TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you are given news articles and you need to generate a highlight, i.e., a short summary, with a maximum length of 10 lines.
PROBLEM: Washington (CNN) -- New details emerged of what the White House knew about the Internal Revenue Service targeting of conservative groups, with spokesman Jay Carney disclosing Chief of Staff Denis McDonough was among the top officials made aware of the matter late last month. In a new timeline provided by Carney to reporters on Monday, General Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler learned on April 24 of a pending Treasury inspector general's report on how IRS staff used criteria targeting conservative groups in assessing eligibility for tax-exempt status. According to Carney, Ruemmler told McDonough as well as other Treasury officials about the pending report. It was the first time the White House acknowledged that McDonough was aware of the report before it became public in early May. IRS: By the numbers . In addition, Carney made clear that the information Ruemmler received on April 24 included details of improper acts by IRS officials. At the same time, Carney emphasized that the information was preliminary and could have changed before the inspector general released his final report on May 14. Carney insisted no one -- including Ruemmler and McDonough -- told President Barack Obama anything about the inspector general's pending report before media reports about it began appearing on May 10. "We knew the subject of the investigation and we knew the nature of some of the potential findings, but we did not have a copy of the draft report," Carney said. "We did not know the details, the scope, or the motivation surrounding the misconduct and we did not know who was responsible. Most importantly, the report was not final and still very much subject to change." Opinion: What happened to Obama's promise? However, the new information on Monday continued a perception of a White House on the defensive over the issue, one of at least three controversies dogging Obama as his second term reaches the four-month mark. The Senate Finance Committee will hold the second congressional hearing on the matter Tuesday, after the House Ways and Means Committee grilled the outgoing acting commissioner of the IRS last Friday. On Monday, the Senate panel's Democratic chairman and ranking Republican sent a letter to the IRS official, Steven Miller, seeking an exhaustive list of information about the case. Another hearing is set for Wednesday by a third panel -- the House Oversight Committee. Some Republicans are calling for a special investigation into the IRS matter, in which tax officers assessing applications for tax-exempt status used key words such as "tea party" in determining levels of scrutiny. CNN Poll: Likability helps Obama survive brutal week . Separately on Monday, a Northern California tea party group filed the first lawsuit against the U.S. government stemming from the IRS targeting. "The IRS and its agents singled out groups like NorCal Tea Party Patriots for intensive and intrusive scrutiny, probing their members' associates, speech, activities and beliefs," according to the suit filed in Cincinnati. "NorCal and its members suffered years of delay and expense while awaiting the exemption and spending valuable time and money answering the IRS' questions. The result was a muffling and muzzling of free expression" the lawsuit claimed. The group alleged violations under the Privacy Act as well as violations of its constitutional rights guaranteeing free expression and equal protection under the law. Opinion: We're pointing a gun at our democracy . Carney offered the new timeline in response to the first question at his daily media briefing, when a reporter noted "confusion" over what Ruemmler was told about the inspector general report in late April. He noted the report found no outside intervention in the IRS targeting of what he called "inappropriate scrutinizing of conservative groups" seeking tax-exempt status, and that no one in the White House intervened in the inspector general's review or "did anything that could be see as intervening." In addition, Carney said, the misconduct had stopped in May 2012, almost a year before Ruemmler or anyone else at the White House were told of it by anyone at Treasury. At the same time, Carney disclosed that White House and Treasury officials discussed the pending inspector general's report in the weeks before its formal release, even though he said no one told Obama about it. The White House first was notified of the upcoming report, known as an audit, on April 16, he said, calling that a routine notification also provided to Congress. Ruemmler was told about it eight days later and she informed McDonough and others about it shortly thereafter, Carney said. "Ruemmler was informed that the inspector general for tax administration was completing a report about line IRS employees improperly scrutinizing what are known 501(c)(4) organizations by using words such as 'tea party' and 'patriot'," he said. In particular, Carney said that "at