Political Gridlock, Iran, the Fed, the Pope

The House passes a spending bill that defunds Obamacare. Will Harry Reid and the Senate turn that around so the country can see if the Affordable Care Act is indeed the great equalizer? Without a stop-gap spending bill, the federal government is headed toward a shutdown when the fiscal year ends on September 30. The president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, extends an olive branch in an op-ed in the Washington Post, just before his speech to the United Nations on Tuesday. A big news week for the Federal Reserve -- Larry Summers withdraws as a candidate for Fed chairman and the Fed announces it will maintain its monetary stimulus. The Securities and Exchange Commission unveils a plan that would require companies to disclose how much their chief executives are paid compared to their other employees. In an unusual interview, Pope Francis says that the Roman Catholic Church had become too focused on abortion and homosexuality. (Byron York joins us on the Right.)

Banner image: Pope Francis meets with the media. Photo: Catholic Church (England and Wales)