Republicans took a pause from partisan politics in their weekly address Saturday, as Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., praised first responders in the Boston Marathon incident.

"This week, on Patriot’s Day, a day that celebrates the beginning of our country’s journey toward freedom, a horrific tragedy occurred," he said. "The Boston Marathon bombing has left us all with a heavy heart and we pray for the victims and their families.

"However, while the perpetrators of this act of terror hoped that they could shake the confidence of a city, they have instead only strengthened the resolve of our nation. This became apparent immediately as first responders ran towards unknown dangers."

Scott called them "amazing Americans, some of whom charged through fences and barricades, put their own lives on the line to help others. We are so thankful for these women and men, who on a daily basis sacrifice for our nation—they are our friends, our family, our neighbors."

For the rest of the address:http://www.republican.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=weekly

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's camp branded as "deplorable" an ad from a liberal group tying McConnell to an al-Qaeda video.

CNN said the video is in error because it is against the law to buy a fully automatic weapon in the United States unless the buyer is a strictly licensed and regulated federal firearms dealer with special permission.

Jack Brammer of the Herald-Leader writes:

"McConnell re-election campaign spokesman Jesse Benton called the ad "deplorable" and labeled it as another attack from a liberal group like the one apparently involved in a secret recording of a McConnell campaign strategy session in February.

"These rabid partisan extremists have no interest in promoting what's right for Kentucky, and they'll stop at nothing to attack its biggest advocate," Benton said.

"He said that Progress Kentucky, an independent super PAC, attacked the ethnicity of McConnell's wife, former U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, earlier this year and is linked to the Feb. 2 secret taping of a McConnell campaign strategy session that the FBI is investigating.

Resurgent Republic, a center-right Republican group that includes a lot of big party names, found strong support for changing the nation's immigration laws in focus groups it conducted with party primary voters in Des Moines and Greenville, S.C.

“President Obama’s reelection victory, and Republicans’ shrinking support among non-white voters, has been a seminal moment for conservatives,” said Ed Gillespie, former Republican party chairman and now a Resurgent Republic Board Member.

Among the key fiindings, as described by the group in its own words:

"1.  These Republican base voters strongly support legal immigration. On this point, participants volunteer descriptors such as “freedom,” “opportunity,” “hard work,” and an ability “to make a better life for themselves.” Regardless of their individual positions on immigration reform, Republicans should open any discussion on this issue highlighting the benefits legal immigration brings to America.

2.   Immigration reform is not on the radar of the Republican base. They are following this issue from a distance, so Republicans seeking to pass broad based immigration policies need to make the case as to why this is necessary. They were aware that Republicans like former Governor Jeb Bush and Senator Marco Rubio are leading figures on this issue and in regards to potential plans, one Des Moines woman noted: “I’d like to see what Marco Rubio comes up with. I trust him.” (The groups occurred prior to Senator Rand Paul’s immigration announcement on March 19, 2013).

To read other findings:

House of Representatives Republicans will formally pick committee chairmen Wednesday for the 113th Congress, which starts in January.

Here are the recommendations from the House Republican Steering Committee:

Agriculture – Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK)

Appropriations – Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY)

Armed Services – Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA)

Budget – Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)

Education and the Workforce – Rep. John Kline (R-MN)

Energy and Commerce – Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI)

Financial Services – Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX)

Foreign Affairs – Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA)

Homeland Security – Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX)

Intelligence – Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI)

Judiciary – Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)

Natural Resources – Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA)

Oversight and Government Reform – Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

Rules – Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)

Science, Space, and Technology – Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX)

Small Business – Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO)

Transportation and Infrastructure – Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA)

Veterans’ Affairs – Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL)

Ways and Means – Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI)

Mitt Romney kept up the criticism of the Obama administration Wednesday, reiterating a controversial comment he had made late Tuesday, before the death of the U.S. ambassador and others was reported.

Here's the Republican presidential candidate's latest statement:

"Americans woke up this morning with tragic news and felt heavy hearts as they considered that individuals who have served in our diplomatic corps were brutally murdered across the world. This attack on American individuals and embassies is outrageous, it's disgusting. It breaks the hearts of all of us who think of these people who have served, during their lives, the cause of freedom, and justice and honor. We mourn their loss and join together in prayer that the spirit of the Almighty might comfort the families of those who have been so brutally slain.

