US Secretary of State John Kerry indirectly conceded that the US would defend Iran’s nuclear program from Israeli sabotage on Thursday, in a hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in which he was grilled over the deal reached last Tuesday.  MORE

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said Thursday the Iran nuclear deal appears to have the provisions needed to curtail Iran’s ability to obtain a nuclear weapon in what were the most favorable remarks yet from the kingdom on the recent agreement. MORE

The trustees who oversee Social Security and Medicare said the disability trust fund will run out of money in late 2016. That would trigger an automatic 19 percent cut in benefits, unless Congress acts.

The average monthly benefit for disabled workers and their families is $1,017. The typical beneficiary would see a reduction of $193 a month. MORE

Glorious St Anne, filled with compassion for those who invoke thee, and with love for those who suffer, heavily laden with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at thy feet, and humbly beg of thee to take the present affair which I recommend to thee under thy special protection. Vouchsafe to commend it to thy Daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and lay it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted. Above all obtain for me the grace of one day beholding my God face to face, and with thee and Mary and all the saints praising and blessing Him for all eternity. Amen.

Good St Anne, Mother of her who is our life, our sweetness and our hope, pray to her for us, and obtain our request. (Say three times.) (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be)

Gay Hollywood will feature a gay couple as they help Hillary Clinton’s bid for the rainbow house in Washington by conditioning the public in this movie.

Roland Emmerich’s upcoming sequel to Independence Day will be getting a female president in the shape of Sela Ward.

Ward is best known for big-screen roles in The Fugitive and Gone Girl, and small-screen turns in House and CSI:NY, and will be playing the character of President Lanford. MORE

A fast-moving wildfire in Glacier National Park torched a car and a historic cabin and forced tourists to abandon their vehicles on the Montana park’s most popular roadway while officials evacuated hotels, campgrounds and homes.

Visitors left their vehicles along the Going-to-the-Sun Road and were shuttled out by officials Tuesday, park spokeswoman Denise Germann said. The two-lane road that carries thousands of vehicles on peak days in July and August was shut down for 21 of its 50 miles. MORE

A club secretary went nuts over hundreds of pounds worth of damage – caused by a drunk squirrel.

Sam Boulter, 62, thought Honeybourne Railway Club, near Evesham, Worcs, had been ransacked by burglars when he opened up at 8pm on Sunday. MORE

This is where some of our Nuns went after leaving CMRI

Hundreds of firefighters are battling a fast-moving wildfire near California’s famed Napa Valley. A building burned overnight near Lake Berryessa, close to where the fire started. It is one of five major wildfires burning in the drought-parched state. Julie Watts of CBS San Francisco station KPIX reports. MORE

Just a few years ago, the United States had a near-monopoly on drones. No longer. As the tiny, unmanned aerial vehicles become ubiquitous on battlefields around the world, the U.S. Army is studying how to shoot them down with a chain gun. MORE

This statistic is based on work by Jonathan Fox from Bar Ilan University. His Religion and State Project has combed through constitutions around the world, taking note of the scores of ways that governments support or restrict religion. Using Fox’s data, I calculated the percentage of the world’s population living under different types of regimes (note: I grouped some of the types into larger categories). MORE

WASHINGTON – A proposal in Seattle meant to increase homeownership among Muslims by offering financing compliant with strict Islamic law — known as Sharia — is gaining ground in the latest test for local leaders trying to accommodate diverse religious beliefs.

“We will work to develop new tools for Muslims who are prevented from using conventional mortgage products due to their religious beliefs,” Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said during a press conference July 13. MORE

Some parishioners at Saint Charbel’s Church in Sydney believe they witness a miracle when they pray inside the church. MORE

Saturday evening, Troy and Kelli Goode of Memphis headed off to a Widespread Panic concert in nearby Southaven, Mississippi. What should have been a nice night off for two young parents ended with Troy, a 30-year-old chemical engineer, loving husband and devoted daddy of a 15-month-old, being hogtied by the Southaven police, and soon after dying in their custody. One of the family’s attorneys, Tim Edwards, explained the timeline of events to the Huffington Post: MORE

NAIROBI, Kenya — Anti-gay activists, including conservative clerics, traditional elders and politicians, are threatening to resist any push by President Obama for gay rights during his Kenya visit later this week, with tactics that range from throwing rotten eggs to marching naked and boycotting his speeches. MORE