The Note: Joe Biden's Arduous Decision

— -- NOTABLES

-- WHAT WILL JOE DO? Vice President Joe Biden weighed in on the possibility of a 2016 presidential run Thursday night, telling an audience in Atlanta that he is unsure about pursuing the nation's highest office, ABC'S ARLETTE SAENZ reports. "The honest to God answer is I just don't know," Biden said when asked about 2016 during the Eizenstat lecture at the Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta. The VP said he is still weighing whether he and his family have the "emotional energy" for another campaign -- especially after Biden's son Beau passed away. It's the first time the vice president has publicly discussed a 2016 bid since speculation about his presidential ambitions grew over the past month. The vice president has spent the past several weeks huddling with advisers and family to discuss a potential third run for the White House. http://abcn.ws/1EExo7i

---A SOLEMN BIDEN SAYS NO TIMETABLE: Biden noted that others have raised questions about whether he can raise enough money or construct an organization to execute a successful campaign. But he wondered if he could get through a presidential campaign and if he and his family could make the "arduous commitment." Sources close to Biden have said he would likely make a decision by the end of the month. Tonight, the vice president said, "there's no way to put a timetable on this." "If I can reach that conclusion that we can do it in a fashion that would still make it viable, I will not hesitate to do it," he said. "I have to be honest with you...I can't look you straight in the eye and say now I know I can do it." http://abcn.ws/1EExo7i

--ABC'S JONATHAN KARL has all the details of Biden's 2016 decision on "GOOD MORNING AMERICA." WATCH: http://abcn.ws/1IOj2vL

--TRUMP'S FOREIGN POLICY FAIL: The same day he announced his pledge to remain loyal to the Republican Party, Donald Trump fumbled badly in response to foreign policy questions on the Middle East, ABC'S ALANA ABRAMSON reports. In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, he seemed unable to differentiate between Hezbollah and Hamas and when asked about the Iranian Major General Qasam Suleimani, the commander of the Quds force in Iran, Trump mistook the name for the Kurds, an ethnic group in the Middle East. Trump promised Hewitt he would soon learn all the leaders of the various military and terror groups in the Middle East. "If they're still there," he said, "I will know them better than I know you." Trump told Hewitt if he gets to the White House, "I will be so good at the military your head will spin."

--BUT FIORINA GETS AN A: Hewitt had Fiorina on his show shortly after he aired the pre-recorded interview with Trump asking the same questions on foreign policy and national security, reports ABC's KATHERINE FAULDERS. Hewitt decided to ask the same questions to Fiorina in a test of whether the questions were unfair. Fiorina, who claims she had not heard the Trump interview, was able to identify prominent Middle East figures, and explain the difference between Hamas and Hezbollah. Fiorina told Hewitt she did not think the questions were "gotcha questions." "I don't think they're gotcha questions at all. The questions you're asking are at the heart of the threat that we face, that our ally, Israel faces and that the world faces," Fiorina told Hewitt. "It is critically important that America lead again in the world. It is critically important that we have a leader in the White House who understands the world and who's in it and how it works, who has been to these places, who has met these leaders." Hewitt will co-moderate the upcoming GOP debate with CNN's Jake Tapper.

--DONALD TRUMP WON'T RUN A THIRD-PARTY CAMPAIGN: 'I HAVE SIGNED THE PLEDGE.' Donald Trump is all in. The Republican presidential frontrunner said he will commit to supporting the eventual Republican nominee, ruling out a third-party bid for the Oval Office that would likely draw general election voters away from the Republican nominee. "The best way forward for the Republicans to win is if I win the nomination and go against whoever [the Democrats] happen to put up. And for that reason I have signed the pledge," he said to a crowd. "So I will be totally pledging my allegiance to the Republican Party." The real estate mogul announced his plans at the Trump Tower in New York after a meeting with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, ABC's RYAN STRUYK reports. http://abcn.ws/1PNYaKG

--ABC'S TOM LLAMAS breaks down Trump's pledge, as well as that interview, on "GOOD MORNING AMERICA." WATCH: http://abcn.ws/1OgIWNT

--ANALYSIS FROM ABC's RICK KLEIN: It's not quite fully honest to suggest, as Donald Trump did, that he got nothing in return for his decision to take a pledge to support the Republican nominee, no matter what. (What would the author of "The Art of the Deal" have thought about a negotiation like that?) For starters, it's important to realize what Trump was giving up: nothing. He needed to take similar pledges to appear on some state ballots as a Republican, including in South Carolina. He'd begun none of the difficult work of ballot access he would have to be working on to make a third-party run plausible. So in exchange for nothing, he got something of great value: another nationally televised campaign moment. Once again, it was all about the Donald. Once again, he did not disappoint, with a dramatic prop and a whirlwind press conference that included the requisite number of just-weird touches. (What were those Indonesian men in suits doing there at the front of the room?) Trump hates losers, of course. He managed to emerge a winner for the moment -- and for longer, potentially, now that his 16 GOP rivals are on record saying they'd support him if he becomes the nominee.

