Tamerlan Tsarnaev got Mass. welfare benefits  —  By:  —  Marathon bombings mastermind Tamerlan Tsarnaev was living on taxpayer-funded state welfare benefits even as he was delving deep into the world of radical anti-American Islamism, the Herald has learned.

Hillary Clinton hits the speaking circuit  —  Hillary Clinton's next chapter — the paid speaking circuit — begins today.  —  The former first lady, senator and secretary of state has overnight become one of the most in-demand speakers in the world — as a a reported $200,000-a-pop fee attests …

New York Man Charged with Internet Extortion and Cyber Stalking … A 21-year-old Great Neck, New York man was charged in a criminal complaint in the Eastern District of Michigan with Internet extortion and cyber stalking, announced United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade.

House GOP Seeks To Trap Dems On Preexisting Conditions  —  House Republicans have set up a Wednesday vote on legislation designed to simultaneously undermine a piece of Obamacare and give themselves a pretext to say they're interested in helping people with preexisting conditions.

Mixed Reactions to Senate Gun Vote  —  Democrats More Disappointed than Angry  —  OVERVIEW  —  The key Senate vote that halted gun control legislation last week is drawing a mixed reaction from the American public: 47% express negative feelings about the vote while 39% have a positive reaction …

Poll finds Pelosi best known, but least liked congressional leader  —  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is the most well-known but least-favored of the four Congressional leaders, according to a new poll.  —  The Gallup poll released Wednesday found that only 11 percent …

Turbulence at The Times  —  One Monday morning in April, Jill Abramson called Dean Baquet into her office to complain.  The executive editor of The New York Times was upset about the paper's recent news coverage — she felt it wasn't “buzzy” enough, a source there said — and placed blame on Baquet, her managing editor.

WH knew electric car maker Fisker was faltering: AP  —  Newly obtained documents show the Obama administration was warned as early as 2010 that electric car maker Fisker Automotive Inc. was not meeting milestones set up for a half-billion dollar government loan, nearly a year before U.S. officials froze …

Bush on Cheney: 'It's been cordial'  —  Former President George W. Bush is in the midst of a media blitz to promote the Thursday opening of his presidential library and has generally projected a jaunty, at-peace air as he takes questions about his tumultuous eight years in the White House.

Obama's tattoo threat  —  President Barack Obama revealed he and first lady Michelle Obama have a master plan to prevent their two daughters from getting tattoos.  —  “What we've said to the girls is that 'If you guys ever decide to get a tattoo, then Mommy and me will get the exact same tattoo …

Ron Paul fans furious over Rand Paul's drone flip-flop  —  Ron Paul's vibrant fan base is in open rebellion today over Rand Paul's perceived reversal on domestic drone strikes.  The Kentucky senator, whose famous 13-hour Senate floor filibuster did much to strengthen his ties …

Budget Cuts, Minus the Inconvenience  —  On Monday, after the sequester cuts forced the Federal Aviation Administration to begin furloughs for air traffic controllers, delays began to build up at airports around the country.  Travelers had to wait, but nothing delayed Republicans from scurrying away from all responsibility.

Will Wyden's Rise Create More Democratic Headaches?  —  Liberals may have cheered when Montana Sen. Max Baucus announced he would retire in 2014 and give up his stranglehold on the Senate Finance Committee gavel.  But the likely ascent of Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden to the top of the committee creates its own problems for Democrats.

Ray Canterbury On School Lunches: West Virginia Republican Proposes Making Kids Work For Food  —  A West Virginia lawmaker floated the idea during floor debate in the state's House of Delegates of having school children work as janitors, the Associated Press reports.

Hundreds of service workers strike in Chicago  —  Hundreds of fast food and retail workers went on strike in Chicago Wednesday morning in a labor action consciously modeled on New York City's fast food workers campaign and the nationwide Walmart strike which occurred last Thanksgiving.

Focus Shifts in Ricin Case as Charges Are Dropped  —  Criminal charges were dropped Tuesday against a Mississippi man accused of mailing poisoned letters to President Obama and two other officials.  —  One day after the F.B.I. said it could find no evidence that the man, Paul Kevin Curtis …

Mosque that Boston suspects attended has radical ties  —  Terror suspects, fugitives and radical speakers have passed through the Cambridge mosque that the Tsarnaev brothers are known to have visited.  —  BOSTON — The mosque attended by the two brothers accused in the Boston Marathon bombing …