memeorandum: Morning Bell: Where Did Your Tax Dollar Go? (Romina Boccia/The Heritage Foundation)

7:20 PM ET, April 15, 2013

Top Items:

12 dead, nearly 50 injured after 2 explosions rock Boston Marathon, law enforcement sources confirm — BOSTON — Two explosions shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers …

Discussion: CBS News, Washington Monthly, The Jawa Report, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Business Insider, Jihad Watch, Gothamist, CBS New York, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, The Hinterland Gazette, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Vox Popoli and Riehl World News

New York Times:

Many Injured in Blasts Near End of Boston Marathon — A series of explosions erupted near the finish line at the Boston Marathon on Monday. The Boston Police Department confirmed that they were looking into an explosion, but had no further comment. — The Associated Press reported …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Hinterland Gazette, The Agonist, CANNONFIRE, Outside the Beltway and Taylor Marsh

Hunter Walker / Talking Points Memo:

Boston Police: No Arrests Have Been Made In Marathon Bombing (UPDATE) — A spokesperson for the Boston Police Department said no suspects have been taken into custody yet after the bombing at the Boston Marathon. — “At this time, we haven't been notified of any arrests or anyone apprehended,” the spokesperson said.

Discussion: BuzzFeed, National Review, Business Insider, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Atlas Shrugs, Washington Free Beacon, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Kos, Riehl World News and neo-neocon

Barry Petchesky / Deadspin:

Explosions At The Boston Marathon; 2 Dead, Scores Injured — Reports are starting to come in of multiple explosions near the finish line at the Boston Marathon, across from the Boston Public Library on Copley Square. We're updating below. Some photos might be graphic.

Discussion: Hit & Run, Towleroad News #gay and Joe. My. God.

Eileen Sullivan / bigstory.ap.org:

Official: Cellphone service shut down in Boston — You are here — Home » AP Organization » Official: Cellphone service shut down in Boston — WASHINGTON (AP) — A law enforcement official says cellphone service has been shut down in the Boston area to prevent any potential remote detonations of explosives.

Discussion: Associated Press, National Review, VentureBeat, The Verge, Mashable and Wired

The Atlantic Online:

Photos of the Boston Marathon Bombing — Several explosions erupted near the finish line of the Boston Marathon today, in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Police are reporting 2 deaths and at least 23 hurt, as authorities begin their investigation. This is a breaking news story, and I will be adding images as they become available.

Discussion: Israel Matzav and Ed Driscoll

Fox News:

Multiple casualties reported after two explosions at Boston Marathon — DEVELOPING: Multiple casualties are reported after at least two explosions were heard near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, according to the Boston Herald. — Witnesses reportedly heard booms that sounded …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Twitchy, The Lonely Conservative, Conservatives4Palin, Moonbattery, Israel Matzav and Ricochet Conversations Feed

Daily Mail:

BREAKING NEWS: ‘Up to 12 people dead and dozens more seriously injured’ as two explosions rock finish line of Boston Marathon leaving behind scene of carnage — Bloodbath in Boston as two explosions rock finish line of famous Boston Marathon as race was winding down

Discussion: Mediaite, Business Insider, Reuters, Weasel Zippers and Riehl World News

CNN:
Explosions rock Boston Marathon; several injured

Discussion: City Desk and Reuters

Associated Press:
Bombs kill 2 at Boston Marathon

Discussion: Politico and CNN

Wall Street Journal:
Two Dead in Blasts at Boston Marathon

Discussion: The Verge and Hot Air

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Explosions At The Boston Marathon

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, CBS DC, Wired and ABCNEWS

Dallas Morning News:

Exclusive: As his presidential library debuts, George W. Bush prepares to return to public stage on his own terms … To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network.

Discussion: The Caucus, Trail Blazers Blog, Guardian, Mediaite, Telegraph, msnbc.com, Post Politics, CNN, Booman Tribune, Washington Free Beacon and The Daily Caller

Dallas Morning News:

Exclusive: See President George W. Bush's paintings: ‘People are surprised’ — This painting, “Miss Beazley,” is a work that former President George W. Bush did of his Scottish terrier. — of — President. Governor. Artist? — More than four years after George W. Bush left the White House …

Discussion: Yahoo! News, neo-neocon, Trail Blazers Blog, Politico, The Hill, First Read and msnbc.com

Justin Sink / The Hill:

Gun lobbyist brags lawmakers ‘have stepped into our trap’ on background checks — The head of a national gun rights group said in an e-mail Sunday that he was supporting the Manchin-Toomey compromise on background checks and that his group's lobbyist had participated in the writing of the legislative language.

