The Hard Road Back

Baffling Rise in Suicides Plagues the U.S. Military

By JAMES DAO and ANDREW W. LEHREN

Of the crises facing American troops today, suicide ranks among the most emotionally wrenching — and confounding.

In Calculation of Military Rates, the Numbers Are Not All Straightforward

By JAMES DAO and ANDREW W. LEHREN

The military population is fluid. Service members join and leave constantly, and National Guard and reserve troops flow on and off active-duty rosters.

At War Blog

For Troops Needing Psychological Help, Asking Can Be the Toughest Hurdle

By ZACHARY BELL

A Marine veteran haunted by his service writes that the time has come to change the perception of post-traumatic stress disorder to allow greater honesty and healing.

Richard Rodriguez/Reuters

The living room of a home that had its roof blown off by a tornado in Cleburne, Texas, on Thursday.

At Least 6 Killed in North Texas Tornado

By JOHN SCHWARTZ and TIMOTHY WILLIAMS

Rescue workers combed through a subdivision southwest of Fort Worth, where several people remained unaccounted for Thursday morning.

The Lede: Witness Reports from Texas

Note by Boston Bombing Suspect Sheds Light on Motive, Officials Say

By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM and RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.

A note scrawled inside the boat where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was hiding cited the killing of Muslims, an official said.

Elena Barbera is ascending the 294 steps of the Bunker Hill Monument each day for 30 days. She has raised $4,000 so far.

A Tribute to Boston Bombing Victims, a Step at a Time

By JESS BIDGOOD

Elena Barbera has undertaken a modest fund-raising drive with daily ascents of the Bunker Hill Monument.

$10 Million Bond Set in Mother's Day Shooting

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The suspect in a Mother's Day parade shooting in New Orleans has made his first court appearances.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, repeatedly noted that he had recused himself in a leak case.

Criticized on Seizure of Records, White House Pushes News Media Shield Law

By CHARLIE SAVAGE

The administration is pushing for greater protections for reporters who refuse to identify sources, even as officials face anger over the seizure of Associated Press records.

Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University have successfully used cloning to create human embryonic stem cells by taking skin cells and fusing them with donated human eggs.

Cloning Is Used to Create Embryonic Stem Cells

By ANDREW POLLACK

Researchers fused skin cells with donated human eggs to create human embryos that were genetically identical to the person who provided the skin cells.

President Obama, who also honored law enforcement officers Wednesday, said the I.R.S. had to be above the political fray.

I.R.S. Chief Out After Protest Over Scrutiny of Groups

By JONATHAN WEISMAN

The Obama administration stepped up pressure on the Internal Revenue Service and sought to insulate itself from the outcry over the agency’s special scrutiny of conservative groups.

Document: Inspector General’s Report on I.R.S. Audits

President Obama spoke at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, an appearance unrelated to the trio of controversies consuming his administration that day.

An Onset of Woes Raises Questions on Obama Vision

By PETER BAKER

The Obama administration controversies of recent days have reinforced fears of an overreaching government and called into question Mr. Obama’s ability to master his own presidency.

Obama to Call for More Security at U.S. Embassies

By MARK LANDLER

President Obama, seeking to regain his footing amid questions about last year’s attack in Libya, will make his appeal at a news conference Thursday.

The diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, after the attack last year that killed four Americans.

Early E-Mails on Benghazi Show Internal Divisions

By MARK LANDLER, ERIC SCHMITT and MICHAEL D. SHEAR

Messages released by the White House showed fierce jostling between the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department, and at the highest levels of the C.I.A., on talking points after the attacks in Libya.

Document: The White House’s Benghazi E-Mails

Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, right, after a hearing in March on sexual assault in the military.

Multiple Proposals on Assault in Military, but Also Disagreement

By JENNIFER STEINHAUER

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will introduce a bill that would give military prosecutors rather than commanders the power to decide which sexual assault cases to try.

Students from Texas A&M recently helped clear debris from a home that was damaged in the April 17 explosion in West, Tex.

After Devastating Blast, Questions in a Texas Town Over Whether to Rebuild or Move On

By JOHN SCHWARTZ

Even as West, Tex., is beginning to rise a month after a fertilizer plant exploded, some people are asking at what cost.

Doctor Starts His Life Term in Grisly Abortion Clinic Case

By JON HURDLE

The sentence was part of an agreement that will spare Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, the death penalty.

Tammi Kromenaker, director of the Red River Women’s Clinic in Fargo, N.D., which uses doctors who fly in from out of state.

North Dakota’s Sole Abortion Clinic Sues to Block New Law

By ERIK ECKHOLM

The Red River Women’s Clinic, in Fargo, argues that requiring its doctors to have local admitting privileges would effectively put it out of business.

Editors' Picks

The Hard Road Back

This Land: Donna's Diner

When Hollywood South Casting announced open auditions in New Orleans recently, Connor and Chase Storey, top, 4-year-old identical twins, responded, as did dozens of other children.

Seeking Fame in the Bayou? Get Real

By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON

For reality TV show producers, Louisiana, home of “Swamp People” and “Duck Dynasty,” is a gift that keeps on giving.

Video Feature: Playing Host to Reality

The Kepler telescope, seen in an artist rendition, has been shut down after the failure of one of the wheels that keep it pointed.

Breakdown Imperils NASA’s Hunt for Other Earths

By DENNIS OVERBYE

If engineers cannot restore a mechanism that keeps the Kepler spacecraft’s telescope pointed, one of the most romantic and successful of NASA’s missions could end.

Document

The White House’s Benghazi E-Mails

The White House released 100 pages of e-mail exchanges among top officials as they negotiated talking points about the attacks in Benghazi, Libya.

The Guantánamo Docket

A History of the Detainee Population

Documents and research related to the 779 people who have been sent to the Guantánamo Bay prison since 2002.

Video

Revisiting a ‘Previvor’

In 2007, Deborah Lindner, then 33, underwent an elective double mastectomy after finding out she had a gene carrying a high risk of breast cancer. Six years later, Dr. Lindner offers an update.