Indiana Republicans To Host News Conference Defending 'religious Freedom' Law

Indiana state lawmakers plan two separate news conferences Monday, one run by the Republicans and the other by the Democrats, to address the "religious freedom" law that was signed into law Friday and has been criticized on the grounds that it could be used to sanction discrimination against gays and lesbians and others. The Republican leaders will host a press conference at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time to discuss their plans for clarifying the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act, according to an Associated Press report. Democratic leaders are to take center stage a half-hour later and plan to respond to calls for legislative action in response to the controversial law. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence defended the law this weekend despite massive protests and as several business leaders, including Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, speaking out harshly against it. Eli Lilly , the largest publicly traded company in the state, said the law was "bad for Indiana and for business."