no time did anyone on the White House staff intervene with the IRS inspector general audit." "There were communications between the White House Counsel's office and White House Chief of Staff's office with Treasury Office of General Counsel and Treasury's Chief of Staff office to understand the anticipated timing of the release of the report and potential findings by the" inspector general, he said, but added that Ruemmler acted properly in not informing the president. IRS official denies intentional political targeting, lying to Congress . "The cardinal rule, as I said, is you do not intervene in an independent investigation and you do not do anything that would be, that would give such an appearance particularly when the final conclusions, as was the case here, have not been reached," Carney said. "That is the doctrine we followed and the bottom line is, and this isn't just the most important fact, it is what we have said from the beginning - neither the White House nor Treasury intervened in the inspector general's audit." Last week, Miller blamed a huge increase in workload, rather than deliberate targeting, for "foolish mistakes" in the political discrimination cited by the inspector general's report. He told the House Ways and Means Committee that the IRS division handling requests for tax exempt status was overwhelmed by a surge that followed the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision. "I think that what happened here was that foolish mistakes were made by people who were trying to be more efficient in their workload selection," Miller said, calling the practices described in the inspector general's report as "intolerable" and a "mistake," but "not an act of partisanship." He apologized for what he later called "horrible customer service," but he also stubbornly rejected any accusation that it amounted to politicizing the work of the IRS. However, Republicans noted the increased requests for tax exempt status didn't kick in until 2011, months after the targeting began, according to the inspector general's report. Rep. Dave Camp, chairman of the Republican-led panel, and other GOP members sought to depict the controversy as indicative of government gone wild, with the IRS abusing conservative groups and other political foes of the administration. Democrats on the committee also expressed outrage at the targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, but they pointed out that the top IRS official at the time was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, not Obama. Opinion: IRS scandal is about donors, not tax . They also noted that the inspector general's report stated there was no evidence of any political motivation for what happened, or influence from outside the IRS. The Treasury Department oversees the quasi-independent IRS. Some Republicans are trying to find a link between the Obama administration and the IRS targeting. According to the inspector general's report, the IRS developed and followed a faulty policy to determine whether the applicants were engaged in political activities, which would disqualify the groups from receiving tax-exempt status. The controversial move began in early 2010 and continued for more than 18 months, the report said, declaring that "the IRS used inappropriate criteria that identified for review Tea Party and other organizations applying for tax-exempt status based upon their names or policy positions instead of indications of potential political campaign intervention." Among the criteria used by IRS officials to flag applications was a "Be On the Look Out" list, which was discontinued in 2012, the report said. Conservative groups complain their requests were delayed for months or even years through the targeting that sought to prevent ineligible political groups from getting tax exempt status. Miller testified Friday that determining the political nature of groups was one of the hardest tasks of IRS officers tasked with assessing requests for tax exempt status. The investigation by the Treasury inspector general for tax administration was initiated after congressional complaints began to surface in the media in 2012 that the IRS was targeting conservative groups and holding up applications. In a written response included in the report, the IRS commissioner of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division said there was no criminal behavior behind the actions of the agents, but rather inefficient management. Obama called the inspector general's findings outrageous and forced Miller's resignation. In addition, the commissioner of the IRS' Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division also announced his retirement Thursday. Joseph Grant will leave in June, according to an internal IRS memo provided to CNN. Miller also is scheduled to exit then. Obama has appointed Danny Werfel, a White House budget office official who has served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, to succeed Miller through the end of the fiscal year on September 30. Obama counter-punches in effort to regain political balance . CNN's Dana Bash contributed to this report.

