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.

[EX Q]: Washington (CNN) -- In what one member of Congress called "a charade," a couple that showed up at President Obama's first state dinner -- uninvited, the White House claims -- declined to answer questions surrounding the event before a House committee Wednesday. Under questioning from House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, and others, Tareq Salahi repeated over and over again, "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully assert my right to remain silent and decline to answer your question." The Salahis' attorney notified the committee in December that because of a pending investigation by federal prosecutors, they would not answer questions about how they gained entry to the White House on November 24, despite not being on the guest list to attend that night's state dinner for the prime minister of India. In a brief statement that opened the often-contentious hearing, Salahi chastised the committee for requiring the couple to appear despite having been told the two would invoke their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if subpoenaed. That, he alleged, is against the ethical rules of the Washington bar. He incensed some committee members by reiterating the couple's respect for U.S. troops, the Secret Service and the president. "You have shown effrontery here," said Daniel Lungren, R-California. He called it "an abomination" that the Salahis would invoke the name of those in uniform "and suggest that somehow what you do provides support to them." "The Constitution protects fools," Lungren said. "The Constitution protects stupidity. The Constitution protects errant thought. Thank God it does." "This was not a hearing looking for information," the couple's attorney, Stephen Best, told reporters after the hearing. "This was an opportunity for a public flogging." "I think today's procedure is a charade," Rep. Mark Souder, R-Indiana, said in the hearing, referring to the Salahis' refusal to answer questions. Other committee members also lambasted the couple, alleging they put their own desire for celebrity before the security of the president and are wasting the committee's time and taxpayers' money. "I don't respect your right to take the Fifth Amendment. Not at all," Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-New Jersey, told the couple. "Were you there?" he asked Salahi, referring to the dinner. When Salahi began, "On the advice ..." Pascrell interrupted him, asking, "Are you here right now? You gonna get an answer from your attorney on that?" Pascrell noted the committee had offered to allow the couple to speak behind closed doors. After conferring with his attorney, Salahi said, "Yes, but you didn't offer us any legal protection." Salahi's wife, Michaele, also invoked her Fifth Amendment right under questioning by committee members, but replied, "yes," when asked if she would return to testify after the investigation has concluded. Asked by Thompson whether the state dinner appearance was part of a "reality TV stunt," Tareq Salahi said the couple was under a non-disclosure agreement and "should not discuss matters related to the television matter." The Salahis contend they were told they could attend the program to honor India's prime minister, but the White House says they were not invited and were not on the guest list for the exclusive affair. Best said after the hearing the couple received "representations that they relied upon" that they were invited guests. Two Secret Service investigators were privy to this information from a person who knows the Salahis, he said. "This was not a stunt, and they committed no criminal act." There was no connection to any reality TV show, he said, and the Salahis were not seeking publicity. The couple has turned down multiple offers from the media to be "rewarded handsomely," he added. "Whatever the real story is, it's on the other side of the gates of the White House, not with the Salahis," Best said. "They thought they were invited. ... If it was a misunderstanding, it was a misunderstanding caused by representatives of the government." Tareq Salahi also noted in his opening statement that the couple's attorneys have offered to provide information to the committee, but that offer was declined by Thompson's staff. "Those offers are not satisfactory," Thompson said. "These lawyers were not at the state dinner and have no firsthand knowledge of the facts." Tareq Salahi also said the couple has provided phone records, e-mails and other documentary evidence to the committee. There also was criticism of the White House in Wednesday's hearing. Rep. Peter King, R-New York, said the White House "continues to stonewall" and will not allow social secretary Desiree Rogers to testify on the security breach. Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs has said that allowing a White House staff member to testify before a congressional committee would violate the Constitution's separation of powers. "I don't know what the White House is trying to hide," King said. "Obviously, something went wrong, and it originated with the White House, not the Secret Service." Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, in previous testimony before the committee, took responsibility for the security breach, acknowledging that "appropriate procedures were not followed." Rep. Charles Dent, R-Pennsylvania, said Wednesday he thought it was "unfortunate" that Sullivan "had to take all that grief from us." "I hold you responsible for it," he told the Salahis. "Your actions ... made a mockery of this country, a mockery of our security," Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas, told the couple. "I'm saddened, and I'm disappointed, and I'm outraged." Best reiterated afterward the Salahis do not want the events surrounding the dinner to detract from the "extraordinary institution" of the Secret Service. "They are Americans," he said. "They are proud Americans."
[EX A]: Tareq and Michaele Salahi decline to answer questions at congressional hearing .
House panel looking into how the couple attended state dinner in November .
White House says they weren't invited; Secret Service says procedures not followed .
Salahis' attorney says they can't answer questions because of pending investigation .

