Mic Check: Welcome to America Pope Francis!

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

TODAY'S TALKING POINTS

America will be a little more holy today. Pope Francis lands in Washington, D.C., for his jam-packed trek up the East Coast.

On Thursday, he’ll become the first pontiff ever to address a joint session of Congress, and GOP lawmakers are already praying he left his progressive rhetoric in Rome. Lawmakers who support the Holy See’s agenda were warned not to show it via fist bumps, handshakes or selfies.
Excitement is building over what wise words the pope will have for the U.S. On his visit to Cuba over the weekend, he surprised everyone by veering way off-script and offering millennials helpful advice like don’t commit your life to defeatism and don’t be a wuss.
Meanwhile, the West Coast welcomes China's President Xi Jinping, who'll have the chance to mingle with tech and aerospace rockstars in Seattle while convincing them that China isn't to blame for recent cyber attacks.

Over 20% of female undergrads reported being victims of s*xual assault. The Association of American Universities released those staggering findings from one of the largest studies ever on the matter, which polled more than 150,000 students at 27 top universities.

Scott Walker is the latest dropout from the 2016 race. The Wisconsin governor is making his big exit from the race after polls showed him with 0% support from the Republican electorate. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry was the first to call it quits earlier this month.

Your next ride could be an Apple car. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is trying to move fasteron production of an electric car so it’s ready by 2019. The car will likely represent the same slick sensibility as Apple’s other products but probablywon’t be the self-driving ride many were hoping for.

Volkswagen shares plummeted 18% after the Environmental Protection Agency ordered the company to recall half a million cars because of software that cheated emissions tests. Volkswagen's CEO Martin Winterkorn said he was "deeply sorry," but that apology could come with up to $18 billion in federal fines.

IN ONE PHOTO

There’s a new tree of life to pay attention to — and it’s cooler than the one your cousin has tattooed on her ankle. Scientists just added up 2.3 million species from 500 life trees to show us all what the past 3.5 billion years of life looks like.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

President Obama highlights the difference between police reform and "War on Cops." Mic

Here are all the ways Donald Trump might actually be saving our democracy. New York

Ryan Adams’ heart-rending cover of all of Taylor Swift’s 1989 is finally here.Mic

In Japan, you can rent “handsome weeping boys” to wipe away your tears.Quartz

#PigGate has gone viral after allegations that UK’s prime ministerviolated a dead pig’s head. Mic

This is the United Nations' $2 trillion plan that could make the world perfect.BuzzFeed

Watch three super smart drones build a bridge you can walk across. Mic

We need to talk about the refugees living at Germany’s former concentration camps. The Guardian

THE LAST WORD

When Mic’s Mathew Rodriguez heard that singer Jewel had come out about her own s*xual harassment at age 8, he was flabbergasted, “I knew there had to be more stories like hers, so I went right to the source. I spoke to almost a dozen women who shared stories that reflect the stats, and found that many women experience their first s*xual harassment before age 17, some as young as 10, 8 and even 5. I hope this story offers a deeper look atwhat it really means to be a young girl today.”

We woke up like this. Did we miss something you wanted to read about? Want to see us focus on an under-covered issue? Have a tip for the next edition? Emailjoel@mic.com.

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Mic Check: Welcome to America Pope Francis!

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