“Four diplomats lost their life, including the U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, in the attack on our embassy at Benghazi, Libya. And, of course, with these words, I extend my condolences to the grieving loved ones, who have left behind, as a result of these who have lost their lives in the service of our nation, and I know that the people across America are grateful for their service and we mourn their sacrifice.

“America will not tolerate attacks against our citizens and against our embassies. We will defend also our constitutional rights of speech and assembly and religion. We have confidence in our cause in America. We respect our Constitution. We stand for the principles our Constitution protects. We encourage other nations to understand and respect the principles of our Constitution because we recognize that these principles are the ultimate source of freedom for individuals around the world.

“I also believe the Administration was wrong to stand by a statement sympathizing with those who had breached our embassy in Egypt instead of condemning their actions.  It's never too early for the United States Government to condemn attacks on Americans, and to defend our values.  The White House distanced itself last night from the statement, saying it wasn't ‘cleared by Washington.’ That reflects the mixed signals they’re sending to the world.

“The attacks in Libya and Egypt underscore that the world remains a dangerous place and that American leadership is still sorely needed. In the face of this violence, America cannot shrink from the responsibility to lead. American leadership is necessary to ensure that events in the region don’t spin out of control.  We cannot hesitate to use our influence in the region to support those who share our values and our interests.  Over the last several years, we have stood witness to an Arab Spring that presents an opportunity for a more peaceful and prosperous region, but also poses the potential for peril, if the forces of extremism and violence are allowed to control the course of events.

“We must strive to ensure that the Arab Spring does not become an Arab Winter.”

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, wants answers from the Obama administration about its new policy that would allow certain young undocumented immigrants to remain in this country.

In a six-page letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton, Smith asks 32 questions, including how the administration will bar fraud in implementing the policy.

“Internal documents obtained by  the House Judiciary Committee reveal that President Obama is already granting  amnesty to illegal immigrants although the Department of Homeland Security  stated it would take 60 days to implement the Administration’s amnesty  plan," Smith wrote.

"The documents demonstrate that illegal immigrants have already  benefited from the new policy, even though there are no standards in  place.  Without any standards in place, the President’s new amnesty is an  open invitation to fraud."

He goes on to maintain "History has proven that amnesty is an open invitation to  fraud…But the expected fraud is far from the only problematic aspect of this  unprecedented policy.

“Such a lack of forethought about  processing and implementation prior to announcement of the policy is a  dereliction of the duty the President vowed to uphold," Smith said. "Unfortunately,  this Administration continues to place partisan politics and illegal immigrants  ahead of the American people and the rule of law.”

To read the letter:http://judiciary.house.gov/news/pdfs/DreamActLetterICE.pdf

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, which last week hosted President Barack Obama and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, had its own take on Monday's Supreme Court ruling. NALEO is nonpartisan, and here's its view:

“NALEO applauds the Court’s action to prevent the state from unconstitutionally criminalizing being undocumented, seeking or engaging in work, or being deportable. NALEO is extremely concerned, however, that Arizona’s 'show-me-your-papers' policy was not yet determined to be unconstitutional because it is unclear how it will be implemented.

“Arizona’s SB 1070, enacted in April 2010, took unprecedented steps to involve local and state officials in intrusive investigations of people suspected to be immigrants. In violation of our national commitment to non-discrimination and fairness, SB 1070 requires Arizona police to determine the status of anyone who they believe look undocumented, and to arrest people without a warrant who are thought to be deportable – provisions that would result in harassment and intimidation of Latino United States citizens and authorized immigrants. SB 1070 also puts new immigration-related crimes on the state books for conduct regulated by federal law.

“The Supreme Court’s decision is an important affirmation of the federal government’s singular role in determining national immigration policy. The Court made it clear that Arizona overstepped the boundaries of its authority. We remain concerned, however, that the Court’s decision to allow state and local police unchecked authority to investigate immigration status already has, and will continue to lead to the extended detention of individuals without the authorization of federal immigration authorities.

“This strong decision goes a long way towards preventing abusive state-led immigration enforcement. Though the Court did not invalidate the “show-me-your-papers” provision, Latino and other Arizonans should not fear implementation of the law, because the Court has strictly limited how it may be applied. Additional legal challenges to SB 1070 also remain to be resolved by Arizona courts. The Supreme Court was not asked to determine whether SB 1070 violates constitutional prohibitions of discrimination based on race and ethnicity, and of unjustified searches and arrests. Following this decision, legal challenges to this and similar laws in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, and Utah will continue to move forward.

