Midday Roundup: Search and rescue efforts end, cleanup begins in Oklahoma

The cleanup begins. Oklahoma officials say they do not expect to find any more bodies or survivors buried in the rubble left by Monday’s deadly EF5 tornado, which pulverized a mile-wide path through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore. The death toll stands at 24, including 10 children. But officials had feared the number of dead could climb as high as 100, based largely on the twister’s complete destruction. Local hospitals treated more than 300 people. Rescue crews pulled more than 200 people from the rubble Monday night. The state’s insurance department estimates the damage could top $2 billion. Survivors are beginning to tell harrowing stories of huddling in closets and bathrooms, watching in awe as the storm peeled back roofs and obliterated walls. It pushed winds of more than 200 mph and had the power of many atomic bombs, scientists said.

Interrogation gone wrong. FBI agents in Florida shot and killed a man they were questioning as part of the investigation into last month’s Boston Marathon bombing. An agency spokesman said the suspect, 27-year-old Ibragim Todashev, turned violent during questioning and agents acted on an “imminent threat.” Todashev, an ethnic Chechen, knew suspected bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev and had confessed to the FBI that he took part in a 2011 triple homicide investigators believe may have included one or both of the Tsarnaev brothers, according to an unnamed source. But before he could write down his confession, Todashev allegedly pulled a knife and attacked the FBI agent interviewing him in his Florida condominium.

Another political comeback? Anthony Weiner, the former representative whose political career imploded amid a sexting scandal, is making a comeback. Weiner announced his candidacy for the New York City mayoral race today in a short YouTube video that included his wife, Huma Abedin. In the video, Weiner acknowledged his past sins: “Look, I know I made some big mistakes, and I know I let a lot of people down, but I also learned some tough lessons,” he said. Weiner resigned his House seat two years ago after lewd photographs he took and sent to several woman became public. According to recent polls, Weiner may actually have a chance at winning the Democratic primary. But it’s a crowded field, and at least a quarter of voters say they’re still undecided.

Pleading the Fifth. One of the IRS officials summoned to Capitol Hill to talk about her role in targeting conservative groups refused to testify Wednesday morning. Based on her lawyers’ advice, Lois Lerner told House investigators she did nothing wrong but then invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions that might incriminate her. Lerner is director for tax-exempt organizations at the IRS and according to an audit by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, she directed specialists to broaden their criteria for scrutinizing groups beyond terms like “tea party” and “patriot.”