Organizations were singled out because they included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their applications for tax-exempt status, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups.

In some cases, groups were asked for their list of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases, she said.

"That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That's not how we go about selecting cases for further review," Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association.

"The IRS would like to apologize for that," she added.

Lerner said the practice was initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati and was not motivated by political bias. After her talk, she told The AP that no high level IRS officials knew about the practice. She did not say when they found out.

Many conservative groups complained during the election that they were being harassed by the IRS. They accused the agency of frustrating their attempts to become tax exempt by sending them lengthy, intrusive questionnaires.

The forms, which the groups made available at the time, sought information about group members' political activities, including details of their postings on social networking websites and about family members.

Certain tax-exempt charitable groups can conduct political activities but it cannot be their primary activity.

IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman told Congress in March 2012 that the IRS was not targeting groups based on their political views.

"There's absolutely no targeting. This is the kind of back and forth that happens to people" who apply for tax-exempt status, Shulman told a House Ways and Means subcommittee.

Shulman was appointed by President George W. Bush. His 6-year term ended in November. President Barack Obama has yet to nominate a successor. The agency is now being run by acting Commissioner Steven Miller.

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Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap

Now if he can just break par on the TPC at Sawgrass. Or at least make it to the weekend.

McIlroy keeps showing signs that his game his emerging from an early season slump. His next stop is Thursday in The Players Championship, a tournament that hasn't been kind to him in his three previous trips.

He has missed the cut every time, never posting a score better than 72.

So what's the problem?

"The first year I came here, I was in Vegas the week before. That didn't help," McIlroy said with a boyish smile. "The second year was my 21st birthday. That didn't help."

And last year?

"I don't have an excuse," he said.

Upon leaving last year, he said his career was young and he would have another 20 years, hopefully, playing this tournament. And if didn't get the hang of it by then, something would be wrong.

He's still learning, though a few holes in his practice round Wednesday also showed he was picking up some of the nuances.

McIlroy was perplexed while playing the sixth hole Wednesday. He hit two shots off the tee, one in the fairway and one in the rough, about the same distance. He hit an iron with the ball in the fairway, pin-high about 15 feet left of the flag. He used the same club from the rough and watched it sail over the green. That's the trouble with this rough. It's not very high, and the ball can jump out of there.

As he played the par-5 ninth, caddie J.P. Fitzgerald reminded him that it's best to lay up on the hole. McIlroy smashed his tee shot and his caddie told him, "You have 266 (yards) to the front. Perfect 5-iron." McIlroy followed his instructions, hit the shot and then threw down another ball and asked for the 3-wood.

He missed to the right of the green, shrugged and said, "Just wanted to get it out of my system."

In discussing the course, McIlroy is coming to the same conclusion. It's OK to be aggressive, as long as he picks the right spots.

"I think you've got to find a balance around here of being conservative, but also you have to take on things, as well," he said. "There is no point in not hitting the driver anywhere around here because you're not going to make enough birdies to contend, but you don't want to be hitting driver everywhere either because you're going to find trouble. So you have to find a balance.

"There are a few holes out here that you can take advantage of, and you have to because there are so many difficult holes out here that you sort of play for par and if you make birdie, it's a bonus."

NBC Sports analyst Johnny Miller said players have to "tippy-toe" their way around the golf course.

Masters champion Adam Scott, meanwhile, is still floating.

Scott has virtually disappeared since holing that 12-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole to become the first Australian to win the Masters. He was in New York for a couple of days and then headed to the Bahamas, where he has a home.

He usually takes a few weeks off after a major to decompress. This time, he waited an extra week before picking up a club. It felt that good.

"I've had a really nice break since the Masters, which I had planned anyway," Scott said Wednesday. "But it was even better because I was floating around on the clouds the last three weeks. It's been an overwhelming time for me."

Once he finally put a club back in his hands, the swing felt as pure as that final round at Augusta. He was eager to compete again, and The Players Championship is enough to get any pro's attention.

