Morning Must Reads: September 28

Speaker of the House John Boehner‘s announcement Friday that he will leave Congress at the end of next month all-but-assures there will be no government shutdown this week, but it sets up a legislative fight for December that will test his as-yet-elected replacement. His departure was greeted with cheers from the conservative grassroots, who had long resented his efforts to steer the GOP away from government shutdowns. On his way out the door, Boehner warned his party against listening to such “false prophets.”

Hillary Clinton addressed the ongoing controversy over her emails in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, saying she didn’t have the technical expertise to fully explain why some emails from her time in office were not handed over to the State Department. Clinton also claimed that her unusual email arrangement was not designed to make congressional oversight and compliance with Freedom of Information Act requests more difficult. Former President Bill Clinton also took to a Sunday show to suggest that the email scrutiny is just the continuation of a decades-long effort by Republicans and the media to try to bring the Clintons down.

Republican presidential candidates are fretting about the all-but-certain elimination of the “happy hour” debate at next month’s CNBC-hosted meeting in Boulder, a move which would further winnow the GOP field. Donors are warning Jeb Bush‘s campaign that defections are possible if he doesn’t reverse a slide in the polls. Carly Fiorina‘s super PAC is testing the legal limits of what is considered coordination as it helps her shoe-string campaign. And Pope Francis reflects on his trip to the U.S.

Here are your must reads:

Must Reads

What Pope Francis Thought of the United States
TIME’s Elizabeth Dias reports from the Papal Plane

Meet Kevin McCarthy: The Frontrunner to Replace Speaker John Boehner
A bright Congressman with a grim task, TIME’s Jay Newton-Small writes

Third GOP Debate Sets Off Wave of Anxiety
Prospect of winnowing field worries campaigns [Politico]

Carly Fiorina Enjoys Fruits of Super-PAC Labors
Fuzzy line between official campaign and outside group [Bloomberg]

Hillary Clinton Says She Has Been as Open as Possible Over Emails
Can’t explain discrepancies over emails that haven’t been turned over [TIME]

It’s Make or Break Time for Jeb Bush
Donors warn of defections if he doesn’t improve his standing [Washington Post]

Sound Off

“This is just something that has been a regular feature of all of our presidential campaigns, except in 2008 for unique reasons. We’re seeing history repeat itself. And I actually am amazed that she’s borne up under it as well as she has.” — Bill Clinton in an interview with CNN, blaming Hillary Clinton’s email woes on Republican and media attacks

“The Bible says beware of false prophets. And there are people out there, you know, spreading noise about how much can get done. I mean this whole notion that we’re going to shut down the government to get rid of Obamacare in 2013 — this plan never had a chance.” — Speaker of the House John Boehner on CBS Face the Nation on some in his party who have pushed for a government shutdown

Bits and Bites

Donald Trump Calls Marco Rubio a ‘Clown,’ Gets Booed [TIME]

Pope Francis Offers His Own American Dream [TIME]

Stage Backdrop Collapses Behind Carly Fiorina During Speech [NBC-DFW]

House plans special committee to probe Planned Parenthood [Politico]

Obama’s Chief Data Scientist Reveals How the Government Uses Big Data [TIME]

Shutdown Clash to Return in Force by December [Politico]

Boehner’s Departure Sets Off Legislative and Political Races [TIME]