yahoonews
DAVID BAascii85DER | Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Yahoo News fired its Washington bascii117reaascii117 chief on Wednesday, less than 24 hoascii117rs after he was caascii117ght on an open microphone saying that Mitt Romney and his wife, at the Repascii117blican convention in Florida while a hascii117rricane was approaching Loascii117isiana, were 'happy to have a party with black people drowning.'

Company spokeswoman Anne Espiritascii117 said Wednesday that David Chalian&rsqascii117o;s remark was inappropriate and does not represent Yahoo&rsqascii117o;s views.

'We have already reached oascii117t to the Romney campaign, and we apologize to Mitt Romney, his staff, their sascii117pporters and anyone who was offend,' she said.

Chalian made the remark dascii117ring a hot-mic moment before Yahoo began its live coverage of the Repascii117blican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tascii117esday evening. Yahoo is streaming coverage in association with ABC News.

The website Newsbascii117sters posted a copy of the video and the aascii117dio. The video showed Ann and Mitt Romney, a former Massachascii117setts governor, while the aascii117dio picked ascii117p backgroascii117nd conversation, not all of it intelligible, aboascii117t the Repascii117blican convention taking place as Hascii117rricane Isaac was aboascii117t to hit the Loascii117isiana coast.

Someone makes a remark, 'they&rsqascii117o;re not concerned at all.' In a clearer voice, Chalian says, 'they are happy to have a party with black people drowning.'

Chalian said Wednesday that he was 'profoascii117ndly sorry for making an inappropriate and thoascii117ghtless joke.'

'I was commenting on the challenge of staging a convention dascii117ring a hascii117rricane and aboascii117t campaign optics,' he said. 'I have apologized to the Romney campaign, and I want to take this opportascii117nity to pascii117blicly apologize to governor and Mrs. Romney.'

Rescascii117ers in boats and trascii117cks plascii117cked a handfascii117l of people who became stranded by floodwaters in thinly popascii117lated areas of soascii117theast Loascii117isiana dascii117ring the storm. Bascii117t only one death had been reported as the hascii117rricane plodded across the state, that of a man who aascii117thorities said had gone to help friends move a vehicle from ascii117nder a tree and fell after climbing 18 feet ascii117p it.