Finally, we get a glimpse into those "smoking gun" meetings at the White House

On his show Monday, Glenn Beck offered his take on reports in the conservative media that suggested there had been a coordinated effort between the IRS and the Obama administration to target Tea Party groups.

Playing the role of then-IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, who made 157 visits to the White House since Obama took office, Beck held a mock conversation with a White House official — who was also played by Beck.

"They sat around for 150 meetings, and this never happened," Beck said, before launching into the dialogue (or monologue, depending on how you look at it).

As The Atlantic's Garance Franke-Ruta pointed out, at least three-quarters of those scheduled meetings were to discuss health care, since the IRS is charged with implementing much of the Affordable Care Act. Plus, she noted that Shulman didn't even attend all those meetings — he signed in for just 11 of them.

Still, Beck was unconvinced that the meetings were harmless.

"Are you telling me seriously, seriously, that conversation, or a conversation something like that didn't happen?" Beck asked of his re-enactment, in which he discussed death panels and Obama's purported distrust of Jews. "Of course it did."

SEE MORE: God told Republicans to spare Boehner

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Houston police chief: Videotaped beating sickening

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston's police chief told jurors on Tuesday that the 2010 videotaped beating of a black teen burglary suspect made him "sick to my stomach" and gave the police department a "black eye."

Police Chief Charles McClelland Jr. testified that fired officer Drew Ryser — one of four officers who were indicted in the case — mistreated the teen during his arrest and failed to follow proper procedures.

Ryser, 32, is on trial this week on a misdemeanor charge of official oppression. He faces up to a year in jail if convicted.

"It made me sick to my stomach because it was an egregious use of force and the men and women of the Houston police departmentare better than that ... they did not deserve that type of black eye," McClelland told special prosecutor Jonathan Munier.

Ryser's attorneys have said the ex-officer was following textbook procedures to arrest a suspect he had been told might have been armed.

In video footage from a security camera that caught the March 2010 beating, then-15-year-old Chad Holley is seen falling to the ground after trying to hurdle a police squad car. He's then surrounded by at least five officers, some of whom appear to kick and hit his head, abdomen and legs. Police said that Holley and three others had tried to run away after burglarizing a home.

Holley's beating prompted fierce public criticism of Houston's police department by community activists, who called it an example of police brutality against minorities.

McClelland said that in seeing the video footage, he was disturbed that Holley, who had given up, offered "no active resistance and the force that was being used against him was excessive and unnecessary."

McClelland told jurors that if Ryser and the other officers believed Holley might have been armed, proper procedure would have called for one officer to draw his weapon on the teen and for another officer to then handcuff him.

But while questioning McClelland, Lisa Andrews, one of Ryser's attorneys, tried to suggest to jurors that the scene was very chaotic, with Holley and other suspects running in different directions, and that such a "perfect scenario way" of arresting Holley was not possible.

"If the other officers committed to go hands on to handcuff (Holley), it would not be prudent for other officers to pull a weapon," Andrews said.

McClelland disagreed on describing the arrest scene as chaotic, instead calling it "challenging."

Andrews also tried to suggest to jurors that the video did show Holley resisting efforts to handcuff him.

McClelland was expected to continue testifying on Wednesday. The trial, being heard by a six-person jury, is expected to last about a week.

Two other former officers charged in the case pleaded no contest and were sentenced in April to two years of probation as part of plea agreements. A fourth ex-officer was acquitted in May 2012. All the fired officers indicted in the case were charged with misdemeanors.

Holley was convicted of burglary in juvenile court in October 2010 and placed on probation. Last year, Holley, now 19, was arrested on another burglary charge, and a judge sentenced him in April to six months in jail and seven years of probation. Holley, dressed in an orange prison uniform, has been briefly brought into the courtroom at various times during the trial so that he can be identified by different witnesses.

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Judge accepts insanity plea in Colo. shooting case

Big day in Colorado theater shooting case: Judge accepts insanity plea, orders mental exam

Associated Press -

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) -- A judge accepted James Holmes' long-awaited plea of not guilty by reason of insanity Tuesday and ordered him to undergo a mental evaluation — an examination that could be a decisive factor in whether the Colorado theater shooting suspect is convicted and sentenced to die.

The judge also granted prosecutors access to a hotly contested notebook that Holmes sent to a psychiatrist shortly before the July 20 rampage, which left 12 people dead and 70 injured in a bloody, bullet-riddled movie theater in suburban Denver.

