Blamed

WASHINGTON - President Obama forced out the head of the IRS on Wednesday, seeking to restore the public's faith in the tax agency while asserting a measure of control over a rapidly growing political problem. Making a hastily scheduled statement at the White House, Obama denounced the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service as "inexcusable" and pledged to "do everything in my power to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. " "Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it," he said.

WASHINGTON - Europe's recession stretched into the first three months of the year, making it the single-currency region's longest downturn and raising concerns about its effect on the U.S. recovery. The 17-nation Eurozone economy contracted 0.2% in the first quarter compared with the previous quarter, according to data released Wednesday by Eurostat, the region's statistical office. It was the sixth straight quarter of contraction, exceeding the five-quarter recession from 2008-09.

Betty O'Meara's letter on the matter of blame-shifting reminded me of the following: Adam blamed it on Eve, Eve blamed it on the serpent. The poor serpent! It didn't have a leg to stand on! DONALD R. LEHTI Los Angeles

Arte Moreno has placed blame for the team's brutal 2013 start, its failure to make the playoffs for three straight years and several high-priced moves that have paid minimal dividends on the one person the Angels owner can't fire: Himself. "If you're going to blame anyone, you've got to blame me," Moreno told FoxSports.com on Wednesday in New York, where he is attending the owners' meetings. "I'm the one at the end of the day that has the final call. " Moreno orchestrated the signing of first baseman Albert Pujols to a 10-year, $240-million deal before 2012.

A French commission of inquiry said today that engine failure caused the crash of a Soviet MIG-29 fighter jet at the Paris air show last week. It cleared the pilot of any blame.

After reading "Mommy wars -- a false battle" (Opinion, March 31), my only question for Rosa Brooks is why did she wait so long in her commentary to blame men for a battle fought by women? Brooks seems to be the kind of feminist who also blames men when the economy slows down, when the weather turns sour and when women wear high-heels. She needs to get out more, away from her feminist tomes and friends. JERRY A. BOGGS Livonia, Mich.

Is it true that George Raveling is a UCLA plot? LARRY HARRIS, Manhattan Beach

Netflix Inc. is blaming a faulty piece of computer hardware for a breakdown that delayed millions of shipments to the online DVD rental service's customers this month. "We've taken steps to fortify our shipping system with the acquisition of additional equipment and worked with our vendors to verify we're in good shape elsewhere," technology chief Mike Osier wrote on Netflix's website.

A Soviet MIG-29 jet fighter that crashed in flames at the Paris Air Show went down because a small bird was sucked into its engine, a commission has concluded. Specialists found feathers sticking to the wrecked engine's blades, the newspaper Socialist Industry said, quoting the head of the French-Soviet panel's Soviet contingent, Donat Ogorodnikov. The commission's findings absolved the organizers of the June air show of all blame, the newspaper said.

The United States is partly to blame for a huge influx of Vietnamese "boat people" into Hong Kong, a relief official said Thursday. Chris Bale, Hong Kong director of the British-based charity organization Oxfam, said Washington has applied pressure on Southeast Asian nations to provide asylum to boat people fleeing Vietnam.

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department began a criminal investigation Tuesday into overzealous scrutiny by the IRS of applications for tax exemptions by conservative groups, an improper targeting that an inspector general's report blamed on a confused staff and lax oversight. The improper activities "were not influenced by any individual or organization outside the IRS," the auditors said they were told by Internal Revenue Service officials. Instead, the report painted a picture of an IRS unit based in Cincinnati that used "inappropriate criteria" for deciding which applications to examine, without any review by senior managers.

David Beckham's six years with the Galaxy bolstered the fortunes of both the Galaxy and Major League Soccer. But now that the superstar is gone, has it made any difference? It's a mixed bag, but it's still early in the season. Through its first five home games at the 27,000-seat Home Depot Center, the Galaxy's average attendance is down 6% from a year earlier to 21,011. Ticket broker StubHub, which takes over the stadium's naming rights June 1 as part of a marketing partnership with the Galaxy, likewise is "seeing a bit of lag" in the resale market for Galaxy tickets, according to StubHub spokeswoman Alison Salcedo.

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Deadly weekend car bombings in a southern Turkish city have galvanized domestic opposition to the government's steadfast support for Syrian rebels amid fears that Turkey is being dragged into the bloody conflict across its border. "The chaos of Syria has been transported here," said Faruk Logoglu, deputy chairman of the opposition Republican People's Party, speaking Monday from the stunned town of Reyhanli, close to the Syrian border. "This is a direct result of the government's Syria policy.

The Dodgers' starting lineup Sunday did not include first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who has been bothered by a strained neck. And there was some doubt outfielders Carl Crawford (hamstring) and Andre Ethier, who banged his toe against the outfield wall Saturday, would play, adding to the growing injury concerns for a team that already has nine players on the disabled list. But Manager Don Mattingly said the small, persistent injuries do little more than complicate his lineup card from time to time.

With its announcement Thursday, Hollywood Park did little to refute the theory that horse racing is a sport in need of hospice. They raced at the Inglewood track Friday, but it wasn't business as usual. Nor will it be the rest of this meeting and the track's final one, which ends Dec. 22. For people in the business, and fans of the sport, the next six months of racing at the place universally known as Hollypark will be an emotional saddle sore. The bulldozers are at the gate.

Average employee pay at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power rose 15% over the last five years, despite an economic slump that ravaged the city's budget, records released Tuesday show. DWP workers received significantly more generous pay increases than other city workers, who received an average raise of 9% over the same period. The median household income for Los Angeles residents - the public utility's customers - fell over roughly the same period, from $48,882 in 2008 to $46,148 in 2011, the latest year for which U.S. census numbers are available.

If Columbus didn't discover the "New World," someone eventually would have; all the things that he is blamed for would have been blamed on someone else. Don't blame Columbus, he was just a navigator. CHARLES W. LeCOMPTE Santa Barbara

Two trains collided Wednesday near Mocuba in Zambezia province, killing at least 23 people and injuring 48 others in an accident blamed on bad maintenance of the rail line, Radio Mozambique said Thursday.

BEIRUT - Huge explosions were reported in Damascus early Sunday, just two days after a reported Israeli airstrike in Syria targeting surface-to-air missiles possibly destined for neighboring Lebanon and the militant group Hezbollah. Syrian state media also blamed Israel for Sunday's predawn onslaught, saying that Israeli jet fighters had launched rockets on the capital. The site targeted was a military research facility in Jamraya, just outside Damascus, state media reported.

Shortly after lawyers for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power employees' union filed a lawsuit to delay release of their members' names and current salaries, both mayoral candidates called on the agency to make the information public as soon as possible. The candidates - City Controller Wendy Greuel and City Councilman Eric Garcetti - also began blaming each other for DWP employee pay that averaged $99,381 in 2011, according to the most recent publicly available data. That was more than 50% higher than the average pay for other city workers, and about 25% higher than employees at comparable public and private utilities, records show.