[EX Q]: (CNN) -- President Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd, needed a baby-sitter. It was April 18, 1864, and the Lincolns had planned to go to a fair in Baltimore, returning the next day. They needed someone to watch their 11-year-old son, Tad. A newly published letter from Mrs. Lincoln requesting a sitter gives rare insight into the family's life inside the Lincoln White House, showing one way the family had to juggle their busy schedules, just like everyone else. The letter is being offered for sale by the Raab Collection, a dealer in historical documents, valued at $15,000. It's not long -- just one line -- but the signed letter is in the first lady's hand. "Hon. Mr. Harrington, We would like to have the services of Charles from today, at 2 P.M. until tomorrow at 11 A.M. Very Resp. Mrs. Lincoln." "Charles" was Charles Forbes, a Treasury Department employee who was detailed to the Lincolns and often served as the president's valet, footman, messenger or attendant, according to the Raab Collection. George Harrington was assistant secretary of the Treasury and Forbes' boss and handled personal financial matters for the Lincolns. "Children in the White House have always held a great fascination with the American people," said Nathan Raab, vice president of the Raab Collection. "It shows the president and first lady at their most personal, their most human." Mary Todd Lincoln ended up not going to the Baltimore event, likely too burdened with preparations for a reception the next night, the final White House reception of the season, Raab says. Forbes' close family relationship soured a year later when President Lincoln was assassinated. Forbes was seated outside the president's box at Ford's Theatre and was the one who allowed the assassin, John Wilkes Booth, to enter. Forbes and the president's guard then left for a drink, leaving Lincoln unattended, Raab says. Mary Todd Lincoln ended up blaming Forbes for her husband's death. "Lincoln," a film about the 16th president and his battle to end slavery, is up for 12 Academy Awards this year, including best picture. The ceremony is scheduled to be broadcast Sunday night.
[EX A]: Mary Todd Lincoln requests a baby-sitter in the 1864 letter .
She needed someone to watch their 11-year-old son, Tad .
The letter is being offered for sale, valued at $15,000 .

[EX Q]: Madrid (CNN) -- Spanish rail chiefs testified on safety before lawmakers Thursday, two weeks after 79 people died and scores were injured in a horrific derailment in northwestern Spain. The investigation has focused on the actions of the train's driver, Francisco Jose Garzon, but questions have also been asked about the safety systems in place on Spain's national railway network. Gonzalo Ferre Molto, president of state-owned rail infrastructure company Adif, and Julio Gomez-Pomar, president of state railroad company Renfe, outlined what is being done to ensure the safety of rail travelers. "My desire is to know the whole truth and avoid the possibility of an event of this nature happening again," said Ferre. "This is the best service we can offer to the victims and the whole Spanish society." Lawmakers heard that the route the train was on, from Madrid to Ferrol, includes a mix of conventional and high-speed track, with the latter allowing high-speed trains to travel at over 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph.) Driver on phone when train derailed, court says . Two different safety systems are used in Spain: the European Rail Traffic Management System for the high-speed track and another known as ASFA on conventional lines. The train and its engineer were switching between the two kinds of track and operating system in the course of the journey. A transition from an ERTMS-operated section to the other system happened about four miles before the train derailed on a curve near the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela, Ferre said. That section of track had been inspected on April 20, he said. Speed limit on bend . Court officials have said the train was traveling at 153 kph (95 mph) when it derailed, nearly twice the speed limit on the curve where the accident happened. Victims mourned at memorial mass . After the accident, a temporary speed limit of 30 kph was imposed on the stretch where the accident occurred and is still in place, Ferre said. A permanent limit of 60 kph will come into force once that is lifted. "Our safety department is developing an investigation report," Ferre told the parliamentarians. "Safety in the rail sector is an open subject." Gomez-Pomar said Renfe has started to examine the safety systems in place and admitted that they can be improved. He said the driver had taken control of the train at Ourense station at 8:06 p.m., about 35 minutes before the crash occurred. Garzon had started his working day about eight hours earlier, but his effective driving time at that point was less than three hours, he said. The driver, who has worked for Renfe since 1992, had passed his most recent health test, Gomez-Pomar said. He had been qualified to travel the Ourense-Santiago stretch of track since February 2012 and was given permission to drive the kind of train involved in the crash last November. In total, more than 7,000 trains have passed through the stretch where the accident occurred, Gomez-Pomar said. Human error . Some lawmakers from smaller parliamentary groups criticized what they said was a rush to blame the driver for the crash. "Shifting the responsibility of a high-speed train on to the machine operator is, from our point of view, a rather excessive responsibility," said Rosana Perez, of the Mixed Group. She suggested the number of drivers aboard a train should be increased as a safety measure to protect against human error. "It has been said that the only cause is the human factor. If it is really so, we are lost. This argument falls by its own weight," said Gaspar Llamazares, of the United Left group. Charges filed . Investigations continue into the cause of the July 24 derailment, which shocked the nation. As of Thursday, 38 people remain in the hospital, six of them -- all adults -- in critical condition, according to local health authorities. No nationalities were given for those still hospitalized. Authorities have charged Garzon with 79 counts of homicide by professional recklessness and an undetermined number of counts of causing injury by professional recklessness. He has been given conditional release but has surrendered his passport. Three witnesses were expected to give statements Thursday to a court in Galicia, in a closed-door session. They are a station manager and two neighbors who went to help the survivors immediately after the crash. Minutes before the derailment, Garzon received a call on his work phone, apparently receiving instructions on the way to Ferrol from a Renfe staff member, a court in Galicia said last month. The train was nearing the end of the six-hour trip between the capital and Ferrol at the time of the accident. Spain train crash victim: 'It felt like a roller coaster' CNN's Laura Perez Maestro and Al Goodman reported from Madrid, and Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London.
[EX A]:
NEW: Minority party lawmakers say there's a rush to pin blame on the train driver .
Rail chiefs say the train was traveling on a mix of conventional and high-speed track .
38 people remain in hospital two weeks after the train derailed in northwestern Spain .
Investigations continue into the cause of the deadly crash near Santiago de Compostela .

