Midday Roundup: Catholic bishop bans Boy Scouts from N.D. parishes

Morality move. A bishop in Bismarck, N.D., has ordered Catholic parishes in his diocese to cut ties with the Boy Scouts of America over its decision to allow gay adult leaders. “I cannot permit our Catholic institutions to accept and participate directly or indirectly in any organization which has policies and methods which contradict the authoritative moral teachings of the Catholic Church,” Bishop David Kagan wrote in a letter sent to parishes Monday. Cory Wrolstad, a spokesman for the Boy Scouts’ Northern Lights Council in Bismarck, said the bishop’s decision will affect eight Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs in Bismarck, Mandan, Beulah, and Williston. The troop in Mandan will end a 66-year affiliation with the Catholic church, Wrolstad said.

Tuned in. Early Nielsen ratings gathered overnight suggest last night's GOP presidential candidate debate drew a record audience. Between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. EDT, Fox News had a 16.0 rating, meaning 16 percent of U.S. households tuned in. The conservative network normally only captures the attention of 1 or 2 percent of U.S. households. During the last Republican presidential contest, in 2011 and 2012, the highest-rated debates only pulled about 5 percent of the TV audience. In 2008, none of the Democratic debates topped 10 percent.

Breaking ranks. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he will oppose the Iran nuclear deal, a cornerstone of the foreign policy legacy President Barack Obama is trying to build in his last years in office. The agreement between world powers and Tehran calls on Iran to curb its nuclear activities in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. Critics of the deal say it delays but does not demolish Iran’s ability to make a nuclear weapon and Iran cannot be trusted to hold up its end of the bargain. As the next in line to replace Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Schumer is a key leader among Senate Democrats. But as senator from a state with 1.5 million Jews, Schumer, who is also Jewish, is a strong ally of Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has personally urged Congress not to approve the deal or any concessions to Iran. Schumer joined a handful of Jewish Democrats who have announced their opposition: Reps. Steve Israel and Nita Lowey of New York and Ted Deutch of Florida.

Ready to serve. FormerPresident George W. Bush performed his civic duty this week by reporting to a Dallas courthouse for jury duty. He arrived ready to serve with his Secret Service detail, but was not chosen as a juror in a civil dispute case. He did stick around long enough to take pictures with each of the 35 members of the jury panel. “He was very personable, very friendly, just, ‘Hey I’m here to serve,’ he asked questions and was very nice,” Sheri Coleman told The Dallas Morning News. “I loved it.”

Annexation attempt. Russia has laid claim to hundreds of miles of ocean north of its borders, extending to the North Pole and beyond. International law allows a nation to control economic activity in ocean waters over the continental shelf extending from the country’s seashore. If it receives approval from the United Nations, Russia could access more offshore oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean, where melting ice has made drilling easier. The UN rejected an earlier attempt in 2002 by Russia to claim a swath of arctic waters.

WORLD Radio’s Kristen Eicher and The Associated Press contributed to this report.