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

 

　　The military's top brass is acknowledging that the rising number of sexual assault cases is eroding trust in the U.S. forces. But as NPR's Larry Abramson reports rejecting congressional efforts to reduce the authority of commanders who had administered justice.

 

　　The Senate Armed Services panel is dealing with at least seven different proposals, one in particular would take the decision to prosecute sexual assault and other major crimes away from the commander. But Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno resisted that idea.

 

　　I want the commander fully involved in the decisions that have an impact on the morale and cohesion of the unit to include punishment.

 

　　But Odierno admitted the growing number of sexual assaults had caused many troops to lose their trust in leadership. And some senators said that loss of trust mean someone else needs to pursue sexual assault cases. Larry Abramson, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　The IRS is coming under fire again in a report released by the inspector general today reveals extravagant spending by the agency at a training conference in 2010, amounting to more than $4 million at a time when the administration was publicly calling for more belt-tightening. The findings were released as the Republican-led House considered the latest testimony on another IRS scandal. It's treatment of conservative groups. They heard from the leaders of six of those organizations. NPR's Tamara Keith has more on that.

 

　　The groups applied for tax-exempt status and then waited, and waited. Some are required to answer questions about their members and donors and political activities. One group says the agency leaked confidential information about its donors to its chief opponents. Dianne Belsom is with the Lawrence County Tea party. She says she was overwhelmed by all the questions the IRS asked.

 

　　Our group is a small time operation with very little money and this represents a complete waste of time by the IRS in terms of any money they would collect if we were not tax-exempt.

 

　　She is still waiting to hear back whether her group's application for tax-exempt status as the social welfare organization has been accepted. Tamara Keith, NPR News, the Capitol.

 

　　New Jersey voters will have a chance to decide this fall who should fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant with Democrat Frank Lautenberg's death yesterday. Governor Chris Christie says the special election will be held this October but he has yet to say who fill that post until then.

 

　　I have yet to make a determination as to who I will appoint to hold this seat between now and the results of the October 16th special election. But when I determine who that person is, I'll make that announcement promptly.

 

　　Lautenberg died yesterday of complications of  viral pneumonia . He was 89 years old.

 

　　At last check on Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average down 77 points at 15,177.

 

　　From Washington, this is NPR News.

 

　　Germany is deploying thousands of troops to areas hit hardest by one of the worst floods to strike the country in years. The deluge has killed 12 people across central Europe. In Germany Saxony State, about 10,000 people have been evacuated.

 

　　Drug wars plaguing Latin America were expected to take center stage at the organization of  American States General Assembly. During a three-day session in Guantanamo, some Latin American nations were expected to call on the U.S. government to start looking at alternative approaches to its drug war strategy. In previous visits, President Obama has said that the U.S. shares responsibility in tackling drug related border violence. Secretary of State Kerry was expected to attend the conference.

 

　　New research finds that couples who meet online are slightly less likely to break up than those meet in traditional ways. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports.

 

　　The study looked at 19,000 couples married between 2005 and 2012. It's published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and finds that online matches also have greater marital satisfaction. The authors note that people who meet online rather than in person disclose more of themselves which may lead to a deeper bond, or they suggest online daters could be more selective or somehow more motivated to marry. They say longer term study is needed, but they call their results encouraging for the third of American marriages that now start out online.  Jennifer Ludden, NPR News.

 

　　U.S. markets appeared earlier losses with the Dow off 76 points at last glance at 15,178.

 

　　I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, Washington.