In meeting with nuns, Pope Francis makes quiet protest of Obamacare  —  WASHINGTON — Pope Francis made an unscheduled stop to visit the Little Sisters of the Poor Wednesday, a move that Vatican officials said was intended to send a message of support in the nuns' battle against Obamacare.

Trump momentum shows signs of stalling  —  <p>The summer of Trump is over, and rival campaigns are latching onto glimmers of hope that autumn will be the season of the billionaire businessman's decline.</p><p>After faltering in last week's debate, Donald Trump showed signs that the campaign grind has taken its toll.

Stampede Near Mecca During Hajj Leaves at Least 717 Dead  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon — At least 717 people were killed, and 863 were injured, in a stampede near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday morning.  —  The deaths — at an intersection in Mina, about six miles east of the city …

Hillary Clinton sits for interview with Lena Dunham  —  <p>In an effort to reach out to millennial women voters, Hillary Clinton will appear in an interview opposite <i>Girls</i> star Lena Dunham, set to post online Tuesday, POLITICO has learned.  The already-taped segment …

Debbie Wasserman Schultz's vile cheap shot  —  Share Tweet Reddit Digg Mail Print SMS More  —  Has there ever been as hamhanded a Democratic National Chairman as Debbie Wasserman Schultz?  Her latest stunt is to demand that Marco Rubio cancel a fundraiser at the home of Harlan Crow …

Government Shutdown as Self-Promotion  —  Planned Parenthood ought to be defunded, but trying to do it this way invites disaster.  —  For the right reasons, congressional Republicans want to end taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood, the country's largest abortion provider.

Epic Media Fail of the Year  —  John and I, as the Christian half of the Judeo-Christian ethos of Power Line, wish our Jewish friends and readers heartfelt best wishes on their observance of Yom Kippur.  —  So, too, did WGN TV in Chicago, except that in the most epic media fail of all time …

Controversial South Park episode shows Donald Trump being raped and murdered: Show attacks tycoon's run for President, his immigration policies and then kills him off in shocking final scene  — But when Canada beats him to it, he travels into the country before carrying out his sick rape threat on Trump himself

Mother says she found special needs son wearing trash bag in classroom  —  Share Update: … CHICAGO — The mother of a CPS special needs child wants answers after she found her son wearing a trash bag when she visited his kindergarten classroom.  —  5-year-old Lloyd lives with epilepsy and is non-verbal.

Biden: Abortion ‘always wrong’ in Catholic doctrine  —  Vice President Biden in an interview with a Jesuit publication says that he accepts Catholic doctrine that abortion is “always wrong.”  —  Biden, who is publicly struggling with whether to run for the White House, is pro-abortion rights …

Activists urge de Blasio to avoid federal counterterrorism program  —  More than 20 organizations have written a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio and top administration aides, urging them not to participate in a White House initiative designed to counteract violent extremism in the United States.