Midday Roundup: Governor strikes clerk names from Kentucky marriage licenses

Conscience protection. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin made good on a campaign promise Tuesday, issuing an executive order that removes county clerks’ names from marriage licenses. He made the move to “ensure that the sincerely held religious beliefs of all Kentuckians are honored.” This marriage license issue became national news earlier this year after Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because the document included her name. She said that amounted to an endorsement of same-sex marriage, something that violated her conscience. Former Gov. Steve Beshear refused to strike the clerks’ names from the licenses, and a judge ordered Davis jailed for several days. Bevin, elected in November, reiterated his promise to clear up the marriage license issue shortly after taking office earlier this month. Most states do not require clerks’ names to appear on marriage licenses, but gay rights groups are fighting the move, claiming the governor does not have the authority to unilaterally change state law.

Travel controversy. A Muslim family from Britain is crying foul over the last-minute revocation of its permission to travel to the United States to visit Disneyland. Neither the British or U.S. governments have given an official reason for stopping the family just before they boarded a flight bound for California, but Mohammad Tariq Mahmood said the reason is obvious: discrimination. “It’s because of the attacks on America—they think every Muslim poses a threat,” he told London’s Guardian newspaper. Mahmood was traveling with his brother and their nine children. A British lawmaker has taken up the family’s cause, asking British Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene in the case. Cameron has not made any statement yet but said he would respond “in due time.”

Frankly disgusted. Franklin Graham has severed his already tenuous ties with the Republican Party, declaring Monday he would renounce his GOP affiliation. The Samaritan’s Purse founder blasted Republicans for “wasteful spending” and their inability to revoke federal funding for abortion giant Planned Parenthood. “After all of the appalling facts revealed this year about Planned Parenthood, our representatives in Washington had a chance to put a stop to this, but they didn’t,” Graham said in a post on Facebook. “There’s no question—taxpayers should not be paying for abortions! Abortion is murder in God’s eyes.” Graham, who has previously claimed not to identify with any political party, said he had no hope for any party’s ability to do what was best for America. Instead, he urged Christians to consider running for local offices, where they could make a difference and uphold biblical values.

First hearing. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl said little in his first court martial appearance before a military judge yesterday. Bergdahl faces two charges—desertion and misbehavior before the enemy—and the latter carries a possible life sentence. Retired Army Gen. Jack Keane believes the Army’s decision to court-martial Bergdahl is honorable. “The Army made a decision that they would never break faith with the soldiers who served with distinction and honor,” he said. “And that’s what this court-martial is all about—because we have a soldier here who did not do that.” Bergdahl walked away from his combat post in Afghanistan in 2009 and spent five years as a Taliban prisoner. President Barack Obama last year exchanged him for five top Taliban leaders held at Guantanamo Bay. Bergdahl deferred a decision on trial by judge or jury. The next hearing is set for Jan. 12.

Dam breach. The Wall Street Journal is reporting Iranian hackers infiltrated the control system of a small dam just 20 miles upstream from New York City. U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said the Obama administration needs to do more to safeguard the nation’s infrastructure from cyber attacks: “Cyber security, and especially nation states like Iran, China, they could cause immense damage through their hacking. The dams in our country, the electrical grid, they could cause a catastrophe.” The attack on the dam occurred in 2013 but is still classified. It came shortly after the United States and Israel used a cyber worm to take down centrifuges that were part of Iran’s nuclear program.

WORLD Radio’s Mary Reichard and Jim Henry contributed to this report.