Washington Times Front Page

Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who left the Republican Party to run for a Senate seat in 2010 as an independent , and, failing that, moved to the Democratic Party two years later , has a new book aimed at showing how he didn't jump political ship. It was rather that the Republican Party abandoned him.

Lawmakers said Wednesday that the FBI is blocking their inquiries into why it closed its files on a Boston Marathon bombing suspect after Russia had warned the bureau in 2011 that he might be radicalizing and preparing to join Islamic extremist groups.

Mitt Romney will be the featured speaker at a fundraiser next month in New Hampshire, marking the failed White House candidate's first political revenue-raising event since the 2012 election cycle. He's to headline an Aug. 6 gathering near his home on Lake Winnipesaukee, with monies set to go to the state Republican Party, The Hill reported. Tickets start at $100 per person.

American jihadist Adam Yahiye Gadahn appears in a new al Qaeda video urging Syrian rebels to reject Western help and turn their insurgency into a global jihad, like the one in Iraq against the U.S. occupation. The Oregon-born 34-year-old speaks in Arabic, with English subtitles, in the hourlong video that was released by al Qaeda's multimedia arm, as-Sahab, on Tuesday.

Target is being sued by three former employees who said a managers' memorandum they stumbled upon was racist and that the treatment they received by bosses was discriminatory. The memo, distributed among managers, was actually aimed at reminding store leaders of the need to be sensitive to stereotyping, the Daily Mail reported.

Rebel fighters in Syria said Tuesday a foreign power is to blame for destroying a stash of advanced Russian anti-ship missiles stored at one of the military's naval facilities near the port of Latakia. And topping that list of suspects: Israel, Reuters reported.

Note to the Hempstead Union Free School District on New York's Long Island: It's "The Great Gatsby," not "The Great Gypsy." That's just one of about 30 mistakes on the school district's recommended list of summer reading books for students. Another, as The Associated Press reported: It's author Emily Bronte, not "Bonte."

Judges with the European Court of Human Rights in essence kicked British law to the curb with a ruling that favored three convicted murderers , that mandatory life sentences are degrading and inhuman. The ruling means Britain's government will have to change its laws and bring them into line with the standards now set by the European court, Newsmax reported.

A Wisconsin mining company has hired private paramilitary forces to defend and protect its property from environmentally minded protesters, on the heels of a confrontation with activists at the mine in June. The troopers are uniformed and carry tactical gear and semi-automatic weapons, Wisconsin Watch reported.

President Obama's words of wisdom to dozens of children who attended the White House's annual Kids' State Dinner on Tuesday: Food is fun. Eat healthy. He made the off-the-cuff remarks to the roughly 54 children who attended the event, hosted by first lady Michelle Obama, Yahoo News reported.

Ousted Egypt President Mohammed Morsi is safe and sound, and so far, no charges have been filed against him, said a top government head on Wednesday. "Morsi is in a safe place, for his safety, and he is being treated with dignity," said the foreign ministry's Badr Abdelatty, Agence France-Presse reported. "He is not charged with anything up till now."

Sen. Rand Paul is threatening to block James Comey's nomination to lead the FBI if he does not get answers on the use of drones within the U.S. borders, just four months after his 13-hour filibuster of President Obama's pick to lead the CIA.

Some activists at the Texas Capitol were hurling expletives at the church during the lawmakers' discussion of an abortion bill that would ban the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy, a media organization reported.

Day 2 of the testimony of a former partner and friend of reputed mobster head James "Whitey" Bulger ended in drama and mayhem, with each shouting expletives across the courtroom. The chaos started when Kevin Weeks , who was close enough to Mr. Bulger that they spoke daily , said he witnessed the mob boss commit several killings.

An aide to Democratic Rep. John Conyers , one of the loudest voices on Capitol Hill for additional federal gun control laws , caught a lucky break just recently. Betty Petrenz, who works as office manager for Mr. Conyers, brought a gun inside her purse into a federal building in Detroit, The Daily Caller reported.