It features the strongest and deepest field in golf all year, on a Stadium Course that had can be challenging, frustrating, punishing and rarely dull. Scott won The Players in 2004 after hitting 5-iron into the water on the 18th and making a 10-foot bogey putt to win by a shot.

"It's a nice week for me to come back to Sawgrass and The Players, because I've had such a great run here over the years," Scott said. "I'm excited about playing this week. I hopefully can take my head out of the clouds and come back down to earth and play some good golf."

That would be the only way to make it around this golf course.

Woods and Phil Mickelson, the best two players of their generation, each have one win at the home of the PGA Tour. The list of winners ranges from power players such as Greg Norman and Davis Love III to pea shooters in the mold of Fred Funk and Tim Clark.

McIlroy and Graeme McDowell last won in America on courses designed by Pete Dye: McIlroy at the PGA Championship (Kiawah Island) and BMW Championship (Crooked Stick); McDowell at Hilton Head a couple of weeks ago.

"I think Pete Dye designed a certain type of golf course," McDowell said. "He likes to penalize the player in his own kind of unique way, and this golf course certainly has its dangers. But it's certainly scorable at the same time."

McIlroy is still trying to discover that secret.

State media reported that he spoke of being tired and taking flu medication, while a doctor said he had low blood sugar.

Djibril Yipene Bassole, 55, leaned toward the lectern in front of him before knocking it over and collapsing on the raised platform. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was among the first to notice that he was passing out and rushed to help him. The lectern also hit both men in the legs as it fell.

Several officials helped lift Bassole up and sat him down on a chair. He later walked away with Davutoglu's help and was taken to a nearby hospital for a checkup.

Davutoglu told reporters outside the hospital that Bassole was doing well but would be kept in the medical facility for a few hours for tests. He said the minister was due to travel to Paris on Friday but that the trip would be delayed.

"Because he is our guest, we do not want him to leave until we are sure that everything is well," Davutoglu said.

The doctor at Ankara's Ataturk Hospital said Bassole's tests showed that he had a low blood sugar count but found nothing wrong with his heart.He was also slightly hurt in the leg by the falling lectern.

Bassole explained to his hosts that he had taken medicine for flu and had also been tired, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency.

The Burkina Faso official was in the Turkish capital to discuss developments on the African continent, where Turkey has become increasingly involved, as well as ways of increasing cooperation between the two nations.

Davutoglu said he initially thought Bassole was having problems with the simultaneous translation headphones before realizing that the minister was passing out.

The hospital also took an x-ray of Davutoglu's leg as a precaution, according to Anadolu.

(Logo: )

"Because of the Teamsters' solid, documented track record of excellent representation, the Teamsters Union is the best and most logical choice to represent us for the future as professionals in the airline industry," Jim Blanton, a 25-year US Airways mechanic, announced today at a news conference in Charlotte, N.C. with mechanics and related workers from other airports across the country.

"We have seen what the Teamsters have achieved at other airlines, including United and Continental," said Ted Vallandingham, an inspector at US Airways in Pittsburgh and 29-year employee. "We want a strong union backing us up so that we have a strong voice at work, at the bargaining table and when we have to face off with management."

In October 2012, US Airways mechanics and related launched their campaign to seek industry-leading representation with the Teamsters Union. With more than 4,000 mechanics and related across the country, the workers, in conjunction with the Teamsters Aviation Mechanics Coalition (TAMC) and the Teamsters Airline Division, have been campaigning to gain majority support for the union.

"From the beginning, this campaign has been driven by the tireless worker organizers at US Airways that took it upon themselves to gain support for the Teamsters Union," said Capt. David Bourne, Director of the Teamsters Airline Division. "It is this commitment that will lead to a more secure future for all 4,000 mechanics and related at US Airways."

The Teamsters also plan to file soon to represent mechanics and related at American Airlines (AA). The two airlines are undergoing a merger. There are more than 11,000 mechanics and related at AA.

The Teamsters represent more than 80,000 workers throughout the airline industry in every craft and class, including 18,000 airline mechanics and related at 10 carriers more than any other union.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visitfor more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at .

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - It appears that history is catching up with "Downton Abbey." Or perhaps it's the other way around.

