Colbert Busch holds her own against Sanford in debate  —  Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch held her own against former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) Monday night, avoiding any major stumbles as she sought to prove herself an acceptable alternative to voters in the House campaign's only debate.

ESPN Sportscaster Immediately Trashes First Out NBA Player: Jason Collins Is Not ‘A Christian’  —  An ESPN sportscaster went on the air on Monday to publicly gay-bash Jason Collins, the NBA player who came out Monday morning in an emotional op-ed, the first active male player of a major American sport to come out.

Obama administration officials threatened whistle-blowers on Benghazi, lawyer says  —  At least four career officials at the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency have retained lawyers or are in the process of doing so, as they prepare to provide sensitive information …

Female DNA Found on Bomb in Boston Attack  —  Investigators have found female DNA on at least one of the bombs used in the Boston Marathon attacks, though they haven't determined whose DNA it is or whether that means a woman helped the two suspects carry out the attacks, according to U.S. officials briefed on the probe.

Tsarnaev family received $100G in benefits  —  By:  —  The Tsarnaev family, including the suspected terrorists and their parents, benefited from more than $100,000 in taxpayer-funded assistance — a bonanza ranging from cash and food stamps to Section 8 housing from 2002 to 2012, the Herald has learned.

Class Warfare for Republicans  —  As a Truman-style Democrat left politically homeless, I am often asked about the future of the Republican Party.  Some Republicans want to push racial buttons on issues like immigration, or try to stop their political slide on gay marriage …

Power Constrains  —  Why “community organizer” tactics don't work for the president.  —  “The Democrats have lost on sequestration,” Journolist founder Ezra Klein declares flatly in his Washington Post blog.  “That's the simple reality of Friday's vote to ease the pain for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Republican Immigration Nightmare Could Recur  —  In 2007, Republicans waged culture war on undocumented immigrants — and they've been paying for it at the ballot box ever since.  Back in the bunker.  —  Minutemen demonstrate in Los Angeles in May 2007.  —  For the Republicans in Washington …

Publisher Is Backing Off a Book About Cuomo in Favor of One Written by Him  —  ALBANY — HarperCollins is backing away from plans to publish a biography of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo by one of New York's best-known political journalists, and instead has agreed to publish a memoir by the governor.

Radioactive Water Imperils Fukushima Plant  —  TOKYO — Two years after a triple meltdown that grew into the world's second worst nuclear disaster, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is faced with a new crisis: a flood of highly radioactive wastewater that workers are struggling to contain.

Obama's budget puts House Democrats in bind  —  Democrats have used a clear and potent attack against Republicans in recent elections: Don't vote for them because they'll cut your Social Security and Medicare.  —  But using that playbook next year, as Democrats had planned, just got a lot more complicated.

Modest Support for Military Force if Syria Used Chemical Weapons  —  Americans Express Little Interest in Syrian Conflict  —  OVERVIEW  —  By a 45% to 31% margin, more Americans favor than oppose the U.S. and its allies taking military action against Syria, if it is confirmed …

U.S. Image Rebounds in Mexico  —  Survey Report  —  On the eve of President Barack Obama's visit to Mexico, the United States is enjoying a resurgence of good will among the Mexican public, with a clear majority favorably inclined toward their northern neighbor and more now expressing confidence in Obama.

How Newt Gingrich Won 2012  —  Newt is back.  His book business has been revitalized, he's throwing himself onto the speaking circuit, and he's a once and possibly future regular talking head on television.  —  Well into his fourth decade in American politics — and almost a year …

Jobless After Scandal, Weiner Triumphs in Corporate World  —  Anthony D. Weiner has demystified the details of the 906-page Affordable Care Act for an electronic medical records company.  —  He has counseled a biofuel firm about expansion into the emerging markets of Latin America and Africa.

FBI looking into relationship between McDonnells, donor  —  FBI agents are conducting interviews about the relationship between Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, his wife, Maureen, and a major campaign donor who paid for the food at the wedding of the governor's daughter, according to four people familiar with the questioning.