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Rescue teams combed through flattened homes for survivors Tuesday and President Obama vowed to help victims get needed assistance "right away" after a category EF-5 tornado tore through the suburbs of Oklahoma City, killing at least 24 people, NBC News reported. Gov. Mary Fallin said there were 237 injuries "that we know of" and there were no firm numbers on those killed. "It’s horrific,” the governor earlier told "Today." “It looked like somebody set off something that destroyed structures. Not blocks, but miles.” The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office said that nine children were among 24 confirmed dead, revising down an earlier death toll more than twice as high. Seven of the dead were children who drowned at Plaza Towers Elementary School in heavily hit Moore, and where a teacher said she huddled with students in a bathroom when the storm struck. Forecasters said the tornado, with winds up to 200 mph, could be an EF4, the second-strongest category. The tornado tore a 20-mile path during its 40 minutes on the ground, while kicking up a cloud of debris perhaps two miles wide. "Our prayers are with the people of Oklahoma today," Obama said after having declared a major disaster for Oklahoma. He pledged to "back up those prayers with deeds."
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"Today's" Natalie Morales reports from a helicopter on the destruction left behind by a tornado that hit Moore, Okla., looking down on the rubble that used to be an elementary school.
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Convicted killer Jodi Arias asked jurors to spare her life instead of sentencing her to death for the brutal killing of her ex-boyfriend, saying that if she's allowed to live she could contribute to society. The former waitress called the killing of Travis Alexander "the worst mistake of my life." "To this day, I can hardly believe I was capable of such violence,” she said. Arias said that she would like to begin a prison recycling program and "start a book club" to help other women become literate. Arias said she "lacked perspective" when earlier saying that she would rather die than spend the rest of her life in prison. She asked jurors to spare her life on behalf of her family. “I’m asking you, please, please don’t do that to them,” she said. “I want everyone’s pain to stop.” After the statement the judge gave the jury final instructions before making their decision.
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About 9.5 million people remained under the threat of more "large and devastating" tornadoes Tuesday as the storm system that devastated the suburbs of Oklahoma City moved east, forecasters warned. A tornado watch was issued for Dallas-Fort Worth as well as all of north and central Texas until 8:00 p.m. ET. Tornado watches were also issued for a large portion of the south including Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee until 11:00 p.m. ET.
Weather Channel meteorologist Kevin Roth said early Tuesday that the threat area appeared to be east and south of Oklahoma City.
"Tornadoes, damaging wind gusts and large hail are possible throughout the threat area," Roth said.
He added that cities including Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Shreveport, Texarkana and Little Rock were among the cities "close to the the larger tornado threat." The National Weather Service said storms were expected Tuesday "from the Great Lakes across the Mississippi River Valley and into central Texas."
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U.S. Senators from both sides of the aisle demanded answers as to why action was not taken sooner to stop the IRS' practice of targeting conservative groups, NBC News reported. Senate Democratic leader Max Baucus (D-Mont.) -- who demand to know why those at the top of the tax agency did not take action -- called the conduct "outrageous" and "unacceptable." Former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, the Bush-era appointee who served during much of the time that the IRS targeting of conservatives took place, testified Tuesday that he was not aware of all the facts surrounding the abuses until earlier this month. Steven Miller, the acting IRS commissioner who resigned last week amid outrage over the scandal, also testified before the Senate Finance Committee. He said he was responsible for having another IRS official, Lois Lerner, answer a planted question at an American Bar Association panel discussion to publicly reveal the targeting of Tea Party groups and other conservatives, NBC News reported. Miller said his original plan for was the IRS to simultaneously brief Capitol Hill about the forthcoming inspector’s general report that detailed the abuses. “Obviously, the entire thing was an incredibly bad idea,” Miller said.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook was grilled before a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing Tuesday after the subcommittee found that Apple had avoided paying taxes on billions in profits by keeping them parked in Irish subsidiaries. "We pay all the taxes we owe — every single dollar," Cook told lawmakers. "We don't depend on tax gimmicks." He stressed that Apple is the nation's largest corporate taxpayer and that he supports an overhaul of the U.S. tax code. Subcommittee staffers said before the hearing that Apple was not breaking any laws, Reuters reported. But committee chairman Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan urged closing "unjustified tax loopholes" that had allowed Apple to avoided $9 billion in U.S. taxes in 2012. Sen. John McCain added that Apple's tax strategy reflected "a flawed corporate system." Apple's main subsidiary in Ireland, "Apple Operations International," has not paid any corporate income taxes in the last five years, the subcommittee's report found.
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Accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan has been paid more than $278,000 since the November 2009 shooting that left 13 dead 32 injured, the Department of Defense confirmed to NBC 5 DFW. The Army said under the Military Code of Justice, Hasan’s salary cannot be suspended unless he is proven guilty. Meanwhile, more than three years after the Fort Hood mass shooting wounded soldiers are fighting to receive the same pay and medical benefits given to those wounded in combat. Click through for the full story.
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The Peace Corp will now start accepting applications from same-sex partners who want to serve together overseas, NBC News reported. Deputy Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said on Tuesday that opening up to same-sex domestic partners will diversify the pool of applicants for the volunteer force who serve in education, health, economic development and agriculture projects. Same-sex couples can start applying June 3 and those wishing to join will need to sign an affidavit to verify their relationship.
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The whole city looks like a debris field.
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Pakistan's prime minister designate Nawaz Sharif told members of his party on Monday that talks with the Taliban is not off the table, NBC News reported. "All options should be tried, and guns and bullets are not a solution to all problems … Why shouldn't we sit and talk and engage in dialogue?" Sharif said. His announcement in Lahore has created a divide among Pakistan's political classes with many saying this is a war which must be committed to and won. The Pakistani Taliban would be willing to partake in peace talks, according to their spokesman, who added that they had already been willing to participate in peace talks with the previous government – and that they had wanted to work with Sharif as a guarantor to implement accords, if they were agreed to.
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The judge overseeing the federal prosecution of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston bombings, has agreed to delay the case for roughly a month, NBC News reported. A probable cause hearing scheduled for May 30 has been delayed until July 2 at the request of federal prosecutors and Tsarnaev's laywers. They asked Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler to reschedule, citing "the complex factual and legal issues present in this case and the need for adequate time to obtain and review evidence." After his capture, Tsarnaev spent six days in the hospital, where he was charge with using a weapon of mass destruction for the April 15 blast that killed three and injured more than 200 people at the Boston Marathon finish line.
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