Eyder Peralta

Throughout the day, we'll be updating with the latest news about the two explosions Monday near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The blasts killed three people and injured about 180. We'll also be publishing related posts as the day continues. (See this note about ...

President Obama ditched his usual diplomacy and accused Republican senators of putting politics ahead of the wants of the American people, when they voted to reject a bipartisan measure that would have expanded federal background checks for firearm purchases.

"All in all, this is a pretty shameful day in Washington," ...

A bipartisan compromise that would have expanded federal background checks for firearms purchases has been rejected by the Senate.

The defeat of the measure by a 54-46 vote — six votes shy of the number needed to clear the Senate — marks a major setback for gun-control advocates, many of ...

The United States called on the Venezuelan government to be transparent in its effort to "audit the ballots" of the presidential election held this weekend.

If you missed it, the news that Hugo Chavez's hand-picked successor Nicolás Maduro had won by a razor-thin margin unleashed protests in the streets ...

Update at 8:44 p.m. ET. Authorities Make An Arrest:

Authorities have made an arrest in connection to the suspicious envelopes sent to a senator and President Obama.

The FBI identified the suspect as Paul Kevin Curtis.

The The Clarion Ledger reports:

"The letter, received by [Sen. Roger ...

(Note at 7:50 a.m. ET, April 18: We've begun a new post to track Thursday's developments.)

Investigators made progress Wednesday, as they tried to determine who planted two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, leaving three people dead and injuring about 180.

NPR's Tom Gjelten ...

Quoting "congressional and law enforcement sources," CNN is reporting that an envelope sent to a senator's office has tested positive for the poison ricin.

"After the envelope tested positive in a first routine test, it was retested two more times, each time coming up positive, the law enforcement source ...

Update at 5:35 p.m. ET. 'You Couldn't Ask For A Better Daughter':

Patty Campbell read a tearful statement in front of her home in Medford, Mass., Tuesday afternoon. She said her daughter, Krystle Campbell, 29, was killed during Monday's Boston Marathon bombing.

"Krystle Marie, she was a wonderful person. Everybody ...

A group of eight bipartisan Senators has reached broad compromise on immigration reform.

The Gang of Eight, as they've come to be known, released highlights of the bill this afternoon. ABC News reports the bill would:

"allow many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants to seek U.S. ...

The day after two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, investigators began to unravel some of the details of what happened, and we began to learn about the lives of the three people who were killed.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard DesLauriers said that ...

We'll leave you tonight with some good news from Monday's horrific explosions at the Boston Marathon.

In photographs and videos, you can see there is one runner who is closest to the blast. When the device explodes, he's knocked over by the force. You can see him clearly in ...

During a short statement to the country, President Obama promised to find out who perpetrated a bombing attack at the Boston Marathon this afternoon.

"We still do not know who did this or why," Obama said. "And people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts. But make ...

NPR's Dina Temple Raston reports that the FBI has sent counterterrorism officials to the scene. The blasts happened in quick succession four hours after the beginning of the men's rac...

A vast majority of undocumented Latino immigrants (85 percent) have family connections to U.S. citizens, a new poll finds.

Latino Decisions, which conducted the survey on behalf of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund and America's Voice Education Fund, said the poll results paint ...

Despite receiving a rare penalty, China's 14-year-old Guan Tianlang hung on to make the cut at the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, making the eighth-grader the youngest player to make the cut on a major PGA tournament.

As PGAtour.com reports, Guan was assessed a one-stroke penalty for ...

Maria Tallchief, who broke barriers to become one of the most respected American ballerinas, died on Thursday of complications from a broken hip.

She was 88.

The New York Times reports that Tallchief was "a crucial artistic inspiration for choreographer George Balanchine, her first husband."

As her career took ...

Joining the Senate, the House of Representatives approved a measure today that repeals a requirement that top government officials post financial disclosures on the Internet.

The House, like the Senate, acted quietly without a vote. Instead, they sent the measure to the president's desk by unanimous consent.

The provision was ...

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama report that they had an adjusted gross income of $608,611 in 2012. The couple gave $150,034 to charity and ended up paying $112,214 in taxes.

That's an effective tax rate of about 18 percent.

That's a drop from what Obama had paid in ...

Rick Warren, one of the country's most influential pastors, made a stunning revelation on Twitter today:

Warren's 27-year-old son Matthew committed suicide late last week. The AP reports:

"Orange County Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said Thursday that the gun's serial number was scratched off.

"It's illegal in ...

The National Hockey League and its players union launched an initiative today that it hopes will stamp out homophobia from the game.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman tells our Newscast unit that the partnership with You Can Play is intended to send a message that everyone is welcome in the ...