Midday Roundup: Cruz wins Values Voter straw poll

Perennial favorite. GOP White House hopefuls gathered over the weekend to talk about the issues most important to Christian and social conservative voters. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, won the event’s straw poll for the third year in a row. He said if he’s elected president, he plans to “rip to shreds this catastrophic Iranian nuclear deal.” Eight presidential contenders took the stage at the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit in Washington. The candidates tackled a number of big topics during the three-day event, including freedom of religion and defunding Planned Parenthood. The summit also featured plenty of speakers notrunning for president, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., and Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis.

The wet planet? Scientists say they have found proof of liquid water on Mars. Though Mars has frozen polar ice caps, researchers could not find evidence of liquid water until recently. In an announcement today, scientists said they have detected hydrated salts on the surface that could not exist without water. The finding fuels speculation life could subsist on one of Earth’s closest neighbors. But getting an up-close look at the wet spots on Mars is a long way off. NASA will not send a rover to any possibly habitable area of the planet because of the risk of contaminating Mars with Earth’s germs, and sterilizing spacecraft before launch is cost-prohibitive.

Conscience rights. Pope Francis spoke out on behalf of government officials who have moral objections to issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. On the plane ride home from his visit to the United States, the pope told reporters conscientious objection is a human right that should extend to individuals in government positions, “otherwise, we would end up in a situation where we select what is a right, saying ‘this right that has merit, this one does not.’” Francis did not specifically mention Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. But he did say conscientious objection is an important part of every juridical structure. “And if a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right,” Francis said.

A big ‘if.’ Iran would free Americans held prisoner there if the United States would release Iranians jailed here, President Hassan Rouhani said today. The statement Rouhani made to CNN was one of the first indications Iran could be open to a prisoner swap for captives including Pastor Saeed Abedini, who has spent three years imprisoned for his Christian faith in Iran. The Iranian government seeks freedom for 19 of its citizens imprisoned here—hardly an even trade. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he has not heard directly from Iran on the idea yet.

Photographic evidence. Police in Florida arrested a 20-year-old woman who posed for a snapshot while riding on a sea turtle during nesting season this summer. The photo went viral, prompting complaints of animal abuse to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Sea turtles and their nesting grounds on Florida beaches are protected by both federal and state laws. Melbourne, Fla., officers recognized and apprehended the woman, Stephanie Moore, while responding to a separate call.

WORLD Radio’s Kent Covington contributed to this report.