From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

The Obama administration and the shadow of scandal.

Hello again, I'm Mormon-Aulny, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

The Obama administration stands accused of abusing its powers to uncover leaks to reporters

and make sure that taxes are being paid. In both cases, the devil is in the details.

Was a terrorist threat really bad enough to justify the FBI's massive seizure of phone records

from the Associated Press? Did the IRS target right-wing groups for partisan reasons,

or because they were more likely than liberal groups to be looking for tax exemptions?

With the White House on the defensive against Republicans and the National Press Corps,

we'll update both stories today.

On reporter's notebook later on, did the U.S. sent an amateur to spy on Russia?

First, here's the news.

Listen to KCRW's 24-hour all-news channel. Stream BBC World Service, NPRW programs.

Continuous coverage and accessible via our smartphone app or online at kCRW.

Support for To The Point comes from the members of KCRW and from the Public Radio International Program Fund.

Hello again, Mormon Al-Nalny, back with To the Point.

Washington is focused this week on political scandals involving the FBI's

sweeping investigation of the Associated Press and the IRS targeting of conservative groups

applying for tax exemptions. We'll look for the facts behind the accusations. On reporter's

notebook, Russian video and still photographs show a U.S. Embassy aide being arrested, as well as two

wigs, a street atlas, and

...