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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Chris Christie's nothing-left-to-lose campaign  —  The New Jersey governor's campaign is far less ambitious than anyone could have predicted a year ago.  But that also makes him an unpredictable force in the GOP presidential primary.  —  When Chris Christie launches his presidential campaign Tuesday …

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 …

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.

Report: Powers Give in - No Inspection of Iran's Nuke Facilities  —  P5+1 cave in to Iranian demands and will not insist on inspections of nuclear installations, says Channel 1.  —  Iranian FM Javad Zarif (R) at press conference announcing nuclear deal  —  The P5+1 countries led …