Midday Roundup: Tennessee clerks resign over gay marriage

Taking a stand. The mayor of Decatur County, Tenn., has appointed a new county clerk after the entire clerk’s office staff resigned last week over their opposition to same-sex marriage. Clerk Gwen Pope and staffers Sharon Bell and Mickey Butler, all Christians, said they could no longer keep their positions because they did not want to issue same-sex marriage licenses. The county staffers said they had no backup plan but trusted God would provide for them. “It’s kind of sort of like you don’t want to draw attention to yourself for any reason,” Pope said. “That’s not why we’re doing this. Not doing it in any way to draw attention to us. It’s for the glory of God. He’s going to get all the glory.” Mayor Mike Creasy said he agreed with Pope’s opposition to same-sex marriage and respected her willingness to stand for her convictions. But all government officials must uphold the law, he said, whether they agree with it or not: “I do want to express my thanks to Ms. Pope for her years of service to Decatur County. She has served it well. Plus, I appreciate her standing by her personal convictions.”

Confederate debate. State senators in South Carolina voted 37-3 yesterday and 36-3 today to pull the Confederate battle flag from the Capitol grounds. Despite the overwhelming support for the measure, the flag’s supporters continue to argue for its historical significance. “The people that didn’t even own slaves, I mean 97 percent of them, if I believed that’s why they fought and died, I’d be with you climbing up there to take that flag down,” said state Sen. Lee Bright, a Republican. “But that’s not what they fought for. They fought for their homes.” But there are few defenders of the flag left on either side of the aisle in the South Carolina Senate. “It’s one small piece of that culture of division that we live in, but it’s one small piece that we can do something about, and we can do it this week,” said state Sen. Vincent Sheheen. “And we should.” The proposal now heads to the state House, where it is expected to face more opposition. Assuming it reaches her desk, Republican Gov. Nikki Haley is expected to sign it.

More Ramadan violence. Another bomb blast in Nigeria killed 25 people today in the northern university town of Zaria. Suicide bombers targeted a government building in the town during a welcome event for a new chairman. The area’s governor has warned people to stay away from large public gatherings, including at churches and mosques. Islamic militants with Boko Haram are believed to be behind the attacks, which are part of a rash of increased violence encouraged by Islamic State (ISIS) leaders during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Although not directly tied to ISIS, Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to the group. In northern Kenya, terrorists believed to be with Somalia-based al-Shabaab killed 14 people in an attack on two compounds housing quarry workers.

Taking their time. Negotiators have once again extended the deadline to reach a deal with Iran to limit the country’s nuclear development program in exchange for sanctions relief. The new deadline is July 10. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with other world leaders and Iranian officials in Vienna. State Department spokeswoman Mari Harf said today the negotiations have “made substantial progress in every area.” But details are scarce, and it’s not clear whether the additional time will change the outcome of the talks, which have so far been unfruitful. Iran, the United States, and its international partners agreed to a framework for a deal several months ago. They’ve been trying to iron out the details ever since. If they can’t reach an agreement soon, the time the U.S. Congress has to evaluate and approve the deal will double, adding more delays.

Smoking gun? Comedian Bill Cosby admitted in 2005 to getting sedatives to give women he wanted to have sex with. The bombshell revelation came during a deposition in a sexual abuse lawsuit Cosby eventually settled out of court. The file was sealed, but a judge granted a request from the Associated Press to release the documents, saying the press agency and the public had a compelling interest to see them. Lawyers for two dozen other women who are suing Cosby, claiming he drugged and raped them, say the deposition proves their claims. Although allegations have dogged the once beloved television entertainer for decades, Cosby has never faced charges, and the statute of limitations has expired on most of the instances that generated the current civil lawsuits.

Health hikes. Health insurance companies are seeking big rate increases for 2016. Insurers are asking for rate hikes between 20 and 50 percent because their new Affordable Care Act customers are sicker than expected. Blue Cross Blue Shield plans are asking for an average increase of 23 percent in Illinois, peaking at 54 percent in Minnesota. Federal regulators are determined to scale back the requests. And President Barack Obama this week said customers should put pressure on state insurance regulators to scrutinize the rate increases.

WORLD Radio's Kent Covington and the Associated Press contributed to this report.