From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

 

　　Apologies on Capitol Hill today from the embattled head of the internal revenue service.

 

　　As acting commissioner want to apologize on behavior the internal revenue service for the mistakes that we made in the poor service we provided.

 

　　Steven Miller considered to the House Ways and Means Committee that the IRS singled out conservative groups that thought tax exempt status, but he denied that the agency's actions however inappropirate while politically motivated.

 

　　I did not believe that partisanship motivated the people who engaged in the practices described in the treasury inspector general's report. I reviewed the treasury inspector general's report I believe its conclusions are consistent with that.

 

　　House republicans appeared unconvinced and accused Miller of misleading the committee. The GOP leadship says in addition to firings people should face jail time. Miller was forced to submit his resignation this week. He's been replaced by Daniel Werfel.

 

　　President Obama's trying to a shift focus back to his second term agenda. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports Obama travelled to Baltimore today to talk about economic growth and infrastructure.

 

　　President OBama has spent most of the week in reactive mode, dealing with three separated controversies about the IRS, the justice department and Benghazi. Now he's trying to get back on orphans with the speech on the economy. In a Baltimore company called "Ellicott Dredges" he announced steps to speed up major infrastructure projects.

 

　　Today I'm directing agencies across the government to do what it takes, to cut timelines for breaking ground on major infrastructure programs in half.

 

　　The company president testified before congress this week, in support of the Kingstone XL pipeline, saying it will create jobs. Republicans are pressuring the administration to approve that pipeline over the objections of environmental groups. Ari Shapiro NPR NEws, the White House.

 

　　The US House has passed the republican-back bill to put more requirements on the security and exchange commission. NPR's Tamara Keith reports on the bill's prospects that becoming law.

 

　　The bill would require the ICC to do a cost benefit analysis when writing new regulations. Congressman  Patrick McHenry is a North Carolina republican.

 

　　The ICC too often just puts rules in the place without consideration of the cost.

 

　　But democrats including Maxine Waters from California, argue the real aim of the bill is to bog down the ICC.

 

　　So that they won't be able to do their work, so that they won't be able to do their role making. So that they won't be able to protect investors.

 

　　Like many bills passed by the House, this one is unlikely to be taken up by the democratically controlled senate, and the White House has already threatened to veto. Tamara Keith NPR News, the Capitol.

 

　　Before the closing bell, Dow Jones industrial average was up 122 points at 15,355; NASDAQ was up nearly 1% at 3,499; S&P 500 up nearly 1%, it's 1,666. This is NPR.

 

　　US officials are voicing concerns that Russia has supplied Syrian government with lethal anti-ship missiles. NPR's Corey Flintoff reports that a Russian analyst says it is quite possible the weapons have been delivered.

 

　　US officials have been saying unanimously that Russia provided Syria with advanced type of anti-ship cruise missile. That's a concern for the US and Israel. Because embattled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad could use such missles to strike at foreign ships that might be delivering supplies to the rebels or enforcing an embargo. Alexander Goltenxx, independent military analyst in Moscow, says for the past two years, there have been unofficial reports that Russia was selling the missiles to Syria. Goltenxx says it's possible that Assad already has the ship killing weapons. Corey Flintoff NPR News, Moscow.

 

　　23 miners in Indonesia remain trapped this hour. Days after a tunnel collapse at the US own mine in the province of Papua and killed at least five of their co-workers. The operator of the Grasberg mine says rescuers have successfully clear two passengers for heavy equipment that could help crews get to the miner sooner.

 

　　There has been another string of deadly attacks targeting Sunnite muslims today. In Iraq, Authority say two bombs blew up outside a mosque in Baquba killing at least 43 people, elsewhere in the country attacks climbed the lives at least 14 people. A village in northwest Pakistan is reeling from a similar blood shed today, two Sunnite mosques in the Moliconxx region were bombed as worshippers were beginning their Friday prayers. Local authority say at least 15 people were killed and dozens more have been wounded. The attacks came less than a week after the nation held a general election.

 

　　I'm Lakshmi SIngh, NPR News Washington.