Sentence Reached for Dzhokar Tsarnaev in Boston Marathon Bombing  —  BOSTON — The jury has reached a decision on a life-or-death sentence for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon, the worst terrorist attack on American soil since Sept. 11, 2001.

The Myth of ‘Faulty Intelligence’  —  The Iraq War, both how it began and how it proceeded, is now an active topic in the 2016 presidential campaign, which I think is a highly salutary development.  But it does mean that we need to be on guard for the kind of distortions, misleading statements …

Hillary Clinton's litmus test for Supreme Court nominees: a pledge to overturn Citizens United  —  Hillary Clinton told a group of her top fundraisers Thursday that if she is elected president, her nominees to the Supreme Court will have to share her belief that the court's 2010 Citizens United decision must …

B. B. King, Defining Bluesman for Generations, Dies at 89  —  B. B. King, whose world-weary voice and wailing guitar lifted him from the cotton fields of Mississippi to a global stage and the apex of American blues, died Thursday in Las Vegas, The Associated Press reported.  He was 89.

Islamic State seizes capital of Iraq's largest province  —  Iraqi government forces are fighting back against an Islamic State advance that began overnight.  Witnesses say the militant group raised its black flag over a government compound in the city center on Friday.  (Reuters)

James O'Keefe and Judith Miller Talk Press Freedom  —  Mention either James O'Keefe's or Judith Miller's name and you are likely to cause a stir.  —  Besides being two major figures in the world of journalism over the last decade, both have rarely shied away from stirring up controversy …

Rick Perry to announce presidential run June 4 in Dallas  —  Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry pitches a New Hampshire crowd opn his experience on April 17.  (AP Photo/Jim Cole)  —  Former Gov. Rick Perry has chosen Dallas to officially declare his second run for the Republican presidential nomination in three weeks.

A ‘Jewish Litmus Test’ Was Unacceptable  —  A Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, David McCleary, wrote to me this week with a complaint about being subjected to what he called “a Jewish litmus test” during a Times interview.  —  The interview (conducted by a Times stringer …

House defies Obama veto threat, approves $612B defense bill  —  Defying a veto threat from President Obama, the House on Friday passed a $612 billion defense bill in a 269-151 vote.  —  All but eight Republicans voted in favor, along with 41 Democrats who went against Obama's veto threat …

Kid who got in to every Ivy League school is going to the University of Alabama — and it's a brilliant decision  —  High-school senior Ronald Nelson had an incredibly hard decision to make this year about college — mainly because he got into all eight Ivy League universities.

Orlando Pub Owner Allegedly Holds Black Couple At Gunpoint: ‘Call Jesse Jackson’  —  A pub owner in Orlando, Fla. was arrested after allegedly holding a black couple at gunpoint and telling them to call Jesse Jackson, the Orlando Sentinel newspaper reported Wednesday.

Howard Dean screams about Chris Christie in N.J.: 'You're not gonna win!'  —  ATLANTIC CITY — For the last decade, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has been the butt of jokes about the “Dean Scream.”  —  On Thursday night, Dean turned the joke on Gov. Chris Christie and his presidential hopes.

Why Some Male Members of Congress Won't Be Alone with Female Staffers  —  Numerous women who work on the Hill say they've been excluded from solo meetings and evening events, a practice that could be illegal.  —  It's no secret that Congress is dominated by men, but as women work to make inroads …

A Liberal Speech Cop Targets Alan Greenspan  —  The former Fed chairman drops out of a monetary conference after he's assailed by Paul Krugman.  —  To the list of questions the left has sought to place off limits to open debate—global warming, same-sex marriage, campaign finance, abortion—add a startling new topic: monetary reform.

PATRIOT Act spying programs on death watch  —  Squabbling among senators means surveillance authorities may well expire at the end of May.  —  With only days left to act and Rand Paul threatening a filibuster, Senate Republicans remain deeply divided over the future of the PATRIOT Act …