puerto Rico's Governor Says Island's Debts Are ‘Not Payable’  —  Puerto Rico's governor, saying he needs to pull the island out of a “death spiral,” has concluded that the commonwealth cannot pay its roughly $72 billion in debts, an admission that will probably have wide-reaching financial repercussions.

Jeb Bush dogged by decades of questions about business deals  —  In early 1989, seven weeks after his father moved into the White House, Jeb Bush took a trip to Nigeria.  —  Nearly 100,000 Nigerians turned out to see him over four days as he accompanied the executives of a Florida company …

The pollution of politics  —  When President Obama lobbied for fast-track authority on his trade bill he asked House Democrats to “play it straight.”  Capitol Hill Republicans reacted by saying to Congressional Democrats, “We told you so. ”  —  Their argument is that this president is an intellectual bully.

Will He Run?  Biden Speculation Mounts  —  Both sons urged the vice president to enter 2016 presidential race, but so far a bid doesn't seem imminent  —  When deciding whether to run for office, Vice President Joe Biden has made it a practice to seek his family's counsel.

The world is defenceless against the next financial crisis, warns BIS  —  Monetary policymakers have run out of room to fight the next crisis with interest rates unable to go lower, the BIS warns  —  The world will be unable to fight the next global financial crash as central banks have used …

David Sweat, Escaped New York Convict, Is Shot and Captured as Hunt Ends  —  CONSTABLE, N.Y. — David Sweat, the remaining prison escapee on the run in northern New York, was shot by a state trooper and taken into custody on Sunday after a 23-day manhunt that began with an improbable escape …

Subway vigilante Bernie Goetz fighting the possible eviction of his pet squirrel  —  Notorious subway vigilante Bernhard Goetz is going nuts over the possible eviction of his beloved three-legged squirrel.  —  The eccentric gunman's pet, named Glinda's Sister, has had a rear leg amputated, and the other is paralyzed.

GOP rep: White supremacist threat overstated  —  A Republican lawmaker on the House Homeland Security Committee on Sunday blasted the idea that white supremacists could be more dangerous than Muslim extremists.  —  Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said he totally “disregarded” a New York Times report …

When Reporters Write Books, Does The Times Win, Too?  —  WRITING books must be in the DNA of Times journalists.  Even the paper's founding editor, Henry J. Raymond, cranked them out, including his “History of the Administration of President Lincoln” in 1864.

Now's the Time To End Tax Exemptions for Religious Institutions  —  Mark Oppenheimer writes the biweekly “Beliefs” column for The New York Times and is editor-at-large for Tablet.  He also reports for The Atlantic, The Nation, This American Life, and elsewhere.

Donald Trump Responds to Hypothetical Gay Person Questioning His Three Marriages  —  “They have a very good point,” he says.  —  t alielkin  —  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says that he supports “traditional marriage” but that gay people who might question whether …