Officials defended the practice, saying it helps appointees separate email. But open government groups worry it'll lead to a less accountable administration.

They were accused of interfering with the government. Employees of non-profit groups that promote democracy and take on other issues, they deny that charge. Fifteen of the Americans were tried in absentia. The 16th received a two-year prison sentence. He plans an appeal.

Representatives of conservative groups that were targeted by the IRS tell Congress about the delays and demands they encountered when applying for tax-exempt status.

The next step is a mental evaluation of Holmes that could take months. Holmes is accused of killing 12 people and injuring 70, when he allegedly opened fire at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colo.

The beloved six-story, yellow rubber ducky that been bobbing around in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor has inspired companies to launch their own ducks in a number of mainland Chinese cities.

An inspector general's report takes aim at how the IRS spent its money at a 2010 conference. It concludes the agency could have spent less than the $4.1 million it expended.

The bribery scheme that former Rep. "Duke" Cunningham was convicted for was an elaborate one, with perks that famously included a yacht named the Duke-Stir. He served more than seven years in prison, after spending eight terms in Congress.

Lautenberg, a Democrat, died on Monday. New Jersey's Republican governor says his state's voters should determine who will be the senator's successor. Christie will only name someone to serve in the interim.

In the wake of reports that conservative groups' requests for tax-exempt status got extra scrutiny, new IRS acting Commissioner Danny Werfel tells a House panel the agency must earn Americans' trust. The panel questioned Werfel about his agency's scandals at an oversight hearing Monday.

A scientist who studies tornadoes says there's still much to be learned about how they form and how to better forecast them. Still, the storm chasing and research communities will be reevaluating their procedures in the wake of three colleagues' deaths.