Top Items:


CIA pushed to add Boston bomber to terror watch list — The CIA pushed to have one of the suspected Boston Marathon bombers placed on a U.S. counterterrorism watch list more than a year before the attacks, U.S. officials said Wednesday. — Russian authorities contacted the CIA in the fall …
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Tamerlan Tsarnaev vowed to die for Islam; judge may have prematurely stopped brother's interrogation, sources say — EXCLUSIVE: Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev sent text messages to his mother as early as 2011 suggesting he was willing to die for Islam, the FBI told lawmakers …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, NO QUARTER USA NET, Jihad Watch, “The Lid”, Mediaite, Jammie Wearing Fools and Associated Press


Patrick administration refuses to release Tsarnaev brothers' records — By: — The Patrick administration clamped down the lid yesterday on Herald requests for details of Tamerlan Tsarnaev's government benefits, citing the dead terror mastermind's right to privacy.
Discussion:
Power Line, Rush Limbaugh, Jammie Wearing Fools and Riehl World News


Officials: Boston suspect had no firearm when barrage of bullets hit hiding place — Although police feared he was heavily armed, the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing had no firearms when he came under a barrage of police gunfire that struck the boat where he was hiding, according to multiple federal law enforcement officials.
Discussion:
Hot Air


Is the FBI focused enough on the real bad guys? — LAW ENFORCEMENT agencies can't be expected to stop every terrorist attack, any more than they can prevent every mass shooting. If, as most investigators now appear to believe, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev acted on their own …

Officials: Tsarnaev's Name Was in US Terrorist Database
Discussion:
Associated Press

Barbara Bush on Jeb run: 'We've had enough Bushes' — WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid the celebration surrounding the opening of son George W. Bush's presidential library Thursday, former first lady Barbara Bush brushed aside talk of a Jeb Bush run for the White House in 2016.
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Obama's Delicate Task at Bush Library Event — DALLAS — President Obama has left little mystery about how he views his predecessor. “The failed policies of George W. Bush” wiped away a budget surplus and “squandered the legacy” of bipartisan foreign policy.
Discussion:
Associated Press, FP Passport, First Read and The Caucus


George W. Bush library: More 9/11, less Cheney and Rove
Discussion:
Sky Dancing, No More Mister Nice Blog, msnbc.com, Booman Tribune and Washington Post

George W. Bush Tells Jeb to ‘Run,’ Says Jeb vs. Hillary Would Make ‘Fantastic Photo’
Discussion:
Washington Post and National Review


Lawmakers, aides may get Obamacare exemption — Congressional leaders in both parties are engaged in high-level, confidential talks about exempting lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides from the insurance exchanges they are mandated to join as part of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, sources in both parties said.
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House Republican Rebranding Effort Suffers Major Setback — Amid opposition from conservative members and Democrats, House Republican leaders abruptly cancelled a vote on legislation designed to simultaneously undermine a progressive piece of Obamacare and boost the party's credibility …
Discussion:
The Plum Line, New York Times, The Moderate Voice, The Mahablog and ThinkProgress

Fourth explosion in fuel barge fire — MFRD: More explosions a concern — MOBILE, Ala (WALA) - UPDATE: 10:07 p.m. - Mobile Mayor Sam Jones said Mobile Fire-Rescue will let the fire burn out on its own to prevent further injuries. — 9:50 p.m. - A fourth explosion just occurred around 9:50 p.m …
Discussion:
CNN, RT, The Huffington Post, Associated Press, The Raw Story, Crooks and Liars and Gawker


Secret Tape: Top GOP Consultant Luntz Calls Limbaugh “Problematic” — At a talk to college students, Republican pollster Frank Luntz would only chastise Rush Limbaugh and right-wing radio off the record. — Frank Luntz, the media-friendly Republican consultant and word wiz …
Discussion:
NewsBusters, Riehl World News and The Daily Caller


What we've learned about Bush since he left town — DALLAS — The one duty we owe to history, said Oscar Wilde, is to rewrite it. — Four years after leaving office, the history of George W. Bush's presidency is being rewritten — ever-so-slowly, and not yet in ways that fundamentally …
Discussion:
First Read, CNN and msnbc.com


Escapee from psychiatric hospital slashes rabbi, son with box-cutter outside Paris synagogue — PARIS — An escapee from a psychiatric institution slashed a rabbi and his son with a box-cutter on Tuesday, prompting witnesses to tackle and subdue the attacker after a chase through a Paris synagogue, officials said.
Discussion:
Patterico's Pontifications and Jihad Watch


Mars Rover ‘Draws’ Penis On Red Planet & NASA Picture Goes Viral (PHOTO, VIDEO) — NASA's high-tech Curiosity rover may be getting a little cheeky over there on Mars. — In a photo of Curiosity's track patterns, published on the robotics section of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory site …
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, ANIMAL, Outside the Beltway, The Raw Story and Gawker

McCain, Schumer warn House: Bill lacking path-to-citizenship a ‘non-starter’ — The Senate authors of comprehensive immigration reform legislation have a blunt message for their House colleagues: the final package must include a path to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants.
Discussion:
Politico


Exclusive: Verizon eyes $100 billion bid for Vodafone's Wireless stake — (Reuters) - Verizon Communications has hired advisers to prepare a possible $100 billion cash and stock bid to take full control of Verizon Wireless from its partner Vodafone, two people familiar with the matter said.
Discussion:
DealBook, MoneyBeat, TechCrunch and VentureBeat


Illinois shootings: Suspect helped wounded girl after killing 5 — Brad Teeter, whose mother-in-law and niece were among the five people fatally shot in Manchester, Ill., today discusses the crime. — After he shot his way into a home in the small town of Manchester …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Philly.com and The Hinterland Gazette


GE Capital Cuts Off Lending to Gun Shops — General Electric Co. is quietly cutting off lending to gun shops, as the company rethinks its relationship to firearms amid the fallout from the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. — This month, Glenn Duncan, owner of Duncan's Outdoor Store in Bay City …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Political Carnival, Weasel Zippers, Ed Driscoll and The PJ Tatler


Environmental lawyer Tom FitzGerald is considering a campaign to oust U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell in the 2014 election. — FitzGerald, a Democrat, said he is being encouraged to challenge McConnell because the five-term senator is not representing the interests of the people of Kentucky.
Discussion:
Ballot Box


Time to reevaluate Bushonomics — The librarians at the new George W. Bush presidential center should buy this book on Amazon: The Great Recession: Market Failure or Policy Failure by Robert Hetzel. The author, a Richmond Fed economist, persuasively argues the nasty downturn …