Midday Roundup: Utah approves firing squad as backup execution plan

Death squad. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert approved a law yesterday that allows executions by firing squad if lethal injection drugs are not available. The change was in response to a shortage of the drugs, which overseas manufacturers who oppose capital punishment do not want to sell to U.S. prisons. Utah previously offered inmates a choice between lethal injection and firing squad, but the state eliminated the latter as an option in 2004. Many of the eight inmates on death row in Utah still had the option because they were convicted before 2004. Under the new law, inmates who choose lethal injection or who were convicted after 2004 could still die by firing squad if drugs are not available for their executions.

Jointly ordained. A congregation of the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) in Wilmington, Del., held its first-ever joint ordination ceremony for a lesbian couple this week. The Rev. Holly Clark-Porter told Philadelphia’s NBC 10 that she and Kaci Clark-Porter were excited about their ordination Sunday at First & Central Presbyterian Church. Last week the denomination gave final approval to expanding the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples. The change comes four years after the PCUSA authorized ordination of gay and lesbian pastors.

Personal accounts. Hillary Clinton exchanged emails with her aides on the Benghazi attack and other important events using their personal email addresses despite assurances to the contrary she made earlier this month, The New York Times reported. “It was my practice to communicate with State Department and other government officials on their dot-gov accounts,” Clinton said, meaning all of her official email would be available for archiving. But Dan Metcalfe, a secrecy law professor at American University said even if that was true, it would have been impossible to gather all of Clinton’s email from other officials. Clinton is under fire for using a personal email account and server while secretary of state. The House Select Committee on Benghazi is now demanding Clinton turn over her private server.

Obamacare bills. A new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation quantifies the amount families who received Obamacare subsidies might owe the government at tax time. About half of U.S. households who received subsidies to offset the cost of Obamacare premiums will have to pay back a portion of them, the study estimated, and they will owe an average of $794. But the study also showed good news for another 45 percent of families. They could receive average refunds of $773. Whether households will owe money or get refunds depends on whether they over- or underestimated their household income for the year.

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