AP Top News at 2:00 p.m. EST

AP Top News at 2:00 p.m. EST

Toyota CEO apologizing for recall, accidents

WASHINGTON — Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda came to Washington to publicly apologize to Congress Wednesday for safety lapses that led to widespread recalls for accelerator and braking failures and for a corporate culture that may have made things worse. A House committee chairman said blame must be shared by both Toyota and U.S. safety regulators. Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) failed to follow through aggressively on thousands of complaints dating back a decade about sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles.

Senate approves tax breaks for new hires