OFF TO THE RACES: Fiorina and Hillary both move up, per CNN poll
A new CNN/ORC poll shows that Carly Fiorina has jumped to second place in the GOP field.
And on the Dem side, Hillary Clinton has gained some ground back -- and would get an even bigger boost if Joe Biden passed on a 2016 run.
The Washington Post looks at how children of undocumented immigrants can be a mixed blessing for mothers.
BIDEN: POLITICO notes that opponents would remind black and female voters about his role in the Anita Hill case if he ran.
In an interview with American Media, he said of his presidential decision: “It’s not quite there yet and it may not get there in time to make it feasible to be able to run and succeed because there are certain windows that will close.”
CARSON: Driving the weekend: Ben Carson said on NBC's Meet the Press that "I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation."
A spokesman later added: ""He did not say that a Muslim should be prevented from running, or barred from running in any way. He [Carson] just doesn't believe the American people are ready for that."
And here's what he said in an interview with The Hill: "Muslims feel that their religion is very much a part of your public life and what you do as a public official, and that’s inconsistent with our principles and our Constitution."
CHRISTIE: He said the Pope is "wrong" about Cuba policy.
CLINTON: This week is all about her campaign dinging the GOP over its opposition to Obamacare, writes the Washington Post.
CRUZ: He said that excluding someone from the presidency based on their religion is unconstitutional.
FIORINA: The AP sums up the controversies about her business record.
She's pitching herself as a "fearless fighter."
RUBIO: He's got the endorsement of Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia.
SANDERS: He weighed in on Carson's comments, saying "this is the year 2015."
He drew a crowd in New Hampshire five times bigger than the one pulled in by Clinton to the same venue.
CONGRESS: U.S. political split awaits Pope Francis
The New York Times writes on the political split that awaits Pope Francis. "At the White House and on Capitol Hill, leaders say Francis cannot be viewed in strictly political terms. But in Washington, where everything is political — including religion — both sides in the perpetual American argument hope to make the most of the pope’s three-day visit to the seat of power."
Via the Washington Post: "Pope Francis met privately with Fidel and Raúl Castro on Sunday and delivered a resounding message to a country that has lived under the brothers’ communist rule for more than five decades, urging a life of service 'to people, not ideas.'"
John Boehner, on his job: "'Garbage men get used to the smell of bad garbage'
OBAMA AGENDA: Abstaining from UN resolution asking for Cuban embargo to be lifted?
"For the first time, the United States may be willing to accept a United Nations condemnation of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba without a fight, The Associated Press has learned," writes the AP. "U.S. officials tell the AP that the Obama administration is weighing abstaining from the annual U.N. General Assembly vote on a Cuban-backed resolution demanding that the embargo be lifted. The vote could come next month."
PROGRAMMING NOTES.
*** Monday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: Tamron Hall speaks with both CAIR’s Corey Sailor and John Jay College’s Gloria Browne-Marshall about Ben Carson’s interview on Meet the Press; Democratic Pollster Margie Omero and The Daily Caller’s Matt K. Lewis about the latest political headlines; Fairfield University’s Rev. Richard Ryscavage about Pope Francis’ visit to the United States; MSNBC’s Tony Dokoupil about synthetic marijuana; CEO and Co-founder Ido Leffler about his company Yoobi; and Young Hollywood’s Nikki Novak about the Emmys.
*** Monday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and Ruth Marcus, NBC’s Claudio Lavanga in Cuba with Pope Francis, President of Catholic University John Garvey, Former State Department Special Envoy Daniel Serwer, Author David Maraniss, Democratic Strategist Bob Shrum and World Bank President Jim Kim.