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U.S. President Barack Obama and Pope Francis met for the first time Thursday at Vatican City. The two world leaders greeted each other with a smile and a handshake, and posed for pictures before sitting down across a table from each other. The meeting was an opportunity for a reset of sorts between the Obama administration and Catholic leadership following several years of strained relations. The goal: focus on areas where two of the world's most influential men agree and gently tread ground where they differ. That means the President and the Pontiff will, as the White House said in a statement, focus on "shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing (income) inequality" and gingerly navigate such thornier topics as same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion. Tensions between the administration and many leaders in the American Catholic community began early in the President's tenure over his support for abortion rights. Differences over same sex-marriage only added to the tense relationship. The meeting with Pope Francis, whose approval ratings are in the high 80s, might also boost Obama in that regard. His standing with the public has hovered in the low 40s.
In Other News • Weeks after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region, it plans to take custody of the nation's military dolphins as well. The highly-trained military flippers detect risks such as sea mines or enemy scuba divers trying to slip through. Sea mines are sophisticated weapons that can sink ships and other water craft. Dolphins are a crucial part of open water security. They detect sounds and objects in murky waters that human beings can't, making them uniquely effective at highlighting dangers on the sea floor. The U.S. Navy in San Diego also trains dolphins and sea lions to help protect its assets and locate dangerous objects in the waters. • Astronomers have discovered a dwarf planet that's even farther away than Pluto -- so far, in fact, that its orbit reaches into a new edge of the solar system. The dwarf planet's current name is 2012 VP113, and it is located in a "wasteland or badland of the solar system." • For couples who want to share their nuptials with their online circles as well as in-the-flesh guests, "social media wedding concierge" is an actual service now offered at a handful of wedding venues. On Tuesday, W Hotels started offering the service to clients who choose to marry at one of their New York City hotels. The cost is $3,000 and includes, “live tweeting of the ceremony and reception” and a “social media recap for the couple.” The e-mail -- and the existence of this service -- surfaced after this tweet went viral, with hundreds of folks criticizing the idea. • Forbes reports the Yankees are at the top of the heap in baseball for the 17th straight year with an overall value of $2.5 billion. That also makes the Yanks the most valuable team in American sports ahead of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys at $2.3 billion. The Phillies are 6th at an estimated value of $975 million.
