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.

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 …

Former Romney campaign intern busted in nude-pics blackmail scheme  —  Adam Savader, who also interned for Newt Gingrich and Paul Ryan, is charged with illegally obtaining nude photos of 15 women and threatening to make them public unless they sent more.  He is currently being held pending his bail hearing.

GOP may pull contentious Obamacare bill  —  House Republican leadership is considering canceling a vote this week on the “Helping Sick Americans Now Act,” a bill touted by Majority Leader Eric Cantor as a critical way to improve President Barack Obama's health care law, according to multiple sources.

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 …

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.

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.

Pelosi Best Known, Least Liked of Congressional Leaders  —  Americans view top four leaders in House and Senate negatively, on balance  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The top Republican and Democratic leaders in the U.S. House and Senate are a generally unpopular foursome, with Democratic House Minority …

Fox News poll: During a manhunt, 69 percent of voters want a gun  —  On Friday, the nation watched as the Boston area went under lockdown during a manhunt for the armed and dangerous marathon bombing suspect.  If you were in that situation, would you want a gun at your side?

Meet The New Man At The Center Of The Ricin Case  —  As the case against Paul Kevin Curtis for allegedly mailing ricin was unraveling Tuesday afternoon, FBI agents were already searching the house of another man in connection with the ongoing investigation.  —  Their focus has shifted …

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 …

House GOP report says Clinton rejected plea for more security in Libya  —  House Republicans charged Tuesday that then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton rejected a direct plea for additional security for U.S. diplomats in Libya before the fatal attack in Benghazi last year …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Boehner vows to probe intelligence sharing ahead of Boston attack  —  Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday added his voice to lawmakers raising concerns about the possible lack of information-sharing among U.S. law enforcement agencies before the Boston Marathon bombings.