Transcript: Pope Francis's speech to Congress … Mr. Vice-President,  —  Mr. Speaker,  —  Honorable Members of Congress,  —  Dear Friends,  —  I am most grateful for your invitation to address this Joint Session of Congress in “the land of the free and the home of the brave”.

Boehner plots shutdown move as critics weigh options  —  <p>House Republican leaders will move next week to approve a "clean" government spending bill — and avert a shutdown — but only after they hold a vote on a measure to bar federal funding for Planned Parenthood …

Multiple Candidates Have a Path to the Presidency; Hillary Is Not One of Them [Updated]  —  Today's Quinnipiac poll contains more bad news-very bad news-for Hillary Clinton, if not necessarily for the Democrats.  The poll asks basic favorable/unfavorable questions about all of the presidential candidates …

Jeb Bush: Win black voters with aspiration, not ‘free stuff’  —  MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. — Jeb Bush said here Thursday night that Republicans can win more African American voters by emphasizing a positive message that does not involve promising “free stuff,” a remark that bore echoes of comments by Mitt Romney that drew criticism in 2012.

What If Russia's Foreign Minister Conducted Official Business on an Unsecured Private Server?  —  Today Admiral Michael Rogers, head of the National Security Agency, testified before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee on cybersecurity.  Senator Tom Cotton asked him two questions …

China to Announce Cap-and-Trade Program to Limit Emissions  —  WASHINGTON — President Xi Jinping of China will make a landmark commitment on Friday to start a national program in 2017 that will limit and put a price on greenhouse gas emissions, Obama administration officials said on Thursday.

SEE IT: Teen stands up for blind classmate, punches high school bully to ground (WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE)  —  A California teenager is being hailed a hero after he rushed to the defense of a blind classmate and knocked a purported school bully to the ground.

Pope Francis Just Echoed Obama's ‘Offensive’ Prayer Breakfast Remarks  —  The pontiff said all religions are susceptible to extremism and violence, just like Obama said in February.  —  While delivering the first address from a pontiff to a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday …

White Guy Who “Settled” Downtown Brooklyn Tells Us Why He Lashed Out At Stroller Couple  —  The man who was recently caught on video berating a couple after their stroller hit his leg has not yet watched the video of himself shouting about how he “settled” Downtown Brooklyn for other white people.

Hillary approved special status for aide Huma Abedin  —  <p>Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greenlighted paperwork that changed her top aide Huma Abedin's job status to “special government employee” — a classification that allowed Abedin to work for an outside consulting firm …

Who's “the Party” That “Decides?”  —  Regular readers know I enjoy expressing irreverent thoughts about The Party Decides, the 2008 tome by political scientists Marty Cohen, David Karol, Hans Noel, and John Zaller that is often quoted like Holy Writ by academicians and even some journalists …

Texas Is Making Its Own Execution Drugs, Oklahoma Inmate Alleges  —  Many death penalty states have struggled to obtain a lethal injection drug that Texas has consistently been able to procure.  In a filing Thursday in Oklahoma, lawyers provided evidence that Texas sold pentobarbital to Virginia in August.

Libertarians, Greens ready lawsuit against Commission on Presidential Debates  —  The Libertarian Party and Green Party and their 2012 candidates for president are readying a legal complaint against the Commission on Presidential Debates, hoping that a new legal argument — an anti-trust argument …

Donald Trump wants the FCC to fine a critical Fox News pundit  —  Donald Trump is still refusing to appear on the Fox News Channel — but apparently his self-imposed boycott doesn't prohibit watching the channel's shows.  —  Trump exploded on Twitter on Wednesday night after National Review …