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.

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."
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 .

(CNN) -- At least 35 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in shootings and explosions across the country on Tuesday, officials with Iraq's interior ministry told CNN. Officials said 29 people were killed and 107 wounded in 11 car bomb explosions in nine different parts of Baghdad. Most of killed and wounded were civilians, officials said. In Falluja, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of Baghdad, five people were killed and 12 others were wounded when gunmen attacked al-Tahadi police station in southern Falluja. In northern Mosul, about 400 kilometers (249 miles) north of Baghdad, a bomb exploded in the convoy of army Gen. Mohammed Khamas, killing him instantly. Khamas was the deputy head of army intelligence department in Mosul. Iraq has seen a sharp increase in friction between its Shiite and Sunni populations since April, when Iraqi security forces raided a site used by Sunni protesters to demonstrate against the Shiite-led government. Sunnis have felt politically marginalized under Shiite President Nuri al-Maliki, whose government fears it is being targeted by Sunni Islamists involved in fighting in neighboring Syria. More than 800 Iraqis were killed and 2,030 wounded in violence and acts of terrorism in August, the United Nations said.
11 car bomb explosions kill 29, injure 107 in Baghdad, officials tell CNN .
Five killed when gunmen attack a police station in Falluja .
Army general dies when bomb explodes in his convoy in northern Mosul .

(CNN) -- A Native American chief has asked all tribal employees not to use FedEx until the Washington Redskins changes its team name. "Until the name of the NFL team is changed to something less inflammatory and insulting, I direct all employees to refrain from using FedEx when there is an alternative available," Osage Nation Chief Geoffrey M. Standing Bear penned in his directive to all employees. The tribe also issued a news release saying that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder "chooses to stick with a brand which dictionaries define as disparaging and offensive. FedEx chose to endorse that brand through their sponsorship of Mr. Snyder's organization." It concludes, "The Osage Nation chooses not to use FedEx services. We encourage other tribal nations to consider similar actions." Standing Bear was not available for an interview, but Assistant Chief Raymond Red Corn said the tribe would "stand-pat" on the press release. "It was not our intention to become a news item," he said, adding that "ethics" drove the tribe's decision. The Redskins play their home games at FedExField, to which the shipping giant purchased the naming rights in a 27-year, $207 million deal in 1999, Forbes reports. Fred Smith, FedEx's chairman, president and CEO, is part of the team's ownership group. Patrick Fitzgerald, FedEx's senior vice president of marketing and communications, released a statement Wednesday saying that his employer values its sponsorship of the stadium and "we are proud that FedExField is a venue that is used by a wide range of community groups." "FedEx has closely followed the dialogue and difference of opinion concerning the Washington Redskins team name, but we continue to direct questions about the name to the franchise owner," Fitzgerald said. Snyder has repeatedly defended the name and wrote in a March letter that the name "captures the best of who we are and who we can be, by staying true to our history and honoring the deep and enduring values our name represents." The team has employed Native Americans to defend the name and launched a site called Redskins Facts to promote its stance that the names honors Native Americans rather than disparages them. The team also has created a foundation to provide resources to tribal communities. The good deed hasn't stemmed the controversy as opposition to the name persists, and President Barack Obama said last year that if he were Snyder, he might change the name. In June, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office canceled six trademarks belonging to the team, saying they were offensive. The team appealed the decision, saying it spent millions defending the trademark, and the patent office ruled the Redskins could use the logos until the years-long appeals process was complete. The National Congress of American Indians has spoken out against the use of Redskins and other Native American mascots, and the Native Voice Network, which represents numerous Native American organizations, has targeted FedEx in its effort to convince Snyder to change the team name. The Native Voice Network says use of "R-word" has a negative, dehumanizing effect on children, a major concern when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says suicide is the second-leading cause of death among Native American people between the ages of 15 and 24. Chrissie Castro, the Native Voice Network's "network weaver," says her group "definitely" supports Osage Nation. "We're very proud of their position and we'd love to see other tribal communities do the same," she said. The Oklahoma tribe has about 18,000 members and is situated in Osage County, the setting for the Meryl Streep movie, "August: Osage County." CNN's Devon M. Sayers contributed to this report.

Chief: Don't use FedEx until Redskins change "disparaging and offensive" name .
Washington Redskins team name has been source of controversy .
Team defends name and says it honors rather than disparages Native Americans .
Redskins stadium changed name to FedExField in 27-year, $207 million deal in 1999 .