"Downton Abbey" has officially added its first black cast member to the show. London-born Gary Carr will join the popular British period drama for its fourth season. Carr has appeared on television series "Bluestone 42" and "Death in Paradise." Carr will play Jack Ross, a charming and charismatic jazz singer.

"Downton Abbey" creator Julian Fellowes had been criticized for the show's lack of diversity. While Fellowes said that he wanted to introduce black and Asian characters, he felt beholden to doing so in a manner that would be "historically believable."

Gareth Neame, an executive producer of "Downton Abbey," said in a statement, "We are delighted to introduce another fantastic, dynamic character to 'Downton Abbey.' His addition will bring interesting twists to the drama which we can't wait for viewers to see in Series four."

Other new cast members include: Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Tom Cullen, Julian Ovenden, Nigel Harman, Joanna David and Dame Harriet Walter.

The show, which is broadcast on ITV in Britain and PBS in the United States, follows the lives of a wealthy white aristocrat family and its servants in the early 20th century. ITV said that the fourth season of "Downton Abbey" would consist of eight episodes and one "feature length special" that will be shown at Christmas in Britain. PBS has yet to announce the American airdates.

Teacher Orvar Arnarson, 41, and student Andrimar Pordarson, 25, jumped separately, not in tandem, on Saturday after successfully completing two jumps earlier that day with 20 other people. The two Icelandic skydivers did not return from their third jump, tipping off an hours-long air and ground search around the Zephyrhills facility, about 30 miles northeast of Tampa. The bodies were discovered later that evening in the woods.

Investigators will review the helmet cam footage to try to glean more about what happened, said Pasco County sheriff's spokeswoman Melanie Snow.

The cause of death was blunt force trauma, the medical examiner's office said. Autopsy results were pending, but a preliminary investigation determined that the manner of death was accidental.

The men didn't deploy their main parachutes, which could mean that they lost altitude awareness and didn't know where they were during the jump, Skydive City co-owner T.K. Hayes told The Associated Press on Sunday. Both victims had backup automatic activation devices, but they didn't have time to fully inflate.

Out of just over 3 million jumps, 19 skydivers died last year across the U.S., according to the United States Parachute Association. Experts said it is "very rare" for two jumpers to die in the same accident.

"It happens from time to time if two skydivers collide while flying their parachutes if they don't see each other," said Nancy Koreen, Director of Sport Promotion for association.

"In that situation, their canopies can tangle, causing an accident. I don't yet know the details of this particular accident, but from what I understand, this was a different case," she said, adding that "it's extremely rare for this type of double fatality to occur."

The victims were part of a skydiving group from Iceland who travel to Florida annually.

The tune up announced Tuesday won't be released to consumers and businesses until later this year. The changes, part of a software package given the codename "Blue," are a tacit acknowledgment of the shortcomings in Windows 8, a radical overhaul of Microsoft Corp.'s ubiquitous operating system.

With the makeover it released last October, Microsoft hoped to play a more prominent role in the growing mobile device market while still maintaining its dominance in PCs. But Windows 8's design, which emphasizes interactive tiles and touch controls, seems to have befuddled as many people as it has impressed. One leading research firm, International Data Corp., says Windows 8 contributed to a 14 percent decline in worldwide PC sales during the first three months of the year the biggest year-over-year drop ever.

Meanwhile, sales of smartphones and tablet computers are booming. The biggest beneficiaries have been Apple Inc., the maker of the iPhone and iPad, and Samsung Electronics Co., which sells the most devices running on Google Inc.'s Android software. Google is also benefiting from Android's popularity through increased traffic to its services, creating more opportunities for the company to display ads.

By contrast, leading PC makers such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc., which primarily sell Windows-powered machines, have been mired in a financial funk that has battered their stocks and raised questions about their futures.

Despite the troubling signs, Microsoft insists it's pleased with Windows 8's performance.

The company, which is based in Redmond, Wash., says more than 100 million Windows 8 licenses have been sold so far, up from about 60 million licenses in January.The licensing volume "is in the same general ballpark," as Microsoft's previous operating system Windows 7 at a similar juncture of its sales cycle, according to Tami Reller, who serves as the marketing and financial chief for Microsoft's Windows business.