Taken together, the three developments marked a major step forward in the 10-month-old case, which at times has inched along through thickets of legal arguments or veered off on tangents.

Holmes faces more than 160 counts of murder and attempted murder, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

He will now be examined by the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, but it's not certain when the evaluation will begin or how long it will take. Hospital officials have said that before they meet with Holmes, they want to review evidence in the case, which prosecutors said totals nearly 40,000 pages.

Judge Carlos Samour Jr. set a tentative date of Aug. 2 for the exam to be complete but said he would push that back if hospital officials request more time. Samour indicated he still hopes to begin Holmes' trial in February.

Holmes, 25, shuffled into court with his wrists and ankles shackled, wearing a long, bushy beard and dark, curly hair that was slicked back.

Samour read Holmes a five-page list of consequences of the insanity plea and asked if he had any questions.

"No," Holmes answered in a clear, firm voice. It was only the second time since his arrest that he has spoken in court, other than occasional whispered exchanges with his attorneys.

The findings of the mental evaluation will become evidence in Homes' trial, but they are not the final word on whether he was legally insane at the time of the shootings. The jurors will determine that.

If their verdict is not guilty by reason of insanity, Holmes would be committed to the Mental Health Institute indefinitely. He could theoretically be released one day if doctors determine his sanity has been restored, but that is considered unlikely.

If their verdict is guilty, jurors would then decide whether Holmes will be executed or spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Colorado law defines insanity as the inability to distinguish right from wrong caused by a diseased or defective mind.

Marcus Weaver, who was wounded and lost his friend Rebecca Wingo in the shooting, doesn't believe Holmes is insane but is grateful the case is moving forward.

"As we've seen evidence and seen the case unfold, it's become more evident that Mr. Holmes did what he did, and it had nothing to do with his mental state," he said.

The insanity plea is widely seen as Holmes' best chance of avoiding execution, but his lawyers delayed it for weeks, saying Colorado's laws on the insanity plea and the death penalty could work in combination to violate his constitutional rights.

The judge overruled their objections last week, but on Tuesday he conceded one point: Neither Holmes nor his lawyers had to sign a statement or say in court that they understood the five-page list of consequences of the insanity plea.

Samour originally planned to require Holmes and the defense to acknowledge they understood those consequences before he accepted the plea. But Samour said Tuesday he had determined that wasn't required by law.

Holmes needed Samour's approval to enter the insanity plea because a judge had entered a standard not guilty plea on Holmes' behalf in March.

Prosecutors first sought access to the notebook when its existence was made public days after the shooting. Holmes had mailed it to Dr. Lynn Fenton, a University of Colorado, Denver psychiatrist who had treated Holmes. Holmes had been a graduate student in neuroscience at the university.

The notebook's contents have never been officially made public, but media reports have said it contains drawings depicting violence.

The defense argued the notebook was protected by doctor-patient privilege. But Samour ruled Tuesday that under Colorado law, Holmes waived that privilege when he entered the insanity plea.

Prosecutors said Tuesday that in addition to reviewing the contents of the notebook, they would ask police to do unspecified "additional processing" of it.

Court officials also released nearly 100 pretrial motions Tuesday, most of them from the defense.

One signaled that Holmes will seek a change of venue because of pretrial publicity. Others challenged the admissibility of ballistics, handwriting and mountains of other evidence and demanded that prosecutors hand over as many as 2,000 pieces of physical evidence.

Holmes' lawyers appear to be trying to humanize their client, who made his first court appearances with a mop of dyed orange hair. They filed motions asking that he be allowed to appear before jurors in civilian clothes, instead of a jail uniform, and without shackles. They also asked that authorities ratchet back courthouse security, including armed guards on the roof.

Defense lawyers want Holmes' parents to be allowed to witness the entire trial in support of their son and not be sequestered like other possible witnesses.

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Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi contributed to this report.

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Palestinians to pursue Israel at UN if talks fail

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — With no signs of progress in U.S attempts to restart peace talks withIsrael, the chief Palestinian negotiator said Tuesday that the West Bank government is ready to resume its campaign to join U.N. and other international bodies in order to prosecute Israel.

The remarks by Saeb Erekat came ahead of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's trip to the region next week for consultations. The trip will be the fifth to the area since Kerry took office early this year and promised to launch a fresh effort to restart negotiations.

