The Slatest

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is the latest Republican to suggest that the IRS officials who targeted conservative political organizations for scrutiny should serve time behind bars. “You cannot take the freedom of law-abiding Americans, whether you disagree with them or not, and keep your own freedom,” Jindal will tell delegates at a GOP convention, according to remarks seen by Politico. “When you do that, you go to jail.” The call comes a few days after House Speaker John Boehner asked: “My question isn’t about who’s going to resign, my question is who’s going to jail over this scandal?”

It’s likely no one will go to jail as a result of the IRS scandal, points out the Washington Post. Still, the calls for jail time illustrate how Republicans will keep pushing the issue, particularly considering it can be tied with other questions about government accountability, such as the Benghazi controversy. While increasingly engulfed by scandals, President Obama wants to change the subject. The White House will try to focus on legislation that it thinks Congress might pass and executive actions that don’t require lawmakers, points out the New York Times. The administration wants to intensify existing efforts to, among other things, reform immigration laws and implement the health care law. It is also getting ready to push an initiative to keep student loan rates low.

Even as Republicans focus on how the IRS admitted to inappropriately scrutinizing conservative groups, the real scandal may lie elsewhere. While it took a close look at smaller tea party organizations, the IRS pretty much ignored the much larger organizations that played an influential role in the election, reports the Associated Press. "The IRS goes AWOL when wealthy and powerful forces want to break the law in order to hide their wrongful efforts and secret political influence," said Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat. Now a small group of campaign finance reform advocates are worried the recent revelations regarding the IRS will make it even less likely that regulators will seek to scrutinize the bigger, more powerful groups.

It was lucky no one died. That was the message from officials who inspected the damage Saturday caused by a two two-train collision in Connecticut that injured dozens Friday. A total of 72 people were sent to the hospital, with two still in critical condition. "The damage is absolutely staggering," Sen. Richard Blumenthal said, according to the Associated Press. "I feel that we are fortunate that even more injuries were not the result of this very tragic and unfortunate accident." For his part, Sen. Chris Murphy said it was “frankly amazing” no one was killed.

There were around 700 people aboard the Metro-North trains when one that was heading from New York City to New Haven derailed outside Bridgeport and collided with a train on an adjacent track. The crash caused “extensive damage” to the track and there is no official estimate of how long the investigation and repairs will take, points out NBC News. Meanwhile, commuters will have to find alternatives. The 30-mile stretch between New Haven and South Norwalk, Conn. will remain shut down indefinitely, as will Amtrak service between New York and New Haven, reports CNN. "I think this is going to be with us for a number of days," Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said.

After lots of controversy, marriage equality is finally the law of the land in France. French President Francois Hollande signed a bill legalizing not only marriage between members of the same sex, but also adoption by gay and lesbian couples. Marriage equality became law after the Constitutional Council shot down a challenge by the right-wing opposition, ruling on Friday the measure does not “run contrary to any constitutional principles” and would not violate “basic rights or liberties or national sovereignty,” reports the BBC. The first wedding could take place before the end of the month.

Hollande has turned marriage equality into a rallying cry for his administration, but the right to marry and adopt for all sexual orientations “has triggered the biggest conservative and rightwing street protests in 30 years, with more than 200 arrests,” points out the Guardian. Another protest has been called for May 26, two days before the first same-sex couples could walk down the aisle. The protest “could easily be another monster-manif, like the ones earlier this year,” writes the BBC’s Hugh Schofield. “This is because opposition to gay marriage has become conflated with all sorts of other anti-government grievances coming from the right. And the atmosphere in the country is particularly volatile.”

North Korea fired three short-range missiles into its eastern waters Saturday, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry. So far, the purpose of the launch remains unknown. Although testing short-range missiles isn’t really that uncommon for Pyongyang, these latest tests come at a time when a tentative calm had emerged in the region after a period of heightened tension, points out the Washington Post.

The move comes two months after North Korea apparently launched two missiles off its eastern coast. Tied with this latest launch, the move could support speculation that the country is trying to improve the range and accuracy of its arsenal, points out the Associated Press. Even though South Korea vowed to remain alert, the latest missile launch can be seen as relative good news considering “the move was much less provocative than what had been feared in the tense weeks after the country’s nuclear test in February,” points out the New York Times. Some feared North Korea would seek to back up its recent bluster with a test of longer-range missiles.

“With the short-range missile tests, North Korea is reminding the United States and South Korea that it can escalate tensions again and follow up with more serious steps if things do not go in the direction it wants,” a North Korea analyst tells the Times.

Thousands of runners who didn't get a chance to finish the Boston Marathon this year because of the twin bombings that rocked the city will get another chance to do so next year. Here's the official statement from race organizors:

"The opportunity to run down Boylston Street and to cross the finish line amid thousands of spectators is a significant part of the entire Boston Marathon experience," said Tom Grilk, B.A.A. Executive Director. "With the opportunity to return and participate in 2014, we look forward to inviting back these athletes and we expect that most will renew their marathon training commitment. Boston spectators are known for their impassioned support and unbridled enthusiasm, and they will give these returning athletes some of the loudest cheers at next year's race. We want to thank our participants for their patience as we continue to work through the details of arranging this accommodation for them, and we ask for continued patience from the running community as we plan the 2014 Boston Marathon next April."

To be eligible to run next year without having to re-qualify, runners need to have started the race and crossed the half-way point at this year's race. In all, that means roughly 5,600 will get the invite, according to race officials. While the runners will still need to pay an as-yet undecided fee, the announcement removes the largest hurdle for most runners: the need to hit the impressive qualifying times normally needed to run the iconic race. To qualify for this year's race, for example, a male runner aged 18 to 34 had to complete another sanctioned marathon in 3:05 or less.