1. Kentucky clerk continues to deny marriage licenses, defying Supreme Court
Rowan
County, Kentucky, Clerk Kim Davis defied the Supreme Court and refused
to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Tuesday. The day after
the Supreme Court rejected a Davis' request for a delay, a gay couple —
David Moore and David Ermold — made their fourth attempt to get a
license, but Davis told them her office was not issuing marriage
licenses. Moore asked under whose authority. "Under God's authority,"
Davis said. Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union asked a
federal judge to hold Davis in contempt of court. [CBS News]
2. Obama comes within one Senate vote of clinching Iran nuclear deal
Two
more Democratic senators lined up to back the Iran nuclear deal on
Tuesday, putting President Obama one vote away from the support he needs
to sustain a veto of a bill aiming to block the landmark agreement. The
senators, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Chris Coons of Delaware, made
their announcement a week before the Senate is scheduled to begin debate
on a Republican resolution against the deal between Tehran and six
world powers. [The New York Times]
3. Fresh China fears send drag down U.S. stocks... again
U.S.
stocks plunged on Tuesday after weak manufacturing data from China
renewed fears that the world's second largest economy was heading for
trouble. The main U.S. indexes — the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the
S&P 500, and the Nasdaq — were all down by nearly 3 percent on the
first day of trading in September, on the heels of the Dow's worst month
in five years. Stocks in China remained volatile on Wednesday, with the
main Shanghai index falling more than 4 percent before closing down by
just 0.2 percent. [Forbes, The Associated Press]
4. Pope lets priests absolve women who have had abortions
Pope
Francis is granting priests "discretion to absolve the sin of
abortion," the Vatican announced Tuesday. The Catholic Church considers
abortion a serious sin that merits automatic excommunication.
Previously, only missionaries and a diocese's chief confessor could
absolve people who had abortions, or provided them. Francis said he was
making it easier for women who have abortions to request and receive
forgiveness in the upcoming "Jubilee of Mercy" year because he knows
their decision was "agonizing and painful." [The Washington Post]
5. Migrants protest after Hungary closes train stations
Hundreds
of migrants protested in front of a Budapest railway station on
Wednesday as Hungary kept train stations closed for a second day in an
attempt to contain a refugee crisis. Hungary's right-wing nationalist
government is struggling to handle a wave of migrants arriving from the
Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It started letting migrants onto trains
to Germany, without passport controls, then reversed course Tuesday and
blocked asylum-seekers from westbound trains. [Reuters, The Associated Press]
6. New debate rules virtually assure Carly Fiorina a spot in the next GOP debate
CNN
has revised the rules for the Sept. 16 Republican presidential debate
to include all candidates appearing in the top 10 in recent polls,
rather than in those conducted all the way back to July. The change
amounted to a victory for former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who
was denied a spot in the first prime-time debate last month. Fiorina was
widely praised for her performance in a separate August debate for
low-polling candidates, and has made gains in surveys during the weeks
since. [Time]
7. Manhunt underway after killing of Illinois police officer
More
than 100 police officers, aided by helicopter crews and canine units,
conducted a manhunt into early Wednesday for three suspects in the fatal
shooting of Fox Lake, Illinois, police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz.
The 52-year-old officer, the father of four young boys, was found
fatally shot Tuesday morning after reporting that he was running after
three men — two white, one black — he had spotted acting suspiciously.
Gliniewicz's gun and pepper spray were missing. [Reuters]
8. Guatemalan lawmakers strip president of immunity
Guatemala's
legislature lifted President Otto Perez Molina's immunity of office on
Tuesday, exposing him to possible prosecution on corruption charges.
Perez Molina is under investigation for bribery and customs fraud in
connection with a scandal that has upended his administration. Tuesday's
vote gives prosecutors the option of filing criminal charges against
him as they would against any citizen. Perez Molina's office said he
would "be very respectful and submit himself to the rule of law." [The Associated Press]
9. U.S. launches drone campaign against ISIS leaders
The
U.S. reportedly has launched a secret campaign to take out Islamic
State leaders in Syria using armed drones. The effort by CIA and U.S.
Special Operations forces marks an escalation of the CIA's involvement
in the conflict. The ISIS figures targeted included Junaid Hussain, a
21-year-old British hacker. Hussain, who was killed in a drone strike
last month, was believed to have played a leading role in ISIS's
efforts to recruit members online and hack into U.S. military sites. [The Washington Post]
10. Judge greenlights Uber class-action suit
A San Francisco judge on Tuesday approved the filing of a class-action against Uber
by its drivers. The case represents a potential threat to employers
that use on-demand workers in the so-called gig economy. The lawsuit was
filed by four Uber drivers seeking reimbursement for expenses incurred
while driving for the company. U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen
ruled the plaintiffs can represent other Uber drivers who contend they
are employees rather than independent contractors.
[MarketWatch]
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