--JEB HITS BACK: Jeb Bush was back in New Hampshire yesterday and back on Trump attack, mentioning his Republican rival repeatedly while addressing voters, and getting uncharacteristically angry when describing Trump's attacks on his wife and family, ABC'S CANDACE SMITH reports. "I'm sure as hell, when he attacks me personally, or disparages my family, damn right I'm gonna fight back," Bush said in Laconia, NH last night. He also defied Trump's suggestion to speak in English, saying he believes in campaigning with "brazos abiertos, with our arms wide open."

--GOP OUTRAGE OVER KENTUCKY CLERK BEING JAILED. Ted Cruz called the jailing of Kentucky clerk Kim Davis as "judicial tyranny" in a statement Thursday. "This is wrong. This is not America," he said. "Stop the persecution now." Rand Paul also sounded off: "I think it's absurd to put someone in jail for exercising their religious liberty," Paul said on CNN. Huckabee is jumping to the defense of Davis even tweeting that he's headed to Kentucky to stand with the clerk. "We must end the criminalization of Christianity!" he tweeted. Other Republicans were more measured. Lindsey Graham said on Tuesday, "As a public official, comply with the law or resign." Carly Fiorina said that denying the license was "not appropriate" on Tuesday, according to ABC's RYAN STRUYK.

--JEB TOO: Jeb Bush also spoke out for the first time on a federal judge's decision to jail Davis for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses suggesting that perhaps someone else in her office could issue the actual licenses so she could maintain her religious beliefs while not violating the law of the land, ABC'S CANDACE SMITH reports. "There ought to be big enough space for her to act on her conscience and for, now that the law is the law of the land for a gay couple to be married, in whatever jurisdiction that is," Bush told ABC News.

--ABC'S ALEX PEREZ reports on Davis' jailing, as well as the GOP response on "GOOD MORNING AMERICA." WATCH: http://abcn.ws/1NRnkKT

ON THE HILL with ABC's BENJAMIN SIEGEL:

BENGHAZI COMMITTEE HEARINGS MOVE FORWARD. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on Benghazi, told reporters he is "disappointed" that Bryan Pagliano has decided to plead the fifth in response to the committee's subpoena. "Am I disappointed? Yes, because I would have loved to have heard what he had to say," he said on-camera, before entering the Committee's hearing with Cheryl Mills. Clinton campaign aide responds: "She has made every effort to answer questions and be as helpful as possible, and has encouraged her aides, current and former, to do the same, including Bryan Pagliano." Former Clinton chief of staff Cheryl Mills testified yesterday for almost ten hours, answering questions about the Benghazi attacks and Clinton's email setup. She gave few hints as to how the meeting went, only thanking the leaders of the committee for their "professionalism and respect." Jake Sullivan, who now works on Clinton's campaign, will face similar questions today also behind closed doors.

COULD REP. HONDA BE IN TROUBLE? An ethics report released by the House Ethics Committee Thursday found that Rep. Mike Honda, D-California, and his staffers may have used official resources for campaigning in 2012 and 2014. The report, from the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, found "substantial reason to believe" Honda and his staffers used staff time and other resources to benefit his campaigns. The committee also announced it will be extending its review of Honda's behavior.

AT THE WHITE HOUSE with ABC'S SERENA MARSHALL:

President Obama hosts King Salman bin Abd alAziz of Saudi Arabia today. They have a bilateral meeting at 11:30am followed by a working lunch at 12:15pm. In the afternoon, the president meets with Defense Secretary Ash Carter. The Vice President attends all events.

TODAY ON THE TRAIL with ABC's RYAN STRUYK: All eyes today will be on Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, as she emerges from her vacation in the Hamptons to participate in a rare television interview this afternoon with Andrea Mitchell at NBC. She then hosts a healthcare roundtable in Puerto Rico. Republican Marco Rubio will also be in Puerto Rico this afternoon for a rally.

Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders holds four events in the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa. Martin O'Malley plans to meet with the presidential selfie girls in New Hampshire, while Lindsey Graham and Chris Christie will also be in the state, all three trying to gain grassroots momentum in races dominated by other candidates so far. And Republican Scott Walker, now sinking out of the top GOP tiers, is in Texas for a meet and greet.

THIS WEEK ON "THIS WEEK:" Republican presidential candidates Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee come to "This Week" Sunday. Plus, the powerhouse roundtable debates the week in politics with ABC News analyst Matthew Dowd, Democratic strategist and ABC News contributor Donna Brazile, editor of the Weekly Standard and ABC News contributor Bill Kristol, and editor and publisher of The Nation Katrina vanden Heuvel.

WHAT WE'RE READING

"CLINTON CAMPAIGN TRIES TO REASSURE SUPPORTERS. BUT OFFICIALS ALSO CAUTION THAT, 'IT'S GOING TO BE BUMPY, FRIENDS,'" by the Wall Street Journal's Laura Meckler and Peter Nicholas. Hillary Clinton's uneven handling of the fallout from her email practices at the State Department has shaken core campaign donors, prompting senior aides to shift into damage control mode. Through personal meetings, phone calls and emails, they are telling supporters that the former secretary of state didn't do anything wrong and remains well positioned to win the Democratic Party's presidential nomination next year. But they add a caveat: expect more turbulence. "It's going to be bumpy, friends," said one senior campaign official, summarizing the message. http://on.wsj.com/1JQ2859

THE BUZZ

with ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI

CLINTON ON THE AIR. Hillary Clinton's campaign has just spent roughly $4 million to continue airing ads in Iowa and New Hampshire through the next two months, a Clinton aide confirms to ABC News. In Iowa, the campaign spent an additional $1.5 million and in New Hampshire, $2.6 million, ABC'S LIZ KREUTZ reports. This will ensure airtime through September and October for the campaign to continue airing the same ads we've already seen focused on Clinton's mother. This additional buy comes of course as polls show Sanders closing in on Clinton in New Hampshire, and as Biden mulls jumping in to the race. Already the campaign spent $2 million ($1 million in each state) for the first 5-weeks of airtime. In addition, the campaign has spent $7.7 million to reserve airtime in Iowa and New Hampshire from November to January — leading up to the caucuses and primary.

--TRUMP AND CARSON SEE THEIR HIGHEST SUPPORT IN LATEST POLL. In the latest poll released yesterday from Monmouth University, Trump saw his highest support in a national poll this election cycle. His most previous high was 28 from Quinnipiac University on August 27. Like Trump, Carson is continuing to climb in the polls and this poll is his highest support this election cycle, according to ABC's RYAN STRUYK. Carson increased his support by 13 points since the last Monmouth poll on August 3rd. This is also the first national poll where candidates who have not held elected office (Carson, Trump, Fiorina) have a majority of Republican support (52 percent.), which makes sense given that 67 percent of Republican voters say the country needs a president from outside government who can bring a new approach to Washington. However, Jeb Bush and Scott Walker have both dropped points in this poll. http://bit.ly/1PNFHh8

--NUMBERS ARE BAD NEWS FOR WALKER: The latest national polling numbers are bad news for Scott Walker. In the Monmouth University poll released Thursday, Walker came in with just 3 percent (down from 10 percent in mid-June). By comparison, frontrunner Donald Trump — with his 30 percent — could run 10 circles around this former Iowa frontrunner, ABC'S JORDYN PHELPS notes. But the Walker campaign says they're not focused on the polls 15 months out from Election Day are instead focused on an aggressive campaign strategy that aims to introduce their candidate to more voters. "We're putting our heads down and hustling," an official with the Walker campaign tells ABC News. "This is big 10 football as we see it and ... we're ultimately going to grind it out and we have a candidate who is not afraid of hard work."

THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL DIGITAL STRATEGY: SELFIES, LASERS AND BACON. Rand Paul unveiled a new smartphone app this week while rival John Kasich popped up on Snapchat in New Hampshire. Both examples highlight how 2016 presidential candidates are using social media and relatively new platforms to reach young, digitally savvy voters, drawing donations and interest to their campaigns, ABC's JESSICA HOPPER and BRAD MIELKE write. Sen. Paul's app provides news on Paul, featured videos, his stances on different issues and makes it easy to click to donate to the campaign or endorse Paul. There's also a tab called "Fun Stuff" that has a "Meme-Erator" and a Photo Booth that lets you take a virtual selfie with Sen. Paul. In a first-of-its kind advertising scheme, New Hampshirites woke up on Wednesday morning to a brand new filter on SnapChat -- with a message from Ohio Gov. Kasich. It was paid for by Kasich for America, marking the first time a Presidential campaign has paid for a custom filter on the app. The morning message featured the Kasich logo, rendered in bacon, because hey -- what voter doesn't like bacon? http://abcn.ws/1O0lpm8

