House seeks prosecutor to investigate IRS
WASHINGTON – The House has approved a nonbinding resolution calling on the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate the Internal Revenue Service over the way agents handled applications for tax-exempt status.
The IRS has acknowledged that its agents improperly singled out applications from tea party and other conservative groups for extra scrutiny. But officials denied there were political motives.
The Justice Department and three congressional committees have been investigating the matter for nearly a year.
In pushing for Wednesday’s vote, House Republicans said they doubted the ability of the Justice Department to conduct an impartial investigation.
U.S. closes embassy to public in Yemen
WASHINGTON –The State Department says it has closed its embassy to the public in Yemen due to recent attacks against Western interests.
There was no specific threat cited Wednesday against the U.S. Embassy in the capital of Sanaa, and a U.S. official said no American personnel have been evacuated.
The closure was expected to be temporary and only affects services to the public, including visa processing.
The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation by name.
False gunfire scare shuts down hospital
SAN FRANCISCO – A major hospital in San Francisco was briefly put under lockdown Wednesday after a loud noise was mistakenly reported as gunfire, police said.
Three buildings at San Francisco General Hospital were evacuated as dozens of law enforcement officers swarmed the area shortly before 1 p.m., said officer Albie Esparza, a San Francisco police spokesman.
Police officers and sheriff’s deputies searched the campus after they received a report from a hospital staffer of a shot fired and a person running away from the hospital, Esparza said. The staff member reported the noise in an outbuilding.
The building is used for offices and research.
Associated Press