“The future strength and wealth of our nation depend upon our ability to successfully integrate new Americans into our social and economic systems, and to empower all Americans to be active participants in civic affairs. Laws like SB 1070 set us back by destroying the trust between everyday people and public officials. The Supreme Court wisely recognized today that states do not have constitutional authority to create policies that divide our communities solely on the basis of immigration status.

“It has never been more important that our national policies be guided by American values of equality, fairness, and opportunity. To honor these values, state and local leaders must turn away from the criminal enforcement measures that the Supreme Court has invalidated, and focus instead on promoting constructive policies that ensure that productive immigrants can become part of the fabric of our communities, and can and do contribute to our shared prosperity.”

Here's Mitt Romney's take on today's Supreme Court decision to strike down much of Arizona's tough immigration law. He does not mention the law itself:

“Today's decision underscores the need for a President who will lead on this critical issue and work in a bipartisan fashion to pursue a national immigration strategy. President Obama has failed to provide any leadership on immigration. This represents yet another broken promise by this President."

"I believe that each state has the duty--and the right--to secure our borders and preserve the rule of law, particularly when the federal government has failed to meet its responsibilities. As Candidate Obama, he promised to present an immigration plan during his first year in office.  But 4 years later, we are still waiting.”

Mitt Romney plans to talk about immigration Thursday at the National Association of Latino Elected Officials conference in Orlando, and appears to be offering few new proposals.

He does not plan to go as far as President Barack Obama, who Friday said his administration would stop deporting thousands of young undocumented workers.

Instead, a Romney campaign statement said, "Mitt Romney believes that young illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children should have the chance to become permanent residents, and eventually citizens, by serving honorably in the United States military."

His strategy, says a statement from his campaign, will also aim to attract "high-skill immigrants start companies, create jobs, and drive innovation at an especially high rate."

The statement notes that "We have set the caps on high-skill visas so low that, for some countries, an entire year’s quota has been filled in an hour.  Mitt Romney will ask Congress to raise the caps on visas for highly skilled immigrants."

The campaign also found that many limits on immigration from specific nations is so law "that America is losing some of the best and brightest to our international competitors.  Mitt Romney will work with Congress to raise the country caps."

He plans to discuss ways to make the temporary visa system functional.

"As president, Mitt Romney will make the system for bringing in temporary agricultural workers and other seasonal workers functional for both employers and immigrants.  We should get rid of unnecessary requirements that delay issuance of a visa, and we should speed the processing of applications," the campaign said.

He is to pledge tougher border security, and "complete a high-tech fence to enhance border security."

And, the campaign said, "Miit Romney will develop an effective, mandatory employment verification system that will enable employers to be sure that those they hire are eligible to work. This will discourage illegal immigrants from coming to America to seek jobs."

It pledged a "a legal immigration system that works. This will offer an alternative to those who would otherwise enter illegally.  For instance, reforming our current temporary worker program will offer employers who need such staff a legal option to find employees."

 Too often, the campaign said, "legal immigrants in America often have to wait years to be with husbands, wives, and minor children.  As president, Mitt Romney will ensure that husbands, wives, and their minor children are brought together on a timely basis."

Mitt Romney talked Friday about the process involved in letting children of illegal immigrants remain in this country under certain circumstances, saying different procedurs were needed.

"I believe the status of young people who come here through no fault of their own is an important matter to be considered, and should be solved on a long term basis so they know what their future would be in this country," he told reporters after a campaign appearance in Milford, N.H. Earlier in the day, he ignored reporters trying to ask him about the matter.

Romney took no questions during his brief late afternoon appearance, emerging from his campaign bus, standing in front of a microphone and offering his statement.

Romney praised the approach of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

"I would like to seek legislation that deals with this issue and I happen agree with Marco Rubio as he looked at, considered this issue, he said that this is an important matter that we have to find a long tem solution," Romney said

He also noted that Obama's action "makes it more difficult to reach that long term solution because an executive order is, of course, a short term matter and can be reversed by subsequent president," Obama's policy was a directive to the Department of Homeland Security, not an executive order, could be changed by another president. Romney did not specifically address that.

"I would like to seek legislation that deals with this issue and I happen agree with Marco Rubio as he looked at, considered this issue, he said that this is an important matter that we have to find a long tem solution," Romney said