SOLUTION: A Senate committee holds a hearing Tuesday on the IRS targeting .
White House discloses new details of what it knew about the IRS targeting report .
White House spokesman says President Obama wasn't told of the pending report .
NEW: First lawsuit filed over IRS targeting .

PROBLEM: New York (CNN) -- The idea for getting married was partly Kevin's idea. The 11-year-old also thought it would be neat if daddy and papa tied the knot on the same day the couple met 15-years earlier on a softball field. So Peter Mercurio -- papa -- and Daniel Stewart -- daddy -- started planning. "I was walking Kevin to school one morning," Mercurio said, explaining to his son that he did not know yet who would conduct the ceremony, or where. And he said, 'Don't judges perform ceremonies? Why don't you try to contact the judge who finalized my adoption?' I said that was a great idea." In Manhattan Family Court last July, with a few friends and family present, the state affirmed what the three guys had known instinctively for a long time: they were a family. Their story comes as the U.S. Supreme Court gets ready to debate on Tuesday and Wednesday the issue of same-sex marriage -- the legalities, the politics, the social implications. It is a personal narrative, though no less important -- than trying to figure out the meaning of the Constitution and the limits of "equal protection." Obama views on same-sex marriage reflect societal shifts . A day old and abandoned . "I found a baby!" Stewart's voice was frantic, and the echoes from the A/C/E subway station on Eighth Avenue only added to the initial confusion. "I said I had called 911, but I didn't think they believed me." "I told him I didn't believe it either," said Mercurio. But he rushed to the scene and to a remote area behind the turnstiles. There, wrapped in a dark sweatshirt, lying quietly, was a brown-skinned, day-old infant. Abandoned. They could have walked away, but they stayed. Authorities soon arrived and took the child, naming him Daniel Ace Doe -- for the man who found him, the subway line, and the sad anonymity. The story made news. A few months later, Stewart was called to testify in family court about. Opinion: Slowly, GOP shifting on same-sex marriage . The judge dropped a bombshell: "Would you be interested in adopting this baby?" The answer was an immediate yes. But Stewart privately knew it would not be easy. His partner at first wanted to go slowly, or not at all. "My first reaction when I heard: 'Are you insane? How could you say yes without consulting me?'" said Mercurio, laughing at the memory. The couple had been together three years but their careers as an aspiring playwright and social worker took precedence at the time. Becoming parents and strengthening their bond was never discussed. "I saw this opportunity here, this gift to be parents to this child. And how could we not say yes to that opportunity?" Stewart said told CNN Justice Correspondent Joe Johns. "It seemed like it was divine intervention -- it was meant to be." Mercurio agreed. "I think a lot of my initial response to Danny -- saying we were not ready to do this -- was all fear-based. And once I got over that, a calm set in. And you know, we went about methodically, preparing our lives for a child." Line forms days ahead of same-sex argument . Crib and blankets just before Christmas . It was a mad scramble to get ready, parenting classes, crib, diapers, and blankets. Then just days before Christmas, they were told the baby would be transferred to their care. "Our paternal instincts took over and it became a natural thing of how to take care of him," Mercurio said. They took their son home on a snowy day, riding the same C train where they found him. As blessed as they felt, the couple knew there would be challenges. When they first held the boy -- whom they soon renamed Kevin -- at the foster home they found him guarded. "In fact when we saw him he didn't blink. His eyes were just wide open and his arms were very stiff and tightly crossed across his chest," said Mercurio. "So we got him in this condition and we thought we just need to love this kid immediately," added Stewart. "So we played with him and build up his trust in parents. Build up his trust in adults -- that he could be cared for, nurtured, and loved. So we showered him with love and touch. Didn't take long. He loosened up." CNN is not identifying Kevin by his last name or his picture, to protect his privacy. But he knows the story of his discovery. Gay couple fights for right to marry in epic high court battle . A quiet family life . Mercurio and Stewart created an illustrated child's storybook, dramatizing the events-- from the subway to meeting his new family. "One day he asked me: Dad is the story about me?" said Stewart. "I was very happy," said Kevin. He likes sports, his school, and his friends. The family went back to the dark underground station. They were all a little nervous about how Kevin would react. "I think that was important for him to see and know that because now he has a connection," said Stewart. "I mean it's not just something abstract. He really has seen, and knows, and understands. And he has taking a lot of pride in that spot. That's his station. That's his place. This is where we became a family." Stewart and Mercurio are not activists. They live, quiet lives in Manhattan and like all parents, find joy and occasional frustration in raising a soon-to-be teenager. "You know sometimes in life you have to say yes," Mercurio said. "And we said 'yes' to becoming this baby's parents and it was the best 'yes' decision we have ever made in our lives." Stewart said the story speaks to a core of humanity. "I mean, deep down when you strip away all those layers, all those labels, we're all human beings and were all connected by certain things that we need in our lives -- love," he said. Married same-sex couple awaits epic high court appeal . CNN's Joe Johns and Stacey Samuel contributed to this story.

SOLUTION: Story of a same-sex couple personalizes family as Supreme Court readies for arguments .
Baby was found abandoned in a New York City subway station .
'Papa' and 'Daddy' wed on the anniversary of meeting -- but they were already a family .
The family lives a quiet life in Manhattan .

PROBLEM: (CNN) -- Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was told to take a month off work after doctors diagnosed her with a subdural hematoma. The diagnosis and the doctor's recommendation mean Fernandez will be out of commission during the critical campaign season for congressional elections on October 27. Spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro said Saturday the president will suspend all her activities. A subdural hematoma is a blood clot on the brain's surface beneath its outer covering, called the dura. Often, in people over 60, a brain trauma can cause the blood vessels in the brain to tear, and blood to clot. In August, Fernandez, 60, suffered a cranial trauma, for which doctors conducted a brain scan and found normal results with no symptoms at the time, Scoccimarro said. Doctors at a Buenos Aires hospital discovered the hematoma on Saturday after a neurological evaluation, he said. According to Argentina's constitution, the vice president would assume the presidency temporarily in the president's absence, but officials have not said if that will occur in this situation. Fernandez's health made headlines when she underwent surgery in January 2012 to remove her thyroid, after doctors said they detected cancer in the gland. A few days later, a spokesman for Fernandez said she did not actually have cancer and that doctors had discarded their original diagnosis.

SOLUTION:
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has a blood clot on the surface of her brain .
A month of rest is recommended .
Spokesman: The president suffered cranial trauma in August .