Midday Roundup: More Americans value religious liberty over gay rights

Defending marriage. A new poll by The Associated Press suggests most Americans still value religious freedom over gay rights. About 56 percent of those surveyed said when religious liberty and gay rights conflict, religious freedom should be protected. Only 39 percent considered gay rights the higher priority. And roughly six out of every 10 respondents said business owners with religious objections should not be forced to violate their consciences in servicing same-sex wedding ceremonies. The poll conducted with GfK Public Affairs surveyed about 1,000 adults and had a 3 percent margin of error.

War of words. Donald Trump is not backing down from a controversial remark he made about Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a former prisoner of war. At a summit in Iowa over the weekend, Trump said McCain was not a war hero: “I like people who weren’t captured, OK?” McCain last week said Trump has had success in recent polls because he has “fired up the crazies.” With that in mind, Trump says he won’t apologize for mocking McCain’s military service. Trump’s GOP rivals are condemning his remark, and the Republican National Committee issued a rebuke stating that his comments, quote “have no place in our party or country.”

Making up. Early this morning, workers at the State Department hung the Cuban flag in the lobby, signifying the official reopening of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States. The new era of closer ties with the communist country officially began at midnight. The Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C., held a ceremony to raise the Cuban flag and officially become the Cuban Embassy. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez will meet today with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The two countries are still negotiating the new relationship; the U.S. wants Cuba to improve on human rights in the country, and Cuba insists the U.S. end its 53-year trade embargo.

Tax status. Debate is growing in Congress over whether the recent Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage could affect the tax-exempt status of churches and other religious organizations. The Internal Revenue Service has released a statement saying the ruling will not change the standards used by agents to evaluate tax-exempt organizations. The statement follows calls by the attorneys general of 15 states, who have written Congress asking for legislation to protect religious schools and other groups that oppose same-sex marriage.

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