Official Offers Account From Libya of Benghazi Attack  —  WASHINGTON — A State Department official presented a minute-by-minute account on Wednesday of what happened during the seige of the diplomatic compound in Benghazi last Sept. 11, offering the first public testimony from an American official …

Boehner: Health vote for freshmen  —  ‘I want to repeal the law of the land, is that clear?’  Boehner says.  AP Photo  —  Close  —  House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that next week's vote to repeal the health reform law is being held to provide new lawmakers a chance to vote on it.

The tragedy of US higher education  —  The tragedy of Cooper Union is endemic to most American higher education, outside a few community colleges; Cooper is just the special case where the blind rush to some kind of global greatness directly and explicitly violates the institution's founding mission.

EPW Republicans Not To Attend Gina McCarthy Nomination Vote  —  Highlight unresponsive answers to five requests ahead of today's scheduled vote  —  Today, the eight Republicans on the Environment and Public Works Committee will not attend the nomination vote of Gina McCarthy to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Meet Democrats' Newest Republican Crush: Ted Cruz?!?!  —  Starting around the time he launched a bogus attack on then-Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel, Democrats have loved to hate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).  —  They made sure as many as people as possible saw him condescend to Sen. Dianne Feinstein …

NYC Considering Allowing Non-Citizens To Vote  —  New York City could soon become the first major city in the country to give non-citizens the right to vote.  The proposal, which would allow certain non-citizens to vote in local elections, appears to have a veto-proof majority in the New York City Council …

Lindsey Graham faces down primary challenge  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. — If any Senate Republican up for re-election next year would seem ripe for a primary defeat it's Lindsey Graham.  —  Running in a conservative, Southern state that has proven friendly to insurgents in recent years …

Gomez took $281,500 home tax deduction  —  Republican US Senate nominee Gabriel E. Gomez claimed a $281,500 income tax deduction in 2005 for pledging not to make any visible changes to the facade of his 112-year-old Cohasset home, a concession so valuable that it is classified …

Body of Tamerlan Tsarnaev is buried outside Massachusetts, official says  —  WORCESTER - The body of Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried somewhere outside of Massachusetts, according to a funeral home official briefed on the situation.  —  The official said that the remains …

POLITICO to test metered paywall  —  From the folks up top: … Also: We started experimenting with sponsored content today.

Top White House Aide Has A Secret Beer With Rep. Paul Ryan  —  On April 10, the day President Obama released his 2014 budget, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough held a secret meeting with House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan at a K Street restaurant, Brasserie Beck, to talk …

Are Republicans really gunning for another debt-limit showdown?  —  The federal debt limit is set to kick back into effect next weekend after a three-month hiatus, marking the start of a political game of chicken likely to culminate in the fall, when Congress will have to give President Obama a higher limit or risk a federal default.

McCain working on bill to allow for ‘a la carte’ cable TV packages  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is working on legislation that would pressure cable and satellite providers to allow their customers to pick and choose the channels they pay for, his office confirmed on Wednesday.

The Myth of Presidential Leadership  —  Many Washington pundits are critical of the president's ability to wrangle concessions out of Congress, but they forget that his power has limits.  —  The theme of presidential leadership is a venerated one in America, the subject of many biographies …

Elizabeth Warren: Let Students Borrow At The Same Low Rate That Banks Get  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is reigniting a battle over student loan interest rates that infused the campaign trail last year and put Republicans in a predicament with young voters.