"It's been down for politics. It's been down to raise money."

Slaughter referred the fact it is a reelection year. But Republican Pete Sessions from Taxes said it's about determining to the true. 

"We must get to the bottom of it without its being a political witching."

There have already been more than a dozen of public hearing, thousands of pages of documents and 50 separate briefings on the Benghazi attack. 

 

A house committee has subpoenaed Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. NPR's Quil Lawrence reports its issue is whether vets may have died while waiting the care at VA hospitals. 

Allegation against VA hospitals faked to statistic about how long vets for cares brought call for Shinseki's ouster. The White House backs seem as a urgent patience while the charges are investigated. Republican House Speaker John Boehner stops short for calling Shinseki to resign. 

"There's a systemic, management issue throughout the VA that needs to be addressed, and I don't believe just changing someone on the top is going to actually get to the solution that many of us are looking for."

The country's largest vets group, The American Legion, has asked Shinseki to step down. Quil Lawrence, NPR News. 

 

Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine are moving forward with referendum on question of independence. But NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson explains from Donetsk, the region's governor says the vote is illegal. 

Governor Serhiy Taruta told the reporters here that up to Ukrainian security services to punish the separatists who carry out the unofficial referendum. But he adds the voters who cast ballots will not be punished. He says they may be misguided but not criminals. Taruta says it's on fortunate Kiev decided not to go ahead with an official referendum on question of more autonomy, but they gives regions more voices in political process that something the government is working on. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, NPR News, Donetsk. 

 

Federal Reserve is out with a proposed new rule aimed to make banks safer and avoiding some the problems that took place during the financial crisis. Part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, the rule would be prohibited a bank merger of new company' liabilities exceed 10% aggregate consolidated liabilities of all financial companies. Among the firms have been covered by the rule, bank holding company, savings and loan company and the depository institution would be open for public comment through July when the Fed then needs to finalize for taking effect. 

 

A mixed close in Wall Street today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 32 points to end the session at 16,550; the NASDAQ dropped 16 points to 4,051; the S&P 500 closed down 2 points today. 

 

You're listening to NPR News in Washington.

 

A luxury hotel in the Syrian city of Aleppo is in ruin. That's after a bombing there, Apparently targeting Syrian government forces. Syrian rebels are claiming responsibility for the blast that killed 14 soldiers and injured dozens of others. Aleppo, Syria's largest city and one-time the nation's commercial hub, has been divided between rebels and government forces. The bomb caverned the hotel in the government-held part of the city was apparently being known as a base by government troops. 

 

More than 100 Wichita State University students, faculty and community members stages the protests on campus today, demanding the release of some 250 abducted Nigerian school girls. From Number Station KMUW in Wichita, Carla Eckels has more. 

"Bring back our girls! Bring back our girls!"

Wearing red shirts and holding up signs reading “Bring Back Our Girls,” demonstrators circled the WSU Plaza of Heroines. Olabisi Pinheiro is president of Nigerian Association at WSU. She called on the Islamic group Boko Haram, who's claimed responsibility for the kidnapping to return the girls. 

"We asked the world to come together, and coming to Nigeria and stopping these people because they do not have a rights. They do not have the rights to abduct our daughters! We want them home! So bring back our girls!"

Speaker reminds these students to continue with social media "bring back our girls" campaign. For NPR News, I'm Carla Eckels in Wichita. 

 

A group of Senators is calling on the US Food and Drug Administration to take a look at new researches that seem to suggest electronic cigarettes may not be as safe as they seem. Lawmakers appointed found incidents. Some insists E-cigarettes can produce dangerous carcinogens similar to those from traditional cigarettes. New York Times suggests some are just high power nicotine devices could produce toxic chemicals and including formaldehyde.