Clinton: Gay marriage shift not political

NEW YORK -- Hillary Rodham Clinton defended her initial opposition to gay marriage, denying in a radio interview that political reasons were behind her shift last year to supporting same-sex marriage. She accused the host of the show of "playing with my words."

"I did not grow up even imagining gay marriage, and I don't think you did either," Clinton told National Public Radio's Terry Gross during an interview broadcast Thursday on Fresh Air.

"This was an incredibly new and important idea that people on the front lines of the gay right[s] movement began to talk about and slowly, but surely, convinced others about the rightness of that position," she added. "When I was ready to say what I said, I said it."

The exchange came during Clinton's media tour supporting her new book, Hard Choices.

Gross asked Clinton repeatedly about her shift to support gay marriage. At one point, Clinton told Gross: "I think you're being very persistent, but you are playing with my words and playing with what is such an important issue." Gross said she was trying to clarify Clinton's views on the issue.

"No, I don't think you are trying to clarify," Clinton responded. "I think you are trying to say that I used to be opposed and now I am in favor and I did it for political reasons. And that's just flat wrong. So let me just state what I feel like you are implying and repudiate it."

Fatal crash closes lanes on N.J. bridge

FORT LEE, N.J. -- The George Washington Bridge, associated most recently with a political scandal, became a symbol of frustration and gridlock Thursday as traffic stalled in New Jersey and New York after an early morning fatal crash.

Two tractor-trailers heading east crashed shortly after 2 a.m. on the bilevel bridge's upper deck. Joao Daponta, 59, of North Plainfield, N.J., was driving the rear truck, said Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman Joe Pentangelo. Daponta died when the vehicle became wedged under the other truck's trailer.

The driver in the lead truck was emotionally shaken and was taken to a hospital for evaluation of minor injuries, Port Authority Police Capt. Ron Shindel said.

Officials reopened one eastbound upper lane around 6 a.m., but the remaining lanes were closed for more than nine hours until officials had removed the victim's body and the trucks by 11:45 a.m.

The George Washington Bridge has been at the center of a political scandal involving New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whose aides ordered lanes to the bridge closed as a way of causing traffic jams in Fort Lee, apparently in an attempt to punish its mayor.

Missouri inmate near execution gets stay

ST. LOUIS -- A federal judge Thursday granted a stay of execution for Missouri death row inmate John Winfield, less than a week before the convicted killer's execution date, citing concerns that a prison worker was intimidated into deciding against writing a clemency letter on Winfield's behalf.

It wasn't immediately clear if the state planned to appeal the ruling by U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry in St. Louis. A spokesman for Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster said the ruling was still under review. Messages seeking comment from the Missouri Department of Corrections were not immediately returned.

Winfield, 43, was scheduled to die at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday for killing two St. Louis County women in 1996.

His execution would be among the first since late April, when the death of an Oklahoma inmate raised new concerns about lethal injection drugs and the secretive process many states use to obtain them.

Church gunfire kills priest, hurts a 2nd

PHOENIX -- A priest was shot and killed, and another was injured at a Roman Catholic Church in downtown Phoenix, setting off an intense search for attackers and clues.

The surviving priest called 911 to report a burglary at the Mother of Mercy Mission near the state Capitol around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and administered last rites to the wounded clergyman while waiting for police to arrive. The Rev. Kenneth Walker died at the hospital, and the Rev. Joseph Terra, 56, is hospitalized in critical condition with unspecified injuries.

Police had no suspects. They were searching the neighborhood, interviewing the injured priest and examining physical evidence from the scene. Investigators said they were unsure how many attackers were involved and if robbery was the motive.

As police investigated the crime scene at the church, about a dozen parishioners gathered across the street, kneeling on the sidewalk and saying the Lord's Prayer in response to the loss of their beloved clergyman. A bouquet of flowers and a photograph of the dead priest lay on the sidewalk.

A Section on 06/13/2014