Talks collapsed nearly five years ago over the issue of construction in Jewish settlements built in captured areas Palestinians claim for a future state. Palestinians say they will not talk until construction in settlements is stopped.

Israel says settlements, along with other core issues, should be resolved in peace talks and that negotiations should begin immediately.

The Palestinians claim the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip for their state. Israel captured the three areas in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. The Palestinians say the pre-1967 lines should be the baseline for talks on a final border.

While Israel's current government rejects a return to the 1967 lines, the international community has overwhelmingly endorsed the Palestinian position. Last fall, the Palestinians won recognition in the U.N. General Assembly as a nonmember state in the territories captured by Israel in 1967.

This upgraded status, though largely symbolic, gave the Palestinians an upgraded diplomatic status that allows them access to key U.N. bodies. The move was condemned by the U.S and Israel, who viewed it as an attempt to bypass negotiations for an agreement.

A main Israeli concern is that the Palestinians will seek membership in the International Criminal Court, where they will press war crimes charges against Israel.

Kerry has urged both sides to avoid provocative measures, telling Israel to curtail settlement construction and the Palestinians to put their campaign for international recognition on hold.

Speaking to international diplomats Tuesday, Erekat blamed the Israelis for the lack of progress, citing Israel's refusal to accept the 1967 lines as the basis for talks. The Palestinians say the final border can be slightly modified through negotiated land swaps in order for Israel to keep some of its settlements. Two such proposals by previous Israeli governments failed to result in a peace accord.

"We want to negotiate. We have given Mr. Kerry our maps and answered him every question he asked," Erekat said.

He warned that the Palestinians' patience is wearing thin.

"We have the full right of our instrument of access to all U.N. agencies. And those who worry about international courts should stop committing crimes," he said. "It took us six months to prepare, but I can say now that all our instruments of accession are ready."

Israeli officials refused to comment on Erekat's threat.

Kerry has not set a formal deadline for reaching a framework for peace talks, but he has signaled that he will float a formal proposal in the coming weeks.

In a speech to American Jewish leaders in Washington on Monday, Kerry warned that time was running thin.

"Resolving this conflict for both sides can have far-reaching benefits that will be in everybody's interest. And the reverse is also true: Not resolving this will result in serious consequences for both," he said.

Echoing Kerry's warnings, the outgoing head of the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer, urged the government to do its utmost to pursue peace, saying the current state of conflict and heavy defense expenditures were hurting the economy. "We must also try to find other solutions, and try to achieve a peace agreement with our neighbors, including with the Palestinians," Fischer told a parliamentary committee.

The comments Monday were unusual because Fischer rarely wades into politics. Fischer, an internationally respected U.S.-educated economist, steps down this month after eight years as head of Israel's central bank.

Fischer criticized Israelis who say that there is no Palestinian partner for peace. "We must look for the partners for peace. Until we reach agreements, it will cost us more since we will need to reinforce our readiness," he said.

Fischer said Israel would benefit from a peace accord. "We must, therefore, find a way to act more proactively in order to stop the conflict that has continued here for far too long," he said.

Syrian army advances in Qusair and Damascus suburb

This citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a locally made rocket being fired by Syrian rebels, in Idlib province, northern Syria, Tuesday, June 4, 2013. The Syrian government has denied it is facing a popular uprising since the revolt against Assad's rule erupted in March 2011, saying that the army is fighting foreign-backed terrorists who want to destroy the country. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian troops advanced toward the center of the strategic town of Qusair near the border with Lebanon and chased rebels from another key district on the edge ofDamascus on Tuesday, officials said, solidifying gains that have shifted the balance of power in the regime's favor in recent weeks.

In the past two months, the Syrian army has moved steadily against rebels in key battleground areas, making advances near the border with Lebanon and considerably lowering the threat to Damascus, the seat of President Bashar Assad's government.

The Syrian army, which is backed by Hezbollah fighters, is "approaching victory" in Qusair, almost three weeks after launching an offensive to recapture the western town, an official in the governor's office of Homs province said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the media about an ongoing military operation.

He said the troops are advancing from the east and south of Qusair, fighting pockets of resistance along the way. The rebels still have control of the western and northern parts of the town as well as some areas in the center.

Later Tuesday, Syrian state-run TV said troops were now in "full control" of the southwestern part of the town and have "eradicated the remnants of terrorists there," using the term used by Syrian officials to refer to rebels seeking to topple Assad.

