memeorandum: Ricin suspect charged, faces up to 15 years (Daniel Strauss/The Hill)

2:25 PM ET, April 18, 2013

Top Items:

Authorities circulate photos of two men spotted carrying bags near site of Boston bombings — Investigators probing the deadly Boston Marathon bombings are circulating photos of two men spotted chatting near the packed finish line, The Post has learned. — In the photos being distributed …

Discussion: Mediaite, New York Times, Israel Matzav, Michelle Malkin, Poynter, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit, Riehl World News, Doug Ross, Blazing Cat Fur, Business Insider, Hot Air and Gawker, more at Mediagazer »

Boston Globe:

Authorities have clear video images of two suspects in Boston Marathon bombings, official says — Authorities have clear video images of two separate suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings carrying black bags at each explosion site and are planning to release the images today in an appeal …

Discussion: Telegraph, USA Today, CBS DC, Taylor Marsh, msnbc.com, Riehl World News, CBS Boston, Pat Dollard and The Boston Marathon

Barry Petchesky / Deadspin:

The Boston Bombing Witch Hunt Bags Another Innocent Kid — On Monday, the New York Post doggedly stuck to its claim that 12 were killed in the Boston Marathon bombings. On Tuesday, CNN (among others) reported that a suspect had been arrested, before walking that all the way back.

Discussion: Gawker, The Hinterland Gazette, The Dish, Joe. My. God., CBS DC, Pat Dollard, Poynter and Shakesville

Max Read / Gawker:

The Post's ‘Person of Interest’ Is a Local High-School Track Runner — “BAG MEN,” the New York Post's front cover brays this morning, underneath a photo of two Boston Marathon spectators. “Feds seek these two pictured at Boston Marathon.” After its embarrassing performance on Monday …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Capital New York, The Week, Guardian, Jihad Watch, Atlas Shrugs and Deadspin, more at Mediagazer »

Justin Sink / The Hill:

Report: FBI to release video of two suspects in Boston bomb attack — Law enforcement officials plan to release images of two suspects in the bombing of the Boston Marathon, the Boston Globe reported Thursday. — According to the paper, the suspects were seen separately on video gathered …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Frank Smyth / msnbc.com:
How the gun lobby has already blocked Boston's bombing investigators

Discussion: Hot Air and The Daily Caller

CNN:
Hillary Clinton reacts to Boston bombing

Discussion: Politico, The Hill and Taylor Marsh

Gabrielle Giffords / New York Times:

A Senate in the Gun Lobby's Grip — SENATORS say they fear the N.R.A. and the gun lobby. But I think that fear must be nothing compared to the fear the first graders in Sandy Hook Elementary School felt as their lives ended in a hail of bullets. The fear that those children who survived …

Rebecca Schoenkopf / Wonkette:

‘Instapundit’ Tells Whats-Her-Name, That Lady Who Got Shot In The Face, To Stop ‘Bullying’ People — Of the many, many, many fine citizens who have sorely tested our hippie nonviolent ways this week, we may have finally found a winner. See that tweet up there?

Discussion: Riehl World News, Pharyngula, The Raw Story, No More Mister Nice Blog and INSTAPUTZ

Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:
Gun Control Effort Had No Real Chance, Despite Pleas

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Maddow Blog, msnbc.com, The Caucus, Capital New York and Politico

Kristina Peterson / Wall Street Journal:
Sen. Manchin Continues Push for Gun Bill

Discussion: Washington Wire, Taegan Goddard's …, Roll Call and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Jonathan Cohn / New Republic:
The Angriest Obama We've Ever Seen

Discussion: Wonkblog, The Plum Line, Ballot Box and ThinkProgress

Aviva Shen / ThinkProgress:
Morning Joe Host Shames Senators Who Killed Gun Reform: 'We're The 90 Percent And We're Going To Win'

Discussion: Rumproast

Washington Post:
President Obama's remarks on failure of Manchin-Toomey background check plan (TRANSCRIPT)

Discussion: JustOneMinute and National Review

KWTX-TV:

EMS Director Says 60 To 70 Dead In West Explosion — West EMS Director Dr. George Smith says as many as 60 or 70 people died and hundreds were injured Wednesday night in a fertilizer plant explosion in West. — A rescuer earlier said he knew of five deaths.

