Midday Roundup: DNA evidence on bomb no match to Tsarnaev's widow

Suspicions remain. DNA and fingerprints found on fragments of one of the bombs that exploded at the Boston Marathon does not match dead suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s wife, investigators said this morning. Katherine Russell, who was living with Tsarnaev at the time of the attack, claims she had no idea what her husband and brother-in-law Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had planned. But investigators are skeptical, according to CBS News. The FBI has taken a special interest in a phone call between Russell and her husband just hours after a photo of the then unnamed suspects was released to the public. Tsarnaev died just a few hours later in a firefight with police officers trying to apprehend him. Investigators obviously want to know what the couple talked about. Although she spoke with investigators directly during the initial investigation, Russell is now speaking only through her lawyers.

Fast burn. Flames racing along the Pacific Coast Highway northwest of Los Angeles forced thousands of residents to flee the area and threaten Naval Base Ventura County. The fast-moving wildfire jumped the road, the only barrier between it and the base, this morning. According to Navy officials, none of the base’s 19,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate, but they have been asked to stay indoors. Heavy black smoke hangs over the area as fire crews fight to keep the fire contained. So far, they’ve only been about 10 percent successful. High winds, abnormally high temperatures, and acres of dry vegetation aren’t making their job any easier. Officials are dismayed at the early start to this year’s fire season, which doesn’t usually begin raging until mid June.

Rat invasion. From the files of eww, gross: Chinese officials have busted a criminal gang that conspired to sell meat from rats and other less than desirable animals as mutton. Gag. The 60-member ring raked in more than $1 million with the scheme. And they’re not the only ones doing this kind of bait and switch. Chinese officials have arrested 1,000 people so far since the end of January for selling tainted meat products. Food safety is a major problem in the world’s most populous nation, where a toxic milk scandal rattled residents several years ago. But China’s grocers aren’t the only ones fooled by mislabeled” meat. Earlier this year, European consumers who thought they were buying beef learned they had actually purchased horse meat.

Not guilty? Former Atlanta Public Schools (APS) Superintendent Beverly Hall entered a not guilty plea this morning and waived her arraignment on charges related to the cheating scandal that rocked the city’s school district. Hall and 34 other APS educators, are charged with conspiracy and racketeering for changing answers on the state’s standardized tests to improve the district’s overall rating. Hall also faces charges of theft by taking for accepting large bonuses based on the district’s improved performance, increases prosecutors say she knew were false. (See my recent report about the cheating scandal’s silver lining in the latest issue of WORLD Magazine.)