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 …

Steve Kush, New Mexico GOP Official, Calls 19-Year-Old Labor Advocate ‘A Radical B*tch’  —  Steve Kush, the chairman of Bernalillo County Republican Party in New Mexico, called a 19-year-old Working America volunteer a “radical bitch” on Twitter Tuesday night after she testified …

Rhode Island Senate Passes Marriage Equality  —  The vote was 26-12.  The House previously voted for the bill but needs to vote again on minor changes made by the Senate before the bill will be signed by the governor.  —  Rhode Island Sen. Donna Nesselbush

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 …

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.

Here Comes Amazon's Kindle TV Set-Top Box  —  Amazon (AMZN) is making e-readers and tablets and will likely soon introduce a smartphone.  As it works to build all types of connected devices, that leaves a natural next step: a television set-top box.  The e-commerce giant is planning …

‘ARMED AND DANGEROUS’: BECK'S LATEST REVELATIONS ON SAUDI NATIONAL ONCE A ‘PERSON OF INTEREST’ IN BOSTON BOMBINGS  —  Editor's note — We'll be discussing this story and all the day's news during our live BlazeCast at 1pm ET...including your questions, comments & live chat:

Biden rails against ‘twisted, perverted, knock-off jihadists’ who attacked Boston  —  Vice President Biden on Wednesday railed against the “twisted, perverted, knock-off jihadists” alleged to have planted the bombs that killed three and injured hundreds at the Boston Marathon last week.

Anthony Weiner 'can't say' if other pics exist  —  Anthony Weiner admitted in an interview Wednesday that there might be other embarrassing photos of him out there that have yet to surface.  —  In the one-on-one with RNN-TV, Weiner didn't deny that there was a possibility there could be other photos …

GOP pulls contentious Obamacare bill  —  House Republican leadership abruptly pulled a health care bill from the floor after concerns from conservatives that it extended President Barack Obama's health care law.  —  The legislation, which was championed by Majority Leader Eric Cantor …

Obama backs out of Planned Parenthood keynote address  —  President Obama has canceled plans to deliver a keynote address at Planned Parenthood's annual fundraising dinner Thursday night after critics decried his high-profile role at the abortion rights group amid new concerns about the brutality of illegal forms of abortion.

Feds spend at least $890,000 on fees for empty accounts  —  If you are a federal worker on furlough this week — or an airline passenger delayed by federal furloughs — you might save your blood pressure, and go read another story.  —  This one is about all the money the U.S. government spends on . . . nothing.

In Florida, a food-stamp recruiter deals with wrenching choices  —  FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A good recruiter needs to be liked, so Dillie Nerios filled gift bags with dog toys for the dog people and cat food for the cat people.  She packed crates of cookies, croissants, vegetables and fresh fruit.

The White House Correspondents' Dinner and the startling ascendance of nerd culture  —  The geeks have truly inherited the Earth  —  I  —  f history is an indicator, talk of the White House Correspondents' Dinner — affectionately known as “Nerd Prom” — is about to set Washington atwitter.