Selwyn Crawford / Dallas Morning News:
Live video: Fertilizer plant explosion injures dozens in West, near Waco

Discussion: Chicago Boyz, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Moderate Voice, AMERICAblog and The Agonist

Randy Lee Loftis / Dallas Morning News:
West fertilizer plant said in report that it presented no risk

Discussion: Guardian, Quartz, Macleans.ca and Booman Tribune

Monte Plott / CNN:
What we know about fertilizer plant explosion in Texas

Discussion: BOR, Examiner, Business Insider, Guardian, Crooks and Liars and Off the Kuff

Dallas Morning News:
Cleanup begins, search for survivors continues after massive fertilizer plant explosion in West

Discussion: Shakesville, Hot Air, CBS Dallas, Daily Kos and Trail Blazers Blog

Lateef Mungin / CNN:
Deadly blast rattles Texas town

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Examiner, Business Insider and BOR

Washington Post:
Fertilizer plant explosion injures at least 160 in central Texas; 5 to 15 feared dead

Discussion: Wonkblog, Restoring Liberty, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway and Althouse

Jason Howerton / TheBlaze.com:

MIND-BOGGLING DETAILS EMERGE ABOUT RICIN LETTER SUSPECT: 'I'M ON THE HIDDEN FRONT LINES OF A SECRET WAR' — Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, of Tupelo, Miss., has been arrested in connection with ricin letters that were sent to both Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and President Barack Obama," The New York Times reports.

Discussion: Lady Liberty 1885, New York Times, Fox News, Wonkette, Ed Driscoll, BuzzFeed, The PJ Tatler, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Restoring Liberty, No More Mister Nice Blog, Patterico's Pontifications and The Jawa Report

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:

Ricin suspect charged, faces up to 15 years — The suspect arrested for sending ricin-laced letters to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and President Obama was charged with using mail to threaten the president and others. — The suspect, Paul Kevin Curtis of Corinth, Miss. …

Discussion: Associated Press, Politico and CNN

U.S. News:
Feds arrest suspect in ricin-positive letters sent to Obama, senator

Discussion: New York Times, The Week, Clarion-Ledger, Taegan Goddard's …, Washington Post, Shakesville, The Maddow Blog, The Hinterland Gazette, Weasel Zippers, Outside the Beltway, CANNONFIRE, Mediaite, Business Insider, Twitchy and Towleroad News #gay

Tarini Parti / Politico:

Nancy Pelosi says gun control push not over — House Democrats will continue to push for gun control legislation despite the Senate's failure to pass a bipartisan agreement to expand background checks, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday. — “It's disappointing,” …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The PJ Tatler

Politico:
Gun control: Obama's biggest loss

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Post, Hit & Run, The PJ Tatler, New York Times, Lynn Sweet, Twitchy, Right Wing News, American Power, msnbc.com, Wall Street Journal and CNN

John Hinderaker / Power Line:
A Lame Duck Squawks, But Why?

Discussion: Washington Times

Brian Stelter / New York Times:

One Wednesday last month, Ann Curry, camouflaged in a hat and trench coat, trudged into the art-deco lobby of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. It had been nine months since she was pushed out as co-host of the “Today” show. Curry was now NBC's “national and international correspondent” …

Discussion: Business Insider and Althouse, more at Mediagazer »

Chicago Tribune:

Sinkhole swallows 3 cars on Southeast Side: ‘I am lucky’ — A sinkhole on the Southeast Side of Chicago swallowed three cars this morning, one of which was caught on tape. (WGN-TV) — Staff report — One person was hospitalized after a sinkhole swallowed three cars in the South Deering neighborhood …

Discussion: Riehl World News, U.S. News, AMERICAblog and The Hinterland Gazette

Politico:

Gang of Eight aims to stop conservative attacks — The Senate's Gang of Eight is mounting an aggressive lobbying campaign with one major goal: weaken the conservative opposition to a sweeping immigration overhaul. — Hours after the bill was unveiled after 2 a.m. Wednesday …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Plum Line, The Maddow Blog and The Daily Caller

Jason Zengerle / New York Magazine:

How Savvy Jenny Sanford Sabotaged Ex-Husband Mark's Political Comeback — Obama Delivers Emotional Condemnation of Senate Republicans After Gun-Control Defeat — A couple of months ago, when I was reporting a feature on Mark Sanford's political comeback and the ongoing soap opera between …

Discussion: Politico, The Fix, Washington Post, The Hinterland Gazette, Balloon Juice, Power Line, Right Turn, The Reaction and Taylor Marsh

James Hohmann / Politico:

Mitch McConnell ad seizes on secret audio — Mitch McConnell continues to seize on the bungled taping of his Louisville campaign headquarters. — The Senate Minority Leader will go on the air Thursday with a new commercial that links last week's brouhaha to the Democratic president's desire to oust him.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, CNN, The Daily Caller and First Read

Evan Hurst / Truth Wins Out:

Former ‘Ex-Gay’ Superstar John Paulk Finally Renounces His ‘Ex-Gay’ Past — Paulk Must Now Begin The Hard Work Of Atoning For The Damage He Has Done To LGBT People, And Anne Paulk And The Religious Right Must Stop Peddling The Lie Of The Paulks' “Fairy-Tale ‘Ex-Gay’ Marriage” Immediately, Says Truth Wins Out

Discussion: PQ Monthly, ThinkProgress, Joe. My. God. and Good As You