"No matter what kind of controversy engulfs Hillary and Bill Clinton, they have a ready defense: the Clinton-haters are at it again. There is some validity to that, as the Clintons are the most controversial couple in America. In general, the big mistake the Clintons make is that they do not admit mistakes. For example, Benghazi. All former Secretary of State Clinton had to say was that security in Libya was difficult and that she and her staff did not pay close enough attention to the threats. Her admission and apology would have been accepted by most fair-minded people. Instead, Mrs. Clinton and President Obama stonewalled. On the email front there is no excuse; it was a deception. Now, on to the latest brouhaha. A new book will present circumstantial evidence that Hillary Clinton profited from her position as secretary of state. There is evidence that Mrs. Clinton may have acted favorably to some concerns that donated big money to the Clinton Foundation. Talking Points does not know if there is overwhelming evidence of donations for favors. Already some are saying Mrs. Clinton should be indicted, but at this point that is an overstatement that helps the Clinton campaign. The charges will have to be vetted and big media such as The New York Times, Washington Post, as well as Fox News are doing that. One bad sign for Hillary Clinton is that character assassin David Brock is being used by her campaign to attack the credibility of the book, and there are few Americans lower than Brock. With the Democratic Party fully committed to Hillary Clinton, all of these controversies will get attention, but in the end it comes down to the voter. The country is largely fed up with politics and many people have turned away from public policy, descending into trivial pursuits in social media. So it is easier for politicians to overcome dubious situations than it used to be. Talking Points will be fair to Hillary Clinton, but right now her profile has been damaged and she needs to address all the controversies with serious media people. And soon."

The Factor invited reaction from Clinton confidante Lanny Davis and Republican stalwart Monica Crowley. "The Clintons respond when questions are raised," Davis said, "so you'll see Hillary Clinton respond on this matter. The Clinton Foundation did a lot of good and had the transparency of every contribution being on the Internet. Hillary Clinton would never trade the honor of being secretary of state for any contribution." Crowley, of course, put forth a vastly different view. "A lot of news organizations are raising legitimate questions. I think you're right that the Clintons will try to ride this out, their M.O. for 25 years has been stonewall, deny, and defend. When there's a lot of smoke with the Clintons, there's almost always fire."

Fox News correspondent Catherine Herridge and author Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, who have been following the Bowe Bergdahl fiasco, returned to the No Spin Zone with the latest. "Another of Bergdahl's former platoon mates has come forward," Herridge reported, "and he has confirmed the informal Q&A session they had with Admiral Mike Mullen in 2009. He says Mullen knew that Bergdahl had deserted." Shaffer castigated Mullin, who retired as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs in 2011, for remaining silent. "His job is to defend the equity of the Pentagon and those men who served with him. It's not his job to defend the president's policies, he should be defending the truth." The Factor concluded, "Admiral Mullen served his country with honor, but he now has an obligation to step forward and say what the situation was."

FNC analyst Kirsten Powers, a liberal Democrat, has been very critical of President Obama's reluctance to mention the war on Christians. She entered the No Spin Zone to elaborate. "Persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Northern Africa has reached a tipping point," Powers lamented, "and President Obama has been largely silent. There is a religious cleansing going on that he should acknowledge. He'll talk about religious persecution, but he'll always lump all religions together and he won't acknowledge what's actually happening." The Factor added that President Obama is not alone, saying, "Many American Christian leaders have also been absolutely silent."

The United States is sending warships into the Persian Gulf, where Iran may be delivering arms to terrorists in Yemen. The Factor was joined by Lt. Col. Ralph Peters, who gave the action a lukewarm endorsement. "It's a good move if President Obama means it," he said, "but don't make a fist unless you're willing to throw a punch. There's real danger because the Iranians are convinced that they can get away with anything, that Obama will not do anything to jeopardize that nuke deal. The problem is that Obama walks right up to the line and then backs down. Don't send our ships there unless you intend to enforce a blockade."

With the Supreme Court about to rule on whether same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, new reports claim that two justices - Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan - have actually performed gay marriages. The Factor asked Kimberly Guilfoyle and Lis Wiehl for their learned opinions. "They're not required to recuse themselves," Wiehl declared, "because they have never stated their view on the fundamental question as to whether or not a state can ban gay marriage. They have only expressed a personal view about gay marriage." Guilfoyle begged to differ, saying Ginsburg and Kagan are obviously biased. "The recusal standard is whether or not a judge's impartiality might reasonably be questioned. I think it's reasonable to say that going out of your way to perform same-sex marriages indicates a belief you hold in your heart."

The Factor asked New York Times columnist David Brooks, author of a new book about character, to evaluate social media in today's culture. "There's evidence that adolescents are getting more narcissistic," Brooks began, "but I actually don't think it's technology, it's us! We tell them they're special, we give trophies for everything, and that leads to a lack of humility. I don't think kids are morally corrupt - teen pregnancy is down, abortion is down, teenage violence is down. But they are into a shallow 'selfie' culture." The Factor insisted that technology plays a central role in the burgeoning narcissism: "Everyone who's around teenagers knows that their whole lives center around this hand-held machine."

Jack Epstein, New York, NY: "Austan Goolsbee ate you up again, O'Reilly."

Jim Lortz, Wall Township, NJ: "I understand the Pope is calling for compassion for refugees in Europe. I wonder if the Vatican will welcome any of them."

Helen Koenig, Bernardsville, NJ: "I agree with Juan Williams. Let the Middle Eastern countries settle their own problems."

Be wary of what you read on the Yahoo news service, which takes far-left articles and posts them without any checking. Also, the editorial pages at USA Today and the Cleveland Plain-Dealer are grossly biased and unfair.