Midday Roundup: Kentucky AG won't investigate Kim Davis for misconduct

No investigation. The Kentucky attorney general announced this morning he will not appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Rowan County clerk Kim Davis. Couples who sued Davis after she refused to issue marriage licenses also filed a charge of official misconduct against her. Rowan County Attorney Cecil Watkins cited a conflict of interest in the case and forwarded the complaint to state Attorney General Jack Conway. In a statement issued today, Conway said his oversight was unnecessary because the federal courts “have control of the matter.” Davis, freed from jail yesterday, announced through her attorney she would not return to work until Friday or Monday. It’s not clear whether she will follow U.S. District Court Judge David Bunning’s order not to interfere with issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. One of her deputies said today he will continue to issue licenses even if Davis orders him not to.

Fair share? With no end in sight, European nations are struggling to keep up with the flood of Middle Eastern refugees. Pressure is mounting on EU countries and the United States to take in greater numbers of those fleeing violence in Syria and Iraq. The State Department is reviewing options for taking in more Syrian refugees, although some changes may require congressional approval. And at least some lawmakers are leery of the plan. “The concern that I have, as the FBI testified to, is that we don’t really have the proper database on these individuals to vet them past, to ensure that we’re not allowing terrorists to come into this country,” said Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. “And until I have that assurance, I cannot support a program that could potentially bring jihadists into the United States.”

Not too bad to forgive. The family of a New Orleans seminary professor and pastor is sharing painful details about his death in hopes of discouraging other men from taking similar drastic measures. John Gibson committed suicide Aug. 24, six days after his name appeared on a list of people who signed up for the cheating website Ashley Madison. Hackers stole the site’s client list and made it public in an effort to destroy the company and shame its customers. But Gibson’s wife, Christi, said nothing is worth the loss of a father, husband, and friend. “It wasn’t so bad that we wouldn’t have forgiven it, and so many people have said that to us, but for John, it carried such a shame,” she said. Gibson, who had struggled with depression and addiction issues in the past, feared losing his job at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, his wife said.

Reunited. One very relieved Texas couple today have their infant son back after being separated from him two days after birth. Mercy Casanellas gave birth to the couple’s son in her native El Salvador in May, but as the couple was preparing to leave the hospital, the baby the nurses gave them did not look like theirs. Hospital staff insisted it was their baby, and feeling they had no choice, the stunned couple returned to Texas. DNA tests later showed the baby was not their own. Authorities in El Salvador launched an investigation, found the couple’s actual son, and returned him to them. Police charged the delivery doctor with running a human trafficking operation, something the father, Rick Cushworth, suspected from the beginning. Cushworth and Casanellas are relieved to have their son back—and they’re requesting they be allowed to keep the other child as well.

Settled. The family of Freddie Gray has reached a $6.4 million settlement in a wrongful death case against the City of Baltimore. The city council approved the settlement unanimously this morning. Gray, an African-American man, sustained a fatal spinal cord injury while in police custody in April. He slipped into a coma and died a week later in the hospital. His death sparked days of riots and violence that threatened to overtake the city. Prosecutors have indicted six police officers in the case on charges ranging from second-degree murder to manslaughter.

Prayerful victory. The Christian drama War Room has claimed box-office victory, selling more tickets than any other film over the long Labor Day holiday weekend. The movie about a family’s troubles and restoration earned $12.6 million during its second weekend in release, according to Rentrak estimates. It cost only $3.5 million to produce. The movie has grossed $27.9 million to date. Director Alex Kendrick told CBN News he hopes audiences will, “be inspired and reminded about the powerful weapon that prayer can be.” Word-of-mouth publicity for War Room has been strong. According to exit polling, 75 percent of the audience said they would definitely recommend the movie.

WORLD Radio’s Jim Henry, Steve Coleman, Mary Reichard, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.