The Circus: Washington’s power players are angling to deal with the departure of House Speaker John Boehner and how it might fan the flames of partisan politics.

The Republican Party’s far right wing can claim a victory, finally toppling the man they’ve plotted against for the past year. They hate Boehner for trying to work with the Democrats and compromise, if only a little. Boehner’s replacement will be under tremendous pressure to confront the president over spending and the debt limit, possibly forcing another government shutdown. They might even fight to the death over funding Planned Parenthood.

The Republicans will be inspired by presidential candidates Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina, who have risen to the top of the political pack by being outsiders and anti-politicians. Things may be about to get a lot nastier, and the fight will begin within the Republican Party as the right wing pushes to install a Great Uncompromiser as speaker.

Permawar: France has carried out its first airstrikes against the Islamic State inside Syrian territory. The French military said they hit training and logistical sites. Previously, France has been reluctant to bomb ISIS inside Syria because that would support the regime of Bashar al Assad, but President Francois Hollande said it had become a matter of national defense.

PopeTour: Pope Francis wraps up his American tour in Philadelphia today with an outdoor Mass in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the steps made famous by Sylvester Stallone in his movie “Rocky.”

Amid all the adoring masses and speaking to Congress, Francis has done his best to draw attention to the plight of the poor, immigrants, and the imprisoned. In Washington, he skipped lunch with Congressional biggies to dine with homeless people at a shelter. He visits prisoners today.

Despite his moving friendliness and calls for toleration, Francis is still a traditional Pope who has changed very little. NY Times wit Maureen Dowd points out that Francis has held the line on the involvement of women in the church, writing, “Pope Francis would be the perfect pontiff — if he lived in the 19th century. But how, in 2015, can he continue to condone the idea that women should have no voice in church decisions?”

Bullet Points: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for stronger gun control yesterday at the funeral of one of his aides who was killed by a stray bullet at the annual West Indian Day Parade in New York City. Carey Gabay, 43, was a lawyer in the Cuomo administration killed by a single bullet to the head. Police do not believe he was the intended target.

The governor said, “His death was one of the most tragic, pointless examples of the rampant violence that is spreading like a cancer through our society, especially in our poorer communities and especially in our communities of color.” He added, “It is not enough for New York State to pass a gun law and close the front door when the guns are coming in the back door, when the guns can come up from Virginia or South Carolina for anyone willing to take a car ride.”

Mooning: If you have the inclination to watch, the moon will perform a combination of stunts tonight that include a super moon and a blood moon before disappearing in a total eclipse.

A super moon occurs when the moon is closet to earth and appears abnormally large. During a blood moon it is red because of refracted light, somewhat like a sunset. And best of all, the eclipse begins at twilight, a cocktail hour show.

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