Top Items:

Pope Francis Met Privately With Kim Davis and Encouraged Her to “Stay Strong” — Washington, DC - Media is buzzing about the Pope's comments in support of conscientious objection and whether he knows about the Rowan County, Kentucky, Clerk of Court who was jailed for six days for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
RELATED:


Pope secretly met Kentucky clerk over gay marriage licenses — Pope Francis secretly met a Kentucky county clerk who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples and gave her words of encouragement, her attorney said. — Mat Staver, attorney and founder of the Liberty Counsel …
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Times, BizPac Review, Political Wire and The American Conservative


Kim Davis met with Pope Francis, her attorneys say
Discussion:
NBC News and Joe.My.God.


Whatever you think of Planned Parenthood, this is a terrible and dishonest chart — On Tuesday morning, Congress held a hearing on Planned Parenthood, as conservative Republicans try to build the case for defunding the organization after a pro-life group released a series of “sting” videos critical of the organization.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Wonk Wire, US News, AMERICAblog News and Hullabaloo
RELATED:


Planned Parenthood Head Shuts Down GOP Chair Over Abortion Chart (VIDEO) — Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) stumbled near the start of a tense hearing on Tuesday when Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards told him to check his sources on a chart that he said showed a decrease in breast exams …


GOP: Planned Parenthood wasted millions on ‘lavish’ travel, parties — The head of the House Oversight Committee is accusing Planned Parenthood of misspending more than $40 million in federal dollars on “lavish” travel, theme parties and a costly Manhattan office.
Discussion:
RedState, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air and Talking Points Memo

Cecile Richards Once Said Planned Parenthood Does Mammograms. Today She Admitted She Lied
Discussion:
The Federalist, BarbWire.com, Associated Press, C-SPAN.org, Fox News and Patterico's Pontifications


Paul on Cruz: He's pretty much done for in the Senate — Rand Paul on Tuesday had a blunt message for his presidential rival and fellow Republican senator Ted Cruz: You're a hack. — In no uncertain terms, Paul called out Cruz for trying — and failing — to disrupt GOP leadership's efforts …
Discussion:
Bloomberg Business and Bearing Drift
RELATED:

Rand Paul: Ted Cruz Can't Get Anything Done Legislatively Because His Name Calling Goes Against The Decorum Of The Senate — 2016 GOP presidential candidate Senator Rand Paul (R-KS) called into Kilmeade & Friends and talked about Senator Ted Cruz being rebuffed on the senate floor by republicans …
Discussion:
The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Hot Air, The World's Greatest …, Trail Blazers Blog, Prairie Weather and New York Magazine


Bill Clinton: Donald Trump is ‘fact-free’ — Washington (CNN)Bill Clinton hit Republican presidential contender Donald Trump for running a “fact-free” campaign, defending his wife Hillary Clinton in an interview Tuesday. — The former president touted his wife's accomplishments …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Political Wire, Daily News Bin and The Week
RELATED:

Poll: Clinton tops Trump in general election
Discussion:
Gallup, JP Updates and The Moderate Voice

As Clinton falls, some Democrats remain optimistic
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler


Jud McMillin resigns from House over sex video — KEYWORDS LEGISLATURE / STATE GOVERNMENT / GOVERNMENT & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT / GOVERNMENT — Republican Rep. Jud McMillin of Brookville has resigned unexpectedly from the Indiana House—where he is in the second-highest elected leadership position …
RELATED:


Donald Trump's saving grace: Televangelists … Donald Trump has found his kind of Christians. — In a bid to consolidate support among evangelicals and keep his momentum from ebbing, Trump is courting charismatic televangelists who believe God wants you to be rich. — Story Continued Below
Discussion:
The Week


U.S. troops dispatched to Kunduz to help Afghan forces — KABUL — Special forces from the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan fought Taliban militants early Wednesday after being dispatched to the northern city of Kunduz to help Afghan forces re-take it from insurgents who seized it earlier this week, a coalition spokesman said.
Discussion:
The Week


Watch: Honey bees swarm deputy's patrol car with him stuck inside — PAULS VALLEY, Okla. - Drivers along a busy interstate may need to take a detour because of an unusual accident. — Shortly after 1 p.m., witnesses reported seeing a truckload of honeybees turned over on I-35.

U.S. Gives 1,519 Engaged in Terrorism “While Under Duress” Residency, Asylum — As if the President Obama's sweeping amnesty measures haven't compromised national security enough, the administration let 1,519 “inadmissible” foreigners embroiled in terrorism into the U.S. last year because the crimes were committed “while under duress.”
Discussion:
Betsy's Page, Power Line and The PJ Tatler
RELATED:


Chicago's Problem With Gun Violence — Over the weekend in Chicago, the Cubs clinched their first playoff berth since 2008 despite losing three straight games. The University of Chicago prepared to host a campaign event for Bernie Sanders, who attended the school in the 1960s.


Fetus Video Referenced by Carly Fiorina Released in Full — The video that Fiorina described depicted a moving fetus on a table following an apparent abortion — The video that Carly Fiorina graphically described at the last Republican presidential debate, depicting a moving fetus …
Discussion:
BREITBART.COM, Daily News Bin, Patterico's Pontifications, the daily howler and Daily Kos


Twitter Plans to Go Beyond Its 140-Character Limit — Twitter is building a new product that will allow users to share tweets that are longer than the company's 140-character limit, according to multiple people familiar with the company's plans. — It's unclear what the product will look like …
Discussion:
Poynter., Slate, The Hill, US News, Guardian, PinkNews, ABC, Engadget, Consumerist, Moe Lane, Latest | INFORUM, The Week, Mashable, Daily Mail and The Verge, more at Mediagazer »


White House, GOP weighing big budget talks — The goal is to ease the threat of repeated government shutdowns until after the 2016 elections. — As President Barack Obama and top congressional leaders prepare to launch negotiations on a two-year budget deal, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal


Volkswagen Has Refit Plan For Emissions-Rigged Vehicles, Says CEO — Technical solutions to be submitted to relevant authorities in October — FRANKFURT— Volkswagen AG has a plan to refit vehicles affected by software that can rig an exhaust-emission test, the company's new chief executive said …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times and The Verge


Vice President Joe Biden Follows a Candidate's Schedule — Public appearances in the past month look a lot like those of a 2016 Democratic presidential contender — NEW YORK—Vice President Joe Biden's schedule over the last month looks a lot like that of a presidential candidate.
Discussion:
Political Wire, VICE, New York Times and NBC News