Rapidly breaking news.
Over the last 15 minutes, CNN has reported that investigators report “substantial progress” in the investigation of the Boston bombing probe. Additionally, CNN’s John King, on the basis of unnamed law enforcement sources, says investigators believe they have identified a suspect from videotape evidence.
More as we hear it.
Welcome to the brave new (kind of neat and also chilling) world of real-time chat forum amateur bombing investigators.
As you can see, over the last 10 to 20 minutes there have been multiple conflicting reports about whether a suspect has been identified, placed in custody or been arrested in the Boston marathon bombings. Our current feature story says a suspect is in custody. We are currently following the Associated Press and the Boston Globe, both of which – apparently independently and based on their own sources – are reporting that a suspect is in custody. Meanwhile, on the air, CNN now appears to be backing off their reports of an arrest or a suspect in custody. NBC continues to say, no one in custody. There’s some confusion, perhaps a semantic distinction, between being under arrest and in custody – not precisely the same thing. I suspect that in a very short while, the confusion will resolve itself. But this is the terrain of conflicting accounts as of 2:40 PM.
For now, we’re following the AP and the Globe.
Late Update: The AP now says the feds are denying a suspect is in custody.
TPM reporter in building reports Boston Federal Courthouse was being evacuated at approximately 3 PM this afternoon.
A ton of news today. But don’t miss this. A great look at Marco Rubio rushing to quell the right-wing backlash/rumor mill on the immigration bill. He’s even putting up a new website.
If you missed the CNN Boston bombing arrest rollercoaster and maybe even more if you saw it, we’ve put together this quick mash up of CNN’s rapid run from ‘break in the case’ to ‘suspect ID’d’ to ‘arrest has been made’ to … oh, wait a second …
Full sized version after the jump … Read More
Cable news devolves into chaos as authorities chase bombing leads and probe suspicious behavior across the nation.
There’s more support in the Senate for undermining states prohibiting concealed carry permits than for expanding background checks.
The demise of expanded background check legislation in the Senate today will be especially disappointing to gun control advocates who also backed strong filibuster reforms earlier this year. But the filibuster is what it is, and now that the Manchin-Toomey amendment is dead, it’s especially crucial that reporters covering the story accurately characterize what happened.
Of course, that’s always important. But as in any story some facts are more central to the plot than others. Tonight, I’m seeing a lot of early reports to the effect that the Senate has rejected the background check amendment. That’s not false, but it is highly obfuscatory. Read More
Rubio rushes to stave off a conservative backlash over the Gang of 8 immigration bill and tamp down the right wing rumor mill.