Are you married? You may think so, but the pope has other ideas.

Pope Francis has declared this year a Jubilee year of mercy. He has made it easier to restore people who have participated in abortion to full communion. He obviously wants to create some momentum for change and reform at this fall’s Synod of the Family. And so, he just took one major item off the table, by unilaterally reforming the Church’s annulment process.

Unfortunately, this reform amounts to vandalism on the sacrament of marriage, and is a deeply condescending insult to average Catholics. MORE

Hundreds of people were forced to evacuated on Friday as a Northern California wildfire threatened rural communities, destroying six homes, threatening thousands more and prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency.

“It’s expanding like a balloon,” state fire spokeswoman Nancy Longmore said. “It’s moving very fast. There’s many homes threatened. … This fire is extremely dangerous.” MORE

At least 238 others suffered injuries when a powerful storm toppled the crane, according to the nation’s civil defense authorities.

The crane fell 10 days before the start of the Hajj, an annual pilgrimage expected to bring 2 million people to Mecca. MORE

Why isn’t Russia taking in some of these Syrian refugees? Hey, there part of the problem and nobody’s complaining?

Pavel Astakhov: “Today we have a different category of refugees, they are not desperate, starving, poor and unemployed people. No, they are mostly people with average income who primarily seek peace. They need conditions for work and education and European governments must apply effort to this,” Astakhov told journalists. “We also could carry out such program or render help if there is a desire for this,” he added. MORE

I do not understand her position and love of Trump. He is clearly a progressive, not a small government constitutionalist…

But he is also a bully, sexist, cruel, an ego manic and narcissist in ways that makes Barack Obama seem like Saint Francis…MORE

In early June, in cities across America, U.S. immigration agents arrested more than two dozen Chinese nationals with unfulfilled deportation orders, telling them that after years of delay, China was finally taking steps to provide the paperwork needed to expel them from the U.S.

But, not for the first time, China failed to provide the necessary documents, and three months later not one of those arrested has been deported, and many have been released from custody. They form part of a backlog of nearly 39,000 people Chinese nationals awaiting deportation for violating U.S. immigration laws, 900 of them classed as violent offenders, according to immigration officials. MORE

A new laser weapon that can burn up targets in just a few seconds recently melted and destroyed a test drone flying over California.  MORE

SEATTLE — Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s recently elected president, traveled to the United Nations two years ago and made an impressive entrance on the international stage. The Jewish Forward’s assistant managing editor, Larry Cohler-Esses, took advantage of this amazing opportunity and called the Iranian U.N. mission to request an interview with Iran’s leader. MORE

For much of the American mainstream, Mike Huckabee’s far-right views on practically every issue put him on the fringes of modern political thought. But just beyond his often radical ideology, there’s a deeper problem: the Republican presidential candidate just doesn’t seem to understand American civics very well. MORE

A woman said this week that she feels like Office Depot “discriminated against” her after the nationwide office supplies chain refused to make copies of a pro-life prayer she ordered last month. MORE

Homosexual activists are sending sadistic threats to Kim Davis, saying that they will capture her husband, tie him up and force him to watch them rape her. They also said that they will burn her house as they sleep and burn them to death. Here is the video with the full story and commentary: MORE

Ben Sturner, CEO of sports marketing company Leverage Agency, stepped outside onto the terrace of his apartment in Long Island City, Queens, Thursday morning, part of his daily routine to check the weather. He has an unobstructed view of the World Trade Center and the Manhattan skyline from across the East River.

It was just after 7 a.m., and, “I see this rainbow, and it’s coming from the World Trade Center and it’s the most gorgeous rainbow I’ve ever seen,” he told NBC 4 New York over the phone. “I took out my phone and started snapping photos.”  MORE

MILWAUKEE — Cities across the nation are seeing a startling rise in murders after years of declines, and few places have witnessed a shift as precipitous as this city. With the summer not yet over, 104 people have been killed this year — after 86 homicides in all of 2014. MORE

Four McDowell County magistrates recused themselves from performing the ceremonies, WLOS-TV in Asheville reported Thursday. Magistrates from neighboring Rutherford County are substituting.

Supervising Judge Randy Poole said that, by law, the McDowell magistrates cannot perform any kind of marriages for six months if they refuse to wed gay couples. MORE