Midday Roundup: Christian bakery in Belfast loses cake case

No regrets. A judge in Northern Ireland has ruled against bakery owners who declined to make a cake decorated with the words “Support Gay Marriage.” The owners of Ashers Bakery told customer Gareth Lee they could not bake the cake because of their biblical beliefs about the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman. Judge Isobel Brownlie said the bakery’s actions were “direct discrimination for which there can be no justification.” As a business, the bakery had no legal basis to reject an order based on a customer’s sexual orientation or beliefs, Brownlie ruled. She fined the owners the equivalent of $775 and ordered them to pay Lee’s legal costs, which have mounted into the tens of thousands. Daniel McArthur, the owner’s son, said the family would make the same decision again, despite the ruling against them: “We just want to live and work in accordance with our religious beliefs. We know we’ve done the right decision before God, and we’ve no regrets about what we’ve done.” The owners plan to appeal.

Demilitarization. President Barack Obama wants to keep heavy military equipment out of the hands of police. The administration says local law enforcement can no longer obtain grenade launchers, bayonets, and armored vehicles through a military surplus program. White House domestic policy chief Cecilia Munoz said police departments will still be able to get some hand-me-down equipment, but it won’t be easy: “The consent of a local civilian governing body, so eyes on it from a mayor or city council, as well as a clear and persuasive explanation of why they need the equipment.” The decision comes in the wake of violent clashes between police and protesters in Ferguson, Mo., last summer and more recently in Baltimore. Munoz said the administration also encourages police departments to publish data on traffic stops and officer-involved shootings.

Retaking Ramadi. The fighting around Ramadi died down yesterday as the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group tightened its grip on the Iraqi city. But the verbal sparring in the United States had only begun. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told MSNBC the fall of Ramadi in Anbar Province is a huge strategic blow to the Iraqi government, and he said Obama’s decision to abandon Iraq in 2011 is to blame. “I hate to be repetitious, but the fact is, thanks to the surge, we had it under control and this is another consequence of the failure of this administration and this president to leave a residual force behind,” he said. But Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said the fall of Ramadi is only a temporary setback: “To read too much into this single fight is simply a mistake. It really is.” ISIS militants are preparing to defend the city today as Iranian-backed militias gather outside to launch a counterassault.

Nabbed. Police in London have arrested seven suspects in an Easter weekend robbery described as the country’s largest-ever jewelry heist. The suspects were all between 48 and 75 years old. Investigators also recovered “a significant amount of high-value property” during the arrests, according to a Scotland Yard announcement. The thieves entered the building from the roof, rappelled down an elevator shaft, cut through a wall and an 18-inch-thick steel door, and raided 300 boxes filled with diamonds and other jewels. Police have endured sharp criticism for not responding to an alarm tripped at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit building during the robbery. A security guard did respond but only checked the main doors.

The Associated Press and WORLD Radio’s Jim Henry and Kent Covington contributed to this report.