Justice Department says no arrest in Boston investigation  —  (CNN) — [Breaking news update at 2:44 p.m. Wednesday]  —  Investigators in Washington and Boston denied Wednesday that an arrest had been made in the bombing of the Boston Marathon.  They had earlier said there was “substantial” progress in the case.

Republicans pull plug on Mark Sanford  —  National Republicans are pulling the plug on Mark Sanford's suddenly besieged congressional campaign, POLITICO has learned — a potentially fatal blow to the former South Carolina governor's dramatic comeback bid.  —  Blindsided by news …

New poison letter sent to Obama; police clear packages at Capitol  —  Authorities said Wednesday they had intercepted a letter to the White House that tested positive for ricin poison.  —  The Secret Service acknowledged the letter addressed to President Obama contained a suspicious substance …

Sen. Manchin: Background Checks Won't Survive Today's Vote  —  Potential GOP supporters out front on immigration won't risk second battle with conservative base on guns, Manchin tells NBC News..  —  In this April 10, 2013 file photo, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., left, and Sen. Patrick Toomey …

Claire McCaskill: If Boston bombings are terrorism, why not Sandy Hook?  —  If President Barack Obama and the U.S. government consider the perpetrator of the Boston bombings a terrorist, then why not the shooter who killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School?

‘Daily News’ doctored front-page photo from Boston bombing  —  Detail from the original photo (left) and the News' version. via Charles Apple  — Looking for answers for nypost.com, Rupert Murdoch and Col Allan rely on a standby general: Jesse Angelo  —  The New York Post was derided Tuesday …

Congressman Says Bombings Reveal Danger Of Immigration Bill: ‘Radical Islamists...Are Trained To Act Hispanic’  —  During an appearance on CSPAN's Washington Journal on Wednesday, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) claimed that this week's bombings of the Boston Marathon should give pause …

State Rep. from Amherst seeking shock value with ‘children and vaginas’ email comment on Stand Your Ground Law  —  CONCORD - An Amherst Republican legislator said he was going for shock value when he referred to “children and vaginas” in an email to his House colleagues about the so-called Stand Your Ground law.

Further Further Thoughts On Death By Excel  —  A few somewhat unrelated notes on the Reinhart-Rogoff fiasco:  —  1. I thought I remembered another recent Excel disaster — and sure enough, spreadsheet coding played a role in the London Whale disaster at JP Morgan:

Roofer Union Calls for Repeal of Obama Health Law  —  A labor union representing roofers is reversing course and calling for repeal of the federal health law, citing concerns the law will raise its cost for insuring members.  —  Organized labor was instrumental in getting the Affordable Care Act passed …

Margaret Thatcher funeral procession: How applause drowned out the jeers  —  Michael Deacon reports on the funeral procession for Baroness Thatcher, as crowds crammed the streets from Trafalgar Square to St Paul's.  —  It seemed to come out of nowhere.  No one knew who'd started it - perhaps it was purely instinctual.

Grad Student Killed in Blasts  —  Lingzi Lu (GRS'15) was one of three fatalities in the Boston Marathon bombings.  Photo courtesy of Flickr contributor Musi_Zhang  —  One of the victims killed by blasts at the Boston Marathon on Monday has been identified as a Boston University graduate student.

Patti Davis, Daughter Of Nancy Reagan, Says Her Mother Supports Gay Marriage  —  Patti Davis, the daughter of former President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan, made headlines two weeks ago when she said her father would have backed same-sex marriage.

Why Republicans Suddenly Became Afraid Of Their Own Budget Shadow  —  Republicans spent the last four years criticizing Senate Democrats for failing to pass a budget resolution, and for operating outside of what's known as “regular order” on Capitol Hill, resorting instead to informal processes and “back room deals.”