In an interview, Reller said Microsoft still realized changes need to be made to make Windows 8 easier to navigate and capable of taking full advantage of technology improvements that have come out since October.

"Are there things that we can do to improve the experience? Absolutely," Reller said "There is a learning curve (to Windows 8) and we can work to address that."

For now, Microsoft isn't saying what kind of changes will be introduced with the release of Blue, which the company plans to anoint with a different name when the update is available. Microsoft also isn't saying whether it will charge existing owners of Windows 8 devices to get the fixes in Blue. The company plans to release Blue in time for the holiday season.

Reller said more details about Blue will be released before Microsoft holds a developers conference in San Francisco in late June. Some of Blue's features are expected to be previewed at that conference.

If Blue is meant to make people more comfortable, the changes may incorporate more of the elements from earlier versions of Windows.

A common complaint has centered on the lack of a "start" button in the Windows 8 menu.

Other critics have pined for an option that would allow the system to begin in a desktop mode suited for running applications designed for earlier versions of the operating system. Windows 8 currently starts off showing a mosaic of interactive tiles tailored for swiping through programs with a finger instead of using a computer mouse.

Blue also might make it easier to find a set of controls known as "charms" in Windows 8's parlance that currently must be pulled out from the right side of a display screen.

Besides responding to customer feedback, Blue also will improve Windows 8's ability to work on smaller tablets with 7- and 8-inch display screens, Reller said. She declined to say whether Microsoft intends to make smaller version of its own Surface tablets. In a conference call with analysts last month, Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Peter Klein said the company was working with other manufacturers to make smaller tablets.

One thing that Blue won't fix:the relatively small selection of mobile applications tailored for Windows 8. Reller said the Windows 8 store now has more than 60,000 apps. By contrast, there are more than 800,000 apps available for Apple's mobile's devices and nearly that many for Android devices, too. In one of the most glaring omissions on Windows 8, Facebook Inc. still hasn't designed an app to make its online social network more accessible on that system.Facebook has about 750 million mobile users.

Microsoft's decision to tweak Windows 8 so soon after it went on sale may reinforce perceptions that the product is a flop.

Reller is trying to frame the changes as evidence that Microsoft is becoming more agile and nimble as it responds to a rapidly evolving technology market. Smartphones and tablet computers have been at the epicenter of the upheaval, diminishing the demand for PCs as more people and businesses opt for the convenience of increasingly powerful mobile devices.

The mobile computing movement is the main reason that Microsoft made the most dramatic redesign of its Windows operating system since 1995. Given how different that Windows 8 is from its predecessors, Reller said Microsoft always knew it might have to make some adjustments less than a year after the software came out.

"It had to be a very big change to take advantage of the mobile opportunity," she said.

Analysts say one reason Windows 8 got off to a slow start is because there weren't enough devices designed to take advantage of the system's touch-screen features. But that is about to change as HP, Dell and other PC makers prepare to roll out a wide variety of laptops and tablets with displays that respond to touch. More than 2,400 devices have now been certified to run on Windows 8, up from 2,000 in January, Reller said.

Most of the touch-screen laptops will sell at prices $50 to $250 below the first wave of comparable machines running on Windows 8, reductions that Microsoft hopes will prod more people to check out the system.

"As we look at Windows 8, it's important to remember a lot of its full potential won't be realized until there are more touch devices on the market," Reller said.

Space Center Houston, which serves as the official visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center, revealed plans on Thursday (May 2) to display its full-sizethat ferried the real orbiters after their return from space and delivered them to their museum homes.

NASA transferred ownership of its original Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), a modified Boeing 747 jet, to Space Center Houston on Thursday, setting in motion the visitor center's plans to pair the replica shuttle it received last June with thefive months later. []

"This is an exciting day for Texans, as we accept the SCA from NASA and assume the awesome responsibility for its modifications, showcasing its legacy and adding a one-of-a-kind experience to our complex," said Richard Allen, president and CEO of Space Center Houston. "We look forward to accepting the challenge of raising funds for this amazing endeavor as we prepare for the next phase of this major expansion."

