KY County Issues First Same-Sex Marriage Licenses and Trump Bests The GOP

By db

September 4, 2015 9:39 a.m.

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September 4, 2015

The Gist: As recently as the Bush administration, the GOP was seriously focused on matching Democrats in Latino outreach and passing comprehensive immigration reform.

Gay Couple Gets First License To Wed In Defiant Clerk's Kentucky County

The Gist: William Smith Jr. and James Yates, a couple for nearly a decade, became the first to receive a marriage license in Rowan County on Friday morning.

TN Judge Refuses To Divorce Couple, Blaming SCOTUS Gay Marriage Ruling

The Gist: The judge claimed the Supreme Court's decision left him unclear as to when a marriage ends.

From The Reporter's Notebook

Many of the Republican presidential contenders weighed in on defiant Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, either supporting her refusal to issue marriage licenses or arguing that she must follow the recent Supreme Court ruling. Yet Scott Walker's campaign issued a vague statement to TPM's Caitlin MacNeal when asked about Davis' actions. It was reminiscent of the Wisconsin governor's hesitance to take a position on birthright citizenship.

Agree or Disagree?

TPM editor David Kurtz argues that signing the GOP loyalty pledge is a win-win for Donald Trump. It allows him to prove his conservative allegiance, but, because it is not binding, can still be broken later in the campaign cycle if he chooses to run as an independent.

Say What?!

For the first time ever, the government arrested a Christian woman for living according to her faith. This is wrong. This is not America.

-GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz rushed to the defense of jailed Kentucky clerk Kim Davis

BUZZING: Today in the Hive

From a TPM Prime member: Hillary Clinton’s “favorability ratings will improve once she is placed in context with an opponent. I agree that Bernie and Joe certainly hold some advantages in the 'likeability' arena at this point in time. But they also bring their own baggage into the general, and I honestly don't think either of them is as capable as HRC. Put her head to head against Trump, Carson or Jeb! and she'll look just fine.”

Related: The former Clinton staffer who set up her private email server won't testify.

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What We're Reading

The sprawling family epic that explains jiu-jitsu’s rise to popularity (Grantland).

Donald Trump has the Republican Party in the palm of his hand (The New Republic).

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