memeorandum: Members Will Be Blocked 2 Ways From Touching Pope Francis (Video) (David Hawkings/Hawkings Here)

12:00 PM ET, September 22, 2015

Top Items:

Scott Walker Quits 2016 Presidential Field — ALEXANDER BURNS, PATRICK HEALY AND TRIP GABRIEL — Short of support and cash, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, saying he had been “called to lead by helping to clear the field,” announced Monday that he was suspending his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Scott Walker's own limitations did him in — Share Tweet Reddit Digg Mail Print SMS More — It's easy to say Scott Walker dropped out of the Republican presidential race because he ran out of money. But he ran out of money because of his own limitations as a candidate — limitations that have been in plain sight for quite a while.

Discussion: The Atlantic and Betsy's Page

Glenn Thrush / Politico:
How Scott Walker became an asterisk

Discussion: Guardian, Hullabaloo, Political Wire, Bloomberg Business, WMUR, National Review, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Associated Press

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
How Donald Trump destroyed Scott Walker's presidential chances

Discussion: NBC News, Political Wire, BarbWire.com and Shakesville

Kyle Blaine / BuzzFeed:
Scott Walker Drops Out Of The Republican Primary Race

Discussion: Hit & Run and Business Insider

New York Times: Scott Walker Said to Be Quitting Presidential Race

ABC News:
Walker Drops Out of Presidential Race, Slamming Trump

Discussion: Towleroad

Dr. Ben Carson / Facebook:

I wanted to get back to answering questions tonight sent in by you guys. Remember, you can send in your questions via email by sending it to AskBen@BenCarson.com. — Before I get started, I wanted to thank the hundreds of thousands of you that sent birthday greetings. I was touched and deeply appreciative.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo and CNN

Jordyn Phelps / ABC News:

Carly Fiorina Says Ben Carson ‘Wrong’ On Muslim President Comments — Shares-

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and UPROXX

Michael Falcone / ABC News:
The Note: Scott Walker and the Death of a Presidential Candidacy

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Fox News:
Carson stands by Muslim president remarks, Trump weighs in

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Independent Journal Review and Talking Points Memo

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
White House slams Carson's ‘offensive views’ on Muslims

Discussion: Associated Press, PJ Media, Politico, American Spectator, NO QUARTER USA NET, Hot Air, CNN and Talking Points Memo

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

GOP wants budget talks with Obama — not Pelosi and Reid — Republicans want President Obama as a negotiating partner when it comes to budget talks, something Democrats are determined to avoid. — With a little more than a week to prevent a government shutdown, the GOP thinks the talks …

Discussion: Washington Post

Coral Davenport / New York Times:

Senate Democrats to Unveil Climate Change Bill — WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leaders on Tuesday plan to unveil a measure intended to signal their full-throated support of President Obama's aggressive climate change agenda to 2016 voters and to the rest of the world.

Discussion: Slantpoint

Katie Pavlich / The Hill:

A kid, a clock, and the death of ‘See something, say something’ — Last week, 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed was handcuffed by police at his Irving, Texas, high school after a teacher suspected a science project he brought to class — a homemade clock — could have been a bomb.

Avi Selk / Irving Blog:

Family: Ahmed withdraws from Irving ISD, eyes trips to United Nations and Mecca — Ahmed Mohamed and his family spoke with the media about the homemade clock he built, being suspended from MacArthur High School and accepting an invitation to the White House during a press conference at his house on September 16.

Discussion: Associated Press and Raw Story

CNNMoney:

Volkswagen scandal widens: $7.3 billion cost, 11 million cars — Volkswagen said Tuesday it was forced to set aside $7.3 billion to cover the cost of a rapidly widening scandal over its emissions technology — adding that the problem could be vastly greater than previously believed.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Power Line and Obsidian Wings

Chris Reiter / Bloomberg Business:
VW Sets Aside $7.3 Billion to Pay for Emissions Crisis

Discussion: The Verge, Mashable and Eschaton

ABC News:

Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Denied Marriage Licenses for Her Friends — Shares- — Play

Discussion: The Atlantic and Towleroad

Emily Shapiro / ABC News:
Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Tells ABC News She's Been Called ‘Hitler’ and ‘Homophobe’

Discussion: Courier-Journal, Gawker, Hit & Run, Talking Points Memo and Joe.My.God.

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

US sees ‘surprising’ spike in border crossings — The United States saw a spike last month in the number of unaccompanied minors and families illegally crossing the southern border, the White House said Monday. — “We have seen, just in the last month, in the month of August, a surprising uptick …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Free Beacon and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

CBS Denver:

Advocacy Group: Commercialization Of Legal Pot Has Led To ‘Epidemic’ For Colorado Kids — DENVER (CBS4) - The results of a new study about the impact of Colorado's marijuana legalization is raising troubling questions for parents. The study cites a significant increase in marijuana-related traffic deaths …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News and RT

Daisuke Wakabayashi / Wall Street Journal:

Apple Speeds Up Electric-Car Work — Consumer-Electronics Maker Aims to Finalize First Vehicle in 2019 — Apple Inc. is accelerating efforts to build an electric car, designating it internally as a “committed project” and setting a target ship date for 2019, according to people familiar with the matter.

Discussion: The Atlantic, Tech Times, all, USA Today, CNBC, Daily Mail, The Hill, Consumerist, 9to5Mac, Index, Mashable, VentureBeat and The Verge

Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:

Biden insiders feel Clinton stalking — <p>Joe Biden isn't running for president yet, but Hillary Clinton's already running against him.</p><p>Clinton and her aides have their line—the vice president deserves the time and space to decide, they repeat over and over and over …

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

How Democrats got bogged down in a messy dispute over debates — The Democratic Party is embroiled in an increasingly loud argument over the schedule of presidential debates, one that flared up in New Hampshire over the weekend when DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz got heckled by audience members.

Discussion: Hot Air and Daily Kos

New York Post:

Hillary's latest excuse: ‘There is no evidence’ — Months into her e-mail scandal, Hillary Clinton is still trying to get away with lines like, “There's no evidence of that.” Oh, and answering questions with laughter. — No wonder she keeps falling in the polls — behind …

Discussion: The PJ Tatler