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:

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.

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 …

Second IRS Official To Leave After Targeting Scandal  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — As second top Internal Revenue Service official has announced plans to leave the agency amid the controversy over the targeting of tea party groups.  —  An internal IRS memo says Joseph Grant, commissioner …

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).

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 …

Some question whether AP leak on al-Qaeda plot put U.S. at risk  —  For five days, reporters at the Associated Press had been sitting on a big scoop about a foiled al-Qaeda plot at the request of CIA officials.  Then, in a hastily scheduled Monday morning meeting, the journalists were asked …

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 …

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 …

Fight Over Obama Appointees May Spur Senate Rule Change  —  Washington — The escalating Senate fight over President Obama's cabinet appointments moved closer to a showdown on Thursday as two nominees headed to the floor with no Republican support.  —  Gina McCarthy, Mr. Obama's choice …

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,” according to the public summary …

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 …

‘Cooter’ and ‘Fast Eddie’  —  It isn't every day that one makes preparations to go and play music for some friends but instead ends up being portrayed in the national press and on the Internet as some sort of antediluvian racist who should not be seen in the company of someone aspiring to the Senate.

Exclusive: Anthony Weiner Spotted Shooting Campaign-Style Video at Childhood Home  —  Anthony Weiner was spotted shooting a campaign-style video on the stoop of his childhood home in Brooklyn Thursday as he weighs whether to run for mayor, NBC 4 New York reports exclusively.

Apple on offense over $100B offshore stash  —  Apple is under so much pressure in Washington over its offshore cash that it's doing things it almost never does.  —  CEO Tim Cook is coming to Washington to testify in front of a panel of senators about stashing more than $100 billion overseas …

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”.

John Edwards to hit the speaking circuit  —  Embattled former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) will hit the speaking circuit beginning this June.  —  The 2004 Democratic vice presidential candidate will address PMP Marketing's annual client retreat in Orlando, according to an itinerary posted on the firm's website.