NEW SAFETY REVIEW ORDERED AT PENTAGON'S ANTHRAX LABS FOLLOWING CONTAMINATION. A safety review has been ordered for the Defense Department's nine labs and facilities involved in the production, shipment and handling of live and inactivated agents and toxins after anthrax was discovered outside the primary containment area at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, military officials said Thursday. The contamination was found on Aug. 20 in a secure area of the facility, and according to a Pentagon statement there is no evidence that lab employees were exposed to anthrax or that there was any threat to the general public, ABC's LUIS MARTINEZ notes. The area was later decontaminated and no anthrax was found in later testing, officials said. http://abcn.ws/1JF1Tsw

INSIDE LOOK AT THE DISCOUNTED FURNITURE MARTIN O'MALLEY BOUGHT FROM GOVERNOR'S MANSION. Documents obtained by ABC News reveal some of the stately furniture used by 2016 Democratic hopeful Martin O'Malley when he lived in Maryland's governor's mansion and later purchased by his family at steeply discounted rates when they moved out of the residence earlier this year. Documents obtained by ABC News reveal some of the stately furniture used by 2016 Democratic hopeful Martin O'Malley when he lived in Maryland's governor's mansion and later purchased by his family at steeply discounted rates when they moved out of the residence earlier this year, ABC's MARYALICE PARKS reports. As first reported by the Baltimore Sun, the O'Malley family bought 54 items in total from the state upon their departure from the Government House after the furniture was deemed "unserviceable" by the Maryland Department of General Services, marked for disposal and offered to the family for about $9,600 after taxpayers had reportedly paid $62,000 for the furniture. http://abcn.ws/1NPOX78

ABC NEWS' SPECIAL: "POPE FRANCIS AND THE PEOPLE." On Monday, Pope Francis held the first-ever televised virtual audience with Americans, a historic event moderated by "World News Tonight" Anchor David Muir from the Vatican. In the first-of-its-kind global gathering, which will be part of an ABC News special tonight, Pope Francis heard the stories of the people while delivering his message to hundreds in Chicago, Los Angeles, and McAllen, Texas simultaneously from the Vatican via satellite. "Pope Francis and the People," a one-hour primetime special edition of "20/20," airs on the ABC Television Network tonight at 10 p.m. ET. During the interactive virtual audience, the Pope spoke with students at the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago, individuals from homeless shelters near Skid Row in Los Angeles, and immigrants at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church near the U.S.-Mexico border in McAllen.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

FORMER CLINTON AIDE BRYAN PAGLIANO PLANS TO PLEAD THE 5TH TO BENGHAZI COMMITTEE QUESTIONS. Facing a congressional subpoena, a former State Department staffer connected to Hillary Clinton's private email server has decided to invoke his Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions from several congressional committees. Attorneys for Bryan Pagliano, a former State Department staffer who received a subpoena to testify and provide documents to the House Select Committee, wrote the committee a letter Sunday notifying the Benghazi Committee chairman, Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., that Pagliano would plead the fifth in light of the FBI investigation into the security of Clinton's email server. ABC's BENJAMIN SIEGEL and LIZ KREUTZ has more.http://abcn.ws/1XkFHeq

WHO'S TWEETING?

@KThomasDC: Gowdy: "Our committee is the committee on Benghazi. It's not the committee on emails." #Benghazi

@ZekeJMiller: WASHINGTON (AP) - US employers added 173,000 jobs in August; unemployment rate falls to 7-year low of 5.1 pct.

@rickklein: "Supporters will also receive a Bitmoji of a pink pantsuit they can impose onto their own avatar." http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2015/09/03/hillary-clinton-women-campaign-issues/71657980/ ...

@FoxNews: .@Reince: "We've got complete unity with the 17 candidates now saying that 'we pledge our loyalty to the Party.'

@CNNPolitics: Donald Trump says the U.S. should "possibly" accept Syrian refugees http://cnn.it/1i0UGtU via @DeenaZaruCNN

@BillKristol: What odds could I get on this proposition? There will be a woman on a presidential ticket next year--but it will be Fiorina, not Clinton