Midday Roundup: Poll shows Clinton crushing Trump in November

Unfavorable odds. A just-released Associated Press-GfK poll of more than 1,000 adults suggests Americans prefer Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton to GOP leader Donald Trump on a range of issues. Clinton outscored Trump on national defense, healthcare, immigration, and the economy. While Trump scored even lower, Clinton did not earn high marks from respondents on those issues. There’s little doubt that her ongoing email scandal and a related FBI investigation have taken a toll on her favorability. Still, an average of eight recent head-to-head general election polls shows Clinton leading Trump by more than 10 points.

Rally in Raleigh. Supporters of a new law governing public restrooms and privacy in North Carolina gathered at the state Capitol in Raleigh on Monday, applauding Gov. Pat McCrory for enacting the measure. About 700 people rallied to praise the law for keeping public restrooms safe for children after a Charlotte ordinance would have opened the facilities to anyone who identified with that gender, regardless of their biological sex. “Such an ordinance creates a loophole sexual predators can exploit,” said the Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, according to The News & Observer.

Norwegian shift. The Norwegian Lutheran Church on Monday voted to allow pastors to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies. The Lutheran church comprises about 74 percent of worshippers in Norway, which legalized same-sex marriage in 2009. At the Lutheran church’s annual conference, 88 out of 115 delegates voted in favor of the measure, which also protects the right of priests not to officiate ceremonies affirming same-sex relationships.

Found at sea. A U.S. Navy officer spoke out Monday about a dramatic island rescue fit for a Hollywood movie. Three men were traveling between two Micronesian islands last Tuesday when their skiff capsized. They swam to a nearby deserted island, spelled out the word “HELP” on the beach with palm fronds, and lit a signal fire. The Navy aircraft searching for the men picked up a heat signal from the fire, which had gone out but was still smoldering. After they saw the palm fronds and the men waving life jackets in the air, the Navy was able to contact a nearby ship to pick up the men. “I’ve never seen anything like that, nor am I aware of anyone in our community seeing anything like that,” U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. John Harkins said Monday.

Letter from Lincoln? North Korea issued a bizarre rebuke to President Barack Obama in the form of a fictional letter from Abraham Lincoln. The letter, published on the DPRK Today website, accused the United States of hypocrisy for asking nations like North Korea to reduce their nuclear stockpiles without first culling its own. “The world doesn’t trust an America that doesn’t take responsibility for what it says,” the letter states. Tensions between North Korea and the West have flared this year as the U.S. and its allies respond to the communist nation’s increasingly brazen displays of aggression. This week, North Korea was embarrassed by reports of defections by restaurant workers and a colonel from its spy agency.

WORLD Radio’s Mary Reichard contributed to this report.