A doctor coordinating medical treatment in Qusair said troops have been pounding western parts of the town with artillery as they move toward the center. The doctor, Kasem Alzein spoke to The Associated Press via Skype from Qusair on Tuesday, saying that regime forces are approaching the area where he's been operating a makeshift hospital.

"It's very difficult here," Alzein said against a backdrop of constant shelling. "The battles are really close to where we work."

He said he can't venture out of his makeshift clinic that has been set up in one of the houses in the town after the main hospital in Qusair was destroyed in earlier fighting. He said the rebels are resisting, but cannot match the government's Hezbollah-backed firepower.

"The rebels are not able to cover all the areas. The regime provides air cover and artillery shelling and the Hezbollah fighters are clashing (with the rebels on the ground) and advancing," Alzein said, adding that the makeshift clinics he oversees around the town have received 42 wounded and the bodies of five people killed in Tuesday's fighting.

"They are waiting for their turn to be operated on. I am not sure they will survive," Alzein said of the wounded.

Doctors in Qusair are treating the wounded in about 50 abandoned homes that have been turned into makeshift hospitals since the government launched an offensive on May 19. Four of the homes have been converted into operating theaters. The doctors had stocked up on medical supplies, but they are running out of antibiotics, bandages and anesthetics. Oxygen supplies are already exhausted, Alzein said.

Appeals by the United Nations and other aid organizations to allow humanitarian workers to enter Qusair have gone unheeded by authorities in Damascus as fighting drags on and neither side has been able to deliver a decisive blow. Syrian regime troops and fighters from Hezbollah have steadily gained ground, but rebels have been able to defend some positions and appear to be dug in the north and west of the town.

On Sunday, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon called Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem to express concern over the situation in Qusair, according to Syria's state-run news agency SANA. However, al-Moallem told Ban that the Red Cross and other aid agencies will only be able to enter Qusair "after the end of military operations there," SANA said.

Both sides in the Syrian civil war value Qusair. The Syrian government is fighting there because it wants to reassert its control over the town that is strategically located between Damascus and the Alawite heartland near the Mediterranean.

Opposition forces want to hold on to the overwhelmingly Sunni town that has served as a conduit for shipments of weapons, fighters and supplies smuggled from Lebanon to the rebels inside Syria. Rebels in Qusair have called on fighters from all over Syria to come to their aid in the town.

Meanwhile, Syrian government forces pushed rebels fighters out of Jobar, a key district on the edge of Damascus, according to the state news agency. If confirmed, it would bolster the defenses of the Syrian capital and further shift the balance of power Assad's way in the civil war.

SANA said Tuesday that government troops "restored security and stability to some vital areas" in Jobar, on the northeastern edge of the capital from where the rebels had been trying to push into Damascus for weeks.

In Damascus, a Syrian government official said four mortar shells landed near the Russian Embassy in the Mazrra neighborhood, killing one person and wounding an unknown number of others. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Residents in the area said the shells landed about 150 meters (feet) from the building that houses the Russian mission.

Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency said four civilians and four policemen, two of them guarding the embassy, were wounded, adding that none of the Russian embassy staff was injured.

Russia is a close ally of Assad's regime, which has been fighting an uprising that began as peaceful protests in March 2011, then morphed into a civil war.

Also Tuesday, Human Rights Watch said that at least 147 people whose bodies were found in a river in the city of Aleppo in January were probably killed, execution-style, in government-controlled areas.

"The bodies floating down Aleppo's river tell a grisly tale," said Ole Solvang, emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch. "It's hard to see how 147 people could have been executed and their bodies flung in the river in government-controlled territory, as the evidence indicates, without the knowledge of government forces operating in the area."

The New York-based organization said it visited the site where the bodies were discovered and based its findings on interviews with locals and relatives of the victims, a forensic expert who examined the bodies, and photographs and videos of the victims. It said many of the victims bore signs of having been detained and then executed, such as hands tied behind their back, gunshot wounds to their head, and tape across their mouth.

At the time the bodies washed up in January, the government and rebels blamed each other for the mass killing. The bodies, almost all of men in their 20s and 30s, were discovered in the contested neighborhood of Bustan al-Qasr. A government official at the time told AP that the dead were residents of Bustan al-Qasr who were kidnapped and later killed.

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Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.