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Boston bombings suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left note in boat he hid in, sources say — (CBS News) Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left claiming responsibility for the April 13 attack on the Boston Marathon, reports CBS News senior correspondent John Miller.

Onset of Woes Casts Pall Over Obama's Policy Aspirations — WASHINGTON — Thwarted on Capitol Hill, stymied in the Middle East and now beset by scandal, President Obama has reached a point just six months after a heady re-election where the second term he had hoped for has collided with the second term he actually has.
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Obama tries to stop the bleeding — In recent days, Democratic strategists have all but begged President Barack Obama to take control of a deepening public relations disaster that threatens to derail his second-term agenda. — On Wednesday evening, Obama did just that.

Obama Calls Over Marines to Shield Himself and Turkish PM from Rain — At an outdoor White House press conference, President Obama called over Marines to shield himself and the Turkish prime minister from the rain:
Discussion:
Jammie Wearing Fools, Sense of Events and TheBlaze.com


Obama's Katrina Moment
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice and The Hinterland Gazette

Benghazi auditors Mullen, Pickering refuse meeting with Issa — The co-leaders of the independent audit into the Benghazi attack have categorically refused to meet with Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) for a private interview. — Thomas Pickering and Michael Mullen called the proposed closed-door proceeding …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
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Benghazi Emails Directly Contradict White House Claims — The White House on Wednesday released 94 pages of emails between top administration and intelligence officials who helped shape the talking points about the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, that the CIA would provide to policymakers in both the legislative and executive branches.

First on CNN: Pickering, Mullen challenge Issa to let them testify in public
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, First Read, PoliticusUSA, ThinkProgress and Daily Kos

Barbara Boxer's claim that GOP budgets hampered Benghazi security
Discussion:
Yahoo! News


Democrats' Best Friends In The IRS Scandal — After a pretty crappy few days, Democrats awoke to the nice surprise that Mitch McConnell would join Michele Bachmann at a press conference today, along with some tea partiers who were targeted (we are to believe inappropriately) by the IRS. — Why?
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Scandal Is Not an Agenda — It says something about the kind of fortnight the president has been having that the controversies facing his administration can be divided into tiers. — The Benghazi debacle and the IRS's targeting of conservative groups are, as it were, “tier one” scandals …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Week, msnbc.com, The Daily Caller and Althouse

Data Doesn't Support IRS Explanation for Scandal
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Hot Air, Yourish.com, americanthinker.com, The Dish and Yahoo! News

Tim Carney: The IRS is deeply political — and very Democratic
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, americanthinker.com, Betsy's Page, Samizdata, New York Post and CNN


Obama eyes Gov. Deval Patrick to replace Eric Holder at Justice — Tipsville . . . Sneed is told that Attorney General Eric “Fast and Furious” Holder's days are numbered. — Sneed hears President Barack Obama, who is this/close to Holder, has set his sights on Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick …
Discussion:
The Hinterland Gazette
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Liberal talk radio host Bill Press calls for Holder to be fired — Talk radio host and former chairman of the California Democratic Party Bill Press said Thursday that Attorney General Eric Holder should be fired over the subpoena of reporter phone records.
Discussion:
CANNONFIRE, Hot Air and emptywheel, more at Mediagazer »

Eric Holder's abdication
Discussion:
Post Politics, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Hot Air, Power Line, Conservatives4Palin, The FAS Blog and The Huffington Post

Bill Press: Fire Eric Holder
Discussion:
The Hill, Weasel Zippers and The PJ Tatler


Men who are physically strong are more likely to have right wing political views — Men who are physically strong are more likely to take a right wing political stance, while weaker men are inclined to support the welfare state, according to a new study. — Researchers discovered political …
Discussion:
This ain't Hell …, National Review, protein wisdom, Right Wing News, Sense of Events, The PJ Tatler and American Spectator


The scandals are falling apart — Things go wrong in government. Sometimes it's just bad luck. Sometimes it's rank incompetence. Sometimes it's criminal wrongdoing. Most of the time you never hear about it. Or, if you do hear about it, the media eventually gets bored talking about it (see warming, global).
Discussion:
The Plum Line, A plain blog about politics, Washington Post and Right Turn
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Re: the Benghazi messages: Browse administration emails like an inbox
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler

Obama administration releases e-mails detailing agencies' debate over Benghazi
Discussion:
Taking Note, USA Today, American Prospect, Slate, CNN, The Week and New York Times

The Benghazi Emails: What Do They Show?
Discussion:
americanthinker.com, The Week, ThinkProgress and The Hugh Hewitt Show


Internet celebrity sought in Clark man's murder — CLARK, N.J. (WABC) — Authorities in Union County have issued an arrest warrant for internet celebrity “Kai the hatchet wielding hitchhiker” in the murder of Joseph Galfy, Jr. in Clark, New Jersey — The suspect is identified …
Discussion:
WPVI-TV, The Daily Caller, The Raw Story, Mashable and Gawker


New Poll Shows Good News For Democrats In Massachusetts Senate Race — Democrats have put the tough Senate primary behind them, a new PPP poll finds. Ed Markey's up seven over Gabriel Gomez, according to the poll sponsored by the League of Conservation Voters. — Via: Elise Amendola / AP
Discussion:
Weekly Standard and Taegan Goddard's …
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First on CNN: Witness Protection Program lost two ‘known or suspected terrorists’ — This report has been updated. — The U.S. Marshals Service lost two former participants in the federal Witness Security Program “identified as known or suspected terrorists,” states the public summary …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, Weekly Standard, National Review and CNN

Theater Night: Vigilantes 1, Vulgarians 0 — I had a genuinely new experience at the theater tonight: I was thrown out. — The show was Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, which was quite good and which I recommend. The audience, on the other hand, was horrible — talking …
Discussion:
FishbowlDC, Outside the Beltway, ThinkProgress, alicublog, Washington Free Beacon, Gawker, Gothamist and Alan Colmes' Liberaland


Seven Howlers from Michael Kinsley's Very Misguided War Against Paul Krugman — Why oh why can't we have a better press corps? — Michael Kinsley is really confused: … Ummm... If you Google “first use of austerian” Google tells you about first uses of “Australian”.
Discussion:
New Republic, Daniel W. Drezner, Economist's View, Balloon Juice and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Senate panel OKs Perez nomination for Labor Secretary — Tom Perez's nomination to be Secretary of Labor is headed for the full Senate, after winning approval from a Senate panel Thursday in a party-line vote. — At a brief morning session, the Senate Committee on Health, Education …
Discussion:
Daily Kos and americanthinker.com
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Labor secretary nominee Perez clears early hurdle in confirmation
Discussion:
The Maddow Blog and Mother Jones