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.

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 …

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.

Hajj Stampede Near Mecca Leaves Over 700 Dead  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon — At least 717 people were killed and 863 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 — occurred around 9 a.m …

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

Exclusive: Kanye West Talks Yeezy Season 2, Presidential Run, and Sweatshirts  —  Outside the Mercer hotel at 4:30 P.M. on Wednesday, September 16, the scene was chaos, with squads of paparazzi and camera-phone-wielding fans tumbling into the cobbled SoHo streets.

VW Scandal Threatens to Ensnare BMW as EU Urges Wider Probe  —  Naomi Kresge and Tony Czuczka James G Neuger  —  German transport minister to check models across industry  —  BMW shares plunge as much as 9.7% on X3 diesel report  —  Volkswagen AG's diesel-cheating affair deepened …

Vitter Badly Damaged; Highly Vulnerable in Runoff Election  —  A new national Public Policy Polling survey of Louisiana voters finds that David Vitter has seen a large decline in his popularity over the last year, and that while he's still favored to make the runoff for Governor he is in a bad position …

Obama to meet with Putin on Monday  —  <p>Ending a period of tense diplomatic silence, President Barack Obama will meet one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the United Nations in New York City next week, a senior administration official tells POLITICO. </p><p>"We can confirm …