Discussion: Examiner, CNN, JustOneMinute and Politico

David Kopel / The Volokh Conspiracy:

The “Pro-Gun” Provisions of Manchin-Toomey are Actually a Bonanza of Gun Control — The Toomey-Manchin Amendment which may be offered as soon as Tuesday to Senator Reid's gun control bill are billed as a “compromise” which contain a variety of provisions for gun control, and other provisions to enhance gun rights.

Discussion: Examiner, RT, protein wisdom, The Lonely Conservative, Maggie's Farm, National Review and Clayton Cramer's Blog

Bob Cusack / The Hill:
Manchin-Toomey bill inching closer to 60 votes in the Senate

Discussion: New York Times, The Daily Beast, The Plum Line, Washington Post, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, The Week, WFPL, No More Mister Nice Blog and CNN

Washington Free Beacon:
Murphy: ‘It Took Me a While to Figure Out’ Opposition to Gun Control Is Based on Philosophy

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

White House: Trial of Pennsylvania abortion doctor ‘unsettling’ — White House spokesman Jay Carney on Monday called the trial of a Pennsylvania abortion doctor accused of performing partial-birth abortions and killing one woman “unsettling,” but ducked follow-up questions over the administration's views on the matter.

Discussion: Politico and CNN

Scott Lemieux / American Prospect:
Five Lessons from the Gosnell Abortion-Clinic Controversy

Discussion: Watchdog.org, Baltimore Sun, Little Green Footballs, Washington Examiner, Washington Monthly, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Lawyers, Guns & Money, National Review and Mediaite

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
Is media bias to blame for lack of Gosnell coverage? Or something far more banal?

Discussion: NewsBusters, ThinkProgress, National Review, She The People, LifeNews.com, GetReligion, American Prospect, Hot Air, Politico, Ed Driscoll, Mother Jones, The Dish, Wizbang, UrbanGrounds and Washington Monthly

Melinda Henneberger / She The People:
Why Kermit Gosnell hasn't been on Page One

Discussion: Althouse, LifeNews.com, Wonkblog, National Review, Taylor Marsh, The Fix, Weasel Zippers, Associated Press and Power Line

New York Times:

Gitmo Is Killing Me — ONE man here weighs just 77 pounds. Another, 98. Last thing I knew, I weighed 132, but that was a month ago. — I've been on a hunger strike since Feb. 10 and have lost well over 30 pounds. I will not eat until they restore my dignity.

Discussion: RT, Guardian, FP Passport, Washington Free Beacon, Wired, Firedoglake, emptywheel, ThinkProgress, BuzzFeed, The Week, Weasel Zippers, The Reaction, No More Mister Nice Blog, Taylor Marsh, Shakesville, Booman Tribune and TalkLeft

Evan McMorris-Santoro / BuzzFeed:

Howard Dean: Obama Might Drive Me Out Of The Democratic Party — “What the hell are they thinking?” the former DNC chair asks about Obama's proposed budget. The Democrats' civil war? — Via: Toby Talbot / AP — WASHINGTON — Howard Dean has had it with President Obama's budget proposal …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Mediaite, Taylor Marsh, Weasel Zippers, Naked DC, NewsBusters and Hullabaloo

Daniel Altman / Foreign Policy:

The Economics of War with North Korea — Would fighting Kim Jong Un be worth it? — What's the best way to decide how to deal with North Korea? Ask an economist, naturally. Washington, Beijing, and their allies haven't come up with any new ideas about how to deal with the unpredictable regime in Pyongyang.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Jose Lambiet / Gossip Extra:
Dennis Rodman: “I'm Going Back to North Korea!”

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, The Hill, National Review and The Daily Caller

CNN:

Breaking: Obama makes statement on Boston bombings — (CNN)- President Barack Obama said he ordered the “full resources” of the federal government to respond to the Boston bombings on Monday, and that he also called for increased security around the United States as necessary.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Explosions kill two, wound scores at finish line of Boston Marathon

Discussion: Politico and CNN

Noam Scheiber / New Republic:

Get Rich or Deny Trying — One of the stars of Barack Obama's 2012 State of the Union address was Jackie Bray, a single mother who was laid off in 2011 and struggled for months to find a good-paying job. Bray's luck finally turned, the president explained, when German industrial giant Siemens hired …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Boston Herald:

Elizabeth Warren winning support for 2016 White House bid — By: — Just a few months into her first U.S. Senate term, Democrat Elizabeth Warren is generating increasing support among liberals as a White House contender — putting her on a potential collision course with presumed front-runner Hillary Clinton.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Michelle Malkin, Weasel Zippers, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Althouse