The new $12 million outdoor complex, named "The Shuttle and 747 Carrier," is to open to the public in February 2015.

"The Shuttle and 747 Carrier will give visitors the world's first and only all-access pass to an authentic and realistic journey through theas well as an unforgettable experience aboard the full-scale shuttle model," Space Center Houston stated in a release. "The up close and personal access to American aviation history will reveal the shuttle program's amazing ingenuity, clever innovation and awe-inspiring complexity."

An artist's rendering of the planned exhibit shows the 747 jumbo jet, known by its tail number "NASA 905," parked outside Space Center Houston where themockup sits today. A gantry-like structure sits next to the air- and spacecraft combo that will provide visitors the opportunity to climb inside both vehicles.

The carrier aircraft is currently at Ellington Field, home to Johnson Space Center's aircraft operations, located about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Space Center Houston. To get the aircraft to the visitor center, its wings and tail will be removed, and its fuselage will be sectioned in three.

The jumbo jet is expected to be in place at Space Center Houston by this November. The work to hoist the 130,000-pound (60,000-kilogram) shuttle mockup atop the airplane will follow during the first quarter of 2014.

Before the model orbiter leaves the ground however, it will need to undergo some repairs and modifications, including the installation of attachment hardware to mount it on the back of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Space Center Houston also plans to upgrade the interior of the mockup, including replacing its early-shuttle analog flight deck displays and controls with the "glass cockpit" digital version that was in use later in the program.

Theby barge from the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, where it debuted in 1993. Known then by the name "Explorer," it was designed and built by aerospace replica manufacturer Guard-Lee, Inc. using schematics, blueprints, and archival documents provided by NASA and the shuttle contractors.

NASA 905 was one of two Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in the space agency's fleet. Thedelivered the retired Endeavour orbiter to Los Angeles for the California Science Center last year. The jumbo jet's final overall flight was in December, when it was flown for an hour-and-a-half proficiency flight from Ellington.

In service to the shuttle program for 35 years, NASA 905 flew 70 out of the 87 ferry flights during the space shuttle program's operational phase, including 46 of the 54 post-mission flights from the Dryden Flight Research Center in California to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Converted from an American Airlines passenger jet, 905 was NASA's first SCA and it flew the 1977 approach and landing tests with the prototype orbiter Enterprise.

Space Center Houston plans The Shuttle and 747 Carrier exhibit to be more than a public attraction, but also serve as the centerpiece for new educational programs to inspire students to consider careers in math and science fields.

for more renderings of Space Center Houston's new The Shuttle and 747 Carrier exhibit and to keep updated on the status of the display.

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LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - After working together on "Frances Ha," Adam Driver is in talks to reteam with writer-director Noah Baumbach on his upcoming "While We're Young," several individuals familiar with the long-gestating project have told TheWrap.

Driver's representative at the Gersh Agency did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Baumbach's "Greenberg" actor Ben Stiller has long been attached to star in the film, which follows a fortysomething couple that strikes up an unlikely friendship with a free-spirited younger couple.

Naomi Watts is in negotiations to play Stiller's wife, while Driver is being eyed for a role that James Franco and Jesse Eisenberg were previously considered for.

Scott Rudin and Eli Bush are producing, with production expected to start this fall.

Driver, who plays the controversial love interest Adam Sackler on HBO's "Girls," will soon be seen in the Coen brothers' folk-music tale "Inside Llewyn Davis" and the indie movie "The F Word." His upcoming schedule includes a starring role opposite "Girls" co-star Chris O'Dowd in Max Winkler's period comedy "The Coward," as well as a supporting role in Shawn Levy's comedy "This Is Where I Leave You."

He previously worked with directors Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood on the biopics "Lincoln" and "J. Edgar," respectively.

He co-stars alongside Greta Gerwig and Mickey Sumner in "Frances Ha," which IFC Films will open in limited release on May 17. The film currently has a 100 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.