Boston bombing suspect cites U.S. wars as motivation, officials say  —  The 19-year-old suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings has told interrogators that the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan motivated him and his brother to carry out the attack, according to U.S. officials familiar with the interviews.

Former GOP Candidate Reacts After Man He Allegedly Framed For Ricin Poisoning Is Released  —  A former Republican candidate for Mississippi's House of Representatives named J. Everett Dutschke expressed disbelief and dismay Tuesday shortly after a man he was accused of framing for mailing letters …

Boston Bombing Suspect Shootout Pictures  —  On Thursday night [Friday morning] at 12:45am EST. I was in my living room working on my computer when I heard multiple “pops” coming from outside.  At that point, I had no idea that I was about to become an eye witness to the biggest news story in the country.

Baucus to retire rather than seek reelection in 2014, strategists say  —  View Photo Gallery —The 2014 midterm elections are just around the corner.  These are the races to watch.  —  Baucus, 71, first elected in 1978,has been the top Democrat on the powerful committee since 2001.

Bush is back  —  It took less than 4 1/2 years of the Obama presidency for President George W. Bush to mount his comeback.  While doing absolutely nothing on his own behalf (he's been the most silent ex-president in my lifetime), his approval is up to 47 percent according to The Post/ABC poll.

Also admits he and brother Tamerlin were behind killing of MIT officer  —  Dzhokhar Tsarnaev admitted to authorities Sunday that he and his brother were behind the Marathon bombings, according to a senior law enforcement official.  —  Tsarnaev made his admissions to FBI agents who interviewed …

In split vote, Nevada Senate passes measure to begin repeal of gay marriage ban  —  Following more than an hour of riveting and personal floor speeches — during which one state senator publicly announced for the first time he is gay — the Nevada Senate voted 12-9 to begin the process …

Stella Tremblay, New Hampshire Legislator, Says U.S. Government Planned Boston Bombing  —  A Republican state legislator in New Hampshire is claiming that the United States government is responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing.  —  State Rep. Stella Tremblay (R-Auburn) …

Judge tosses three murder counts against Kermit Gosnell  —  After hearing impassioned arguments from attorneys on both sides of the Kermit Gosnell capital-murder trial Tuesday, a Philadelphia judge threw out three of the seven first-degree murder charges Gosnell faced for allegedly killing fetuses born alive at his abortion clinic.

Mitt Romney's all-star retreat in June will include David Axelrod, Chris Christie, Paul Ryan  —  WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney this morning announced a series of high-profile speakers who will address a retreat that the former Republican presidential nominee is putting together in June.

CNN in talks with Newt Gingrich, Stephanie Cutter for new ‘Crossfire’ show  —  Earlier this month, news broke that CNN was looking to relaunch Crossfire, the famous debate show that pitted two pundits — one liberal, one conservative — against one another on the political issues of the day.

Shaheen trounces Brown in Democratic poll  —  If Scott Brown is looking to make a political comeback, New Hampshire may not be the right place and 2014 might not be the right year.  —  The former Massachusetts senator - who is publicly toying with a cross-border challenge to Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen …

New Immigration Bill Has One Terrible Flaw  —  “Amnesty” is the swear word many conservatives apply to the new bipartisan immigration bill.  The same invective was used to sink the last major attempt to change American immigration laws, during President George W. Bush's second term.

Most Expect ‘Occasional Acts of Terrorism’ in the Future  —  Six-in-Ten Say Post-9/11 Steps Have Made Country Safer  —  OVERVIEW  —  Last week's bombings at the Boston Marathon attracted broad public interest: 63% of Americans say they followed the story very closely, among the highest interest in any news story in the past decade.

Hillary Clinton Is Still Popular, More So Than Obama, Biden  —  Clinton starts with advantage over Biden if both run in 2016  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Though currently she is — at least temporarily — out of political life, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues to enjoy a strong favorability rating, now 64%.

BREAKING: Delaware House Passes Marriage Equality  —  Adding to the good news of the day, the Delaware House of Representatives has approved marriage equality (HB 75) by a vote of 23-18.  It now proceeds to the Senate, where it must pass out of committee before the full chamber considers it.

Who Says New York Is Not Affordable?  —  One of the first things you learn when living in New York is that what qualifies as wealthy somewhere else seems barely middle-class here.  On the Upper West Side, where I live, it's hard not to feel as if Manhattan is impossibly expensive for young professionals.

Reid Tests GOP Outrage Over Airport Delays With Plan To Pay Down Sequestration For Five Months  —  Amid GOP complaints about airport delays caused by sequestration, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said he intends to promptly introduce legislation to use war savings to pay down automatic …

A Rise in Wealth for the Wealthy; Declines for the Lower 93%  —  An Uneven Recovery, 2009-2011  —  OVERVIEW  —  During the first two years of the nation's economic recovery, the mean net worth of households in the upper 7% of the wealth distribution rose by an estimated 28% …

Chris Matthews On Bombers: “What Difference Does It Make Why They Did It?”  —  MSNBC's Chris Matthews is not that interested in finding out a motive for last week's bombing of the Boston Marathon, but instead focused on prosecuting Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a 19-year-old ethnic Chechen who was apprehended by authorities on Saturday.